D23 Expo: August 19-21, 2011
Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
Being the Disney lover that I am, I FINALLY joined D23 this year (as mentioned in my 8/12/2011 post). I am full-fledged card carrying Disney Fan Club member. Yes, I’m a geek like that. I think besides the Expo, which occurs bi-annually, that’s pretty much all the bragging rights one member can do. They do have special sales in the Disney Store for collectibles and Screenings for Disney movies at the El Capitan in Hollywood but those don’t compare to the Disney Expo. The one HUGE perk of being a D23 member at the Expo was that they allowed members (and the guests they bought tickets for) to enter the Convention center 1 hr early. This was a big deal because the Walt Disney Studios Panel, scheduled to start at 10:30AM in the D23 Arena, was the highlight of the Expo because this 2.5hr panel was where they were announcing and unveiling all upcoming movies from Disney Studios, Pixar, AND Marvel for the next 2 years! I love all their movies so I was SUPER excited about this, especially after the no-show for The Avengers at Comic Con.
Since this was a 2.5 hr panel, I’ll just a list and a short description of each movie. Also, there was HEAVY security for only this panel and the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives; no cameras, phones, or recording devices were allowed in, thus no pictures from the presentation to accompany my synopsis. I guess if you have the money and power to hire security, that’ll ensure no leaked or pirated stuff on you tube.
Disney Studios:
John Carter – Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, it’s the story of a former military captain named John Carter who magically gets transported to Mars and becomes part of the drama of its natural inhabitants. It stars Taylor Kitsch (Wolverine), Lynn Collins (True Blood, Wolverine), and Willem Dafoe (Finding Nemo, Boondock Saints, Spider-Man). I’m not too familiar with the John Carter stories but the scenery and effects look like it’d be enough to draw me in. Release date is March 9, 2012.
Wreck-It Ralph – This is a story of Ralph, the antagonist of the 8-bit arcade video game “Fix-It Felix,” who dreams of one day being more than a video game bad guy. John C. Reilly is the voice of Wreck It Ralph so I already think this is going to be a hilarious movie. Set for release in 2012.
The Odd Life of Timothy Green: A married couple find out that they aren’t going to be able to have children of their own so in order to come to terms with it, they write down characteristics and unique qualities that they envision their child to have then bury those notes in a wooden box in their backyard. The next day, they find a young boy covered in dirt and the rest of the teaser trailer shows flashing events with the 3 of them. Jennifer Garner was on stage to give her short description of the movie and gush about her adorable co-star. Not sure how I feel about this movie quite yet.
The Muppets: From what I could gather from the trailers and clips shown, Amy Adams and Jason Segel help muppet bff, Walter, to bring back the Muppets and save the Muppet Theater. The script is written by and it’s starring Jason Segel so I have no doubt that the movie will be funny.
Chimpanzee: Chimpanzee is a Disneynature film that follows baby Chimp Oscar living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. After being abandoned by his family, another adult chimp takes him and raises him as his own. There is just something about baby animals and Disney that spells winner. I am definitely looking forward to this documentary. It’ll be released on Earth Day 2012.
Frankenweenie: This black and white stop-motion Tim Burton film showcases what he does best. It’s the story of young Victor Frankenstein who, after losing his pet Sparky, decides to bring him back from the dead. I think this remake (original live film directed by Burton, 1984) will be much closer to Burton’s imaginings. Release date October 5, 2012
Oz: The Great and Powerful: Still in the early days of production and shooting, this movie stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams and tells the story about the rise of the Great and Powerful Oz. It’s directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) and boasts the beautiful same art direction of Alice in Wonderland. I’m really looking forward to Disney’s take on the whole world of Oz. Scheduled release date is March 8, 2013
Pixar:
Monsters University: Mike Wazowski and James Sullivan are back together in another Monsters movie! But this time, it’s a pre-quel! The story takes a look at how Mike and Sully become friends at Monsters University. Billy Crystal and John Goodman are back as their veteran voices but the characters themselves will have a different, younger look to them. I’m a little disappointed we won’t get to know what happened to Boo or the monsters relationship with her but I’m sure our Pixar pals will give us a great deeper story into this world of monsters. But who knows, they could be telling Boo the story of how they met and became friends, which bookends the movie. Set for release June 21, 2013.
Brave: This is Pixar’s next big release, which just so happens to be their first movie to feature a female lead/heroine. It centers on the daughter of a Scottish King, Merida. She is an expert archer that does not want to choose between the 3 abysmal sons of other clan leaders for marriage. By her defiant actions, chaos ensues in the kingdom and she has to a Witch for help. This movie looks interesting in that it’s something totally different form what Pixar has done before. From the trailer, the scenery art and details look amazing. It’s scheduled for release on June 22, 2012.
The Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs: Very little was said about this besides that the story will be centered around earth had it not have an asteroid come to earth and cause the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside The Mind: This movie, along with the one about dinosaurs, is still very early in planning stages. So much so that they don’t even have titles yet! I pretty much love everything Pixar makes so I think I’ll like these too =)Marvel:
The Avengers: Now THIS is the movie I came to this panel for. I am in no way a Marvel expert but I am graced with a brother who is up to date on all things comics/comic books. I have watched almost every superhero movie that has been released in the past 5 years, some even multiple times at the theater (I think Green Lantern takes the cake with 3 at the theater…tied with Scot Pilgrim vs. The World – in the past yr anyway). I love Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man. He’s witty and charming but he can pull off being a superhero. Chris Hemsworth was awesome as Thor. Chris Evans was a great choice for Captain America. He’s that everyman’s man. It might just push Iron Man from my top Marvel movie. There are just too many stars to go through in the Avengers movie but I am very excited to see Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. He is an amazing actor, as proved in his roles in The Hurt Locker and The Town.
The movie continues where Captain America leaves off. Nick Fury is assembling heroes to form a mega-group of heroes. The nemesis in this movie is Loki, who is trying to dominate Earth. The Avengers consist of Iron Man (RDJ), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson), with Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) as deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Since the Ant-Man movie is still in early development, this storyline will not include Ant-Man as part of the Avengers. I hope Edgar Wright can get the ball rolling. I love his work! The Avengers is slated for release on May 4, 2012.
This post ran a little long so I’ll continue with other postings of some pictures and other D23 musings.
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