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https://www.thenerdelement.com/2024/08/16/d23-announcements-for-disney-world-and-disneyland/

Hello everyone! Today I want to discuss some big announcements that came out of D23 Disney parks this year! It happens every year in August. So, let’s get right into it, shall we?! Starting with Disney World, first on the line-up was the reveal of “Disney Starlight,” a new nighttime parade for Walt Disney World will be debuting summer 2025 and featuring characters from Encanto, Frozen, Peter Pan, and more.

Over at Animal Kingdom, after a Zootopia-themed show was announced at last year’s Destination D23 for Animal Kingdom, Disney shared new details at the D23 2024 Horizons panel, including its name “Zootopia Better Zoogether” and a winter 2025 opening. “Zootopia Better Zoogether” will replace the current “It’s Tough to be a Bug” show housed inside Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life theater. Also, they will be adding the new rides of Indiana Jones and Encanto. The DinoLand U.S.A. at Walt Disney World is being overhauled to a Tropical Americas-themed land whose official name is Pueblo Esperanza. D’Amaro announced construction on the 11-acre land will begin later this year and include a wood-carved, giant carousel featuring Disney characters.

Epcot is set to gain a lounge inspired by the Spaceship Earth attraction and its geometric sphere. As announced at Destination D23 in 2023, the Magic Kingdom is gaining a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge.

Both lounges open in 2025. Josh D’Amaro provided new information about Epcot’s next iteration of Test Track which opens in 2025. According to D’Amaro, this version of Test Track will feature six distinct exhibits and new show scenes, the latter of which will show technological advances and involve customization, personalization, and a scenic outdoor route.

One of the biggest bombshells of the panel thus far, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is gaining a Monsters, Inc. land, complete with the first-ever suspended coaster in a Disney Park. Disney explained the land is set after the events of the original film where humans have been invited to the Monsters, Inc. world. Here they will journey into the factory and ride on a door, just like Mike and Sully.

Coming to Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland at Walt Disney World is a new Cars-themed land featuring two new attractions. The first involves a rally race through the mountains complete with geysers, rocky terrain, and mudholes. The second? A family-friendly attraction geared towards the younger members of the family. Work on this new Frontierland expansion begins in early 2025. The Cars land will be replacing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island.

Coming to Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run at both Disneyland and Disney World’s Star Wars: Galaxy Edge is a brand-new story featuring Mando and Grogu. Dave Filoni announced the addition, saying:     “Just imagine it: you’ll be able to fly alongside Mando and Grogu on thrilling, and dangerous, missions.” Guests can expect this new addition when The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters in 2026. That means that the Mandalorian and Grogu will be appearing inside the attraction when it is officially released.

Then, one of the biggest announcements of the panel? Josh D’Amaro’s reveal that a Villains Land is coming to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Described as the home for the baddies from Walt Disney Animation Studios classic films, D’Amaro confirmed the land will offer two major attractions, dining, and shopping, saying, “It’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.” While no timeline or opening date was revealed, Disney claimed preparation is already underway at the Magic Kingdom.

Wow! I really think that Disney went hard and aggressive because they know that Epic Universe is going to be drawing a lot of attention. I did tell you that Disney will have something big to announce and they did just that! Now, I want to move over to the announcements that were made at Disneyland resort.

First, in addition to unveiling new concept art (via @ScottGustin on X), Josh D’Amaro announced Disneyland’s Avatar Land is coming to Disney California Adventure. Not only is the land inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water, but also James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash threequel and future Avatar films. Some expectations were suggesting that the land could go into either Grizzly Peak or Hollywood land. It can be part of the expansion that Disney has planned out in the future even though it was not mentioned at all at D23 event.

Also coming to Disney California Adventure is Disney’s first-ever Coco ride where guests will join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead. The Disney Parks Blog noted the ride is inspired by the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean and will include a “skeletal cast” of audio-animatronic characters. Work on the attraction is expected to get underway in 2026. Some expectations were saying that it could either replace Goofy’s Sky School, the Boardwalk Pizza place, Hyperion Theater or the Little Mermaid ride which I don’t think that they won’t replace that ride, but I could be wrong.

Disneyland’s version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open on November 15, 2024. Disney also revealed that the park’s Critter Country will be renamed Bayou Country. The new ride will open up when Christmas season starts at the Disneyland resort. It will be a very busy day on that date because everyone will want to book their reservations for it. And if the new ride is going to be very busy, so would all the other attractions such as Indiana Jones, Big Thunder, Pirates, Haunted Mansion amid virtue que, Space Mountain and etc… Along with that, I think that Winnie the Pooh, Davy Crockett’s Canoes, two new stores and the Disneyland Railroad will all be open with all the stations open. The reason I think that is because Disney knows that they need to have everything open and they want to bring more people in.

The other news that really interested me is the expansion of the Avengers Campus along with two new rides. Avengers Campus at Disneyland’s Disney California Adventure is confirmed to double in size with two new attractions. The long-awaited King Thanos Multiverse Ride officially has a name: Avengers Infinity Defense. The story is King Thanos has stolen tech allowing Avengers to jump between worlds. Guests (aka recruits) will travel to MCU locales like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City, and come face to face with the Mad Titan. The second attraction coming to the campus is Stark Flight Lab where guests ride in two-person pods controlled by a robot arm. Robert Downey Jr. is confirmed to reprise his role as Tony Stark for the attraction. Construction begins next year.

The Disneyland Park will get a new show with a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic for its 70th anniversary next year. “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will debut in the Main Street Opera House in 2025. This is the first time Walt Disney has been brought to life as an animatronic. “I speak for our entire team when I say there is so much pride and excitement for everyone involved in this endeavor,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro said onstage at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. “Creating our first Walt figure is a huge responsibility, and we’ve brought members of the Disney family along with us for every step of the journey,” he continued. “His great-nephew, Roy P. Disney, visited the Imagineering campus recently to see our progress.” Roy was spotlighted in the audience at D23 as D’Amaro thanked him.

“When we consider a new project, we really study it—not just the surface idea, but everything about it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way. We have confidence in our ability to do it right. And we work hard to do the best possible job.”

Walt Disney

Walt will appear on a set inspired by his studio office. The concept art includes a map of Disneyland and a picture of “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln” on the wall above Walt’s desk. Speaking of, it seems “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will temporarily replace “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” But after its initial run, the two shows will rotate with each other. Disney didn’t share an exact timeline for that initial run, but it will likely be in tandem with the 70th anniversary celebration dates, which have yet to be announced.

Disneyland is really becoming more magical and it wants to bring more people to the parks to experience new things that are coming.

So, what are your thoughts on everything announced for both Disney World and Disneyland?!

I would love to hear lots of comments and thoughts down below!

Stay tuned for Disney updates.

The post D23 Announcements for Disney World and Disneyland appeared first on The Nerd Element.

https://www.thenerdelement.com/2024/08/16/performance-capture-actor-allan-henry-kong-cocaine-bear-and-beyond/

Allan Henry first got a taste of what performance capture acting (also called “motion capture” or “mocap” for short) is like from watching the filming of “King Kong” in 2005 in his native New Zealand. Director Peter Jackson, also a Kiwi (an affectionate nickname for the people of New Zealand), set up production in his home country, and Henry was able to see some behind-the-scenes action. He also saw Andy Serkis doing the mocap for Kong, and a new passion was born.

Cut to 2021 and Godzilla vs. Kong, which features Henry doing the performance capture for none other than Kong himself. It’s a neat circle coming round from seeing Serkis’ Kong to now doing his own version. Henry also appears in 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, as both Kong and Scar King. In between his Kong duties, he also did the performance capture for the bear in 2023’s Cocaine Bear.

The Nerd Element caught up with Henry during SDCC 2024, where he appeared on three Godzilla-related panels moderated (or co-moderated) by Jessica Tseang of The Kaiju Kingdom podcast, including one entitled “70 Year of Godzilla: A Nostalgic Journey.”* TNE spoke with Henry about his career so far, including what it’s like having to perform as a giant creature versus a normal-sized bear, as well as his background and his other stunt and mocap work.

* This panel paired him for the first time in person with T.J. Storm, the performance capture actor for Godzilla in 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Even though they weren’t in the same films, it was still cool seeing “Godzilla” and “Kong” together in person.

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https://www.thenerdelement.com/2024/08/16/director-ryuhei-kitamura-celebrates-20-years-of-godzilla-final-wars-at-sdcc-2024/

One of the joys of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con was not having just one, but three panels dedicated to Godzilla as the Big G celebrates his 70^th anniversary. The first panel, “70 Years of Godzilla: A Nostalgic Journey,” featured director Ryûhei Kitamura, whose own addition to the Godzilla pantheon, Godzilla: Final Wars (FW), is celebrating its 20^th anniversary.

Director Kitamura shared the stage with moderator Jessica Tseang, co-host of The Kaiju Kingdom Podcast, and performance capture actors Allan Henry and T.J. Storm for a lively discussion of Godzilla’s first 70 years and their own contributions to the Big G’s legacy (you can see our interviews with Henry and Storm here and here).

When asked by Tseang how he felt about FW being made during Godzilla’s 50^th year and how FW is now 20, Director Kitamura joked, “I feel old.” After the laughter subsided, Kitamura added that he was “honored and proud” to be a Godzilla director. 

When he made FW, he threw in everything he could think of because it was supposed to be Godzilla’s final movie. “I never trusted Toho Studio that it would be the final Godzilla film. I mean, fuck off,” he joked. Still, he went big with the plot and the army of kaiju in the movie just in case.

The affable director noted that the success of the Legendary Godzilla movies (a.k.a. the Monsterverse) has made it possible for more Godzilla films. He said that Godzilla as a franchise was on its way down before FW and that’s why Toho “put Godzilla to sleep.” The Monsterverse has resulted in more Godzilla on screen for everyone.

One of the funnier tidbits Kitamura shared about FW was about the casting of UFC champion Don Frye as Captain Gordon. Frye was fighting a lot in Japan at the time, but he wasn’t Kitamura’s first choice—he wanted Jean Reno and Sonny Chiba, but they were “too expensive.” He also thought of casting Don Johnson, but again, the price was too high. However, when he met Frye, he knew he was the Captain. Kitamura said he literally wined and dined him to get him to say “yes,” and that Frye was funny on the set.

Other insights Kitamura shared with the packed room: When Tseang showed the scene in FW where Godzilla fights his 1998 American version (called “Zilla” by Toho), Kitamura laughed, but pointed out he loves Roland Emmerich movies and meant “no disrespect.” He said that even if he was given a bigger budget, he’d still use actors in suits instead of CGI. He also noted that FW was too long. When asked by a fan what he would do differently if he could make a director’s cut, such as incorporate deleted scenes, Kitamura said, “If I could do a director’s cut, I would make it much shorter.” One thing he didn’t do that he wanted to was put Mechagodzilla in Final Wars. The most recent two films in the series had already starred MechaG and he didn’t want to disrespect the character, though he expressed regret that he didn’t get to do his own version. Also, although his favorite villain is Gigan, he’d like to see Biollante in the Monsterverse.

The Nerd Element interviewed Director Kitamura while he was at SDCC 2024 and he was just as charming and funny as he was on the panel. Because I was at the panel before the interview, a lot of the FW questions I wanted to ask were already answered. Also, Kitamura mentioned during the panel that he’s answered a lot of the same questions from journalists about Godzilla all these years, so what I had planned to be a Final Wars-focused interview turned into a more wide-ranging one, covering his early film success with 2000’s Versus, as well as his work directing 2008’s The Midnight Meat Train, which is based on a story by Clive Barker. Director Kitamura also teased his next project, a roller coaster movie called Thill Ride.

The post Director Ryûhei Kitamura Celebrates 20 Years of Godzilla: Final Wars at SDCC 2024 appeared first on The Nerd Element.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/martha-blanding-from-dishwasher-to-disney-legend/

At this year’s D23, BGN had the opportunity to interview recently announced Disney Legend Martha Blanding as she promoted her new book Groundbreaking Magic. Ms. Blanding started as a young woman from South Central LA (Watts and Compton) who took a chance, defied the odds, and became the first-ever Black American to achieve a 50-year career with the Walt Disney Company.

Martha Blanding was the first full-time Black tour guide, the first Black woman in management, the first Black buyer in merchandise, the first Black female to retire from Disneyland after 50 years, and the first Black Disney Parks employee to become a Disney Legend. She was also one of the founders of PULSE (People United to Lead, Serve, & Excel), the diversity group for Black cast members and allies. 

Her journey from an entry-level position to a VIP Tour Guide at Disneyland is chronicled in her new book and highlights the importance of determination and cultural representation. In this interview with BGN, Ms. Blanding’s resilience, dedication, and determination shine through as she acknowledges the challenges faced by people of color within the company and the significance of having role models and mentors, particularly in the face of adversity.

Black Girl Nerds: What did you want to be as a kid?

A school teacher. I ended up at Disney because I was going to Cal State Fullerton, and I’m a twin. Both of us were in college at the same time. So, you can imagine how expensive it is to have one child in college, and my parents had two. Plus, I had two other brothers. So, I wanted to help my parents with my tuition, and I needed a job. I heard about getting a job at Disneyland.

So I went and applied for a job. I was initially hired as a dish-up at the Plaza. I never made it there because I was talking to someone after my interview, and someone else came over and asked me if I wanted to be a tour guide. I looked at him and said, okay, whatever, I don’t know what that is. But I knew I didn’t want to work in the kitchen because my mother and grandmother were caterers, so I knew all about the food world. So I said okay. They set up interviews with the managers and everything. I went and interviewed and got the job.

A kind of “started from the bottom, now we’re here” moment — the first Black VIP tour guide, the first Black female leader at Disneyland Resort. Not an easy feat, I imagine, given the time you started and just how big Disneyland grew during that time. But someone had to be first, right? What guided you and kept pushing you forward to climb higher, keep going, and be the best of the best? What kept you going?

Me. My mother. My Aunt Ella. My Aunt Elise. They were amazing women in my life. I felt that if I could be just half of what they were, I’d be alright. And I just love helping people. I love creating magic for the cast and our guests. I just had this determination to do more, do better, continue to do more, and be a good example for my own culture and others. I just couldn’t stop.

You’re a Disney legend. Congratulations.

[Tears up.]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you emotional!

That’s alright. I’m kind of a crybaby. 

You’re in a class with Angela Bassett. Harrison Ford. What has this experience been like for you? When you found out, what were you thinking?

I saw the lineup, and the only two Black people in there were the beautiful, amazing Angela Bassett, who I am a fan of. When they made the announcement, it was like Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, and I’m like, holy shit. She’s gorgeous, okay! Then there’s me. Then Harrison Ford, I’m a fan of his also. I’m an Indiana Jones girl. It’s just amazing. I am speechless, and I’m never speechless. I always have something to say. I am trying to accept it and own it. I’ll own it, but I’ll have it by tomorrow.

After 50 years of Disney, is there anything that surprised you the most about the evolution of the company, how it’s grown over the years, and where it’s going for the future?

When we went through the COVID situation, a lot of us were laid off for a short period of time. Internally, we had some conversations with some of our executives. The first one that we had, Bob Iger spoke, and the words that he said that needed to be said, he had the guts to say them. That really struck me. But, you know what? We may not be exactly where we need to be as far as having enough Black executives or any other people of color executives, but we’re on our way.

It’s so much better than what it was when I first started working at Disneyland. Can they do better? Yes. Will they do better? Yes. Are they? Yes. And they work very hard to support Black Lives Matter, but they also support Hispanics, Asians, Black women, white women, everybody. They do a good job of support. That was such a big thing for us, and they lived up to my expectations.

The post Martha Blanding: From Dishwasher to Disney Legend appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.