It's always a sad day when we lose another. Don Rickles passed at the age of 90 of kidney failure Thursday in his L.A. home. With over 100 appearances on the Tonight Show, Disney fans will recognize him best as Pixar's Toy Story's Mr. Potato Head. He's survived by Barbara, his wife of 52 years. As well as his daughter Mindy Mann, her husband Ed, & their two grandchildren Ethan & Harrison. Don Rickles, thank you for the funnies & you will definitely be missed. Hopefully, you are in a better place.
D23 Announces This Years Nine Legends
This year's D23 expo coming to the Anaheim Convention Center July 14-16 & they've announced the nine recipients of the 30th annual Disney Legends Awards. Since the first award was given to Fred MacMurray this honor has been bestowed on 276 Disney Legends including this year's. At 10 a.m. on Friday, July 14th Disney CEO Bob Iger will host what he calls, "a celebration of talent, a recognition of achievement, and an expression of gratitude to the men and women whose work has significantly contributed to Disney's enduring reputation for creative excellence." These Legends have too many achievements to list, so in order to keep it's short I'm only going to list their achievements in the Disney realm. And now the 30th anniversary D23 Legends:
- Carrie Fisher: best known as Princess Leia to everyone she also has Disney appearances that include Scream 3 (2000) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) for Dimension Films.
- Clyde "Gerry" Geronimi: he joined the Disney Studio in 1931 and contributed to the animation of more than 50 of the studio shorts, The Three Caballeros, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, directed segments of the Mickey Mouse Club, contributed to Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and on top of all of that he was the supervising director for Sleeping Beauty.
- Manuel Gonzalez: joined Disney in 1936 and two years later he took over penciling duties on the Sunday Mickey Mouse comic strip for the next 40 years he would bring Mickey Mouse to more than a hundred and twenty newspapers around the world. he also received from Walt Disney himself in 1966 a Mousecar award.
- Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker has even has more Disney in him then just Star Wars with appearances in ABC's General Hospital and MTM's The Texas Wheelers. He's also contributed to his voice to Disney's Miles from Tomorrowland and Milo Murphy's Law.
- Wayne Jackson: started as a Walt Disney Imagineer in October of 1965 he was a technician and machinist assigned to rebuild the shows from the 1964-65 New York World's Fair that would eventually be placed into Disneyland. He was a pioneer in audio-animatronic technology going on to give us Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. He went on to install attractions and show systems at Walt Disney World Resort Tokyo Disney Resort and even Disneyland Paris.
- Stan Lee: this one I almost didn't write anything because it's Stan Lee. What do you put into words that can cover Stan "The Man" Lee? Stan Lee co-created pretty much the whole Marvel Universe. So basically, thank him for Marvel Studios.
- Garry Marshall: is responsible for The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, Joanie Loves Chachi, Angie, and Blansky's Beauties for ABC. In addition to all this he also directed 18 films including multiple films for Disney like Princess Diaries and Pretty Woman. Not only this he was also an actor appearing in multiple films including Disney's Race to Witch Mountain and Hocus Pocus.
- Julie Taymor: is the multi award-winning creator of The Lion King on Broadway. Debuting in 1997 and becoming the most successful stage musical of all time.
- Oprah Winfrey: I could have left this one blank as well. Just for the fact that if you don't know who Oprah Winfrey as I don't know where you've been for the past 25 years. She's produced and starred in Beloved for Disney's Touchstone Pictures. She produced and starred in ABC's The Women of Brewster Place following that producing Tuesdays with Morrie, Before Women had Wings, and Their Eyes Were Watching God under the Oprah Winfrey Presents Banner. In The Princess and the Frog she voiced you Eudora and she will co-star as Mrs. Which in the upcoming film A Wrinkle in Time for Disney as well.
Does Dumbo Have its Villian?
According to Variety it just might. They say that Disney is currently in negotiations with Michael Keaton to play the villain in the upcoming live-action Dumbo. Hot off Birdman & Spider-Man Homecoming in "don't call it a comeback" mode, Keaton looks like he would practically switch roles with, also onboard, Danny DeVito from 1992's Batman Returns. A film also directed by Tim Burton. These three would be joined by also currently in talks, Colin Ferrell & Eva Green. Still don't know about the story they have lined up, but the casting is on point. I've been a fan of practically everything Keaton has ever done. So, this is an obvious plus for me. What do you think of Dumbo shaping up to be a Batman reunion? Let us know in the comments, like, & share.
Wanna Sing? Disney Says Be Our Guest!
That's right, according to The Disney Blog, starting this Friday, April 7 you can sit in one of 1,200 theaters nationwide & sing your hearts out. Why then you ask? That's the day that Beauty & the Beast will start it's run in "sing along" form. Yes, that's where they put the words to all the songs & you get to belt them out with the rest of the theater. I've never actually done this, but I bet it's definitely an experience. Especially if you get in there with an involved audience. When everyone sings it doesn't matter how bad you are. Is there anyone who's went to one of these? Let us know about it in the comments.
Mulan to Have Music Now?
Looks like we have some confusion on the music situation with the upcoming live-action Mulan. Last week director Niki Caro stated that her version of the martial arts epic would not be a musical. However, in an interview with THR she now states, "I mean, I haven't even started on the movie yet. I haven't seen a single casting yet, & these are conversations that are all ongoing. The live-action is based on that inspirational Chinese ballad & on the animated classic. We're still exploring the role that music will play in it, but for sure there will be music." Still not much to go on as when it comes down to it, all films contain music. So while this could give hope to hearing your favorite Mulan songs, it shouldn't be by much. To me it just sounds like a little more positive spin on this still probably not being a musical in the sense of the cast bursting into song. I could be reading it wrong though. Let us know in the comments what you got out of those statements. While your there, like & share.
15 Live-Action Remakes & My Thoughts
Chip & Company sent out a list of upcoming 15 Disney live-action remakes today & I figured I'd share my thoughts on each of them. Most of these are expected, but there's a few surprises & a couple thay may just leave you scratching your head. So with no further ado, I give you:
- The Lion King: We've talked about this one recently with rumors that director, Jon Favreau eyeing Beyonce for Nala. She would join already casted Donald Glover & James Earl Jones. Yeah, ain't it great that the only replacement for James Earl Jones isJames Earl Jones. I'm excited for this. Jon Favreau did great with Jungle Book, giving me very little to worry about on this one.
- Mulan: To also be a subject later. We got writers Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin along with director Niki Caro who can't make up her mind on if or where music has a place in this film. (More on that later.) I'm actually looking mord forward to this than I ever was the animated version. I love martial arts epics, & that sounds like what we'll be getting with this.
- Aladdin: One of, if not my favorite of the classics. We've got a team of directors in Guy Ritchie & John August, & I'm not sure if this worries or excites me. Though it seems a strange pick, I've got a bigger list of Guy Ritchie films I've enjoyed than I haven't. So that being said I'm more than intrigued.
- Jungle Book 2: Jon Favreau's directing is all we know about this one & this is one of the head scratchers for me. With Disney's track record for sequels you would figure this slot would br open for a different remake. So basically, I want to see this still, I'm just hoping I want to see it again afterward.
- Maleficent 2: Screenwriter Linda Woolverton & main title role Angelina Jolie are coming back on for who cares? I mean really, the first one went out of it's way to destroy one of the greatest on screen villians of all time. How? By making her not a villian. Otherwise played perfectly, this film took the evil out of a villian so hateful she wished death upon a baby just for not being invited to a party. So on this sequel, I'll pass.
- Mary Poppins Returns: This one's not a remake, but a sequel. It's currently has Emily Blunt as the main character, Lin-manuel Miranda, and Dick Van Dyke returning to his role. I found a love for Mary Poppins late in life and that's probably one of the reasons that I am secretly looking very much forward to the sequel.
- Snow White: Now this one's a little iffy for me. Mainly because it seems like it's been done a lot recently. However I will give it a chance, as it's one of my favorite stories, and nobody does stories like Disney does stories. Anyway, we have Priscilla Wilson as a writer and Justin Paul and Benj Pasek will be writing new original music for the film.
- Rose Red: I don't know much of what to say about this one, and it's mainly because I don't know what this one's about. Apparently Snow White and Rose Red is about two sisters that encounter an enchanted bear. It's also rumored that this film is not going to follow that storyline anyway. So it looks like anyone who does know about this one, well, they might not really know about it either.
- The Little Mermaid: I tell you this, we know the music's going to be amazing. Lin-manuel Miranda is teaming up with the original songwriter Alan Menken to write a new music to go along with the pre-existing songs in the film. This especially gets my attention as new music sounds like new scenes, and new scenes sound like the expanding a story that I've always loved. Even if I thought was a little short to begin with.
- Peter Pan: Another one the list we don't know too much about other than it's directed by David Lowery and written by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. I personally can't wait for another Peter Pan as many people have tried this since the animated version, and Hook has been the closest thing to get it right. Which doesn't really count as it's a sequel.
- Oliver & Company: Tommy Kail is on board to direct this remake that was about a cat that got taken in by a bunch of street smart dogs. One of the best things about this was the music and hopefully we can recapture that. As a kid this burned into me that Billy Joel was the man. This was another one of my childhood favorites.
- James & the Giant Peach: This was announced last year to be written by Nick Hornby and directed by Sam Mendes. It'll be a live-action remake of the '96 stop-action film. While James and the Giant Peach never really stood out for me, I am very curious to see how someone would pull off something so ambitious to try to create in live-action.
- Winnie the Pooh: I love this silly old bear. The film is supposed to be directed by Marc Forster and written by Alex Ross Perry and there's a rumor that it could be titled Christopher Robin. I've heard many theories on this live-action movie and all of them sound just as great as the next.
- Dumbo: Oh Dumbo. Written by Ehren Krueger, directed by Tim Burtonm with Colin Farrell and Danny DeVito in talks to star I just don't know really what to think about this one. With talk of a family from Kentucky, a big ring circus taking over a small ring circus, and no talk of flying elephants I'm not sure what we're even going to get with this one.
- Cruella: With Emma Stone set to star in the title role I don't know whether to be excited or reserved on this actually happening, and I think most of that lands on Maleficent. Thankfully, I don't see any way even Disney could turn someone who wants to kill a bunch of puppies for a coat, into any shade of a good person. So, if that's the case, this might finally be the villain picture I was looking for.
So there you go there's my thoughts on the big 15 coming out sooner or later. What do you think? Do you agree, do you disagree? Do you have some altogether different insights? I would love to hear it, let me know in the comments, and don't forget to like and share.
Disney Delivers Significant Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Spoiler
As you can tell from the title there is a significant spoiler ahead. The strange part is this spoiler came from Disney itself. They released a featurette for May 26th's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" & in it they listed Brenton Thwaites' character name as not only Henry, but Henry Turner. Yes, as in Davey Jones's replacement, Will Turner's son. I'm confused as to why they would let this out. There's a chance this could have no significance at all. As for all I know this could be revealed in the first 10 minutes. Maybe it's because I'm stuck on how strange it would have been in "Empire Strikes Back" if there were a behind the scenes where Darth Vader sits in a chair marked "Luke's Daddy" a month before it's release. Probably would've stolen most of the emotional response. In their defense though, we were all about 99% sure that was the junior Will Turner from the time he popped up in the first teaser trailer. I just can't help to think the big reveals of the cinema are gone in this age of almost too much information, & that's a sad thought. That means less "Keyser Soze'" moments for everyone. If you don't get that reference do yourself a favor & watch "The Usual Suspects". Great movie. Anyway, what do you think of Disney spoiling what could or could not be a major plot point? Let us know in the comments & then.... like & share.
Beyonce' for Lion King?
Forgive me if I'm not smiling for this one. Variety reported that Queen Bey is director Jon Favreau's top choice for Nala in the not so live-action remake of "Lion King". Is it live-action though? I guess live-action sounds better than realistically-animated so we'll go with that. She'd be joining already confirmed cast members Donald Glover & returning James Earl Jones. For me the only worse news than this, would be that Jay-Z is in talks for Lion King. Before anyone thinks that's a jump, know I've primarily listened to Rap & R&B. That being said I have never been a fan of this Queen or her King. However, she can hold a note, & in Dreamgirls she was tolerable. So I guess all is not at loss. Personal feelings aside, as long as I can watch this movie & her do a good enough job for me not to think, there goes Beyoncé playing Nala, I'll be fine. Who knows, if she's great I will be the first to give credit where it's due. What do y'all think of this potential casting? Write it in the comments & afterward, like & share we want to know what your friends think too.
First Live Action, Now Beauty and the Beast to Go Manga
A tale as old as time, still raking in money at the box office is already getting yet another revisioning. This time in manga form. Entertainment Weekly reports on April 26 Tokyopop & Disney will release a manga adaption of "Beauty and the Beast". This will come in two parts. One will be told from Belle's point of view as she falls for her beastly captor. While the other will be told from the Beast's point of view, dealing with his curse, turning hopelessness into love. The art is amazing even if I feel it could use a splash of color here and there, but that's not manga's style. I'm probably the only person wondering why Gaston doesn't get one for his side of the story, but oh well. What do you think manga "Beauty and the Beast", manga more classics? Put it in the comments & please, like & share.
Orlando Bloom's Will Turner Not Doing His Job
Disney released another small look at Pirates of the Caribbean 5. This one gives you your first real look at Orlando Bloom as he appears in the film. It looks as if Will Turner has been neglecting his job of ferrying across the dead, as he's starting grow one with the sea, like his predecessor Davey Jones. The CGI is still putting me off a little bit as it looks like CGI, but that could be my television as I've noticed things look a little more real on the theater screen. Until they're redone for home then it blends in just fine. I'm finding myself getting more & more excited for Pirates 5 the more I see though. I was a big fan of the first three, then for the fourth, it seemed it could just never make me care. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Are you excited for "Dead Men Tell No Tales"? How have you felt about the first four? Let us know in the comments, & don't forget to like & share.
"Club Penguin" is Dead, Long Live "Club Penguin"
As of yesterday the online gaming hangout known as "Club Penguin" has been shut down. The hubdreds of millions of fans don't have to fret though, "Club Penguin" has been resurrected in the form of a sequel available free on Android or iPhone. "Club Penguin Island" is what Disney hopes will be it's answer to "Minecraft" & "Roblox" which have a pretty good hold on the smartphone gaming market. It's an online multiplayer game where your personalized penguin can go on quests, follow storylines, or just hang with friends in the many themed with cameos from Disney characters. Will you be chilling out with "Club Penguin Island"? Comment below & don't forget to like & share.
Pixar Releases "Coco" Short "Dantes Lunch: A Short Tail"
Pixar released an animated short to "Coco" today called "Dante's Lunch: A Short Tail". In which we find main character Miguel's dog, Dante, on a quest to catch a rather peculiar acting bone. We get more of the feel of the animation. As well as a look around Miguel's hometown. This is a delightful short hailing back to the days of Pluto. Check it out & tell us in the comments what you think.
"Disney Crossy Road to Launch Product Line
Chip&co.com has Disney announcing, in collaboration with Moose Toys, a new product line for the popular mobile game "Disney Crossy Road". I personally have lost a lot of life-hours to this Disney themed game that best resembles the classic "Frogger". With it's huge cadre of characters, spanning all of Disney & growing, the game hits its one year anniversary on April 7th this year. The initial collection will include micro-figures, backpack hangers, & plush. Expect to see it on shelves in select retailers starting April 1st. Here's one more thing from the house of mouse to alleviate me of my available funds. Oh well, bring it on. Do you have a favorite "Disney Crossy Road" character/land? Let us know in the comments & don't forget to like & share.
Wreck-it Ralph Sequel Officially Has a Name
Looks like the upcoming sequel to "Wreck-it Ralph" will be too big to hold in an arcade. "The Wrap" reports Disney's upcoming March 9, 2018 release will be named "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it Ralph 2". John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, & Jane Lynch are returning to their rolds. Along with the original's co-writer Phil Johnston co-directing with original director Rich Moore. Well, everyone's back for the ride this time. The name's pretty much on the nose as to what I expected after all the talk of this one going to the interwebs. I just hope it does the original service. Disney still doesn't have the best track record when it comes to animated sequels. So, fingers crossed...
New Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Trailer
Had a short trailer for Disney's newest Pirates of the Caribbean. The ongoing tales of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. This one's a lot shorter than the last, & seems to pretty much cover the same ground as what we've already seen. Some new funnies of Captain Jack being as bad a great captain as one can be. It also seemed to give Kaya Scodelario's Carina more depth, going out of their way not to depict her as a typical damsel in distress. So, uh, check it out.
Beauty and the Beast Dominates in Second Weekend
Disney's Beauty and the Beast made it look easy in it's second weekend coming in over double the runner up in Lionsgate's "Power Rangers". Box Office Mojo has the live-action remake of the animated classic bringing in $88,347,000 this weekend. Giving it a slightly less than 50% drop in at 49.4% its second week. In comparison "Jungle Book" had a 40% drop in week two & "Cinderella" had a drop of 48.5%. In it's defense however, Beauty has acheived the combined two week totals put together of those two films in it's first two weeks at a total of $316,952,887. I'm sure Disney is loving those numbers as it seems there's a lot of these live-action classics in the works. They're in the more good than bad category with me on these now. So, I say keep 'em coming. What about y'all? Are you looking forward to Disney's live-action future?
Live Action Dumbo to Add Colin Farrell?
According to Dateline this strange, Tim Burton live action remake of Dumbo that Disney's putting together is now in talks with Colin Farrell. He's in talks join Danny Devito & Eva Green play a widowed father of two kids from Kentucky and this news just puts me more on the side of what is going on with Dumbo? I've heard so much about parts of this Dumbo now that I'm starting to wonder if we're even going to get a flying elephant. We've got circus Masters, evil circus Masters, & now we got this guy with two kids from Kentucky, and nobody's even talking about a mouse, singing crows, or a flying elephant. I mean, what do y'all think? Leave a message in the comments and let me know.
One More Year for Bob Iger
Bob Iger has signed on for an extra year of running the house of mouse as Disney's CEO. Orlando Business Journal reports he has extended his contract for the second time through July, 2 2019, as the company struggles to find him a successor. This is troublesome times as he was one of the keys to the financial success of the movies & parks since he's been CEO. He was also an integral part in making my life all about Disney with the acquisition of Marvel, Lucasfilm, & Pixar. Saying he will definitely be leaving this time around, I know I will miss his presence & he's got some pretty big shoes to fill. Thanks for another year though Mr. Iger.
Animated Short "Lou" Gets Poster
Disney released a new poster for "LOU". That's the animated short that will accompany "Cars 3". Directed by Dave Mullins & Dana Murphy, it's about a monster who lives in a Lost & Found box. It's supposed to have a strong anti-bullying message, & considering it's Pixar I'm sure it'll tug at our heartstrings as well. When I first saw this poster, if I wouldn't have read the title, I just thought it was a random stack of toys. So, as a poster I was not sure if it was the most effective thing. Then, my little girl saw it & lit up. She said, "I really like that picture daddy!". At that point I realized maybe this poster wasn't designed with the overthinking, adult in mind. Anyways, here's the poster, what do you think?
Mulan Not Likely To Have A Singalong Version
So Niki Caro is attached to direct Disney's live action adaptation of Mulan & told "Moviefone" that her version would be "a big, girly martial arts epic." She also confirmed that as of right now there are no plans to make it a musical. This is fine by me actually. I can feel everyone's anger with the next sentence. I don't necessarily remember any of the songs from that movie. Meaning that, with all the songs I remember form movies I've seen less, these just didn't stand out. Martial arts epic sound pretty awesome though. What do y'all think music or no music?
