Weekly DDL Post

This week on The Disney Driven Life, I look at the new interactive gaming area that has opened up in Downtown Disney's Once Upon a Toy! Looks like a really cool area, can't wait to check it out myself! Click Here to read the article.

Wizards of Wavery Place for Nintendo DS

Released today by Disney Interactive Studios is a press release talking about the all new game for Nintendo DS based on the Disney Channel hit show, Wizards of Waverly Place.   The video game, called "Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound" has levels that are based on 5 different television shows from the series. Players can play the game as Alex, Justin or Max Russo and will be interacting with other familiar characters and places from the show. In the game, you will be able perform several spells, including moving and freezing objects and traveling at turbo speed.  Another fun addition so the game is the ability to collect many different outfits for Alex and having fun changing around her clothing. This game will be released for Nintendo DS only and will be available this coming fall.

Cover Art for "Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound"

Stitch Jammin on the DS

Yesterday the good people at Disney Interactive Studios announced a new game for the Nintendo DS featuring the lovable blue character Stitch from the 2002 film Lilo and Stitch along with some of his "cousins" from the television series. The game is call Disney Stitch Jam and has come out just for the Nintendo DS.

In the game, the player is using rhythms and music to beat Dr. Hamsterviel on many levels. Here's what the game is about, taken right from the official press release:

"Disney Stitch Jam allows players to help Stitch take part in action-filled rhythm-based missions to defeat Dr. Hamsterviel in an epic galactic showdown. Players will become immersed in 10 visually stunning locations including tropical beaches, a frozen city, the deep forest and many more environments while jamming to the rhythm. Players will complete musical missions by dodging obstacles, gathering cool collectibles, slamming enemies and unlocking accessories and costumes to disguise Stitch and his friends. Once players complete story mode, they will be able to play in free mode as other fun characters from the world of Stitch including Angel, Reuben and Felix."

The game can also be a two player game with a download option, allowing two people to play together as Stitch and Angel. Disney Stitch Jam is rated E for Everyone and is about $19.99.

New Alice in Wonderland for DS Commercial

The time has finally come! Tomorrow is the big opening of the highly anticipated Alice in Wonderland! In honor of the premiere, I have a new Vignette to share! This one, sent by the wonderful people at Disney Interactive Studios, is about the Nintendo DS video game. It is a new advertisement featuring the White Rabbit as seen in the DS version of the game. Enjoy!

New Party Game from Disney Interactive Studios

A press release has been recently issued by Disney Interactive Studios regarding a new Mystery Party Game. The following is the press release sent to me by DIS:

Disney Interactive Studios Announces Original Mystery Party Game - Disney Guilty Party

Burbank, Calif. - (February 24, 2010) - There's been a crime... can you follow the clues to find the Guilty Party? Disney Interactive Studios today announces Disney Guilty Party, a family-friendly mystery party game being developed exclusively for the Wii(TM) Console. Created by Wideload Games, Disney Interactive Studios' Chicago development studio, Guilty Party is scheduled for release in the second half of 2010.

Guilty Party tells the trilling tale of the Dickens Detective Agency as they solve crimes set in motion by the master criminal known as Mr. Valentine. Up to four players can solve crimes in a variety of locations all over the world to unlock the secrets of Mr. Valentine's grand scheme.

Guilty Party offers both cooperative and competitive gameplay for all ages. Players choose a detective and take turns exploring the environment to uncover clues to discover the culprit's identity. When players have enough evidence, they can accuse their prime suspect and try to solve the case.

"Mysteries are one of the world's most beloved form of storytelling, and Guilty Party brings mysteries to Wii in a way that the whole family can play together," says Tom Kang studio head and general manager, Wideload Games. "Everyone loves a good mystery, especially when they get to be the detective."

Players step into the shoes of the Dickens family and work together to explore the crime scenes and play mini-games to collect clues and interrogate suspects. Guilty Party transforms the Wii Remote(TM) into classic detective tools: a magnifying glass, a flashlight, a lock-pick, a fingerprint kit, and more. Players then discuss and piece together the clues in their detective notebooks to deduce the identity of the culprit.

The Dickens family tracks Mr. Valentine across the globe, from a high-speed train to a leaky aquarium to many other locations to solve new mysteries. Once the mysteries are solved, players can play again with a new set of clues, suspects, and mini-games with a different experience every time. It takes more than quick reflexes to win, it also takes quick wits.

"We're packing an amazing amount of play-time into a single game," said Patrick Curry, game director, Wideload Games. "Guilty Party is a bit like a board game, since families can play each mystery over and over again and never have the same experience twice."

Guilty Party is the first new franchise developed by Wideload Games for Disney Interactive Studios. The game's characters and locations are inspired by classic detective lore, with the storytelling, unique humor and art style that have distinguished Wideload Games. Guilty Party will have players applying logic to solve the mysteries while laughing at the wacky cast of characters, situations and animated scenes.

"Wideload Games is a leader in unique creative games that keep players entertained and amused for hours," said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. "Guilty Party was a natural fit for Disney and the beneficial working relationship led to the highly creative studio joining our portfolio of talented studios."

In September 2009, Disney Interactive Studios acquired Wideload Games and studio founder Alexander Seropian took on the role of vice president of creative at Disney Interactive Studios in Glendale, Calif.

Disney Guilty Party is Rating Pending by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

About Wideload Games

Wideload Games, a development studio of Disney Interactive Studios, focuses on creating interactive entertainment with original intellectual property and humor as an underlying theme. Based in Chicago, Wideload Games was founded as an independent studio in 2003 and acquired by Disney Interactive Studios in 2009. Wideload's first game published for Disney Interactive Studios in the original mystery party game, Disney Guilty Party. For more information, log on to http://www.wideload.com.

About Disney Interactive Studios

Disney Interactive Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS). Disney Interactive Studios self publishes and distributes a broad profile of multi-platform video games, mobile games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with other interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. Disney Interactive Studios is based in Glendale, California, and has internal development studios around the world. For more information, log on to http://www.disneyinteractivestudios.com.

(c) Disney. Product name, release date, and features may be subject to change.

Alice in Wonderland Game Preview

The awesome people at Disney Interactive have contacted me again with some sneak peeks for all of you great readers! The sneak peeks this time: Screen Shots and Video from the upcoming Nintendo Wii and DS game, Alice in Wonderland! Set to debut in stores on March 2nd, just days before the Tim Burton movie comes to theaters, this game will put you right in the action as Alice travels back to Wonderland and fights her way to defeating the Red Queen!

Here are some pictures from the DS version of the game:
These next few pictures are screen shots from the Wii version of the Alice:



And, just to top it all off- Preview Videos for both games!!





I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of the upcoming Alice in Wonderland Video Game! Thank you to Disney Interactive Studios for sending me this great info to share and don't forget to check out the Wii and DS games, coming out on March 2nd, and of course Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in theaters March 5th.

The Princess and the Frog: Behind the Scenes

In high anticipation for the upcoming movie The Princess and the Frog (released December 11th), I have an exclusive vignette that was released by Disney Interactive Studios! This was also seen on the Wii version of The Princess and the Frog video game (released for Wii, Nintendo DS and PC on November 17th). This video gives a behind the scenes look at the making of the film through the eyes of some of the film makers and animators! Its a great video, showing the absolute enthusiasm that the creators at Disney have for this film and Disney's return to hand drawn animation. So please enjoy this look behind the scenes of The Princess and The Frog!



Just watching this makes me even more excited for the movie!! Just to see the enthusiasm that the animators have for it feeds my enthusiasm. Besides the amazing animation, the music is so catchy and fun! I have not gotten the soundtrack yet, but it is definitely on my "must get" list for the near future! Feel free to leave me your feedback on the video and your thoughts about this movie.

The Princess and the Frog for Wii and DS: A Royal Gaming Experience

Disney has some great video games coming out in the next few months, including the much anticipated Toy Story Mania for Wii that is based on the fairly new attraction in Hollywood Studios. The one that has caught my eye is not based on an attraction, but based on a upcoming movie, The Princess and the Frog. This game not only has you fighting enemies, but you can change Princess Tiana's outfits, play music, dance around and even cook up some old fashioned recipes from the bayou! This game has a little bit for everyone in the family and is a great game for all ages! Even the Chief Creative Officer of the Walt Disney Animation Studios, John Lasseter, enjoys this game, as you can see in the picture to the left. This picture of Mr. Lasseter was taken at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, UK and is provided by the great people at Disney Interactive Studios. This proves that no matter your age or gender, you can have fun with this game! The Princess and the Frog will be released for Wii and Nintendo DS this coming November. For more information on this game, check out Disney Interactive's page for it by clicking here and check out the rest of the awesome merchandise provided by them by going to http://www.disney.go.com/disneyinteractivestudios/.