We're back! We made it through our list of animated films presented during the Walt Disney Studios Presentation earlier today, and we're set to wrap it up this afternoon with our first impressions of all of Disney's live action films that were presented at the D23 Expo.
John Carter - Based on the Barsoom series of novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (who may be arguably best known for creating the character Tarzan). John Carter, a Virginian Captain of the Confederacy during the time of the Civil War, is somehow transported while hiding in a cave to the planet Mars. Because of Mar's gravity, he finds himself with superhuman strength and find himself in the midst of adventures, and wars, with warring Martian clans and in a relationship with a beautiful princess. We did think it was pretty cool to see Willem Dafoe on stage talking about his Martian character, though. Set to release March 9, 2012.
Chad - 3
Having known nothing about the character of John Carter prior to hearing about him at D23, I really didn't know what to think. To be honest, now that I do, I'm still not sure I'm sold. I was amazed to find out that the character is that old, though. It's an interesting concept, and I'm sure I will probably see it eventually; I'm just not sure about theatrically yet.
Mark - 4
I'm glad I know what the movie is about now! For a while I had no idea what to think at all. It looks like a Prince of Persia meets Avatar. I liked both of those films so this maybe right up my alley.
Overall - 7
Just waiting for more information to make a solid decision on how we feel about it.
The Odd Life of Timothy Green - The story of two adults who, unable to conceive a child on their own, make a list of the characteristics they would want their child to have and bury them in the back yard, only to have their wish granted in the form of child who mysteriously appears in their home; Timothy Green. Stars Jennifer Garner Release and set to release August 15, 2012.
Chad - 4
Truthfully, I'm a sucker for movies like this! When Jennifer Garner stood on stage and said this movie speaks to the parent in all of us, she pretty much had me right there. I may be a guy, but I ain't afraid of movies that make me cry, and this one looks like it's going to do just that. Pretty much a must-see in my book.
Mark - 3
The trailer was done really well, but the way they described the film made me a little nervous. I'm still debating whether I'm going to see this one or not.
Overall - 7
Just waiting for more information to make a solid decision on how we feel about it.
Chimpanzee - A look at the life of a young orphaned chimpanzee named Oscar and the ape who took him and treated him as his own; set to release date Earth Day 2012.
Chad - 4
Will I be hunted down and vilified if I admit that I haven't seen a single Disney Nature film yet? I'm so ashamed... That said, I'm very interested in seeing African Cats (I will be buying it on Blu Ray when it's released) and after seeing the trailer for Chimpanzee, I have every intention of taking my kids to see it. It looks amazing; gorgeous photography, cute chimps and an amazing story of love in the animal kingdom. If I didn't see this one I'd hunt myself down.
Mark - 4
I've seen every Disney Nature Film, so why stop now? These movies are beautifully done, and should be seen by everyone. I will definitely be seeing this one when it is released.
Overall - 8
We're pretty excited about this one and will definitely be checking it out when it arrives in theaters.
Oz: The Great and Powerful - Take a look at Oz way back before Dorothy skipped down the Yellow Brick Road, and see how this humbug of wizard became known as the Great and Powerful. Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, and Zach Braff; set to release March 8, 2013.
Chad - 5
Having read the entire set of L. Frank Baum's original stories dealing with the mythology of Oz, I couldn't be happier to see this movie being made. Hearing the creators of this film speak in detail (and seeing concept art) about wanting to recreated Baum's original vision of Oz and its many locations and citizens leaves me wanting more! I have extremely high hopes for this one.
Mark - 4
I love the world of Oz, and I love hearing the different stories that take place there, but I am a bit nervous about James Franco playing The Wizard. If done right, though, it's going to be amazing!
Overall - 9
We'll be there opening day.
The Muppets - They're back! After over a decade The Muppets hit the big screen once again to save their beloved Muppet Theater, home to the original television show so many of us grew up loving and watching from our own living rooms. Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and all of The Muppets; set to release November 23, 2011.
Chad - 5
Could not be more excited for a movie. Having grown up watching "The Muppet Show" on TV on a weekly basis, and having viewed almost every Muppet movie to date, the thought of seeing them again on the big screen has me giddy. And being able to see Kermit the Frog on stage during the presentation?! If nothing else that makes me want to see this as quickly as possible. And it looks genuinely funny. Lots of laugh out loud moments, even in the brief little bit they let us view. A "must-see"!
Mark - 5
I will be the first in line for this; I guarantee it. Nothing else needs to be said.
Overall - 10
Midnight showing, anyone?
The Avengers - Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye team up under the command of Nick Fury to defend to the world from the forces of evil, namely Loki. Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson; set to release May 4, 2012.
Chad - 5
I have to admit (shamefully perhaps), that out of all of the movies we knew we'd be able to hear about, this one was at the top of the list. And what a way to end the presentation! Huge Marvel fan, have loved every one of the movies that have come down the pike recently, and after seeing Captain America over the summer, seeing another new teaser during the presentation (twice! thank you, Robert Downey, Jr.!) may have put me over the edge. Seeing Scarlett Johansson on stage didn't hurt, either. Cannot wait for this one!
Mark - 5
Yes! It has come down to this: Earth's mightiest heroes teaming up for superhero v. supervillain battles of epic porptions. I mean, c'mon, you have Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man all in one movie. It's gonna be da bomb yo! And yes, I just said that.
Overall - 10
Midnight showing, anyone?
And there you have it, folks. Our very first thoughts on all of the the up and coming Disney movies that were previewed during the D23 Expo Walt Disney Studios Presentation.
So, what did you think? Are there any new ones on the list that you didn't know about before? Any film that you are most excited about? Or maybe you were at the Expo and want to share your own thoughts with us? We'd love to hear from you! We hope that these have given you just a small taste of what we saw and heard during the presentation.
Tomorrow we'll keep right on trucking with our D23 coverage and start talking about the next panel we were able to attend, but we're keeping it a secret until then. Come on back, keep strolling with us, and enjoy D23 right alongside us as we relive the entire weekend with you.
Showing posts with label The Muppets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Muppets. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
D23 Expo 2011 - Pavilions and Exhibitors
*note: click on any of the smaller pictures for a LARGER version*
When we were beginning to go through all of our pictures and starting to think about what we were going to write, well, the word "overwhelming" comes to mind. We hardly knew where to start! We mentioned it on Twitter yesterday to which one of our followers quickly responded: "Start at the beginning, and when you come to the end, stop! See?" Not only was it great advice, but it's a quote from "Alice in Wonderland", too, so that's exactly what we're going to do; start at the beginning.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday to get ready to head out. Actually, it was before even "bright and early" now that we think about it. We had heard that lines on Friday morning were really long, and Saturday was supposed to be sold out, so we rounded up our gear and headed out to park at the Toy Story Lot around 7am. Luckily, the Anaheim Convention Center isn't too far from the Lot, so we were able to walk there in around 10 minutes, and after running into a few friends and gabbing a bit, we hopped into the D23 Member's line, which already looked something like this:
All we can say is "Thank God" for our membership. It helped us get in fairly quickly all things told, and we even got to go in a little bit earlier than the 9am opening time for members that we thought we were going to get (General Admission were let in at 10am every day). We were already all keyed up and excited, but when we got inside this greeted us, which of course did absolutely nothing to calm us down in the slightest.
Once inside and through all of our checkpoints and receiving our ticket lanyards (a nice touch!) and guidebooks, we were ready to start exploring. And that's where we'll start our first look at the Expo, inside the Exhibitors and Pavilions Hall.
This was "the hub", if you will, through which everything else kind of branched off and was basically a common room of sorts for all of the D23 Expo guests. We spent a lot of our time over the course of our two days wandering all over the hall, and got to see quite a few pretty cool things (and meet some pretty cool people in the process).
The exhibitors portion of the room was of course where all of the, well, exhibitors were. Art galleries were selling their painting and lithographs, Disney oriented websites such as MousePlanet and MiceChat were on hand to talk to guests, Vinylmation and Pin selling was taking place; there was just loads to see. While it was kind of neat to look around at all of the booths and see all of the Disney wares, we honestly enjoyed the front of the hall the most, though, for several reasons. A lot of movie-oriented booths were set up near the front of the room that really got us interested. We couldn't be more excited about "The Muppets" which opens in November, and although we didn't meet them ourselves, we were able to see (and picture!) Cindy Morgan and Bruce Boxleitner from "TRON" signing for other guests. It was awesome just to be able to say that we had seen them! We also got to check out a booth and hear more about a movie we're very excited to see when it comes out next year, "Wreck-It Ralph". It was the first we had heard about this movie this weekend about an 8-bit video game villain from the 80's who is tired with his status of a villain and longs for something more and sets out to prove that he is "hero" material.
There was also a lot going on on the floor on display, both for the kids and the adults. We got a chance to see Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, the Black Pearl (from "Pirates of the Caribbean"), and even Walt's limo was on display!
There was also tons of excitement in the pavilions area, because that's where the Disney Channel/Radio Disney stage where. The area was always packed to the gills with parents in line with their children to see their favorite Disney Channel stars, such as the casts of "Lemonade Mouth", "Pair of Kings", "Kickin' It", and "Shake It Up". Chad's own boys watch "Shake It Up" religiously, and we were even able to catch a pretty darn good picture of some of the stars signing autographs for many of their fans. We're obviously way beyond the target audience of those shows, and we were still pretty excited ourselves!
Wanting to shop? Well, the pavilions portion of the hall had you covered there as well! There were all kinds of stores all around selling all kinds of Disney paraphernalia and goods. Some of our personal favorites were the Disney Store booth and the D23 Expo Dream Store where they sold all of the official D23 Expo merchandise (we bought shirts which you'll see in a later picture). They even had an area set aside for auction items from Disney to be on display! They were hosting a large auction upstairs for some fantastic items such as a huge snow-globe of Sleeping Beauty Castle from Disneyland Park inside the Main Street, USA Emporium, but our favorite had to be the car, or pirate-ship rather, from Peter Pan's Flight.
There was just so much to see, and so much to do, it would just be impossible to cover it all (as you can probably tell if you're still reading this). But we've got a couple more of our highlights from the floor still to go! We also, as avid gamers,got a huge kick out of the Disney Gaming Pavilion and seeing the new XBOX 360 Kinect's game, "Disneyland Adventures", in action. The lines were always so long we didn't participate ourselves, but stood on the outside just like every other fan and "oohed" and "aahed" at how cool some of the gaming stuff Disney is putting out actually is. Chad's already decided he's going to have to run out and buy an XBOX as a result of it. No word yet on his wife's reaction to the news.
All that said, and out of all the excitement though, we think that one of our favorite things we did during our weekend on the floor was to participate in the Disney Voluntears program where we got to stuff bags with necessities for people who have been the victims of natural disasters around the world for the Red Cross. It was just a small way to give back to others who are less fortunate than ourselves, but it made us smile to be able to do so. So we waited in line, we grabbed our bags, and we stuffed and smiled the entire time. And at the end, we even got to take a picture with some of our favorite people on the planet, FindingMickey.com , who were able to do it with us. It may not seem like much, but in the midst of everything else going on, we were glad that Disney was able and willing to let us participate like that in some way. Pretty cool beans, as far as we're concerned.
And that just about wraps up our highlights from the Exhibitors and Pavilions Hall's booths, shops, and interactivity-type things. We feel like we only barely scratched the surface, but there was just so much we could write a novel on it and still find more to write about, so we figure as long as hit our high points, we've done our job. There were still a few other things going on in this area of the Expo that we'll hit on later in the week, though, but we've said a mouthful so we'll break off for now.
We hope that everyone has enjoyed the pictures! We'll be putting them into one big photo gallery (which we hope to have done later today) that we can add to as we go along, and we'll post a link for that as soon as we have it. In the meantime, we'll be back tomorrow with a write-up of the different panels we were fortunate enough to attend during the D23 2011 Expo. We hope you'll be back to read all about it!
We'll end with probably the coolest thing of all that was out on the floor, the "Perry the Platy-bus". Enjoy!
When we were beginning to go through all of our pictures and starting to think about what we were going to write, well, the word "overwhelming" comes to mind. We hardly knew where to start! We mentioned it on Twitter yesterday to which one of our followers quickly responded: "Start at the beginning, and when you come to the end, stop! See?" Not only was it great advice, but it's a quote from "Alice in Wonderland", too, so that's exactly what we're going to do; start at the beginning.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday to get ready to head out. Actually, it was before even "bright and early" now that we think about it. We had heard that lines on Friday morning were really long, and Saturday was supposed to be sold out, so we rounded up our gear and headed out to park at the Toy Story Lot around 7am. Luckily, the Anaheim Convention Center isn't too far from the Lot, so we were able to walk there in around 10 minutes, and after running into a few friends and gabbing a bit, we hopped into the D23 Member's line, which already looked something like this:
All we can say is "Thank God" for our membership. It helped us get in fairly quickly all things told, and we even got to go in a little bit earlier than the 9am opening time for members that we thought we were going to get (General Admission were let in at 10am every day). We were already all keyed up and excited, but when we got inside this greeted us, which of course did absolutely nothing to calm us down in the slightest.
Welcome to the Expo!!!
Once inside and through all of our checkpoints and receiving our ticket lanyards (a nice touch!) and guidebooks, we were ready to start exploring. And that's where we'll start our first look at the Expo, inside the Exhibitors and Pavilions Hall.
This was "the hub", if you will, through which everything else kind of branched off and was basically a common room of sorts for all of the D23 Expo guests. We spent a lot of our time over the course of our two days wandering all over the hall, and got to see quite a few pretty cool things (and meet some pretty cool people in the process).
The exhibitors portion of the room was of course where all of the, well, exhibitors were. Art galleries were selling their painting and lithographs, Disney oriented websites such as MousePlanet and MiceChat were on hand to talk to guests, Vinylmation and Pin selling was taking place; there was just loads to see. While it was kind of neat to look around at all of the booths and see all of the Disney wares, we honestly enjoyed the front of the hall the most, though, for several reasons. A lot of movie-oriented booths were set up near the front of the room that really got us interested. We couldn't be more excited about "The Muppets" which opens in November, and although we didn't meet them ourselves, we were able to see (and picture!) Cindy Morgan and Bruce Boxleitner from "TRON" signing for other guests. It was awesome just to be able to say that we had seen them! We also got to check out a booth and hear more about a movie we're very excited to see when it comes out next year, "Wreck-It Ralph". It was the first we had heard about this movie this weekend about an 8-bit video game villain from the 80's who is tired with his status of a villain and longs for something more and sets out to prove that he is "hero" material.
Cindy Morgan and Bruce Boxleitner (TRON) signing autographs for the guests
There was also a lot going on on the floor on display, both for the kids and the adults. We got a chance to see Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, the Black Pearl (from "Pirates of the Caribbean"), and even Walt's limo was on display!
Lightning McQueen made completely out of LEGO
There was also tons of excitement in the pavilions area, because that's where the Disney Channel/Radio Disney stage where. The area was always packed to the gills with parents in line with their children to see their favorite Disney Channel stars, such as the casts of "Lemonade Mouth", "Pair of Kings", "Kickin' It", and "Shake It Up". Chad's own boys watch "Shake It Up" religiously, and we were even able to catch a pretty darn good picture of some of the stars signing autographs for many of their fans. We're obviously way beyond the target audience of those shows, and we were still pretty excited ourselves!
Bella Thorne, Zendaya, Kenton Duty and Caroline Sunshine sign for "Shake It Up" fans
Wanting to shop? Well, the pavilions portion of the hall had you covered there as well! There were all kinds of stores all around selling all kinds of Disney paraphernalia and goods. Some of our personal favorites were the Disney Store booth and the D23 Expo Dream Store where they sold all of the official D23 Expo merchandise (we bought shirts which you'll see in a later picture). They even had an area set aside for auction items from Disney to be on display! They were hosting a large auction upstairs for some fantastic items such as a huge snow-globe of Sleeping Beauty Castle from Disneyland Park inside the Main Street, USA Emporium, but our favorite had to be the car, or pirate-ship rather, from Peter Pan's Flight.
The on-site Disney Store
One of the vehicles from Peter Pan's Flight up for grabs (and money!) at the D23 Expo
There was just so much to see, and so much to do, it would just be impossible to cover it all (as you can probably tell if you're still reading this). But we've got a couple more of our highlights from the floor still to go! We also, as avid gamers,got a huge kick out of the Disney Gaming Pavilion and seeing the new XBOX 360 Kinect's game, "Disneyland Adventures", in action. The lines were always so long we didn't participate ourselves, but stood on the outside just like every other fan and "oohed" and "aahed" at how cool some of the gaming stuff Disney is putting out actually is. Chad's already decided he's going to have to run out and buy an XBOX as a result of it. No word yet on his wife's reaction to the news.
The Disney Gaming Pavilion
All that said, and out of all the excitement though, we think that one of our favorite things we did during our weekend on the floor was to participate in the Disney Voluntears program where we got to stuff bags with necessities for people who have been the victims of natural disasters around the world for the Red Cross. It was just a small way to give back to others who are less fortunate than ourselves, but it made us smile to be able to do so. So we waited in line, we grabbed our bags, and we stuffed and smiled the entire time. And at the end, we even got to take a picture with some of our favorite people on the planet, FindingMickey.com , who were able to do it with us. It may not seem like much, but in the midst of everything else going on, we were glad that Disney was able and willing to let us participate like that in some way. Pretty cool beans, as far as we're concerned.
Working as a Disney Voluntear for the American Red Cross
And that just about wraps up our highlights from the Exhibitors and Pavilions Hall's booths, shops, and interactivity-type things. We feel like we only barely scratched the surface, but there was just so much we could write a novel on it and still find more to write about, so we figure as long as hit our high points, we've done our job. There were still a few other things going on in this area of the Expo that we'll hit on later in the week, though, but we've said a mouthful so we'll break off for now.
We hope that everyone has enjoyed the pictures! We'll be putting them into one big photo gallery (which we hope to have done later today) that we can add to as we go along, and we'll post a link for that as soon as we have it. In the meantime, we'll be back tomorrow with a write-up of the different panels we were fortunate enough to attend during the D23 2011 Expo. We hope you'll be back to read all about it!
We'll end with probably the coolest thing of all that was out on the floor, the "Perry the Platy-bus". Enjoy!
*singing* Agent P...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Vinylmation Of The Week: Janice
Vinylmation sure can get expensive! Our favorite hobby can end up costing us quite a bit of money even though we enjoy doing it, and as such, recently we haven't been buying as many of the little guys when we're out and about inside The Parks. However, that said, one series we still have been plugging away at bit by bit has been the Muppets Series #2. We love The Muppets in all of their forms, including when they come in the shape of little Mickey Mouses that cost us $10 a pop. All three of us have either complete or almost complete Muppets Series #1 sets, so when we heard they would doing a second, we immediately started collecting. But, even though we enjoy all of our Muppets, we were most excited to start collecting Round 2 because it would be featuring the greatest band on the planet, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem! So for the next few weeks, we're going to focus on just that; the little plastic bandmates that make up some of our favorite Vinyls of all.
We've always believed in the old adage, "Ladies first", and with that in mind, for our first Vinylmation of the Week focusing on the Electric Mayhem, the spotlight shines solely on Janice.
One of the continuing reasons we enjoy collecting Vinyl so much is because of the detail the artists continue to put into their work. Janice is certainly no exception to the rule. She's bright, colorful, and has a ton of detail. Janice was always one of The Muppets who danced to the beat of her own drum ("If I want to live on the beach and walk around naked..." from 'The Great Muppet Caper', anyone?), but that's exactly one of the reasons why we like her the most; she certainly has a 60's looking "Flower Child" thing going on with her red beanie (complete with flower), necklace resplendent with a peace sign, and denim jeans with a rope belt. She's most definitely a free-spirit and we think that Disney Character Artist Monty Maldovan did a fantastic job conveying that with the way that he painted her.
The back of this piece is pretty standard but we did get a kick out of the little piece sign on her left jeans pocket, smack dab on the buttock! It makes us laugh every time we see it. We're not entirely sure whether that's a good thing or not, but it's a nice little touch we thought and wrapped up the piece nicely.
So there you go, this week's choice for Vinylmation of the Week. We'll be back next week with another from our Electric Mayhem set, so be sure to come back to see who we highlight.
In the meantime, if you have a Muppet you'd like to see us highlight let us know and we'd be happy to! Thanks for stopping by, and happy collecting!
We've always believed in the old adage, "Ladies first", and with that in mind, for our first Vinylmation of the Week focusing on the Electric Mayhem, the spotlight shines solely on Janice.
One of the continuing reasons we enjoy collecting Vinyl so much is because of the detail the artists continue to put into their work. Janice is certainly no exception to the rule. She's bright, colorful, and has a ton of detail. Janice was always one of The Muppets who danced to the beat of her own drum ("If I want to live on the beach and walk around naked..." from 'The Great Muppet Caper', anyone?), but that's exactly one of the reasons why we like her the most; she certainly has a 60's looking "Flower Child" thing going on with her red beanie (complete with flower), necklace resplendent with a peace sign, and denim jeans with a rope belt. She's most definitely a free-spirit and we think that Disney Character Artist Monty Maldovan did a fantastic job conveying that with the way that he painted her.
The back of this piece is pretty standard but we did get a kick out of the little piece sign on her left jeans pocket, smack dab on the buttock! It makes us laugh every time we see it. We're not entirely sure whether that's a good thing or not, but it's a nice little touch we thought and wrapped up the piece nicely.
So there you go, this week's choice for Vinylmation of the Week. We'll be back next week with another from our Electric Mayhem set, so be sure to come back to see who we highlight.
In the meantime, if you have a Muppet you'd like to see us highlight let us know and we'd be happy to! Thanks for stopping by, and happy collecting!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Kermit The Frog Does The "Pirates" Premiere
We started seeing this video going around yesterday afternoon and we loved it so much we just had to include it here! We wish we could have seen Kermit ourselves, but since we were at the other end of Main Street, USA we didn't. However, Mark swears he is in the video at the :29 mark (punnage!), and he was in fact sitting in the bleachers behind Johnny Depp. He's there, but can you see him?
Check it and more great videos out on the MuppetsStudio YouTube page!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
DitP Perspective: Muppet*Vision 3D
Attraction Notes:
Opened: Originally opened in Walt Disney World in 1991, opened in Disney California Adventure in 2001
Attraction Type: 3D movie
Length of attraction: ~15:00
Age: All Ages
Note: For this being a show review, we will do our best to keep from spoiling moments of the show. We have no intention of spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but to encourage you to.
Opened: Originally opened in Walt Disney World in 1991, opened in Disney California Adventure in 2001
Attraction Type: 3D movie
Length of attraction: ~15:00
Age: All Ages
Note: For this being a show review, we will do our best to keep from spoiling moments of the show. We have no intention of spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but to encourage you to.
When you think of favorite childhood characters, most people would think of a Disney one right away. Well, unlike most people, we often thought of Kermit the Frog, Fozzie the Bear, or Gonzo the Whatever. To us, they often seemed more real than our own two feet. Having the chance to watch them on their outrageous adventures across America, London, Manhattan, and yes, even the infamous Area 51, was pure joy. Now, thanks to Disney, we get to watch them in a whole new dimension, literally! So let's get "movin' right along" and talk about Muppet*Vision 3D.
One of the greatest things about Muppet*Vision 3D is that the "show" isn't only the movie; there are tons of things to see and look at here!
Located in the heart of the Hollywood Backlot, the Muppet*Vision 3D Theater stands tall and proud. Well, at least until the Muppets arrive (sorry, we've been spending way too much time with Waldord and Statler lately). As you enter the building and make your way to the pre-show lobby, make sure that you pick up your 3D glasses; otherwise, have fun squinting your eyes for the next twenty minutes or so. For those who have received their special glasses, you wont be needing them quite yet. Make sure you spend some time before you enter the lobby checking out the hallway leading in. There is a ton of detail in here and lots of things to see. Definitely worth checking out!
Before you enter Muppet Theater you will be given entertaining instructions about the rules of the theater. This is a must see! If you can, make sure you get to the show early to check out the room and see the pre-show. As you can see, the pre-movie lobby is full of gags, props, and other things to look at. In addition, the many TVs surrounding the room broadcast a special Muppet Show (that often travels from TV to TV) which is meant to keep you occupied while you wait, but which is actually pretty funny. Some of our favorite gags out of the entire Muppet*Vision 3D experience (the 3D movie included) actually happen during this pre-show, including a very funny appearance by Rizzo the Rat disguised as a very famous mouse.
Located in the heart of the Hollywood Backlot, the Muppet*Vision 3D Theater stands tall and proud. Well, at least until the Muppets arrive (sorry, we've been spending way too much time with Waldord and Statler lately). As you enter the building and make your way to the pre-show lobby, make sure that you pick up your 3D glasses; otherwise, have fun squinting your eyes for the next twenty minutes or so. For those who have received their special glasses, you wont be needing them quite yet. Make sure you spend some time before you enter the lobby checking out the hallway leading in. There is a ton of detail in here and lots of things to see. Definitely worth checking out!
Before you enter Muppet Theater you will be given entertaining instructions about the rules of the theater. This is a must see! If you can, make sure you get to the show early to check out the room and see the pre-show. As you can see, the pre-movie lobby is full of gags, props, and other things to look at. In addition, the many TVs surrounding the room broadcast a special Muppet Show (that often travels from TV to TV) which is meant to keep you occupied while you wait, but which is actually pretty funny. Some of our favorite gags out of the entire Muppet*Vision 3D experience (the 3D movie included) actually happen during this pre-show, including a very funny appearance by Rizzo the Rat disguised as a very famous mouse.
Families watching the "pre-show" in the lobby
Referencing our favorite of ALL of the Muppet movies
They even spelled the band name right - cool!
After receiving your instructions, you will "walka walka" into Muppet Theater, but remember not to stop in the middle of the aisle because that is unpatriotic (cue Sam the Eagle). We love the Muppet theater. It is very well detailed and like everything else in the building, there is loads to see. Make sure before the movie starts that you take some time to look around and take it all in. It won't stay looking that way for long once the Muppets get a hold of it.
So, is it time to "start the music, light the lights, and meet the Muppets tonight"? Not just yet. Time for some final last-minute instructions from the Muppets' lab assistant, and now that everyone knows the rules it's time to put on the show. Soon you'll hear the melodious sounds of a penguin orchestra. Why penguins, you might ask? Beats us, "must have taken the job for the halibut". And as the curtains rise, we get our first glimpse of the 3D Muppet world.
So, is it time to "start the music, light the lights, and meet the Muppets tonight"? Not just yet. Time for some final last-minute instructions from the Muppets' lab assistant, and now that everyone knows the rules it's time to put on the show. Soon you'll hear the melodious sounds of a penguin orchestra. Why penguins, you might ask? Beats us, "must have taken the job for the halibut". And as the curtains rise, we get our first glimpse of the 3D Muppet world.
Muppet Theater just before the beginning of the show
Now we promised we wouldn't spoil the show for anyone, so we won't give away much in terms of show details. Let's just say the Muppets are well represented, they're up to their usual hi-jinks, and nothing goes according to plan. And there are plenty of other things to see in addition to the movie: Waldorf and Statler are constantly heckling the Muppets from their perch in the balcony, the aforementioned penguin orchestra is constantly in motion and doing something, and a giant Sweetums walking around just to name a few. As a special pointer, make sure and turn your head and look behind you during the Swedish Chef portions of the show. They actually have a Chef animatronic back there who interacts with what's going on on-screen. We didn't notice him for the longest time, but it's pretty funny stuff.
That said, we do need your opinion on something. In the "grand three hour finale", a "Tribute To All Nations But Mostly America", we've noticed that some of the toy soldiers in the background seem to have forgotten to put on their pants before the show. Are they naked, or simply wearing brown pants? What say you? Whatever the case may be it never fails to keep us in stitches for the remainder of the movie.
That said, we do need your opinion on something. In the "grand three hour finale", a "Tribute To All Nations But Mostly America", we've noticed that some of the toy soldiers in the background seem to have forgotten to put on their pants before the show. Are they naked, or simply wearing brown pants? What say you? Whatever the case may be it never fails to keep us in stitches for the remainder of the movie.
We absolutely love Muppet*Vision 3D. More often than not, if we're strolling through the Hollywood Backlot, we inevitably find ourselves in the Muppet building. It's just a fun experience overall, and that's exactly how it goes about presenting itself and maybe that's why enjoy it so much. And it's good for all ages! Other than a few loud noises (cue explosions, cannon-fire and musket-shots), which never seem to bother any children when we're in there too much, there's nothing here that the little ones shouldn't enjoy.
Highly recommended!
Quite possibly the greatest band on the planet...
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Adventures In Vinyl: A Tale of Two Babies (and an Eagle)
As we approach another Day (and Night) in The Park, and look forward to more Vinylmation trading, we thought it might be fun to take a quick look back at our last trading night and let you know just where we stand right now.
When we last posted about our intrepid adventurers, we had just made up our minds about which Series we were going to pursue first; Mark was going after The Muppets, while Chad was in hot pursuit of anything Park Series #4.
We each had one Vinylmation that we were taking into The Parks to begin our trading runs; Chad would be forfeiting his Rowlf from The Muppet Series and Mark his Herbie from Park Series #3.
We eventually wound up trading at three different shops (in both Parks); we began our trading at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Gift Shop, later at The Star Trader, and wrapped up our night at Westward Ho.
Our first trades of the evening ended ominously enough, with both of us drawing the exact same trade out of the 24-slot box to begin with.
But the rest of the evening went fairly well. We did keep tabs of what our trades transformed into as the night went on (after Big Baby). They looked like this:
Mark:
Chad:
When we last posted about our intrepid adventurers, we had just made up our minds about which Series we were going to pursue first; Mark was going after The Muppets, while Chad was in hot pursuit of anything Park Series #4.
We each had one Vinylmation that we were taking into The Parks to begin our trading runs; Chad would be forfeiting his Rowlf from The Muppet Series and Mark his Herbie from Park Series #3.
We eventually wound up trading at three different shops (in both Parks); we began our trading at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Gift Shop, later at The Star Trader, and wrapped up our night at Westward Ho.
Our first trades of the evening ended ominously enough, with both of us drawing the exact same trade out of the 24-slot box to begin with.
 |
| When just one Big Baby isn't enough... |
Mark:
- The Walt Disney World Castle from Park Series 3
- Leprechaun from Holiday Series 1
- and Sweetums from The Muppet Series
Chad:
- The Apple from the Cutester Series
- Blackout from Urban Series 4
- And finally America Sings from Park Series 3
 |
| Only 3 out of the 4 are the correct series. Darnit! |
Tomorrow night, the trading will continue. We're going to see if we can make the eagle magically turn into something that's a keeper in terms of our collections, and we might just buy a couple more and see if we can add anything new. Should be fun, and we'll be sure to report back.
We completely get that some people don't "get" this whole Vinylmation thing, but we sure are having fun doing it, and that's what counts, right?
We completely get that some people don't "get" this whole Vinylmation thing, but we sure are having fun doing it, and that's what counts, right?
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Vinylmation Adventures Begins...
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| Help me! He wants to trade me away... |
So we've been saying on the blog for a while now that we wanted to begin posting about, what we've dubbed in the Days In The Park's offices, our 'Vinylmation Adventures'.
I guess you could consider this the first. The first post, and our first Vinylmation (Rowlf) as well. Well, that's not quite true; Mark got a Herbie (from Park Series #3) Vinyl for his first, but since he's planning on trading it tomorrow we might not get a good picture of it (we seem to have misplaced it since he first took it; we'll try to get a better one tomorrow before it's gone for good).
Since then, I've (Chad) decided to go after the Park Series #4 Vinylmation solely, while Mark is in hot pursuit of anything from The Muppets Series, minus Miss Piggy (he don't like her, no he don't).
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| Help me! I've ALREADY been traded away... |
Currently, I'm in possession of the Guard Dog from Pirates of the Caribbean from Park Series #4 (looking to trade Rowlf tomorrow), while Mark's keeper at this point is Beaker from the Muppets (looking to trade Herbie).
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| Great pull to get this one for our first |
Should anyone care, we'll be following our friends Herbie and Rowlf as they make their way through the various trading boxes around The Park tomorrow night. Who will they be transformed into by the end of the evening? Will we come out on top? Or will we have 5 or 6 Miss Piggy's by night's end?
Stay tuned! ºoº
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