Disney Is Doing Big BIG Stuff

Earlier today during an Earnings call Disney CEO Bob Iger dropped a bombshell of Star Wars news on all us nerds. Disney is developing a live action Star Wars TV show that will air on the soonish to be launched, as yet untitled, Disney Streaming Service. He didn't stop their, they made it official that the Marvel Deal with Netflix would end in like a year or something AND that they were working on a brand new trilogy or Star Wars movies. This new trilogy will introduce new characters set in a part of the Star Wars Universe we've never seen.

Big stuff right?

I'm sure the speculation will run rampant over what the TV show and the new Trilogy will be about. Like a decade ago when Lucas was still in charge of his own universe he had supposedly written 50 episodes of a Star Wars show that at the time was just too expensive to shoot. I'm sure this new show won't be related to that at all, but its a fun fact for everyone. I'm hoping the TV show follows some smugglers or better yet some bounty hunters. I'm kind of hoping the movie takes place during the Knights of the Old Republic era. I know in this day and age prequels are all tired and junk but how cool would that be to visit a time and place where Sith were everywhere, not just one or two crusty old dudes hiding in shadows.

As far as the Marvel stuff goes, I don't even know if that was new news. Netflix bought out Mark Millar's Millarworld brand of comics specifically so they could get some sweet superhero content they actually own. It's all about owning that content these days. I know everyone creamed their jeans the other day when it was rumored that Disney would be buying Fox's film side because we could finally get the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. BUT there's more to Fox than just terribly run Marvel movies. Owning all of Fox's films would be a HUGE get for them when it comes to launching their streaming service. Disney has a lot of content for kids and families to offer but not as much adult fare as other movie studios. Sure Fox is a pretty terrible studio but they've had big, well respected hits recently like the Martian, Life of Pi, or the Taken franchise.

It sounds like the deal was put on the backburner but there's zero chance Disney doesn't try to keep adding to its library in anticipation of their new service. I could write a whole other blog post about how it's actual quite bad that Disney is growing like this but I don't want them to blacklist me from seeing the next The Last Jedi.

The DuckTales Main Title Sequence

Cartoons are really the only TV Shows that have cool title sequences anymore aren't they? Sitcoms now have cold opens and usually like 5 seconds of a jingle and that's about it. I'm not even sure what Dramas do. I watch a bunch but I can't even remember if say, The Expanse even has a title sequence.

Anyhoo, I like this new version of the classic DuckTales theme and I really like the new art style. If there's some way I can get over the new celebrity voice cast I might actually be able to enjoy this show.

Super Bowl Movie Trailers, all of them

Ok, so this probably isn't all the movie trailers you'll see during the Superb Owl but it's a few of them. The big two holdouts right now are expected new Spider-Man: Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy II trailers. It's probably a pretty significant sign as to how confident the studio is in their movies as to whether or not they feel like they need to leak their big trailers early.

There's also a chance we'll see new trailers for Wonder Woman and Thor: Ragnarok and a big big big maybe that we'll see something for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. All three of those movies have been shot and are to be released later this year. None of them probably need the hype machine started this early (with the exception of Wonder Woman, there are a lot of bad rumors surrounding that one) but hey a guy can dream, can't he?

Oh yeah, I can't believe they still make live action Transformers movies. Who watches these? Kids?

Moana- You're Welcome

I haven't had the chance to see Moana yet but holy carp, this song "You're Welcome" by Dwayne THE ROCK Johnson is fantastic. I pretty much love everything about it. Maui's moving tattoos are really cool, whatever animator thought of that deserves a huge raise, or at least a peak at the frozen body of Walt Disney everyone knows they're hiding underneath Disney Land.

Disney Rolls Out The Red Carpet For Little Kylo

Apparently if you go to Disneyland dressed as Kylo Ren the First Order Stormtroopers really pull out all the stops for you. I have got to get down there. I don't care if it's like $200 a day now. Think of all the hits you youtube!

Sad Links

Breaking: All the Marvel Now (2106) leaks and no more X-men? A few years ago Marvel discovered they could sell more comics by constantly shuffling their line-up and rebooting everything once every two years. Personally I don't see it as a very sound long term strategy but I understand why they do it. Are you more likely to pick up issue #248 of Iron Man off the shelf or #1 of The Invincible Iron Man, or International Iron Man or whatever it is they're calling the main Iron Man book these days.

I think what's really taken people off guard here is that Marvel had its solicitations for October leaked and there's zero X-Men titles on it. Mutants haven't gone away completely (Deadpool still gets two books) but there's nothing here with X-Men on the cover. Considering how popular the X-Men were when I grew up that seems amazing. I don't get what Disney and Marvel are really trying to accomplish here? Do they think Fox is quaking in their boots because Marvel won't publish an X-Men book? Fox barely even knows comics exist. All the execs at Fox probably think that they publish the X-Men book because they own the movie rights. This is the weakest strong arm technique I've ever seen.

A Cosplayer Is Running For Political Office. This is kind of interesting I guess. Cara Nicole Trujillo, a cosplayer from Arizona, is officially running for the Arizona Legislature as a Green Party candidate. Personally I have zero problem voting for a cosplayer but even though she's running as a Green Party candidate she says she's "pro limited government". I think I'm old enough that I understand what that means. Tax cuts for the rich, like Tony Stark.

A Gallery of Retro Video Game Ads. Well there's an ad you couldn't get away with these days. Some of the ads in this gallery are really something. I guess back in the 90s and early 2000's, it was too much to expect for video game companies to hire actual qualified advertising agencies to give them a hand.

Canadians Are Creating Their Own ‘Sad Pokemon Go’ Since They’ve Been Left Out Of The Fun.Since Pokemon Go isn't available on Windows Phone I'm going to do the same thing. I'm just going to wander around outside with a stuffed Jigglypuff, throwing tennis balls at things.

Tweetbot Links

12 of the Saddest Locations and Encounters in Skyrim. Ok, I'm seriously impressed. When I played Skyrim I didn't catch any of these. Sure I've been to some of the locations but I never looked around long enough to figure out the stories behind them. Kind of makes me wonder what else I might have missed or what I might have missed in Fallout 3? I'll bet there was tons of stuff I just blew right by. Oh well, I guess that's what internet lists are for.

The Battle of 2017 Could Be Disney v Comic-Con. This is an interesting story to geeks like me. Basically Disney has scheduled their big D23 convention to happen right around the same week as San Diego Comic-Con (the big Comic-Con). Last year Marvel studios barely sent anyone to SDCC, are they going to snub the biggest comic book convention two years in a row? Probably. If Disney is anything it's insular. Why make a big splash at someone else's convention when you can have your own? Is this some sort of trend? Has SDCC's bubble burt? Who knows?

I pay some attention to the convention scene, mostly just for the blog but it's not something I follow with a passion. I will say that there have been a lot of think pieces about just how big comic book/pop culture conventions have grown all across the country. I can't tell you if that growth is unsustainable or not, but I can say I would mind if ECCC tickets got a bit cheaper.

Shocking: Microsoft's AI Tweetbot Learns How To Be A Racist, Sexist Monster In Less Than 24 Hours. I feel like this is less of an indictment against Microsoft and more of an indictment against twitter and how awful the internet is in general.

The Nintendo NX Is Rumored To Be The Most Powerful Console On The Market. Well here's one for you. Everyone already knows the new Nintendo is right around the corner. Nintendo announced just the other day they were going to stop manufacturing the WiiU later this year and it's not like they're not going to make consoles anymore. In theory they might be in the Sega Genesis sweet spot. The Genesis came out almost a full two years before the SNES and was able to pick up a lot of steam with hardware far superior to the 8-bit NES. In theory the Xbone and PS4 have a lot of life left in them, with no direct replacements in sight. If Nintendo can hit the market later this year with a console that's more powerful (maybe even 4K?) can they match the success of the original Wii?

Man just when you thought the console wars were more or less over, here we go again.

Worst Van Links

These Are Our All-Time Favorite Sports Tweets. Wow that's a sick burn on Russel Wilson. I've been telling anyone that will listen for the last couple years, there's something about him I just don't trust. No one's that clean but I digress. These favorite tweets from Deadspin aren't just a bunch of anonymous insults to athletes there are some tweets from real athletes too! I know a fair share of people who think Twitter is incredibly stupid, but I think if you use it correctly it can be a real hoot too.

Men In Taiwan Are Going Crazy Over A McDonald’s Waitress They’re Calling A Goddess. I don't know, Goddess seems a bit much. Honestly she's got nothing on your average k-pop girl. Anyway, HAVE YOU SEEN THE UNIFORMS THEY WERE AT MCDONALDS IN TAIWAN?

Here Are Some Of The Worst Van Names Ever. This list was WAY too short but the ones they have are pretty high-larious. I had a friend growing up whose mom drove a full sized van. It was one of those super lux ones too, with windowshades, captain's chairs and a TV. If they didn't get awful gas millage and I could fit one in my garage I'd definitely consider a full sized van. Like a mini-van pretty is just a signal you've completely given up but a full sized van is like a waving around a big flag that you haven't given up but you just don't give a shit.

Disney is building a massive Star Wars world at Disneyland. I know, I know, I'm super behind on this one. Last weekend Disney had this big D23 event and they made all kinds of cool announcements. Finding Dory, Incredibles II, Marvel superhero rides in one of their parks in Europe because they don't have the rights to any of the Marvel characters in the States... Argueably the biggest one was the planned Star Wars additions to Disneyland and Disneyworld. Already Star Wars week at Disneyland is a huge event, the idea of a large portion of the park dedicated to Star Wars is really cool AND just so happens to coincide when Aryn and I were thinking of taking the kids to their first trip to Disneyland. Looks like everything is coming up Milhouse.

Controversy Links

Batgirl Variant Cover. If you follow me on twitter you know there's been this crazy hub-bub surrounding a Batgirl cover. I've read a lot of articles on the net about the cover but this one probably encapsulates the sound and the fury better than any of them. I've never read anything this guy has written before but he's so spot on it's crazy.

Atari devs dissect Yars’ Revenge, Adventure, Atari’s woes. Great article by ArsTechnica on the guy that developed Adventure. Even though I never understood that game when I was playing it as a 6 year old it's still worth a read.

Disney's Making A Brand New DuckTales Cartoon! This is old but the other article but who cares? HOORAY! Ducktales is one of the few cartoons from the 80s that still holds up really really well. I've watched a ton of it with my son. I'm glad they're doing a reboot, now I just have to hope DisneyXD gets moved over to the el-cheapo package on Dish. Come on Disney, flex some muscle.

Booth Babes And Sexy Cosplayers Are In Danger Of Being Completely Banned From Events. On second thought I'm going to go ahead and not put up a link to this article because it's complete horseshit from one of those gamergate douche-rockets. However, I've seen this damn thing pop up three times in my facebook feed so I thought I'd rant about it here anyway.

The basic conceit of the article is that PAX banning "booth babes" is the first step in banning cosplayers AND has an endgame of banning all forms of sexuality in everything. There's all kinds of handwringing over how attractive women are being oppressed and punished by fat chicks that can't handle all the sexy. It's so ridiculous I can't believe anyone would read it and take it seriously. BUT THEY HAVE.

On the Emerald City Comic Con facebook page there was this whole debate about it, never mind that ECCC banned booth babes YEARS ago and they do just fine cosplay-wise. Seriously, any convention that bans cosplayers might as well just pack up it's shit and head home.

Submarine Links

The Best Hidden Features of VLC. VLC is great, I've been using it for a while to play ripped DVDs and Blu Rays that I may or may not be acquiring through illicit means. I had no idea it had so many other uses. Like did you know you can use it to save youtube clips? Or stream out of area MLS matches in HD? Seriously I saved myself a ton of cash by using VLC to watch the Sounders in the playoffs this year.

Which I wouldn't have had to do if the MLS hadn't signed such a terrible TV deal with NBC sports.. jeez they are the worst.

11 Wonderful Former Disney Rides. I can't believe the Submarine voyage is gone. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was 12 but I can't believe Submarine Voyage isn't there anymore! That's one of like 4 rides I vividly remember. Next thing you'll tell me is that the Swiss Family Robinson house isn't there anymore.. NOOOOOO!! I don't want to hear it!

25 Movies Every Man Should See. This list is a little too "Maxim's definition of manly" for me, but there's no denying that there are a lot of great movies on it. Rio Bravo in particular is a fantastic movie that a lot of doofus kids probably wouldn't watch because it's too slow or John Wayne is too fat. Stupid kids, get off my lawn.

Stand By Me - Then and Now. Speaking of slow movies that kids these days probably wouldn't appreciate. This Then and Now photo gallery of locations from Stand by Me is really interesting. It's kind of depressing to see a few of the run down locations look even more run down after 25 years. Seriously Brownsville, get your act together.

Are These Provocative Ads For Coca-Cola’s New Milk Product Sexist? First off the very idea that Coca-Cola is getting into the milk business is kind of gross. I can't wait until clear milk, or new milk and then the return to milk classic. Also once one person says these adds look like some kind of porno all you're going to see is semen. Semen everywhere....

New Big Hero 6 Trailer

This new trailer for Disney/Marvel's Big Hero 6 came out last week but I finally got around to watching it last night. It still looks really good and I'm still excited to take my son to this one.

Interesting fact here, Big Hero 6 is the first Disney movie based off a Marvel comic book. You would think that with the success of the Avengers and all the other Marvel films Disney would be quicker to acknowledge that. However it's just the opposite. Disney is doing everything it can to brand this a Disney film. If the rumor mill is to be believed there was even some contention between Disney and Marvel in that Disney will be producing the comic book tie in, not Marvel (gasp!). Seems weird. I think when Disney bought Marvel one thing everyone was excited for was Disney or maybe even Pixar produced movies of Marvel properties. Doesn't look like that's in the cards, at least not for the bigger name properties like Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four.

I'll keep crossing my fingers for a Pixar produced Runaways.

The DuckTales Theme Song With Real Ducks

I'm not sure there's really anything I can say about this video that's going to enhance your enjoyment of it. Instead I'll take this time to write about how awesome of a cartoon DuckTales was. I'm one of those adults that still WAY to hung up on their childhood so you better believe I'm sharing everything I liked as a kid with my kids. I knew I had hit rock bottom the other day when I made him watch Ewok Adventure: The Caravan of Courage. DuckTales is pretty much the only cartoon from the 80s that doesn't look like it was made in a sweatshop for 20 bucks an episode AND is written well enough that you can still enjoy it today. Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends? Totally racist. Transformers? Looks like shit. GI Joe written by 10 year olds. M.A.S.K.? And you thought Transformers looks like shit..

DuckTales on the other hand is still smart, entertaining and wouldn't look out of place on the Cartoon Network right now. DuckTales for the win!

Blu Links

Report: Disney Is Releasing The Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Cuts On Blu-Ray. In the LEAST surprising news ever, Disney and Lucas found a way to squeeze even more money from the stone that is their fanbase. It's nice to know that Disney is really keeping with the traditions Lucas has founded. I mentioned this on reddit the other day but do you realize how ridiculous it was that in 2000 the Phantom Menace was released on VHS well before it was released on DVD. Sure, the DVD format wasn't as ubiquitous back then as it is now but there was no reason to wait soo long on a DVD release other than fleecing stupid nerds who would buy the movie in both formats (like me).

Rumor has it that this is just a big old Rumor because Disney would need to strike an agreement with Fox to release the original movies but there's no way this doesn't happen. I think it's safe to say you can pencil it in for a release date the Christmas before Episode VII hits theaters.

The 21 Stupidest Things Ever Said by Powerful People. There is nothing more I love than when people who know nothing about tech/the internet talk about tech/the internet like they know what they're talking about. Oh man, I could read quotes like this one from well noted windbag Rush Limbaugh all day long.

Washington rules: why Washington State is better than your state. This is a pretty fantastic article however, my trip to Astoria a couple weeks ago really opened my eyes on Oregon. That place is pretty fantastic. If the Salt Water taffy industry wasn't so hard to crack into I could see relocating down there.

A Guide to All the Gratuitous Product Placement in Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” Video. Man there was so much ass shaking in this video I missed all the gratuitous product placement. Come to think of it, that's pretty poor product placement. I mean if there's ass shaking next to a pair of new Jordan's I'm pretty sure everyone's eye is going to be drawn to the ass, not the fresh kicks. Nice try Minaj, maybe next time.

Big Hero 6 gets a Big Hero Trailer

Big Hero 6 is the first made for the big screen animated collaboration between Disney and Marvel Studios. The interesting thing is that the movie looks nothing like the comic book it's supposedly based on. Not that the comic was that memorable or anything, It was basically a team book that united some of Marvel's Asian superheroes/villains. It ran for like 4 issues or something. I guess the movie is based on one of the members of the team 13 year old Hiro Takachiho, who's claim to fame is a big robot he built himself.

It looks cute enough. I'll definitely go see it with my son. Still it's a bit disappointing that with all the Marvel characters Disney now has at their disposal they picked Big Hero 6. I mean Runaways is sitting right there... completely unused. Someone get on that.

6 Cartoons I'd like to see on Netflix Streaming

Animaniacs

They're tiny they're tooney they're just a little looney... Animaniacs is a cartoon that when it aired was really hit and miss with me, however when they hit they hit big. I'm surprised it's not already available streaming, considering when it aired and how beloved it was, it seems like this one would be a no brainer to appeal to both gen-xers and millenials.

Eek the Cat

Eek the Cat was produced by Savage Steve Holland, the same guy that wrote and directed One Crazy Summer and Better off Dead. That's really all you need to know about it. That and it's the only kids cartoon I've ever seen to do a Pulp Fiction parody.

Robotech

I know very little about Robotech. I know it was an imported version of the Japanese cartoon Macross but I don't think I've seen more than 2 episodes. It was run in syndication in the 80s but I'm not sure it ever aired in the area that I lived in, or if I did I'm sure it was on a channel I didn't get. In the late 80s early 90s I caught a couple episodes on VHS but other than a motorcycle that turned into a suit of armor I can't remember a thing about it.

There are people my age that go NUTS for Robotech, one of these days I'd like to see what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately I believe the distribution rights for the US have been in dispute for years with no sign of hope.

Talespin

This would be Ducktales if I didn't already have the first couple seasons on DVD. In fact let's consider this listing a catch all for the Gummi Bears, Ducktales, Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck. That whole Disney afternoon block was full of good quality cartoons. Hopefully with Disney's new deal with Netflix a couple of these will pop up soon.

Teen Titans

One day while wearing my Space Ghost t-shirt I had a conversation with a girl, who was at least 10 years younger than I was, that they just don't make cartoons like they used to. I loled a bit on the inside because her frame of reference for old school cartoons included cartoons that I didn't think were that old, including the Teen Titans.

The new Titans cartoon, Teen Titans Go, is a good cartoon in it's own right but it's light on action and high on comedy. It would be nice to watch the classic cartoon every once in a while to switch things up.

Star Blazers

Oh Star Blazers let me count the ways that I love you. Star Blazers was another Japanese import that ran in syndication in the states in the late 70s to early 80s. There are few people that remember the show that don't have fond memories of it. Back in the mid 90s I caught the entire first season on VHS so I have a decent memory of how the story goes, still it would be nice to rewatch it. It would be even nicer to watch it alongside the new Anime Space Ship Yamato 2199.

Star Blazers has been on Netflix streaming before.. sort of. Netflix had the "movies", the first of which was just a compilation of episodes from the Iscandar story arc. They're not bad they're just not that good. Most people when they think of Star Blazers think of the Iscandar story arc, anything less than the full 26 episode season is a big let down.

damnit Disney, this isn't what I want

Star Wars: Attack Squadron is a new free to play (ie crap) PC game that's supposed to make you forget that Lucasarts isn't a thing anymore and Disney is just licensing out Star Wars IP to any old publisher that will pay them with cash up front. Wait did I said "supposed to make you forget"? I mean "is an immediate reminder".

Why can't we just get a new X-Wing vs Tie fighter game? Is that really too much to ask?

Guardians of the Galaxy Teaser

Here's the bootleg footage of the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer that was shown at New York Comic Con this last weekend. Enjoy it before Big Disney pulls it down.

Disney Infinity = A Poor Kevin

Here's the big E3 trailer for Disney's latest scheme to fleece parents, Disney Infinity! I'll be honest, it looks pretty good. I know my son likes it because he watched it seven (SEVEN!) times last night. By the seventh time he was saying all the toys lines with them.

Like I said, it looks like a pretty cool game, right? Well it's not just a game it's a whole freaking toy system. I don't know if you're familiar with Skylanders but if you are you know they're a license to print money. They're basically toys that you buy that unlock/interact with more levels for the Skylanders video game. Meaning you buy the game then to keep playing you have to keep buying toys. It's such a great scam I'm surprised EA didn't think of it first. Well this Disney Infinity game is going to be just like that. You buy a starter kit for $79.99 and it comes with a couple toys and then to keep unlocking levels and characters you have to keep buying more toys.

When I have to declare bankruptcy Michael Scott style, you'll now know why.

A Brief History of the Pirates of the Caribbean

I'm not sure what this is from (maybe a Blu-Ray extra?) but this 7 minute documentary on the making of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is pretty interesting. What can I say, I'm a sucker for Pirates and the cutting edge technology of 1965.

Star Wars VII: Return of the Empire

Here's a cute little Star Wars fan-film I was going to post this weekend but never got around to doing. It's not that funny but they did a pretty nice job editing the new footage with the original movie stuff. I mean it's not the original movie stuff, it's clearly the Blu-Ray edition.EVERYTHING I SAID WAS WRONG! It's all original footage, which I would have noticed if I hadn't watched it on my phone and makes me feel like a terrible nerd. I'll freely admit, I have watched the special editions once and the Blu-Ray's zero times. I have the unedited versions on DVD and those are pretty much the only versions I will watch, so somehow I missed that all of this was fan made. Which makes it a lot better than I had given it credit for.

All hail anonymous commenter for correcting me!

I imagine in the lead up to Episode VII we'll see a lot more of these. Hell, you can probably do better special effects on an iPhone than they had in the original trilogy. It's actually kind of amazing to me that there aren't more independent sci-fi movies these day. Or maybe there are, what am I some kinda guy with time to watch movies? I just got around to watching John Carter yesterday and that's only because I was stuck at home for a couple hours waiting for a guy to come over and fix my gutters.

BTW, John Carter was rad. I can't believe Disney couldn't figure out a way to make money off it.