New Robosen & Disney/Pixar Robot Coming Soon

Robosen Robotics, a global leader in robotics innovation, has collaborated with Disney and Pixar to bring one of the world’s most iconic characters to life like never before with the launch of the Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Robot. This groundbreaking robotic experience invites fans of all ages to experience Buzz Lightyear through an interactive robot that combines cutting-edge technology with the timeless charm of your favorite Space Ranger. The Buzz Lightyear Robot is available now for an MSRP of $599 at www.robosen.com and www.DisneyStore.com, www.disneystore.co.uk, Disney Store Times Square, Disney Store Oxford Street and Disney Store Dublin.

NY Upfronts: ABC's New Lineup

Twice a year, in LA, all the journos I know sit in on presentations an conduct interviews for all the new TV/ Cable shows headed our way. Once a year, those same networks get close enough to New Jersey that I can get in on the action. The presentations held as part of the New York Upfronts are probably more showy than those in LA, but then they are meant for advertisers who drop big money to have their products featured, and so a little zazz is expected. This week we'll take a look at the new shows headed your way, of course focusing on the geekiest among the bunch, but also including the occasional show with talent we love and/or film makers that would make us watch.

D23 2011 : The Sievers Geek Out : Day 1 Report!

Those who attend San Diego Comic Con yearly noticed this year's con had a great big hole in it that could only be filled by the mammoth mouse shoes of the Disney juggernaut! Most notably was the absence of panels for upcoming Marvel films and their crown jewel, The Avengers!!!! This being the case, we made a mad scramble to find out where we could get a taste of that sweet, sweet venger' lovin'. The answer was D23. Initially, we'd guess D23 was the name of the crate "Top Men" were inspecting at the end of Indiana Jones..BUT NO! D23 is Disney's own fan wonderland, packed to the brim with presentations, panels, costumes, and miles of merch all stamped with the mouse's seal of approval. Steve and Chelsea Sievers (of www.level27media.com ) hit the con floor for Idle Hands and at the start, this was a marriage of convenience and one we were very thankful for. Little did we realize the Sievers are UBER DISNEY FANS!! Early on we expected some pretty pictures and funny stories of tattoo'd gentlemen bearing their flesh before their ejection from the show floor. Now we knew we would get MAGIC! Ah yes...the dorkiest of Disney magic only two full grown adults playing like 5 yr olds could conjure. Enjoy.

After day 1, we caught up with Steve via the interwebs and nabbed this report:

Steve: When you first walked in they had some VAN from the TV show LOST (I never got into that show so I don't know how important it was.) Walt Disney's personal limousine was also there and a giant Black Pearl pirate ship which was almost as big the van. The limousine was pretty pimp! Walt would be driven to all his premieres back in the day in this very car. They had this huge stage next to it which had artists from Disney Radio and actors & actresses from Disney Channel TV shows, of which I knew none of them. When I was walking by some guy who worked for Disney Radio asked me if I had an iphone and wanted the Radio Disney App on it I said "do I look like I listen to Radio Disney?"

Me: Were u wearing ur ultra stylish hat?

Steve: Yes I was!

Me: hehehe...Then yes...quite possibly.

Steve: Yea that is true. After that we waited in line to get into the Disney Dream Store. Waiting in line was a theme of the day, similar to SDCC. You to wait in line for panels, wait in line to get into sections of the convention, etc. The Dream Store had a lot of exclusives in there including the 101 Dalmatians Pin, Tron Monorail (only 3,000 made with either blue or yellow light cycle on it), and Vinylmation figure exclusives with a cool Mickey Mouse or Davey Crockett. It was packed and I had to wait in a longer line to check out and buy the merch (another SDCC mad dash for exclusives type moment.)

Me: Did they entertain you while u waited to buy stuff?

Steve: Yes, by coming over and showing you more exclusives pins you should buy! Right by the dream store was this amazing auction where you could bid on a pirate ship from the Peter Pan ride from Disneyland, a huge skull and crossbones standee from Pirates of the Caribbean and more. Next we went to the Disney VoluntEars (get it? EARS? Wokka.) area where we got to fill out postcards to send to the troops overseas and also stuff bags of goodies that will be sent to the troops which had a stuffed Mickey Mouse, DVDs, Camera, Disney Notebooks, Stickers, & Pencils. We then got in the long line to get into the D23 Arena for the "Walt Disney Parks & Resorts" Panel. For Disney Freaks like my wife and I who visit Disneyland 2-3 times a month (A MONTH?!! Holy frik.), it was amazing! It started out with the premiere of the park's new Mickey Mouse Costume worn by someone playing some mean drums (the new costume has an animatronic head with working mouth and eyes!!) SO COOL!!! The 2 hour panel was basically one long Disney commercial for all their parks including vacation spots like the new one opening in Hawaii next week and new cruise ships.

Me: Have they incorporated The Muppets and Marvel into the new plans?

Steve: No, not at all. Rumor is that they are in talks to open a Stark Expo in Tomorrowland at Disneyland & World. I personally think that is amazing, but I know a lot of people don't want to see Marvel Characters at Disney parks. Coolest part was the change of Fantasy Land at Disney World in FL where the new Snow White ride will be a roller coaster built to look like mine carts that sway back and forth as they roll along through the Dwarf's mines with the "Hi HO" song playing! The ride ends at Snow White's cabin. The panel also showed what the Shanghai's Disneyland is going to look like. They just started building it. Their castle will be the biggest one and the first that isn't based on something from a specific movie (as Disneyland's Castle is Sleeping Beauty's and Disney World's is Cinderella's.) After the panel ended, we hit the dealer's area filled with toys and mountains of Disney pins as well as a ton of art work. Even the US Postal Service had a booth. You could buy Disney Stamps and then get them signed by the artist who did the artwork for them...not sure how that works. Did people sign the backs of them? Each stamp got an autograph...some things are best not answered I suppose. After checking out the dealer section, we hit the Mattel booth which had a ton of Cars toys and new Toy Story figures which feature the gang going to outer space. My fav is the toy T-Rex in his space suit! They also had some cute small figures from Toy Story with scenes from the latest film. We got in line for their exclusives and picked up your exclusive Black & White Woody there. (Thanks Steve!!) Then we got in line for the Disney Store exclusives. You have to wait in line just to look at them. The Disney Store exclusives were over priced Christmas ornaments (Just Mickey & Minnie in snow gear and a Mickey from Fantasia) and this huge Crystal Tree with Mickey under it for $150. We ended the day scoring some more Tron Monorails for friends and happily found there was no line at all as the con was about to close. Then we went to Denny's to celebrate our awesome day with pancakes!

Me: YAY Pancakes!

Tune in tomorrow for more coverage and CLICK HERE for some excellent pics snapped by Steve and Chelsea of level27media.com!

Disney Teases Toy Fair 2011 Products

February and Toy Fair 2011 are still a ways off, but Disney wants to take center stage before any other company, so who are we to stop them? Here's what's on tap from the house of mouse...

CARS : Defying all expectations, Disney-Pixar's Cars has proved to be a runaway success since its theatrical release in 2006, quickly becoming a leading boys franchise for DCP with year-round opportunity for merchandise at retail. As the theatrical release of Disney-Pixar's Cars 2 zooms into view this summer, the Cars franchise continues to rev up the excitement of playtime for kids. A robust new line of more than 300 toys showcases the new stories and characters in the film and captures the fundamental vehicle play pattern alongside the themes of racing, humor and friendship that makes the Cars property a favorite among boys.

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

With more than 130 million die cast vehicles sold to date, fans will not be disappointed with a new collection of die cast Cars, playsets and a few surprises from Mattel anchoring the Cars 2 toy line. With system and DUPLO sets, Cars fans can build out their favorite characters and scenes from both films with a new line of construction playsets from LEGO. A new collection from Spin Master showcases leading RC and Air Hogs technology that will rev up vehicle play. Ridemakerz will introduce a system of customized Cars vehicles allowing kids and collectors alike to put their personal touch on their favorite characters. And for the first time a new Wood Collection will take kids back to classic play.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN : Jack Sparrow is back this spring in a new adventure that will rock the boat in the fourth installment of the film franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise - this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Captain Jack Sparrow finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard.

Bringing the action from the high seas to the home and proving that 'not everything is what it seems' is a captivating line of new toys including figures and playsets with a special reveal from JAKKS Pacific. Just in time for Halloween, CDI and Disguise will introduce a robust new line of role play to inspire pirates of all ages to explore, discover and hunt for hidden treasure. New construction sets and character mini figures from LEGO will bring both new and classic characters and scenes to life. Fans will have to snap up all the sets to complete their collection of favorite characters in LEGO form. Mattel will offer true-to-film dolls with exquisite detail.

DISNEY PRINCESS : The Disney Princess brand will continue to dominate the doll aisle and inspire the imaginations of young girls. In the fall, the Disney Princess cast will officially welcome its newest member, Rapunzel, into the royal court at a regal ceremony. During the holiday season, the newest heroine from Disney's Tangled proved to be a favorite among young girls who clamored for dolls and role play items to live out their favorite adventures from the action-packed film. Fans will be treated to a new Rapunzel light-up doll and small tower playset.

Across all categories, 2011 will be a year for "Disney Princess Fairytale Celebrations," giving girls endless ways to play with their favorite Disney Princess characters including inspired role play from CDI and transforming fashion dolls and the ultimate Disney Princess castle playset from Mattel. Girls can also experience new characters and accessories from the popular baby and toddler doll line from Tolly Tots and Princess & Me friend doll collection from JAKKS Pacific.

PRESCHOOL : This year, Mickey Mouse will keep on dancing as the holiday hit Dance Star Mickey continues to delight the preschool set. But get ready to rock in the fall when Rock Star Mickey from Fisher Price hits the stage with fresh music and new moves. Minnie Mouse will also make her mark with a new line of dolls, role play and dress up inspired by Minnie's Bowtique, a special Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode on the new Disney Junior on Disney Channel programming block.

There's a rumbly in the tummy of Pooh fans in anticipation of the summer theatrical release of Winnie the Pooh, the new film starring everyone's favorite lovable bear and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. A new line of classic and interactive plush, figures and play sets from Fisher Price will be sweeter than a pot of honey for a new generation of young Pooh fans.

TOY STORY : Toy Story 3, the highest grossing animated film of all time, proved that you can't take the toys out of the Toy Story. The story continues in 2011 with a new assortment of figures and play sets from Mattel that will continue to spark imaginative play, bringing the characters to life in new adventures. Disney has also announced continuing short-form content featuring Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang.

FAMILY GAMING : Family game night is one trend that never goes out of style. This fall, fans of all ages can test their Disney IQ with the new Trivial Pursuit: Disney For All Edition from Hasbro. The game features a colorful game board bursting with favorite Disney characters and new question styles that allow the whole family to join in the fun.

Sad sad sad there's no Marvel news included in this!