GIVEAWAY: Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide

With the premiere episode only a few weeks away, we've begun prepping up for Disney/Lucasfilm's epic new Star Wars adventure, Star Wars Rebels. Set five years before the events of Episode VI: A New Hope, Rebels follows young Jedi rebels as they escape and cheat the Empire as they continue to be hunted down because of their Jedi past. The series is bound to be just as incredible as Star Wars The Clone Wars was before it, so we couldn't be any more thrilled.

In order to prepare for the explosive new series, be sure to whip out your light-sabers and enter our latest giveaway contest. This month we're giving away a copy of DK Publishing's Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide. Be sure to enter so you can brush up on your Star Wars knowledge and stay up-to date with every passing episode.

To enter, just be sure to enter by following one of the easy tasks below. You can enter by simply following us on Twitter and/or liking us on Facebook, and tweeting and posting about the contest. The more times you tweet/post, the more entries you get to increases your winning chances. Be sure to enter through the Rafflecopter link below. Hurry! Contest closes Sunday September 21st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RULES AND CONDITIONS: 
No purchase necessary to enter. Shipping address must be within the United States and Canada. Contest is open to fans of all ages.

Good luck, and may the Force be with you!

Blu-Ray Review: Captain America The Winter Soldier

Mitchell Stein- In quite possibly what is the most brilliant Marvel movie yet to date, Captain America returns to the big screen, in an unbelievable nail-biting adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It's intelligent story keeps the movie fast-paced and suspenseful, and the characters that fill it are all incredibly enjoyable to watch move the story along. Marvel has yet created another masterpiece and set Anthony and Joe Russo to direct it. Major kudos go out to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for giving it such an entertaining and suspenseful story, being far more than just "your average comic book movie", but rather a political spy thriller, but with the same action and excitement you'd expect from Marvel.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a major game-changer for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, preparing us for what's to come in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and by the looks of it so far, we're in for a pretty awesome ride.
Finally, this awesome adventure is available to own on Blu-Ray, so let's take a quick look at the Blu-Ray release to see if it matches up with the theatrical film.

Most notably, there's On The Front Line: An Inside Look at Captain America's Battlegrounds which gives insight from the Russo brothers and stunt coordinators at the wonderfully-choreographed battle sequences of the film and some behind-the-scenes looks at how they filmed some of the iconic scenes of the movie.
Along with that, there's Steve Rogers' Notebook, which is a short two minute feature about Steve's notebook, and specifically how the notebook was edited for international versions of the film according to the culture. Also there's another short delightful feature, On Set With Anthony Mackie: Cut the Check! with Anthony Mackie, a.k.a Falcon, (a.k.a your new favorite Marvel character) and how Mackie has brought life to the character on set, ending off each of his perfect scenes with "Cut the Check!". I have no idea where Mackie even thought up the idea, but it's pretty hilarious.

That's not it though! There's also an awesome Audio Commentary, four deleted scenes, and a hilarious blooper reel. The deleted scenes are rather short but still perfectly incredible, and the reason it was likely cut was due to the movie's time duration.

In the end, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a worthy Blu-Ray release, adding fun and exciting bonus features to an already brilliant movie. I very much reccomend you pick up a copy of this fantastic masterpiece.

Film: 4.5/5 
Blu-Ray Bonus Features: 3.5/5

Aladdin The Series: 20 Years Later

Mitchell Stein- Coming right off the tremendous success of Aladdin in 1992, it was clear that there was a lot of demand for more Aladdin products and films. Continuing directly off the events of Return of Jafar, the television show brought back all of the favorites from the Aladdin films and aired on Disney Afternoon for a few years before moving to CBS. 

Being a major fan of the Aladdin film, I really do enjoy this show a lot. It obviously doesn’t match up against the original film, but it stands as a great show on its own feet. Just like the films before it, Genie stands out as the greatest aspect of the show, delivering the most hilarious scenes. Dan Castenella returned to perform the voice of Genie, previously voicing the character in Return of Jafar. While not quite the same as Robin Williams, I couldn’t possibly think of anyone nearly as perfect to step into the role of Genie. Castenella is hilarious as the Genie, although sometimes he can end up sounding a bit like his character Homer Simpson. The other characters are great too. Gilbert Gottfried is back as Iago and even better than he was in the movie. Iago steals almost every episode with the most memorable of lines. Where Genie is more slapstick-type humor, Iago always delivers the last laugh through dialogue. Also returning is Scott Weinger as Aladdin, Linda Landin is back as Princess Jasmine once again and Jim Cummings as Razoul. 

Then of course the villains are equally fantastic. Most notably, there's Mechanicles, who describes himself as "the greatest of the great Greek geniuses" who planned his evildoing by his mechanical creations, most memorably, giant mechanical insects in the episode "Getting the Bugs Out". Sadira is a great returning character who begins as a jealous and determined girl who attempts to get Aladdin to herself by any means necessary. Although she makes an appearance in "Strike Up the Sand" her most notable debut was in "SandSwitch" where she sets a memory eraser over everyone in order to lure people with false memories that she was the princess and Jasmine was just another street rat. Unfortunately for Sadira, the spell did not work on animals, and Iago and Abu get in the way of her plans. Sadira comes to join up with Aladdin later in the series and becomes good friends with the group. My favorite by far is Abis Mal, voiced by Jason Alexander and makes his first appearance in Return of Jafar. He is the main antagonist in the first episode of the series, "Air Feather Friends" and makes several recurring appearances throughout the rest of the series. Jason Alexander is just hilarious so there's no doubt that this is my favorite villain throughout the series. 

Although it can be rather silly at times, I really love this show. I think it’s one of the best crafted Disney television of the era..The story follows Aladdin and Jasmine still planning to get married (which they never do in the series, but finally get married in The Forty Thieves). What I think it's lacking is probably musical numbers like The Little Mermaid television series did before it, or at least an original opening song. The opening theme used was reminiscent of "Arabian Nights" with very different lyrics. I think I would have preferred the show with some songs like the movies before them. 

Twenty years later, Aladdin: The Series still stands as a great and fairly entertaining television series, although quite forgotten by Disney fans. I do hope this series makes it's way to Blu-Ray or DVD sometime soon. 

Disney Animation Reviews: #43: Treasure Planet

Disney Movie Review: 43/52 - Treasure Planet

Ryan Dosier - With the release of Treasure Planet (2002), Disney animation starts to fall into a rut that they wouldn’t escape for 6-7 years (depending on your opinion). The scope and the ideas behind Treasure Planet are huge and impressive, but the execution is unfortunately lacking on almost all fronts.

The idea to take Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to space is an interesting one, but one has to wonder if a more straightforward animated adaptation would have been better. Yes, space is modern and fun, but the vast landscape in this film fails to capture the adventurous nature of the original story. Give me the high seas and desert islands for Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver over spaceships and robots any day.

But I digress. The flaws present in Treasure Planet are consistent throughout. The character designs of the alien creatures are, for the most part, very weak. There is very little attractive or interesting about the look of the characters. The most appealing is the cyborg Long John Silver, whose robotic arm, eye, and leg are quite appealing. But on the whole, creatures like Dr. Doppler, Captain Amelia, and Billy Bones just do not look good. The designers should’ve taken note from films like Lilo & Stitch for greater looking creatures. 

There are numerous dynamic and exciting moments throughout the film, especially near the beginning when Jim is surfing on his flying board. The scene in the supernova is exciting, the climax is exciting, and a handful of other moments are fun, but as a whole the film rests on its laurels. There is a lot of wasted potential that is spent on humdrum montages with Silver and Jim bonding.

The writing of Treasure Planet is weak. The jokes are extremely lazy and involve fart jokes, funny sounds, and silly voices. Gone is the wit and smart dialogue of Lilo & Stitch and The Emperor’s New Groove. It’s very unfortunate that a film written by the men behind The Little Mermaid and Aladdin lacks charm and whip-smart dialogue.

Long John Silver is the only truly entertaining character in the film. He is troubled and appealing throughout and is the only character that really seems to grow. Yes, Jim Hawkins is the protagonist who we’re supposed to root for, but I am more delighted by Silver’s evolution by the end of the movie than I am Jim’s. Silver’s animation is also very impressive, with a great mix of hand drawn and computer generated animation. It’s the first mix of this style on a lead character and it is wonderful.

The voice acting in Treasure Planet is good, but not great. David Hyde Pierce is the most surprisingly entertaining in the film as Dr. Doppler. He is manic and delightful. Martin Short voices B.E.N., and he is fantastic, but doesn’t appear until 45 minutes into the story, which causes him to lose a lot of potential. Short should steal the show, but he doesn’t have enough screen time to make it work.

While Treasure Planet has a few merits, for the most part it lacks any of the magic present in most of the previous Disney features. There are some fun moments and fun characters, but Treasure Planet never reaches any sort of peak. It drudges on until some legitimately exciting moments at the end, but that is not enough to save the film. Treasure Planet has potential to be out of this world, but instead it stays grounded and dull.

2/5 Space Surfboards

The Story of Frozen: Highlights and What to Expect Next

Mitchell Stein- Somehow since it's release, Frozen has become an incredible instant classic, becoming the highest-grossing films of all time, and one of the most beloved Disney films in many years. Just under an hour ago, ABC finished airing The Story of Frozen gave us an insight behind-the scenes for this fantastic film and what's to come from Disney's latest cash cow.

What I'm not going to do is not tell you if it's good or not, because I am assuming we've all seen it by now, but what specific points seem to stand out for me and what I hope to expect in the future from the franchise.

The beginning of the special introduced us to some of the cast and crew of the film. The crew takes us through a quick journey which brings us back to the days of Walt Disney and the original concepts for The Snow Queen which would eventually become Frozen. The entire crew did a brilliant job on taking us behind the scenes and showing the journey on developing the Frozen characters, from early concept sketches to final animation, the work that went into this film is brilliant.

Beyond that, we look at some of the story development that went through many rapid changes. Originally in the new concepts, Elsa was a villian at first, but they swapped that idea when the Lopez's working on Elsa's song, switching out the original villain song for Let It Go, and an idea from John Lasseter, which would change Elsa's character from the evil villain into the misunderstood sister in the final draft. We also see some footage from the crew's trip to Norway to learn more about the architecture and culture in order to translate into animation and the promise of a big announcement was on the way.

Frozen, and the incredible TV special we saw tonight are just some of the examples of what kind of impact this film has had on the studio and the world, and it's quite clear this cultural phenomenon isn't going to be over quickly. The only questions that stand in the way are what direction Disney is planning to point them in.
Tonight they revealed that the studio is working on a brand-new short to premiere in Spring 2015 (no word on where the short will be shown) named "Frozen Fever" (which oddly is not about the overload of Let It Go parodies you've seen online). Another big project set to premiere soon is the characters of Frozen appearing on Once Upon a Time's fourth season in just a few weeks. While these are just a few big things, I have to say I'm really surprised how Disney is really holding back from milking this major cash cow that they have.

Many people (myself included) were hoping for a little more to come out of the announcement, with major rumors like a potential Frozen themed attraction replacing Maelstrom in Epcot, or a sequel led nowhere, at least for tonight's special that is. I have no doubt that we will hear some announcements about these eventually, and it's highly possible they're already concepts floating around at Disney, but why they are holding back on making these plans public are beyond me. My guess would be that Disney is holding back and just seeing how popular Frozen will be and how long this "Frozen Fever" can go on for, to see if it's a viable franchise.

For the future of the franchise, what I would like to see is a theme park tie-in, like Epcot's Norway would be a viable option to settle the characters, possibly a spot in Fantasyland. I wouldn't be surprised if they happen to land a show in Disney World sometime soon. With the American Idol Experience theater empty, it seems pretty possible a show may end up in that spot. I would also love to see a Frozen television series. Once Upon a Time will likely go in the opposite direction Frozen should be going in, so I think a television series, done in the same great fashion Disney series in the 90's such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules did before it. I think that would be a smart next move for the characters and would keep them in the spotlight for enough time for the folks over at Disney Animation to come up with the next Frozen feature film masterpiece. Whatever it is Disney is holding back from, I hope it's just because perfection takes time.

What would you like to see Frozen do next? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! 

111 Awesome Disney Songs, Part 5

Ryan Dosier - Look, I'm being consistent and updating this list again! Let's jump forward with even more Awesome Disney songs!

45.)   "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" from Disneyland
This is one of those songs that immediately makes me think of Disneyland, and makes me wonder why I'm sitting here typing and not in the park right now. It's chock full of great, silly lyrics and jokes ("I sing so beautiful, I should sing solo." "Si, so low we can't hear you!"), and the birds are all wonderfully fun characters. Really, there's not much more to say other than I adore this attraction and this song. Favorite Lyrics: "All the birds sing words/And the flowers croon/In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room!"

46.)   "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio
Pinocchio is one of my favorite films, and the music is such a huge part of why it's so delightfully charming and enjoyable. This little number performed by Pinocchio as part of Strombolli's marionette show is so innocent and sweet... until the saucy German marionette girls swoop in. It's funny, it's fun, the music is simple but delightful, and the lyrics are adorable. Just like Pinocchio. Favorite Lyrics: "I've got no strings/So I have fun/I'm not tied up to anyone/They've got strings/But you can see/There are no strings on me."

47.)   "Dig a Little Deeper" from The Princess and the Frog
My favorite song from The Princess and the Frog is Mama Odie's brilliantly upbeat and joyful "Dig a Little Deeper." This song breathes so much life into Mama Odie, a character who only appears in a few scenes in the film, but steals every one of them. Couple that with the soulful vocals of Jenifer Lewis, and you've got one of the finest gospel-themed songs in any animated film. It's a blast. Favorite Lyrics: "Don't matter what ya look like/Don't matter what ya wear/How many rings ya got on your fingers?/We don't care--no, we don't care!"

48.)   "It's Gonna Be Great" from Winnie the Pooh
One of the most vastly underrated Disney animated features is 2011's Winnie the Pooh. It's so deliciously funny and clever, and its charm is never-ending. One of my favorite moments from the film is this song that Tigger sings with Eeyore as he helps the morose donkey become a Tigger. The song is, dare I say it, bouncy, and one of the finest singing performances from the legendary Jim Cummings. Favorite Lyrics: "Strike me down, give me all you got/Bounce me, trounce me, flounce me, pounce me/Do it, do it, do it/It's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great."

49.)   "That's How You Know" from Enchanted
Ah, the modern day fairytale classic Enchanted. Not only is it one of Amy Adams' best performances, but the film features new music from Alan Menken and its awesome. No song is better than the show stopping production number "That's How You Know." The dancing, singing, spectacle is one of the best in live action Disney films. Trivia: the old men dancing in the park were the original "Step in Time" dancers from Mary Poppins! Favorite Lyrics: "Well does he leave a little note/To tell you you are on his mind/Send you yellow flowers when the sky is gray?/He'll find a new way to show you/A little bit everyday."

50.)   "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast
A spectacular opening number to one of Disney's finest features. "Belle" is a wonderful example of group performance and echoes Broadway-style music better than any Disney animated feature song before it. Leave it to Howard Ashman and Alan Menken for that! The catchy, "talking" lyrics, the refrain of "Bonjour!" to open the song, Paige O'Hara as Belle, and so much more make this song simply delightful. Favorite Lyrics: "There goes the baker with his tray, like always/The same old bread and rolls to sell/Every morning just the same/Since the morning that we came/To this poor provincial town/Good morning, Belle!"

51.)   "Topsy Turvy" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
A break from the dark tones of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is this joyful, colorful blast midway through the film. Clopin, the clown gypsy, sings the song with ease and speed. It's so much fun to watch all the wacky things going on in Paris on this Topsy Turvy Day. It also provides a brief moment of happiness for poor Quasimodo... before ripping it away in one of the film's darkest scenes. But still, fun song. Favorite Lyrics: "Once a year, we throw a party here in town/Once a year, we turn all Paris upside down/Every man's a king, and every king's a clown/Once a year on Topsy Turvy Day!"

52.)   "I've Got a Dream" from Tangled
Tangled features one of the few songs in modern-day Disney animated features to be primarily performed by unnamed characters, and it's this riotous ditty "I've Got a Dream." The main singers, voiced by Brad Garrett and Jeffery Tambor, are never given names, but their plights and their dreams are wonderful. It's such a treat to hear incredibly different voices like these performing in a Disney feature. This is perhaps my favorite moment in all of Tangled. Favorite Lyrics: "I've got scars, and lumps, and bruises/And something here that oozes/And let's not even mention my complexion!/But despite my extra toes, and my goiter, and my nose/I really wanna make a love connection!"

53.)   "Proud of Your Boy" from Aladdin (Deleted Song)
The only deleted song included on the whole list is also the fifth Alan Menken song in a row! Of course, "Proud of Your Boy" went on to be a major player in the Broadway version of Aladdin, but originally it was penned by Alan and Howard Ashman for the animated film. It was cut after a sub-plot involving Aladdin's mother was removed. But the song is so important and soft and powerful. It's one of the most resonating Disney songs, period, and I'm so thrilled that it has found a home on Broadway. Favorite Lyrics: "Proud of your boy/I'll make you proud of your boy/Believe me, bad as I've been mom/You're in for a pleasant surprise/I've wasted time/I've wasted me/So say I'm slow for my age/A late bloomer/Okay, I agree!"

54.)   "Winnie-the-Pooh" from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
I just need to hear someone start humming this song, and I immediately have to start singing along. It's so bouncy and catchy and lovely. This Sherman Brothers tune evokes everything that Winnie the Pooh represents: joy and kindness and friendship. Plus, it's a really handy way to remember all of the Pooh characters (except the oddly absent Tigger) in one handy song! Favorite Lyrics: "Deep in the Hundred Acre Woods/Where Christopher Robin plays/You'll find the enchanted neighborhood/Of Christopher's childhood days..."

55.)   "Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp
"Bella Notte" is one of the most wonderful Disney love songs, and one that often gets overlooked in favor of the newer era of songs. Still, its music and lyrics are some of the best to be found in the Disney canon. Performed by Tony, the Italian restauranteur who feeds Lady and the Tramp the famous spaghetti, "Bella Notte" is the perfect accompaniment to any romantic dinner or occasion. Favorite Lyrics: "This is the night/It's a beautiful night/And we call it bella notte/Look at the skies/They have stars in their eyes/On this lovely belle notte."

Disney Veterans create Hullabaloo, a 2D Animated Film to Preserve Classic Animation Style

Former Disney animation veteran James Lopez (The Lion King, Hercules, Paperman) is turning to fans for their help in an all-new campaign set up for a potential new film, Hullabaloo. The possible film is an incredible new visual masterpiece, blending incredible hand-drawn 2D animation with CGI (as seen previously in Disney's Paperman short).

The traditional hand-drawn is said to be a dying art, these former Disney veterans decided to team up together to create this brand new film which they hope will restore 2D animation in film studios and bring 2D animation back into the public eye. But they need your help.

Watch their campaign video right here:


Some more info on the project, as seen on their Indieogo page.

Hullabaloo is a 2D (hand-drawn) animated steampunk film that hopes to help preserve the dying art of 2D animation; and by supporting this project, you get to help save 2D animation from an untimely demise. We want you to join us in making a short film that will showcase the world of Hullabaloo, which we can show to investors to fund a full length 2D feature. 2D animation is a beautiful but dying art form that the animation studios have all but abandoned. But if we can fund this film with your help, we will be able to show investors that people really do want to see a feature length animated steampunk film, allowing us to get the tremendous amount of funding needed to complete Hullabaloo as the full-length feature we believe you want to see.


The campaign has officially launched over at their Indieogo page, and they need fan donations to reach their goal of $80,00 to make this film possible. Please consider donating even a small amount to this incredible new ambitious project in order to restore 2D animation and bring it back to it's rightful place. Every dollar counts, and we wish the best of luck to the entire crew of Hullabaloo.