We were treated to the annual Disney showcase last week where we had the opportunity to get a glimpse of some behind the scenes actions of some upcoming movies and some snippets of others. It would be a complete understatement to say that it was a highly anticipated event that did not disappoint. Disney fan girls get excited – there is some awesome stuff on the way. A few interesting statistics were also shared, like the fact that a recent survey in South Africa revealed that Mickey Mouse is still the most popular Disney character among local kids.
The easiest way to approach this mammoth task is to categorise it, so here goes…
The theatrical movie releases that we can still look forward to this year are:
Guardians of the Galaxy: 1 August (this coming Friday!)
Planes Fire & Rescue: 26 September
Big Her0 6: 26 December
This is the line-up for next year:
Into the Woods: 2 January 2015
Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast: 9 January 2015
Cinderella: 3 April 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron: 1 May 2015
Tomorrowland: 22 May 2015
Inside Out: 19 June 2015
Ant-Man: 31 July 2015
The Jungle Book: 9 October 2015
Star Wars Episode VII: 18 December 2015
The game, Disney Infinity 2.0 has a few new play sets and characters to announce with this version:
Avengers, Spider-Man, Venom, Maleficent, Merida, Stitch, Tinkerbell and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Three new shows are on their way to Disney Channel (DsTV channel 303)
Zapped: Zoey Stevens is having a hard time adjusting to her new life once her mom remarries. Now she has to live with three messy and rambunctious step-brothers, a loud step-dad and an unruly dog.
Girl Meets World: Riley Matthews, daughter of Boy Meets World characters Corey and Topanga, will embark on her own story of adolescent self-discovery. The setting has changed to New York City, and Corey is a faculty member at school where he can keep a watchful eye on his daughter.
Descendants: The teenaged kids of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Cruella de Vil attending prep school alongside the teenage progeny of iconic Disney heroes. This might be just the opportunity their parents were waiting for to hatch a new evil plan.
Two news shows are being prepared for Disney Junior (DsTV channel 309)
Lucky Duck: the first Disney Junior Original Movie, Lucky Duck, follows a plucky rubber ducky named Lucky who, after accidentally being tossed off a cargo ship, sets off in search of the perfect home.
The Lion Guard: Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala from The Lion King, assumes the role of leader of the Lion Guard, a group of the bravest and brightest tasked with preserving the Pride Lands.
Disney XD (DsTV channel 304)
Phineas and Ferb Star Wars: Phineas and Ferb are living just one moisture farm over from Luke Skywalker on the planet of Tatooine when R2-D2 and the Death Star plans inadvertently fall into their speeder. With the fate of the galaxy thrust upon their shoulders, they hire pilot Isabella, Han Solo’s rival, to help them return the plans to the Rebel Alliance. Complicating matters, low-ranking Stormtrooper Candace is intent on busting the Rebels and chases them across the galaxy in hopes of retrieving the Death Star plans.
Star Wars Rebels: In the epic tradition of the Star Wars saga comes Star Wars Rebels, with all-new action-packed adventures. It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire rules with an iron fist. Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, but a small group dares to defy them: the clever and motley crew of the starship Ghost. Star Wars Rebels follows their antics and adventures, as this scrappy group of heroes uses unique skills and natural talents to battle the Empire and help the citizens of their world.
Avengers Assemble: The animated series based on the characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye that have been popularised by the recent string of movies. Falcon is the latest superhero to pledge allegiance to the Avengers.
The 7D: Set in the contemporary and whimsical world of Jollywood, The 7D story finds the 7D – Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc – hard at work helping the quirky Queen Delightful keep her kingdom in order.
So that is the full roundup of what we were shown and told at the showcase. There’s a lot to look forward to, even though no one mentioned anything, I’m holding out a lot of hope that we’ll see the Frozen characters at 2015 Disney on Ice. It’s the perfect platform, after all. (Ok, the truth is, I just wanted to put a picture of Frozen here)
But wait, there’s one more thing! The Disney team was kind enough to let me take home an extra goodie bag for a Tech Girl reader. All you have to do is… leave a comment to tell us which upcoming Disney experience has you most excited. The runner up will receive two DVDs – Iron Man 3 & Monsters University (so two prizes to give away!). I’m having a hard time deciding between Big 6 and Inside Out.
