Tag Archives: Disney Films

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

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AVENGERS: ENDGAME

By Erin

Avengers Endgame

As we all know by now, the grave course of events set in motion by Thanos wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks, compelling the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios’ grand conclusion to twenty-two films, “Avengers: Endgame.” Kevin Feige produces “Avengers: Endgame,” and Anthony and Joe Russo are the directors. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo, Trinh Tran, Jon Favreau, James Gunn and Stan Lee are the executive producers, and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely wrote the screenplay. Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” is in U.S. theaters on April 26, 2019!

The press junket for the film took place a few weekends ago in Los Angeles. Do you notice something missing here? So many empty seats…The seats were left open for our fallen heroes. Heroes such as Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Bucky Barnes, Gamora, and Star-Lord to name a few. It was a weird, eerie feeling at the junket with so many missing. Can you say awkward? Those that survived the snap were here. Here is who was in attendance!

·        Robert Downey Jr. (“Tony Stark / Iron-Man”)

 ·      Chris Evans (“Steve Rogers / Captain America”)

·         Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”)

·         Scarlett Johansson (“Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow”)

·         Mark Ruffalo (“Bruce Banner / The Hulk”)

·         Jeremy Renner (“Clint Baron / Hawkeye”)

·         Brie Larson (“Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel”)

·         Don Cheadle (“James Rhodes / War Machine”)

·         Paul Rudd (“Scott Lang / Ant-Man”)

·         Karen Gillan (“Nebula”)

·         Danai Gurira (“Okoye”)

·         Directors Anthony & Joe Russo

·         Producer Kevin Feige

Moderator: Jon Favreau

None of us had seen the movie yet and in order to not give out any spoilers, most of the questions were about what being part of the Avengers has meant to the cast and other questions totally not related to the film.

Here are some other interesting things we learned.

Kevin Feige thought that what’s special about the film is all the actors on this stage, all the actors who are not on this stage. The family that has come together this decade and the fact that, Robert said it so well in the trailer, part of the journey is the end.  Four or five years ago, we all started talking about doing something at every turn including the first Iron Man film. We talked about, how can we do something that’s never been done before. What if a super hero outs his identity at the very last shot of the movie? We can’t do that? No one does that. You can’t do that. What would we do next time? I don’t know. Let’s do it. Four or five years ago, we talked about, what haven’t we seen in films based on comic characters? We haven’t seen an ending. A definitive conclusion to an overall saga. So that’s why it’s called End Game and why I think it’s very, very, very special.

Scarlett Johansson shared that the best part of playing Black Widow during the years is seeing how much the character has evolved since her first appearance in “Iron Man 2.” Black Widow first started as a sort of sexy secretary with a skill set on the side.

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Diving into the 30th Anniversary Edition of “The Little Mermaid” at Walt Disney Animation Studios

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Diving into the 30th Anniversary Edition of “The Little Mermaid” 

By Melanie Gable

*I was invited as media to visit Walt Disney Animation Studios to learn more about the Walt Disney Signature Collection edition of “The Little Mermaid.” All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 30 years since Ariel first swam into theaters, but the fandom for Disney’s lovable mermaid princess has continued grow as each new generation experiences the magic of “The Little Mermaid.” This month the classic film will be joining the Walt Disney Signature Collection with both digital (available Feb. 12) and Blu-ray (Feb. 26) editions packed with all-new bonus features.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Little Mermaid” and take a look back at the film’s legacy, Walt Disney Animation Studios hosted a media event featuring Director Ron Clements, Animation Supervisor Mark Henn, and The Little Mermaid herself, Jodi Benson! Erin invited me to cover the event for her, and I jumped at the chance to learn more about one of my favorite movies from the talented people who brought it to life.

We first met with Co-head of Animation Kira Lehtomaki, who gave us background on the revitalizing impact that “The Little Mermaid” had on the studio. “At the time that ‘The Little Mermaid’ was being made, we weren’t sure if the animation studio was going to close or not,” said Lehtomaki. “It wasn’t quite at the pinnacle of what animation had been, and it wasn’t until The Little Mermaid came along that she really revitalized the studio and launched a whole new renaissance for Disney animation.”

Hans Christian Andersen’s fish-out-of-water story had been on the studio’s list of potential fairy tale adaptations since the 1930s, but it wasn’t until 1989 that Disney was finally able to bring “The Little Mermaid” to theaters. The studio had been in a creative and box office slump, at least compared to its early films, but “The Little Mermaid” was a hit with critics and audiences alike, receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, and winning Oscars for both Best Original Song (“Under the Sea”) and Best Original Score.

It's been 30 years since Ariel first swam into theaters, but the fandom for Disney’s lovable mermaid princess has continued grow as each new generation experiences the magic of “The Little Mermaid.” This month the classic film will be joining the Walt Disney Signature Collection with both digital (available Feb. 12) and Blu-ray (Feb. 26) editions packed with all-new bonus features. 

Ariel inspired legions of kids to long for mermaid tails and scarlet hair, and I was one of them. (I pity my poor mom, who had to endure me begging her to dye my hair red like The Little Mermaid on a nearly-daily basis after we saw the movie. Sorry, Mom!) The film also sparked the ambitions of a new generation of artists, many of whom dreamed of becoming Disney animators. “I knew at a very early age that I wanted to be part of this world,” confessed the charming Lehtomaki, who wanted to be a Disney “drawer” starting at age five, and even shared one of her childhood drawings of Ariel.

Lehtomaki led the team that brought all of the Disney princesses together, and designed their iconic loungewear, in “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and she is particularly drawn to Ariel. “One of the reasons why I deeply connect to Ariel is because she’s a collector. She has ‘gadgets and gizmos a plenty,’ and I, too, am a collector. I’m kind of known around here as the resident Disney hoarder,” she joked. Lehtomaki used her personal collection of Disney princess figurines to remember the placement of each princess when she was animating their scene with Vanellope in “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

She also formed a friendship with Ariel herself, actress Jodi Benson, who voiced the headstrong mermaid in the original film and subsequent Disney projects, including “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Lehtomaki gushed about Benson, saying, “Jodi was so valuable in the information she gave us, but the other part was we got to watch her in the recording studio, and if you watch her you will see she IS Ariel. She embodies her.” Benson was kind enough to talk with us over video web chat about what “The Little Mermaid” has meant to her over the years and her memorable experiences during production.

The Little Mermaid Dinglehopper

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Create Your Tomorrow ,Today with Tomorrowland! In Theaters NOW!

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Create Your Tomorrow Today with Tomorrowland!

By Mary Lansing & Erin

Is it just me, or does Disney keep pulling out all the stops with their films? Whether its Big Hero 6, Into the Woods or all they’re accomplishing with The Marvel Universe, it can be hard to come up for air when so much pure awesome-ness is surrounding you at the movie theatre.

Their newest gem? Tomorrowland, hitting the big screen TODAY, May 22nd. I was treated to an advanced IMAX screening and let me tell you, it will not disappoint. Tomorrowland is easily my favorite part to visit at Disneyland, but what if a land where anything truly is possible existed? With a world of tomorrow’s happening every, single day.

That’s just what happens when we’re introduced to a young Frank Walker (later played by George Clooney). The era is mid 1960s, & this adorable young chap has taken a grueling long bus trek to enter The New York’s World Fair & show off his jetpack invention to the powers that be at this event. “The powers that be” is Mr. David Nix (Hugh Laurie), who is less than impressed at this boy in front of him, as he excuses him away, a little girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) sees some kind of magic in Frank, & offers him a mysterious pin, encouraging him to check out an attraction (I am not going to tell you, but I will just say: It’s an attraction we all know & love!). There, he is transported to a fantastic, not of this world place, where little Frank’s jetpacks seem like nothing compared to this city of Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland-USA-Disney

Fast forward to now, & we’re introduced to young rebel, Casey (Britt Robertson). Casey’s Dad (Tim McGraw) works at NASA but, alas, things are changing & his job is in jeopardy. Casey finds much of the current state of the world not good, & therefore does her own kinds of things to try to change that. When one of her antics lands her in jail, she soon discovers that she now has one of those mysterious pins, when her bail is posted & her belongings are returned. As you’ve probably seen in the trailers, just picking up this “T” pin, transports Casey to who knows where. Not one to let things slide, she next sets out on an adventure to discover more about this pin.

Luckily, it is then that Casey meets a young girl….I will let you guess who this is once again 😉 & thus, their own road trip begins in order for Casey to connect with the now-recluse Frank.

Visually, this film is outstanding. I cannot recommend enough to see & soak in all its beauty in IMAX. With so many twists & turns, I want to be careful not to give too much away. Director Brad Bird is certainly on the right path at securing his place in the world of the Director for futuristic, sci-fi films. Think no further than his last Disney collaboration, 2005’s The Incredibles. The dynamics of this cast is pure gold, as well. What continued to amaze me throughout the course of Tomorrowland, were the strong performances led by Robertson & Cassidy; these young women have the chops to not only hold their own among some of the film industry’s leading men, but are paving their path to become A list status, as well.

This also goes for Clooney. Always a superb performer, I do admit I wondered what it would be like seeing him play against such fresh, new talent. He absolutely shines, & the role of Frank Walker was made for him; word is this role was written for him, personally, & it shows.

Tomorrowland is playing everywhere today, & while it’s a great choice for the family, I especially recommend it for families with children over 12.

Enjoy!

xox

Along Comes Mary

*Mary Lansing* is a 20 something year old living in Sunny Southern California with her boyfriend, Mike & dog, Hammond and runs the blog, Along Comes Mary. She is a Gluten Free Pescatarian, and her occupation in life is having as much fun as possible as well as occasionally working in the technical side of theatre.