I am from a magical land known as Florida. I grew up bordering on beaches and many theme parks. Of course, I have my beach preferences and my favorite theme parks, but there is a place I set apart from all the tourist traps that Florida has to offer. That is Walt Disney World. It’s one of five parks in the world that offer magic as part of their slogan, and I lived just about forty-five “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” minutes away. Needless to say, I’m proud of my Main Street, U.S.A., upbringing. I have been watching Disney movies since I could remember (and still have a mountain of video cassettes to prove it). I still own my Pongo from “101 Dalmatians” and Lady from “Lady and the Tramp” plush toys from when I was two and had named them “woof-woof.” My Grad Night of 2008 memorabilia includes a t-shirt, a keychain, a bracelet, and a car decal for a nonexistent car. There is probably my weight in pictures and video tapes of our Disney trips through the years.
Far away from the Disney Studio lots and Tomorrowland, lost in my own Wonderland of Boston, I miss the connection I used to have to Disney World. No more smell of roast turkey legs or buttered popcorn off the street carts, no more ambient music in all my surroundings, no more themed bathrooms or gift shops, and people are not always as nice as a Disney cast member. So, naturally, I just can’t help but get excited when I hear Disney is working on a new project or that the next film is just around the river bend.
Disney promises quite the lineup this year. Big names, big sequels, and even another installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean are in the Disney Store for audiences.
Alice in Wonderland
Ah, Tim Burton, the imaginary visual artist on a natural acid trip, takes his own fall down the rabbit hole to reconnect with Disney’s animated “Alice in Wonderland.” However, do not go into this movie thinking it will be a remake of the original. Burton is continuing where the story left off. Alice is no longer a little girl and her Wonderland is more like a scarier LSD trip the second time around. The skies are darker, the characters weirder, and there is a war afoot!
With a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice, including the voice talents of Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, and Christopher Lee, the movie promises to not only be a visual treat but a darn well-acted one too. I have been following this film since the Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter group on Facebook caught my attention, not to mention the insane publicity shots of a very freakish Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter with an enlarged head. Yes, Burton purposefully enlarged his wife’s head for the movie. There has to be a joke in there somewhere. Either way, I can’t wait to see the finished product. Starts March 5th, 2010.
Check out the HD trailer here.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time / The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
These live action gems are both set for a very busy summer season for Disney. First up is the “Prince of Persia,” which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley and is based on the hit video game. “Prince of Persia” sets itself in a very exotic ancient Persia. Brought to you by the Bruckheimer Studios, it promises to have a lot of action, a lot of explosions, and I am praying for a storyline. Protecting an artifact that can control time seems to be the main gist of the picture, but I can’t find much else in the trailer. Either way, I’ll be entertained by Ben Kingsley in crazy eyeliner and mystical costumes and sets. Starts Memorial Day Weekend.
“Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” on the other hand, is based off the Fantasia short of Mickey mopping up his mess after stealing the Sorcerer’s hat without understanding its powers. I am not sure how I feel about dipping into the animated Disney canon for inspiration, but a grungy Nicolas Cage and a haplessly hilarious Jay Baruchel (of “Tropic Thunder” and “Knocked Up” fame) gets my vote of confidence for casting. Add relationship troubles for both student (Teresa Palmer) and teacher (Monica Bellucci), and a bad guy (Alfred Molina) and we have the makings of an entertaining summer blockbuster. School’s in session July 16th, 2010.
Toy Story 3
Before you squeal with joy at the notion of a third installment of possibly Pixar’s greatest collection, know that serious work went into the process of this film. They brought back the originals talent to continue the saga of Andy’s toys. Well, like us in the real world, Andy has grown up and is going away to college. Unfortunately, as part of his move, his gives away his beloved toys to a day care center. Here, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and fellow Mattel mates are spared no mercy as they become the new playthings a very wild and frantic group of preschoolers. As much as the toys enjoy being played with again, it does not compare to belonging to Andy and they must find their way back home. Everyone is reprising their voice role (Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz) except for the sad exception of Jim Varney (Slinky Dog) who passed away while the movie was still in production. His close friend, Blake Clark was cast to continue the character. Michael Keaton will be the new voice of Ken and Whoopi Goldberg is set as the Purple Octopus. Joan Cusack returns as Cowgirl Jessie, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and perennial Pixar good luck charm, John Ratzenberger, as Ham will round off a great supporting cast.
The trailer for the international release has scenes not in the American release. The toys are back in town June 18th, 2010.
Tangled
Hooray for the return of hand-drawn art! I missed it. Until recently, the only animated feature films were Studio Ghibli works like “Ponyo” or “Spirited Away”. Not bad at all, but compared to the output from artists in the ‘80s, there is not much of a comparison in volume. However, Disney is pushing forth for a revival in animation with their release of “The Princess and The Frog” and this next film slated for the Thanksgiving release weekend, “Tangled”, a take on the Rapunzel story with a twist. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are slated to voice the two main characters. I think this one has promise, as clearly there is a lot to be said about the fairy tale spoof genre like a la “Shrek” and “Enchanted”. Unfortunately, “The Princess and The Frog” was not the resounding success Disney hoped it would be, and even lost in the box office to “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.” What is wrong with that picture? What’s wrong is that if “Tangled” is not the box office hit it needs to be, audiences may see the end of hand drawn feature films for quite some time. I would not like this to be the case, but seeing as the writers are the same ones that penned “Bolt,” I have some reason to fear. Hopefully, a strong voice cast and good (re)writing will bring classic animation back from the way of silent films: extinction.
Tron: Legacy
“Tron”: the movie that sparked a hundred jokes and was initially a very expensive flop for theDisney Studios that was well out of box office hits for the majority of the ’80s. Jump to the present, where retro madness is in fashion, we willingly wear 3-D glasses in theaters and computer graphics have progressed much farther than Pong-like movements. Disney is giving the story line a second chance with a sequel that promises to be much more than just computer wizardry. Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn, a man now lost without so much as an internet trace. Kevin’s disappearance leads his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) and girlfriend (Olivia Wilde) to find the truth about the disappearance. Promising storyline, updated graphics, a viral marketing campaign that is spanning the globe, a great supporting cast, and Jeff Bridges. The Dude abides.
Check out the site to get in on special events and content about the movie. Apparently, there was a world-wide event that had “operatives” seek out an informant and received limited-edition merchandise with a piece of the puzzle to unlock the mystery. Even Boston got in on the scavenger hunt. All will be revealed this December.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Okay, this is my Disney geek moment here. This feature is a documentary on the Disney Renaissance that took place during the late 1980s to the early half of the 1990s. The Disney Renaissance was a period of comeback for Disney. After disappointing box office flops like “Newsies”, “Tron”, and and losses of revenue for almost all of its animated features, Disney studio had an influx of new artists around the mid-80s that changed the fate of the studio and the history of animation for the better. This is the period when classics like “The Lion King”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Aladdin” were released, not to mention “The Little Mermaid”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, and “Oliver and Company”. The documentary features interviews with Roy Disney, Tim Burton, and Don Bluth. As a Disney fan, I am most certainly going to try and see it, but it would be relevant for anyone interested in the business of studio work and the history of animation, or those who just want to find out more about their favorite Disney movie.
Check out the trailer here.
In Production
- “Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides.” Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush return for a chance at the fountain of youth. Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane have been reported to also be on board. The sequel will start filming shortly and is due out by next summer (2011).
- “Cars 2:World Grand Prix.” Pixar goes where is has not gone before…traveling to real destinations! Apparently, Lightening McQueen and pals tour the international circuits of racing. Due mid-summer of 2011.
- “Frankenweenie.” Tim Burton gets his wish, about twenty years later. The director fresh off the Alice and Wonderland circus will return to his short film debut about a boy who reanimates his dead dog from the pet cemetery. This one caused him to lose his job back at Disney all those years ago, and now, the Studio is going to pay top dollars for the feature length treatment. I’m excited whenever directors gets creative control over their projects. It’s alive sometime in 2011.
- Rumor Mill: A return of “The Lone Ranger” starring Johnny Depp and a possible sequel to “Monsters, Inc.”
Which movie are you most looking forward to seeing?
Tron… seriously?
I find that title, “Tangled,” disrespectful to not only the Grimm Brother’s title, but to Walt Disney as well. Because that is not what Walt Disney would do when he adapts fairy tales into animated movies. Those people, who complain about story titles being too girlish, need to understand that those story titles being too girlish happens to be written by MEN before we are even born. Also, they need to understand that they do not write stories just for girls or boys, they write for families to enjoy, learn, and love. I even love the title logo that Disney created for “Rapunzel,” and now they want to change it to “Tangled?” That title does not make any sense, and it is misleading. If they ever do change the title from “Rapunzel” to “Tangled,” I would find Disney’s next CG movie a flop. But, if they leave the title, “Rapunzel,” the way it is, and the title logo that Disney created, then I would have high confidence that Disney’s next CG movie could be a huge success. So I say to Disney, “I demand that you change that dreadful title back to “Rapunzel” at once, or else you will all become a disgrace to Walt Disney forever. And you will fall to DreamWorks Animation forever more.” But, if Disney really wants to rename “Rapunzel” with “Tangled,” then my suggestion would be to add another story alongside with Rapunzel, maybe then Disney can change the title like, “Shrek” and “Happily N’ever After.”
they might not have to rights to use the name Rapunzel. and how do you know that they haven’t modified the original storyline so that ‘Tangled’ makes more sense than ‘Rapunzel’?