Disney News

Tag: live action

  • ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Is Getting a Live-Action Remake at Disney

    ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Is Getting a Live-Action Remake at Disney

    If you’re a fan of everybody’s favorite blue alien then we have some out of this galaxy news for you! The 2002 animated classic “Lilo and Stitch” is getting a live-action remake.

    Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who are working on the live-action remake of “Aladdin,” will be producing and the studio has hired Mike Van Waes to write the script., according to The Hollywood Reporter. The production will be a hybrid of live-action and CG.

    The story of “Lilo and Stitch” is set in Hawaii and tells the story of a lonely young girl and her close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial who she mistakes for a dog. Through her love, faith and unwavering belief in ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps unlock Stitch’s heart and gives him the ability to care for someone else.

    Though “Lilo & Stitch” wasn’t a success at the box office, it still became a cult classic spawning multiple direct-to-video sequels as well as television series. Lilo & Stitch was released on June 21, 2002 to positive reviews and was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

  • FIRST LOOK: Production On Disney’s Live-Action Mulan Has Begun

    FIRST LOOK: Production On Disney’s Live-Action Mulan Has Begun

    Production has officially begun on the live action remake of Disney’s Mulan, and Disney has released a first look at actress Liu Yifei in costume as Hua Mulan.

    Yifei Liu was cast as Hua Mulan following a year-long global casting search in November of 2017. Set to star alongside Yifei are stars Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Gong Li as a still-unnamed villain, Jet Li as The Emperor, and Jason Scott Lee as Bori Khan. 

    Walt Disney Studios has found a great deal of success over the last few years in adapting their animated classics to live-action. From Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent to Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. 

    Disney has also released a synopsis which reads: 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. 

    Mulan is directed by Niki Caro from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver along with Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek. The film will shoot on location in both New Zealand and China, and is set to open in the US on March 27, 2020.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Disney Reveals A First Look at Tim Burton’s Live-Action ‘Dumbo’

    Disney Reveals A First Look at Tim Burton’s Live-Action ‘Dumbo’

    At Tuesday’s live presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, NV there was no ignoring the elephant in the room as Disney revealed the footage from their upcoming live-action Dumbo movie.

    Mixed in with footage that was mostly actors from the film talking about the making of the movie and behind the scenes footage was a first glimpse of a young Dumbo in all his CGI glory.

    Disney hasn’t officially released any of the footage, but multiple attendees at the event were able to snap some pictures of everyone’s favorite pachyderm. You can see the photo below along with a shot of the film’s official logo.

    As the Dumbo presentation started, Disney Executive VP Cathleen Tiff introduced the clip and said, “We’ve expanded the story, taking that as a jumping off point for Dumbo’s newest story”. She explained the film will be different from the classic story we know.

    Tim Burton helms the live action Dumbo which is loosely 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. The period movie includes DeVito as the circus ringmaster and Keaton as the owner.

    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.”

    Dumbo is scheduled to hit theaters on March 29, 2019.
  • Jon Favreau To Write Live Action ‘Star Wars’ Series For Disney

    Jon Favreau To Write Live Action ‘Star Wars’ Series For Disney

    The live action Star Wars series is still moving forward and Disney has just tapped Iron Man director Jon Favreau as writer and executive producer. The live action series was confirmed by Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger on a quarterly earnings call with investors last November and will debut on Disney’s digital streaming service.

    The director of iron man and the jungle book will helm the series for disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform.

    In early March, Lucasfilm announced that Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau has signed on to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars series for Disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform. Favreau is no stranger to the Star Wars galaxy having played roles in both the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story.

    “I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe. This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”

    Favreau is thrilled to be returning to the Star Wars galaxy: “If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the Star Wars universe, I wouldn’t have believed you. I can’t wait to embark upon this exciting adventure.”

    Disney’s collaborations with Favreau extend back a decade, when he helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe as director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2 and as an executive producer of the Iron Man and Avengers films for Marvel Studios. For Disney, he directed and produced the massively successful The Jungle Book, which won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects. He is currently in production on Disney’s highly anticipated reimagining of The Lion King, set for release in 2019.

    The untitled Star Wars live-action series does not yet have a release date.

  • Live-Action ‘Lady And The Tramp’ Officially In The Works

    Live-Action ‘Lady And The Tramp’ Officially In The Works

    Another one of your favorite childhood Disney animated classics is getting the Live Action treatment. The 1955 animated Disney classic “Lady and the Tramp” is set to be made into a live action/CG hybrid for Disney’s upcoming digital streaming service.

    Lego Ninjago Movie director Charlie Bean has been confirmed as closing a deal to direct a live-action/CG hybrid remake of Disney’s “Lady And The Tramp.”, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

    Bean is a longtime animator who has written on Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack and directed 18 out of the 19 episodes of Disney XD’s Tron: Uprising before making his feature debut with Ninjago. Lady and the Tramp now throws the filmmaker into the live-action world while still keeping him grounded in animation.

    Lady and the Tramp, released in 1955, told the love story between a pampered Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a streetwise mongrel named Tramp. Lady finds herself out on the street after her owners have a baby and is saved from a pack by Tramp, who tries to show her how to live her life footloose and collar-free. More doggone adventures ensue. The centerpiece of the movie is the candlelit spaghetti dinner in an alley while two human cooks sing and play “Bella Notte,” considered one of the most iconic scenes in Disney and movie history.

    Andrew Bujalski wrote the script for new adaption and Brigham Taylor, who worked on the studio’s remake of The Jungle Book, is producing the project.

  • “Kim Possible” Is Getting a Live-Action Movie

    “Kim Possible” Is Getting a Live-Action Movie

    So for those of you wondering “What’s the sitch” with Kim Possible, you be excited to learn that Disney Channel is making a live-action version of award-winning Disney Channel animated series.

    Disney announced Wednesday that casting has begun for the movie which is being penned by Kim Possible creators Mark McCorkle and Robert Schooley.

    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.

    “Mark and Bob created an enduring character and kids all over the world found a friend in her, an average girl who just happens to spend her off-school hours thwarting evil villains,” said Adam Bonnett, executive VP of original programming at Disney Channels Worldwide, in a statement. “Although Kim Possible ‘can do anything,’ kids and tweens found that this animated redhead was just like them. As we embark on the fun challenge of making Kim and Ron fully dimensional, I’m thrilled to be working again with Mark and Bob and to welcome the addition of a dynamic creative team—Josh, Zanne, Adam and Zach—into a world where anything is indeed possible.”

    It’s executive produced by McCorkle, Schooley, and Zanne Devine, and co-directed and co-produced by Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky.

    This comes as Disney’s film studio continues to find success with live-action adaptations of beloved animated classics, including last year’s Beauty and the Beast and the upcoming Mulan.

  • Disney’s ‘Sword in the Stone’ Live-Action Remake Finds Director

    Disney’s ‘Sword in the Stone’ Live-Action Remake Finds Director

    Continuing their strategy of reimagining animated classics into live-action movies, Disney is developing a Sword in the Stone movie and it looks like they may have found their director.  Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is in talks with Disney to helm its live-action reimagining of the 1963 animated movie.

    The filmmakers credits include, directing 2002’s “Intacto” as his first full-length feature and the 2011 horror movie “Intruders”, but the native of Spain is perhaps best known for directing the zombie thriller “28 Weeks Later”.

    The Sword in the Stone remake has been in development since 2015.  Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman has been attached to write the script and Brigham Taylor will produce.

    The original animated version was based loosely on T.H. White’s novel of the same name, eventually becoming became part of the author’s multi-book King Arthur fantasy, “The Once and Future King.”

    The 1963 animated flic followed Arthur, a 12-year-old orphan, who became king after removing a sword from an anvil in London. The movie was a box office success and brought in $22 million after being made on a $3 million budget. This was the last animated Disney film to be released prior to Walt Disney’s death in 1966.

    Live-action remakes have been hugely successful for Disney. They’ve created live-action versions of its animated titles, including “Alice in Wonderland,”  “Maleficent,”  “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Disney is also set a live-action version of “Mulan” for November and has three live-action reimaginings set for 2019 with “Dumbo,” “Aladdin,” and “The Lion King.”

  • Live Action ‘Christopher Robin’ Movie Synopsis Released By Disney

    Live Action ‘Christopher Robin’ Movie Synopsis Released By Disney

    It seems every Disney movie is getting the live action treatment these days and Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” series is no exception, with its live action remake, simply titled “Christopher Robin”, less than six months away.

    Finding Neverland director Marc Forster is set to helm the film starring Ewan McGregor and Disney has just released the synopsis for the upcoming live-action adaptation.

    “In the heartwarming live action adventure “Disney’s Christopher Robin,” the young boy who loved embarking on adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with a 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 remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.”

     

    The story follows Robin, the little boy from the “Winnie the Pooh” series, who is now all-grown-up and lost all sense of imagination. Pooh and his friends reenter Robin’s life to help him gain that back.

    In addition to McGregor the film has an all-star cast including Haley Atwell and Mark Gatiss. Fans will be excited to know that Jim Cummings will be reprising his role as Winnie the Pooh’s voice. He is joined by the voices of Brad Garrett, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Nick Mohammed and Oliver Ford Davies.

    Walt Disney Studios has many live actions films in the pipeline including, A Wrinkle in Time, Mary Poppins Returns and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Christopher Robin is set to hit theaters on August 3.