Tag Archives: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Disney’s first Polynesian princess is ‘Moana’

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Looks like Disney’s got another winner up its sleeve! Following Zootopia, Big Hero 6, and Frozen is Moana, the first Disney film to star a Polynesian princess. 16-year-old Moana, voiced by newcomer Auli’i Cravalho, is about to embark on an exciting adventure of self-discovery across the vast Pacific. The official logline reads:

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.

This is merely a teaser trailer, and it already looks and sounds great. Moana is directed by the filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker, the same duo behind such Disney classics as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Original music and score is provided by Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina (The Lion King), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). The song featured here sounds a little familiar, does it not?

Can’t wait to see more from this project. Moana splashes into theatres November 23, Thanksgiving Day. Continue reading Disney’s first Polynesian princess is ‘Moana’ →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Zoolander 2,’ Now You See Me 2,’ Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ & the stunning ‘Little Prince’ [Update: ‘Batman v Superman’]

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Tensions rise as the world governments demand accountability for our heroes’ actions in the first trailer above, pitting friend against friend.

Friend #1? Captain America. Friend #2? Oh, that’s Iron Man.

In Marvel’s third Cap movie, it’s Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) versus Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) as the superheroes take sides in a Civil War of epic proportions. In Age of Ultron, the Avengers inadvertently made quite the mess and killed innocent bystanders in their quest to destroy Stark’s rogue artificial intelligence. Captain America: Civil War picks up shortly thereafter at a time when the government is forming a system of accountability in regards to calling in the Avengers for combative assistance. Stark takes sides with the politicians as he believes in strong government regulation of his rag-tag team of heroes. Rogers, meanwhile, is not a fan and therein lies the fracturing of former friends.

Civil War almost feels like a third Avengers movie. In addition to the usual Cap supporting players like the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Crossbones (Frank Grillo), Civil War also features lots of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and of course Iron Man (Downey, Jr.). Making his debut here is Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, and everyone’s anticipating Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point.

Captain America: Civil War is out May 6, 2016. Pop into the gallery below to see some shiny theatrical posters featuring Cap and Iron Man duking it out.

Jump after the break to view more trailers.

Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Zoolander 2,’ Now You See Me 2,’ Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ & the stunning ‘Little Prince’ [Update: ‘Batman v Superman’] →

Movie trailer roundup: Disney’s ‘Frozen’ & Aaron Paul in ‘Need For Speed’

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It looks like Walt Disney Animation Studios has another winner on its hands. The followup to Wreck-It Ralph is Frozen and ironically enough it’s going to be warm-hearted tale of adventure and lots of laughter. Like the teaser before it, this full-length trailer is brimming with laugh-out-loud jokes and much charm.

Here’s a refresher: Frozen is described as “a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.”

Frozen hits theatres in 3D this November 27.

Jump after the break for a first-look at Dreamworks’ Need For Speed. Continue reading Movie trailer roundup: Disney’s ‘Frozen’ & Aaron Paul in ‘Need For Speed’ →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Anchorman 2’, ‘The LEGO Movie’, Disney’s ‘Frozen’, ‘Jobs’ & ‘Kick-Ass 2’

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No more teasers! It’s time to watch the first Anchorman 2 trailer brimming with new footage from the upcoming sequel. Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Christina Applegate reprise their roles as Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland, Champ Kind, and Veronica Corningstone in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. With the ’70s behind them, the Channel 4 news team reunites to take on New York’s first 24-hour news channel. Kristen Wiig and James Marsden join the all-star cast. Burgundy returns in the Adam McKay-directed sequel December 20. A hairy, unmistakable poster hangs after the break.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Anchorman 2’, ‘The LEGO Movie’, Disney’s ‘Frozen’, ‘Jobs’ & ‘Kick-Ass 2’ →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Ender’s Game’, ‘The World’s End’, ‘Captain Phillips’ & ‘Big Hero 6’

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70 years after a horrific alien war, an unusually gifted child is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future invasion.

That is the most concise synopsis you’ll find of the upcoming film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s 1985 science fiction novel Ender’s Game. Written and directed by Gavin Hood, Ender’s Game stars Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as the film’s child protagonist Ender Wiggin, Harrison Ford is Colonel Graff, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) is Valentine Wiggin, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is Petra Arkanian, Viola Davis (The Help) is Major Anderson, and Sir Ben Kingsley is Mazer Rackham. There are many who thought a film adaptation of this sci-fi classic couldn’t be done, but take a look for yourself in the premiere trailer embedded above; as a big fan of the book I’m excited to see more. Are you?

Ender’s Game hits theatres November 1.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Ender’s Game’, ‘The World’s End’, ‘Captain Phillips’ & ‘Big Hero 6’ →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Wreck-It Ralph’, ‘Flight’ & Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’

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From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes what looks to be the next best video game movie in recent memory following Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Wreck-It Ralph brings together the voices of John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, and Sarah Silverman to tell a story about a video game villain who wants to turn good. Here’s a nice brief synopsis for you:

Wreck-It Ralph (voice of Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (voice of McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidently unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

The animated, ingenious tale is directed by Rich Moore who previously worked on cartoons The Simpsons and Futurama. Watch the teaser trailer above and I guarantee you’ll be hooked. If that support group scene featuring classic video game baddies such as Doctor Robotnik and Bowser from the Sonic and Mario franchises, respectively, doesn’t brighten your day…

Wreck-It Ralph is out November 2.

Jump after the break for more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Wreck-It Ralph’, ‘Flight’ & Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ →