Info

Inside The Mouse Castle: Disney News, Information and Commentary

From July 2014 to April 2021, Disney geeks extraordinaire Tim Callaway and Anthony Reynolds commented, analyzed and generally made a shambles of Disney news "Inside the Mouse Castle." Relive those embarrassing days here as they talk about Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Disney Publishing, Disney Consumer Products and the Disney/ABC Television Group. You've been warned. www.TheMouseCastle.com
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Inside The Mouse Castle: Disney News, Information and Commentary
2021
April


2016
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2014
December
November
October
September
August
July


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: December, 2015
Dec 22, 2015

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!

www.TheMouseCastle.com
RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Dec 15, 2015

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.

  • Everyone's favorite chimney sweep, Dick Van Dyke, turned 90 on Sunday and was feted all weekend long by flash mobs in Los Angeles and park guests at Disneyland. It was quite the jolly holiday for ole' Bert.
  • Tim finally had the pleasure to see in person Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination, the special exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum that celebrates the unique friendship and artistic collaboration between these two men. The exhibition runs through January 3, 2016, so if you're in the San Francisco area, we highly recommend visiting.

Enjoy!

www.TheMouseCastle.com
RSS Feed: http://themousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Dec 8, 2015

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:

  • The search for who'll play young Han Solo in a new Star Wars spin-off film is underway. No less than 2,500 actors will be considered to play the role originated by Harrison Ford. Lucasfilm has time. The origin story about the scruffy-looking nerfherder isn't scheduled to start shooting until 2017.
  • Star Wars invaded Disney's Hollywood Studios again as the Star Wars Launch Bay, Star Wars: Path of the Jedi and Star Tours: The Adventure Continues all made their debuts at the Florida park. But, is there as much excitement for these attractions as there was for their Anaheim counterparts?
  • Star Wars Rebels is getting a third season on Disney XD. This is a series that has grown on me, with interesting character arcs and some great throwbacks to the old Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.
  • Pixar's Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur dominated the nominations at the Annie Awards. It's a good thing too. Dinosaur needs all the help it can get. It took a nosedive at the box office over the weekend and could end up being Pixar's lowest grossing film ever.
  • We're really excited about the new Photographs from the Walt Disney Archives website. There you can order fine art prints of historical photos of Walt and his many creations. Prices start at $59 for unframed 11 x 14 images and increase from there based on size and framing options. 
  • Are you single and ready to mingle with a fellow Disney fan? A new dating site, MouseMingle.com has launched and, well, it's a dating site. For Disney fans. Anthony will be happy to meet you there.

Enjoy!

www.TheMouseCastle.com
RSS Feed: http://themousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Dec 1, 2015

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: 

  • Bromance, betrayal and one badass superhero three-way. Ladies and gentlemen, the first trailer for Captain America; Civil War.
  • Oh yeah, there's also a new trailer for Disney Infinity's Star Wars: The Force Awakens play set. Tim wants it.
  • China is cracking down on a hotel chain that has been blatantly using the Disney name without permission. Apparently, plunking down $4 billion to build a resort in Shanghai buys you a considerable amount of trademark protection.
  • You can now buy Haunted Mansion Funko Pop! characters based on the Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Hatbox Ghost, but only at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Tim wants them.

Enjoy!

www.TheMouseCastle.com
RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

1