But me? Whenever I find myself wavering, debating whether I really want to spend another four-plus days trapped inside the San Diego Convention Center … I’m reminded of what Willie Sutton once said. When this notorious thief was asked why he kept robbing banks, his reply reportedly was “Because that’s where the money is.”
And me? Well, the reason that I keep coming back to Comic-Con because this is where the stories are. Especially when you’re talking about what the Studios have up their sleeves for 2010 & beyond.
Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mind you, you don’t want to make the mistake of thinking that the only way that you’ll ever learn about what Hollywood is up to next year is by hanging out in Hall H. Which is where the Majors like Disney & Warner Bros. typically stage their big dog-and-pony shows.
Truth be told, there’s a lot of great info to be scored by sitting in on seemingly lesser panels. Or – better yet – by wandering up and down the aisles of the exhibit hall.
Case in point: “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” Walt Disney Pictures isn’t really doing a whole lot of promotion for this new Mike Newell film at this year’s Comic-Con. This time around, the Mouse is concentrating most of its marketing might on getting the word out about Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and Joe Kosinski’s “TRON” sequel. Not to mention “Toy Story 3,” “The Princess and the Frog” as well as the Disney Digital 3D version of “Beauty & the Beast.”
But that said, if you really have your heart set on learning more about this upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer production at this year’s Comic-Con … Well, there are ways.
For starters, you should plan on attending tomorrow’s Disney Press panel (which will be held in Room 3 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.). Here, as the publishing side of the Mouse House talks up its new comics & graphic novels initiative, they’ll also be previewing the “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” graphic novel. Which should offer up some hints about what actually happens in this Jake Gyllenhaal movie.
Better yet, make a point of dropping by Booth 2829. Which is where LEGO will be showcasing some of the mini-figures that will appear in the “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” playsets that this company will be selling next summer.
Ben Kinglsey as the villainous vizier, Nizam. Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
And speaking of summer … No one knows more about making the most of those 104 days of summer vacation than Phineas & Ferb. And given that last year’s Comic-Con panel for this smash hit Disney XD / Disney Channel series actually wound up turning people away because this particular meeting room filled up so fast … Well, if you’re a “Phineas & Ferb” fan, you may want to consider lining up early for this year’s panel (which will be held in Room 6DE on Sunday morning from 10 – 11 a.m.)
As to what Dan Povenmire & Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (i.e. “Phineas & Ferb” ‘s creators) will be talking about at this year’s panel … Well, you should expect Dan & Swampy to talk up the “Phineas & Ferb” music CD (which is supposed to hit store shelves in September) as well as the upcoming holiday special. And who knows? Maybe Povenmire & Marsh will also reveal that Phineas & Ferb will soon be making their Disney theme park debuts. Yep, walk-around versions of this cartoon characters are already in the works and should begin appearing in the Parks sometime in 2010.
And speaking of costumes … If you’d like to see some outfits from “The Rocketeer,” “TRON” and “Condorman,” then you should definitely drop by Booth 3917. Which is where D23 (i.e. The Official Community for Disney Fans) will be displaying some vintage costumes from the Walt Disney Archives.
Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
You see? There are all sorts of Disney-related stories to be discovered at this year’s Comic-Con. You just have to have the wherewithal (more importantly, the stamina) necessary to find these things.
Speaking of which … In order to be guaranteed a seat at tomorrow’s Disney Animation panel, I’d best go get on line for Hall H right now.
Your thoughts?
My 4 year old son and I are huge Phineas and Ferb fans. I can understand why it may take a while for licensed products to come to market. However this show has been on for over a year now and it has been quite successful, anchoring large portions of Disney Channel and Disney XD scheduling. Can anyone tell me why it should take until 2010 to get costumed versions of these characters into the park? Does it really take over 6 months to create a walk around character costume?
Disney has a bad history of being too slow on hot topics. American Idol and High School Musical are two recent examples of series that are past their prime window of opportunity before they were added to the park. Don't even get me started on Kim Possible, that show had been off the air for a year or two before the adventure was added to EPCOT. Likewise the Jo Jo and Goliath characters at the Hollywood Studios breakfast. Kids don't even know who these characters are anymore.
The guy playing the Prince doesn't look very Persian.
Pudge, I'm with you.
P & F is appointment TV for me and my kids. To me, it's one of the smartest, funniest shows on TV. I can't understand why at least some of the songs haven't hit itunes for a limited time. I will definitely be buying the soundtrack.
Plus a P & F experience at the parks has unlimited potential - ride a roller coaster, get chased by a mummy, drive your sister insane. YES!
Not only do they not have P&F characters in the parks you can't even buy any merchandise. My wife made up some P&F shirts to give me for Father's day and we get more comments on where did we get them. We have disappointed many folks stating that they were home made shirts!