Disney News

Tag: live action

  • ‘Lady and the Tramp’ Stars Celebrate New Live-Action Film at Disneyland

    ‘Lady and the Tramp’ Stars Celebrate New Live-Action Film at Disneyland

    The canine stars of the upcoming live-action film, “Lady and the Tramp,” recently had a doggie playdate at Disneyland park to celebrate the film’s upcoming release.

    Everyone knows that Disneyland is the place for special occasions. Rose, who plays “Lady,” and Monte, who plays “Tramp,” visited the Happiest Place on Earth for a paw-fect date!

    Rose and Monte enjoyed all of the Disney magic—from meeting Pluto in Mickey’s Toontown to checking out King Arthur’s Carrousel in Fantasyland. This time of year is especially festive with the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort returning yesterday! The duo even posed for a photo opp in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle.

    The new film, a re-imagining of the 1955 original animated film “Lady and The Tramp,” tells the story of star-crossed pooches who overcome obstacles on their journey to love.

    The film, which blends live-action with CGI, premieres Nov. 12 on Disney+.

  • Disney’s Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Reportedly Beginning Production Next Spring

    Disney’s Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Reportedly Beginning Production Next Spring

    Disney has been turning out live-action remakes like a machine and now the company will reportedly begin production on an updated version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the spring.

    Disney will go into production on its latest animated to live-action remake next March in Vancouver, Canada, according to TheDisInsider.

    News of a Disney live-action adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs dates back to 2016 when the project was first confirmed by Disney. Updates were scarce until earlier this year, when it was reported The Amazing Spider-Man helmer Marc Webb was being eyed to direct the project using a screenplay from The Girl on the Train screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson.

    The report says Disney is now seeking actors for its central roles, including the titular princess, the Prince, the seven dwarfs and the Evil Queen, who doubles as an Old Hag.

    Also possibly on board are Academy Award-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), who created new music for Aladdin with Alan Menken. That film won Disney a magical $1.048 billion globally, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of the year. Disney followed Aladdin with another winning remake — the Jon Favreau-directed The Lion King — that roared to $1.63 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2019 behind only Disney’s own Marvel Studios blockbuster Avengers: Endgame.

    Disney’s president of production Sean Bailey — who has led the charge on mining Disney’s treasure trove of cherished animated films and translating them into modern reinterpretations that almost always go on to score big at the box office — has credited Walt Disney Studios Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Alan Horn with Disney’s decision to re-imagine its animated library.

    “We were given an incredible opportunity to discover what we wanted to be as a live-action team. We were given a lot of latitude to think about what that was,” Bailey told Vulture in 2017. “We thought if Iron Man and Thor and Captain America are Marvel superheroes, then maybe Alice, Cinderella, Mowgli, and Belle are our superheroes, and Cruella and Maleficent are our supervillains. Maybe if there’s a way to reconnect with that affinity for what those characters mean to people in a way that gets the best talent and uses the best technology, that could become something really exciting. It feels very Disney, playing to the competitive advantages of this label.”

    Disney is now developing 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella, starring Emma Stone and set for release in 2021, and The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and directed by Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods). Disney first releases its Angelina Jolie-starring Maleficent sequel, Mistress of Evil, Oct. 18 before debuting the live-action Mulan March 27, 2020.

  • Harry Styles in Talks to Play Prince Eric in Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’

    Harry Styles in Talks to Play Prince Eric in Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’

    Disney has cast yet another actor to go under the sea in Disney’s live-action Remake of “The Little Mermaid.” Singer turned actor, Harry Styles is in early talks to play Prince Eric in Disney’s reamke of the 1998 animated classic.

    Halle Bailey will portray the Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of being a human, while Melissa McCarthy is playing her evil aunt Ursula.

    Styles was famously a member of boy band One Direction who then struck out on a successful solo career. He made his acting debut with Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan’s World War II drama that grossed over $526 million worldwide and collected several Oscars.

    Eric is the human prince who catches Ariel’s eye. The mermaid saves the prince from drowning and then makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to exchange her voice for legs in order for a chance to make him love her. He is key in the final battle against Ursula.

    “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall is helming. The film will incorporate the original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as new tunes from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is also producing the film along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca. David Magee wrote the script.

  • 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.

  • ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is Disney’s Latest Live-Action Remake

    ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is Disney’s Latest Live-Action Remake

    Disney has been turning out live-action remakes like a machine and now it looks like the next movie to get the live-action treatment is Disney’s 1996 animated classic “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.”

    While no casting news has been officially announced, it is rumored that co-producer Josh Gad—who played Lefou in the “Beauty and the Beast” remake—will play the titular hunchback.

    Disney announced on Wednesday that Tony award winning playwright David Henry Hwang has been set by Disney to write Hunchback, a live-action musical adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz will write the music. Mandeville is producing along with Gad.

    Mandeville founder David Hoberman, had tried to bring The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Hollywood for over 30 years, starting when he was Disney film president, According to Deadline.

    The project would follow Disney’s proved winning model of remaking its animated hits, but “Hunchback” is not currently a priority for the studio, which is gearing up for the release of “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Dumbo” and has “Lady and the Tramp” and “Mulan” lined up.

  • 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.

  • New Live-Action Dumbo Trailer Will Warm Your Heart

    New Live-Action Dumbo Trailer Will Warm Your Heart

    A new for trailer for Tim Burton’s live-action “Dumbo” remake just aired during the 52nd Annual CMA Awards and it will warm your heart.

    The reimagined story expands on the beloved classic story where, as Disney puts it, “differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight.”

    The story begins when circus owner Max Medici played by Danny DeVito who enlists former star Holt Farrier played Colin Farrell and his children to care for a newborn elephant. “We’re all family here,” they tell a frightened Dumbo. “No matter how small.” Take a look at the trailer below:

    The trailer, which features Norwegian popstar Aurora singing Baby Mine, features clips of Dreamland as well as Dumbo taking flight for the first time.

    Tim Burton helms the live action “Dumbo” which is inspired by the 1941 animated film. It’s written by Ehren Kruger and has an all-star cast including Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Alan Arkin, and Danny Devito.

    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.”

    Tim Burton’s Dumbo flies into theaters March 29, 2019.

  • A Second Live-Action Star Wars Series Based on ‘Rogue One’ is in the Works

    A Second Live-Action Star Wars Series Based on ‘Rogue One’ is in the Works

    Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced yesterday that Lucasfilm is in development of a second Star Wars live-action series for the company’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service called Disney+.

    The series, which will go into production next year, follows the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna will reprise the role of Andor.

    “Going back to the Star Wars universe is very special for me,” said Luna. “I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply.”

    The rousing spy thriller will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire.

    A release date for the series has not yet been announced. Stay tuned to Disney Dorks for the latest updates.

  • Disney Debuts First Live-Action Aladdin Teaser Trailer

    Disney Debuts First Live-Action Aladdin Teaser Trailer

    This genie cannot go back in the bottle! Disney has released the first teaser trailer for the live-action remake of Aladdin and it is stunningly magical.

    The 1992 animated hit that earned more than $500 million worldwide doesn’t give much away, but we do get a glimpse of Aladdin himself going through the magical cave and laying his hands on the Genie’s lamp.

    We hear a familiar voice posing a warning to Aladdin before he goes inside: “Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. The diamond in the rough.” Take a look at the entire teaser below.

    Based on a tale from The Arabian Nights, the film is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic. 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.