Disney Infinity 2.0 Hiro and Baymax Video

It looks like Hiro and Baymax from Big Hero 6 are officially announced with the newest trailer from Disney Infnity 2.0. We also get our first look at Syndrome and a number of classic characters from 1.0 along with new terrain and skies. Check back for a detailed run-down of the trailer.

Robin the Frog

Name: Robin the Frog
First Seen: The Frog Prince (1971)

Robin the Frog is Kermit's nephew. A kind, gentle, and often overlooked member of the Muppet troupe. Literally overlooked, he's very tiny and this made for some great jokes on The Muppet Show as well as extremely touching moments. Robin, who was performed by the amazing, gifted, and incomparable Jerry Nelson, also had a wonderful singing voice and performed some great songs including, "Just One Person," one of Jim Henson's personal favorite songs, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and the hit song (in the UK) "Halfway Down the Stairs."

Robin gets along with all the Muppets, but is usually seen hanging with Sweetums - the small and the mighty. They sing together, laugh together, and top the christmas tree together.

I personally think that Robin has some of his best moments in A Muppet Family Christmas. He gets to sing with his Uncle Kermit and meet the Fraggles! Not to mention, he looks great in that little red jacket.

Robin is probably best known to most folks as Tiny Tim from The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is probably one of his best performances. "Bless Us All" is a delightful song and Robin's innocence and  charm really wraps the song in a nice little bow.

Robin also got to star in a PS One game entitled Muppet Monster Adventure. His goal was to change the Muppets, who had been turned into monstrous versions of themselves, back to normal. It was a fun little game with another song for Robin.

Besides having some supporting roles in numerous Muppet productions, Robin disappeared for a little while. He appears in The Muppets for a few brief moments and has one critical line in Muppets Most Wanted. He is now performed by Matt Vogel.

Robin is a critical member of the Muppet family. He adds a nice balance to many of the characters, has some interesting relationships and problems, and is just so darn likable. I would love to see Robin come to to forefront more often.

Review: Doctor Who "Deep Breath"

Doctor Who

"Deep Breath"

On August 23, the new Doctor revealed himself to the world in the first episode of the 8th Season entitled "Deep Breath." An appropriate title, as much of the world was holding its collective breath until this day. "Who?" was the question we were all asking. Well, that and "why? what? costume? etc."

A giant T-Rex, as tall or taller than Big Ben, has appeared in London, brought by none other than the Doctor. When we first see the Doctor he acts a lot like what we have come to expect from the Eleventh - fast-talking, lots of great hand gestures, and an occasion flirt, in this case with a dinosaur. It's fun to see the new Doctor thrown right into the thick of it. After a quick resolution to the dinosaur, a meeting with Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax (whom the Doctor gives descriptive names), the Doctor faints. 

Without doing a play-by-play of the episode, we get to see the Doctor and his allies defeat an army of murdering cyborgs. But while this is happening, we spend some time getting to know the new Doctor.

I enjoyed the Doctors struggle. For the first time, we get to see him truly grasp with his, for lack of better words, humanity. He has an appearance that he doesn't understand, that Clara doesn't understand, and it creates an interesting situation. The Doctor has to come to terms with the idea that he has changed to a new form that perhaps he was not ready to deal with, a form that is old, with a frown and wrinkles, and eyebrows that tell a story of furrowing and rather than surprise or enjoyment. He is old, something the Doctor has not been for a long time. 

Clara has to come to terms with it, too. No one explained regeneration to her. She has a really hard time believing this is the Doctor, until a call from an old friend and some pushing from Madame Vastra.

I think the most interesting part of the whole episode was the finale. Seeing Clara and the Doctor in a new Tardis (which clearly reflects the new Doctor, dark and foreboding, somewhat menacing colors, and not too much shiny) having a discussion helped me understand the Doctor more than the whole episode.

The end also clearly sets-up another story-arc, this time having to do with heaven, the eventual fate of those the Doctor thwarts, and a mysterious woman who seems to run the place.

Final Thoughts:

It's too early to judge this new Doctor. Will he win our hearts sooner rather than later, that is yet to be told. But it seems like we'll see a darker Doctor who needs to deal with realities more often. Good luck, Peter Capaldi! 

Review: S.H.MonsterArts Mothra

Next on our list of Tamashii Nations Monsterarts figures is the incredible Mothra. Having been released earlier this year, she was one of the characters I was most looking forward too. Having Battra already in my collection, I couldn't help but want his kind and majestic sister. It took some time for her to be released, but Battra was such an impressive figure, I definitely could wait for a Mothra.

Right in scale with Battra, Mothra has at least a 12 inch wingspan. The sculpt is magnificent! Her wings, face, and legs still retain a slightly hairy look even when made from a heavy plastic. Her antennae sprout from her head and swivel. Her wings can move up and down and are made of the larger front wings and the smaller back wings, which can be posed independently. Her abdomen is segmented which allows for some movement but not a lot. This is not the nimble and agile Mothra from the Millennium era but is lifted from the Heisei era. Below are her 6 bird-like claws that can move any direction, but sadly, like Battra, they easily fall off and never go back on again the same. She can be sitting on her stand and a leg just falls off. Overall, the sculpt is beautiful and is the exact image of Mothra.

The paint job is superb! The most iconic symbol from Mothra is the pattern on her wings. The figure gets it spot-on. Every red, yellow, black, and white is expertly painted on the wings. The curving spirals and jagged edges are crisp and clear. Her eyes look as if they are glowing a blue hue from behind and in direct sunlight are breathtaking. The contrast between the black Mothra (Battra) and Mothra next to each other just shows the care that goes into these figures.

Mothra does not come with any accessories besides the clear stand and base which has the image from the cave in “Godzilla VS. Mothra: Battle for Earth.”

Overall, this is a high quality figure with a decent price tag at around $60. I am thoroughly impressed and she fits right in with the rest of the Godzilla heroes.

I am Groot!

The tree-like creature known as Groot was captured by the Kree and put on a team with Star-Lord, Bug, Mantis, and Rocket Raccoon. A tree of few words, Groot formed a bond with the creature known as Rocket Raccoon. Forming the Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot and his best friend Rocket travel through space getting into trouble wherever they go.

Real Name 

Groot (also known as Monarch of Planet X)

Height 

Unrevealed (variable)

Weight 

Unrevealed (variable)

Powers 

Groot was extremely powerful and resilient, he has the power or regeneration allowing him to re-grow limbs and even his entire form. He also has powers of the mind, although they only appear to work on plant life, allowing him to communicate with other trees and command them.

Group Affililations 

Guardians of the Galaxy, formerly Howling Commandos

First Appearance 

Tales to Astonish #13 (1960)

Retrieved from marvel.com

Groot in The Avengers Cartoon Series

A Bug's Life Power Discs

Power Disc Wish List - A Bug's Life

A Disney/Pixar property that seems to get very little love but would be great to see in Disney Infinity is A Bug's Life. This film is so visually splendid and would allow for some great Toy Box games. Who doesn't want to shrink down to the size of a bug?! Spider-Man would feel right at home! Imagine the incredible collectable adventures you could construct or the races around giant plants!

Flik's Ant Island Sky

This sky would feature the wonderful clear blue above Ant Island. In the distance the tree would stand tall and proud on the horizon. Large clovers and other grasses would line the horizon, creating the feeling of being small. "A Bug's Life Suite" would play as you search for secrets among the pebbles and plants.

Flik's Among the Flowers

This power disc would make you feel like an ant, literally. The ground would be a cracked and dry river bed. The water tranquil and blue, lined with tall grasses, would wind throughout the Toy Box. Gigantic plants, like clovers and roots of the great tree, could be placed to make characters feel as if they are truly walking among the flowers at a bug's height. "The Flik Machine" by Randy Newman would be the music included in this disc.

Hiro and Baymax for Disney Infinity 2.0

Our first look at Baymax and Hiro from Big Hero Six. Notice Hiro is in his costume and they are Disney Originals.

Power Discs Galore!

The Toy Box Summit was a one of a kind event that happened this weekend - we wish we could have been there! Next year, Disney Infinity team, next year!

@LucasSiegel took a photo of all the power discs, including ones we haven't seen before. Here's the photo from instragram:

As you can see, there are a 80 total discs with some surprises. Now you can see the rare discs which include (as far as we can tell):

Carpet from Aladdin

Ghost Rider's Whip

Spider Cycle

Main Street Electrical Parade

Flying Carpet from Phineas & Ferb

Yondu

Skeletal Reindeer from Nightmare Before Christmas

Infinity Gauntlet

The costume discs are all here including:

Santa Claus for Jack Skellington

Symbiote Suit for Spider-Man

Three Musketeers for Donald Duck

Blue Suit for Mr. Incredible

The Immortal Iron Fist for Iron First

Cursed Jack Sparrow for Jack Sparrow

Prince Ali for Aladdin

and potentially more (we just can be sure right now)

You can also see:

USS Swinetrek

Ratcatcher from Darkwing Duck

Carousal Horse from Disney Parks

Darkwing Duck's Gun

Antman Team-Up

Winter Soldier Team-Up

Interpol Car from Muppets Most Wanted

Honey Lemon's Purse from Big Hero 6

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Caterpillar Car

White Tiger Team-Up

Spider Copter, Mobile, Glider

King Louie 

Gus the Mule (who kicks a football!)

Jim Hawkin's Solar Surfer

Kitten Fists from Gravity Falls

The Avengejet

Dr. Strange's Cape

Dr. Strange

Jack O'Lantern's Flying Disc

Lew Zealand's Boomerang fish

Gamora

Chernabog

Maleficent's Fury

Stark Arc Reactor

Lola

Gamma Rays Hulk

Nick Fury Helicarrier Strike

Captain America

Zeus' Thunderbolt

Motorcycle with sidecar from Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Black Panther Energy Daggers

Sleipnir (Odin's steed)

Madame Medusa's Swamp Car from The Rescuers

Sgt. Calhoun's Gun

Iron Patriot Team-Up

Hydra Motorcycle

S.H.I.E.L.D containment truck

Falcon's Wings

Customization:

Peter Pan

The Lion King

Mulan

Dinosaur World

"it's a small world"

Gravity Falls

Sgt. Calhoun (Hero's Duty)

Spider-Man

2x Guardians of the Galaxy (Groot and Star Lord)

Iron Man

Hulk

Blue discs:

Ronan

Stitch

Thor

Merida

 . . . .and many more! This is a truly exciting set of discs, including a great representation by The Muppets!

Disney Infinity - Gravity Falls Power Discs

Gravity Falls Power Discs

Alex Hirsch with Gravity Falls Power Discs

Gravity Falls will have a big presence in Disney Infinity 2.0. Not only will you be able to add the Mystery Shack to your Toy Box, but you will be able to add some great interior items to decorate with, ride on the Mystery Shack cart, and customize the whole Toy Box to look like the strange little town in Oregon. Oh, and don't forget to arm yourself with Mabel's Kitten Fists!

Sadly, as of yet, there are no Dipper and Mabel playable characters. Though they would be really fun. I would love to see Phineas and Dipper team-up!

Below is a screenshot from the trailer, revealing a great new Disney Parks Attraction vehicle.

Notice the vehicle in the back with Tinkerbell. It's the cart from the Alice in Wonderland attraction at Disneyland Park.

Toy Box Summit News

Some really exciting news from the Toy Box Summit!

Mount: Gus the Mule, kicks a football (from the 1976 live-action film Gus)

Scrooge’s Money Bin - can dive into the money and wade around in with coins flying around. More updates to the existing structures.

Santa Claus suit for Jack Skellington!

Finding Dory may lead to swimming playset and characters.

Talk about LucasArts properties, Indiana Jones playset may be possible.

Unannounced female character for 2.0!

Can make leaderboards, small cut-scenes, text boxes, RPGs in the toy box.

Undo placement feature and can favorite items when building in the toybox.

Tons of creativitoys (79 give or take).

Can use builders to fill in spots with templates.

Are You Sure prompt before Theme All.

Game Changers:

Barrier blocks - players cannot go through edge of the world and fall off and they are scalable and blocks for track pieces, collision free and can drag through objects

Can select skies

Rails and blocks can be textured with tons of options, customizable

Townspeople - can accept logic now and trigger other things and assigned behaviors, can add to team to help fight, mission givers and add dialogue, can stand still and follow you

Color changing plates and changing symbols, pressure plates, liftable blocks

Camera angles: target camera and angled camera

Treasure chests can be added that contain items and generate enemies, health capsules, special moves

Collectibles can now be added to the toy box. Collectible tracker to keep track of collectables.

Generating friends and friendly wave generator.

Enemy spawner can be attached to a locater, eliminating the the marker for where enemies appear, enemy wave locator, and cauldrons and doors as locators.

Collection pens have new features.

Safety domes have more options. Can change the hit points and add different items.

Finales are included as well as podiums for places. Text tools and action enforcers.

Gravity Falls soundtrack!

Iron Fist will have a costume.

Creativi-toys:

Re-player - need to add reset button

Counter - any number between 1 - 10,000, more options

Timing Toys - any time from 1 sec - 5 minutes

Generators - have a random feature, can hide these plates and use the locator to have items spawn

Enemies - new enemies, including Bears from Brave as well as Boss Enemies

Cameras -  choose transitions (swing, fade, cut) edit duration of shot, can hide with wand

Trigger Areas - can scale trigger areas now and scale through objects and can deactivate them

Checkpoints - make them invisible, specify activation, set-up logic to teleport to checkpoints

Team Activator - assign to teams, glow to mark characters

Victory Tracker - count defeats, hits

Boombox and sound effects - lots of tracks and new sound effects

New Creativi-toys:

Action Enforcer - can change the action of a character

Ballot Box - multiple triggers can cast a ballot for a vote

Confirmer - confused? the confirmer can help you

Defeat Manager - affects what happens when a character is defeated (reset power meter and the like)

Effects Generator - effects like fire, aura, explosions, 16-bit explosion, water, and more

Level Starter - changes start of a level

Logic Gate

Randomizer - up to ten toys can be set-up randomly

Ready Up

Toy Box Game Maker - choose what to allow a player can do

Text Creator - add text with ready made phrases

Text Displayer - create your own text and can hook up a keyboard

Editor Manager

Economy System - can buy and place toys to achieve certain tasks, can reward

Packs and Tools Manager

Inventory Manager

Store Front - what you can buy

Loot Drop Manager - enemies loot drop

Money Manager

Remote - assign buttons to make things happen

Weather Vane - change wind

Color Changing Block - logic included, use as a trigger

Enemy Trail Guide - enemies move to locations

Ability - certain character can be affected

Vehicle Summoner - summon vehicles

Doors

Locators

Satellites receivers

Muppets on PS Vita

The Muppets will be coming to the video game world once again this fall with Disney's The Muppets Movie Adventures (the pluralization of Muppet really bothers me here). This game will be for the PS Vita and feature the Muppets in movie genre based levels, costumes, and missions.

We have pirates, sci-fi, the old west, and gladiators represented by this character line-up.

Looks like we may have some rather interesting appearances of fan favorites as villains, such as Uncle Deadly above, seen here with Miss Piggy.

Look here! It's Timmy Monster as a bad guy with Miss Piggy!

We'll be sure to keep you updated as we find out more about this Disney The Muppets release.

Review: S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah

Godzilla’s biggest and baddest foe comes next in our Tamashi Nations S.H. MonsterArts figures. This figure is impressive as it is expensive. I am glad I got mine early on as it now retails on Amazon for over 200 dollars. However, the figure is worth the price as it has a ton of articulation and accessories.

Expertly crafted by Yuji Sakai, each head and tail has been meticulously and individually sculpted for the most accurate portrayal of King Ghidorah. This version of Ghirodah comes from the Heisei series of the films to match the rest of the characters in design, scale, and continuity. Standing an impressive 10 inches tall, Ghidorah towers over Godzilla. Not a detail was missed on this figure. From his three heads, elegant necks, giant wings, scaled body, and two tails, Ghidorah is as beautiful as he is deadly. Tongues, teeth, horns, eyes, and nostrils are distinct and detailed on each head. Each neck can be posed independently and in any direction. The wings can flap and are sturdy. The two-tails bend just like the necks in any direction.

The paint job is superb, but what else could it be? He is a pure gold dragon. No shading of any kind besides inside the mouth and eyes.

Ghidorah’s accessories include three separate beam weapons of his classic lightning and three stands for each. It does not come with a base for the figure but Ghidorah stands upright and never seems like he will fall over. Like all the figures, they can break easily and there are plenty of warnings telling you not to over-pose the figure.

The box is gorgeous! Shiny and gold like Ghidorah, it sports a picture window in the front to see a side view of the monster and a top picture window with his name in gold. The box is a heavy duty cardboard and is all in Japanese so I can’t read any of it.

Overall, the figures continue to impress me and I continue to collect them. Ghidorah is a welcome addition to the collection and if he only make his trademark cackle then the figure would be even more impressive!

Kamacuras

Name: Kamacuras aka Gimantis
First Appearance: Son of Godzilla

Kamacuras is one of the few other monsters to be doused in radiation and become larger and stronger like Godzilla.The Americans were testing a weather control experiment on Solgell Island where the already 6 foot mantis lived. The experiment caused a radioactive storm in 1967 and caused the resident mantis to grow to enormous size. Initially scaring the United Nations, the Kamacuras find Manilla's egg, crack it open and try to devour the young Godzilla. Godzilla destroys two Kamacuras and the last one gets caught in the giant spider web of Kumonga.

The Kamacuras can be seen roaming monster island, living in peace with the other monsters and can be seen in the background in various other Godzilla films. Most notably, they made a come back in Godzilla: Final Wars. Now with the ability to camouflage themselves into the environment, Kamacuras eludes Godzilla in the hills. Only to be smoked out by his atomic breath and then impaled on an electrical tower.

Donald Duck Trailer for Disney Infinity and Reveals

One of the great things about the character trailers for Disney Infinity is all the little reveals hidden (or obviously) placed into them! Check out the trailer here and some of the fun items in Disney Infinity 2.0!

Here we have the greatest duck that has ever lived: Donald Duck. Armed with his mallet, Donald can whack out the competition or any bad guy!

Aladdin in his Prince Ali costume and Donald in his Three Musketeers costume. This version of Disney Infinity includes costumes with abilities. So besides these two, we also know of the Symbiote Costume for Spider-Man and Dr. Strange's Cape, as well as more!

Disney Parks gives some love in Disney Infinity 2.0 with the Main Street Electrical Parade! You'll also notice the Light Cycle from Tron. In the background - is that cottage of the Seven Dwarfs?

Probably the vehicle I am most excited about in Disney Infinity 2.0 - the U.S.S. Swinetrek. And in the trailer you can hear Jerry Nelson announcing Piiiiiiiigs in Space! Nice touch!

The Avengers have another vehicle in the game! Lots of vehicles this time around.

In this image, you'll notice the "it's a small world" pavilion and Space Mountain. More attraction love!

We'll keep trying to update you as soon as things are announced and released. We know there are some great power discs out there, but we'll save those for another post.

Pongo's Power Discs - Disney Infinity

Disney Infinity Wish List

Adding to our wish list this week are two power discs from my favorite Disney animated film, One Hundred and One Dalmatians. We already have Cruella DeVil's car, we just need an appropriate setting to drive wrecklessly around in!

Pongo's Twilight Bark

 Pongo's Twilight Bark - A tranquil sky filled with the beautiful colors of the setting sun on a English countryside. The music for this sky would be the track "Puppies Everywhere" from the original 1961 soundtrack. Hell Hall would haunt the sky in the distance.

Pongo's Winter Countryside

Pongo's Winter Countryside - A quiet snow falls on the English countryside. Snow adorns wooden fences and dead trees that litter the landscape. A river that has been frozen over creates the perfect escape and hiding place under an old stone bridge. Snow banks create the perfect the place to make snow angels. The music would be "Through the Snow/Shelter" from the original 1961 soundtrack.

45 Years of the Haunted Mansion - Poster 2

Donald Duck Disney Infinity 2.0

We finally have our classic Disney character confirmation and it is none other than Donald Duck! This looks like the best assortment of Disney characters yet!

45 Years of the Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is celebrating 45 years of grim, grinning ghosts this year. We're celebrating with some posters I designed for funsies. What if the Muppets took over the Haunted Mansion? There are three in all, so check back! Eventually, I'd like to revisit these and do another round.

In fact, this past Saturday (August 9, 2014) Disneyland offered some special merchandise to help celebrate! The image below was featured on the popcorn buckets and available as limited prints in locations around the park.

Mickey as the Hatbox ghost and Minnie as The Bride design was on a souvenir travel mug.