Video Showing Making of a 40-Ton Sand Sculpture at Walt Disney World

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and the Last Dragon” releases this Friday and there are many ways to celebrate the new film at Disney Parks and at home! One way Disney is celebrating is with a special 40-ton sand sculpture now at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Check out the celebration details and video as shared below by DisneyParksBlog.

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ travels to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, guests can take a photo with a 40-ton sand sculpture at Discovery Island Stage, learn to draw new characters at The Animation Experience at Conservation Station or enjoy several new tasty treats, all inspired by the film. Here’s a look at the making of the sand sculpture that took two artisans three days to carve.

Gear up for adventure with new product available at shopDisney.com, Disney stores, Walt Disney World Resort and Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort.

And coming soon, Downtown Disney District will debut a new art installation designed by Walt Disney Imagineering Concept Designer, Xiao Qing Chen. Qing was born and raised in Malaysia and drew inspiration for this artwork from the film and her heritage. Qing’s design intent for the piece is to celebrate differences by respecting, accepting and embracing everyone’s uniqueness and strengths. Keep watching the Disney Parks Blog for more details.

New Promotional Image Released for Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

At last years D23 Expo, Walt Disney Animation revealed details on the 59th classic animated movie, “Raya and the Last Dragon”. Now, a new promotional image has been released, giving us our first look at the lead character, Raya.

As shared by WhatsOnDisneyPlus, the movie stars Cassandra Steele as Raya and Awkwafina as Sisu, the Last Dragon.  The movie takes place in a land called Kumandra, split into five different regions. It stars a warrior named Raya, who is played by Cassandra Steele, who searches for the last dragon in the world, Sisu, who is played by Awkwafina.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” was originally going to be released in November 2020, but due to the Coronavirus situation, it was pushed back to March 12th, 2021.

“Raya And The Last Dragon” Premiere Moved to March 2021

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has led to the re-shuffling of a number of movie premieres, the latest affecting the release date for the upcoming Raya and The Last Dragon film by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Due to the moving of Soul to Raya‘s previously-announced November release date, Raya and The Last Dragon has now been postponed to March 12, 2021.

The film’s logo, as well as concept art was released at last year’s D23 Expo in Anaheim.

Cassie Steele (Degrassi) is slated to be the voice of Raya, and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) will voice the dragon, who will be named Sisu. Both stars joined the filmmakers on stage at the Walt Disney Studios panel at D23 to announce the movie in front of an amazing backdrop, giving us our first look at the colorful, fabulous Sisu.

Raya and the Last Dragon is now set to be released on March 12, 2021, replacing a slot that was originally calendared for a live-action release. As always, we’ll update you with more news on Raya, and more!

First Official Trailer for Disney & Pixar’s “Soul”

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Meet Joel Gardner. Joel is a middle-school band teacher who finally gets his big break until a mishap sends Joel to The Great Before. Joel must convince a fellow Soul to help him get back by explaining why life is so worth living.

Disney*Pixar’s “Soul” opens in theaters on June 19th.

Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.  

Featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Daveed Diggs, “Soul” is directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Inside Out,” “Up”), co-directed by Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami”) and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short “Lou”). Globally renowned musician Jon Batiste will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar®-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds. 

Disney Makes $11.11 Billion At The Box Office

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

2019 was a great year for Disney at the box office. Disney made a record breaking $11.11 billion at the worldwide box office, which consisted of $3.76 billion from North America and $7.35 billion internationally. If you take into consideration the revenue made from 20th Century Fox films, that would add an additional $2.04 billion and make the total $13.15 billion.

All of Disney’s box office revenue made up 33.2% of the total box office take for 2019. Most of Disney’s movie divisions contributed to the record-breaking achievement.

Marvel Studios:

  • Avengers: Endgame – $2.798 billion
  • Captain Marvel – $1.128 billion

Walt Disney Studios:

  • The Lion King – $1.657 billion
  • Aladdin – $1.051 billion

Walt Disney Animation Studios:

  • Frozen 2 – $1.234 billion

Pixar:

  • Toy Story 4 – $1.073 billion

Lucasfilm:

  • Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – $816 million

And next year looks to be another big year for Disney with the release of the following films:

  • Underwater – Jan 10
  • The Kingsman – Feb 14
  • Downhill – Feb 14
  • The Call Of The Wild – Feb 21
  • Onward – March 6
  • Mulan – March 27
  • Black Widow – May 1
  • The Woman In The Window – May 15
  • Fear Street – June 5
  • Soul – June 19
  • Artemis Foul – May 29
  • Free Guy – July 3
  • Bob’s Burgers: The Movie – July 17
  • Jungle Cruise – July 24
  • The New Mutants – Aug 2
  • The Empty Man – Aug 7
  • The One And Only Ivan – Aug 14
  • Death On The Nile – Oct 9
  • Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Oct 23
  • The Eternals – Nov 6
  • Deep Water – Nov 13
  • Raya And The Last Dragon – Nov 25
  • West Side Story – Dec 18

Start Planning Your Next Disney Vacation Today!