“To all who come to this happy place, welcome! Disneyland is your land.” When Walt Disney opened the gates to Disneyland Park on July 17, 1955, those were the words he chose to dedicate it as a source of joy and inspiration for all the world. Continuing as that happy place more than six decades later, the Disneyland Resort is celebrating 66 years as it welcomes guests back to the magic once again. Nearly all attractions and restaurants plus all three Disneyland Resort hotels are now open, and Disneyland park will present performances of Mickey’s Mix Magic with fireworks.*
On the July 17 anniversary, Disneyland park guests will be treated to a brief celebratory cavalcade featuring the Disneyland Band, characters, Disneyland Resort Ambassador and more! Guests can also purchase limited-time anniversary-themed caramel apples at Pooh Corner and Candy Palace and celebratory cupcakes at Jolly Holiday Bakery Café in Disneyland.
What began as Walt Disney’s dream when Disneyland opened in Anaheim in 1955 has continued to evolve with imagination and innovation, expanding from the original Disney theme park to become the Disneyland Resort with Disney California Adventure Park, three hotels and Downtown Disney District.
Celebrating 66 Years of Magic at Disneyland Resort parks
With the recent reopening of the parks, guests are returning to join the summertime excitement and create new magical memories.
New this summer, Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure is bringing together Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the common good, and they are calling all recruits to join the action. Guests can team up with the Avengers and their allies, sling webs with Spider-Man, taste-test inventive food and drinks and become part of a bigger universe.
In Disneyland, three opening-day attractions were recently reimagined: Jungle Cruise, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, and King Arthur Carrousel. These popular attractions received thoughtful updates from Walt Disney Imagineering that include revised décor and artfully enhanced storylines. Over at the Jungle Cruise, guests are now discovering brand new scenes with new characters as they explore remote rivers across the globe. While the world-famous skippers continue their unique presentations with witty interactions that guests expect, a trapped safari party finds itself up a tree and chimpanzees have overtaken their boat. “Gnu” humor makes it clear that the jungle and the animals get the last laugh on this classic attraction.
This summer, guests are invited to enjoy the return of the “Mickey’s Mix Magic” spectacular that will light up the nights with state-of-the-art projections and lasers turning Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle and the façade of “it’s a small world” into a dazzling display of sights, upbeat music and a kaleidoscope of colors. And if that wasn’t magical enough, fireworks will add a pinch more pixie dust to the occasion.*
Fans of “Mickey’s PhilharMagic” will be tapping to a new song with the debut of an animated scene based on Disney and Pixar’s “Coco.” The musical number “Un Poco Loco” will anchor the new scene when it opens to guests at Disney California Adventure park on July 17. The film’s fun, upbeat music and characters combined with the humor of Donald Duck marks the first time Disney and Pixar animators have worked on a creative endeavor where characters from both animation studios will be seen together on screen.
A place where dreams come true
The popularity of Disneyland through the past 66 years celebrates Walt Disney’s dream of a place where family members of all ages can have fun together in an atmosphere that emphasizes imagination and extraordinary guest service. Since 1955, Disneyland has welcomed millions of families, friends, dignitaries, heads of state and celebrities from all over the world who have continued to find it a special place to visit.
Limited-time ticket offer for California residents
For a limited time, California residents can visit the Disneyland Resort theme parks for as low as $83 per person, per day with a special 3-day ticket offer. This 3-day, 1-park per day tickets start at $249 and eligible guests may also purchase a park hopper option for an additional $55. The limited-time promotional tickets are available for purchase now, and California residents may redeem their tickets on any three separate days through September 30, 2021, subject to park reservation availability.** These special tickets may be purchased at Disneyland.com, through a travel agent, or by calling call (866) 572-7321. Valid admission and park reservation for the same park on same date are required for park entry, and park reservations are limited and not guaranteed.**
“Behind the Attraction” gives you a peek beyond the magic of Disney Parks. From Executive Producers Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Brian Volk-Weiss, explore how Imagineers filled the Haunted Mansion with 999 happy haunts, how the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ transformed into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! and why Space Mountain took so long to launch. From the 1950s to today, from Jungle Cruise to “it’s a small world” to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney Parks attractions have amazed millions. And this is the story of how they did it. The series is narrated by Paget Brewster (“Criminal Minds,” “Grandfathered”). Check out the official trailer:
During a special press conference, we had the opportunity to hear from Disney Imagineers, Janette Lamboy, Mark LaVine, Vanessa Hunt, and Dave Durham as well as director and executive producer Brian Volk-Weiss on what it took to create this new series for Disney+. Here is part of their interview and comments.
Q: “The Imagineering Story” was immensely popular on Disney+, can you talk about how this series is different and how the idea for it came about?
Well, the idea I’ll go in reverse order commented Brian Volk-Weiss. The idea came about we had partnered up with Dwayne Johnson’s company Seven Bucks, and we were working on a show that we had pitched to Disney+. And Disney+ liked the show. Well, I would say they didn’t love the show. And, you know, a company doesn’t love a show when they don’t buy a show. But they said, hey, what about doing a similar show to what you pitched but have it be about the attractions?
And I said I’d love to do a show about the rides. And they said, don’t ever say that word again it’s called attractions. And I said, my bad. And that’s basically how it came about. We were given a lot of great notes, which I frantically scribbled down. Our development team, put together a brand new deck, which is like a proposal for a TV show, and we brought it back.
So what we try to do is we try to really get into the fun. We went away a little bit from the history and the protocols of building these attractions and just really went for these fun nuggets that either helped build the pop culture that we live in now or a part of what’s coming that is allowing Disney to continue to have such a big voice in the culture. So that’s what we tried to do.
Introduction of the Disney Imaginners
I am Jeanette Lomboy. I get the pleasure of overseeing everything at the Disneyland Resort and Aulani. So most recently we obviously just opened Avenger’s Campus. But a long list of things. Aulani is probably is my baby from 10 years ago. We’re coming up on the 10th anniversary. Have also worked on Pandora in Animal Kingdom, all kinds of projects that go back. And I started as a storybook Fantasyland girl in 1995. So long, long history with the company. And I was the little girl who wanted to be an Imagineering was inspired by all the stories I heard when I was a kid. So happy to be here and be part of the show.
I’m Mark LaVine and the story development team in Imagineering. After a career in television writing and working with Imagineering, numerous projects around the world, from cruise ships to Pandora, like Jeanette. Spent five years working on that project and working with a lot with people like Brian on our park stories and things we can do with them. Story development is involved in everything we do at Disney, so I have a lot of work.
Hello, my name is Dave Durham. I work in the ride studio. I work primarily in Blue Sky’s front-end concept for new attractions. I’ve had the good fortune to work in creative and production in R&D and the rights studio. lots of rides I’ve had the pleasure to work on from Indiana Jones to Star Tours and back again which created great memories.
I’m Vanessa. I am part of the Walt Disney Imagineering art collection team. We are the archive responsible for documenting and caring for all the artwork created by Imagineering for our projects around the world. I’m also a part-time author for Disney Publishing.
Q: Vanessa, you were involved with Dwayne and the Imagineering art collection. What was that like?
He visited us a couple of times while he was working on Jungle Cruise. He really just wanted to learn. He wanted to see the artwork and learn about the Imagineers who brought Jungle Cruise to life. So we pulled some of the original artwork out for him to see. And he just got to sort of stand and stare at it and really soak it all in. And we talked about the Imagineers who created the artwork and he was asking questions and he was very excited to be there. On his second trip back, he turned to my co-worker, Mike, and was like, do we get to go in the Vault again? Like a little kid. Super excited about that.
Q: How did you land on what attractions and destinations and pieces were included?
We started with a list that I exaggerate not, was like, it would have been over one hundred, but I think Mark was like you might want to trim that down a bit commented Brian. So I think we still submitted a list of 30. The good news to get it down fast was we decided very early on not to work, not to do any episodes about attractions that don’t exist anymore. So otherwise, it would have been 10 episodes about Mission to Mars. So that was shot down very aggressively.
Q: Jeanette, Mark, Dave a lot of times Imagineers are behind-the-scenes people, but for this, you really come out in front of the camera. Can you talk about what that experience was like for you and sharing things that are often kept under lock and key?
Janette started by saying, we are tasked to do impossible things, fun things, magical things. And if we’re trying to bring those stories to life, you can bet that there’s a lot of stories about bringing it to life that guests never hear and they just see the end product of that. So to talk about it, I like to be asked questions that were not typically asked about, like, why did you do it this way and what did you really mean by that? And were there challenges and was it fun? I mean, it really was great for us to get in mind through the process of what we go through together to make these things come to life. And I think I learned a lot, too, in the process.
Mark added you know what was so interesting to me, working on this, working with Brian and the team and seeing it all come together and watching all those episodes and finally sort of edit the through-line to me has been a through-line that goes all the way back to Walt that again, this sort of drive for pushing to do things we’ve never done before going further. And the big teams that do it, those of us who are Imagineers today, there’s a direct lineage to those Imagineers that first started this work. And you see that in the show, which I think is just a wonderful through-line, that you just sort of seeing this connection of almost 70 years of people doing this kind of work. So to me, it’s an exciting part and it’s certainly part of it now. And I see the lineage of what Imagineering and everyone involved in park creations has done.
Dave finished off by saying, that there are so many stories behind all of our attractions and we never get to tell them. And there will be times that we’ll all be in the park as a guest and I’ll be standing in line and some other guests will be talking about, oh, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I’m like, oh, no, you have no idea what you can say. Something up has anything to bite your tongue, bite your tongue. This is a chance for, we don’t have to bite our tongue. We get to share with the viewer some of those cool inside stories, some of the history, some of the challenges, and a lot of the fun. It really is fun to build this stuff. It’s a lot of work. It’s a whole lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun. And those stories, you know, you don’t get to share. So you get to see the tip of the iceberg. Now you get to go a few feet underwater and see more of it.
“Behind the Attraction” Episode Breakdown:
Jungle Cruise
Join a skipper for the story behind Jungle Cruise, and try to spot the backside of water! When Walt decided to create the original immersive attraction, he tasked Imagineers with building a river in the Southern California desert AND the mechanical animals to populate it. Lead designer Harper Goff and horticulturist Bill Evans scrambled to get it all built-in time for Disneyland® Park’s grand opening in 1955. Guests have been cruising its waters ever since. Dwayne Johnson also appears in this episode where he discusses his childhood memories of the attraction and his favorite joke from the skippers.
Haunted Mansion
Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion — enter if you dare! When Walt Disney developed the attraction, he didn’t specify if it should be funny or scary. Ultimately, it became a perfect blend of both. Haunted Mansion proved so popular that it inspired several later iterations, including the chilling Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris and the weird and wonderful Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Star Tours
Lightspeed to Endor! A long time ago…Disney created Star Tours, a thrilling simulator attraction that takes guests to a galaxy far, far away. It inspired Imagineers to build a whole new land — Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. There, guests can use the Force to explore the remote outpost of Batuu and the cutting-edge attractions Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Discover the ups (and downs!) of creating this gravity-defying attraction set in the eerie world of Rod Serling’s renowned “Twilight Zone” television series. Then hold on tight as Imagineers reimagine the Disney California Adventure version as Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Learn what it took to build the attraction — and what it takes to ride it!
Space Mountain
You’re about to hear the story of Space Mountain in T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…launch! Walt’s vision of an attraction that simulates space travel was a design challenge Imagineer John Hench tackled head-on, creating a signature structure now in Disney Parks around the world. Imagineers continued the tradition by creating another thrilling indoor attraction, the landmark TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disney Resort.
The Castles
Castles are at the heart of Disney Parks around the world. The original at Disneyland® Resort in California quickly became a symbol of The Walt Disney Company on par with Mickey Mouse. Hear the unique story behind each one and learn how Imagineers designed and built them.
Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland® Resort with no hotel — what?! It almost happened. Check in to see how Walt got it built. Envisioned as an extension of the Park, funding for the hotel proved hard to come by, so Walt struck a deal with producer Jack Wrather. Jack would own the hotel, but Walt’s name would be on it. Together, they made it into an immersive experience, setting the stage for all Disney hotels to come. After Jack’s death, The Walt Disney Company bought the Disneyland® Hotel. Today, Disney operates dozens of hotels worldwide.
“it’s a small world”
It all began at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair! If a chance encounter between an Academy Award®-winning actress and Walt Disney hadn’t taken place, this beloved attraction might never have been created. With its signature, unforgettable song, its flume boat ride design, and Audio- Animatronics® figures, it was a huge success. Versions were designed and built-in Disney Parks around the planet, proving that it really is a small world, after all!
Trains, Trams, and Monorails
All aboard! Everything moves at Disney Parks, especially the guests — by land, water, and air! Walt loved locomotion of all kinds — trains, trams, monorails, and boats. They’re all fun, but Walt also believed the monorail could help cities end traffic. The vast transportation network at Walt Disney World Resort is a testament to that. Every Disney Park built since has continued this tradition, creating transportation systems to whisk guests efficiently to their destinations.
Hall of Presidents
This unprecedented presidential attraction in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom brings our commanders in chief to life. Walt created the world’s first human Audio-Animatronics® figure based on his childhood hero, Abraham Lincoln. Honest Abe helped launch this revolutionary technology that populates Disney Parks today. Who knows what the future holds for this mesmerizing Disney technology?
“Behind the Attraction” will premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, July 21.
Disney+ has revealed the official trailer for “Behind the Attraction.” Narrated by Paget Brewster (“Criminal Minds”), the 10-part series gives viewers an exclusive peek “behind the curtain” of the most beloved attractions and destinations at Disney Parks and Resorts around the world, from Jungle Cruise to “it’s a small world” to the Haunted Mansion to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
“Behind the Attraction” delves into Disney Parks’ rich, amazing history using archival and never-before-seen footage and photographs to unveil how the attractions came to be and how they’ve been refined over the years as new ideas surface and technology evolves.
“Behind the Attraction” begins streaming on Wednesday, July 21, on Disney+ with five episodes at launch,and five additional episodes coming to service later this year.
The following episodes will be available on Disney+ on Wednesday, July 21:
Jungle Cruise: Join a skipper for the story behind Jungle Cruise, and try to spot the backside of water! When Walt decided to create the original immersive attraction, he tasked Imagineers with building a river AND the mechanical animals to populate it.
Haunted Mansion: Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion — enter if you dare! When Walt Disney developed the attraction, he didn’t specify if it should be funny or scary, and so it became a perfect blend of both.
Star Tours: Lightspeed to Endor! A long time ago…Disney created Star Tours, a thrilling simulator attraction that takes guests to a galaxy far, far away. It inspired Imagineers to build a whole new land — Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Discover the ups (and downs!) of creating this gravity-defying attraction set in the eerie world of Rod Serling’s renowned “Twilight Zone” television series. Then hold on tight as Imagineers reimagine the Disney California Adventure Park version as Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Space Mountain: You’re about to hear the story of Space Mountain in T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…launch! Walt’s vision of an attraction that simulates space travel was a design challenge Imagineer John Hench tackled head-on, creating a signature structure in Disney Parks around the world.
“Behind the Attraction” is executive produced by Dwayne Johnson (“Jungle Cruise”), Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz and Kevin Hill from Seven Bucks Productions, and Brian Volk-Weiss (“The Toys That Made Us”), Robin Henry and Cisco Henson from The Nacelle Company. Brian Volk-Weiss directs the series.
The Walt Disney Company has announced that Marvel Studios’Black Widowdebuted to an estimated total of more than $215M globally opening weekend, including $80M in domestic box office, $78M in the international box office, and over $60M in Disney+ Premier Access consumer spend globally.
The film garnered several notable achievements in its opening weekend, including:
Black Widow is the largest domestic box office opening since the COVID-19 pandemic began and the largest domestic opening weekend since Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019.
The combined theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access opening makes Black Widow the only film to surpass $100M in domestic consumer spend on opening weekend since the start of the pandemic.
It is the highest domestic opening weekend for a Marvel Cinematic Universe origin story after Black Panther and Captain Marvel.
“Once again, Marvel has delivered an exceptional film to the delight of fans worldwide with Black Widow achieving numerous milestones in the current marketplace,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. “Black Widow’s strong performance this weekend affirms our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney+.”
“It’s incredible to see audiences enjoying Black Widow after two years without a new Marvel Studios film, and this spectacular opening weekend shows just how eager fans have been to see this beloved Avenger in her own story.
There’s no question it’s been worth the wait – Cate Shortland, Scarlett Johansson, and the Marvel Studios team have delivered an exceptional film that continues a legacy of creative excellence as the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands and enters a new era,” said Alan Bergman, Chairman, Disney Studios Content.
Marvel Studios continues its creative excellence across multiple parts of the Disney ecosystem. Black Widow follows the successful recent launches of the Disney+ original MCU series WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Loki as well as the June 4th opening of Avengers Campus, the all-new Land at Disney California Adventure Park. To date, Marvel fans have streamed nearly 3 billion hours of content on Disney+.
Calling all fans of frightfully fun family experiences… the Halloween season will once again come to life at the DisneylandResort! From Sept. 3 – Oct. 31, 2021, Guests will delight in the spooky fun of Halloween Time, at both Disneyland park and Disney CaliforniaAdventure park. Guests will not want to miss all the treasured magic – from transformed Halloween-themed attractions and sightings of favorite Disney characters and villains to seasonal décor and delightfully delicious treats. Downtown Disney District also gets into the spirit with delightful décor, seasonal treats and an all-new Halloween-themed pumpkin hunt, Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit.
At Disneyland Park
As Guests stroll down Main Street, U.S.A. they’ll be greeted by the familiar grin of the Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern and the cleverly carved pumpkins of the Main Street Pumpkin Festival. Disney characters will be photo-ready in their Halloween best. In New Orleans Square, Haunted Mansion Holiday will feature a merry makeover of the beloved eerie estate, inspired by “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” And every night from Sept. 3 – Oct. 31, in Walt Disney’s original park, Guests will enjoy a dreadfully delightful treat in the form of “Halloween Screams,” a supernatural projection and special effects show. On weekend nights, “Halloween Screams” will take to the skies and enhance the mischief with fireworks.*
At Disney California Adventure Park
Under the spell of Oogie Boogie, favorite attractions will be transformed for the Halloween season. In Cars Land, Radiator Springs will become Radiator Screams, where residents decorate their homes for a unique Haul-O-Ween makeover and transform the attractions. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree will become Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree, and Luigi’s Rolickin’ Roadsters will change into Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween.
The façade of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! will spark as the attraction transforms at night into Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark, offering an exciting Halloween adventure filled with creepy creatures and thrilling drops. Over on Buena Vista Street, Mickey Mouse and friends will be throwing it back with old-fashioned Halloween costumes. Seasonal décor will add to the Halloween ambiance on Buena Vista Street. Guests can also snap a spooky selfie in front of the 10-foot-tall statue of the Headless Horseman holding his jack-o-lantern head to the sky.
Plaza de la Familia
Also in Disney California Adventure park, experience the return of Plaza de la Familia in Paradise Gardens from Sept. 3 – Nov. 2. This immersive, limited-time celebration is inspired by the tradition of Dia de los Muertos, with exciting live entertainment, festive foods, crafts and interactive experiences. Several times daily, Guests will be able to enjoy “A Musical Celebration of Coco,” a dynamic street show honoring Disney and Pixar’s “Coco” and the everlasting bonds of family.
They will also be treated to Mariachi music at Paradise Gardens Bandstand, The World of Coco, an evocative art exhibit, a photo opportunity with a hand-animated figure of Miguel from “Coco,” as well as the iconic Arbol de la Vida (Tree of Life) photo location and memory wall.
Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party
More excitingly spooky news! On 25 select nights, beginning Sept. 9 through Oct. 31, the separate-ticket, after park-hours event Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party will add to the family-friendly fun during Halloween Time. At Oogie Boogie Bash, kids and Guests of all ages can trick-or-treat their way through the park in their favorite Halloween costumes and encounter characters both spooky and fantastic.
At this limited-capacity event, you can experience Disney California Adventure park in a unique way, with exclusive offerings like immersive treat trails, “Frightfully Fun Parade,” Villain’s Grove at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, “Mickey’s Trick & Treat” show and more. Tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash will go on sale beginning Tuesday, July 13, 2021 (no earlier than 9 a.m. PT) at Disneyland.com/OogieBoogieBash.**
There is fun for every ghoul or goblin to enjoy. We hope to see Guests this fall at the Disneyland Resort!
* Performances are subject to change or cancellation, including due to weather.
**The number of tickets available are limited and valid only for the specific event date and hours. Limit eight (8) tickets per person, per event date. Tickets not required for Guests ages 2 and under. Tickets are non-refundable and may not be resold or transferred for a commercial purpose. Costumes are subject to Disney guidelines and should not be obstructive or offensive; please check special event costume guidelines at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/dress for restrictions. Offer and event elements are subject to restrictions, change or cancellation without notice.
“The Kings Man” opening in U.S. theaters on December 22. Watch the new, action-packed special look at the Kingsman legacy, which all began with the events that unfold.
As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in “The King’s Man.”
“The Kings Man”
Directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.
Matthew Vaughn, David Reid and Adam Bohling are the producers, and Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons, Stephen Marks, Claudia Vaughn and Ralph Fiennes serve as executive producers. “The King’s Man” is based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, and the story is by Matthew Vaughn and the screenplay is by Matthew Vaughn & Karl Gajdusek.
Lights! Cameras! Action! Discover new movie magic on the already spectacular Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood in Burbank, CA. The tour which is now open to the public begins and ends in an all-new facility on what was previously a flat parking lot for the popular movie production house.
Upon arrival, guests enter the “Storytelling Showcase” and discover the world of Warner Bros., examining the breadth of the studio’s film, TV, and animation titles, as well as the technological innovations from its cinema chain origins in 1923 through its nearly 100-year journey, to become one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. Guests can even take a selfie with a replica of the iconic water tower as they walk along with an aerial view of the sprawling studio lot.
A newly constructed parking structure takes hold over the ground level that provides an optimally spaced tour lobby, Starbucks, Studio Store, and gallery entitled “Action and Magic Made Here” that highlights Warner Bros film franchises of the DC superhero universe and the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
The grand finale to the Studio Tour now offers more opportunities to get up close and personal with your favorite DC superhero and Harry Potter film franchises that only Warner Bros could provide. From stepping into the Batcave to conjuring up magical spells, there’s something to admire between screen-used costumes and props that will leave your jaw dropped to the floor.
The Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood was already recognized for highlighting the FRIENDS television series with its real-life Central Perk coffee shop. But now with the Studio Store relocated and expanded, the footprint left behind gave way to a FRIENDS boutique lounge and exclusive storefront. Superfans of the popular television series will now be able to roam freely and snap photos in seating areas designed and inspired by their favorite scenes from the show.
From the Central Perk to Monica and Rachel’s apartment living room and kitchen, to Joey and Chandler’s chairs and foosball table, even the opening title sequence. The design team did a flawless job here. It’s almost unreal to not see any mention of “FRIENDS now streaming on HBO Max”.
With any great attraction such as a tour around a real working movie studio, the experience ends at the gift shop. Here is where guests will be able to find that special souvenir to remember their memories of a Warner Bros production. There’s something for everyone from mugs, magnets, keychains, clothes, books, plush, figurines, to exclusive products only found in this once-store location. Grab an exclusive magic wand, Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Award statue, and even personalize your items with the names of a loved one.
Even if you’ve been on the Warners Bros Studio Tour before, there’s a lot more and new to uncover. A visit to Southern California would not be complete without this reimagined experience.
The Studio Tour will be open on weekends, from June 26 through July 11, with the Tour also being open on July 5. From July 15, the Studio Tour will operate 5 days a week and remain closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tours will depart from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM with departures every 30 minutes.
Tickets are available online for $69 for adults (ages 11 and up) and $59 for children ages 5 to 10 at wbstudiotour.com (advanced reservations will be required). Additionally, Southern California residents are eligible for a special rate of $57 on weekdays only, through September 30, 2021.
COVID-19 Safety Protocols: The Studio Tour follows all City, State, and Federal health guidelines in addition to internal mandates to ensure the health and safety of our guests, employees, and production partners.
Disney+ has revealed the opening title sequence and key art for the original series “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life,” now premiering Wednesday, July 28. Comprised of three seven-minute stories, each episode follows two tiny troublemakers, Chip and Dale, trying to live the good life in a big city park while having giant-sized, sky-high adventures.
Nervous worrier Chip and laid-back dreamer Dale make the perfect odd couple: they’re best buddies and they drive each other nuts. In their perpetual pursuit of acorns, these ultimate underdogs are joined by Pluto, Butch and other iconic Disney characters as they face down bullies great and small.
Filled with laugh-out-loud cartoon comedy, wacky adventures and heartfelt storytelling, the 12-episode series will debut new episodes weekly on Disney+.
“Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life” is produced by Xilam Animation with Marc du Pontavice as Executive Producer/Producer and Jean Cayrol as Director. Vincent Artaud serves as the series composer.
The newest film from Pixar Animation Studios is Luca, their 24th animated film released by Walt Disney Studios. This is Pixar’s third film in less than 18 months, with Onward being released last March at the start of the pandemic and immediately moving to Disney+, and Soul being released directly to Disney+ in November. Luca is also going directly to Disney+ with a limited engagement at the El Capitan in Hollywood. While Pixar typically releases one film every 12-18 months, in recent years they’ve started coming in closer succession.
Announced just one year ago, the film marks the feature-length directorial debut of Enrico Casarosa. His previous credits include story artist work for multiple Pixar films and as writer-director of the 2011 short film, La Luna, which premiered before Brave. Similar to that short, Luca is set in Italy: a coming-of-age tale about a young boy, inspired by the director’s life growing up in Genoa. But more than a coming-of-age tale, Luca is a “fish out of water” tale, quite literally.
Luca tells the story of a teenage sea monster named Luca Paguro living off the coast of a fictional Italian city named Portorosso. Working on his family’s sea farm as a fish herder, he has always been told to avoid going to the surface. But through his curiosity and discovery of numerous artifacts from the surface world, he meets another teenage sea monster named Alberto Scorfano. Quickly, friends, Alberto takes him up to the surface where he transforms into a human (when dry), and Luca’s view of the world is changed forever.
Alberto shows Luca his collection of “land monster” artifacts, and both of them become fixated on the Vespa scooter. They decide to venture into Portorosso, which is a fisherman’s village that hunts the fabled sea monsters, in order to find their own Vespa to take on adventures. Feeling out of place in their new human form, Luca accidentally tangles with the local bully Ercole Visconti, a pompous older teenager who believes he is admired by everyone.
Moments before being beaten up, they are saved by Giulia Marcovaldo, a local girl who also feels like an outsider. Together as underdogs, the three of them team up to enter the Portorosso Cup, a local triathlon of swimming, eating, and running, for a chance to win prize money.
For Luca and Alberto, it’s an opportunity to buy a Vespa and gain freedom from their sea lives. And for Giuliana, it’s to win respect in her town after previous losses in the contest. But the true challenge will be keeping their identities as sea monsters a secret from Giuliana, her father, and the rest of Portorosso.
Luca features the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay (Room, Good Boys) as the title character and Jack Dylan Grazer (It, Shazam!) as Alberto. Newcomer Emma Berman voices Giulia. Additional voices are provided by Saverio Raimondo as Ercole Visconti; Marco Barricelli as Massimo, Giulia’s father; and finally Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan as Daniela and Lorenzo, Luca’s parents.
Since Pixar has increased the frequency of their films, the end results have been a hit or miss. But let’s start with a positive. The animation in Luca is beautiful. The transitions between sea monster and human form are smooth, the Italian city of Portorosso and its landscapes/atmospheric elements look phenomenal, and the food-induced a pasta craving. It was also clear that the character design was directly inspired by the director’s short film La Luna. It’s a different style than other Pixar films, but one that worked for the story and wasn’t distracting like The Good Dinosaur.
Beyond Luca’s animation, the story felt…familiar. When Coco was released in 2017, with its beautiful animation and authentic Mexican culture references, its plot always felt like a retread of multiple others from Pixar or Disney films (Up, Ratatouille, Zootopia, and Moana specifically). Luca seems to suffer from the very same problem. The story is very simple, but it’s hard not to draw comparisons to several other Pixar films (Monster’s, Inc. / University, Ratatouille, Cars, and Coco, ironically).
The film also seemed to be lacking two things that are staples of other Pixar films: emotion and revelation. Nearly every Pixar film has that specific moment where the character(s) come to grips with a conflict, and it plays out in a deeply emotional scene. It’s presented as a lesson for both children AND adults and effectively renders the latter into tears. Luca just didn’t have that – the resolution of the film is fine, and there is a conflict that’s overcome. But it lacks a strong message and makes the struggles shown in the film seem not very serious.
Due to pandemic, the film was completed almost entirely at home and although the animation quality did not suffer, the story felt like a short film that had been expanded on a razor-thin plot. There’s a lot of Italian humor and references, but unlike Ratatouille which has a reason to be set in France, Luca is a story that could have been told anywhere with minor tweaks. The Italian accents used on certain characters also made them very hard to understand, or even to remember their names.
In summary, Luca is passable but not memorable. There’s a lot of charm here, but it isn’t something to revisit multiple times. While not a bad or even flawed film, the story just isn’t engaging enough to make you invested in its outcome. With the exceptions of Inside Out, Soul, and even Coco (despite its reused plot points), several of Pixar’s recent films have felt weak or lacking originality. It seems that releasing multiple films in closer succession brings uneven and forgettable results.
Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre presents Disney/Pixar’s “Luca” for an exclusive one-week US engagement June 18 -June 24, 2021, shown in brilliant Dolby VisionTM LaserProjection & Dolby Atmos® Audio Technology.
El Capitan guests can enjoy a “Luca” themed photo op and purchase a limited edition pin offer. With an edition size of 1000, this Luca collectible is a 2″ Gold Base, 3D molded Die Cast Pin, and may be purchased at the concession stand for $10 each, max. 5 per order. Guests must have a “Luca” ticket to purchase.
Daily showtimes for Disney/Pixar’s“Luca” starting Friday, June 18 are 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 7:00 PM. Showtimes and dates are subject to change.
The El Capitan Theatre has taken enhanced health and safety measures for its guests and cast members. All guests must follow posted instructions while visiting the El Capitan Theatre.
El Capitan Theatre presents Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” starting July 9, 2021, shown in brilliant Dolby VisionTM Laser Projection & Dolby Atmos® Audio Technology. El Capitan guests can enjoy a “Black Widow” themed photo op and see iconic costumes from the movie, and during Opening Weekend, will receive an exclusive poster, while supplies last.
There will be a special Opening Night Fan Event on Thursday, July 8th at 7:00 PM. Guests will be among the first to see “Black Widow” and each ticket includes reserved seating, 1 exclusive “Black Widow” poster, red and white box of popcorn, 44 oz. Collector Cup and beverage, and Opening Night Fan Event Souvenir Credential with Lanyard. Tickets for this special opportunity will be $40.00 per person no matter of age.
El Capitan guests can also enjoy special concessions during the run of “Black Widow” at The El Capitan Theatre, including a 105 oz. Collector Popcorn Tub with icon domed lid ($20) and 44 oz Character Topper Collector Cups ($12 each) while supplies last.
Daily showtimes for Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” starting Friday, July 9 are 12:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM and 10:30 PM. Showtimes and dates are subject to change.
The El Capitan Theatre has taken enhanced health and safety measures to its guests and cast members. All guests must follow posted instructions while visiting the El Capitan Theatre.
Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” fans can not only choose how they want to see the film—in theaters or at home on Disney+—they can plan ahead by purchasing advance theater tickets or pre-ordering Premier Access on Disney+. Also, check out a new featurette, a TV spot and a special message from cast members Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, and David Harbour. The action-packed spy thriller launches simultaneously in theatres and on Disney+ with Premier Access in most Disney+ markets on July 9, 2021.
To see Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” on the big screen, fans can purchase advance theater tickets through Fandango or wherever tickets are sold.
Disney+ subscribers can pre-order Premier Access to “Black Widow” from June 11 – July 8 for $29.99 in the U.S. and Canada. Once subscribers get Premier Access to the movie, they can watch it as many times as they want on any platform where Disney+ is available, with an active Disney+ subscription.
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Joining Johansson in the new feature film are Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. “Black Widow”—the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.
