Update: “Small Fry” will run in front of Disney The Muppets this November. Apologies for tying it to Beauty & The Beast. A new short from the Toy Story gang will accompany the film in theaters. “Small Fry” takes on the subject of those Happy… Read More »“Small Fry” preview, Pixar short to run with The Muppets Theatrical Release
A new image from the upcoming Disney Pixar film “Brave” was released today. In it, you see Princess Merida sitting on the throne with her family looking unhappy. According to co-director Mark Andrews, “She isn’t your typical princess. She doesn’t wear nice clothes except in… Read More »New Image from Brave Today, Full Length Trailer Tomorrow
A terrific blog in the Guardian talks with John Carter (of Mars) director Andrew Stanton and reveals a couple of key behind the scenes details that promise to make this the next franchise hit for Disney. I felt that if the actor was really there… Read More »John Carter of Mars — New on the set details
Raise your hand if you seriously thought Cars 2 would be an Oscar contender this year. Yeah, right. Me neither. It was a good effort, but lacked the heart and story craft that separated previous Pixar films from the pack. Yet, for some reason the… Read More »Cars 2 being cast as non-contender for Academy Award
I was pleasantly surprised at how good a job Disney did bringing back the classic Winnie the Pooh characters in the 2011 Summer theatrical release of “Winnie The Pooh.” If their goal was to closely duplicate the animated films Walt Disney was making in the late ’50s and early ’60s, they met their mark. At the same time, the story and characters received slight tweaks making it more accessible for today’s audiences. Now you can add “Winnie the Pooh” on DVD, Blu-Ray, and/or Digital Download to your collection.
The story featured rich characterizations (both in writing and animation), tremendous voice work and tunes you could hum. During my viewing in the theater, I felt let down by the songs, but upon subsequent viewings, I’ve found the music to be something of a strength.
Another strength was the voice work. Narrated by John Cleese and featuring the vocal talents of legendary voice actor Jim Cummings (over 350 voices) and a host of other distinctive actors including Craig Ferguson (TV’s ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’), Tom Kenny (TV’s ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’), Bud Luckey (Toy Story 3) and musical performances by Zooey Deschanel. Ferguson’s take on Owl was particularly appreciated as he helped the bird grow into a part that was larger than his previous incarnations.
The DVD/Blu-Ray combo is nice, but I did feel a bit let down by the lack of extras. Disney is hit and miss in this area, mostly miss. Sadly, you’ll have to wait for future editions to get things like a commentary, behind the scenes footage, and other standard extras.
Instead of padding the feature to make it longer, Disney added The Ballad of Nessie which I felt was artistically wonderful, but lacking storywise. However my friends and family tell me I’m daft and Nessie was wonderful. So your mileage will vary.
More details on extras below the jump:
Read More »Winnie The Pooh DVD a Short, but Excellent, Visit With Childhood Friends
John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Animation, has a soft spot for wine. So when he reached that point in his life where he could afford it, he and his wife bought a winery in Napa Valley. This appears to… Read More »John Lasseter Talks Wine, Gets Hollywood Star
If you say Winnie The Pooh in theaters then you’ll know how well this film captured the spirit of the original Winnie The Pooh movies, while still providing the pace and characters that entertain today’s savvier youth. Families and audiences of all ages can soon return to the Hundred Acre Wood with the world’s most beloved characters, as “Winnie the Pooh,” comes home to Blu-ray Combo Pack for the very first time, as well as DVD and Movie Download on October 25, 2011.
Reuniting audiences with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore (who has lost his tail), “Winnie the Pooh” is a honey of an in-home release containing hours of immersive bonus features, including exclusive animated shorts
“The Ballad of Nessie” and “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon;” a sing-along viewing option; an informative behind-the-scenes featurette for the whole family and deleted scenes with director commentary – all available on Blu-ray Combo Pack.
With the success of The Lion King 3D, Disney’s 3-D conversion factory (we kid) will be working overtime to pump out four new conversions for limited theatrical 3D engagements. The following titles from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios will be released in 2012 and… Read More »Disney and Pixar Announce Slate of Four New 3-D Re-releases into Movie Theaters