TheStar Warsuniverse is massive, filled with hundreds of books, games, TV shows, and more. And let’s not forget the movies, which started all of this wild nonsense back in 1978 with A New Hope. Throughout all of Star Wars, from all the fan fighting over Last Jedito people going wild over Grogu, one thing has remained true: The galaxy is filled with freaky little guys.
WhenStar Wars Jedi: Survivorlanded from EA and Respawn last year, the internet fell head over heels for Turgle, a frog man that is a perfect example of a freaky little guy.
What is a freaky little guy? Well, it’s an alien that doesn’t have to necessarily be a male, they just need to be a bit freaky. A little weird. An oddball, if you will. The kind of character that shows up and you think to yourself, “What a freaky little dude, huh?” There’s really no specific definition or criteria. It’s more of a vibe they put out rather than a checklist of requirements that need to be met. Based on those vibes, we’ve collected this list of the 10 freakiest little guys in all of Star Wars.
It’s now been five years since Disney bought 20th Century Fox, and we’re finally seeing that really pay off on the movie side. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis hitting theaters next week, Alien: Romulusand Deadpool & Wolverineare later this summer. What Fox movies are due next for a comeback? The Maze Runnerseries, naturally.
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Per the Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios is looking to reboot the YA sci-fi movies for a new generation. Heading up those efforts is writer Jack Paglen, best known for 2014’s si-fi thriller Transcendence starring Johnny Depp. Sources speaking to THR claim the reboot will look to continue the original story while also returning to the roots of that original film.
In case you’ve forgotten, the original Maze Runner—directed by Wes Ball, who’s helming Kingdom (and eventually Legend of Zelda), and will produce this new flick—released in 2014 and was based on the dystopian YA books written by James Dashner. Dylan O’Brien starred as an amnesiac kid named Thomas who woke up in up in a big grass area home to other boys that’s also surrounded by a massive maze. Deeply curious and unable to shake that something was going on, Thomas worked to uncover the maze’s secrets and find a way for him and the other Gladers to escape.
The Maze Runner franchise was one of many trying to chase after Hunger Games and Twilight money, and ended up succeeding. Its first movie made $348.3 million (against a $34 million budget), and its two sequels—2015’s Scorch Trialsand 2018’s Death Cure—were equally big at $312.3 million and $288.2 million, respectively. (The latter film was infamously delayed after O’Brien was hospitalized for serious injuries and had to recover).
Not long after the merger completed, Disney confirmed it’d eventually spin up new Maze Runner movies. Instead of pulling a Hunger Gamesand doing a movie or two based on the previously released prequel books The Kill Order and Fever Code, it looks like Disney’s decided to start anew. Rebooting not-that-old YA fare appears to be the move nowadays, if Twilightand (arguably) Percy Jacksonare any indication. The original Maze movies were pretty fun, solid films, so here’s hoping the same is true of this reboot whenever it runs into theaters.
Senators Wants to Limit TSA’s Use of Facial Recognition
The use of facial recognition technology by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in under scrutiny. A group of bipartisan senators want more oversight and say they are concerned about travelers’ privacy and civil liberties.
The group of 14 lawmakers called on Senate leaders to use the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration as an opportunity to place more checks and limits to TSA’s use of the technology.
“This technology poses significant threats to our privacy and civil liberties, and Congress should prohibit TSA’s development and deployment of facial recognition tools until rigorous congressional oversight occurs”, the letter says.
Congress passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act back in 2001. It established the Transportation Security Administration and authorized it to use biometric technologies for security screening. At the time, fingerprints were the “best known and most widely used” biometric. But the senators say that the TSA leveraged this authorization to begin rolling out facial recognition technology on travelers, representing the first facial recognition enabled government checkpoint in the country.
The technology is currently in use at 84 airports around the country and is planned to expand in the coming years to more than 400 airports covered by TSA.
The letter also note that TSA has failed to show that this practice actually makes air travel safer. They have shown no evidence that more false identification documents have been discovered since the introduction of facial recognition.
A Blueyepisode originally released in 2020 everywhere except the United States finally gets the green light to be seen—with a catch: it’s only online (for now).
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“Dad Baby” was among a number of banned or altered episodes of the hit Ludo Studio global phenomenon that never made it onto Disney+ or the Disney cable channels when it was acquired by the streamer. It’s curious as to why because the official description on Bluey’s official YouTube channel is pretty straightforward: “When Dad shows the kids how to use their old baby-harness, a new game is born: Dad Baby! But dad is unprepared for the harsh realities of giving birth to a baby Bingo.”
It can be suggested that perhaps Disney initially didn’t want to include a very lightly sex-ed centered episode on the show aimed at their kid demographic. io9 watched the now-available episode and it’s not as much of a big deal as the banning was made out to be. “Dad Baby” is a relatable, hilarious depiction of a pregnancy—particularly from the point of view of kids who remember their younger siblings being born. Even the comedic bits—like when Bluey’s dad Bandit carries her sister Bingo as a baby in the “womb” and recalls what he witnessed with his wife Chili—are silly and inoffensive. And yes, he does go through it all down to “pushing” Bingo out, which leans more into the kids’ playacting aspect of Bluey wanting to know how babies come into the world. It’s cute, endearing, and a good emotional episode from the show that’s proved that it knows what it’s doing. If you wanna see if for yourself watch it below!
Dad Baby | Full Episode | Bluey
Mostepisodes of Bluey are now streaming on Disney+.
Disneyland Resort will soon launch a limited-time ticket offer and new hotel offers. Guests will have multiple options to save while enjoying three days of magic at The Happiest Place on Earth.
Located in Anaheim, Calif., the Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks. There’s Disneyland Park (the original Disney theme park) and Disney California Adventure Park. Additionally there are three hotels and the Downtown Disney District dining, entertainment and shopping complex.
With the 3-Day Disneyland Ticket Offer, guests can visit the Disneyland Resort theme parks for as little as $50 per child, per day (ages 3-9), and $83 per adult, per day. These three-day, one-park per day tickets start at $149 for children and $249 for adults. Those tickets are only good for admission Monday through Thursdays.
If you plan on visiting any day including weekends (based upon availability and theme park reservations) then prices start at $199 for children and $299 for adults. Upgrades such as Park Hopper tickets or Disney Genie+ service are also available at the time of purchase.
The limited-time tickets will be available for purchase beginning May 29, 2024, at Disneyland.com or through a travel professional, and can be redeemed on any three eligible days (which can be non-consecutive) June 10 through Sept. 26, 2024. Valid admission and theme park reservation for the same park on the same date are required for park entry.
Update 5/1/24: The Bluey Youtube channel has made the forbidden episode available online! See below.
Bluey is a smash hit in the United States, but many viewers don’t know the show’s been edited for American audiences. In fact, one episode has been cut altogether. Here’s the supposed “controversy” around the Bluey scenes deemed unfit for American children.
Along with what exactly those kids are missing.
Some Bluey content is altered for cultural reasons
Bluey is made by Australian production company Ludo Studio, and aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In the U.S., Disney bought the rights to Bluey, and the show is available on Disney+, Disney Channel, and Disney Junior. However, the show has undergone some changes in its journey to the U.S.
Some edits are pretty benign. Different countries have different idioms and slang terms, which means that jokes will hit differently depending on which audience is viewing it. For example, in the original version of “Relax,” Bandit calls the kids dingleberries. Regardless of what Australians think of the word, in the U.S., Bandit is literally calling his kids pieces of sh*t, so Disney changed the line to “super troopers.” I, for one, am fine with that edit.
Other, more serious edits have been made before the show was even exported, after understandable objections from Australian audiences. In “Teasing,” Bandit and the kids originally tossed around a phrase that’s a slur against Indigenous people, but ABC changed it to “Shooby doo wah” after the episode aired. The episode “Exercise” was similarly edited to remove a scene in which Bandit and Chilli complain about their weight—again, 100% fine by me.
Some Bluey episodes are edited because America is run by prudes
Other Bluey episodes have slight edits to make the show’s content more palatable to the reactionary Christian theocracy that has a stranglehold on American culture!
Some episodes, like “Taxi” and “Markets,” have had references vomit and poop either toned down or cut. In one episode, “Daddy Putdown,” Bingo asks where babies come from, but the U.S. version doesn’t contain that line. Other episodes, like “Family Meeting,” took awhile to make it to the U.S. because of controversial talk about farts. Some viewers just don’t like the fact that living things have bodies.
However, those episodes are nothing compared to the episode that’s been hidden from U.S. audiences completely.
The fabled banned Bluey episode, “Dad Baby”
One Bluey episode is so extreme, so raunchy and out of control, that Disney apparently decided there was no way American kids could handle it. The very fabric of American society would unravel if its children laid eyes on these shocking seven minutes of Bluey content. (In all honesty, I’m guessing Disney just doesn’t want to deal with right-wing parents staging protests outside its headquarters.)
That episode is “Dad Baby,” and I’ve seen it. I won’t say how I got access to it, but I’ll mention that the Australian sitcom Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café is almost as good as its predecessor, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun, which Americans can watch on Netflix. Poking your head outside of the American bubble is an amazing experience.
Anyway, “Dad Baby.” What is it about this episode that’s so noxiously offensive?
In “Dad Baby,” Bluey and Bingo find their old baby carrier, and Bandit shows them how it works by strapping it on. Bingo promptly crawls inside, and Bandit pretends to be pregnant. He complains about stretch marks, watches as Bingo eats all his food, and then goes into labor. With Lucky’s dad Pat acting as midwife, Bandit tries to give birth. Bingo wants to prolong the game, though, so she bites Pat’s and crawls back into the carrier. Pat eventually shoves his hand in the carrier and yanks her out.
That’s it. That’s all that happens. Here are a couple of clips that are freely available online. At a total runtime of about four minutes, they make up over half the entire episode.
Not to get too heavy all of a sudden, but anyone who’s been following American politics for the past few decades can see how this episode would piss off right-wingers. It messes with gender roles! It portrays pregnancy as a major thing that maybe people shouldn’t be forced to go through! If we allow American kids to contemplate the possibility of a pregnant man, next thing you know they’ll be supporting abortion care and trans rights and stuff! The horror!
So, should you let your kids watch “Dad Baby” if they get the chance? Yes. It’s fine. It’s cute and funny. It’s a normal Bluey episode that portrays a game of pretend. And if one of your kids grows up to be a pregnant man himself? Good for him.
UPDATE 5/1/24: The Bluey Youtube channel has put the entire episode online! Journalism works!
(featured image: Disney+)
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Before you ask, Mickey vs. Winnie is a project separate fromMickey Mouse Trap, which announced its existence during the first week of 2024 not long after Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse emerged from Disney’s copyright clutches. It’s also not part of the Twisted Childhood Universe, aka the Poohniverse, from the makers of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. This new project, which is currently in production in Michigan, is being written and directed by Glenn Douglas Packard.
A press release provides this plot synopsis: “In the 1920s, two convicts escape into a cursed forest only to be dragged and consumed into the depths of the dark forest’s muddy heart. A century later, a group of thrill-seeking friends unknowingly venture into the same woods. Their Airbnb getaway takes a horrifying turn when the convicts mutate into twisted versions of childhood icons Mickey Mouse & Winnie-The-Pooh, and emerge to terrorize them. A night of violence and gore erupts, as the group of friends battle against their now monstrous beloved childhood characters and fight to break free from the forest’s grip. In a horrific spectacle, Mickey and Winnie clash, painting the woods in a gruesome tableau of blood—a chilling testament to the curse’s insidious power.”
The basic plot sounds like another iteration of the ol’ “cabin in the woods” genre, and we’ve already pointed out that Mickey and Winnie are both becoming familiar faces in horror. However, in the press release Packard specifically notes that “the Mickey Mouse featured in our film is unlike any iteration audiences have encountered before. Our portrayal doesn’t involve characters donning basic masks. Instead, we present deeply transformed, live-action horror renditions of these iconic figures, weaving together elements of innocence and malevolence.”
So far there’s no word on when Mickey vs. Winnie might hit screens or where you’ll be able to watch it. What do you think of this latest public-domain horror project?
Millions of Americans pay for streaming services, doling out anywhere from $5 to $75 a month. It’s a common belief that you can get out of recurring charges like this by switching your credit card. The streamers won’t be able to find you, and your account will just go away, right? You wouldn’t be crazy for believing it, but it’s a myth that switching a credit card will definitely stop your recurring charges.
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Nearly 46% of Americans opened a new credit card last year, according to Forbes, which means millions of Americans also canceled old ones. When you switch cards, these streaming services don’t just stop your service — they just start charging your new card. Granted, it might be easier to just cancel your subscription directly with a streamer like Netflix. There’s a largely hidden service that enables most subscription services to keep throwing charges at you indefinitely.
“Banks may automatically update credit or debit card numbers when a new card is issued. This update allows your card to continue to be charged, even if it’s expired,” Netflix says in its help center, though it’s not alone in this feature.
Most major card providers offer a feature that enables this, including Visa. In 2003, Visa U.S.A. started offering a new software product to merchants called Visa Account Updater (VAU), according to a 2003 American Banker article. The service works with a network of banks to create a virtual tracking service of Americans’ financial profiles. Whenever someone renews or switches a credit card within their bank, the institution automatically updates the VAU. This system lets Netflix and countless other corporations charge whatever card you have on file. It’s a seamless switch that allows the dollars to keep flowing toward corporate America, while you don’t have to lift a finger.
“Visa understands the challenges faced by merchants when it comes to staying on top of account information changes,” Visa say in marketing materials to corporations. “VAU delivers updated cardholder account information in a timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner, benefiting all parties involved in the electronic payment process.”
VAU was an instant success, quickly adopted by banks and corporations around the world. Visa’s service follows you whenever your issuer switches between any major credit card provider, whether it’s Discover, Mastercard, or American Express. However, if you close out an account entirely, or change to a different credit card provider yourself, the VAU will simply list your account as being closed.
Some customers of Visa’s tracking service include Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Disney, according to a 256-page list of the software’s adopters from 2022. VAU allows merchants to keep customers roped into their subscription services, but Visa also argues it helps customers.
“Visa Account Updater (VAU) was built to help ease the burden on consumers of inputting a new account number and expiration date in recurring subscriptions,” said a Visa spokesperson in a statement to Gizmodo.
Visa’s not entirely wrong about this. If your electricity or internet bill is tied to your credit card, you could be in a real bind if you forget to update your new card. However, practices like these can also keep people bound in endless cycles of payments that follow them everywhere.
“The issuing bank determines whether to provide updated card information or to provide a closed account or contact cardholder advice through VAU,” said the spokesperson. “VAU only provides information to merchants at the direction of the issuing financial institution and only for merchants where the cardholder has already stored their payment credentials.”
Origins of the Myth
Before services like VAU popped up, switching your credit card was a pretty surefire way to get out of recurring charges, whether you wanted to or not. When Bank of America adopted VAU in 2003, it described the product as a solution for billing changes that had once left merchants with “unappealing choices.”
“One would be that the merchant would shut off the customer’s service,” said a Bank of America executive in a 2003 press release. “Another would be that the merchant would continue the service but send the customer a nasty letter.”
So VAU really came about with the onset of the internet. Practices like this have become increasingly popular in the Internet age. Subscription services have become easier to start, but increasingly difficult to stop. Recurring charges can truly follow you to the ends of the Earth unless you outright contact the company to stop them.
Why It’s Pervasive
Visa’s Account Updater is only really marketed to businesses, so most consumers have no idea it exists. I’d bet most people have no idea there’s a way to opt out of Visa’s credit card tracking service, and even fewer know they’re default opted in. It’s largely a hidden service to the average person, with no clear indicator from your bank or subscription service that you’re being tracked in this way.
Credit cards are also widely regarded as a more anonymous way to move through the financial world. While they typically are more secure than using a debit card, make no mistake, banks are still tracking your every move. The VAU just allows them to coordinate with corporations to keep your financial information constantly up to date.
The VAU undoubtedly offers some benefits to consumers. However, it’s important to understand why. The system reduces “churn” for corporations, and ensures you can keep paying them your dollars no matter what’s going on in your financial world. Banks make it effortless to keep paying these recurring charges. However, stopping them can be much harder. If you really want to stop a subscription, there’s still no substitute for calling up the company and canceling.
The ultimate Star Wars selfie, Lego-style.Screenshot: Lego
Nowhere in Star Wars will old Han Solo meet young Han Solo. Yoda is not likely to ever meet Grogu. Princess Leia won’t cross paths with General Leia. Some things are just not going to happen. Unless, well, it’s Lego, where any and everything is possible.
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This year marks the 25th anniversary of Lego making Star Wars sets and the result has already been excellent. Set after set has already been released immortalizing some of our favorite moments and ships from the Star Wars galaxy. Today though, Lego Star Wars has also released a delightful video showing characters from across the full Star Wars saga—we’re talking High Republic, original trilogy, sequel trilogy, prequel trilogy, Disney+, Rebels, video games, and more—into one massive celebration. It’s sure to bring a smile to your face.
LEGO Star Wars – 25 Years | Celebrate the Season
Obviously, that’s just for fun but it got us thinking about one team-up in particular. Cal Kestis could, hypothetically, meet Cassian Andor right? He’s already met Saw Gerrera who is in this clip with the two of them. That would be pretty awesome, right?
Besides that, I think what I love most about this video are the transitions. They’re so imaginative and energetic. Certainly made with an abundance of care and love for the series.
To grab yourself a little Star Wars Lego action, head here.
When we first met General Grievous 20 years ago this month in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars microseries, it gave him an immediate, chilling presence. But then Revenge of the Sith, and with it the Clone Wars 3DCG series, constrained what could be done with the character. Grievous took on the air of a Saturday morning cartoon villain—twirling lightsabers rather than mustaches. Tales of the Empire is keeping the twirling lightsabers, but it might just bring back a little of that original menace, too.
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Today Lucasfilm released the first clip from the upcoming anthology series Tales of the Empire—its spiritual successor to Tales of the Jedi, this time focusing on stories of the Dark Side, including the life of Morgan Elsbeth before she joined Thrawn’s service, and whatever happened to Barriss Offee after her radicalization against the Jedi’s role in the Clone War. Leaning on the Morgan side of things, the clip sees Tales’ own riff on a particular moment from the 3D Clone Wars series—the season four episode, “Massacre,” when as part of an act of vengeance by Count Dooku, Grievous and an army of Battle Droids launch a devastating assault on Dathomir to try and wipe out Asajj Ventress and her Nightsister comrades.
Tales of the Empire | ‘Stay Back’ Official Clip
The clip is brief, but very fun—if Star Wars is to insist on returning to stories of Clone Wars as it so often is these days, at the very least being able to do so in animation, with the lessons and experiences learned since it came to an end in place, is nice. Getting to see this moment first glimpsed 12 years ago with modern visuals and style is great! But it’s also because, given free reign to act here as the catalyst for Morgan’s traumatic past, Grievous just gets to be unleashed as pure, sinister id.
Going up against Obi-Wan or other Jedi in Clone Wars—never Anakin, of course, because the two were not allowed to actually meet until Revenge of the Sith—Grievous was most often doomed to be a bit of a jobber. He had his moments here and there, sure (the early season one episode “Lair of Grievous” is always worth shouting out), but in Clone Wars Grievous was usually far from the charismatically petrifying agent of death he was when he first stomped into animated canon in the 2D series. It might only be for a brief while, but at least Tales of the Empire looks like it’s bringing at least a little bit of that edge back.
Tales of the Empire begins streaming on Disney+ May 4.
MIDDLETOWN, OH—Shocked by the trove of mysterious compositions, household sources revealed Wednesday that a bench near the piano had been secretly hiding several books about music. “My God—ragtime classics, Disney favorites, A Charlie Brown Christmas—does anyone else know about this?” said one source, marveling over the discovery of more than a dozen bound compilations and even loose sheets of paper pertaining to the subject of music. “It’s a little secret chamber, like a speakeasy. How incredible. These have probably been here for who knows how many years. But who’s hiding them? And why? What don’t they want me to know? Maybe they were stashed here during the war, so that prying eyes couldn’t find them.” At press time, sources had taken Piano Adventure Level 2A to be appraised on Antiques Roadshow.
Sam’s Club has a gift card sale on May 3, 2024, offering up to 20% discount on popular brands. The discounted gift cards will only be available online.
If viewers felt that after the 28-minuteBluey finale “The Sign”—and its unannounced season three coda episode “Surprise,” which dropped on Disney+ last night—that there was a sense of finality to the beloved animated series, it was in a way intentional.
Some fans feared that when the “For Sale” sign went up at the Heeler home at the end of season three—or because the last moments of “Surprise” (small spoiler alert here) jumped into the future with a grown-up Bluey and her kid showing up at her parents’ home—that it could mean the Heelers were going away.
Don’t stress too much: the show will return in some form, but that’s still to be determined by the creatives at Ludo Studio, whose small indie animated show blew up as a pop culture phenomenon that proves that animation is made for everyone. In an interview with the BBC, Bluey producer Sam Moor declared, “No, it is not the end for Bluey. I’m sure we have many more surprises in store for you.” The team is taking a break after creating about 151 seven-minute episodes and the 28-minute “The Sign,” but “We have more in store and we are thinking what would be next.”
The interview also mentioned that fellow producer Daley Pearson has said it would be a “dream” for the team to tackle a feature-length film about Bluey and her family if Ludo’s risk-taking 28 minute episode paid off—and it has. Bloomberg cites a report from market research firm Circana that Bluey accounts for 29 percent of TV views on Disney+. The release of “The Sign” extended episode boasted 10.4 million views on the platform, making it “both the most-viewed Bluey episode premiere and the most-viewed Disney Junior episode premiere ever,” based on a release sent out by Disney.
This is all the more remarkable because Bluey is not even a Marvel, Star Wars, or Disney property; Disney just distributes the Ludo Studio show, which is backed by BBC Studios for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Bluey merchandise has exploded at retailers like CAMP, which did an incredible immersive activation where fans could also meet Bluey and Bingo, as well as FAO Schwarz, which just released a new collaboration. It’s truly a wonder that neither Disney Stores or Disney Parks have gotten in on that action—but hey we like the little guy sorta holding this power. And we can’t wait to see where they wield it next. More seasons and that movie, please!
The future of physical media took another blow as Target confirmed previously reported plans that it would stop offering physical DVDs in store and transition to only carrying a select number of films in brick-and-mortar locations during specific, limited times. However, the retail giant said games would be—for now—unaffected by this change.
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Over the last two years, we’ve seen more and more signs that the era of physical media might be ending. In 2023, Alan Wake II became one of the first AAA games to skip a physical release, and it can only be bought digitally. In 2024, Microsoft confirmed that Senua’s Saga: Hellbade II would also skip a physical release. We also learned earlier this year that Best Buy is winding down support for physical media in its stores and online. Checking the retailer’s site today, I can’t find any movies for sale. (Physical video games are still available.) Also in 2024, Disney shut down its long-running DVD/Bluray movie club. So yeah, if you like buying and owning movies and games, you might be nervous. And more bad news is here.
On April 18, IGN reported that a Target spokesperson told the outlet that the retailer is “transitioning the limited assortment of DVDs” currently available in some stores to its website, and now asks that customers shop for physical media online.
DVDs will sometimes be available at Target
However, physical movies and TV shows might return to stores during the holidays, when Target suggests people are more likely to buy a DVD.
“Based on our guests’ shopping patterns and broader industry trends, we’re transitioning the limited assortment of DVDs we carry in our stores to Target.com, where guests will continue to find thousands of titles,” the spokesperson told IGN. “Moving forward, we’ll offer select DVDs in stores when they are newly released or during key times throughout the year when they are more popular, like for gift giving during the holidays.”
IGN was told that this new physical media pivot won’t apply to video games, which will continue to be sold in stores.
While that might seem like good news, the reality is that if Target is willing to remove DVDs from its stores, then it might one day decide to cut physical games, too. And if that happens at enough retailers, then publishers might become less interested in spending the money on printing physical discs. That could lead us into a future where most big games only ship digitally. That wouldn’t be so bad if digital storefronts weren’t shutting down and old games weren’t being routinely killed by publishers after it’s been decided they are no longer profitable. We are entering a new era and it’s scary, folks. Hold on to your PS2 and Xbox 360 games tightly.
Walt Disney famously said that Disneyland will never be completed. He was right.
The vote by the Anaheim City Council on Wednesday to approve the Disneyland resort’s $1.9-billion expansion plan is the latest of several huge investments made by the media giant at the 100-acre facility known to its fans as the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
Once upon a time, Disneyland was just a concept that grew out of a visit by Disney to Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Then on July 17, 1955, the gates were flung open at the then-$17.5-million resort and things have never been the same for the city of Anaheim.
Ticket prices on opening day were $1 for an adult and 50 cents for a child, with each attraction charging extra at each location, ranging from 10 to 35 cents.
In February 2001, Disneyland threw open the doors on its 55-acre California Adventure. At the time, the $1.4-billion addition opened to poor reviews, leading some visitors to dub the park “Six Flags California Adventure,” a biting comparison to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Over the years, the park added Cars Land in a $1.1-billion makeover, Pixar Pier and other locations that harked back to an era of California when red trolleys owned the streets.
In 2019, Disneyland opened its 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a $1-billion expansion that features two rides, shops and retail outlets around the “Star Wars” movie franchise theme. Jedis and stormtroopers roam about the intergalactic city that encourages role-playing with in-character staff.
“If you want to sit back and just watch the world go by, that’s also fine, but I think one of the things that we know about our guests is they want more and more to lean into these stories,” says Imagineer Scott Trowbridge, whom Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger described on social media as the “creator” of Galaxy’s Edge.
The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride requires riders taking up different roles, with two gunners, engineers and a pair of pilots.
By June 2021, Disneyland set its sights on transporting guests to the world of the Marvel cinematic universe with its Avengers Campus. Built on the bones of A Bug’s Land, construction for the Avengers Campus was waylaid due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually opened to much fanfare within California Adventure. The Orange County Business Journal estimates construction on the site cost $500 million, but the House of Mouse was mum on the official cost.
Avengers Campus boasts a Spider-Man stunt show with a robotic web-slinger who launches from one tower to another and flies 85 feet in the air. The character reappears as a costumed human who scales down the walls of the building to pose for photos with parkgoers at ground level.
Times staff writers Todd Martens and Hugo Martin contributed to this report.
The long-awaited Bluey special, “The Sign,” has finally hit streaming platforms around the world, and it’s full of guest cameos! One of them, Bucky Dunston, is an especially fun character, and the actor who plays him has an equally fun background.
Warning: spoilers for the Bluey special “The Sign” ahead!
At the end of the latest regular length Bluey episode, “Ghostbasket,” we find out that the Heelers have put their house up for sale. In “The Sign,” we meet their real estate agent, Bucky Dunston.
Before we get to Bucky in the special, though, let’s back up. Bucky and Bandit have a history. In “Dragon,” one of the episodes that came to the U.S. in January, we learn that Bandit loved drawing cars as a kid. However, he explains during a flashback that Bucky came up to him one day and said his drawings didn’t look like cars. After that, he gave up drawing altogether. In a little bit of foreshadowing, Bandit mentions that he thinks Bucky grew up to be a real estate agent.
Audiences first learned that Bucky was the Heelers’ realtor when an actual real estate listing for the Heelers’ home went up on the Australian real estate site Domain. Along with a whimsical description of the house, the listing has a picture of Bucky, and a real phone number people could call. (More on that below.)
We finally catch up with Bucky in “The Sign.” He’s just as annoying as he was as a kid, calling Bandit nicknames like “Bandito,” and Bandit never seems particularly thrilled to hear from him.
So who plays Bucky?
All about Rove McManus
Bucky Dunston is played by Rove McManus, an Australian actor and comedian. McManus has had an extensive career in film, TV, and radio going back to 1997. He’s appeared in projects like Finding Nemo, Good Morning Australia, and @midnight.
A few days before “The Sign” aired, McManus appeared on The Project to plug his role as Bucky. In the video, you can also hear the message callers heard when they called the real estate listing on Domain.
All about Rove McManus
“I’m about to become one of the most hated men in the country,” McManus joked. “If my character, Bucky Dunston, wasn’t already hated enough by Bluey fandom for stopping Bandit from being a good drawer when he abused his red car drawing as a kid, now he has grown up and he’s selling the Heeler household.”
“The Sign” is now streaming on Disney+ in the U.S. and other platforms around the world.
(featured image: Disney+)
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Katrina Amian Redfern Griffin was bent over, tying her daughter’s shoes during a trip to Disneyland in April 2022, when a park employee dressed as Goofy — the klutzy but lovable cartoon canine — barreled straight into her, according to a lawsuit she filed in Orange County Superior Court.
Then, she claims, he fell on top of her with all of his weight, driving her into the “hard cement floor.”
Griffin suffered “severe, traumatic, debilitating, and permanent” physical injuries from the collision, along with emotional pain and suffering, she said.
Now, Griffin is suing Disneyland, the unnamed employee inside the Goofy costume, and Goofy’s “handler,” another employee who was supposed to guide the big, silly character around the park to make sure he didn’t bump into anything, according to the lawsuit.
Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening.
Personal injury lawsuits might not be the most pressing issue for Disney lawyers right now. The entertainment empire is embroiled in a number of high-profile legal battles that have placed it on the front lines of the nation’s culture wars.
The movie division fired actor Gina Carano from the film “The Mandalorian” in 2021 after her social media posts questioned the results of the 2020 election and likened the treatment of American conservatives to German Jews during the Holocaust.
Carano, in turn, sued Disney for wrongful termination, claiming she had been fired for standing up to the “online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
In Florida, Disney is fighting an extended court battle with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who took political control of the land upon which Walt Disney World sits after company officials opposed the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.
But even as other issues swirl, injuries at Disney theme parks, the company’s bread and butter, have continued to make headlines.
In October, Emma McGuinness sued Walt Disney World, claiming she had suffered a nightmarish “wedgie” on the park’s Humunga Kowabunga water slide.
Online marketing for the slide promises the “ride of your life” and that “you won’t know what’s coming as you zoom 214 feet downhill in the dark and spray your way to a surprise ending!”
McGuinness’ surprise was severe and permanent bodily injury, according to her lawsuit.
Specifically, when she neared the pool at the bottom of the giant drop, her legs came uncrossed, allowing clothes and water to be “violently forced inside her” by the impact.
She went to the hospital with severe vaginal lacerations and her bowel protruding through her abdominal wall, among other internal injuries, the suit claimed.
Griffin, the woman who said she was bowled over by Goofy at Disneyland, did not provide details of her physical injuries in her lawsuit.
She is asking Disney to pay for her medical bills and lost earnings and to compensate her for the physical, mental and emotional pain she says she suffered.
Neither Griffin nor her attorney could be reached for comment on Friday.
There’s exactly one Marvel Studios movie coming to theaters this year, but it’s one of the biggest to date. Deadpool & Wolverine is scheduled for release on July 26 and it won’t only be the first MCU film for Ryan Reynolds’ wisecracking killer, but also the MCU debut of Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman.
Who Should Be The New Wolverine? io9 Picks
That alone already has fans excited and the number of people who watched the first trailer proved it again. Continuing the fun, Disney debuted new footage at CinemaCon 2024, and here’s what happened.
Wade Wilson grabs a staple gun, uses it to put on his wig, and says “Now let’s sell some certified pre-owned vehicles, motherfucker.” Smash cut to Wade in the back seat of a car with a family on a test drive. They ask him some questions but he keeps cursing and mentions he doesn’t have kids because he doesn’t have much vaginal sex. He’s bad at this.
Peter (Rob Delaney) apparently works there too and they talk in the locker room about how Wade may be a bad salesperson, but he can always go back to being a superhero. Wade explains that he’s done for good. This is the life he wants and if you “aim for the middle, you’ll never miss.” Peter shows him that he keeps an old Deadpool suit in his locker anyway.
Wade and Peter ride bikes home from work and Wade notices someone taking photos of them. The conversation continues about wanting to be superheroes again and Peter asks Wade if he’s just sad because it’s his birthday. He also mentions a very interesting piercing he’s just gotten.
Yes, it’s Wade’s birthday. He goes into his apartment and it’s a surprise party. There are all his friends from the first two movies: Negasonic, Colossus, Dopinder, Blind Al, and others. Wade goes around the room and catches up with everyone. One highlight of this is Wade and Al going back and forth with a ton of insults. She asks him if he wants to do some cocaine and he says that’s the one thing Kevin Feige said was off the table. She rattles off a bunch of different fake names and he says Feige knows them all. Finally she says, “Do you want to build a snowman?” To which he says, yes but I can’t.
Vanessa is also there and they are no longer together. She’s seeing someone from work though, and Wade is happy for her, though he’s not seeing anyone.
The group sings “Happy Birthday” and then Wade gives a heartfelt speech about how much he loves everyone in this room. He says that despite some tough years, he’s truly happy now because of them. He then goes on to blow out the candles… and the second he does, there’s a knock at the door.
You’ve seen some of this in the trailer. It’s the TVA. Wade assumes they’re a group of men who are there to have sex with him and he gets very dirty about what he wants them to do with all his holes. They then get fed up, knock him out, and put him through one of those TVA doors.
In the TVA, Mr. Paradox (Matthew McFayden) tells Wade that a) he soiled himself, and b) what the TVA does. “That’s a shit ton of exposition for a threequel,” Wade says. Mr. Paradox tells him he knows that Wade has been abusive of the timeline previously, with Cable’s time travel device, but that’s not why he’s there.
Apparently Wade has been chosen for a higher purpose. One that’s even unclear to the TVA. He needs to save the sacred timeline from a grisly fate at some point in the future. The two guys joke that it needs to be “Avenged.” That they’re going to “Marvel” at how “Cinematic” is. Wade says he wants it all, cameos, variants, the works.
They turn to the screen and on it is Steve Rogers as Captain America. Wade knows him and salutes the screen. “You’re no longer lost,” Mr. Paradox says, “You can now be a hero.” At this point, Wade notices a screen where Thor is holding a dying Deadpool and crying. “Why is Thor crying?” he asks. Wade isn’t supposed to see that though; that’s something that happens in the distant future.
Wade is all in and says he will return and help. He then turns to the camera, runs toward it, grabs it, shakes it and says “Suck it Fox! I’m going to Disneyland!” He also fellates the boom microphone a bit.
“Oh, there’s one more thing I need,” Wade says. It’s a costume. A TVA tailor makes him a brand new upgraded Deadpool costume, which comes together in a quick series of fast edits… which include more than a few of the tailor grabbing Wade’s crotch.
Wade loves the new costume, even if he has to tell them the tailor is a predator. He also mentions that his samurai swords are made out of adamantium. He jokes around that one of the TVA employees is eyeing him up and his underwear is getting tighter. The employee picks up the phone to call HR.
That leads into a montage of action scenes largely from the first trailer. Dog Pool running in slow motion. Lots of shooting. Wade in the back seat of a bloody car. And then, finally, we see him and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine sitting together in a car.
“What’s with the suit?” Wade asks. “Do the X-Men make you wear it?” He comments he looks like he fights crime for the Los Angeles Rams, but Wolverine isn’t having it. “I’m just trying to bond a bit,” he says.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. It opens July 26.
Update: the headline on the original post was updated to more accurately describe the length of the footage.
Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy wanted to show spoiler-free footage, and perhaps it is, but, boy was it hysterical. In the nine minutes shown Ryan Reynolds is adjusting to normal life, content to aim for the middle, because you never miss.
He sasses his way around his birthday party where his tells his blind friend Al (Leslie Uggams) she can’t or say cocaine (“Do you want to build a snowman?” she asks and jokes in code). Monica Baccarin’s Valerie is seeing another guy, so we’re told. A black-clad SWAT team arrives at Wade’s apartment where he’s taken to Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox who wants to bring Deadpool back to work or as our hero refers to himself “Marvel Jesus”. In another sequence, Deadpool insults Wolverine for leaving his house dressed like an LA Rams fan which ticks off the hand-fanged hero.
Before the footage was shown, Marvel Studios Boss Kevin Feige marveled over how fun it is to make an R-Rated movie with the F-word. Levy said that Reynolds is excited by the mere fact that Feige F-bombs.
Disney‘s afternoon CinemaCon session kicked off with a hysterical ‘Turn Your Cellphones Off’ PSA from Deadpool and Wolverine. Walking down a hallway, Deadpool says, “Secret Wars was finally going to introduce…” before he’s interrupted by a cell phone ringing. Wolverine turns to the screen and threatens to shove the phone up our a*sses. “Easy now! So much testosterone!” says Deadpool trying to calm him down. One thing is clear, Deadpool and Wolverine call to mind the riotous banter between Charles Grodin and Robert De Niro in Midnight Run.
The threequel sees Ryan Reynolds reprising his titular role and Hugh Jackman coming back as Wolverine. In addition, the pic stars Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Jennifer Garner, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni and Matthew Macfadyen.
Disney starts overseas rollout on Deadpool & Wolverine on July 24 internationally and releases July 26 domestically.
The trailer that dropped during the Super Bowl in January smashed records when it nabbed 365 million views in its first 24 hours.
Co-written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Reynolds and Levy, Deadpool 3 is produced by Levy, Reynolds and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
In the game known as the streaming wars, Disney+ came out swinging, bringing with it a massive library of movies and TV shows—with new ones being added all the time. Watched everything on Netflix? Disney+ has a seemingly endless selection of Marvel movies and plenty of Star Wars and Pixar fare too. Problem is, there’s so much stuff that it’s hard to know where to begin. WIRED is here to help. Below are our picks for the best films on Disney+ right now.
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Poor Things
Emma Stone has zero fucks left to give as Bella Baxter, a young woman who is ready to experience all this world has to offer her, regardless of what is deemed polite or appropriate. What Bella doesn’t realize is that she’s the creation of a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe), a man she refers to as God, who has never encountered a human body—dead or alive, his own or someone else’s—that he didn’t want to turn into one of his wild experiments. But Bella is different. Though she has the mind of a child (literally) when we first meet her, her emotional development happens quickly and she soon learns how to make the humans around her bend to her often impulsive whims. Stone just won the Oscar for her over-the-top performance in this bold experiment of a movie from director Yorgos Lanthimos, who never lets audiences off easily. (The film is also streaming on Hulu.)
Summer of Soul
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson made his directorial debut with this feature documentary, which recounts the groundbreaking Harlem Cultural Festival—a six-week-long celebration of Black culture, including music, history, fashion, and beyond. The film features rarely-seen clips of performers such as Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly & the Family Stone. Why have you never heard of the event? Possibly because it was overshadowed by Woodstock, which took place during the same time in the summer of 1969. Ironically, when the film won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 2022 Academy Awards, it was overshadowed yet again: It’s the award that was being handed out when Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock on the stage. (Here’s your chance to rectify missing that acceptance speech.)
Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour (Taylor’s Version)
Were you one of the lucky thousands who saw Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour? Did you see Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in theaters? Well guess what? You can now also watch it on Disney+! Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour (Taylor’s Version) is kind of like the one that played at AMC cinemas, but it’s also got four new acoustic songs: “You Are in Love,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” “I Can See You,” and “Maroon.” It also features the folklore track “Cardigan.” So, whether you saw the tour, the movie theater experience—or neither—there’s now yet another way to take in Taylor. Are you ready for it?
The Marvels
Since the release of Captain Marvel in 2019, Brie Larson has become one of the MCU’s biggest stars. Though much ado was made about The Marvels being the lowest-grossing film in the Marvel universe, that shouldn’t deter you from giving it a watch. In this sequel, Larson’s Captain Marvel joins forces with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) to find a way to manipulate space and time so that they can save the world—but with cats!
X-Men
Any property as beloved as X-Men is bound to have more than a few detractors when it makes the leap from page to screen. But the first X-Men movie managed to impress skeptical comic book fans and newcomers to the mutant war with its compelling storyline and stellar cast, which included Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and then-newcomer Hugh Jackman. The film kicked off the first in an ever-growing franchise of the battle between mutants and humans, which now totals 13 films and more than $6 billion in box office receipts. With X-Men now officially part of Marvel Studios, expect to see lots more of this expanded cast of characters—beginning with this summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Until then, though, go back and watch this 2000 classic, and prepare for the future.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
It may be impossible to reach the heights achieved by timeless classics like Temple of Doom or Raiders of the Lost Ark, but this latest installment in the Indiana. Jones franchise puts the whip back in Harrison Ford’s hands, letting him fight Nazis and finally get (maybe) some closure to his artifact-hunting life. The movie, directed by James Mangold, also gets some fantastic humor and verve from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays Helena, the daughter of an old ally of Indy’s who has perhaps less-than-pure interest in the Dial of Destiny, an ancient time-travel device that Dr. Jones, of course, thinks belongs in a museum.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Far From Home, which stars Tom Holland as the Spandex-wearing superhero, is notable for being the first film in Phase Four of the MCU—and the first character we see an Avenger attempting to pick up the pieces following the events of Avengers: Endgame. For Peter Parker, that means taking a boring old class trip to Europe, which turns into anything that but when Earth is attacked by a villainous group of Elementals, which Spidey can only fight with the help of the mysterious—and appropriately named—Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).
Mrs. Doubtfire
Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a lightly employed voice actor and devoted dad of three who has just been dumped by his wife and is only allowed to see his children one day per week. So he does what any rational person would do: asks his brother, who just happens to be a makeup artist, to dress him up as an older woman and applies to become a nanny working for his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field). That Miranda doesn’t realize the person she has entrusted her children with is the man she was married to for more than a decade might speak more about her character. Ignore the ridiculous setup and instead enjoy more than two hours of Robin Williams going full Robin Williams. Bon appétit!
Big
Teenager Josh Baskin (David Moscow) wishes on a Zoltar machine that he could grow up overnight—and comes to find his older self (Tom Hanks) staring him back in the mirror the next morning. In an effort to hide his fast-forwarded body, Baskin hides out in New York City, where he falls backward into his dream job at a toy company and meets the woman of his dreams (Elizabeth Perkins). Big is the movie that made Tom Hanks, well, Tom Hanks (it also marked his first Oscar nomination). But it’s Robert De Niro who was originally set to star; when he was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, Hanks stepped in.
Finding Nemo
Nemo (Alexander Gould) is a young clown fish with an imperfect fin and a dad (Albert Brooks) who worries endlessly about his son’s safety. Which is forgivable, given that Nemo’s mom—and all his siblings—were victims of a barracuda shortly before their eggs hatched. So when Nemo is captured while the duo are swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, it’s up to Marlin to find and save his only son. With an all-star cast of voice actors—led by the always-perfect Brooks, and Ellen DeGeneres as a forgetful blue tang named Dory (who would go on to star in her own adventure)—Finding Nemo is part of the heyday of Pixar filmmaking where each film seemed to surpass the absolutely perfect one that preceded it.
The Princess Bride
Rob Reiner directs this adventure-comedy-fairytale, written by William Goldman (the legendary screenwriter who once famously said of Hollywood that “nobody knows anything”) from his own novel. The ever-quotable tale tells the story of a young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) who is engaged to marry a prince (Chris Sarandon) but is really in love with former farmhand Westley (Carey Elwes), who she believes was killed in a pirate attack. When Buttercup is kidnapped just days ahead of her wedding, a chain of events proceed to possibly reunite the in-love couple, or spell death for one (or both) of them. Goldman was famously critical of his own work, but didn’t mind taking credit for two of his movies. The Princess Bride was one of them (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the other).
The Little Mermaid
Does the live-action version of The Little Mermaid improve upon the beloved 1989 animated classic? Of course not. But Disney is on a tear when it comes to reimagining the movies you loved as a kid, and this is one of the Mouse House’s better efforts. Oscar nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns, Into the Woods) is behind the camera for this tale of a young mermaid who longs to be (sing it with us) “part of your world.” Yet it’s Halle Bailey, delivering a powerhouse performance as Ariel, who truly makes The Little Mermaid worth watching.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Whether you think of Henry Selick’s imaginative stop-motion adventure as a Halloween film or a Christmas movie doesn’t really matter, as there’s never a bad time to add The Nightmare Before Christmas to your watch (or watch-again) list. When the mischief-makers in Halloweentown, including pumpkin king Jack Skellington, discover the magic of Christmas, they decide to kidnap Santa Claus and claim both holidays for themselves. Even in today’s CGI-soaked world, the artistry behind The Nightmare Before Christmas remains painfully impressive—and the macabre yet kid-friendly tone makes it a fun watch for the entire family.
Cinderella
In case you don’t know the story: After Cinderella loses her beloved mother, her father marries a nasty woman with two equally nasty daughters. While they spend their days tormenting the kind-hearted Cinderella, Prince Charming, the most eligible bachelor in all the land, only has eyes for her. Nearly 75 years after its original release, Cinderella remains a Disney classic for a reason. Now it’s back with an impressive 4K restoration that has been several years in the making.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
While no one expected James Gunn’s (presumed) MCU swan song to top the giddiness of his first entry in the series, few people expected it to be so damn depressing either. In addition to giving us Rocket Raccoon’s gut-wrenching backstory, which could have easily been set to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel,” the third Guardians film is also one of the only Marvel movies to delve into the psychological effects Thanos’ Snap had on the universe. Enjoy!
Avatar: The Way of Water
One week before Avatar hit theaters (for the first time) in late 2009, James Cameron announced his intention to turn the movie into a full-on franchise. But the director took his sweet time in following through. Avatar: The Way of Water—which checks in on blue lovebirds Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), now married with children—was released in late 2022, a full 13 years after the original made its debut. But Cameron smartly bought himself some time by setting the film 16 years after the events of Avatar. And while the critical reviews were mixed, it still ended up becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, proving yet again that Cameron has some sort of Midas touch at the box office.
The Incredible Hulk
To Marvel fans, Mark Ruffalo is the only Bruce Banner. But that’s only after Eric Bana tried on the supersized superhero’s tiny purple pants in 2003’s Hulk—and then passed them on to Edward Norton for this 2008 flick, which had the misfortune of hitting theaters just one month after Iron Man. The MCU has always had a messy timeline, but audiences shouldn’t be too quick to write this movie off, particularly those looking to kick back with a solid summer popcorn flick. Norton may lack Ruffalo’s effortless charm, but he’s got the Doc Green part of the character down. While the movie has largely (and wrongly) been forgotten, it’s making headlines once again, both because it recently (finally) arrived on Disney+ and because Liv Tyler will find her way back into (the new) Bruce’s arms when she reprises her role as love interest Betty Ross in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World.
The Skeleton Dance
Fans of classic animation got some stellar news in 2023 when Disney announced it would be adding more than two dozen freshly restored old shorts to the Disney+ library. One of the most exciting titles among them is The Skeleton Dance, which revolutionized cartoon culture in 1929. Walt Disney himself wrote, directed, and produced this macabre comedy in which a group of resurrected skeletons rise from their graves and, yep, dance. This is actually much funnier and/or more impressive than it sounds.
Stan Lee
Easily the most recognizable name in comics, Stan Lee has had an impact on the medium—and on pop culture broadly—that simply can’t be overstated. Director David Gelb’s documentary about “The Man” delves into not only his legacy, but also his history. Tracing the comics maestro’s life from his early years in New York City to his work cocreating iconic characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther to his time as everyone’s favorite Marvel movie cameo, Stan Lee is essential viewing for any fan.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
After you’ve seen The Dial of Destiny, go back and witness Indy’s origins in Steven Spielberg’s classic 1980s adventure film, which sprang partly from the mind of George Lucas. The film, set in 1936, sees a seemingly quiet archaeology professor turned adventurer duking it out with Nazis in an attempt to recover the Ark of the Covenant. Indy’s follow-up adventures—The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), and (if you must) The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)—are all available too.
Spider-Man
While Sam Raimi’s Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies predate the official MCU, the famed director really set the stage for what that future universe would look like, with its mix of solid storytelling, genuine laughs, and impressive visuals. Maguire is perfectly cast as the awkwardly charming Peter Parker, who—having just discovered his superhero powers—is learning to harness them.
Venom
Venom may not have been a hit with critics, but WIRED senior editor Angela Watercutter nailed exactly what the movie was when she called it “a bad movie with great cult-movie potential.” While it rivals Doctor Strange for its stacked cast of serious talent—Tom Hardy in the lead, with Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed costarring, plus Zombieland’s Reuben Fleischer as director—the end result was, well, a bit of a jumbled mess. Nonetheless, it somehow manages to be compelling, even if you just turn it on to watch Hardy mumble, eat Tater Tots, and almost literally chew scenery for 112 minutes.
The Original Star Wars Trilogy
Naturally, Star Wars is one of the big attractions on Disney+. And it goes without saying, or at least it should, that the films that comprise the original trilogy are the best of the bunch—and the only Star Wars movies you should watch if you’re opting not to binge all dozen or so features. The caveat for pickier fans is that these are the versions that have been messed with by George Lucas post-release. Some things, like the improved visuals in and around Cloud City, are thoughtful additions, but others are more controversial.
The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
More than 20 years after Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (aka simply Star Wars) helped to define the Hollywood blockbuster, George Lucas returned to the space opera well with an all-new trilogy for an all-new generation of moviegoers. It went about as well as you’d expect. We won’t pretend that The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and/or Revenge of the Sith (2005) have even an ounce of the heart, humor, or heroism of the original films. But they’ve become essential pop culture viewing, and a rite of passage for sci-fi fans, if only to get what all the Jar Jar Binks hate is about.
The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, it was essentially George Lucas handing over the keys to the Millennium Falcon. While fans were rightly skeptical about whether the Mouse House would be able—or even want—to recapture the slightly countercultural environment in which the series was originally created, one hopeful thought united them all: Whatever Disney concocted could not be worse than the Prequel Trilogy. And they were right. By giving the reins to J.J. Abrams (The Force Awakens), Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi), then Abrams once again (The Rise of Skywalker), the series became more of a love letter to the original films and the generations of filmmakers—and fans—they inspired. Happily, actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver proved worthy successors to the smugglers, scavengers, Jedi masters, and Sith Lords who preceded them.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
As WIRED senior writer Jason Parham wrote in his review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, this movie is haunted by the absence of Chadwick Boseman, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s original King T’Challa who died following a battle with colon cancer in 2020. To that end, writer-director Ryan Coogler had to make a much different kind of superhero film, one that addressed the loss of its main character while also pushing Marvel’s cinematic storyline forward into its next phase. “It’s rare for MCU films to channel the turbulence of grief with such unflinching focus,” Parham wrote. “Coogler has equipped his sequel with a changed vocabulary: It speaks equally from a place of loss as it does triumph. Grief is its mother tongue.” To that end, the director uses the death of T’Challa to usher in a new Black Panther as well as new heroes (Ironheart) and adversaries-turned-allies (Namor).
Turning Red
Mei Lee is a 13-year-old with a problem: Whenever she’s overcome with any sort of overwhelming emotion, which is just about every emotion at that age, she transforms into a giant red panda. Eventually, Mei comes to learn that it’s an inherited family trait. And while there are people who would like to exploit her supernatural powers, she slowly learns that only she has the power to control them. Think of this as a spiritual sequel to 2015’s Inside Out, which explored the complex inner workings of an 11-year-old’s constantly changing emotions.
If These Walls Could Sing
Abbey Road Studios is best known as the place where the Beatles recorded some of their most iconic albums, including 1969’s Abbey Road. But the hallowed halls of this legendary music studio have played a much bigger role in the music industry, as it has hosted the likes of everyone from Elton John, Pink Floyd, and Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Adele, Oasis, Kate Bush, and Frank Ocean. This documentary, which comes on the heels of Peter Jackson’s docuseries The Beatles: Get Back (which is also streaming on Disney+ and is highly recommended), is directed by Mary McCartney—daughter of Sir Paul—who practically grew up in the studio and, as such, is able to treat her subject with the reverence it deserves.
Avatar
James Cameron’s Avatar was all anyone could talk about when it was released in theaters in 2009 and promptly went on to make more than $1 billion, becoming the cinematic iceberg that sank another Cameron epic, 1997’s Titanic, from its place as the highest-grossing movie of all time. For a movie that made so much bank, it never occupied a huge space in the cultural conversation about movies. Like so many of Cameron’s works, much of its innovation came from the technology that essentially had to be invented to make it possible.
Iron Man
The MCU has released nearly three dozen films since 2008, yet the very first of them—Iron Man—remains one of the best. It’s almost hard to believe how hard director Jon Favreau had to fight to get Robert Downey Jr. the leading role, as he’s arguably one of the MCU’s most beloved figures. Before there was a whole franchise plus a shared TV universe, Downey, as Tony Stark/Iron Man, was just allowed to do his thing. It was a gamble that paid off for all involved.
West Side Story
From Martin Scorsese to Spike Lee, pretty much every great director has made—or at least tried to make—a grand Hollywood musical, perhaps one of the toughest genres to successfully pull off. Steven Spielberg made the task even more difficult when he decided to adapt Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents’ West Side Story—which Robert Wise already did to great acclaim in 1961. But, Spielberg (being Spielberg) managed to create an updated take on the story of Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler), two love-struck teens caught in the middle of an escalating rivalry between two street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. The update gives nods to the original (like casting Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role as Anita in Wise’s film) while improving on some of its controversial aspects (like casting Natalie Wood in the role of a Puerto Rican teen).
Lady and the Tramp
Sure, you can watch the live-action/CGI version that Disney+ released shortly after it launched, but why bother when the 1955 original is here too? Put aside the rather vulgar stereotypes that were common at the time (the movie now comes with a warning) and Lady and the Tramp remains one of the most iconic Disney animations, and a love story for the ages. When a spoiled cocker spaniel named Lady finds herself competing with a new baby for the attention of her parents, she ends up getting loose and befriending a mangy but charming mutt named Tramp. Ultimately, Lady needs to choose the pampered life she’s always known with Jim Dear and Darling, or a life of spaghetti dinner discards with the hopelessly romantic Tramp—unless there’s another way.
The Muppet Movie
Between The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson and the Muppets were everywhere in 1979. Their first big-screen outing serves as more of a prequel, as it follows Kermit the Frog’s journey from a swamp in Florida to Hollywood, where he’s headed to pursue his dreams of becoming a movie star. Along the way, we get to witness where and how he meets the fellow members of his felt-made crew, from Fozzie Bear to Miss Piggy. Hijinks ensue when a restaurateur named Doc Hopper doesn’t take too kindly to Kermit turning down his offer to serve as the official legs of his chain’s famous fried frog legs, and follows the frog in order to seek revenge.
Luca
Enrico Casarosa’s Luca earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2022 for its sweet and soulful story about a young boy named Luca who is hiding a dark secret: He’s a sea monster living in a town on the Italian Riviera that absolutely despises his kind. Ultimately, Luca is a moving coming-of-age film about friendship, family, and overcoming our own prejudices—and truly one of Pixar’s best features.
Captain Marvel
Marvel’s biggest mistake in the entire MCU canon (so far) was not commissioning Captain Marvel sooner. The film, set in the past, sees the rise of Marvel (Brie Larson) as she discovers her origin story and develops her powers. The film, the first entry in the Marvel universe with a female lead, channels the spirit of the 1990s both in its setting and in style, with heaping spoonfuls of Samuel L. Jackson and all the plot and subtlety of a blockbuster action movie. Larson adds a healthy dose of sarcasm to undercut her character’s immense power, and Jackson is eerily brilliant, making for a super fun 123 minutes.
Ant-Man
Who doesn’t love a heist movie? Paul Rudd’s MCU debut acted as something of a palate cleanser after the heavy, literally Earth-shattering events of Age of Ultron. Rudd plays Scott Lang, a reformed criminal who teams up with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter (Evangeline Lily) to keep Pym’s shrinking technology from falling into the wrong hands. The film’s depiction of quantum physics wouldn’t hold much water at CERN, but it’s terrific fun—thanks in part to Michael Peña’s star turn as Lang’s former cellmate Luis and, of course, Rudd’s legendary likability. If you want to make it a Rudd-athon, both Ant-Man and the Wasp and last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are streaming, too.
Mulan
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and its shutdown of almost the entire movie industry, Disney decided to try something new with its live-action version of Mulan by making it available to Disney+ subscribers instead of releasing it in theaters. The film itself is one of the latest in Disney’s recent string of live-action remakes and sees Liu Yifei in the title role, with reviews praising the cast, visuals, and action sequences.
Avengers: Endgame
There’s a moment in the event-movie-to-endgame-all-event-movies when you realize that writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have gone full Harry Potter and the Cursed Child all over the MCU. Once you get past the rather glum beginning, you can settle in for what you have come to expect from any Avengers movie: Tony Stark cracking wise; Doctor Strange doing weird things with his hands; Professor Hulk explaining the science of what’s going on; and Black Widow and Captain Marvel kicking ass, both emotionally and physically. It’s a messy but epic baton-pass in the form of an angsty portal-powered mega-battle. And we’re not going to lie: We’ve watched those audience reaction videos, and they too are a thing of joy.
Deadpool 2
This foul-mouthed superhero movie marks a definite departure from the vanilla content that was available on Disney+ in its first couple years of operation. Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool, who has the ability to heal from pretty much any injury—and is an angry, violent, wisecracking mercenary tasked with protecting a young mutant from a time-traveling soldier.
Hamilton
If you only know Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical from the obscenely high ticket prices and snippets of the soundtrack, here’s your chance to find out what all the fuss is about. A version of the production, recorded via a six-camera setup over two performances by the original Broadway cast, was put on Disney+ after plans to release it in cinemas were scrapped. Aside from a couple of censored swear words and the fact that it’s directed (by Thomas Kail), it’s essentially the same show—an energetic, empathetic, witty, quippy hip-hop musical about US founding father Alexander Hamilton.
All the Pixar Shorts
Now’s the time for a Pixar short sesh. You could do as the studio intended and pick out the correct short to watch before the main animated showing, or you could head to the Shorts tab and go wild with Pixar, Disney, and new Sparkshorts. WIRED’s faves are Lava (8 minutes), Bao (7 minutes), Purl (12 minutes), Smash and Grab (8 minutes), La Luna (6 minutes), Sanjay’s Super Team (7 minutes), and Day and Night (7 minutes). Out (9 minutes) is one of the latest, and for a slice of Pixar history, check out 1997’s Geri’s Game (4 minutes) and see if you recognize the chess player.
Moana
One of the potential answers to “What, oh, what to put on after Frozen and Frozen 2?” Moana is in fact better than Frozen. By that we simply mean better soundtrack, better heroine, better visuals, and better side quests. There’s also 100 percent more Dwayne Johnson as a tattooed demigod and Jemaine Clement as a giant crab doing a Bowie impression. Set thousands of years ago on the fictional, Polynesia-inspired island of Motunui, Moana’s hero’s journey is fairly classic, but the sumptuous animation and Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes are top-tier Disney. (Sure, we’d love to see Taika Waititi’s original script, but we can live without it.)
Free Solo
If your friend told you they’d decided to solo-climb up the sheer 3,000-foot granite El Capitan wall in Yosemite, California, with no rope, you’d think they had gone mad. But that’s exactly what Alex Honnold set out to do back in 2017. Honnold’s quest to climb the vertical wall was documented by his two director friends, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, as he took on the ascent to become the world’s first person to free-climb El Capitan. But it’s not just about the ascent, it’s also about Honnold’s complicated life, his emotional issues, and all the things that have driven him to pursue one of the most dangerous missions ever attempted by any free climber. The cinematography in Free Solo is also dizzyingly beautiful, and the entire thing will have you gripping the arm of your chair in terror.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) is an experimental inventor who creates an electromagnetic shrinking machine. Naturally, he accidentally shrinks his own children (if you didn’t already guess that from the title), plus the kids from next door, then unwittingly throws them in the trash. To have any chance of becoming their normal size again, the teeny tots must navigate their way across the family’s (now seemingly gigantic) yard and back to the house. It’s something fraught with peril when you’re half the size of an aspirin.
Toy Story (All of Them)
While it might have seemed that Pixar could never make anything as good as the original 1995 Toy Story, each of the three subsequent films add depth to the franchise’s canon. All of the movies are critically acclaimed—and they’re all available on Disney+. When combined, the four films tell a story about growing up and how everything in life, inevitably, changes. Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang go from learning how to deal with new people to understanding loss. It’s something that’s also followed the cast: In Toy Story 4, the voice of Mr. Potato Head was created through archive recordings after Don Rickles, as the man behind the voice, died ahead of the film’s release.
The Lion King
Remember the terrifying wildebeest stampede in the 1994 version of The Lion King? That was actually computer animated, because drawing them by hand would have taken a long, long time. Special attention was taken to blend it into the cel-shaded backgrounds, and this was all before Toy Story came out the following year. Which is all to say that not only is the ’90s version a perfect movie that had absolutely zero need for a charm-deficient 2019 remake (which is also streaming on Disney+ in case you want to compare), it’s also the best Lion King to use CG animation.
10 Things I Hate About You
Heath Ledger singing “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” on the bleachers. That’s the iconic scene in this top-caliber high school romcom. The plot is taken from The Taming of the Shrew, the cast—including Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt—are all adorable, and the late ’90s nostalgia is potent. Offering some much-needed variety from the sci-fi and animation that dominates the Disney+ launch catalog, 10 Things I Hate About You is as good as comfort-food movies get.
Tron & Tron: Legacy
Tron and its modern sequel, Tron: Legacy, aren’t your typical Disney films. The original sees a programmer (Jeff Bridges) become trapped inside a computer system where he meets and befriends programs, including the eponymous hero Tron, who are resisting the power of a growing artificial intelligence, the Master Control Program. It became a sci-fi cult classic, leading to the creation of a modern sequel that continues the story and features an epic score cowritten by Daft Punk. Both are watchable distractions, even if the sequel feels a little thin in places.
Willow
Another nostalgia fest, this time for fans of ’80s fantasy. Willow is a family-friendly, mythic quest that’s best seen as George Lucas and Ron Howard’s fun, $35 million Tolkien fan fiction. The story of a farmer tasked with protecting a magic baby from an evil queen is not exactly the most original story in the world, but that hasn’t stopped this from becoming a classic, with Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood and Val Kilmer waving a sword around. Classic Sunday afternoon fare.
Wreck-It Ralph
This sugary sweet animation tells the story of Ralph, a villain from an 1980s arcade game who wants to be something more than just the bad guy throwing debris off the top of an 8-bit building. One day, he goes AWOL from his game and ventures into the wider arcade—encountering a mish-mash of video game characters loosely based on your childhood favorites—from Hero’s Duty (a combination of Halo and Call of Duty, so basically Gears of War) to Sugar Rush (a weird mash-up of Mario Kart and Candy Crush), where he strikes up a friendship with a young girl racer.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier is among the best Marvel movies. It makes time for quieter character moments, and the action, while still spectacular, feels a little more grounded and real than the CGI-fueled shock and awe of the mainline movies. In this outing, Captain America faces off against a rogue element of SHIELD led by Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce.
Thor: Ragnarok
The first two Thor films were among the worst in the whole series—Chris Hemsworth’s thunder god was dour and charmless. But here, director Taika Waititi injected some much-needed color into the proceedings, borrowing heavily from the Planet Hulk storyline from the comics. Thor finds himself stranded on a bizarre planet, ruled over by Jeff Goldblum (who is pretty much playing himself). There, he crosses paths with Bruce Banner’s Hulk, who has been missing since the events of Civil War. It’s hugely funny, and arguably the best film of the series.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The newer Star Wars one-off films attract strong opinions, and Rogue One is no different. But while it has its issues, it fills an important hole in the universe and features some of the best action sequences in the entire saga. Its main black mark is the rather iffy CGI recreation of Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin, but it’s still a fun romp that lacks the narrative baggage of the new trilogy.
Black Panther
Black Panther had a huge cultural impact. It was refreshingly unusual to see a blockbuster superhero film with such a diverse cast—and the Afrofuturist setting was unlike anything Marvel had ever done before. Michael B. Jordan steals the show as Killmonger, who returns to his father’s home to claim the throne from T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman).
WALL·E
Released in 2008, a time when, for many, the climate crisis felt like a distant, abstract threat, WALL·E is classic Pixar. It’s a love story—sort of—that focuses on two robots. But it’s also a story about survival, believing in yourself, and dancing through the vacuum of space propelled by a fire extinguisher. The animation, especially on the desolate, barren Earth, is a sight to behold. The opening scenes of the film are also basically a silent film, with the score and robotic sound effects doing a fantastic job bringing out the emotion and drama of what’s happening.
Inside Out
Don’t cry. But also cry. A lot. Inside Out is the perfect realization of what every Pixar film strives to achieve. On the surface, it’s a comedic look at human emotion, the complexity of a child growing up, and the delicate balance of family life. But by literally getting inside the head of 11-year-old Riley, the film finds a way to bring emotion to life in a way that is at once comedic, profound, and often ingenious. A sequel, featuring a new slate of emotions, is scheduled for release in June 2024.
Up
Pixar’s Up can claim one of the most moving opening scenes of any movie. Despite being released more than a decade ago, in 2009, the animation hasn’t aged or lost any of its charm. In a little over 90 minutes, director Pete Docter takes us on the journey of Carl, an old widower who is seeking out Paradise Falls. Carl’s trip in his flying house is made in memory of his wife, Ellie, who had always wanted to visit the falls. The film won two Oscars—Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score—but was also nominated for three more. These included Best Picture, which at the time made it only the second animated film to have received the nomination (1991’s Beauty and the Beast—which is also streaming on Disney+, and most definitely worth a rewatch—was the first).
The Straight Story
David Lynch has built a career on being wonderfully bizarre and surreal. But the strangest thing he might have ever done was to make this G-rated family drama for Disney, which seemed to fly way under the radar. Richard Farnsworth earned a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role as stubborn—and ailing—old man Alvin Straight, who decides to reconnect with his estranged brother (Harry Dean Stanton) after a decade of not speaking. So Alvin hits the road, on his riding lawn mower, to make the 300-mile journey.
The Jungle Book
Whatever mood you’re in, Disney+ has The Jungle Book to suit it. The streaming service has both the 1967 animated classic, with its catchy soundtrack and moments of humor, plus the live-action version released in 2016. The two films couldn’t be more different. If you want to go for full family entertainment, pick the original, but if you’re after something a little darker, the modern remake is where you should head. (Bonus fact: The entire live-action film was shot in a warehouse.)
Guardians of the Galaxy
The first volume of Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t burst into the MCU until 2014, which is relatively late considering Phase One began with Iron Man in 2008. However, it’s become a firm fan favorite, providing some of the Universe’s most memorable (and important) characters. Quill, Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Nebula are all distinctive and in many ways more likable than other key MCU characters. Guardians is worth returning to if you want to remember a slightly simpler time before Thanos’ Snap.
