When you have hit songs and millions of screaming fans, what else could you possibly need? A TV show! Thus came Disney’s new series Jonas: Rockin’ the House, premiering Summer 2009, and released on DVD September 22.
Five episodes of the latest smash-hit Disney Channel Original Series are available on DVD JONAS is the hottest rock band on the planet! Band members Nick, Kevin, and Joe Lucas are superstar pop idols who tear up the stage, night after night, causing severe outbreaks of JONAS induced hysteria. But behind the cool clothes and sleek guitars, they’re just three boys from New Jersey. These ultra-talented brothers are also best friends and still live at home with Mom, Dad, and little brother Frankie. At school, they hang out with lifelong friend and style guru Stella Malone who believes fashion is the sixth sense. And when their classmate – and major fan – Macy gets uncontrollably excited around them, usually someone’s going to get hurt. These brothers are probably the only superstar idols who still have to do the dishes, but they know how lucky they are to be living their dream.
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely enjoyable moments, especially because the boys are not afraid to poke fun at themselves. Kevin is the ditzy one, Nick is the brooding and poetic artist, and Joe is the love-struck leading man. Fans will enjoy seeing the trio’s real life younger brother, Frankie, appear in several episodes. The show also stars Chelsea Staub and Nicole Gale Anderson, along with John Ducey as the boys’ father.
The technical specifications of the DVD include Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 Surround Sound, Full Screen (1.33:1), English only. Special Features include “You’ve Just Been Jo Bro’d: Surprising Chelsea Staub,” and two world premiere episodes: “Beauty and the Beat,” and “Cold Shoulder.”
Bonus Episodes – World premiere episodes on DVD, never-seen-before “Beauty & the Beat” “Cold Shoulder”
While the name leads you to expect a massive crossover between three popular Disney Channel shows, The Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, and Hannah Montana, it’s actually an episode of all three shows shot aboard the S.S. Tipton and glued together using the cast of The Suite Life.
Climb on board for fun on the high seas as three favorite Disney Channel shows come together in Wizards On Deck With Hannah Montana! The S.S. TIPTON embarks on a triple-length comedy crossover event when Justin (David Henrie) wins a Teen Cruise to Hawaii—and a chance to meet London (Brenda Song). Both Justin and Max (Jake T. Austin) do their best to win the heiress’s affection, while Cody (Cody Sprouse) tries to win concert tickets for Bailey (Debby Ryan), and Alex (Selena Gomez) accuses Zack (Dylan Sprouse) of being a prankster. Between the kids’ pranks (who turned Justin blue?!) and crazy schemes (Alex sneaks Harper [Jennifer Stone] on board to take her make-up science class?!), the excitement goes overboard when international superstar Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) checks in on her way to a sold-out concert in Hawaii. But when Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) loses her lucky charm anklet and her Hannah wig, are her days as the world’s biggest pop star over forever? It’s all here in Wizards On Deck With Hannah Montana with three times the fun and triple the laughs. Plus, this new full-length adventure includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, hilarious cast bloopers and more!
If you enjoy these three shows, then you’ll probably like the DVD as they stay pretty close to their individual formulas, but it’s interesting to see how some of the characters interact in a new setting and especially entertaining is when Alex gets stuck in Zack’s bedroom while Mr. Moseby questions him about the blue dye he found outside his room. The only thing missing is a little more interaction between the different casts. The writers also missed a big opportunity by not having Hannah and Alex meet, since Hannah’s pop rival, Mikayla, is also played by Selena Gomez.
Bonus Features Justin’s Award-Winning Essay – Watch the essay video that got Justin and his siblings on the S.S. TIPTON Teen Cruise! It’s A Suite Life Having Fun With Hannah & The Wizards – Hilarious bloopers and backstage interviews with the stars!
For the first time ever, Disney Cruise Line will offer Alaskan cruises during a four-month season of seven-night sailings aboard the Disney Wonder in summer 2011. Combining the natural wonder and adventurous spirit of Alaska with the unparalleled, family-friendly experience provided by Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Wonder will depart out of Vancouver, B.C., calling on popular ports such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.
Before and after the 2011 summer season in Alaska, the Disney Wonder will sail seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.
“We’re excited to offer this incredible choice of itineraries for 2011, with cruise vacation options for every family – whether that’s outdoor adventure in Alaska, the beauty and culture of Europe, folklore and pageantry of Mexico or tropical fun in the Caribbean,” said Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz. “The unique advantage of Disney Cruise Line is that we offer a customized ship experience that brings families together, while still catering to the personalized vacation needs of every guest who sails with us.”
Disney Cruise Line also will offer a number of repositioning cruises and special sailings in 2011, including a 15-night Panama Canal crossing, two 14-night transatlantic voyages, a five- and six-night cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver, and Vancouver to Los Angeles, with first-ever stops in San Francisco and Victoria, B.C., and 10- and 11-night holiday sailings to the Mexican Riviera and the eastern Caribbean.
Guests will be able to book Disney Wonder and Disney Magic itineraries for the 2011 season beginning Sept. 28, 2009.
I’m sure many of you have seen the trailer for The Informant by now, but you may be surprised and a little disappointed if you show up expecting a film of the same tone of that snappy fast-paced trailer shown on TV.The Informant isa tame dark-comedy with many strong points worth seeing except do not plan on seeing something on the same caliber of Ocean’s Eleven as this film is more like Catch Me If You Can meets Breach.It’s smart, corky and witty.It’s dark, deceiving and intriguing.Above all it keeps the audience interested as The Informant is an unbelievable story based on a real man that turns out to be quite unpredictable.It will keep you wondering and second guessing until the credits roll.
Matt Damon did a truly unprecedented job playing the role of Mark Whitacre; a man that the audience truly doesn’t know.However, the viewer will start off with certain assumptions of the character, but will soon start to realize that he is unreliable.Whitacre is even the narrator of the film except he doesn’t really narrate.Instead he shares his thoughts during many transitions to let the audience know his current way of thinking.These are just tangents that don’t seem to fit at first and then slowly begin to come together as we find out more about the character.These tangents are said softly yet charismatic as if we are really getting a chance to get inside his head.
For example: “He seems like a really good guy.I hope he doesn’t mind me calling him Brian instead of Agent Shepard.Might even try ‘Bri’ out.”
It can be somewhat related like the previous quote to just absolutely absurd.Nonetheless, these read aloud thoughts help illustrate Whitacre’s inner thoughts, and it tricks to the audience thinking one way when maybe something completely different could be happening.
Mark Whitacre is a quiet family man that’s rising through the ranks at his job as a biochemist at agri-industry dominator Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).The company has a hold on almost everything you eat as their main contributor to ADM’s success is corn.As Whitacre explains, corn is a part of almost everything we eat.Whitacre is already extremely successful and knows he has a chance to make it big with the company.It’s when money begins to be lost due to a virus in a project he is working on when things begin to change for him.
Things start to go astray when he lets the executives know about a mole within the company sharing secrets and sabotaging his project.Quickly the FBI becomes involved and Whitacre decides to let the agents, played by Joel McHale (“The Soup”, “Community”) and Scott Bakula (“Star Trek: Enterprise”, “Quantum Leap”), know about an international price-fixing scheme taking place within ADM.
Whitacre foresees himself praised by the stockholders and the public for revealing the illegal activities taking place at his company not realizing that his job will probably not be there for him after everything goes down.In order for the FBI to take down these people involved with the price-fixing, the federal agents have asked Whitacre to spy on his co-workers.Without much hesitation, he allows wiretapping of his phone and recordings of meetings held.All seems fine for Mark Whitacre until it becomes clear that he has held back information from the agents.
You can probably read some more details on plot synopses online, but they may actually give away the main point of the movie.I’ll leave it at that.
This may not seem like a comedy by the plot of this movie.However, thanks to a fantastic script by Scott Z. Burns (Bourne Ultimatum) and a magnificent acting job by Matt Damon, this movie has subtle humor throughout the entire film.Matt Damon’s character is an out of shape, toupee wearing, unsure of himself well-liked family man.The way Whitacre acts in some areas remind me of his character in Ocean’s Eleven if that can help you picture it more.His execution of lines is very similar to that character.Damon really embraces every aspect of this character making him appear truly as a different person.
Of course this movie wouldn’t have been as complete without a great cast with such actors I would have never have thought would have fit in well.Joel McHale, who I have yet to see him in anything other than “The Soup”, does a wonderful job at being the down-to-earth FBI agent that can make laugh with just little changes in his facial expressions.Perhaps that’s just from seeing him so much on “The Soup”.Scott Bakula also is great as he portrays a very charismatic sincere agent that see’s only good in Whitacre.The duo had a great balance and had some hysterical moments while interacting with Matt Damon.
Other then the main cast, all supporting roles were absolutely perfect.Sorry if I use absolutely a lot, it’s practically Whitacre’s favorite word.His co-workers included such greats, yet never would have thought could be a good choice originally, like comedian Tom Papa and Thomas F. Wilson better known as Biff from the Back to the FutureMany of the actors are known for small comedic roles or are just plain comedians.They are a wide range of characters that when you see them all together they will just make you chuckle yet they fit the world created by the movie quite well. trilogy.
I wouldn’t say The Informant is slow, but it’s definitely a quiet movie where you are forced to just sit back and be immersed in the story at hand.One aspect that helps keep you in the mood is without a doubt the score.The music is kind of folky with bluegrass hints.Pardon me if I do not know the exact style, but it matches perfectly with the movie.It was a great direction for it.At times every movement is designated by a different note and will break to silence until someone does something else.I suppose this would be considered more of a synchronized score.
Mainly, I just really enjoyed the story.It’s quite fascinating.This isn’t really a subject matter never done, but it has never been done this way.The Informant is worth a gander and a must watch for the real movie lovers out there.
After the incredible success of the first three X-Men films, it was inevitable that the studio would try to find a way to continue capitalizing on these characters. The particular story being told had seemed to run its course, so instead of moving forward, they got the idea of looking back. X: Men Origins-Wolverine is the first in a proposed series of films that will provide the backstories to the most popular mutants in the franchise. While there seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding this film, I found it be a thoughtful and exciting look into the creation of a truly fascinating character.
As a character, Wolverine is one of the most interesting of the mutants. His story has been developed over decades of comicbooks, and was briefly hinted at in the original trilogy. X-Men 2 came the closest to fleshing out where he came from, but there still seemed to be a lot of story left to tell. We know Wolverine is seemingly immortal, and his skeletal structure is composed of something called adamantium. But how did he get this way? While most of the mutants in the X-Men world are born with their powers, the original trilogy teases with the idea that there was something more going on with this character.
This is the focus of the new film. After an incredible montage of Wolverine fighting with and eventually drifting away from his brother Sabretooth in several wars, we see a young Stryker (a much older character in X-Men 2) recruiting them for a government project where they will “really serve their country.” From this point forward, we see the evolution of Wolverine as not just a mutant, but as a character. His life is filled with loss and betrayal. It is easy to see the transition from the Wolverine in this film to the Wolverine in the original trilogy. The pieces all fit together perfectly and give a greater depth to what we have seen before.
Director Gavin Hood does a fantastic job of putting us into Wolverine’s state of mind. While the film occasionally borders on camp (lightning out of nowhere, etc.), it’s always thematically right-on. My biggest complaint is with the special effects. For a big-budget summer blockbuster, the digital effects look pretty cheap. I’ve seen better CGI on regular television. And why does Wolverine have to have digital claws now? The prop claws from the original trilogy look much better. Having said that, the world captured on film still looks great. The production designer and cinematographer did a great job in transporting the audience to a variety of very different locations, and really fleshing out this mutant-filled existence.
Speaking of mutants, this film has a great selection of new characters from the comics. Most of their appearances are rather brief, but we finally get Gambit, the Blob, Deadpool, etc. I really enjoyed seeing the interactions with all of these characters and the way they came in and out of Wolverine’s life, helping to shape him into the person we have been watching for the past several years.
New on Blu-Ray, 20th Century Fox has put together a solid package that does justice to the film. As the movie is all about the genesis of the character, one of the first features is an interview with Stan Lee and Len Wein, two of the originators of Wolverine in the comics. There isn’t a lot of flash to this segment; just two people talking. But you can sense the love they have for what they have created, as well as a genuine affection for each other. Other features include a making-of the film as a whole, as well as a segment showing the making of the helicopter crash specifically. There are deleted scenes which, as usual, deserved to be cut, and a pretty annoying segment showing the movie’s world premiere in Arizona.
The highlights of the Blu-Ray are found in what they call “Ultimate X-Mode Bonusview.” These are four separate ways of actually watching the film while getting information presented in a box in the corner. The first of these is X Connect. In this feature, the director and producers periodically pop up in the corner to explain how all of the characters connect in the X-Men world, often showing scenes with these characters in the original trilogy. Another way to watch is The Director’s Chair, where director Gavin Hood talks through various scenes about what it was like directing the film. There is also a fascinating feature called Pre-Visualizing Wolverine, where you see most of the film played out as either animatics or storyboards. Finally, there is the X Facts Trivia Track. The most disappointing of the Bonusview segments, most of the “trivia” is common knowledge, and not all of that interesting.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, despite the weak effects. I have always loved the X-Men, especially Wolverine, and I felt that this movie did him justice. The Origins concept is a great idea, and one that will really help flesh out this world. I can’t wait for the next film in the franchise, and just hope that it is as good as this one.
Still reeling from the shocking death of Stephen and the stunning betrayal of Helen (Juliet Aubrey, The Constant Gardener), Nick (Douglas Henshall, French Film, Dorian Gray) must fight to re-focus his embattled team, now reduced to two members, student paleontologist Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts) and zoologist Abby (Hannah Spearritt, Agent Cody Banks, S Club7). Cutter’s crew is joined by some new recruits in the form of maverick policeman Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng), sparky Egyptologist Sarah Page (Laila Rouass), and the new leader of the ARC’s security forces, Captain Becker (Ben Mansfield). But the anomalies continue to present an unrelenting series of threats, including such terrifying ancient creatures as Giganotosaurus (a truly terrifying predator, bigger even than the Tyrannosaurus Rex), Pristichampus (a creature which strikingly resembles the ancient Egyptian crocodile demon, Ammut) and Dracorex.
As deadlier creatures continue to rampage through the anomalies, the cloak of secrecy behind which the team has been working is in jeopardy. Questions are being asked and the conspiracy spreads its net wide. If something is not done quickly, the team’s future is threatened—not to mention the future of humankind itself.
The first two seasons each contained six episodes and was released on the Primeval Volume One DVD last year. Primeval Volume Two contains the 10 episodes of the third (and what would eventually be revealed to be the last) season. Picking up where the previous season ended, we see the team tracking the anomalies and getting the creatures back into their own time. Things have changed for the team; they now have the backing of the government, and this allows them to be a bit more proactive in determining where the next anomaly will open.
(Check-out a clip from the DVD)
The extras include commentaries, including one for episode 10 which was the season finale and, unknown at the time, the final episode of the show. The producers, directors, and actors talk about their experiences on the show, what worked, what was cut, what changed from script to filming. When talking about the final episode they were looking forward to the next season which sadly won’t happen.
Get a glimpse of what the future holds at Disney and Pixar Animation Studios as Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter, shares sneak peeks of such exciting upcoming films as The Princess and The Frog, Rapunzel, Toy Story 3 and more.
On Friday, I wrote an extremely enthusiastic article about the D23 convention. I was overwhelmed with the exhibits and presentations and was convinced that Saturday (Day #3) would prove just as informative and exciting. I couldn’t have been more wrong. All the exhibits remain the same, so those here for the first time can still enjoy that aspect of the convention. However, the panels have been underwhelming to say the least. There is a lot of downtime between presentations, and content just doesn’t seem as strong. This downtime is also causing all of the exhibits to be more crowded and creating longer lines for the panels that there are.
The day began with a presentation entitled “Imagineering the Future of Disney Parks.” There was a definite air of excitement in the room as they began unveiling their upcoming projects. However, as the presentation went on, dejection began setting in. Jay Rasulo, the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman, divided everything into four categories: Fantasy, Adventure, New Frontiers, and Tomorrow.
The Fantasy segment was the most interesting, showcasing a massive expansion of Fantasyland in Walt Disney World. This will feature separate mini-lands within the whole, giving guests the opportunity to enter the worlds of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and the Little Mermaid. He also unveiled that they would be getting a Little Mermaid ride, and a massive expansion of Dumbo. He brought along several pieces of concept art to demonstrate their vision for this project, and it looks really fun. Several of the pictures got audible oohs and aahs from the audience. (To see some of the art click here)
The next two segments were Adventure and New Frontiers. He mostly focused on the Disney Adventures program, and barely discussed the parks at all. He also briefly went over the Disney Cruise Line expansion, as well as a new hotel being built in Hawaii. This all looked good, but it wasn’t why we were here. This was supposed to be a presentation on Disney Parks, and he was getting off topic.
Finally came the segment everybody was waiting for. It’s safe to assume that in a segment labeled tomorrow, we should get a lot of great reveals as to what was in store for the parks. Well, he showed us some concepts for the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, but all of this was already on display on the showroom floor, and I had personally seen it up close and in better detail yesterday. He then talked about World of Color, without providing any new information. Next up was Cars Land, again mostly reiterating what I had already seen yesterday. He did show an early piece of pre-visualization as to the how the ride would begin. It looks like there will be a lot of characters in the attraction, but the ride itself is really beginning to look like an amazingly themed redo of Test Track at WDW. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the entire project is visually amazing. I just hope that there is more to the ride itself than we’ve seen so far.
And finally came the big announcement we weren’t supposed to know yet. As an army of Storm Troopers came running on stage, it was revealed that Star Tours will be closing in October, 2010. They will be redoing the ride and opening again in 2011 as Star Tours II. After a really lame skit with Darth Varder, Rasulo showed us a 3-D video that would demonstrate what the attraction is all about. It turns out that it’s about Pod Racing. Or at least a part of it will be. I don’t really know what Pod Racing has to do with the concept of Star Tours, but I’m pretty disappointed that this is the route they have chosen. All I know is that I am going to be riding Star Tours A LOT before October of next year.
This was the ending note for that panel, and there was a lot of time before any other presentations of interest. Personally, I wasn’t even able to get into the next few panels. There was so little going on, the lines were forming really early, and the presentations were filling up fast. I ended up doing a lot of wandering around, revisiting what I had already seen the day before.
Finally, I ended up in the last panel of the day, a preview for the upcoming holiday special Prep and Landing. This was a really fun presentation. Originally conceived as a Pixar short, it was decided that it would work better as a TV special for ABC. Animated at Disney Animation, Prep and Landing tells the story of two stealth elves who “prep” the houses for Santa before his arrival every year. They check to make sure the fireplaces are out, the milk and cookies are satisfactory, there is enough room for the presents under the tree, etc. It’s a creative concept, executed extremely well. After the directors showed us an extensive look at the conceptual art, color palettes, research photos, etc. they ended up showing us the entire program. The audience seemed to love it, and I really think that it is going to do very well when aired at the end of the year. It’s funny, cute, and has a really strong message. It fits right into the pantheon of other classic Christmas specials, and I have a feeling we will be seeing Prep and Landing every year for a very long time.
And that was the end of Day 3 (Saturday) for D23. Because of the poor scheduling of the events and a very lackluster presentation on the future of the parks, I found today to be a real disappointment. I know it’s their first year, but I really hope they learn a lot from their mistakes and are able to put on a convention next year without so much down-time, and enough displays to keep people busy for the entire duration of the event. Better luck next time.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo detailed plans for future lands, attractions and adventures that will be delighting Disney guests for years to come, at the first D23 Expo. Most notable among the announcements were the confirmation of an all-new Star Tours attraction and the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
“Storytelling is the DNA of Disney dreams and we’re always exploring new ways to tell new stories in new places,” Rasulo told a crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center in California before taking them on a “behind-the-magic” tour of their favorite Disney destinations.
Rasulo announced that a new 3-D version of the tremendously-popular “Star Tours” attraction will debut at the Disneyland Resort and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2011. Based on the iconic Lucasfilm “Star Wars” films, the attraction will include immersive new elements that will take guests to many familiar places in the Star Wars galaxy.
For Walt Disney World in Florida, Rasulo outlined plans for the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom, vastly increasing the size of Fantasyland by 2013 (Click here to see Concept Art). Guests will soon be able to:
– Visit their favorite Disney Princess in her castle, cottage, or chateau to share a dance with Cinderella; celebrate Sleeping Beauty’s birthday with the Good Fairies; or join Belle in an enchanting story performance in the Beast’s castle library.
– Be Our Guest and dine in one of three enchanted rooms inside the Beast’s castle.
-Fly with Dumbo high above brand new circus grounds, twice the size of the existing attraction with a new interactive, three-ring circus tent.
-Journey under the sea with Ariel, The Little Mermaid, in her very own attraction – also opening at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim in 2011.
-Meet Tinker Bell and her friends in the magical world of Pixie Hollow.
Rasulo provided updates on the multi-year expansion of Disney’s California Adventure including the new “World of Color” attraction slated to open in the spring of 2010 and the addition of the 12-acre Cars Land scheduled to open in 2012 where guests will literally step into the town of Radiator Springs and its six acres of hand-carved rockwork. Rasulo noted the progress of several other recently-announced projects including the three new lands coming to Hong Kong Disneyland by 2014; the Disney Dream, the new ship being built by Disney Cruise Line; the many diverse itineraries being offered by Adventures by Disney that take guests on 19 unique, once-in-a-lifetime guided vacation experiences; and Disney’s first family destination resort on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Rasulo’s keynote presentation was only part of the D23 EXPO experience.
Guests were able to discover: Never-before-seen models of upcoming Disney attractions. Up close and personal visits with Lucky the Dinosaur and Wall-E. A preview of the most advanced Audio-Animatronics figures ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Displays showcasing cutting-edge effects technologies that are being developed for Disney attractions, shows and venues.
The X-Men saga continues onto Blu-ray Disc and Special Edition DVD with digital copy on September 15th.Wednesday 20th Century Fox previewed the new special features that will be included in the different editions as well as announced a feature never been available on Blu-ray.X-Men Origins: Wolverine Blu-ray version comes equipped with Fox’s new LIVE LOOKUP with information from IMDb.
LIVE LOOKUP allows users to select an actor’s photo in the scene they are currently watching and instantly view the actor’s information, past credits and future projects.The idea is simple.Every time the user inserts the disc, users with BD-Live enabled Blu-ray players will be instantly updated with current data from IMDb.com.
By using LIVE LOOKUP user may select snapshots taken of actors as they appear in the movie making it simple to find. Also, users may search by actor or character name.The feature includes above-the-line crew, cast shooting locations, genre information and the film’s release date.Basically, the basic information provided on IMDb.com is displayed.
This is a great concept, but may be making us a little too lazy.I’m fine going on my computer while watching the movie and looking up the information there.This seems rather pointless to me, however an option is available to reduce the size of the image so the information does not cover the film.Nonetheless, I am more excited about chat and movie related forums being available via BD-Live.What’s too much information though?Director and producer Gavin Hood was also not sure what’s too much to have on the DVD including extras and so forth.Other people involved with the making of the special edition versions expressed how research has shown that this is what people want, but it still seems odd that people want to view actor information during the movie.I guess if you can do it, why not?
The bonus material seems normal, but I do find it interesting you can view a version of the film without all the effects and such in place.Kind of curious if this is similar to controversial leaked version that made newscast prior to the opening of the film.
Nonetheless, Fox has much anticipation for this release as the franchise has already made 1.5 billion dollars at the box office and X-Men Origins: Wolverine still hasn’t opened in Japan.The filmmakers involved seemed excited to continue the Wolverine story in many more movies to come.Going to be interesting who gets to make the films though due the Disney acquisition.No matter who makes the future Wolverine films, I hope Gavin Hood stays on board.He is very into the character and tries to relate it as much as possible, and maybe too much, toward our own life mutations.It’s a little deep and I will stay out of it.I’m sure he will go into depth about this on the bonus features.
Blu-ray Disc Specs:
50GB dual-layer disc authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression. French/Spanish and English audio and subtitles.
Disc One
oCommentary by Director Gavin Hood
oCommentary by Producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter
oThe Roots of Wolverine: A Conversation with Stan Lee and Len Wein
o“Wolverine Weapon X Mutant Files Featurette: 10 Character Chronicles”
o“The Thrill of the Chase: The Helicopter Chase Sequence” featurette
oX-Facts: Trivia Track
oDeleted Scenes with commentary by Gavin hood
oAlternate Memory Erase Sequence
oAlternate Tag Scene: Japan
oFox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere
oIMDB BD-Live technology
Disc Two
Digital copy
The Two-Disc Special Edition is similar with a few less items.Most notably missing is the 53 minute “Wolverine Weapon X Mutant Files Featurette: 10 Character Chronicles”.
So far, the D23 Expo has been a blast. Through a combination of panels, interactive displays, and museum-like exhibits, Disney has done a remarkable job at presenting a look at the past, present, and future of what the company has to offer. While there are a ton of exciting projects on the way, it is just as exciting to witness the history that they are sharing with those fortunate enough to be in attendance.
One of the most thrilling exhibits is the “Treasure of the Walt Disney Archives.” I never thought I would be standing inches from such iconic props as the original storybook featured in the opening scene of Sleeping Beauty, or Mary Poppins’ original costume, but that is where I found myself today. I was awestruck, wandering from one timeless artifact to the next. They had the original 11-foot model of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the robots from The Black Hole, and even Walt’s desk, complete with various shooting scripts and signed checks. It was an unbelievable experience, seeing all of this history up close and in person.
Looking into the future, there was a tremendous exhibit on the convention floor featuring a look at various theme park attractions in development. Of course, a huge section was reserved for a sneak peek at Cars Land, coming to Disney’s California Adventure in 2012. There were models of the entire land, as well as a beautiful mock-up of the Radiator Springs Racers, the big E-ticket of this area. The theming looks to be beyond anything Disney has ever done in California. The details are gorgeous, and they really look to transport the guests into the world of the film.
Just beyond Cars Land was a more technical look at what goes on behind the scenes. There were exhibits showcasing the remarkable work that goes into creating the animatronics, as well as a video showcasing the process of implementing Barack Obama into the Hall of Presidents. Also featured was a look at the development of the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction, which is being given a remarkable looking upgrade.
It was in this area that they also showcased two extraordinary animatronics that will hopefully make their way to the theme parks. They were for a new character named Lucky the Dinosaur, and Wall-E. Both had a remarkable degree of subtlety, and their interactions with the guests were flawless. Lucky in particular was a remarkably designed character that had so much detail and personality it began to feel like a living, breathing animal.
Just beyond this area was a look at the three new areas being prepared for Hong Kong Disneyland. One of them was themed to Toy Story, another was kind of a cross between Grizzly Peak, Thunder Mountain, and Expedition Everest, and the last one was something entirely unique. Called Mystic Manor, this attraction is going to take Guests into a museum where a magic music box brings all of the exhibits to life. An Imagineer explained the entire ride to us, scene by scene, utilizing several pieces of concept art and a model of the entire floorplan. Even though I will probably never see this ride in person, I still feel as if I got to experience it for myself.
My day ended at a terrific panel where they screened several very rare pieces of animation. The first one was a film directed by Ub Iwerks during WWII, in which they demonstrated to the Canadian Army how to use a rifle designed to stop tanks. It was completely surreal seeing Disney Animation used in such a way. They also featured a short film about the spread of malaria through mosquitoes that starred the Seven Dwarves. I didn’t even know there was additional footage of the dwarves out there, and I loved getting to see them in a completely different context. Seeing Dopey swinging at mosquitoes with an axe and Doc pouring gasoline into a lake from a speedboat made this one of the most unexpectedly hilarious films shown at the presentation.
Other shorts included the legendary Salvador Dali segment cut from the original Fantasia, as well as two segments made for a proposed third Fantasia that never saw the light of day. One of them was set in Africa and featured children flying kites. The other one was an Argentinian tango that told the story of a cat driven mad after his tail comes to life. The animation, music, and storytelling in this segment were absolutely superb. It deserves a greater degree of exposure, and I really hope that they eventually decide to release this to the public in some capacity. The last short they showed was an extremely rough cut of a Mickey Mouse Short called Plight of the Bumblebee. Historically, I understand the significance of a lost Mickey Mouse cartoon, but I didn’t really think it was all that great. It was about Mickey helping a bee break into the opera business, all the while fighting the bee’s addiction to the intoxicating effects of flowers. It really wasn’t worth the buildup they gave it.
Overall, they did a great job putting all of this together. Saturday (Day#3) promises to be just as exciting, with some great presentations planned. I can’t wait to see what they have in store.
Video highlights of Disney’s D23 Expo Day #1. Bob Iger’s keynote kicks-off the event. See the Celebrities that attended and the many Disney fans that attended!
