This teaser for the “Big Hero 6” teaser trailer that hits tomorrow just made its way to Disney Animation’s Youtube. Check it out and check back tomorrow for the full thing.

It appears this cuts off just before the image that was released yesterday.

Walt Disney Pictures has released the teaser trailer for the upcoming Kenneth Branagh-directed live action “Cinderella” film.

And . . . it’s not much. It’s just a glass slipper adorned with a butterfly, but what better way to tease a “Cinderella” film? The glass slipper is so iconic. What’s that quote? “Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life.” And those particular shoes certainly changed a cinder girl’s life.

The heroine, named Ella in this version of the popular fairy tale, is played by Lily James (Lady Rose on “Downton Abbey”). And the rest of the cast is what you would expect from a Kenneth Branagh film—stellar talent.  Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter) appears as Cinderella’s mother, Cate Blanchett is Lady Tremaine (aka the wicked stepmother), and Derek Jacobi is the King.  

Cinderella is scheduled for a March 15, 2015 release.

While we aren’t quite sure what Disney Infinity 2.0 Edition might be, we do know it’s coming. It’s also bringing Captain America and additional Avengers with it. No word yet on when it will be coming. Also no word on whether this is an update, DLC, or a new retail release. Keep your eyes on VGQH for more information as it comes. 

A listing on Gamestop’s website has hinted at a few details for a Watch Dogs season pass. Available for pre-order on their site (release is listed for 5/27/14), Gamestop is selling the pass for $19.99. A blurb towards the bottom touts “access to a unique Single Player Campaign featuring a new playable character plus more missions, weapons, and exclusive content.” It also says the $20 price is a 30% savings over buying the DLC individually. 

Gearbox Software and 2K Australia have confirmed Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. This was originally “leaked” by a retailer earlier this week but has since been officially confirmed. The standalone title is coming to PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 (not next-gen as the install base isn’t large enough for Randy Ptchford). As the title would indicate, the story (about Handsome Jack’s rise to power) will take place between the first and second games. The playable cast of characters is familiar to fans of the series: Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer, and Claptrap the Fragtrap (yes you can be the robot). It’s coming this Fall.

 While it’s been sort of known it was happening for a while now, Sony has confirmed a PS4 remaster of 2013’s PS3 masterpiece, The Last of Us. The game was awarded over 200 Game of the Year titles from various establishments. Its story and gameplay was astounding and a prettier version is just icing on the cake. An exact date was not announced, but it is coming in Summer 2014.

 Zen Studios’ next installment of Star Wars Pinball, Heroes Within, has been dated for April 29. This pack will include the true heroes of the saga in a Droids table featuring Artoo and Threepio. The “story” for this table takes place on a Jawa Sandcrawler, ideal really.

That’s all for this week. Come back on Tuesday for more of highlights in the gaming industry.

Disney dropped a teaser today for “Girl Meets World,” the upcoming sequel series to nineties staple of a similar name.

Cory and Topanga return having grown in the years since we last saw them head off to New York. They’ve started a family and have a young daughter named Riley (Rowan Blanchard). She is roughly the same age that Cory was in the first season of Boy Meets World. Though Cory will be present, this isn’t his show, the story follows Riley and her rebellious best friend Maya (sound familiar?).

The teaser has a nice torch passing moment wherein Riley asks the question “how much longer will I have to live in my father’s world?” He responds saying “Until you make it yours.”

I have high hopes for the show. “Boy Meets World” holds a special place in my heart and I’m happy to see those characters on the screen again. Bringing back the same creator/writer will hopefully imbue it with the same heart and we’ll get something great.

Disney has made some missteps with their original programming in the past but we also have them to thank for “The Avengers” and Pixar, they’re capable of producing great products. The show is set to premiere this year so I’ll hold my breath and my tongue until then.

If I had to pick my three favorite cartoons from when I was a kid, they would be “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “DuckTales,” and “Gummi Bears.”  When I was a teenager, I badgered my Mom into submission to add Tune Disney to our cable package, specifically so I could get up at three in the morning on school days to watch “Gummi Bears.” I love this show.

In my travels, I’ve initiated conversations about “The Adventures of the Gummi Bears” with a myriad of people and learned that most people haven’t the first clue what I’m talking about. “Do you mean the Care Bears?” they’ll say… no, I don’t mean the “Care Bears” I mean the mother lumping “Gummi Bears.” They’re Dashing and daring, courageous and caring, faithful and friendly, with stories to share… They’re bouncing here and there and EVERYWHERE, high adventure that’s beyond compare, they are the Gummi Bears!

For the uninitiated, the “Gummi Bears” were based loosely on the candy of the same name. That is to say that Michael Eisner’s kid once said “Hey Dad, can I have some gummy bears?” and Michael Eisner said “Sure son… hey… gummy bears… GUMMI BEARS.” And he made a show. That’s exactly where the similarities end. This is not, in fact, a show about chewable heroes made primarily of gelatin. Though, bears do have bone marrow, so they are at least partially gelatin.

Instead, the “Gummi Bears” are a mystical race of sentient bears that once held vast knowledge and technology but have since all but disappeared. The only known remnants of this once noble race of cuddly critters are the inhabitants of Gummy Glen.

Zummi Gummi: A wizard with verbal dyslexia. He often mixes up words causing unforeseen problems with the powerful magic he’s wielding. Perhaps this power would be better held by someone who can get a sentence out correctly but we must play the hand we’re dealt.

Sunni Gummi: the stereotypical teenage girl bear.

Grammi Gummi: the loving and loveable matriarch.

Tummi Gummi: As his name suggests, he likes to eat. Anything. He’s not very smart but you can’t help but love him.

Cubbi Gummi: the youngest of the Gummis, he wants nothing more than to be a knight and to have adventures.

Gruffi Gummy: if the gummi’s were dwarves, he’d be Grumpy. Gruffi may be a curmudgeon but he’s got know how and problem solving skills that are often integral to the success of the group.

Gusto Gummi: he comes later, not a member of the original family. He’s an artist.

Gummy Glen resides within Dunwyn forest. The forest is frequented by animals, the kingdom of Dunwyn, and an army of ogres led by Duke Igthorn. There are other villains and characters but these are the central players.

Dunywn castle is led by King Gregor, father of Princess Calla. Calla is friends with Cavin, a squire who also wants to be knight, he and Cubbi become fast friends, while Calla bonds with Sunni.

The castle and the Gummis are under constant threat from Duke Igthorn and his ogres, an army of dunce level buffoons, save for Toadwart (Toadie) who is the shortest and smartest of the ogres. Though being the smartest ogre is tantamount to being the brightest black crayon.  

The Gummis try their best to keep to themselves, hiding their existence from both humans and ogres but when a great Gummi medallion appears, the chance at finding the great lost Gummis and reuniting with their kind proves too delicious a carrot, they must make alliances with Cavin and Calla in an attempt to find the truth about themselves.

It’s Game of Thrones for kids, minus all the death and sex, and with more sentient teddy bears.

As I know that one episode won’t be enough, I’ve included the entire first season for you below. Enjoy. 

Welcome to Saturday Morning Cartoon! This week I watched “DuckTales” Season one, episode one titled ‘Don’t Give Up the Ship.’

This is our first introduction to the universe and most of the characters. Scrooge is introduced, swimming in his money bin. Straight away we learn that the physics of this fictional world are vastly different from our own. Not only are there sentient, dogs and ducks but gold takes on a liquid property that allows one to swim through it freely without breaking your beak.

He makes his way to the pier where Donald is dropping off the triplets. One wonders, where are their parents in all of this? First they’re dumped on an uncle who quickly deploys with the Navy leaving them with an even more obscure relative, their eccentric, wealthy, selfish great-uncle.

The boys travel with Scrooge to his palatial Duckbergian estate. He puts the butler, Duckworth, in charge of the boys wanting nothing more than to avoid them completely. In truth, Scrooge is a giant duckbag and not really fit to be guardian to three children.  So they sit, imprisoned in their bedroom with a butler for a guard. Insanity soon takes over the three young ducklings and they explore the home, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Despite Duckworth’s best efforts, he is overtaken by the boys and wrapped up in a rug like an anthropomorphized serving of duck a l’arug… except that Duckworth isn’t actually a duck, he’s a dog. Don’t ask me. The boys follow Scrooge to the office; he tells them to look around but not to touch anything. They, of course, don’t listen.

Cut to- The Beagle Boys in prison. They are planning their 300^th attempt to steal McDuck’s money when a package arrives with a letter and homemade bon-bombs. The letter tells them to use the bombs to escape and meet later tonight, signed by El Capitan.

We return to Scrooge in the boys, he is upset at them for messing with his antique boat but more than that, for their inability to leave him the hell alone… and decides that maybe boarding school isn’t so expensive after all. Scrooge decides to cool his feelings the best way he knows how, by denying solicitors face to face. Duckworth begins sending in a line of solicitors who were apparently just sitting around waiting for McDuck to abuse them. The third victim tells Scrooge about the Junior Woodchucks, an organization that keeps kids so busy earning merit badges they don’t have any time to get in trouble. Scrooge thanks the man for the information but still throws him out of the window with a giant mechanical hand with the parting words “Bill me.”

By now the Beagle Boys have escaped prison and met with El Capitan, a mysterious figure with a long coat and moustache, so you know he can’t be trusted. He tells the Beagle’s that in exchange for their freedom he needs them to steal an antique boat from Scrooge McDuck. The same boat the boys were playing with perhaps…. Yes. It’s that boat.

Scrooge vents to Duckworth about how the boys are a pain in his duck butt and the boys overhear. They decide to leave because they aren’t wanted. What they don’t hear, is McDuck’s immediate speech about how he actually really likes them and he’s been being a duckhead and he intends to make it up to them in the morning.

Luckily the boys were feeling a little emo and decided to bail on Scrooge before he go to that part. If they hadn’t ran away like whiny little jerks, they never would have caught the Beagle Boys red handed looking for the tiny ship. A scuffle begins over the antique and ultimately the Beagle Boys get away with it. The triplets try to tell Scrooge about the Beagle Boys but he doesn’t believe them, because he’s a curmudgeonly old man with only his money and years of crushing loneliness filling his soul.

Armed with the new Junior Woodchuck guidebook they deduce the location of the Beagle’s secret hideout AND  build a hang glider out of bed sheets, because, how else are you going to get past the guard-butler-dog… if only these ducks could find some other way to fly. Their escape attempt is successful, mostly, and they make their way to the villain’s secret hideout where they retrieve their uncle’s ship and another chase begins.

Scrooge, completely oblivious to the fact that his nephews built an amateur aircraft and went off to fight criminals in an attempt to win back an old wooden ship and their uncle’s love, goes to do an interview at his candy factory. The boys arrive at the factory with ship in hand and the Beagle’s hot on their trail.

Scrooge realizes that the boys weren’t lying, that he’s a jerk, and the true meaning of Christmas… or at least two of those things. They all realize that they’re more alike than they thought, that they can go on sweet adventures, and that they’re going to be best friends.

But who should appear to pierce a whole in our happy little narrative… the ominous face of none other than El Capitan, I’m guessing we haven’t seen the last of him or his bushy stache.

To be continued…

You’ll have to watch the next episode to see if the family continues to bond, if they find the treasure they seek, if the real treasure is love… and any number of other lessons. 

Image via – Conceptibot

Bryan Young and Thomas Winkley both contributed to this report.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Disney is expected to incorporate characters from Marvel and “Star Wars” into their line of Infinity games.

They spoke to an unnamed source for an article about layoffs at Disney’s Interactive Media unit, but sources said it would not affect the production of Infinity whatsoever.

Buried in the Wall Street Journal piece was this sentence:

New versions of “Infinity” featuring characters from Disney’s Marvel superhero unit and the Star Wars universe it acquired along with Lucasfilm in 2012 are being developed, one of these people said.

While this is not a confirmation in any way from Disney or Lucasfilm, the Wall Street Journal is not one to report erroneous details in their stories. And it seems like an obvious move. Infinity might be the best thing in gaming right now, where you’re buying individual action figures for their abilities to use in the game. If there’s one thing Marvel and “Star Wars” already sell well is action figures, combining them into the game seems like a no-brainer.

There’s already a thirst for it. The picture accompanying this article was a bit of fan art easily found on the Internet. (This particular piece came from a DeviantArt account for Conceptibot.)

If Disney is truly shying away from the prequels and looking forward, I’d expect to see “Star Wars: Rebels” and the classic trilogy take center stage for the first wave of Infinity figures. And for Marvel, “The Avengers” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” seem to be good first choices.

But anything is possible.

UPDATE: We’ve independently confirmed from other sources in the technology and video gaming industry that Marvel is, indeed, heading to “Disney Infinity.” Still no word on “Star Wars.”

It’s been nearly 55 years since Disney released its 16th animated film, “Sleeping Beauty,” and in May we’ll return to the classic fable.

Disney premiered a new trailer during last night’s Grammys featuring a cover of “Once Upon a Dream” by Lana Del Rey.

The first trailer, released in November, gave us a quick taste of the title character but this time around we get a heaping spoonful and it tastes good, almost as good as it sounds.

The casting feels perfect. Jolie seems made to play this character and Elle Fanning looks a princess. The thing that sticks with me though, even more than the visuals, which are stunning, is the song. Del Rey’s voice is haunting and perfect. It’s a 90 second mashup of awesome. 

Check it out.

If you’ve ever wanted to go on vacation where your soul can spiral in frozen fractals all around and just let it go, now is your chance. Disney has partnered with Québec City’s icy Hôtel de Glace to celebrate the release of “Frozen” on Blu-ray and Digital HD release. 

The “Frozen Suite” is modeled after Anna and Elsa’s bedrooms in the film. Anna is the optimistic younger sister who loves to have fun, while Elsa is the eldest who lives in a kingdom of isolation. Figuratively and then later literally. The suite is created from sculpted ice and snow. Brrr!  The film’s art director Michael Giaimo supervised the project, and the suite will be open until March 23. A “Frozen Activity Cave” is another way that guests can enjoy the magic of the film.   

Check out these pictures:

And yes, even the bed has a solid ice base. Mattresses are covered with blankets and arctic sleeping bags to keep out the chill. (So if you go, hopefully the cold never bothers you, anyway). I think I’m a bit more like snowman Olaf, dreaming of the summer sun, though the pictures are amazing.

Hôtel de Glace is located about 10 minutes from downtown Québec City, and the famed wintry attraction has seen over a million visitors since it opened in 2001. For more information, visit www.hoteldeglace-canada.com. 

And if you can’t make it to Canada to stay in an ice hotel, then you can still enjoy “Frozen” when it becomes available in March. 

Photo Via – GameInformer.com

Game Informer, is reporting that DIsney has officially abandoned “Star Wars: 1313”. This beautiful looking title has been on thin ice since DIsney acquired the “Star Wars” license in 2012. Imagine, if you will, the dismay of the bots that attended E3 2013. We delayed our returns home to be whisked into a dark, space shuttle enclosure, where we were given the first glimpse into “1313”. This beautiful, Star Wars themed third-person shooter looked to finally give us everything we’ve wanted in the franchise. Months later, of course Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise, and months after that laid off a huge portion of Lucas Arts. With these lay-offs came the announcement of licensing the “Star Wars” games to EA for production. 

The U.S. Patent Site lists the following about “1313.”

Abandoned because no Statement of Use or Extension Request timely filed after Notice of Allowance was issued. To view all documents in this file, click on the Trademark Document Retrieval link at the top of this page.

 

I suppose we can take that as a cancelled title. List your thoughts below.