Disney Buys Godzilla and Related Characters

Above, Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Following in the footsteps of George Lucas, who sold the rights to Star Wars, the Walt Disney Company announced a $6 million deal with Toho Co., Ltd. for the purchase of Godzilla and related kaiju characters.

The deal was inked today at the Disney Co. offices in Burbank, California with the company's Executive Chairman, Robert A. Iger and CEO Bob Chapek.

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios main entrance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"We are very pleased with this deal with Toho," said Chapek. "We hope to do for Godzilla and the other monsters what we did for Star Wars. We will be developing movies after the current contract with Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. ends. Eventually, there will be Godzilla attractions at our theme parks, including Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Orlando."

Maybe there will be a Godzilla figure looming over Disneyland that will tower over the Matterhorn.

To read more, go here.

"Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens": So What?

Okay, Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens is out. I don't get how people have gone orgasmic over it.

Sure, it reunites Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy, but since creator George Lucas had no role in the making of the movie, not even as an advisor, it is almost like an "independent production" like the Sean Connery James Bond movie, Never Say Never Again.

Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Walt Disney Pictures and it is their ballgame now. There's no 20th Century Fox fanfare at the beginning.

It is strange that the poster leaves out "VII" in the title.

I'll go see the movie, but without George Lucas's involvement, it is just not the same.

10 Great Student Film Festivals For Fans and Filmmakers

Directors Christopher Nolan and George Lucas started out somewhere, and that somewhere was during their university days as student filmmakers.

I was contacted last evening about the 10 Great Student Film Festivals For Fans and Filmmakers.

At the link below, the list of the the student film festivals that should be "on your radar" is provided.

As the site says:

Some of today’s biggest filmmakers, from Christopher Nolan to George Lucas, got their start making student films. Because of that, student film festivals are amazing places to see new works and discover the women and men who will eventually graduate to bigger and better things. Whether you’re a student looking for ways to break into the fest circuit or a movie lover looking for new ways to experience film, these student-focused festivals should be on your radar.

To see the 10 Great Student Film Festivals For Fans and Filmmakers, go here.