I have to say, I get to do some really cool things as part of my job.  And when one of those really cool things ends up also taking place at Disneyland, then it’s even more awesome. To celebrate the upcoming release of Iron Man 3, opening in theaters on May 3^rd, Collider was invited to preview the newest Innoventions attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park, that’s expected to be there through September.

Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries displays an exact replica of the Hall of Armor from Tony Stark’s Malibu mansion and includes the authentic movie armors – the Mark I through the Mark VII – with the Mark 42 as the centerpiece.  Illuminated to look even cooler than they already are, just on their own, you can get up close and personal with the armor itself, and then virtually suit up in the Mark 42 (through Kinect technology that allows you to see yourself on the screen), calling the individual pieces to your own virtual body.  Hit the jump to see some photos of this awesome new interactive experience.

The black and white, stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie, from director Tim Burton and based on the ideas in his 1984 live-action short, is a tale about a boy and his beloved dog. After unexpectedly losing Sparky, young Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan) sews him back together and harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life, but quickly faces unintended and sometimes monstrous consequences for his actions. The voice cast also includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer and Winona Ryder.  Here’s the recent trailer.  Frankenweenie hits theaters October 5, 2012.

Last week I got to sit down with producer Don Hahn at Comic-Con.  During our wide ranging interview we talked about making Frankenweenie, if it was tough to get the studio on board, if the current popularity of The Nightmare Before Christmas helped get the film made, and more.  In addition, with Hahn producing Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie, we talked about how that’s been going, what Easter Eggs people should look for at Disneyland and Disney World, what he collects, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Disneyland is about to unveil the new Star Tours ride to the public on June 3.  At a recent private event, Jay West, LA Times Hero Complex contributor, taped his experience walking through the line and eventually viewing the new video.  Obviously, there are better ways to see a 3D-oriented ride for the first time, but the video is a good placeholder for those of us who can’t make it to Disneyland in the near future.  This seems like the type of thing that could be taken down quick, so watch while you still can after the break.

Swashbucklers of all varieties swarmed the Disneyland Resort this morning, eager to watch the world premiere of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides trailer. Fans and contest winners lined up in front of the AMC theaters in Downtown Disney, braving the icy cold California morning (in which temperatures plunged into the low 50s) in order to be the first to catch a glimpse of Jack Sparrow’s new adventures. “Official” pirates from the park sang sea shanties and conducted costume contests, while director Rob Marshall appeared beforehand to introduce the trailer. In the midst of it, he dropped a few tantalizing hints about the content  of the new film. (Avast mateys! Thar be spoilers ahead. Fairly warned thee be, says I.)

After the trailer screening, guests were taken into the Disneyland park just before the gates opened for the day. The sailing ship Columbia appeared—complete with crew—who sang more sea shanties and swore in the new “crew members” with a lengthy pirate oath. They were joined by none other than Jack Sparrow himself,  who seemed confused as to whether the guests were to be conscripted or executed. Once the issue was cleared up (thankfully with no blood being spilt), the guests took a trip on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, followed by a breakfast and after-party at a nearby pavilion. While Disney provided bacon and eggs, the guests could take pictures with Jack and his crew, as well as with the huge mock-up of the film’s teaser poster, featuring a grinning silver Jack skull. Hit the jump for more.

UPDATE: Disney has provided us with some footage from today’s event as well as an interview with director Rob Marshall. Both are after the jump:

Next year Disneyland and Disneyworld will be relaunching Star Tours at both parks.  While plenty of rumors have been online about where the new ride will go, thanks to Star Wars Celebration V taking place in Florida right now, Lucasfilm and Disney have released a new commercial that will be playing while you wait in line to get on the updated ride.  In the just over a minute clip, you get to quickly visit Bespin, Endor, and Alderaan – which has recently been voted the safest planet in the galaxy.  Star Wars fans will understand why that’s funny. While I always liked the Star Tours ride, I definitely think it was time for an upgrade.  Watch the video after the jump:

Walt Disney’s hotly anticipated sequel/reboot (seboot?) Tron Legacy is set to debut in theaters this December. Naturally, Disney is looking for the film to do some serious box-office business and if it does, according to Blue Sky Disney, we can expect to see a computer animated Tron TV show pop up in late 2011, early 2012 on either ABC or new “boy channel” Disney XD. The series would evidently be designed as a “placeholder,” maintaining fan interest while the second movie in what could be a brand new trilogy is put together. The show’s been given the go-ahead for development but as of now it’s still pretty far in the offing and, really, its future will depend on whether or not Legacy meets the studio’s lofty expectations and demonstrates franchise potential.

BSD also has the scoop on some Tron-themed changes to be implemented at the Disney theme parks. Hit the jump for that. Also, click here to get a look at some new images from Tron Legacy and here to read Steve’s Tron Legacy trailer report.

We have two joyful follow-ups to yesterday’s mixed bag of news that folks were petitioning Disneyland to give Lost its own attraction and that Obama’s State of the Union may pre-empt the show’s season premiere on February 2nd.

First, Movieline reports that Disney actually is work-shopping a Lost ride that would take advantage of the “Kuka arm technology” which is kind of a big robot arm with the rider on the end wearing a dome.  The arm then moves the rider and the rider sees the event on the screen.  So maybe that’s a smoke monster you can outrun.  Or maybe you ARE the smoke monster.  It would be an appropriate twist since Lost has been twisting the hell out of their show for five years now.  But keep in mind, Disney works on multiple projects at once and this workshop is not a confirmation of a ride happening in the future, so don’t stop signing the petition.

Secondly, Messrs. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have both tweeted that Lost will keep its season premiere date of Tuesday, February 2nd, at 9/8c on ABC.  There’s no word yet why the White House decided not to use the 2nd, but my guess is that Obama moved his State of the Union on the condition that Lindelof and Cuse tell him what the smoke monster was.

First, some happy news: an online petition [via Yahoo! TV] has begun to replace Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer Island with a Lost island attraction.  While I remain dubious about the efficacy of online petitions, I’ll happily sign it because who wouldn’t want to go to an island where people die on a regular basis, has a smoke monster, and you have no idea what’s going on?  On the flipside: animatronic polar bears.  Sold.

In all fairness, this sounds like a pretty cool idea and the organizers have come up with some creative ideas for the place like “Jacob’s Cabin” and “The Swan Station”.  Also, folks aren’t as crazy about Tom Sawyer Island after they discovered that painting a fence was not as fun as advertised.  It would also pull Disney out of the old age by having classic rides like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Haunted Mansion” next to more modern fare.  You can check out the full list of “ride” suggestions after the jump.

Also after the jump is me complaining about the news of the White House possibly pushing the Lost season premiere back a week for Obama’s State of the Union address (and Obama didn’t even put out an 8:15 recap of his first year in office).

Years ago I heard rumors Disneyland and Disneyworld were going to update the Star Tours ride. After all, the ride was exactly the same since it launched back in 1987 and it definitely needed a paint job. But the prequels came and went, and the ride stayed the same. Until now.

At this weekend’s D23 convention, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo announced plans to update the ride and it’s going to launch in 2011 and it’ll be in 3D. While I’ve fallen out of love with “Star Wars”, I always liked the Star Tours ride and with the technology now available at Lucasfilm and Disney, I’d like to think the new ride is going to be awesome. Anyway, while we have to wait another two years to take it for a spin, Disney has launched a brief trailer and it’s after the jump: