How Live in Front of a Studio Audience Is Recreating The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes

December 7, 2021

By Zach Johnson

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, the Emmy^® Award-winning Live in Front of a Studio Audience will make its highly anticipated return with a third iteration, featuring live reenactments of the hit series The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes. The one-night-only special features an all-star lineup and reunites executive producers Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux, and Jim Burrows.

As was true for the first two iterations, the creative team have assembled an impressive cast. Starring in The Facts of Life are Jennifer Aniston as Blair, Gabrielle Union as Tootie, Allison Tolman as Natalie, and Kathryn Hahn as Jo, with Jon Stewart taking on a mystery role. Starring in Diff’rent Strokes are John Lithgow as Mr. Drummond, Kevin Hart as Arnold, and Damon Wayans as Willis. Ann Dowd will star as Mrs. Garrett in both live reenactments.

“For the most part, we keep these [casts] a secret…” Kimmel said last week during ABC’s Midseason’s Greetings virtual press conference. “Occasionally word gets out amongst agents or publicists, and we do get solicitations from actors; it’s good to know who wants to do it and who’s interested. But we keep the parts very, very quiet. We keep the shows very quiet. So, in general, we have the casting done before anybody even knows about it.”

Sometimes, the casting choices are obvious. “We do a lot of talking about who would be best for each role. I don’t think there is anyone in the world who could play Arnold Drummond other than Kevin Hart,” said Kimmel with Lear saying he “couldn’t agree more.” The cast has palpable chemistry, they added. “The two table reads have been fabulous,” said Lear, with Miller adding, “They proved that Jimmy was spot on with his [idea for this].”

The executive producers encourage each actor to “bring their own thing” to their roles, Miller said, rather than simply to recreate what the original actor in each show did. “Jamie Foxx, for example, in our past one, he really wanted to go after Sherman Hemsley and take on that presence,” Miller said. “Whereas with someone like Marisa Tomei, she had on her own version of who Edith was. So, I think that we encourage all the actors creatively, as do [directors] Jimmy Burrows and Pam Fryman, to have fun with it and just have a good time.”

There will be additional guest stars in the special, but their names are being kept under wraps so as not to spoil the fun. “I know that’s a little bit of a disappointment—but isn’t it more fun [this way]?” Kimmel said. “Don’t you want your presents wrapped on Christmas?”

For Kimmel, the Live in Front of a Studio Audience specials are more than just a passion project—they’re a way of honoring many of Lear’s programs that colored his childhood. “I remember watching these shows in syndication; that’s really where I got a big dose of them,” he said. “They would run back-to-back on my local Channel 5 affiliate in Las Vegas. It was just like part of my day. I’d come home from school, and I had a very busy schedule of TV shows to watch.” Kimmel was such a fan of Diff’rent Strokes that he later bought memorabilia from one of its stars. “Many years ago, Gary Coleman was selling a pair of his pants on eBay, and I purchased them from him,” Kimmel recalled. “They hung in our studio for around 10 years—much like a championship pennant would at a baseball stadium. So, I just love the whole thing. Those shows really were like my babysitter, and they had so much to do with why I love television. To me, the most magical thing, really, is to be on the set—because for the most part, the only original character in this production is the set, which our set builders duplicated exactly. It has such artistry, and what they can do in such a short period of time is so amazing. When you walk onto that set, it really is overwhelming.”

The special will be also available Wednesday on demand and on Hulu.

Pulling Back the Curtain on Rogers: The Musical in Hawkeye

December 6, 2021

By Zach Johnson

Broadway is buzzing over Rogers: The Musical, with critics calling it “a soaring, smashing, flying, fighting, musical triumph.” Sadly, the “powerful” stage show that “captures the heart of a hero” exists only in the world of Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+—so don’t bother lining up outside the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in the hopes of snagging tickets!

Since the series premiered on the streaming service November 24, we’ve been singing along to the show-stopping number “Save the City,” written by the award-winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (of Hairspray, Mary Poppins Returns, and Smash fame). Luckily, the longtime collaborators agreed to pull back the curtain to share insights into their songwriting process, their path to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and more.

D23: Marc, is true that your involvement with Rogers: The Musical stemmed from a chance encounter with Kevin Feige, executive producer and Marvel Studios president?
Marc Shaiman (MS): Sort of. I think I might have put myself and Scott in his head. We were at an Academy Awards function when someone tapped me on my shoulder and said, ‘Kevin Feige would love to meet you.’ I was like, ‘Kevin Feige would like to meet me?’ Now, my husband is a complete and total Marvel nerd, so I knew who he was. So, I went over and said, ‘Hi! Nice to meet you.’ And he started reciting all my film scores; he’s a real film score aficionado. There he was, just going on and on! I said, ‘Wow! Thank you. My husband, Lou, would die to think he’s not here.’ So, we took a picture. Then it was two years almost to the day where our agent emailed and said, ‘Marvel wants you to write a Broadway musical number for the new Hawkeye series. You want to do it?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’ That’s where Scott came in, and we listened to what they needed and wanted. We knew we had to walk this tightrope between it being an entertaining and hopefully good song. But it also had to be something that makes Clint [Jeremy Renner] kind of roll his eyes, because this musical of this huge event in his life is now being… I don’t want to say the word ‘reduced,’ but it’s—
Scott Wittman (SW): Broadway-ized!
MS: That’s also why they added Ant-Man into the number, to show that a Broadway musical—or any other kind of entertainment, really—might take some creative liberties.
D23: Ant-Man is a founding Avenger in the comics. Is that why he was chosen?
MS: I think it was, I guess, a random choice—or just someone who didn’t belong there. Maybe it could have been someone more obscure, but Ant-Man was the perfect choice.

D23: Was it always the intention to write a song set during the Battle of New York, or had you considered other seminal MCU moments—like a battle with Thanos, perhaps?
SW: Marvel wanted it to be very much that scenario, because that was such an emotional time for those characters, I think. That also added another layer for Clint [in the audience].
MS: And that bridge at Grand Central Station is such a perfect, iconic Broadway set!

D23: How did you manage to seamlessly incorporate so many iconic lines—like “Avengers, assemble,” “I could do this all day,” and “Hulk smash”—into the lyrics?
MS: Well, like I said, my husband, Lou, he’s just a full-on nerd.
SW: Stan! He’s not a nerd. He’s a stan!
MS: I need a thesaurus for all these words! I mean, I knew about the Tesseract from having seen all the movies, but I’m sure I’d turned to Loui and asked, “It’s Tesseract, right? And it’s Chitauri?’ Shawarma got stuck in my head, because Iron Man is constantly talking about how he wanted to go to that Shawarma restaurant. It had to be all things that the real people who live in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have heard about. They don’t go to the movies; it’s in their real life. Right? So, clearly, someone has heard Captain America more than once say, ‘I could do this all day.’ And, you know, that’s such a great line to sing.

D23: How long did it take you to write “Save the City”?
SW: Well, I had to watch all the movies, because I don’t have a husband! [Laughs] But it was also written in the height of the pandemic, so I had a lot of time on my hands anyway.

D23: What was it like to actually see Rogers: The Musical staged in Hawkeye?
SW: Marc is in it! He went to the filming in Atlanta, so he has a little cameo there.
MS: It was thrilling! It’s so fun to watch. Some of the people who are performing the number are not the people singing it. Some Broadway stars are supplying a lot of the voices.
SW: Like Adam Pascal, who was the star. [Editor’s note: Pascal plays Lead New Yorker #1.]
MS: Luckily, with Adam, he’s both the voice and in [the production]. As Scott and I were writing it, usually I’ll demo the song and send it to the producers and ask, ‘What do you think?’ But I knew I couldn’t possibly sing the song; I needed that high rock ‘n’ roll voice. I said, ‘I wish I could just call Adam Pascal and see if he could sing the demo.’ Then, I realized I can! I got his number and I texted him out of the blue. I had maybe met him in passing, but I was like, ‘Hey, would you want to sing this demo for Marvel?’ Of course, everyone says yes. The vocal that you hear on the recording is what he and Ty Taylor sang from their own homes—because everyone has their own form of microphone at home now.

D23: Is there any chance we’ll ever get to see more from Rogers: The Musical?
SW: Tell people to write to Kevin Feige!
MS: Start petitions! I’ll say, it is thrilling to watch how the fans react.
SW: Someone said it ‘slaps.’ I thought that was better than a rave in the New York Times!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Week

December 6, 2021

By Zach Johnson

Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas continues to bring good cheer all week long! Start your week off in a festive spirit with one of our favorite films, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, airing Monday. Later that night, ABC will present a new musical special, A Very Boy Band Holiday. Catch an early premiere of Quinta Brunson’s all-new comedy series Abbott Elementary Tuesday on ABC before new episodes air in its regular time period starting Tuesday, January 4. On Wednesday, Welcome to Earth debuts its complete season on Disney+, and on Thursday, the complete fifth season of Trolls: Trollstopia arrives on Hulu.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York—Monday December 6, at 3:40 p.m. ET on Freeform
The McCallisters are in a rush once again as they embark on a Christmas trip to Florida. In their haste, Kevin (Macaluay Culkin) gets separated from them and winds up on a plane bound for New York—with enough money to turn the Big Apple into his own playground! Meanwhile, the notorious Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) are plotting a huge holiday heist, and it’s up to Kevin to set up another battery of booby traps to thwart them.

A Very Boy Band Holiday—Monday, December 6, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Some of the most beloved members of iconic boy bands—including *NSYNC’s Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick; Boys II Men’s Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman; New Edition’s Bobby Brown and Michael Bivins; New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre; 98 Degrees’ Justin Jeffre, Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey, and Jeff Timmons; and O-Town’s Erik-Michael Estrada—are rocking around the Christmas tree with classic tunes and their holiday hits, along with some special surprise guests to help celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. The special includes the debut of a new original song, “A Very Boy Band Holiday,” performed by Fatone and Morris; a special performance of “This One’s For the Children” by McIntyre and his son; and the groups’ hits and a mix of classic holiday favorites, such as “Let It Snow,” “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” and “This Christmas.”

Abbott Elementary—Tuesday, December 7, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers—and a slightly tone-deaf principal—are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed. Though these educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do… even if they don’t love the school district’s unenthusiastic attitude toward educating today’s kids.

Welcome to Earth—Wednesday, December 8, on Disney+
The visually stunning series from National Geographic follows Will Smith on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets. Smith is guided by elite explorers on an awe-inspiring journey, getting up close and personal with some of the most thrilling spectacles on the planet, from volcanoes that roar in silence to deserts that move beyond our perception to animal swarms with minds of their own. Combining breathtaking cinematography with Smith’s boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, Welcome to Earth—which debuts with all six episodes—is an exciting, multisensory ride through Earth’s most mind-bending portals.

Trolls: Trollstopia—Thursday, December 9, on Hulu
In TrollsTopia, nothing is more important than parties and friendship. During the exciting fifth season, the Trolls welcome a K-Pop girl group on a mission; Holly and Val meet a Bergen for the first time; and Synth and Minuet take a ride down the Tunnel of Friendship!

Jewish Apple Cake Recipe

December 3, 2021October 26, 2023

By the D23 Team

Our new Jewish Apple Cake recipe will be a delicious addition to any gathering with friends and family this Hanukkah! (For the younger set, make sure to have adult supervision—and have your parents do any cutting or chopping. Safety first during the holidays!)

Ingredients

Apple Ingredients

6 medium apples (Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples)
5 tbsp granulated sugar
11/2 tsp cinnamon

Cake Ingredients

23/4 cups of all-purpose flour - sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 tbsp powdered sugar

Special Equipment

Tube or bundt cake pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°

Step 1:
Prepare the apples.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and then add to the apples and mix.
Set aside.

Step 2:
Prepare the cake batter.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
In another bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, juice, and vanilla together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula to combine.
Add one egg at a time and mix well between each egg. The batter will be thick at first, but as each egg is added, the batter will thin.

Step 3:
Assemble and bake the cake.

Grease the cake pan and then add a thin layer of batter to the bottom. Using a slotted spoon, add a layer of apples and then a layer of batter. Repeat and then finish with apples on the top. TIP: Use the liquid from the apples to brush on top when finished assembling. Arrange the apples to cover the top nicely.
Place the cake pan on the center rack in the middle of the oven. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour 30 minutes, or when a toothpick comes out clean.
When done, allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes so the cake pulls away from the pan. Place a plate over the top of the pan, and gently flip it over to remove the cake from the pan. If the cake sticks, gently tap the pan.
Flip the cake back over so the apples are on the top. Optional: Dust the top with powdered sugar to finish.

Like our must-try Rugelach recipe, there's no step 4—except to enjoy every morsel! Let us know what you thought of our Jewish Apple Cake on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to tag @disneyd23 with your baking masterpiece!

Looking for a printout? Download a PDF copy here.

Handmade Warmth from Disney+’s Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition

December 3, 2021

By Courtney Potter

Imagine gathering by a cozy hearth this holiday season, celebrating family and toasting to the coming of a fresh new year. Sounds absolutely lovely… but what if you don’t have a fireplace? Never fear: Our friends at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney+ are once again providing homes near and far with a virtual version sure to warm your heart.

Themed to the world of Frozen and Frozen 2, Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition—which debuts on the streaming service on Friday, December 17—features beloved characters Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven around Arendelle Castle’s fireplace (known as the location for many a “Family Game Night”). What makes this year’s yule log fantastically unique is that it’s handmade… and we truly mean handmade. What you’ll see on your TV screen (or streaming device of choice) is a high-resolution image of an incredible paper art sculpture designed and created by Disney Animation visual development artist Brittney Lee.

D23 recently spoke with Lee, the production designer for the short Myth: A Frozen Tale (now streaming on Disney+), about what made this project so very special:

On returning to a familiar world…
“I am so immersed in Frozen at this point that it feels like home. It almost feels like I never left,” Lee admitted. “I never thought in a million years someone was going to be asking me to design a yule log—but the idea of it being the family at home in Arendelle made total sense to me. It was really comfortable and easy to a point where, I’m used to stressing over getting something done, but this was just very natural—because it felt like the pieces exist in Arendelle already. So, it was mostly just composing a ‘family picture’ of that; making it cozy and feel like a tactile piece that could be a little ‘vignette’ in front of a fireplace, or a shadowbox you put on your mantle.”

On what the process was like…
At her home studio in Southern California, Lee mapped out her images and then cut the pieces from sturdy cardstock paper using a precision craft-carving knife. “I think I cut the majority of the yule log piece all on one day… The idea behind it is that all of these different layers are cardstock, stacked,” she said. “They’re about 32 inches by 20 inches, stacked, and there are probably five or six different layers.” The finished-product Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition that viewers will see on their Disney+ screens is not a digital scan of the artwork. “Scanning collapses the depth for my pieces,” Lee explained. “I photographed some ‘works in progress’ just to see the detail levels on them… then I took a photo and I processed it, so that it’s the right dimensions; the right aspect ratio; and to make sure my feet aren’t in the image,” she laughingly admitted.

“We took that photo and broke it into layers, so that they can be processed in depth with our CGI artists… One thing that I haven’t ever done tactilely in real life, with my own work, is add the element of backlighting. Since it’s a fireplace, it feels like lighting could be alive… [so] it was really important that we try to capture that [practically] rather than digitally,” she continued. “It was a huge question mark for me. I’m pretty confident that I can compose a front-lit image out of paper; I know how to do that and I can make it look good. But I am not a professional photographer, nor do I have a lot of experience with LED lighting. So, there was a bit of trial and error at my house—trying to figure out the best way to photograph it, and the best temperature of lights to use, to get the photo closest to the concept.”

On how the artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios help bring the image to life…
“We have an effects animator helping us to figure out what the design of the animated fire will look like,” Lee explained. “I cut each frame of the fire out [of vellum, a kind of opaque paper], and hopefully it’ll have a stop-motion feel to it.” Keep an eye out for other animated touches, like glittering snow—“very subtly, so that you get that mix of a warm fire, but also paying homage to Elsa”—as well as certain diamond shapes incorporated into the flames of the fire: “Those are used all throughout Frozen 2, and were a huge design element for us in Myth: A Frozen Tale,” she added.

…Any other Easter eggs viewers should look out for?
“It just made sense, because this was a cozy scene by the fire, that everybody should be in their pajamas,” said Lee. And guess what? She designed Elsa’s original pajama gown for Frozen 2—“another full-circle thing.”

On how she began with paper art in the first place…
“I started working with paper about a decade ago,” she explained. “I’m so used to working digitally for every job that I’ve ever done, so I wanted to work on a project for myself where I could focus on something tactile… there’s a bunch of artists through the years who’ve focused on paper, and [it soon became clear] how experimental it can be—the added depth of pieces of paper. There’s something magical to it that invites you in. So, I started experimenting with it on a single piece that took me forever, but I fell in love with it—and I’ve been experimenting ever since.”

On what Lee hopes Disney+ viewers take away from in this year’s Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition …
“I don’t have a fireplace in my house,” the artist said, “so during the holidays, I’ll often end up putting on a yule log [on my TV] just to have that feeling. Hearths in general are so warm and so inviting and so much about family. I wanted to bring people together, and Frozen already does that so well. And I think the neat thing about Frozen, and Disney in general, is that there’s always that added touch of magic. I think that’s what we’re trying to do here… I’m hoping that everybody will enjoy it!”

Look for Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition beginning Friday, December 17—only on Disney+!

Rugelach Recipe

December 3, 2021April 21, 2023

By the D23 team

Our Rugelach recipe is sure to be a hit with friends and family all year round! (For the younger set, make sure to have adult supervision—and have your parents do any cutting or chopping.)

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

21/2 cups flour
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes 6 oz cream cheese, cold and cut into small cubes 1 large egg yolk

Filling Ingredients (Chocolate filling, as shown)

For a chocolate filling as shown 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Other Filling Ideas

Nuts or dried fruits
Jams

Special Equipment

Food processor

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse a few times to mix. Add the cubes of butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk. Pulse until the dough starts to combine into a moistened consistency, maybe half a minute. Remove the dough and place onto a flour-dusted work surface. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth. (Or, cut the ingredients together using a pastry cutter.)
Separate into 3 equal amounts. At this point, decide which shape the rugelach will be. Either the spiral or the crescent shape—or both as shown.
For the spiral shape: roll out the dough in a rectangle shape about 1/2” thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. For the crescent shape, roll out the dough in a circular shape about 1/2” thick. Wrap and refrigerate the dough. If desired, refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Step 2: Make the filling

Break the chocolate into small pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30-second intervals, stirring the melted chocolate with the un-melted. (Or use a double boiler method.)
Stir in the sugar and salt. The mixture will be grainy.

Step 3: Roll out the dough

Line the baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375°.
For the spiral shape, roll out the dough to about 1/8” thickness on a lightly floured surface in a rectangle shape. Spread the warm filling onto the rectangle leaving a small amount of dough around the edges free of filling. Roll the dough in a tube shape. Chill the dough again for about 30 minutes. When cool, cut about 1” thick pieces with a sharp knife. Place the pieces with the seam down onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
For the crescent shape, roll out the dough in a circular shape to about 1/8” thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes like a pizza. Apply the filling and then roll each cookie ending with the point.
TIP: Be sure the chocolate filling is warm when it is applied to the dough. Work quickly when rolling the dough before it cools. Place the cookies on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on a rack.

Step 4? Enjoy! If you’ve just finished baking these delicious treats with us, be sure to send us a photo of your masterpiece and tag us @disneyd23 on Twitter and Instagram.

Looking for a printout? Download a PDF copy here.

New Look at The Book of Boba Fett—Plus More in News Briefs

December 3, 2021December 10, 2021

By Courtney Potter

**Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett: New Character Posters and TV Spot**

Earlier this week, Disney+ released cool new character posters of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand for its brand-new, live-action series from Lucasfilm, The Book of Boba Fett! But that’s not all: in addition to premiering a thrilling new TV spot, our pals at the streaming service also announced the series will have seven weekly episodes, starting December 29.

The Book of Boba Fett, a sure-to-be-galactically-memorable Star Wars adventure teased in a surprise end-credit sequence following the season two finale of The Mandalorian, follows legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Disney Legend Ming-Na Wen) as they navigate the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate. Disney Legend Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodriguez, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson are the executive producers. Mark those calendars, y’all!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

Oh boy—the holidays are really and truly upon us, and we couldn’t be more jingle-jazzed! So, what kind of merriment can you get into this very weekend from around the worlds of Disney? Disney Channel gets festive as all get out with the premieres of Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest and Christmas… Again?!; FX presents a marathon of The Santa Clause trilogy (Bernard the Elf is a fave ’round here); and so much more.

**Production Wraps on Chang Can Dunk for Disney+**

More cool news from the good folks at Disney+: Production has just wrapped on Chang Can Dunk—an original, live-action film from Disney slated for release in 2023, exclusively on the streaming service.

Chang Can Dunk tells the story of Chang, a 16-year-old Asian American high school student in the marching band who bets the school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads the 5’ 8” Chang on a quest to find the hops he needs to dunk in order to impress his crush, Kristy, and finally gain the attention and respect of his high school peers. But before he can rise up and truly throw one down, he’ll have to reexamine everything he knows about himself, his friendships, and his family.

Bloom Li plays the lead, Chang. Fun fact: Li was encouraged to audition by a friend and submitted a self-tape on his own, which put him on the path to eventually getting the part! Additionally, Ben Wang, recently seen in Disney’s Launchpad short Dinner Is Served, plays Bo, Chang’s best friend; Dexter Darden, a former pro basketball player and two-time Estonia League MVP, plays Deandre; Chase Liefeld plays Matt, the school’s star athlete; and Zoe Renee plays Kristy. To lend authenticity to the film and properly represent the dunk culture, filmmakers hired one of the foremost dunk experts, Connor Barth, to help the actors train.

In his feature-film debut, Jingyi Shao is writing and directing from a script he wrote that placed second on last year’s Blacklist—a platform for film and TV writers to showcase their screenplays for industry members.

More news on Chang Can Dunk in the coming months…

Limited-Time Festivals Return to the Disneyland Resort in 2022

It’s an early holiday gift we’re quite excited for! Two fan-favorite, ever-so-enjoyable, limited-time festivals are returning Disneyland Resort (specifically, Disney California Adventure Park) next year—namely, the Lunar New Year celebration, taking place from January 21 through February 13; and the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, running from March 4 through April 26.

Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure is a joyous celebration that commemorates traditions of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures. The festival—which celebrates 2022’s Year of the Tiger—is chock full of multicultural performances, special activities, culinary delights, colorful décor, celebratory merchandise, and more. New this year: Tigger will join in on the fun, along with beloved Disney characters including Mulan and Mushu; Mickey and Minnie; the Three Little Pigs and other favorites, all donning festive attire.

Later in the spring, family and friends will come together for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival—and they’ll enjoy a totally delicious taste of what they’ve been missing. The festival allows guests to explore California regions and neighborhoods in several ways, from delicious eats to vibrant entertainment and festival merchandise. During the festival, epicureans will taste their way through a dozen festival marketplaces, savoring mouthwatering bites and beverages; plus, entertainment will fill the festival’s Palisades Stage and Paradise Gardens Bandstand, with live musical performances and visits from Chef Mickey. And as in years past, a Sip and Savor pass will be available for purchase, as well as special signature events including the Carthay Circle Winemaker Receptions, and Wine, Beer and Mixology Education & Tasting Seminars.

Additional details on both festivals will be announced soon!

**Coming Soon: Best in Dough to Bring Pizza-rific Fun to Hulu**

Fans of delicious flavor, listen up! Hulu has just announced the latest addition to its delectable lineup of unscripted food series: the new original series Best in Dough.

In a world where there seems to be little agreement on anything, there is one great unifier… the universal love of pizza. Best in Dough brings together pizza-obsessed competitors from all walks of life to showcase their pizza slinging skills and battle it out for a cool $10,000. Fire up the oven, because the first ever pizza competition is on!

Best in Dough is hosted by Wells Adams, with head judge Chef Daniele Uditi of Pizzana—and features Chef Millie Peartree, comedian and food influencer Eunji Kim, and baker Bryan Ford serving as judges. Adams is best known from The Bachelor franchise, where he first emerged as a fan favorite on season 12 of ABC’s The Bachelorette and went on to become a semi-permanent fixture on both The Bachelor and The Bacheloretteseries as well as ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise.

The first season of Best in Dough—from Alfred Street Industries, Vox Media Studios, and Majordomo Media—will consist of 10 episodes. Keep your eyes peeled (and your stomach primed) for a premiere date and further info.

**ICYMI: New Details on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the 30th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris, and More**

Were you on an extended Thanksgiving sojourn and, therefore, missed some of the most amazing announcements from our recent Destination D23 event? Or just want a bit of a refresher on all the incredible things you can expect at Disney Parks and Resorts in the months to come? Fret not: We’ve got you covered with this nifty rundown.

Christmas…Again?! Is a DCOM You’ll Never Want to Fir-Get

December 3, 2021December 2, 2021

By Zach Johnson

Christmas comes but once a year… most years, anyway.

But in the Disney Channel Original Movie Christmas… Again?!, debuting tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 12-year-old Ro (Scarlett Estevez) unexpectedly finds herself reliving the holiday. How, exactly, does something like this happen? For starters, Ro isn’t handling her parents’ divorce well. After a disappointing day with her family, she asks a local Santa Claus (Gary Anthony Williams) for a do-over. Now, in order to break a magical, mysterious loop, Ro must learn to appreciate her family as it is and to embrace the true meaning of Christmas.

“Ro is very bold,” says Estevez, who cites Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! as one of her favorite DCOMs. “She can be stern, and she likes to get what she wants; if she doesn’t, she’ll do anything to get it. But she’s also very loving, and she cares a lot about her family.”

In fact, despite her parents’ divorce, Ro had been excited about continuing her family’s holiday traditions, like watching the Santas vs. Elves hockey game with her dad (Daniel Sunjata) and visiting the Winterfest Carnival. Not on the agenda? Spending time with her dad’s girlfriend, Diane (Beth Lacke), and her 8-year-old son, Louie (James McCracken). To make matters worse, the other members of Ro’s family refuse to see things from her POV.

But is Ro willing to see things from their side? “You’ll definitely see how her opinions change,” Estevez assures us. “She starts to discover that maybe people aren’t as bad as she thought. In the beginning, she convinces herself that these people are out to get her, so that makes it OK for her to block them out. But Ro starts to realize that maybe those opinions were wrong, that they really are nice people who want to be a part of her family.”

“At the end of the day, they all love each other,” adds Alexis Carra, who plays Carolina, Ro’s warm-hearted and outgoing mom. “Even though families come in all shapes and sizes, it takes some time for Ro to accept that her family has changed. It doesn’t mean that her parents love her any less or any differently. And who doesn’t need to be reminded of that?”

Suffice it to say, making Christmas… Again?! was a “magical experience,” says Carra. Estevez also shares “fond memories” from her time on set, particularly when it came to “repeat” scenes. “It was super fun, but also a little crazy, because I would lose track of what loop we were in,” she recalls. “I would be like, ‘Wait, what scene are we doing?’ It was super cool and very different, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to experience something like this again.”

Journey Behind the Scenes of Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest

December 3, 2021December 2, 2021

By Zach Johnson

Ready for a magical and merry adventure?

Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest returns tonight at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, the special finds ZOMBIES franchise stars Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, Kylee Russell and Trevor Tordjman competing in a high-stakes holiday adventure with epic challenges. The quest takes place during “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” after dark, inside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. For more on the special, enjoy our Q&A with director and executive producer Artur Spigel.

D23: The first Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest special aired last year. What takeaways from that experience informed how you approached this year’s special?
Artur Spigel (AS): The folks at Disney did really extensive research about what worked and what resonated with kids and families. They want more characters. They want a lot more heroes in the show—as well as villains. They want us to dig deeper into the IP, so they feel more immersed in the storylines. They want more attraction-based challenges.

D23: What’s it like to film in a Disney theme park after dark?
AS: First and foremost, the guest experience is the No. 1 priority at Parks. So, we have to work within the parameters of the guest experience. We can have a crew of 100 people and be ready to go, but if there are guests still enjoying the park, even though it’s after hours, we’re waiting until they’re ready to go. We are beholden to when the park is truly free and clear. Then, the maintenance of these attractions is super important. So, if an attraction’s not ready for us, or if it needs additional maintenance, we have to wait until the time is right. And then when you talk about adding stunts or challenges onto these attractions, the amount of safety and testing and approval and work with Imagineering is really extensive and took months. Things that you would think are a no-brainer and easy to do need to be triple-checked, triple-harnessed, and triple reviewed. But it was well worth it, because it shows the park in a new light. We got to do things that no one’s ever really gotten to do before. They were on board to stretch what’s possible outside of a typical guest experience.

D23: Can you talk more about how you collaborated with Imagineering?
AS: Look, they’re the protectors of this IP, and they’re the protectors of the park. What they say goes, so we need to collaborate with them on multiple levels. First, there’s the script portion. What are the characters going to say? Is this in the storyline of that land? Would the characters actually say that? Can they even exist in this world of a reality special in the park? You have to set those ground rules. Then, it’s a matter of how we show the park and how we photograph it. The guest experience is very different when you’re in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror^™, with the things you get to see. We have to find that balance. For example, we need to light it for television, but we don’t want to disrupt what the environment looks like or the way a guest would typically see it. So, there’s the storyline, there’s the visual element, and then there’s working with Imagineering to protect the attraction. You know, we were very fortunate that we were allowed to go in Tower of Terror; we got to go behind the ropes and in the lobby area, where they have the bellhop desk. Part of the beauty of that set is that there’s cobwebs, which were handwoven and a hand-placed so many years ago. So, it’s about asking: Where can the camera go? Where can the talent go? How many people can be in this area and for what duration of time? Ultimately, we’re trying to preserve these beautiful environments for all these attractions they created. It’s a deeper, richer experience stepping into these challenges and games this time around.

D23: What can you tease about some of the characters and lands we’ll get to see?
AS: For me, it’s really a dream come true to be able to do this show at all. And in this particular instance, with the show taking place in Hollywood Studios, we get to delve into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We got to work really closely with Lucasfilm and Imagineering to weave our storyline—our quest—into the story of Galaxy’s Edge, inclusive of being hunted by Kylo Ren and the First Order and working with Chewbacca to help solve the puzzles. That land on camera feels like you are truly in a Star Wars movie. Some of what we shot wound up becoming some of my favorite stuff in the special, just because it is so immersive.

D23: This year’s quest begins with Maleficent stealing the holiday star from atop the Holiday Tree, then scattering its pieces throughout the park. After being divided into two teams, the four ZOMBIES stars must then find the pieces, reassemble the star, and place it back atop the tree in order to restore the park’s magic. What inspired this adventure?
AS: We wanted to take the format to the next level. Last year, it was like, ‘We have to find the holiday magic that was locked away.’ And in this instance, we really wanted to motivate our teams to scatter throughout the lands and go to a lot of different attractions. In the spirit of Disney, we love this idea of goodhearted competition, where people are trying their hardest. But at the end, they all come together to make the world an awesome place.

D23: Both Milo and Kylee competed in Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest last year. Did that give them an edge over Meg and Trevor, who were competing for the first time?
AS: They knew what they were dealing with when it comes to how the show was going to go, but they really don’t know anything. They’ve not seen any of the material. They don’t know any of the challenges. They knew there was a mix of hybrid storytelling, where they get to interact with characters. But then all of a sudden, they’re thrown into real games with real outcomes, and they really have to win or lose. It’s all very spontaneous and real. They have no script points. What they are experiencing is what’s really happening to them. Some characters, like Maleficent, have their beats. But otherwise, they’re all saying what they really feel. Everything is candid. There was a little bit more of a rivalry than we expected; they really got very competitive. Even though it was a fun, dream-filled night, they—especially Milo and Meg—really wanted to beat each other. So, that part was fun.

D23: Tells us about bringing Yvette on as host.
AS: She has such an amazing energy. She brings a serious intensity to the gameplay, but in a very warm, comedic way. She’s a great addition; it was super fun to work with her on this.

D23: What can you say about the charitable component to the special?
AS: Ultimately, Disney is making a donation to Toys for Tots in the name of the winning team. So, a large amount of actual, physical toys are going to be delivered to Toys for Tots.

D23: Will there be any fun cameos?
AS: There are some family members, and there is definitely a ZOMBIES cameo…

Disney’s Holiday Magic Quest is also streaming Friday on Disney+.

Jeff Kinney and Brady Noon Talk Diary of a Wimpy Kid

December 2, 2021

By Courtney Potter

“Zoo-Wee-Mama!” The all-new Diary of a Wimpy Kid is coming to Disney+ this Friday, December 3! Based on the first book in Jeff Kinney’s worldwide best-selling series, the animated film follows the story of Greg Heffley (voice of Brady Noon)—a scrawny but ambitious kid with a mega-active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous… he just has to survive middle school first! To make matters worse, Greg’s best friend Rowley (voice of Ethan William Childress) seems to just coast through life and succeed at everything without even trying. As details of his hilarious—and often disastrous—attempts to fit in fill the pages of his journal, Greg learns to appreciate true friends and the satisfaction that comes from standing up for what’s right.

To celebrate Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s release, Kinney and Noon (recently seen in Disney+’s The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers) got together for a rollicking virtual press conference, offering up some memorable, behind-the-scenes scoop on what it was like bringing Greg and his world (full of adventure and cheese-touching) to a streaming device near you.

Kinney on his journey from struggling illustrator to seeing his characters spring to animated life…
“I really wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist,” the author explained. “I wanted to be like Charles Schultz or Bill Waterson or Gary Larson. That was my goal, [but] nobody liked my stuff. I spent about three years trying to get syndicated, but nobody was having it. I needed to figure out a different way to get my cartoons published, so I came up with this idea of a long-form cartoon; like a novel in cartoons. I worked on it for a long time—eight years!—and then finally I showed it to somebody who liked it. And that’s what got me started in publishing… It’s really exciting to see the characters [now] jump from the page to the screen, in a fully rendered CGI environment. Especially doing it with Disney! And Brady has just done such a good job of bringing this character to life that I feel like you’re going to be seeing Greg Heffley [from] the page onto the screen for the first time—which is really cool.”

Noon recalls when he first came across the Diary of the Wimpy Kid books…
“I remember when I was in elementary school,” said the actor, “when I was very young, my brother and sister and I all had these days of the week in school and we’d go to either art class, the library, the gym, [or] a bunch of other subjects. And every day on library day, we’d all run to the library and fight for a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, because they were the most prized possessions to have. And I specifically remember always trying to get the next one—after I finished the first one, I had to get the second one the next week, then I had to get the third one. It was just this crazy ‘addiction,’ this craze that everyone had. It’s such a great memory.”

Kinney on using himself—and his family—as inspiration…
“Greg is really a version of myself,” admitted the author. “So, he’s making this mistake of recording his life at a time when nobody should record their life—in the beginning of middle school, nobody wants a record of that, and Greg is doing it. He’s thinking, ‘One day, I’ll be rich and famous’—so he thinks he’s telling his autobiography. I was a lot like Greg. I was a messy kid… I made lots of mistakes, things that I wouldn’t want put on the record. And my family members are reflected in the Heffleys in some ways; my brother actually lived in the basement, just like Roderick. And he played in a bad band—[although] I’m sure he’d call it a good band,” he added, chuckling. “And then the parents are just like my parents in some ways, but everybody’s been put through the ‘fiction’ blender, so it comes out as fiction. Everybody who watches this movie in my family, they know what I’m writing about… Also, in my mid-20s, I did start keeping a journal, to [persuade] myself to work on my comics. I created this journal with text and some cartoon illustrations all throughout. I did it for years. And finally I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the answer. This is what I’ve been looking for; a new format.’ So, my real-life journal actually inspired Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”

Noon on making the switch from live-action performance to voice acting…
“This was my first voiceover work that I’ve ever done,” he said, “except for ADR [additional dialogue recording] work for live action, but it was incredible. I really liked it. And I liked the concept of being able to come to work in sweatpants and a sweatshirt,” he admitted, laughing. “I tried to ‘act out’ most of the scenes as if it was live action—I pretended like there a camera in front of me, just so you get that ‘realness’ and that sincerity in my voice. Like, if I had to run during a scene, I was really running in place, or if I had to jump, I jumped. If I’m in an emotional scene, I’m really putting myself in the shoes of Greg and how I would react. And that’s how I did it. I do the same thing now with live action, which something that I actually learned from doing voiceover. It’s the coolest skill I’ve learned.”

Kinney on where the idea for the “cheese touch” came from…
“The cheese was a real thing in my life,” he explained. “I used to go to a church where there was a piece of cheese on the parking lot underneath the basketball hoop, just like in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And the kids who went to that school—I didn’t go to the school, but I knew some people who did—they avoided the cheese, just like the kids in Diary do. And I won’t say what happened to the cheese, but I think Brady knows, from the ending of [the film].”

Noon on a favorite scene from the film…
“Definitely the part where we were in the woods, and the older kids run up on us with their truck and they were chasing us,” he recalled. “We’re running and screaming. That’s probably where I laughed the most [watching] the movie. I also really like when Rowley was doing the stuff with the cheese; the unspeakable stuff that I narrated,” he added, laughing. “I feel like that’s where the movie comes together—their friendship finally shows its strong point and comes together. It’s a great moment in the movie that I really enjoyed.”

Kinney on why these characters resonate with people around the world…
“I discovered the answer to that question by traveling around the world,” the author explained. “I think that everybody’s sees Greg as one of them—like if I go to China or Brazil or Israel or New Zealand, they don’t think of Greg as this American kid who lives far away. They think he could be their friend or their neighbor. If you think of Greg Heffley, as he’s designed on the page, he’s really simple… I think that allows people to project themselves onto Greg, which is great. I think that the stories are really relatable—and I think that your family is probably like this in some ways. And of course, hopefully the humor [resonates] as well!”

See Diary of a Wimpy Kid when it debuts on Disney+ this Friday, December 3!