Tuesday: December 11, 2012
New trailer for Disney's The Lone Ranger surfaces online.There is something very wrong with that horse.
Monday: January 7, 2013
Disney unveils next generation guest experience in the form of digital wristbands.The new wristbands will work in tandem with a new Disney app that you can use on your smartphone. The wristband (officially called MagicBand) can be used as your rooom key, theme park ticket, photopass, payment information and even access to FastPass for quicker access to rides and attractions. So long Key to the World cards!
Thursday: January 3, 2013
Have a peek at some concept art for Pixar's 2013-2014 movies and beyond.In 2014 it's their if-dinosaurs-didn't-go-extinct movie titled The Good Dinosaur, directed by Bob Peterson, with a tease we've seen before. In 2015 it's Pete Docter's 'Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind', now titled The Inside Out; and in 2016 they've also got Lee Unkrich's movie about Día de los Muertos, which we really don't know much about at all. Notably missing is Andrew Stanton's sequel Finding Nemo 2.
Tuesday: December 18, 2012
Twenty-one unfilmable books that managed to make it to the big screen.Even Rotten Tomatoes agrees that some of the books that made it onto this list should have never been considered for major motion picture filming in the first place. Yep, looking in your direction Cat in the Hat.
Thursday: December 13, 2012
Apple selects the Best of 2012 awards from notable iTunes Store apps and games.For the first time in two years, no photography apps made it in to the top listings. 2012 also marks the first year that an Entertainment app was given an editor’s choice award. As always, during the end of the year wrap up Apple highlights games and apps from a wide variety of categories, so it’s well worth skimming the list for hidden gems.
The Monsters University movie website is academically detailed in every way possible.Click around the teaser site and you'll find everything from a list of Monsters University student clubs all the way over to a Monsters University academic calendar. Not really sure what to make of the actual movie plot at this point other than its Mike and Sully in their college days presumably in some kind of Revenge of the Nerds scenario. Whatever it ends up being I'll be at the theaters wearing some sort of MU paraphernalia (which you can buy on the MU online campus store).
The Verge reviews The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and finds some unexpected issues.Rather than the majestic grandeur presented in the first films, the new entry looks more like a Renaissance Faire recreation shot on your brother's mini-DV camera. It's most jarring in the movie's opening, where we briefly visit Frodo and Bilbo in the moments leading up to Fellowship; we know what these characters in that world should look like, and it simply feels wrong.
Monday: December 10, 2012
Upcoming Star Wars 1313 video game getting some helping hands from all facets of LucasFilms.Now that Disney has acquired LucasArts some interesting news is starting to trickle out regarding their games division. It seems that all of the different entities under LucasFilms such as Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, Lucas Animation, and LucasArts are all collobarating on this next generation title. Star Wars 1313 will take place in the seedy underbelly of Corsuscant which alone sounds like an interesting premise. Whatever does come out of this Disney/Lucas effort it will most likely be better than The Force Unleashed 2 by default (zing).
Sunday: December 9, 2012
Modern Family's Ty Burrell to star in sequel to the recently relaunched Muppets franchise.Ty Burrell, one of the stars of ABC's Modern Family, is set to join the cast of Disney's sequel to The Muppets as one of the movie’s human stars. Christoph Waltz was in talks for the role, but the Austrian actor’s schedule prevented the studio from making a deal. The adventure moves from Hollywood to Europe, and while the film is expected to have a slew of cameos -- as is the Muppets' movie tradition -- one of the key roles is an Interpol inspector, whom Burrell will portray.
Rumors swirling that Disney's Hollywood Studios will be getting a Radiator Springs makeover.While this news is by no means official it sounds like a formal announcement may be right around the corner. Full disclosure: I am a gigantic Disney nerd. My kids, by association, are also gigantic Disney nerds. But they also happen to be huge fans of the Cars movies. Ask us to recite any line and you'll hear the whole movie. The recently opened Cars Land in California has been met with postivive reviews from fans and non-fans of the franchise. Being that we reside on the East Coast, a trip to Florida is way more feasible than a trip out to California. Ka-chow!
Telltale's episodic adapation of The Walking Dead wins Game of the Year award.If you haven't played any games from Telltale now would be a good time to start. I've been a big fan of Telltale early on as they managed to take some classic yet seemingly abandoned LucasArts franchises (Sam and Max, Monkey Island) and restore them with new storylines and fun adventures. That being said, I've heard wonderful things about their latest offering with Kirkman's series and how it takes adventure gaming to an entirely different level. Truth be told, I haven't tried out The Walking Dead yet but I plan to in the near future. Congratulations to the entire Telltale Games team!