Disney Highlights – August 2017

August 1

The new novel Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds is out today. Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He’s even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he’s Spider-Man.

But lately, Miles’s spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren’t meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad’s advice and focus on saving himself.

As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can’t shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher’s lectures on the historical “benefits” of slavery and the importance of the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.

August 2

Marvel’s Generations initiative continues with Generations: Banner Hulk & Totally Awesome Hulk #1. Bruce Banner and Amadeus Cho have both carried the curse of the Hulk. Now they come face-to-face at last – but will they meet as friends or foes? Fan-favorite Hulk scribe Greg Pak is joined by red-hot artist Matteo Buffagni (X-MEN BLUE) for a time-bending tale that will finally answer the question on everyone’s minds: Who is the strongest one there is?

August 3

On this day in 2007, Disney released Underdog. After an accident in the mysterious lab of mad scientist Dr. Simon Barsinister, an ordinary beagle finds himself with extraordinary powers. Relive the day when Disney’s big super hero film for the summer starred Jim Belushi.

August 4

The Lion King Sing-Along begins its engagement at the El Capitan Theatre.  There will also be a special live appearance by Timon on stage before every show. Showtimes from August 4th through August 10th are 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. From August 11th through August 20th showtimes are 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

August 5

The Wonderful World of Disney returns to ABC will a special presentation of Disney’s Big Hero 6. Get ready for the upcoming television series, with this showing of the original animated feature at 8 ET/PT.

August 6

Follow along as ABC is set to present their fall line-up to television critics at the TCA Conference. Expect news about upcoming and returning series as talent hits the stage with the hopes of making their show stand out.

August 7

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is hosting a special evening on the women of animation. Join Mindy Johnson, author of Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation, along with a panel of trailblazing artists, as they raise the celluloid curtain on the history of women in animation.

August 8

It is earnings day! Join Bob Iger as he shares how the company is doing while investors try and figure out how Disney is facing the challenges of the future. LaughingPlace.com will be live blogging all the fun.

August 9

Marvel is releasing Inhumans: Once and Future Kings #1. A king in training. A brother destined for madness. These are the early days of the Boltagon legacy. When the king of the Inhumans is attacked, Black Bolt and Maximus spring into action to save their leader. But when Black Bolt loses control, what are the consequences for his future kingdom – or his own family? Plus: A two-page backup starring Lockjaw, as told by Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North and artist supreme Gustavo Duarte.

August 10

Enter the game grid as the El Capitan Theatre hosts its first ever Throwback Thursday Double Feature celebrating the 35th Anniversary of TRON with  TRON (1982) and TRON: LEGACY (2010). Enjoy a special presentation from the creative team as well as TRON himself Bruce Boxleitner

August 11

It is a new episode of Raven’s Home on Disney Channel. When Raven has a vision of Booker and Nia being upset over their dad’s move, she goes overboard trying to do all of the fun activities Devon normally did with the kids.

August 12

Starting at midnight, Disney XD will be airing the special one-hour kick off to the reimagined DuckTales. In the special, Donald Duck reluctantly takes his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie to the home of their reclusive great-uncle Scrooge McDuck. Enthralled by their once legendary great-uncle and the wonder of McDuck Manor, the triplets and their newfound fierce friend Webby learn of long-kept family secrets and unleash totems from Scrooge’s epic past, sending the family on an adventure of a lifetime to the Lost City of Atlantis.

August 13

It is a day of endings and beginnings at Walt Disney World. At Epcot, Mission: SPACE will launch the new Green Mission and the enhanced Orange Mission while also saying goodbye to Ellen’s Energy Adventure. Meanwhile, an icon of Disney’s Hollywood Studios says goodbye as The Great Movie Ride completes its final act.

August 14

ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball brings you the Subway Series as the New York Yankees take on their cross-town rivals the New York Mets.

August 15

The Lion King Signature Collection is available on digital. Before Jon Favreau’s adaptation hits the big screen, relive the classic animated feature with over three hours of bonus content.

August 16

In Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1 the amazing combination of Logan and Laura brings readers the duo they have been waiting for. Tom Taylor, the mind behind All-New Wolverine, brings you a double-Wolverine team-up for the ages.

August 17

The Broadway-bound Frozen musical begins its out-of-town tryout at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. For the next seven weeks, the creative team will gauge audience reaction and make adjustments to ensure the show is Broadway ready before the show heads to New York next year.

August 18

Marvel’s The Defenders is coming to Netflix. The series follows Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.

August 19

The new Spider-Man animated series debuts this morning on Disney XD. In the new series, we will see a fresh take on Spider-Man, as Peter Parker is learning the responsibility that comes along with being a new, superpowered hero in New York City, just as he’s being accepted into Horizon High, a high school for brilliant young scientific minds. He struggles with the duality of his social life at school and hiding his secret identity from everyone including his best friend Harry Osborn, who attends the competing Osborn Academy for geniuses. As Peter embraces his alter-ego and takes on super villains such as Vulture, Lizard, Doctor Octopus and Sandman, he watches his hero lifestyle come between his personal relationships and struggles to keep Harry from landing on the wrong side of the law.

August 20

The Main Street Electrical Parade once again “glows away” from Disneyland Park. We don’t know where the perennial parade will go next, but we do know that at some point, Paint the Night will make its Disney California Adventure debut, with a new float. However, tonight is your last chance to see the night parade that started it all. At least for the time being.

August 21

On this day in 1992, Asia’s first Disney Store opened in Yokohama, Japan.

August 22

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is on home video. Today, the film is not only available on Blu-Ray, but also 4K Ultra HD, a first for The Walt Disney Company. Among the bonus features are Guardians Inferno Music Video where viewers can join David Hasselhoff and special guests for a galactic retro dance party.

August 23

In Generations: Unworthy Thor & Mighty Thor #1, Thor finds herself in ancient Egypt – facing a young Odinson. A misguided party of Vikings has bitten off way more than they can spear. But when the prince of Asgard answers their cries for help, he ends up in a fight no axe alone can win. And Apocalypse is not one for mercy. Can a not-yet-worthy god and a time-lost hero take on one of the world’s most powerful mutants at the height of his empire? And what does their encounter mean for the future of two Thors?

August 24

ESPN’s series of 30 for 30 documentaries continues with What Carter Lost. With 21 players who were offered college scholarships and several who went on to the NFL, Dallas Carter High School took on the best that Texas had to offer, including the Odessa Permian team that inspired Friday Night Lights, as well as the worst: in a racially charged state-wide dispute over one player’s algebra grade and Carter’s legitimacy. Somehow, the team won the championship that year. Yet not too long after, the legacy they worked so hard for was thrown away after a group of players made a terrible decision. With personal interviews with players, coaches and family members, as well as glimpses of their lives today, “What Carter Lost” is ultimately about what Carter found.

August 25

Before a new book begins on Once Upon a Time, you can relive the last season as it becomes available on the Netflix streaming service today.

August 26

In a new episode of Marvel’s Spider-Man, Norman Osborn creates the Osborn Academy for Geniuses as a way of saving his son, Harry, the embarrassment of being suspended from Horizon High.

August 27

Five new episodes of Marvel’s Avengers: Secret Wars debut today on Disney XD. In the first episode, When the Red Skull loses control of his doomsday Sleeper robots, the Avengers must stop them.

August 28:

On this day in 1957, Disney released Perri based on Felix Salten’s 1938 Perri: The Youth of a Squirrel. It was the company’s fifth feature entry in their True-Life Adventures series, and the only one to be labeled a True Life Fantasy. In doing so, the Disney team combined the documentary aspects of earlier efforts with fictional scenarios and characters.

August 29

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons by Dave Bossert is released today. This new volume tells the story of Walt’s creation as well as the effort to find and restore the Oswald film’s that were thought to be lost to time.

August 30

In Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye #1 Kate Bishop, A.K.A. Hawkeye, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a battle royal between the world’s most skilled sharpshooters – including an inexplicably young Clint Barton, A.K.A. the OTHER Hawkeye. The prize? Bragging rights for being named the best, of course – oh, and you get to stay alive. Unfortunately for Clint, several of his competitors are villains he’s taken down, making HIM a primary target. So, on top of figuring out where and WHEN she is, Kate’s got to find a way to win this little contest of skills and keep her not-so-old pal Clint out of the crosshairs.

August 31

The annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival begins today at Walt Disney World. The record 75-day festival will include five new Future World marketplaces featuring fresh culinary concepts to pair with select wines, beers, cocktails and other beverages.  ABC’s Emmy Award-winning lifestyle series, TheChew, will broadcast from the festival for the third year and will again showcase dishes inspired by The Chew show hosts. The festival is believed to be the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world.