Thompson on Hollywood

Immersed in Movies: Disney Gets Subversive with 'Wreck-It Ralph'

Features

Disney's definitely back with "Wreck-It Ralph" (opening November 2). In fact, this unexpectedly witty and inventive videogame comedy/adventure is the surprise of the animation season and the Oscar wild card, although I haven't yet seen DreamWorks' "Rise of the Guardians," which also looks creatively bold and will likely be a major contender.

By Bill Desowitz
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October 26, 2012 4:28 PM
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'Mary Poppins' Origin Story 'Saving Mr. Banks,' Shooting with Hanks as Disney, Joins Backstage Hollywood Trend

News

Production on Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks," yet another behind-the-scenes Hollywood movie (see "Hitchcock," "The Girl," "My Week with Marilyn"), was well under way in Los Angeles last week when the news broke that scribe Kelly Marcel landed the coveted gig to adapt E.L. James erotic bestseller "Fifty Shades of Grey." This was not in Disney's marketing plan.

By Anne Thompson
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October 12, 2012 2:21 PM
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Watch: Johnny Depp in Eye Liner in 'The Lone Ranger' Trailer

Video

One glance at this trailer for "The Lone Ranger" (July 3, 2013) and there's no need to announce that the remake comes from the filmmaking team behind "Pirates of the Caribbean." Per usual these days, Johnny Depp is in heavy character makeup as the brave and brilliant fool to his stalwart fair-haired companion (Armie Hammer).

By Maggie Lange
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October 3, 2012 11:32 AM
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Marketing Watch: 'Frankenweenie' E-Book Free on iTunes

News

Disney's promo materials on Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie" have been innovative and choice. Their latest offering is a content-rich e-book tie-in. "Frankenweenie: An Electrifying Book" provides a behind-the-scenes examination of the world of the original 1984 short film that inspired the upcoming feature length production. Here's our "Fantastic Fest" review of "Frankenweenie"; latest clips and featurette are here.

By Maggie Lange
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September 24, 2012 12:15 PM
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Fantastic Fest Review: With ‘Frankenweenie,' Tim Burton Revives Pet Project, Returns to Form

Reviews

"Frankenweenie" is probably Tim Burton’s best film in almost a decade, but that’s not much of a compliment. With his last five films, the filmmaker responsible for some of the most fun, mischievous and magical cinema of the past 25 years has settled into a disappointing routine of utterly safe “weirdness.”

By Todd Gilchrist
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September 20, 2012 10:18 PM
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Universal Preps for Change, from Meyer's Upstairs Move to Courting DreamWorks' Snider and Spielberg

Features

Changes are under way at Universal Studios. And the LAT's revelation that studio president Ron Meyer will be heading into an advisory role at NBCUniversal prior to his retirement paves the way for new leadership. The longest- running studio chief in Hollywood has arranged his own graceful exit.

By Anne Thompson
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August 9, 2012 3:53 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Previewing Disney's Animated 'Wreck-It Ralph'

Interviews

I got a 25-minute glimpse this week of Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph," the wacky comedy that takes place inside the world of video games coming November 2. Funny and inventive with enough iconic cameos to put a smile on the face of gamers, it's more "Alice in Wonderland" than "Tron"...

By Bill Desowitz
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August 2, 2012 3:03 PM
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Disney Screens 'Finding Nemo' in 3-D for Olympic Swim Team; Hits Theaters September 14, Followed by Blu-Ray

News

"While the blogosphere rips apart Pixar for selling out for earmarking a "Finding Nemo" sequel for humbled writer-director Andrew Stanton's return to filmmaking--which is absurd, as Pixar can be counted on to produce better sequels than most, i.e. "Toy Story" 2 and 3--I will be sitting in a theater on September 14 to see the 3-D version of "Nemo."

By Anne Thompson
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July 20, 2012 7:28 PM
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First Poster for Sam Raimi's 'Oz The Great and Powerful'

News

Sam Raimi's "Oz The Great and Powerful" releases its first poster, complete with ominous tornadoes. The Disney film, which re-imagines L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz character before he was great and powerful...

By Sophia Savage
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July 4, 2012 1:31 PM
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Weekend Box Office: 'Avengers' Joins $1 Billion Club After 19 Days UPDATED

Box Office

Disney’s “The Avengers” boasted the biggest second weekend in box office history with a stunning $103.2 million, down a mild 50% from its debut and bringing the 10 day cume for the Marvel Studios film to an unprecedented $373.2 million domestic and $628.9 million internationally.