Disney Movies Coming Out in 2018 - 159 The Disney Exchange Podcast

The Disney Exchange is Lisa, Dave, and Nick

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This week we talk about the new movies currently scheduled to be released by Disney in 2018.

List of movies from Famdom

• February 16 - Black Panther
• March 9 - A Wrinkle in Time
• April 20 - Dolphins
• May 4 - Avengers: Infinity War
• May 25 - Solo
• June 15 - Incredibles 2
• July 6 - Ant-Man and the Wasp
• August 3 - Christopher Robin
• November 2 - The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
• November 21 - Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
• December 25 - Mary Poppins Returns
•  
• The Wheel of Distiny topic this week : What is your 2018 Disney Resolution?

You can reach out with show suggestions and Wheel of Distiny topics, or just comment on the show, tell me how great I am, or request a listener number on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange  or Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange  

If you would be so kind as to leave us a 5 star review on any of the social media sites, such as Facebook or iTunes, we’d really appreciate it. Thank you!

5 Underrepresented Disney Movies at Walt Disney World

This week I'm sharing an article from Lisa that is very similar to a topic we just recently discussed over on The Disney Exchange Blog, home of The Disney Exchange Podcast, which Lisa and I co-host along with Dave Hodges. - Nick

By Lisa Green 

This week while listening to my favorite Disney podcasts I heard something hilarious!  That movie about the sisters from Arendelle – you know the one – is now being referred to as “The F-Word”.  When I stopped laughing, I started thinking about the number of places that particular F-word is showing up at Walt Disney World – Don’t worry!  This is NOT another blog post about that situation. (But I did find this entertaining tidbit on Tumblr in case you’re a fan.)  It just got me thinking about the great Disney movies that have been left behind (or forgotten).  ‘Ohana, it seems, does not apply to our favorite Disney classics!
So, as usual, according to me…

Five Disney Movies Underrepresented at Walt Disney World

1. The Jungle Book – We need more Mowgli.  Over in the Animal Kingdom, in a little corner of Asia – couldn’t some small section of the park be spared for ONE Jungle Book attraction?  With the new Jungle Book being released in 2016, this would make even more sense.  Dark water ride!  Can’t you just picture it?  Oh, yeah…fantastic!

2. Alice in Wonderland – There’s the Mad Tea Party, sure, but SO much fantastic potential is wasted!  The Red Queen, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Alice – This could really be a fantastic little dark ride or indoor/outdoor kiddie coaster.  Even a cute spinner or something that plays on the “Eat Me” “Drink Me” size change bit.  And Absolem!  Those crazy flowers!

3. Mary Poppins – Getting better, but not quite there yet.  Several nods to Mary Poppins appear in the new DVC villas at the Grand Floridian, but I’d really love to see an attraction completely and fully dedicated to Miss Poppins, Bert, and all the movie’s best moments.  There’s room for another carousel at another park outside of Magic Kingdom.  Hello!  Penguins?

 4. The Incredibles – Zilch, zip, nada.  It’s been completely ignored. This is one of my most favorite Disney movies.  A sequel is reportedly underway!  Why?  Why can we not have some Super action – this movie BEGS to be translated into an E-ticket attraction!  Edna Mode could guide us through the adventures of our favorite Supers and their arch nemesis, Syndrome!

5. The Emperor’s New Groove – I know – most of you just groaned.  But Yzma and Kronk’s antics were the very best part of this flick and they at least deserve a little something.  A kooky, wild ride based on the “wrong lever” sequences?  You KNOW you’d love it.  Oh, and squirrels would have to be included!  Squeak, squeak squeaken squeaker.

Your turn!  Are you thinking Up?  Ratatouille? Brother Bear? Are you mad because Tangled only rated a restroom?  What about Lady and the Tramp?  Talk to me!  What movies do you think have been overlooked at Walt Disney World?

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Hangin' Out With Chip 'n' Dale : Story Behind the Photo

By Nick

This photo was take January of 2011, when we were hangin' out with our buddies, Chip 'n' Dale at their Campfire Sing-A-Long at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.

We had arrived early for this terrific event, and were surprised to find these 2 scampering about. They were very excited to see us, and we had our own private photo session.

If you've never been, I can't recommend it highly enough!

You can bring your own marshmallows and sticks, or buy a S’mores kit from the Chuckwagon Snack Bar.

Then, sing along to old-time favorites led by a guitar-playing cowboy, who is joined by the chipmunk duo!

Afterwards, you can watch Disney movies at the Campground Cinema, which we didn't do that evening, but plan on during a future visit.

Disney Movies, a Thanksgiving Tradition

by Lisa Green

I’m sure we’re not alone.  I bet a bunch of you go to the movies on Thanksgiving.  At our house, it’s a very long standing tradition.  So much so, it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a trip to the movies.
I’ve done a little research and am pretty sure the list below is correct.  If a year is missing – we did not see a Disney movie – either because we had already seen Disney’s most recent release OR there wasn’t a new Disney movie available (we still went to the movies, but probably didn’t have as much fun).

Today I’m thankful for family, health, happiness, and Disney Movies! 

Did you see any of these on Thanksgiving?

• 1991 Beauty and the Beast
• 1992 Aladdin
• 1994 The Santa Clause
• 1995 Toy Story
• 1996 101 Dalmatians
• 1998 A Bug’s Life
• (Christmas Day) 1998 – Mighty Joe Young
• 1999 Toy Story 2
• 2000 102 Dalmatians
• 2001 Monsters Inc.
• 2002 The Santa Clause 2
• 2003 Brother Bear
• 2004 The Incredibles
• 2005 Chicken Little
• 2006 The Santa Clause 3 – The Escape Clause
• 2007 Enchanted
• 2008 Bolt
• 2010 Tangled
• 2011 The Muppets
• 2012 Wreck it Ralph
• 2013  Frozen

Hope your Thanksgiving is a happy (and entertaining) one!

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog.

Disney Movie Rewards

by Gaylin

I joined Disney Movie Rewards (DMR) a few years ago. I have a few Disney movies (don't we all) and figured I would sign up to see what it was all about. There is a code inside every DVD/Blu-ray box, after you join the rewards program, you enter the codes into the right spot and the points add up.

If you don't buy a lot of movies, pay attention, DMR does run contests to get more points without buying a movie. I 'liked' DMR on Facebook and get notifications when they are running a contest, usually you copy and paste a code from DMR on Pinterest or answer questions in a quiz and you add 5 to 15 points a day to your total.

I usually use my points (5 per entry) to enter sweepstakes to win trips to Walt Disney World, really - what could be better than a trip to WDW, a FREE trip of course!!!

This spring I was looking through the rewards and found one I wanted, it 'cost' 600 points. I had exactly that, 600 points. I immediately claimed my reward, 600 points equals about $6.00. Also I was surprised that there was no shipping fee. Here it is, my amazing reward!

Yes, I got a Funko Pop bobble head of Loki! Just what any grown woman needs. The day after I ordered this, I looked on the DMR page again and it was gone. I guess I wasn't the only person who wanted this great toy if it sold out that fast.

As you can see from the back of the box, there is a whole series of these toys. I had to laugh when I first looked at the picture of bobble Thor, I thought he had a soother in his mouth . . . nope, that is his goatee!

Bobble Loki is a grand 3 3/4 inches tall and whatever kind of spring is in his head, once he starts to bobble, he takes a long time to stop. Sure, Loki is a bad guy but really this bobble is seriously cute.

His hair looks like a helmet from the back and the odd proportion of head to body is even more noticeable from behind.

It is always fun to get real mail, even more fun when it is a toy that didn't cost anything. Have you ever cashed in your reward points? What did you get?

Maleficent- Mostly Spoiler Free Review

by Nick

I liked Maleficent a lot. Really. Admittedly, going in, I wasn't sure I was going to. When I first saw the preview, I was excited. But the last couple of previews left me thinking it may not be as good as I'd first hoped. Then, there have been the reviews. I didn't read any, as I didn't want spoilers, but I did note that it had a score of 50 out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 141 reviews.
And the beginning made me actually think - "Uh oh."

But then, it got real.

It's not as epic as previews would have you believe. It's almost a human interest story, with magic thrown in. I really fell in love with some characters, while loathing others thoroughly.

Have you ever wondered what Maleficent's motivations were for putting a curse on an infant? In Sleeping Beauty it seems that she is angry for not being invited to the party. In Maleficent, we see why she's so angry. And she certainly has every right to be! She has always been, to me, the most visually interesting of the Disney Villains, and I loved how bad she could be. But my love of the character has reached new heights. She is now my favorite Disney Villain. Can I still call her that?

When we got home, we popped in the original Sleeping Beauty. Surely in the original, the fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who are renamed in the update for some reason, aren't as incompetent as they are portrayed in Maleficent? Yes, yes they are. Maleficent explains how Aurora managed to get to 16 at all, because I absolutely found myself questioning that while watching Sleeping Beauty!

This is complete and utter revisionist history, and I will never watch Sleeping Beauty the same way again, much as I will never view Mary Poppins the same after seeing Saving Mr. Banks. But I don't care! I prefer this much less black and white version of the Sleeping Beauty story, if I'm being 100% honest! And, might a story being told from 2 different perspectives be something completely different after all?

After the movie, I struggled a bit with how this would change my view of ALL of the characters from Sleeping Beauty going forward. Yes, I realize it's not reality, but at the Disney Parks, they kind of are real. Maleficent is in the Castle Show and in parades. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather can also be found on occasion, and of course Aurora is very easily visited. I will now look at them very differently indeed.

And if I ever see King Stefan...but I cannot go any further, as the title states, this is a mostly spoiler free review!

by Barbie

What can I say? Nick pretty much summed up how I felt about the movie, so I will talk about the visuals and the acting. The movie was beautifully shot, and the computer generated imagery was stunning.

Angelina Jolie's performance has made me completely rethink the character of Maleficent, and villains in general. Now I want to know the back-stories to ALL the Disney Villains!

The part of Aurora was beautifully played by all of the actresses that portrayed her through various stages of her life. The fairies were a comical delight, and I'm surprised that their parts weren't played in previews more.

All in all, I really enjoyed, nay, loved this movie, and look forward to seeing it again!

And that King Stefan...!

Disney's Planes - Movie Review

 
On Sunday afternoon, Nick and I decided to go see “Planes,” the newest Disney Pictures film produced by DisneyToon Studios.

Nick had been telling me that many reviewers and even our Disney friends had been panning the movie, and not to expect much. I went into the theater expecting the worst and left the theater wondering why people were bad-mouthing a movie that we enjoyed so much!

As much as we liked the movie, it was predictably formulaic, but I didn’t really care. I was there for the lovely graphics, music and endearing characters. The graphics were not as polished and detailed as a Pixar production, but the flying scenes were still very well done, and I am sure this movie was done at a fraction of the budget of a Pixar film.

There have been many comparisons of Planes to Cars. Well, yeah, there were cars and cute little fork lifts, and tractors in fields, and a race...but Cars was about an egotistical protagonist who learns humility with the help of newly made friends and a curmudgeonly elder mentor character, while Planes is about a humble protagonist who remains true to himself and his friends throughout the movie, and gathers new friendships along the way. He does get help from a curmudgeonly elder character as well. It’s the story of a true underdog who has to fight his way to the top, and he keeps his heart while doing it.
 
We really enjoyed this movie, and hope you do too!