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Watch: Gorgeous Anime-Style Ad For Tokyo Disney Resort

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • April 12, 2012 1:37 PM
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  • 0 Comments
News
In America we have recently been bombarded by commercials for the stateside Disney parks (Florida’s Walt Disney World is where the ads were shot, probably because so much of Disneyland’s second gate, California Adventure, was under construction at the time) that feature a horrendous OneRepublic song and herky-jerky visuals that are sun-drenched and oozing gooey sentimentality. Over in Japan, though, they’re treated to a gorgeously animated, absolutely heart-tugging spot that will literally make you want to stop what you’re doing, convert all your money over to yen, and get the fuck over there
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More: Walt Disney

Legendary Animator Glen Keane Leaves Disney

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • March 25, 2012 2:30 PM
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  • 2 Comments
News
In what many saw as a shock, veteran Disney animator Glen Keane, one of the so-called celebrity animators from Disney’s “Second Renaissance” in the early 1990s, designing and animating immortal characters like Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” the Beast from “Beauty and the Beast,” and Aladdin from “Aladdin,” left the studio on Friday. Keane had been with the studio for almost 37 years (he briefly departed from the studio to do freelance work but was still contracted almost exclusively for Disney). In his letter of resignation (posted at Cartoon Brew), Keane said, “I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist its siren call to step out and discover them.”
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More: Glen Keane, Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures, Walt Disney

Are Disney Trying To Bail On Distributing Alex Kurtzman's 'Welcome To People'?

  • By Simon Dang
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  • February 27, 2012 9:22 AM
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  • 5 Comments
News
Producing and writing giants Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci were starting to look like one trick ponies with a steady slate of tentpole fare including the 'Transformers' and 'Star Trek' series as well as "Cowboys & Aliens." But last year saw the duo delve into adult drama with "Welcome To People," a film co-written by Kurtzman, Orci and Jody Lambert, that also marks Kurtzmann's directorial debut. Shot early last year, we had even named it as a potential awards season dark horse contender, however, that never came to pass.
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More: Alex Kurtzman, Welcome To People, Walt Disney, DreamWorks

Disney Lines Up Black List Script 'Saving Mr. Banks' About Making Of 'Mary Poppins'; Tom Hanks & Meryl Streep Eyed To Star

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • February 8, 2012 1:23 PM
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  • 1 Comment
News
There's been a trend of late on the Black List, of scripts that, due to various rights issues, stand little chance of ever being made. Two years ago, it was topped by "The Muppet Man," a biopic of Jim Henson, which was bought by The Henson Company in order to essentially bury it, while last year "In the Loop" scribe Jesse Armstrong penned "The Murdochs," a fictional comedy drama about Rupert Murdoch's family jockey for succession when he's diagnosed with a terminal illness -- despite the mogul's recent troubles, it's unlikely it'll ever make it before cameras. Similarly, this year saw "Chewie," a take on the making of "Star Wars" seen through the eyes of Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca, which placed highly, but has yet to be picked up by anyone.
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More: Kelly Marcel, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Meeting Mr Banks, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney

Review: 'Beauty and the Beast 3D' Is The Same Great Movie, With Some Added 3D Charm

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • January 12, 2012 4:59 PM
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  • 2 Comments
News
It's easy to forget, what with the endless string direct-to-video sequels and long-running musical and theme park omnipresence, what a big deal "Beauty and the Beast" was when it first opened in 1990. But it was. It screened at the 1991 New York Film Festival in an incomplete form (the next time they would show a movie like that was last year, with the rough-around-the-edges version of Martin Scorsese's "Hugo") to a rapturous response and became the first animated movie ever nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. It cemented that period, which began with 1989 "The Little Mermaid" and concluded (unofficially) a decade later with "Tarzan" in 1999, as the second golden age of Disney feature animation. And now it's back, with a fresh coat of 3D paint. Like this past fall's 3D presentation of "The Lion King," it's less a whole new experience than a slightly different one and the main reason for seeing it isn't the newly immersive effects but the profound awesomeness of the original movie. It still gets you.
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More: Beauty And The Beast, Walt Disney, Review

Long Lost Walt Disney Cartoon 'Hungry Hobos' Uncovered In U.K. Archive

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • November 29, 2011 10:54 AM
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  • 2 Comments
News
Before there was Mickey Mouse, there was a plucky, similarly styled character that Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. While not as widely known as Mickey Mouse, since Disney recently reacquired the rights to the character (more on that in a minute), he has been sneaking into the atmosphere (most notably appearing in last year's wonderful "Epic Mickey" Wii game) and one day should be a fully integrated member of the all-star Disney roster. And over in England, one of his very first appearances has finally been uncovered.
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More: Walt Disney

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