The Royal Mint unveils its Winnie-the-Pooh commemorative coin collection

The Royal Mint has partnered with Disney to reveal its latest commemorative coin, bringing the original and much-loved illustrations of the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh to the 50 pence for the first time. The new coin forms forms part of a wider collection of special 50p coins featuring Winnie-the-Pooh and friends.

Developed in collaboration with Disney, the 50 pence coin uses the original watercolour illustrations of E.H. Shepard, with the first coin in the series featuring Winnie-the-Pooh alongside his jar of honey.

The limited edition coin is available in a range of finishes, including base metal, Silver and Gold. Shepard’s illustrations have been digitally printed on each, which the Royal Mint says ‘brings them alive in vivid detail and colour.’

Daniel Thorne, product designer at The Royal Mint and part of the collaboration to have worked on the Winnie-the-Pooh collection, said: “Working with original illustrations from E.H. Shepard, supplied to us by Disney, my biggest priority with the coin’s design was to ensure we do these wonderful images justice.

“As the original maker of coins, The Royal Mint has a long history of exquisite craftsmanship and this coin is no exception. Bringing the illustrations of E.H. Shepard to life took a lot of craft and care.

“From the honey bee motif that runs throughout the series, to the grassy mound Pooh is sitting on, we tried many different techniques to create the flawless effect of watercolour on the coin, eventually settling on the one you’ll see on the final version.

“I’m honoured to have been able to work on this exciting coin. Winnie-the-Pooh was a huge part of my childhood and forms some of my fondest memories. So I wanted to make sure this series of coins truly encapsulated the spirit of Pooh Bear and all his friends.

“Creating these coins was a labour of love and I hope that collectors can appreciate the beauty in each and every design in the range.”

James Campbell at The Shepard Trust, added: “It’s wonderful to see the beloved Winnie the Pooh immortalised on an official UK coin for the first time. The craftsmanship involved in replicating E.H. Shepard’s original watercolour illustrations is truly remarkable.

“The Royal Mint has done an exceptional job in creating a collection that will be treasured for years to come by Winnie the Pooh fans of all ages.”

Clare Maclennan, divisional director of Commemorative Coin and The Royal Mint Experience, at The Royal Mint, said: “Over our 1,100-year history we’ve minted coins to commemorate key moments and figures in Britain’s history, including literary icons, like Shakespeare and Wordsworth through to Beatrix Potter’s mischievous Peter Rabbit, and we’re delighted to now add A.A. Milne’s loveable Winnie-the-Pooh to the list.

“Our childhood character coins are encouraging a new generation of coin collectors and we’re delighted to add this iconic character and his friends, to our range. We’ve all grown up with Winnie-the-Pooh and he remains a cherished character, not only in Britain but across the world.

“We anticipate the coins being hugely popular, especially in the lead-up to Christmas and look forward to both children and adults alike, enjoying the collection.”

Along with the Winnie-the-Pooh coin, The Royal Mint also revealed the next two coins in the collectable series, which feature Christopher Robin and Piglet respectively. These will be available later in the year.

Winnie-the-Pooh was first published in 1926 by A.A. Milne and was inspired by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was born 100 years ago this year. Winnie-the-Pooh was based on Christopher’s teddy bear, Edward.

Father and son then named him ‘Winnie’ after a black bear called Winnie that lived in London Zoo and ‘Pooh’, after a swan they met on holiday.

These stories from a father to his son have now been published in countries across the world, making Winnie-the-Pooh a global icon and a key part of the childhood and lives of millions of people.

Disney and Lucasfilm launch Mando Mondays as The Mandalorian returns to Disney+ for second series

Disney and Lucasfilm have given Star Wars fans another reason to dial in their comms systems, with the launch of Mando Mondays, a new global consumer products, games, and publishing programme centered on the Disney+ original series, The Mandalorian, kicking off this October 26th.

After premiering last autumn, The Mandalorian – which went on to take home seven awards last week during the 2020 Emmy Awards – will return for its second season Friday, October 30, streaming only on Disney+. The series will see the Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through the dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire.

Fans will then be able to visit the Star Wars UK Facebook page each Monday to discover what new toys, collectables, apparel, books, comics, and digital content will be unveiled. Mando Mondays will then run for nine weeks, culminating on December 21st.

“When ‘The Mandalorian’ debuted last year on Disney+, the show became an instant phenomenon, with fans of all ages expressing excitement for products related to its iconic characters – particularly the Child,” said Kareem Daniel, president, consumer products, games and publishing.

“This fall, as the world continues to watch the narrative unfold, we will further bring this unique Star Wars story to life through a must-have selection of toys, books, comics, digital content, and more.”

To celebrate this announcement, select pre-orders for the first wave of Mando Mondays products will kick off today at 9p.m. BST across top retailers globally.

Products available for pre-order today include the Hasbro Black Series Credit Collection, new Funko Pop! bobbleheads, the LEGO Star Wars The Child construction set and much more.

Kids’ audio system Tonies adds Disney and Pixar hits to growing licensed line-up

The children’s audio system Tonies has added a slate of Disney and Pixar characters to its line up of licensed character Tonies, welcoming children’s favourites Frozen, Cinderella, Toy Story and Finding Nemo to the fold. The new characters will join the portfolio in October and November this year ahead of what the firm’s believes will be a ‘bumper Christmas for the brand.’

The Toy Story Tonie will be available from October 22nd this year and will feature a 17-minute re-telling of the modenr classic, as well as timeless tunes such as You’ve Got a Friend in Me, performed by Randy Newman.

The Frozen Tonie, meanwhile, includes four iconic songs from the hit film, such as Let It Go and For the First Time in Forever, before transporting listeners to Arendelle and telling the story of Elsa and Anna’s magical journey.

Next up, children will be transported to an underwater world with the Finding Nemo Tonie, which tells the aquatic tale along with songs like Sea Cruise and Under the Waves.

Lastly, one of the original Disney princesses will also be gracing the Toniebox; the Cinderella Tonie will tell this enchanting story and play four songs including the iconic Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.

The Frozen, Finding Nemo and Cinderella Tonies will be available from November 12th.

Tonies UK, general manager, Manon Sel, said: “We are excited to announce four fantastic additions to our Disney and Pixar collection, all of which are sure to fill bedrooms across the country with audio magic this Christmas. The perfect stocking filler, these family favourites join an already stellar line-up and enhance our expanding range of stories and songs.”

Launched in the UK in 2018 by Patric Faßbender and his friend and co-founder Marcus Stahl, the Toniebox is an intuitive speaker system that is revolutionising story time for children. An interactive way for three to eight-year-olds to play their favourite stories and songs, they can simply place a Tonie on top of the box and the audio content related to that Tonie will begin to play.

Over 14 million Tonies and 1.5 million Tonieboxes have been sold across Europe since the launch and 2020 started with the exciting announcement of the brands’ expansion to the USA – expected towards the end of this year.

Disney’s Mulan will be landing on Disney+ with a UK date and price now confirmed

Disney’s live action remake of the animated hit Mulan will be streaming on Disney+ rather than hitting cinemas in the UK, and the studio has now revealed the premium price that subscribers will be paying in order to access it.

At the start of the month, Disney revealed its intentions to bypass the cinematic release of the movie in the US, taking it directly to its recently launched streaming platform Disney+. A move that was met with a fair amount of head-scratching by cinemas across the region, the question was posed as to whether the same roll-out plans would apply to the UK.

Originally due to be released in cinemas in March this year, Mulan suffered a number of delays at the hands of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown measures taken across the world. The live-action remake will now be made available exclusively for Disney+ customers to buy for a premium price, on top of the monthly £5.99 subscription fee.

Disney confirmed that the film would be available for UK customers from September 4 for the additional price of £19.99. It follows the news that it will be made available to US customers from September 4 for a cost of $29.99.

It will also be made available via in-app purchasing on streaming services such as Apple TV, Google and Roku.

The move means viewers who buy Mulan will be able to stream the film multiple times and watch it on a number of devices where Disney+ is available, as long as they have an active subscription to the streaming service.

Marvel Mania returns to the global stage for fifth year with new retail and product initiatives

The popular Marvel retail celebration, Marvel Mania, is making its return this year, bringing kids, families, and fans new ways to wear, connect, and play with the franchise, and it is all kicking off this month with a Marvel-sponsored Superhero Series sports challenge.

Now in its fifth year, Marvel Mania is recognised as the only campaign to bring all the Marvel Super Heroes together as it offers a suite of global retail activations, new content launches, and new products for fans of all ages. The campaign will continue with a host of global activity through to October this year.

Powered by Marvel, the ‘Superhero Series’ is the UK’s largest interactive sporting event dedicated to the nation’s 13.3 million people with disabilities. Six families and their celebrity team captains will be starring in a special shopDisney.com-sponsored Channel 4 programme as they take on this year’s ‘At Home Superheroes’ challenge.

Due to air on August 15th, the programme will be presented by Clare Balding and includes ‘Marvel Mania’at shopDisney break-bumpers. Supporting the at-home initiative Marvel will bring the energy of its iconic Super Hero characters to participants’ homes and neighbourhoods through downloadable games, signs and more to help participants feel like a true Super Hero.

“What started as a targeted retail campaign in the US has grown into an international celebration with a wide range of retailers and more than a hundred global licensees supporting worldwide,” said Paul Gitter, SVP, Marvel Licensing. “The success of Marvel Mania is a testament to the strength, power and diversity our characters represent on screen and beyond with amazing products and experiences.”

In Mexico, Marvel will be collaborating with a sporting and cultural phenomenon this October and in the US shopDisney.com will feature a month-long ‘Marvel Mania’ collector event to debut new products, content and Marvel-themed accessories and apparel.

In China, a Marvel ‘Find Your Power’ campaign will launch this fall with additional Asia Pacific region retail touch points, new product offerings, and multiple consumer activations running through 2021. Japan will feature “A Universe of Heroes” exhibition that celebrates the Marvel Cinematic Universe opening in Osaka, Japan from August 10 to November 23 with limited-edition products sold exclusively at the exhibition including Beams Marvel t-shirts designed by three local artists.

Supporting Marvel Mania will be robust merchandising programmes from major UK and European retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Argos, Smyths, ASDA, Amazon and Carrefour as well as shopDisney and The Disney Store.

In the US Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kohl’s, Hot Topic, Box Lunch, FYE, Party City, Walgreen’s and Books-A-Million will all be taking part. Fans in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India can look forward to an exciting line-up of Marvel campaigns now until November across the region’s largest online retailers and e-Commerce platforms, such as Lazada, Shopee, Flipkart and Amazon.

These campaigns will bring the latest Marvel merchandise online, from kids’ favourite Hasbro and LEGO offerings, to the ultra-affordable-but-chic MINISO for an added touch of “power” to any home and living space. Latin America rounds out the programme with support from El Palacio de Hierro, Walmart and Marathon. All participating retailers will feature unique ‘Marvel Mania’ promotions and special offers.

Additionally, an exciting cross-category merchandise portfolio spanning video games, publishing, apparel, accessories, toys and more will give kids, families and fans the biggest, broadest, and ‘most diverse merchandise line ever.’

Highlights include launches for the Marvel fanatics such as X-Men 20th Anniversary collectables toys from Hasbro, Marvel Zombies Funko Pop! collectables, the LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man art set and more, while for kids there will be the likes of the BattleWorld Thanos Ship Showdown from Funko,  Spider-Man: Maximum Venom toys including Venom Burst Action Figures and role play from Hasbro, construction sets from LEGO, and Funko Pops.

Disney celebrates 25 years of Disney Pixar’s Toy Story with virtual Pixar Fest launch

Disney has launched a new virtual family festival celebrating the 25th anniversary of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story, and its 20 years of support of the charity, MediCinema.

Called Pixar Fest, the event will premiere on Sunday, August 9th with a collection of Pixar movies on Disney+, weekly watchalongs, animator masterclasses, quizzes, arts and crafts for kids, and new product releases.

Tasia Filippatos, SVP Disney EMEA, said: “Pixar revolutionised the art of animation 25 years ago with the release of Toy Story and since then has brought us some of the most iconic and unique moments in filmmaking history. Pixar Fest will give fans of all ages the chance to celebrate their favourites through a host of activities and even cast their vote in ‘The Golden Lamp Awards’. We hope the line-up brings some summer holiday fun and movie magic to homes across the UK.”

As part of its ongoing worldwide commitment to provide comfort and inspiration through movie moments and help reduce isolation for seriously ill children in hospitals, Disney has also pledged £750,000 to MediCinema to help reach more children by developing and building additional state of the art hospital cinemas in UK and Italy.

Visits to these cinemas help improve wellbeing, and combat isolation and the anxiety of spending time on the wards.

Kat Mason, chief executive of MediCinema, added: “In our 20th anniversary year and 20 years of working with Disney, we are incredibly happy to be the recipient of this donation that will help ensure our cinema services can impact so many more children and their families.

“In addition, all money raised from the prize draws will help to make sure we can keep our current services running, which is more important now than ever for children and their families facing time spent in hospital.”

Disney has marked the launch of Pixar Fest with the release of never-seen-before Toy Story artwork, which showcases the early designs and evolution of Buzz Lightyear. It features early character sketches including a variety of different faces, suit colours and wing designs, before he was transformed into the Buzz we know today.

Pixar historian, Christine Freeman, said: “Buzz is one of our most popular characters, and it’s fascinating to see the different ways that Pixar’s artists imagined him during the evolution of his design. Even his name changed over time – from Tempus of Morph to Lunar Larry, to Buzz Lightyear. You can see the LL belt buckle (for Lunar Larry) in a few of these early designs.”

Ever since Woody and Buzz landed at movie theatres in 1995 in the first fully computer-animated feature film, Pixar movies have become favourites of fans across the globe.

To date, there have been 23 full-length Pixar films and 21 shorts, collecting 37 Academy Awards with Disney Store’s top-selling Pixar merchandise of all time including its Buzz Lightyear talking action figure.

The line up of virtual activity taking place throughout Pixar Fest, includes Sunday watchalongs on Disney’s social channels with streamed movies on Disney+ such as Toy Story, Cars, Inside Out, and The Incredibles, as well as Pixar quizzes hosted by Edith Bowman.

Patients in MediCinema hospitals will be able to watch along on bedside screens at the same time.

On top of this, talent including Tony Hale, animators and celebrities including Katie Piper, Danny Jones, Myleene Klass and Aston Merrygold will be unveiling their favourite Pixar moments over the last 25 years as part of ‘The Golden Lamp Awards’- with MediCinema nurses and volunteers shortlisting a special Moments that Matter category for fans to vote for their top Pixar moment.

Meanwhile, shopDisney’s Pixar Fest Party At Home packs, which include everything fans need to host their own Pixar party will also be up for grabs via weekly competitions, while an online masterclass with a Pixar animator, hosted by film aficionado Mark Kermode, to teach fans how to draw Pixar characters and learn some of the secrets behind the animations, hosted on Disney’s social channels on 12th August.

BAFTA Kids will put on a virtual animation masterclass on 15th August where children submitted their questions to discover everything that they need to know about how to become a top animator.

Fans can also help to raise funds for MediCinema through Pixar Fest’s Charity Tuesdays to win money-can’t-buy Pixar prizes, including a drawing lesson with a Pixar artist and an exclusive piece of Pixar artwork through prize draws run by MediCinema.

Fans around the globe will be able to celebrate their favourite Pixar characters with new products from Mattel and Funko. Also launching is a new range of merchandise honouring the heritage of Pixar at shopDisney, including a new line of Aliens products that feature the Toy Story favourites as different characters from Pixar movies, including WALL•E and Up’s Russell.  Other “Pixar Alien Remix” toys will see Toy Story’s Aliens dressed as other Pixar characters including Carl from Up, Dot from A Bug’s Life, Dory from Finding Nemo, Edna from The Incredibles, Sulley from Monsters, Inc. and Princess Merida from Brave.

Pixar Fest will run from August 9th to September 6th this year.

Disney celebrates 25 years of Disney Pixar’s Toy Story with virtual Pixar Fest launch

Disney has launched a new virtual family festival celebrating the 25th anniversary of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story, and its 20 years of support of the charity, MediCinema.

Called Pixar Fest, the event will premiere on Sunday, August 9th with a collection of Pixar movies on Disney+, weekly watchalongs, animator masterclasses, quizzes, arts and crafts for kids, and new product releases.

Tasia Filippatos, SVP Disney EMEA, said: “Pixar revolutionised the art of animation 25 years ago with the release of Toy Story and since then has brought us some of the most iconic and unique moments in filmmaking history. Pixar Fest will give fans of all ages the chance to celebrate their favourites through a host of activities and even cast their vote in ‘The Golden Lamp Awards’. We hope the line-up brings some summer holiday fun and movie magic to homes across the UK.”

As part of its ongoing worldwide commitment to provide comfort and inspiration through movie moments and help reduce isolation for seriously ill children in hospitals, Disney has also pledged £750,000 to MediCinema to help reach more children by developing and building additional state of the art hospital cinemas in UK and Italy.

Visits to these cinemas help improve wellbeing, and combat isolation and the anxiety of spending time on the wards.

Kat Mason, chief executive of MediCinema, added: “In our 20th anniversary year and 20 years of working with Disney, we are incredibly happy to be the recipient of this donation that will help ensure our cinema services can impact so many more children and their families.

“In addition, all money raised from the prize draws will help to make sure we can keep our current services running, which is more important now than ever for children and their families facing time spent in hospital.”

Disney has marked the launch of Pixar Fest with the release of never-seen-before Toy Story artwork, which showcases the early designs and evolution of Buzz Lightyear. It features early character sketches including a variety of different faces, suit colours and wing designs, before he was transformed into the Buzz we know today.

Pixar historian, Christine Freeman, said: “Buzz is one of our most popular characters, and it’s fascinating to see the different ways that Pixar’s artists imagined him during the evolution of his design. Even his name changed over time – from Tempus of Morph to Lunar Larry, to Buzz Lightyear. You can see the LL belt buckle (for Lunar Larry) in a few of these early designs.”

Ever since Woody and Buzz landed at movie theatres in 1995 in the first fully computer-animated feature film, Pixar movies have become favourites of fans across the globe.

To date, there have been 23 full-length Pixar films and 21 shorts, collecting 37 Academy Awards with Disney Store’s top-selling Pixar merchandise of all time including its Buzz Lightyear talking action figure.

The line up of virtual activity taking place throughout Pixar Fest, includes Sunday watchalongs on Disney’s social channels with streamed movies on Disney+ such as Toy Story, Cars, Inside Out, and The Incredibles, as well as Pixar quizzes hosted by Edith Bowman.

Patients in MediCinema hospitals will be able to watch along on bedside screens at the same time.

On top of this, talent including Tony Hale, animators and celebrities including Katie Piper, Danny Jones, Myleene Klass and Aston Merrygold will be unveiling their favourite Pixar moments over the last 25 years as part of ‘The Golden Lamp Awards’- with MediCinema nurses and volunteers shortlisting a special Moments that Matter category for fans to vote for their top Pixar moment.

Meanwhile, shopDisney’s Pixar Fest Party At Home packs, which include everything fans need to host their own Pixar party will also be up for grabs via weekly competitions, while an online masterclass with a Pixar animator, hosted by film aficionado Mark Kermode, to teach fans how to draw Pixar characters and learn some of the secrets behind the animations, hosted on Disney’s social channels on 12th August.

BAFTA Kids will put on a virtual animation masterclass on 15th August where children submitted their questions to discover everything that they need to know about how to become a top animator.

Fans can also help to raise funds for MediCinema through Pixar Fest’s Charity Tuesdays to win money-can’t-buy Pixar prizes, including a drawing lesson with a Pixar artist and an exclusive piece of Pixar artwork through prize draws run by MediCinema.

Fans around the globe will be able to celebrate their favourite Pixar characters with new products from Mattel and Funko. Also launching is a new range of merchandise honouring the heritage of Pixar at shopDisney, including a new line of Aliens products that feature the Toy Story favourites as different characters from Pixar movies, including WALL•E and Up’s Russell.  Other “Pixar Alien Remix” toys will see Toy Story’s Aliens dressed as other Pixar characters including Carl from Up, Dot from A Bug’s Life, Dory from Finding Nemo, Edna from The Incredibles, Sulley from Monsters, Inc. and Princess Merida from Brave.

Pixar Fest will run from August 9th to September 6th this year.

Disney’s live action Mulan remake is launching to Disney+, and the cinemas aren’t happy

The release of Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan on its own streaming platform Disney+ has been labelled as ‘frankly bewildering’ and strongly criticised by the body representing British Cinemas.

The announcement came this week that Mulan has finally confirmed its release date, having suffered a number of postponements owing to the lockdown measures taken around the world in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the temporary closure of cinemas. The live-action take on the animated film will now land on September 4th.

However, the film won’t be released in cinemas, but straight to Disney’s own streaming platform, Disney+ at the cost of a Premium Access fee for viewers. This means that those wanting to watch the movie will have to pay a cost of $29.99 (around £23) on top of their Disney+ subscription fee to do so.

While Disney’s boss, Bob Chapek has heralded the move as an achievement for the studio and fans, stating that Disney is “very pleased to bring Mulan to the consumer base who has been waiting for it,” and indicating that this form of release for major feature films will be a one-off for Mulan, the move has been strongly opposed by UK cinema owners who have reason to believe that the film will follow the same release format here.

The UK Cinema Association’s chief executive, Phil Clapp has said that any plans of Disney to do so will be a ‘step backwards rather than forwards for many.’

“With cinemas across the UK now continuing to re-open and welcome back their customers, the decision by Walt Disney Studios yesterday to put Mulan on their Disney+ service and not into cinemas will be seen by many as hugely disappointing and mistimed,” he said.

Disney’s Bob Chapek said the cost of Premium Access to view Mulan would vary in other countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Western Europe. But Disney has not confirmed its plans for the UK.

The Association’s Clapp said: “Rather than playing a great new family film in the best place possible to see it, the cinema theatre, audiences are instead being encouraged to stay home and pay a premium price to watch it.”

Although around 40 per cent of UK cinemas are reported to have reopened, many cinemagoers have not returned. Last weekend’s box office takings were just 3 per cent of the total on the same weekend last year. Many were optimistic that the release of the blockbuster film Mulan would bring them a much-needed customer boost following the lockdown measures.

Vans celebrates pop cultural icons The Simpsons in new collection

Icons of animation and longest running US sitcom series, the now Disney-owned The Simpsons has teamed up with the lifestyle specialists Vans to launch a new collection spanning footwear, apparel, and accessories.

An American icon in its own right, Vans uses its collaborations o pay tribute to American culture, this time launching a new range that pays homage to the popular animated series that leapt onto the pop culture scene over 30 years ago to provide a satirical insight into suburban family life in the US.

‘This season, Vans honours The Simpsons with a vibrant collection of footwear, apparel, and accessories that celebrate iconic moments from the historic series,’ read a statement from the lifestyle brand.

The new collection will be available from August 7th this year.

 

Mulan, Star Wars and all four Avatar sequels delayed over Covid-19 pandemic

Disney has delayed the release of a trio of major films this year, citing the ‘global health crisis’ that has come out of the coronavirus pandemic. The live action re-make of Mulan – originally planned for a March release this year, but hoping to make an August launch – has now been postponed indefinitely.

“It’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis,” said a Disney representative. “Today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world.”

On top of this, the forthcoming Star Wars trilogy has been pushed back a year as a result of the uncertainty around the coronavirus outbreak. The first film in the new trio will now be release on December 22, 2023, instead of its original December 2022 date.

The first instalment of a four-part sequel to Avatar has also been pushed back to December 16, 2022. Avatar 3, 4, and 5 are due out on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028.

Avatar director, James Cameron released a statement regarding the set back, citing that delays were due to the pandemic. He revealed that “prior to COVID-19, everything was on track to bring you the first sequel in December 2021.

“Unfortunately, due to the impact that the pandemic has had on our schedule it is no longer possible for us to make that date.”