Hey folks, Monkey Boy here seems to have filed one hell of a report on some of Disney's upcoming projects including the first bits I've heard on this here Winnie the Pooh thingee. Ya know... Winnie the Pooh is cool, but Tigger and Eeyore are cooler! (well that is my opinion) Anyway... here's the report...

Harry,

Bit of Disney news for you today. As far as I know most of this is new but forgive me if I'm running over some old ground.

Dinosaur:

The title (singular) is still a working one, as is a round logo showing a dinosaur in silhouette with a red meteor streaming through the sky. The film opens close-up on a rock and as the camera pulls back we can see that it is a meteor hurtling in the direction of the sun. Then begins an opening sequence that is nothing short of gob-smacking. It shows an amazing array of dinosaur life interacting with each other. All the while the action centres around an egg wbhich is stolen by a dinosaur after its mother is scared away and lost, dropped in a river and picked up by a flying dinosur before it is dropped on an island. Anyway, an Iguanadon hatches from the egg and is brought up by a pack of lemurs on the island. Then the metor hits and the Iguanadon heads with the lemurs to mainland and when he gets there (he has never seen other dinosaurs before) the film is a journey to escape the devastation of the meteor. Although the dinosaurs are voiced, this in NOT a musical comedy and they don't break into song. It is actually quite a thrilling drama. Disney was careful not to make it a film of extinction, but of hope. The CGI is beyond description. You will know what I mean when it opens around Christmas-time. Everyone who has seen its progress has been astounded. The dinosaurs make Jurassic Park look like crude claymation. And the opening scenes and the music and awe-inspiring. This has definitely set new boundaries for animation.

Fantasia 2000:

The film will be premiered at Carnegie Hall on December 17 with the soundtrack being played live by the London Symphony Orchestra. The whole production will then move around the world for similar live performances to London, Paris and Tokyo before heading back to the US for a New Year's Eve performance to see in the Millennium (let's not get into arguments about when that is, as far as Disney is concerned it is December 31, 1999). Early in the new year it will start its exclusive season at Imax theatres around the world before going into general release in Spring. Various new talents are being taken on board to provide the links between the different segments, including Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones and Oprah Winfrey.

Winnie the Pooh and the Family Tree:

Disney is kickstarting this franchise again with this cute little film. It centres around Tigger and his search for his family tree, which is prompted when no-one wants to play with him so he decides to seek out other Tiggers. He can't find any and Pooh and the rest of his friends dress up as Tiggers to make him happy. Tigger is elated at first but soon realises that they are his friends and thinks they are making fun of him. He runs away into a snowstorm. His friends go searching for him, naturally finding him. Then Tigger realses that his real family was back where he was all along. Pretty cute stuff. This will come out about the same time as Dinosaur.

Toy Story 2:

If you do not want to know the plot of TOY STORY 2.... DO NOT READ, this report is filled with SPOILERS... TONS OF SPOILERS...

Is looking great and Disney believes it will outdo the first. Kelsey Grammar is on board as the voice of Smelly Pete, a collectible toy held by Big Al (the toy collector who steals Woody and is voice by Wayne Knight, of Seinfeld fame) and is what you would probably call the film's villain. He is the one who convinces Woody that he is a collectible and shouldn't demean himself by being a kid's toy. As expected, Woody comes around. By the way, Barbie makes a cameo in the film as a tour guide who shows the toys (who are trying to find the kidnapped Woody) around Big Al's Toy Barn. (After not allowing Disney to use Barbie in the first film, Mattel finally came through). In the toy barn we also see the new, updated Buzz who is suffering delusions of grandeur as Buzz did in the first film. We also meet the evil Zirk, Buzz's archenemy in his universe. He is like a Darth Vader figure who has an unusual relationship with Buzz... I'll say no more about that. Suffice to say that the film looks great and there are some very funny scenes, particularly one where Buzz and the other toys set off on the three mile journey to Al's Toy Barn and have to cross a road. They end up hiding under orange traffic cones as they move across the road, causing chaos and a a multi-car pile-up.

As far as the plot goes, the film starts with Woody and his owner preparing to go to Cowboy Camp. Woody is excited because it means he'll be all alone with his owner and be the centre of attention with no other toys around to compete with. He organises the other toys with a checklist of what to do if anything goes wrong while he's away, including warning all the infant toys about the baby, who is now teething (the film is set six months after the first). However, Woody gets damaged and some of the stuffing comes out of his arm. His owner's mother says she doesn't have time to fix him so Woody can't go on the camp. Instead, he gets put on the top of a dusty shelf where he meets a little penguin toy who was broken some time ago and has been forgotten about.

Anyway, the mum starts organising a garage sale and walks around the room with a box (marked "25 cents") and puts things in it. She grabs the penguin and Woody realises that his new friend is going to be sold off. HE rushes to help in and ends up in the middle of the sale. Bif Al (Wayne Knight) arrives and asks how much for Woody. The mume is surprised to see Woody is there but says he is not for sale. Big Al offers $50 but she refuses. He distracts her, steals Woody and drives off. Buzz sees this, takes down the number plate and works out that Big Al is the Big Al from Al's toy barn, fanous for his ads on the tv. They set about to find Big Al's Toy Barn.

Meanwhile, Woody has actually been taken to Al's penthouse, not the toy barn, because Al is a toy collector and it turns out Woody is a prized collectible. He is shown a videotape of an old 1950's style kid's show called "Woody's Roundup" and realises he is part of a merchandising blitz from that old show. He also meets his horse (who doesn't speak but is devoted to Woody), a female toy from the show and Smelly Pete (Kelsey Grammar) who is still in his wrapping in mint condition and has never been played with by a child. When he talks he is moved around in his wrapping by the other toys. Smelly Pete realises that without Woody, the rest of the toys from Woody's Roundup are worthless so he convinces Woody that it is better beig a colectible and gets him to stay. The valuable toys are all about to be send to Tokyo to be part of a museum on popular culture. Anyway, that leads us to the dramatic rescue by the other toys but Woody doesn't want to go. Everything has gone to his head again.

The other toys are devastated and leave to go back to the house. Woody sits down to watch another episode of Woody's Roundup. In the middle lof it is an advertisment for toy Woodys. It shows a kid playing with one to the tune of (you guessed it) You've Got a Friend in Me. He utters the immortal line "I'm a toy... a children's plaything" and tries to leave. But Smelly Pete jumps out of his casing and traps Woody so they are both headed off to the airport. Buzz and the other toys see this and there is another hilarious and grandiose road chase on the way to the airport and through the baggage collection areas.

Later,

Monkey Boy