Set a Course for Season of the Force—Plus More in News Briefs

Light Speed to Season of the Force at Disneyland Resort

Can you believe it? We’re just about a month away (finally!) from Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming to that proverbial “theater near you”! Disneyland Park is getting into the spirit with Season of the Force, a set of brand-new themed experiences in Tomorrowland that just kicked off this past Monday, November 16.

Season of the Force will take guests to “a galaxy far, far away” with galactically special experiences, including Star Wars Launch Bay, a new area that offers opportunities to visit with favorite Star Wars characters, unique exhibits, and peeks at Star Wars: The Force Awakens; special “Dark Side” and “Light Side” character experiences; themed galleries; a very cool Star Wars Game Center (filled with park-exclusive Disney Infinity 3.0 Toy Box Levels); a Star Wars-themed Hyperspace Mountain; a brand-new scene in Star Tours—The Adventures Continue; and much, much more! So grab your Lightsaber and set a course for Disneyland Park, post haste…

Save the Date!
Be sure to mark these upcoming Disney events on your calendar:

Behind the Roar with The Lion Guard

Last week, the good folks at ABCNews.com premiered a most excellent behind-the-scenes look at Disney Channel’s upcoming The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar. Check out how the experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom helped producers make sure the lions’ movements were as realistic as possible, and learn how examples of Swahili language are incorporated into each character’s personality. (Yes, you’ll definitely hear a couple well-placed “Hakuna matatas!”)

Visit the Pride Lands once more when The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar debuts on Disney Channel this Sunday, November 22… and stay tuned for the series premiere of The Lion Guard in early 2016!

Celebrate Dino Week with The Good Dinosaur

Have you ever imagined what Earth would look like had that asteroid not rendered dinosaurs extinct? Disney•Pixar has a few ideas; The Good Dinosaur, which follows an unlikely friendship between an Apatosaurus and a human, debuts in theaters on November 25—and lucky for us, the festivities are starting a bit early! Now through November 22, Disney.com is celebrating Dino Week. It’s full of exclusive clips from the movie, interviews with Disney•Pixar filmmakers, an interactive storybook and other fun activities, and even a chance to win a trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida with their “Single Moment” Sweepstakes.

Take a look at the dino-rific offerings here, and make sure to check out one of the exclusive clips—featuring Arlo and his kindly, supportive dad—above.

The Fashion Force Awakens for Charity

In honor of the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney Consumer Products and Bloomingdale’s are joining forces with a distinguished group of designers in a new fashion-meets-fundraising initiative called “Force 4 Fashion.” Taking inspiration from the film’s costume designer, Michael Kaplan, fashion favorites Cynthia Rowley, Diane von Furstenberg, Halston, Opening Ceremony, Rag & Bone, Todd Snyder, and more are each creating an outfit—to be auctioned for charity—that pays homage to characters from the new movie.

The designers’ looks will be revealed at a “Force 4 Fashion” launch event, presented by Kay Jewelers, in New York City on December 2 before going on display in Bloomingdale’s NYC flagship windows the following day. The outfits will then be auctioned off December 2 through 18 by Bloomingdale’s on CharityBuzz.com—with proceeds benefiting their holiday charity partner, Child Mind Institute, on behalf of Star Wars: Force For Change, a charitable initiative that empowers people to make a positive impact on the world around them.

Award-Winning Composer Takes on Zootopia

Michael Giacchino, composer for recent Disney•Pixar films Inside Out, Up, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille—as well as the live-action blockbusters Jurassic World and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol—marks his first-ever feature collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios for next year’s big-screen adventure Zootopia. The Oscar®-winning composer’s score for the film features a whopping 80-piece orchestra (under the baton of conductor Tim Simonec) and is now in the process of being recorded.

“In a world as vast as Zootopia, we needed someone who could deliver a score that can feel exotic and powerful, but also provide that same emotional intimacy,” says director Byron Howard. “We tell stories with images, Michael tells stories with music. Zootopia is a massive film with deep emotional themes running throughout the story, and Michael was the perfect choice to bring the music of this extraordinary animal world to life.”

See how rookie police officer Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) solves Zootopia’s biggest mystery with the help of con artist Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman) when Zootopia swings into theaters on March 4, 2016.

Happy Birthday, Mickey!

…Or, should we say, “_¡Feliz Cumpleaños!” Today, November 18, marks Mickey Mouse’s birthday and Disney Channel is debuting a new episode of the Emmy®-winning Mickey Mouse shorts in honor of our favorite mouse’s big day tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The episode is voiced entirely in Spanish—¡Qué bueno!—and features Danny Trejo (Machete) as a Piñata Boss who, along with his piñata crew, is determined to ruin Mickey’s birthday party. Mickey, his señorita, Minnie, and their friends must find a way to stop the piñatas from ruining the celebration. The short was directed and storyboarded by multiple Emmy winner Alonso Ramirez Ramos (who most recently won an individual achievement award for storyboarding on Gravity Falls), a Mexico City native.

ABC Family Gets in the Holiday Spirit with “Pop Up Santa” Events

ABC Family surprised the whole U.S. of A. last year with a sparkly holiday event called “Pop Up Santa,” which featured unexpected gifts and celebrity appearances across the country. This year, the network brings all-new pop-up fun to help usher in its “25 Days of Christmas” celebration!

“Pop Up Santa” has partnered with Reddi-whip to bring their “Share the Joy” Food Truck to several cities over the next few weeks. The campaign kicked off this past Saturday, November 14, as the “Share the Joy” Food Truck parked itself in front of Wollman Rink at New York City’s Central Park and offered delightful hot cocoa and other holiday treats to passersby. The truck will next appear at the Americana at Brand mall in Glendale, California, on Thursday, November 19, and then make its final stop at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, November 21. Look for special surprises at each event!

Additionally, multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and actress JoJo has lent her voice to a “Pop Up Santa” original song, which will make its big debut during “25 Days of Christmas.” Tune in for ABC Family’s “25 Days…” starting December 1—and you’ll be in the holiday spirit in no time!

Star Wars-Inspired Artwork Makes a Force for Change

Cool original artwork for auction and sale, and all for a good cause? Sign us up! From November 13 to 15, Lucasfilm partnered with Los Angeles’ Gallery 1988 and HP Inc. to present a Star Wars art exhibit featuring top professional and emerging contemporary artists. New and original pieces from the exhibit are now being auctioned off in the name of Star Wars: Force for Change through eBay for Charity, through November 23. And that’s not all: Prints of select originals by the professional artists will be available for purchase from eBay through December 12. (Talk about excellent holiday shopping!) All sales support UNICEF Kid Power, the world’s first Wearable-for-Good™, which gives kids the power to save lives.

Additionally, the five amateur winners of a recent two-month-long Art Awakens Fan Art Competition had their art showcased in the exhibit! The winners were chosen by a judging committee that included Disney, Lucasfilm, and Industrial Light & Magic luminaries, and were flown to Los Angeles to attend the VIP opening night gallery reception at Gallery 1988 on November 13. One winner was even awarded with a special “HP Technology Award” for their innovative use of technology to create their artwork.

Take a look at all the amazing Star Wars-inspired artwork here.