Elio "Gravity" Clip

Pixar

It appears that Pixar has done it again. Elio looks so fun and cute! In this clip, Elio is beyond excited to have finally been abducted by aliens. 

Here's the official synopsis from Pixar: 

Elio is a kid with goals: “I’m trying to get abducted—by aliens!” In Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film “Elio,” he might just get what he’s been searching for.

A space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession, Elio’s all in for an epic undertaking when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. When Elio is mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be. The film features the voices of Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga, Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO.

Elio arrives in theaters this Friday, June 20th.

Meet H.E.R.B.I.E.

Marvel

Meet H.E.R.B.I.E., the state-of-the-art personal assistant of the Fantastic 4. H.E.R.B.I.E. helps with anything and everything they need, from cooking and cleaning, to watching Sue and Reed's baby. I think we could all use a H.E.R.B.I.E.

Marvel's Fantastic 4: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25th.

Phineas and Ferb Theme Song

Disney

Phineas and Ferb are back for another 104 days of summer vacation. That means more over-the-top plans, more Candace trying to bust them, more Doofenschmirtz attempting to take over the Tri-State Area, and more Perry the Platypus putting a stop to his schemes. It should be a great summer!

Phineas and Ferb season 5 has begun on Disney Channel and DisneyPlus, with new episodes arriving each week. The first four seasons are available now on DisneyPlus.

Happy Father's Day

"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way."

- Unknown

Happy Father's Day!

Pride Mural at EPCOT

For the last few years, Disney World has marked Pride month with murals in each of the four parks and Disney Springs. The murals make great photo spots for guests. This Spaceship Earth inspired love mural can be found outside Connections Café & Eatery in EPCOT.

Behind-the-scenes of Jurassic World Rebirth

Universal

Jurassic World Rebirth may be the most intense Jurassic story yet. With new dinosaurs (of course) like the Distortus Rex and Titanosaurus, and a new cast of characters, it's going to be quite an adventure. Here are a few behind-the-scenes videos of the making of this epic film.

The locations really add to the look of the film.

And then there's the dinos...

Jurassic World Rebirth arrives in theaters on July 2nd.

Creating Toothless

DreamWorks

DreamWorks' live-action How To Train Your Dragon looks amazing. And Toothless looks absolutely real. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Toothless. (I just knew he was a giant cat with wings!)

How To Train Your Dragon arrives in theaters tomorrow, June 13th.

Ironheart Merges Tech and Magic

All images: Marvel

The latest trailer for Marvel's Ironheart shows Riri Williams trying to find her place in the world. And it looks like she's merging her tech with magic to create something new, perhaps with dangerous consequences.

Here's the official synopsis from Marvel: 

Set after the events of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Marvel Television’s “Ironheart” pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos). The series also stars Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White.

The first three episodes of Ironheart arrive on DisneyPlus on June 24th. Three additional episodes will complete the season.

Frozen: The Musical on DisneyPlus

Disney

Frozen: The Musical is headed to DisneyPlus. I love having the chance to see Broadway musicals at home. It's great for those of us who can't afford the travel and tickets to see them live on stage.

Frozen: The Musical arrives on DisneyPlus on June 20th.

Hamilton at the Tonys

CBS

The original cast of Hamilton reunited at the 78th Annual Tony Awards last night. They performed a medley of songs from the musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was incredible.

Hamilton, performed by the original cast, is available on DisneyPlus.

Jean-Luc Picard Quote

Paramount

"To say you have no choice is a failure of imagination."

- Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Picard

Pride Mural at Animal Kingdom

For the last few years, Disney World has marked Pride month with murals in each of the four parks and Disney Springs. The murals make great photo spots for guests. This Mickey Love mural can be found in Animal Kingdom opposite Tiffins restaurant.

They're One Fantastic Family!

All images: Marvel

Marvel's The Fantastic 4: First Steps looks absolutely fantastic. I love the retro look and the fact that they are really focusing on the Fantastic 4 as a family. 

Here's the official synopsis from Marvel: 

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" introduces Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

The action adventure also stars Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.

The Fantastic 4: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25th.

Wicked: For Good Trailer

All images: Universal

The first trailer for Wicked: For Good has arrived, and it looks just as incredible as the first part. This film tells the second half of the tale of Elphaba, Glinda, and that dastardly Wizard of Oz.

Here's the official synopsis from Universal:

The final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices. 

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).  

Glinda (Ariana Grande), meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.  

As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives. 

As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good. 

Wicked: For Good also stars Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Glinda’s fawning assistants, Pfannee and ShenShen and Sharon D. Clarke as the voice of Elphaba’s childhood nanny, Dulcibear.

Wicked: For Good arrives in theaters on November 21st.

Elio Special Look

Pixar

Pixar's next movie, Elio, looks so good! Everyone should have a place where they fit in, and young Elio goes to extremes to find his.

Elio arrives in theaters on June 20th.

Wednesday Season 2 The First Six Minutes

Netflix

Netflix has released the first six minutes of season 2 of Wednesday and it looks just as dark and delightful as season 1. It appears Wednesday Addams has been working hard all summer to control her psychic talents, and now she's putting them to the test.

Part I of Wednesday season 2 arrives on Netflix on August 6. Part II arrives on September 3rd.

George MacDonald Quote

National Portrait Gallery

"The roses make the world so sweet,

The bees, the birds have such a tune,

There's such a light and such a heat

And such a joy this June."

- George MacDonald, "To ----"

Smellephants on Parade at Fantasyland Station

It's rather fun finding all of the Smellephants on Parade in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. Each elephant statue has its own circus inspired scent courtesy of Scentsy. And near the exit for the Fantasyland Train Station, you can see where those scents arrive, along with the luggage of the Big Bad Wolf and Hyacinth Hippo. 

Elio Final Trailer

Pixar

Pixar's Elio looks so cute! He may have trouble fitting in on Earth, but it seems he's finding his place among the stars.

Here's the official synopsis from Pixar: 

The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

“Elio” features the voices of Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga, Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO.

Elio arrives in theaters on June 20th.

Jurassic World Rebirth Trailer & Posters

All images: Universal

The latest entry in the Jurassic Park saga has dinos that will give you nightmares. The Distortus Rex is the most frightening because it's like a T-Rex with long arms. It's seen reaching for someone in the trailer and two of the new posters. I'm sure it will be somewhat terrifying on the big screen.

Here's the official synopsis from Universal: 

A new era is born. This summer, three years after the Jurassic World trilogy concluded with each film surpassing $1 billion at the global box office, the enduring Jurassic series evolves in an ingenious new direction with Jurassic World Rebirth. 

Anchored by Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, this action-packed new chapter sees an extraction team race to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park, inhabited by the worst of the worst that were left behind.

Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.

Scarlett Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure the genetic material. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on a forbidden island that had once housed an undisclosed research facility for Jurassic Park. There, in a terrain populated by dinosaurs of vastly different species, they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that has been hidden from the world for decades.

Mahershala Ali is Duncan Kincaid, Zora’s most trusted team member, Jonathan Bailey plays paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis, Rupert Friend appears as Big Pharma representative Martin Krebs and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Reuben Delgado, the father of the shipwrecked civilian family. 

The cast includes Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda as Reuben’s family. The film also features, as members of Zora and Krebs’ crews, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, and Ed Skrein. 

Jurassic World Rebirth arrives in theaters on July 2nd.

Summer Is Starting Right Now

All images: Disney

Phineas and Ferb are returning for 104 more days of summer vacation. That means more madcap adventures for Phineas, Ferb, and their friends, more Candace trying to bust them, and more Perry the Platypus saving the Tri-State Area from Doofenschmirtz's inators. And of course, more fun and catchy songs like this one.

Here's the official synopsis from Disney: 

The new season follows the inventive stepbrothers, Phineas and Ferb, as they tackle another 104 days of summer. Candace is more determined than ever to finally bust her little brothers, while their pet platypus, Perry, continues to lead a double life as the suave “Agent P,” whose sole mission is to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz from taking over the Tri-State Area.

Phineas and Ferb arrive on the Disney Channel on June 5th and DisneyPlus on June 6th.

New episodes will debut each week.

Memorial Day

 
"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." 

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Let us not forget this Memorial Day.

Steve Rogers Quote

Marvel

 
"I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

- Steve Rogers, Captain America and the Winter Soldier

Kermit the Tree Frog

We have the cutest little frogs in our garden. I believe it's an American Green Tree Frog. They are quite small, around 2 inches long, and the most brilliant shade of green. Seeing all of the wildlife that visits our yard always makes me happy. 

Dogs Can't Talk!

Disney

Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch looks so cute, and fluffy! It appears to be a fantastic remake of a beloved movie. This clip is from the scene where Lilo first meets Stitch, the talking "dog".

Lilo & Stitch arrives in theaters today, May 23rd.

A Sneak Peek At Season 2 Of Wednesday

Netflix

Wednesday Addams is returning for more creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky mayhem at Nevermore Academy. And this time, the entire family is along for the ride, even Grandmama! Here's a sneak peek of what to expect in season 2.

Wednesday Season 2 will arrive on Netflix in two parts.

Part One begins on August 6th.

Part 2 kicks off a month later on September 3rd.

Zootopia 2 Teaser Trailer

All images: Disney

Disney has released the first trailer and poster for Zootopia 2 and it looks most intriguing. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back on the case and ready to solve a new mystery.

Here's the official synopsis from Disney:

In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia 2,” detectives Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.

Zootopia 2 arrives in theaters on November 26th.

Celebrate Happy

Disney

To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Disneyland, Disney has released a new album, Music From the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration. Six of the songs will be featured in World of Color Happiness! at California Adventure. The first song on the album, "Celebrate Happy" performed by the Jonas Brothers, will be a part of Tapestry of Happiness, a projection show on it's a small world.

Music from the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration is available now from digital download stores and streaming services.

Václav Havel Quote

Oldřich Škácha / Václav Havel Library

 
"Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but, rather, an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed."

- Václav Havel

Gojū-no-Tō at EPCOT

The first building you see in the Japan Pavilion at EPCOT is a Gojū-no-Tō or Five-Story Pagoda. This blue roofed structure is based on the Buddhist Horyuji Temple in Nara. Several times a day, the Matsuriza Taiko drummers perform on the lowest level of the pagoda. The pagoda is beautiful and can be viewed from many locations, but my favorite view is from Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya.

Stitch Is Back!

Disney

Stitch is back and his badness level is at an all time high! Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch looks like one wild ride.

Lilo & Stitch arrives in theaters next Friday, May 23rd.

Marvel's Ironheart Finally Has A Trailer

All images: Marvel

The first trailer for Marvel's Ironheart has arrived and it looks fantastic. Riri Williams is headed back to Chicago for her next adventure, surrounded by a bunch of new faces.

Here's the official synopsis from Marvel:

Set after the events of Wakanda Forever, Ironheart follows Riri as she returns to her hometown of Chicago, determined to build a state-of-the-art iron suit and make her mark on the world. Her time in Wakanda has left her more eager than ever to pursue her dreams, and her quest entangles her in a dangerous world of science and magic.

Riri is soon surrounded by a colorful squad of characters, and the cast features Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam, and Anji White. Perhaps the most intriguing new face is Parker Robbins, aka the Hood, a mysterious stranger played by Anthony Ramos.

The first three episodes of Ironheart arrive on DisneyPlus on June 24th. Three additional episodes will complete the season.

New Candy Containers at Disney World

All images: Disney

Disney World's latest collectible candy container is rather unexpected. Inspired by the iconic designs of Main Street USA, the container is a mini replica trash can. The trash cans of Disney Parks have been popular with fans for years, so it was only a matter of time before they appeared as a candy or popcorn container. The Trash Cans feature swinging flaps on both sides and a flip-top lid.

The Trash Cans will be available later this month at the six bulk candy locations listed below. To purchase your own Main Street USA Trash Can, you'll need to select at least a 1/2 pound of candy, then grab your container and head to the register.

Here's where you can find this crazy collectible: 

• Magic Kingdom: Main Street Confectionery
• Animal Kingdom: Zuri’s Sweets Shop
• Disney Springs: Goofy’s Candy Company 
• Disney Springs: Disney’s Candy Cauldron
• BoardWalk Inn: Screen Door General Store
• The Campsites at Fort Wilderness: Meadow Trading Post

How To Train Your Dragon Posters

All images: DreamWorks

The latest character posters for DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon celebrate the dragons, and not necessarily their riders. It makes sense though because the dragons look amazing. Above are Hiccup and Toothless, the Night Fury.

Astrid and Stormfly, the Deadly Nadder

Snotlout and Hookfang, the Monstrous Nightmare

Fishlegs and Meatlug, the Gruesome Gronkle

Ruffnut & Tuffnut with Barf & Belch, the Hideous Zippleback

And finally, the tiniest dragon, the Terrible Terror.

How To Train Your Dragon arrives in theaters on June 13th.