Thor: Love and Thunder - Classic

Marvel

There's just one week left until Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters. Are you ready?

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8th.

It's Just A Bunch Of Hocus Pocus... Again

Disney

For years, fans of Hocus Pocus have been begging for a sequel. This fall, the sequel will finally appear.

Here's the official synopsis from Disney: 

This Halloween Season, some legends never die. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reunite for the highly anticipated Disney+ Original Movie “Hocus Pocus 2.” The live-action, long awaited sequel to the perennial Halloween classic brings back the delightfully wicked Sanderson sisters for more comedic mayhem.

It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.

Hocus Pocus 2 arrives on DisneyPlus on September 30, just in time for Halloween.

Add A Little Indiana Jones To Your Home

All images: Lucasfilm/Disney

I have always loved the Indiana Jones movies. From the adventure, to the romance, to the archeology, it's one of my favorite series. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the start of Professor Jones' adventures, Disney has reproduced four famous relics to add to your home decor, with more to come this fall. And don't worry, you wont have to go on an archeological dig to find them. All of the relics will be available from shopDisney.com, as well as in Disneyland and Disney World. 

First up is the iconic Chachapoyan Fertility Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark. While Doctor Jones lost this particular relic to Rene Belloq, you can now pre-order one of your own.

Next, we have one of the Sankara Stones from The Temple of Doom. This relic lights up for an even more realistic look. It is currently sold out at shopDisney.

This Holy Grail from The Last Crusade is definitely my favorite relic. The Grail, which is ceramic like the original, is currently available for pre-order. 

And finally, the controversial Crystal Skull from, you guessed it, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This is the largest relic at 13" long, and therefore the most expensive, and it too lights up, for an eerie mind-altering alien effect. It is currently available for pre-order.

Three additional items will be released this fall. First up is the Staff of Ra headpiece that Indy acquired from Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

And two more relics from The Temple of Doom: the kryta doll of Indy and the pin used to stab it.  

Unfortunately, none of these relics come cheap. They range in price from $50 to $250. But they would definitely be a talking point in any home. However, if bringing them home is not an option, several of these relics can be seen in Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar in Disney Springs.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Is Coming To Theaters

Sony

Do you remember reading The House on East 88th Street or perhaps it's sequel Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile as a child? Maybe you shared it with your own children. Well, the beloved tales of the performing crocodile have now been made into a live-action movie and it looks adorable! 

Here's the official synopsis from Sony:

Based on the best-selling book series by Bernard Waber, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a live-action/CGI musical comedy that brings this beloved character to a new, global audience. 

When the Primm family (Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy, Winslow Fegley) moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle - a singing crocodile (Shawn Mendes) who loves baths, caviar and great music - living in the attic of his new home. The two become fast friends, but when Lyle’s existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman), the Primm’s must band together with Lyle’s charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem), to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places and there’s nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile arrives in theaters on October 7th.

Quote of the Week

New Line Cinema

It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.

- Gandalf, 

 J. R. R. Tolkien's

The Return of the King

Photo of the Week

I love the cave paintings in the queue for Flight of Passage in Pandora: the World of Avatar in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Thor: Love And Thunder - Team

Marvel

Thor's giant goats, Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher, are screaming goats?! The trailers for Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder just keep getting crazier. It should be a blast!

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8th.

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation

All images: LEGO

I love the LEGO Star Wars animated specials. They are generally absolutely hilarious, and vaguely tie in to the movies, or at least feature the characters from the movies. The latest short is about Summer Vacation (and a plug for Disney's latest immersive experience: the Galactic Starcruiser).

Here's the official synopsis from LEGO:

Looking for a much-needed break from stormtroopers and TIE fighters, Finn arranges a surprise vacation for his friends Rey, Poe, Rose, Chewie, BB-8, R2-D2, and C-3PO, aboard the ultra-luxurious Galactic Starcruiser, the Halcyon. But Finn’s plan to have one last hurrah together quickly goes awry when he’s separated from the group. While searching for his friends, he encounters three Force ghosts: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Leia Organa, who each share their own unexpected stories of vacations gone wrong, helping him to understand that holidays are about more than just having fun.

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation arrives on DisneyPlus on August 5th.

Summer (Where Do We Begin)

Disney

Now that summer is officially here, and it's definitely "noticeably warmer", there's a reason for this song from Phineas and Ferb to be stuck in my head. (Thanks kiddo!)

Thor: Love and Thunder - Speech

Marvel

The latest trailer for Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder has exactly what everyone has been waiting for: more Korg, more Miek, more Gorr the God Butcher, and of course, more Thor. Are you excited yet?

"Get the popcorn out. He's gonna do a speech."

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8th.

Lightyear Blasts Into Happy Meals

McDonald's

Lightyear toys have arrived in McDonald's Happy Meals. There are 8 adorable ships to collect, each with stickers to decorate them and a character inside. The toys include: 

• Buzz Lightyear in XL-01
• Sox
• Izzy Hawthorne
• Alisha Hawthorne
• Zurg
• Mo Morrison
• Darby Steel
• Buzz Lightyear in XL-15

These toys are available while supplies last, so don't wait if you want to collect them all. Lightyear is in theaters now.

Happy Father's Day

Pixar

Dads are like chocolate chip cookies;

they may have chips or be totally nutty,

but they are sweet and make the world a better place.

- Hillary Lytle

Happy Father's Day!

Photo of the Week

I love knitting tea cozies. There's just something very cheerful about a teapot in a colorful vintage style cover.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce and Spiced Pecans Recipe

One of my favorite desserts from past year's EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festivals is from the Smokehouse Booth in the American Adventure Pavilion. The cake is delicious and chocolaty with Bourbon salted caramel sauce and spicy-sweet pecans. It's was so good! While it isn't available at every year's festival, here's a recipe from Disney so that you can make it at home.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce and Spiced Pecans

Serves 10

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

1/3 cup oil

1 large egg

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oil, egg, sour cream and buttermilk in bowl of standing mixer equipped with whip attachment. Add sugar, cocoa powder, flour and baking soda. Start mixing on lowest speed for about 30 seconds, then to second speed for another 30 seconds, and finally to third speed, mixing for about 3 minutes.

Place 1/4 cup of batter in greased half-cup ramekin. Place ramekin on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ramekins. Bake for 13-15 minutes until tops of cakes have cracked. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup Bourbon

1 tsp salt

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and lemon juice in stainless steel saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until mixture turns amber color, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and stir in condensed milk. Add Bourbon and salt and mix until smooth. Keep warm until ready to serve, being careful not to burn sauce. 

Can also be prepared 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated. To serve, warm over low heat, adding splash of water to return to sauce consistency.

Spiced Pecans

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups pecans, broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and cayenne pepper, stirring well. Once brown sugar thickens, add pecans and stir.

Remove from heat and spread pecans on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Set aside until ready to serve. Spiced pecans can also be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days before serving.

To serve:

Unmold cakes from ramekins and place on dessert plates. Drizzle caramel sauce over and around each cake. Top with spiced nuts.

Lightyear Blasts Into Theaters Tomorrow

Pixar

Are you ready to learn about the man behind the toy? Pixar's Lightyear looks like such a fun and exciting adventure. I can't wait! And I love that, even though he's a robot cat, Sox rides around inside Buzz's helmet.

Lightyear arrives in theaters tomorrow, June 17th.

Get Ready For Love And Thunder... And Goats?

All images: Marvel

These new character posters for Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder are fabulous. The first poster features Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson, God of Thunder.

Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie

Taika Waititi as Korg

Russell Crowe as Zeus

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher

And... Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher, Thor's magical goats, get their own poster.

There's also a teaser to get you to buy your tickets early, which is hilarious! What is Taika Waititi's obsession with goats?!

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8th.

Thor: Love and Thunder Looks Fantastic

Marvel

The trailers for Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder just look funnier and funnier. I can't wait to see it. It should be a blast!

Tickets are now on sale for Thor: Love and Thunder, which arrives in theaters on July 8th.

Meet Sox

Pixar

With less than a week to go before Lightyear makes its debut, Pixar has released an adorable new clip. In it, Buzz is introduced to his new feline companion, Sox. I don't know about you, but I love Sox already.

Lightyear arrives in theaters this Friday, June 17.

Quote of the Week

New Line Cinema

Don't adventures ever have an end?

I suppose not.

Someone else always has to carry on the story.

- Bilbo Baggins, 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Photo of the Week

One of my favorite treats is a Dole Whip. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the ultimate Dole Whip had returned to the Georgia Renaissance Festival this year. It consists of a pineapple that has been hollowed out and then filled with chunks of pineapple and pineapple juice and topped with a large amount of frosty Dole Whip. It's pineapple heaven!

Ms Marvel - Seek

Marvel

The first episode of Ms Marvel arrived on DisneyPlusDisneyPlus this week. Have you had the chance to watch it yet?

Ms Marvel is now available on DisneyPlus. Additional episodes will debut each Wednesday. 

Thor Takes A Holiday

Marvel

With just under a month to go, Marvel has released the funniest Thor: Love and Thunder trailer yet. It appears that Thor's idea of a holiday isn't quite what the Guardians of the Galaxy were expecting. But, it looks like it's going to be a blast!

Here's the official synopsis from Marvel:

The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced — a search for self-discovery. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who — to Thor’s surprise — inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Where will this quest take them? On a trek to Olympus where Zeus (Russell Crowe) reigns supreme, for starters. 

Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8th.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe From Disney

Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of my favorite desserts. It's warm and rich with a wonderful gooey toffee sauce. We usually make it for Christmas or New Year's and it's always a hit. This recipe is from the Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room in the United Kingdom Pavilion at EPCOT.

Sticky Toffee Pudding 

Custard Sauce

8 egg yolks

3 oz castor sugar

1 vanilla bean

8 oz milk

8 oz heavy cream

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until well blended. Scrape the insides of the vanilla pod into the milk and cream. Add the pod and bring to a boil.

Sit the bowl over a pan of hot water and whisk the cream into the egg yolks and sugar. As the egg yolks cook, the custard will thicken. Keep stirring until it starts to coat the back of a spoon, then remove the bowl from the heat and the pod from the custard.

You can serve warm or cold, but to serve cold, stir the sauce occasionally to prevent a skin forming, or cover with greaseproof paper while it cools.

Butter Rum Toffee Sauce

1 oz butter

4 oz heavy cream

3 oz dark brown sugar

1/2 oz dark rum

Combine butter, sugar, and cream; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add rum. Stir until all is incorporated. Serve hot.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

12 oz dates, chopped and blanched

8 oz hot water

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking soda

1 lb all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 oz unsalted butter

12 oz sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Chop dates and add to hot water. Stir in vanilla and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. On low speed add half of the flour and baking powder and all of the liquid; mix until combined. Fold in the rest of the flour to mixture.

Fill greased molds halfway and bake 15 minutes at 325 degrees F.

Ms Marvel - Connected

Marvel

Ms Marvel just looks more and more intriguing. Every trailer gives another glimpse into Kamala Khan's world and I can't wait to see it all come together.

"If you save one life, you save the world."

Ms Marvel arrives on DisneyPlus tomorrow, June 8th. Additional episodes will debut each Wednesday. 

I Am Groot

Marvel

Marvel has a crazy new series coming to DisneyPlus on August 10. The series of original shorts will star the always loveable baby Groot in all new adventures as he grows up and gets into trouble. I Am Groot is bound to be hilarious!

Quote of the Week

Arclight Films

How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

- William Shakespeare,

The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene 1

Photo of the Week

Anyone up for a game of Dejarik? I love all of the detail in the queue for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Doctor Strange 2 Is Coming To DisneyPlus

Marvel

It seems like only yesterday that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrived in theaters. But, on June 22nd, it will arrive on DisneyPlus as well. Since I haven't had the chance to see it yet, this is pretty exciting news.

These Ms Marvel Character Posters Are Fantastic

All images: Marvel

With less thank week until Ms Marvel makes her DisneyPlus debut, Marvel has released a dazzling array of bright and colorful character posters. Get ready to meet Kamala Khan and her friends and family. 

Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan 

Zenobia Shroff as her mother, Muneeba Khan

Mohan Kapoor as her father, Yusuf Khan

Saagar Shaikh as her brother, Aamir Khan

Travina Springer as Tyesha Hillman

Rish Shah as Kamran

Laurel Marsden as Zoe Zimmer

Matt Lintz as Bruno Carrelli

Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir

Ms Marvel arrives on DisneyPlus on June 8th. 

Pinocchio

All images: Disney

I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard that Disney was turning yet another classic animated story into a live-action film. But so far, Pinocchio looks pretty good.

Here's the official synopsis from Disney:

Robert Zemeckis directs this live action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the wood carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) as if he were his own son. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his "conscience"; Cynthia Erivo is the Blue Fairy; Keegan-Michael Key is "Honest" John; Lorraine Bracco is Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and Luke Evans is The Coachman. Also in the cast are Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana (and her marionette Sabina), Giuseppe Battiston as Señor Stromboli and Lewin Lloyd as Lampwick. 

Pinocchio will arrive on DisneyPlus on September 8th, Disney+ Day.