Alien Pizza Planet Truck Popcorn Bucket Acquired!

 by Beth Keating

Theme Park Life

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 11, 2024

 

Last week, Ray wrote an article entitled “Why Does Tokyo Disney Get All the Cool Stuff?”   And for a long time in our house, we’ve bemoaned the fact that Tokyo Disney always got the best stuff – best rides, best animatronics, even the best popcorn buckets. Hello, Peter Pan light up!

Occasionally, Disneyland in California also joined the Tokyo club.  For example, at Pixar Fest this year in Disneyland, there were THREE great popcorn bucket designs, and we jokingly toyed with the idea of jumping on the new $89 Breeze Airways flights to go acquire said buckets.  There was the Pizza Planet Delivery Truck, Dug from Up, and even a guitar shaped bucket from Coco.  Yes, we know we have a popcorn bucket problem  - and Disney knows we’re not the only ones. (Who’d have thought we’d all get so excited over a piece of molded plastic?)

You’ll be happy to know that one of the coveted buckets from Pixar Fest has finally made its way to Disney World, and yes, we were there on its debut day (June 10) to purchase one for our house.  The adorable Alien Pizza Planet Truck ($26.00) has made its way to Florida!

  
Whether Disney has finally cracked the code to debuting new popcorn buckets without 6 hour waits, or they ordered a sufficient quantity to supply the number of guests wanting one, the sale process on day one was very smooth.

During recent popcorn bucket releases, Disney has been using a virtual queue, where you could lock in your purchase ahead of time on the My Disney Experience (MDE) app, and then leisurely make your way to a pickup point.  This time, the buckets were being sold at various popcorn carts around Hollywood Studios, and we were skeptical as to how well the management would go.  We got to the park relatively early to assure ourselves they wouldn’t be sold out before we had a chance to get ahold of one, and headed straight back toward Toy Story Land, assuming that’s where the buckets would be. We didn’t need to go that far.  Both popcorn stands in front of Hollywood Brown Derby were selling the bucket, and lines had already started to form.   Uh, oh!

The cast members, however, kept the lines moving, and we spent a mere 15 minutes in line acquiring our truck.  The cast member at our cart had even quickly caught on to the fact that this wasn’t just a popcorn bucket – collectors don’t want the greasy popcorn to ever touch their pristine popcorn bucket because it's impossible to remove the oil from the plastic.  It’ll also smell like pretend melted butter for the rest of eternity!  The cast member laughingly was asking guests “popcorn or no popcorn?” when guests were ordering a Pizza Planet truck popcorn bucket.  She knew!

While we speedily obtained our popcorn vessel, we did check back at a few of the carts around the park before we left around late afternoon, and the trucks were still available.  Throughout the day, we did notice cast members bringing boxes of restocks to each of the carts, and it wasn’t long before the lines of guests at the carts resembled a normal day in the parks.

  
The Alien Pizza Planet Truck is a tiny replica of your favorite reoccurring Pixar vehicle (look for it hiding in the background of other Pixar movies as well.)  It’s a definite nostalgia piece for those of us who remember the truck being parked in Hollywood Studios, in front of Pizza Planet before it became PizzeRizzo.  (We have pictures of our very young children leaning on the truck with a slice of questionable pizza in their hands.)

 
The truck is the perfect movie yellow, and is splashed with fake mud.  Its paint is peeling and dented in a few places, reminiscent of the movie icon.  In the front seat, a little green Toy Story alien wears a Pizza Planet delivery hat and holds a pizza box. The alien is removable as well.  More aliens peek out of the window at the back of the truck. On top of the truck is a Pizza Planet rocket ship that lights up, and the carry strap features graphics from the movie version of Pizza Planet, including the crossed spears galaxy guardians, tiny burgers and pizza slices, and delivery shuttle logos.  The roof of the truck opens to allow for popcorn access.  The only thing that’s missing is an empty soda cup rolling around the rear of the “cargo bay”!

The popcorn bucket wasn’t the only thing to make its way from Pixar Fest.  While we didn’t personally purchase one (we don’t usually collect sippers), there’s also a Slinky Dog Sipper that arrived in Florida the same day as the Pizza Planet truck.  “Slink” is perched on his hindquarters, with his paws outstretched. The straw for the sipper is Slinky’s coil, which wraps around the inside of the clear beverage container so you can see his springs. The floppy-eared Slinky Dog sipper is currently available at various outdoor vending locations around Hollywood Studios.

And if you still need those other buckets?  Pixar Fest runs until August 4, 2024, in California. 

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

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“Andy’s Room” to Host Toy Story Funday Football During Falcons-Jaguars Game From London

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 30, 2023

 

I watch football exactly one day a year – and sometimes not even then, if one of my family’s preferred teams hasn’t made it to the Big Game.  Yes, Super Bowl Sunday is the only time I park myself in front of the TV to “enjoy” that American pastime known as football.  On a typical week, I might supply a few “game day foods,” set them out on the coffee table, then disappear into a different room while the other family members yell at the television screen.

This Sunday, though, I might just be joining the family in front of the TV, though it will be a mite bit early for the usual nachos and mini-hot dogs.  At 9:30 a.m. (ET) Sunday morning (October 1, 2023), the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars will be kicking off from London in Week 4 of the NFL season.  And while the game will be televised traditionally in its usual form on ESPN+ (as well as local broadcast stations in the markets of the participating teams), it will also show up in a slightly different, alternate format, live on Disney+ and ESPN+ (and on mobile with NFL+).

 

Dubbed “Toy Story Funday Football,” the alternate game will simultaneously animate the Falcons-Jaguars game from Wembley Stadium in London, using the NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking data and motion-capture technology.  Instead of seeing the typical green, line-marked football field though, the Toy Story version will be brought to you in real time direct from Andy’s room.  (If you’ve been living under a rock – or the nearest bleacher - “Andy’s room” is where the Toy Story characters usually reside in the Disney animated film series, launched in 1995.) 

 

Among the characters appearing in the broadcast will be Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Bullseye, Bunny, Ducky, Forky, the Aliens, Jessie, Rex, and Slinky Dog, participating from the sidelines and in “non-gameplay elements.”

The real life football players themselves will appear on screen as animated football figures, and the special “half-time show” will feature Toy Story’s Duke Caboom undertaking a monumental motorcycle jump. While Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick, and Laura Rutledge will be calling the game from inside the London location for the live game, the Toy Story version of the show will be narrated by its own announcers, with Drew Carter providing the play-by-play, Booger McFarland as analyst, and 12-year old Pepper Persley as a reporter.  For family members who, like me, aren’t all that football-savvy, the day will feature educational elements teaching the game of football, including demonstrations with “how to” videos, trivia, and more.

 

Toy Story Funday Football is a first-of-its-kind NFL alternate presentation. “Fans will view every run, pass, score and all football-related action through state-of-the-art tracking technology,” assures ESPN, for those who might be worried that the Toy Story version might not be taking the game seriously enough, or be accurate in its entirety to the actual Falcons-Jaguars game.  In addition, for those die-hard fans watching the animated game, there will also be pre-recorded segments and interviews with the real Falcons and Jaguar players sprinkled into the broadcast.

 

If you are watching from outside the United States, the special presentation will be available in over 95 markets live and/or in replay, including Brazil, the UK, Mexico and France.  Video on Demand will also be available in many markets 24 hours after the live broadcast ends.

This novel NFL collaboration is a venture by ESPN, ESPN’s Edge Innovation Center, Disney, NFL, Pixar, Next Gen Stats, Beyond Sports, and Silver Spoon.

So, who is with me for my second football game of the year?  Pretty sure there will be a few football players “falling…with style!”

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Disney to Re-Release 8 Disney Favorite Films to the Big Screen

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 3, 2023

 

While many of us wouldn’t necessarily label them “classics,” Disney certainly calls them so, and has announced that it will be re-releasing eight “classic” fan-favorite Disney films to theatres this summer.

This is a great selection of Disney movies, but none of the films were around in Walt’s day, nor do they span a great variety of eras in Disney’s “100 years of magic,” so it really depends on how you define “classic.”  But that doesn’t stop me from being excited about seeing some of these top-grossing Disney films in theatres again.

To celebrate the Disney Company’s 100th anniversary, eight films from Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Animation and Pixar will be showing in the United States for a limited period of just two weeks each between July and October.  If you’ve only seen your favorites on your home television, now’s your opportunity to see the films as they were meant to be seen.  Tickets are available through Fandango.

 

The titles being re-released for limited engagement runs include:

 

• Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (July 7 – 20, 2023)
• Toy Story (July 21– August 3, 2023)
• Frozen (August 4 – 17, 2023)
• Beauty And The Beast (August 18 – 31, 2023)
• The Incredibles (September 1 – 14, 2023)
• Coco (September 15 – 28, 2023)
• The Lion King (September 29 – October 12, 2023)
• Moana (October 13 – 26, 2023)

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

“Roundup Rodeo BBQ” Opening March 23!

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 25, 2023

 

Yeehaw, cowboys! We got some very exciting news from Disney today…. We now have an opening date for the long-awaited Roundup Rodeo BBQ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Though you can’t make advanced dining reservations quite yet, Woody and Andy’s new restaurant in Toy Story Land will be opening March 23, 2023. 

 

Courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog

Over the past few weeks, the anticipation has been growing as we’ve watched Imagineers and construction crews add the finishing touches to the outside of the new eatery.  This western-themed, family-style restaurant will be serving up platters of barbecue, with house-smoked meats, lots of unique side dishes, and a selection of sweet desserts.  Disney does barbecue pretty well (Hello, Flame Tree in Animal Kingdom and Regal Eagle in EPCOT!), and we’re hoping this new locale lives up to the hype.

The ambiance promises to be a lot of fun for your little cowboys and cowgirls, too.  Andy has used his toys to create a rodeo arena where his own toys can play.  (And you will be the “honorary toys” coming for a visit in Andy’s backyard!)

 

Here’s the new menu, released today by Disney: 

 

Salads:

• Tomato Salad: Tomatoes, cucumbers, and pickled red onions tossed in a white balsamic vinaigrette and garnished with fresh dill (plant-based)
• Rex’s Romaine and Kale Salad: Romaine and kale mixed with green apples, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries tossed with green goddess dressing
• Watermelon Salad: Cubed watermelon garnished with freshly torn mint leaves (plant-based)

 

House-smoked meats, including: 

• Evil Dr. Smoked Ribs: Fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, slow-cooked for hours in the onsite smokehouse 
• Buttercup’s Beef Brisket: Hand-sliced beef brisket, smoked then slow-cooked to juicy perfection
• There’s a Sausage in My Boot: Spiced pork sausage fire-grilled over live oak to give it an added kick 
• BBQ Chicken – with Style! Chicken brined for 48 hours, rubbed with secret backyard BBQ spice and smoked to tender juiciness

 

Plant-based offerings (available upon request):

• Slow-smoked Cauliflower topped with sweet harissa drizzle and crunchy walnut gremolata 
• Oven-roasted “Bratwurst” that is tender and juicy, sliced to perfection
• Impossible “Rib Chop” seasoned with spices, then roasted and glazed with sweet BBQ sauce and skewered on a sugar cane “bone”

 

All entreés are served with an assortment of sweet, traditional, and spicy BBQ sauces.

 

Choose four of the following sides for the table:

• The Married Spuds: Loaded potato barrels drizzled with green goddess dressing, cheese sauce, and seasoned BBQ spices
• Force Field Fried Pickles: Jumbo pickle spears coated with a dill-flavored breading and fried to perfection
• Slinky Doooooooooog Mac & Cheese: Spiral pasta in a creamy house-made cheese sauce topped with crumbled cheddar crackers 
• Buckin’ Baked Beans: A traditional BBQ picnic favorite (plant-based)
• Cowpoke Corn on the Cob: Grilled and seasoned with a chili-lime spice blend, cilantro, cotija cheese, and lime juice
• Mean Old Potato Salad: Homestyle with red-skinned potatoes
• Veggie Slaw: Crunchy shredded veggie slaw that is a summertime favorite! (plant-based)
• Campfire-roasted Vegetables: A variety of roasted seasonal vegetables (plant-based)

 

Chuckwagon desserts (Choose from a selection for the table):

• Cupcake à la Forky: Forky is up to something sweet! A classic chocolate cake with a gooey chocolate ganache center topped with velvety graham cracker buttercream and a sugar cookie
• Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake: An iconic creamy dessert that balances the tanginess of the cheesecake with the natural sweetness of blueberries and lemon
• Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie: Layers of graham cracker crust and silky chocolate mousse topped with chantilly cream
• Goat’s Apple Pie: A picnic classic! Tart apples and warm pie spices balance perfectly with the creamy sweet filling under a crumble crust
• Gruff’s Peach-Strawberry Pie: With its silky sweet peaches and tartness of strawberries, this dessert is a fruit-centric delight! (plant-based)

 

Grown-up Craft Cocktails:

 (A selection of beer, hard cider, and wines by the glass are also available):

• Snake Eye Margarita: Inspired by a summertime BBQ featuring watermelon, smoke, and a bit of spice! 
• Rum Punch: Rum punch with vibrant flavors of passion fruit and pineapple finished with a smoky spiced garnish
• Chocolate with a Grown-up Twist: A blend of chocolate rum, horchata liqueur, cocoa, and flavors of toasted marshmallow
• Frozen Peanut Butter & Jelly: A fun frozen twist on the classic peanut butter & jelly featuring peanut butter whiskey 
• Whiskey Lemonade: A fresh take on a strawberry lemonade made with Tennessee whiskey and Italian bitter aperitif
• The Rodeo Mule: A classic “patio sipper,” this mule mixes vodka with fresh juices and ginger beer

 

Nonalcoholic offerings:

• Molly’s Frozen Iced Tea: A frosty concoction with iced tea and citrus flavors
• Frozen Cocoa: A frozen blend of cocoa and vanilla topped with miniature marshmallows
• Partysaurus Tex: Strawberry lemonade is even more fun when you garnish it with gummy worms!

 

Advance Dining Reservations should be available soon. Keep checking Disney Parks Blog to find out when you can start booking your family’s Roundup reservations.

 

_______________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

“Lightyear” Ranks as a Big Flop, Raising Questions about Pixar

 by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 5, 2022

 

Disney-Pixar’s Lightyear ranks as a rather staggering flop. There’s just no way around that for Disney. And with it comes questions about Pixar.

 

To drive home the point, consider that Minions: The Rise of Gru, from Universal, opened on July 1, and through July 4, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, it raked in $125.2 million domestically and $219 million globally. In contrast, Lightyear opened domestically on June 17, and thus far it has earned $106.7 million domestically and $188.9 million globally. 

 

That is, the opening July 4^th weekend for Minions generated more ticket sales than Lightyear has over three weekends. Yikes.

Putting aside Minions, the reported production budget for Lightyear was $200 million. That excludes marketing costs, which generally run anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent of the production budget. Let’s take a middle point, and therefore, assume a total costs of $350 million for Lightyear. At just less than $190 million in revenue after its third weekend, there’s just no way that Lightyear will come close to breaking even, never mind making a profit in theaters. Yikes, again.

 

This was Pixar’s first big move back into theaters since Onward was cut short in theaters when the pandemic hit in March 2020. Since then, Soul, Luca and Turning Red went to Disney+. Consider that Lightyear’s production budget at $200 million isn’t all that different from reports that Soul cost $150 million, Luca $200 million, and Turning Red $175 million – again, absent marketing costs. Those are big numbers for few dollars coming in at the box office, while one is left trying to figure out their contributions to Disney+ subscriptions. They no doubt contributed positively to subscriber growth, but to what degree? Also, can these types of budgets be sustained in the future without substantial profits at the box office?

 

Of course, Pixar has a stellar track record over the long haul, and it might just snapback with more hits. It’s hard to bet against them. 

 

But doubts lurk. After all, the creators at Pixar today are not the same as those who gave us Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. and other Pixar classics. Indeed, one could argue that there has been a drop off in the quality of Pixar films over its past 11 movies – starting with The Good Dinosaur in 2015 which had the worst Pixar box office pre-pandemic – again especially when compared to the incredible run with its first 15 movies. 

 

So, Pixar seems to be another question for Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who is a CEO in no shortage of questions and challenges.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

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Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!

 

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Stay Calm & Enjoy Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 1, 2021

 

See the two names circled in the photo? Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head.

 

Despite the usual suspects whipping up gullible people who don’t read past headlines into outrage, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head aren’t going anywhere. Nobody is pushing any sort of agenda with the rebranding, either. Hasbro has simply renamed the overall “Potato” brand as a whole, to better reflect the fact that the line has close to 100 other products, besides the iconic duo.

 

Here are the facts.

 

Hasbro, the third biggest toy maker in the world (behind Namco-Bandai of Japan and LEGO of Denmark), has seen its sales on physical toys and games steadily slipping with most of their lines since 2010, when brick and mortar stores like Toys R Us - Hasbro’s biggest retail partner - started going under and the popularity of apps, instant downloads and iPads/iPhones for kids started zooming. Their Potato Head products are among those bleeding revenue for Hasbro every quarter. 

 

February is the annual Toy Fair month (this year it’s virtual) when companies announce their toy lines and plans for the upcoming Christmas season so that retailers, TV stations and buyers can be ready for the fall blitz and the publicity hype can begin. 

 

Hasbro chose this opportunity to put out a press release about their Potato Head re-branding for Christmas 2021. 

 

It’s business, pure and simple.

 

Like most Fortune 500 corporations, toy companies don’t operate in a vacuum. Every decision they make affects their bottom line and their shareholders. Money comes before anything else. Changes are not made on a whim. In the case of Hasbro, 80% of their shares are owned by institutional investors. If you have a 401K or Mutual Fund, chances are that a portion of your future lies with the success or failure of Hasbro. 

 

For the last five years, Hasbro has been conducting intense marketing tests and surveys with parents and children about their various product lines. One of the things they discovered about the Potato Head brand was that people didn’t know that there was more to it than just the plain old Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head dolls.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head have been around since the 1950s and are in the Toy Hall of Fame, but for most of today’s kids, the appeal of Mr. Potato Head is lagging. The largest portion of Potato Head sales in the last few years have come from their collectible lines of celebrity Potato Heads, using characters from pop culture TV shows and movies, and it’s usually adults buying those, not to play with but to display. A brand refresh was desperately needed.

 

Hasbro’s solution, for Christmas 2021 and beyond, was to create a fun and colorful new logo and brand simply called “Potato Head” that would encompass all of the toys, collectibles and sub-brands in the Potato Head line without the current confusing packaging saying things like “Mr. Potato Head’s Princess Leia Figure.”

 

Hasbro also has their own motion picture division. It’s part of their attempt to capitalize on their in house famous brands, like they did with their multi-billion dollar Transformers films (and, to a lesser extent, GI Joe and Battleship.) The Potato Head brand is going to be part of that division, as the new logo will be used for an animated movie, TV shows, video games, books, clothing, etc. that will introduce new and old characters into the Potato Head world universe, creating, hopefully, new demand and buzz. (There was a short lived Potato Head cartoon in the 1980s that did just that, adding about twenty new characters to the line, many of whom are still there.) 

 

Speaking of “Buzz,” there’s a complication.

 

The specific characters of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head have already been licensed to Disney/Pixar for movie and TV appearances by way of their popular Toy Story series. When Buzz Lightyear, Woody and their friends debuted in 1995, Mr. Potato Head - memorably voiced by Don Rickles - was a breakout star of the first film. Sales of Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, which had been dropping since the mid 1980s, rose 800% for Hasbro thanks to Toy Story and its sequels. They even redesigned their own product to look more like Disney’s version. 

 

Hasbro is contractually not allowed to produce their own TV shows and movies specifically about Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. By creating a new Potato Head universe, independent of the two iconic characters who started it all, Hasbro cleverly gets to expand their line into other media without stepping on Disney’s toes and breaching their deal with them. 

 

Once again, money talks. 

 

Creating an umbrella name for a familiar brand is not unusual. 

 

Disney’s Consumer Division did it in 2005 with their line of Disney Princesses products, encompassing several characters under one logo without erasing the identity of those characters. Likewise, Peanuts has been doing the same since the 1960s, with individual Snoopy and Charlie Brown products sold under one banner. Mattel, Hasbro’s rival, has toys that most kids in the 1980s called “He-Man figures,” though the umbrella brand name is Masters of the Universe. Many people still call the original 1977 Star Wars film “Star Wars” though the brand name now encompasses all nine of the trilogy films and all of the spin-offs. See the pattern?

 

Companies like KFC and Dunkin’ in recent years have also taken to slightly tweaking their brand name and logos to essentially say, “Hey, we know that you think of us as this one product, but we have so many other things to offer that we are going to remove the original product name itself from our branding so as not to limit our appeal, but keep selling the original product anyway because we know you like it.” 

 

Finally, to the heart of why people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill...

Hasbro is one of the companies that has recently committed itself to being more diverse and inclusive, especially when it comes to race and gender. This is a noble gesture, but seems to threaten some people, for some odd reason.

 

While the press release about the name brand change itself didn’t mention Hasbro’s diverse and inclusive mission, a company spokesperson did, and ignorant fools ran with this as an indication that “the sky is falling!” “Cancel culture is trying to ruin us!’ “They’re reshaping the landscape and controlling the narrative. They’re trying to control us!” And - of course - silly whataboutisms like, “But what are they doing about bigger problems like the homeless and hungry in this world? Why focus on changing the gender of a toy?! We are doomed!” (As if Hasbro, which actually does donate millions each year to charitable causes for children, has any say on ending hunger & homelessness.) 

 

Calm down there, folks. Nobody is trying to brainwash you or your children with this. It’s a business decision to bring a tired old toy brand into the 21st Century. You’ll still be able to buy the classic Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head toys with their names and appendages intact. Then you’ll be able to show folks exactly where on the doll Hasbro hurt you with this move, if you’d like.

 

__________

 

Chris Lucas is the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

 

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!