Here come the Muppets!

Well, that title is a bit of a misnomer, since it applies that the Muppets are something new. They are, of course, not new at all. Perhaps a better title for this review should have been "Here come the Muppets again!" since they're just now making their (triumphant) return to the big screen after an 11 year absence. They were last seen in movie theaters in 2004 with Muppets in Space. During the 7 year hiatus, they made a series of mostly forgettable TV specials including The Muppets Wizard of Oz, starring an inept Ashanti as Dorothy.

Has Disney Consumer Products Finally Gotten It?

Now what is 'it'? you ask. 

Why can't the Disneyland logo be enough?

For years now Nick and I have been complaining, all be it amongst ourselves, about the products available to a Disney lover.  Now this is going to seem harsh to some of you who absolutely love these types of things, but in my personal opinion a lot of the products that Disney release are REALLY dorky (I would even take it a step further and say TACKY. -Nick).

Avatar Blooming - fun idea

To Start with lets watch this quick Coca-Cola/AMC Theaters advertisement. And pause it right around the 38 or 39 second mark.





What I imagine would be kind of a neat experience for the upcoming AVATAR Land would be a nightly show or experience that kind of happened organically in the park every dusk to early evening.

The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: Passport to a World of Flavors

I had the pleasure of spending a long Colombus Day weekend down in Walt Disney World. I make a trip at this time of year annually, and though it's one of my quicker trips, it's one of my favorites, mostly because of the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.

Avatar Land - Where will it be?

When Animal Kingdom was originally announced, it contained plans for a land/area called Beastly Kingdom, which would feature mythical creatures.  However the plans were eventually modified for opening day to include what is now Camp Minnie Mickey, with plans to eventually add Beastly Kingdom after the park opened (and started making some money).

You heard it here first...

Newsies will be transferring to Broadway and will open at the Nederlander Theatre this spring.

Casting will be announced at a later date, but expect most, if not all, of the Papermill cast to make the move. The only question mark would seem to be star Jeremy Jordan, who is contracted for Bonnie and Clyde this winter. It's doubtful the show would transfer without him, given his reviews, so I imagine these details are worked out.

More information as I get it.

To see our Newsies the musical review, click here.

Seize the Day!

Papermill Playhouse - Millburn, NJ

In creating its newest screen-to-stage production, Disney dug deep into their vast film vault and pulled out Newsies, a notorious 1992 flop directed by Kenny Ortega and starring a young Christian Bale. The film was very poorly received and lost a ton of money. However, over the years, it not only gained a cult following, but the score (written by 8 time Oscar winner Alan Menken) managed to endure. The song Santa Fe, in particular, became a cabaret standard. It turns out that of all the films in the Disney cannon, Newsies is the one most requested as a stage show. Disney finally gave in to demand and has produced a 6 week "experimental" production at the Papermill Playhouse, the nation's top regional theater. As of this moment, there are no further productions planned beyond this one, but that's likely to change.

I'm the King of New York...

I actually saw the Newsies musical at the Papermill Playhouse two weeks ago, but I decided to wait and see what our resident theater buff Nick thought, before posting my thoughts here.

In short, I loved Newsies!  The musical was fun, and lively, and it really is a great adaptation of the movie.  I have had the song, "King of New York," stuck in my head for weeks now.  My comparisons for this show will obviously be based on the movie, but I would like to give a few details about how familiar I am with Newsies the movie.  My girlfriend's favorite movie in the entire world is Newsies, and in fact the first gift I ever bought her many many years ago was Newsies on DVD because she didn't yet own it.

AVATAR coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

In a completely out of left field announcement this afternoon, Bob Iger, Tom Staggs, and film director James Cameron announced a most unique partnership and expansion. Over the next 5 years, Cameron will partner with Disney Imagineers (led by the brightest and best of them all, Joe Rohde) to design and build an Avatar themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Ground is expected to be broken by early 2013, with an opening date set for 2017/2018.

The end of an era...

In 1974, when the Walt Disney World resort was just 3 years old, a new dinner show was established in response to guest criticism that there was not enough for adults to do outside of the parks. This new dinner show would compliment the two already in existence- the Polynesian Luau, and a Broadway style revue at the top of the Contemporary Resort (in what is now the California Grille). The show, titled The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue, was to play the property's third resort- Fort Wilderness, giving each resort a nighttime show.

The Original Cast from 1974