ALL Pictures and Concept-Arts Shown at Disney's Hollywood Studios 2018 Galactic Nights Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Imagineers Panel !

Last night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios happened the awaited Galactic Nights Galaxy’s Edge panel, with Scott Trowbridge, Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, Eric Baker, Creative Director at WDI, Margaret Kerrison, Managing Story Editor at WDI and Jon Georges, Executive Producer at WDI. WDI Imagineers revealed the name of the village that guests will visit when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open in 2019, and it will be called Black Spire Outpost. Here is more details about the Black Spire Outpost:

"The largest settlement on the planet Batuu, Black Spire Outpost is an infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers traveling around the Outer Rim and Wild Space. Off the beaten path, this outpost has become a haven for the galaxy’s most colorful — and notorious — characters. Widely known for the petrified remains of its once towering ancient trees, the spires now stand guard across the river valleys and plains and have long captured the imagination of travelers to this planet. To the first settlers, these petrified spires became more than just landmarks, they became the heart of the outpost itself."


Plenty of pictures and great renderings were shown during the panel so let's have a look first at the artworks, shall we?











Let's continue with pictures of Galaxy's Edge construction site at WDW Disney Hollywood Studios.










The Imagineers also went in England at Pinewood Studios during the filming of the next Star Wars movie to shoot some footage that will be used in Galaxy's Edge.








Imagineers then talked about the highly awaited E-Ticket attraction in which guests will be in the middle of a battle with the First Order...


...and that guests will come face to face with two full size AT-Ts.








The three next picture of the AT-Ts are not renderings but pictures shot inside the attraction itself.

A new "Resistance Troop Transport" ship was also unveiled. Guests will be able to go in it and take a journey on". Below, the rendering of it, model and the real thing.









It was also announced that Nien Nunb the famous Star Wars character will play a role in Galaxy’s Edge.



All kind of creatures which will be found in Galaxy's Edge were revealed including the beloved  Tooka Loth-Cat who made its first appearance in the Clone Wars series and recently in Star Wars Rebels. Imagineers confirmed they are working on bringing it to life as a walking, breathing, real creature.






Last announcement - and artworks - was about the Star Wars land trading cars. Last year the first ones were announced - first picture below - and yesterday three new ones - also below - were revealed, allowing fans to know what kind of adventures await them at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.






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And now, listen to the full Galactic Nights Galaxy's Edge Imagineers panel and learn more infos thanks to this great video from BigFatPanda!




All pictures: copyright Disney - Lucasfilm

BREAKING : GERMANY EUROPA PARK ON FIRE, THEME PARK EVACUATED AFTER BLAZING PIRATES OF BATAVIA RIDE DESTROYED BY FIRE:

Dramatic fire happened last night at Germany Europa Park. The fire started early on Saturday evening in a storage building, and then moved to engulf and destroy the "Pirates of Batavia" boat ride. Authorities have evacuated the Europa-Park amusement park in southwest Germany, after a fire broke out at the theme park. "The park has been completely cleared," a police spokesman said. There were about 25,000 people at the theme park when the fire started, according to police estimates.

It has been confirmed by authorities that the blaze started in a warehouse before spreading to another attraction. From there it spread further, with flames rapidly leaping to numerous other attractions. There were almost 500 operational forces in use overall. They also confirmed there are no injured visitors.



"The fire is still expanding quickly," a local fire department employee said. We still don't have the situation under control." Nobody was hurt in the mass evacuation but seven firefighters were injured while trying to put out the blaze at Europa-Park, in the south western town of Rust.



Some 250 firefighters tackled the blaze, finally managing to extinguish it on Sunday morning. Authorities were battling to prevent the blaze from spreading to other attractions at the park in the small town of Rust, near the French border.



Most of the park has now reopened. However, parts of the Dutch and Scandinavian-themed areas have been extensively damaged and remain closed.



Europa-Park's chief executive Michael Mack said on Twitter that it had been a "sad day" for the park. He thanked emergency services and expressed his relief that none of the park's customers had been injured. Thousands of people escaped from the park safely.



It is not known what caused the fire, and firefighters remain at the park to make sure the fire does not start up again.

If you plan to go to Europa Park in the next weeks expect to have some of the "lands" closed, and this probably for several weeks. The "Pirates of Batavia" ride who was destroyed last night was Europa Park "Pirates of Caribbean", for those of you who never did the ride, here is a 4K video of it.

Walt Disney's Private Plane Location Found at WDW !

Walt Disney's private plane is a legend in itself as it is known to be the one that Walt used to search - and found - the location of the land where will be built Walt Disney World. You'll have more details about the plane story in the video below as well as its current location, but let's have a closer look first at the plane interior with the rendering below and archives pictures.










I asked Imagineer Eddie Sotto who now designed stunning planes interior that you must see HERE, HERE or HERE his comment about Walt's plane:

“Interesting how the company used the Gulfstream for promotional purposes as well as practical ones, almost making “the Mouse” a “character” in of itself. I never boarded it, but was able to fly on the more luxurious, jet powered Gulfstream G4 during the Eisner era on research for Disneyland Paris across Europe. Those experiences were drawn upon years later as I was inspired to design jet interiors, but with more of a story. Our SkyRanch design has an “owners seat” that can be customized to their taste, just like Walt had his own special amenities where he sat."

The picture below shows the seat where Walt was sitting in the plane with a direct telephone line to the pilots in the cockpit.







The plane was used all year long for many purposes including travelling of Imagineers - and Walt, of course - and marketing pictures with Disney characters.

Here is the D23 video with interviews of Bob Gurr, Tony Baxter, Marty Sklar, Kathy Ashcraft and Dave Smith, all talking stories about Walt's plane.



Now, what happened to Walt's plane years later? He could be seen by WDW guests during the Disney MGM Studios Tram tour, until that fateful day when the tour was  stopped and all vehicles and props removed...





Since that time Disney fans wondered where has gone Walt's plane and it was just recently that someone, thanks to Google Earth satellite view, finally found the location at WDW where the plane is hidden now. Ben Laurence has posted on Youtube the video below not only showing where the plane currently is but also giving the itinerary to find it. Wisely, he specify that "you may have to go through security", and considering the plane location it's sure that you will encounter WDW security so D&M strongly advise you to think twice before going there... at your own risk, specially in the U.S where security folks have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions after. Anyway, we're happy to learn that Walt's plane has been saved and hopefully we'll see it back on stage someday!




Pictures: copyright Disney

Video: copyright Disney, Ben Laurence

"Solo" Short Review

So, I just came back to watch "Solo" in theater and i quite liked it a lot. The good thing is that it was EXACTLY how i thought it would be. Not in terms of story because i didn't knew the story, but in terms of quality or "size" of the movie. It doesn't have a "galactic" size like a Star Wars movie, and it don't have either this kind of Shakespearian / Freudian dimension that we can find in the Star Wars trilogies. So, if you don't expect anything like this you shouldn't be disappointed.

Basically, "Solo" is a "heist" movie in a galaxy far far away. Alden Ehrenreich is very good in my opinion. He don't play Han Solo like Harrison Ford which would have been something impossible to do, and actually he look sometime closer to a young Jack Nicholson than a young Harrison Ford. If Jack Nicholson was a character he would be perfect to play him young ( without the craziness of Jack ). The rest of the cast - Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany - yes, the same Paul Bettany who plays "Vision" in The Avengers movies - are all doing a great job, with may be a special mention to Donald Glover who plays a sympathetic - and from what i've read "pansexual " - Lando Calrissian. And yes, you'll have Storm Troopers, Tie Fighters and even a Star Destroyer but, again, don't expect epic battles like in Star Wars movies as it's not the place here. 


Something else, though, surprised me, and it's the choice of photography: in 80% of the scenes, the actors are filmed at counterlight. You can see them, even if sometime it's "limit" or you see their silhouette, but it's a very odd choice of photography, specially for an American movie as usually, as a good friend of mine who is one of the best editor in France once told me, "Americans light everything" on a set.

At the end, this "Solo" movie - in which you'll also learn how Han met Chewbacca and why his name is "Solo" - should be a good surprise as i think most of you don't expect something awesome of it. And i think that Disney don't expect a huge hit either, that's probably the reason why they've been soft on the marketing and didn't spent a huge amount of money in publicity. The movie will certainly not make $1Billion at the box office but i wouldn't be surprised if it reach the $500M mark eventually as the "mouth to ear" reports are generally good and i even suspect Disney to bet on this to bring people in theaters who wouldn't have gone necessarily to watch it. And if you need another good reason to go watch "Solo", let's say that there is a famous Star Wars villain which appears in it - and i won't tell you which one! - which leaves a big open door at the end for a sequel to "Solo" if they wish to do one, and personally i'll be happy if there is one.

Pictures: copyright Disney - Lucasfilm

Charming New Trailer and Poster for Disney's Live-Action Winnie The Pooh Movie "Christopher Robin"

A charming new trailer and poster for Disney's live-action Winnie The Pooh movie "Christopher Robin" has been released and gives us a glimpse of Christopher Robin's past as a child with his friends in the 100 Acre Wood and also offers more insight into the story that will follow him as an adult.

 The story is set in the year is 1949, and Christopher Robin, who is played by Ewan McGregor, who is "an efficiency manager at a luggage company, tasked with finding the resources to prevent many of his workers from being laid off. That will mean missing the vacation he has planned with his wife, Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), and young daughter, Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). They’re heading to the Hundred Acre Wood while he’s stuck in London with work, when he gets a visit from his old friend Pooh. But he’s not the same person Pooh remembers.

 

Picture and video: copyright Disney