Mousekingdom Blog

Do you play those competitions you find in the paper or online and hope to be lucky enough to win something? Well, my son did. There was a competition related to the new Toy Story 3 movie. All he had to do was send a text message and pick the prize he wanted the mosts. Today, about 1 month later when we opened the post box there was an envelope with his name on it. What could it be? Who is it from?… Only when he opened the envelope he remembered the competition from a month ago. He had picked the new Wii Toy Story 3 game and that’s what he found in the postbox.

Thought it was fun to share! Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go and play a game of Toy Story 3.

Don’t own the game yet? How about ordering it on Amazon via this link!

It’s almost that time of the year again; The San Diego Comic Con. As usual there is a big list of exclusives that will only be sold at the convention (until they start to pop up on eBay). Here you’ll find a full list of everything exclusive Disney related.

Let’s start with Boom Studios. They are the people who bring you Pixar and Disney comics on a montly basis. Especially for the convention they added some real gems to their collection. They will have 3 blank cover comic books. These books can be used to have artist at the convention drawn something on it. Those books and the art on it makes them one of a kind. There will be a Toy Story #5 Get-A-Sketch, Cars #7 Get-A-Sketch and a The Muppet Show #7 Get-A-Sketch comic book. These three books will have a limited production run of only 500 copies each and will be sold for $20 a piece. This is without the artists drawings on it. Those that would like a drawing will need to queue with one of the artist and might have to pay another premium to get the art on the book.

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It’s no big surprise for this weekends box office. As expected To Story 3 would take the lead. Not only would it take the lead but it would set some records too. This sequel can now call itself the biggest Pixar opening, surpassing The Incredibles $70.5 million opening weekend record. Toy Story 3 estimated opening weekend gross is set to $109 million. This includes the IMAX 3D theaters too where it shattered the previous record for animated feature with a total of $8.4 million. The previous record was for Monsters vs. Aliens with $5.1 million.

Toy story is also Disney’s 4th movie to enter the$100+ million domestic opening weekends of all time top 10 list. This was the third movie to open over 100 million this year. Other movies that did the same in 2010 are the amazing and wonderful Alice in Wonderland and, to proof that it’s not always good movies to enter these records, so did the terrible Iron Man II (the first one was so good).

Are you ready for Toy Story 3? So are the movie theaters! This weekend I encountered Woody in full size Lego at my local movie theater. This Lego figure looked impressive, would fit well in a Toy Story fans house. I wonder if they would miss one of them. I say ‘miss one’ as there where 2 of these full size Lego statues in the hall.

He wasn’t the only Tot Story figure there. There where stand ups with the whole gang, over sized movie posters and even big floor mats. They really want you to go and see this movie. But we Disney/Pixar fans don’t need this kind of convincing. We will be ready for the June 18 release.

And no more!  Over at the blog Pop Candy at USA Today Whitney Matheson is publishing a series of posts by the outspoken visitors of her blog under the title “Today’s Pop Five” with (as the name says) top five lists written by them. Today’ Pop Five lists was written by Sam F. (known around the Pop Candy blog as clifford1212) the personal top 5 Pixar short films. His number one? “Presto”! And I personally absolutely agree with that – the story, the gags and in particular the timing of this short is just perfect for me. However, with the reminder of my top five would look different from his … (more…)

According to the English newspaper Sunday Telegraph, 10% of the British children believe that the first man on the moon was Buzz Lightyear and not Neil Armstrong. Buzz isn’t the only name mention in this questionnaire. Others are Sir Richard Branson, American cyclists Lance Armstrong and Luke Skywalker…

The article doesn’t state how many children did get it right. It would have been interesting to know.

Well at least Buzz is an astronaut, he could have been the first! Maybe Buzz should put Mars on top of his to do list!

Picture copyright 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 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.

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.

Can’t wait to see the Toys get into action again for the third time? Just download the 3rd trailer for Toy Story 3 and enjoy a preview of the action you can expect as from June 18, 2010. Woody and Buzz will be back with more adventures, more fun and even more toys.

The trailer looks like it will be another fun ride, not something to take for granted with sequels. However Pixar doesn’t seem to have a problem with that. It already proofed it with Toy Story 2 and now it looks like to repeat itself with the third in the series.

Enjoy the Preview trailer 3!

Picture Copyrights Disney.

Disney’s company president and CEO Bob Igner has announced that the PIXAR movie “Cars 2” has a new release date. The movie will race into the theaters in December 2011, a push back from its previous June 24, 2011 date. This might result in the Disney PIXAR’s “The Bear and the Bow” to be pushed back too. “The Bear and the Bow” is scheduled for December 2011 too at the moment, but Disney will not want to release two big productions in the same time slot.

Cars II will be directed by Brad Lewis and The Bear and the Bow’s director is Brenda Chapman and will feature the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Julie Walters.

Tokyo DisneySea will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a new show ”Fantasmic”. This is now confirmed by the Oriental Land Co., Ltd. The new show will premiere in April 2011 to kick of the celebration of DisneySea’s anniversary, which is on September 4th.

The picture already promises that the show will be spectacular. Looking at the brooms walking up the mountain, one can already start dreaming on how Disney will make this work. Knowing Disney, I am very confident it will look amazing. The show will take place at night in Mediterranean Harbor and will feature Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The show will have scenes from Aladdin, Cinderella and Finding Nemo incorporated. A big battle between Mickey and a gigantic dragon will be the highlight of the show.

The new “Fantasmic” show will replace the BraviSEAmo show that is currently running.

The official announcement can be found here.

Picture copyrights Disney

The OSCAR nominations have been made public and “UP” is going for the big one. “UP” has been, as was rumored before, nominated for the Best Picture award. This time the competition is even more fierce as the years before as for the first time since 1943 10 movies will have to battle it out to win the prestigious movie award. The other nominees are “Avatar”, “The Blind Side”, “District 9″, “An Education”, “The Hurt Locker”, “Inglourious Bastards”, “Precious”, “A Serious Man” and “Up in the Air”. It will not be an easy task for “UP” with a powerful list like this.

The more obvious nomination for “UP” is in the “Best Animated Feature” category. Here it is up against “Caroline”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” and “The Secret of Kells”.

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Want to help the people who lost everything in the disastrous earthquake in Haiti. You can do so and own a nice piece of Pixar memorabilia at the same time.

Lee Unkrich, who is currently directing Toy Story III, has set up a special auction page in cooperation with Ebay where he is selling some amazing Pixar items to help the once in need. There are Signed items including a Tom Hanks Woody Doll, original crew items and a lot more.

You can find the auction behind the link! You can also add Lee Unkrich’s twitter page where he will keep everybody informed on the auction.

Picture copyrights Disney

Disney Pixar UP continuous its successful run in the award race leading up to the OSCARS. The latest award it can add to its growing collection: The Producers Guild of America (PGA) Producer of the Year 2010 Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures for Jonas Rivera. Congratulations!

Congratulations also to John Lasseter who was awarded by PGA the 2010 David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures as reported by Deadline Hollywood. (more…)