Disney News

Category: Movies & TV

  • Live-Action Aladdin Features 2 New Songs By Oscar Winning La La Land Writing Duo

    Live-Action Aladdin Features 2 New Songs By Oscar Winning La La Land Writing Duo

    The Academy Awards last Sunday had all the glitz and glamour you would expect, but it also had some news coming off the red carpet that’s really stands out like a shiny gold statuette. La La Land and The Greatest Showman songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul announced before the show that they’re developing two new songs for Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake with longtime Disney composer and songwriter Alan Menken.

    After losing an Oscar to a Disney movie, Benj Pasek and Justin are now working with the mouse. If you can’t beat ’em… join ’em. They came close though, with their Greatest Showman smash hit “This Is Me”, but ending up losing out to  “Remember Me,” from Disney’s Coco. Beyond this year the songwriting duo is already quite accomplished having picked up an Oscar last year for writing lyrics to the La La Land tune “City of Stars.”

    During their red carpet interview with Variety they talked about their excitement to be a part of the Disney Family and to get to work with Menken.  “We’re really thrilled that we got to collaborate with one of our heroes, Alan Menken, and we collaborated with him and wrote the lyrics for two new songs for Aladdin that’s coming out next year,” Pasek said.

    Scoring several prominent Disney animated features, composer Alan Menken is best known for films including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Tangled.

    Based on a tale from The Arabian Nights, the film is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated hit. The Guy Ritchie film stars Egypt-born Canadian actor Mena Massoud as Aladdin, alongside Will Smith as the Genie. It hits theaters on May 24, 2019.

  • American Idol Returns To Airwaves This Sunday, March 11th

    American Idol Returns To Airwaves This Sunday, March 11th

    This…  Is American Idol! The iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music-competition genre, will return to airwaves on This Sunday, March 11th at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, at its new home on the ABC Television Network. Ryan Seacrest will return as host along with a panel of new judges.

    The nationwide search for the next superstar kicked off in August, as the Idol Bus traveled from Portland, Oregon, to Orlando, Florida in its pursuit for talent, covering 23 cities across the country. Auditioning was made easier than ever as hopefuls also had the opportunity to submit audition videos online, as well as via select social media platforms using an official tag, #TheNextIdol, cultivating over 300,000 posts. Also, for the first time in American Idol history, hopefuls had the opportunity to audition through a livestream platform.

    Back in August thousands descended upon Disney Springs to audition to become the next American Idol. Former Idol-winners Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Ruben Studdard were on hand to greet lucky audition participants during the kickoff celebration and we have been anticipating the start of the show ever since.

    American Idol ABC

    Helping to determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest will return as host of the beloved series.

    American Idol judge Katy Perry recently visited Walt Disney World Resort in between her concerts during Witness: The Tour, and gave us a little preview on how amazing this season will be. Check out the video below:

    We can’t wait to see how some of the Disney Springs auditioners do with Katy and her fellow judges.

    Follow American Idol’s Facebook and #AmericanIdol on Instagram and Twitter to be a part of the journey.

  • First Look: Disney’s Christopher Robin Official Teaser Trailer

    First Look: Disney’s Christopher Robin Official Teaser Trailer

    The Hundred Acre Wood is opening up to our world. The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Christopher Robin has finally arrived! The film based on characters from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh book series.

    In the heartwarming live action adventure Disney’s “Christopher Robin,” the young boy who embarked on countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with his band of spirited and lovable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into our world and help Christopher Robin — played by Ewan McGregor — remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.

    Now grown up, Christopher Robin is stuck in a job where he is overworked, underpaid and facing an uncertain future. He has a family of his own, but his work has become his life, leaving little time for his wife and daughter. Christopher has all but forgotten his idyllic childhood spent with a simple-minded, honey-loving stuffed bear and his friends. But when he is reunited with Winnie the Pooh, now tattered and soiled from years of hugs and play, their friendship is rekindled, reminding Christopher of the endless days of childlike wonder and make-believe that defined his youth, when doing nothing was considered the very best something. Following an unfortunate mishap with Christopher Robin’s briefcase, Pooh and the rest of the gang including Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger, step out of the forest and venture into London to return the crucial possessions…because best friends will always be there for you.

    Christopher Robin was based on Pooh creator Milne’s own son, Christopher Robin Milne. The character appeared in two books Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928), as well as in poems. Disney first adapted the character in animation in 1966’s Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.

    Disney’s “Christopher Robin” is directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder and a story by Perry based on characters created by A.A. Milne. The producers are Brigham Taylor and Kristin Burr with Renée Wolfe and Jeremy Johns serving as executive producers. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin; Hayley Atwell as his wife Evelyn; Bronte Carmichael as his daughter Madeline; and Mark Gatiss as Keith Winslow, Robin’s boss. The film also features the voices of: Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh; Chris O’Dowd as Tigger; Brad Garrett as Eeyore; Toby Jones as Owl; Nick Mohammed as Piglet; Peter Capaldi as Rabbit; and Sophie Okonedo as Kanga.

  • Mary Poppins Returns First Trailer is Practically Perfect

    Mary Poppins Returns First Trailer is Practically Perfect

    It must be a Jolly Holiday because the first teaser trailer for Mary Poppins Returns just dropped! More than five decades after Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the original Mary Poppins, a follow-up sequel is finally here!

    The first teaser footage from the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns debuted during Sunday’s Oscars ceremony and the footage gives us our first detailed look at Emily Blunt in the title role. This is one supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day for sure!

    Mary Poppins Returns picks up 25 years after the events of the first film, during the mid-1930s in London. But by now Michael is all grown up with a wife and three children who are all living in his parents’ old house on No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Take a look at the trailer below:

    The trailer also introduces Lin-Manuel Miranda as a London lamplighter named Jack, who, like Dick Van Dyke all those years ago, appears to have an affinity for flying kites.

    Though her famous umbrella made it into some shots, it appears that this time the nanny magically flies down hanging from a kite this time.

    Mary Poppins Returns

    “Mary Poppins Returns” stars: Emily Blunt as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure; Lin-Manuel Miranda as her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London; Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks; and Julie Walters as the Banks’ housekeeper Ellen; with Colin Firth as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’s William Weatherall Wilkins; and Meryl Streep as Mary’s eccentric cousin, Topsy. The film also introduces three new Banks’ children played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and newcomer Joel Dawson. Angela Lansbury appears as the Balloon Lady, a treasured character from the PL Travers books and Dick Van Dyke is Mr. Dawes Jr., the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth’s character. The film is directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by David Magee and screen story by Magee & Marshall & John DeLuca based upon The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers. The producers are Marshall, DeLuca and Marc Platt with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer and the music is by Marc Shaiman with songs by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

    Mary Poppins Returns will hit theaters Christmas 2018.

  • Sweet New Trailer for ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2’

    Sweet New Trailer for ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2’

    The new teaser trailer for “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck it Ralph 2” dropped Wednesday and it looks as though it’s going to have all the same elements that made the first one so much fun to watch.

    The highly-anticipated animated sequel picks up six years after the original. This time around, after their old-fashioned arcade is connected to a Wi-Fi router, they find themselves on an adventure that takes them across the world wide web.

    Check out the new trailer below!

    “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2” leaves Litwak’s video arcade behind, venturing into the uncharted, expansive and thrilling world of the internet—which may or may not survive Ralph’s wrecking. Video game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) must risk it all by traveling to the world wide web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet—the netizens—to help navigate their way, including a webite entrepreneur named Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site “BuzzzTube.” Directed by Rich Moore (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) and Phil Johnston (co-writer “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Cedar Rapids,” co-writer “Zootopia,”), and produced by Clark Spencer (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Bolt”).

    The original film made $471.2 million worldwide. “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2” the follow-up to the 2012 hit, hits theaters on Nov. 21.

  • Cogsworth Voice Actor David Ogden Stiers Dies at Age 75

    Cogsworth Voice Actor David Ogden Stiers Dies at Age 75

    David Odgen Stiers has died at the age of 75 after he lost his battle with bladder cancer.  The famous actor is best known for playing Major Charles Winchester on “M*A*S*H”, but for many Disney fans he is known as the voice of Cogsworth — the clock — from Disney’s 1991 animated classic “Beauty and the Beast.”

    The actor’s agent Mitchell Stubbs confirmed the saddening news Saturday night in an email.

    He died “peacefully at his home in Newport, Oregon after a courageous battle with bladder cancer,” the MKS Talent Agency tweeted.
    “His talent was only surpassed by his heart,” the agency added.

    The Emmy-nominated actor also provided the voice of a number of classic Disney characters including Beauty And The Beast’s Cogsworth, Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in ‘Pocahontas’ and Jumba in ‘Lilo and Stitch’.

    Stiers was twice Emmy nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy or variety or music series for his work on “M*A*S*H”, but the accomplished award-winning actor also has more than 150 film and television credits. Beyond his beloved role in Beauty and the Beast the actor actually has multiple Disney credits to his name.

    In addition to serving as the voice of Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast”, we was also the narrator of the film. Additionally, he also voiced Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in Disney’s “Pocahontas” and voiced the Archdeacon in Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

  • If Robert Downey Jr. Wants Infinity War Release Date Moved Up Then It Happens

    If Robert Downey Jr. Wants Infinity War Release Date Moved Up Then It Happens

    When you have clout like Robert Downey Jr. you get anything you ask for. There certainly ain’t no strings on him and it seems he is the one pulling the strings here. So if Iron Man wants to see Avengers: Infinity War a week early then Marvel changes the release date.

    Disney recently announced a re-shuffling of their upcoming film release dates and the Avengers Infinity War release date has been moved up from its initial May 4 date to April 27, 2018.

    With just three months until Infinity War was slated to hit theaters, Marvel Studios has bumped up the release date for all at the request of Mr. Robert Downey Jr. himself.

    Below you’ll find a series of tweets between Downey Jr. and the studio.

    Okay so it’s all in good fun and a hilarious and very effective marketing scheme. But Avengers: Infinity War is already one of the most anticipated movies of 2018 and Robert Downey Jr. and the entire world he is taking with him to see the movie are jumping for joy over the earlier release date.

    The move probably makes sense as it would have been going up against Deadpool 2 on May 18 and Solo: A Star Wars Story on May 25. With its earlier release date on April 27, Infinity War’s  gets a little more time to rake in the box office cash before these to films hit theaters.

     

  • Frozen 2 Director Hints Girlfriend For Elsa Is A Real Possibility

    Frozen 2 Director Hints Girlfriend For Elsa Is A Real Possibility

    Love is an open door, but the door has also been left open for the possibility of Elsa having a girlfriend in the upcoming Frozen sequel. Jennifer Lee, the director of Disney’s Frozen confirmed recently that there indeed are “tons of conversations” about Queen Elsa having a lesbian story arc in the film.

    From the moment it was released in 2013, Frozen was a phenomenon. The film smashed records, becoming the highest grossing animated feature of all time and it also became the first Walt Disney Studios picture to win the Academy Award for best animated feature. But it was more than a critically acclaimed fairytale, as it was quickly praised for its perceived pro-LGBTQ themes. The lyrics of the Oscar-winning song “Let it Go” especially received as a coming-out anthem due to the songs lyrics.

    “Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I’ve tried Don’t let them in, don’t let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know Well, now they know”

    The excitement in the community turned into a movement and fans launched petitions as well as the Twitter hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend, in an effort to push Disney for a female love interest.

    Lee—who also wrote the original 2013 Disney smash hit—said the Frozen team are conscientious of what the fans want and she isn’t ruling it out. “I love everything people are saying [and] people are thinking about with our film―that it’s creating dialogue, that Elsa is this wonderful character that speaks to so many people,” she said in a report from the Huffington Post. “It means the world to us that we’re part of these conversations. Where we’re going with it, we have tons of conversations about it”, she continued.

    While walking the Billboard Music Awards red carpet back in 2016, Singer and actress Idina Menzel, who sang the films oscar winning song “Let it Go”, gave a safe-yet-reassuring answer in regards to Elsa’s questionable sexuality. The actress said simply, “I think it’s great. Disney’s just gotta contend with that. I’ll let them figure that out.”

    There’s yet to be any official word on whether or not creators will actually move forward with a female love interest, so whether a future girlfriend for Elsa makes it into the film remains to be seen. Disney usually doesn’t say very much when it comes to discussing LGBTQ themes within its movies, but knowing that creators are actually considering the possibility should give supporters some hope.

    Frozen 2 is slated to hit theaters on November 27, 2019.

  • Disney Movies Anywhere Service Officially Shuts Down

    Disney Movies Anywhere Service Officially Shuts Down

    The Disney Movies Anywhere service has officially shut down as of Wednesday. They have been and encouraging users to transfer their movies to the ‘Movies Anywhere’ locker service, but thankfully consumers won’t actually lose their movies if they miss the shut-off date.

    The digital locker service was first launched in 2014 for Disney, Pixar and Marvel Movies. It gave users who had purchased these titles—on services like iTunes, Amazon or Google Play—the ability to transfer them to the Disney Movies Anywhere locker. Then they could stream and download them through the service’s apps. DVD or Blu-ray download codes could also be unlocked by users and watched on the app.

    With the service shut down users who still have the app installed are being prompted to transfer their account to Movies Anywhere. Users can also simply go to the Movies Anywhere website, sign up for a new account, and import their Disney Movies Anywhere titles from there.

    Again, if you missed the shut off date there is no need to worry. You can still transfer everything after the shut-off date and you can find all the details in the Movies Anywhere help section.

  • Disney Shakes-Up Movie Release Schedule With Some Big Changes

    Disney Shakes-Up Movie Release Schedule With Some Big Changes

    The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday a few date changes as well as some untitled release dates for the next few years of upcoming film releases. Some of the more notable changes are that Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” will hit theaters one week earlier on April 27, 2018 and Disney’s live-action “Mulan” will be pushed back nearly a year and a half to March 27, 2020.

    Disney set release dates for 28 untitled films through February 2023 from Marvel, Pixar and Disney live action. Most of the films are still marked as untitled, but here is a few things we do know.

    There is no word on reasons for the push back of Mulan, but the cause for moving Avengers: Infinity War out of May, a month which will also see the release of Dead Pool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story, seems self-evident. It gives Infinity War another week to rake it in at the box office before those two juggernauts are released and it also gives and a little extra promo time for Solo: A Star Wars Story and we know the hype train for that movie has been traveling at much less than light speed.

    We know that Marvel Studios intends for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 to mark the final chapter in Phase 3 of Marvel Cinematic Universe. They have been tight-lipped about what comes next in Phase 4, but with seven films slated after Avengers 4 it would seem Marvel boss Kevin Feige and Co. have ironed out some sort of path for Phase 4 of the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has already been confirmed by Director James Gunn, but after that it’s anyones guess.

    Another interesting move is that Disney has completely removed “Nicole” from its schedule. The female Santa Claus movie starring Anna Kendrick, was set to be released on November 8, 2019, but the holiday movie now is expected to make its way to Disney’s upcoming streaming service. The movie also got a title change when it got pulled from the theatrical release schedule going from Nicole to Noelle.

    Take look at the complete rundown of release dates below:

    AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR previously dated 5/4/18 moves to 4/27/18

    DISNEY’S CHRISTOPHER ROBIN is final title of previous UNTITLED CHRISTOPHER ROBIN PROJECT – previously announced date of 8/3/18 is unchanged

    MULAN previously dated on 11/2/18 moves to 3/27/20

    UNTITLED DISNEYTOON STUDIOS previously dated on 4/12/19 is now removed from schedule

    PENGUINS (DISNEYNATURE) now dated on 4/19/19

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 10/4/19

    NICOLE previously dated on 11/8/19 is now removed from schedule

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 11/8/19

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 2/14/20

    UNTITLED PIXAR ANIMATION previously dated on 3/13/20 moves to 3/6/20

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION previously dated on 4/3/20 moves to 5/29/20

    UNTITLED MARVEL previously dated 8/7/20 moves to 7/31/20

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated 10/9/20

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated 12/23/20

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated 2/12/21

    UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 5/7/21

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 5/28/21

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 7/9/21

    UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 7/30/21

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated 10/8/21

    UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 11/5/21

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 12/22/21

    UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 2/18/22

    UNTITLED PIXAR now dated on 3/18/22

    UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 5/6/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 5/27/22

    UNTITLED PIXAR now dated on 6/17/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 7/8/22

    UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 7/29/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 10/7/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 11/4/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION now dated on 11/23/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 12/16/22

    UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION now dated on 2/17/23`