" Escape From Tomorrow " Final Poster

Here above is the final poster for the controversial "Escape from Tomorrow" movie. You know, the one filmed entirely at WDW without Disney authorization and presented months ago at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie will be released in limited theaters and VOD on October 11. Provocative, the poster? Noooo, who said that?  ;-)

Am i curious to see it? Of course i am. Not because of the theme but because i'm curious to see if it's a GOOD movie or not. To film at WDW and make it look like a weird place is not difficult, what is difficult is to transcend this and to make out of it something which is art. And that's not given to anyone. Kubrick would have been perfect for that but Stanley is not anymore with us, unfortunately. But the movie score is really good, sounds more like a movie score from the 50's or 60's. But the music is not everything, too. So, now they have to be at the height of both the initial idea and the movie score, and that's what i'm curious to see. Answer next month, i presume.

Didn't watch yet the trailer? Here it is. I also remind you the synopsis: The film follows the last day of a family vacation for Jim White (Roy Abramsohn) and his family. The morning starts with Jim’s boss calling to tell him he’s laid off, but he chooses to keep the information to himself and spare his family’s good time. Unfortunately, his day takes a downward spiral, and the park starts to become a stream of disturbing encounters and visions. Jim becomes slightly infatuated with two French girls (Annet Mahendru and Danielle Safady) whose paths he keeps crossing, but even they eventually fall prey to Jim’s increasingly oddball hallucinations. Or are they hallucinations? 

New Movie Franchise Set in Wizarding World Announced by J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros !

The big news of the end of the week is of course the announcement of a new partnership between J.K Rowling, the author of Harry Potter and Warner Bros. Rowling will write the scripts for a new Wizarding World film series - but without Harry Potter this time as his adventures have ended - and  the films will be inspired "from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander". The story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry Potter’s gets underway.

J.K Rowling declared "It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood. As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros. 

Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway".

You also have below the full Warner Bros press release but before, a thought about the consequences that might have this new film series on theme parks, and specially of course at Universal. We'll see what will happen and it's too early to say if Universal will create new rides or lands inspired by the new movies but chances are that they will think about it, specially considering the tremendous success of Harry potter Wizarding World. In this case all this can end to be a new nightmare for Disney - specially at WDW where they don't really need more Universal competition. We'll see...

Warner Bros Press Release:

Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an expanded creative partnership with world-renowned, best-selling author J.K. Rowling. At the center of the partnership is a new film series from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander. The announcement was made by Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment. 

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans.

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.”

“We are incredibly honored that Jo has chosen to partner with Warner Bros. on this exciting new exploration of the world of wizardry which has been tremendously successful across all of our businesses,” said Tsujihara. “She is an extraordinary writer, who ignited a reading revolution around the world, which then became an unprecedented film phenomenon. We know that audiences will be as excited as we are to see what her brilliant and boundless imagination conjures up for us.”

In addition to the film series, “Fantastic Beasts” will also be developed across the Studio’s video game, consumer products and digital initiatives businesses, including enhanced links with Pottermore.com, Rowling’s digital online experience built around the Harry Potter stories. The Studio’s expanded partnership with Rowling also covers the continued expansion of its Harry Potter activities, including the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks in conjunction with partner Universal Parks and Resorts (currently in Orlando, FL; opening in Hollywood, CA and Osaka, Japan), digital initiatives (including Pottermore), video games, consumer products and visitor attractions.

In addition, Warner Bros. will serve as the worldwide TV distributor (excluding the U.K.) of J.K. Rowling’s upcoming television adaptation for the BBC of “The Casual Vacancy,” her best-selling first novel aimed at adult audiences. This miniseries begins production in 2014. The relationship will be managed in London by Neil Blair of The Blair Partnership, Rowling’s literary agency, and Josh Berger, President & Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland and Spain, who will serve as Warner Bros.’ chief business contact for all J.K. Rowling initiatives going forward.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Construction Footage Video

Here is an interesting construction footage video showing what was going on inside the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train construction site not too long ago.

It appeared four months ago - i missed it and i just discovered it on Screamscape - and first i was surprised as Disney generally never release videos showing the construction of a ride - to "preserve the magic" , as they say - ...until i realized that the video was not released "officially". So, watch it, because you might never see this kind of video again, specially an official one.

Picture and video: copyright Disney

Disneyland Haunted Mansion Holiday 2013 HD Video !

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion just reopened with its Holiday version - i.e the one inspired by Nightmare before Christmas - and thanks to ThemeparkHD , D&M contributor, we have already a video of the entire queue and ride for you - and in glorious HD, please!

DL Imagineers always try to add each year new scenes or effects and this year, Zero the dog appears and play around the morphing portraits, flying from one to another and interacting with them. Very nice effect, don't miss it in the video! As some of you probably know better than me this holiday version, if you see others new things, please let us know!




Video: copyright themeparkHD

Haunted Mansion Stretching Room Paintings Adapted With Disney Villains

The Disney Parks Blog just released some cool artwork created to promote "Unleash the Villains" a Friday 13th celebration taking place tonight at Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

As you have guessed already it's inspired by the famous Haunted Mansion paintings that guests can see in the pre-show room but here "Captain Hook takes the place of the ballerina who teeters precariously on a rope strung above a waiting alligator; Cruella De Vil and her henchmen sink in the quicksand; Maleficent sits atop a gravestone of a clobbered companion; and the Queen of Hearts stands atop a bucket of red paint (instead of a barrel of dynamite)". They did a good job, really!

Pictures: copyright Disney

New Posters For Thor " The Dark World "

Disney - Marvel have released new cool posters for the upcoming Thor " The Dark World ", characters including Loki, Odin, and more, and here they are in high-res. The movie will be released next November so, yes, there is one more Marvel Superheroes movie coming this year!

Pictures: copyright Disney - Marvel

First Look at New Godzilla From Upcoming Movie to be Released in 2014 for Godzilla 60th Anniversary

You might have heard that a new Godzilla movie will be released soon for the 60th Anniversary ( Godzilla first appearance was in 1954 ). It's produced by Legendary Pictures and the secret of its look was kept secret... until last week when a fan took a picture of a 3D poster during a trade show in Brazil and posted it on the net. He was then asked to removed it but someone sent it to me, so here it is. Surprisingly Godzilla's face in the new movie seems to look almost like the original one...

But here is more: during the last ComicCon 2013 Legendary Pictures had set up a "Godzilla Encounter". Basically, guests entered in a kind of small Japanese street, with shops and cafe where plenty of miniatures, pop artwork and set pieces from previous Godzilla films were on display... until something went wrong and without warning, alarms go off and people in hazmat suits usher participants into the next stage of the attraction, where footage of the American military preparing for the arrival of Godzilla in San Diego plays on the walls. After a few minutes, everyone was escorted in an “elevator” and taken to the “roof” of the building-  but once the elevator experiences technical difficulties, they were dumped into an office... waiting for Godzilla to appear. The first video below shot by Inside the Magic will show you only the part until guests were asked to get inside an elevator as after it was asked to stop filming...




...but you know how fans can be and when they are decided to shoot a video anyway, they do it! So here is what you are not supposed to see, the part when guests were taken inside an elevator and then an office room and watch to the appearance of Godzilla!




The production said that the design of Godzilla that visitors have seen at ComiCon Godzilla Encounter is not the final design that audiences will see in the final movie in 2014, but my guess is that it should be quite close to the one you can see in the video above.

Pictures: copyright Legendary Pictures

Videos: copyright Inside the Magic, Legendary Pictures