Legendary Voice Actor is Disney’s Unofficial and Modern Good Luck Charm?

When Pixar was casting its first movie Toy Story, they hired John Ratzenberger to voice a toy pig bank named Hamm. After being pleased with his performance they continued to rehire Ratzenberger for their subsequent movies. Now, almost twenty-one years later, he can still be heard in Pixar movies. The studio’s outstanding success has convinced Pixar’s co-founder John Lasseter that Ratzenberger is their good luck charm.

Alan Tudyk behind the microphone
Alan Tudyk behind the microphone

Similarly, Alan Tudyk’s performance as King Candy in Wreck it Ralph (his first Disney movie) was immensely well-received. He’s since acted in Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia (coming out this March). Those at Walt Disney Studio have called Tudyk their own John Ratzenberger. Now, there’s an actor who, like Tudyk, has (almost) shown up in every Disney feature since Wreck it Ralph(LaMarche wasn’t in Big Hero 6). While none are leading roles, his characters have (and will) unquestionably played an integral part in their respective films. This actor is Maurice LaMarche.

3. Root Beer Tapper from Wreck it Ralph

Tapper is similar to many bartenders in real life. He listens to his customers’ problems and tries to console them to the best of his abilities. It doesn’t matter whether they’re heroes or villains, as long as they’re thirsty and paying he doesn’t care. While Tapper’s appearance is short, you could argue he indirectly lead Ralph to his journey of becoming a good guy.

2. King of Arendelle from Frozen

In Frozen, the King of Arendelle is also the father of princess Anna and eventual queen Elsa. After Elsa (unintentionally) harmed Anna with her ice powers, he and his wife separated the girls and kept Elsa isolated (so she could learn to control her abilities better and not injure Anna). This consequently led to Elsa feeling ashamed, and most likely caused her to carry some deep-seeded psychological baggage (who said raising kids was easy?). Despite the king and queen dying later on, Elsa still stayed away from Anna (fearing she’d hurt Anna). It wasn’t until Elsa’s coronation when they interacted with each other for the first time in years. This led the sisters to eventually reunite after Elsa accidentally freezes Arendelle.

 

1. Mr. Big from Zootopia

Mr. Big at his daughter Fru Fru's wedding
Mr. Big at his daughter Fru Fru’s wedding

Now, he’s taking on the role of Zootopia’s most ruthless and tremulous crime boss/ Mr. Big, an Artic shrew. The character borrows attributes from Tony Montana in Scarface, and Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Mr. Big arguably resonates with Corleone more, as his voice, mannerisms and physicality are nearly identical. LaMarche also happens to be an impeccable impressionist and you can hear his distinguishable Marlon Brando impression underneath Mr. Big’s high pitched voice.

LaMarche in a studio
LaMarche in a studio

LaMarche is a veteran voice actor whose list of credits succeeds nearly three hundred on IMDB. He started out as a stand up comedian during the late 70’s, and in the 80’s he transitioned into voice work. You may or may not realize it, but he’s given life to many characters we all know and love today. A couple of these include:

The Brain from Pinky and the Brain

The Brain is a character from the 1995 show Pinky and the Brain. The duo initially appeared in shorts on the series Animaniacs. However, they became so popular that they received their own cartoon. The Brain along with his friend Pinky are genetically spliced lab mice who are trying to take over the world (more so Brain than Pinky). Brain is an astute mouse whose plans for global domination are constantly deterred by his incompetent, but well-meaning associate, Pinky. His voice is modeled after the brilliant filmmaker Orson Welles in all of his glorious peaness.

Calculon from Futurama

Calculon is an actor whose famously known for his work in ‘All My Circuits’, a soap opera involving humans and robots. On Futurama, Calculon has a reputation for being pompous, theatrical and incredibly selfish. The character is supposedly based off of actors Charleston Heston and William Shatner (who like Calculon, does little to no retakes).

The Brain (left) and Morbo (Right)
The Brain (left) and Morbo (Right)

Why do I think he should be regarded as another good luck charm by Walt Disney Studios? Similarly to Tudyk, LaMarche was part of Disney’s turning point. Their film Wreck it Ralph proved (after the studio’s depression period in the early 2000s) they could produce a lucrative, modern movie without resorting to the classic Disney formula or fairy tale setting. Not only that, but LaMarche’s characters were(will be) a relatively important aspect to their movies. While he may not be seen as another John Ratzenberger or Alan Tudyk by the studio. He’s certainly a gifted performer. And judging by Mr. Big’s clip towards the end of the trailer, LaMarche will certainly hit it out of the ball park again.

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Disney, Fox, Lionsgate Leading $50 Million Into Mobile Ticketing App

Disney, Fox and Lionsgate are teaming to lead a $50 million investment in the Atom Tickets mobile ticketing app that will roll out later this year.

Atom Tickets is touting itself as a platform designed to make movie-going simple that can be used to pre-purchase tickets and concessions, coordinate and invite friends without having to pay for them and skip the lines at the theater. The app has been rolled out in test markets and is available free on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

“We believe that Atom Tickets has the potential to revolutionize the way audiences go to the movies, and we’re delighted to partner with blue chip studios like Disney and Fox in this cutting edge initiative for the theatrical business,” said Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns.

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The app also provides reviews, trailers and synopses. When they arrive at the theater, consumers scan their codes at tablet scanners at the usher and concession stands.

“We’re thrilled to partner with some of the most forward-thinking media companies, exhibitors and trailblazers in the entertainment business,” said Matthew Bakal, co-founder and executive chairman of Atom Tickets. “By bringing convenience to consumers and innovation to theaters, we will enhance the movie-going experience and bring additional revenue to studios and exhibitors.”

Two-year-old Atom Tickets said Sunday it has completed a Series B round of financing from investors that includes the three studios. Lionsgate led the Series A funding.

Kevin Meyer, Disney’s chief strategy officer, said, “The Atom Tickets app and platform is bringing innovation to the ticketing market by empowering social networks and mobile devices to make the movie-going experience seamless and convenient. Their technology not only adds value to the consumer, they will also help movie studios and theatres by providing deep consumer insights, advanced analytics, and concession and ticket couponing.”

Ameesh Paleja, CEO of Atom Tickets, said the platform utilizes “cutting edge” data analysis and targeting techniques to help connect movie-goers to the specific films consumers want to see.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us and more importantly, for our audiences,” said Jim Gianopulos, chairman and CEO, 20th Century Fox. “Atom Tickets provides an enhanced social experience for consumers to discover and purchase tickets to movies, designed for ease of use on mobile devices. Atom’s unique interface and integration with movie fans’ social networks creates a streamlined, fun way to go to movies with friends.”

Burns also said that the app could set the stage for dynamic ticket pricing. “More than four billion seats go unsold in theatres each year, and Matthew, Ameesh and the Atom team have developed a state-of-the-art app that offers exciting new opportunities to pre-purchase tickets and concessions as well as paving the way for the successful introduction of dynamic ticket pricing,” he said.

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Disney will not allow EA to break canon with Star Wars Battlefront

But I want to be BB-8!

While we’ve known since last month that Star Wars Battlefront is going to focus on the original trilogy for this release in the series, we didn’t know exactly why. An EA earnings call (via VideoGamer) has shed some light on why you won’t be able to make Finn and Poe kiss play as Finn, Rey, Kylo Ren, and BB-8 until the next game.

Since The Force Awakens is set three decades after the original trilogy, EA is not allowed to intermingle content from that newest film with the ideas and concepts from episodes IV-VI. EA CFO Blake Jorgensen, during the call: “On Star Wars, the one thing that we are adhering to, and I think this is part of our arrangement with Lucas and Disney, is you can’t make a game in Star Wars that violates the canon of Star Wars.” That makes sense to me, but it wouldn’t exactly be wearing a tinfoil hat to believe that “more games=more money” was a major factor here.

Of course, when the next game comes out in a couple of years, I’m sure we’ll all be rocking our First Order uniforms and battling on Death Star 3.0. Until then, we have more levels from the original trilogy coming, like Bespin Cloud City and the first Death Star.

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Darkhawk & Nova Corps Get Disney Infinity Marvel Discs

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Marvel Cosmic seems to be on the up and up – at least when it comes to gaming – as now the Nova Corps and Darkhawk get Disney Infinity 3.0 Marvel Discs.

Marvel Editor Bill Rosemann, who edited the DnA Marvel Cosmic line of comics which included Darkhawk, tweeted out the news.

The Power Discs are used with the Play Set base to unlock items and customization.

DisKingdom spotted the following info and images at Walmart.

Expand your Disney Infinity adventures! Place Power Discs on the Disney Infinity Base to power-up character abilities, customize your Toy Box, or unlock new gadgets, costumes and team attacks.Includes 4 Power Discs:

• Cosmic Cube Blast – Unleash a powerful energy blast on nearby foes.

• Darkhawk’s Blast – Blast obstacles with a powerful energy beam from your chest.

• Nova Corps Strike – Call upon the Nova Corps and unleash a tactical strike from above.

• Ghost Rider’s Motorcycle – Take a ride on the wild side with Ghost Rider’s flaming motorcycle.

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As fans of DnA Marvel Cosmic know, Darkhawk was featured prominently with his own mini-series during War of Kings which introduced Talon and the Raptors.

In an interview with Marvel.com, Rosemann also said he hopes to see more from Darkhawk as well as Richard Rider Nova and again mentions Quasar.

Marvel.com: Very cool. If you could add one classic costume to the game that doesn’t exist now, what would you add?

Bill Rosemann: I have to go with my man, Rich Rider Nova!

Marvel.com: Oh, there it is! 

Bill Rosemann: And in publishing, with all the great cosmic books they have going, it would be awesome to see Darkhawk rise again.

Marvel.com: Oh, you are always all about that Darkhawk. 

Bill Rosemann: I love his look, how he scratches that itch of “young Earth person in space”, a great point-of-view character, and visually a nice counter balance to all the bright cosmic characters.

Marvel.com: So we need a Rich Rider Nova and Darkhawk in “Marvel Future Fight.”

Bill Rosemann: It’s time to for them to fly again!

Marvel.com: There you go! What more could you want? 

Bill Rosemann: Well, you might want additional characters from the comic books, and by golly they’re in there!

Marvel.com: That’s true, we’ve been rolling out a deep list on Marvel.com…

Bill Rosemann: Yes! Firebird and Ares and Quasar…and I hope this delivers on the promise that we made to the Quasar fan club years ago when they sent a 10 pound cake to the offices asking for the return of Quasar.

Quasar is also featured in the LEGO Marvel Avengers video game and has his first Hasbro action figure coming out this Summer.

 

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Terror link out for Disney park gun toter

Initial questioning of a man arrested with handguns and a Koran in his baggage at the Disney theme park near Paris suggests he had no link to any potential militant attack, police and public prosecutors say.

France has been in a state of emergency since Islamist gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in a wave of jihadist attacks in Paris on November 13.

The 28-year-old man, who police said was of European origin, was detained on Thursday as he passed through security scanners at a Disneyland hotel. Two handguns were found in baggage as well as a French-language version of the Koran, the principal religious text of Islam.

Police sources said France’s anti-terrorism squad had not so far been called in to help with the case.

The Meaux district prosecutor’s office said in a statement that checks on the man and his telephone yielded no indication of militancy and that the only record police had of the man in question was for a driving offence.

A woman who had been accompanying the man was questioned too after police tracked her down at her home.

The Meaux prosecutor’s office said an inquiry was continuing to determine whether the man was illegally in possession of the arms in question, a statement that chimed with information from police sources earlier in the day.

‘Initial findings appear to point clearly to something other than an intention to attack,’ one police source told Reuters.

According to another police source, the man said he was carrying the weapons for self-protection.

A local media report said the man was a cafe manager in the process of moving house and that the woman was his girlfriend – information not confirmed by the prosecutor’s office.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the November attacks and have called for further attacks on France, whose jets are bombing areas they control in Syria and Iraq.

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Life, Animated review – how Disney films helped a boy with autism

Owen Suskind in Life, Animated: exploring his despair and joy, victories and defeats.

Owen Suskind in Life, Animated: exploring his despair and joy, victories and defeats. Photograph: Tom Bergmann/Supplied

Autism is a widely misunderstood condition; something Oscar-winning documentary film-maker Roger Ross Williams’s latest project attempts to tackle. Focusing on the life of Owen Suskind, who was diagnosed as autistic aged three, it’s a beguiling mix of animated storytelling and narration that doesn’t flinch from exploring the emotional highs and lows that accompany a life with autism.

One of Williams’s many accomplishments with Life, Animated is using the animated segments to communicate what the world is like for autistic people. Conversations become garbled, with words almost impossible to pick out, and the everyday noises and situations which for most of us are the background ambience of life become a cacophony of imposing sound. Owen’s parents talk in heartbreakingly honest moments about how they feared they had lost their son for ever.

The film also charts Owen’s move towards living independently, and as a 23-year-old, the limits of Disney’s world are tested. His brother Walter talks about the difficulty in using Disney films to talk about sex – concluding Disney porn might be the only way to really get across the finer points. One of the most poignant parts of the entire film comes when Walter discusses his fears as he gets older: what will happen when his parents are too old to care for Owen, will he be able to cope, what will become of his brother?

It’s that combination of despair and joy, victories and defeats that make Life, Animated such a compelling rendering of life with autism. Owen has to cope with the same life challenges as anyone else: moving out of home, breaking up with a girlfriend, having a job interview. And Williams doesn’t patronise or sentimentalise his world. Things are difficult, seemingly insurmountable at times, but with family, patience and yes, Disney films Owen and the Suskinds are able to overcome them. It’s an educational achievement masquerading as a feel-good documentary, and a must-watch.

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Family threatens lawsuit after snake bite at Disney park

An Orlando attorney tells FOX 35 he is representing an Alabama family who claims an 8-year-old boy was bitten by a snake at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and now they plan to sue.

According to attorney Matt Morgan, the family alleges a large snake fell from a tree onto the boy, wrapped around him, and bit him.  Morgan goes on to say the boy’s grandmother witnessed the event and went into cardiac arrest and died shortly thereafter.  Morgan plans on filing a formal lawsuit for the alleged injuries sustained by the boy and the wrongful death of the grandmother.

We reached out to Disney who tells FOX 35 the allegations are an utter mischaracterization of the facts.
Disney confirms the incident occurred in October of 2014.  A Disney spokesperson says the snake was wild, not venomous, and not part of any exhibit. The spokesperson says the boy was taken to first aid and treated with a band-aid.  Disney goes on to tell us there was no call for an ambulance for the grandmother after the incident.

Morgan has scheduled a news conference for Friday morning where more details of the lawsuit are expected to be released.

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Han Solo will preview Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ park areas on TV

Before you swear off going to Disney parks for shoving everything Frozen down your throats, you may want to see how the new Star Wars-themed attractions are doing first. Han Solo a.k.a. Harrison Ford is giving us “an exclusive preview” of the Star Wars Lands currently under construction in both Disneyland and Disney World. It’s unclear if the actor who played the franchise’s iconic intergalactic smuggler will show us the state of the actual attractions, but he will share new details on ABC TV’s special The Wonderful World of Disney: Disneyland 60.

While we know very little about the attractions at this point, Walt Disney COO Tom Staggs revealed (PDF) during an entertainment conference in 2015 that they will be “the most immersive lands” the company has ever built. He also confirmed that park guests will be able to fly the Millennium Falcon, which makes them cool enough for us. ABC’s special will air on February 21st, 8 to 10PM EST, and you can interact with the performances using Disney’s Applause app.

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Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ to Get China Release

Walt Disney Animation Studios title “Zootopia” will get a theatrical release in China in March.

The company announced that the 3D cartoon will be released in China on March 3, in line with its release in the U.S. and U.K. on the same date. (Some other international territories release the film in February.)

It will be available in China in standard 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D and China Giant Screen formats.

The film is directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore. Previous Disney Animation hit “Frozen” achieved $48 million in 2014 at the Chinese box office.

The “Zootopia” outing will be the second revenue sharing release of 2016 for Disney, after “Star Wars The Force Awakens,” which was released on Jan. 9. “Star Wars” now stands on a cumulative total of $119 million after 19 days on release.

Disneyland Paris: Man arrested carrying two guns

French police have arrested a man carrying two guns at an entrance to a hotel at Disneyland Paris.

The man, reportedly aged 28 and not known to security services, was also discovered with a copy of the Koran and a box of ammunition, police said.

His bag triggered metal detectors as he entered the New York Hotel at the much-visited theme park.

France remains in a state of emergency declared in November after the deadly attacks by jihadist militants in Paris.

So-called Islamic State (IS) said it carried out the co-ordinated assaults that left 130 people dead.

‘Routine screening’

Disneyland Paris closed briefly after the November attacks, but the theme park remained open following Thursday’s incident.

“During a routine security screening checkpoint at one of our hotels, weapons were discovered in a guest’s luggage through our X-ray machine,” spokesman Francois Banon said.

“The police were immediately notified and the individual was arrested. We continue to work closely with the authorities and the safety and security of our guests and cast members is our utmost priority.”

“There was loads of security, there were sniffer dogs, which you wouldn’t see in any hotel and there was security as well,” Ronan Flaherty, who was staying at the premises at the time, told the BBC.

A police source told the AFP news agency that a preliminary investigation did not point to terrorism, and that the man had said he was carrying the weapons because he feared for his safety.


Disneyland Paris

A map showing the New York Hotel at Disneyland Paris
  • First opened in 1992 and located in Marne-la-Vallee, a town about 30km (18 miles) east of Paris.
  • Had about 10 million visitors in 2014 and calls itself the most visited tourist destination in Europe
  • 92% of its guests are from Europe, with 49% from France, 16% from the UK and 9% from Spain.
  • Hosts about 1,000 business events each year
  • In July, the EU began an inquiry into the theme park, following accusations that UK and German customers were frozen out of certain promotions.

Sources: Disneyland Paris, European Commission, Global Attractions Attendance Report


Papers found on the suspect indicated that he lived in Paris, the source added.

He reportedly co-manages a brassiere in the French capital.

“For me, it’s a mistake,” said a member of the bar staff.

Police also arrested a woman, believing her to be the man’s girlfriend, but later released her when they realised they had got the wrong woman, French media reported.

The interior ministry said police were still searching for a woman who might have been with the man, according to the Reuters news agency.

President Francois Hollande is seeking to extend France’s three-month state of emergency for another three months, despite opposition from human rights groups.

Earlier this week, European Union policing agency Europol warned that IS was planning further attacks, with France and so-called “soft” targets at particular risk.

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