Have a Behind the Scenes Look at the Stunning Visual Effects Used by ILM to Create The Mandalorian

ILMVFX has posted on Youtube a truly great behind the scenes video providing a unique look at the stunning technology used to create Disney + beloved series The Mandalorian.




"Over 50 percent of The Mandalorian Season 1 was filmed using this ground-breaking new methodology, eliminating the need for location shoots entirely. Instead, actors in The Mandalorian performed in an immersive and massive 20’ high by 270-degree semicircular LED video wall and ceiling with a 75’-diameter performance space, where the practical set pieces were combined with digital extensions on the screens.

Below, from a set of a Mandalorian scene almost empty of decors to the final result.







Digital 3D environments created by ILM played back interactively on the LED walls, edited in real-time during the shoot, which allowed for pixel-accurate tracking and perspective-correct 3D imagery rendered at high resolution via systems powered by NVIDIA GPUs. The environments were lit and rendered from the perspective of the camera to provide parallax in real-time, as if the camera were really capturing the physical environment with accurate interactive light on the actors and practical sets, giving showrunner Jon Favreau, executive producer and director Dave Filoni, visual effects supervisor Richard Bluff, and cinematographers Greig Fraser and Barry Baz Idoine, and the episodic directors the ability to make concrete creative choices for visual effects-driven work during photography and achieve real-time in-camera composites on set.



These immersive 20’ high by 270-degree semicircular LED video wall and ceiling are trulu impressive, so don't miss the video below!




Pictures and video: copyright ILMVFX

Amazing Drone Pictures of an Empty Shanghaî Disneyland as the Park is Closed Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

As we know Shanghaî Disneyland is currently closed because of the coronavirus outbreak in China and considering that the outbreak is far to be over, it might take some months before the resort will reopen. But how looks Shanghaî Disneyland when there is no guests at all inside? These drone pictures posted on Twitter by DONGDONG - and beautfiful shots, by the way - will show you how it look.

The first picture above shows the full park with DisneyTown on the left, when the picture below shows the Gardens of Imagination and the Castle with a bit of Fantasyland behind it.

Next drone picture shows the Mickey Avenue at the park entrance with Treasure Cove lagoon on the bottom left and Adventure Isle on the top left.

On this last picture you have a perfect vertical view of Roaring Rapids the raft ride of Adventure Isle with no more water in it during the closure.

Pictures: copyright DONGDONG

Baby Yoda Toys Are Coming Soon, Including Some Animatronic Figures !

Baby Yoda - the beloved child character from "The Mandalorian" - is at last coming soon at a shop near you or on the web as baby Yoda merchandise was revealed at New York ToyFair 2020, and you can learn more about Disney's rush to deliver Baby Yoda toys in the BBC article HERE..

Several diffferent items will be on sale by the end of the year, and some of them like the one of Baby Yoda in his cradle - picture above - are animatronic figures! Here is a selection of videos and on the first one below posted on line by Laughing Place, at 1.37 min you can see the Baby Yoda in his cradle moving and "using the Force"!




You even have a closer shot of this small Animtronic in the next video below.




Now, a different Baby Yoda without the cradle but also Animatronic is coming soon, too!




Which Baby Yoda will you buy?

Picture: copyright Disney

The Disneyland Anaheim Disney Quest That Never Was

A few days ago i've posted on the D&M Facebook page a link to a good video about the history of the Disneyland Hotel. One 1990's artwork in the video is specially interesting as it shows the future Downtown Disney at Anaheim. And what do we see on it on the left? A Disney Quest building, which as we know was never built!

The idea driving Disney Quest was that it would be built in multiple key locations across the country, and they built one in Chicago shortly after they opened the one in WDW. They envisioned one in Philadelphia, San Francisco and the Disneyland Resort, then perhaps one at each Disney location around the world.

When the Chicago one opened it did fantastically well…on the weekends. It was virtually empty on the weekdays, so that scuttled the idea of non-Disney locations. Why it was not built at Disneyland…? Not sure but from what i've been told Paul Pressler - at this time at the head of Parks and Resorts - was nervous about its high operating and upkeep costs and not being able to leverage those across six or so other locations. So he pulled the plug on any further Disney Quests, and that was the end of the one envisioned for Disneyland Anaheim Downtown Disney.

Pictures: copyright Disney

Here Are the Homeopathy Medicines That One Must Take Immediately In Case of Infection With the Coronavirus

Here is something important that you need to note as I finally know which are the homeopathy medicine that one must take immediately in case of infection with the coronavirus!

It is: Against the FEVER provoked by the virus: BRYONIA, buy one tube in dilution 7ch and one tube in 9ch: take first five granules in 7ch, that you put under the tongue ( don't swallow them, let them melt slowly under the tongue! ), 3 times the first day with six hours between each take, then the next day one time five granules in 9ch, always put under the tongue.

Against the viral INFECTION and especially against the short of breath, cough AND Pneumonia: ARSENICUM ALBUM, buy one tube in dilution 7ch and one tube in 9 ch. Take first five granules of Arsenicum Album in 7ch each 4/5 hours, always place the granules under the tongue and let it melt. Do this at least during two days, then take Arsenicum Album in 9ch always five granules under the tongue, 3/4 times per day.

Why Arsenicum Album? Because the outbreak comes from a virus which came from infected meat, and Arsenicum Album IS the big medicine against this kind of problem ( when for instance you've eat something which was infected and have a food poisoning, Arsenicum Album IS the medicine to take asap, so always take tubes of granules of it in 5ch, 7ch and 9ch when you travel ). It is also a medicine against breath problem, coughing, and lung infection.

Arsenicum Album has also spectacular effects when you have, as it happen generally during the winter, a gastroenteritis which can make you extremely weak because basically you empty yourself of all liquids due to the diarrhea. Arsenicum Album will stop in a few hours the diarrhea AND, more importantly, will bring back the energy that you had lost.

Last but not least, always for the coronavirus, take ACONITUM NAPELLIS, one tube in 5ch and one in 7ch IF Arsenicum Album is not enough. Aconit is a big medicine for bronchitis and pneumonia. Always 5 granules under the tongue 3 times per day.

I've studied - and i mean it PHYSICALLY, by taking the medicines not just by reading books - homeopathy since 30 years and it's one of the best medicine in the world, if not THE best. Don't listen to the ones saying it's just placebo, they basically belong to this category of pseudo scientists constantly saying that something is bullshit without ever trying it. The only thing which is bullshit is what they're saying, believe me. Homeopathy is among the things i know as well as theme parks, and you can trust me about that. And by the way, no it's not a "soft medicine" as they used to day. You need to really find and take the right product if you want to have the right effect and don't feel bad. And it's a very very complicated and subtle medicine, so don't do anything by yourself if you don't know which one is the right product to take. But the ones listed above are the right one, not only they won't kill you but they will probably save you ( as long as you take them in the right dilutions indicated above ).

One more thing: If you live in Europe or in the U.S you should find easily these three products/medicines. If not, ask Google where to find homeopathy medicines near where you live or order on line. If you are in Asia, you'll find them normally easily in India ( India has some of the best Homeopaths in the world, including one who is a genius and live in Bombay, Rajan Sankaran ). If you live in China or south-east Asia you won't find them, which is a big problem as 95% of coronavirus cases are in China. BUT Boiron Laboratory which is one of the leader in the world and do excellent homeopathy products is selling on the five continents including in Hong Kong or Taiwan, so if you're in China you may be able to get the products there. Go on THIS page and click on your continent, then on the country: https://www.boiron.com/en

The good news is that Homeopathy medicines are cheap, very cheap ( that's why Big Pharmas are trying to kill it ) one tube in France cost less than $2.50 - yep, it's that cheap - so it will be affordable most probably for each of you.

Thanks to forward this post, it can help to save lives.

And here is an editing which seems to be necessary as some think that i suggest to don't go to an hospital if you get the coronavirus, which i've never said. Obviously if you get infected, go to an hospital and take anti-viral medicine if you wish. The only thing i did is to give the solution the Homeopathic way. And you can even take both anti-viral and homeopathy medicine as both don't work on the same plan and won't hurt each other.

2020, The Year of All Dangers

Those of you who follow me on Disney and more probably know that i'm as much specialist in astrology than i am in Disney theme parks, and i sometime do astrological updates about the transits of important planets when it happen. So, today i have one update for you, and those of you who think that astrology is bullshit without knowing anything about it can jump directly to the next posts below.

I wanted to do it in fact last December as i do usually at the end of each year, and especially for this year as i would have called the update "the year of all dangers", which i do finally as it is the title of this update. And then i was lazy to do it in December, thinking i had still a few weeks more to do it in January, and on January 2 the crisis with Iran happened with the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, and i thought "fuck, it's too late know, we may be at war with Iran in a week and if i write it now people will think that it's to easy to announce bad things coming when they already happened, etc...". And then, both Iran and U.S have cool down and the drums of war stopped. But destiny has different cards in its sleeves and shortly after the coronavirus outbreak started. So, i finally post this astrological update as astrology, contrary to what some of you may think doesn't say explicitely WHAT will happen but explain WHY things happen ( good or bad ) at the moment they happen. It also allows to know how long it will last ( always for good or bad events ).

So, WHY is it "the year of all dangers"? Because there is an exceptional conjunction of planets this year in the same sign - in the Capricorn sign - which never happened in 1000 years, meaning we don't have example about what it can bring. Let's start with the conjunction of Saturn ( known as the "Grim Reaper" ) and Pluto ( the lord of the underworld ), two planets of "death" with a transcendental goal for an individual but collectively bringing death and destruction ( as you need to destroy before rebuilding or access to a new life ). The last time Saturn and Pluto had a bad transit together was ...in September 2001 when they were opposite, and we know that the world has never been the same after Sept 11 as it was before ( both Saturn and Pluto are slow moving planets but on Sept 11 the Moon was also in conjunction with Saturn and it's the Moon which is a fast moving one which gave the spark for the explosion ). What i mean by that is this: the planets have each a different type of energy, meaning that they have an effect on the mind, some transit will make you over-optimistic ( Jupiter ), others will make you depressive ( Saturn ), others will make you dreamy ( Neptune ), etc... That's what the planets transits do, in fact and so far, that shouldn't be too difficult to understand. Now, some planets, especially Mars and Pluto will make you impatient, angry, or even destructive depending of the positions they will have with the planets on your natal chart.  In this example, one can be angry but keep everything inside, until another planet arrive and gives the spark for the explosion which was waiting inside. The mad guy who did the massacre from its Mandalay Bay suite in Las Vegas two years ago had a conjunction of Mars on his natal "black Moon" all the week he prepared and did his carnage, and the black Moon rules, as the great French astrologer Joelle de Gravelaine who was a specialist of it once said "all kind of desire, orgy and carnage included".

Back to 2020, now: when i was thinking how dangerous this transit of planets would be i was, in all honesty, not thinking about a virus outbreak, but rather to a war whether with Iran or North Korea, or even Venezuela - it's not the places of potential conflicts which are lacking. So far - i say "so far" because as we'll see in a few seconds the war option hasn't ended yet - it seems that death ( Saturn / Pluto ) choose the virus option. The problem is that Jupiter, another highly powerful planet, also entered in the Capricorn sign. Jupiter has a reputation to be a "good" planet, which brings luck and protection, which he does indeed. But Jupiter also INCREASE things and rules the "long distance travels". When one has Jupiter in transit in his natal sign he will have desire of long distance travels and most of the time he WILL travel, and it's the right time to do it as Jupiter will bring protection during the travel. What we have with the coronavirus outbreak is a deadly virus, originally located in Central China, which finally creates a worldwide outbreak spreading around the world and still increasing daily with no end in sight. That's where the Jupiter effect happen, the conjunction Saturn and Pluto IS "death" and Jupiter arrives and make this "death" travelling around the world.

A few things you need to know about Saturn effects: Saturn always mark the end of "something" - when you're 14, when Saturn is opposite to the position he had the day you're born, it is the end of childhood. Just like when you're 28, when Saturn comes back to the same position he had the day you're born, it is the end of the teenage age with all its transgression without limits. Saturn makes you understand that it's time now to be an adult, and it's the real start of the adult age. 29 years later, at 58-59, Saturn marks the end of a professional career or the time for retirement, or if you did really bad things during the previous 29 years, it'll be the time you'll pay for them ( Harvey Weinstein ) as Saturn is also the one which "brings the karma in boomerang". So, as you can see, most of the time the death effect of Saturn is symbolic, it's not a physical death - except in some particular configurations or after 75 years old as Saturn, in addition to make you depressive will also drain you. The transits of Saturn can make you so tired that after 80 years old it's hard to survive to it, at a moment when the vital energy is often low. Note that Saturn also rules "fear" and i suppose you've noticed how people in some countries are currently almost in panic mode - of course because of the coronavirus outbreak but the fear factor of Saturn is amplified by the the usual increasing effect of Jupiter, bringing the whole fear often to an irrational point.

But recently i wanted to check something and thought to have a look back to see what were the planets positions during the last big virus outbreak - of SARS - which happened from Oct 2002 till July 2003. Did Saturn and Pluto, two slow moving planets still had an aspect together? I just had a look, and yes they were still in opposition like they were in Sept 11. Which is kind of interesting because i wouldn't have thought to make a link between a Saturn and Pluto transit for a virus outbreak, i thought that viruses were rather belonging to Neptune "department" ( as Neptune rules medical sector ). But with both Saturn and Pluto joined together as they are this year there sure will be a lot of deaths. When i saw last year this transit coming and was talking with friends about it i used to told them "There WILL be dead people, a LOT of dead people". There is now more than 70000 people infected and 1670 people who died from the outbreak, and believe me, i'd rather would prefer to have been wrong.

And we're not done yet as we're just mid-February and the Saturn / Pluto / Jupiter transit will basically last all year with a little break from the end of March to late June when Saturn will enter briefly in the Aquarius sign before going backward and enter Capricorn again. But even that is not good news as Saturn, when it will be in Aquarius, will be in square position ( a difficult one ) with Uranus in Taurus ( by the way, those of you born between January 20 and 25, at the start of the Aquarius sign, must be specially cautious during these three months, and those of you born between January 15 and 20, must be cautious all the others months of the year, also due to the transit of Saturn on their Sun in Capricorn ). We'll see what happen but Uranus rules revolution, sudden changes and is unpredictable, and Uranus is currently in the sign which rules money and material possessions ( Taurus ), while Saturn will be in Aquarius, a sign whom the master is ...Uranus, meaning that Saturn ( death and fear ) will be energized by the explosive, unpredictable energy of Uranus, master of the Aquarius sign, while at the same time being in square transit with the current position of Uranus in Taurus. There is a possibility that the virus outbreak reach such proportions that it finally creates a serious economy crisis. It's already starting but the full economy crisis is not yet there.

Now, don't go away as there is a "one more thing", unfortunately: Mars is also joining the party and enters in Capricorn TODAY, and usually Mars stays 2 months in a sign. And it's really no good news: although Mars is the energy which puts you "in action" he also rules conflicts and agressions - don't forget it was the "God of War" in ancient times, and for good reasons. We'll see how it goes but it either could be a moment when people, specially those in China who are stuck in their home / town / province starts to revolt OR it could be indeed a start of conflict or war somewhere on the planet, though i think that Trump don't look for a war in this election year. Mars is "fire" energy, and just see the situation like throwing fire on an almost already uncontrolable situation at the point of explosion, and you'll understand that danger is still ahead. At the end of the year - but not before - Saturn and Jupiter will both enter Aquarius so at least the conjunction of the energies of death and destruction of Saturn and Pluto will be behind, but Saturn ( death and fear ) will still be amplified by Jupiter, and both will still be in square position with Uranus, so i'm sorry to say that the story is far to be ended. As for the coronavirus outbreak, if you ask me, personally i don't see it ending before the end of the year. I wish to be wrong, but i don't feel it that way, i think we're still at the start of it, and it could be much much worst.

As we are in a U.S election year, i'm sure some of you are dying to know who has the best chances to win. Well, i'm sorry to say that Trump - although having an opposite ( bad position ) of Saturn to his natal Saturn and Venus all year - could very well win the election. He will have a very good trine ( 120° angle, good position ) of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto to what is called the "middle of the sky" point, which don't define who you are but how you want to appear to the world - or how the world see you, the image that the world has of you. With this kind of trine position, Trump might appear both as conqueror (Jupiter ), full of power ( Pluto ), strong and reliable ( Saturn ) and this could make him win.
On the other hand, how are the planets for Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg? Bernie Sanders has currently some good aspect with Jupiter and Pluto, both in good trine position with his Sun in Virgo but he will also have a bad square transit of Pluto and Saturn to his Venus in Libra and to his Mars in Aries, and i can be wrong but i wouldn't put my bets on him. Buttigieg is actually the one who has the best planets this year, with Jupiter and Pluto close to his Sun in Capricorn which normally brings luck and power ...if he didn't had also Saturn on his Sun degree. Saturn is also "Murphy"s Law" ( everything that can go wrong will go wrong ) and no doubt that problems are still ahead for him. As for Michael Bloomberg, he is the other one with the best positions, having excellent trine positions to his natal Mars, Saturn and Uranus in Taurus. Bloomberg is an Aquarius native, and if he wins the next three years might be difficult for him when Saturn will be in Aquarius, but he could win this year. I'd say that Trump, in addition to his usual luck ( due to his natal trine of Jupiter to his Sun in Gemini ) had good chances to win, followed by Bloomberg, and Buttigieg behind, but if Buttigieg wins - and succeed to go through the Saturnian storm -  it will be thanks to the incredible luck and protection that Jupiter can bring when you have it in your sign.

That's all for now for the astrological update, and it's more than enough, isn't it!

Artwork: copyright Yves Bady

BREAKING: Disneyland Paris Has Now Until 2036 to Build a Third Park as a Ninth Amendment to the 1987 Convention Extends the Possibility of Creating a Third Park by Ten Years.

Disneyland Paris: Euro Disney has now until 2036 to build a third park A ninth amendment to the convention established in 1987 extends the possibility of creating a third park in Marne-la-Vallée by ten years.

You have below, the English translation by Google of the article of Le Parisien, that you can read in French HERE, but what does it means? It means, first that a third park will NOT be build for 2026, it also mean that DLP has until 2036 to build it BUT it could be even later as "this 2036 deadline may again be the subject of an addendum "until the date on which a threshold of "at least 22 million annual visitors will have been reached by the two existing parks, it being understood that in such a case, the realization of this third major attraction must be provided for in a detailed program signed no later than March 23, 2040". Today, the average annual attendance is 15 million visitors."

In addition, you'll note that the amendment does not specify explicitly that it will be a third park ( the 1987 convention also didn't ) but that it has to be "the creation of a third major tourist attraction". Disney fans will understand this as a third park but for Disney it's different, it leaves the door open for something that could be eventually different than a theme park.

Translation of Le Parisien article:

The current extension of the Marne-la-Vallée complex concerns one of the two existing parks, namely Walt Disney Studios. But the construction of a third park remains a possibility.

When we talk about the current extension of Disneyland Paris, some think that it is the creation of a third park. But no. The three new universes scheduled by 2025 - "Marvel", "Frozen", "Star Wars" - will be well included in Walt Disney Studios. This second complex opened in 2002, ten years after the inauguration of Disneyland Park.

However, the creation of a third park remains a possibility. It is included in the convention signed in 1987 between the State, the region, the department, the RATP, the public developer EpaFrance and Euro Disney.

In a letter dated December 11, the regional prefect Michel Cadot requested the agreement of the department of Seine-et-Marne on this subject. On February 7, the departmental council adopted the ninth amendment to the agreement, the first since September 2010. It states that the possibility of deciding to build a third park is extended until 2036 instead of 2026.






Above, the land for the third theme park is located in front of the Newport Bay, Sequoia Lodge and Santa Fe Hotels.

A new endorsement linked to the bar of 22 million visitors

"If on March 24, 2036, the pivotal company [Editor's note: Euro Disney] or its assignee has not requested inclusion in a detailed program corresponding to the creation of a third major tourist attraction [Editor's note: a third park] likely to attract millions of additional visitors each year compared to those who come to visit Disneyland Parks and Walt Disney Studios, the EPA [Editor's note: EpaFrance] will be able to market the unused land.

This area is located east of the circular boulevard, in the Magny-le-Hongre and Bailly-Romainvilliers territories.

The addendum, which has not yet been signed by all the parties but will be, specifies that this 2036 deadline may again be the subject of an addendum "until the date on which a threshold of "at least 22 million annual visitors will have been reached by the two existing parks, it being understood that in such a case, the realization of this third major attraction must be provided for in a detailed program signed no later than March 23, 2040". Today, the average annual attendance is 15 million visitors.

Land counterparties at this time

In addition to the third park component, this deadline "aims to support the tourist development of Euro Disney which announced an investment of 2 billion euros" as well as "urban development for construction in Coupvray, Chessy, Serris or Bailly- Romainvilliers with 1,800 additional housing units and 250 residential units, initially planned in areas outside the Disney perimeter, as well as 450 additional specific housing units dedicated to Disney employees. "

The agreement is also extended from 2030 to 2040. The possibility of deciding to build an east wing of the Nature Villages is extended from 2020 to 2030.

"These different postponements should allow The Walt Disney Company to maintain a regular pace of investment in the territory, says the department. In return, the Disney right-of-way is reduced from 2,229 hectares to 2,118 hectares, Disney abandoning its general purchase option on the La Justice / Lilandry rights-of-way at Coutevroult and de l'Épinette at Montry. "

Pictures: copyright Disney

Jungle Cruise Map Now Given to Disneyland Guests Who Exit the Ride

According to a Disneyland News Today post on Twitter "If you go to the exit of Jungle Cruise you can ask for a map of the attraction and take your own paper version home!".

In fact, the map was released in B&W in 2015 on the Disney Parks blog in a PDF version HERE, and here it is, below i've just added a slightly bit of colour to make it look a bit "older", and did as well another more "green" version.

Pictures: copyright Disney, DLNT

Have a Private Tour of Universal Studios Hollywood with Steven Spielberg !

I repost today this amazing video of Steven Spielberg giving a private tour of Universal Studios Hollywood to Anthony Breznican some years ago, and Steven is the one who is driving!

If you've never seen the video, don't miss it as it's a rare occasion to see Spielberg as he is in real, and, as someone said in a comment the first time it was posted, you'll learn more about Spielberg in these 10 minutes than in all his promotional interviews!