On this episode, if the Obscure Disney Podcast, We are talking about the biggest, whitest boat at Disneyland. The Mark Twain.
Mark Twain Riverboat is an attraction, located at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, on which passengers embark on a scenic, 12-minute journey around the Rivers of America. Originally named Mark Twain Steamboat when the park opened in 1955, the stately, 5/8-scale stern-wheeler was the first functional riverboat to be built in the United States for fifty years. Other Disney riverboat attractions now appear at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.
On this fun episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are discussing Fantasia, Disney’s 1940 Movie.
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. With story direction by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, and production supervision by Ben Sharpsteen, it is the third Disney animated feature film. The film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Music critic and composer Deems Taylor acts as the film’s Master of Ceremonies, providing a live-action introduction to each animated segment.
Disney settled on the film’s concept as work neared completion on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, an elaborate Silly Symphonies short designed as a comeback role for Mickey Mouse, who had declined in popularity. As production costs grew higher than what it could earn, Disney decided to include the short in a feature-length film with other segments set to classical pieces. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering sound reproduction system that made Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound.
Fantasia was first released in theatrical roadshow engagements held in thirteen U.S. cities from November 13, 1940. While acclaimed by critics, it was unable to make a profit due to World War II cutting off distribution to the European market, the film’s high production costs, and the expense of leasing theatres and installing the Fantasound equipment for the roadshow presentations. The film was subsequently reissued multiple times with its original footage and audio being deleted, modified, or restored in each version. As of 2012, Fantasia has grossed $76.4 million in domestic revenue and is the 22nd highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation. Fantasia, as a franchise, has grown to include video games, Disneyland attractions, a live concert, and a theatrically released sequel (Fantasia 2000) co-produced by Walt’s nephew Roy E. Disney in 1999. Fantasia has grown in reputation over the years and is now widely acclaimed; in 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it as the 58th greatest American film in their 100 Years…100 Movies and the fifth greatest animated film in their 10 Top 10 list.
On this quick episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are talking about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. With dates now beginning in August, How early is too early? Listen in to get our take on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate-admission Halloween-themed event held annually during the months of August, September, and October at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando, and at Disneyland Paris Resort outside Paris, France. The party began as a response to the Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Florida. Disney’s event caters to a traditional family atmosphere, whereas Universal’s has more of a “fright-centered” event with their monsters (Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Jason Voorhees, etc.)
The event encourages guests to dress up in Halloween costumes and celebrate the season with themed events throughout the park. Normal rules prohibit guests over the age of fourteen years from dressing in costume; however, this rule is waived for the party, although anyone dressed as a Disney character is prohibited from signing autographs or posing for pictures with other guests so as not to be confused with regular cast members (the Disney term for employees) in those roles.
On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are having a conversation on the word of Intellectual Properties known as IP’s. We talk about how Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and the Jungle cruise all became movies. We also talk about how fantasy land all came from already released movies.
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect, and primarily encompasses copyrights, patents, and trademarks. It also includes other types of rights, such as trade secrets, publicity rights, moral rights, and rights against unfair competition. Artistic works like music and literature, as well as some discoveries, inventions, words, phrases, symbols, and designs, can all be protected as intellectual property. It was not until the 19th century that the term “intellectual property” began to be used, and not until the late 20th century that it became commonplace in the majority of the world.
The main purpose of intellectual property law is to encourage the creation of a large variety of intellectual goods. To achieve this, the law gives people and businesses property rights to the information and intellectual goods they create – usually for a limited period of time. This gives economic incentive for their creation because it allows people to profit from the information and intellectual goods they create. These economic incentives are expected to stimulate innovation and contribute to the technological progress of countries, which depends on the extent of protection granted to innovators.
The intangible nature of intellectual property presents difficulties when compared with a traditional property like land or goods. Unlike traditional property, intellectual property is “indivisible” – an unlimited number of people can “consume” an intellectual good without it being depleted. Additionally, investments in intellectual goods suffer from problems of appropriation – a landowner can surround their land with a robust fence and hire armed guards to protect it, but a producer of information or an intellectual good can usually do very little to stop their first buyer from replicating it and selling it at a lower price. Balancing rights so that they are strong enough to encourage the creation of intellectual goods but not so strong that they prevent the goods’ wide use is the primary focus of modern intellectual property law
Today on the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are making up rumors about the Captin EO Theater in most of the Disney Parks. We talk about the history of Captain EO and the creation of the original attraction, then get super excited about our own ideas on how to update the idea to appeal to modern park goers.
Captain EO is a 1986 American 3D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson, written by George Lucas and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (who came up with the name “Captain EO” from the Greek, cf. Eos, the Greek goddess of dawn) that was shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through 1996. The attraction returned to the Disney Parks in 2010 as a tribute after Jackson’s death. The film was shown for the final time at Epcot on December 6, 2015.
The film’s executive producer was George Lucas. The film was choreographed by Jeffrey Hornaday and Michael Jackson, photographed by Peter Anderson,[3][4] produced by Rusty Lemorande and written by Lemorande, Lucas, and Coppola, from a story idea by the artists of Walt Disney Imagineering. Lemorande also initially designed and created two of the creatures, and was an editor of the film. The score was written by James Horner and featured two songs (“We Are Here to Change the World” and “Another Part of Me”), both written and performed by Michael Jackson.
The Supreme Leader was played by Anjelica Huston. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro was the lighting director during much of the principal photography. Captain EO is regarded as one of the first “4D” films (4D being the name given to a 3D film that incorporates in-theater effects, such as lasers, smoke, etc., synchronized to the film).[5]
Captain EO was the first professional collaboration between Coppola and Lucas since American Graffiti (1973) and marked the end of a professional and personal estrangement between the two men following Lucas’ decision not to direct Apocalypse Now
On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are going in on classic 1940 film, Pinocchio. This is part of our series of watching all Disney films from the beginning of the Disney catalog. We talk about first impressions of the movie and the lasting effects on children and society. Naturally, we bring up some things that we loved and made us laugh or think, along with things that don’t make sense or seem out of place.
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the Italian children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
The plot of the film involves an old wood-carver named Geppetto who carves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio. The puppet is brought to life by a blue fairy, who informs him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be “brave, truthful, and unselfish”. Pinocchio’s efforts to become a real boy involve encounters with a host of unsavory characters. The film was adapted by Aurelius Battaglia, William Cottrell, Otto Englander, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Ted Sears, and Webb Smith from Collodi’s book. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske, and the film’s sequences were directed by Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, and Bill Roberts. Pinocchio was a groundbreaking achievement in the area of effects animation, giving realistic movement to vehicles, machinery and natural elements such as rain, lightning, smoke, shadows, and water. The film was released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on February 7, 1940.
Critical analysis of Pinocchio identifies it as a simple morality tale that teaches children of the benefits of hard work and middle-class values. Although it became the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award-winning two for Best Music, Original Score and for Best Music, Original Song for “When You Wish Upon a Star” – it was initially a box office disaster. It eventually made a profit in its 1945 reissue and is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made, with a rare 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes. The film and characters are still prevalent in popular culture, featuring at various Disney parks and in other forms of entertainment. In 1994, Pinocchio was added to the United States National Film Registry for being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
On today’s episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are giving our thoughts on the Christopher Robin movie. What we loved what we liked and what we didn’t.
Christopher Robin is a 2018 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster and written by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder, from a story by Perry. The film is inspired by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard’s book Winnie-the-Pooh[4] and is a live-action/CGI extension of the Disney franchise of the same name. The film stars Ewan McGregor as the titular character alongside Hayley Atwell, as well as the voices of Jim Cummings and Brad Garrett. The plot follows Christopher Robin as he has grown up and lost his sense of imagination, only to be reunited with his old stuffed bear friend, Winnie-the-Pooh.
Plans of a live-action Winnie the Pooh adaptation were announced in April 2015, and Forster was confirmed as director in November 2016. McGregor signed on as Christopher Robin in April 2017 and principal photography began in August of that year in the United Kingdom, lasting until November.
In this fun episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are discussing, the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This 81-year-old classic was Walt Disneys first full-length movie and yet, one among us has yet to see it. Tune in for our quick recap.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and originally released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is the first full-length cel animated feature film and the earliest Disney animated feature film. The story was adapted by storyboard artists Dorothy Ann Blank, Richard Creedon, Merrill De Maris, Otto Englander, Earl Hurd, Dick Rickard, Ted Sears and Webb Smith. David Hand was the supervising director, while William Cottrell, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, and Ben Sharpsteen directed the film’s individual sequences.
Snow White premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre on December 21, 1937, followed by a nationwide release on February 4, 1938. It was a critical and commercial success, and with international earnings of $8 million during its initial release briefly assumed the record of the highest-grossing sound film at the time. The popularity of the film has led to its being re-released theatrically many times, until its home video release in the 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, it is one of the top-ten performers at the North American box office.
At the 11th Academy Awards, producer Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Oscar, and the film was nominated for Best Musical Score the year before. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. The American Film Institute ranked it among the 100 greatest American films and also named the film as the greatest American animated film of all time in 2008. Disney’s take on the fairy tale has had a significant cultural impact, resulting in popular theme park attractions, a video game, and a Broadway musical.
On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are taking a look at the movie, The Incredibles 2 talking about the love we have for Jack-Jack, Edna and the whole family. We are also diving deep into Incredicoster on Pixar Pier at Disney’s California Adventure.
Incredibles 2 is a 2018 American 3D computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it is the sequel to 2004’s The Incredibles and a second installment of the film series. The plot picks up directly after the events of the first film and follows the Parr family as they balance regaining the public’s trust of superheroes with their civilian family life, only to combat a new foe who seeks to turn the populace against all supers. The voice cast includes Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell and Samuel L. Jackson, who reprise their roles from the first film.
Incredicoaster is a steel roller coaster located in the Pixar Pier section of Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Opened on February 8, 200,1 as California Screamin’, it is one of the park’s original rides, and is the only roller coaster at the Disneyland Resort to feature an inversion. Its top speed of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) makes it the fastest ride at the Disneyland Resort. California Screamin’ closed on January 8, 2018, and was re-themed to the Incredicoaster, inspired by The Incredibles, which opened in the new Pixar Pier on June 23, 2018, in conjunction with the release of the film Incredibles 2
