Disney Company Movie Releases for the New Year!!

2015 will be a big year! I am really looking forward to some of the new productions coming from the Disney Company!

Being a HUGE Disney fan, and loving the franchises Disney has very smartly bought into, I thought I'd share the list of current 2015 movie releases along with some thoughts about each movie.

Strange Magic (January 23rd)
Strange Magic is an animated musical fairy tale that was started before the purchase agreement between Lucasfilm and Disney. It comes from the mind of George Lucas himself. The story is inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream, but not a full rendering of that story. I have seen a few pictures about the movie pop up on my Facebook feed and around the internet, but it was only recently I saw a full trailer for the movie. It looks cute, but I'm afraid the advertising campaign has fallen short of a hit. Of course, surprises can happen, and this could be real hit!

McFarland, USA (February 20th)
Who doesn't love a Kevin Costner sports feel good movie? Well, some people might not care for them, but I really do love his sports movies. This focuses on track and field, and looks to be a wonderful movie to go see. I feel it's unfortunate that the release date is after Valentine's Day...I have a feeling this would be a great movie to see as a couple.

Cinderella (March 13th)
I have to admit, I am geeking out a little bit about this movie. A live action Cinderella, with some amazing casting, and what looks to truly be a visual feast! I am so excited to see this movie. The most recent trailer that was released, appropriately, at midnight last night, includes the theme of Once Upon a Dream, one of my favorite classic Disney songs. If there is a midnight showing, I will be going to it. If I were part of the Disney marketing team, I would offer some sort of an incentive to go to a midnight showing of the movie...like a free sparkly key chain...or a sweepstakes...or something.

Frozen Fever (March 13th)
As if Disney needed to convince anyone to come see Cinderella, they put an animated short in front of it, featuring the most successful animated film ever created...and that's saying a lot, since we are talking about Disney. Frozen Fever is a continuation of the story of Frozen, much like Tangled Ever After, except without a wedding.

Disneynature: Monkey Kingdom (April 17th)
I had no idea that this movie was in production until I started my research for this post. I haven't seen one bit of a marketing campaign for this movie, and I follow a LOT of Disney blogs, Facebook pages, and other news and social media sources for Disney. That being said, it looks super cute, really fun, and I really think this has the potential to be the most successful Disneynature movie. What kid doesn't like monkey's? Disney needs to start pushing this movie, especially for their younger crowd.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1st)
Summer blockbuster #1 for Disney! This movie will be a success, that is already certain. The Marvel/Avengers franchise was one of the best purchases the Disney company has made, and in my opinion they have done an amazing job with the movies. The hints coming from all the previous Marvel movies all ultimately lead to THIS movie. Including some found in the recently very successful Guardians of the Galaxy.

Tomorrowland  (May 22nd)
This movie caught me by surprise when I first saw the trailer in the theaters, which I really loved! As soon as I saw the pin, I caught my breath! For any true Disneyland or Disney World fan, this is a movie we are all looking forward to...and also looking forward to some updates to the well beloved but obviously aging area in the Disney Parks. Would love to see the People Mover do a major update or a brand new space age techno crazy ride be introduced to the area that ties into this movie. Along with much hoped for Star Wars additions.

Inside Out (June 19th)
I love Pixar. It's amazing how successful the Pixar franchise has been, and I love that they have a brand new story to tell this year. This movie focuses on a handful of characters based on basic human emotions. The story of the movie hasn't been fully revealed yet, and I hope they keep it that way until the movie is actually released. I love new movies like I love new books, where I don't know the story or how it will end. Although I always hope for the happily ever after.

Lava (Short) (June 19th)
Can't leave out any shorts that Disney is producing, and this short looks nothing short of ADORABLE. I mean, a singing volcano? I hope it's as lovable as...well, all the other Disney shorts.

Ant-Man (July 17th)
This is a part of the Marvel Universe I have to admit I know very little about. From what I do know, this will be more along the lines of the heavily successful Guardians of the Galaxy. If this really is true, I am going to love this movie. This will be the second summer blockbuster (we hope!) for the Disney franchise.

Jungle Book (October 9th)
I am really happy they are doing a remake of this movie as a live action movie. AND that the animals will speak. This is Disney we are talking about, and the original Disney cartoon is nothing short of adorable. I hope beyond hope that the music will make it's way into the movie. Except for maybe Kaa's hypnotic song. That always creeped me out as a kid.

??? DreamWorks Tom Hanks Cold War Spy Movie?? (October 16th)
It's untitled at the moment, and I honestly am not really sure if this movie really will be released. Tom Hanks is apparently in it, so just with that I would be surprised if it isn't a success. At this stage in his career, he can be super picky, so I am hopeful he picked a good one. And that we get more information on this movie soon.

The Good Dinosaur (November 25th)
So this looks ADORABLE. And I'm hoping for super adorable, since I have two young nephews I would love to take to see this movie. It's about a boy and his dinosaur. The animation looks incredible. This will be the second new story for the Pixar universe, so I am yet again expecting a really great story and visually beautiful movie. I have only seen a handful of pictures for this movie so far, but it is early for an ad campaign for an animated feature.

Star Wars: Episode VII (December 18th)
I don't' think I really need to say anything about this movie. But I will. The marketing campaign for this movie is already rolling, and has been rolling for...well, since Disney bought Lucasfilm. It's sure to be a success, whether we like the story or not. The best of the best, the most successful of the successful are being put into this movie, and on top of that, Luke, Leia, Hans, and company will all be there as well. They have the full support of the Disney company to tag along with amazing computer animation and effects. Yeah. I can't wait.

Descendants (Disney Channel original movie) (?, 2015)
I have to mention this movie. This will not be a theater release, but rather a Disney Channel release. I have to be honest, I am a little disappointed and initially surprised that this will not be in the movie theaters. The campaigns going for this movie have been ever present on Disney's various social media sources, the story seems creative. Since it is going straight to the Disney Channel, I am expecting a total campy, slapstick, feel good movie.

Currently DreamWorks' films are being marketed and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Pictures through the Touchstone Pictures banner, so...while not really Disney movies, they are in a way Disney movies. So an honorable mention to the following movies:

Home (March 27th)
An alien invasion, animated comedy.

B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (?Assuming October?, 2015)
An animated film, in which the story involves good ghosts working with humans to help protect people from evil haunters. So Casper, except on a larger scale.

And there you have it. As the year goes along, I will add any additions to this years line up. Happy movie watching!

*I attempted to make as comprehensive a list of upcoming movies as possible. Amazingly, there were very few places I found online that announced these movies in a list, and NONE that I found that had as comprehensive a list as this.

Introduction!!

Since I decided to start a Disney blog, I also decided to start with an introduction to me and my Disney credentials. I have been a Disney fan since I can remember. My Mom was a Disney fan since she was a young girl, and went to Disneyland soon after it opened as a young girl. I have seen every Disney animated movie, short, and toon made for screen that has been let out of the vault since I was a young girl. Every single one. I own nearly all the animated movies, along with many of the live action movies. I watched the Disney channel as a young girl rather religiously. I am familiar still with the current shows they have running on the channel.

I have visited Disneyland more times than I can really account for. I know I have visited at least 14 times that I can count, but there were other times as a child that I probably went that I cannot account for at this moment. Disney World, I have only been twice, and once for just a day, BUT I was very thorough on my second trip to make sure I at least saw all of the park, and stayed at the Pop Century Resort, which I really loved. This next November I will be going back for another thorough trip and the plan is to go on every single ride that I missed the first time around.

That being said, I know far more about Disney World, the rides, the eats, the shows, parades and resorts, than most people. I follow MANY blogs, social media pages, and of course the official Disney sites, and read them all quite thoroughly.

I have a small collection of Disney memorabilia, but don't have room to keep a large collection, so I haven't let it go out of hand. But every time I am near a Disney Store I do a walk through just to see what they have on hand. I buy a memento every time I go to one of the parks.

I am a runDisney participant. I have done the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Ten Miler. I was to do the Wine and Dine Half a few weeks ago, but unfortunately a major knee injury kept that dream from coming to pass. I have deferred my registration to next year. I am participating in the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend in January, which is pushing me to get back into shape. Not quite where I need to be yet, but I will be able to complete the course one way or another.

I have had lovely, wonderful experiences at the parks. I have had bad, horrible experiences at the parks. Both parks, actually. I love most Disney movies. There are some (well, really, parts of some) movies and cartoons that I don't care for and understand why they were not as successful as other Disney movies.

So. There are some of my credentials. I intend to make this an opinion page, an advice page, a favorites page, and really a whatever I feel like page. The common theme, however, will be Disney.

I hope you enjoy!!