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Take a Behind-The-Scenes Look at Pandora – The World of Avatar

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Take a Behind-The-Scenes Look at Pandora - The World of AVATAR

article by Jennifer Fickley-Baker

If you caught the “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration” on ABC earlier this week, you may have seen this amazing sneak peek into one of Walt Disney World’s most exciting expansions: the construction of Pandora – The World of Avatar, which will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this summer.

As you can see, Pandora – The World of Avatar will transport guests to a visually stunning world complete with floating mountains and bioluminescent plants. Here, guests will be able to experience two expeditions that will truly push adventure to the next level. The family friendly Na’vi River Journey will send guests down a sacred river hidden within a bioluminescent rainforest. Their journey will end in an unforgettable encounter with a Na’vi shaman, a figure who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora. And second, the Avatar Flight of Passage excursion will offer the jaw-dropping experience of riding on a Banshee over the world of Pandora.

Check out the video above, in which the project team shares how this new land has already exceeded even their own imaginations.

VIDEO – The Disney Castle by LEGO

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VIDEO - The Disney Castle by LEGO Now Available At Disney Parks

VIDEO – The Disney Castle by LEGO Now Available At Disney Parks

Article by Steven Miller, DisneyParks.com Blog

The Disney Castle by the LEGO Group is now available in select merchandise locations at Disney Parks. This highly detailed model contains over 4,000 pieces and comes with an array of exciting Disney-themed features and functions. We recently used some Disney magic to see how quickly we could build this incredible new model.

Elements from this new model were inspired by the iconic Cinderella Castle, including an intricately detailed facade and towers.

VIDEO - The Disney Castle by LEGO Now Available At Disney Parks

The Disney Castle includes five Minifigures: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Tinker Bell. You may recall we released other LEGO Minifigures featuring Disney characters earlier this year. These Minifigures can now be combined with the new Minifigures from The Disney Castle.

VIDEO - The Disney Castle by LEGO Now Available At Disney Parks

Each accessible castle room includes special features inspired by some of Disney’s greatest animated feature films. You can remove part of the roof section to discover the glass slipper element and fairy-tale book element with printed cover. Another room in the Castle features a nod to Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” with a chest containing a book of spells, and a mop and bucket elements.

VIDEO - The Disney Castle by LEGO Now Available At Disney Parks

The Disney Castle measures over 29” (74cm) high, 17” (44cm) wide and 12” (31cm) deep.

 

Disney’s Bob Iger named to Donald Trump’s new President’s Strategic and Policy Forum

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article by Daniel Miller, LA Times

Image result for bob iger

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger has been named to a new policy forum created by President-elect Donald Trump.

The President’s Strategic and Policy Forum includes several business heavyweights, among them JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra and IBM Chief Executive Virginia Rometty.

The nonpartisan, 16-person forum will be chaired by Stephen Schwarzman, the chief executive of private equity firm Blackstone. The group will frequently meet with Trump to directly offer its knowledge and perspective to the president, according to a news release issued by Trump’s transition team on Friday.

“My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America,” Trump said in a statement.

The forum’s first meeting will be held in February at the White House.

“The forum provides a nonpartisan approach to key economic policy issues, reflecting an array of individual perspectives from a cross-section of industries,” Iger said in a statement. “I welcome the chance to be part of the important discussions about the most effective ways to grow jobs and expand economic opportunity in America.”

Iger, a Democrat who supported Hillary Clinton, won’t be the only Hollywood player offering counsel to Trump. His incoming administration will include executives with deep ties to the entertainment industry.

On Nov. 13, Trump picked Stephen K. Bannon as his chief strategist. Bannon worked in Hollywood in the 1990s, helping to finance films including Sean Penn’s “The Indian Runner.” Bannon also was previously the executive chairman of Breitbart News, and both he and that news organization have been vociferously criticized by groups such as the Anti-Defamation League for promoting white nationalism.

And on Wednesday, Trump selected Hollywood financier and Wall Street executive Steven Mnuchin to be the next Treasury secretary. Mnuchin spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs before starting a hedge fund that invests in films. He has cut large financing deals with 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., leading to his executive producing credits on movies such as the summer hit “Suicide Squad.”

Iger was asked how the Trump administration might affect Burbank-based Disney during a conference call with analysts held two days after the Nov. 8 election.

“I think it’s really too early to speculate about what the changes in Washington are going to mean for our business or for businesses,” he said on the call held to discuss the company’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings.

Iger, however, noted that Disney has made an effort to encourage the federal government to look at tax policy — and has sought the closing of loopholes and also the lowering of the corporate tax rate.

“We are no longer competitive with the rest of the world in that regard and that must be addressed,” he said. “It’s possible that given what’s going on this week that that’s likely to be addressed sooner rather than later.”

He added that it was a “good thing” that the transition of power was off to a “fairly smooth start.”

Iger also said that a bust of Trump was being prepared for the Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World.

What to Keep

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wiw

Article by James MacDonald, Walk in the Word

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word” (John 17:6, esv).

Could life really be as simple as keeping His Word?

Sometimes when our spiritual life doesn’t seem to be moving fast enough for us, when it’s not going in the direction we want it to go, we can end up trying too hard to make it work. We can start exploring other options besides the simple faith of just keeping His Word.

You’ll recognize when this is happening. Times when you’re feeling tired and spent more than peaceful and contented. Times when you’re losing joy over one thing God hasn’t done for you yet, rather than rejoicing in all the awesome things He’s already accomplished. Times when your praying is characterized more by telling God how He should fix this situation than by believing He’s fully aware of what your need is.

But when Jesus transitioned from praying for Himself in verses 1–5 of what’s commonly called His “high priestly prayer” (John 17), into praying for His disciples in verse 6, He characterized them to the Father by saying, “They have kept your word.”

What a great summary of what Christians do! We keep His Word. It’s what we as His followers are called to do.

Simple, right?

But is it really what we do? If Jesus was giving a general accounting to the Father today of your life and mine, would His report include what He said about His first disciples? Does this same basic requirement and privilege—steadfastly keeping His Word—accurately describe how you choose to respond to your daily challenges, questions, temptations, and responsibilities?

You’ll know God’s Word is the authority in your life when it can stop you in your tracks. You’ll know you’re someone who keeps His Word when, instead of heading down whatever mindless path your emotions or traditions are taking you, the Spirit of God can suddenly remind you of Scripture. And as soon as you hear it, the truth of that Word causes you to reverse direction and do something other than what you were heading toward doing.

If God’s Word does not have this effect on you, you need to ask yourself what role it really plays in your life.

If you love studying it but don’t do what it says, the Bible is only affection for you.

If you love having it around the house and on the coffee table for all to see but you don’t do what it says, the Bible is only a decoration for you.

If you believe you’re advancing God’s purposes by hearing the Word taught and proclaimed at church but you have no real intention of getting up from your seat to go do what it says, the Bible is actually a deception for you. “Be doers of the word,” James said, “and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

Hear Jesus’ prayer to the Father again: “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.”

May He always be able to say the same of us.

Donald Glover to Play Young Lando Calrissian in Upcoming Star Wars Stand-Alone Film

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The actor will join Alden Ehrenreich, previously cast as Han Solo, in the still-untitled Han Solo Star Wars film.

donald-glover
Lucasfilm announced Friday that Donald Glover—acclaimed actor, award-winning writer and Grammy®-nominated artist—will be playing the part of Lando Calrissian in the still-untitled Han Solo Star Wars film, helmed by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Glover will join Alden Ehrenreich—previously cast as Han Solo—in bringing two iconic Star Wars characters back to the big screen, but at a time in their lives previously unexplored. This new film depicts Lando in his formative years as a scoundrel on the rise in the galaxy’s underworld—years before the events involving Han, Leia and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and his rise to Rebel hero in Return of the Jedi.“We’re so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us,” said Lord and Miller. “These are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger cape, and this one fits him perfectly, which will save us money on alterations. Also, we’d like to publicly apologize to Donald for ruining Comic-Con for him forever.”

Glover is best known for creating and starring in the critically acclaimed FX series Atlanta(which had the highest premiere numbers for any basic cable comedy show since 2013), as well as for starring in four seasons of the show Community, and for his Grammy-nominated album Because the Internet, performed under the name Childish Gambino. In addition, Glover appeared in the Academy Award®-nominated The Martian, and will be seen in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

The untitled Han Solo movie is set for release in 2018.

Disney and Jon Favreau Joining Forces on “The Lion King”

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jon-favreau

We can officially confirm that The Walt Disney Studios and director Jon Favreau are putting a new reimagining of The Lion King on the fast track to production. The project follows the technologically groundbreaking smash hit The Jungle Book, directed by Favreau, which debuted in April and has earned $965.8 million worldwide. 

The Lion King builds on Disney’s success of reimagining its classics for a contemporary audience with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book. The upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle, is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King will include songs from the animated film. Disney and Favreau are also in development on a sequel to The Jungle Book. No release date has been announced for either film. 

The Lion King (1994) is one of the biggest animated films of all time with a lifetime global box office gross of $968.8 million, including $422.8 million domestically. It won Academy Awards for the original song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (Elton John, Tim Rice) and original score (Hans Zimmer), plus two Grammy Awards, with the soundtrack selling over 14 million copies. In 1997, the stage production The Lion King made its Broadway debut, winning six Tony Awards; 19 years later, it remains one of Broadway’s biggest hits alongside several other productions running around the world, including London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai, and North America. Translated into eight different languages, its 23 global productions have been seen by more than 85 million people across every continent except Antarctica. The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history. 

National Coffee Day? ONE day? Really?

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coffee

National Coffee Day is September 29th.  -National. Coffee. DAY.-  I’m not sure how to prepare for this; how do I cram a whole year of coffee celebration into one day? I can understand celebrating Christmas or New Year’s once a year. Valentines, Memorial, and Labor all get a day;even the groundhog gets a day – but I don’t celebrate coffee once a year. Nor do I celebrate it monthly or weekly.  …I celebrate coffee with my entire LIFE!

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee – down into the belly! Drink it, love it, savor it. Tell it how much you love it. And not just on the 29th; tell your coffee that you adore it constantly.

Therefore, I declare that we drink and celebrate coffee on the 29th, followed by coffee on the 30th, followed by coffee on the 1st, follow by, well you get the point. There should be no limit to how this wonderful beverage is celebrated – LET US ALL EXTOL OUR COFFEE NOW, THE 29th,  THIS WEEK, AND FOREVER!

 

Size… and holding it all together

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sky-earth-galaxy-universe

More than one million planets the size of Earth could fit inside the volume capacity of the Sun. Did you grasp that??? When we consider the vast size of our universe, we don’t even have a mental template for gauging just how big things are. The size and grandeur of God’s created universe are mind-blowing.

Jesus Christ created all that. And not only is Christ the one who spoke these gigantic celestial bodies into existence, galaxy after galaxy—the One “by whom all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible”—He is also the One who sustains all this vast infrastructure of creation by His wisdom and power. “In him all things hold together.”

Scientists studying individual atoms encounter the mystery and complexity of how seemingly repellent forces can remain in one piece—what has been named the “strong nuclear force.” Why, in the case of the atom, do they stay in one piece? Why doesn’t it all fly completely apart?

The bottom line—and not as simplistic an answer as it might seem like—is, “in him all things hold together.”

And what if He stopped holding everything together? In the book of 2 Peter, we learn that “the day of the Lord”—the time of the Father’s judgment, to be implemented at the Father’s direction—“will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10). One day everything is coming completely unglued in an explosive, nuclear blowout, such as no apocalyptic movie could adequately depict. Christ is going to withdraw His sustaining influence in the universe, and all humankind will see what’s been holding us together all along—not a what, but a who.

How thankful are you that Christ, who is “before all things,” who needed absolutely nothing outside of His eternal relationship within the Godhead to fulfill Him, chose to create this world? And this cosmos? And you? And how thankful are you that He “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3)?

So when He lays claim to your heart, saying “I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:18), how do you respond to His authority? Does His command feel like a gift or an intrusion?

For each of us, He’s holding our lives and our world together. Let’s be honest—we can’t even brew that first cup of coffee in the morning apart from the biological and mental capacities He’s given us and the physical laws that hold our bodies and coffee mugs intact. Yet some are tempted to respond to Him with indifference, pride, arrogance, or a delusional sense of self-reliance.

Don’t fall into that category.

Instead, put Him first, for He is first, preeminent in all things. He not only put you together, but He also holds you together.

Taken from article by James MacDonald

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together -Colossians 1:16–17