A Day at Disney Celebrating the Release of Ant-Man and the Wasp on Blu-Ray

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Erin

Celebrating the Release of Ant-Man and the Wasp on Blu-Ray

By Jessica Zadeh of LABABY Blog

I had the pleasure of attending the Ant-Man and the Wasp press event celebrating the release of the Blu-Ray disc that comes out October 16th, 2018 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. I’ve lived in LA over ten years, but, I’ve never actually been to Disney Studios and it was such a treat!

Even though the studio is over an hour away from Disneyland, you can still feel the ‘Disney magic’ throughout the entirety of the studio; bike racks are in the shape of Mickey’s silhouette, the shrubbery is perfectly coiffed, even the squirrels are friendly, it’s like they came straight out of Snow White!

Besides my admiration of the beautiful grounds, we also had a great time at the press event! The event began at nine o’clock in the morning and we were greeted with a lovely magic and Mickey themed buffet! Abby Ryder Fortson who plays ‘Cassie’ in the movie as well as Blake Vogt, the professional magician who was behind all of Paul Rudd’s magic tricks in the movie. Abby and Blake couldn’t have been nicer or more gracious! Abby spoke about her past acting experience, which, besides the first installation of Ant-Man in 2015, Abby has extensive television credits including The Mindy Project, Miles from Tomorrowland and the Trolls TV show. Abby noted how much fun she had on set, especially working with Paul in the homemade maze scene and also learning some magic tricks herself!

Blake and Abby had a great rapport and essentially put on a magic show for us! Blake has quite the extensive background himself; he has created magic for David Copperfield, David Blaine, even Kanye West! One of Blake’s most popular tricks are splitting playing cards which we were lucky enough to see some of his famous tricks! Blake showed us the card trick from the scene in the movie in which Paul Rudd regurgitates the playing cards from his mouth (check out the video of this on the Instagram account for the LABABY Blog, @lababyblog) I still can’t figure out how he did it, it was literally MAGIC! Blake also invited members of the audience to join him and participate in some of his tricks. My favorite was a quasi mind reading trick he played with a few members of the audience; he asked each individual a different question, he asked one person to concentrate on their favorite color, to close their eyes and really visualize that color, another person he asked to visualize their favorite Marvel character in a specific scene and, again, close their eyes and concentrate on their thought. Then each person wrote down their visualization on a piece of paper and enclosed it in an envelope. Blake then collected the envelopes and ripped them up in front of us! He then stood next to each ‘contestant’ and asked them to recall their visualization and BAM he guessed each person’s secret thought! One girl was visualizing the color red, not any red but Cherry Red, and, you guessed it, Blake got it! The person whom he asked to think of their favorite Marvel character was imagining Thanos, specifically a scene with Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War and Blake even guessed that! I was completely blown away!

After the event wrapped up we were very graciously gifted some extra large playing cards and, of course, the new Ant-Man and the Wasp Blu-Ray disc, available October 16th!

We left with jumbo playing cards as well as a copy of Ant-Man and the Wasp on Blu- Ray

To continue the celebration, there is a special twitter party October 15th that you can join in on and for a chance to win some cool prizes! Be there!

*Jessica Zadeh is known for her blog and lifestyle site LA BABY as well as The #NOJUDGEMENT Podcast coming to iTunes October 16th.*

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Erin

Ant-Man and the Wasp

By Jonelle

In 2015 Marvel Studios made the decision to bring Ant-Man to the big screen. When I first heard, I thought why? That seems so silly. It ended up being one of my favorite films of 2015. I’m a huge fan of Paul Rudd and thought he was hilarious as Scott Lang.

Flashforward to 2018 and we get the second installment of the Ant-Man trilogy, Ant-Man and the Wasp. All things happen in threes with the MCU, (or fours if you’re talking the Avengers). Ant-Man and the Wasp is a sequel to Ant-Man, obviously, and a very loose “sequel” Captain America: Civil War.

Disney Studios graciously invited me to a special 3D screening of the film. At the opening of the movie, we find Scott is under house arrest because of the events in Civil War. Hope and Hank have no communication with him anymore. They are also in hiding from the FBI. With only three days left under house arrest Scott is trying to stay out of trouble, but Hope has other plans for him. She is in a desperate search for her mother, who is stuck in the quantum realm. Scott, so far has been the only one the enter the quantum realm and escape.

Cassie Lang (Abby Ryder Fortson) and Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). Photo: Ben Rothstein© Marvel Studios 2018

I love the opening sequence when Scott is with Cassie, at his house of course, he’s under house arrest, and he builds her this massive indoor playground. Remember Scott is under house arrest and cannot leave his property. This is a slight mishap and Scott’s leg breaks through a fence alerting the FBI, including FBI agent Jimmy Woo played hilariously by Randall Park. Would someone please invite him to dinner? You’ll know what I mean when you watch the film.

There were many great scenes. The best scene in the entire movie isn’t even an action scene. Luis, played by Michael Pena, is given a “truth” serum, but there’s “no such thing”. After being given the serum there is the super funny, super crazy montage. This is by far the best scene in the movie and Luis is one of my favorite characters in the film. The chemistry between Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly is wonderful. Paul Rudd is a “normal, everyday” kind-of-guy and that’s what makes his Ant-Man so endearing. Hope and Scott look very cute together.

He also has amazing chemistry with Michael Douglas. In the film, Scott (Rudd) channels Janet van Dyne while she is in the quantum realm. Because Scott has been there, they are connected in some way. It’s hilarious to see Paul Rudd become Michelle Pfeiffer. He strokes Douglas’s cheek and grabs his hand. This was a very funny scene.

Evangelina Lilly’s has some serious kick-butt action scenes. I love her costume. I’ve recently stated that it is probably my favorite suit worn by a female in the MCU. I like the fact that the MCU gives young girls smart female heroes.

This movie isn’t without its issues. There is a scene where Scott is talking to Cassie about Hope and says that Cassie reminds him a lot of Hope, his love interest. I know that this conversation isn’t meant to be creepy, but it is. I understand what Scott is trying to say, but it could have been done in a much better way. I felt that all of the great action sequences were already given to us in the commercials. The Hello Kitty Pez dispenser and the “knife run” were both in the commercial. In terms of action, there wasn’t much left for us to see.

The films villain is very ambiguous. While yes, its supposed to be Ghost, couldn’t it also be Hank Pym? He’s the reason Ava becomes Ghost. Hope and Hank are trying to save Janet, who’s been missing in the quantum realm for over 30 years. Ava is just trying to save herself from potential death and the pain she feels as she’s phasing. Instead of trying to help Ava, Hank and Hope are so focused on trying to save Janet, even pulling Scott back into the mix, not worrying at all about his house arrest or what will happen to him if he gets caught. FYI, this Ghost is a very different from the Ghost in the comics. I don’t mind the change.

Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) Photo: Film Frame© Marvel Studios 2018

While there were a few mishaps, overall the movie was a lot of fun. It’s hard to be the film to follow Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. In the Marvel timeline, this film actually takes place before the events in the Avengers. Can I say that this film is as great as those two, probably not? Can I say that this one is even as good as the original? Not quite. Is it worth seeing? Oh, most definitely. It’s funny and endearing. It makes me love Paul Rudd all over again and Michael Pena has some of the best scenes in the movie. I would definitely recommend seeing this on the big screen, I personally would just skip the 3D version.

Ant-Man and The Wasp stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale , Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Academy Award nominees Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne and Academy Award winner Michael Douglas. Peyton Reed returns as director.

In Theaters NOW! Go see it!

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A Day With the Cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Erin

A Day With the Cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp

By Jonelle

When I was offered the opportunity to preview Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and attend the press junket, I jumped on the chance to do so. I’ve loved Paul Rudd way back to the TV show Sisters. Not many people will remember that show. The first Ant-Man was hilarious. Paul Rudd in Civil War was amazing, I think one of the best things about that film. I was excited to see the movie and listen to the stars discuss their experience working on the film. Ant-Man and the Wasp arrives in theatres everywhere on July 6th!

The press conference was held at the beautiful Langham Hotel located in the picturesque Pasadena, California. Food and drinks were provided before the conference, but I graciously passed. Walking into the conference hall, the very first thing I saw was the giant-sized Hello Kitty Pez dispenser.

Of course, the most exciting part of the day was seeing the cast. I just was want to say that, what producer Kevin Feige has done for the MCU is wonderful. This is a producer who wants to make movies that fans can love. In attendance were Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Director Peyton Reed and Producer Kevin Feige. I’m not going to lie, I wish Michael Pena would have been there too, he’s so freaking hilarious.

Evangeline Lilly; Paul Rudd; Hannah John-Kamen; Michael Douglas; Laurence Fishburne; Peyton Reed; Kevin Feige.

Just like with the previous Ant-man film, Paul Rudd is one of the writers. He’s very, very funny in the movie. This film is supposed to be sequel to not only the original Ant-Man, but also to Captain America: Civil War. You first see Scott under house arrest for teaming up with Captain America. Scott is just a regular guy trying to make a life for himself and his daughter Cassie. Paul mentioned that he had a daughter roughly Cassie’s age, and that now, she’ll be expecting a slide just like the one built in the movie.

Evangeline Lilly & Paul Rudd. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Considering that this is the first film after the release of Avengers: Infinity War and the big-bad Thanos, Hannah John Kamen was asked about her “villainous” character in the film. She said that she didn’t look at Ava/Ghost as being a true villain. The actors agree that in the MCU good and evil is not always black and white. The “villains” in these stories, like Ghost, have redeemable qualities. Well, maybe not Thanos. Evangeline Lilly mentioned that her seven-year-old likes to “taunt” her by saying how much he loves violent films. She tells her son that there are no such things as bad guys. Bad guys are just good guys who have lost their way and a true hero is the one who “reminds them of their goodness.” Isn’t Scott one of those redeemable guys who lost his way, and now look, he’s a hero himself.

Hannah John-Kamen. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Not necessarily new to the MCU, so-to-speak, but back from the DCU, is Laurence Fishburne. He was the voice of the Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He plays Dr. Bill Foster who becomes Black Goliath.

After the press conference, we were taken to another room where we received a tote bag with some goodies. I got a T-shirt, a Wasp action figure and a vintage looking poster for the film.

As many already know, I’m a FunkoPop collector. Once again, Marvel and Funko didn’t disappoint. I am now in a mad search to find the Scott and Hope Ant-Man and the Wasp Pops to add to my collection. They also have a Ghost Pop. Aren’t they just the cutest?

Other merchandise on display included a series of children’s books, Legos and Invicta Limited Edition Ant-Man and the Wasp watches. I remember Little Golden Books when I was a kid. There is definitely a vintage vibe going on. I’m not sure if that was done on purpose or not, but I’m really liking the throwbacks to my childhood.

There was one action figure that looked so lifelike, even down to the abs and facial hair. It’s like they actually did shrink Paul Rudd into a miniature version of himself. This was probably the coolest piece of merchandise, (other than the adorable Funko Pop figures) on hand. I couldn’t stop staring at this one action figure.

Some of the costumes were also on hand. The Wasp’s suit is really the coolest suit worn by a female superhero in the MCU. It’s much cooler than Ant-Man’s suit, hello it has wings. A sentiment stated in the film, by Scott himself.

Overall the day was amazing. The hotel was beautiful. I had an awesome time getting to hear about the actors’ take on their characters. I loved listening to their banter back and forth. I loved looking the all the new merchandise on hand, especially the adorable Funko Pop collectables and that amazing replica of Scott Lang, AKA Paul Rudd. You won’t want to miss this one! In theaters everywhere on July 6th, but until then take a look at the trailer below!