Disney This Week: LEGO Star Wars, Mary Poppins & More!

Disney This Week: December 17 – 23, 2016

Welcome to another edition of our new regular weekly feature Disney This Week here at ComingSoon.net. We’re rounding up the latest news on all things Disney, including movies, TV, Blu-ray/DVD, theme parks, fan art and Disney history. Let us know what you like or want to see more out of in Disney This Week in the comments below!

RELATED: Star Wars News: Rogue One Passes $400M, Episodes VIII & IX Updates and More

Movies

The Walt Disney Studios First Ever to Hit $7 Billion in One Year

On December 19, The Walt Disney Studios became the first studio ever to reach the $7 billion threshold at the global box office, setting a new industry record. With a powerful $290 million global debut for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Disney’s year-to-date grosses were $6.988 billion from Jan. 1 through Dec. 18, 2016, including $2.700 billion domestically, also an industry record, and $4.287 billion internationally, a Disney record.

These box office results are driven by films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm, representing the first time that all five of these brands have released films in the same calendar year.

Dick Van Dyke Joins the Mary Poppins Returns Cast!

Living legend and original Mary Poppins co-star Dick Van Dyke (who just turned 91) has confirmed he will join the Mary Poppins Returns cast. It is unclear whether it is a major role or merely a cameo.

“This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up,” Van Dyke said. “It’s a great cast — Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy [Lin-Manuel Miranda] from Hamilton.”

Watch the Full Shiny Song Sequence From Moana

Disney revealed another full sequence from their animated hit Moana featuring the song “Shiny,” written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Jemaine Clement.

Know where you are by knowing where you’ve been. #Moana is now playing. pic.twitter.com/xgr344Ph8c

— Disney (@Disney) December 23, 2016

Stuffed with fluff and Christmas cheer! pic.twitter.com/yjp98CMsN5

— Disney (@Disney) December 23, 2016

This #Tangled art gleams and glows so merry and bright. pic.twitter.com/uHr2WKxC9O

— Disney (@Disney) December 22, 2016

Go behind the seas with @DisneyStyle to discover the inspiration behind #Moana’s clothing. pic.twitter.com/4SFaWldegx

— Disney (@Disney) December 22, 2016

Exclusive Tom Whalen Art Inspired by #Moana and More Is Now Available Online: https://t.co/3aUZiD0Wqz pic.twitter.com/VMnCtdfOf4

— Disney (@Disney) December 18, 2016

DVD/Blu-ray

LEGO Star Wars The Freemaker Adventures Complete Season One

We had the chance to scope out the new Blu-ray for LEGO Star Wars The Freemaker Adventures Complete Season One, which is a lot of fun for younger viewers who might find Star Wars Rebels a little too intense. It also has a lot of fun inside jokes for grown-up Star Wars geeks. The disc comes with six exclusive Lego Star Wars magnets available nowhere else, for all you compulsive collectors out there!

The story revolves around a family of scavengers who make starships out of leftover parts from crashed ships found strewn all over the galaxy. When the youngest member of the family comes across the remains of the original Kyber Saber (the first lightsaber ever made), he and a Jedi named Naare — who may not be all she appears to be — set out to reconstruct the saber before the empire can.

You can check out the first episode in its entirety below! Click here to purchase your copy of The Freemaker Adventures Season One Blu-ray now!

Pinocchio Signature Collection Edition

The box art and trailer for the upcoming release of Pinocchio on Walt Disney Signature Collection Blu-ray are here. The movie, which inspired the world to wish upon a star, arrives for the first time on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on January 10, and on Blu-ray and DVD on January 31 with hours of new and classic bonus features.

The Lion Guard: Life in the Pride Lands

A new release featuring five new episodes of The Lion Guard: Life in the Pride Lands is arriving on Disney DVD January 10. Check out the cover art above!

TV

Forest Whitaker to Voice Saw Gerrera on Star Wars Rebels

Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, who stars as Rebel freedom fighter Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, will join the cast of the hit animated series Star Wars Rebels, which is set in a time period just prior to the events of Rogue One. Whitaker will reprise his role as Saw Gerrera, providing the voice of the character as he makes his debut on “Ghosts of Geonosis, Parts One and Two” premiering Saturday, January 7 (8:30-9:30 p.m. EST), on Disney XD. Check out a featurette with footage from the episodes below!

It’s a #LabRats Christmas nightmare! pic.twitter.com/0MOyGlbQS6

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 23, 2016

HBD, Bryce! Hope you don’t get pranked too bad today! pic.twitter.com/phQdV6bxEr

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 22, 2016

Happy Holidays from the Disney ABC Television Group! pic.twitter.com/ylneIalSwU

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 21, 2016

If this is only the first day of GIF-mas… #12DaysOfGIFmas #Groot #RocketRaccoon #GOTG #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy @Marvel pic.twitter.com/OAZEibNsLU

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 21, 2016

Chopper and the Ghost, hitting the big time with their #RogueOne cameos!#StarWarsRebels https://t.co/Hjz4uakRSR

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 20, 2016

Happy #MapleSyrupDay! Who’s having a late-night syrup race to celebrate?#GravityFalls pic.twitter.com/M0eTZKrDz0

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 18, 2016

Doctor Strange has a really scary recipe for gingerbread men…@Marvel #UltimateSpiderMan pic.twitter.com/YQE8gG1UYK

— Disney XD (@DisneyXD) December 17, 2016

Theme Parks

Eat, drink, and be merry at Disney California Adventure’s new festival: https://t.co/UQDZ1NrKXS pic.twitter.com/iqRx6MxRkO

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 23, 2016

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious vintage holiday cards from the Walt Disney Studios: https://t.co/GiOedF7nuu pic.twitter.com/gxIT4zSVq7

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 22, 2016

“Remember … Dreams Come True” Fireworks are returning to Disneyland Park on Feb. 3!” https://t.co/qt5zmCnsVc pic.twitter.com/xHcykKYgve

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 22, 2016

It’s a special magic to be a part of holiday parades at @Disneyland and @WaltDisneyWorld: https://t.co/ayT2W5OdRf pic.twitter.com/Au54B03rCk

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 21, 2016

VIDEO: We’ve got the details on what the celebrity performers will be wearing in the #DisneyChristmasCelebration! https://t.co/HrAIItNPQg pic.twitter.com/fpEkw6W2Sf

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 22, 2016

Let’s take a look at some of the holiday decorations in Mickey’s Toontown at @Disneyland park: https://t.co/l12dPsf08z pic.twitter.com/jh0BxGsjSG

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 23, 2016

PHOTOS: Disney Channel actress and recording artist Sabrina Carpenter recently stopped by Walt Disney World! https://t.co/I1hjA8muzP pic.twitter.com/z6yknpVHvn

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 23, 2016

Santa brings in holiday cheer to Magic Kingdom Park in tonight’s “Disney Parks After Dark” picture: https://t.co/tUVaxLNRJF pic.twitter.com/kQxmEmRhJj

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 23, 2016

Get a running start on those New Year’s resolutions during the #WDWMarathon! https://t.co/5RuAFHibYF #DisneyFamilia pic.twitter.com/I15ChkWKcX

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 21, 2016

Learn how Disney is helping protect gorillas on your next visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom: https://t.co/w98W8luLzK pic.twitter.com/nuRNi7hdsI

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 21, 2016

VIDEO: Watch a real life super hero from the @RunDisney Avengers Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland Resort! https://t.co/HTmgNa4cjm

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 20, 2016

PHOTOS: Take a look at some of the culinary treats you’ll find during the Epcot International Festival of the Arts: https://t.co/QhCjjHpB3z pic.twitter.com/oobNBHykOv

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 20, 2016

Late last week, 400 Disney Parks Blog readers gathered to see #RogueOne: A Star Wars Story at @DisneySprings: https://t.co/wntmRYZw0y pic.twitter.com/mxCGFHfhaU

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 20, 2016

The wildest renovation in the West is finally over! Big Thunder Mountain has reopened at Disneyland Paris: https://t.co/qkWE22twzx pic.twitter.com/SYRMyLu5yx

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 19, 2016

Toys

It’s a Frozen frenzy! Enter to win a set of Anna and Elsa dolls: https://t.co/MaBakP9YaU #D23Days pic.twitter.com/J9kkuK7yL2

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 19, 2016

Have a ball! Enter for a chance to win Disney Descendants dolls: https://t.co/TolP6pDopN pic.twitter.com/MTATlV7WcW

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 18, 2016

Ready to race? Enter for a chance to win a @Cars Flag Finish McQueen: https://t.co/agQlaag5VA #D23Days pic.twitter.com/oq8YnpXHcd

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 17, 2016

#BigHero6 Dorbz Funko and Disney MyMoji Figures Are Coming This February: https://t.co/5TajOg5MA6 pic.twitter.com/nnVqgXc2tS

— Disney (@Disney) December 23, 2016

Just keep singing, singing, singing with this #FindingDory tree ornament: https://t.co/KYEH6FjNpZ pic.twitter.com/mEUy1Hmc9p

— Disney (@Disney) December 20, 2016

Fan Art of the Week

This week’s holiday-appropriate Frozen fan art comes from Rita, a.k.a. ribkaDory, a young artist living in Russia. Check out her full gallery at this link!

This Week in Disney History

After expenditures of $1.5 million dollars nearly bankrupted the company, the world’s first full-length animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood on December 21, 1937.

Disney’s first full-length animated feature debuted on this day in 1937: https://t.co/C2H1f1VLo9 pic.twitter.com/gITGXbTCOG

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) December 21, 2016

Walt Disney’s younger brother Roy O. Disney (Walt Disney Productions CEO, President and co-founder) died on December 20, 1971.

The animated feature film Fantasia 2000 debuted at Carnegie Hall in New York City on December 17, 1999. This week also saw the release of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1954, Swiss Family Robinson in 1960, In Search of the Castaways in 1962, The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit in 1968, The Island at the Top of the World in 1974, The Shaggy D.A. in 1976, The Black Hole in 1979, Father of the Bride in 1991, Tom and Huck in 1995, O Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2000 and Tron Legacy in 2011.

Disney Vault

Each week we highlight an underappreciated Disney classic! Since this is Christmas, we thought it would be good to highlight an interesting half-hour long short film from 1978 called The Small One. It concerns a young boy living in the city of Nazareth who is reluctant to sell his beloved old donkey, until he comes across a kindly man who needs a gentle donkey to carry his pregnant wife to Bethlehem. You get where this is going. The project was conceived as an experiment to engage young animation talent, including future greats like Don Bluth (The Land Before Time) and Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), The Small One was released theatrically with a Christmas reissue of Pinocchio.

Check out the clip below, and click here to purchase a digital copy of The Small One for $1.99!