It would appear that Cars 2 is hitting a few roadblocks. The interwebs is buzzing this morning with news of John Lasseter having to slide over to address story issues with the upcoming Pixar film. So as of right now John is in the co director chair. There is no news on if his name will be in the credits or not.
What do you think about this move? Let us know in the comment section below.
From the soundtrack ‘Almost Alice’ for Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland. The end credit track Alice (Underground) written by Avril Lavigne and produced by Butch Walker.
Coming to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ on March 5, 2010, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an epic 3D fantasy adventure starring JOHNNY DEPP as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter.
With the release of Alice in Wonderland almost upon us, Disney is releasing a few must have items for those Alice Fans. Here is the article from the NY Times talking about the makeup line being released.
The decision to license several beauty products inspired by the film was easy. “With an interpreter like Tim Burton, we saw a huge opportunity,” said Johanna Mooney, director of health and beauty business for Disney Consumer Products.
Urban Decay is offering a limited-edition Book of Shadows, a pop-up box, right, containing 16 eye shadows (colors include White Rabbit and Jabberwocky black), a primer and two eye pencils ($52). And the nail company OPI has partnered with Disney to introduce four limited-edition colors, left, that include Off With Her Red ($8.50 each).
This isn’t the first time Disney has teamed up with makeup companies. “Great brands find our characters very inspiring,” Ms. Mooney said, noting that Disney’s first collaboration with a makeup company for adult products took place in 2005, when M.A.C. Cosmetics introduced the Tint Toons collection based on classic Disney animals like Daisy Duck. Bath and Body Works introduced a line inspired by Tinker Bell in 2007, and last fall Disney partnered with Carol’s Daughter, a New York natural skin-care company, for a bath line to accompany “The Princess and the Frog.”
Click here for the complete article.
Photo from Lars Klove for the NY Times
This article from Kotaku talks about how Kingdom Hearts paved the way for Disney’s newest project Epic Mickey.
“If you look at nothing else, you can look at Disney Epic Mickey taking the characters and showing them in a surprising way,” Hopper said. Epic Mickey, the forthcoming Wii Mickey Mouse game from renowned game designer Warren Spector and his Junction Point Studios, puts Disney’s lead mascot in a darker steampunk-influenced world, facing off with forgotten character’s of Disney’s earliest cartoons. (See Kotaku’s extensive Epic Mickey chat with Spector)
Both Epic Mickey and Kingdom Hearts take creative risks with Disney characters that just wouldn’t have flown years ago. Kingdom Hearts was the breakthrough.
Hopper added that the success of Square-Enix designer Tetsuya Nomura, who has creatively led the Kingdom Hearts franchise, helped prepare Disney for granting Spector his own creative influence on the Epic Mickey project.
In both cases, the games take Disney outside its comfort zone of what to do with its characters, and while Kingdom Hearts may have been considered an abomination in some corners of Disney before it was out, the tune has changed and the company is open to just that kind of unconventional design.
Click here for the complete article
Photo from kotaku.com
Personally I am on board with Epic Mickey, its nice to see Mickey breaking out of his comfort zone and doing something different. How do you feel about Epic Mickey, are you on board? or do you not like where game designers are taking Mickey? Let us know in the comment section below.
A new section of DisneyStore.com is now open focusing on Disney modern style. They have gathered together several designer labels such as Bloc 28, Disney Couture, and Swarovski in this new style line. Check it out if you are a fan of the more modern style side of Disney products!
*Image Credit: http://www.disneystore.com
Walt Disney Co named Geri Wang, former senior vice president of primetime sales for the ABC Television Network, to president of sales and marketing of the network.
Wang will be responsible for sales and integrated marketing efforts for ABC Television Network, including ABC Primetime, ABC Daytime, ABC News, ABC Late-Night, ABC Interactive and Sales Development, Disney said on Wednesday.
She will also oversee Disney/ABC Unlimited, the cross-platform sales unit of Disney, as well as sales and integrated marketing efforts for SOAPnet.
Picture from korrekt.com
With the range of movies that Disney released in the past few years I hope this changes the quality of movies being released. Overall I have been very pleased with their movie selections but there have been a few that are somewhat questionable. Vulture discusses Disney’s new strategy on releasing movies like Tron in the future.
The Proposal starred the newly resurgent Sandra Bullock, grossed $315 million worldwide, and only cost $40 million to make. Who wouldn’t want to make a sequel?
Wait, before you answer, here are a few more questions: Can you sell Sandra Bullock action figures? Will there be a Proposal theme-park ride? A “Let’s Get A-Proposin’!” line of greeting cards? No, no, and no? Okay, then we have our answer to that sequel question: Disney.
The studio behind the original hit has told the producers that it’s not interested in making a follow-up to one of its biggest 2009 hits. It’s all part of Disney’s new edict to make, essentially, only two kinds of films: The $150 million-plus blockbuster with lots of CGI and merchandising (i.e., anything that was once a ride at Disneyland or already a Disney title; anything old or new from Pixar; or a major character at Marvel Studios, for which it paid $4 billion last year) or the $30 million project with young, cheap, on-the-cusp movie stars. (Think Freaky Friday, a Disney-associated title which the studio is talking about making yet again, just seven years after the Lindsay Lohan remake.) “Everything in the middle,” says one producer on the Disney lot, “is toast.”
It’s Hollywood in Hawaii, as the Black Pearl arrives. That’s the ship featured in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films.
It docked at Kalaeloa Harbor early Sunday morning. State tourism leaders say it’s a shining symbol of good things to come, despite being in the tough economy.
The state tourism office’s phones have been ringing off the hook, as the Black Pearl cruises towards the islands.
State leaders say a lot of work went into getting the film here and the excitement of the ship is just the beginning.
Sky News Now got an exclusive look of the Black Pearl. Traveling at 10 miles per hour, its journey took it from the Bahamas to LA and then to Kalaeloa.
“It’s quite a global traverse if you will, for Hawaii to be the home berth for it is pretty exciting,” State Creative Industries Division chief Georja Skinner said.
The fourth installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “On Stranger Tides” is set to start filming this summer on Oahu and Kauai. It’s expected to steer millions of dollars into the state’s economy.
Click here to keep reading
Some awesome Disney Vinylmation news comes in the form of a new series! A new Vinylmation series is now available at select areas of Disneyworld, and soon to be available at select areas of Disneyland, CA in March! What is this new series you ask? Why, it’s none other than The Muppets!!! Here’s a link to the Vinylmation page with the new series info:
Photo from vinylnation.net
If you want to read more Disney Park Blog has more photos and information.
During his keynote speech at the Engage! Expo at New York’s annual Toy Fair, Lane Merrifield, Executive Vice President, Disney Online Studios & Co-Founder of Club Penguin, gave the audience a sneak peak of the newest virtual world set to be released under his direction, World of Cars Online.
The newest addition to Disney’s portfolio of online virtual worlds for kids, World of Cars Online, is based on the hit Disney•Pixar animated feature. Kids create their own Car and join Mater and other favorite Cars characters on adventures, fun and racing in Radiator Springs in this browser-based virtual world. Scheduled to release this year, World of Cars Online gets kids revved up to make new friends, play games, race on cool tracks and explore the Cars world.
In addition, Disney unveiled new content launches for its entire portfolio of virtual worlds including, Disney Club Penguin, Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow, Disney’s Toontown Online, and Pirates of the Caribbean Online.
Right now you can visit their website at http://worldofcars.go.com and create your own car till the Beta testing becomes available. If that isnt enough you can watch the game trailer too!
Photo from http://worldofcars.go.com website
Swindon in the United Kingdom was officially honored at Walt Disney World when the plaque marking the twinning of the Wiltshire town with the popular Florida resort was unveiled at the famous Magic Kingdom.
Previously Beauty and the Beast 3D was supposed to be released Feb 12th of 2010. But as that date has come and gone, Disney released the official word earlier today on when we will be seeing Belle and her friends dance there way back in theaters.
Beauty and the Beast in 3D has been pushed back to 2011 to try and coincide with its twentieth anniversary celebration.
According to Slashfilm, the original 2D version of Beauty and the Beast is set to come out on Blue Ray by October of this year. So good news for those who can’t wait till 2011.
What do you think of this move?
Are you going to see it in 3d when it comes to theaters or do you not agree with Disney’s push to re-release their movies in 3d. Let us know in the comment section below.
