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  • ‘Maleficent 2’ Gets a Title, a New Release Date and a New Poster

    ‘Maleficent 2’ Gets a Title, a New Release Date and a New Poster

    Today, Disney announced the upcoming follow-up sequel to 2014’s “Maleficent” has a new title, a new poster and a new release date.

    “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”, as it’s now titled, will hit theaters on Oct. 18, 2019. The fantasy adventure is moving its release date up by seven months. It had previously been slated to debut on May 29, 2020.

    The new date pits “Maleficent 2” against an untitled film from horror-maker Blumhouse. It will also have to contend with the second weekends of “The Adams Family,” the adaptation of Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch,” “Zombieland 2,” and “Gemini Man,” a futuristic thriller that unites Will Smith and Ang Lee. Take a look at the amazing new poster released today as well:

    Angelina Jolie reprises her role as the villainous enchantress Maleficent. The cast also includes Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville, who appeared in the first installment, as well as franchise newcomers Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein, Harris Dickinson, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Joachim Rønning (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) directs from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster.

    The first “Maleficent” was a box office smash when it opened in 2014. It grossed $758.5 million globally on a $180 million budget.

  • Kevin Hart Could Be Playing Mushu in Disney’s Live-Action Mulan Remake

    Kevin Hart Could Be Playing Mushu in Disney’s Live-Action Mulan Remake

    Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” is set to be released next year and according to some recent rumors the company may still be doing some casting. New reports have surfaced that Disney is considering Kevin Hart to give Mulan’s sidekick dragon Mushu a voice.

    According to The DisInsider, the live-action “Mulan” film has wrapped production, but as the film goes into the editing process, Disney is still looking for a voice for Mushu with Hart being their top choice.

    In the original 1998 “Mulan” animated film, Mushu is a small, kind of scrawny red Chinese dragon who may be the comic relief in the film, but also serves as Mulan’s closest companion. Eddie Murphy provided Mushu’s voice in the film, though Mark Moseley took over voicing duties for the 2004 direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II.

    Thus far, Mushu has not appeared in any official information about the live-action film — including the full synopsis which you can see below that was revealed last August.

    Mulan is the epic adventure of a fearless young woman who masquerades as a man in order to fight Northern Invaders attacking China. The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever.

    If Disney is really considering putting Hart in the role, it’s a move that could be met with some backlash. Back in December, Hart stepped down as the host for the 2019 Academy Awards following old tweets in which he made derogatory remarks about the LGBTQ+ community came to light. Hart apologized for the tweets, but still stepped down from the hosting duties.

    “Mulan” is directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider, McFarland USA) from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Jurassic World, In the Heart of the Sea) and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek based on the narrative poem The Ballad of Mulan. The producers are Jason T. Reed (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Chris Bender (A History of Violence) and Jake Weiner (Criminal) with Barrie M. Osborne (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Monster Hunt) and Tim Coddington (Crazy Rich Asians) serving as executive producers.

    Disney’s Mulan is set to hit theaters on March 27, 2020.

  • Disney Villains TV Series in the Works For Disney+ Streaming Service

    Disney Villains TV Series in the Works For Disney+ Streaming Service

    Disney’s upcoming streaming service Disney+ is set to launch this year and it looks like they are bringing in the big bad guys to get it started! Disney is developing a new TV series based on Disney Villans and it sounds wicked.

    Most of the programming planned for Disney+ leans into the company’s franchises like Marvel and Star Wars, but tapping into the Villian vault give the company a plethora of stories to tell.

    According to Production Weekly, Disney will be enlisting some of them for a new Disney Villains series, which is being developed by Steve Pearlman (Once Upon A Time) and Michael Seitzman (Quantico) as you can see in the post below.

    Few details are known at the moment, other than that it is slated to start production in the second quarter of 2020, but we’ll keep you posted as we know more.

  • Disney Brings Home Four Oscars Including Three for Black Panther

    Disney Brings Home Four Oscars Including Three for Black Panther

    Disney picked up Four Oscars at last nights 91st Academy Awards. Marvel Studios’ groundbreaking film Black Panther received three and Pixar Animation Studios’ Bao picked up one as well.

    Black Panther’s costume design, production design and original score were recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which also honored Pixar Animation Studios’ Bao as best Short Film (Animated).

    Black Panther’s costume designer, Ruth Carter, and production designer, Hannah Beachler, made history at the 91st Oscars, becoming the first African American women to win in their respective categories.

    “Marvel may have created the first black Super Hero, but through costume design we turned him into an African king,” said Carter, as she accepted the Academy Award for best Costume Design.

    “It’s been my life’s honor to create costumes,” she added. “Thank you to the Academy. Thank you for honoring African royalty and the empowered way women can look and lead on screen.”

    The film’s three Oscars cap a memorable awards season for Black Panther, which was also nominated for Best Picture and counts among its many honors a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and a Grammy® Award for Göransson’s score. The film was also an American Film Institute (AFI) Movie of the Year and featured in the National Board of Review’s Top Films of 2018.

    Bao’s director, Domee Shi, began her animation career as an intern at Pixar in 2011 and made her directing debut with the short that opened ahead of Incredibles 2 in 2018. Accepting the Oscar with the film’s producer, Becky Neiman-Cobb, Shi sought to inspire young female artists who may follow in her footsteps. “To all of the nerdy girls out there who hide behind their sketchbooks, don’t be afraid to tell your stories to the world,” Shi emphasized. “They’re going to freak people out, but you’ll probably connect with them, too, and that’s an amazing feeling to have.”

  • Walt Disney Archives Founder Dave Smith Passes Away at the Age of 78

    Walt Disney Archives Founder Dave Smith Passes Away at the Age of 78

    In the same week that Walt Disney’s Son-in-Law and Former Disney CEO passes away, the Disney family is now mourning the loss of yet another Disney legend. Walt Disney Archives founder Dave Smith passed away in Burbank, California, on February 15, 2019 at the age of 78.

    Dave dedicated his four-decade career at The Walt Disney Company to preserving Disney’s precious treasures from film, television, theme parks, and beyond.

    “I’m deeply saddened to learn of Dave Smith’s passing,” said Bob Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “He was the unsung hero of Disney’s history who, as our first archivist, spent 40 years rescuing countless documents and artifacts from obscurity, investing endless hours restoring and preserving these priceless pieces of our legacy, and putting them in context to tell our story. Dave was a true Disney Legend, and we are indebted to him for building such an enduring, tangible connection to our past that continues to inspire our future.”

    Named a Disney Legend in 2007, Dave was beloved by fans around the world for his wide knowledge of the Company’s rich history, which he shared in books and through his popular magazine column “Ask Dave.”

  • Georgia Merry and Brian Hull New Beauty and the Beast Duet is Magical

    Georgia Merry and Brian Hull New Beauty and the Beast Duet is Magical

    Youtube sensation Georgia Merry and impressionist Brian Hull have teamed up once again. This time the duo is singing “Something There” from Disney’s “Beauty and Beast” and it’s amazing!

    Merry and Hull have partnered up for a duet before with a performance from Disney’s Pocahontas and this time they have brought the magic once again! Take a look at the new video below:

    Breaking through with her sound and style, Georgia Merry has become one of YouTube’s biggest Disney content creators. With over a hundred million video views she has really made quite a name for herself and keeps her fans coming back for more.

    Georgia is 22 and lives just outside of Manchester, UK. She created her channel around five years ago and her content is split between covers of the latest popular songs, vlogs and, by far and away her most popular and viewed content, Disney medleys.

    Each of Georgia’s Disney medleys takes around two months of solid work to produce. Her medleys are a result of massive amounts of hard work, from planning and producing the music that it will feature to cutting the transitions between songs.  She has to record the vocals, plan the costumes and make-up and then of course the shooting and editing of the video, all to come up with the final production that you’ll see on YouTube.

  • First Look: Disney Releases First ‘Frozen 2’ Teaser-Trailer

    First Look: Disney Releases First ‘Frozen 2’ Teaser-Trailer

    Today, Disney dropped the first teaser-trailer for “Frozen 2” and it looks amazing!

    Co-director Jennifer Lee teased that the characters are “going to go far out of Arendelle” in the sequel for a “bigger, more epic” journey.

    The teaser for the highly anticipated follow up to Disney’s 2013 hit gives us a peek at what all your favorite Arendelle characters have been up to for these last six years. Take a look at the trailer below:

    The teaser starts off with Elsa watching the rise and fall of the waves as a storm brews overhead. She then musters her courage and manages to run across the water by making a path of snowflakes and ice. However, she quickly falls into the surf.

    The original “Frozen” movie became a massive hit when it opened in 2013, earning over $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, along with two Oscars. It’s still the highest-grossing animated film ever, as well as the 13th biggest movie of all time.

    “Frozen 2,” hits theaters Nov. 22.

  • New Sleeping Beauty Dooney & Bourke Bags are Just Magical

    New Sleeping Beauty Dooney & Bourke Bags are Just Magical

    To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty, Dooney & Bourke recently released an enchanting set of bags that are truly once upon a dream.

    You can carry your fondest dreams wherever you go with these new Dooney and Bourke prints. Aurora’s fanciful bag collection features a tote, crossboday and a satchel. Take a look below at the new collection.

    Sleeping Beauty Tote – 60th Anniversary – $298

    The Tote features Aurora twirling in her pink gown surrounded by pink roses. It looks like Flora won the “Make it pink, Make it blue!” argument again!

    Sleeping Beauty Satchel – 60th Anniversary – $298

    The Satchel is a cute barrel shape with 2 short straps, but also comes with a longer strap so it can be worn crossbody style.

    Sleeping Beauty Crossbody Bag – 60th Anniversary – $228

    The Crossbody and Satchel both feature Sleeping Beauty’s three Fairy Godmothers; Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

    The new bags are part of Disney’s Dream Big Princess campaign and are all available now in the park and on Shop Disney.

  • New ‘Aladdin’ Trailer Reveals First Look at Will Smith’s Blue Genie

    New ‘Aladdin’ Trailer Reveals First Look at Will Smith’s Blue Genie

    We’ve said it before, but this time the genie is definitely out of the bottle. The latest look at Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” is here and it finally reveals Will Smith in his full blue Genie form for the first time.

    Twenty-seven years after the animated “Aladdin” became a classic, Disney dropped the new trailer during the Grammys on Sunday night.

    Take a look below at the trailer to see what you think of Will Smith in the role.

    In addition to Smith’s Genie, who towers over Mena Massoud’s Aladdin in his bulked-up blue form, we get looks at the villainous Jafar (playing by Marwen Kenzari), Naomi Scott’s Princess Jasmine, and the sprawling city of Agrabah.

    Smith takes on Robin Williams’ former role as the Genie, promising in an Entertainment Weekly first look last December to bring a “hip hop flavor” to the part. “Sherlock Holmes” director Guy Ritchie takes the helm.

    The original, animated “Aladdin” premiered in 1992 and famously starred the late Robin Williams in a virtuoso vocal performance as the Genie that earned him a Golden Globe. The movie has grossed $504 million worldwide.  

    “Aladdin” hits theaters May 24, 2019.

  • Walt Disney’s Son-in-Law and Former Disney CEO Passes Away at 85

    Walt Disney’s Son-in-Law and Former Disney CEO Passes Away at 85

    Ron Miller, husband of Diane Disney Miller and son-in-law of Walt Disney, has passed in Napa, California at the age of 85.

    “Everyone at The Walt Disney Company is deeply saddened by the passing of Ron Miller,” Disney’s current chairman and CEO Bob Iger said. “His life and legacy are inextricably linked with our company and the Disney family because he was such a vital part of both, as our CEO and Walt’s son-in-law. 

    At age 21, Ron, a member of the University of Southern California football team, was introduced to 20-year-old Diane Disney on a blind date. They were married in Santa Barbara on May 9, 1954.

    Ron served in the Army and then played professional football for the Los Angeles Rams before his father-in-law recruited him to work at The Walt Disney Studios. There, he ascended from motion picture and television production roles to CEO of what is now The Walt Disney Company.

    Ron first started working for Walt as part of the original Disneyland team, where he was employee number six. Ron’s first job in this capacity was serving as second assistant on Old Yeller (1957). Eventually, as CEO, Ron pushed the Company to expand and explore, creating Walt Disney Home Video, Touchstone Pictures, and The Disney Channel. 

    Ron, Diane, and Diane’s mother, Lillian, established Silverado Vineyards in 1981, four years after they purchased the property. This place, near the small town of Yountville, California, became Ron and Diane’s permanent residence. 

    Ron supported Diane’s pursuit in documenting the life and accomplishments of her father, from producing the documentary film Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001) to establishing The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco in 2009.

    Ron was a passionate outdoorsman. Alpine skiing, hunting, fly-fishing, and golf were lifelong pursuits. He was an experienced horseman with a cattle ranch near Montrose, Colorado.

    Ron and Diane were generous philanthropists, supporting many causes, including classical music and ballet. 

    Ron is survived by his children Christopher Miller, Joanna Miller, Tamara Diane Miller, Jennifer Goff, Walter Elias Disney Miller, Ronald Miller, and Patrick Miller; grandchildren Annabelle Rey, Nicholas Runeare, Ryan Scheer, Danielle Durham, Sam Goff, Lily Goff, Charlotte Goff, Sebastian Runeare, Haley Scheer, Reilly Miller, Madeline Goff, William Miller, and Elias Miller; and great-grandchildren Stella Durham, Finley Scheer, and Evelyn and Mason Goff. 

    Donations may be made to the memorial fund that The Walt Disney Family Museum has established in honor of Ron and Diane Disney Miller. Donations will support the museum’s ongoing education efforts, about which Ron was passionate. Donations and cards can also be sent to the family through The Walt Disney Family Museum, ATTN: Director’s Office; 104 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94129.