Month: August 2015

The new Pete’s Dragon will NOT be a musical

Posted on by Miss Main Street

pete's dragon

(photo from disney.wikia.com)

Slated to be released in 2016, one of the newest installs in the ever growing list of Disney remakes will be none other than Pete’s Dragon. Aware that some of the darker themes of the original may not be the smartest choice for today’s audiences it appears the film will be taking a very different direction with this retelling. In an interview with Bryce Dallas Howard, who stars in the film, she was quoted as telling the Orlando Sentinel that it will be a “story of an orphaned boy whose best friend is what everyone thinks is an imaginary character, and it’s actually a real dragon. And during the course of his journey he finds his family. So that’s still intact. But everything else is very different. Everything else.”

Personally, I’ll admit that I’m a little disappointed that Pete’s Dragon is being re-imagined. After reading multiple other stories about how Elliot is now going to be fluffy and that, according to Bryce once more, “this is not a musical” that perhaps there was no real need to even call it Pete’s Dragon and maybe if they had simply made this new version with a new name, it would seem easier to accept? That said, as there’s no real way to judge a movie until it’s released, I’ll just have to keep reminding myself of what the original movie had to say about these matters, because after all, there’s room for everyone on this world.

Dwayne Johnson to be in two upcoming Disney movies

Posted on by Miss Main Street

When Disney first teased at its upcoming animated feature Moana, I was instantly hooked. It didn’t matter that I knew little to nothing about the movie, the name said it all. It was clearly going to have some Hawaiian/Polynesian influence and that was enough for me. As news has trickled out about the team working on the music (Ron Clements and John Musker, famous for their work on movies such as Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog), the plot (about a young Polynesian woman who sets out across the Pacific) to the news about another major character, Maui, the news has only amplified my excitement.

Therefore when I recently found out that Maui was going to be played by none other than Dwayne Johnson it was just another reason to be reaffirmed that this movie can’t come out soon enough. And now it appears that Dwayne Johnson will be in yet another upcoming Disney movie, this one being based on the Jungle Cruise. Although the Jungle Cruise movie (currently untitled) does not have a release date as of yet, you can expect to see Moana released in November of 2016.

Star Wars Lands and Experiences coming to Disney!

Posted on by Miss Main Street

Photo courtesy DisneyParks blog
(Photo Courtesy DisneyParks blog)

If you haven’t heard the news yet, then sit back and prepare to be blown out of this world. In fact, prepare to be blown into a galaxy far, far away for at the latest D23 EXPO, it was announced that both Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort will be getting their own Star Wars themed land. According to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, each land will be over 14 acres large and offer two new attractions. There wasn’t much detail on the future attractions (just yet) but one of them was teased boasted that it will let guests get to fly the legendary Millennium Falcon on a “secret mission.” While it’s hard to tell exactly what that means, I’m already envisioning a Star Tours mixed with a Mission:SPACE type of feel.

Photo courtesy of DisneyParks blog
(Photo Courtesy DisneyParks blog)

In addition to the two lands, it was also announced that a new Star Wars experience will be coming to both locations in early 2016 known as Season of the Force. For Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, this means a specially themed Star Wars fireworks show and for Disneyland it marks something much bigger. For years people on the West Coast have been asking for Star Wars Weekends to come to Disneyland and now they’ll be getting to take part in this new event. Space Mountain will be temporarily re-imagined into Hyperspace Mountain and park guests will get to enjoy specially themed food and entertainment.

Expect to hear more in the upcoming months about these latest additions to the parks. For the great thing about Disney is that they love to surprise and excite you with news like this, but they also know to keep just enough secret to keep you coming back for more!

Disney Shopping just got easier!

Posted on by Miss Main Street

Today I found out about an exciting new app that Disney is going to be rolling out shortly. Simply named “Shop Disney Parks” the app will allow users to purchase virtually any item from a Disney operated store at Walt Disney World right from their smartphones. It will also allow park guests to find the availability of the merchandise in question and where it can be found. The rumors from the sites I went to suggested that eventually it will work with the My Disney Experience app, but that for now the two will remain separate. Although I can’t confirm anything, one site even mentioned that this linking would then allow for the automatic application of discounts that guests may be entitled to have (example: Annual Pass discounts).

As someone who has personally experienced the twinge and then full on pangs of regret for not buying an item while at the parks and wishing for a way to turn back time, I know this app will be a saving grace for many.

Walt Before Mickey movie

Posted on by Miss Main Street

Although the news is a bit dated, I couldn’t help passing along a trailer for a new movie coming out on DVD called Walt Before Mickey. It’s a bit confusing but it appears it is not endorsed by the Walt Disney Company and that it is slated for release on DVD shortly (I’ve seen August 14th posted online but their direct site says “summer”). The movie is to be based on the book of the same title that shows Walt during his early years prior to creating Mickey. I can’t say it looks like the best movie ever created, but, at the same time, I think it proves that we’re all still ready for an official biopic of Walt’s life on the big screen!