5 Reasons to Leap into Disney Channel’s New Series Amphibia

By Beth Deitchman

The talented folks at Disney Television Animation have led us on so many incredible adventures in worlds ranging from Duckburg to Gravity Falls to the Tri-State Area, but we’ve never before seen a world like Amphibia. The brand-new series Amphibia, debuting Monday, June 17 (10–10:30 a.m. ET/PT), on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW, is described as a “frog out of water” story, which follows a truly fearless teen who is transported to strange and mysterious marshland inhabited by frog people, where she finds exciting new adventures and makes new friends.

The series is created by Matt Braly, a Sacramento native and CalArts graduate who launched his career with an internship at Pixar, where he says he learned tips and tricks from some of the studio’s best artists. “These were big players, and for them to take the time and spend it with these starry-eyed students was something really incredible,” he says.

Amphibia is Braly’s first series as creator/executive producer, but he’s a Disney Television Animation veteran whose credits include the hugely fan-favorite Gravity Falls and Big City Greens. We jumped at the chance to talk to Braly about the new show, and find out why Disney fans will want to hop to it and add Amphibia to their must-watch list.

1. The series was inspired by some of Braly’s happiest childhood memories.
As a child, Braly would accompany his mother, who is Thai, for summer trips to visit her family in Thailand. “That part of the world is really different from here. The food, the humidity, everybody speaking a completely different language, even the pace of life is quite different,” he shares. Braly always felt like that frog out of water at the beginning of each trip, but, he says, “It was a little bit like magic. By the end of the two months or so, I didn’t want to leave. It was that emotional component that I was looking to bottle up for the show.” Anne, Braly adds, is inspired by his maternal grandmother, who he describes as an “amazing, independent, and strong woman,” not to mention one of the first women in Thailand to receive a PhD in chemistry.

Brenda Song

2. Amphibia marks Brenda Song’s return to Disney Channel.
Song, best known to Disney fans as London Tipton from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, is lending her voice to Anne, the series protagonist. The frog world of Amphibia couldn’t be more different from the Tipton Hotel, but Braly says Song—who is also half Thai—also couldn’t be more perfect for the role. “There is something so confident and warm about her voice. She has this really confident front, but underneath it all is this very vulnerable, relatable person. And Brenda is exactly the same way. She just embodied the character,” Braly shares. You can take a walk down the Disney Channel memory lane with the actress and hear what she loves about Anne in the video below.

3. We’re all frog people, when you think about it.
According to Braly, Amphibia is really about change, as Anne has to find her best self while making a life for herself in an unfamiliar environment. “I thought that frogs would be perfect for that because they go through a big life change,” he explains. “They start out as tadpoles, they get really awkward legs and are called ‘froglets,’ and then turn into fully formed frogs. It felt so right to have a show about change centered around frogs—and they’re cute.”

4. The story is only in the tadpole stage.
Even before next week’s debut of Amphibia came the news that a second season of the series has already been ordered. Season one will build to an incredible climax, Braly promises, though he’s quick to emphasize that fans needn’t watch every episode of the lightly serialized show in order to follow along. “You can drop in at any time and enjoy an episode, but if you stick around and watch all of them, you will have a much different kind of rewarding experience,” he says, enticingly. “Because of this pre-season-one greenlight, we are able to continue to tell this great story that we have planned.”

Amphibia

5. There’s no mystery to why Disney fans should tune in to Amphibia.
Braly has been inspired by Disney artists, movies, and TV series from his time as a high school student, listening to a Pixar animator deliver a career day presentation about drawing for a living, to his early days as a Pixar intern, to his stint on Gravity Falls, where he says he learned so much from creator/executive producer Alex Hirsch about character, entertainment, and storytelling. Braly is thrilled to continue the legacy of animation at Disney, and emphasizes, “Amphibia has a balance of action, heart, and comedy that everyone is looking for when they go to see a Disney movie or watch a Disney show.”

The Perfect Playlist For Your Next Trip to a Disney Park

By Karina Schink

We all know that the perfect summer day is one spent at a Disney Park, but your day doesn’t start when you see the castle for the first time. It begins the second you begin your journey. We want to make sure you’re fully prepped for your perfect Disney day with our Disney Park Hype Spotify Playlist!

From classic favorites to new jams, we promise you’ll be singing along in no time.

Listen below or click here to open the D23’s Disney Park Hype playlist in Spotify then click Follow to add it to your favorite playlists. For more magical Disney music, click here to open our D23’s Disney Fan playlist in Spotify.

Disney Junior’s T.O.T.S. Is Our New Favorite Bundle of Joy

By Beth Deitchman

If you think that only storks can deliver babies, then Pip and Freddy are about to change your mind. The mismatched pair are the first members of the Tiny Ones Transport Service, or T.O.T.S., that aren’t the iconic baby-bringing birds. Freddy’s a flamingo, hailing originally from tropical climes, while Pip’s a cold-weather-loving penguin. Freddy’s not much of a navigator, but then again, Pip can’t even fly. The two are best friends, opening new doors for all manner of birds—and delivering all manner of animal babies to their forever homes—together. Their adventures begin Friday, June 14 (9 a.m. EDT/PDT), with the premiere of Disney Junior’s new animated series T.O.T.S., debuting on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.

T.O.T.S. is designed for kids age 2–7, but there is much for parents and caregivers to relate to. Series creator and co-executive producer Travis Braun thinks that anyone who has ever traveled across the country with a baby will be entertained when they watch Pip and Freddy face the challenge of flying an animal infant to a different location in each episode. And if only the job were that easy! Braun explains, “There’s a rule at T.O.T.S. that the baby always has to be delivered happy.” The bird BFFs encounter situations that parents will find familiar, from a restless baby who won’t sleep to a baby that’s become a master of hide-and-seek (and doesn’t want to be found). “So many of our writing staff are parents, and we mine all of those real-life experiences for our stories at T.O.T.S.,” Braun shares.

T.O.T.S.

Teamwork is at the heart of T.O.T.S., along with creative thinking and problem-solving—and it’s just as important behind the scenes as it is for Pip and Freddy. “I am not an artist. I am not an animator,” says Braun, a writer at heart, who previously created Disney Channel’s Fast Layne. Executive producer Vic Cook (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), co-executive producer/supervising director Chris Gilligan (Goldie & Bear), and story editor Guy Toubes (The Stinky & Dirty Show) round out the creative team, which also counts songwriter and composer Rob Cantor (Disney Junior Music Nursery Rhymes) as an MVP. “Our writing process has become so intertwined with what he does that you can’t really separate the music from the story,” Braun emphasizes, detailing, “We’ll sit in the writers’ room and we’ll be stuck on an emotional beat. We’re at point A and we know that we need to get to point B. How do we get there? And a lot of the time, we’ll just call Rob because he’s going to be able to figure this out. He always surprises us with something that’s not only really emotional, but also super fun.”

T.O.T.S.

And with a voice cast that features amazing singers such as Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), who plays Pip and Freddy’s mentor and boss, Captain Beakman, and Megan Hilty (Broadway’s Noises Off and Wicked) as K.C. the Koala, it would be unthinkable not to feature songs in every episode. In addition to their incredible musical talent, Braun notes, “They’re also incredible performers. They’ve captured not just the heartfelt moments but the comedy. I feel so lucky that they’re part of the show.” Pip and Freddy are voiced, respectively, by Jet Jurgensmeyer (Last Man Standing) and Christian J. Simon (Sydney to the Max). Braun says, “When we found them, we knew we’d found Pip and Freddy. We want to enter this world through their point of view—this big opportunity, this dream chance to work at T.O.T.S.—and in order to do that we really wanted to find kids who embodied that wide-eyed spirit and sense of wonder.”

T.O.T.S.

Every successful delivery earns Pip and Freddy a stamp in their official baby booklet, and with the recent announcement that Disney Junior has already ordered a second season of T.O.T.S., we can look forward to more stamps—and more adventures—for the unlikely team. Many of the writers have given their young children a sneak peek at the show, and Braun reveals that the early reviews are in and they’re overwhelmingly positive. “One of our writers said that his daughter woke him up in the middle of the night because she wanted to watch more T.O.T.S.,” he says, and while the sleep-deprived writer may beg to differ, Braun notes, “We thought that was a good sign.”

Breaking News: Chip ‘n’ Dale Original Series is Coming to Disney+

By Beth Deitchman

Everyone’s favorite trouble-making chipmunks—Chip ‘n’ Dale—are making mischief in a brand-new Disney+ original series. It was just revealed at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival that Chip ‘n’ Dale is currently in production for Disney+. The seven-minute episodes will chronicle the beloved little critters’ adventures in the big city through nonverbal, classic-style comedy. Disney’s London-based animation team partnered with the award-winning Parisian production studio Xilam Animation to develop the series, which combines a traditional style of animation with contemporary, comedic narratives. Jean Cayrol directs Chip ‘n’ Dale, and Marc du Pontavice serves as producer.

Monsters at Work Disney+

During today’s press conference, fans also got their first look at the Disney+ original series Monsters At Work, which is set to premiere on the streaming service in 2020. Bobs Gannaway—a Disney animation veteran who counts Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Planes: Fire & Rescue among his credits—developed the new series, inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Oscar®-winning film Monsters, Inc., with Ferrell Barron (Planes: Fire & Rescue) on board as producer. The series takes place six months after the events of Monsters, Inc., and the Monstropolis power plant now harvests children’s laughter to fuel the city (because, after all, laughter generates 10 times more energy than screams). Ben Feldman stars as Tylor Tuskmon, an eager and talented young mechanic on the “MIFT”—more formally known as the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team—and Billy Crystal and John Goodman return to voice Mike and Sulley, Tylor’s idols.

In other news out of Annecy, it was announced that the popular Australian animated series Bluey has been acquired for Disney Junior and Disney+. The preschool show centers around a spirited and tireless 6-year-old Blue Heeler dog who turns every day into an adventure for his loving family. And 101 Dalmatian Street, which has been a hit in Europe since its launch earlier this year, will release in the U.S. on Disney+. The series follows the story of Dylan, Dolly, and their 97 younger puppy siblings. As soon as we spot more news about 101 Dalmatian Street—and all of these upcoming debuts—we’ll be sure to share here on D23.com.

Want more Disney+ news? Click here to stay up-to-date with what’s streaming!

Prove You’re a Wise Little Hen with this Donald Duck Trivia Quiz

By Karina Schink

Donald Duck—the myth, the legend, the feathered fowl that needs no introducktion. June 9 marked Donald Duck’s 90th anniversary and we’ve been celebrating all week long, from a look back at one of his most grooviest moments to this very quiz right here. Do you have what it takes to add a feather to your cap? Take our quiz to find out!

What was the title of the first cartoon to feature Donald Duck?

Correct! Wrong!

Donald Duck made his grand debut in this Silly Symphony cartoon. Directed by Wilfred Jackson, The Wise Little Hen shows Donald and his friend Peter Pig as the only members of the Idle Hour Club, who refuse to help a mother hen plant her corn. However, when all is finished and the corn produces plenty of bounty, Donald and Peter are no longer invited to partake in the harvest.

Which famed Donald Duck comic strip artist created Huey, Dewey, and Louie?

Correct! Wrong!

Disney Legend Al Taliaferro, who drew the first ever Donald Duck comic strip, created Donald’s lovable, misfit nephews, who made their debut in the Donald Duck Sunday comic page on October 17, 1937. Soon after the trio debuted in the comic pages, they broke onto the big screen in their first animated short, Donald’s Nephews, released April 15, 1938.

In what year did Donald Duck first appear in a cartoon?

Correct! Wrong!

Released in 1934, The Wise Little Hen was the first cartoon to feature Donald Duck. After this debut supporting role, Donald would go on to star in 128 cartoons of his own!

According to the 1938 short Donald’s Nephews, what is Donald’s sister’s name?

Correct! Wrong!

In the short, Donald Duck received a letter from his sister Dumbella, which informed him (with little time to plan, we might add) that his mischief-making nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie would be arriving that day.

According to the 1942 short Donald Gets Drafted, what is Donald’s middle name?

Correct! Wrong!

It was in the 1942 cartoon Donald Gets Drafted that we discovered Donald’s middle name, which appears on his draft notice. What you might not know is that his middle name was almost Swansdown!

Who originated the voice of Donald Duck?

Correct! Wrong!

Clarence “Ducky” Nash, who played the voice of Donald Duck for more than 50 years, once explained, “Actually, I wanted to be a doctor; but instead I became the biggest quack in the world.”

In what cartoon short did Donald first receive star billing (featuring his name in the title)?

Correct! Wrong!

While released as a Mickey cartoon, Mickey does not appear in 1936’s Donald and Pluto. Donald Duck is actually the star. In a signal of misadventures to come, Donald attempts to do his own home plumbing, until Pluto swallows a magnet and threatens to destroy all of his work.

Prove You’re a Wise Little Hen with this Donald Duck Trivia Quiz
0-1
Maybe Donald isn’t your favorite of Mickey’s friends. That’s OK! We’ll forgive you (though we can’t speak for Donald). Now is as good a time as any to brush up on all things Donald Duck before you return to claim victory!
2-3
Well, you’re just about halfway there! With some practice, brushing up on your Donald Duck expertise, we believe you’ll make it to the finish line in no time!
4-5
Not too bad, not too bad. Looks like you’re almost a Donald Duck aficionado, but you could use some brushing up on a couple facts here and there! Not to worry, this quiz will be here to welcome you back for a triumphant return.
6-7
Hey, what’s the big idea? Mastering our quiz like that? Well, congratulations. Hats off to you! You are truly one of Donald Duck’s biggest fans, and we salute you.

 

Meet All the New Characters Appearing in Toy Story 4

By Zach Johnson

When Toy Story 4 is unboxed June 24, 2019, audiences will be reunited with fan-favorites like Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (voice of Disney Legend Tim Allen), as well as Bo Peep (voice of Annie Potts), who was last seen onscreen in 1999’s Toy Story 2. (Find out why Bo was M.I.A. in Toy Story 3.) “There is such a deep love within the studio for these characters,” producer Mark Nielsen reminded D23 during a recent visit to Pixar Studios. “Everyone was like, ‘If we’re doing this, it has to be great. We’ve got to give it everything we’ve got to make it worthy.’” Toy Story 4 will venture outside Bonnie’s bedroom and introduce new characters, including a vintage pull-string doll named Gabby Gabby (voice of Christina Hendricks), an arts-and-crafts project come to life named Forky (voice of Tony Hale), and a pair of plush pals named Ducky (voice of Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (voice of Jordan Peele), to name a few.

Adding to the ensemble was an enormous task, and it took years to get all the details just right. Supervising animator Scott Clark explained, “As animators, we craft the physical and emotional performances of the characters in our films. You could say that we’re both the actors and the stunt doubles in a movie. We base our performances on the voice recordings of the actors, visual reference, and our own inspiration. Typically, the actors’ voices are recorded first. We then draw inspiration from the tone, the texture, and the cadence of their vocal performances.”

Before Toy Story 4 hits theaters, get to know the new toys on the block:

Toy Story 4

Gabby Gabby (Voice of Christina Hendricks)
“We went to a lot of antique stores for reference in this film, and there was always a creepy doll in the corner,” director Josh Cooley laughed. “We were like, ‘Well, that’s a perfect villain!’”

A talking pull-string doll mass-produced in the 1950s (around the same time as Woody), Gabby Gabby has been collecting dust in the antiques mall for decades. The reason? A manufacturing defect has warbled her voice box, making her less attractive to potential collectors. Bitter but not broken (mentally, that is), Gabby Gabby surrounds herself with four voiceless ventriloquist dummies, led by Benson (the one in the red bow-tie). It was an easy sell for Hendricks. “In her first recording session, I pitched the whole story,” Cooley recalled. “She said, ‘This is great! I actually didn’t want Barbie dolls when I was a kid; I wanted ventriloquist dummies.’”

Toy Story 4

Rendering Gabby Gabby was no small feat, as she had to appear both scary and sweet. According to supervising technical director Bob Moyer, “The challenge while we were building the character was to make her a realistic doll without looking too much like a human.” For example, Gabby Gabby’s curvature and deformations “had to look like hard plastic, not flesh and muscles,” Moyer explained. “We worried about how the eyeball would sit in the eye socket, how the hair was rooted, how the baby fat creased, and how the head fit into the neck.”

 Taking those elements into consideration, Clark said they “decided to embrace the limitations she has as a toy.” That was a game-changer, characters shading lead Alex Marino told D23: “One of the benefits we had as shading artists working on Gabby Gabby is that we knew she was going to be the antagonist of the film. We knew that that would allow for some deviations that we wouldn’t normally be able to do for some of our other characters.”

Not that the shelved doll would mind a touch-up. “In Gabby Gabby’s mind, her idea is if she can stay in the most pristine state, then a human might come along and want to adopt her,” said Marino. “But, clearly, she hasn’t been super successful, and so her clothes have started to age. There’s also subtle sun bleaching that occurs from sitting on a shelf and having the sun beating down on her over time.” Joking he gets paid to “obsess over the minutiae,” Marino added, “It’s something we take very seriously, because it helps tell the story of these characters. Hopefully if we’ve done our job correctly, they add a certain level of believability to all of our characters.”

Toy Story 4

Giggle McDimples (Voice of Ally Maki)
Hailing from a line of miniature playsets and figures in the 1980s, Giggle McDimples is the tiniest toy we’ve seen in a Toy Story movie. But her small size belies her big personality, as the feisty police officer is never afraid to speak her mind. Small enough to perch on Bo Peep’s shoulder (similar to Jiminy Cricket), Giggle McDimples is her advisor, confidant, and supporter.

Toy Story 4

Filmmakers cast Maki in the role after seeing her work on the TBS comedy Wrecked and watching her self-made spoof of Vogue’s “73 Questions” series she made with friends in 2016.

Toy Story 4

Ducky and Bunny (Voices of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele)
The comedy duo Key and Peele boarded Toy Story 4 in 2015, around the time their eponymous cable series was ending. “They were on really early, and as the story evolved and changed, they were always a part of it,” Cooley recalled. “Those two guys, they know each other so well. We always recorded them together in the same room, because they bounce off each other so well.”

Toy Story 4

We first meet Ducky and Bunny at a carnival. Eager to be won, the two plush prizes are in for quite a surprise when Buzz winds up in their orbit. “They’re hilarious, as we all know, but the thing that blew me away was how they were able to improv but stay on point in the moment,” Cooley said of working with Key and Peele. “They weren’t just being funny for funny’s sake; every take was supporting the story. They were a joy to work with.”

Toy Story 4

Forky (Voice of Tony Hale)
By his own admission, Forky is “trash.” While that’s not exactly true—he’s an arts-and-crafts project brought to life—he lacks the same purpose that drives the manufactured toys. But Woody is determined to help him realize that there’s no greater job than bringing Bonnie joy. Forky has a hard time accepting that idea, and when he tries to escape in the midst of Bonnie’s family road trip, Woody sets off to find him and bring him back before it’s too late.

Toy Story 4

Unlike the other toys in Bonnie’s collection, Forky was always imperfect. “Forky had to look like a 6-year-old kid’s creation and also had to hold up as an appealing main character who would fit in with the rest of the Toy Story characters,” Moyer said. “We figured out a lot of the design basics in a workshop where the crew built their own versions of Forky. He looks deceptively simple, but in fact, he’s made up of more materials than our other characters: pipe cleaner, glitter glue, googly eyes, popsicle sticks, soft clay, Wikki Stix, stickers, and crayon marks.” Of course, animating such a malleable character had its challenges. “He’s made of many different materials,” Clark said. “They all have a different style of movement.”

Dummies
Gabby Gabby picked the perfect lackeys. “Dummies naturally have a creepy quality to them,” said Moyer. And because they’re in an antiques mall, the four who appear in the movie aren’t in mint condition: “There’s fading, paint peeling off, scratches, and paint spilling across edges.”

The team studied the complex internal mechanics of ventriloquist dummies to mimic their alarming attributes onscreen. For example, Moyer said, “The body was designed to move very awkwardly, like someone was supporting them from the inside. Clothing was a critical part of the silhouette; it was designed to be ill-fitting and helped add variation to the four dummies.”

Special attention was paid to Benson, the dummies’ leader. “The movement is driven from his core, and he has loose, floppy limbs—very much like Woody,” Clark said, echoing Moyer. “But we treat them differently where they hang, almost lifeless. He has barely any expression at all.”

No matter what, Moyer told D23, “Everything had to feel slightly off.”

Toy Story 4

 Duke Caboom (Voice of Keanu Reeves)
A 1970s action figure based on Canada’s greatest stuntman, Duke performs stunt poses with swagger—even though he’s never been able to do the awesome tricks advertised in his own commercial. For years, he’s been reliving the failures of his past inside an antiques mall. In fact, when Bo introduces him to Woody, the down-on-his-luck daredevil can’t help but complain about his prior shortcomings. “It’s a commercial! It’s not real!” he says. “I can’t jump that far!”

Toy Story 4

Reeves was a casting coup, as his gravelly voice and Canadian roots were suited for Duke.
“We always create the character first. Then, we see who’s the right actor for it,” Cooley said. “We went after Canadian actors, and he was the first one on our list. I’m so thrilled he said yes.”

Keep checking D23 for all things Toy Story 4 before it hits theaters June 21!

Donut Fret—We’ve Got You Covered for National Donut Day

By Karina Schink

National Donut Day is upon us, and we’re celebrating the best way we know how: with all of the Disney donut merchandise we can find! And, we’ve put together a sprinkling of some of the best donut-themed items shopDisney and Disney Parks have to offer as you indulge in this special holiday.

(And remember: D23 Gold Members get a special discount good for 15 percent off purchases of $60 or more.)

National Donut Day merchandise

Mickey Mouse Donut Figural Mug
What’s the perfect thing to pair with a donut? A warm drink of course! And, is there a better way to pair these two things together than in this Mickey Mouse donut mug? We certainly don’t think so.

National Donut Day merchandise

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Donut Pin Set
We all know that collecting pins of all your Disney favorites is a tradition as old as time. And even if you’re already sporting your favorite character, may we suggest adding something a little sweet? This Mickey and Minnie Mouse Donut Pin Set will do just the trick! (But please, donut blame us if it gives you a hankering for the treat!)

National Donut Day merchandise

Minnie Mouse Donuts Ringer T-Shirt
There isn’t a better way to show what’s truly at the center of your heart than bearing it on your sleeve. And, with this Minnie Mouse tee, the little ones in your family can tell you, and everyone they meet, exactly what they’re here for.

National Donut Day merchandise

Mickey Mouse Donut Umbrella
Don’t let a rainy day keep you from a Disney Park! Under this Mickey Mouse Donut Umbrella, everything seems perfectly sweet and sunny, regardless of the weather around you! And, we promise, this is a kind of sugar that won’t melt in the rain!

Disney D-Lish Minnie Mouse Ears
(Available at Disney Parks)
It’s no secret that food-shaped items are a hot dish right now! Well, these freshly baked Minnie Mouse ears are one of the latest additions to the staple Disney Park attire. They’re the perfect addition to any Parks ensemble, and you’ll thank yourself a hole bunch for getting them!

National Donut Day merchandise

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Donut Pajama Set for Women
Do you often find yourself dreaming about donuts? Us, too. With this pajama set, your attire can match your sweet dreams, with sprinkles, icing, and all!

Something Old, Something New: All About ABC’s “Summer Fun & Games”

By Zach Johnson

Building on the previous success of the “Summer Fun & Games” brand, ABC is expanding its slate of game shows to three nights, adding four new exciting series to the schedule—and Newsreel interviewed the stars of four alterative programs to learn more about what’s in store.

Upcoming premieres include Celebrity Family Feud (Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET), The $100,000 Pyramid (Sunday, June 9, at 9 p.m. ET), Press Your Luck (Wednesday, June 12, at 8 p.m. ET), Match Game (Wednesday, June 12, at 10 p.m. ET), Grand Hotel (Monday, June 17, at 10 p.m. ET), Reef Break (Thursday, June 20, at 10 p.m. ET), The 2019 ESPYS (Wednesday, July 10, at 8 p.m. ET), and Bachelor in Paradise (Monday, July 29, at 8 p.m. ET)—and don’t forget to tune in for new episodes of The Bachelorette (airing Mondays at 8 p.m. ET), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (airing Fridays at 8 p.m. ET), and What Would You Do? (airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET).

Here’s what the stars had to say about their respective shows when Newsreel spoke to them:

ABC Summer Fun & Games

To Tell the Truth (Premiering Sunday, June 9, at 10 p.m. ET)

Hosted by black-ish star Anthony Anderson, To Tell the Truth reimagines the beloved game show that first aired in 1956. Now in its fourth season on ABC, it’s becoming harder to determine who’s lying and who’s being honest—just ask celebrity judges Snoop Dogg, Oliver Hudson, Justin Long, and Amanda Seales, who evaluate three people’s claims in the season premiere.

Anderson’s mother, the hilariously outspoken Mama Doris, will return to the series to give her two cents and keep score. “I tell the truth. That’s why they ask me questions: I tell the truth,” she says matter-of-factly. “I figure if you’re bold enough to ask me, I’m bold enough to tell you.”

Jokes Anderson, “Be prepared for the answers that you get!”

This season of To Tell the Truth will offer viewers “a lot of laughter, entertainment and fun,” Anderson promises. And make sure you tune in for his favorite moment: “My mother gets hypnotized on the show and can’t remember what we made her do. She won’t see it ‘til it airs!”

ABC Summer Fun & Games

Press Your Luck (Premieres Tuesday, June 11, at 10:01 p.m. ET)

Multihyphenate star Elizabeth Banks presides over the return of Press Your Luck, as contestants go head to head to win big bucks and avoid the iconic WHAMMY. The game demands quick wit, strategic thinking and, of course, the titular luck in staying out of the way of the devilish WHAMMY before he absconds with a contestant’s winnings.

The series debuts after The Bachelorette on Tuesday before moving into its regular timeslot on Wednesday, June 12 (8–9 p.m. ET).

ABC Summer Fun & Games

Card Sharks (Premiering Wednesday, June 12, at 9 p.m. ET)

Ask host Joel McHale to describe the premise of the all-new Card Sharks, and this is how he’ll respond: “Nathan Fillion plays this rookie cop. He’s older than his boss, so when they show up to a crime scene, everyone assumes, ‘Oh, he must be in charge.’ But he’s not! He’s the rookie!”

All jokes aside, McHale—who’s clearly a fan of ABC’s The Rookie—is proud to be reviving the iconic game show, which first aired in 1978. “As a kid, it gave me anxiety—in the best way—because as the stakes went up, I was like, ‘Ooh, boy! What’s going to happen?’ That’s going way back when. That shows you how old I am. I am 78,” McHale deadpans. In this new iteration, he says, “We get to know the contestants a little bit more and we involve the audience. So, we let them scream and yell—which they do a lot! It definitely brings a kind of party vibe to it that it did not have before. We also give them a lot of sugar beforehand, so they’re pretty juiced up.”

In Card Sharks, two players face off in a head-to-head elimination race where the winning player claims a $10,000 cash prize and a chance to turn that amount into a life-changing payday. The anticipation builds as the winning player risks everything by predicting seven cards. McHale says it’s “exhilarating” to watch contestants win large sums of money, also admitting he’s equitably “crestfallen” when contestants lose. “You definitely run the gamut of emotions.”

To that end, McHale is happy to play host during the high-stakes game. “I am not a competitive card player. I would be a very good dealer, because I could just put it out there. But I don’t have that intuition that professional card players have,” he says. “In fact, when a professional card player looks at me, I’m like, ‘I have a king and an ace! Sorry! You’re looking right into my soul!’”

ABC Summer Fun & Games

Family Food Fight (Premiering Thursday, June 20, at 9 p.m. ET)

Hosted by Ayesha Curry, Family Food Fight features opposing families dishing out their best culinary skills. Tapping into their diverse cultural heritages, the bold competition series takes homestyle cooking to a new level as teams square off with their most prized family recipes. Their creations must impress a panel of culinary experts including Curry, Cat Cor, and Graham Elliot—but only one can claim the title of America’s No. 1 Food Family and score the $100,000 prize.

“It’s really 360,” says Cora, a world-renowned author, celebrity chef, host and restaurateur. “We’re watching every single thing they’re doing, and that’s what we’re judging as well.” In addition to technique and presentation, Curry says it boils down to “flavor, salt, acid, fat, heat.”

As an executive producer on the eight-episode series, Curry—a restaurateur and New York Times best-selling cookbook author—made sure it’s a show she could enjoy with her three kids. “I love that it’s a show parents can watch with their children and not have to worry about the content. You’ll see competition and high stakes, but you still see a lot of love,” she explains. “I think it’s going to be a great example to show kids that food is fun! It’s a great vessel for change, communication and togetherness. Hopefully people will be encouraged to put their phones and their tablets down and enjoy some quality time with their families in the kitchen.”

“Food is supposed to be fun!” Cora says, adding, “I think it’s a really inspirational show.”

ABC Summer Fun & Games

Holey Moley (Premiering Thursday, June 20, at 8 p.m.)

From executive producer Stephen Curry, this 10-episode mini-golf competition series will showcase self-proclaimed mini-golf lovers from around the country as they compete head-to-head through an epic obstacle golf course. In each episode, 12 contestants will put their skills to the test and face off in never-before-seen challenges on a supersized miniature golf course. With Curry appearing as the resident golf pro, Holey Moley also features color commentator Rob Riggle, play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore, and sideline correspondent Jeannie Mai.

“I’m going to tell you right now: Disney fans are going to crack up at all of the insanity that takes place on Holey Moley!” Mai promises. Production scoured the U.S. for serious miniature golf fans, she adds: “They are really good at the game, but they’d never seen a course like this!”

Think of Holey Moley like this: “It’s a little Wipeout, a little Alice in Wonderland, and a lot of cray-cray!” Mai says with a laugh. And throughout the season, the competition series will include a few celebrity cameos. “I can’t say who’s going to be on,” Mai says, apologetically. “But I can tell you we went head-to-head on a tee-off where the person who lost had to plummet two stories into a freezing cold lagoon. I’m not going to tell you who loses… but it wasn’t me!”

Mai had “so much fun” working with the enthusiastic Riggle and Tessitore—but it was Steph, a two-time NBA MVP and six-time NBA All-Star, who made the biggest impression. “Steph Curry is a champ! He helicoptered in after his game to play the course with a few of our contestants. He’s hardcore at it, by the way!” Mai says. “He absolutely loves miniature golf.” Someday Mai hopes to get his wife, Family Food Fight’s Ayesha Curry, on the green. “Ayesha, I would love to see you come and putt some miniature golf! I feel like you’d be really good at it. I’ve seen your precision with measuring, I know how you can turn it on a skillet… You could kill it on a course!”

Hear Nala in New The Lion King Sneak Peek—Plus More in News Briefs

By Courtney Potter

Listen to Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala for the first time, and celebrate The Lion King on Broadway’s 9,000th performance… See more, along with other news from around Disney, in this week’s news briefs!

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter Gives Voice to Nala in New The Lion King Clip

In just a few weeks’ time, we’ll finally return to the Pride Lands in director (and soon-to-be-inducted Disney Legend) Jon Favreau’s The Lion King… and now, we finally know what adult Nala is going to sound like! Check out this brand-new sneak peek at the film, above, featuring the voice of Nala—Beyoncé Knowles-Carter—herself.

Staying true to the classic 1994 story, Favreau’s The Lion King utilizes incredible filmmaking techniques to bring some iconic characters to the big screen in a whole new way! Simba (voice of Donald Glover) idolizes his father, King Mufasa (voice of James Earl Jones), and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival; Scar (voice of Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy, and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With some help from a pair of playful new friends, Timon (voice of Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (voice of Seth Rogen), Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his… Catch The Lion King in a theater near you beginning July 19.

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

D23 and Walt Disney Archives
June 8, 2019
Lunch with a Disney Legend – Paige O’Hara
June 10, 2019
The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour – Presented by D23
June 13, 2019
Mickey Mouse’s Roller Disco Party
June 15, 2019
Celebrate Toy Story 4 with D23 Shopping Mixers
June 20, 2019
Celebrate the Induction of Disney’s Cinderella into the National Film Registry!
June 22, 2019
The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour – Presented by D23
August 23-25, 2019
D23 Expo 2019
Parks
August 16, 20, 23, 27, 30; September 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29; October 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31, 2019
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom park
August 29, 2019
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Opening at and Walt Disney World Resort
August 29—November 23, 2019, 2019
November 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24; December 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 2019
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom park
2019 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
November 29—December 30, 2019, 2019
2019 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays
Studios
June 21, 2019
Toy Story 4 opens in U.S. theaters
July 19, 2019
The Lion King opens in U.S. theaters
October 18, 2019
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil opens in U.S. theaters
November 22, 2019
Frozen 2 opens in U.S. theaters
December 20, 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in U.S. theaters
Television
June 21, 2019
Final episodes of Andi Mack begin airing (8 p.m. EDT/PDT)
August 2, 2019
Descendants 3 premieres on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW (8 p.m. EDT/PDT).

The Lion King

The Lion King on Broadway Celebrates Its 9,000th Performance!

Speaking of Simba and all his cohorts, Disney Theatrical Productions’ The Lion King (which opened on Broadway in November 1997) is celebrating a truly incredible achievement this week: On Wednesday, June 5, the musical presented its 9,000th performance—a milestone only attained by two other shows in Broadway history!

Over the course of those 9,000 performances (and 21 years), “Hakuna Matata” has been said and sung 234,000 times; 1,098,000 steps have been climbed to the top of Pride Rock; and 109 talented child performers have taken on the role of Young Simba or Young Nala (roles the musical’s company affectionately calls “The Cubs”).

Julie Taymor—the show’s original director, costume designer, and mask co-designer, who was the first woman to win a Tony® Award for Direction of a Musical—continues to play a huge part in the show’s ongoing success, supervising new productions of the show around the world… You can now find The Lion King literally across the globe and in nine different languages! For more information, or to purchase tickets for a production near you, visit LionKing.com.

The Lion King

The Lion King “Protect the Pride” Global Conservation Campaign

And here’s one more piece of exciting news related to The Lion King… Just this week, The Walt Disney Company announced a very cool global conservation campaign to raise awareness of the crisis facing lions and other wildlife across Africa.

The Lion King “Protect the Pride” campaign focuses on protecting and revitalizing the lion population, with Disney lending its support to the Wildlife Conservation Network’s (WCN) Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) and their vision to double the lion population across Africa by 2050 through efforts that engage communities to ensure a future for African wildlife and their habitats. Only about 20,000 lions remain in the wild—but research shows their numbers can be bolstered by adequately protecting the habitats they share with both humans and other African wildlife, in addition to protecting the lions themselves. Disney has already donated more than $1.5 million to the LRF and its partners, and plans to double that amount through additional grants—as well as participation from fans—for a total contribution of up to $3 million!

To kick off The Lion King “Protect the Pride” campaign, Disney and WCN recently assembled more than 80 of the world’s leading lion conservation experts (from a whopping 18 countries) for the Lion Footprint Forum at Walt Disney World Resort, where participants brainstormed on strategies to address lion populations. To find out more about all things “Protect the Pride,” including how you can help, visit Disney.com/LionKingProtectThePride.

Walt Disney World Resort Has Your Holiday Plans Covered

Sure, we haven’t even gotten to the “official first day of summer” yet (that’s June 21, by the way)—but longtime readers know that’s never stopped us from starting to plan our holiday shenanigans! (You can never plan too early, we always say.) Thankfully, our pals at Walt Disney World Resort have started planning too—and they just announced some of the holly-jolly fun in store later this year. Jingle your way over to our rundown by clicking here.

Mickey and Minnie

Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Party at Sea is Now Underway

Looking for a way to continue celebrating 90 incredible years of Mickey Mouse? (And Minnie Mouse too!) Well, Disney Cruise Line can help—from now through the end of August aboard the Disney Fantasy…

Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Party at Sea is now delighting guests on the Fantasy, on select Caribbean and Bahamian sailings—with a high-energy afternoon deck party complete with music, dancing, games, food, and super cool décor! The guests of honor will, of course, be on hand, as will a host of their best pals, and guests can feast on some truly tasty treats including Mickey ice cream bars and Mickey-shaped pretzels. Plus, the surprise-filled show even includes a special song created just for the occasion (“It’s a Good Time”).

It’s not too late to join the surprise party—check out DisneyCruise.com for more information!

ICYMI: Meet the Elf Brothers of Disney and Pixar’s Upcoming Onward

Have you met Ian and Barley Lightfoot? These hilarious elf brothers—voiced by Avengers: Endgame stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively—are the stars of Disney and Pixar’s animated adventure Onward, set for release in March 2020 and directed by the team behind Monsters University. Find out more about Ian and Barley by clicking here.

10 Top TV Moments Every Donald Fan Should Know

By Jim Fanning

If in 1954, 20 years after his June 9, 1934 debut, Donald Duck demanded, “What’s the big idea?!” the answer was television. That year, as Walt Disney became the first major Hollywood producer to enter weekly television, his biggest and noisiest star waddled into a new kind of celebrity on the TV screen. “The national ratings,” revealed Disney Legend Jack Hannah, the premier director of Donald’s theatrical cartoons who also directed Disney’s Duck-centric television episodes, “showed that the programs with Walt and Donald would get the highest ratings. That’s one of the reasons we did so many of them. People loved the Duck, just like they had in movie theaters.” As Donald commemorates his 90th anniversary, it’s time to tune into his classic TV episodes—many of them rarely seen—as well as his starring television vehicles of today.

Donald Duck

1. “The Donald Duck Story”
On November 17, 1954, the Disneyland television series presented “The Donald Duck Story” as its fourth installment. For this and all of Donald’s anthology series episodes (including 1956’s “A Day in the Life of Donald Duck,” pictured above), new animation was created by such Duck pros as Al Coe, Bob Carlson, and Disney Legend Bill Justice. This tell-all duck-umentary climaxes with Donald’s own versions of such TV staples as the variety special, singing as only he can, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and the detective drama, wherein he spoofs Dragnet (“My name is Donald. I’m a duck. This is the city…”). Phone calls about Donald’s unintelligibility threaten to end his TV career before it begins. But Walt asks the control room to add subtitles, and a video star is born—even though the tantrum Donald throws at program’s end scrambles the TV signal.

Donald Duck

2. “At Home with Donald Duck”
In this fun 1956 entry, Donald is infuriated when his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie don Mouseke-ear hats to watch Mickey Mouse Club on television rather than sit through a screening of Donald’s own films. The crafty Duck races to the TV station and hijacks the “Mousekartoon” portion of “Big Ears’” TV show to telecast a Donald Duck cartoon. Donald’s voice since the start, Disney Legend Clarence Nash, acts (or quacks) up a storm in all these vintage video rarities.

Donald Duck

3. “Your Host, Donald Duck”
When Donald appeared in the live-action setting in Walt’s office, director Hannah used a cardboard Duck “stand-in” to indicate to the camera operator where the animated star would later appear. As for Walt, said Hannah, “He could really see the Duck there and responded accordingly. He would ad-lib with Donald and that would take me by surprise, and we’d have to go back and revise the storyboard accordingly.” In this 1957 episode, Donald pipes in pre-recorded professional narration through a hidden speaker so that Walt allows the normally unintelligible Duck to emcee. The hammy new host renames the series, “The Duckland 4 in 1 Show,” squawking “Scram!” as he shoos Tinker Bell away with a fly swatter. Donald’s nephews scramble to play the correct narration recordings—performed by Disney Legend Paul Frees, the versatile voice artist famous as the Haunted Mansion’s Ghost Host—as their “unca” takes on varied guises to host the show’s various segments, such as a British explorer for “Adventureland.”

Donald Duck

4. “Donald’s Award”
A cavalcade of Disney characters, including Pluto, Daisy Duck, and Pete, get in on the act in all-new animation created for this 1957 installment. Walt observes that though his cartoon characters are like a family, there is a “problem child”—and in the case of the Disney gang, it’s guess who. Promising the delinquent Duck a Good Conduct Award if he behaves for one week, Walt deputizes Jiminy Cricket to look into Donald’s outrageous behavior. “Doggone tattletales!” mutters Donald as Chip and Dale detail his naughtiness.  The desperate Duck even disguises himself as Mickey Mouse in his attempts to sabotage Jiminy’s investigation.

Donald Duck

5.“Duck For Hire”
Fed up with the demands of showbiz, prima donna Donald decides to quit his Disney job in this 1957 outing. He heads to the Ajax Employment Agency, lured by its promises of paid vacation time, short hours, and coffee breaks aplenty. The employment agent—who looks and sounds (thanks to prolific Disney voice artist Bill Thompson) exactly like Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore—rattles off the Ajax slogan: “You Get Fired, We Get You Hired,” adding “We specialize in quitters.” After a series of jobs and business opportunities predictably end in disaster, the agent sends the overjoyed Donald to an employer called Walt Disney Studio in search of a duck, shrugging, “I certainly hope he can hold this job.”

Donald Duck

6. “Duck Flies Coop”
As this 1959 broadcast opens, Walt receives a message from Donald stating that he has ducked out for an impromptu vacation:  “I know you have a lot of work lined up for me, but you’ll just have to give it to Mickey or Goofy.” Left in the lurch, Walt playfully directs the publicity department to plant stories that since Donald has waddled out of his contract, a replacement is waiting in the wings. Paul Frees and legendary voice artist June Foray vocalize the various Hollywood reporters, columnists, and stars who comically criticize his sudden departure in the news broadcasts Donald hears over his car radio. After holing up with Humphrey the Bear and Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, the peripatetic Duck gets a telephone call from Walt. “Walt who?” Donald demands. When the response is a terse “Disney,” Donald hightails it back to Burbank to headline the new picture Walt has waiting for him.

Donald Duck

7. “The Mad Hermit of Chimney Butte”
One of the few Disney TV hours featuring Walt beyond the program’s opening, this mad, mad, mad jab at modern life originally aired on the very significant date of April Fool’s Day 1960. The satirical story centers on the mad hermit who is, of course, Donald—although storyteller Walt never mentions him by name, except to say, “This guy has always been a little mad.” The web-footed wild man has sequestered himself in isolated Chimney Butte where he scares off all comers to his cave, right down to an ant. Walt traces Donald’s devolution into a raving madman back to the big city, where his intrusive next-building neighbors demand he change TV channels so much that his TV set explodes. Insanity ensues as the Duck moves from suburbs to country to ghost town. When Chimney Butte turns out to be an explosives testing ground, Donald is blown to Disney’s office, where the now-reformed hermit greets Walt with hearty “Hi, neighbor!”

DuckTales

8. DuckTales
Though Donald appeared in several episodes of the original and beloved DuckTales TV series that premiered in 1987, he is restored to a prominent role alongside his nephews and his uncle, Scrooge McDuck, in the smash-hit reboot that debuted in 2017. The surrogate father of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, observed co-executive producer Frank Angones, “is Donald Duck. And everything goes wrong for Donald Duck. So he’s going to try to protect these boys as much as humanly possible. He’s going to become this kind of helicopter parent. And so the boys cause trouble because they’re just acting out from his restrictive parenting style.” Disney Legend Tony Anselmo, who took over quacking responsibilities from Disney Legend Clarence Nash in 1985, gives vocal flight to the foul-tempered fowl in both the original DuckTales and its present day iteration. A third season of these new DuckTales adventures is being produced to debut on Disney Channel this year.

Legend of the Three Caballeros

9. Legend of The Three Caballeros
Donald’s latest TV venture is also one of his most thrilling. Legend of The Three Caballeros reunites Disney’s top duck with his two amigos from The Three Caballeros (1945). In this animated series, Donald releases Xandra, the Goddess of Adventure, from an enchanted Atlas. Suddenly the Duck, José Carioca, and Panchito find themselves battling mythical monsters around the globe, from the Egyptian pyramids to Mount Rushmore.

Donald Duck

10. “Donald’s Silver Anniversary”
This unique 1960 installment of the Disney TV hour utilized mostly actual film footage. A Studio memo reported that, in a February 11, 1960, meeting held to discuss this special anniversary episode, Walt said the story should be “told with the benefit of newsreel clips [and] newspaper headlines” to provide historic context to Donald’s career. New animation by Bob McCrea, who often worked on Disney’s animated TV episodes, featured Donald being treated to an anniversary cake. But it’s Walt’s words from this episode that serve as a ducktacular tribute for all time: “Here at the studio we feel both privileged and proud to have been associated with Donald over the years. His perseverance, his loyalty, and unshakable devotion to his chosen profession in the entertainment world have endeared him forever in our hearts… Yes, Donald is a duck of distinction. But of all Donald’s accomplishments, we’re most proud of his efforts in spreading goodwill throughout the world. You might say Donald speaks a universal language. That is, no one can understand what he says in any language. But the whole world laughs at him.”