Brave Trailer

Pixar

Pixar has finally released an official version of the Brave trailer. It looks awesome! I can't wait!

Brave arrives in theaters on June 22, 2012.

Indiana Jones 5

Lucasfilm

I was watching the Indiana Jones films this weekend and they got me thinking. I have always loved the character and have watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade hundreds of times. They have been two of my favorite films for years. I don't usually watch the Temple of Doom, mostly because of memories of the monkey brains scene from when I was a kid (it's not as gross as I'd remembered it, thank heavens!) I can't say that the last film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was all that great, although I loved that they brought Marion back and introduced Mutt as Indy's son, it was the aliens that didn't quite work for me. But, thinking about all of these films made me realize that odd numbered Indiana Jones movies are fantastic, and even numbered ones are, well, just odd. It seems strange, but it does bode well for rumors of a fifth Indiana Jones movie. We'll just have to hope that the system holds true.

Brave Poster

Pixar

Have you heard about the new Pixar fairytale called Brave? It takes place in the Scottish highlands and has a redheaded heroine at the heart of the story. 

Due to arrive in theaters June 22, 2012, Pixar has released the following description of the film, which was previously titled "Bear and Bow":

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

The poster for the film has a beautiful look and I find the subject intriguing. Being of Scottish descent myself, I look forward to an animated film set in the land of my ancestors. A teaser trailer is being shown with Cars 2, which comes to theaters tomorrow.

Pirates Yahtzee

Hasbro

Around our house, we love Yahtzee. We collect the awesome Yahtzee special editions, especially from Disney movies. We have the Alice in Wonderland set, which is a little tricky because the symbols are tea cups, tea pots, letter, key, Mad Hatter hat, and drink me bottle. The tea cups and pots are the same color, so sometimes you have to look twice, but it's a lot of fun! We also have the Nightmare Before Christmas set that comes in Oogie Boogie's head. The dice even look like Oogie's dice from the film, which makes them really hard to see, but totally fun. I think we even have the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Yahtzee Jr edition, which has the characters instead of numbers. It's totally cute! But now, there's a new Yahtzee set that I absolutely must have: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. It even comes with a Chalice as the shaker. It's totally awesome! I can't wait to see it in person, because the photos are too cool. It is a bit pricey at $25, but I still want it. I guess its time to start saving my pennies.

The Muppets Trailer

Jim Henson Company

After weeks of spoof and parody trailers, an official The Muppets trailer has been released. While the first trailers were rather like a reference to the old skits of the Muppet Show, the new trailer is a more standard movie trailer.

The Muppets arrives in theaters on November 23.

Happy Father's Day!

Disney

Today is the day to celebrate Dad. My dad has helped me to try new things and seek out new experiences. He has traveled with me across the country many times, seeing many new things and finding fun along the way. He has encouraged me in all my scathingly brilliant ideas, whether they pan out or not. So don't forget to say Thank You today, to all the Dads in your life.

Happy Father's Day!

Star Tours Promo Video

Disney

Check out the new video released by Disney to promote the new and improved Star Tours. I'm so excited! I really hope I get to go this fall.

Muppet Movie Parody Trailer - It's not easy being green

Jim Henson Company

I love the Muppets and the trailers for the new Muppet movie have been hilarious so far. They have done several that parody other films and here's the latest.

The 10th Princess

This October, the 10th Princess will have her coronation as a member of the Disney Princesses. She has long, glowing, magical hair, grew up in a secluded tower, and fell in love with a thief. That's right, the newest princess to be added to the ever-growing list of official Princesses is Rapunzel. She will finally have a chance to wear her tiara, previously stolen by her beloved Flynn Ryder. To welcome her into the Disney royal family, Disney will be hosting a celebration at Kensington Palace, London, UK, former home of Princess Diana. Kensington Palace has been the home of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is well known as the home of Princesses. What a fun way to celebrate Disney's newest Princess.

Star Wars, a continuing tradition

For as long as I can remember, I've had this annual tradition regarding the Star Wars movies. I would go visit my Grandma and watch all three films back to back. I've always loved these movies. One year, Grandma's TV died while I was watching Star Wars: A New Hope. All it would do was play the sound, with no picture. Grandma knew that I loved watching these films every summer, so she and Grandpa went to the store and picked up a new TV. (My Grandma is wonderful like that!) This was an amazing thing to me and made quite an impression.One year, we played the Star Wars album for our Fourth of July party. It was so loud that you couldn't go in the house, but it was awesome.

When the films returned to the theaters, with some new special effects, I drove 30 miles just to see them in a theater with proper surround sound and I have to say, it was awesome. When the first of the new movies came out, I was working at a book, music, and video store. We had a costume contest and three of the employees dressed up to judge the contest, myself included. I hadn't even seen the movie yet, so I found a paper doll book and watched all of the commercials to try and recreate Amidala's dress from the end of the movie. (Yes, the white one with the tall collar.) It was awesome, if I do say so myself. I was so excited to see the Phantom Menace and was already looking forward to the next two films. They released kids meal toys at three different restaurants, for a ridiculous total number of toys. I collected most of them I'm sad to say. I purchased the rerelease of 4, 5, and 6 on VHS as soon as they came out. It wasn't too many years before I replaced them with DVDs and purchased 1, 2, and 3 as well. I love these films.

When they offered more kids meal toys a few years ago, I not only collected them for myself, but I got three-year-old Bean addicted to them as well. She loved her little Jawa with the light-up eyes! They have created new sets nearly every year, and my niece and I love them. She is a huge fan of Star Tours at Disney World, which I adore, because we can ride it over and over and still love it. We can't wait to test out the remagiced ride! I recently got her to watch A New Hope. She wasn't too sure what to think at first, but once she realized what it was, she loved it too.

Well, it's summer again, so it was time to haul out my films and start the marathon. I watched A New Hope yesterday and The Empire Strikes Back today. I plan to watch Return of the Jedi tomorrow and then will start on the first three. I may end up watching the entire series in order again, who knows.

Watching the Star Wars films is quite possibly my favorite summer tradition!

Cars 2

Cars 2 races into theaters June 24, 2011. Disney has really been promoting this sequel to what was a fantastic movie, Cars. I love Cars, partly because the characters are fantastic and partly because I swear Radiator Springs is Kingman, AZ, where I lived for nearly 20 years. The courthouse in Radiator Springs has the exact same scraggly trees as the courthouse in Kingman, so it always reminds me of home. To celebrate the release of Cars 2, Disney has a website devoted to all things Cars. They have activities and games, downloads, character profiles, videos, and sweepstakes. The sweepstakes is a lot of fun. Finn McMissle of British Intelligence has identified you as a potential recruit and offers several missions to test your reflexes and determine if you have what it takes to join the team. The missions are fun and easy and earn you extra entries into the grand prize sweepstakes. Check out the website for lots of Cars 2 fun, perfect for fans of any age.

More Star Tours Fun

If you're like me, you love Star Tours. I'm very excited about the changes to the ride and can't wait to check it out, although I'm not sure when I'll get the chance. Fortunately, the Disney Store is offering a few items from the Star Tours Launch collection on their website. Now everyone can own a bit of the fun. There are t-shirts, baseball caps, a toothpick holder, a metal magnet and a keychain. I love the magnet, which features the new flight attendant droid Aly San San. These items will only be available for a short time, so be sure to get yours today.

Vinylmation Sushi

I just saw the coolest thing for collectors of Disney Vinylmation and fans of sushi: a Vinylmation Sushi bento box! It is so cute! I don't even eat sushi, but I think it's just adorable. My sister loves sushi and she fell in love with this Vinylmation set. The set is a limited edition of 2500. The set includes 6 3" figures: Shrimp, California Roll, Unagi, Salmon Roe, Tuna, & Salmon, and 2 mini figures Ginger and Wasabi. The set comes packaged in a bento box with a pair of chopsticks. Unfortunately, the set costs $99.95, but otherwise, it's awesome!

Photo of the Week

Can you tell it was our first time on Rock 'N' Roller Coaster?