Fellow collector Tom, spotted this Figment ("Noble Knight") in Downtown Disney at Disneyland® this past weekend.
Episode Twenty-Nine of "D23's Disney Geek" is now online!
Tinker Bell ("Delicate Daydreamer") the Fourth Release in the Disney Artist Series and Second Release in the Tinker Bell Seasons is a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 3,000 sculpted by Margi Wray.
Episode Twenty-Eight of "D23's Disney Geek" is now online!
DISNEY•PIXAR’S CARS 2: THE VIDEO GAME REVVING UP FOR RELEASE SUMMER 2011
Video Game Based on Highly Anticipated Cars 2 Film Features New International Spy-Themed Adventures with Favorite Cars Characters
BURBANK, Calif. — (February 15, 2011) – Disney Interactive Studios today announced that Disney•Pixar’s Cars 2: The Video Game is coming to major platforms this summer. Unveiled at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, Cars 2: The Video Game will allow players to jump into the Cars universe with a brand new international spy theme. The game will feature an array of beloved Cars characters competing in action-packed spy adventures, as well as world-class racing. Inspired by the upcoming Disney•Pixar animated film, Cars 2: The Video Game is slated for release this summer.
Cars 2: The Video Game brings players inside the international training center CHROME (Command Headquarters for Recon Operations and Motorized Espionage), where they choose from more than 20 different characters and train to become world class spies. As part of their international training, they will participate in simulated hazardous missions using high-tech gadgets to evade and slow down adversaries.
Avalanche Software, video game developers of the critically acclaimed Toy Story 3: The Video Game, are back in the driver’s seat for Cars 2: The Video Game, working in close collaboration with Pixar artists to bring the humor and personality of the feature film to life.
“Cars is one of Pixar’s most successful and treasured franchises, so we are thrilled to be working with Avalanche Software again to extend our creative vision of the Cars 2 universe into the interactive medium,” said Jay Ward, Cars franchise guardian at Pixar Animation Studios. “Avalanche Software has the technology, experience, and history in working with us to create the best-looking Cars video game to date.”
“The team at Avalanche Software is working on exciting ways to combine the power of the franchise with new storylines and characters in Cars 2: The Video Game to create something unlike any other racing game,” said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager of Avalanche Software. “The combination of racing, international locations and spy themes, and the beloved Cars characters makes Cars 2: The Video Game a truly unique game for players of all ages and skill levels to enjoy.”
Cars 2: The Video Game will feature connectivity with the World of Cars Online – a free-to-play browser-based, virtual world based on the hit Disney•Pixar animated Cars universe. Players will be able to discover an exciting new world beyond Radiator Springs with Mater, Fillmore, Sarge, and others as they gain rewards in the video game and then use them to unlock new items in the World of Cars Online.
Cars 2: The Video Game will be available on major video game platforms this summer including PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, and PC/MAC.
Please visit http://Disney.com/CarsVideogame and www.facebook.com/carsgames for more information.
About the Cars Franchise
Released in 2006, Disney•Pixar’s feature film Cars has become a leading boys’ franchise generating an impressive $2B in annual global retail sales for a total of $8B to date. Winner of the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Feature, Cars went on to gross $462M in global box office sales. It’s supported across The Walt Disney Company through films including the highly anticipated release of Cars 2 in Disney Digital 3D, consumer products, live theater productions, park attractions including Cars Land planned for launch in 2012, music, a web site www.Disney.com/Cars, TV including the popular series of short form content: Cars Toons, home entertainment, video games – including Cars and the upcoming June release of Cars 2: The Video Game supporting all major platforms, a virtual world www.WorldofCars.com, and books – with more than 75 new titles releasing throughout 2011 domestically, in addition to more titles on digital books and mobile applications.
About Disney·Pixar's Cars 2:
Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.
Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning spy-in-training Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.
John Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat to direct this follow-up to his 2006 Golden Globe®-winning Cars. Cars 2 is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film Ratatouille, and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, Up; visual effects executive producer, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith). The film hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D in select theaters.
About Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Interactive Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). Disney Interactive Studios self publishes and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with other interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. Disney Interactive Studios is based in Glendale, California, and has internal development studios around the world. For more information, log on to http://www.disneyinteractivestudios.com.
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Epic Mickey since the game’s earliest concept art appeared on the internet in late 2008 – early 2009. The leaked drawings presented the intriguing possibility that the game would offer a spectacular “out of the Disney norm” environment. I immediately got the game upon release and finally was able to make some time to check out this awesome game!
Epic Mickey gives you a way to make choices through the use of a cleverly themed game mechanic that is pure genius: paint and thinner. Throughout the game, Mickey can collect paint and thinner, and by using a brush that he carries, Mickey can fill in missing portions of the environment with paint or he can make portions of the environment disappear using thinner. Mickey can also use paint to turn villains “good” (if enough is used), or use thinner to destroy them. 
Disney character history is also honored by the appearance of Mickey Mouse’s predecessor, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It’s great to see them both together in the same world. It’s also great to see old Disney characters being used again and Epic Mickey gives them all new life. I’ve always been extremely fond of Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, and they both make appearances throughout the game. The new characters and enemies created for the game are also really fun. The Spatters have a particularly enjoyable personality and I found it funny that they appear in themed costumes in the various segments. It’s hilarious to see them in futuristic and pirate gear!
The environments are amazingly detailed. Some of them present amazing atmosphere with clouds, fog and rain. The lighting is very well done. The entire game is filled with eye-popping color and immense detail. I even found myself on the edge of my seat in several sections that presented virtual “dizzying heights” with cliffs and voids. I felt a touch of vertigo a couple of times! 
I’m not a hard-core gamer and I think that some games are hard that others think are easy, so I was worried about the “combat” or fighting aspect of the game. Fortunately, after finally mastering Mickey’s controls (I don’t know why it took me so long to finally get the hang of making Mickey double-jump), I was able to make it through what I considered some tough challenges and I found that I was very proud of Mickey. 
From what I’ve read online about the plot of the game, I’m about two thirds of the way towards the end so I know there are a lot more challenges, but ultimately what makes the game great for me is that I am craving more playtime. I want to make it back to the world of Epic Mickey and I find myself hoping that they can find a way to do a sequel game. In the meantime, I’ll have to go back and play again and find new ways to save the day! Something I'd highly recommend is the Prima Official Game Guide. You would be surprised how much it helps!
Episode Twenty-Seven of "D23's Disney Geek" is now online!
Destination D: Walt Disney World 40th
Episode Twenty-Six of "D23's Disney Geek" is now online!
