Disney News

Category: Movies

  • Disney, 21st Century Fox Shareholders Vote to Approve $71.3 Billion Merger

    Disney, 21st Century Fox Shareholders Vote to Approve $71.3 Billion Merger

    Disney’s acquisition of fox is nearly complete. Friday, shareholders approve Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox entertainment assets.

    The tie-up brings together Marvel’s X-Men and Avengers franchises and creates an entertainment behemoth in the digital streaming era. The shareholder vote caps a saga that began in December 2017, when Disney made its first offer for part of Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate. It kicked off a bidding war with Comcast, which dropped out last week focus on attempted buyout of the European pay-TV operator Sky.

    The Fox deal will help Disney compete with technology players like Amazon and Netflix. The agreement is not expected to close for several months and still requires regulatory approvals.

    Source: AP

  • Disney Unveils First Image From Live-Action ‘Kim Possible’ Movie

    Disney Unveils First Image From Live-Action ‘Kim Possible’ Movie

    If you’re wondering “what’s the sitch” with the New live-action “Kim Possible” movie, then we have the details for you.

    The Disney Channel released promotional images for the forthcoming live-action motion picture this past weekend at San Diego Comic-Con showing Sadie Stanley, 16, in the titular role of the high schooler with an alter ego that has global implications.


    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.

    The “Kim Possible” movie also stars Sean Giambrone — who leads sibling network ABC’s The Goldbergs — as Kim’s loyal bestie Ron Stoppable. It’s executive produced by McCorkle, Schooley, and Zanne Devine, and co-directed and co-produced by Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky.

  • Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown in Talks To Join Frozen 2 Cast

    Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown in Talks To Join Frozen 2 Cast

    Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown are in talks to join the cast of Disney’s “Frozen 2”, the sequel to the 2013 Oscar-winning animated film.

    Both Wood and Brown fresh off their Emmy nominations, announced on Thursday morning. Wood is up for her work on HBO’s “Westworld,” and Brown is nominated for NBC’s “This Is Us” and Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

    “Frozen” grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide and won the Academy Award for best animated film in 2014. Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Josh Gad are returning to reprise their roles as Elsa, Anna, and Olaf.

    Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck return to helm the film. Lee, who is penning the script as well was recently appointed chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studio after John Lasseter’s departure. She will split Lasseter’s duties with Pete Docter, who will oversee Pixar Animation Studios.

    “Frozen 2” is expected to hit theaters November 27, 2019.

  • Disney Movie Release Schedule Shake Up: Mary Poppins Returns, Maleficent 2 and More

    Disney Movie Release Schedule Shake Up: Mary Poppins Returns, Maleficent 2 and More

    Disney announced on Tuesday some major changes to its upcoming schedule of films. The changes include a release date for “Maleficent 2,” “as wall as new release dates for “Mary Poppins Returns,” the next “Indiana Jones” movie, a yet-to-be-announced Marvel movie and more.

    First, if you’re a Mary Poppins fan, then Christmas is coming early for you. Disney is moving up its anticipated musical “Mary Poppins Returns” by one week from Christmas Day to December 19.

    “Maleficent 2” finally has a released date and is scheduled to hit theaters on May 9, 2020. The long-awaited sequel for Angelina Jolie’s live-action “Maleficent” now takes the slot of a previously unspecified live-action title. That’s nearly six years after the $742 million domestic debut of “Maleficent.”

    “Indiana Jones 5” has been moved from July 10, 2020 to July 9, 2021. That means the fifth Harrison Ford adventure will open 13 years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 19 years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Ford will be just shy of 79-years old when the film opens in theaters.

    A previously “untitled Disney movie” with a release date of October 4, 2019 has been revealed to be the “Jungle Cruise” movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, which is based on the Disney theme park ride. That film is now setting sail one week later on October 11, 2019.

    Disney has multiple untitled slots on the schedule and a few of them have been changed too. An untitled Marvel movie has been moved up a bit from July 30, 2021 to February 12, 2021, while an untitled live-action movie originally set for July 9, 2021 will take that July 30 slot. Also, two untitled live-action movies slated for November 8, 2019 and February 21, 2021 have been removed from Disney’s schedule entirely.

    A finally, a long over due title change for Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet. Now the film is simply known as Ralph Breaks the Internet and is still dated for the Thanksgiving stretch on November 21.

    Disney’s movie release schedule is always dynamic and more changes could come at anytime. Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates.

  • Amy Adams Confirms ‘Enchanted’ Sequel Is Still In The Works

    Amy Adams Confirms ‘Enchanted’ Sequel Is Still In The Works

    Fans of Disney’s 2007 hit “Enchanted” starring Amy Adams as Giselle, the singing animated Disney princess who crosses over into the real world, just got some exciting news. During an appearance recently on The Talk, Adams gave an update on the status on Enchanted 2 confirming the long-in-the-works sequel is still in the works.

    “I am absolutely up for that,” Adams said when asked by co-host Sara Gilbert about reprising her role in a sequel. “We’re working on it — so hopefully.”

    While Adams was on The Talk panel promoting her HBO series Sharp Objects, she discussed “Enchanted” and where they are at with the sequel entitled “Disenchanted”. Take a look at the exchange below:

    Enchanted 2 has been in the works since 2014, but there has been no recent movement on the project at Disney; however, the sequel is still currently in development. Anne Fletcher was was originally set to helm a script written by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss.

    Now Adam Shankman is attached to direct and while Adams is ready to return to reprise her role, it’s still not clear if co-stars Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey, and Susan Sarandon are also on board.

    Back in 2007 Enchanted brought in $340 million worldwide for Disney and $127 million domestically.

  • Felicity Star Keri Russell In Talks To Join Cast of ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’

    Felicity Star Keri Russell In Talks To Join Cast of ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’

    Actress Keri Russell may be headed to a galaxy far far away as she is reportedly in talks to join Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode IX.

    The actress, who is well-known for playing the title role in Felicity, just wrapped the six seasons of The Americans and has reportedly been cast for an action-oriented role in J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars Episode IX, according to Variety.

    Abrams and Lucasfilm execs met with several actresses for the role in the past two months and settled on Russell right before the Fourth of July holiday. Abrams will likely cast two more actors by the time the film begins production at the end of the month.

    Star Wars: Episode IX is set to start production this summer ahead of its December 2019 release. The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams is returning to the director’s chair and is already turning to familiar faces to fill new roles in the film.

    Abrams and Russell have a long history of working together. They first teamed on The WB drama series Felicity way back in 1998, and then reunited for Mission: Impossible III, which served as Abrams’ feature directorial debut. When Abrams was prepping what would become Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Russell made it clear that she’d do anything to be a part of his take on the Star Wars universe and now it looks like she may get her chance.

    Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Kelly Marie Tran are all expected to reprise their roles as the heroes of the Resistance, facing down the First Order now under the command of Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. But a full cast list has not yet been confirmed.

  • New ‘Christopher Robin’ Teaser Released By Disney Today

    New ‘Christopher Robin’ Teaser Released By Disney Today

    With only one month until Disney’s live action Winnie the Pooh adventure, Christopher Robin, hits theaters, Disney dropped the newest trailer for the film online today.

    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.

    This means that Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and many other characters from the animated franchise will be making their way to our world in the film. Take a look at the amazing new trailer below!

    Instead of bringing the cartoon versions into the real world, these characters will be walking, talking stuffed animals when they appear to Christopher.

    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 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.

    Winnie the Pooh is coming back to the big screen this summer and the film is set to hit theaters on August 3.

  • Tim Allen and Buzz Lightyear Reunited at Disney World’s Toy Story Land

    Tim Allen and Buzz Lightyear Reunited at Disney World’s Toy Story Land

    Buzz Lightyear was reunited with the man who voices the beloved character this week, as Tim Allen helped his animated counterpart open Disney World’s newest addition, Toy Story Land. Tim Allen and Buzz Lightyear… Excuse me, I think the word you’re searching for is “Space Ranger”.

    The press was invited to attend the opening celebration of new land at Hollywood Studios Friday and the crowd of about 100 journalists got an amazing surprise when Allen came out on stage during the dedication.

    Of course, in addition to the opening ceremony duties, Allen had to spend some family time in the new land. Allen and his daughter Elizabeth even took a spin aboard Alien Swirling Saucers during the special preview as you can see in the photo below.

    Tim Allen Toy Story Land

    It’s the largest expansion in the parks 29 year history. In Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Woody, Jessie, Buzz Lightyear, Slinky Dog, Green Army Men and other fun-loving Toy Story characters come to life in the outdoor setting of Andy’s backyard. A world of toys surrounds guests: giant building blocks, Tinkertoys, yo-yos, board-game pieces, dominoes, Scrabble tiles, and even a giant roller coaster set. The entire land encourages the best playtime ever.

    Toy Story Land includes two all-new attractions and a new entrance for Toy Story Mania!. Guests can hop on Slinky Dog for a family-friendly roller coaster ride, take a spin on Alien Swirling Saucers and go for the high score in midway games populated by beloved Toy Story toys.

    Toy Story Land is now open at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.

  • Disney and Pixar Sued For Plagiarizing Inside Out… Again

    Disney and Pixar Sued For Plagiarizing Inside Out… Again

    Disney and Pixar are being sued for allegedly plagiarizing the idea for 2015’s hit “Inside Out”.

    A lawsuit filed in a California federal court, by Damon Pourshian, states that Pixar’s film infringes on a script the Canadian man wrote in 1999 also titled Inside Out, which eventually got turned into a short film a year later in 2000.

    Pourshian claims the film has more in common than just the name and his work has many similarities to Inside Out, as his script and short movie tell the story of a young boy named Lewis reacting to everyday life “through anthropomorphized representations of his bodily organs,” which are seen inside Lewis’ body.

    The short film also shows these organs reacting to the real world and features a personification of Lewis’ brain which operates a command center. The short movie includes Brain, Heart, Colon, Stomach, and Bladder as the main organ characters, and they communicate and argue with each other.

    In Pixar’s Inside Out, the main character is a girl named Riley and the core characters are her emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust.

    The 20-page lawsuit details more than two-dozen substantial similarities in content, theme and characters between the two films, many illustrated with comparative images. The complaint notes that, “The obvious and striking similarities between Mr. Pourshian’s and Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out extend from overarching themes to specific details, and they are far too numerous to be attributable to chance.”

    The suit goes on to say Pourshian created the script and film at Sheridan College, which “has sent large numbers of its graduates to work at Disney and Pixar and is considered a ‘feeder’ school for Disney and Pixar.”

    Pourshian’s classmates also reportedly noticed the similarities between the two projects upon viewing Pixar’s Inside Out. Purshian is seeking unspecified damages and for his name to be added to the Inside Out credits.

    This isn’t the first time Disney and Pixar have been sued for Inside Out, A 2017 copyright infringement lawsuit brought against Inside Out last year by child development expert Denise Daniels was dismissed last month by U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez. In her suit, Daniels claimed the film bore a striking resemblance to a TV project, The Moodsters, she’d developed and pitched numerous times to Disney executives between 2006 and 2009.

    Also back in June, author Carla Jo Masterson filed suit in a Nevada federal court, claiming the film was based on her book, What’s On The Other Side Of The Rainbow? (The Secret Of The Golden Mirror), as well as her screenplay, “The Secret of the Golden Mirror.”

    Both works “are original, creative, and artistic stories about how children identify, understand the reasons for, and manage the effects of their emotions,” the suit reads.

    “The specific original, artistic, and creative expression and device used by Carla J. Masterson in ‘What’s On the Other Side of the Rainbow?’ and ‘The Secret of the Golden Mirror’ is to depict the childhood emotions of Joy, Fear, Sad, Anger, Laughter, Friendship, Love, and Shy as characters that appear throughout the book in consistent and continuing configurations and colors.”

    While there maybe some similarities with the concepts of these projects that still doesn’t mean that Disney plagiarized anything as there are clear differences as well. The courts will decide in the end, but if anyone has a real claim, just think “Herman’s Head”.

    The director of Inside Out, Pete Docter, has recently been named Pixar’s new chief creative officer.

  • OFFICIAL: ABC Announces ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff ‘The Conners’ Without Roseanne Barr

    OFFICIAL: ABC Announces ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff ‘The Conners’ Without Roseanne Barr

    ABC has greenlit a spinoff series of the now-canceled “Roseanne.” The new show currently has the working title “The Connors” and will air without the show’s embattled star.

    Today, the network announced that much of the cast of “Roseanne,” including John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman, are set to reprise their iconic roles in the new show.

    Roseanne,” ABC’s hit revival sitcom, was canceled back in May, just hours after the show’s star Roseanne Barr’s posted a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett — who is African-America — and compared her to an ape.

    According to the network, Roseanne Barr will have no financial or creative involvement in the new series

    “The Conners’ stories demonstrate that families can always find common ground through conversation, laughter and love. The spinoff will continue to portray contemporary issues that are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago,” ABC shared in a statement.

    In a joint statement, the announced cast members of the spinoff said they have received a “tremendous amount of support” from fans.

    “We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it’s clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience,” the statement read. “We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today. We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter.”

    ABC has given a 10-episode series order with Tom Werner as executive produce on the show. “The Conners” will air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.