Latest news with #StarWars:EpisodeIV-ANewHope
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I started crying': A robotic Walt Disney has been denounced by his granddaughter
The urban legend goes that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen to one day be brought back to life. While there's never been any truth to that, the pioneering American animator has, in-sort, been revived - as a robot. To celebrate Disneyland California's 70th anniversary in July, the theme park recently unveiled an animatronic replica of their founder. Disney's granddaughter, Joanna Miller, has denounced the creation - calling it "dehumanizing". In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Miller expressed her hurt upon seeing the mechanical figure: 'I think I started crying,' she said. 'It didn't look like him to me.' When the project was first announced last year, Miller voiced her concerns in a letter to Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, later meeting with him and some of the members involved in the attraction's creation. Miller told Iger she strongly felt that, for visitors, 'the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy,' adding that people would 'remember the robot - and not the man.' While Iger was reportedly 'very kind', her pleas for the robot to be scrapped were ultimately ignored. Miller also spoke out in a Facebook post last November, calling the idea of a 'Robotic Grampa' a disservice to the real Disney, who once loved to greet the park's visitors in person. 'You could never get the casualness of his talking, interacting with the camera, [or] his excitement to show and tell people about what is new at the park,' Miller wrote. 'You cannot add life to one empty of a soul or essence of the man.' Miller made it clear to The LA Times that she was speaking on behalf of her mother and grandfather, noting that it 'pains' her to be speaking out against his company. 'When you get older, you just start to get pissed off. And you get tired of being quiet. So I spoke up on Facebook,' she said. 'The fact that it got back to the company is pretty funny.' The Audio-Animatronics figure is due to debut in a new show titled 'Walt Disney – A Magical Life', which will open on 17 July 2025. 'Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that's been whispered in the hallowed halls of Imagineering for years – decades, even,' Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro said during a company showcase. 'We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we're finally ready,' he added. A Disney press release explains how Disney's Imagineers - the creative minds behind Disney park attractions - had 'worked closely with the Walt Disney Archives to ensure we had the details as accurate as possible.' As technology and, in particular, artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced, companies are increasingly experimenting with ways to bring back the dead. Last year, a film producer sued Disney for digitally recreating the late actor Peter Cushing's appearance in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope for 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Previously, Disney used CGI and unused footage to resurrect actress Carrie Fisher for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while the voice of James Earl Jones, who played iconic baddie Darth Vader and died last year, was artificially repurposed for the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. While sometimes agreed upon by the actors themselves or their estates, any artificial recreations remain highly controversial as people become increasingly wary of technology trying to imitate and dehumanise art. Meanwhile, despite the company riding a box office high with Lilo & Stitch - currently the second-highest grossing movie of the year - Disney announced on Tuesday that it is cutting hundreds of jobs worldwide to reduce costs and adapt to evolving industry conditions. 'As our industry transforms at a rapid pace, we continue to evaluate ways to efficiently manage our businesses while fuelling the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect from Disney,' a spokesperson said. 'As part of this ongoing work, we have identified opportunities to operate more efficiently and are eliminating a limited number of positions.'
Euronews
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Why a robotic imitation of Walt Disney is causing controversy
The urban legend goes that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen to one day be brought back to life. While there's never been any truth to that, the pioneering American animator has, in-sort, been revived - as a robot. To celebrate Disneyland California's 70th anniversary in July, the theme park recently unveiled an animatronic replica of their founder. Disney's granddaughter, Joanna Miller, has denounced the creation - calling it "dehumanizing". In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Miller expressed her hurt upon seeing the mechanical figure: 'I think I started crying,' she said. 'It didn't look like him to me.' When the project was first announced last year, Miller voiced her concerns in a letter to Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, later meeting with him and some of the members involved in the attraction's creation. Miller told Iger she strongly felt that, for visitors, 'the last two minutes with the robot will do much more harm than good to Grampa's legacy,' adding that people would 'remember the robot - and not the man.' While Iger was reportedly 'very kind', her pleas for the robot to be scrapped were ultimately ignored. Miller also spoke out in a Facebook post last November, calling the idea of a 'Robotic Grampa' a disservice to the real Disney, who once loved to greet the park's visitors in person. 'You could never get the casualness of his talking, interacting with the camera, [or] his excitement to show and tell people about what is new at the park,' Miller wrote. 'You cannot add life to one empty of a soul or essence of the man.' Miller made it clear to The LA Times that she was speaking on behalf of her mother and grandfather, noting that it 'pains' her to be speaking out against his company. 'When you get older, you just start to get pissed off. And you get tired of being quiet. So I spoke up on Facebook,' she said. 'The fact that it got back to the company is pretty funny.' The Audio-Animatronics figure is due to debut in a new show titled 'Walt Disney – A Magical Life', which will open on 17 July 2025. 'Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that's been whispered in the hallowed halls of Imagineering for years – decades, even,' Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro said during a company showcase. 'We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we're finally ready,' he added. A Disney press release explains how Disney's Imagineers - the creative minds behind Disney park attractions - had 'worked closely with the Walt Disney Archives to ensure we had the details as accurate as possible.' As technology and, in particular, artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced, companies are increasingly experimenting with ways to bring back the dead. Last year, a film producer sued Disney for digitally recreating the late actor Peter Cushing's appearance in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope for 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Previously, Disney used CGI and unused footage to resurrect actress Carrie Fisher for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while the voice of James Earl Jones, who played iconic baddie Darth Vader and died last year, was artificially repurposed for the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. While sometimes agreed upon by the actors themselves or their estates, any artificial recreations remain highly controversial as people become increasingly wary of technology trying to imitate and dehumanise art. Meanwhile, despite the company riding a box office high with Lilo & Stitch - currently the second-highest grossing movie of the year - Disney announced on Tuesday that it is cutting hundreds of jobs worldwide to reduce costs and adapt to evolving industry conditions. 'As our industry transforms at a rapid pace, we continue to evaluate ways to efficiently manage our businesses while fuelling the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect from Disney,' a spokesperson said. 'As part of this ongoing work, we have identified opportunities to operate more efficiently and are eliminating a limited number of positions.' While film fans continue to wait for an official announcement regarding the identity of the new James Bond and when the secret agent will be back on the big screen, gamers will be thrilled by the announcement of a new video game which hits consoles next year. Developed and published by IO Interactive, the folks behind Hitman, 007 First Light just got its first trailer, which was released during PlayStation's State of Play. 'This is Bond as you've never seen him before - the youngest Bond fans have ever met,' reads the description. 'In 007 First Light, at only 26 years old, he isn't the fully fledged 007 you know from the tux-and-martini days but a man with sharp instincts, sometimes reckless, who is still learning when to fight, when to bluff, and when to disappear into the shadows." The 'completely original standalone story', developed in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios, will see a young Bond earn his designation as 007 – much like he did at the start of Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond. The trailer sees M describe the young spy as 'a bullet without a target' and assigns him a mission in hopes of giving Bond a sense of focus. Check it out below: The game was first announced in 2020 and a deeper look at 007 First Light's gameplay is set to be revealed this summer. In 2021, IO CEO Hakan Abrak said: 'It was very important for us that it wasn't a movie adaptation. It's not a game about a specific movie, where the story has already been told. Every Bond defines a generation and it's amazing how they kept reinventing themselves over so many years.' 007 First Light will be the first James Bond game to release in 14 years. The last Bond title to launch was 2012's poorly received 007 Legends, released to celebrate the iconic film series' 50th anniversary. Bond fans have already expressed their excitement for the new video game. 'I'm excited for this. I've got no doubt IOI can nail the infiltration gameplay and level design, hopefully they get the action elements right too,' wrote one fan, while another said: 'James Bond has been so under-utilised for the last few generations. I'm so stoked to see 007 make a return.' Others have been wondering whether the game reveal is a sign that things are speeding up for a cinematic announcement. The next James Bond film – now under the creative control of Amazon - is apparently being fast-tracked, with rumours suggesting that the 26th adventure will hit cinemas by the end of 2027. That means that when the next Bond film arrives, it will match the record for the longest wait for a new 007 since Sean Connery first played the British spy in 1962's Dr No. The previous record was GoldenEye, which was released in 1995 - six years after Timothy Dalton appeared in Licence to Kill. The 2015-2021 pause between SPECTRE and No Time To Die already gave that record a run for its money, primarily due to the Covid pandemic which delayed the release of the film. We already know that the 26th Bond film will be produced by Amy Pascal and David Heyman, and last month, we asked: Could Aaron Taylor-Johnson becoming Omega brand ambassador be the James Bond confirmation we've all been waiting for? The wait continues...
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Postapocalypse now: Leave the world - and the galaxy - behind at sci-fi-inspired outpost in Utah
LAS VEGAS - "We're all 'Star Wars' nuts," Barry Ray says as his wife, Melissa, and daughter Evie play nearby. Evie knows all the "Star Wars" characters from multiple readings of the Little Golden Books series. She's wearing a Princess Leia costume so, in keeping with the canon, her parents are dressed as Darth Vader and Padmé Amidala. They've traveled from Granbury, Texas, to celebrate Evie's 6th birthday in the middle of a 100-acre dry lake bed that's the next best thing to Tatooine. The previous night, they'd watched the 1977 original, "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," inside a two-bedroom cave. "We've had a great time," Barry says, "and it's an experience she won't ever forget." "It" is OutpostX, a swath of raw desert flush with science-fiction iconography that founder Travis Chambers refers to as "a film-set hotel with a story." The whole thing feels like it's part of a different galaxy, even though it's not all that far, far away. A 'postapocalyptic sanctuary' During a 2013 visit to a pirate-themed Airbnb in Southern California, something clicked inside Chambers. He started traveling the world, racking up 30-something countries in short order. "I got to the point where I'd rather stay in a shack in the jungle in Belize than go to a Four Seasons," Chambers says. "Luxury just does not do it for me." That same year, he founded the digital ad agency Chamber Media, which would land him on a Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Ultimately, he says, the company was a means to an end. In 2021, Chambers cashed out with a reported $17 million to fund his real dream. OutpostX is a whole lot of nothing, and that's by design. Imagined as a "postapocalyptic sanctuary," the retreat covers 240 acres yet feels significantly larger given the lack of visible borders. You can see for miles there without recognizing anything other than mountains and scrub. Chambers identifies luxury, service and location as the three elements on which most hotels compete. "We didn't follow any of those," he boasts. There's no gift shop, no restaurant, not even a vending machine. You could complete your stay at OutpostX without interacting with another soul. The accommodations consist of three cave dwellings, four Zen Domes and a handful of tents. Whether you purchase the ingredients from OutpostX or bring your own food, you'll be cooking for yourself - either in your kitchenette or the fire pit in the common area. Instead of a staff to pamper guests, there are hot tubs, a cold plunge and a sauna with a wood-burning stove. A solitary hammock offers its occupant a silence most will never know. In keeping with Chambers' tastes, OutpostX is aggressively anti-luxury, and guests are more than happy to pay for that vibe. Zen Domes start at $320 a night, the one-bedroom caves at $390 and the two-bedroom cave at $475. Ahead of its opening in 2023, the retreat was sold out for its first year. "We've gotten comments on the internet, 'You want us to pay to stay in a Third World country?' " Chambers says. "And we're like, 'Yep. Exactly. A Third World country 2,000 years from now.' " A mythology of its own Not only is OutpostX reminiscent of the Skywalkers' home planet, guests can explore its outer reaches from inside sand cruisers, custom-built vehicles that greatly resemble Luke's banged-up landspeeder - minus the hovering. Just don't expect anyone involved in the enterprise to mention the words "Star Wars." (It's a bit like the episode of "The Simpsons" in which the family hires a singing British nanny named Shary Bobbins who insists she's "an original creation, like Ricky Rouse and Monald Muck.") Instead, the retreat comes with its own backstory involving brothers Maa and Naa Hyer, who were separated at birth to avoid being recruited into the galactic military. What you experience at OutpostX is the settlement as it's being rebuilt after The Empire destroyed it with a solar flare. That story plays out in the multi-episode podcast that's sent to guests so they'll have something to listen to during the 180-mile drive from Las Vegas or the 100-mile trip from Zion National Park. Signs around OutpostX tell more of the tale, the way a state park might showcase its flora and fauna. The caves, they inform the guests who notice them, were built with materials hauled out of far-off granite quarries by giant Armaados, while the Zen Domes were constructed from the blast glass salvaged from a crashed ship. Guests typically break down into thirds, Chambers says. There's the "sci-fi geeks and nerds" who'll take to the origin tale and rent the corresponding costumes; those looking for seclusion; and the Burning Man/hippie crowd. The communal Kaan Lounge offers Frank Herbert's "Dune" books for the former. For the latter, it also houses a guitar, drums, a sonic energy handpan and a "Sound Bowl Experience." More is on the way "Every very smart person told us that it was a horrible idea," Chambers says. They've started coming around, though. OutpostX is 90% booked six months in advance. Similar locations are planned to open in Moab and Puerto Rico this year. By then, potential guests may have figured out whether the minimalist concept is right for them. "I've seen people show up in a Maybach or a Bentley and get out," Chambers says, "then get in their car and leave." The OutpostX clientele, he adds, isn't so much a demographic as it is a personality: someone who's creative and imaginative - and willing to pay a premium to exercise those attributes. "I think when everyone is at OutpostX," Chambers says, "they're experiencing what you would build with your friends if you were 14 years old." __________ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Scottish Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Original Star Wars poster from 1977 to fetch a whopping £5,000 at auction – do you have one in your attic?
Another poster features one of the most iconic pictures of all time EMPIRE CASH BACK Original Star Wars poster from 1977 to fetch a whopping £5,000 at auction – do you have one in your attic? AN ORIGINAL Star Wars poster from 1977 is set to fetch a whopping £5,000 at auction. Sc-fi nuts have the chance to own a piece of movie history with a poster depicting the first ever Jedi film. Advertisement 5 A poster showing Uma Thurman's iconic character Mia Wallace is on sale at the auction Credit: Jam Press/Ewbanks 5 A legendary Star Wars poster is expected to sell for up to £5,000 Credit: Jam Press/Ewbanks 5 The image on the Jaws poster is one of the most famous pictures of all time Credit: Jam Press/Ewbanks Originally titled 'Star Wars', the film was renamed in 1981 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' when more films were made. The poster features iconic characters including Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker and Harrison Ford's maverick hero Han Solo. Princess Leia, portrayed by the late actress Carrie Fisher, is also featured on the poster with her iconic sci-fi hairdo. The 30 by 40 inch poster was designed by Tom Chantrell for George Lucas' iconic film franchise and is now being sold at the Ewbank's vintage poster auction. Advertisement The sale ends on 19 May and is taking place in Woking, Surrey. Movie fans can also get their hands on a poster for the 1967 horror classic 'Frankenstein Created Woman'. Star Wars icon Peter Cushing - who played the villain in a New Hope - can be seen on the poster starring as Victor Frankenstein. The piece of movie history has an estimated value of £4,000. Advertisement Quentin Tarantino's cult classic 'Pulp Fiction' is next on the sales list with a lucky strike style poster. The poster, featuring the Uma Thurman's iconic character Mia Wallace on the cover, is expected to go for £2,500. A poster of Steven Spielberg's shark thriller Jaws poster is also heading under the hammer with the poster being one of the most iconic film pictures of all time. The poster from the 1975 film, which is widely considered the first ever summer blockbuster movie, has an estimated value of £1,500. Advertisement A £1,200 priced 'Dial M for Murder' poster from the 1954 mystery thriller, is also featuring in the auction. The whodunit featured Grace Kelly - better known as Grace of Monaco - and Welsh-American actor Ray Milland. Finally, a poster for Kurt Russel's 1986 action comedy 'Big Trouble in Little China' is set to fetch £800. Big Trouble in Little China was released in 1986 and was directed by John Carpenter - the man behind Halloween and Escape from New York. Advertisement It also featured Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall and has become a cult classic. Rare posters regularly sell for up to £5000 as fans race to take home a piece of music or cinema history. Posters for events such as the Isle of Wight festival in 1970 and The Bath Festivals of 1960 and 1970 are especially popular, thanks to performances from bands including Fleetwood Mac. One James Bond fan announced his plan to sell his huge collection of 007 memorabilia, which experts valued at £1 million. Advertisement Steve Oxenrider owned over 32,000 items related to the British secret agent, including a Dr No poster which was valued at £15,000. 5 Dial M for Murder starred the Hollywood legend Grace Kelly Credit: Jam Press/Ewbanks
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Movies to see this week: 'In the Mood for Love,' 'The Brood,' a visual album from Thom Yorke
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Another busy week with controversial movies, very uncontroversial movies, and something strange from Thom Yorke. Here are the movies you can catch around the Twin Cities this week. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) Saturday, May 10, at The Parkway Theater Star Wars Day has come and gone, but, obviously, no holiday is required to get Star Wars fans out for the original. It's the second week of The Parkway's month-long run of movies from a galaxy far, far away. That's all we need to say, right? It's Star Wars. You know what you're getting. 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis ($5–$7 in advance/$8–$10 at the door) Tall Tales (2025) Thursday, May 8, at The Main Cinema For one night, you can catch something you don't typically find on the big screen. Tall Tales is a new collaboration between record producer Mark Pritchard, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, and visual artist Jonathan Zawada. They're calling it a "visual album" that draws on synth-pop, prog, dub, 70s synth, Joe Meek, Ivor Cutler, Library, krautrock, and Warp Records' heyday. (It's being released, in part, by Warp.) Tall Tales features new music and visuals, and they're saying it contains elements of a fairy tale, in case the title wasn't an obvious enough hint. It's not a whole lot to go on — the trailer kind of evokes Koyaanisqatsi — but fans of these artists probably don't need a whole lot of prodding. 115 SE Main St., Minneapolis ($17) In the Mood for Love (2000) Thursday, May 8, at Grandview Theatre There's a surprising amount of Wong Kar-Wai coming to Minnesota theaters in May. Both Chungking Express and Happy Together will return to theaters, with the former screening on Wednesday. I have a soft spot for both, especially Happy Together, but if you're showing Wong Kar-Wai movies, it's hard not to start with this masterpiece. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Maggie Cheung star as neighbors who suspect their spouses of having affairs. They bond and are determined to keep things above board, but there might not be a movie with more pent-up sexual tension. 1830 Grand Ave., St. Paul ($14.44) Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxulles (1975) Saturday, May 10, at Alamo Drafthouse Jeanne Dielman has gotten a lot of attention over the last handful of years after it topped Sight & Sound's list of the greatest films ever made in 2022. The critics' poll inspired a lot of debate (and a lot of criticism of the poll). Nonetheless, it put Chantal Akerman's 1975 film in the spotlight and offered a chance for many (me included) to revisit and appreciate the subtle and considered character study. It rewards viewers who are down to stick it out through its three-hour and 22-minute runtime. The movie stars Delphine Seyrig as the widowed title character, obsessed with her routines and caring for her son. When the chores are done, she has clients arrive at her flat for sex. Despite its length, the movie takes place over a short period of time as Jeanne has a sexual awakening that upends her life. 9060 Hudson Rd., Woodbury ($11.91) The Brood (1979) Monday, May 12, at Emagine Willow Creek David Cronenberg's The Brood may be among the most haunting horror movies that is (at least partially) about birth. A woman is committed to the care of a possibly depraved psychologist who prevents her husband from visiting, despite his desire to find out what kind of abuses their daughter may have endured at his wife's hands. Though, that quickly becomes the least of his problems as small, deformed, child-like creatures begin to murder anyone to whom he gets close. 9900 Shelard Pkwy., Plymouth ($8.25) Related: Kevin Smith wants to bring 'Mallrats' back to Eden Prairie for its 30th anniversary More movies screening this week: Related: Tickets set to go on sale for the pre-Broadway run of 'Purple Rain' in Minneapolis
