Evil Hotness

Holy hotness batman! Hotness is everywhere in Snow White and The Huntsman. If you’re a boy, you will revel in the hotness. If you’re a girl, please just admire and maybe touch a little. I never ever thought I would say that Kristen Stewart is hot. When I saw the previews there was no way I was going to believe that Kristen Stewart is supposed to be “fairer” than Charlize Theron, but whatever they did to Kristen in this movie, they did it right. It was perfect. She barely spoke and just sat there and looked pretty. All she ever really needs to do…ever. Even when she spoke it was ok and I didn’t want to kill myself. Of course, Charlize is more beautiful and waaaaay hotter, but it wasn’t as far fetched as I thought it was going to be. The movie could have gone one of two ways. It could have been horrible and cheesy or freaking awesome. I have to say that it was pretty awesome. I read that even the producers were surprised at how well the movie is doing and now they’re planning a second one.

The movie is just so pretty to look at too. They go into the dark forest and the forest of the fairies and it’s just so well done. But the best part is that the story is well done too. You don’t get caught up in anything cheesy. This is not your typical Disney fairytale. The writers clearly read the Grimm’s version and threw out the Disney version to make it more of an adult movie.

 I hoped I pushed you off the fence with this one too. Definitely another good summer movie.

Good Bye to a Legend

Sad freaking day! For all of you Disney animated movie fans, Glen Keane retired on Friday after working as a Disney animator for 38 years! How insane is that?!? He drew the Beast in The Beauty and the Beast, Ariel in Little Mermaid, Alladin in Alladin and most recently he drew Repunzel in Tangled. I have watched many Disney animation documentaries and he has been in every single one of them. He went to CalArts and then worked for Disney immediately after he graduated and has been there ever since. I heard rumors not too long ago that DreamWorks wanted him for something so part of me wonders if he retired so he could explore more animation worlds. Obviously, Disney is the place to be if you want to be an animator, but there's still a big animation world out there. Either way, it makes me sad to see such a legend go. Here's the letter he wrote to his collegues:


Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Walt Disney Animation Studio,

After long and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to leave Disney Animation.

I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist it’s siren call to step out and discover them.

Disney has been my artistic home since September 9,1974. I owe so much to those great animators who mentored me—Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston—as well as to the many other wonderful people at Disney whom I have been fortunate to work with in the past nearly 38 years.

Over these four decades I have seen so many changes, but the one thing that remains the same is that we all do this because we love it.

I am humbled and deeply honored to have worked side by side so many artists, producers and directors during my career here at Disney, and I am tremendously proud of the films which together we have created. I will deeply miss working with you.

With my most sincere and heartfelt good wishes for your and Disney’s continued artistic growth and success,

Glen

I hope where ever he goes, he still does amazing things.

100 Years of Awesome

Universal is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and I have to admit that their line up of events and new attractions sounds kind of awesome. Of course, they have new attractions to compete with Disney including a nighttime spectacular that is supposed to rival World of Color. But considering the description of the Universal show, it might be better than Disney’s show, at least in content. I honestly don’t think that anything else could be as pretty as World of Color, but the content could definitely use some work. Since, it’s Universal’s 100th anniversary, the water show will display every famous Universal movie. Here’s the description from one of the theme park blogs:


Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida
Narrated by award-winning actor and recent Golden Globe - Cecil B. DeMille honoree, Morgan Freeman, Universal Orlando’s brand-new nighttime show, Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular, will celebrate the most powerful and emotional moments from Universal Pictures’ most iconic films – all on cutting-edge waterfall screens within the Universal Studios lagoon and surrounded by colorful fountains and pyrotechnics. The experience will take guests on a journey through epic cinematic moments filled with heroes, horror, laughter, good vs. evil and triumph. The new show opens this spring, runs all summer and then on select nights through the end of the year.

The renderings of what the show could look like are awesome too. Not going to lie, I really want to see this.

Some other attractions Universal is adding this year are as follows:

Blue Man Group ~ Opening February 2012 at Universal CityWalk
Universal Orlando’s Blue Man Group show is taking their unique mash-up of high energy music, comedy, audience participation and collective exhilaration to another level. Featuring a new show environment, new music, new technology and new experiences, the show will allow audiences to join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology.

Signature Blue Man Group moments combine with new pieces for an explosive evening of entertainment. New show elements include the curious Blue Men interacting with enormous “GiPads,” a funny and insightful look at contemporary communication vehicles, and a pulsating new finale with an original Blue Man Group music score. Look closely – you may even see the Blue Men take a spin on one of Universal Orlando's most popular attractions.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ~ Experience March 2012 at Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando is transforming what is already one of the most amazing attraction experiences ever created into what will feel like an all-new adventure. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man will soon feature all-new, 4K digital high-definition animation, new high tech 3-D glasses and upgrades to the set, audio and lighting systems. The re-animation of the ride film will include an entirely new level of detail for guests to discover, including a cameo by comic book icon and Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee.

Universal’s Superstar Parade ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida

Some of today’s most beloved characters and stories will bring new adventure to the streets of Universal Studios during Universal’s Superstar Parade – an all-new daily parade that features huge floats, state-of-the-art technology and hundreds of energetic street performers. Guests will sing and dance along with characters like the minions from Despicable Me, E.B. from the hit comedy, Hop, Nickelodeon’s Dora & Diego and SpongeBob SquarePants during the interactive experience. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy performances and character meet and greets prior to the parade at select locations throughout the day.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ~ Opening Summer 2012 at Universal Studios Florida

Universal Orlando’s newest attraction, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, will take guests on an unforgettable 3-D adventure with their favorite characters from the hit film – Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and the mischievous minions. The experience begins when guests enter Gru’s home, where they learn that they’re being recruited to become minions and undergo “minion training.” Things don’t go as planned, and guests find themselves on a wildly hysterical journey with Gru and his daughters. Once guests make it through training, they join an interactive, minion-inspired dance party where they can show off their best moves.

Universal’s Creative team is working closely with Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment to bring this all-new adventure to life in the most authentic way possible. In fact, the beloved characters in the attraction will be voiced by the film’s original cast: Steve Carell (Gru), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith) and Elsie Fisher (Agnes). The ride’s experience is being developed by the same creative team that behind the award-winning film, Despicable Me.

Other New Experiences Opening this Year

• Hollywood Drive-In Golf, a unique 36-hole miniature golf experience inspired by the classic drive-in movie era, will open in February at Universal CityWalk.
• A great, new immersive retail entertainment experience that will become home to SpongeBob SquarePants and other characters from the number one kids animated TV series, Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. It will open inside Universal Studios this year.
• Minutes away from Universal Orlando, the popular Wet ‘n Wild water park will open its first interactive family water play area, this summer – allowing everyone in the family to splash and swim together. Amidst lush, tropical landscaping, the new area will feature 15 water slides and more than 100 soakers, jets, waterfalls and water cannons - making it the largest interactive water play experience in Florida.

I guess it’s time to go to Florida and see some of these things for myself. I hear that Universal in Orlando is much better than Universal in LA because it’s an actual theme park. Although, I do love going through the back lot in LA.

Magical Year

Sorry for abandoning my blog for a few weeks. There were some insane deadlines at work leaving no time to look at what was happening in the world other than presidential events, but that's not what this blog is about. This is about the fun things that take us away from the cruel world and into the awesome, fantastical world.

So let's move on to the happiest place on Earth. California Adventure has a lot going on and I can't wait until the end of this year when it's all complete. I want to run around like a child! Cars Land is nearing completion and I keep seeing amazing images and videos and it just looks fantastic. The front entrance area is going to look like old Burbank when Walt first arrived to California. I'm most excited about the statue of Walt and Mickey that will be placed in the middle of the square.

Not sure why I love the statue so much. It's just Walt and Mickey with suit cases. What's really cool about it is that the statue of Walt and Mickey in Disneyland is supposed to be the two of them looking at all their accomplishments, while the new one at DCA is the two of them just starting out. Good job with story telling Disney folks.

Anyway, going back to the changes. The area where ElecTRONica is currently, is going away and becoming an Alice in Wonderland/Mad T Party themed bar area instead.

I'm not sure the motivation behind making this area a bar after dark. Seems kind of weird to me, but at least Alice in Wonderland is more Disney than ElecTRONica... Although, this Alice in Wonderland is going to be more like the Tim Burton version and less like the cartoon we all know and love from Disney. So I guess nothing is really changing except the decor. The change is going to take place this summer.

No matter what, I think this is what the Disney folks should have done with DCA in the first place. The changes that are being made are very awesome and I definitely think it will draw more people to the park once it's finished. I guess it took the Imagineers going through a little bit of failure with the park before realizing what the park should actually look like.

Disney 3D

I thought 3D movies were on their way out. I thought people were getting sick and tired of 3D because it was so over played. Well, for some reason Disney seems to be capitalizing on 3D movies. They plan on bringing back The Little Mermaid, Monsters Inc, Beauty and the Beast, and Finding Nemo. I guess Lion King 3D has been so popular that they're hoping for success with these movies. Honestly, I love these movies, but I have absolutely no desire to see any of them in 3D. Maybe Finding Nemo, but even then, not so much. Has Disney lost the ability to come up with other movies? Tangled was really good so there has to be more movie magic in there somewhere. Why go back to old movies and bring them out in 3D? I'm disappointed.

Scary Mickey

It's almost Halloween and I'm so excited. I can't wait! I've been actively holding myself back from putting up the Halloween decorations so they don't get boring by the time Halloween rolls around. I'll wait until at least Oct 1, which is just around the corner. Everyone gets into the spirit making the month of October the best month ever. All the theme parks get super into themeing. Even SeaWorld is going to do a Halloween theme this year. I know because my company built it. Anyway, I was on the Disney blog the other day and saw all their new Halloween merch and I'm kid of disappointed. When I think of Disneyland Halloween, I think of cute things that would look cute on a mantel or counter, but for some reason this year they're taking the scarier route. Instead of cute Mickey faces on pumpkins, they have scary Mickey faces on pumpkins. Dislike! I mean there are still some cute things, but for the most part it's all scary Mickey faces. See for yourself.

The Ears

I will try to make this the last Disney blog for the week. I just can’t help it. I love Disney. This is cute and simple and I had to share. Disney consumer products released a new line of Mickey ears. I want the Woody ears! Anyway, that’s all.

Buena Vista Street

I lived 4.9 miles away from the Walt Disney Studios for 22 years. Buena Vista Street was a main street that I traveled on every single day multiple times a day. And therefore the Buena Vista Street being built at California Adventure is very exciting to me. It will literally be like going home. To think that Walt Disney came to this very street in 1923 to fulfill his dreams is kind of awesome to me. I lived 4.9 miles away from his dream studio! That’s so cool, but I’m a huge fan so I might be alone here. Either way, I wanted to share a few images and a fly through video of the new street. It’s very cool and I can’t wait for this to be finished. I believe the opening will be sometime in 2012. Very soon! Also, the statue above will be the main statue of the street similar to the one in front of the castle where Walt is holding Mickey's hand. The Buena Vista Street statue depicts Mickey and Walt with their luggage coming to Burbank for the first time. Many people don't know that Walt was a real person, which baffles me and the goal behind this street to show that he was a real man with a dream. Love it!

Weekend of Disney

This weekend was very Disney filled and I’m not complaining in the least. Saturday, I headed down to the Anaheim Convention Center for the D23 Expo. It wasn’t what I expected, but I still had fun. I got to see John Lasseter and that’s really all I cared about. He and his creative team had a panel discussion and I waited in line for 3 hours to see it. There were a lot of nerdy people, which I didn’t expect at all. I guess when I think of Disney, I don’t think of a nerdy following, but this weekend kind of taught me a lesson. There were quite a few people dressed in bad costumes. I felt very out of place in some instances, but I saw some old co-workers and felt a little better about being there. I had fun, but I don’t think I will be going again. I was looking forward to the Carousel of Projects, which was a room showing all of the new projects coming up like the expansion of Fantasyland at Disney World, Cars Land, Buena Vista Street, etc but I follow so many Disney blogs that nothing was really new. I got to see a model of Buena Vista Street, which was cool, but for the most part, I already knew about everything they were showing. So again, it was fun, but I’ll skip it next time.

Then, I ran back to LA for a night at the Hollywood Bowl with Mickey and his magical brooms for Fantasia with the LA Phil. See, I told you it was a Disney filled weekend. I hadn’t seen the movie since I was a kid and I realized there were a lot of things I didn’t remember. They only showed clips of the movie, which was kind of sad because I wanted to see the whole thing, but it was still awesome. Of course, I was stuck sitting next to crazy people. The lady next to me was dancing and being obnoxious and the girl behind me kept humming every song. Then the dancing lady got annoyed by the humming chick and instead of turning around and telling her to be quiet, she kept shhing her. It was obnoxious. Either way, the Hollywood Bowl is always fun and enjoying something Disney related is even better!

Up and Away

As everyone knows, I’m a pretty big Pixar fan and I think this is really cool, but did it have to be in Utah? Adam Bangerter, who runs Bangerter Homes with his two brothers, built an exact replica of the house from the movie Up in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were watching the movie and for fun started creating blueprints and then got permission from Disney and Pixar to build it and there it is. They watched the movie over and over to get the exact detailing and they did it. Down to the last freaking shingle. The house is 2,800 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths, a living room, family room, basement and walk in pantry. Wow! I want to live there! It went on the market a week ago for $400,000. So freaking cool. It should be a museum or something. I wonder if it has the wheel chair lift on the stairs.

Good Friday

I hope everyone enjoyed Harry Potter last night. I had an issue with the ending, but otherwise it was very good. Another awesome movie opens today and I feel like my childhood is being revisited with Disney’s new Winnie The Pooh movie. John Lasseter had a hand in making this so I have no doubt it’s going to be good. It’s been hand animated giving it the look and feel of the original, which I truly appreciate. Seems like Disney is actively trying to stay true to their own roots and not trying to out do themselves. My mom refuses to see it because she loved the original so much, but I honestly think this movie will be just as good and I’m looking forward to it. I might even bring my little Tigger stuffed animal with me.

Weekend Movie - Cars 2

All I have to say is that all the critics can kiss my butt. Cars 2 was very good. It was very clever and entertaining. It was basically a spy movie in cartoon form and instead of people, the characters were cars. Very awesome. I mean, if the critics went in thinking it was just going to be another racing movie, than sure they wouldn't like it, but I think they're dumb. Pixar always has the most clever ideas when it comes to the littlest things and I definitely think that makes them stand out from the rest. The all star cast didn't hurt either. If you haven't seen this movie yet and aren't sure if you want to because of what the critics are saying, ignore them and go see it! The movie has a tiny bit of politics in it when it comes to using gasoline versus finding another form of fuel, but there's so much more to the story and the tiny bit of politics can be over looked. It's hard to even begin to explain the plot line so you just have to see it.

The short before the movie was a Toy Story short where Ken and Barbie think their going to Hawaii, but they get inside the wrong travel bag. The rest of the toys feel bad for them so they try to create Hawaii in the bedroom. So freaking cute. Again, Pixar and their cleverness takes the prize.

We saw it at the El Capitan and afterwards, they had this Gran Prix thing at Hollywood High School and even that was awesome. They had tricycle racing and picture taking and it was all set up like the movie. They even put down a floor so it looked like we were walking on a newly paved road. You could even make Lego cars and race them down a track. So cool! I felt like I was 10 years old. Definitely an awesome time. I definitely recommend seeing the movie at the El Cap so you can experience the after show.

Maleficent

My dreams might be coming true! Disney is going to make a Sleeping Beauty movie from Maleficent’s point of view!!!! That is so exciting to me. Normally, people don’t think to like villains, but I have to say that Maleficent might be my favorite. The movie Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie and it might be because of her. I’m not sure why I like her so much, but she’s kind of cool. I always wanted to be her for Halloween. As of right now, Disney is thinking of using Tim Burton to direct and that could be amazing, but it could also be crazy like Alice in Wonderland or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s hard to say. The movie is still in the beginning stages so we will have to wait and see.

The Hill

Back at work. Sad day. I hope everyone has an awesome 4th! Since it's been so hot, I thought I would talk about something cold....

Another Disney ride to turn into a movie? First, was The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy, which didn’t do very well. They’re going to try again soon and I hope it does well because that ride is awesome. Then, I mentioned not too long ago that Disney is making a movie based on The Jungle Cruise, which sounds like it might work. It will star Tom Hanks and Tim Allen and they’re a great pair. The new movie on the list will be based on the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is a fun ride, but the plot sounds too obvious and dumb. It’s going to be an action adventure movie centered on 5 climbers who climb to the top of the mountain and encounter a yeti on the way down. That sounds so lame! Why Disney why?!?! The working title right now is “The Hill” and they’ve chosen Jason Dean Hall to write the script.

Looks like Disney’s main objective right now is to write movies based on their rides. There are many more in the works and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Kind of makes me sad. What do you think?

Land of Cars

Every time I go to Disneyland, I see the construction and I recall artwork in my head of what the new California Adventure will look like. I can see the rock mountains they're building behind the Tower of Terror where Cars Land will be and the construction where the main entrance is. It's all very exciting. Disney recently posted a video of a walk through of the new Cars Land. It's a pretty minimal walk through, but it gives us all a really good idea of what's in store. I'm definitely looking forward to this.

Premieres

So this past weekend, Disneyland and California Adventure premiered 2 big attractions. I talked about them both last week: The Little Mermaid ride and Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Of course, people filmed every moment of both. If you have a few minutes, you should definitely take a look.

Little Mermaid


Soundsational Parade

Things Are A Changin’!

California Adventure is changing and I can’t wait to see the finished product! When I was at the Pirates premiere, I could see the changes they’ve made already to the front entrance and I think it’s going to look amazing. It’s going to look something like this; minus all the cars and lights of course:

When it’s all done, I might need to spend some good quality time there looking at every little thing. The first thing to kick off the new park is the Little Mermaid ride opening in June. Here are some awesome stills from the ride as well as a video interview with the Imagineers. Get your tickets, cause we’re going!

Bump in the Road

Why does it seem that every time someone has success with something, someone else comes along saying it was stolen from them? It may very well be true, but it seems to be happening a lot lately. First with J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter and now with Pixar and Cars. A U.K.-based screenwriter, Jake Mandeville-Anthony is suing Disney and Pixar claiming that Cars and Cars 2 are based on a story and characters he submitted to them in 1993.

The lawsuit was filed March 14, 2011. Anthony claims he sent copies of his works to various production companies, including Disney and met in person with Jim Morris, then an executive at Lucasfilm, and gave him copies of his project. Morris later joined Pixar in 2005 and was named General Manager and Executive Vice President of Production in September 2008. Anthony says in his complaint that he sees overwhelming similarities between his creation and the Cars franchise. So now he's trying to stop the release of Cars 2 on June 24. Sucks man. I mean, if Jim Morris really did steal the idea, that sucks. I would be pissed too, but if this dude is just out to get money, he's an ass. I'm not sure who to believe in this industry anymore...