Mousekingdom Blog

Disney has announced what so many US Disney fans have asked for many years, an annual pass for all US Disney parks.

The Premium pass will cost $700 and will give guess the opportunity to visit all 4 Disney theme parks in Orlando, the two water parks and both Disney parks in Anaheim.

If you own annual passes for both parks you will automatically get the new premium pass.

Next step; an annual pass for all Disney theme parks globally. Too much? I know I would get one…

Via Orlando Sentinel

The Tron Legacy trailer is available online and it looks great! You can watch a HD version via this link or you can visit the official Disney Tron site. While it did give me chills down my spine (I love Tron), I do have some doubts about the story set up. How is it possible the arcade was there filled with the games after all these years, how come electricity is still working and what about that hidden room? How come nobody noticed the room before and how is all the equipment still there… and working. Still, to give it the benefit of the doubt, and the fact that I am a big Tron fan, I’m sure there will be a good explanation and enough good stuff to make this movie ROCK!

Tron Legacy will be release on December 17 2010 in 3D.

Picture copyrights Disney

UP didn’t win the Oscar for Best Picture, but it had some tough competition and it would have been a surprise if it would have made it in that category. The Hurt Locker took the Oscar home and can add it next to all the other prices it already won. Up was also nominated for Writing (Original Script), but again it was The Hurt Locker that won the Oscar.  Sound Editing was another category Up was in, but could not get the Oscar for.

There is good news for Disney – Pixar too as it’s no big surprise that it would walk away with the Best Animation Oscar. Disney had 2 chances, with The Princess and the Frog also competing for the Oscar, but it was UP who finally got the biggest honors. It wasn’t the only Oscar for UP. Michael Giacchino was given the Oscar for Music (Original Score).

In the category Music (Original Song), The Prince and the Frog could not get the Oscar. It was nominated twice, for the songs “Almost There” and Down in New Orleans”, but it was “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart” that got the precious gold.

The full list of all winners can be found here!

Picture copyrights Disney

The first movie from 1982 wasn’t the success Disney had hoped for but over the years it did became the cult classic it deserves to be and Disney saw potential in a sequel. The second movie isn’t out yet, but is already generating a followers of fans who can’t wait to see it.

This time Disney isn’t going to wait another 28 years before they’ll add another Tron to their list of many projects. It looks like we might get a Tron; Legacy animation series for Fall 2011. If green lighted the new series should find it’s way to the target public of 9 to 14 year olds on Disney DX.

Picture Copyrights Disney

The Disney Channel and Disney XD has released their plans for the 2010-2011 television season and as expected will have some of their famous usuals return.

But there will be some new shows to and one of them will be a new Avengers animation series: “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”.

The new show will target kids age 9 to 14, will be 52 episodes long and will feature Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Giant Man and Wasp.

Read the rest of this entry »

It looks like comics are a good investment. Imagine if you would have owned a Action Comics 1 (first Superman) or a Detective Comics 27 ( first Batman). They both have been sold in a high grade (grade 8.0 CGC for those interested) for $1.000.000 and more. Not to bad, especially if you would have been the owner. Imagine how many trips this could pay to Walt Disney World or another Disney park. Talking about comics, anybody still thinking the Marvel Disney deal was a bad thing? (although I think it’s a great deal for whole other reasons)

Disney  already had its share of comics and although non of them might bring in a million anytime soon, some of them are very collectible and if found in the right grade already come with a “nice” price tag. The first daily comic strip staring Mickey Mouse began on January 13 in 1930, but the first comic books appeared in 1940. They where published by Western Publishing through the Dell Comics Four Color label. The very first Walt Disney Comics and Stories from Dell would be a very nice item in any Disney addict collection. Even if you wouldn’t want to keep it it, valued at $30.000 (Comic Price Guide at the moment this article was written) it could pay for your next trip(s). Of course this when you have a high graded issue. Damaged issues are less valuable but could still be worth $2.000.

Read the rest of this entry »

In what seems to be an accidental death a 16 year veteran SeaWorld trainer has died during one of the live shows in SeaWorld. The victum is identified as 40 year old Dawn Brancheau. Investigation is under way to find out the cause of the incident. According to first witnesses the trainer was pulled into the water by one of the killer whales who then started to shake her violently forth and back. It was Tilikum a nearly 30-year-old, 12,300-pound bull orca who dragged Dawn into the water. This was the third death cause by Tilikum. In 1991 he was blamed for a 1991 drowning of a trainer in Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia and in 1999 a death body of a man was found lying across his back.

The Mousekingdom Blog team would like to express their condolences to the  family, friends and all the co-workers at Seaworld.

More about the incident on Orlando Sentinel.
Photo gallery of Seaworld from Orlando Sentinel.

The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) winners are known and PIXAR was able to get both of their nominations transformed into winners. UP got the price for best animated film. Only up against two other nominations, namely “Coraline” and “Fantastic Mr Fox”, it was no big surprise UP would nail this one. The second win is for best music. This one wasn’t that easy as competition was a little more fierce here. Michael Giacchino was up against James Horner for instance. James Horner was nominated for his music for the movie Avatar. The other nominations for best music where Crazy Heart -  T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton, Fantastic Mr Fox- -Alexandre Desplat and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll – Chaz Jankel.

A full list of all other winners can be found on the British Academy of Film and Television Arts website.

Looks like Minnie isn’t the only one solving crimes. This time it’s Mickey helping out. If you want to commit benefit theft, don’t think you can go to visit Mickey Mouse and get away with it. Fraud investigators are using pictures of a couple posing with Mickey Mouse who are claiming to be Landlord and tenant.

The picture found by the investigators proofs otherwise and the “happy” couple will now have to face heavy sentences. For more on the story follow the link.

Picture Copyrights Disney

According to El Pais, the biggest Spanish Newspaper, Penelope Cruz has declined a roll in the next Lars von Trier movie “Melancholia” so she could turn into a pirate in the next Pirates movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.

Both movies will be filmed during the same time period so Penelope Cruz had to make a choice and picked to be a pirate.

This will not be the first time she works with Rob Marshall, who will be the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. They already worked together on the musical movie “Nine” for which she is nominated for an Oscar as “Best Supporting Actress”.

It isn’t easy to get a good shot of the Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Even from the lift hill, as it’s best to get that camera away and protected from the high splashes that are going to come down on you. Still, I love the atmosphere of the lift hill and just want to try to get a good shot just before entering the attraction. I would love to get a picture while on the lift hill as it will make a great shot when going up and through the mist.

Personally I think this is one of the nicest wild water rivers I have been one. It’s a little short, something a lot of people comment on, but there is no other one as nice as this one out there.

Orlando locals and visitors might disagree with me and would pick the Islands of Adventure Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges as the better (and even wetter) ride, but even if this one is great, it still can’t beat Disney’s Kali River Rapids wonderful atmosphere.

Well, for now these are the best shot I could get. If you got one or know of one let me know about it so I can stare at it and dream away.

More great figures from the New York Toy Fair. Here you can see Mickey Mouse in his Kingdom Heart 2 Attire. He is only one of the new figures from the fun game.

There is also a Sora in Santa Costume and an amazing looking Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas on display. The figures are from Square Enix.

You can see some big pictures of the preview oversized figures on Pulse Figures.

Any Tron fans out there. If so check out FlynnLives.com to see a clock countdown. The clock isn’t easy to read as it has been set up in Binary. At the time I visit the site and took this print screen, the clock was at 08 – 01 – 14 – 42

Picture Copyrights Disney

For those that love action figures (and who doesn’t), and love Disney movies, this is a real threat. Prince Of Persia Action figures made by McFarlane Toys. If you are an Action Figure collector you will know the quality of the McFarlane toys. They have created a lot of fun sets already like their well know Spawn Series from the same comic book, but also the Movie Monsters and the sports action figures.

McFarlane has brought their new Price of Persia figures to the New York Toy Fair. Have a look at this collection of 8 pictures to see what you can expect from them. I think they look awesome!

Pictures from Pulse Figures.

The New York Toy Fair has started and you can already find some great reports online with pictures of all the new and great toys. If you want to know how a presentation on a Toy Fair looks like visit the “Gearlog, A Guide By Geeks, For Geeks”  site and you’ll be invited to see the Disney presentation of they new Toy Story Toys in their pictures update. John Lasseter was at the event, posing with his Lego Head that was on display on the table, before talking about the new Toy Story Toys that will hit the shelves.

Their will be a Barbie toy as well as a Lots-O-Huggin Bear. This bear will be the first plush in the Toy Story Toys range and will responce to voice and hugs as well as smell of strawberries.

Picture from Gearlog, A Guide By Geeks, For Geeks.