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Sony and Disney Partnering on 3D Blu-ray for 'Alice in Wonderland'
Filed under: Disney, Tech Stuff, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing
Did you like Tim Burton's re-conflagrated 3-D Alice in Wonderland? Yes? No? Either way, you have to admit one thing -- it looked amazing. And it'll look even more amazing on Blu-ray.As reported by Nikki Finke's Deadline blog, Walt Disney Studios has partnered with Sony to market their 3-D products, starting with Blu-ray releases of Disney's Alice and the animated comedy Bolt for the holiday season.
In flawless press-release speak, Disney's Lori MacPherson said, "We are excited to partner with Sony on 3D offerings and to offer consumers their first chance to experience one of 2010's top 3D films and the amazing spectacle of Wonderland in their very own homes."
Their innovative, comprehensive marketing concept is this -- if you buy a new 3D Bravia HDTV (retail price: $2,900-$4,699). you'll receive a copy of either Bolt or Alice in 3D (retail price: Somewhere aroung $50).
I suppose if you were planning to spend around $3,000 for a television anyway, it's a nice bonus to get a movie for free. Of course, if you have that kind of money to drop on a TV, there's something wrong with you if that's where you decide to save a few bucks.
So what do you think? Would a free Blu-ray disc tip you towards Sony's 3D television? Have you tried out the new 3D TVs and are they cool? Is starting your 3D library with a Disney film likely to make you think warm thoughts about the rest of their catalog? How effective a marketing ploy is this, anyway?
Pixar Releases Images from Canceled 'Newt' Film
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Disney, Family Films
If you, like me, closely follow any and all news on Pixar's upcoming projects, including Newt, an original project centered on romantically mismatched newts, the last of their kind. Newt was originally set as the debut feature-length debut for sound designer Gary Rydstrom (Pixar short Lifted). Pixar announced Newt two years ago with a planned 2012 release date, but pushed another Pixar project, The Bear and the Bow (retitled as Brave), ahead of Newt. Pixar didn't include Newt as part of its slate of upcoming projects this past April. A month later, an unnamed source told Entertainment Weekly that, "We have taken Newt off of our development schedule to allow our creative teams to focus on ... upcoming projects."
Official confirmation finally arrived this weekend, with concept art appearing on Disney/Pixar's Facebook page.
Here's the plot synopsis (via Slashfilm):
What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can't stand each other? Newt and Brooke embark on a perilous, unpredictable adventure and discover that finding a mate never goes as planned, even when you only have one choice. Love, it turns out, is not a science.
Join us after the jump for more concept art from Newt.
Does Marvel Intend to Whitewash 'Runaways'?
Filed under: Casting, Disney, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Almost lost in the negative reviews for M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender were the strong concerns expressed about the whitewashing of the characters, i.e. casting Caucasian actors in roles originally portrayed as Asian characters. Shortly thereafter, Marvel announced that it was moving forward with their production of Runaways, Brian K. Vaughan's teens-run-from-their-super-villain-parents comic book series (description lifted from Peter Hall in his Cinematical news roundup).When the casting call for the movie went out, Racebending noticed that Nico, a character explicitly described as Japanese-American in the series, was not specified as Asian, meaning that Asian-American actresses would be less likely to be considered for the role (as opposed to the specification for lead character Alex, noted as African-American, and the other roles, which did not specify any ethnicity). Did Marvel intend to whitewash Runaways?
Disney/Pixar Drops Out of Annie Awards Following Voting Controversy
Filed under: Awards, Disney, Dreamworks, Politics
Disney and Pixar have shaken up the animation community today with the announcement that they will no longer be participating in ASIFA's annual Annie Awards -- arguably one of the most prestigious awards for animated films. Citing concerns over how the event is judged, Disney has pulled out of not only presenting their films for consideration, but from the organization completely. The company has sponsored the event since its inception back in 1972."After more than a year of discussions with the ASIFA board, we have regretfully decided to withdraw from the organization and no longer participate in the annual Annie Awards," said Disney-Pixar president Ed Catmull. He continued, "We believe there is an issue with the way the Annies are judged, and have been seeking a mutually agreeable solution with the board. Although some initial steps have been taken, the board informed us that no further changes would be made to address our concerns."
Hit the jump to find out what has Disney so steamed.
Marvel Digs Deep, Hires 'xXx' Screenwriter for 'Iron Fist'
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Disney, Comic/Superhero/Geek
With their A-list characters and, arguably, B-list characters already on screen or tied up with other movie studios, Marvel Studios and parent company Disney aim to bring some of their lesser known superheroes to audiences eager to see more of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Deadline reports that Marvel Studios, digging deep into their roster of superhero characters (5,000 at last count), has hired xXx screenwriter Rich Wilkes to bring Iron Fist, Marvel Comics' green-and-yellow clad martial arts superhero, to the big screen.Iron Fist first appeared in 1974 in Marvel Premiere #15, the creation of writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane. Marvel's editors, presumably including Stan Lee, wanted to cash-in on the then-current martial arts craze initiated by Bruce Lee and his many imitators earlier that decade, making a mystically powered, martial arts superhero inevitable. Borrowing a few elements from the Bruce Wayne/Batman mythos, they made the man behind the Iron Fist mask, Danny Rand, the son of a wealthy American entrepreneur, Wendell Rand. As a young man, Wendell discovered the mystical city of K'un-L'un (Shangri-La but with martial arts). There he saved the life of K'un-L'un's ruler, Lord Tuan, but eventually returned to the United States where he married and fathered Danny.
Hayao Miyazaki is Planning His First Sequel
Filed under: Animation, Foreign Language, Disney, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, War
Even the most original filmmakers in the world are resorting to sequels these days. With Pixar preparing follow-ups to many of its favorite titles, now one of John Lasseter's biggest idols is joining in the fun of revisiting the past. According to a Japanese interview translated by the Studio Ghibli lovers at Nausicaa.net, legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki is following up his recent fairy tale Ponyo with a sequel to his 1992 effort, one of his least fantastical, Porco Rosso. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it will be titled Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie (thanks Miyazaki for making me learn military vocabulary) and other than that the Oscar-winning filmmaker just says that it "should be interesting."One thing I find interesting already about the choice is that Porco Rosso is by far Miyazaki's least-popular (read: least-seen) film of the past 25 years. It's typically more common for someone to return to a film that has a lot of fans or at least made a lot of money. Even I would prefer another go at the world of My Neighbor Totoro (hopefully gaining new fans through its Toy Story 3 tribute), for instance. But the good thing is this should make more people go and rent Porco, which is an exciting animated action-adventure about an ace Italian pilot-turned bounty hunter with the face of a pig. It also, to Disney's delight I'm sure (they distribute his films in the U.S.), has more potential to appeal to boys than many of Miyazaki's films before or since, which tend to have female protagonists.
Review: Tales From Earthsea
Filed under: Animation, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Releases, Disney, Theatrical Reviews, New in Theaters
It's interesting to discover that Tales From Earthsea, the latest Studio Ghibli title to be distributed by Disney, was originally released in 2006. Especially since it seems like in four years, someone could have found a way to make its story a little more interesting. (But then again, maybe that's why it took four years to get shown in the States.)
Operating enthusiastically on the liberal side of the divide between casual viewers of Japanese animation and diehard anime (and more specifically, Miyazaki) fans, Tales From Earthsea is every bit as beautiful and well-rendered as its predecessors. But its pastoral, unhurried approach to adapting Ursula K. Le Guin's final two novels in the Earthsea series feels about as exciting as if Peter Jackson had decided to shoot the Lord of the Rings trilogy from the point of view of the tree people, the Ents, only to smash cut to the action at Mordor at the last minute in order to provide a too-late dramatic payoff to their glacial indecision.
Film Studios Enjoy Playing (Video) Games
Filed under: Disney, Warner Brothers, Tech Stuff, Distribution, Exhibition, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Games and Game Movies, Movie Games
As videogames continue to become a more prominent part of how we spend our leisure time, Hollywood has finally decided its time to get in on the action. This isn't a particularly new thing -- there have been games based on movie properties and movies based on game characters for quite some time now, but the more recent paradigm shift involves studios getting into the business of producing games themselves. An article in the weekend edition of Variety highlights how two film giants -- Disney and Warner Bros. -- are going into the industry full force, but in slightly different ways. Maybe this means we'll actually get a good movie based on a game at some point ...
In the old days, studios would license the rights to make games based on their films and characters to a third party developer. Said developers would then churn out some craptastic experience and everyone would make money based solely on the license. The list of examples is way too long to share here, but it was (and still is in some instances) a very common practice. What's changed now is that the studios have decided to take control of their own properties by buying up developers and creating their own game studios. This can still lead to bad games (because I remain thoroughly unconvinced that Hollywood executives understand what makes a good game ... ), but now the giant studios have complete control over what happens to the characters and therefore can make even more money.
Hit the jump for more on how Disney and Warner Bros. are courting gamers.
'Toy Story 3' Becomes Highest Grossing Animated Film of All Time
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Disney, Box Office, Family Films
At the close of this weekend, Pixar Animation's 11th feature-length film (and the future 2010 Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Film), Toy Story 3, will be become not just Pixar's highest grossing film (that record fell earlier last week), but the top grossing animated film of all time (as in since the "dawn of..."), beating DreamWorks Animation's Shrek 2, which held the record for six years. That number includes domestic box-office grosses (Toy Story 3 will pass $400 million this weekend) and international numbers rolled up into a $920 million total. Toy Story 3 is only the second Disney film to cross the $400 million barrier domestically (Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest crossed that mark four years ago). It's certainly an accomplishment worth noting, even lauding, especially as one of the most lackluster summers in recent memory comes to a merciful close, but it's also worth mentioning that the $920 million (and counting) number includes premium pricing for 3D and, in general, higher ticket prices. Finding Nemo, Pixar's 2003 animation entry and an Academy Award winner, finished its impressive run with $868 million without the benefit of higher prices or the 3D premium. Finding Nemo's numbers, like 2004's Shrek 2, are unadjusted for inflation, making Toy Story 3's record-breaking achievement slightly less impressive.
Interview: 'Tron' Creator Steven Lisberger
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Disney, Fandom, Interviews, Comic/Superhero/Geek, ComicCon
I'd like to say that my obsession with Tron started with test footage for Tron: Legacy that debuted at Comic-Con three years ago. (For some reason, that seems vaguely reasonable for an otherwise well-adjusted film critic/ entertainment journalist.) But the truth is that I have been a fan of Tron since some time in the early 1980s, when its oversized white Disney clamshell box stared back at me from a video-store shelf, promising a weird, unforgettable journey behind (and beyond) the screen of my favorite video games. Perhaps needless to say, a chance encounter with Tron creator Steven Lisberger via a mutual friend – a year or so before the follow-up was announced – ranked high among my favorite moments of personal fandom, at least until I was able to go to the actual set of Legacy and interview him at length.
Cinematical was offered the chance to speak with Lisberger again at this year's Comic-Con, and I was only too happy to take that particular assignment. In addition to talking about his role as "the Obi Wan" of Tron: Legacy, the talented Tron creator reflected on the opportunities and repercussions of creating this digital world, and most excitingly, revealed one particular part of the original he is happy to see more fully realized in its forthcoming follow-up.
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