Oh the places I’m am willing to go, or in this case not go, to bring you the latest Disney news. . .

Marvel’s Ant-Man is Big on Entertainment

We got an advance copy of the Blu-Ray of Marvel’s Ant-Man to watch and review. It’s a fun heist/caper movie that turns into an unlikely superhero movie halfway through. It’s available right now on Digital HD and you can get your pincers on the hard copy Blu-Ray 3D + Blu-Ray + Digital HD PLUS Disney Movies Anywhere digital copy on December 8th.

There’s an incredible amount of bonus material in the package, so even if you get the movie today, you’ll want to buy the hard copy on the 8th. There’s a “How-to” on putting together the heist, Creating a macroverse, and faux news reports and interviews, deleted and extended scenes, and audio commentary by star Paul Rudd and director Peyton Reed.

Here’s a little extra something for you:

Mail Call:

Celebrate Walt Disney’s Birthday at His Birthplace!

Our friends at the Walt Disney Birthplace are going big for Walt’s Birthday in December. If you’ll be in Chicago on December 5th or 6th, you’ll want to join in the fun. I’m checking my frequent flyer miles right now. I’ve been wanting to see the house for the longest and this looks like a great opportunity.

In honor of Walt Disney’s 114th Birthday on December 5, 2015, The Walt Disney Birthplace has planned four Chicago-based events to celebrate the Disney Family and their place in Chicago history.

The events begin on Saturday, December 5th at The Walt Disney Birthplace. This modest two-story cottage was designed and hand-built by Walt’s parents, Elias and Flora Disney, in 1893. Elias had moved his family to Chicago to help build the World’s Columbian Exposition, which opened that year. Roy was born in the home in 1893, followed by Walt in 1901, and their little sister Ruth in 1903.

On Sunday December 6th, O-Zell Soda, a Victorian era soda company that was started by Elias Disney in Chicago, will cohost a launch event at Rocket Fizz, St. Charles. As a teenager, Walt himself worked in the factory. Today, the O-Zell Soda Company has been relaunched to help fund the restoration of the Birthplace and support the non-profit 501(c)(3) established in its name with four new soda flavors at Rocket Fizz stores nationwide.

From 12:00 to 1:00 PM on Saturday, Dec. 5th, there will be a community birthday party complete with free cake in front of The Walt Disney Birthplace at 2156 N. Tripp Ave. in Hermosa. Along with a “Happy Birthday” sing-along and dedications by Chicago luminaries, guests will get a look at the ongoing restoration of the home that Walt, Roy and Ruth Disney were born in. For more details, visit: WDBirthday.eventzilla.net

That evening, from 4:30 to 7:30 PM, Chicago’s historic Logan Theater will host a cocktail reception with special guest and Disney Animation Legend Floyd Norman, who worked on many Disney classics including Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Mulan, Dinosaur, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This event will include a special theater presentation about Walt Disney and the family’s years in The Windy City. Details and tickets are available at: WaltsBirthday.eventzilla.net

On Sunday, Dec. 6th, from 2:30 to 4:30 PM, Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop in St. Charles will host a free “Festival of Fun” in honor of O-Zell Soda. Guests will meet Disney Legends, enjoy arts & crafts, O-Zell Soda Tastings, and special soda deals. Rocket Fizz is located at 301 W. Main St, St. Charles, IL 60174. No ticket is required for the Festival of Fun. Guests are invited to stop by any time between 2 and 4:30 for the festival of fun and soda specials.

The closing event of the weekend is the O-Zell Soda Pairing, Cocktail Party & Walt Disney Birthplace Fundraiser at Shakou Sushi in St. Charles. Tickets and information about the soda pairing cocktail party are available at: OzellWDB.eventzilla.net

The CircleVision 360 of Life

A reader, pal and all-around sweetheart pointed out something really cool to me today:

Works on everything but seems to work best on mobile devices.

Congratulations Are In Order!

When Alice was a toddler, her favorite “big kid” was a teenager named Zane Jensch who kept saying that someday he was going to be a theme park designer. Today I got to see this:

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) today announced that Los Angeles based Super 78, received the 2016 Thea award for Outstanding Achievement: Technology Breakthrough for their creation of Geppetto ACS™, a proprietary digital puppetry System that delivers feature film quality 3D animation in real time. Additionally, Moody Gardens’ SpongeBob Subpants Adventure, created and designed by Super 78 (using the Geppetto technology), was honored with the 2016 Thea award For Outstanding Achievement: Attraction. Super 78’s President and Creative Director Brent Young and CEO and Executive Producer Dina Benadon, jointly stated, “We are both thrilled and honored, along with our amazing team, to be recognized by TEA for our Geppetto ACS™ technology. We are also privileged to have collaborated with the talented folks at Moody Gardens and Nickelodeon on the SpongeBob Subpants Adventure and we share in their excitement and congratulate them on their outstanding achievement.” “Our objective is always to provide that fun, educational experience that is so important to parents and kids, and the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure attraction will achieve this in a new and exciting way,” said Moody Gardens President and CEO John Zendt. The innovative technology behind Geppetto ACS™ can supercharge entertainment experiences –whether it’s at a theme park, movie theater, concert or even a televised awards show — bringing a new level of immersiveness to the audience. The opportunities are infinite. And the experience is in real time!

Congratulations to Super 78 and Zane and everyone involved. I could bust! But I’m not busting out the old photos of you in junior high, so…you’re welcome.

Starting the first week of December, Fab News will have a sponsoring business partner! I’m very excited about this new partnership. This weekend kicks off Knott’s Merry Farm plus we’re going to visit Medieval Times, so I’ll have pictures and stories about those on Tuesday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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