D23 2015 Overview: The Good, The Bad, and the Inbetween.

I know this was last weekend, but I wanted to take time to go over this year's D23 convention. I'm going to divide it into three areas. Movies that nailed it, didn't do enough, and in-between.

Lets' start with the major convention winners:

Star Wars

Certainly much more of a presence here this time than 2 years ago, Lucasfilm was given a major portion of the presentation. But what wowed fans wasn't the film news, but the announcement Disney would be giving 14 acres at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios to a Star Wars Land was definitely exciting. We might not see it open for a while, but its a cool announcement.

In addition to that, J.J. Abrams revealed an exclusive poster by the original artist of the Star Wars movies, Drew Struzan. While the poster wasn't anything groundbreaking, it more or less provided a homage to what came before it. In my opinion, I think that is a very smart move.

The cast members for The Force Awakens (Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita N'yongo and Harrison Ford in a surprise appearance) came out on stage and excited all fans in the audience.









The other major announcement during this part of the live-action panel was that Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) would be directing Episode IX, the concluding chapter of this trilogy set for sometime in 2019. Trevorrow joins an increasingly strong list of directorial talent, including Abrams, Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), Rian Johnson (Looper) and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) to helm movies in this new trilogy of movies (this also includes spin-offs). If only now Brad Bird could get the last remaining directorial job in the saga (the third and final anthology spin-off). Please?

The Jungle Book

Thanks to a trailer and poster reveal and appearances by 3 cast members (Ben Kingsley, Lupita N'yongo [again] and Neel Sethi), Disney's next live-action adaptation of one of their animated classics earned a standing ovation at the end of its part of the presentation. It has a strong talent behind the camera as well, with Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man and Zathura) at the helm. Earning a lot of buzz for this, Jungle Book could very well turn into a strong hit when it debuts April 16, 2016. I'm definitely seeing this opening weekend, and if the trailer's as great as the audience believes it is, it could make my Top 10 most-anticipated list.










Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales

Filming just finished for the July 2017 release. But, while there was no footage, this turned into a winner thanks to two major factors. One, new Disney Legend inductee Johnny Depp appeared in character (Jack Sparrow) to talk for a few minutes. Two, Disney confirmed the return of Orlando Bloom as Will Turner. Audiences went crazy. Look for this to make huge waves starting when its first trailer launches, likely sometime in summer 2016. I'm not a huge Pirates fan, but I may end up seeing it if critics (and my friends) like it.


Gigantic

The major reveal of the animation panel was the announcement of the Jack and the Beanstalk adaptation, Gigantic, set for release sometime in 2018. Disney Animation has Nathan Greno (one of the directors of Tangled) set to direct, with Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen, Winnie the Pooh) set to do the songs. The Lopezs came out on stage and sang one song (which I wish they would have posted on YouTube so I could have heard it). A concept art was released, revealing a Hispanic take on the tale, showing Disney's growth in terms of having ethnically-diverse characters.


Moana

Disney's next fairy tale, a Polynesian-set tale, earned lots of buzz. Directors John Musker and Ron Clements (who directed The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and The Princess and the Frog) debuted some footage, which earned strong applause. The musical team was announced, which included Tony-winner Lin Manuel-Miranda and frontman for the island band Te Vaka, Opetaia Foa'i, as well as the film's composer, Mark Mancina. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who voices Maui in the film, made an appearance.

While I wish Randy Newman or Alan Menken could have been a part of this production (and I also wish the voice for Moana herself was announced), I am intrigued about the idea of trying new musicians. The feel of this movie so far reminds me of Lilo and Stitch mixed with Hercules, which could prove a winning combination when Thanksgiving 2016 arrives. This is definitely a strong shot for my Top 10 anticipated list for 2016.


Finding Dory

Finding Dory was Pixar's main attraction, thanks to appearances from Ellen De'Generes, as well as other voice talent announced for the movie (Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell and Kaitlin Olson), and some footage, made this another big winner during the presentation. A new voice actor (Hayden Rolence) was announced for Nemo, as Alexander Gould is too old for the part. I can't be more excited for this movie, as Finding Dory stands a strong chance at being my most anticipated-movie of 2016. Lets just hope its as good as the first one, even 13 years later.


Now the ones that were down the middle:


Alice Through the Looking Glass


This was really close to a winner, but the one thing that tripped it up was that there wasn't much revealed. The cast was talked about, and Mia Wasikowska (Alice) did appear (but Johnny Depp didn't, probably due to his make-up on Jack Sparrow taking quite a bit of time). In the end, audience reception was only decent, though there were some elaborate costumes on display. This stands a good chance at making my Top 10 anticipated list for 2016, but considering the mixed audience reception for the first Alice, I'm not sure about commercial prospects (it opens Memorial Day Weekend).










Pete's Dragon

Not much was revealed here either. The cast was mentioned, and there was a brief tease at some of the characters (but the dragon wasn't shown apparently). Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World) came out on stage to talk about the film some. Pete's Dragon isn't very well-known by Disney standards, as the 1977 original film was only a mild success and had mixed critical reception. Opening in August, it could either be a major late-summer hit (no superhero films will help), or could misfire (especially considering its the third live-action fairy tale [of sorts] Disney is releasing that year). I am interested in seeing what its' like, however.


Captain America: Civil War

Marvel's presentation was shorter than both Disney and Lucasfilm, as they only talked about two films. Civil War had a trailer reveal that wowed fans, but out of the film's ensemble cast, only Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie appeared. Now those facts alone would be enough to make it a winner, but here's the thing. The trailer didn't include Spider-Man (according to various reports), and didn't reveal much beyond what's already known thanks to internet leaks. Hopefully the trailer shown will be released soon, because this is already a contender for my Top 10 anticipated list for 2016.


Zootopia

Byron Howard and Rich Moore (directors of Bolt and Wreck-it Ralph, respectively) came out on stage, as did the voice of Judy Hopps, Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time). There was a clip for the movie shown, which made audiences chuckle. There was one reveal, but it was one that I'm not very excited about. Pop singer Shakira will be lending a voice and singing a song called "Try Anything". Shakira did act in Wizards of Waverly Place, but I don't know if she would fit in a Disney animated movie (though Miley Cyrus was in Bolt, to be fair). This is still something I will see, as it approaches its March 4, 2016 release.


Toy Story 4

The lone movie of the bunch of ones teased that I'm not sure should be made. The Toy Story franchise ended right with the 3rd movie. However, on the positive side, John Lasseter is directing, and Randy Newman is returning to score (he sang "You Got a Friend in Me" to close the animation panel). However, the story (which is more of a romance than a continuation of the previous films) isn't showing to be engaging so far. Lets hope the overall film is better than it sounds when it releases in June 2017.


The Good Dinosaur

Opening the closest to the D23 expo (November 25), The Good Dinosaur has had a troubled production history, and may be Pixar's riskiest bet yet (it was supposed to launch last summer, before getting moved due to Bob Peterson being fired). There was some footage revealed, but no cast members appeared on stage. I honestly thought the trailer released a couple of weeks back was more exciting.


Doctor Strange

Filming hasn't started for this one yet, which is currently slated for November 4, 2016. Marvel's second entry in their third phase of their cinematic universe did have a slideshow of concept art. Meanwhile, star Benedict Cumberbatch appeared via Skype to talk briefly about the film. I would have liked maybe the director appearing, but again, there wasn't a lot that Marvel could reveal. More info on future Phase 3 movies (Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Thor: Ragnarok) would have also been nice.


And now the movies that didn't really score.


Beauty and the Beast

It saddens me, because this is already an early strong favorite for me in 2017. But there wasn't anything revealed. There were a couple of cast videos, and a highlight of the cast in the movie, but there was really no footage revealed (save for a shot of Emma Watson as Belle in a sizzle reel, which wasn't released to the general public). However, I should note that since filming just finished, that I don't believe Disney would have anything ready for D23 quite yet. March 2017 can't come soon enough (it opens just over 25 years since the animated movie launched). I remain excited for Alan Menken returning to score, as well as new songs with Tim Rice.


Rogue One

The Star Wars panel was mostly winning, with one exception. The only thing revealed about the spin-off Rogue One was a cast photo. In addition to that, Disney didn't reveal anything major about the film until a press release came out after the convention. Also, what's with calling it "A Star Wars Story?" I think Anthology would fit the feel of the Star Wars movies better. But its the major release of Christmas 2016, which should point towards more strong grosses.


Coco

Pixar's major reveal, their long-in-development "Mexican Day of the Dead" tale, Coco, suffered from having too short of a section. Director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) did talk about the film a little bit, and there was one short clip revealed. However, based on early shots released, this feels too similar to another animated movie that came out recently, The Book of Life. That movie was a pretty decent, fun and colorful flick that got very good reviews. But, on the positive end, I am glad Pixar talked about another original flick to balance out the sequels. Coco was announced for a Thanksgiving 2017 release shortly following the convention.


The Finest Hours

The movie that opened the live-action panel didn't have anything to reveal either. There already has been a trailer, as well as the cast announced. Chris Pine made a brief appearance on stage, but there was no footage. The January 29 release was originally scheduled for October of this year to take advantage of awards season. However, I'm still looking forward to it.


The Queen of Katwe

Based on a true story, Disney announced this flick along with its director and two stars (Lupita Nyong'o, for the third time in the convention, and David Oyelewo from Selma). Katwe didn't have a long segment, and generated the least amount of overall buzz from the D23 panel. Nyong'o did return to the stage for a minute to talk about the film. But no release date was announced nor footage was released, which was disappointing.

In addition to that, there was nothing talked about concerning the Steven Spielberg-directed The BFG, which is set for next July. No Disneynature films were announced. And despite releasing posters, Pixar never talked The Incredibles 2 or (an apparent) Cars 3. Disney Animation wouldn't release details on Frozen 2, only stating, they are "hard at work on a sequel". But, that one probably wasn't in production enough to really be talked about anyway (my educated guess is that it will probably follow Gigantic).

Spider-Man's Future: Tug-of-War Between Marvel and Sony.

I have made quite a few posts about superhero movies in the past. Late last year, there were posts about the expanding Marvel and DC Universes. In addition to that, we had heard additional movies for the X-Men as well as Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. Well, some more interesting headline news appeared online earlier this week.

Sony and Marvel struck a deal that would have the character allowed to make appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies (Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man). For those who are confused, Sony owned the film rights to the character Spider-Man, which meant he wasn't allow to appear in other studios' movies (Marvel was first partnered with Paramount, before being acquired by Disney in 2009).

Also in this deal, we will be getting another Spider-Man movie soon, but instead of Amazing Spider-Man 3, the franchise will be re-started....again. Marvel's Kevin Feige (producer of Avengers and other movies in the MCU) will produce along with former Sony exec Amy Pascal (who served as a producer on the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, as well as the Marc Webb-Andrew Garfield Amazing Spider-Man movies). Sony will continue to hold distribution rights for solo Spider-Man movies and any other title related to the character (they remain in development on a Sinister Six and Venom movies).

The new movie (currently untitled), is set for July 28, 2017. To make room, Marvel moved Thor: Ragnarok back to November 2017, Black Panther to May 2018, Captain Marvel to November 2018 and Inhumans (appearing on Agents of SHIELD this Spring) to March 2019. Unaffected by this scheduling announcement are the two-part Avengers: Infinity War, both still set for May 2018 and May 2019, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy 2, still set for May 2017.

On a positive end, I like the idea of Spider-Man getting more appearances in other superhero movies. While Sony will now be more of a cooperative arm than a competitor, the webslinger will make a nice, interesting fit into upcoming Marvel movies. He won't appear in Age of Ultron in May or Ant-Man in July, but many sources are reporting a possible Peter Parker appearance in Captain America: Civil War in May 2016 to possibly pave the way for that new movie. I also like the idea of getting another movie sooner rather than later.

On the downside, however, while the deal is beneficial for the franchise and the currently in hack-rehab Sony, it means The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is ending...on a cliffhanger? (what happens after [spoiler alert!] Gwen's death?) That just doesn't feel right. The second movie apparently was given disappointing reception from both critics and fans. But I strongly disagree with those other people. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the first superhero movie ever to make my Top 10 yearly list (at #10 for 2014), and was exciting and twist-filled. I also thought the multitude of villains only made the story more interesting.

But, I'm probably in a very small boat. Box office also fell to an all-time low for a Spider-Man movie (though $700 million worldwide is respectable at least [the first three movies did end up pulling in around $1 billion each, when adjusted for inflation]). That being said, I wish they could have continued the Andrew Garfield story for at least a little bit longer. It was starting to get more fun than the Tobey Maguire story.

But alas, nothing I can do now. Sony made the deal to try to help Spider-Man live up to the heights of Avengers and The Dark Knight. And so, its not an overall bad idea. But, one has to wonder how things will be over when the script is written for the new movie? Will it be another origins story? Or will we see a different type of Spider-Man? And, will Sony and Marvel clash on different approaches? According to the deal, Marvel will help in advising and writing the solo movies, but Sony has final word. The Marvel movies are between cartoonish fun and mature sensibility, as well as a minorly edgy silver lining. Meanwhile, Sony has given the Spider-Man movies more of a cartoonish and faithful to the comic book-style treatment. It could be, as my title of the post says, quite the tug-of-war.

As for who could take Garfield's place as the guy in the Spandex suit, right now, rumors are flying everywhere. A lot of sources are reporting the front-runners to be Logan Lerman (title character from Percy Jackson movies) and Dylan O'Brien (lead character from The Maze Runner). Other names tossed around include Freddie Highmore, Zac Efron (High School Musical), Donald Glover, and Daniel Radcliffe (title character from Harry Potter movies).

Weekly Blogging: DreamWorks Animation Has Another Round of Lay-Offs, Cuts Production, Redoes Schedule...

With so much competition, its hard to have consistent success. And even with Pixar, Illumination and Sony sitting out the animation race in 2014, DreamWorks Animation just can't seem to catch a break. The former "Pixar's main competitor" is now not so much. Thanks to 4 of their last 5 movies under-performing, the high-quality studio has reorganized their schedule, in addition to laying off 500 employees.

Originally, there were set to be 12 movies debuting between now and December 18. Now, that's been trimmed to 7. Some are surviving and will remain in production, while some have been put back in development or possibly cancelled.

Rumors of major changes at the studio started when 2013's 3-picture line-up turned into just 2 at the end of 2012. Since then, Rise of the Guardians caused the studio a $87 million write-down after only earning just over $100 million domestically. Turbo hit a low for the studio, in the face of opening in the middle of a animated movie-filled summer, pulling in just $83 million. Amazingly, the home entertainment division pulled in enough to keep the write-down at a lighter $13.5 million. Then came Mr. Peabody and Sherman. which earned just over $110 million, but overseas grosses were disappointing. Another $57 million write-down.

Penguins of Madagascar opened over Thanksgiving to disappointing numbers, and is set to close at the same level as Turbo ($82-$85 million). However, overseas numbers are strong, and with some markets left, it seems likely to finish near or just over $400 million worldwide. In the end, the spin-off, while falling far from the previous Madagascar movies, may end up breaking even.

The studio hasn't always had misfires in the last couple years. The Croods was a huge success, earning $185 million stateside and another $500 million overseas. The Chris Sanders movie also scored Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted was the biggest-grossing movie of the studio during the last 2 1/2 years. The threequel earned $215 million stateside and nearly $750 million worldwide in the face of strong competition such as Brave and Ice Age 4.

Then there's the news-maker that is How To Train Your Dragon 2 from this past summer. The movie opened disappointingly ($50 million), but held up solidly for a summer release, ending up near $180 million. That's $40 million off from the original movie, but it fares well against the previous 2 and following DreamWorks movies. Plus, it got critical acclaim (92% on Rotten Tomatoes), won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, and may take the Oscar as well (thanks to The LEGO Movie's unexpected snub, however, Big Hero 6 could still win though). Overseas grosses were terrific too, adding in nearly $450 million overseas ($620 million worldwide), ranking in line with Kung Fu Panda 2.

So, what survived and what got cancelled? Lets start with the survivors.

Kung Fu Panda 3 (March 18, 2016): This was moved back to its original 2016 date a month ago, which further boosted rumors of major change. But, considering the first two were Oscar nominees and the TV series was a success also, why would they cancel this? However, eight years between first and third movies makes some child fans of that movie almost outgrown here. Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and others return, while Rebel Wilson and Bryan Cranston join the cast.

Trolls (November 4, 2016): This is somewhat of a surprise, as it was struggling with some director and screenplay changes. This will apparently be a musical, as it is based on the Troll dolls. The cast is solid, with Anna Kendrick, Chloe Moretz and Jason Schwartzman all set. At least two of them have had singing experience (for Into the Woods and Saving Mr. Banks, respectively). Out of all upcoming DreamWorks movies, this sounds the most odd and yet intriguing.

Boss Baby (January 13, 2017): With Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin set to lend their voices, this may be interesting. Tom McGrath of the Madagascar movies as well as directing MegaMind helms this. Despite an odd release date (it may move to the Spring), the concept is somewhat reminiscent of Jimmy Neutron to a degree.

The Croods 2 (December 22, 2017): The Croods was a huge hit, so its no surprise that this sequel remained on the calendar. The first movie had amazing animation, so I'm interested in how the animation will be this time around.

Larrikins (February 16, 2018): I don't know much about this one. All I know is that its an outback-themed adventure of sorts and will be a musical involving animals.

How To Train Your Dragon 3 (June 29, 2018): Moving back another year (to give the team more time obviously to make the visuals even more extravagant), this one obviously stays from the previous movie's solid numbers and Golden Globe win. I'm interested in seeing what happens last (this is supposedly the last movie), but then again, I'm not sure (complexity can have its issues, as I've said in the past).

In the middle (kind-of unsure), we have Captain Underpants, which DreamWorks said it will be released in 2017, but it will be produced outside the official DreamWorks Animation studio. Kevin Hart is a notable voice actor on the list.

And which ones were shoved back into development and possibly cut?

B.O.O. Bureau of Otherworldly Operations: Considering it was set originally to open between Monster Trucks and Inside Out, this isn't much of a surprise. Despite some solid voice actors (Seth Rogen, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray), this just hasn't reached the finish line yet. The same could be said for Me and My Shadow, which got into production then was shelved.

Mumbai Musical: This is the biggest disappointment, in my opinion, as it had Enchanted's director Kevin Lima and lyricist Stephen Schwartz on board to write the songs. Hopefully DWA will find it a new date soon, as I was getting excited about it. It was originally set for March 2017.

Madagascar 4: This is probably due to the disappointing performance of Penguins of Madagascar. How do you expand the franchise, anyway? Especially considering when you left them off in a good place?

Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves: The first Puss in Boots wasn't a huge success domestically (though it did great overseas). I guess the studio has too many sequels in the development pipe to really focus on this right now.

Some may say I have forgotten to mention Home, which is nearly complete for a March 27 release. As of now, the film's prospects are surprisingly good, with it opening comfortably nearly two months after Spongebob and not facing much animated competition over the rest of the Spring season (Underdogs opens in April but may be more of a less-appealing choice). Plus, it has a good cast with Rhianna, Jim Parsons, Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin lending their voices to the project. Look for this to improve on DreamWorks' recent efforts.

So, is their hope for DreamWorks? I will say that this new strategy is better, especially considering that animated movies are oversaturating the market. But its not like their movies have gotten worse. The competition's just gotten better. But, while some I have looked forward to may not get their time in the spotlight, I am hopeful that things will get better for the studio.

Weekly Blogging: Analyzing Warner Bros. Ambitious Plans...

Yesterday Warner Bros. revealed their once-unknown DC Comics lineup, as well as some additional movies that make for a "six-pack" attack that is both ambitious and somewhat leaving me wondering, "who will be interested in superheroes after 2020?"

I had guessed some of the movies, and was right about some of the ones to expect. Starting with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25, 2016), the universe takes off with Suicide Squad (August 5, 2016). 2017 will officially bring Wonder Woman to her own movie (June 23) and the end of the year will bring the much-anticipated Justice League - Part One (November 17), 2018 brings The Flash (March 23) and Aquaman (July 27), while 2019 will have Shazam and Justice League - Part Two and 2020 Cyborg and a Green Lantern reboot.

In addition to that, Warner Bros. announced 3 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for releases in November 2016, 2018 and 2020. Finally, 3 LEGO movies were confirmed. Ninjago debuts September 23, 2016, LEGO Batman on May 25, 2017, and The LEGO Movie 2 the following May (delayed a year).

DC is trying to beat Marvel here. And they are pulling out all the stops. But the superhero market is becoming way too crowded. Marvel and Fox's X-Men franchise are all over the place, while Sony's Spider-Man franchise is retreating in the face of the competition. 2016 will see at least one entry from all four competing studios, as Captain America 3, X-Men: Apocalypse, Doctor Strange and The Sinister Six are all releasing in addition to the two DC flicks. 2017 and 2018 aren't looking as crowded, but they still bring two untitled Marvel movies each as well as The Fantastic Four 2 (the first is out next year) and The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

But honestly, who can keep up? I had to go to Wikipedia and look at it several times to write all this down. Superhero movies are clearly the go-to movies right now, and everyone is trying to get in on the action. And despite X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 each earning over $700 million worldwide this year, they couldn't hold a candle to that of The Dark Knight Rises or the juggernaut that was The Avengers, which earned $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion respectively.

The most surprising one here is The Flash, as that character just premiered his own TV show (a very entertaining one at that) last week. Assuming that show doesn't last very long, we have to see how the movie fares here. Shazam is confirmed to star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the titular character, while Ray Fisher will be Aquaman. And that's not everything, Warner Bros. confirms that we likely will see another solo film each for Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman by 2020. It just goes on and on and on.

If Americans aren't tired of this by 2020, then I don't know who will. The genre has got to give in at some point, despite all the excitement. As for LEGO, its' franchise is exploding faster than any animated franchise I have seen. In less than two years (September 2016 to May 2018), how in the heck are you going to make three movies to the big screen? I guess bring Peter Jackson on board (LOL).

Making more sense is J.K. Rowling's book adaptations (in fact Rowling is writing the screenplay for the first movie) spaced out in a decent 2-year timeframe per movie. Harry Potter has been one of the most successful movie franchises ever, and waiting 5 1/2 years to restart seems like the right amount of time. While the main characters probably won't be there, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them should still prove to be huge, taking over the mid-November craze from The Hunger Games movies which will end in 2015.

So, Warner Bros. may actually have solidified themselves as the studio to beat for 5 years in a row. Or have they? What does everyone else have to say about that? Only time will tell.

Weekly Blogging: Where the Snax is Pixar?! How Are They Going To Rebound?

In a lackluster summer, who is to blame? No one really. Summer 2014 has delivered 7 $200+ million grossers and 14 $100+ million grossers. But none have hit the $250 million mark and none have come close to the heights of Iron Man 3 or Despicable Me 2 from last summer (even Man of Steel's $295 million final gross may be unreachable). And the top-grossing film of the set won't be a sequel, in fact, it will be a movie that very much outperformed expectations (Guardians of the Galaxy).

Perhaps there is someone to blame in the midst of all this. Pixar. For the first time in nine years, they are sitting out a year with no movies (Illumination Entertainment and Sony Pictures Animation are also sitting out 2014). Their last movie, Monsters University, was one of the summer's biggest hits at $265 million domestically and $750 million worldwide. And Brave was also a success back in 2012, earning $235 million stateside and $540 million worldwide.

So why is one of the guaranteed summer smash studios sitting out? Despite commercial success, Pixar has struggled critically with their films. Cars 2 was their first movie in 13 years to miss the $200 million mark stateside, and also their first negatively-received movie (38% on Rotten Tomatoes despite a few high marks). Brave fared a lot better, and won the Best Animated Feature Oscar (to many's surprise though), but was one of Pixar's lowest-grossing titles internationally (at just over $300 million overseas, whereas many Pixar movies earn at least $400 million). And, in a revived fairy tale age for Disney, Brave fell far away from the critical acclaim of Frozen and Tangled.

Monsters University had very solid, but unspectacular reception from critics, and unexpectedly ended up on the outside looking in for the Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Animated Feature. That was when Pixar decided to try and regroup, as I would call it. They delayed The Good Dinosaur by a year and a half and made 2015 a year for two Pixar movies (with Oscar-winner Pete Doctor up next with Inside Out next June), sort-of a make-up for 2014.

So, how are they going to "rebound", as some would say? Well, Pixar, in my opinion, hasn't lost its luster. Brave and Monsters U were great movies, even if they fell short of the best. But, I think they need something genuinely original and interesting, instead of trying to enter a familiar field, such as fairy tales or sequels (3 of the last 4 Pixar movies have been sequels/prequels).

Luckily for animation fans, Pixar's next two movies are original before reverting back to the sequel route. And that sequel thankfully is one fans have been waiting for (Finding Dory, which I will likely be in line that Thursday night for (June 16, 2016)). Pixar also is in development on a sequel to The Incredibles as well as a third Cars. And many rumors abound for a Toy Story 4 and numerous original ideas.

Pixar's break was a wise move on their part, but not a wise move on yearly business' part.

Weekly Blogging: DC Comics Stakes Out Through 2020, "Batman V. Superman" Escapes Captain America...

My busy summer continues, so I accidentally skipped this week's predictions. But, I can talk about something. DC Comics' ambitious slate coming up, and their anticipated superhero team-up is not risking the competition.

DC Comics and Warner Bros. reserved dates between 2016 and 2020, releasing two movies a year ending in Spring 2020. This is very ambitious (especially considering those years will have two or three a year from Marvel, and Sinister Six/X-Men added to it), and it shows how literally crowded the comic book adaptation field is now.

So, what could the next six years hold for the popular comic book giant? Well, I think its safe to assume a Justice League movie releasing at least by then. Also, as what many have speculated, we might get a Wonder Woman movie, a Shazam movie, perhaps a Man of Steel sequel and more from Batman as well. Sandman, Aquaman and even Green Lantern (again) all also stand chances.

The start of all this is Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was moved up six weeks to March 25, 2016. Its original May 6 release date was then challenged by Marvel's Captain America 3, which was dated the same day. One studio was going to flinch, so its not entirely surprising this happened. No one wants the films to cannibalize each others' business.

So, is Marvel and DC's competitive plans exciting to you? Or is it too much?

Weekly Blogging: Franchise Talk - How To Train Your Dragon and Star Wars

This week, I'm going to talk about three different movie franchises. One is struggling and one in the process of making a huge return.

Lets start with the struggling one: How To Train Your Dragon. A month ago, many predicted that the highly-anticipated animated sequel would be huge, opening to the numbers of Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University, in the $80-85 million range, and easily topping 22 Jump Street in the process. But tracking served as a small warning, as buzz wasn't great by all means. Boxoffice.com predicted in the end that it would be neck-and-neck with Jump Street, with each opening to around $65 million.

But, by the time numbers came out, it turned out Dragon 2 only pulled in $50 million. Yes, that is ahead of the first film, but nowhere near the monster numbers analysts were expecting. And it had around 50% drops in the next two weeks, compared to the first films' drops of around 30% in weeks two and three. So, one has to ask, WHAT HAPPENED?!

There are many different reasons. Perhaps Fox's marketing campaign wasn't engaging enough (the first one came from Paramount). Maybe the critical acclaim wasn't enough. Maybe the Gobber controversy kept some families at home? (that's a reason that I actually would agree with) Also, the TV series has kept movie demand surprisingly low.

But its too late for DreamWorks to pull the plug here. They already are well into production on the third movie, which is set for June 2016 (though that could be delayed since DreamWorks is in a slump and it shares release dates with none other than Finding Dory). They also have the bridge, the third season of the TV series already ready to air on Netflix next year.

Yet, they shouldn't pull the plug. These films are the best-reviewed in the animation studio's history. And with an expected worldwide turn-out in line with the first film (the budget was also $25 million less this time around), this will still turn a much-needed profit for the studio after write-downs with Rise of the Guardians, Turbo and Mr. Peabody and Sherman. But, a turn-out similar to that of Kung Fu Panda 2 in comparison with the first film isn't something worth shouting about (maybe an Oscar win for Best Animated Feature with no competition from Pixar will? [though The LEGO Movie could easily snag it]).

But how do you make the next one better? First, I would stop the TV show. Give fans something to WAIT for rather than to say (oh ok, I might wait since I'm watching the show). Demand needs to be higher in order to have a successful run. Also, they shouldn't dive into controversial subjects (yes, Gobber might have subtly come out as gay, but they shouldn't explore this further) to keep some families away. Finally, they need to have more [right style of] comedy and more cutesy dragons (and emphasize it in the marketing) to bring in younger children without possibly scaring them.

I enjoyed How To Train Your Dragon 2 (you can read the review in the "Movie Reviews" section) enough to own eventually, but some of these complex issues did bother me a little. So, if they want me to come back for a third movie, they need not be so complex and yet, much more in demand than usual.

Now its on to the franchise everyone's clamoring to return: Star Wars. Headlines were made last year when J.J. Abrams was signed on to direct Star Wars: Episode VII, set for December 2015. And since the franchise is one of the biggest in history, why not continue to add onto it? Disney certainly took an opportunity after buying Lucasfilm a couple years back. Episodes VII-IX will serve as a sequel trilogy, taking place years after the events of Return of the Jedi. In addition to that, we're getting spin-off, stand-alone films, the first one being directed by Gareth Edwards (the recent Godzilla) for a December 2016 release date. Josh Trank (director of Chronicle and the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot) will tackle a second spin-off, presumably aiming for 2018 (Episode VIII might arrive in 2017).

Yes, this is all mind-boggling information. I'm not a huge fan of Star Wars so I haven't watched all of them (but I might before this continuation kicks off). But, the fact Disney is bringing it back is going to make some fans wait to see if they either do George Lucas justice or ruin the franchise's legacy. I think Abrams is a great choice for a director, as he has some experience with the Star Trek franchise (a third movie is on the way from a different director in 2016 or 2017). And based on filming images so far, things are looking pretty darn impressive. But, can it open to record heights?

It all depends on how trailers are received as well as how buzz mounts up. If the marketing successfully builds excitement, then it looks as if we might see records shatter. But, its all a long ways off, so I can't tell for sure. And opening in the same year as Avengers: Age of Ultron? Some moviegoers that stick to one movie a year (for instance) may not want to come back again before the start of the next year. But opening in December (like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings before it) will serve it well throughout the holidays and January (if it gets good word-of-mouth).

As for the spin-offs, I don't think franchises should crowd the marketplace too much. Marvel and DC are looking to perhaps over-crowd their own slates, so why should Lucasfilm? There could be some cannibalizing between films if audiences can't do more than one film at once. Again, its all in due time. But grabbing Trank and Edwards are again, great choices, given their resumes. But who will tackle Episode VIII and IX? Will Abrams stay on? Or will they go for big names such as Steven Spielberg? Bryan Singer? Perhaps Gore Verbinski? Or new to live-action/mainstream filmmakers such as Brad Bird? Could Kathleen Kennedy possibly direct her first film? I don't know what to say on the issue, but there's a lot going for this franchise and the news will only become more expansive between now and Episode VII's release date.

Weekly Blogging: "G.I. Joe" and "Enchanted" Sequels Finally Getting Off the Ground(?), "Into the Woods" Controversy...

This week, I'm going to discuss a recent story and a story that has been around for a couple weeks. First up, some sequel news.

It was confirmed Tuesday that Disney had hired new writers for the sequel to their 2007 hit Enchanted. The first movie, while not as successful as Tangled or Frozen, was still a critical success and earned three Best Song nominations at the 2008 Oscars. But, is this really moving forward? In 2010, Disney had confirmed they were moving forward with a sequel but never made any additional announcements until now. Guess the stunning success of Idina Menzel (who played Nancy in the first film and Elsa in Frozen) reinvigorated interest somehow. But, Enchanted isn't Menzel's movie, its' Amy Adams. And her starpower has gone up over the last few years as well. It won't be easy bringing the cast back together, but fingers crossed they'll have something up their sleeves soon. Anne Fletcher (The Proposal and The Guilt Trip) is directing.

More along in progress is a third G.I. Joe film, which Paramount is aiming for 2016. Jon Chu isn't returning to direct, but as far as I know, the cast may be interested in a third run. Retaliation retained majority of Rise of Cobra's domestic gross, while doing much more worldwide ($400 million). They got new scriptwriters as well recently.

Now onto a movie who hasn't had a trailer yet (surprisingly, and hopefully soon). Disney's highly-anticipated adaptation of Into the Woods, which is releasing Christmas Day. Boasting huge names such as Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick, the musical adaptation came under fire for possible script changes by the Mouse House. The musical, which contains some sexual innuendo, originally was edited for a more family-friendly audience. At least according to the musical's creator Stephen Sondheim, who said to some teachers that Disney wanted changes.

But, another story came up a few days later with Sondheim stating that "no such changes" were made. This is both good and bad news. While being true to original source material is a good things, betraying some of Disney's usually offensive content-free material might be the riskiest move yet. It also will turn off some families at the box office. Hopefully the trailer will be impressive.

Speaking of delayed trailers, its also funny/surprising that there hasn't been a trailer for the final Hobbit movie yet (the second movie had a trailer in mid-June in front of Man of Steel). Five months up to its release, they really should do something by now.

Weekly Blogging: "Pacific Rim" Getting a Sequel? Is "BFG" The Next E.T.?

This is going to be somewhat brief due to a busy weekend in store for me. But wanted to address a couple of interesting topics.

First, just announced two days ago, Guillermo Del Toro is releasing Pacific Rim 2 on April 7, 2017. This is surprising, as the first Pacific Rim, while having a strong fanbase, wasn't a huge success, earning just over $100 million domestically and $400 million worldwide. Altogether, that's enough to make a few dollars considering its $200 million budget, but not enough to warrant a sequel by all means. Also, Warner Bros. isn't releasing it. Universal (who acquired Legendary Pictures last year) will be. Who knows how they'll market this one? Right now, it seems like April is a safe bet, but this is definitely a head-scratcher.

The other thing I want to address is Steven Spielberg's forthcoming family project, The BFG (Big Friendly Giant). Based on a children's book based on World War II, the film's screenplay is coming from none other than Melissa Matheson, who wrote the screenplay for E.T. almost 35 years ago. With the huge acclaim E.T. has gotten, BFG has quite a hurdle to overcome. Could it be as heartwarming and engaging as that sci-fi classic? Will it become a new classic? Right now, its too early to tell (its releasing on July 1, 2016). Before then, Spielberg has a Cold War thriller starring Tom Hanks releasing in late 2015.

Weekly Blogging: Diagon Alley Opening July 8, Justice League Movie in 2017?

A couple of things I'd like to make notice of. One, Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida opens July 8! Its exciting news. I went to Universal two years ago for the first time and had a blast. I was also impressed with the Harry Potter simulator ride over at Islands of Adventure. Not only was it thrilling, but it was so technologically advanced. If that is how high the bar has been set, I'm only pondering whether or not the Escape from Gringotts can surpass it.

The other thing I'd like to discuss is how DC Comics is trying to compete with Marvel with their own "Cinematic universe" of sorts. With the successes of The Dark Knight movies and Man of Steel, they are currently preparing to film Batman v. Superman, Dawn of Justice, which is aiming for a May 6, 2016 release. But there's more than that.

DC Comics is planning a Justice League movie for 2017. Again, not a surprise. Rumors have been circulating for years about this movie, but its languished in development for a long time. But, in addition to that, they have Shazam and Sandman also rumored for 2016 and Wonder Woman and Flash/Green Lantern in rumors for 2017. Didn't we already see Green Lantern flop at the box office a few years back? Finally, its planned that Man of Steel 2 will arrive in 2018.

For one, this is production overkill. With these and three different Marvel properties (Avengers movies for Disney, Spider-Man and Sinister Six for Sony and X-Men/Fantastic Four for Fox), we possibly are looking at 7 or 8 superhero movies a year. And that doesn't include the upcoming sequels/spin-offs for Star Wars, Avatar and animation. The public can't handle too much, everyone. Plus, budgets will likely be huge in addition to possible cast replacements due to busy schedules. Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder can't direct so much at once.

That isn't to say I don't like the idea. Man of Steel was great and Green Lantern was decent (I haven't seen The Dark Knight Rises yet but hope to soon). I am eagerly anticipating the Batman/Superman team-up (Ben Affleck as Batman, that's awesome!) in 2016. But, eventually, the market is going to over-saturate and some won't be as successful as others. With Marvel's Cinematic Universe so successful, do we really need another one?

We also have to remember this news is strictly rumors, and Warner Bros. won't confirm or deny these rumors until Comic Con next month. So, there's a chance that some of these supposed movies may make it into the light, but others won't. Or none of them will due to so much in so little time.

Weekly Blogging: DreamWorks Animation Dates Through 2018, Is "Dragon 2" A Sign of Political Correctness?

First, in the news, DreamWorks Animation has announced several dates through 2018. Most notably are sequels to some of their most famous properties. The Croods 2 (November 3, 2017), Madagascar 4 (May 18, 2018) and Puss in Boots 2: 9 Lives and 40 Thieves (November 2, 2018) were all confirmed. The fourth Madagascar and second Croods are both expected, considering the previous entries were both successful. The Puss in Boots sequel is not as expected, as the first film was only a moderate success in comparison to the other two.

Sequels seem to be the bread and butter now of this animation studio. In addition to these and the just-released How To Train Your Dragon 2, they have spin-off The Penguins of Madagascar (November 26), a third Dragon (June 16, 2017), and Kung Fu Panda 3 (December 23, 2015) all on the calendar as well. What's missing? A MegaMind sequel, of course! ;)

That doesn't mean the studio is abandoning original films. They have a handful of them coming as well. 2015 will bring Home (March 26) and B.O.O. Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (June 5). 2016 will bring Boss Baby (March 18) and an adaptation of the Troll dolls (November 4). Rest of the litter includes a Captain Underpants book adaptation (January 13, 2017), a Bollywood-style musical from Enchanted director and lyricist Kevin Lima and Stephen Schwartz (March 10, 2017), and an unknown titled Larrkins (February 16, 2018).

So basically, DreamWorks' strategy is there will be a sequel for every two original films (with the exception of 2018). That's hard to keep up with, especially considering how intense production limits are when you have three a year (which started in 2010 with the original How To Train Your Dragon, Shrek Forever After and MegaMind). The animation market just keeps getting more and more crowded.
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I will now turn my attention to their now-current release, How To Train Your Dragon 2, which has created quite a stir since its premiere last month. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, director Dean DuBlois confirmed that Gobber (voiced by late-night host Craig Ferguson) would be coming out as gay in the movie. Its a risky move, especially for a family movie. It also raises my eyebrows and my concerns for the franchise as a whole.

For one, the whole "correctness and tolerance" agenda promoting here is pretty ridiculous. A character that never even acted "gay" or "effeminate" at all in the TV show or in the first movie, is being turned into something different this time around (sounds ridiculous, right?). The lone line in the film that suggests this problem ("that's why I never married. That and one other reason") is extremely subtle according to most websites. Plus, it wasn't really deliberate (Ferguson ad-libbed half of the line). But one has to wonder how that will affect the third movie? Will even more difficult-to-handle and digest themes make their way into children's movies as we keep going forward? Those answers will be revealed in time.

Chris Sanders, who directed the first movie (as well as one of my all-time favorites, Lilo and Stitch), left to stick with The Croods franchise. DuBlois, who is reportedly gay, metaphorically points to a reason here as to why that door was left open for something controversial to sneak its' way in. Its quite a shame, especially considering how good the first movie was. The first Dragon was a movie I watched more often than probably most other movies I had seen and then bought later on.

But, we do have to remember this isn't the first time an animated film has had this issue. Frozen had a lot of (unnecessary) controversy over whether or not it had a politically correct view. And Enchanted wasn't without a couple of similar "winks" either. DreamWorks Animation's first franchise, the Shrek movies, have been criticized by many for their innuendo and risk'e themes.

For goodness sakes though, its just one line. And a line that probably wouldn't have caused a stir had DuBlois kept his mouth shut. Its not stopping me from seeing the movie. At worst, it will make me concerned about the third movie. (Adam R. Holz for Christian/family movie review site Plugged in said something similar yesterday in his review of the movie. You can read it here: http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/how-to-train-your-dragon-2.aspx )

But, its not that I'm happy with it either. Filmmakers should know better than to put something like this in a family movie.

Look out for my review of How To Train Your Dragon 2 in the next couple of weeks.

Fairy Tales Galore: Disney Sets "Alice" Sequel and "Jungle Book" on Schedule...

Disney certainly is re-embracing their fairy tale roots with some live-action/CGI wonders coming to theaters.

First, Jon Favreau's vision of a live-action The Jungle Book is happening, with an October 9, 2015 release date set.  In my opinion, Favreau can't seem to make up his mind what he wants to do for Disney, whether if its' for Iron Man, a movie based on the Magic Kingdom theme park, or this (perhaps he has though with this release date).  It is a bit of an odd release date, as Disney should really be aiming for Thanksgiving here (though Pixar's The Good Dinosaur is already there).  For what its worth, Disney has Alexander and the No Good, Terrible Day set for that same weekend in 2014.  Perhaps October can be blockbuster territory after all (Gravity has somewhat proven that).

Secondly, Disney is going back down the rabbit hole with Alice in Wonderland 2, set for May 27, 2016 (Memorial Day Weekend).  Solid move, though I wonder why Disney is straying away from the early-March release strategy.  To be fair though, Disney has Maleficent and Tomorrowland opening on similar dates in 2014 and 2015 respectively, so maybe they are establishing Memorial Day as a territory they can own like Thanksgiving.  Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska are set to return, while James Bobin (The Muppets and its' sequel) will take over the director reigns from Tim Burton.  I personally am excited to hear this news, as I really enjoyed the first movie.

So Disney now has two fairy tales launching every year up until 2016, with a prevalence in live-action movies.  The successes of Tangled and Alice in Wonderland ($600 million and $1 billion worldwide respectively) in 2010 has prompted Disney to pursue more live-action/CGI and animated fantasies.  2012 had Brave (from Pixar) and 2013 had Oz The Great and Powerful and next week's highly-anticipated Frozen.  2014 has the highly-anticipated Maleficent (trailer already has 8 million views on YouTube in just over a week) and the musical adaptation Into the Woods, which has Depp and Meryl Streep.  2015 has Jungle Book and Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella, while 2016 has the Alice sequel and possibly Disney's next animated fairy tale, Giants (as reported by the Wikipedia page), which is being directed by Tangled's Nathan Greno.  Finally, in 2018, Ron Clements and John Musker (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid) are working on Moana, a Polynesian-themed fairy tale.

I guess you could call this a fairy tale/fantasy-enthusiast's dream in a way.  I'm pretty excited.  With the Alice sequel, lets see if that opens the door to other sequels.  I'm still waiting for a sequel for Enchanted and I'm hoping Disney goes forward with the Oz sequel.  I'm also interested in Disney Animation pursuing the classic fairy tale King of the Elves, which has been shelved for some time now.  I notice some gaps in Spring and November 2017, as well as Spring 2018 (provided Moana has the Thanksgiving slot), could Disney be preparing these titles for those time periods?  Hmmm.  I'm not saying this is happening, but it would make sense if it did....

"Star Wars - Episode VII" Gets December 2015 Release Date

Disney has officially scheduled Star Wars - Episode VII for December 18, 2015.  Not a bad release date, and it opens things up for Disney in the holiday season.  2015 is starting to get big again with this, Jurassic World, the Terminator reboot, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Batman vs. Superman all scheduled for that year along with this.  J.J Abrams is directing, and the movie will shoot next Spring.  Warcraft is currently scheduled for the same date (a computer game adaptation), but will likely move.

In a wise move, Disney has moved Brad Bird's Tomorrowland to May 22, 2015.  Had it stayed in 2014, Tomorrowland would have had to compete against the final Hobbit movie and the 3rd Night at the Musuem for older families.  Tomorrowland will have to face the fourth weekend of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Paramount's Monster Trucks the following weekend, but its' certainly less competition than the Holidays of 2014, which now doesn't look as crowded with Hobbit 3, Night at the Museum 3, Annie and Into the Woods still on the slate (Minions moved to July 2015 after the slate got too crowded).

Disney also has the Cinderella remake, The Good Dinosaur, and Marvel's Ant-Man on their 2015 calendar.

Disney Makes Major Release Date Changes, No Pixar Movie in 2014.....

In a shocking slew of release date changes, Disney is having quite a bit of controversy with some of their release patterns.

The most shocking of which is that Pixar will NOT be releasing a movie in 2014, as The Good Dinosaur has been moved from May 30, 2014, to November 25, 2015.  Pixar has declined to comment, but original director Bob Peterson was removed from the project a few months ago.  Originally, it was confirmed it would meet its' release date, but that has changed.  The lack of a Pixar movie will hurt Disney in 2014, as their movies are usually the studio's highest-grossers.

As a result of Dinosaur's move, Finding Dory has been pushed to June 17, 2016 (it was originally set for the day that movie is now on).  At first, I was disappointed I wouldn't be seeing a sequel to one of my favorite movies on Thanksgiving week.  But then, I recall a recent post here where I didn't think it would be surprising that the sequel would be bumped to the following summer, and that's what happened.  Pixar made a similar move with Monsters University, which was moved from November of last year to this past June.  One shocking note of this move, is that How To Train Your Dragon 3 is set for the same date.  Looks like DreamWorks Animation may have to make some changes too.  And who knows?  If Kung Fu Panda 3 succeeds in Christmas 2015, maybe the third Dragon will release in that same time period in 2016.

Maleficent took Good Dinosaur's original date, which was moved up from its' July 2 second release date (the original date was March 14).  The May 30 release date is a wise move, as it would feel more reasonable to compete against the second weekend of X-Men: Days of Future Past than Transformers: Age of Extinction, which has more appeal for children than the other.  A trailer should debut anytime now.

Finally, Disney added sports drama McFarland to November 21, 2014, to compete against the opening of the first part of the final Hunger Games.  Disney is having two sports films debuting in one year, this and Million Dollar Arm (May 16, 2014).  Though McFarland's release date is kinda tricky.  It opens right before Thanksgiving, when DreamWorks Animation's Home debuts, not to mention six other movies (including two other Disney flicks) vying for similar audiences in December.  It could prove to be a success being a live-action, effects-free movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch's The Fifth Estate will now open wide on October 18, 2013.

Disney should do OK in 2014 despite the major blow of not having a Pixar movie.  They kick off 2014 with Muppets Most Wanted on March 21.  In addition to that and Maleficent, McFarland, and Million Dollar Arm, they have two Marvel films (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy), Tomorrowland, Into the Woods, Big Hero 6, Planes: Fire and Rescue, Alexander and the No Good, Terrible, Horrible Day, Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises, and Disneynature's Bears.

And whatever happened to the year of movies in 2015??  Disney has had major issues with that.  First it was Pirates of the Caribbean 5 not making its' release date, then reports surfaced on Star Wars: Episode VII not making its' 2015 target, now Finding Dory will miss out on that year.  It looks like things aren't going to be as strong as we hoped 2015 would be....oh well.

D23 Review: Surprises and No "Star Wars"

It was a good two to three days of big surprises and disappointments over last weekend at D23, which I kept track of online...

The biggest surprise was the guest appearance of Angelina Jolie for Maleficent, Disney's next live-action CGI fantasy, which is set for July 2, 2014.  Based on the story info revealed, Maleficent sounds like it could be another great movie, but can it live up to Oz?  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

My favorite presentations of the convention were the ones for Frozen (November 27) and Muppets Most Wanted (March 21, 2014), both of which debuted a clip and a trailer, respectively this past week.  I am very excited for both titles, though I do miss Alan Menken (who usually scores the Disney fairy tales), Jason Segel and Amy Adams (who were in the first rebooted Muppets movie and were arguably better casting choices than Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey).  But I loved Idina Menzel's performance of one of Frozen's songs.

Natalie Portman and Chris Evans' appearances in this convention as well as the info I heard about Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014) and Thor: The Dark World (November 8) were exciting, and I think its' brilliant to have Tom Hiddleston (Loki) to voice a young Captain Hook in the next Tinker Bell movie.  I also got excited about hearing news about Saving Mr. Banks (December 20), Into the Woods (December 25, 2014), Brad Bird's Tomorrowland (December 12, 2014), Big Hero 6 (November 6, 2014), and the Cinderella remake (March 15, 2015).

Pixar's announcements were very interesting, with Bill Hader getting a big break doing voices for both The Good Dinosaur (May 30, 2014) and The Inside Out (June 19, 2015).  Those movies have racked up solid voice casts including John Lithgow, Frances McDormand and Neil Patrick Harris for Dinosaur and Mindy Kaling and Amy Poehler for Inside Out.  I also got exciting news for the Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, which added Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, and Eugene Levy to its' voice cast.  Rounding out the animation announcements was Disney's 2016 animated title Zootopia, which looks like a cross between Icabod and Mr. Toad and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and a look at the Planes sequel, Fire and Rescue (July 18, 2014).

The only downside, no news regarding the currently in early pre-production stages Star Wars: Episode VII, causing fans to boo at Disney chairman Alan Horn.  However, its' a little early to really reveal anything, especially with no solidified release date.  I wouldn't be surprised with Disney's crowded-enough 2015 slate that the anticipated flick gets moved to 2016.

Disney Makes Major Additions/Changes....

Disney has been scheduling like crazy over the past few weeks, and this is easily the most ambitious additions yet.

First of all, Saving Mr. Banks was moved up a week to release in limited theaters on December 13 of this year (its' wide release of December 20 remains unchanged).  Also, Disney moved Brad Bird's Tomorrowland up a week to December 12, 2014, to get a jump on the intense competition for family audiences in Christmas 2014.

Speaking of Christmas 2014, Disney has set musical adaptation Into The Woods for Christmas Day.  Based on the Tony-award winning musical, the film has scored major talent, including Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Tracey Ullman.  Woods will have an incredible challenge, however, as it will be competing directly against the remake of Annie, which stars recent 9-year old Oscar nominee Quezevhane Wallis, and is produced by Will Smith.  Sounds like Disney and Sony are hoping to bank on a similar-sized profit that Universal had with Les Miserables last Christmas.  And that's not all, Fox has a third Night at the Museum slated for that day as well (though it wouldn't surprise me if Fox decided to push it to the following summer due to the intense competition).  And six days earlier, Universal is spinning off the Minions from Despicable Me in their own movie, not to mention the final Hobbit movie will have released a couple of days before then.  Its' definitely going to be a mess, and more than one movie will likely not succeed unless some changes are made soon.

But back to Disney news, they set a couple of major live-action dramas for the late-Summer and early-Fall.  Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are on board to produce book adaptation The Hundred Foot Journey, which is set for August 8, 2014, a week after Disney and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases.  Also, Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner (The Odd Life of Timothy Green) star in children's book adaptation Alexander and the No Good, Terrible, Horrible Day for October 10, 2014, in what is turning into a crowded Fall for family fare (Laika (ParaNorman, Coraline) and Fox have Halloween-themed animations set for around that same time).

Even though the original has yet to come out, Disney has set a sequel to Planes, Fire and Rescue for July 18, 2014, opening directly against X-Men: Days of Future Past (remember Winnie The Pooh opened against Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II to bad results?).  Finally, Disney has set two untitled Marvel projects for May 2016 and 2017.

And this doesn't include other announced projects such as sports drama Million Dollar Arm and Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella remake (which I would imagine will be set for March 2015).  Regardless, with 11 pictures on the board for 2014, Disney is certainly ramping up its' slate.

Latest Release Changes: DreamWorks Animation Sticking To Three Films a Year, Disney Goes Ga-Ga Over Marvel, and Blue Sky and Pixar Aim for Way Out...

I haven't kept up with my Entertainment News sections because life has gotten busier for me, but I can update you with some release date changes.

I had said earlier that Mr. Peabody and Sherman had moved to March 2014, while Me and My Shadow had been removed from the calendar.  But they've made more changes.  Kung Fu Panda 3 and Mumbai Musical switched dates, and are slated for December 2015 and March 2016 respectively.  Finally, they pushed B.O.O. up three months to June 2015, while Trolls was bumped all the way to November 2016.  I guess DreamWorks isn't ready for four movies a year yet, and Fox isn't ready for five animated films a year yet.  The current slate for DreamWorks has Turbo left for 2013, Peabody, How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Happy Smekday! for 2014, The Penguins of Madagascar, B.O.O. and Kung Fu Panda 3 for 2015, and Mumbai Musical, How To Train Your Dragon 3 and now Trolls for 2016.

Blue Sky Studios, who releases Epic next week, is sticking to a one film a year strategy, and it doesn't look like we will be seeing Ice Age 5 anytime soon.  They've set weird-titled projects such as Anubis for July 2016 and Ferdinand in June 2017 (the first movie slated for that year).  Not much is known, but they sound interesting based on early plot details.  Blue Sky has a sequel to Rio on tap for next year and an adaptation of Peanuts in 2015.
 
Disney Animation confirmed they will be teaming up with Marvel for Big Hero 6, which is now set for November 6, 2014.  Besides that, the only other movie set by them is Frozen, which is out this Thanksgiving.

Finally, Pixar is hoping to do two films a year in 2015 with Pete Doctor's The Inside Out and the newly-announced sequel to Finding Nemo, Finding Dory for that year's Thanksgiving, though it wouldn't be surprising at all if the studio decided to move it to the summer of 2016.  Pixar is getting set for Monsters University this summer, then they will release The Good Dinosaur next year.

Very little other news.  Sony has picked up the distribution rights to an Angry Birds movie for a 4th of July weekend 2016 release date, while a 3D CGI version of Popeye has been removed from the calendar (it was originally set for September 2014).

Disney Makes Major Scheduling Changes....

Disney has made some major changes to their schedule for the next three years...

The biggest news out of all of this is that Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has been set for July 10, 2015, or a little over four years after On Stranger Tides.  Johnny Depp has announced he will return, no director is attached but a screenplay writer has been hired.  2015 also already has The Avengers 2, The Smurfs 3 and DreamWorks Animations' Trolls on the calendar for that particular summer.

Disney also has set The Muppets 2 for March 21, 2014.  The sequel will arrive a little over two years after The Muppets was a decent-sized hit.  Director James Bobin and screenwriter Nicholas Stoller have returned and filming will begin later this month in London.  Jason Segel and Amy Adams will not return.  Instead, a new cast, headed by Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, and Ty Burrell will lead the film.  The Muppets 2 will have to compete against DreamWorks Animation's Me and My Shadow and the adventure adaptation Noah for audiences over the end of the Spring season.

The other major scheduling addition was Brad Bird's 1952 for December 19, 2014.  The epic sci-fi film is expected to star George Clooney.  Being in the lowest states of development for years, Bird (who directed The Incredibles and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) is probably planning to shoot the film later this year.

The live-action fairy tale twist Maleficent has been moved to July 2, 2014 (it was originally slated for March 14, 2014).  Angelina Jolie will play the titular character, the evil fairy from Disney's classic, Sleeping Beauty.  Maleficent will face off against the second weekend of the highly-anticipated Transformers 4 as well as the third weekend of DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon 2 and the final Hobbit movie, There And Back Again, two weeks after its' release.

With the diminishing returns for 3D re-issues, Disney has removed The Little Mermaid 3D from their calendar.  That's actually saddening because it really would've done well (since it hadn't been on DVD in years).

In non-Disney release date announcements, Universal has set Jurassic Park 4 for June 13, 2014.  The highly-anticipated continuation of the blockbuster trilogy will return Steven Spielberg as an executive producer.

Disney and Sony Scramble Their Calendars...

Many release date changes/announcements were made today...

Perhaps the biggest news among all the shifts, delays and TBD's, Disney and Marvel have set Ant-Man for a November 6, 2015 release date.  Carrying on the tradition since 2011, Ant-Man will be the second Marvel production for that year, following the recently announced The Avengers 2 (May 1, 2015), which will have Joss Whedon back as director.  Currently the only other movie set for that day is DreamWorks Animation's B.O.O. (Bureau of Otherworldly Operations).

With Marvel having the biggest announcement of today, Disney also confirmed that next year's Iron Man 3 (May 3) and Thor: The Dark World (November 8) would get 3D conversions.  Iron Man 3 will have its' trailer debuting on October 23.  2014 will bring Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4) and Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1) from Marvel.

Disney also set the biographical drama Saving Mr. Banks for December 20, 2013.  Now shooting in England, the movie tells the true story of Walt Disney's tireless efforts to secure the film rights to Mary Poppins from feisty children's book writer P.L. Travers.  Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson star, and the movie will compete against Fox's Walking With Dinosaurs 3D for family audiences during Christmas week.

With hardly any production details revealed, Disney moved the live-action adaptation of Phineas and Ferb to a TBA 2014 release date.  Originally scheduled for July 26 of next year, the movie was sandwhiched between DreamWorks Animation's Turbo and Sony's The Smurfs 2.  Disney also added an untitled Pixar movie for November 25, 2015 and an untitled movie from their animation division on November 7, 2014.  Upcoming movies for Disney Animation include next month's Wreck-It Ralph and next year's Frozen (November 27).  Pixar has Monsters University (June 21, 2013) and The Good Dinosaur (May 30, 2014) on their slate.  Finally, Disneynature's next documentary Bears is currently filming and will hit theater on April 18, 2014.

Sony also made quite a few adjustments.  With Phineas and Ferb off the calendar and Hotel Transylvania performing exceptionally well, Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers was moved up to September 27, 2013 (it was originally scheduled for February 2014).  Live-action/animation hybrid Pixels was removed from its' May 17, 2013 release date, while the Robocop remake was delayed to February 7, 2014 and Elysium was moved to August 9, 2013.

Finally, The Weinstein Company has cancelled their release dates for Santapprentice, The Trick or Treaters and Leo The Lion.  The studio does have Escape from Planet Earth set for next February, while the remaining three are currently slated for TBA 2013.

With Phineas and Ferb and Pixels removed and Cloudy 2 added, and provided if the three Weinstein movies release in 2013, the year is still shaping up to be strong for animation, with 15 partially or fully-animated titles set for release.

DreamWorks Animation Reveals Unprecedented 12-Movie Slate Between 2013 and 2016

Sort of a follow-up on my "Ups and Downs" post a couple of weeks ago, but following on the heels of signing a new distribution deal with 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Animation and its' new distributor announced plans for 12 animated films to be released in four years.

The final DreamWorks Animation production to be released by Paramount is children's book adaptation Rise of the Guardians, set for November 21, 2012.

Here are the 12 films announced for release:

---The Croods (March 22, 2013): Cavemen comedy, starring voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds and Cloris Leachman.
---Turbo (July 19, 2013): Snail wanting to compete in racing, starring voice of Ryan Reynolds and many others.
---Mr. Peabody and Sherman (November 1, 2013): adaptation of classic cartoon, starring voice of Ty Burrell.
---Me and My Shadow (March 14, 2014): computer/hand-drawn animation hybrid, starring voices of Toby Gad and Bill Hader
---How To Train Your Dragon 2 (June 20, 2014): sequel to 2010's How To Train Your Dragon.
---Happy Smekday! (November 26, 2014): alien teams up with teenage girl to save Earth, starring voices of Jim Parsons and Rihanna.
---The Penguins of Madagascar (March 27, 2015): spin-off of Madagascar, starring the Penguins, based on hit cartoon series.
---Trolls [working title] (June 5, 2015): based on the Troll Dolls, starring voices of Chloe Moretz and Jason Schwartzman
---B.O.O. (November 6, 2015): Ghost-themed academy, starring voice of Seth Rogen.
---Mumbai Musical [working title] (December 19, 2015): musical film set in India, directed by Kevin Lima (Enchanted, Tarzan).
---Kung Fu Panda 3 (March 18, 2016): threequel to 2008's Kung Fu Panda and 2011's Kung Fu Panda 2.
---How To Train Your Dragon 3 (June 18, 2016): threequel to How To Train Your Dragon.

20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Animation also announced Rio 2, set for April 14, 2014.
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Due to no internet access over the next week, I will not be updating my blog until late next Sunday...