Mickey Snowflake Roll Cake Recipe

By the D23 Team

Whip up this snowy sweet treat for your loved ones this holiday season! For more scrumptious seasonal recipes, visit our D23 Season of Magic page or our ever-growing recipe collection. Kids, be sure to have adult supervision when using the oven and handling hot items—safety first during the holidays!

Ingredients

For Paste:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup cake flour, sifted
  • 1 large egg white

For Cake:

  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 additional tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2/3 cup cake flour, sifted
  • Blue food coloring

For Filling:

  • 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream

Directions

Step 1: Make the paste

  1. Download and print our Mickey Snowflake Template or create a design of your own. Place the template on a 9×14 inch pan, and cover with a piece of parchment paper.
  2. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix butter and sugar together until smooth.
  3. Add flour and mix until incorporated, then add egg white and continue mixing until smooth.
  4. Transfer paste into a piping bag or sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in the corner to create a fine tip.
  5. Pipe the design onto the parchment, following the lines of the template. As shown on the template, you will only need to pipe the design on about 2/3 of the pan. The rest will not be visible once rolled.
  6. Place the pan in the freezer to solidify while you prepare the rest of the batter.

Step 2: Make the cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Place the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Add the 1/4 cup sugar and whisk until dissolved. The yolks should have lightened in color. Slowly add the vegetable oil, whisking constantly until incorporated. Add in the milk, salt, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add a few drops of blue food coloring and mix until the desired color has been reached.
  3. Slowly add sifted cake flour and fold until incorporated.
  4. In a clean mixing bowl, add egg whites and whisk until frothy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.
  5. Fold half of the egg whites into the batter until lightened, then fold in the rest until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
  6. Remove the pan from the freezer, discard the design template underneath the parchment paper, and pour the sponge batter over the frozen design. Use a spatula to spread the batter in an even layer. Bang the pan on the countertop a few times to remove and air bubbles.
  7. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the top springs back when you lightly press it.
  8. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the edges of the pan to gently separate the cake. Place a tea towel on top of the cake and cover with a baking sheet or cutting board. Using oven mitts, invert the pan and board so that the cake is removed from the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper, revealing the design.
  9. Dust a clean tea towel with powdered sugar and lay on top of the cake. Flip the cake once more, so that the design is now facing down, with a tea towel underneath.
  10. Starting on the side of the cake without the design, carefully roll up the warm cake in the towel. Doing this while the cake is still warm will allow it to cool in this position and limit any cracks that may form.
  11. Let the rolled cake cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until completely cool to the touch.

Step 3: Make the filling

  1. Place the water in a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatin on top. Let bloom for 5 minutes.
  2. Microwave the gelatin-water mixture for 5 seconds, then stir until gelatin is fully melted. Add in 1 teaspoon of cream and stir to combine.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whip your heavy cream to soft peaks. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
  4. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the gelatin. Mix until the whipped cream just begins to form stiff peaks.

Step 4: Assemble the roll cake

  1. Carefully unroll the cooled sponge cake. Don’t worry if cracks appear—these should be covered by the filling once assembled.
  2. Spread an even layer of the stabilized whipped cream over the cake, making sure to spread it all the way to the edge.
  3. Carefully roll the cake back up. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes to allow it to firm up.
  4. When ready to serve, cut off each end of the roll to create a neat edge. Serve chilled and enjoy!

First Look at Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World—Plus More in News Briefs

By Courtney Potter

Strange World

Walt Disney Animation Studios Reveals Concept Art for Strange World

Here’s something to add to your calendar… the latest from Walt Disney Animation Studios! And, judging but this newly released concept art, we have a lot of magic to look forward to.

Strange World is an original action-adventure from our pals at WDAS, and it chronicles a journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land, where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades—a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest, and by far most crucial, mission.

According to director Don Hall (Big Hero 6, Raya and the Last Dragon), Strange World is a nod to pulp magazines—popular fiction from the first half of the 20th century that was printed on inexpensive wood pulp paper. “I loved reading the old issues of pulps growing up,” Hall recently said. “They were big adventures in which a group of explorers might discover a hidden world or ancient creatures. They’ve been a huge inspiration for Strange World.”

Helmed by Hall and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer, Raya and the Last Dragon), and produced by Roy Conli (Big Hero 6, Tangled), Strange World is slated for release on November 23, 2022. And stay tuned for more info on the film in the coming months!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Whip up some hot chocolate (and/or one of our great new D23 Season of Magic recipes) and settle in for another weekend of holiday fun from around the worlds of Disney. Look for a new holiday-themed episode of ABC’s Supermarket Sweep; Tron: Legacy coming to Disney+; merry mayhem from a Home Alone marathon on FX; and lots more where that came from.

The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure

“The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” Exhibit Now Open at Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum

Should you live in the Kansas City area (or have friends or family who do), listen to this: You have a very coolDisney exhibit to check out over these next few months, right in your own backyard! At “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” now open at Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum, Joe Gardner—the musician, mentor, and teacher from Disney and Pixar’s Soul—takes visitors on a tour as they discover the rich and surprising history of jazz. And Kansas City is a perfect location, as it’s one of the first cities where jazz took root in American culture.

Initially introduced at The American Adventure inside EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort, the exhibit is a tribute to a musical art form that originated by African Americans and fuses influences from many different cultures. Guests will see incredible historic artifacts from famous jazz musicians, creating a sort of “musical tour” across the United States to learn more about this colorful, inspiring, and constantly evolving genre of music.

You can hear from musician Jon Batiste, Oscar® winner for co-composing the soundtrack to Soul, talk about the importance of jazz—and what he hopes guests will take away from this exhibit, in this recent video interview with John Dennis, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering.

The exhibit is open now through April—check it out, if you’re able!

Disneyland After Dark

Disneyland After Dark Returns to Disneyland Resort in 2022

Yes, it’s true: Disneyland After Dark events are returning to Disneyland Resort in 2022! These events take place after regular park hours and feature cool unique themes; all manner of fun festivities; special nighttime entertainment; access to most attractions with reduced wait times (cool, right?!); and so much more. Guests get to experience offerings that aren’t typically available during a regular park visit—making it a super memorable adventure…

With each separately ticketed Disneyland After Dark event, guests are privy to four hours of non-stop fun after the parks close to day guests. Plus, there’s a three-hour pre-party “mix-in” at the same park the event takes place in—which is included with each ticket. But that’s not all: At each of these events, guests receive unlimited digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos* taken during the party, plus commemorative keepsakes including a souvenir credential and event guide map. So many ways to remember your Disneyland After Dark experience!

Sweethearts’ Nite (February 1, 3, 8, 10, and 14, 2022, at Disneyland park) is already on sale… and look for Villains Nite (March 8 and 10, 2022, at Disney California Adventure park) and Star Wars Nite (May 3, 4, and 27, 2022, at Disneyland park) to go on sale Tuesday, January 11.

Click here to find out even more about each Disneyland After Dark event, and to buy tickets! (And if you bought a ticket for a 2020 Disneyland After Dark event, fret not; there’s information on how to exchange your ticket here.)

*Disney PhotoPass service is subject to the Disney PhotoPass terms and expiration policy found at Disneyland.com/photopass-terms-conditions/. Online registration required.

Hulu Shares First Look at Dragons: The Nine Realms

Earlier this week, our friends at Hulu offered up an action-packed first trailer for Dragons: The Nine Realms, an all-new six-episode series from DreamWorks Animation.

Set 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, dragons are now just a legend to the modern world. When a geological anomaly opens up an immense, miles-deep fissure in the Earth’s surface, scientists from all over the world gather at a new research facility to study the mysterious phenomenon. Soon, a group of misfit kids, brought to the site by their parents, uncover the truth about dragons and where they’ve been hiding—a secret they must keep to themselves to protect what they’ve discovered.

The series’ voice cast includes Jeremy Shada as Tom Kullerson, Julia Stiles as Olivia Kullersen, Marcus Scribner as D’Angelo Baker, Aimee Garcia as Alexandra Gonzalez, Ashley Liao as Jun Wong, Lauren Tom as May Wong, Keston John as Philip Baker, Justina Machado as Carla Gonzalez, and D’Arcy Carden as Linda. Look for it streaming on Hulu beginning Thursday, December 23!

Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ Service Now Conjuring Magic at Disneyland Resort

Are you ready to make your next visit to Disneyland Resort easier—not to mention a lot more fun? Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ services, conveniently built right into the Disneyland app, are now available!

The Disney Genie service offers new features to help you create your best Disney day. At the heart of the service are helpful components like a personalized itinerary creator; users will receive attraction and dining recommendations inspired by what they’ve told the Disney Genie they’re most interested in doing and seeing. But if they need to swap out an option, no problem! Disney Genie will continue to offer new suggestions throughout the day, so they can make the most of their visit. The Disney Genie service also offers additional features like a personal tip board to see favorite attractions and dining options in one central place, and forecasted future attraction wait times, helping predict the best time to visit during the day. Similar to a navigation app on one’s phone, Disney Genie does all the work behind the scenes and updates itineraries continually from morning to night.

As for Disney Genie+, it’s available for $20 per ticket per day and allows guests to select the next available arrival window for Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane entrances at select attractions at both Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park, one at a time (subject to limited availability; limit one Lightning Lane selection per experience each day). Disney Genie+ also includes unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads, as well as new audio experiences that let guests discover the parks in all-new ways.

So, make sure to download the latest version of the Disneyland app, and keep your notification and location services are turned on so you can enjoy all of the app’s new features. Visit Disneyland.com/Genie for more details—and take a look at the helpful new video, above. We’ll see ya down there!

Disney Channel’s Secrets of Sulphur Springs Season 2 Begins This January

If you’re in the mood for some spooky fun, mark your calendars for the season 2 premiere of Secrets of Sulphur Springs on January 14! Check out the trailer the good folks over at Disney Channel premiered earlier this week, above.

In season two, Griffin (Preston Oliver) and Harper (Kyliegh Curran) unravel new mysteries about The Tremont, and Harper follows the real ghost back to the 1930s to learn more about her family’s deep-seated connection to the hotel. When the power source to the time machine is unintentionally taken and the portal disappears, Harper becomes trapped in the past with her great-uncle Sam and great-great-grandfather Elijah, while her great-grandmother Daisy is left to navigate the present. With help from Savannah (Elle Graham) from her new life in 1962, the friends attempt to fix the time machine and bring back the portal before it’s too late and their lives are forever changed.

Additional series regulars returning for season two include Josh Braaten as Griffin’s father, Ben; Kelly Frye as Griffin’s mother, Sarah; Landon Gordon as Griffin’s younger brother, Wyatt; Madeleine McGraw as Griffin’s younger sister, Zoey; and Diandra Lyle as Harper’s mother, Jess. Recurring stars in season two include Johari Washington as Topher Dunn, Harper’s brother; Ethan Hutchison as young Sam Tremont, Harper’s great-uncle as seen in the 1930s; Eugene Byrd as adult Sam Tremont, as seen in the 1960s; Kenneisha Thompson as Grace Tremont, Harper’s great-great-grandmother; and Robert Manning Jr. as Elijah Tremont, Harper’s great-great-grandfather.

Catch up on the first season of Secrets of Sulphur Springs now via Disney+ and DisneyNOW.

ICYMI: Handmade Warmth from Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition

D23 recently spoke with Disney Animation visual development artist Brittney Lee about a unique project she designed for this year’s holiday season: the Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition, which begins streaming on Disney+ Friday, December 17. Find out what went into creating and photographing this fully handmade work of art by clicking here.

Fall Under the Spell of D23’s Exclusive Bedknobs and Broomsticks 50th Anniversary Pin

D23 Exclusive Bedknobs and Broomsticks 50th Anniversary Pin

How pleasant bobbing along to celebrate a half century of Disney’s classic film Bedknobs and Broomstickswith this pin created just for D23. This D23 Gold Member exclusive is the perfect way to commemorate this magical musical masterpiece!

Our Bedknobs and Broomsticks pin, offered in a limited edition of 1,000, will be available exclusively to D23 Gold Members on shopDisney at 7 a.m. PT on December 13, 2021.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

*Available while supplies last. To purchase, you must log in to shopDisney.com with the Disney account tied to D23 Gold Membership. Pins are sold for $12.99 each, plus applicable sales tax. Maximum of two (2) pins of this style for purchase per D23 Gold Member for online orders. Shipping not available to PO boxes; shipping and handling fees may vary for all online orders. Other restrictions may apply. All information is subject to change including, but not limited to, artwork, release dates, editions sizes, and retail prices.

Downloadable: D23 Season of Magic “Season’s Greetings” Cards

Surprise and delight your friends and family with these adorable D23 Season of Magic-themed greeting cards! Just download each card; print out; cut around the image; fold along the center, horizontally; and write your message inside, before sending to a special someone (or maybe including it with a gift under the tree). You have several to choose from, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Princess Tiana and Louis the Alligator, and Goofy and Max!

Supplies:
8.5 x 11-inch white cardstock (printable)
Scissors

OPTIONAL:
4 x 4-inch square envelope(s)

  1. Download and print out the greeting card images onto your cardstock.
  2. Cut around each image, using the black line as your guide, to eliminate any white borders.
  3. Fold each card horizontally, along the center.
  4. Write your holiday greetings inside.

OPTIONAL:
Address your envelope(s), affix a stamp, slip your card(s) inside, and send through the mail.

  1. Holiday wishes, delivered!

NOTE: Cutting should be done by an adult.

Spinach & Ricotta Mickey Pinwheels Recipe

By the D23 Team

Prepare this delicious recipe—shaped like our pal Mickey Mouse!—for your holiday party, or bring it over to a friend or family as a special savory treat. For more yummy seasonal recipes, visit our D23 Season of Magic page—as well as our ever-growing recipe collection…

Ingredients

  • 1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)
  • 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 6 oz fresh spinach
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

  1. Thaw the puff pastry sheets as instructed on the package. Peel and mince the garlic and roughly chop the spinach.
  2. In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add spinach and stir together. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted. Remove lid and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, allowing any excess water to evaporate. Once the excess water has evaporated, remove from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, parmesan, and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Lay the puff pastry sheets on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Using a rotary pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut one of the sheets in half, so you now have 1 full-sized sheet and 2 half-sized sheets.
  5. In a small bowl, mix egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush the surface of each pastry sheet with the egg wash. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the spinach and cheese mixture on top in an even layer. Leave about an inch of empty space at the top of each sheet.
  6. Starting at the wide end, tightly roll up each sheet. The empty inch of pastry at the top of each sheet will help the roll stick together. Once all three sheets are rolled, you should have one larger log and two smaller ones. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least an hour.
  7. Preheat oven to 400° F. Remove logs from the refrigerator and slice into 1/2-inch slices. On a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, lay out each of the slices. Arrange one slice from the large log with two slices from the smaller logs, so that they form a Mickey Mouse silhouette. Pinch the touching edges of pastry together so they stick together.
  8. Brush the top of each Mickey pinwheel with egg wash. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed up. Serve warm and enjoy!

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Weekend

By Zach Johnson

Has Christmas come early?! Enjoy holiday-themed episodes of Shark Tank on Friday and Supermarket Sweep on Sunday, both airing on ABC. Disney+ will add Tron: Legacy to its library Friday… but if you’re in the mood for more than one movie, Freeform will air a Toy Story marathon on Saturday, while FX will broadcast a Home Alonemarathon on Sunday.

Shark Tank

Shark Tank—Friday, December 10, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Will getting a deal be a Christmas miracle? You’ll have to tune in to find out. In this episode, holiday cheer fills the Tank when four entrepreneurs try to glean some cash and make a deal with the Sharks with their slate of seasonally appropriate pitches and products. They include a woman from North Carolina who shows how her hobby-turned-lucrative-business is committed to bringing smiles into every home with her magical designs; a family from Connecticut who return to the Tank for another shot at a deal with a product designed to keep your most precious ornaments safe and secure during the holiday season; an elf from Illinois who hopes to spread joy through his personalized digital business; and a husband and wife from Connecticut who are committed to making spirits bright with their magical product, which was designed to help children communicate with the North Pole.

TRON: Legacy

Tron: Legacy—Friday, December 10, on Disney+
In this futuristic 2010 film, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) learns of a cryptic signal originating from the arcade of his father, legendary game creator Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges)… who’s been missing for over a decade! Sam embarks on a personal journey with the help of the fearless female warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), and with his father, they venture through an amazing cyber universe and wage the ultimate battle of good and evil.

Toy Story

Toy Story Marathon—Saturday, December 11, on Freeform
The network’s annual “25 Days of Christmas” programming event includes one of our favorite Toy Story specials and all four feature films from the Disney and Pixar franchise. The fun begins with Toy Story That Time Forgot (2:40 p.m. ET) and continues with Toy Story (3:10 p.m. ET), Toy Story 2 (5:10 p.m. ET), Toy Story 3 (7:15 p.m. ET), and Toy Story 4 (9:45 p.m. ET). Click here to see what other films are airing as part of Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas.

Home Alone

Home Alone Marathon—Sunday, December 12, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FX
Set the booby traps and make sure all the doors are locked! In Home Alone, Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) must become the man of the house after his family accidentally leaves him behind and he’s forced to defend their home from burglars. Then, in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, trouble follows Kevin all the way to the Big Apple, where he must stop the very same burglars from robbing a toy store just before Christmas.

Supermarket Sweep

Supermarket Sweep—Sunday, December 12, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
Join host Leslie Jones as she celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with shopping, games, and ugly holiday sweaters! Teams competing in the holiday-themed episode “Gingerbread Is Not Money for Redheads, Neil!” include Team Wing Men (Jacque Herman and Curtis Parker), Team Cream & Sugar (Naomi Cwalinski and Ninette Soto), Team Cabbage (Miguel “Mike” Dacanay and Jade Woods), Team Soy Saucy Sisters (Ayumi Belanger and Emy Cardoza), Team Steamed Crabs (Morgan Bowman and Sean Bowman), and Team Blackberry Cobbler (Sheila Calvert and Lynn Calvert). We’ll be there with bells on!

Awe-Inspiring Photography from Will Smith’s Adventures in Welcome to Earth

By the D23 Team

Have you ever wanted to drive to the middle of nowhere and stare at a sky full of a million stars? Or dive into the deepest depths of the ocean to lay eyes on creatures no one has ever seen? Your adventure through Earth’s greatest wonders and most hidden secrets is about to begin! Welcome to Earth, a Disney+ original series from National Geographic, follows two-time Academy Award® nominee Will Smith on that very extraordinary journey to discover our planet’s most awe-inspiring wonders.

Debuting today on Disney+, the six-part limited series produced by visionary Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, Protozoa Pictures, Jane Root’s Nutopia, and Westbrook Studios, follows Smith as he is guided by elite explorers on a breathtaking 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. 

Watch Now on Disney+

Before you explore the series’ first episode, get a taste for the adventure ahead with these stunning photos from Smith’s adventures across all six episodes:

Your Guide to 2021 Holiday Viewing Across The Walt Disney Company

This yuletide season, enjoy beloved classics and new favorites all across the networks of Disney, including ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney+, ESPN, FX, FXM, Hulu, and Nat Geo WILD. Make some merry memories with loved ones as you watch holiday-themed episodes of original television series, as well as films, shorts, and specials.

Below, we present a comprehensive guide to your season’s screenings:

Holiday Viewing Across The Walt Disney Company

ABC and ESPN

ABC continues to deliver a lineup of cheer with festive holiday programming. Enjoy new holiday-themed episodes of your favorite shows throughout the rest of the month, including Shark Tank (Friday, December 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT), America’s Funniest Home Videos (Sunday, December 12, at 7 p.m. ET/PT), Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, December 12, at 9 p.m. ET/PT), Station 19 (Thursday, December 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT), Grey’s Anatomy (Thursday, December 16, at 9 p.m. ET/PT), and General Hospital (Tuesday, December 21, Wednesday, December 22, at 2 p.m. ET/PT, and Thursday, December 30, at 2 p.m. ET/PT).

ABC will also rebroadcast beloved films and specials such as The Sound of Music (Sunday, December 19, at 7 p.m. ET/PT), Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Thursday, December 23, at 8 p.m. ET/PT), Olaf’s Frozen Adventure(Friday, December 24, at 8 p.m. ET/PT), Shrek the Halls (Friday, December 24, at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT), Prep & Landing (Friday, December 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT), Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice (Friday, December 24, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT), and The Wonderful World of Disney: Frozen (Monday, December 27, at 8 pm. ET/PT), as well as two original specials: A Very Boy Band Holiday (Thursday, December 23, at 9 p.m. ET/PT) and CMA Country Christmas (Thursday, December 23, at 10 p.m. ET/PT).

Tune in to ABC for the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade on Saturday, December 25, at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, which will be hosted by Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, and Ariana DeBose! Afterward, ABC and ESPN will combine to nationally televise all five NBA Christmas Day games—spanning 13 consecutive hours of live event coverage!

The NBA Christmas Day schedule is as follows:

  • 12 p.m. ET: Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks (ESPN, ESPN App)
  • 2:30 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks (ABC, ESPN App)
  • 5 p.m. ET: (Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns (ABC, ESPN App)
  • 8 p.m. ET: Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers (ABC, ESPN, ESPN App)
  • 10:30 p.m. ET: Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz (ESPN, ESPN App)

Last but not least, toast to the end of 2021 and count down to 2022 with ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022 (Friday, December 31, at 8 p.m. ET/PT).

Holiday Viewing Across The Walt Disney Company

Disney Channel and Disney Junior

Enjoy rebroadcasts of the Disney Channel Original Movie Christmas… Again?!, starring Scarlett Estevez, and the Disney Junior special Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas, as well as a holiday-themed episode of Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends!

Other episodes, series, and specials are available in the DisneyNOW app, such as Disney Holiday Magic Quest, Holidays Unwrapped, and LEGO® Star Wars: Celebrate the Season.

Holiday Viewing Across The Walt Disney Company

Disney+

Last month, we shared a rundown of new and beloved holiday films, shorts, and specials available to stream on Disney+, including Arendelle Castle Yule Log: Cut Paper Edition (premiering December 17), Babes in Toyland,Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special, Godmothered, High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Home Sweet Home Alone, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, LEGO® Star Wars Holiday Special, Noelle, Once Upon a Snowman, Puppy for Hanukkah, and TimBurton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Enjoy more than a dozen Christmas-themed episodes of The Simpsons, as well as Christmas-, Hanukkah-, and Kwanza-themed episodes from beloved shows such as Even Stevens, Girl Meets World, K.C. Undercover, Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, The Proud Family, Sonny with a Chance, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and That’s So Raven.

Log in to Disney+ to see the entire Season’s Streamings collection.

Family Guy

Freeform

The network’s 25 Days of Christmas is well underway—but there are still 17 more days to celebrate! Check out the complete schedule to find out when your favorite episodes, films, and specials—including Arthur Christmas, Black Nativity, Call Me Claus, Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic, Family Guy, Frosty the Snowman, Holiday in Handcuffs, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist, Jingle All the Way, Jingle All the Way 2, Love Actually, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, The Night Before, Office Christmas Party, Prancer Returns, The Preacher’s Wife, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Simpsons, Snowglobe, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story That Time Forgot, and Unaccompanied Minors—will air.

FX Networks

Huddle up around the fireplace and enjoy some eggnog! The holiday season is upon us, and FX is ready to spread the joy with FX’s 12 Days of Christmas. Check your local listings to find out when Abominable, Almost Christmas, Daddy’s Home, Daddy’s Home 2, Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Krampus, The Lion King, Office Christmas Party, Sing, The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, The Secret Life of Pets, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, and A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas air. Please note some titles may not be suitable for younger viewers.

Let the films of holidays past and present guide you through this year’s Christmas with FXM’s marathon of A Christmas Carol (1951) and FX’s: A Christmas Carol (2019), starting on Friday December 24, at 2:30 p.m. ET/PT and on Saturday, December 25, at 6 a.m. ET/PT.

Hulu

Enjoy four episodes of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi: Holiday Edition, which highlight unique traditions through the lens of a different immigrant culture and city, like Korean New Year in Los Angeles and Cuban Christmas in Miami. Hulu also debuted two animated holiday specials this year—A Very Solar Holiday Opposites Special (for adult viewers) and Madagascar: A Little Wild Holiday Goose Chase (for the whole family)—in addition to unwrapping an original unscripted limited series, Candified: Home for the Holidays, in which candy queen Jackie Sorkin and her team of candy artists design, glue, melt, and shape hundreds of thousands of sweet pieces to bring fun, festive fantasies to life.

Hulu is also home to some of the holiday specials and series that aired on ABC this year, from CMA Country Christmas and The Great Christmas Light Fight to A Very Boy Band Holiday. Of course, Hulu also has a vast library of merry movies to stream this holiday season, including Blippi and the Holiday Snow Globe, A Christmas Carol (1984), A Christmas Carol (2019), Cupid for Christmas, Dear Santa (2020), Happiest Season, The Holiday, Jingle All the Way, The Jinx & Dela Holiday Special, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Trolls Holiday in Harmony, and A Very Brady Christmas, among many others.

Nat Geo WILD

It’s the holiday season, which means spending time with loved ones, the exchanging of gifts—and Nat Geo WILD’s annual present to fans of The Incredible Dr. Pol! The “12 Days of Pol” marathon will premiere on Monday, December 20, and air through New Year’s Day.

9 Sensational Stories from the West Side Story Press Conference

By Courtney Potter

“Could it be? Yes, it could. Something’s coming, something good!” 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story opens in U.S. theaters just a few days from now, and those lyrics—written by the late Stephen Sondheim, in one of his first Broadway forays—certainly sum up the excitement to come. Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, from a script by Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner, this reimagining of the beloved musical tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City.

Recently, Spielberg, Kushner, and legendary actress Rita Moreno (who won an Oscar® for her portrayal of Anita in the 1961 version of West Side Story, and who not only costars in this iteration as Valentina but also executive produces) joined several other members of the film’s cast—including Rachel Zegler (María), Ansel Elgort (Tony), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), and Brian D’Arcy James (Officer Krupke)—for a memorable virtual press conference, hosted by Sunny Hostin from ABC’s The View. Read on for an inside look at bringing such an iconic tale to big-screen life once again:

1. Spielberg on Sondheim’s vital role in this reimagining:
“Steve was the first person I met when I sought the rights to make our version of West Side Story,” explained the acclaimed director. He was the first person I sat down and met with at his place in New York City, in person, with his dogs,” he recalled, chuckling. “We had met before because my company made Sweeney Todd… I met Steve at the premiere of that for the first time. And then we wound up bumping into each other at the White House when we received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Steve, myself, and Barbra Streisand. And each time I met Steve, I wanted to say to him, ‘I have this desperate desire to do my version of West Side Story’—and I just couldn’t get the words out of my mouth… And then finally, I just sort of bit the bullet, and I was able to meet with him and the other estates.  Steve was very involved. He was involved in commenting about Tony’s script; they had an open dialogue during the process of going from one draft to the next. But where Steve got really involved, which was the best place for his involvement, was [when] we did all the pre-records with the artists. Steve was there for three weeks, five days a week, every day sitting right next to me at the recording studio. And that was a such an honor, to share that.”

West Side Story

2. Kushner on how his husband is somewhat responsible for Moreno’s role in the film:
“When Steven first asked me to do it, I went home and told my husband, ‘Steven just asked me to do something completely insane,’” he remembered, laughing. “[I thought], ‘How do I get out of it? This is absolutely an impossible thing!’ I love the 1961 film; everybody does. It’s a masterpiece. But it felt like an impossible thing to do, that even if we did a great job with it, we would be overshadowed by what was inarguably one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time. And justifiably so. I’ve said this before, but [my husband] Mark’s first response was ‘You should do it, but you have to get rid of the character of Doc—and what you should do is make the character Doc’s widow—make her Puerto Rican, and ask Rita Moreno to play it.’ So, I called Steven immediately and I said, ‘Mark just had a great idea.’ And Steven said, ‘Oh my God, that is a great idea!’ That’s how the character of Valentina was born.”

3. Moreno on “passing the torch” of her original character to DeBose:
“That’s a great way to put it,” the colorful Emmy®, Grammy®, Oscar, and Tony-winning actress said. “I wasn’t easy. I mean, I’m not gonna say I wasn’t envious—that would be a bloody lie. I wished I could be that young again and do it again, obviously. But that wasn’t going to be. And I get this beautifully written [new] part by this man [indicates Kushner]. I love me in this movie,” she added, bringing chuckles from Spielberg and Kushner. “You don’t say things like that easily. Because [people are] gonna say, ‘Oh, ma, give me a break.’ I don’t care what they say. I love every scene I’m in, therefore I love what I’m doing.”

West Side Story

4. Elgort on how his friendship with Faist wound up mirroring their characters, and on the encouragement he felt from the cast and crew:
“Mike and I—we were sort of like Riff and Tony for a long time through the rehearsal process,” explained the actor. “We spent a lot of time together, and we built that friendship—we imagined about what it was like being kids, ‘playing’ as the Jets, before things even probably got too violent. And then [in the musical number] ‘Cool’—it’s kind of like us revisiting that friendship and almost having too much fun and playing with fire again, and then it gets to the point where he crosses a line… I have to give a lot of credit to being able to work with such amazing people, because I came into that rehearsal—rehearsing months in advance—and I was not the strongest dancer. But you have these incredible dancers who are all around me and also are all supporting me… It felt like the whole process—singing, dancing, acting—it was like an incubator. And Steven wanted us to all to be at our best.”

5. Faist on making his character as sympathetic as possible:
Said the actor, “You have to really lean into where it’s coming from—obviously fear. But where is that fear coming from? Underneath all of that, there is a love. The background that these boys have, they don’t have the family that [the Puerto Rican immigrants] are attempting to create in a new city. They don’t have that. All they have is this toxicity of a tribe and familial relationship that they’ve built and culminated together, and it’s totally unhealthy and co-dependent, but it’s what they’ve got.”

6. Alvarez on the unique way he wound up auditioning for the film:
“The casting director somehow found me online [via social media],” the Broadway performer explained. “She sent me a message, and she was like, ‘Hey, I remember I saw you in Billy Elliot back in 2009. I’ve been looking for you for a while. Where have you been?’ You’ve disappeared!’ I was backpacking in Mexico for three years—I had taken a break. But then she found me. When I read her message, and I saw that it was Steven Spielberg [directing], I thought, ‘Well, what do I have to lose, to just send in the self-tape?’ I expected nothing. I was like, ‘I’m t gonna send it in just so I feel good.’

West Side Story

7. Rivera on what the film means to him, and the arc of his character Chino:
“This film was a lot of things for me,” the actor explained, “and it’s my first feature, it’s a work of Steven Spielberg’s, and it’s that representation of Puerto Ricans—which is my heritage. So, it was just a lot of things at the same time. When people ask me how it feels, there’s so many components to that. To be able to dive into it with the nuance that [audiences see], in all the characters… Chino starts out kind and gentle, and—spoiler alert—does go to the ‘dark side.’ What’s nice is, and I thank Tony Kushner for this, he gave me a lot of meat and potatoes [to work with], which I really appreciate. You get to really see and understand and empathize with the arcs of all the characters and how everything plays out. You see it in real time. So, to be able to represent that, and to be able to like chat with my family about it—being part of this film… Yeah, it’s nothing short of incredible.”

8. James on watching the film’s youthful cast making magic together:
“I spent five days [filming] the ‘Dance at the Gym’ number, literally on the outside just standing and watching this incredible array of ability and talent and enthusiasm and joy and spirit. I always laughed at the fact that after every take, a throng of 40 dancers would run over to the monitor and watch the scene—and after the scene was over, everyone would go, ‘Hooray!’ That was great. And to me, that is the lifeblood of this film. Because the spirit of this film is captured by everybody [being] so in love with the fact that they got to do it—and so in love with each other.” Speaking to his castmates, he continued, “You appreciated it because you guys were in it, and we—who had not as much to do—were lucky to witness it as it was unfolding. That kind of thing is very rare, I think… To watch it and still be a part of it was really special.”

9. …and Spielberg on his collaboration with Kushner, and why it makes this film so special:
“I don’t think there was a scene in this film that Tony and I didn’t feel we had to get absolutely perfect,” the director said. “A scene is simply a progression toward making a point or reaching the end of the story. We both felt that if the scene did not contribute to the overall story—or it didn’t contribute to the growth, or the arc of these characters—that scene should not, would not, find a place in West Side Story. So, every scene has an essential role to play in basically unspooling the story—in celebration of being alive, and in tragedy, because conversation wasn’t able to be had before tragedy occurred. And the message [is], that conversation must always be attempted before anything else is attempted. All of these are all little building blocks; it’s like a string of pearls.”

See 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story in U.S. theaters beginning this Friday, December 10!

Making Their Mark in West Side Story

By Courtney Potter

20th Century Studios’ upcoming reimagining of the beloved musical West Side Story tells the iconic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. Set among the streets of adjoining Upper West Side neighborhoods Lincoln Square and San Juan Hill, the film—like its source material—is inspired by the star-crossed protagonists of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, putting a couple in love in the middle of a tense standoff that’s both powerfully political and deeply personal.

Two of the most iconic roles in the pantheon of both musical theater and film, West Side Story’s María is the young Puerto Rican immigrant who falls for an American despite the danger their love incites; and Anita, girlfriend to María’s brother Bernardo, is the knowing mother figure to his new-to-New-York little sister. In this new iteration, premiering in U.S. theaters in just a few days’ time, the roles are filled by newcomer Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose (Hamilton, Schmigadoon!), respectively.

D23 was lucky enough to sit down recently with both Zegler and DeBose for a spirited discussion about their experiences making the film, and what they hope today’s audiences take away from such an influential story.

West Side Story

“My friend McKenna sent me a tweet she’d seen from Cindy Tolan, the casting director, saying, ‘Thank me when you’re famous,” explained Zegler, chuckling. “I thought, ‘Oh, silly McKenna’—but then I sat down and made a tape and [thought] ‘Why not? What do I have to lose?’… I think it was about two weeks shy of a year [since the process began] when I was called in for a final time, on January 9, 2019, to a dance studio in Manhattan. I did two scenes for Steven, and he sent me out of the room, and I just kind of waited patiently. And then he brought me back in and everybody had formed this semi-circle around me that looked like an intervention!” the actress laughingly recalled. “And Steven said, ‘I just want to tell you that we would like for you to be María.’ It was an incredible moment—and also a real big, deep sigh of relief that the process was over. And then it was gearing up for what was to come!”

As for DeBose, her process was a little different—but equally memorable: “I came to [the process] kind of late,” she explained. “Cindy Tolan called and asked me to come to Brooklyn on a Saturday morning [for an audition]. At the time I was starring in a Broadway show [Donna: The Donna Summer Musical], and that Saturday would be a two-show day for me… I told them I could come in and dance and sing for them, but that I’d need more time to prepare the ‘sides’ [sections of scenes] they’d sent me… So I get there, and Steven Spielberg is there, and I think ‘Oh no.’ I dance for him, and he likes my dancing, and they ask me to stay in the room, and he says to me, ‘Will you read for me?’ And I said ‘No.’ And he looked at me a little cross-eyed,” she remembered, laughing. “Thank goodness Cindy came to my rescue and explained to him the situation… But we did have a short conversation about my being Afro-Latina [DeBose’s father is Puerto Rican]—that it would be important for me, should I get the role, to explore that. And he said, ‘Well, I can’t wait to see you again’… [After the rest of the process], I was at a nail salon in Manhattan when I found out I’d gotten the role. I had to have the nail technician answer the phone for me!”

West Side Story

As far as rehearsals, “I had been told that Steven doesn’t like to rehearse [scenes],” explained DeBose, “but we had extensiverehearsals for the dance numbers. But for the scenes, we actually didn’t rehearse them—which is a new experience for me, coming from the Broadway community, because we employ copious amounts of rehearsal. When you’re doing something eight times a week, you workshop it, you find the nuances, and you do it over and over and over again so that you truly understand the circumstances that you play out every night for the audience. Whereas Steven likes to keep things spontaneous and fresh and authentic and honest. So there was a real trust that Steven cultivated—not just with me, but with all of my company members. It was a beautiful thing to behold… When we were discussing the process, he made it very clear to me; he said ‘I chose you because I trust you. But I want you to explore; I want you to bring those sides of yourself, and if something feels wrong, let’s talk about it’… We would get to these beautiful moments of collaboration. Working with Steven as a director, it was a dream.”

“There wasn’t a lot of scene work rehearsal, for sure,” Zegler added. “But it was an intense couple months of just figuring out and mapping out the scale of the thing we had all signed on to… I personally loved the mornings [during dance rehearsals] because we would all do ballet bar. And for the most part, it was me being the only girl there—because I was there for most of the mornings, and it was all of the Jets, all of the Sharks. All the boys and then me. We all had a really fun bonding experience. That was beautiful.”

Besides exhaustive dance rehearsal, the cast was privy to several days of panels with leading experts in New York City history—“There were professors and writers and people who had done research in the history of San Juan Hill back in 1957 Manhattan,” recalled Zegler, “[talking about] the risks between the police and the Puerto Ricans; the police and the white kids; the white kids and the Puerto Ricans—how they all interacted. What the conflict really was, how the city was changing, and how those changes affected that conflict and their views.”

West Side Story

DeBose had the extremely special, although unenviable, task of filling the shoes of Anita in the presence of the woman who originally played her on the big screen—and won an Academy Award® for her efforts: Rita Moreno. The Oscar, Tony®, Emmy®, and Grammy® winner not only executive produced this reimagining but also costars as Valentina, the widow of local drugstore owner Doc. “I was incredibly humbled by how gracious Rita was with me,” admitted the actress. “She did ask, ‘What do you want to know?’ I’ll tell you anything you want to know.’ And I said, ‘I want to know anything that you want to tell me!’ And we had an understanding about the character. I care so much about Anita; as a person and as an actor, I don’t believe you can really move forward without knowing where [the character] came from… [Rita’s] is one of the most beautiful performances we’ve ever seen on screen. It changed the way the industry looked at Latinas. My specific goal was to find Anita in my physical manifestation, and what that means. And she gave me the space to do all of that and supported me through it.”

Speaking of Moreno’s groundbreaking performance, representation was truly key for this West Side Story: “It was very important to everyone involved that this movie be cast as accurately as possible, with representation in mind,” said Zegler, a Latina of Colombian descent. “We were so fortunate to have such a wonderful ensemble of so many different walks of life, from so many different Latin American countries—primarily Puerto Rico and Cuba, but from all over… And Rita was my idol from a very young age, because Singin’ in the Rain was my favorite movie. So it was an incredible moment when I got to meet her. It was so inspiring to talk to her, because she’s so aware of how she’s made a career for herself [as a Latina]… She just had the greatest stories and pieces of advice.”

West Side Story

All told, both performers hope the film resonates with audiences. “So much love and care went into this film,” said Zegler. “The performers in the entire ensemble are unreal and really incredible.” “To know that young women and young girls will see this film, with characters like Anita and María, and hopefully feel empowered by some of the things they’re witnessing—that is very exciting,” added DeBose… and the fact that this tale is now a part of the worlds of Disney is not lost on the actress either. “I’ve always found music to be incredibly healing, and it’s been a way for me to process things when I was a kid… Disney has brought that type of healing and processing to young people, and that’s not something I think we talk about [often]—the power of this art form. Whether it’s animation or live action, there is such power in the way that audiences receive these stories.”

And DeBose believes West Side Story will sit squarely amongst that memorable Disney canon. “[This project is] truly one of epic proportions,” said DeBose. “That’s the only way I know how to describe it.”

20th Century Studios’ West Side Story debuts in theaters across the U.S. beginning this Friday, December 10!