Good Dinosaur and Kung Fu Panda 3 Movie Standees

Hotel Transylvania 2 Press Day

Need some fresh Halloween animated entertainment? Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2 debuts today in theaters, blending top-of-the-line computer animation with hand-drawn squash-and-stretch whimsy. I went on Monday to Sony Pictures Animation in Culver city for a screening and they always make things fun there at their studio. Director Genndy Tartakofsky was on hand to introduce the film for the press who had gathered. He mentioned that the film would be both silly and fun. It doesn't strive to be an Oscar contender but delivers on what it promises by being both silly and fun, with some multi-generational vampire family dynamics thrown in to the mix.

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From the production notes:

Drac’s pack is back for an all-new monster comedy adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2! Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania... Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in- training” boot camp. But little do they know that Drac’s grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood – and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania – things are going to get batty!

Director Genndy Tartakovsky & producer Michelle Murdocca

Production Stills

Press Junket Photos:

Press Release: Disney•Pixar's TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT on Blu-ray & Digital HD November 3rd

Join Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the Gang as They Embark on a Hilarious New Adventure for the Entire Family!

"TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT" Available for the First Time on Blu-ray™, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on November 3rd

Loaded with All New Never-Before-Seen Bonus Features Including Behind-the-Scenes, Sing-Alongs and Over 10 Minutes of Deleted Scenes!

Disney•Pixar proudly presents a hilarious new animated "Toy Story" adventure. During one of Bonnie's post-Christmas play dates, the "Toy Story" crew find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It's all up to Trixie, the triceratops, if the gang hopes to ever return to Bonnie's room. "Toy Story That Time Forgot" is an unforgettable tale packed with family fun and a must-have for every Pixar fan's collection!

Disney Screen

Beginning July 31st (which was actually a few days ago) six Cinemark theaters in the country are trying out the "Disney Screen" program where classic Disney and Pixar films will be shown. Each feature film is also paired with a n animated short. Most of the feature films to be shown are animated but there are a few live-action classics, such as "Swiss Family Robinson," and "The Love Bug."

With each new week a new batch of four films comes that will be presented throughout that week. Each batch is categorized by names such as, "Music Week," "Dogs Week," "Pixar Week," "Animals Week," "Marvelous Machines Week" or "Princess Week." Personally, I am planning on seeing The Aristocats later today and The Jungle Book tomorrow. Check the schedule to see what will be playing near you:

Disney Screen

Disney/Pixar's LAVA on Disney Movies Anywhere

Disney/Pixar's newest short LAVA, will be available to watch exclusively on digital on the Disney Movies Anywhere app for iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® (http://di.sn/6001BD2Mh), for a limited two week window starting July 30th (7/30/15 - 8/12/15). Currently in theaters with "Inside Out," Disney Movies Anywhere offers the only place where you can fall in "lava" with LAVA from the comfort of your own home!

LAVA is inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, and is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.

Check out a clip here:

PRESS RELEASE: Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Spark of Rebellion Ignites the Galaxy in
Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One!
    
On Blu-ray™ and DVD September 1, 2015

BURBANK, California, June 26, 2015 –– Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One delivers all 15 action-packed episodes plus never-before-seen bonus material and cast/crew interviews revealing the magic behind the making of the hit series. Releasing on Blu-ray and DVD on September 1, this is a must-add collection to the library!

In the first groundbreaking season of Star Wars Rebels, young hero Ezra Bridger joins the clever but motley crew of the starship Ghost in their resistance against the Empire. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. Ezra and his new rebel friends -- Hera, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper -- embark on daring adventures in their fight against oppression across the galaxy, receiving help from familiar heroes such as Lando Calrissian, Ahsoka Tano, and Jedi Master Yoda. Pursued relentlessly by the Imperials and a Jedi hunter called the Inquisitor, this tenacious ragtag band of rebels will find itself in the crosshairs of none other than Darth Vader when season one closes in a shocking two-part finale. 

Star Wars Rebels is created by Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”), Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”), and Carrie Beck. The Lucasfilm Animation production is also executive-produced by Filoni and Kinberg as well as Greg Weisman (“Gargoyles”).

Featuring the voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”) as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall (TV’s “Young Justice”) as Hera, Steve Blum (“The Boxtrolls”) as Zeb, Tiya Sircar (“The Internship”) as Sabine, Taylor Gray (TV’s “Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures”) as Ezra, David Oyelowo (“Selma”) as Agent Kallus and Jason Isaacs (“Harry Potter”) as the Inquisitor.

Bonus Features:
Blu-ray:
Rebels Infiltrates Star Wars Celebration (Exclusive to Blu-ray)
Season One shorts: “The Machine in the Ghost,” “Art Attack,” “Entanglement,” “Property of Ezra Bridger”
All DVD Bonus (see below)

DVD:
Rebels Recon: 14 behind-the-scenes featurettes
Star Wars Rebels – The Ultimate Guide
Star Wars Rebels Season 2 – A Look Ahead

Disc Specifications:
Release Date:        September 1, 2015
Format:        Blu-ray (2-Disc) & DVD (3-Disc)
Rating:            TV Y7 FV
Run Time:        Approximately 330 minutes (not including bonus)
Closed Captioned:    Yes
Aspect Ratio:        1:78 (Widescreen)
Audio:         5.1 Dolby Digital
Languages/ Subtitles:    English, French & Spanish

About the TV Show:
New episodes of Star Wars Rebels Season Two premiere this fall on Disney XD.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:
For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. STAR WARS © & TM 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

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© 2015 Disney / © & TM 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Hotel Transylvania 2 - Official Trailer

After a few teasers here's the full official trailer for Sony Picture Animation's "Hotel Transylvania 2" plus a few screen shots:

Click any image to view it larger:

And just for fun, because I like to mention food/animation references, here's a "Hotel Transylvania 2" Cinco de Mayo video: