BuzzSugar

Tron Legacy Marketing? Bring It!

GeekSugar — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:00:33 PDT

Everyone needs a little pick-me-up during the workday; mine are Lady Gaga videos and movie trailers for comic book and sci-fi flicks. On heavy rotation these days is the trailer for the highly anticipated sci-fi film, Tron Legacy. Being totally OK in my world of geekdom, I'll admit to you that just thinking about the movie gets me excited, really excited. While I was too young to watch the original film in the theaters, it became one of my favorites growing up. But as much as I love it, it's starting to look a little dated. Luckily, the clips for Tron Legacy portray a digital world like nothing I've ever seen before. In a word: awesome.

The marketing for the film has been super fun to experience, and often viral. Fans at last year's Comic-Con were treated to a blacklight scavenger hunt that led them to "Flynn's Arcade" and a real lightcycle, news articles from the faux Tron world are being released, and the Disney monorails were transformed into lightcycles. Besides all the fun viral video game hunting you can do, an animated movie poster for Tron Legacy was revealed in Germany recently. All I have to say is that this slick ad campaign is working. Hey Disney, continue to throw these little nuggets of Tron my way until the December release and I'm yours! Check out the sleek animated poster after the break.

Walt Disney Launches a Wallpaper Collection

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:00:00 PDT

From silent films and gloved mice to Arabian nights and amusement parks, the Walt Disney Company has covered a lot of bases. But never ever did I think the media conglomerate would get its feet wet in the world of wallpaper. I was wrong. York Wallcoverings and the lifestyle brand Walt Disney Signature have teamed up to debut an upscale wallpaper collection inspired by original artwork from the Disney archives of the 1940 classic Fantasia. The collection includes 12 prints with graphic and botanical motifs derived from specific scenes in the animated film, such as the dancing thistles and orchids, frost fairies, and milkweed ballerinas in "The Nutcracker Suite."

The verdict? I am really impressed. When wallpaper samples arrived at my desk and I saw the words "Disney" and "wallpaper," all I could think was, "Oh no." But the designs are sophisticated, modern, and hip! My two favorites are Allegro, a Moroccan-style fretwork pattern, and Shimmer, a grasscloth that's very subtly woven with metallic gold, but there are a few others I'd definitely use, too. The only downfall of the collection are two wallpapers, Pixie and Sparkle (at left), which have glass beading and sparkly sand on them; from a tactile perspective, they are cool, but the shimmer is just tacky.

See the other wallpapers in the collection when you read more.

View 12 Photos ›

What do you think? Would you like to use any of these in your home?

Daily Tech: Will You Be Catching the Google Wave?

GeekSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:01:59 PDT

On Sept. 30, Google will start sending out invites for Google Wave - Mashable
Harmonix will be adding seven more tracks to The Beatles: Rock Band - Joystiq
Walt Disney is starting to put some of their movies on microSD cards - Engadget
Fujifilm has just unveiled a new line-up of cameras - CrunchGear
10 ways in which the BlackBerry trumps the iPhone - Switched
Log in for a chance to win a new Amazon Kindle - geeksugar

Buzz News Roundup, 6/22

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:15:21 PDT

Just days away from the start of shooting, Columbia has pulled the plug on Moneyball, Steven Soderbergh's baseball drama starring Brad Pitt. - The Hollywood Reporter
Here's the track listing for the American Idol season eight album. - Entertainment Weekly
A 10-gallery museum devoted to the life of Walt Disney will open in San Francisco on Oct. 1. - AP
Simon Cowell has addressed the Susan Boyle situation and other controversies from this season of Britain's Got Talent. - Daily Mail
Nip/Tuck has filmed its 100th and final episode - though it may not air till 2011. - LA Times
Playing in Britain and Japan ahead of its worldwide release on Wednesday, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premiered at No. 1 on the international circuit during the weekend, with a total of almost $20 million. - Reuters
True Blood tops a new index of shows that fans love to talk about online. - The Hollywood Reporter
British singer Estelle will replace Lauryn Hill as the headline act at this year's Stockholm Jazz Festival. - AP

Source and WireImage

Up: Another Major Pixar Success

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:30:46 PDT

From the press notes handed out at my screening of Up, I learned that Walt Disney believed that for every laugh there should be a tear, a sort of Newton's third law of entertainment. If he were around to see this movie, which upholds that "law" to a T, I have a feeling Mr. Disney's head would swell with pride - and perhaps take him up into the air like one of the many colorful balloons in the movie. See? Up is so fanciful and fun that it has set my own imagination in motion, which will, presumably, remain in motion . . . OK, OK, enough with Newton's laws - back to my thoughts on Pixar's latest accomplishment.

"Accomplishment" is the word to use when referring to Up, as you can pretty much go down a checklist of the many things this movie gets right. Colorful and imaginative enough to keep kids' attention? Check. Genuinely interesting enough for adults? Check. Humor, sadness, action and tenderness - all rolled up together? Check. Astounding, vibrant visuals? Check. What's not to love about Up? Honestly, not much. To find out what else I did love about it,

read more. The story follows a little old widower named Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) who is determined to keep the house in which he lived with his beloved late wife Ellie while his neighborhood is being reconstructed on all sides of him. He attaches hundreds of balloons to his house and flies away, hoping to find his way to Paradise Falls, a remote South American locale where he and Ellie always dreamed of going and finding adventure. But while he's in the sky, Carl discovers that a persistently "helpful" young boy, Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), took off on the house along with him. Together they reach South America where they encounter some non-human friends: A dog named Dug with a collar that communicates his thoughts and a colorful, affectionate bird that Russell names Kevin. But there's a problem: Dug's owner is trying to hunt down Kevin and Russell immediately takes on the challenge of protecting the bird. So, despite Carl's desire to have a peaceful life by himself at Paradise Falls, he finds himself surrounded by - and suddenly responsible for - a trio of clumsy but well-meaning friends. To us adults, at times the movie seems downright trippy - but that's the thing about imagination, isn't it? Strange, funny things like an elderly man dragging his house through the air above him strike us as the stuff of drug-induced dreams, but it's actually a scenario that a child might just paint in her head any day of the week. Movies like Up, when done as well as Up is done, take us right back to that childlike place of wandering thoughts and carefree creativity and it is so much fun to be there again. And at the same time, there's an adult-like realism in this animated movie as well. There's death and great sadness and even a little blood. It's rated PG - not G - and some moments were clearly too scary for some of the more wee viewers at my screening. There are slow-moving, tender moments, too, that probably resonate more with those in the audience who have a bit more life experience. All told, I have tremendous respect for what the makers of this movie have done in creating something so whimsical, so exciting to watch, and so cute but something that also beats with a real heart, with all its vulnerability and love. As Mr. Disney prescribed, Up pulls you through practically every emotion available - but happily, it leaves you in sweet (if a little tearful) contentment.

Images courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Do You Go to the Opera?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:30:27 PDT

According to Variety, composer Philip Glass is creating an opera about Walt Disney. The story "imagines the last months of Disney as seen through the eyes of a fictional Austrian cartoonist who worked for him."

I seriously cannot wait to see what the heck this opera looks like.

What do you think of the opera in general? Do you ever go? Or are you not an opera person?

Source

Which Pre-Pixar Animated Disney Movie Is Your Favorite?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:32:56 PDT

Cinematical has some tidbits from today's Disney/Pixar Animation Presentation in New York City, including news about upcoming Disney movies. One of the projects on the list is a CGI version of Rapunzel, which is apparently "the first classic Disney story being done in CGI."

This got me thinking protective thoughts about my personal favorites in the old-school Disney collection (read: before the Pixar collaboration). If I heard news of an "updated" CGI version of Lady and the Tramp, I would probably burst into tears.

What's your favorite pre-Pixar animated Disney movie? I know there are many more titles than just these, but I decided to stop the options with The Lion King (1994) before the Disney-Pixar projects started up, like Toy Story (1995).

The Muppets' Music Man Bret McKenzie on His Oscar Nod and Taking a Silly Job Seriously

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:50:41 PST

Bret McKenzie is up for an exceedingly rare honor this year, with his ballad "Man or Muppet" earning one of just two nominations in the Oscars' best song category. I caught up with The Muppets' musical supervisor today at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to chat about the awards attention and the unique experience of penning music for Kermit and company. The New Zealand native talked about fighting the temptation to use the word "motherfrogger" in his songwriting and the roundabout way he came on board The Muppets project in the first place. Bret - who previously was best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords - also shared his hopes of bringing FOC to the big screen. Check out our conversation below:

PopSugar: It's got to be an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but also in a year when the Academy only bothered to nominate two songs.
Bret McKenzie: They barely nominated anyone! When I found out, it sounded like there'd been a mistake, and yeah, it's a huge honor. It's great and it's really exciting, and I'm not complaining that there's only two nominees the year I'm nominated. I mean, this is the best chance I'll have of winning an Oscar, ever. It couldn't have been better, unless there was just one nomination, and then it would be a very dull ceremony . . . There's a lot of legendary musicians - tunesmiths - in that list of possible nominations. So it's all very surreal to think that I got in ahead of Elton John.

PS: And Madonna. Those two had a little rivalry going on.
BM: I know. I got nervous about what Elton John's husband was going to say about me. It's crazy, and it's great for The Muppets film, because we're all really proud of the film and it wasn't ever really going to get a best actor. Hey, Jason's good, that's not what I mean, but Kermit, Miss Piggy - they can't win these awards - and comedies don't generally get recognized at these awards ceremonies, so it's kind of cool. It's almost like the film as a whole is being recognized with this category.

For more from our chat with Bret, including what he says about his plans for a Flight of the Conchords film, coaching Jason Segel, and the pressure he felt on the project, just

read more! PS: What was the biggest unexpected challenge for you writing music for the film? I know you talked about one draft of a song where you referred to a Muppet as a piece of felt and were told you couldn't do that. BM: Yeah. Little piece of felt, and you couldn't say things like motherfrogger, even though it's very tempting. There were lots of hard parts to it. The Muppets can't sing certain notes. They can't sing too high or the voice changes and doesn't sound like the right character. There were so many weird things. I spent hours recording penguins and rats, and what's weird is that it's such a silly job, but you have to take it very seriously. So I would be in the studio for days, maybe a whole day recording penguins, and then I'm like, "I'm not happy with how the penguins are sounding! Where's penguin four?" You know, getting demanding. "We lost penguin track four! I can't hear the penguin!" PS: I was watching the movie again last night and watching Jason Segel's performance of "Man or Muppet." Did you coach him on any of his rockstar moves? Because he pretty much nailed it. BM: He nailed it. That's my favorite moment in the film. When he buckles down in the rain, that was one of my favorite shots. I was so proud of what James [Bobin, the director] and those guys achieved, because I wasn't there on set, I just saw them syncing the video, and I was like, "Wow, guys. You nailed it." What we did do in the studio, as Jason and I had a technique where I would sing a line, and he'd watch me through the window, and then he'd sing it back. So we did this thing where, I was really into the drama of it. So, I was like, "Am I a Muppppettt?" [balling his hands into fists] And he'd be like, OK, record. "Am I a Muppppettt!" So we kind of worked together to get that style. PS: Did it shatter some of your childhood illusions to have the guy that does Miss Piggy's voice come work with you [in the recording studio]? BM: Yeah. Well, it wasn't Frank Oz. The guy Eric, who does it now, yeah. That was strange. And the day that we recorded Kermit the Frog doing "Rainbow Connection" - I was sort of pinching myself, because that was probably one of the real moments for me where I realized that my world had really changed. That I'd come from New Zealand, I'd grown up with Kermit the Frog, and now I was in Hollywood in a studio recording Kermit the Frog. It felt like worlds had collided. PS: Was there pressure knowing there was already this great catalog of Muppet songs? To try to add to that or top it in some way? BM: I knew I wouldn't top "Rainbow Connection," but I was very intimidated, but the way I worked on the job was it actually started with me just writing one song, so I didn't feel the pressure of writing the whole movie. I think it would have been different if I'd been hired from the outset to do all the music. So I wrote one, then another, and gradually wrote more and more, so that helped. PS: What song did you write first? BM: The opening song. That's the one they needed, that's the one James asked me to write first. The script was probably on a second draft, and they were in preproduction, so I came in quite late. And the way they were doing it was, they got 100s of demos submitted from all sorts of songwriters, and surprisingly - even though they got some really great people to do demos - people weren't quite hitting the right tone. The Muppet tone. I'd just come off the Conchords tour and I had some time, and James asked if I was interested in doing that opening song, because he had a kind of specific thing he needed from that song. He needed it to be really Muppet-y, that song, and he had a great idea for the whole town joining in, it starting off small and becoming a big musical number, and that came together really well. PS: Is this experience maybe something you want to bring to a Flight of the Conchords movie? BM: Yeah, exactly. Having done this movie now, we're in a much better place to do a Conchords film, because James is more experienced - well, we're all more experienced. Not specifically, but James Bobin - well, we're all very keen to do another studio musical, because I really enjoyed being able to do comedy musical numbers on such a grand scale, and I think next time, I really think it will just get better and better. Because it's such a fun genre, and we've done like 50 songs for TV now, and now The Muppets movie, and I feel like we've accidentally sort of become musical comedy experts. PS: What do you imagine Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords are up to these days, in their universe? BM: In the Lower East Side? That's a good question. I reckon they probably got a regular gig now. Like, at a Chinese restaurant. Photo courtesy Disney

Avatar to Come to Life at Disney Theme Parks

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:21:03 PDT

Disney seems to be the biggest Avatar fan of all, as it recently announced plans to bring the mythical land of Pandora to life at Disney theme parks around the globe.

According to the film's director, James Cameron, two new upcoming Avatar films will help to develop Pandora in theme park form in greater detail. "Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality." The first Avatar-themed land will open at Animal Kingdom, part of Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, though construction isn't slated to start until 2013. Additional Avatar land theme park locations are still under consideration.

Will you plan a trip to see the future Avatar land?

At the Box Office: The Biggest Blockbusters of 2011

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:30:00 PST

We've already talked about how 2011 was the year of the superhero and the sequel, so it's no surprise that both genres dominate the list of the top-grossing films of the year. But what else made the top 10 biggest blockbusters in the US? Count down with us to the biggest movie of the year.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney Studios