Disney News

Category: Movies & TV

  • Whoopi Goldberg Urges Disney to Build Wakanda Theme Park to Honor Chadwick Boseman

    Whoopi Goldberg Urges Disney to Build Wakanda Theme Park to Honor Chadwick Boseman

    “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg is calling on Disney to build a Wakanda theme park in honor of the late actor Chadwick Boseman.

    The actor’s 4-year battle with colon cancer ended Friday, his family said in a statement. Boseman portrayed King T’Challa in the Marvel blockbuster superhero movie “Black Panther.”

    On Sunday, “The View” co-host posted on Twitter to call on Disney to not build “another Frozen land BUT what we could use is Wakonda,” as you can see in the post below:

    “Dear People in charge of building NEW experiences Disney Land and World we don’t really need another Frozen land BUT what we could use is Wakonda,” she tweeted. “Please Disneyworld Disneyland PLEASE build in Chadwick Boseman’s name WAKONDA (Sic).”

    Last year, Disney announced that the “Avengers” Campus would open in 2022 at Disney California Adventure park.

    While Disney hasn’t mentioned anything about a Wakanda theme park, visitors at the “Avengers” park will find “heroic encounters throughout the campus, including Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Super Heroes from Wakanda and Asgard, and Iron Man.”

  • ‘Mulan’ Releasing for Free to All Disney Plus Subscribers in December

    ‘Mulan’ Releasing for Free to All Disney Plus Subscribers in December

    Starting in December, Mulan will become available to all Disney+ subscribers, just three months after its theatrical and Premier Access streaming release.

    The movie will be their first Premier Access release. It will cost Disney+ subscribers $29.99 to watch the movie unlimited times starting September 4. But if you wait another three months, subscribers will be able to stream Mulan for free as part of the regular service starting December 4.

    Disney hasn’t been shouting the news about when Mulan will be free to stream on Disney+ from the rooftops for sure by any means, but news ended up on an international advert for Mulan as you can see below:

    Like every big theatrical release in 2020, Mulan faced delays due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The film had its premiere on March 9, 2020, and was originally set to have its wide release on March 27. However, with social distancing guidelines in place and the closure of movie theaters around the world, the film was delayed. First to July 2020 and then again to August, before Disney removed it from their release schedule altogether. Disney then announced Mulan would be available for purchase on Disney+.

    The animated version of Mulan is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and follows a young woman in China who poses as a man in order to take her father’s place in the war against the Huns.

    Yifei Liu plays the character Mulan in the live-action movie, which will follow the same story as the original movie, but this time it’s rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and is fashioned as a more realistic telling than the animated musical.

  • New ‘Haunted Mansion’ Movie in the Works at Disney

    New ‘Haunted Mansion’ Movie in the Works at Disney

    Disney is once again materializing a new “Haunted Mansion” live-action movie, based on its Disneyland theme park ride.

    After trying to bring the famous attraction to the box office back in 2003, and other attempts at a reboot being put in development, the studio has found another good spirit to bring the 999 haunts back to the big screen.

    Director Guillermo del Toro was attached to a reboot of the property in 2010, even going so far as to co-write the script before the project was abandoned. 

    Screenwriter Katie Dippold has been tapped to pen the project. No stranger to ghosts on the screen, Dippold previously collaborated with Paul Feig on the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters.

    Disney previously adapted The Haunted Mansion into a feature film back in 2003, the same year that they released another theme park attraction based movie in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, but with little success. Eddie Murphy starred in the film which incorporated characters and even direct quotations from the Disneyland ride.

    Disney used the ride as inspiration for its 2003 horror comedy “The Haunted Mansion” with Eddie Murphy portraying a workaholic realtor who buys a mansion that turns out to be haunted. The movie, directed by Rob Minkoff, grossed $182 million worldwide on a $90 million budget.

    The film is being spearheaded by producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich and their Rideback production banner. Lin and Eirich previously saw success with Disney with the live-action reboot of the Aladdin remake which went on to gross over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office and kick start yet another new franchise for the House of Mouse.

  • BREAKING: Chadwick Boseman, Star of ‘Black Panther,’ Dies at 43

    BREAKING: Chadwick Boseman, Star of ‘Black Panther,’ Dies at 43

    Chadwick Boseman, known for his role as Marvel’s noble Black Panther, died at his Los Angeles home Friday at age 43.

    The actor has been battling colon cancer since 2016, and died at home with his family and wife by his side, according to a statement posted on his Twitter account.

    “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you so many of the films you have come to love so much,” his publicist, Nicki Fioravante, said in a statement.

    “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” the statement said. “From ‘Marshall’ to ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ August Wilson’s ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy.”

    Boseman was best known for his role as T’Challa, or the Black Panther, king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda in the 2018 Marvel superhero movie “Black Panther.”

    The film was a cultural touchstone — the first major superhero movie with an African protagonist; the first to star a majority Black cast; and in Ryan Coogler, the first to employ a Black writer and director.

  • ‘Once Upon a Time’ Leaving Netflix and Headed to Disney Plus in September

    ‘Once Upon a Time’ Leaving Netflix and Headed to Disney Plus in September

    “Once Upon a Time” fans were disappointed to hear that the beloved fairy tale would no longer be streaming on Netflix, but the series has received a fairytale ending as Disney has announced that the show will now be added to the Disney Plus lineup.

    On Sept. 5, 2020, all seven seasons of the show will will no longer be available in the Netflix catalog, the company has announced. Fans can still pick up right where they left off on Disney+ shortly after.

    “Once Upon a Time” seamlessly blended the worlds of fantasy, drama and fairy tales during its run on ABC. Now, it will be bringing its dark take on Disney princesses home to Disney+, beginning on Friday, Sept. 18.

    The series follows a young woman with a troubled past is drawn to a small town in Maine where fairy tales are to be believed. For Emma Swan, life has been anything but a happy ending. But when she’s reunited with Henry – the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago – on the night of her 28th birthday, everything changes.   The show features a wide selection of classic Disney characters such as Snow White, Captain Hook, Robin Hood, Elsa, Merida and many more. 

    The show premiered in the fall of 2011 and finished its run in the spring of 2018. in that time, the seven-season series touched on aspects of mythology and literature from around the world, including characters from The Walt Disney vault and beyond.

    Netflix has close ties to Once Upon a Time, hosting it even before it was finished airing. Starting in 2015, Netflix was the destination for fans in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to watch Once Upon a Time, while in the U.S. it added new seasons shortly after they aired.

  • ‘The Owl House’ Makes History With Disney’s First Bisexual Lead Character

    ‘The Owl House’ Makes History With Disney’s First Bisexual Lead Character

    For the first time, ever, an animated series on the Disney Channel features a main character that is bisexual.

    The series “The Owl House” follows Luz Noceda on her adventures to a magical world as she becomes a witch.

    After a few episodes aired, the showed debuted in late 2020, series creator Dana Terrace took to Twitter to confirm that Luz is bisexual as you can see in the tweet below:

    Terrace identifies as bisexual. She wanted to write about a bisexual character, so she really pushed Disney to allow the character.

    “Luckily my stubbornness paid off, and now I am very supported by current Disney leadership,” she said.

    The 14-year-old Dominican-American girl, Luz Noceda, is not Disney’s first LGBTQ+ character. Pixar featured a gay main character in a short film on Disney Plus, but Luz is the first bisexual character to make a Disney debut on a television series.

  • Disney Removes Fox From TV Studios Ending an Era

    Disney Removes Fox From TV Studios Ending an Era

    Disney announced on Monday it would be rebranding one of its TV studios, 20th Century Fox Television, as 20th Television.

    The new name cuts both the “Century” and the “Fox” from the studio’s name.

    “Our new studio names and logos mark a new day for ABC Signature, 20th Television and Touchstone Television while honoring their rich histories and the creative power of The Walt Disney Company,” Craig Hunegs, Disney television studios president, said in a statement.

    The well known logo and title card, which has the words 20th Television stacked above spotlights, will stay the same minus the excluded words.

    The new logo and graphics will appear on new episodes of 20th Television TV series starting this fall. Older titles, which have already aired before the rebrand, will maintain the former logo and name.

    The move follows Disney dropping the Fox name from its 20th Century Fox film brand in January. The company, which closed a $71 billion deal to acquire many of Fox’s assets last year, renamed the longtime studio as just 20th Century Studios.

  • Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Headed Straight to Disney Plus in September for $30

    Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Headed Straight to Disney Plus in September for $30

    After being postponed multiple times, Disney has announced that its tentpole film “Mulan” will bypass American theaters and go straight to Disney Plus next month.

    Disney Plus now has over 60.5 million paying subscribers as of last month, just nine months after the launch of the direct-to-consumer streaming platform. And after several delays to its theatrical release date, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that “Mulan” will premiere on the service on a “premiere access” basis on Sept. 4 for $29.99. The film will be released theatrically in markets in which access to the movie on Disney Plus is not available.

    Chapek was quick to emphasize on the call with analysts that the “Mulan” release on Disney Plus is a one-time event.

    “We’re looking at ‘Mulan’ as a one-off, as opposed to saying there’s some new business windowing model that we’re looking at,” he said.

    “We find it very interesting to take a premiere offering to consumers at that $29.99 price and learn from it,” said Chapek, noting that they would study the number of transactions and the number of subscribers generated by the movie.

    He also said that the premiere access window created on Disney Plus for “Mulan” acts as a “fairly large stimulus” for new consumers to sign up for the streaming service.

  • New Iridescent ‘Hocus Pocus’ Mug, Complete With a Broom Spoon now on shopDisney

    New Iridescent ‘Hocus Pocus’ Mug, Complete With a Broom Spoon now on shopDisney

    The halloween season is nearly upon us and Disney has released a new Hocus Pocus Mug and Spoon Set that will have you running amok amok amok!

    The Sanderson sister-inspried might is in the shape of a cauldron and has an iridescent design with gold lettering that says “Hocus Pocus” with a high-gloss finish.

    To complete the set, the mug comes with a wooden broomstick-inspired spoon so you can stir up trouble (and your pumpkin coffee or tea) in style.

    The Hocus Pocus Mug and Spoon Set is available on shopDisney for $19.99. The mug holds 12 ounces, and even with the detailing, is dishwasher- and microwave-safe.

    Since it’s available to ship right away, you can order it now so you’re guaranteed to have it in your hands when Hocus Pocus airs on TV for the first time in the fall season.

  • Pixar Announces New Animated Film ‘Luca’

    Pixar Announces New Animated Film ‘Luca’

    Pixar announced on Thursday that its next original animated feature film will be “Luca,” a coming-of-age tale about a young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer in Italy.

    The film centers on a young boy named Luca who is secretly a sea monster from another world that lies just below the surface of the water. Appearing as a human, he meets a newfound best friend with whom he shares an unforgettable summer at a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, filled with gelato, pasta, and endless scooter rides. But Luca’s secret threatens this idyllic experience.

    Take a look at some of the beautiful art from the film below:

    The film is directed by La Luna‘s Academy Award nominee Enrico Casarosa, who grew up where the film is set.

    “This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it’s set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship. Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca,” said Casarosa in a statement.

    Walt Disney said Luca is set to open in U.S. theaters on June 18, 2021.