Here’s a little fun for a Sunday afternoon, to celebrate the UK release of the Disney movie Saving Mr. Banks, fans gathered at the spot where Mary Poppins first opened almost 50 years ago in London’s Leicester Square, for an rousing rendition of “Let’s Go… Read More »Watch a Flash Mob of Fans Celebrate Mary Poppins with a Singalong in London
Update: 2015 movie slate now available.
Hang on to that popcorn bucket and suck down that soda, the 2014 line of movies from the Mouse House is looking absolutely amazing. Disney’s movie empire has expended greatly (and Lucasfilm still hasn’t been added to the mix) and there are a lot of films on the list. There are three or four potential question marks, but the slate looks very respectable.
I’ve included the full list with a synopsis and trailer video when available. Set your calendar appointments now and let us know which you’re looking most forward to.
February 28, 2014 – The Wind Rises
Acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki’s final film.
In “The Wind Rises,” Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Nearsighted from a young age and unable to be a pilot, Jiro joins a major Japanese engineering company in 1927 and becomes one of the world’s most innovative and accomplished airplane designers. The film chronicles much of his life, depicting key historical events, including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic and Japan’s plunge into war. Jiro meets and falls in love with Nahoko, and grows and cherishes his friendship with his colleague Honjo. Writer/director Hayao Miyazaki pays tribute to engineer Jiro Horikoshi and author Tatsuo Hori in this epic tale of love, perseverance, and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world.
Read More »Release Dates for Disney’s 2014 Movie Slate
Thor: The Dark World opened overseas this weekend to $45.3 million. That’s a good sign. Marvel announced that there will be a special 5 minute preview of Captain America: Winter Soldier for the 3-D showings of The Dark World. I realize that this is a… Read More »Marvel News Roundup
I’ve long looked forward to a movie musical production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods;” however, I did not expect Disney to be the studio to take it on. The subject matter does feature familiar Disney territory of fairytales, but while the stories are familiar kid tales, the situations are sometimes very adult. Never-the-less, Disney’s “Into the Woods” kicked off production last week, featuring an award-winning production team and all-star ensemble cast.
Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” will direct the film. Legendary composer Stephen Sondheim will pen an all-new song for the big-screen adaptation. I can listen to the Broadway version of Into the Woods all day.
“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.
The all-star ensemble cast below the jump:Read More »Disney Rolls Film on Into the Woods All-Star Musical
“Escape from Tomorrow” a surreal horror film shot largely in guerrilla style un-sanctioned film making inside Walt Disney World and Disneyland now has a release date. After premiering at Sundance Film Festival, the film will see limited theatrical release and Video on Demand via FilmBuff… Read More »Guerrilla Style Film Shot at Walt Disney World Gets Release Date
This Earth Day DisneyNature invites you to visit the incredible world of Bears. It’s the newest film in the tradition of Walt Disney’s True Life Adventure films and possibly their best yet.
Promising an epic story of breathtaking scale, Disneynature’s Bears showcases a year in the life of a bear family as two impressionable young cubs are taught life’s most important lessons. Set against a majestic Alaskan backdrop teeming with life, their journey begins as winter comes to an end and the bears emerge from hibernation to face the bitter cold. The world outside is exciting—but risky—as the cubs’ playful descent down the mountain carries with it a looming threat of avalanches. As the season changes from spring to summer, the brown bears must work hard to find food—ultimately feasting at a plentiful salmon run—while staying safe from rival male bears and predators, including an ever-present wolf pack. “Bears” captures the fast-moving action and suspense of life in one of the planet’s last great wildernesses—Alaska!
Disneynature’s Bears opens in theaters in time for Earth Day on April 18, 2014.Read More »DisneyNature Presents Bears
With a fan base that rival’s Harry Potter the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer have spent a lot of time on the best sellers list. Now Disney hopes it can weave that into box office gold as well with a franchise based on the popular children’s fiction series The Weinstein company kept some of the rights for the Artemis Fowl series as part of its divorce from Disney, so they’ll get producer rights and the screenplay is being written by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix scribe Michael Goldenberg.
If you’re like me and haven’t read the books, here’s a short introduction:
Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old Artemis who is a millionaire, a genius – and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy (Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit) to harness her magic to save his family. These aren’t the fairies of the bedtime stories – they’re dangerous.
“With its balance of mystery, adventure and family appeal, Artemis Fowl is a natural fit for Disney,” said Sean Bailey, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Harvey on this exciting project.”
Read More »Walt Disney Studios Greenlights Artemis Fowl Movie, Finally
I was on vacation earlier this month and missed the news that Johnny Depp has signed on to return as the Mad Hatter in the Alice in Wonderland Sequel. That the sequel would be made was in little doubt after the original brought in more… Read More »Johnny Depp to Return as Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland Sequel