Olivia Holt Shines a Light on our Burning Questions About Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger

April 4, 2019April 3, 2019

By Jim Frye

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, the groundbreaking series based on the popular Marvel Comics characters, storms back into action for its second season with a two-hour premiere event on Thursday, April 4 (8 p.m ET), on Freeform. It features Olivia Holt as Tandy and Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone, two teens with super powers they’ve kept hidden from the world—until now. Tandy can channel light energy, giving her the ability to wield deadly daggers of light. Tyrone, on the other hand, can manipulate dark energy, allowing him to teleport. The two characters complement each other, with Tandy and Tyrone being told that they are part of a “Divine Pairing,” meaning that to fulfill their destiny, eventually one will live and one will die.

Olivia Holt took a break from filming to talk exclusively with D23 about her character, season two, and how the series deals with weighty, real-world issues.

D23: Can you describe the powers of your character, Tandy?
Olivia Holt (OH): Tandy has the ability to manifest light daggers in her hands and she also has the ability to see people’s hopes when she touches them. As the second season evolves, her powers have been enhanced and she now has the power to manifest energy light bombs. And she can now throw light daggers now, and she’s way more comfortable with the level of powers she has.

D23: Where are we at the beginning of season two?
Holt: Tandy is back living with her mom, trying to mend that relationship and grasp what went down last season. Tyrone is moving into the church that Tandy once lived in. We start the second season with them having these movie nights and building this very unique friendship. They’re trying to understand what to use their powers for and why they have them.

D23: How does Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger address real-world issues?
Holt: We don’t shy away from anything that’s happening in society or real life. We keep it authentic, and as heavy as those things can be to see or listen to, I think it really creates a space for people to talk about it. On the first season we focused a lot on police brutality and drug addiction. As heavy as those topics can be, I’m glad we’re not just a show that focuses on two teenagers with super powers, but we’ve been put in situations where we can do things about what’s happening in society.

D23: Describe your character—what is Tandy like?
Holt: Tandy’s a real interesting character. There are a lot of things about her that are not normal that I personally love—she moves to the beat of her own drum. She’s not afraid to be herself. She doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. The thing about Tandy is that she’s not just one-note—she has a lot of layers. She’s ambitious, yet resilient and cynical. The first season we see what life took from her, and she wants to take it back. But this next season we this hope that has sparked back. We get to see just how honest and inspiring she is, and her relationship with Tyrone, and how this journey that they’re on together is filled with little truths.

D23: How long did it take for you and Aubrey, who plays Tyrone, to ‘click’?
Holt: Not very long at all. We had pretty instant chemistry in our “chemistry read,” where we went into the audition together. And then we did an improv scene, and I think that was the cherry on top, the icing on the cake. We had pretty insane instant chemistry. I feel very lucky to work with someone like him. His natural instincts are insanely great, and he’s also just a very great human.

D23: What was it like meeting fans of the show at the giant fan conventions this past year?
Holt: It was really surreal. It was my first time going to any of the cons, and it was a really awesome experience. The fans are loyal and so supportive, and they’re the reason we do it. We want to make great television, and the fact that these people are connecting with it and are really enjoying what we’re putting out there is really special. I feel very grateful.

D23: Can you give any hints about what fans can see this coming season?
Holt: This season everything is taken to a whole new level. It’s bigger and better, with a lot of growing both emotionally and physically. Tyrone and Tandy go into some heavy stuff this season—it’s certainly not one to take lightly.

D23: If you could choose any Disney character who could help Tandy and Tyrone on one of your adventures, who would it be?
Holt: Personally, I would choose Rapunzel, even though I feel Tandy would be so mad and fed up with Rapunzel because she’s so optimistic and has this wild energy about her. She has an ambitious and adventurous, driven side to her. She’s very much like Tandy and Tyrone in that she doesn’t want to stop at ‘no,’ and she wants to continue further. I might be biased because I’m a really big Rapunzel fan.

D23: Why should fans watch Cloak and Dagger this Thursday?
Holt: I think there’s a real connection the audience will have with these characters and the journey they go on. There’s going to be a big lesson that they learn, and I think the audience can learn that lesson with them—it’s a special one, and an important one, an honest one, and I hope the fans love it. I’m really excited.

Get ready for all the life lessons, the action, the chemistry, and the “Divine Pairing” of Tyrone and Tandy when season two of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger rips across your TV screens Thursday, April 4, on Freeform.

7 Disney Parks Attractions Where Small Audiences Go on Big Adventures

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019

By Jocelyn Buhlman

At Disney Parks, we have the chance to explore all sorts of amazing worlds, from forbidden temples to haunted mansions—and even outer space! But some of the attractions that have the biggest places in our hearts have some of the smallest settings and characters. Whether you’re in the kitchen with Remy or exploring the inside of a snowflake, we’ve had all sorts of opportunities to see the world from a smaller point of view. Here are some of our favorite times we’ve gotten to shrink down at Disney Parks:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle!
When Hydra attacks, it’s up to the smallest heroes to come to the rescue. That means it’s a job for Ant-Man, The Wasp, and YOU! Shrunk down to nano-scale proportions, we team up with our favorite pint-sized pair to destroy swarmbots and save the day!

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Before Peyton Reed directed the films portions of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, he had a hand in the creation of another attraction that shrunk guests down—but this time, it wasn’t so we could defeat Hydra! Based on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its accompanying sequels (which you should definitely rewatch right now if you need an idea for a movie night), this 3D film, which ran at Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland (as MicroAdventure!), Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris (as Chérie, J’ai Rétréci le Public!), invited us to the Imagination Institute, where Professor Wayne Szalinski’s amazing shrinking machine is demonstrated—on us! The accidental audience-shrinking leads to many wacky incidents (make sure to lift up your feet!), but everyone ends up back at their correct size in the end… mostly.

Adventure Through Inner Space
This mighty fine Tomorrowland attraction used the Mighty Microscope to shrink guests down smaller than an atom—you could even watch the shrunken Atomobiles begin their tiny journey right from the queue! Guests passed beyond the limits of normal mag-nif-i-cation to the inside of a snowflake and into a water molecule—and then into an atom! Featuring the classic Sherman Brothers song, “Miracles from Molecules,” this attraction lives on in the hearts of Disney fans today. Although it no longer is shrinking guests down at Disneyland Resort, sharp-eyed guests might notice a reference to inner space while exploring outer space—next time you ride Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, you might spot the Mighty Microscope hidden inside the Death Star!

Body Wars
Directed by the legendary Leonard Nimoy, this classic Epcot attraction explored the Wonders of Life first hand—by exploring the inside of the human body! Our miniaturized mission was to meet up with Dr. Cynthia Lair, who was observing a splinter from inside the body. Of course, the mission goes awry, and we were able to explore the heart, lungs, and more before our safe return to the Wonders of Life Pavilion (and our normal sizes).

Toy Story Midway Mania
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney California Adventure, and Tokyo DisneySea, we can join in the fun and games of life as a toy! Shrink down to the size of a toy and explore Andy’s new Midway Games set—will you get the high score?

Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquee de Remy
We’ve been shrunk for science and to fight bad guys, but in this attraction at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris, we get shrunk down to the size of a rat in order to explore fine dining in Paris! With Remy as our guide, we race through the kitchen of Gusteau’s and avoid the scheming Chef Skinner. Of course, it all ends happily ever after—with food!

It’s Tough to Be A Bug!
Inside the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’re treated to a bugs-eye view of the world in this special 3-D show hosted by Flik. As honorary insects, we experience what it’s like to be small and learn about the different bugs that help keep nature balanced. Of course, bug-sized people have bug-sized problems, like a certain unfriendly grasshopper crashing our fun! While we may shrink small for this show, the thrills we experience will leave us buzzing about it for a long time.

Read Leonard Maltin’s Tribute to Dave Smith

April 2, 2019March 12, 2020

By D23 Team

Legendary movie historian Leonard Maltin recently wrote a touching tribute to Disney Legend Dave Smith, recounting an unforgettable article Dave wrote about Walt Disney back in 1981. Check out Leonard’s website for a full look at the article, here.

7 Secrets Revealed by the Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cast and Producers at WonderCon

April 1, 2019

By Jim Frye

It’s been nearly a year since ABC’s fan-fueled hit Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aired its fifth season finale, leaving viewers wondering about the fates of Agent Coulson and Agent Fitz and the future of the team. The show’s producers delivered a huge wallop of a cliffhanger—the culmination of an entire action-packed season—and fans are ready to re-enlist with S.H.I.E.L.D. when season six arrives this summer.

As a special early preview, the cast and producers ventured down to WonderCon in Anaheim, California—directly across the street from Disneyland Resort—to give the show’s devotees a special exclusive look at the upcoming season. WonderCon is a comic book, entertainment, and pop culture convention produced by Comic-Con International, the same folks who bring you the gigantic San Diego Comic-Con.

Jeph Loeb, executive vice president and head of television for Marvel, moderated the panel in the 5,000-seat arena, joined by executive producers Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeff Bell, and cast members Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma Simmons), Iain De Caestecker (Leo Fitz), Henry Simmons (Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie), Natalia Cordova-Buckley (Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez), and Jeff Ward (Deke Shaw).

To kick things off—after singing “Happy Birthday” to series star Clark Gregg—exuberant fans were treated to an exclusive first-look at the full premiere episode of season six followed by a spirited, freewheeling Q&A. Here are seven things we learned from the Marvel’s Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast and producers at WonderCon.

1. WHEN CAN WE TUNE IN?: Perhaps the most important piece of news to come out of the event is that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns Friday, May 10 (8–9 p.m. EDT), on ABC.

2. IS COULSON DEAD? The season-five cliffhanger had Agents Coulson and May seemingly spending Agent Coulson’s last living days together in Tahiti. Did he live? Did he die? According to Clark Gregg and showrunner Jed Whedon, beloved Phil Coulson is indeed dead. Speaking about his character’s journey, Gregg says, “There’ve been so many different iterations [of Coulson). I mean Iron Man felt like a completely different thing than Thor, and the big [group-up] of the Avengers, and then dead! And then Joss [Whedon, director of The Avengers] called me and said, ‘Hey, maybe not. And then on this new story about the unsung agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and then Hydra and suddenly there is no S.H.I.E.L.D…. and they came to me toward the end of season five and said, ‘We don’t think you’re going to be able to weasel out of this—we think Coulson really may be finished at the end of season five, but we have an idea for season six where you get to play somebody new, somebody who’s not as big-hearted and heroic.’”

3. THANOS SNAP: How does the big Thanos snap in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War affect the show? Answering a fan’s question, Jeph Loeb says, “On April 26, you’ll probably be in a theater finding out how Infinity War concludes in Endgame. And then on the third of May, which is a week later, you’ll probably go back and see it again and tell everybody that it’s the coolest movie you’ve seen in your whole life. So by the time you get to May 10, you’re not going to have anything else to do other than sit home and watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., knowing how Endgame So that should tell you—particularly when you saw today [in the premiere episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.] that it said ‘One Year Later’—that you would have figured that part out.” In other words, Loeb is suggesting—in a vague, non-answer sort of way—that the premiere episode picks up roughly a year after the events in Avengers: Infinity War.

4. CLARK GREGG DIRECTED the premiere episode of season six. “I’ve gotten to watch the way that technology and everything about the Marvel Universe in TV and film has evolved so much, so fast over these 10 years, and most of it has been as an actor,” says Gregg. “I directed an episode in season five that had some fun VFX and fight stuff, but this was a full-on hardcore sci-fi Marvel episode and our season six premiere. That was a real thrill, and I feel like I benefitted from watching all the stuff I’ve been watching, and from our amazing crew and DPs [directors of photography] and special effects supervisor Mark Kolpack. You saw how amazing that looks. The fact that we’re able to do that on a TV show that we shoot in nine days is remarkable.”

5. A PET MONKEY: Iain De Caestecker, who plays Agent Leo Fitz, recently received an actual real-live monkey as a gift—and would really love to have it featured, in some way, in the show. “For Christmas my sister gave me one,” says De Caestecker. “She was like, ‘In real life, Iain is never going to have one,’ so she got me one.” Executive producer Jeff Bell, however, was less enthusiastic about the prospect of incorporating a monkey on the show.

6. ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE’S BEST S.H.I.E.L.D. MEMORIES: Elizabeth Henstridge, who plays Agent Simmons, has three particular “favorite memories” from her time as super-smart Agent Jemma Simmons on the series: Her first is “any scene” with fellow cast member Iain De Caestecker, who plays Agent Leo Fitz. After that, her favorite memories are, “The first time walking on the set, when we shot the pilot—it was such an out-of-body experience. And also getting to do a scene with Stan Lee was equally as wonderful and crazy and beyond special.”

7. JEFF WARD IS NOW A SERIES REGULAR: Jeff Ward, who plays Deke, has been made a series regular this year. “It was very exciting,” he says. “It’s awesome, and I really love being part of this show and I love the character so much, so I really was excited to get to hang around with Deke some more, especially now since he’s aware of being a ‘Fitz-Simmons’ [grandson of characters Fitz and Simmons from a time-jump storyline].”

Prepare to have your socks knocked off by the explosive season-six premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on May 10.

FINAL RESULTS: Find Out Who the Cutest Disney Baby Is for D23 March Hare Mania 2019!

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019

By Karina Schink

Last year, we asked you which show-stopping number reigned supreme in our Disney Song D23 March Hare Mania. You may have thought that was a hard tune to swallow, but this year, it’s getting even tougher.

We all know Disney films are filled to the brim with catchy tunes, heartwarming stories, and thrilling tales of adventure, love, and hope, and it’s certainly no secret that they also hold some of the cutest babies we have ever seen. From flashbacks of our heroes and heroines, to their adorable sidekicks, it’ll be hard to pacify your excitement for this year’s D23 March Hare Mania #D23BabyBracket. Get ready to go stork raving mad over deciding which Disney or Pixar baby is the absolute cutest!

April 1 Update: You cast your votes throughout the month of March, and now we’ve gone from 16 of the most adorable Disney and Pixar babies to the baby you’ve declared to be the cutest of them all.

It’s no surprise that Moana of Motonui was the baby who went the furthest. Every turn she took, every trail she tracked, every path she made, every road led back to the finish line in this year’s March Hare Mania!

Check out the final bracket below!

Aladdin on Broadway Celebrates Five Years With Five Friends Straight from Agrabah

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019

By Karina Schink

It was a night to remember—in Agrabah and in New York—as the stage of the New Amsterdam Theatre was suddenly occupied by five current and former Genies who took the stage to celebrate five years of Broadway’s Aladdin.

Tony Award® winner James Monroe Iglehart, current star Michael James Scott, tour Genie Major Attaway, and current Broadway standbys Juwan Crawley and Deonte L. Warren joined together in an epic Aladdin medley, featuring all of your favorite show-stopping numbers.

Check out the full performance, staged by Tony Award-winning director Casey Nicholaw and written by Tony nominee Chad Beguelin, below.

D23 Presale Tickets for The Little Mermaid at the Hollywood Bowl

April 1, 2019March 29, 2019

By D23 Team

Do you wanna be where the people are? The fan-favorite The Little Mermaid at the Bowl is returning, May 17 and 18, to celebrate 30 years of this Disney classic and D23 Gold and Gold Family Members can purchase presale tickets to return “under the sea” for this special event.

The production features an all-star cast of performers including Lea Michele (as Ariel), Harvey Fierstein (as Ursula), Cheech Marin (as Chef Louis), Peter Gallagher (as King Triton), Leo Gallo (as Prince Eric), Ken Page (as Sebastian) and special guest Alan Menken, who will perform the songs from the Oscar® and Grammy® -winning score as the film plays on the Bowl’s movie screen accompanied by a full, live orchestra.

To make this event even more immersive (and submersive), this iconic venue will be transformed into the Hollywood Fish Bowl Dive-In Theater for a magical night both under the stars and “under the sea.”

To recreate the feeling of an underwater night out at the “dive-in,” in addition to the feature film, this evening will include a full program of aquatically-themed previews of coming attractions, nostalgic animated snack bar commercials, and the 1938 Silly Symphony cartoon “Merbabies” featuring the world premiere of a live original score composed and performed by 17-year-old piano sensation, Emily Bear. Audiences are also invited to participate in a Little Mermaid-themed costume contest and unique photo opportunities to get them in the spirit before the show starts.

Additionally, the award-winning creative studio Mousetrappe will return to harness state-of-the-art projection mapping technology to project newly created and breathtaking animated “living scenery” onto the façade of the Hollywood Bowl, making the event an evolving extension of the beloved film and score. These projections will emphasize an immersive Dive-In Theater experience for the audience.

The D23 presale starts 10 a.m. PST on Tuesday, April 2. You can get your tickets here with the promo code D23pre. Tickets will be available to the general public starting Friday, April 5.

7 Cool Things to Look for Inside Hong Kong Disneyland’s Latest Attraction: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!

April 1, 2019March 29, 2019

By William Keck

Hong Kong Disneyland celebrated the continuing expansion of its popular Marvel-themed experiences in Tomorrowland with the opening of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! The storyline of this hotly anticipated attraction ties in directly to the exciting battle taking place in the adjacent (and already insanely popular) Iron Man Experience. Here’s a checklist of some of the familiar faces to look for—along with some exciting new allies, adversaries, and artillery.

1. Ant-Man and The Wasp are actually part of this ride!
The actual stars of the Ant-Man films—Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/a.k.a. “Ant-Man”) and Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne/“The Wasp”) are featured throughout the attraction in fresh footage shot just for this experience. The two real-life pals slipped back into their Super Hero costumes and recorded their new scenes together on their last day of reshoots for 2018’s Ant-Man and The Wasp and were allowed to banter at will. They are the ones who welcome us, train us, and fight right alongside us until the threat is defeated.

2. Esteemed English thespian Toby Jones reprises the villainous Dr. Arnim Zola!
Toby Jones, a Golden Globe^® and Emmy^® nominated actor, also enthusiastically agreed to lend his voice to former Red Skull scientist Dr. Arnim Zola, a diabolical Hydra villain who has been terrorizing the Marvel Super Heroes since his introduction in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Zola, an entirely digitally animated character, makes an Easter egg cameo at the very end of Iron Man Experience that ties him to this majorly expanded role. He interjects many times to taunt and banter with Ant-Man and The Wasp—and also to dissuade us from completing our mission.

3. New S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist Leslie Lam makes her debut!
The attraction introduces brand-new character Leslie Lam, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science and Technology Pavilion’s chief scientist, who assists Ant-Man and The Wasp in preparing us for battle. She’s the one who informs us that the threat we are experiencing is directly linked to the epic showdown Iron Man is dealing with in downtown Hong Kong. One of Lam’s drones serves as a guide to help Ant-Man and The Wasp navigate the dark pavilion corridors. Lam possesses the most knowledge of what’s happening at the pavilion but leaves all the difficult combat to us. Thanks, Leslie.

4. The introduction of Hydra’s treacherous swarmbots!
The threat we are being called to combat involves defeating thousands of little Hydra-created robots called swarmbots that have been sent to physically steal sensitive S.H.I.E.L.D. company secrets. Ant-Man and The Wasp are specifically recruited for this mission because their unique downsizing abilities enable them to squeeze inside the swarmbot armor and destroy them. But can they be defeated before the expanding swarm unites to form an even more dangerous hivebot?

5. A fun Honey, I Shrunk the Audience connection!
If you’re among those who remember the theme parks’ Honey, I Shrunk the Audience attraction (retired in 2010), you’ll appreciate that the new material Rudd, Lilly, and Jones shot for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! was directed by Peyton Reed, who besides directing both Ant-Man films, previously worked on Honey, I Shrunk the Audience early in his career. The word “nano,” by the way, refers to the fact that the audience is shrunk down to ant or nano-scale proportions.

6. The debut of D/AGR vehicles and EMP blasters!
As we set off to take out the swarmbots, we will ride in style in true state-of-the-art transportation. Defense Assault Ground Rovers (D/AGR) are inspired by other S.H.I.E.L.D. ground vehicles and specialize in ground defense. Additionally, each D/AGR rider is equipped with his or her own EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) blaster to defend against as many swarmbots as possible, with onboard video screens informing every rider of his or her progress and how their scores compares to others.

7. Iron Man makes an appearance!
Since this new attraction’s storyline connects to a concurrent event taking place at the adjacent Iron Man Experience, we can see Iron Man actually transmit into the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science and Technology Pavilion from downtown Hong Kong to help prepare Ant-Man, The Wasp, and us for the battle we are about to wage. In case you were wondering, no, it doesn’t matter which attraction you hop on first. It’ll all make sense either way, including when a third Marvel-themed attraction opens in 2023.

No Feathers Needed—How the Dumbo VFX Team Made an Elephant Fly

March 29, 2019

By Beth Deitchman

More than 70 years ago, Mrs. Jumbo looked down at her “baby mine” for the very first time and, after one look at his expressive blue eyes, she was smitten—and so were we. Dumbo, the 1941 animated feature, has been a fan-favorite since its release, largely because of its adorable elephant protagonist who captivated us with his oversized ears and his equally estimable heart—both of which enabled him to soar (with or without a feather). Dumbo flies into theaters again this Friday, March 29, in Disney’s new live-action adventure starring Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, and Eva Green—along with a fully CG elephant that’s been created with innovative technology that also harks back to the character’s hand-drawn history. Dumbo’s visual effects supervisor, Richard Stammers, shared these fun facts from under the big top.

An elephant with enormous ears that serve as wings needs a head that’s big enough to hold them.
Dumbo’s most adorable physical characteristics serve very practical purposes, explained Stammers, who emphasized that Dumbo’s eyes were a vital part of the character animation and expression. “Without speaking at all, the eyes are the window to the soul,” he said. “It was very important to be able to read those emotions through his eyes, and that was something that was really important in the original cartoon, just the way the eyes were looking with the head down and the eyes up. That kind of subtlety was such an important part of reading him as a character.”

The VFX team wanted to be true to the animated character, but first and foremost, was determined to be true to real elephants.
Stammers and his team visited zoos in the U.K. to study how real elephants behave, to inform their creation of Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo, and the other elephants in Medici Bros. circus. Using multiple cameras, they filmed real elephants from a variety of angles in order to build a library of references that would aid in the character animation. “We looked at everything, like the way the trunk moves or the tail swishes or the weight gets transferred from one leg to the other just when they’re standing still,” Stammers details.

It takes much more than a feather to make an elephant fly.
While real elephants were an excellent resource for how Dumbo would appear on solid ground, Stammers and his team had to get creative when it came to determining the aerodynamics of an elephant in flight. “There’s a matter of suspension of disbelief in getting a 90-kilo elephant off the ground,” Stammers shares. His team looked at large birds in flight, but found it more helpful to study the wing dynamics of butterflies, along with the underwater movements of manta rays. “They have a really soft, thin sort of wings, and the way that they sort of flap on the edges were helpful to us, as well,” Stammers explains. The VFX team was also determined to realistically illustrate the effort Dumbo needed in order to become airborne. Stammers points out, “Whenever you see him flapping, it’s always a lot of head bobbing to show that the head and neck are doing a lot of work moving independently of his body. And his legs are almost galloping, almost like he’s climbing steps in a sort of galloping motion.”

The original animation served as inspiration throughout the VFX process.
Stammers’ team kept Dumbo’s proportions from the 1941 film, from his oversized head to his short stubby legs, and they returned to many of the character poses that appeared in the original cartoon. “When we started posing our CG version of Dumbo, we would look back at the cartoon and see how things were done in the original,” Stammers explains. The elephants’ body language is frequently inspired by the 1941 film, from the way Dumbo sits to the way Mrs. Jumbo extends her trunk for a motherly embrace.

The team tackled an interesting challenge head-on.
In real life, elephants aren’t necessarily the most expressive creatures, Stammers notes. “Their heads are often hung very low and their eyes are often looking at the ground.” The VFX team needed to keep Dumbo’s head up to maintain a sightline with the other characters (and, of course, to focus on those inimitable blue eyes). The team also pushed technology to devise a new way to render and create skin for Dumbo and the elephants, so that when the pachyderms move realistically, their wrinkles do, as well. Stammers shares, “We had to make sure that all the wrinkles and the little hairs and the eyelashes and even the eyelids all seemed as realistic as possible so that each part of him—even despite his unusual design—would still feel as real as possible.”

You can see Dumbo take flight this Friday, in a theater near you. And take it from us, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen this elephant fly!

JUST ANNOUNCED: Mickey’s PhilharMagic Coming to Disney California Adventure

March 28, 2019March 29, 2019

The curtain is about to rise on a 3-D movie musical that you simply can’t miss! The Disney Parks Blog announced today that Mickey’s PhilharMagic is coming to Disney California Adventure park, premiering in April at the Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land. The attraction is a fan favorite at Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World Resort, where it made its debut in 2003, as well as at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, where it opened in 2005, 2011, and 2018, respectively.

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and other favorite characters take the stage for an experience that immerses the audience in a magical, musical adventure set in the fantastic world of classic Disney animated musical sequences from films such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, and Aladdin. In Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Donald is preparing the orchestra for Mickey when he comes across the conductor’s baton, as well as a certain sorcerer’s hat. Before Donald knows it, he’s magically transported to a 3-D dream world—and we get to join the fun, too. Keep an ear out for some of the most beloved songs in Disney animation history, along with two Disney Legends, as Donald’s dialogue features classic performances from Clarence “Ducky” Nash, the original voice of Donald, and Tony Anselmo, who currently voices our feathered friend.

The new attraction is just one of the many ways to celebrate 90 years of Mickey magic at Disneyland Resort, where Get Your Ears On—A Mickey and Minnie Celebration is under way. From the all new Mickey’s Mix Magic nighttime projection show and Mickey’s Soundsational Parade, to festive foods—which, of course, taste better when they’re shaped like Mickey—and merchandise.

Be sure to stay tuned to D23 for more details as they’re announced. Our toes are already tapping with excitement.