A federal judge dismissed Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the grounds that the entertainment giant did not have sufficient standing to bring the First Amendment challenge.
In the lawsuit, Disney argued that DeSantis had unconstitutionally retaliated against the company by organizing a state takeover of the special taxing district that had been created in 1967 and covered the 25,000-plus acres now occupied by the Walt Disney World resort’s theme parks, hotels, and various other facilities. Disney claimed that DeSantis had engaged in a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney” in response to Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek publicly criticizing DeSantis’ approval of a law that restricted discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
In Wednesday’s ruling, federal Judge Allen Winsor wrote that Disney fell short of proving the retaliation claim. Disney, he wrote, “has not alleged any specific actions the new board took (or will take) because of the governor’s alleged control.”
In a statement, DeSantis’ spokesman Jeff Redfern said Wednesday’s ruling vindicated the governor’s view that “Disney is still just one of many corporations in the state, and they do not have a right to their own special government.”
Meanwhile, Disney has vowed to appeal the ruling. “This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here,” the company said in a statement. “If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with.”
Indeed, DeSantis may have prevailed within the letter of the law, but there is little doubt that his actions toward Disney were a direct response to Chapek’s criticism. We know this because DeSantis has said and written as much.
“When Disney first came out against the bill…people in the legislature started floating this idea of going after Reedy Creek,” DeSantis toldThe American Conservative in an interview published in May. Meanwhile, DeSantis wrote extensively about his fight with Disney in his recent book, The Courage To Be Free, and leaves little doubt about how he approached the issue. In one passage, DeSantis writes that “things got worse for Disney” after the company criticized his policies. Finally, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last February, DeSantis explained that his administration’s actions toward Disney were an attempt to “fight back” against the corporation’s so-called “woke ideology” as expressed in Disney’s criticism.
Winsor says those actions don’t meet the legal standard for being unconstitutional. Fine. It’s still deeply distasteful for a governor to target a private company because its leaders dared to criticize his policy choices—and DeSantis’ handling of this situation should not become a model for other chief executives, no matter what the courts have to say about it.
Walt Disney Co.’s lawsuit against Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and others, alleging they retaliated against the company for publicly criticizing a controversial parents-rights education law backed by DeSantis, was dismissed by a federal judge on Wednesday.
Shares of Disney DIS, -0.92%
fell about 1% Monday.
Judge Allen Winsor ruled Disney lacked legal standing to sue DeSantis. He added that Disney’s charges “fail on the merits” against members of the Florida board of a special improvement district in which the company operates its parks and resort.
In his ruling, Winsor said Disney “has not alleged any specific actions the new board took (or will take) because of the governor’s alleged control.” He added the company “has not alleged any specific injury from any board action.”
“Its alleged injury … is its operating under a board it cannot control. That injury would exist whether or not the governor controlled the board,” he wrote.
Disney strongly suggested it will appeal Winsor’s ruling.
“This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here,” the company said in a statement. “If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case.”
The controversial legislation, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, was passed in 2022.
Check out “Loki,” the thrilling Marvel Studios’ series, at a screening and conversation with the stars!
Monday, January 29, 2024 5:59PM
ABC7 wants to send you to the the nation’s premiere TV festival, Paleyfest LA!
Six lucky winners will receive a pair of VIP tickets to see Marvel Studios’ “Loki” at the Dolby Theatre on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m.
The event features an episode screening, conversation with the stars and Q&A with the audience.
Presale tickets for PaleyFest LA go on sale to Paley members Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at 9 a.m. PDT at paleycenter.org. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 2, 2024, at 9 a.m. PDT
Ticket giveaway open to residents of the KABC-TV DMA who are at least 18 years of age. See Official Rules here.
Pokémon Concierge, the stop-motion animated series that launched on Netflix in December, is a total vibe. After spending time watching a lovely series about a Pokémon resort, I almost don’t want to go back to battling and training. I just want to hang out with all these little guys and take a neverending vacation. Unfortunately, that’s not the core of most Pokémon games, but it is nice to picture what a Pokémon Concierge video game could look like. Thankfully, we don’t have to imagine it, as some artists have already created a mock-up of it for the original Game Boy, though it’s unfortunately not a playable game. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days.
On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI startup Rabbit’s nifty hardware and app makers debating launching apps tailor-made for Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
There’s a decent chunk of news to recap this week, so let’s get to it. But first, a reminder to sign up here to receive WiR in your inbox every Saturday if you haven’t already done so.
News
Disney’s VR treadmill: Disney has developed a treadmill-like system for VR composed of hundreds of small, round “tiles” that look to be about the size of a silver dollar, Brian writes. Each serve as a kind of mini, omnidirectional treadmill.
OpenAI fixes GPT-4:OpenAI dropped prices on a number of AI models this week as it rolled out a fix for its “lazy” GPT-4 models that refused to work — and launched new models for specific use cases.
Apple’s new device protection: Romain writes about Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, like accessing stored passwords and credit cards.
Vision Pro apps a maybe:After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.
Analysis
Rabbit’s r1: AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.
Podcasts
On Equity, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.
Meanwhile, Found featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.
And Chain Reaction had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.
TechCrunch+
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys — which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not, consider signing up. Here are a few highlights from this week:
The tech layoff surge: Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.
HPE’s deal for Juniper:Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn’t mess it up).
Fintech, down but not out: Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.
Bonus round
Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech: Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.
Legendary inventor Lanny Smoot is making history as the first Disney Imagineer to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall Of Fame
The brilliant mind behind Madame Leota’s floating head inside the Haunted Mansion, state-of-the art Star Wars lightsabers, the Magic Playfloor interactive game experience on the Disney Cruise Line, and much more is only the second person from The Walt Disney Company to be inducted.
The first? Walt Disney, of course, who was honored posthumously for the multiplane camera.
For over 45 years, Lanny has worked as a theatrical technology creator, inventor, electrical engineer, scientist and researcher while racking up over 100 patents.
74 of his patents were created during his 25 years at The Walt Disney Company.
“At Disney Experiences, we’re committed to world-class storytelling, creativity and innovation in everything we do, and Lanny Smoot embodies every one of those ideals,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences.
“As Disney’s most prolific inventor, Lanny continues to amaze all of us with his artistic ingenuity, technical expertise and endless imagination.”
Lanny has been instrumental in creating iconic special effects and technical advancements at our theme parks and experiences around the world.
Source: Disney
When deciding which of his patents to list for his National Inventors Hall of Fame induction, Lanny chose “Where’s the Fire?” at Innoventions previously featured at EPCOT.
This interactive exhibit educated guests on fire safety and the importance of fire prevention through engaging challenges. Guests were able to “shine” a special flashlight on the walls of a house and, through the magic of Lanny’s technology, could spot fire dangers while learning to prevent these from happening in the future.
“As a life-long inventor, I am excited, delighted, and humbled to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame,” he said. “To be included alongside my childhood hero, Thomas Edison, and my lifelong role model, Jim West — the inventor of the electret microphone, is both exciting and humbling.
And as someone who’s had the privilege of working at The Walt Disney Company, it’s especially meaningful to know that Walt Disney himself is also an inductee.”
Lanny is the recipient of many awards and honors, including three Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) for his work on attractions like Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Kim Possible: World Showcase Adventure, and the Ghost Post experience.
His expertise in theatrical technology also earned him the esteemed title of TEA Master in 2020.
Source: Disney
Prior to joining Disney, Lanny completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at Columbia University. He then worked at Bell Labs and later at Bell Communications Research where he was a pioneering force in the early development of video-on-demand technology, video conferencing, and specialized television systems for remote locations, among other notable patents.
Currently, he’s working on the HoloTile floor–the world’s first, and only, multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable, treadmill floor where any number of people can have a shared virtual reality experience and walk an unlimited distance in any direction but never collide or walk off its surface.
Besides the immediate VR and gaming applications and potential theme park uses, the HoloTile floor allows performers to move and dance in new ways or stage props and structures that move around or appear to set themselves up.
Check out a sneak peek at the impressive tech below:
Remember the Virtuix Omni? I’ll never forget trying out an early version of the virtual reality treadmill in a hotel suite many E3s ago. The system, which features a concave platform and slippery shoes, was clever enough to influence Ready Player One’s take on the space. The electronics-free system finally started shipping earlier this year.
One thing you can say about VR is that it’s inspiring a lot of creative solutions to different issues around the tech. Movement is a major one, of course. You lose some of that visceral sensation when your FPV avatar is cruising around while you’re just sat there on the couch.
For the foreseeable future, however, all solutions will have some key drawbacks. Price is one in Omni’s case, and likely will be for a lion’s share of these sorts of peripherals. Other issues are size (it’s huge) and sound (it’s very noisy).
HoloTile — which recently made its YouTube debut at the end of a video honoring Disney Research fellow, Lanny Smoot – is an extremely clever and honestly quite elegant solution to some of these issues.
The system is comprised of hundreds of small, round “tiles” that look to be about the size of a silver dollar. Each serve as a kind of mini, omnidirectional treadmill. Working together, their only task is to stop the walker from leaving the pad.
“I can walk on this omni directional floor in any direction I want,” Smoot says in the video. “It will automatically do whatever it needs to have me stay on the floor. And what’s amazing about this is multiple people can be on it and all walking independently. They can walk in virtual reality, and so many other things.”
The ability to support multiple people is, perhaps, the most impressive bit of all of this. Of course, plenty of questions abound, including top speed (Smoot is moving very deliberately in the video) and how much weight they’re capable of sporting. The big caveat to all of this is that the HoloTile appears to very much be a research project at the moment.
One also assumes that a system like this in its current form would be prohibitively expensive for home use. If it’s going to see the light of day, it seems likely that it will be as part of a Disney Parks VR experience.
One of the hottest shows out there right now is a little animated series called Bluey on Disney+. The little Australian heeler named Bluey, along with her family, has completely taken over the world. Yes, it may be listed as a children’s show, but it is something that people of all ages can (and should) enjoy. Each episode is only about seven minutes long, so do yourself a favor and add a little joy to your day by putting one on.
Yes, I may be a little biased about how amazing Bluey is since I watch it with my kids. However, plenty of child-free adults have told me they love the show, too. Maybe the high episode count has you feeling a little intimidated about where to start. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place: We’ve picked the best episodes for adults and parents to enjoy.
1. “Takeaway”
Taking your kids anywhere opens up an opportunity for chaos. Bandit experiences that firsthand in “Takeaway” when he brings Bluey and Bingo along to pick up dinner. While waiting for part of their order, the kids go from playing a cute game to their food falling in some water and one of them needing to pee in a bush.
2. “Calypso”
Bluey’s teacher Calypso is a force of magic I wish I could emulate, and the episode “Calypso” shows exactly how amazing she is. During playtime, all the children go to play different games and experience problems they want Calypso to help with. Instead of providing them with the answers, she just nudges them in the right direction, and it all comes together beautifully. Sometimes it’s good to remember that doing less can actually accomplish more.
3. “The Beach”
(Disney+)
The Heeler family goes on a day trip in “The Beach.” This episode focuses mainly on Bluey pretending to be a mermaid who gets her legs. She wants to chase after her mom but gets nervous about encountering some things alone. However, my favorite part of the episode is when the kids ask Bandit why Chili likes to take walks on her own, and he just says that she likes to be alone sometimes. As a mom who does like to be alone sometimes, I liked how they slipped this normal mom behavior in there without the kids’ feelings being hurt.
4. “The Sleepover”
I don’t know how they did it, but the writers of Bluey perfectly captured having a deliriously tired child around in “The Sleepover.” Bluey and Bingo’s cousin Muffin comes over to stay the night. The girls think they are going to get to stay up late, but Muffin is younger and has just started skipping naps. Muffin unleashes all that crazy kid energy all over the Heeler house.
5. “Hammerbarn”
In “Hammerbarn,” Bandit discovers their neighbor, Lucky’s Dad, got a new outdoor pizza oven. Being a total adult, Bandit gets the family together for a trip to the home improvement store—Hammerbarn—so he can also get a new pizza oven. After watching this episode, I wondered how much a pizza oven would cost and if it was justifiable.
6. “Squash”
“Squash” proves that sibling rivalry never goes away, no matter how old you are. Bluey and Bingo pretend to control Bandit and their uncle Stripe as the adults play a game of squash. The kids compete to win bragging rights, just like the grown men.
7. “Stumpfest”
“Stumpfest” might be my favorite episode of Bluey. Bandit, Stripe, and Lucky’s Dad enjoy being sweaty dudes while removing stumps from the lawn as the ladies watch and sip lemonade. That is, until they have to go against a group of girls trying to run a pretend nail salon. Leave them alone, they are just trying to run a small business! Adults and kids may play differently, but we all still love playing.
8. “Rug Island”
(Disney+)
Sometimes it is good to take a step back as an adult. On “Rug Island,” Bandit takes time away from his work schedule to enjoy playtime in the backyard with Bluey and Bingo on their imaginary island paradise. In the end, Bandit knows he must return to his real-world duties, but staying on the island is so tempting.
9. “Sticky Gecko”
“Sticky Gecko” is one of the most relatable episodes of Bluey. Parents can feel Chili’s frustration with trying to get two unwilling children out of the door on time, even though she is trying to take them on a playdate. I think everyone can understand when Bluey and Chili realize that being punctual or stressing yourself out to go to a social situation may not be the best course of action, either.
10. “The Show”
Having children can be rough, but there are moments, like the ones in “The Show,” that make it all worthwhile. Bluey and Bingo put on a show for Chili on Mother’s Day that tells the story of her journey to become a mom. It’s hilarious to hear the children’s take on it and heartwarming when Bluey learns a lesson from Chili on how to help Bingo. The episode is just so cute.
11. “Bus”
I love it when kids have commentary on adult behavior while pretending to be adults, like in “Bus.” When Bluey and Bingo dress as the grannies Rita and Janet, I literally can’t get enough of it. Plus they give Chili relationship advice.
12. “Café”
Making friends gets harder as we get older, but “Café” reminds us that maybe it isn’t as tough as we think. Bluey and Bandit go to the same park each morning before breakfast where they meet another dad and kid. The kids hit it off and the dads do, too. Bandit doesn’t realize he made a new friend until Bluey points it out.
13. “Whale Watching”
(Disney+)
In “Whale Watching,” Chili and Bandit party a little too hard at a New Year’s Eve celebration, so they are lying around while Bluey and Bingo watch a documentary about whales (narrated by Natalie Portman). Eventually, the kids want their parents to play with them, and parental guilt wins out over self-preservation. Chili and Bandit are most relatable when not wanting to move after trying to relive their younger, pre-children days.
14. “Unicorse”
“Unicorse” is one of the funniest episodes of Bluey. While Chili tries to read Bluey a bedtime story to get her to settle down, Bandit goes over the top playing with a rude puppet named Unicorse. Sometimes in life we are Chili being irritated, sometimes we are Bluey trying to relax with too much stimuli around, and sometimes we are Bandit being extra as hell. Just try not to be Unicorse because he is the worst.
15. “Fairytale”
Bandit shares a story from his childhood in the 1980s with a horrified Bluey and Bingo in “Fairytale.” It is funny how things we grew up with in the ’80s and ’90s are so foreign to kids now—like not wearing helmets, relentlessly teasing your siblings, and your parents being kind of mean to you. Sometimes your kids don’t realize that you may have been kind of bratty as a child.
16. “Onesies”
“Onesies” is equal parts hilarious and heartbreakingly deep. Chili’s sister Brandy visits the Heelers for the first time in years. She brings animal onesies (like footy pajamas) for the kids. Bingo becomes one with her cheetah onesie and tries to eat everyone. We find out that Brandy doesn’t visit often because seeing the girls (especially Bingo, who looks a lot like Brandy) makes her sad that she can’t have children. It’s vague enough that children won’t get it, but it made me sob.
17. “Space”
It can be easy to forget that children are little people full of emotions that they don’t yet fully understand (honestly, I don’t understand all my emotions, either). “Space” reminds us that kids process much of the outside world through imaginative play. Rusty, Jack, and Mackenzie play a seemingly innocuous game of astronauts exploring space. But Mackenzie keeps trying to get left behind to understand the feelings he had when he thought his mom left him at the playground. They are so small, yet they have so many big emotions.
18. “Housework”
Every adult knows that cleaning your house is the absolute worst. Most of the time we just put our heads down and get through it like Chili and Bandit try to do in “Housework.” However, Bluey and Bingo make up a game while cleaning up their pillow fort. As they pick up the pillows, they have to do a silly walk and cannot repeat the walk during the game. Chili and Bandit watch them and remember that even boring chores can be made into something fun with a little imagination.
19. “Granny Mobile”
(Disney+)
Bluey and Bingo’s cousin Muffin is full-on chaos and “Granny Mobile” gives her a chance to shine. It’s always the best when Bluey and Bingo dress as grannies, but when Muffin takes on the role of “grouchy granny,” magic ensues. Muffin even goes head to head with a real-life grouchy granny and lives to tell the tale. I think everyone could add a little more grouchy granny to their daily routines.
20. “Dragon”
Bluey feels like her dragon drawings aren’t good enough. Each member of the Heeler family draws a character like themselves to look for a dragon to encourage Bluey to draw the dragon. Bingo’s skills are as wild as you would think for her age. Bandit’s skills are rough but decent. Chili’s drawings stand out as amazing. As they draw their adventure, both parents recall comments on their drawings when they were around Bluey’s age. Bandit’s drawing received negative comments, which caused him to stop drawing. On the other hand, Chili’s mom (who is deceased) encouraged Chili to keep drawing to improve her skills which were perfectly fine for her age. It shows how little comments, both negative and positive, can shape children.
21. “Cricket”
(Disney+)
This episode…wow. The creators of Bluey are so brilliant. It’s astounding what emotional impact they can pack into an 8-minute episode. At a birthday party for one of the kids, the adults try to strike Rusty out in cricket. What they don’t know is Rusty LOVES cricket, so he’s extremely skilled. We see snippets of Rusty’s home life and how he developed his skills. Rusty wanted to play with his older brother and his friends. That meant practicing.
When he gets hit with a real cricket ball, he almost gives up. But after reading encouraging letters from his dad, Rusty continues. He gets so good he can hit the ball to avoid the kitchen window at home. Rusty only gets out when he purposefully hits the ball so his little sister can catch it. Rusty’s supportive family dynamic made this pup into a sweet and talented kid. Much like “Dragon,” this episode shows how encouraging a child can change their lives. In the last shot, we see Rusty walking past his future self—a professional cricket player.
“Wizards of Waverly Place” fans rejoice: magical sibling duo Alex and Justin Russo are making a return to TV in the pilot of the show’s new sequel, “Wizards.”
Selena Gomez and David Henrie, who played Alex and Justin in the original show which debuted in 2007, will be executive producers of the pilot, Disney Branded Television confirmed to CBS News.
Gomez is set to appear in the pilot as a guest star and Henrie will appear as Justin on a regular basis. The cast will also include new arrivals to Waverly Place, like Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele and Mimi Gianopulos.
The magic-filled sequel follows the story of Justin, who leaves his job at WizTech and his magic powers behind to live a normal life with his family — until a powerful young wizard shows up at his door looking for training, according to the press release. “Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.”
The pilot episode is written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who were behind the reboot of “That’s So Raven.”
On her Instagram story, Gomez posted a throwback photo of herself with Henrie on the set of “Wizards of Waverly Place” with the caption, “We’re back.” She also posted that she is “so excited” with a screenshot of Deadline’s report, as well as a picture of what appears to be the “Wizards” pilot script with the caption, “Home again.”
Disney Channel and Henrie also hinted at the news, posting the front cover of the pilot script next to a wand on Instagram.
“The Russos are excited to become a part of your family, but we’ve grown,” Henrie wrote in the caption of his post. “2024, the year magic comes back.”
We’re less than a year away from experiencing Tiana’s Bayou Adventure which received a stunning new update courtesy of Louisiana’s master blacksmith Darryl Reeves.
The custom handcrafted weathervane is located at one of the high points of the long-awaited ride that will open at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida later this year.
Whether it’s historic wrought iron fences or intricately designed custom pieces, Darryl’s signature metalwork is displayed across New Orleans and around the world.
Source: Disney
With over 50 years of service to his craft and city, the third generation master blacksmith and Vietnam Veteran was the perfect choice to bring his brilliance to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
“I take metal and do anything I want with it,” he said proudly in an interview with Disney Parks Blog. “To have a free hand to design and fabricate the weathervane for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure…that’s an honor.”
Working alongside his apprentice, Karina Roca, Darryl crafted the weathervane using centuries old techniques with a subtle African flair.
Check out the intriguing creative process in the video below:
As previously reported, one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s highest priorities is bringing the authenticity of New Orleans to the ride that tells the story of Princess Tiana’s journey to open Tiana’s Foods.
Soon, we’ll finally get to experience that magical journey but, until then, guests can enjoy Tiana’s Palace which opened at Walt Disneyland Resort last September.
The New Orleans-inspired restaurant serves gumbo, beignets, mac & cheese, cajun spiced half chicken, beef po’boy sandwiches, gulf shrimp and grits, Muffuletta Sandwiches, and more.
Inspired by The Princess and the Frog, Tiana’s Palace headlined a lineup of new and updated experiences at Disneyland Resort.
The hit Disney comedy series Wizards of Waverly Place is getting a sequel series, set to feature original stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie in guest roles.
According to a recent report from Deadline, Disney Branded Television has ordered a pilot for a follow-up series, which will also be executive-produced by Gomez and Henrie. Gomez and Henrie will be appearing in the series in guest roles, where they’ll reprise their original roles as Alex and Justin Russo, respectively. Alongside Gomez and Henrie, the new series will also star Janice LeAnn Brown (Disney’s Just Roll with It), Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat), and Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess).
The new pilot will be written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who were also the duo behind the Disney Channel comedy spin-off Raven’s Home, which is based on the hit Disney sitcom That’s So Raven.
What is the new series about?
Deadline’s report notes that the new pilot will focus on a “mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door… and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.”
Wizards of Waverly Place was a fantasy teen sitcom that originally aired on the Disney Channel for four seasons between 2007 and 2012. The series followed Selena Gomez’s Alex Russo, a teenage wizard living in New York City and training their magical powers alongside her siblings Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin).
The series was one of the most popular comedies to air on Disney Channel, with its series finale being the most-watched final episode of any Disney Channel show. The series also helped catapult Selena Gomez into stardom, with the singer and actress taking on more prominent roles following the show’s end in 2012.
A decision last week by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that revived a First Amendment challenge by former prosecutor Andrew Warren, who was suspended by DeSantis, should support Disney’s arguments against the governor, the company said Thursday in a court filing.
“The same values are at stake here,” Disney said.
After DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature took control of the governing district of Walt Disney World near Orlando, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court in Tallahassee last year against DeSantis and his appointees to the district’s governing board. Before DeSantis appointed the new members to the board, it had been controlled by Disney supporters for more than five decades.
Disney claims its free speech rights were violated in retaliation for the company opposing the state’s new so-called Don’t Say Gay law, which bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. The law was championed by DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for president .
The governor’s attorneys have argued that the case should be dismissed, claiming DeSantis is immune since he doesn’t enforce any of the laws that removed supervision of the government from the Disney supporters.
A decision by the judge on whether the case should be dismissed could help determine who controls the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which performs municipal services such as planning, mosquito control and firefighting in the roughly 40 square miles (100 square kilometers) in central Florida that make up Disney World.
In response to Disney’s court filing last week, the DeSantis appointees contend that the Tampa prosecutor’s free speech case is different from Disney’s lawsuit. The prosecutor’s case dealt with actions taken by the governor, whereas Disney’s lawsuit involves legislation passed by the Legislature, the appointees said in a court filing.
“Unlike a challenge to one official’s unilateral action, Disney challenges laws enacted by a majority of lawmakers in both houses of the Florida Legislature and approved by both of Florida’s political branches,” the appointees said.
In its decision last week, the appeals court panel sent Warren’s case back to a trial judge in Tallahassee to determine whether the governor’s suspension was improperly focused on statements Warren signed along with other prosecutors opposing certain legislation to criminalize abortion and gender-affirming health care.
DeSantis cited those advocacy statements in his August 2022 suspension of Warren, a Democrat whom the governor replaced with Republican Suzy Lopez as the Tampa-based state attorney.
After his appeals court victory last week, Warren’s lawyers asked that the case be wrapped up quickly so he can decide whether to seek reelection as state attorney. Warren’s attorneys have asked the appeals judges to speed up deadlines for any subsequent filings and to immediately send the case back to the Tallahassee federal judge for a final decision. If the judge rules in Warren’s favor, he could get his prosecutor job back.
“One year remains on Mr. Warren’s term, and it should not be consumed by unnecessary delays in legal proceedings,” his lawyers wrote.
The 11th Circuit ordered DeSantis’ attorneys to respond to the request by Wednesday.
Disney and DeSantis’ board appointees are also involved in a state court lawsuit over control of the district.
___
Associated Press writer Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida, contributed to this report.
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Bluey x Camp, an immersive experience for young Bluey fans, is coming to Chicago this spring! But what is it, exactly? Is it worth attending? And how much money are we talking about?
Here’s everything you need to know about Bluey x Camp, from a real live parent who survived the experience.
What is Bluey x Camp?
Camp is a retailer that puts on “immersive experiences” for children. These experiences are based on popular movies and TV shows—hence the Bluey experience—and they bring the shows to life by recreating sets, props, characters, and more.
In the Bluey experience, kids explore a recreation of the Heelers’ home. After an introductory mini-episode in which Bluey and Bingo start a game of hide and seek with their parents, kids enter the house, where they can explore each room, play with toys, listen to stories, and play games like Dance Mode and Keepy Uppy with the counselors who facilitate the experience. After about 45 minutes of exploration and play, kids get to meet and have their picture taken with Bluey and Bingo.
What age group is Bluey x Camp for?
The Bluey x Camp experience is aimed mainly at preschoolers and kindergarteners. If you have a toddler or a first-grader, they’ll still have fun. My kid is 6, and although she was one of the older kids in the Los Angeles experience, she still had a blast. If you’re a parent, you’ll definitely be bored, but you can occupy yourself by taking lots of pictures of your ecstatic kiddo. Oh, and make sure you act like a chicken when the counselor points the magic asparagus at you, or you’ll scar your kid for life. I’m not kidding.
When and where is Bluey x Camp Chicago happening?
Bluey x Camp Chicago is taking place from May through September 2024. It’ll be held at Camp’s Lincoln Park neighborhood store, located at 647 W North Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60610.
How much are Bluey x Camp tickets?
Here’s the bad news. Bluey x Camp tickets are $44 a pop, for an experience that lasts less than an hour. That’s per person, which means that one kid and one parent comes to $88, and that’s not including all the merch Camp will try to sell you. (The good news is that if you opt out of the Bluey ears headband, which costs extra, your kid won’t be the only earless participant. Almost no one was wearing them when I went.)
Look, from our perspective, Bluey x Camp might seem a little inscrutable. I mean, if you look up, you can see the industrial HVAC system where the Heelers’ ceiling should be!
But what can I say? My kid loved it. So yeah, spend the dollar bucks. Spend an hour taking pictures. And here’s a pro tip: the mini Bluey plushies are pretty affordable, when it comes time to exit through the gift shop.
Think the first week of January is a slow one for news? Think again. A 13-year-old Tetris phenom has boldly gone where no one has gone before, beating the NES version of the classic puzzler by reaching a “kill screen” on level 157. Steam announced the occasionally baffling results of its annual players’ choice awards, and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall got a free-to-play, fan-made remaster.
Three Things We Learned From The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Demo
Before Starfield, before Skyrim, before Fallout 3 and Oblivion, before your parents even knew how to make you, there was The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. It was, and remains, Bethesda’s biggest-ever game, and now a fan-made rebuilding of the entire vast world in Unity has reached its 1.0 release. Oh, and it’s entirely free, and won’t be destroyed by lawyers! This new Daggerfall is an almighty achievement, and exactly the excuse you needed to return to Tamriel. – John Walker Read More
The results of 2023’s Steam Awards are in. Each year, Steam turns to the community to vote on the year’s best games across a wide variety of categories. This year saw Larian Studios’ RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 grab game of the year, while Lethal Company, a first-person cooperative horror game,got the “Better With Friends Award” for its co-op gameplay. The Last of Us Part I snagged Best Soundtrack, which seems odd because it came out in 2013, but it technically wasn’t added to Steam until 2023. – Claire Jackson Read More
Just two months after the third-person action-horror game Stray Souls came out, developer Jukai Studio abruptly shuttered its doors, citing myriad issues including poor game sales and multiple cyberattacks from an unknown perpetrator.The developer took to X/Twitter on December 22 to announce the sudden closure. Part of the problem, Jukai Studio said, was Stray Souls’ abysmal reception and sales, which made the team “completely unable to sustain the company.” – Levi Winslow Read More
Classic puzzle game Tetris has been around for over three decades, and in that time, plenty of people have reached its various endings, usually by clearing four rows of bricks at once like a digital demolitioner. That’s a challenge in and of itself, but now, someone has taken the concept of “beating Tetris” to the extreme by playing the NES game so hard it straight-up crashed, a phenomenon also known as the “kill screen.” – Levi Winslow Read More
Forever-in-development space sim Star Citizenmight not be finished after over a decade of dev work and announcements, but it does already contain a lot of expensive ships you can buy and fly around in. And if you want all of those ships in one big DLC pack, Star Citizen has an option for you. Just be prepared to spend over $48,000. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Here’s something unironically wonderful. Via a post by Larian Studios writer Rachel Quirke, we’ve just learned of a deeply moving tribute to a player’s father that appears in the studios’ award-winning RPG Baldur’s Gate 3. In October 2020, a member of the Larian forums posted to thank the developer for releasing the first act of the game in Early Access, because it allowed them to enjoy one last adventure with their father, who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. – John Walker Read More
Screenshot: Ubisoft Massive Entertainment / Kotaku
Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s upcoming action-adventure game that follows scoundrel Kay Vess between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, previously had no release date beyond a very broad “2024” window. Today, however, a Disney Parks blog post quietly announced that it would launch in “late 2024.” This didn’t last long, as Ubisoft promptly swooped in to correct the record and re-assert the general 2024 timeframe. – Levi Winslow Read More
City of Heroes was a beloved MMORPG that launched in April 2004 and lasted just over eight years. In that time it won a dedicated community of players who, even after the game died, kept playing the MMO via private servers that existed in a weird legal gray area. But now, the developers behind City of Heroes have given one private server the official thumbs-up to keep on keeping on. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Fans of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur don’t have to wait much longer for our favorite duo to return! Season 2 of the critically acclaimed animated series is heading to Disney+ soon. Here’s everything we know!
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur tells the story of Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White), a 13-year-old super genius living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When Lunella opens a portal to a prehistoric world, she teams up with the friendly T-Rex Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore) and becomes Moon Girl, a high-tech roller skating hero.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur season 2 plot and trailer
The trailer for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur season 2 has dropped, giving us a first look the next round of Lunella’s adventures.
At the end of season 1 (spoilers ahead!), Lunella went through a couple of drastic changes: she found out that the original Moon Girl was none other than her own grandmother Mimi (Alfre Woodard), and she ended up trapped in a multiversal void after saving her family.
So what’s in store for Lunella in season 2? Moon Girl is an episodic kid’s show, so don’t expect a really involved story arc. Instead, it looks like season 2 will focus on what the show does best: launching Moon Girl and her best friend Casey (Libe Barer) through a series of adventures, pitting her against a dastardly roster of supervillains, and letting her shine. According to Disney’s official plot synopsis, “as Moon Girl’s superhero-ing intertwines more with her personal life, she must decide if the cost of keeping her identity a secret is worth the toll it takes on her family.”
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur season 2 cast
Who’s in the cast of Moon Girl season 2? Diamond White will reprise the role of Lunella, with Libe Barer and Fred Tatasciore returning as Casey and Devil Dinosaur. Alfre Woodard returns as Mimi, Sasheer Zamata as Lunella’s mom Adria, Jermaine Fowler as Lunella’s dad James Jr., Gary Anthony Williams as Lunell’as grandfather Pops and Laurence Fishburne (who also serves as executive producer) as The Beyonder.
Season 1 of Moon Girl featured some amazing guest stars, from Wesley Snipes to astronaut Mae Jemisin. According to Collider, season 2 will feature even more exciting guests. Their roles haven’t been announced yet, but you can hear a few of them in the trailer. These guests include David Tennant, Edward James Olmos, Carol Kane, Giancarlo Esposito, SungWon Cho, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Garcia, Robin Thede, Jonathan Banks, Arsenio Hall, Ann Harada, Jackée Harry, Manny Jacinto, Xolo Maridueña, Alex Newell, Parker Posey, Ephraim Sykes, and Peter Weller. That’s a lot of big names—and they’re sure to play a lot of fun characters.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur release date
You don’t have to wait too much longer to get more Moon Girl in your life! Season 2 premieres on the Disney Channel and Disney XD on February 2, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The series will hit Disney+ the next day, February 3. If you didn’t know it, now you know!
Disney and Reliance Industries have moved closer to a merger of their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses. A combination of the two – which include rival streaming platforms, India’s leading pay-TV platform and over 100 linear TV channels – has the potential to substantially re-shape the Indian media and entertainment scene.
Quoting unnamed sources close to the deal, the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that the two companies had appointed lawyers to handle potential anti-trust issues that would likely arise. The agency named both law firms retained.
Reuters also said that a non-binding merger term sheet had been signed by the parties at the end of December.
Neither Reliance Industries nor Disney have offered any comment to repeated enquiries from Variety.
Disney became one of the largest players in the Indian entertainment field when it bought 21st Century Fox. The former Murdoch family-led operation included the Star pay-TV platform and the wildly popular Hotstar streaming startup. Disney subsequently merged Hotstar into its own Disney+ platform to create a mass-market streamer with a low price point.
Disney’s dominance has been challenged by the Ambani-controlled Viacom18 group and its suite of Jio-branded operations that stretch from mobile phones, to broadband internet and, latterly, streaming service JioCinema.
With Reliance Industries’ hugely deep pockets, Jio has already been able to profit from one aspect of Hollywood’s ongoing consolidation and the Wall Street imposed drive for financial rectitude. Early last year Jio became the new streaming home in India for HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros content, effectively precluding the launch of HBO Max in India in the near to medium future. The HBO win was also a loss for Disney as the WBD content had previously been carried on Star TV.
Were a deal to be completed, Reliance-Viacom18-JioCInema would likely own a majority stake in the merged entity.
But, the same cricket rights which may have brought Disney to the negotiating table may be a sticking point in the merger process. In order to appease anti-monopoly regulators, some of the IPL rights, which would otherwise all be under one roof, may have to be ceded to rival operators.
Another (unknowable) factor is India’s other potential media and entertainment mega-merger. Sony, which operates channels and a smaller streamer in the country, is currently attempting to merge with Indian TV and streaming conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises. That deal has been more than two years in the offing and could still fail to be completed. Were the Sony-Zee deal completed to create another behemoth, Jio and Disney may have less trouble getting a green light from regulators, ministries and courts.
BURBANK, CA—Announcing the Beauty And The Beast character was available for public use as of Jan. 1, 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed Tuesday that the company was relinquishing the rights to LeFou decades before the film’s copyright expired. “Go ahead, put LeFou in whatever silly slasher films you like—we do not care for him, and we never have,” said Iger, who called upon DreamWorks, Warner Bros., or “whoever the fuck” to go ahead and use the character in whatever creative projects they like. “If you want to use LeFou, we won’t sue you. So go on. You have my word. Technically, the copyright isn’t until 2086, but we hate that little shit. Just promise you won’t try to make him look cool because he’s not cool—he fucking sucks.” At press time, Iger added that anyone who tried to touch Lumière would be fucking dead.
The synopsis for the film, called Mickey’s Mouse Trap, reads: “It’s Alex’s 21st birthday, but she’s stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive.”
The trailer features, yep, a person in a Mickey Mouse costume, wearing what resembles a hockey jersey without the letters, attacking a victim and stalking others inside a Chuck E. Cheese-like place (reminiscent of last year’s horror hit Five Nights at Freddy’s). There also is Scream-like self-awareness about the horror genre, including one character predicting that another is going to get killed since he says, “I’ll be right back.”
“Well, he’s dead. … If he was in a horror movie, you’d never say, I’ll be right back, because then you … don’t,” he explains.
The trailer also features the words: “A place for fun, a place for friends, a place for hunting. The mouse is out.”
The movie was directed by Jamie Bailey, who said in a statement: “We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s Steamboat Willie‘s Mickey Mouse murdering people. It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”
The film stars Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek and Simon Phillips and was produced by Paul Whitney, Mark Popejoy, Alexander Gausman and Andrew Agopsowicz, with Filmcore’s Mem Ferda co-producing.
The film does not yet have a release date, but producers are aiming for March. It’s unclear if there is a distributor on board or what platform the producers are aiming for. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out for additional details.
Mickey’s Mouse Trap follows last year’s horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which was made possible after A.A. Milne’s original Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain two years ago. Pooh’s friend Tigger also enters the public domain this year.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians can be seen as an educational introduction to the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greek myth. The show has already introduced us to one of them, Dionysus, god of wine, festivities, theatre, and even madness, but episode three gave us a quick glimpse at one moreーHermes.
Greek mythology has remained incredibly popular to this day, with stories of the exploits of the gods still taught and shared in the Western world. The stories of the gods are certainly entertaining with the Ancient Greeks imbuing them with classic human foibles. Zeus is a habitual philanderer, Poseidon is known for his atrocious temper, Hera her intense jealousy and horrific punishments. All the gods fall short of perfection, each of them having flaws which only makes the stories surrounding them so much more fun.
The author of the books from which the series is adapted, Rick Riordan, knows this all too well and has continued the god’s, and demi-gods, journeys in our modern-day world through his novels. Many of the gods feature in his books, yet, by the third episode of the Disney+ series, we have only been properly introduced to one, Mr. D or Dionysus, played by Jason Mantzoukas. The ending, however, did give us a glimpse at another god, Hermes, played by the wonderfully well-cast Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Who is Hermes in Greek mythology?
Hermes is the offspring of Zeus and the Pleiad, Maia (yet another one of Zeus’ many flings), and he is a god of many things. One of his many titles is god of tricks as the moment he was born and his mother was asleep, he crept away to steal his half-brother Apollo’s sheep. He drove them backward to confuse anyone looking and bound his feet in twigs so as not to leave any footprints. He was soon discovered but feigned innocence due to the fact he was literally born yesterday. Eventually, he managed to quell his brother’s anger by offering an instrument he had made out of a tortoise shell, inventing the lyre.
In just two days, Hermes became known as the god of tricksters, god of thieves, and the protector of travelers and shepherds. He was also given the position of messenger to the gods and would use his winged sandals (which appear in the Disney+ series as winged basketball shoes) to deliver things around Olympus. Hermes was also tasked with delivering the souls of the dead to the Underworld. And here I thought that I was busy!
Hermes appears often in Ancient Greek mythology, assisting his father with a task that Zeus was unable to carry out himself, one of which was to rescue his unborn half-brother Dionysus from his mother’s womb as she perished in flames. He also assists mortals with their own tasks on Earth, such as aiding Odysseus in getting home after the battle of Troy. Hermes is a man of the people, or god of the people, or man of the gods, either way, he is a helpful deity to know.
Why is Lin-Manuel Miranda such a good fit?
(Disney+)
You must have been living under a rock for the past decade if you don’t know who Lin-Manuel Miranda is at this point. The actor, songwriter, and all-around lyrical genius has changed the landscape of musical theatre with musicals such as Hamilton and In the Heights, something he then did for animated movies when he created the soundtracks for Disney’s Moanaand Encanto. Miranda has won three Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards as well as two Academy Award nominations.
At the end of Percy Jackson episode three, we glimpse Miranda as the messenger god Hermes. He delivers a box containing the head of the Gorgon Medusa to Mt. Olympus with a wry smile on his face.
Miranda is a great casting for the trickster god for many reasons. For starters, Miranda has an innocent quality to his appearance, something that Hermes has utilized in the past to get himself out of trouble. Secondly, Miranda is known for his fast and witty lyrics, perfect for the silver-tongued trickster god. We got to witness a brief moment of his musical talent on his elevator ride up to Olympus as he hummed along to the 80s tune, “Arthur’s Theme”.
Miranda also excels at playing lovable, sometimes cheeky, characters, (check him out as Lee Scoresby in His Dark Materials) and Hermes is certainly that. Upon arriving at Olympus he exits the elevator with the package and says to his fellow gods, “You guys are not going to believe this.”
Though Hermes never appeared in Riordan’s first book, which is what the first season is adapting, his inclusion in the series is a welcome one. I was sure happy to see him! It does beg the question if we will see more of him this season, especially given his connection to Luke and what is to come in that avenue. We also have plenty more gods to meet before the season is done.
I pray to Dionysus (also the god of theatre and entertainment) that we will see more of Miranda in the episodes to come!
