Tim and Anthony celebrate their 100th podcast episode together with cocktails (of course) and more talk about Disneyland's reopening. Plus, Pixar's Soul bags seven Annie Awards and Marvel releases a new trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
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Tim and Anthony are back, talking about what to expect when Disneyland reopens at the end of the month. Also, Anthony expresses his undying love for Universal Studios and Tim shares the story of how he should have ended up in Disneyland Jail.
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Tim Callaway and Anthony Reynolds did a thing...five years after they did their last thing together. The Mouse Castle is back (sort of).
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Disney's Zootopia opened last weekend with record-breaking box office numbers for a March release. Naturally, Anthony and I didn't bother to see it. No worries, we'll both rectify that this week. A 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes certainly got our attention.
Disneyland's announced April 2 closure of Super Hero HQ caught us all by surprise. What will be next for the Star Wars Launch Bay's attic? A preview center for Star Wars Land maybe? And what will happen when Captain America and Spider-Man are sent packing to DCA? Will the Mad T Party be replaced by a Mad A (for Avengers) Party? It's time to get some rumors started.
Here's what else we've got Inside The Mouse Castle this week:
Enjoy!
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There's nothing like a ticket price increase to get the Disney fan base stirred up. Make it "seasonal pricing" (or "tiered pricing" or "surge pricing"), however, and you'd better getting ready for major outrage. The price of single-day and multi-day tickets went up (for the most part) at all the Disney parks over the weekend, with single-day tickets now priced based on expected attendance. In a nutshell, you'll pay more to visit your favorite park on a busy day (say, summer or Christmastime) than you will during a quieter day (like an October weekday). What does it all mean and should you really be upset about it? Tim and Anthony sort it all out for you in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle.
Here's what else we've got going on:
Enjoy!
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Principal shooting has begun on both Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII and James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. Naturally, that sparks Anthony and I to devise a mashup crossover film combining the two franchises. And, oh what the heck, lets toss Jurassic Park (World) into the mix too.
I guess it was a slow news week. Of course, that never deters us on in Inside The Mouse Castle. What we can't report on we just make up. Here's what else we have on tap in today's show:
Enjoy!
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Pixar's Inside Out dominated the Annie Awards over the weekend, winning 10 awards out of the 11 categories it was nominated in. The journey into the mind of an 11-year old was named Best Animated Feature and Pete Docter was named Best Director. Inside Out also took trophies home for writing, storyboarding, editing, character design, character animation, music and production design. And finally, Phyllis Smith received a much-deserved Annie for providing the voice of Sadness. It was a busy night for Team Disney as their animated TV series Disney's Mickey Mouse received three Annies (storyboarding, editing and music). The Good Dinosaur, Wander Over Yonder, Gravity Falls and Avengers: Age of Ultron all received one Annie each.
Tim and Anthony recap the Annies and keep things animated with these other entertaining items in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle:
Enjoy!
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A man was arrested at Hotel New York at Disneyland Paris last week after bringing two semi-automatic pistols and a knife into the resort. No attack was carried out in the incident. The man was quickly processed by French authorities, appeared before a judge, and on Tuesday was sentenced to six months of house arrest at his mother's home just outside the French capital.
As alarming as it was to hear about someone bringing weapons to a Disney resort, it was also concerning about how the story was covered in the media. News outlets were quick to point out that, included with the weaponry--which was found in the man's luggage as it passed through a metal detector--there was also a "guide to the Koran." The Daily Mail even went so far as to mention it in their story headline.
Question: Would the press have said anything if the man was packing a Bible?
Multiple terrorist attacks in Paris last year have understandably made the French people jittery about the threat of religious extremism in their country. But, was it right for the media to fan the flames of Islamophobia, especially after the police investigation found no evidence the man intended to commit a terrorist act? The man claimed he was carrying the weapons for self-defense (and if that was true, the guy is pretty dim to think he could get through hotel security).
In this week's Inside The Mouse Castle, Tim and Anthony share their thoughts about the Disneyland Paris incident and the state of security at other Disney parks. Don't worry. They also talk about the usual silly stuff too.
Enjoy!
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Disney is juggling its movie release schedule in 2017, which means you're going to have to wait an extra seven months before you get to see Star Wars: Episode VIII. Like the massively successful The Force Awakens. Episode VIII will open during the Christmas holiday season in 2017, moving from its previously announced Memorial Day weekend release. Sailing into that prime May slot will be Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth installment of Captain Jack Sparrow's epic adventures. Even with Star Wars' December shift, Disney will still have a pretty busy summer 2017 slate. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 will open on May 5 and Pixar's Cars 3 will hit the streets on June 16.
Anthony and I grab our popcorn and Red Vines and settle in for this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle:
Big surprise coming this Thursday
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) January 25, 2016
We're really hoping it's a teaser trailer for Disney's live action Beauty and the Beast, set to open March 2017. Gad will play Gaston's (Luke Evans') loyal and dimwitted sidekick Lefou. Emma Watson (Belle) and Dan Stevens (Beast) also star in the highly-anticipated reboot of the tale as old as time.Enjoy!
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Tim was at Disneyland last weekend for the Star Wars Half Marathon and finished the 13.1-mile course in just under two hours and eleven minutes on a sore left foot. Nick Arciniaga, the overall winner of the event, finished in about half that time.
Sore foot. Yeah, that's his excuse.
The weekend also gave Tim some time to finally explore the Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland, which he somehow managed to miss since it opened a couple months ago. It's a fun exhibit full of ship models, prop replicas and costumes, not to mention meet-and-greets with Chewbacca and Darth Vader. The Launch Bay has received some criticism for not being quite "WOW!" enough for Disneyland, but Tim thinks it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: engage Star Wars fans with some real live stuff they can see and interact with until Star Wars Land finally makes its debut at the park, we hope, in 2018.
Here's what else Tim and Anthony have going on in this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle:
Enjoy!
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Tim and Anthony dropped by Disneyland last week to get their last looks at the Rivers of America, the Disneyland Railroad and Big Thunder Ranch/Trail/BBQ before they close. They report back from their visits in today's Inside The Mouse Castle and look ahead to the changes coming to the northwest corner of Walt's original park (a rerouted river and a Star Wars something or other).
They also chat about a few other items:
Enjoy!
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Happy New Year!
Anthony and I are back from our holiday hiatus and we're really concerned about George Lucas' happiness; as in his less than enthusiastic comments about Star Wars: The Force Awakens and, oh yeah, likening the Walt Disney Company to "white slavers."
Bad form, George.
To his credit, the Jedi master did retract the "white slaver" comment, calling it "very inappropriate." He then went on to praise Disney for their 40 year-long working relationship.
Still, do you get the feeling George is just a little bitter over selling Lucasfilm to Disney despite pocketing $4 billion in the deal?
We're concerned, George. We want to help. Let's talk about it in this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle.
And while we're at it, let's talk about a few other things too.
Enjoy!
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Star Wars. Nothing but Star Wars. That's what today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle is all about as Anthony and I share our thoughts about J.J. Abram's epic Episode VII. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens destroyed just about every opening weekend box office record and is expected to challenge Titanic and Avatar as the all time box office champ. Is $2 billion in worldwide ticket sales reachable? We think so. Isn't it crazy that anything short of that will make the movie a financial disappointment?
Money aside, we think The Force Awakens is a stellar return to form for the Star Wars franchise. We love the newcomers to the cast (Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver) and were thrilled to welcome back some old friends (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill). We were impressed with a story that paid homage to the original trilogy while setting in motion some exciting new story arcs. We can't wait to see what happens next--in about 18 months when Episode VIII opens {sigh}.
I could tell you more about our respective takes on the film and what we think is still to come, but it's way more fun if you give the show a listen. I'll say this again. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. Lots of them.
Enjoy! May the Force be with you!
Oh, and Merry Christmas!
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We can finally say it. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens this week. Wow!
It's been a little over a year since the first teaser trailer dropped and we all went bonkers watching the Millennium Falcon go loop-de-loop into those TIE Fighters. Now, we are poised just days from the movie's wide release and the anticipation is staggering. Will J.J. Abrams deliver the film Star Wars fans have been clamoring for? Our wildest hopes and dreams say, "He better."
In today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, Tim and Anthony take their final preview look at The Force Awakens and try to get a handle on all the madness. They also discuss a few other items.
Enjoy!
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We're less than two weeks away from the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters. The most surprising thing, though, is we're a week away from the film's star-studded world premiere and we have no idea where it's going to be held. Just add it to the ever-growing list of tightly-held Star Wars secrets we've come to expect from J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm. We're guessing they'll tell us eventually. Maybe.
Here's what else we've got going on this week Inside The Mouse Castle:
Enjoy!
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Pixar's The Good Dinosaur opened in theaters over the weekend and, depending on who you talked to, was a big success or a bigger disappointment. It had strong box office numbers for a Thanksgiving weekend release, but ranked far down the list among the first weekends of every other Pixar film. Tim saw it on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has its flaws--most notably an alarming lack of originality--but it's beautiful to look at and has a huge amount of heart and emotion. Thumbs up. Go see it.
That said, The Good Dinosaur probably won't be regarded as one of Pixar's more memorable films. Toy Story, Wall-E and Up it ain't With that in mind, Tim and Anthony offer their two cents on the least memorable Pixar movies of all time in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.
They also tackle a few other items:
Enjoy!
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After an unexpected week away from the show, Tim and Anthony are back with their take on Season of the Force at Disneyland. Is the Star Wars overlay of Tomorrowland worth your attention? Spoiler Alert: Hyperspace Mountain is about as good as you could hope for. And because they're easily distracted, they also talk about Adele, Pirates of the Caribbean overlays, Strange Magic, Mouse Castle charities and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. They're pretty much all over the place. Again.
They do manage to stay on topic, sort of, for this stuff:
Enjoy!
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So, after wrapping up this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, I thought I'd wait until I got to Anaheim to write up my show notes. You know, just take it easy, soak in all the Disneyland ambiance, get ready for runDisney's Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon this weekend and OH MY GOD, DID YOU SEE THE PICTURES FROM SEASON OF THE FORCE?!?!?!
The interactive showcase of all things Star Wars includes the Launch Bay, which takes up an entire floor of the former Innoventions building. Guests will find a treasure trove of film prop replicas, costumes, ship models, droids, artwork and "other notable items." There will also be character meet-and-greets representing both the Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force.
Next door, Space Mountain is getting a Star Wars overlay, transforming it into Hyperspace Mountain where you'll find yourself thrust into the midst of an X-Wing Starfighter battle.
In Star Wars: Path of the Jedi, inside the Tomorrowland Theater, you can catch an assemblage of clips from Star Wars movies past and present. Yes, that means you'll get a glimpse of The Force Awakens.
Meanwhile, Star Tours is getting a new destination from The Force Awakens.
Finally, the Tomorrowland Terrace and the Pizza Port will feature some new Star Wars-inspired menu items, and beginning December 8, the Jedi Training Academy will get an update, Trials of the Temple, a "reimagined battle experience (that) takes younglings to the secret site of an ancient Jedi temple, where they discover if they have the makings of a true Jedi."
Most everything in Season of the Force is set to open on Monday, November 16, but we're kind of hoping for a soft opening this weekend. Please, Disneyland? Pretty please?
Anyway, where was I?
Oh yeah, Tim and Anthony did a show this week. It's all about Star Wars (of course), Anthony's recent visit to Disneyland, #ForceForDaniel, the new trailers for Finding Dory and Alice Through the Looking Glass, Robin Williams, the Muppets and the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend. Whatever.
Enjoy!
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Harrison Ford told Jimmy Kimmel last week that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is "really, really good." He praised his young costars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac and added, "J.J. (Abrams) has made an incredible movie. You will not be disappointed at all. I promise you,"
On this week's ITMC, Tim and Anthony failed to mention that Ford was also wearing a hot dog costume at the time of the interview (it was Kimmel's Halloween show). We're not sure why this is relevant, but it must have something to do with why we haven't seen Luke Skywalker in the movie poster or trailer. But, we digress.
Harrison Ford likes The Force Awakens. That's all that matters.
And on a side note, we're pretty sure the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War will screen in theaters prior to Star Wars. Like you needed another reason to hit the cinema on December 18.
Here's what else we're Forcing you to listen to today Inside The Mouse Castle:
Enjoy!
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Okay, we're not quite done with this yet. Because our timing was off a bit last week, Tim and Anthony are taking the opportunity today to really break down the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. Join us as we attempt to answer the burning question, "Where is Luke Skywalker and what did J.J. Abrams do with him?"
We also talk about how the explosion of online ticket sales for The Force Awakens crashed sites like Fandango.comand MovieTickets.com in an onslaught that was eight times higher than any previous movie pre-sale.
Seriously, this stuff is crazy.
Here's what else is going on this week Inside The Mouse Castle:
Enjoy!
So, yeah, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. Heard anything about it?
When Tim and Anthony recorded this week's show, they'd heard a little bit about the trailer, but it hadn't been released yet. Never ones to be deterred by a lack of information, they pressed forward with the show anyway, talking about a trailer they hadn't seen yet and analyzing the new Force Awakens movie poster they did see.
The Force is strong in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle. Here's what else is going on:
Enjoy!
We've got plenty of movie news for you this week Inside The Mouse Castle. Marvel announced Ant-Man, closing in on $500 million at the box office worldwide, will get a summer tent pole sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, in 2018. That move will bump Black Panther to a February 2018 release. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel will move from a primo holiday season release in 2018 to a less showy March 2019 premiere. It's clear Marvel is hedging its bets on untested characters while giving the now-proven Ant-Man a second shot at the summer spotlight.
Over at Pixar, our hopes for a sooner-than-later Incredibles sequel have been dashed. Incredibles 2, written and directed by Brad Bird, won't see daylight until summer 2019. Toy Story 4, the sequel no one expected, will hit theaters in June 2018. That moves the sequel no one wants, Cars 3, to summer 2017. After next month's The Good Dinosaur, the lone non-sequel in the mix, the Lee Unkrich-directed Coco, is slated for November 2017.
Here's what else Tim and Anthony are checking out this week:
Enjoy!
Hey, did you hear? Disneyland Annual Passport prices went up.
The news was breaking over the weekend just as Tim and Anthony were about to record this week's show. While they didn't have all the info when they fired up the mikes, they certainly got the gist of things. One thousand dollar top level Annual Passports. That's pretty much all anyone needs to know.
Do you think the new prices are worth it? Or is outrage more your style? Tim and Anthony offer their takes in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.
Enjoy!
The Season of the Force is coming to Disneyland November 16th and we have all the details in this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle.
As excitement builds for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December and the January groundbreaking of Star Wars Land, the Star Wars Launch Bay will open in the old Innoventions building in Tomorrowland. There will be plenty to preview of the upcoming Star Wars films and eventually, we assume, the park expansion. Also in the Launch Bay will be the obligatory Star Wars character meet-and-greets. Next door, a new Space Mountain overlay, Hyperspace Mountain, will rocket guests through an X-wing Figher battle. Star Tours will get an upgrade as well, adding new show elements based on The Force Awakens.
The Force is strong with today's show. Here's what else we have:
Enjoy!
Anthony is back from a week at Disneyland, where he checked out all the Halloween Time activities. There was fall finery everywhere and pumpkin spice-flavored everything, but, we're mostly excited by the perfect pic Anthony took of the goat on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Of course, Halloween festivities are barely underway and we're already talking about Christmas. We've got a preview of all the stuff to expect--and what will be missing--from this year's holiday events at Disneyland.
Here's what else we have slated for this episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. It's enough to make your head spin.
Enjoy!