Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios have provided us with this second teaser poster for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014), which we gladly provide in high resolution (click on the thumbnail to the left).
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy – the Winter Soldier.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Marvel Entertainment and Disney Consumer Products look to continue the retail dominance of The Avengers franchise as they ready robust merchandising programs anchored by the hugely-anticipated films featuring two members of the ultimate Super Hero team – Thor and Captain America. For both Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World, hitting theaters November 8, and Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in theaters April 4, 2014, Marvel has assembled industry leaders across key categories including toys, collectables, apparel, accessories, stationery and consumables for diverse product lines inspired by these upcoming blockbusters. The programs supporting the films will help maintain a strong retail presence for The Avengers franchise throughout the remainder of 2013 and into 2014 as Marvel gears up for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron scheduled to be unleashed Summer 2015.
‘Our strategy for The Avengers has been designed to elevate the franchise into the quintessential boys brand at retail 365 days a year. These upcoming tentpole films provide great opportunities to turn up the volume on merchandising support around key characters and the team overall,’ said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. ‘For the Thor and Captain America movies we have once again aligned with best-in-class partners who are developing highly innovative product lines that will keep these characters in great demand at retail.’
Thor will hammer his way to retail through a power-packed consumer products line-up from more than 75 licensees led by Hasbro, Disguise, Funko, Turtle Beach, Upper Deck, NECA, Mad Engine, New Era and Cafepress.com. Top products will include Hasbro’s action figures and role play items, Funko Pop! Vinyl Bobble Heads, Halloween costumes from Disguise, Turtle Beach headphones, men’s t-shirts from Mad Engine, and designer hats from New Era and Berkshire. Thor products are rolling out now at retailers nationwide.
Captain America will look to impose his super strength at retail with product assortments from more than 125 partners including Hasbro, LEGO, Hallmark, Sideshow, Funko, Pez, Mad Engine, C-Life, Berkshire, and Under Armour. The product line-up features toys, games and role play items from Hasbro, party goods from Hallmark, confections from Pez, and performance apparel from Under Armour. Products from Captain America will be available at mass and specialty retailers starting in Spring 2014.
On the heels of the company’s 90th anniversary, Walt Disney Records will release a boxed set titled ‘Disney Classics’ on November 11, 2013. A CD version is available for pre-order from Amazon while a download only version is available for pre-order from iTunes.
The four-disc retrospective will highlight just a small portion of Disney’s epic role in the history of music in the realms of cinema, television, theme parks and more.
According to the description posted earlier this morning on Amazon, the discs are broken up as follows. Also available on Amazon is a video from Walt Disney Record’s Randy Thornton, introducing the collection.
Timeless Classics Collected here are some of the most iconic melodies from Disney’s golden era. From ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ to ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ and ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah’ to ‘The Whistle Stop,’ these Timeless Classics are part of a musical heritage inextricably woven into our human culture heirlooms passed down through the generations.
Modern Classics This compilation begins with 1989′s The Little Mermaid, which not only ignited the renaissance of Disney Animation and storytelling, but a rebirth of Disney Music as well. Favorites from ‘Under the Sea,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘A Whole New World,’ these Modern Classics continue to shape the company’s musical history and heritage.
Television Classics Spanning from the 1950s to present day, this album represents quite an eclectic compilation of themes. At the very least, it’s an interesting musical graph of changing tastes and social evolution over the last 60+ years. Everything from ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett,’ to ‘Get’cha Head in the Game’ from High School Musical, is represented on this album, but probably the most beloved of these Television Classics however, has to be the ‘Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater.’
Theme Park Classics Music plays a vital role in the Parks as well; whether it be cleverly establishing an attraction’s story or the sheer brilliance of underscoring the banks and turns of a thrilling roller coaster. Collected here are not only those Theme Park Classics we know and love today, but others we fondly remember from days gone by.
The full track list is as follows:
DISC ONE – TIMELESS CLASSICS Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf – Three Little Pigs (3:06) Whistle While You Work – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (3:24) When You Wish Upon A Star – Pinocchio (3:13) When I See An Elephant Fly – Dumbo (1:48) Little April Shower – Bambi (3:53) The Three Caballeros (2:09) Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah – Song of the South (2:18) Lavender Blue, Dilly Dilly – So Dear to My Heart (1:02) A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes – Cinderella (4:35) All In the Golden Afternoon – Alice in Wonderland (2:41) You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! – Peter Pan (4:23) What A Dog/He’s A Tramp – Lady and the Tramp (2:25) Once Upon a Dream – Sleeping Beauty (2:45) Cruella De Vil – 101 Dalmatians (5:04) Let’s Get Together – The Parent Trap (1:29) The Ugly Bug Ball – Summer Magic (3:02) A Spoonful Of Sugar - Mary Poppins (4:07) The Monkey’s Uncle (2:32) Fortuosity – The Happiest Millionaire (3:10) The Bare Necessities – The Jungle Book (4:49) Ev’rybody Wants To Be A Cat – The Aristocats (2:01) Whistle Stop – Robin Hood (1:32) Someone’s Waiting for You – The Rescuers (2:23) It’s Not Easy – Pete’s Dragon (3:11) Best Of Friends – The Fox and the Hound (2:14)
DISC TWO – MODERN CLASSICS Under The Sea – The Little Mermaid (3:12) Be Our Guest – Beauty and the Beast (3:43) Seize the Day – Newsies (2:00) A Whole New World – Aladdin (2:40) What’s This? – The Nightmare Before Christmas (3:06) Circle of Life – The Lion King (3:58) Colors of the Wind – Pocahontas (3:33) You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Toy Story (2:03) Out There – The Hunchback of Notre Dame (4:24) I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) – Hercules (2:19) Reflection – Mulan (2:25) The Time Of Your Life – A Bug’s Life (3:13) Strangers Like Me – Tarzan (2:59) When She Loved Me – Toy Story 2 (3:03) Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce – The Tigger Movie (2:09) If I Didn’t Have You – Monsters, Inc. (3:38) Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride – Lilo and Stitch (3:28) Look Through My Eyes – Brother Bear (3:59) One Little Slip – Chicken Little (2:52) Happy Working Song – Enchanted (2:09) Dig a Little Deeper – The Princess and the Frog (2:48) I See the Light – Tangled (3:42) We Belong Together – Toy Story 3 (4:02) Disney Classics Medley (4:48)
DISC THREE – TELEVISION CLASSICS Mickey Mouse March – ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ (2:39) The Ballad of Davy Crockett – ‘Davy Crockett’ (1:41) The Triple R Song (Yippi-A, Yippi-I, Yippi-O) – ‘Spin & Marty’ (3:11) Theme from Zorro – ‘Zorro’ (1:22) Scarecrow – ‘The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh’ (2:10) ‘Winnie The Pooh’ (2:23) Minnie’s Yoo Hoo (2:02) Who, What, Why, Where, When and How Day – ‘The New Mickey Mouse Club’ (1:31) ‘Gummi Bears’ Theme (2:23) ‘Duck Tales’ Theme (2:48) ‘Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers’ Theme Song (3:35) ‘Darkwing Duck’ Theme (1:02) Theme to ‘Lizzie McGuire’ (Extended Supa Mix) (2:34) Rockin’ at the House of Mouse (Extended Version) – ‘The House of Mouse’ (2:34) The Naked Mole Rap – ‘Kim Possible’ (3:28) Cheetah Sisters – The Cheetah Girls (3:06) Aloha, E Komo Mai (Theme Song from ‘Lilo & Stitch: The Series’) (Extended Version) (2:24) Hot Dog! – ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’ (2:28) Get’cha Head In The Game – High School Musical (2:26) Nobody’s Perfect – ‘Hannah Montana’ (3:21) Gitchee Gitchee Goo – ‘Phineas and Ferb’ (1:58) This Is Me – Camp Rock (3:09) What Time Is It – High School Musical 2 (3:18) Everything is Not What it Seems (Theme Song to ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’) – (:53) ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ Alma Mater (1:47)
DISC FOUR – THEME PARK CLASSICS The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room – Enchanted Tiki Room (2:39) Swissapolka – Swiss Family Treehouse (1:54) Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me) – Pirates of the Caribbean (5:44) Splash Mountain Medley (10:35) The Bear Band Serenade – Country Bear Jamboree (1:46) Grim Grinning Ghosts – Haunted Mansion (5:33) “it’s a small world” (5:05) There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow – Carousel of Progress (2:16) The Great Outdoors – Country Bear Vacation Hoedown (2:09) Space Mountain (Dick Dale) (2:43) Soarin’ (4:43) It’s Tough To Be a Bug (:45) California Screamin’ (2:34) The Best Time of Your Life – Carousel of Progress (3:00) Space Mountain (Michael Giacchino) (3:11) Universe of Energy (2:12) Kitchen Kabaret Medley (2:22) One Little Spark – Journey Into Imagination (3:37) Canada (You’re a Lifetime Journey) (5:51) Golden Dream – The American Adventure (3:51) Finale – Fantasmic! (3:31)
Following the announcement (and release) of Demi Lovato’s recording of ‘Let It Go’ for the original motion picture soundtrack of Disney’s Frozen from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney has published the full track list via iTunes which has now made it available for pre-order alongside other e-tailers such as Amazon.com (who is listing it in CD format). Lovato’s single has also been released as of today and is available digitally from both iTunes and Amazon. The music video for ‘Let it Go’ as performed by Lovato will debut exclusively on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ on November 1.
Featuring original songs by Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez as well as a score by Christophe Beck, the deluxe edition soundtrack consists of two discs: the first containing music featured in the film; the second containing both song and score demos (including songs that did not make it to the film), karaoke versions of songs and more.
According to Anderon-Lopez, ‘For the First Time in Forever’ introduces Anna as ‘an optimistic, active person, but also as someone with a need to be filled over the course of the movie.’ The song ultimately illustrates Anna’s desire for connection, while showcasing just how far apart she is from big sister Elsa, who’s consumed by fear.
Aside from the duet between the estranged sisters, Elsa has her own anthem in ‘Let It Go,’ while Anna is the sole performer in ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,’ though her voice is provided by Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn and Katie Lopez (Robert and Kristen’s daughter) throughout the years. Elsa still has a place in the piece, however, via Beck’s score.
The entire track list is provided below:
DISK ONE 1) Frozen Heart (1:45) – Cast 2) Do You Want to Build a Snowman? (3:27) – Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn & Katie Lopez 3) For the First Time in Forever (3:45) – Idina Menzel & Kristen Bell 4) Love is an Open Door (2:07) – Kristen Bell & Santino Fontana 5) Let it Go (3:44) – Idina Menzel 6) Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People (:50) – Jonathan Groff 7) In Summer (1:54) – Josh Gad 8) For the First Time in Forever (Reprise) (2:30) – Idina Menzel & Kristen Bell 9) Fixer Upper (3:02) – Cast & Maia Wilson 10) Let it Go (3:47) – Demi Lovato 11) Vuelie (feat Cantus) (1:36) – Christophe Beck 12) Elsa and Anna (2:43) – Christophe Beck 13) The Trolls (1:48) – Christophe Beck 14) Coronation Day (1:14) – Christophe Beck 15) Heimr Arnadalr (1:25) – Christophe Beck 16) Winter’s Waltz (1:00) – Christophe Beck 17) Sorcery (3:17) – Christophe Beck 18) Royal Pursuit (1:02) – Christophe Beck 19) Onward and Upward (1:54) – Christophe Beck 20) Wolves (1:44) – Christophe Beck 21) The North Mountain (1:34) – Christophe Beck 22) We Were So Close (1:53) – Christophe Beck 23) Marshmallow Attack! (1:43) – Christophe Beck 24) Conceal, Don’t Feel (1:07) – Christophe Beck 25) Only an Act of True Love (1:07) – Christophe Beck 26) Summit Siege (2:32) – Christophe Beck 27) Return to Arendelle (1:38) – Christophe Beck 28) Treason (1:36) – Christophe Beck 29) Some People Are Worth Melting For (2:06) – Christophe Beck 30) Whiteout (4:17) – Christophe Beck 31) The Great Thaw (Vuelie Reprise) (2:29) – Christophe Beck & Frode Fjellheim 32) Epilogue (3:04) – Christophe Beck
DISK TWO 1) For the First Time in Forever (Demo) (3:33) – Kristen Anderson-Lopez 2) Love is an Open Door (Demo) (2:05) – Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez 3) We Know Better (Outtake) (4:04) – Kristen Anderson-Lopez 4) Spring Pageant (Outtake) (3:11) – Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Katie Lopez 5) More Than Just the Spare (Outtake) (3:26) – Kristen Anderson-Lopez 6) You’re You (Outtake) (1:50) – Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez 7) Life’s Too Short (Outtake) (3:53) – Kristen Anderson-Lopez 8) Life’s Too Short (Reprise) (Outtake) (1:44) – Kristen Anderson-Lopez 9) Reindeer(s) Remix (Outtake) (2:29) – Robert Lopez 10) The Ballad of Olaf & Sven (Score Demo / Teaser Trailer) (1:35) – Christophe Beck 11) Queen Elsa of Arendelle (Score Demo) (:44) – Christophe Beck 12) Hans (Score Demo) (1:22) – Christophe Beck 13) It Had to be Snow (Score Demo) (1:18) – Christophe Beck 14) Meet Olaf (Score Demo) (2:01) – Christophe Beck 15) Hands for Hans (Score Demo) (:48) – Christophe Beck 16) Oaken’s Sauna (Score Demo) (1:26) – Christophe Beck 17) Thin Air (Score Demo) (2:19) – Christophe Beck 18) Cliff Diving (Score Demo) (:51) – Christophe Beck 19) The Love Experts (Score Demo) (1:04) – Christophe Beck 20) Elsa Imprisoned (Score Demo) (1:04) – Christophe Beck 21) Hans’ Kiss (Score Demo) (2:11) – Christophe Beck 22) Coronation Band Suite (Source Score) (1:34) – Christophe Beck 23) Let It Go (Karaoke) (3:46) 24) For the First Time in Forever (Karaoke) (3:46) 25) Love is an Open Door (Karaoke) (2:07) 26) In Summer (Karaoke) (1:48) 27) Let it Go (Karaoke) (3:42)
Just after releasing the full track for ‘Let It Go’ as performed by Demi Lovato on the original motion picture soundtrack for Frozen, Walt Disney Animation Studios has released an extended television ad for the film which features the song along with newly released clips from the film.
Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, presents Frozen, a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey — teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven –to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. The film also stars the vocal talents of Santino Fontana (as Hans) and Alan Tudyk (as Duke of Weselton).
Lyrics for the track follow:
Let it go, let it go Can’t hold you back anymore Let it go, let it go Turn my back and slam the door
The snow blows white on the mountain tonight Not a footprint to be seen A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I’m the queen The wind is howling like the swirling storm inside Couldn’t keep it in Heaven knows I try
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see Be the good girl you always had to be Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know Well now they know
Let it go, let it go Can’t hold you back anymore Let it go, let it go, Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I’ll stay Let it go, let it go The cold never bothered me anyway
It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small And the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all Up here in the cold thin air I finally can breathe I know left a life behind but I’m to relieved to grieve
Let it go, let it go Can’t hold you back anymore Let it go, let it go, Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I’ll stay Let it go, let it go The cold never bothered me anyway
Standing frozen in the life I’ve chosen You won’t find me, the past is so behind me Buried in the snow
Let it go, let it go Can’t hold you back anymore Let it go, let it go, Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I’ll stay Let it go, let it go The cold never bothered me anyway
The film is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and produced by Peter Del Vecho. Featuring music from Tony® winner Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Frozen is in theaters in 3D on November 27, 2013.
After a successful Twitter campaign using the hashtag #DemiFrozen, Walt Disney Studios has released its track of Demi Lovato performing ‘Let It Go’ from the original motion picture soundtrack for Frozen from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The song is performed in the film by Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel).
To promote the announcement, a Twitter campaign has been started with the hashtag #DemiFrozen which will unlock the recording at frozensocialsnowstorm.com. In the interview posted below, Lovato has also confirmed a music video for the recording has been produced.
Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, presents Frozen, a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey — teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven –to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. The film also stars the vocal talents of Santino Fontana (as Hans) and Alan Tudyk (as Duke of Weselton).
The film is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and produced by Peter Del Vecho. Featuring music from Tony® winner Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Frozen is in theaters in 3D on November 27, 2013.
It has just been confirmed that recording sensation Demi Lovato has recorded ‘Let it Go’ to be featured on the upcoming original motion picture soundtrack for Frozen from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The song is performed in the film by Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel).
To promote the announcement, a Twitter campaign has been started with the hashtag #DemiFrozen which will unlock the recording at frozensocialsnowstorm.com. In the interview posted below, Lovato has also confirmed a music video for the recording has been produced.
Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, presents Frozen, a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey — teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven –to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. The film also stars the vocal talents of Santino Fontana (as Hans) and Alan Tudyk (as Duke of Weselton).
UPDATE: The full audio track has now been released
The film is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and produced by Peter Del Vecho. Featuring music from Tony® winner Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Frozen is in theaters in 3D on November 27, 2013.
The official Disney Parks blog today announced that commencing today — and barring any technical issues — Mickey Mouse will not only be meeting and greeting with guests at the Magic Kingdom, but conversing them as well, marking a new major milestone in a very lengthy history of attempting to bring characters to life in all new ways ahead of full NextGen technology implementation.
Interacting with characters is nothing new in particular, but it took a major leap in recent years at Disney California Adventure, where Roz in ‘Monster’s Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue’ is able to use the actual talent’s voice (Pixar’s own Bob Peterson) to present a custom greeting to an on-board guest via a soundboard app. Controlled behind the scenes, a Cast Member is able to string together pre-recorded phrases together and make it appear as if Roz is addressing a guest directly. The same technology went on to be used for Mr. Potato Head in ‘Toy Story Mania!’ as well as the meet and greet Lightning McQueen and Mater in DCA’s Carsland, albeit not to as great an effect. There is, of course, ‘Turtle Talk with Crush,’ which uses exceptional technology in its own rights, but there Crush is on a screen and not a fully tangible being, let alone one that can traverse in physical space.
Talking Mickey is not exactly new to the scene either and has been spotted in testing off and on over the past few years, but he hasn’t been quite ready for primetime for several fairly obvious reasons, none of which have anything directly to do with the fact that he can talk.
The evolution can pretty much start with the appearance of the articulated heads of several Disney characters often seen in staged productions at the North American parks as well as videos and television appearances. Much of the time, these characters perform to track and are often completely single-operator controlled through finger gestures that control blinking and mouth movements. The major obstacle with bringing these articulated characters down from the stage to meet and greet scenarios, however, is that much like your common off-the-shelf toy, the servos and other electronics generate noise when activated (or even when idle in some cases), which can prove a bit disconcerting. Other issues including generated heat and wear and tear were also of concern. These issues were addressed primarily in US Patent Application 20130130585, ‘Method and System for Articulated Character Head Actuation and Control.’
Another issue is that in order to preserve a ‘natural’ appearance, characters blink. That problem becomes obvious to anyone who’s attempted to take photos of one of the staged performances featuring the articulated heads — there is nothing attractive about an articulated character with its eyes shut, nor nothing appropriate about a character with their eyelids half-shut, giving them the ‘wasted’ appearance. If the blinking were operator controlled in meet and greets as they are on stage, this wouldn’t be an issue, but since operators can’t physically control blinking for reasons of show, the heads blink on their own, which provides an opportunity for some interesting family photos to say the least. This issue was recognized and addressed in US Patent Application 20130073087, ‘System for Controlling Robotic Characters to Enhance Photographic Results.’ The proposed patent covers several methods including both audio and visual cues to indicate to the character that they should not blink for an impending photo. From what information we have unofficially gathered, it sounds as though this may have been implemented in a way that the character will not blink when exposed to red-eye reduction, or a series of mini-flashes from the camera before the final flash. We were told that Disney’s PhotoPass should not experience the problem, but guests’ cameras will have varying degrees of luck (thus we’d suggest making sure both flash and red-eye reduction is turned on).
And, of course, there is the issue of actually talking. Followers of the Talking Mickey saga have seen two different flavors of this being tested. One employs an actual human being supplying the voice for Mickey in real-time. Although this offers an extremely high level of engagement between guests and the character, it’s impractical to offer on a full-time basis. It’s considered an expensive venture to train a human to voice the character and then contractual agreements and the like can cause scheduling conflicts, leaving the character unable to be voiced. The second flavor involves a soundboard, much like other characters previously mentioned in this article use. While this solves the issue of voice consistency and availability, it offers just a limited number of phrases at the ready and there can be an unfortunate delay in response time of the characters as well as awkward conversation that doesn’t really mesh well. These issues are addressed in US Patent Application 20130226588, ‘Simulated Conversation by Pre-Recorded Audio Navigator’ in which the phrases available on the soundboard can be dynamically altered based on several forms of input including voice recognition, allowing the character to seamlessly converse with guests (for the most part).
Another form of input that Mickey can respond to, although we are told this will not be enabled for some time, is Disney’s MagicBand technology. Although the patent application seems to fall short of Mickey addressing anyone by name as face characters will have an easier time doing, he will at least be able to recognize birthdays and other special events and respond accordingly. Although how Mickey will know it’s your birthday, especially if you aren’t wearing a button, is a whole new level of creepiness.
Tomorrow, Disney Interactive will release its sixth and first playset for ‘Disney Infinity’ since the gaming platform’s release, ‘‘Toy Story in Space.’ Complete with Buzz Lightyear and Jessie figures (with Sheriff Woody available separately), the playset has the Disney/Pixar Toy Story gang helping the Little Green Men assimilate onto a newly colonized planet. Disney Interactive supplied us with both the playset as well as the additional Woody figure for review.
While ‘Toy Story in Space’ won’t take the number one spot in my list of favorite playsets, it definitely ranks near the top, perhaps second to The Incredibles. Featuring Hamm, Rex, Slinky Dog and a host of aliens to assist, the game successfully evades some of the more puzzling quirks of other playsets, namely doppelgangers — heck, even the aliens don’t like looking like themselves. As you can tell from the above image, provided by Disney Interactive, Aliens love cosplay, wishing to be dressed up like dozens of characters from the Toy Story universe, including Chuckles, Zurg, Hamm, Stinky Pete and countless others.
That costumes, however, are one major gripe about the playset. Teetering between the fine line of being cute and annoying, the aliens love being dressed and re-dressed a la the same type of wardrobe quests that exist in other playsets, only this one appears to be (literally) ad nauseam — at times, it definitely appears to be a grind. Interestingly enough, because of the myriad of costumes — the bulk of which must be unlocked via red capsules — the mission’s compass will actually lead you to the capsules needed, which certainly makes things a bit easier. Other oft-repeated missions involve smashing crates, building platforms and alien rescue/taxi missions. While it all sounds like it’s relatively easy, the truth is the planet’s terrain and scope can actually make it a bit of a challenge, even after you unlock Buzz Lightyear’s jetpack and/or the Space Command thruster. Building platforms even turns into a bit of a logic puzzle after a few of them, which is one of the game’s strongest points: in addition to the same mechanics introduced in other playsets, this one requires a bit of thinking at times — just not over-thinking.
About halfway through the game, I did encounter what appeared to be a bug, however. When attempting to have the compass find me new mission givers, it kept pointing me to the combat simulator and subsequently any door therein (including the exit). After failing to make sense of it for far too long (and re-playing the simulators over and over), I opted to put the combat simulator away (press the controller button to move the building, cancel and confirm you wish to put the building away) and the game then successfully moved me on to the next act. I was told this should be addressed via a patch as soon as possible and will hopefully be in place by the time the playset hits the shelves, but just in case, I just wanted to share the symptoms and workaround.
Once I managed to get past the grind and the glitch, the game definitely got more appealing and the final battle with Zurg (spoiler alert), was just enough difficult and again requires a creative solution in addition to the target and shoot.
Overall, I definitely recommend the ‘Toy Story in Space’ playset becomes part of one’s ‘Disney Infinity’ collection. If anything, it’s also where the shrink and grow goo guns come from, which definitely enhances the Toy Box play.
Here are a few tips I’d like to pass along in addition to dealing with the combat simulator issue I shared above:
Another thing that took me too long to realize, the teleport building will let you choose where you wish to be transported to by pressing the IN button — the screen will update to reflect your selected destination.
If there is a way to switch between the booster (vertical) and jetpack (horizontal) mid-flight, I never figured it out. Therefore when using the jetpack, it helps to start out from the highest point accessible (the top of the Star Command HQ building is a great example, as is the radio dish of the teleport building). You can always lower your altitude by letting go of the controller button temporarily. Also, the booster will let you fire multiple times, but only to sustain air time, not height. Use the stick to move horizontally while shooting upwards.
Batteries are very heavy and you won’t be able to fly with them. Unless.
New Hot Topic arrivals for October 21, 2013 Below is a list of new items now available for purchase at Hot Topic. Clicking on a product’s image or description will launch the product’s page on Hot Topic in another window. Note that this list is generated and posted automatically. Stitch Kingdom should not be held responsible for any inaccuracies, misinformation or item availability. Disclosure: This post includes specially formatted links which allow the site to receive a small percentage of purchases made through them. Using these links does not affect your shopping experience in any way, but it does help the site. Even if you don’t purchase anything, even just sharing products you like through Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest using the icons below them will help the site.
Marvel Thor: The Dark World Pop! Loki Vinyl Figure – $12.50 Loki is given a fun, and funky, stylized look as an adorable collectible vinyl figure!; 3 3/4″ tall; Man-made materials; Imported; By Funko share this item
Disney The Lion King Mufasa Slim-Fit T-Shirt – $24.50 T-shirt with front sublimation print inspired by Disney’s; The Lion King; .; 65% polyester; 35% cotton; Wash cold; dry low; Imported; Listed in men’s sizes share this item
Disney Lilo & Stitch Ice Cream Slim-Fit T-Shirt – $20.50 Slim-Fit white T-shirt with colorful design of Stitch eating an ice cream cone.; 100% cotton; Wash cold; dry low; Imported; Listed in junior sizes share this item
Disney Brave Merida Sticker – $2.99 Die-cut sticker with Merida design.; Approximately 3 1/2″ diameter; Made in USA share this item
Marvel Deadpool Bottler Opener Web Belt – $19.50 Well made metal buckle with bottle opener on a nylon strap.; Adjustable; 1 1/2″ wide; Imported share this item
Marvel Logo Bottle Opener Web Belt – $19.50 Well made metal buckle with bottle opener on a nylon strap.; Adjustable; 1 1/2″ wide; Imported; We’re sorry, but we are unable to ship this product outside the United States and U.S. territories. share this item
Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios have provided us with this second teaser poster for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014), which we gladly provide in high resolution (click on the thumbnail to the left).
for Frozen, Walt Disney Animation Studios has released an extended television ad for the film which features the song along with newly released clips from the film.
Complete with Buzz Lightyear and Jessie figures (with Sheriff Woody 
), the playset has the Disney/Pixar Toy Story gang helping the Little Green Men assimilate onto a newly colonized planet. Disney Interactive supplied us with both the playset as well as the additional Woody figure for review.
