Disney Airs New TV Series for Little Princesses

It's all about Cinderella right now when it comes to my 4 year old daughter, she has books for bed time reading, dolls with dresses that she constantly asks to be switched or rearranged every 5 minutes, and the movie on DVD that she wants to watch EVERY day.  So she is very excited to see a new tv show premiering on the Disney/Disney Jr. cable channels this Friday January 11 aimed at preschoolers who love Princesses.  "Sofia the First" is the story of an average girl who becomes a Princess when her mother marries the king.  It's a spin-off of a made-for-tv movie "Once Upon a Princess" featuring Sofia that Disney featured on its cable channels back in November 2012 that we were lucky enough to catch on a rainy day when we were out of town on vacation last year and it kept our kids very amused for a few hours.  Based upon their enjoyment of the movie I'm sure both my son and daughter will also enjoy this new tv series. Check out the trailer for yourself:

Right now itunes has the first episode of the tv series plus a few music videos available to download for FREE, but I'm not sure how long that will last, so check it out while you can:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/sofia-the-first-vol.-1/id583169910 

My wife pointed out to me while we were watching the tv movie and a music video following it that the voice for Sofia is the younger daughter on the two high school girls in Modern Family.  Her name is Ariel Winter and I have to give her credit for having an incredible singing voice that you wouldn't have known from watching the comedy sitcom.  Kudos to Ariel for showcasing that talent with this Sofia role. Here she is singing one of the songs from the show:

Disney has created a downloadable viewing party kit for parents to make watching the tv series premiere on Friday extra special that includes a printable crown you can get here:  http://a.dolimg.com/en-US/disneyjunior/media/pdf/coloring_and_create/djr_col_sof_RoyalActivityKit.pdf  They also have online video games you can enjoy with your kids here:  http://disney.go.com/disneyjunior/sofia-the-first/sofia-the-first-games

One of my kids' favorite shows on tv right now is JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES which airs on Disney/Disney Jr cable networks.  If they do the same job of associating Cinderella to "Sofia" as they did Peter Pan to "Jake" this could work out well as a tie-in for preschoolers to the Wonderful World of Disney.  We've found JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES to be an enjoyable and educational outlet for our kids that we are comfortable letting our children watch and SOFIA THE FIRST looks to be a similar format that we will absolutely be checking out.

SOFIA THE FIRST will air on the Disney Channel @ 9:30 am E.T. / 8:30 am C.T. beginning Friday, January 11, 2013

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Congratulations on reaching 100 episodes Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Saturday mornings in our house are pretty typical, my wife heads to Meijer for the weekly grocery shopping trip while my son, daughter & I jump on the couch, switch on the tv, and watch the newest episode of the animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network.  Clone Wars is in the middle of its 5th season now and this Saturday (January 5, 2012) will be it's 100th episode.  100 episodes is a landmark occassion for any television show to reach, but especially for a weekly cartoon series.  So I want to congratulate Star Wars: The Clone Wars on this milestone and wish them continued success and 100 more episodes that geek daddies can enjoy along with their younglings.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set in a time period between Star Wars movies Episode II & III where the Jedi Knights of the Republic are fighting a civil war with Separatist robot armies led by the Jedi's arch nemesis the Sith. The "Clone Wars" were first mentioned in the original 1977 Star Wars "A New Hope" movie when Obi Wan Kenobi meets Luke Skywalker and tells him that he mentored and fought with his father during the Clone Wars.  The Clone Wars were than subsequently featured in the prequel films that were in movie theaters from 1999 - 2005 and in this current television show on Cartoon Network.  Haven't seen the show yet? Check out this great compilation video of the animated series provide by LucasFilm:

One of the special things about the 100th episode is that it features two fan favorites that bring together the interests of older and younger fans of Star Wars.  R2-D2 (the droid beloved by fans of the original Star Wars trilogy) must help a Republic Clone Commando named Gregor (the commandos are one of the more popular characters of the prequel movie era that have their own video games and books) overcome amnesia so that an important secret mission can be accomplished to help save the Republic.  Here's a peak at this milestone episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS airs on CARTOON NETWORK @ 9:30 E.T. Saturday mornings - for more information about the show visit: http://starwars.com/explore/the-clone-wars/



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Dark Horse Comics reboots the STAR WARS universe

 

On Wednesday, January 9 STAR WARS will be getting a new start as issue #1 of Dark Horse Comics newest serial hits retailers shelves.  Simply titled STAR WARS this new comic is set in the time period immediately following the original movie "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." It is in many ways a reboot of the franchise as all the comic's stories will be written & illustrated as if none of the subsequent movie sequels, books, comics and other extended univese mythos was ever created.  This series will be taking a step back to 1977 and take the angle of treating stories as if they were exploring the imagination of  all the fans who loved the movie and were asking themselves what happens next-there is no Yoda, thuggy Jabba the Hut isn't a giant slug, Darth Vader hasn't said "Luke I am your Father", and thank goodness absolutely no Jar Jar Binks!

 

Dark Horse is promoting this new STAR WARS comic series as:

 

This is Star Wars as you remember it . . . and as you have never seen it before! We’re taking you back to those heady, adventure-filled days following the destruction of the Death Star—when the Empire ruled, the Rebels were on the run, and the galaxy was a dangerous place where anything might happen!

 

STAR WARS will be written by Brian Wood, who currently also works for Marvel Comics on their X-Men titles, with art by Carlos D'Anda, who has penciled and inked for DC Comics on its Batman, Deathblow & Outsiders titles, and the comic's covers will be by famed illustrator Alex Ross.

 

Here's a sneak peak at STAR WARS #1:

 

 

 

 

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DISNEY FILLS THEATERS WITH POTENTIAL BLOCKBUSTERS IN 2013 AFTER LACKLUSTER 2012 MOVIE LINEUP

UPDATE:  Because previous 3D conversions have not met financial expectations Disney has announced that is cancelling the theatrical release of THE LITTLE MERMAID 3D that was scheduled for a 2013 September 13th opening.

UPDATE: To replace the lost revenue from pulling THE LITTLE MERMAID 3D from theaters a new addition has been added to Disney's summer blockbuster lineup: PLANES will be released on AUGUST 9: http://ageekdaddy.blogspot.com/2013/04/flying-into-movie-theater-near-you-soon.html 

Disney started off 2012 with what was supposed to be the studio’s next BIG franchise,  JOHNCARTER, which turned out to be a huge flop and potentially a $210 milliondollar loss to the company that cost movie division chairman Rich Ross his job.  Check out my earlier post about how Disney fumbled a chance to market the 100^th Anniversary of Edgar Rice Burrough’s “Princess of Mars” book that the JOHN CARTER movie was based upon:  http://www.ageekdaddy.blogspot.com/2012/04/who-is-john-carter.html.  JOHN CARTER was followed up by the THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN that received a lot of buzz on the Internet with the paid-to-post mommy bloggers but had disappointing numbers at the box office.

While Disney never really overcame the damper of JOHN CARTER it did have a few marginal successes in 2012 with the PIXAR movie BRAVE along with another animated movie by Disney Studio’s called WRECK-IT-RALPH.  Marvel Studio’s AVENGERS came through in the summer to save the year by providing Disney with a legitimate blockbuster in 2012.

2013 is a new year though and Disney is going gangbusters to do a turnaround from 2012.  They have 4 new movies from Disney Studios plus are rereleasing the Little Mermaid in 3D, plus 2 movie sequels from the popular PIXAR brands Cars & Monsters Inc.  and 2 sequels from previous Marvel Studios blockbusters franchises Iron Man & Thor.  DreamWorks Studios is also throwing in a new comedy to the mix called the “Delivery Man” featuring actor Vince Vaughan.  It looks like this year will be a fun and entertaining one for us at the movies and a profitable one for the corporate execs at Disney based on this lineup. 

The following is a synopsis of the 2013 Disney movie schedule with information provided from the company:

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Release Date: March 8^th

Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful wizard but into a better man as well.

IRON MAN 3 from Marvel Studios

Release Date: May 3rd

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY from Disney/Pixar

Release Date: June 21^st

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

THE LONE RANGER

Release Date: July 3^rd

Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) and man of the law John Reid (Armie Hammer) are opposites brought together by fate and must join forces to battle greed and corruption

THE LITTLE MERMAID 3D from Walt Disney Animation Studios

Release Date: September 13th - CANCELLED

Swimming into the hearts of a new generation—beautifully restored and this time in 3D—“The Little Mermaid” features the beloved Ariel (voice of Jodi Benson), a fun-loving and mischievous mermaid, who is enchanted with all things human. Disregarding her father’s order to stay away from the world above the sea, she swims to the surface and, in a raging storm, rescues the prince of her dreams. Determined to be human, Ariel strikes a bargain with the devious sea witch Ursula (voice of Pat Carroll), trading her fins and beautiful voice for legs. With her best friend Flounder (voice of Jason Marin), misguided seagull Scuttle (voice of Buddy Hackett) and the calypso-singing Caribbean crab chaperone Sebastian (voice of Samuel E. Wright) at her side, Ariel must win the prince’s love and save her father’s kingdom – all in a heart-pounding race against time. Originally released in 1989, “The Little Mermaid” garnered two Academy Awards®, including Best Original Score (Alan Menken) and Best Original Song (Menken/Howard Ashman, “Under the Sea”). Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, who went on to direct “Aladdin” and “The Princess and the Frog,” “The Little Mermaid” returns to the big screen on September 13, 2013, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters

DELIVERY MAN from DreamWorks Pictures

Release Date: October 4th

From DreamWorks Pictures comes “Delivery Man”, the story of affable underachiever David Wozniak (Vince Vaughan), whose mundane life is turned upside down when he finds out that he fathered 533 children through sperm donations he made twenty years earlier. In debt to the mob, rejected by his pregnant girlfriend, things couldn’t look worse for David when he is hit with a lawsuit from 142 of the 533 twenty-somethings who want to know the identity of the donor. As David struggles to decide whether he should reveal his true identity, he embarks on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but the father he could become as well.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD from Marvel Studios

Release Date: November 8th

Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne (credit not final) and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (credit not final) and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962.

Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself

FROZEN from Walt Disney Animation Studios

Release Date: November 27th

From the studio behind 2010’s “Tangled” and this year’s “Wreck-It Ralph,” Walt Disney Animation Studios presents “Frozen,” the most daring comedy-adventure ever to hit the big screen. When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna (voice of Kristen Bell), a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, an amazing and comedic snowman named Olaf, Everest-like conditions and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

The film is directed by Chris Buck (“Tarzan,” “Surf ’s Up”) and Jennifer Lee (screenwriter, “Wreck-It Ralph”), and produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Winnie the Pooh,” “The Princess and the Frog”). Featuring music from Tony®-winner Robert Lopez (“The Book of Mormon,” “Avenue Q”) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“In Transit”).

SAVING MR. BANKS

Release Date: December 20th

Two-time Academy Award®–winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen.

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation.

For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp.

It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

Disney presents “Saving Mr. Banks,” directed by John Lee Hancock and produced by Alison Owen, Ian Collie and Philip Steuer. Executive producers are Paul Trijbits, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum and Christine Langan. The screenplay is by Kelly Marcel from a story by Sue Smith and Kelly Marcel.

PLANES  from Disney/Pixar

Release Date:  Tentatively Summer/Fall 2013
August 9, 2013

A spin-off of the highly successful Pixar CARS movies was originally scheduled to hit theaters in Spring 2013 but that has been pushed back to a potential Fall or later release date with some rumors even being that it may go straight-to-DVD rather than to the big screen.  

UPDATE: Flying into a movie theater near you - Disney's PLANES: ageekdaddy.blogspot.com/2013/04/flyinghttp://-into-movie-theater-near-you-soon.html

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These aren’t the Muppets you were looking for – but these puppets sure are a fun alternative!

My generation grew up watching Neil Patrick Harris as Doogie Howser and Jim Henson’s Muppets on television.  Things are a little different now with Harris’s breakout role being the womanizer Barney Stinson on the CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother” and the Jim Henson Company has a division called “Henson Alternative” that provides puppet productions for “adult” entertainment. This transition has led  us now to Neil Patrick Harris and Henson Alternative teaming up with the Nerdist youtube channel to create a new edgy puppet show that you definitely shouldn’t watch with your kids – but which is a hilarious time out for us grownups.

NEIL’s PUPPET DREAMS takes you into the mind of Neil Patrick Harris when he falls asleep.  In the show, his “dreams” all take place in a puppet world, animated by the Jim Henson Company, and involve raunchy humor, sex jokes, and slapstick antics.  New episodes are posted on Tuesdays by the Nerdist Channel that can be viewed via youtube:

In 2004, the Jim Henson Company sold the rights to the Muppets to the Walt Disney Company, who now own all Muppet-related trademarks including the word “Muppet.”  Henson has been working to continue its puppetry and animation history by developing new brands to entertain both children and adults.  For younger audiences they have reinvigorated Fraggle Rock and created new shows such as Dinosaur Train, Sid the Science Kid, Pajaminals, Unstable Fables, and TheDoozers.  They’ve also expanded with “Henson Alternative” to utilize puppetry to provide mature comedy content to audiences who grew up watching Sesame Street.  They have produced Puppet Up! – Uncensored a live improv show which has also been featured on a television special and web-series on TBS.com.  During the 2012 elections, Henson Alternative was the puppet master behind the third-party presidential candidacy of Marvin E. Quasniki ( which I wrote about in an earlier post ) the Turquoise farmer from Tonopah, Nevada.

Now, Henson Alternatives has teamed up with Neil Patrick Harris, who displays his Harold & Kumar side in this production, and The Nerdist (which features all things involving geeky entertainment through their website Nerdist.com, a premium YouTube channel (youtube.com/nerdist), the Nerdist News daily e-newsletters, 1.7 million Twitter fans and a podcast network which is also produced as a TV show on BBC America) for this wacky carnival side show of a web-series called NEIL’S PUPPET DREAMS.  Check out this episode which features Neil falling asleep at a diner and how the puppets take over the joint in his dreams:

If you enjoy old-school Eddie Murphy standup and Three Stooges comedy skits than you’ll probably get a chuckle from this new puppet-based web show.  I just wouldn’t watch it with the kids around!

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Daddy Vader … Part Deux

Last Father’s Day, I reviewed cartoonist Jeffrey Brown’s fun and entertaining book “Darth Vader & Son” that portrays Darth Vader as a doting daddy to his son Luke Skywalker.  I’m a big fan of Gary Larson’s “FAR SIDE” comics and Brown’s work reminds me of those sketches but set in the Star Wars universe with a touch of inspiration from Norman Rockwell added to the mix. CLICK HERE to read my previous post on DARTH VADER & SON. 

The success of “Darth Vader & Son” has led to a sequel … “Darth Vader’s Little Princess” that will be out in time for Father’s Day 2013.  This book takes a comedic look at being the dad of a daughter through cartoons featuring the Dark Lord of the Sith interacting with Star Wars’ Princess Leia.

Brown’s publisher, Chronicle Books, describes “Darth Vader’s Little Princess” as:

irresistibly funny follow-up to the breakout bestseller Darth Vader and Son, Vader—Sith Lord and leader of the Galactic Empire—now faces the trials, joys, and mood swings of raising his daughter Leia as she grows from a sweet little girl into a rebellious teenager. Smart and funny illustrations by artist Jeffrey Brown give classic Star Wars moments a twist by bringing these iconic family relations together under one roof. From tea parties to teaching Leia how to fly a TIE fighter, regulating the time she spends talking with friends via R2-D2's hologram, and making sure Leia doesn't leave the house wearing only the a skirted metal bikini, Vader's parenting skills are put hilariously to the test.

“Darth Vader’s Little Princess” will be out May 1, 2013 but you can purchase advance orders now at a discounted price through Amazon.com before the books hit retailers’ shelves.  I give “Darth Vader & Son” an enthusiastic thumbs up and am really looking forward to this sequel…hint hint this would be a great father’s day present for the Geek Daddy!

If you are still gift wrapping these last few days before Christmas, Chronicle Books has provided some amusing gift tags that will be sure to thrill the Star Wars fans in your life.  Click on the image below or click here to download.

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Book Review: MOUSE GUARD

Dave Peterson was courteous to recently sit down with me for an interview about his highly successful comic book series, MOUSE GUARD, which has won two Eisner Awards for the categories of "Best Publication for Kids" & "Best Graphic Album".  MOUSE GUARD  is somewhat like "The Secret of NIHM" and "The Rescuers" movies that I enjoyed as a child, but as a print format set in medieval times where intelligent mice with the characteristics of humans struggle to survive against the challenges of predators and harsh conditions.  They really are fun books to read and enjoy with your kids! Dave Peterson who is both the writer and illustrator provides us with great art work along with stories that are written so they are interesting to entertain both young audiences and their parents so that you can enjoy these adventures together with your children.

You don't need to be a comic book fan to enjoy these books and they are easy to spot at your local book or comic store because they stand out on the shelves with a unique design.  Archaia Studios Press publishes the books in a unique square 8 x 8 format versus the standard 6 1/2 x 10 comic book format.  If you are looking to promote an interest in art and share some adventurous good times with your kids, I highly encourage you to check out the MOUSE GUARD comics or graphic novels.

For more information about MOUSE GUARD, visit www.mouseguard.net or follow Dave Peterson on twitter @mouseguard 

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