Disney News

Category: Movies & TV

  • The Dark Crystal Prequel Reveals All-Star Voice Cast Including Mark Hamill, Simon Pegg, Keegan-Michael Key

    The Dark Crystal Prequel Reveals All-Star Voice Cast Including Mark Hamill, Simon Pegg, Keegan-Michael Key

    A series based on Jim Henson’s 1982 film “The Dark Crystal” is in the works, and now Netflix has revealed the series’ impressive voice cast along with a few stunning pictures of the three main Gelflings that the show is centered around.

    Taron Egerton (the Kingsman films), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) have been set as respective Gefling heroes Rian, Brea and Deet, and other actors including Mark Hamil, Keegan-Michael Key, Helena Bonham-Carter, Toby Jones, Alicia Vikander, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg also lend their voices to the film.

    • The Dark Crystal
    • The Dark Crystal
    • The Dark Crystal

    A beloved classic from the 80s marks its return as Netflix will bring The Jim Henson Company’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance exclusively to members around the world. The 10-episode fantasy adventure series is a prequel to the groundbreaking 1982 fan favorite The Dark Crystal, and takes place many years before the events of the film. The series will be shot in the U.K., and will star an ensemble of fantastical, state-of-the-art creatures created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and Brian Froud, the original feature’s conceptual designer.

    The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance returns to the world of Thra with an all new adventure. When three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power, they set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.

    Feature film director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me, The Incredible Hulk) will executive produce the series and direct. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will be a Netflix original series produced by The Jim Henson Company and executive produced by Letterier, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford. Longtime Henson collaborator Rita Peruggi will serve as producer and Henson’s Blanca Lista will serve as a co-executive producer. Leading the writing are co-executive producers Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (Life in a Year), and Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The 100).

    “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will combine the art of puppetry perfected by The Jim Henson Company, with Louis’ vision, powerful storytelling and a mix of cutting-edge digital imagery and visual effects,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix. “I can’t wait for families around the world to see how we bring these unique characters to life.”

    “Louis Leterrier is passionate about the world of The Dark Crystal and has an incredible creative vision for the series. He brings this passion to every facet of the production as he leads the talented team of artists and writers that are bringing this entire universe to life,” said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. “Netflix has a deep respect for my father’s original work and the many people it inspired. They are the perfect partners to create this next epic chapter in The Dark Crystal story for new fans and the loyal fans who have waited so long for more adventures from this world.”

  • Petition Calls for Disney to Drop ‘Hakuna Matata’ Trademark

    Petition Calls for Disney to Drop ‘Hakuna Matata’ Trademark

    A petition started online is calling for Disney to let go of its trademark of the Swahili phrase “Hakuna Matata.”

    The petition was started by Zimbabwean activist Shelton Mpala and states that “Disney can’t be allowed to trademark something that it didn’t invent.” It has already received more than 100,000 signatures.

    The phrase roughly translates to “no problems” or “no worries” and is a common expression in parts of eastern and southern Africa. It is best known as a song in Disney’s 1994 hit movie “The Lion King” and according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the company trademarked the expression the same year.

    In an interview withh CNN, Mpala says he started the petition “to draw attention to the appropriation of African culture and the importance of protecting our heritage, identity and culture from being exploited for financial gain by third parties.”

    “This plundered artwork serves to enrich or benefit these museums and corporations and not the creators or people it’s derived from,” Mpala said.

    Liz Lenjo, a Kenyan intellectual property and entertainment lawyer, disagrees with the petition. Lenjo said Disney “has not stolen anything” and the outrage over the trademark is misplaced. The blame should go to social media for “blowing things out of proportion” Lenjo said.

    “The use of ‘Hakuna Matata’ by Disney does not take away the value of the language,” Lenjo says. “East Africans or whoever speaks Swahili worldwide are not restricted from using the phrase.

    “She added: “The conversation on the internet has been blowing up because of a misconception and misunderstanding around intellectual property law, the ethos behind intellectual property law and the various regimes of protection.”

    Disney has not responded to the petition. A remake of the “The Lion King” is due for release in 2019.

  • First Look: Will Smith as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin Remake

    First Look: Will Smith as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin Remake

    The genie is now truly out of the bottle.  EW released thier newest issue today giving us a look at Will Smith as the beloved genie along with the rest of the cast of Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin”.

    A first look at Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin is showing us a whole new world! The cover features Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Mena Massoud as Aladdin, and Will Smith as Genie.

    Guy Ritchie is directung the film, and told EW about his fresh take on the adaptation from his past directing experience.

    In a press release, Disney described the plot of the film: “Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney-Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.”

    “At Pixar we try to create stories that come from some kind of personal truth,” Scanlon said in a statement. “This film was inspired by my own relationship with my brother.”

    Scanlon lost his father at a young age, so he never really knew him or heard his voice. At 2017’s D23 Expo, he explained to the audience that one day a relative sent him and his brother an audio tape that they thought might have his father’s voice on it. It turned out that the tape only contained a brief moment of his father saying one word. But it meant the world to Scanlon and his brother. Scanlon said, “I have always wondered who my father was and how I’m like him—that question became the blue print for this movie.”

    Holland also shared the news via Instagram. “It is announcement time! I am so excited. I’ve been trying to keep this a secret for so long—and I just can’t do it anymore. I am lucky enough to be making a Pixar movie…I’m so excited I finally get to share this with you,” the actor exclaimed. “Let’s make a great movie!”

    Later, Pratt tweeted, “So thrilled to be part of this. I can’t tell you much, but…I will tell you this, when we visited Pixar to hear the pitch I straight up cried. This one is next level. God willing, in about a year and a half you’ll be moved as well. We have a BEAUTIFUL story coming your way.”

    The film is slated to hit theaters on March 6, 2020.

  • Disney Releases Live-Action Kim Possible Movie Trailer and Premiere Date

    Disney Releases Live-Action Kim Possible Movie Trailer and Premiere Date

    Call and beep everyone you know because Disney has just released the new live-action Kim Possible trailer and it looks amazing!

    Start planning your viewing parties and get your punny-themed snacks ready now because it’s mission time! Kim Possible airs on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW on February 15, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. 

    For those who don’t know, Kim Possible is a cheerleader and she saves the world, even on school nights. With her sidekick, Ron Stoppable and his naked mole rat Rufus they go through normal teenage life while saving the world.

    The original series which ran for 87 episodes was launched in 2002.  In 2003 it was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding animated program and it also inspired two animated Disney Channel movies.

    “Mark and Bob created an enduring character and kids all over the world found a friend in her, an average girl who just happens to spend her off-school hours thwarting evil villains,” said Adam Bonnett, executive VP of original programming at Disney Channels Worldwide, in a statement. “Although Kim Possible ‘can do anything,’ kids and tweens found that this animated redhead was just like them. As we embark on the fun challenge of making Kim and Ron fully dimensional, I’m thrilled to be working again with Mark and Bob and to welcome the addition of a dynamic creative team—Josh, Zanne, Adam and Zach—into a world where anything is indeed possible.”

    It’s executive produced by McCorkle, Schooley, and Zanne Devine, and co-directed and co-produced by Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky.


  • Marvel Studios Finally Releases Avengers 4 Trailer With a Name

    Marvel Studios Finally Releases Avengers 4 Trailer With a Name

    Marvel Studios just released the first trailer for the fourth Avengers film and it will blow you away!

    The fourth “Avengers” movie is a direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War and it finds Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow scrambling for a way to defeat Thanos.

    In the trailer we find Tony Stark adrift in space.  “Part of the journey is the end.” he says.  Take a look at the entire trailer below.

    Stark continues, “Just for the record, being adrift in space with zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds.”

    This film is again helmed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley. This will be the final chapter in Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is titled Avengers: End Game.

    When we last left our heroes, Thanos (Josh Brolin) had acquired all six Infinity Stones—and with the snap of his fingers, he instantly wiped out half of the universe’s population. Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Groot (Vin Diesel), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) turned to dust—but not before Nick sent an S.O.S. to Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) to aid the Avengers.

    The highly anticipated new film, titled “Avengers: Endgame,” hits theaters on May 3, 2019. 

  • Tom Hanks in Talks to Play Geppetto in Disney’s Live-Action ‘Pinocchio’

    Tom Hanks in Talks to Play Geppetto in Disney’s Live-Action ‘Pinocchio’

    Someone new may be pulling the strings for Pinocchio soon. Tom Hanks is in early talks to play Geppetto in Disney’s live-action adaptation of its animated classic.

    Filmmaker Paul King is directing the film. Andrew Miano and Chris Weitz are producing. King, Weitz, and Simon Farnaby wrote the most recent draft.

    The remake comes 78 years after the original animated film captivated audiences in February 1940. The original film centered around Geppetto who catches sight of a wishing star and wishes for Pinocchio to become a real boy. Once Geppetto fell asleep, his home is visited by the Blue Fairy, who brings Pinocchio to life. With his faithful friend Jiminy Cricket by his side, Pinocchio embarks on fantastic adventures that test his bravery, loyalty and honesty until he triumphs in his quest for his heart’s desire: to become a real boy.

    The original 1940 animated movie won two Oscars for best original score and the classic Disney tune, “When You Wish Upon a Star”. The movie based on the Carlo Collodi story follows the young puppet boy Pinocchio who yearns to be a real boy after being created by Geppetto.

    Pinocchio is part of a long list of upcoming Disney live-action remakes, including Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, and 2020’s Mulan. 

  • ‘The Lion King’ Trailer Sets Disney Record for Most Views in 24 Hours

    ‘The Lion King’ Trailer Sets Disney Record for Most Views in 24 Hours

    The first teaser-trailer for the upcoming “Lion King” remake made its debut on Thanksgiving Day and Disney has a lot to take “pride” in.  The company took to the internet Saturday to thank the fans for making it the most-viewed Disney trailer debut ever.

    The teaser trailer for the upcoming “live action” feature accumulated 224.6 million views globally in its first 24 hours, becoming Disney’s most watched trailer in a day. Across all studios, it’s the second most watched teaser, behind that of “Avengers: Infinity War,” which tallied 238 million views.

    The studio celebrated the trailer’s success in an Instagram post as you can see below:

    The highly anticipated remake comes from Jon Favreau, who also directed the live-action/CGI remake of The Jungle Book. And while the Lion King has James Earl Jones returning as the iconic Mufasa—its new star-studded cast has fans of the original and new audiences alike excited. Donald Glover, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are all set to voice familiar roles, as Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon, respectively. Chiwetel Ejiofor voices Simba’s villainous uncle Scar and Beyoncé lends her magical voice to Nala.

    The original “Lion King” grossed more than $968 million worldwide. Favreau’s Lion King is set to open July 19.

  • Live-Action Lion King Side By Side Trailer Comparison Will Give You Chills

    Live-Action Lion King Side By Side Trailer Comparison Will Give You Chills

    The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action “The Lion King” was just released and it’s is amazing. As if the new video wasn’t powerful enough a new video shows the trailer in a side by side comparison with clips from the original animated film and it will give you chills

    In the video, the new trailer is matched up to the original movie clips in a shot for shot recreation and it is spot on. Take a look for yourself below, but remember…  I’m not crying, you’re crying.

    The live action hits just keep on coming and watching the iconic moments from the original animated movies recreated in live-action is what makes these films so magical.

    We’ve seen side by side comparisons before for films like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, but this trailer by far has the largest amount of recognizable and iconic clips.

    Disney has continued its dominance at the box office in with a slew of live-action remakes of its animated classics, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Jungle Book,” and last year’s $1.25 billion worldwide grossing “Beauty and the Beast.”

    The Lion King is just one of several remakes Disney has on the docket, including Lady in the Tramp for its Disney+ streaming service and Tim Burton’s Dumbo, which bows March 29, 2019.

  • First ‘The Lion King’ Live-Action Teaser Trailer Released

    First ‘The Lion King’ Live-Action Teaser Trailer Released

    There is so much to give thanks for this Thanksgiving, but this news deserves a special thanks.  Disney has just released the first teaser trailer for Jon Favreau’s upcoming live-action “Lion King” adaptation and it’s a thing of pride!

    Disney released the teaser trailer on Thursday as part of the Thanksgiving football festivities, replicating the opening scene of the beloved 1994 original animated film.

    “Everything the light touches is our kingdom,” says Mufusa (James Earl Jones) in a voiceover, as the camera pans over the African wilderness. Take a look at the trailer below:

    Last summer at D23, Favreau first showed off footage from The Lion King including photo-real landscapes and Rafiki introducing baby Simba on Pride Rock, but now we get to see the real thing.

    Donald Glover leads the cast as young Lion Simba who loses his dad, while Beyonce — who is credited in the trailer with her last name, Knowles — voices Nala, a childhood friend and later love interest to Simba. The cast includes James Earl Jones reprising his role from the 1994 animated film as Simba’s father Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Simba’s villainous uncle Scar, Alfre Woodard as Simba’s mother Sarabi, with child actor JD McCrary playing the young version of Simba. Shahadi Wright Joseph is voicing the young Nala, while John Kani voices the baboon Rafiki and John Oliver playing Mufasa’s confidant, the hornbill Zazu.

    The Lion King is just one of several remakes Disney has on the docket, including Lady in the Tramp for its Disney+ streaming service and Tim Burton’s Dumbo, which bows March 29, 2019. Favreau previously had huge success with his remake of The Jungle Book, which grossed $966 million globally.

    The original Lion King grossed more than $968 million worldwide and featured memorable songs from Elton John and Tim Rice. Favreau’s Lion King is set to open July 19, 2019.