Avatar coming to Disney World in 2017

James Cameron's 2009 feature Avatar has inspired a new land at Walt Disney World in Florida. The new "Avatar Land" is planned to open at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2017. The land will offer new rides, entertainment, nighttime shows, shopping, dining, and presumably the chance to meet the Na'vi, the inhabitants on the planet Pandora. The announcement was made at the Tokyo D23 Expo this past weekend and comes as James Cameron is prepping work for the first Avatar sequel scheduled for release in 2016. There will be a total of three sequels. It is also expected that the land will focus on the first and second sequel and not just the original 2009 film.

Cameron and Disney Imagineers unveiled some concept art along with an explanation of the new land.

This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. First off, I didn't even know Disney had rights to Avatar. This is something I would expect from Universal Studios, not Disney. However, this will add a lot of stock in the attraction sparse Animal Kingdom park. Avatar Land will join Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids, and Dinosaur.

Toy Story of Terror premiere date set

The new Disney/Pixar short, Toy Story of Terror, will premiere on ABC this fall on October 16th at 8pm ET.

Returning voice talents for the short include Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Timothy Dalton, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, and Kristen Schaal. Joining the cast is Carl Weathers who will voice Combat Carl and Combat Carl Jr.

The basic synopsis for Toy Story of Terror:

“What starts out as a fun road trip for the Toy Story gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the trip detours to a roadside motel. After one of the toys goes missing, the others find themselves caught up in a mysterious sequence of events that must be solved before they all suffer the same fate in this Toy Story OF TERROR!”

D23 Recap: Pixar presents The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and Finding Dory

The big Disney convention, D23, kicked off this weekend and we had some presentations from Pixar.

First of all, we got confirmation of who will be voicing Dory's parents in Finding Dory. Those special people will be Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton. We also got a key plot detail explaining the film's purpose is following Dory on her quest to find her parents. To be exact:

"The all-new big-screen adventure dives into theaters Nov. 25, 2015, taking moviegoers back to the extraordinary underwater world from the original film. Finding Dory reunites the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the true meaning of family along the way."

Also on board is Ty Burrell (Modern Family) who will voice a young beluga whale. We also got news that the original planned ending for Finding Dory has been changed due to controversy around a recent SeaWorld documentary titled Blackfish. The documentary focuses on the harsh environments on habitat-living aquatic animals. The ending of the Pixar flick apparently ended in a marine park, so now the fish will have the option to leave the park if they choose to do so.
Finding Dory is set to join the big party on November 25, 2015.

Aside from Finding Dory, we got some news on another upcoming film called The Good Dinosaur. The film introduces us to a group of dinosaurs who didn't die from the asteroid and live in harmony with humans. The voice cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Hader, Judy Greer, Lucas Neff, John Lithgow, and Frances McDormand. The Good Dinosaur opens next year on May 30, 2014.

 
In addition, we received news on another Pixar film called Inside Out. It tells the story within an 11-year old girl's mind as she is forced to move to San Francisco. It is directed by Peter Docter who also directed Up. Voices lined up for this one are Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black. Inside Out opens on June 19, 2015, just a few months before Finding Dory.

Star Wars Celebration moving to Anaheim

With the Star Wars Celebration wrapping up in Germany we learned many things. I previously posted (link) about Kathleen Kennedy vowing to stick with a good mix of practical effects and CGI and we can rest assured that J.J. Abrams isn't leaving Star Wars. We also learned the location and dates of the next Star Wars Celebration.

Yes indeed, the next Celebration will take place in Anaheim, CA at the Anaheim Convention Center from April 16-19, 2015. As you may have noticed, this was chosen specifically to coincide with the Summer 2015 release of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Another reason could be, but isn't confirmed yet, is possibly to lineup with the announcement and/or opening of a Star Wars themed land or park at Disneyland in Anaheim. That is due to the fact that the Anaheim Convention Center is approximately a 5min walk from Disneyland. It has been rumored for a while now but the likelihood of this happening shot sky high after Disney purchased Lucasfilm and announced Episode VII. The rumors as of right now are Disney will be announcing either the conversion of Tomorrowland to Star Wars land or opening a third gate park specifically dedicated to Star Wars and other franchises such as Avatar and Marvel (The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, etc.). Said announcement(s) are apparently going down at the D23 Expo in a couple weeks. 

Either way... I just might have to save up and kill two birds with one stone in 2015 and head to Anaheim.