Disney Fan Art Spotlight: Kenny Durkin Part 2

Exactly one week ago we shared the fantastic and creative works of Kenny Durkin, and if you missed it, be sure to check it out now. Becuase there was just too much awesomeness to fit into one article, we decided to split the spotlight on Kenny's fabulous work and showcase it in a special two-part series. Without any further introduction, here is even more of Kenny's wonderful work featuring Muppets, Winnie the Pooh/Star Wars and Disney-owned ABC's LOST!

The Muppets' Latest Addition

Winnie the Hutt

Gonzilla

Daniel Faraday- ABC'S Lost sketch

Ben Linus- ABC'S Lost sketch

The Ribbit- The Hobbit Parody

Muppets- World of Friendship

Thanks once again to the wonderfully talented Kenny Durkin for sharing his artwork with us! 

Michael Wermuth's Top Ten Walt Disney World Attractions

Michael Wermuth- Walt Disney World has so many great rides and attractions, so right now, I’m going to list my top ten favorites. However, I must warn you: I haven’t been to Walt Disney World since 1995, so this list will include some attractions that are no longer there, likely be leaving out a lot of great attractions that have come out since, won’t include anything from the Animal Kingdom (which was added two years later), and will be referring to Disney’s Hollywood Studio as the Disney-MGM Studio.

Oh, and if you know that I have also written many articles for The Muppet Mindset (and if you didn’t then this sentence just let you know) then you can probably correctly guess what the number one choice is.

 10. It’s a Small World – at Magic Kingdom

One of the most iconic rides is “It’s a Small World”, an indoor boat ride showing audio-animatronics of kids from all around the world singing the catchy title tune, showing that it is a small world after all (well, not as small as the ride…).

9. Mickey’s House  – at Magic Kingdom

Part of a former section of The Magic Kingdom that went by many titles, including Mickey’s Birthdayland and Mickey’s Showland. Visitors could go into Mickey;s house and look around. It was nice.

8. The Great Movie Ride – at Disney-MGM Studios

The Great Movie Ride is a ride that takes visitors through replicas of sets from classic movies, with animatronics of the casts of those films. Among the movies represented include The Wizard of Oz, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Singing in the Rain, and Mary Poppins. I didn’t know this until recently, but The Great Movie Ride is also the reason the MGM Studios park exists. It was originally planned for Epcot, before it was decided to have a movie-themed park.

7. Here Comes the Muppets – at Disney-MGM Studios

The first Muppet attraction that came to Walt Disney World was this live-stage show featuring walk-around versions of the Muppets, plus special video footage of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Mickey Mouse, and Lilly Tomlin. The Muppets sing such songs as “Personality”, “The Heart of Rock and Roll”, and “Bein’ Green”. This attraction only lasted from 1990-1991, and luckily I was able to see it before it closed.

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meet-and-Greet – at Disney-MGM Studios

During the early 1990s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made appearances at the MGM Studios, signing autographs for fans. I can’t remember if they also did a show or just autographs (though I recall that the theme song was performed). Of the two times I’ve been to the MGM Studios, I got the autographs of Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo. It’s interesting that the Ninja Turtles were at the park, since, as far as I know, Disney never tried to acquire the rights (unlike the Muppets). I think the Turtles were there until 1996.

5. Honey I Shrunk the Audience – at Epcot

Epcot is my least-favorite of the original three parks. Of the two times I’ve been there, me and my family spent the least-amount of time there. I’d probably enjoy it more today than when I was a kid, but the fact is that there aren’t too many attractions I liked. The main exception was Homey I Shrunk the Audience,  a 3D follow-up to Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Honey I Blew Up the Kid. In this film, Wayne Syzlak is given an award, but accidentally shrinks the audience. While maybe not as elaborate as Muppet Vision 3D, there are some in-theater features to make it appear that the audience has really shrunk, including feeling mice running loose through your feet and the dog sneezing into the audience.

4. Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area – at Disney-MGM Studios

I went here before I even saw the movie, and it was fun. A big play area with oversized props, providing the experience of the movie.

3. Peter Pan’s Flight  – at The Magic Kingdom

A flying ride that takes you through Neverland. It was fun riding and seeing animatronics of the Peter Pan characters. Originally the audience was supposed to represent Peter Pan, a concept many didn’t realize, making them wonder why Peter Pan wasn’t in the ride, so Peter was eventually added to it.

2. Dumbo the Flying Elephant – at The Magic Kingdom

I guess I like the flying rides, since two of my three favorite attractions are flying rides. This one has guests getting inside a mechanical Dumbo and riding around in circles, choosing to fly up or not (would anybody ride this without hitting the button that allows Dumbo to fly?). It’s a simple ride, but still a great one.

1. Muppet Vision 3D – at Disney-MGM Studios

Being a part of the MGM Studios since 1991, and Jim Henson’s final production, Muppet Vision 3D is among the biggest highlights of the park. Outside the theater are various movie parody posters with the Muppets, there’s a pre-show hosted by Scooter, in a room full of Muppet props, and the main attraction is the 3D film, with the theater being a recreation of the Muppet theater, with audio-animatronics of Statler and Waldorf in the balcony (and Bean Bunny in another), penguins in the orchestra (I would have preferred the regular orchestra, especially since most of them aren’t in the film), The Swedish Chef running the projector, and a walk-around Sweetums appearing in-person at one point. It would be great if this could somehow be released on DVD or Blu-ray, though it wouldn’t be the same as watching it at the parks.

Well, those are my favorites attractions in Walt Disney World? What are your favorite of the theme park attractions?

Submit your favorite attractions in an email to mickeymindset@gmail.com! 

Disney Fan Art Showcase: Kenny Durkin Part 1

Today we're really excited to showcase some of the best artwork of our pal Kenny Durkin!
Kenny is a long-time Muppet and Disney fan, and a really talented artist. There's no doubt that you have probably come across Kenny's work while online. His artwork parodies such as The Wocka-Wocka-ing Dead, Muppets Inc and Winnie The Hutt were shared over thousands of times across social media! You'll see some of these art pieces below.

When we were speaking to Kenny about this article, he told us just to pick the artwork which we thought was the best. So we picked all of them.

Because there was just too much awesomeness to fit into one article, he decided to split it up into two Fan Art spotlights. Be on the lookout next week for part two!

Muppet Threadless Entry: "Right Where We Belong" 

Mowgli and Shere-Kahn parodying He-Man and Battlecat

The Wocka Wocka-ing Dead

Muppets Inc. 

Star Wars Artwork

Animal

Fozzie and Sam Eagle parodying Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Prawn Solo

That's all for now! Be on the lookout for more of Kenny's awesome work next week! 

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

Muppet Blu-Ray Reviews: The Muppet Movie- The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition

Dwayne Fletcher- For nearly 35 years the Muppet Movie has been seen in theaters, and homes fulfilling Kermit's dream that started it all, to "Make millions of people happy", and finding that rainbow connection with "the Lovers, the Dreamers and most importantly you.

Since the movie's debut in 1979 it has been released to home video, beta laser disk, and DVD over 16 times in just the United States alone, When the Walt Disney Company bought the rights to the Muppets, they to got into the act and in 2005 released not only The Muppet Movie, but also  The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Christmas Carol, and Muppet Treasure Island. All of these movies where relessed under a special edition banner titled "Kermit's 50th Anniversary" With this release all four movies gained at least one bonus feature entitled "Pepe's Profiles:" which would profile one of the Muppet stars.
Kermit the Frog, Mrs Piggy, The Great Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear where all featured and interviewed by Pepe, and there other friends Rizzo the Rat, Bunsan Honeydew, Beaker, Statler, Waldorf, and Sam the Eagle share there thoughts of the one being profiled.  For The Muppet Movie the 2005 release did not include the Jim Frawley's Camera Tests, which were included with Sony's release back in 2001.

Video/Audio:
The video presentation is from the 2005 relesse,which has been transformed into high definition. Before the movie was released Disney made a video showcasing how the blu-ray version would look aginst the DVD. It would appear that the DVD version had some sort of dark-ish tint to it, when done in high definition that tint is removed and a much brighter, and more colorful picture is shown. The audio does not appear to have been enhanced.

Menus: 

With this release we have new interactive menus. The artwork of the menus is felt artwork, with moving illustrations. There are three different backgrounds, all with different instrumentals from the movie. The first one starts with the sun and pans down to Kermit sitting on a log with his banjo the first musical bars of "Rainbow Connection" are played and other memorable scenes from the movie.

Bonus Features: 
The Blu-ray has a few new noteworthy bonus features that have never been released before and are Not included in the newly reissued DVD, they are as follows.

Frog-E-Oke Sing Along: This feature is a Sing a long of three songs from the movie. Rainbow Connection, Movin Right Along, and Can You Picture That each with there very own video with some new shots of Kermit, Fozzie and Animal dancing. Each video has the lyrics popping up in different ways to fit with the backgrounds. Viweres can also access this feature with Disney intermission When you pause the movie these three sing alongs will play until you start the movie again. You can also turn the intermission off by simply going to Set Up  on the main menu.

 Jim Frawley's Extended Camera Test:  The camera test has returned and is better then ever! This is an extended version then what was originally released by Sony in 2001. This is the first time that the Muppets where shot outside of a studio, and the tests where to not only see how the Muppets would look but how they would fit. In the extended sections we see more interaction with Kermit, Fozzie, and Sweetums. This feature is a must see for any Jim Henson and Frank Oz fan, as they take the Muppets out into the real world for the first time, testing how they survive outside the regular studio. The results were perfect.


Doc Hopper's Commercials: This is an extended scen that shows the full complete commercial with Doc Hopper singing and dancing in a frog suit. After watching this you can get more of an idea why Kermit though it was so terrible.


Original Trailers: There are two trailers for the movie. One is the teaser trailer, and the other is the original theater trailer. Each trailer showcase a different array of shots from the movie, with a different narration of each one.


Pepe's Profiles: Kermit - A Frog's Life This is the only feature that is inculded in the newly relessed DVD. The featuer is from the 2005 release, and it featuers Pepe the King Prawn interviwing Kermit the Frog. It also has sevral of Kermit's friends shareing there thoughts and birthday wishes.

Hidden Easter Egg Bicycle Outtakes: This feature is a rare gimps of how some of the wide shots of the Muppets riding bikes are done. We see four to five diffrent takes of Kermit riding his bike and some of the small problems that occurred to make sure that the shot would look as real and believable as possible.
To access this hidden feature on the main menu go down to Sneak Peaks Then click right and a button of Kermit on a bike will appear, hit enter and the feature will begin.

As you can see there is a good mix of new, and some not so new features. The feaatures really showcase a little bit more depth into the movie and how it was made. In the writers mind having the movie released in high definition was a bonus itself.


Final Thoughts: The Muppet Movie is a very important part of the Muppets history. it showcases the Muppets at there finest from. They where funny, sweet and charming. The movie itself is still relevant to this day, with the exception of some of the guest star cameos. This Blu-ray edition is a must have for the seasoned Muppet fan to the newest Muppet fan. If not for the bonus features but for being able to watch this movie beautiful high definition.

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

Old Friends Who Never Met- A Jim Henson Tribute

This beautiful tribute article is written by our good pal Chase Beecher.

Chase Beecher- 24 years ago on Friday I received news when I got off the school bus. My mother sat me down on the couch and told me that I needed to act like a grown up and be tough,for the news I was about to receive was going to be hard to hear. She then sat beside me and told me that Jim Henson had died. I instantly started sobbing. I cried for Kermit and Piggy. Cookie and Grover. Gonzo and Big Bird. Wailing, with my mother by my side, we watched Peter Jennings deliver the details. 24 years later, it still feels like a gut punch. I lost my mentor, my oldest and best friend. Strange. Someone I knew, but never met. I knew all of this as a 6 year old. The older I get, the impact grows. I realize fully, that we were old friends that never met. Not in this life, anyway.

Jim just wanted to leave this world a better place than when he found it. He did. The ripples of the tides of his life are immeasurable. Imagination didn't die that day. Creativity didn't die that day. Kermit didn't die that day. Jim's life and legacy lives on like it should. People like his children Brian, Lisa, John, and even Heather carry their father with them. Frank Oz is out there, somewhere. Paul Williams will sing "Rainbow Connection" for a dollar. I kid. (Who knows, he might.) Folks like Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Matt Vogel, Bill Barretta, Carroll Spinney, and the other Muppeteers create Jim's magic and carry his legacy boldly and brightly on their shoulders.

Folks like Rollie Krewson, Bonnie Erickson, Karen Falk and Craig Shemin and all the other folks at the Jim Henson Legacy and Archives are preserving the past. Jim, you are not forgot, and sorely missed. What worlds are you creating now? What would life be like if you were here with us? We may never know.

A candle blew out that day in 1990, but the light still shines. Imagination is thriving today. Creativity soars. We are all inspired. Even in little things. Jim affected everyone. Me. You. Yeah, you. So go put a sock on your hand. Build a new world. Go out and play in the sunshine. Sit under an oak tree. Talk to a frog.

And Singing chickens are still funny as ever.

Muppet Blu-Ray Reviews: Of Pirates and Pigs Collection

Dwayne Fletcher- Stop the Presses and shiver my timbers, Walt Disney Home Entertainment has released not one but two classic Muppet movies in high definition blu-ray! This release came as a surprise, and a shock to a lot of fans, due to the odd pairing of these two movies. None the less I am proud, and honored to review The Great Muppet Caper/Muppet Treasure Island: Of Pirates and Pigs Collection. This is the fourth, and fifth Muppet movie to be released on Disney Blu-ray.. The first was A Muppet Christmas Carol, followed by the 2011 movie The Muppets. Third and most recently was The Muppet Movie and now these two great movies as well. With this collection Disney has now released all of the Muppet movies that they have the rights to. Two other movies The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Muppets from Space are currently owned by Sony, and have also been
released to Blu-ray.

 Overall Presentation: 

The Of Pirates & Pigs collection presents both movies in high definition which means that both the video and audio presentation have been enhanced to a very high quality. The collection comes with a Blu ray disc and two DVD's. The DVD's however do not included any special features.

Video & Audio:    

The best part about the video, and audio for the Blu ray is the fact that they both have been enhanced to there best quality to date. The not so good part, is that for both the Blu ray, and DVD the video is presented in Pan to Scan full screen instead of a wide screen ratio. This is only a minor issue when you take into consideration how well the video, and audio look and sound compared to previous releases.


Menus: 

This collection has several different interactive menus to navigate through. The first two menus have stills from both movies. The first menu is a language select,and the second menu is the movie selection menu with both movies listed. The Muppet Treasure Island menu has several different shots from the movie and a selection of different options such as Special Features. Scene Selection, and so on. The Great Muppet Caper menu we find Kermit Fozzie and Gonzo in the red room developing pictures. There are several pictures from the movie moving around on strings and close pins for drying. The same options that are on Treasure Island are also found on this menu Both DVD's have the same menus as well.

Special Features: 

Both movies have there own special feathers, and are not included on the DVD's. They are as follows:

     The Great Muppet Caper:

•      Frog-E-Oke: “Steppin' Out With a Star”

•     Frog-E-Oke: “ Happiness Hotel” 

Like the Muppet Movie release these are fun sing along's that have different backgrounds pictures, and video from the movie.

Muppet Treasure Island: 

• Frog-E-Oke: “Cabin Fever” 

• The Tale of the Story Beyond the Tail: This is a classic feature from the 2002 release of the film.

• Audio Commentary by Gonzo, Rizzo and Brian Henson This is also from the 2002 release, however it is missing the hidden treasures portion of the commentary. Which during the commentary is odd because Gonzo and Rizzo have intros for each hidden treasure which are still included in the commentary

•   “Let The Good Shine Out” Music video This was a final musical number sung by Kermit the frog on the 1996 Muppet Treasure Island Sing along video.       

 Final Thoughts: 

Though this collection may be an odd paring of two Muppet movies, and the lack of special features. I for one could not be happier with this release. Disney could have done a little more with this release, but the fact that they have been released, and giving the care of being made into high definition has definetley made this release worth buying even if you already own both movies.    

Muppet Blu-Ray Reviews will return next week with a review of The Muppet Movie on Blu-Ray. 

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

Upcoming Blu-Ray Announcements: May 7th 2014

Mitchell Stein- Hi ho! I'm back with another update of upcoming Blu-Ray releases that are available to own within the next few months from all companies under the Disney umbrella in order of release date. We first reported about a whole slew of upcoming releases way back in October, but now that all of those releases are out, we're back to bring you up to date on what can soon be available on your home collection! All dates are North American based.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- Around the Clubhouse World:

An all new adventure from Mickey and his pals taking them on a journey throughout the globe, learning about different cultures and history of various different countries proving that it's a small world after all!

Release Date: May 20th 2014

Muppets Most Wanted- 
The Muppets' latest adventure is making it's way to DVD shelves August 5th 2014! Muppets Most Wanted takes the Muppet group on a world tour across Europe, only to get caught up in the diabolical plans of Constantine, the world's most dangerous frog, and his sidekick, Dominic (Ricky Gervais). Read our review right here.

Release Date: August 5th. 

UPDATED: Just announced! 

Sofia The First- The Enchanted Feast: 
Join Sofia and her friends on an all-new adventure coming this summer! When a wicked fairy disguises herself as a powerful sorceress and tries to steal Sofia's magic amulet, Sofia must learn to trust her instincts and speak up when she suspects someone is not who or what they say they are.  The film also will feature an appearance by Snow White.

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

Hercules: 

It feels like we the fans have been asking Disney to release this one for a while now, as there's only a few Disney Animated films that haven't made their way to Blu-Ray yet. Hercules will hits Blu-Ray shelves along with Tarzan.

Release Date: August 12th 2014










Tarzan: 

Tarzan is swinging onto Blu-Ray once again in a brand-new special edition box set. Although it uses the same cover art as the DVD release from a few years back, this package will not include a DVD in the Blu-Ray combo pack. Bonus features have yet to be announced for this film as well.

Release Date: August 12th 2014

UPDATE: 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is also coming to Blu-Ray August 12th 2014. Thanks Anthony for the update!

According to this D23 article, The Three Musketeers, starring Mickey, Donald and Goofy is coming to Blu-Ray this summer, although a public release date has not been listed online yet. We'll update this article as soon as the release date has been announced.

Thanks Anthony for the update once again!

Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition 

Speculated to be released coinciding with the home release of Maleficent (in theaters May 30th), Sleeping Beauty is returning to Blu-Ray once again. It is unknown as to why the release date was set for October rather than to coincide with the theater opening of Maleficent, and bonus features also have yet to be announced.

Release Date: October 7th 2014







That's all the Blu-Ray and DVDs announced for now! Looking forward to owning all of these on my shelf real soon. Which home releases are you looking forward to the most?

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

News Update: May 1st 2014

The cast has been revealed! Disney and Lucasfilm have officially unveiled the cast line-up for Star Wars VII set to hit theaters next December. The announcement brings back original cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew. Newcomers to the scene include actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis (who you may be familiar as Gollum from the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films. We speculate that Serkis’ character will follow something along that line.) 

A group photo of the cast has been released as seen above.

Disney Interactive made a giant announcement this week around Disney Infinity, and at an event in Los Angeles Wednesday morning April 30th, they revealed that Marvel’s Avengers are coming to Disney Infinity, joining a large cast of already existing characters, but until yesterday, Marvel characters were absent from the game. You can now play as any of the Avengers, consisting of Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Thor. You can play with many different devices and locations by purchasing additional power discs, one including Agent Phil Coulson’s “Lola” vehicle from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. What more could you possibly ask for? 

With the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train just weeks away, Disney Parks continues to tease at the the upcoming ride, and released yet another video of almost the entire ride-through of the attraction. The construction walls recently came down around the ride, and the carts going around the track can be seen quite frequently on regular days in Magic Kingdom, so expect a release date to be announced soon. We’re suspecting of possibly an end of May opening.

Just a few weeks ago, we announced a brand new upcoming home video film starring Mickey and the rest of the gang from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The film, Around the Clubhouse World, takes the gang on a journey across the globe, learning about different cultures in various different countries. Below is a clip that became available this week. The film is available on DVD May 20th, 2014. 

Going viral in Disney circles this week is this hilarious fan-made video made by two fans of the film Frozen and filmed in Disneyland. The video features a couple singing to the hit Frozen song, “Love is an Open Door”, and it shines among many of the other Frozen parodies found on the internet. 

Love is an Open Door Fan: 

A week ago we reviewed Disneynature’s latest film, Bears, a truly wonderful film. Disneynature promised to donate part of the movie’s financial success with the National Park Foundation for every ticket sold on opening weekend. We’re super excited to hear that many people saw the film and Disney delivered the donations to the NPF, and announced that it will be expanding it’s commitment to conservation and would be donating an additional amount than the one previously promised. If you missed seeing the film opening weekend, Disney will also give a portion to the NPF if you purchase any of the following: 

•       Young fans unlocked an exclusive bear costume on Disney Club Penguin to support the National Park Foundation: www.ClubPenguin.com.
•       The Disney Music Group is contributing a portion of each iTunes download of Olivia Holt’s Friends for Change anthem “Carry On”: iTunes.com/CarryOn. 
• The Disney Store committed a portion of “Bears” plush purchases to the National Park Foundation:www.disneystore.com.
•       At Disney Parks, a special Duffy the Disney Bear benefited the National Park Foundation in April.
•          Disney Cruise Line made a contribution in celebration of the movie, which also premiered on the high seas.
•       Regal Entertainment Group introduced a gift card program in conjunction with “Bears” that resulted in a contribution to the National Park Foundation: www.regmovies.com.
•      New York jewelry designer Alex Woo designed eco-friendly pendants inspired by the film, available in Sterling Silver & 14kt Gold—a portion of each sale benefits the National Park Foundation: www.alexwoo.com.

More details have been unveiled about the It's a Small World film which is being developed at Disney. Director John Turtletaub (National Treasure, The Sorcerer's Apprentice) has been signed on to direct the film. No release date has yet been announced.

Muppets Most Wanted, Disney's latest fantastic Muppet adventure hits Blu-Ray and DVD August 5th 2014! No bonus features have been revealed yet, but the film will be available this summer to own. Muppets Most Wanted takes the Muppet gang on an adventure throughout Europe, only to get caught up with Constantine, the World's Most Dangerous Frog and get tangled up in a jewel hesit caper. The film is still playing in theaters worldwide. Read our review of the film here on The Mickey Mindset as well as our review on our other site, The Muppet Mindset. 

And in very sad news this week, legendary actor Bob Hoskins has passed away at the age of 71 on Tuesday. Hoskins was well known in the Disney circles as Eddie Valiant in Disney/Touchstone's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. We pay tribute to Hoskins for his brilliant acting in this video below, showcasing his wonderful acting talents, and what process he went through to film the Roger Rabbit movie.

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com