2017 Phoenix Comicon!

by Guest Reviewer Shaun "Pyrat Wesly" Barnette
June 2, 2017

Over the Memorial Day weekend the long anticipated 2017 Phoenix Comicon made national news, but it wasn’t good news. It did, however, manage to retain a lot of the fun for which the event is known.

Going in the first day was very pleasant. Entering the convention center, I noticed there was a strong police and security presence but there were no tables to look at items being carried in and no searching was being done.  I was able to walk in and pick up my pass at registration without delay.  The lines appeared long spanning most of the way across the large ballroom but moved quickly.   It was not crowded and there was an absolutely great turn out of cosplayers.  I

Cap'n Jack and Friends

spotted my personal favorite, Captain Jack Sparrow, within 5 minutes of arriving!  There were plenty of Disney Princesses, too!  All areas appeared to be well managed. 

 My first impression was that this may be the best Phoenix Comicon yet.  About ten minutes after I picked up my pass two of the staff left the registration area in a great hurry. One had a look of concern on his face.  I speculated someone may have gotten hurt, but soon after they left I was told by another guest the police just arrested a man who had real guns on him.  They had a friend that was close by and saw it happen and, of course, immediately texted his friends about the incident.  No worries.  Initial reports were no one was hurt.  Sweet!  Things are being handled well for security and safety.  Not even twenty minutes in the building and an incident is in check with no one harmed.  

Mickey Storm Trooper

Next, I venture off to visit the “Hall of Heroes”, where there were large displays and many of the cosplayers could be found the year before.  I was really looking forward to seeing bigger and better.  Nope!  The hall didn’t open until 4:00 PM.  This was possibly due to the area being used for additional vendor space.  The wait officially begins at this point.  So, I wait and people watch.  While admiring more and more fun and expertly made costumes, the excited energy level is slowly increasing as the halls become more crowded. Hoping to get a photo of the calm before the storm, I go to the Lower Level Exhibitor Hall.  Unfortunately for me, I’m turned away by security staff who are wholly unimpressed with my media pass.  They politely inform me only exhibitors are allowed in before opening.  Disappointing, but I’m still looking forward to a great convention.  A few minutes later a FOX 10 news crew tries to enter the Exhibitor Hall and to my surprise they were denied access as well.  I feel better about being denied and find myself a little bit impressed at the consistent enforcement of the rule.  So far so good.  There was good crowd control when the doors to the Exhibitor Hall opened and people were polite, congenial, and respectful of others as they made their way in. 

Nebula Cosplay

While I’m waiting I notice a con-goer favorite is completely missing.  The beloved free photo booth is nowhere to be found. For many this was a great attraction of the Phoenix Comicon and always had a line of guests eager to document their attendance with their friends.  Everyone could stop in, costumed or not, with or without friends or family, and get a high quality photo with a cool back drop that could be downloaded and shared from the Phoenix Comicon official flickr page. Here is a link to Fanfest album for those who haven’t seen it before.  Phoenix Comicon Flickr 
The first photo in this album features three of the official photographers in a test shot.  Unfortunately for the tens of thousands who went this year, no free photo! 

Star Lord and baby Groot Cosplay

Also, noticeably missing was live music.  There wasn’t a stage anywhere with live bands playing.  The lack of bands resulting in my not spending much time outside, which is a real shame.  I have to question again why cut something so cool from the event?  The car show is small but great.  I love seeing the TV and movie cars and they are really fun photo ops for everyone.  There was a big tent in the street that had a sign stating Mos Eisley Cantina, but looking in I didn’t see anything or anyone Star Wars-themed inside when I went by. 

There has been a lot of controversy over staffing the 2017 convention since Fanfest ended.  If you’d like to learn more about it just search for articles about the entire volunteer staff being fired.  It began with a surprise announcement from the official Phoenix Comicon fan club “BRA” (Blue Ribbon Army) that listed among the benefits of being a paid member the opportunity to work as an official staff member of Phoenix Comicon.  Keep in mind there was no information about this staffing change sent to the more than 1000 volunteers who were already working for the convention, some of them for many years.  Many of those volunteers were involved in building Comicon to what it has become today through labor, love and dedication to the community of fans that support the event.  You might imagine the shocked and many times emotional reaction from hundreds of volunteers.  A reoccurring allegation among them was it was a money grab by the owner of Phoenix Comicon.  It was viewed by some as a way to monetize the volunteer labor force that runs the convention.  Pay to volunteer?  Ultimately, after tons of hurt feelings and heartbreak, the company Square Egg, which owns Phoenix Comicon, made the decision to use all paid staff.  A little surprising and ambitious since the big show was only months away.  Not only that, it meant a cost that would only allow 300 to 400 paid staff to replace over 1000 volunteers.  I can only speculate this was done for legal and liability reasons since I do not have any inside information other than past press releases on the subject.

How did this impact the convention this year?  Lines.  Social media posts about celebrity photo ops and autographs were heavily critical of being well behind schedule and not being able to complete all of the pre-sold photos and autographs.  Of course, there is the disclaimers and refunds about the “opportunity” to meet your favorite celebrities, but that wasn’t the first thought on people’s minds when they paid a lot of money.  Frustration of waiting in lines and simply missing out after days or even months of anticipation of that precious few seconds with fame was most disappointing. It should also be noted some fellow con-goers were happy with their experience and were able to get the photos and autographs as expected.  This was most likely what most experienced.  Criticism was placed on scheduling and lack of staff managing line access.  Keep an eye out for the next survey from Phoenix Comicon.  One thing they do like is feedback that can be used to improve the experience. 

Phoenix Comicon announced a complete ban of ALL costume props to begin on Friday. Some people voiced support for the change, happy to forego the detail added to costumes for increased safety. 

Moana and Maui

I personally don’t understand how the absence of costume props will prevent someone from breaking the law such as what happened that fateful Thursday. Seriously, I don’t get it.  As far as I know, no one has ever been killed by a light up plastic light saber or a sonic screw driver. I didn’t even take the time to search for the statistics on the subject.  For the last several years I have always been comfortable in the policy and practice of inspecting weapons and marking them as such. Even San Diego Comic Con doesn’t ban weapon props, much less ALL props. And that is in California!  That state is famous for weapons bans and restrictions. The announcements claim the decision for the ban was based on the Phoenix Police and convention center recommendations. Personally, I don’t buy it. Especially given the event was never set up for airport style security screening. I don’t believe for a second there is a police officer anywhere that is concerned about light sabers. Sure, there are incidents involving replica firearms but let’s face it, the man was arrested for real firearms and threatening to kill people. I could understand if he had fake guns when he was arrested and they were banned as a result, but that wasn’t the case. Instead there was a gross overreaction. I hope the once great Phoenix Comicon will dial it back and gain understanding about such incidents and not give in to fear. We all know what fear leads to (listen to the Yoda speaking in your mind). Sorry, enough of that, from the bottom of my heart, I am so very grateful to the person who reported the threat and to the officers who were able to make the arrest, keeping everyone safe. Great work everyone! 

Part of the enhanced security policy was to restrict entrance to three locations. Already, this means longer lines. However, I arrived late on Friday at 2:30 p.m. entering on the North-East corner I was pleasantly surprised by the short line to get in that only took three minutes. Nice. But…the guard there didn’t use complete sentences to explain what he needed to do. He only said, “bag”. To which I replied, “What?” Then he said it again, “bag”. I said, “Yes, that’s a bag. What do you want me to do?” There was no table or any indication of how he would be searching the bag. Behind him were guards searching, you guessed it, bags. Finally, he said he needed to check it. So, I held it out, opened the top, and with a one second glance inside, waved me through. The next guard was also not wasting words, but most of us know what to do for a metal detector.  My bag was a messenger style camera bag. Not big, but with the check that he did it could have contained anything. Why a check at all?

If I am to be honest, overall there wasn’t much that seemed different this year, which is a good thing. The entire event was very familiar. The biggest change was the feel of it with little staff around. I only remember seeing two information booths. Last year you didn’t have to go far if you needed one. The info booths were a great service. Directions, lost and found, but more importantly, quick radio communication for emergencies from known locations to which first responders could go straight to. They served as a safe place for anyone to go to for any reason. Less staff, but less safety. In past years, volunteer staff were virtually available at any room or hallway you entered. This year the entire place seemed to function on the good will of the people attending.  Thank goodness for the people that make up this geek community. 

Somewhere on Facebook a question was asked about what was missed at the con this year. 

One reply was complimentary of the marketing team’s photographers that no longer exist. Becca McCullough wrote, “I miss having official PCC photogs. I could guarantee at least ONE good pic of my cosplays.” Another stated, “No photo booth and no team of photographers capturing all of the events, panels and all over fun.” To be fair, there was one official photographer contracted to shoot the event. This event is huge, so I’m sure he was on an overwhelming schedule to photograph the big celebrities over the four-day event. Look at the official flickr page from one or two years ago and the photographs posted of the major panels and events. It was a glorious time. This year most panels didn’t even have moderators. 

Back to the Hall of Heroes. The guard checking everyone for their “membership” badges was fantastic. Upbeat demeanor, great voice and well spoken and he was as professional as a Disney cast member. I should have got his name, but if you passed him as you entered the hall you know who I’m talking about. A stroll around the hall brings me to the huge Lego display. As I admired the setup, I was informed by a lady that the Lego ships on the water were at battle. Each day the battle would progress and on the last day the battle would conclude. Unfortunately, I didn’t return to the exhibit frequently enough to follow the story. Next time look for the changes in the Lego display! They do something every year and the careful observer might see a story play out. 

Lego Civil War!

There were celebrity spotlight panels today as well as countless fan and educational panels. Seriously, look at the programming on the official Phoenix Comicon website. It’s as impressive as always. 

Back at the Lower Level Exhibitor Hall, I visited a few booths. Conman (Alan Tudyk’s crowd funded series), Sweet Midnight, The Fyne Art of David Lozeau and RUSH!

Being a rock guy, the Rush booth was a cool surprise for me. First thing I had to do was flip through the crate of LP vinyl records with, you guessed it, all Rush. There was no way I was walking away from there without the 200gram remastered 2112 with the hologram. I also bought a t-shirt and a set of Rush themed cereal boxes. If that sounds funny, it’s because it is. David Calcano was manning the booth and was kind enough to autograph the boxes, complete with a quick doodle of each band member’s face! As with many of the wonderful exhibitors at Phoenix Comicon, there is often an engaging story of the creative people at the booth. The Rush booth has its own talented artist as well. The booth is actually Fantoons LLC ( fantoons.tv ) and Rush is one of the bands endorsing it. The connection to Rush is a comic/toon book that is inspired by the band and their works. It is seriously creative and funny. If you’re not familiar with Rush, probably less so. The writer sent the book to the band and they liked it so much it was endorsed by them and led to an animation being produced that opened a Rush tour! The writer, artist and animator is David Calcano. A very pleasant man originally from Venezuela, now living and working in California. Among his many accomplishments, he once created a short series of cartoons for the Disney Channel. 

Artist David Lozeau

I enjoyed a few minutes of watching an artist work on a painting commissioned by the big mouse company of a well-known attraction (vague due to a future, official unveiling).  
David Lozeau, with his wonderful works on display around him, was super cool and engaging. In the middle of his fantastic creation he was happy to chat and answer questions. 

Over at Sweet Midnight there is a fun shop full of mostly handmade creations on the “darker side of cute” by local artists based out of our very own Bisbee Arizona. The owner, “Nay”, has a bright beautiful style all her own. Don’t let her coffin at the booth scare you away. She’s a delight. Missed her at Phoenix Comicon? Fear not, she has a store online. Want a chance to meet her? She is a Ghost Hostess and can be found showing the way through the dark at the Old Bisbee Ghost Tours. 

These are just a few examples out of hundreds of the amazing people you could meet (some local and some from afar) and obtain their great art directly as you cruise through the huge Exhibition Hall. I had a great time there. 

Saturday morning, I arrived at 10:30 a.m. It’s the busiest day of the event and I expected to be in line a long time; however, that assumption was wrong. I was in a long line that stretched approximately halfway down the block on Jefferson. There was a staff member holding a “End of Line” sign (insert TRON reference here). Something I thought to be very helpful given the problems with the lines reported on social media Friday morning. With the line moving as fast as it was, I expected to breeze through a poorly performed search by speechless guards again. Nope! The team at the North-East Corner of 3rd Street and Jefferson was giving clear directions, performed a good search of my camera bag placed on a table, and then there was metal detector wand at a final stop. The lady actually moved the wand near my body on both sides and checked my belt buckle when the wand sounded. A decent and speedy security check.  It took about ten minutes to gain entrance. Finding myself surprisingly impressed, I headed straight for the Dick Van Dyke panel! 

Getting there early meant a very short wait in line for wrist bands to enter the panel. I’m so glad I get notifications from Phoenix Comicon because the hall they used was not nearly big enough for Dick Van Dyke. The panel had seating near

Dick Van Dyke

the front that was $50 per seat!  Those instantly sold out online. I was online ready to buy seats at the time they went on sale. They sold out the $50 seats so quickly I didn’t even see it as an option. Cheap seats it was. The entire room ended up being sold out. For some reason Phoenix Comicon held an email lottery and gave away some of the seats at the Dick Van Dyke panel. Countless people were showing up expecting to get in to see Dick Van Dyke. 

Burt aka Dick Van Dyke

I highly recommend monitoring Phoenix Comicon by email or social media so you know what is sold out or cancelled, and for any last-minute announcements. I had other people meeting me in the panel but I had all the passes. For some unknown reason, they weren’t being allowed to come up to the 3rd floor of the west building!  Security was not letting them leave the first floor without a pass in their hand for the panel. This is one more example of poorly planned scheduling and line access. That was such a mess that if Mr. Van Dyke had come out on time they would’ve missed the beginning (we also heard afterwards that many people did not get their pre-paid photo ops or autographs, as time had run out, and were told they’d get refunds).

Dick Van Dyke was greeted to the stage with a standing ovation and cheers that went on for quite some time. Although the segment began about fifteen minutes late, it was well worth wait. He walked out with a huge smile and looked happy and healthy. His first remark was that the crowd was bigger than Trump had received. He answered approximately twenty questions posed to him by the audience. He was charming, open and receptive. He shared that he started out in radio and when he got an acting job he was asked if he could sing and dance. His reply? SURE! He knew nothing about either. He spoke of the Dick Van Dyke TV show and his costars, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, and, of course, Marry Tyler Moore. The audience became very quiet when he spoke of Ms. Moore, obviously out of respect for her talent and the void the loss of her had left behind. He spoke of how some of the taping of the show had to be cut because sometimes the laughter from the live audience went on for so long. Mr. Van Dyke sang the words to the show’s theme song, which I had never heard before. He spoke of Walt Disney and how he called him Uncle Walt and they got along wonderfully. He shared that they had said they were children looking for their inner adult, which seemed more than an appropriate assessment of both gentlemen. One of his favorite songs was “You Two” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which he has sung to his children and grandchildren. He laughingly told the audience that now they put makeup on him to make an old man look like an old man. I hope this 91 year “child” is around for a long time to come.

Alan Tudyk and PJ Haarsma

Next up was the Con Man panel with PJ Haarsma and Alan Tudyk. They talk about the comedy series they created called Con Man. The series was made possible by fans through crowd funding. The audience was treated to clips from the show that featured many guest star roles including Alan’s Serenity co-star Nathan Fillion! I hadn’t seen Con Man before and attended the panel because I’m a fan of everything I’ve seen Alan Tudyk in or as a voice actor. This series I have to see; it looks hilarious, especially to those familiar with works the cast was in before. Now comes the coolest part of the panel; the fans that lined up to ask questions each received something signed by Alan! If it wasn’t something cool like a series related poster it was something hilarious. Among the impromptu autographed items were plastic ware wrapped in a paper napkin or even a plastic cup taken off the table and filled with water and presented to the fan by Alan himself with his recommendation he drink it before the condensation washes off the signature. 

Alan Tudyk 

After the Con Man panel, I enjoyed wandering the convention, shopping and photographing cosplayers for the remainder of the day. Later in the evening I met with friends and family for dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Sadly, the Hard Rock did not have a new special edition pin for this year’s Comicon.

Sunday morning, the last day of the con, came too quickly. There was still so many exhibitors to see and time had all but run out. There were still three panels I had to see: Alan Tudyk, Karen Gillan and last but not least Q himself, John De Lancie! 

Twenty minutes before Alan Tudyk’s panel, the room was nearly full. This again made me wonder why the larger Ball Room wasn’t used for this appearance. Alan Tudyk’s most recent huge hit movie had him playing the role of K-2SO in Star Wars Rogue One. He also played the part of the beloved character Wash in Serenity. 

His credited works are too numerous to list here but it’s worth looking at and being pleasantly surprised to see so many tv shows and movies you already loved but didn’t realize he was a part of. Alan may just have been the funniest and most entertaining panel of the weekend. The very first question asked of him was creepy (especially given the murder plot that just happened on opening day). Alan was asked since he has played parts of characters that are killed off, what would he write as his perfect death scene? In response, Alan stared silently for a moment and slowly slid his chair away from the table and cautiously walked over to the moderator, without looking away from the man who asked the question, and hid behind her, peering over her shoulder as if afraid to give any ideas as to how he would like to die. It was a fantastically funny start to a great panel! Again, he continued his antics of signing whatever he could find for fans that waited in line and asked a question. Today, however, one item he autographed and gave to a young fan was his Star Wars Celebration event badge! Another was a paper torn from a script he is using in a new production which of course was missing the dialog since it has yet to be released. 

Karen Gillan seemed like a genuinely sweet person who was

Karen Gillan Panel

very kind to her fans. I got the impression she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the love and praise her fans would show her. She answered questions in a way that showed her thoughtfulness as a person sharing who she would “fan girl” over. Gillian Anderson, who she’s been a fan of since X-Files. Ms. Gillan even treated us to her surprisingly cool impersonation of Britney Spears (seriously, it’s awesome; look up the videos on YouTube). The actress who played the intense and dangerous Nebula is someone you would like to be around all the time. She shared moments of her career by way of answering fans questions. One interesting fact she revealed was when she was developing her portrayal of Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy, the director suggested she perform the dialog like Marilyn Monroe. The suggestion seemed strange at first but she developed it into the character she described as a “breathy” style of speaking, which we all know became a great performance in the hit movies. Besides starring in a Marvel movies, here is one more little Disney tie in: she would want to play Merida in Brave. 

John DeLancie

John De Lancie was as you would expect if you are familiar with his best known roles (as Q on Star Trek The Next Generation or Discord on My Little Pony), although less exaggerated. He seemed to be someone who wants to share his knowledge and point of view, but can sometimes seem a little bit condescending, which I loved. We learned he was called to audition for the role of Discord because the writers wanted Discord to be like Q from Star Trek; they went straight to the man himself, and the rest is Brony history. He was not an easy person to pose questions to and often didn’t answer the questions at all. He would steer around the “What is was you most….?”, questions entirely. Mr. De Lancie is most certainly his own man in character and thoughts. 

John DeLancie

The 2017 Phoenix Comicon was a success (in my opinion as a con-goer), despite the incident on Thursday. The event lacked some things fans had come to expect, like the photo booth, zombie walk, light saber walk, photographers, panel moderators and live music performances. 

The number of exhibitors increased a lot and the exhibitors had more space in the rows, but they skipped on the carpeting leaving almost the entire floor bare concrete. The convention seemed to cut a lot of corners compared to past years, but thankfully, it still brought a lot of fun and great talent.

Voice Actor Kevin Conroy - a.k.a. Batman!

I believe the fandoms, creatives and geeks that come together are the main reason the convention is still fun. If you’re interested in going next year, I recommend joining the email list and following on social media so you know the moment the “memberships” go on sale; buy them early to save money. Taking advantage of the early sales prices means committing before guest announcements, but there are always fun things to do and people to see. 

To see all of Shaun's 2017 Phoenix Comicon photos, visit his Flickr page at: Pyrat Wesly

Reviewer/Photographer Pyrat Wesley 

Shaun, more famously known as Pyrat Wesly, 46, is a lifelong fan of just about anything Disney and former Phoenix Comicon photographer from 2013 to 2016. 

Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron

by Al Kessel

They're BACK! Earth's Mightiest Heroes have returned to save the day in Marvel Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and unfortunately, all is not well with our favorite band of heroes!

"Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)—alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) —must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind… if they can! This action-packed adventure is a must-own, mind-blowing blast!"

Yeah...wow! Ok, anyone who's read any of our reviews, or listened in on our Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland podcast knows, WE DON'T SPOIL! Our intention is to let you know what WE think about a movie then give you some production details. We figure you'll want to see the movie for yourself without the added pleasure of knowing how it turns out! So, with that in mind, here's our take on this AWESOME movie!

Age Of Ultron picks up shortly after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where S.H.I.E.L.D. is torn apart

and our Heroes are now on their own (sort of) to defend the world from the bad guys. As a direct result of Hydra resurfacing and the recent alien attack on NYC (see the first Avengers movie), Tony Stark, a.k.a. Ironman, has come up with a plan to protect the world from not only internal threats, but in the inevitable attack from 'out there'. To do this, he and Bruce Banner, a.k.a. HULK! have developed the Ultron project, an artificial intelligence that they intend to patrol and bring about world peace. However, and you know there's ALWAYS a however, things don't go as planned, and Ultron comes to life with plans of his own. (this is where you're encouraged to get your own copy and fill in those blanks!) 

After Joyce and I saw the first Ironman movie, then the first Avengers movie, etc, I thought, wow, this is flipping awesome. HOW can they top this? They did. In a BIG way. In a lot of super hero movies, when they try to do too much, try to introduce so many characters in the same movie, it often becomes very muddled and difficult to watch. Not so with Marvel. In this movie, there is SO much going on, so much action and SO many HUGE characters, the initial fear is 'how am I going to keep up?'. Trust me, that's not an issue here. Age Of Ultron is done so well, that, although there IS a lot of action and arcing character stories, you're never lost, or left feeling like something was glossed over. You'll find yourself needing to watch over and over again, but because it's THAT good. 

As is typical in an MCU movie, there is a great balance of action, drama and humor - and believe me, the humor is awesome. Of course, Tony Stark has most of the greatest one liners in this movie, especially in his interactions with Hulk. Which brings me to another point: the Hulk is much different than I remember him when I was a kid. And I don't mean that in a bad way at all. They've taken this giant green wrecking ball and turned him into a thinking beast. There are times when I could see Hulk actually contemplating things, working them out and not the mindless monster that's been presented to us in most other media. 

They've also expanded the character of Hawkeye (Clint Barton) in this movie, which I was very glad to see. In the first Avengers movie, Hawkeye was kind of a throwaway character almost. I never really liked him. But in Age Of Ultron, he comes in to his own. We also learn a bit more about the Black Widow in this movie. 

With an all-star cast (all of the original actors return, with some great additions), Age Of Ultron hits a home run. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Start/Ironman and does his usual awesome job - great with the quips and one liners. Chris Hemsworth returns (along with his gigantic arms) as Thor, and actually ramps up the humor a bit as well. Mark Ruffalo is back as Bruce Banner/Hulk, and I've got to tell you, out of all the actors who portrayed Banner, Ruffalo is by far my favorite. He just...IS Bruce Banner. Chris Evans returns as America's favorite Super Soldier, Captain America, Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye AND...bringing his wonderful voice talents to the fray is James Spader as Ultron...who, by far, gets THE best one liners! Of course there are a LOT more cameos in this Avengers movie, and many references to other areas of the MCU, which sets up the upcoming movies, quite well. The great thing about the Marvel Universe (both cinematic and small screen) is that it all ties together. 

The CG effects once again are phenomenal. You'd be hard pressed to tell the CG from the real thing - and rounding it all out is a great musical score by the incomparable Danny Elfman. 

If you're a fan of Marvel, or even just a fan of GREAT movies, Marvel Avengers: Age Of Ultron is a must have addition to your movie collection. 

On a scale of 1-5 HULK SMASHES, I give Marvel Avengers: Age Of Ultron a 5! Yeah, it's THAT good!

Big Hero 6 Review

BIG HERO 6 REVIEW
by Loren R. Javier

Our good friend and fellow Disney lover Loren Javier picks up the Tales pen for this entry! He's written an awesome review of the newest Walt Disney Animation Studios release, Big Hero 6. Enjoy! 

Just before Frozen was released in 2013, I visited a friend at Walt Disney Animation Studios. I asked him, “What film are you guys working on next that you can tell me without killing me?”

“A Marvel movie,” he said.

Being a huge Marvel fan, I immediately asked him with great excitement, “Which one?!?!”

“Oh, you probably don’t know this comic. It’s called ‘Big Hero 6,’” he replied, fully expecting me to be dumbfounded.  But, being the big Marvel fan I was, my eyes lit up and said, “Oh, my god! I totally know what you’re talking about!”

But, of course, after that, I was loaded with questions that he couldn’t answer. While I was familiar with the comic, it was an extremely obscure one. And, it was based on a Japanese super hero team with less conventional names such as Honey Lemon and Wasabi No Ginger. How would they pull this off?

And, while Walt Disney Animation Studios has set movies in more modern times, they’ve never tackled a story about super heroes. And, before you say, let’s not forget The Incredibles, let’s remember that was produced by Pixar which has a different philosophy to storytelling.

Big Hero 6 tells the story of Hiro Hamada who tries to solve the mystery behind his brother Tadashi’s death. Through this journey, he meets an incredible team of like minded friends as well as Baymax, an artificial intelligence that is the last remnant of his brother. It is a story of loss and it is a story of learning about the people in your lives.

Thankfully, Walt Disney Animation Studios was able to create a film worthy of both the Disney and Marvel brands. I’ve been involved in several conversations about whether one would consider Big Hero 6 to be a Disney or Marvel film. We know that Disney has distanced itself from the source material in some ways with very little mention of Marvel in the movie. I understand that this was a way to allow Disney to have some leeway in storytelling that doesn’t bind itself so closely to the source material. But, I think, as I’ve said, Disney was able to strike a fantastic blend of the two brands.  

From the Marvel brand, it was able to bring some great action sequences and the creation of a ragtag group of individuals wanting to do good in the world. Yes, a super hero team.  I’ve read the “Big Hero 6” books and the film definitely captures the spirit. And from the Disney brand, it was able to bring in the heart. Disney always does an amazing job of finding the relationships that people can really relate to. For me, the film is all about the impact that people make in your own life, whether it mean the support Tadashi, Baymax or the rest of the team gave to Hiro, or, how we can’t take for granted the people who are in our lives. It is touching and heartbreaking, but, with the everlasting message of hope.

On Tuesday, February 24, Walt DIsney Home Entertainment released Big Hero 6 on Blu-Ray and DVD (although, it did release it in Digital HD and Disney Movie Anywhere earlier in the month). I chose to wait for the Blu-Ray release because it had an exclusive special feature called “Big Hero Secrets,” showing the various Easter Eggs in the movie. We learned about hidden references to Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph, Tangled and others as well as some very Hidden Mickeys. It’s a great special feature, but it is actually hard to find. In fact, I, at first, thought it was left off my Blu-Ray and look it up. If you want to spend the time figuring out how to activate it, skip the rest of this paragraph. Otherwise, here’s the secret….When you go to the Special Features menu, press “Up.” You will see Baymax appear in the upper right part of the menu. Press select and you got your special feature!

The longest and, to me, the most interesting special feature was entitled “The Origin Story of Big Hero 6: Hiro’s Journey.” Hosted by Jamie Chung, who provides to voice for Go Go Tomago, we learn how the film was brought from the pages of a Marvel comic and made its way to your local movie theater. It was interesting hearing some of the collaborative process between Disney and Marvel as well as showing Marvel’s confidence in Disney’s bringing this obscure property to the big screen. It was also really interesting to see how Baymax went from more of a monster looking robot in the comics to a soft personal healthcare companion.

Loren and Baymax!

“Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind The Characters” was a fine special feature. In this feature, we watch interviews about the artists involved in the film. There’s some nice interviews, but nothing earth shatteringly educational either.

The deleted scenes were also interesting to watch I always love to see early thought process behind a film and why certain scenes are cut. While the scenes were definitely entertaining and fun, but I’m also glad they went the direction they did. They’re definitely worth watching, though.

The piece d’ resistance of all the special features, though, is the accompanying theatrical short Feast, which, along with Big Hero 6, recently won an Academy Award! This short film follows a young Boston Terrier puppy named Winston and how he relates to the world around him by the food he’s given. My sister has a Boston Terrier puppy and it’s amazing how realistic Winston is! It is also worth noting that, if you have a Disney Movie Anywhere account, it includes the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Short Tokyo Go which features Mickey Mouse braving the bullet train in Tokyo during rush hour. If you aren’t watching these Mickey Mouse shorts, you are missing on some fun animation!

Thanks Loren for a GREAT review!! - Al & Joyce

Loren R. Javier, Guest Blogger and Super Hero!

Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy...On The WAY!

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Coming to save YOUR galaxy (or...your living room TV...whatever...) SOON! Well...sort of. 

From Marvel, the studio that launched the epic franchises of “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “Captain America” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” comes an unlikely new team—the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”  The Marvel Cinematic Universe expands into the cosmos when brash space adventurer Peter Quill steals a coveted orb and becomes the object of a relentless bounty hunt. To evade his enemies, Quill forges an uneasy truce with Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly assassin Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb, he must rally his ragtag band of misfits for a desperate battle that will decide the fate of the galaxy. Featuring amazing new characters and exclusive bonus features, this must-own blockbuster will have you hooked on a feeling… of pure adrenaline!

Starring Chris Pratt (“The Lego Movie,” TV’s “Parks and Recreation”) as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Star Trek”) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (“Riddick,” “The Man with the Iron Fists”) as Drax, Vin Diesel (“Fast and the Furious” series, “Riddick”) as Groot, Bradley Cooper (“American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) as Rocket, Lee Pace (“The Hobbit” series, “Lincoln”) as Ronan, Michael Rooker (TV’s “The Walking Dead”) as Yondu Udonta, Karen Gillan (“Oculus,” TV’s “Doctor Who”) as Nebula, Djimon Hounsou (“How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Gladiator”) as Korath, John C. Reilly (“Wreck-It Ralph,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”) as Corpsman Dey, Glenn Close (TV’s “Damages,” “Tarzan”) as Nova Prime and Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic,” “The Usual Suspects”) as The Collector, and Directed and written by James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Scooby Doo). 

Bonus Features: 

• Never before seen deleted scenes
• Making of Featurettes
• Exclusive look at "Marvels The Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Gag Reel (YAH!!!)
• Audio commentary

Running time 121 minutes, rated PG-13. Marvels Guardians Of The Galaxy will be available November 18, 2014 for Digital 3D and Digital HD downloads, and December 9, 2014 for 3D Blu-Ray Combo Pack (3D Blu-Ray+Single Disc Blu-Ray+Digital Copy), Blu-Ray, DVD and On-Demand!

2013 D23 Expo Coverage...

Hey gang, episode 76 of Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland Podcast featured our good friend Faye Crane who graciously covered the 2013 Disney D23 Expo for Tales. As you may remember, we were granted ONE Press Credential for the Expo, but with our current situation were not able to make the trip. So, in our stead, Faye did a terrific job of covering this awesome Disney Fan Event! And as an added bonus, Faye wrote a detailed blog for you! Enjoy...

Disney D23 Expo 2013

by Faye Crane

Well, this year is the first time I was able to use/have a Press Pass. And that was a little exciting at first. I was wondering what I might be able to see and do with it more than the usual public. I mean, the Expo is always fun, but I was very curious how much more I was going to be able to do this year, because of the pass. 

Faye Crane

On Friday morning, the first thing that I was able to do, because of the Press Pass, was to be able to have a sneak peek at the Phineas and Ferb Waffle-inator Challenge and to catch a glimpse of the upcoming double-length episode that is a cross-over between Phineas & Ferb and the Marvel Universe.  It is called Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel and its premise is that the Marvel Super Heroes have lost their powers and they need the help of Phineas and Ferb to get them back. There we were able to talk with, get pictures with, and meet the voices of several of the stars—such as Vincent Martella, Alyson Stoner, Dan Povenmire, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, Adrian Pasdar (I personally liked him as Nathan Petrelli on Heroes), Drake Bell, Fred Tatasciore, Roger Graig Smith, Bumper Robinson and Laura Bailey. That was fun, and yummy. Yes they served us breakfast. Well, waffles of course!

From there I got in line, I thought, to get what was called a StagePass. It is very much like the FastPass in the parks. The only catch was that you could get one during a segment of time (which was from 11am to 3pm or from 3pm to 6pm). These passes were good for Stage 23 and Stage 28. Those StagePasses were not good for any other sessions. So I went all the way up to Stage 23, and then had to be redirected down to the show floor and that was the only time Friday that I was there. There I got my StagePass for “Undiscovered Disneyland.” I went back upstairs to Stage 23 and was able to get in for my session of the morning, “Behind the Scenes of Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins”. That was so much fun. It was presented by Dave Smith, founder and Chief Archivist Emeritus of the Walt Disney Archives. He is so much fun! There I learned about how Walt found the stories of Mary Poppins (it was a bed time story for his daughters), and that it was Roy O. Disney who managed to convince the infamous P.L. Travers to come on board, not Walt (who tried for 20 years).  One of the things that convinced P.L. Travers to seal the deal was that Walt gave her final say-so with the script…though they didn’t always stick to what she said.

Mickey Mouse and Friend

For example, she was very against the American term, “The cat got your tongue”. She demanded that it was to be taken out, and at the time the writers (song and script) did so. But if you pay attention to some parts of the movie, it didn’t stay out. 

I also learned that Julie Andrews was not Walt’s original choice for Mary Poppins. It was Mary Margaret. But Walt soon was convinced that Julie would be a good fit after seeing her on Broadway in Camelot.  She accepted the role of Mary Poppins only if she didn’t get the role she really wanted, the role that ended up going to Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. At the Academy Awards that year, Julie won Best Actress and not Audrey Hepburn. Julie was not given the role in My Fair Lady because the studio thought that they should have someone with more stage performance experience. Boy, I bet they were hitting themselves over that one.

I thought that “Undiscovered Disneyland” was fun, and the ones that were presenting it were Tony Baxter and Josh Shipley. They showed a lot of old-time film footage of how Disneyland used to be. In fact, they found so much that they renamed it “Rediscovered Disneyland”. That was fun, but I had to leave before it was done, because my Press Pass allowed me in on two of the sessions that afternoon that I don’t think I would have been able to get in otherwise. One of them was starting before this one ended (though “Rediscovered Disneyland” was running a bit late anyway.) 

That one was “Dave Bossert Remembers Roy E. Disney with Roy P. Disney”. This session was interesting.

Roy Disney

We got to “meet” Roy E. Disney both professionally and personally. He apparently didn’t start off working for the family business. He was originally with another studio as a page boy. After that job dissolved, he then went on and applied as the assistant film editor within the Disney Company. He was the one who pursued the Cal Arts dream after Walt passed away, though he was not an artist by trade, but more of a story teller. Throughout the years he moved though different positions, some with ease and some not so much. I learned here that he loved to fly and he started doing so at the age of 16. He also loved the Animal Kingdom and that Fantasia was his favorite movie. I also learn that thanks to his passion for the family business that he himself is the one that pulled it out of the red a couple of times to keep it going.

Disney Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar was the next and last session I went to that day. He has been at the opening of all 11 properties for the Disney Company and has been the only Imaginer to do so. As much as I wanted to hear about his experiences being Walt Disney’s literary right hand man, his monotone voice lost me so quick. I had a hard time tracking with what he was saying. Though I do know that he has written a book, and he was very proud of it. It is titled Dream It! Do It!

Bright (well, rather it was overcast, but you get the idea) and early Saturday we showed up and I had to get in line right away for the D23 Arena. That line was so long, and I really didn’t think I was that far back. There was a worker right in front of me who was telling the people in front of me that he had so far counted off 2,000, and I was thinking sweet, I get to go into the Arena, not the overflow (the overflow was new this year, and increased the number of people who got to see the Arena presentations by quite a bit). Which is good, because I was told the night before that the Press Pass would not get me any special privileges or special entry into it. Boy, could that worker not be any more off. I did end up going into the overflow. I was in line to see the “Let the Adventures Begin: Live Action at the Walt Disney Studios.” It was so worth it.

Cos-Players

I got to see clips from the upcoming Marvel, Disney, and Muppets movies. And all promise to be really good (with the exception of maybe one)! I would have to say that I am looking forward to all of the Marvel movies! They didn’t have a whole lot to show for Iron Man 3, but Captain America: Winter Soldier, Thor 2, and Averages 2 all look really cool and exciting!! And that is saying something from a girl who doesn’t read a whole lot of comics. The one movie that really stood out to me that I want to really see is Maleficent! That is due to come out July 2014, my birthday month! The clips from that movie gave me goose bumps! It comes from the Maleficent’s point of view and how she got where she is when we see her in Sleeping Beauty. That looks really good! Angela Jolie then came out and talked a little bit about her role (Maleficent), the movie, and the making of the movie. The Muppets movie looks to really good, that is if you like the Muppets anyway! The villain looks like he is Kermit’s evil twin and he has an accent, so it was kind of funny to watch. I hate to say it, but the two movies that I’m not very impressed with are Tomorrowland and Saving Mr. Banks. Which makes me sad, because I love mysteries so I would have to be more intrigued with Tomorrowland (especially if they maybe presented it differently). If anything I was turned off from it.  And as for Saving Mr. Banks, I was turned off from it, because as much as I love Tom Hanks, he doesn’t do Walt Disney very well. His phony accent seemed just that that and doesn’t settle well with me. 

YIKES! She's NOT Under The Sea!!

So, as soon as I was done with that session I came out of the overflow, and went and found my husband, had lunch, and then we got back in line for the Legends Ceremony. The Legends this year were Tony Baxter, Collin Campbell, Dick Clark, Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Jobs, Glen Keane, and Ed Wynn. I was proud to say that I knew six of the names and roughly what they were known for, so that made it exciting and in some ways, it kind of felt personal. Both Bob Iger and Tom Bergeron were giving the inductions and the back stories of those who being presented with the awards. I won’t say that I got emotional over really much of it, but I felt touched by some in a deep way.

A Concert For The Ages

The line for the event of the weekend, Richard Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook, was starting to fill up long before we got out of the Legends Ceremony. So we got right back in line again. That concert was so very cool. I was more raised during Alan Menken’s time, but nonetheless I was felt like I was back in time, during a simpler time, and just able to relax. It was fun! And yes Alan has a much better singing voice than Richard, but Richard had his music memorized and so, I think, he was able to relax a lot more of his segment of the concert. It was easy to tell that both of these men have a passion for music and they love what they did for Disney.

On Sunday, I was only able to get into three as well. The first one was “Secrets of the Lost Chords.” Here Randy Thornton, who is a Disney music historian, was able to give some insight about how and why some music that has been created over the years and then never used, along with some extra story lines or plots that were brought about with those songs. Such as a song that was supposedly between the butler and the maid in 101 Dalmatians was uncovered that would turned the plot of the movie completely around. It was titled “How Much You Mean to Me/Court Me Slowly”; let’s just say that it was a courting relationship where both parties weren’t being entirely truthful about the reason why they were in the relationship to begin with (greed is such mean and deceiving thing). And there was going to be a song with the story line from Cinderella about a dress that her mother wore. So as you can see, just with these two examples it would have turned the movies all around. Randy would first play the original recording of the song with the very basic instrumentation and then he has gone back though, found the sheet music, hired some singers, given the music to a full orchestra, and let them perform the music the way that it was originally supposed to be. It was awesome! To hear the music, the back stories, and everything else, wow!

Early Autopia - Walt Had A Special Car!

The next workshop had to do with talking with different women in different roles all around Pixar. There was a director, a producer, and three animators. They talked about what they do, what they did before Pixar, how they got into Pixar, the roles that women can play in Pixar, and where they see them going. Very good, and very worth it! I just wish I was able to sit up closer to the front. I was able to learn a lot. (Such as if you really want some thing, go after it, even if it takes 46 times to get there. One of the women had 46 interviews, before she was able to get hired on by Pixar.) 

“Leave ‘em Laughing” was the last session I went to and that was where the Imagineers Dave Fisher, Joe Lanzisero, Kevin Rafferty, Jason Surrell, and George Scibner were all were discussing humor and  how it has been used in movies and throughout the parks. Such as the fact, that an Imaginer, at Walt’s insistence, went to the park shortly after it opened and check it out. Marc Davis went down to the park and rode the Jungle Cruise (not the Pirates of the Caribbean, like I first thought and said on the podcast). At that time the Jungle Cruise was just an educational boat ride, and was not funny at all. Marc went back to Walt and told him that it needed something. It needed to be funny, or else it wouldn’t fly. Walt took his advice and soon started putting humor in that ride (in different ways, i.e. the men going up the pole with the rhino right below them, or the line of the gorillas finally getting the jeep to turn over) as well as many others throughout the park and movies to come. These Imaginers especially had fun in creating Toontown, and it was fun to hear them crack each other and themselves up with the different humor slides that they had planted.

The Infamous Hatbox Ghost

I also got to see countless people dress up in various costumes, throughout the three days, countless imaginers taking time to explain a concept to a guest, a child or adult alike look in awe at the dream or story of what the Disney company is glad to show us in whatever concept they have (i.e. painting, a statue, a drawing). It is kind of breathtaking to try to take in impact that one man can have long after he is gone.

Overall, I had a really good time and I’m very glad that I got to go. The imagination, the creativity, the stories, and most importantly the people behind the Disney company is shown much appreciation many times in the people that the come to these Expos who show up in their own costumes, their own stores, and loyalty to attending the different sessions, workshops, ceremonies, show floor, and concerts. Thanks to Al and Joyce I was able to.

You're VERY welcome Faye, we're glad that we were able to assign the Press Credential to you! And thank YOU for doing such a wonderful job of covering this event!  - Al & Joyce