Pixar Turns Back Time with The Good Dinosaur Trailer
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What would have happened if dinosaurs never went extinct? That's the question Pixar wants to answer with their upcoming film, The Good Dinosaur. Of course, like all things Pixar, the film has a fun side to go along with more serious themes, which are on display in this first trailer.
Directed by Peter Sohn (who originally co-directed the film with Bob Peterson before the latter was removed from production due to story problems back in August 2013), The Good Dinosaur is about a young apatosaurus that befriends a caveboy after being separated from the rest of his family. Together, they traverse the wilderness and its various threats.
The film is Sohn's directorial debut, and would have been Peterson's directorial follow-up to Up; don't worry, Peterson is still with Pixar and is currently working on another unnamed film. The Good Dinosaur was originally scheduled for a May 2014 release, but was delayed due to the aforementioned story problems, causing Pixar to lay off 60+ employees. The film's new direction also caused many re-writes and re-casting, with actors like Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Hader, and Judy Greer removed and/or replaced.
The Good Dinosaur will be crashing into theaters on November 25th.
Brace Yourselves, Kingdom Hearts III is Coming
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The wait is finally (almost) over. The renegade of the anime world, a Disney favorite and a (now) classic gaming series is closer than ever to revealing the third installment of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
It’s been almost 15 years since the first release of Kingdom Hearts (2002) on Playstation 2 and 10 years since the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II (2005). While there have been remixes, remasters and small side stories available on handheld devices, the true third installment is right around the corner. The following games have all been small steps towards the upcoming release of the third game: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts coded, Kingdom Hearts 258/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Most were considered to be flops, but the gems that stand out (Birth By Sleep, 3D: Dream Drop Distance, HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix) have been quietly stalling the hunger of fans for the third game for quite some time.
It’s apparent the Japanese have an affinity for all things Kingdom Hearts as the Square Enix company holds KH, Final Fantasy, Hitman and Tomb Raider as their most coveted franchises. But, most importantly, the team at Square Enix are revving up their engines to bring audiences the best quality of the games they’ve grown to love over the years. With new and improved versions of the games we grew up with, Square Enix is taking the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” to a whole other level.
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In addition to Disney characters and worlds, there are rumors that the team behind KH might take gamers into Marvel and Star Wars territory. With the third installation, the game will also be available for Xbox One, not just Playstation. According to the Square Enix conference this past week, the team is looking into sharing some exciting news about the game in November.
It's Game Over for Tron 3
When Tron: Legacy was released in 2010, it received a mixed reception where the film's VFX were praised, but the acting and writing were the film's weakest links. However, despite tepid reviews, the film still managed to make around $400m and was the 11th highest-grossing film of 2010. It also helped gain street cred with the electronic robot duo Daft Punk providing the film's soundtrack. With a fresh new following standing alongside long-time Tron fans, it was all but a guarantee that a sequel to Legacy would eventually be made.
Indeed, it appeared that the purported Tron: Ascension was set to begin pre-production this fall. In fact, it was just this past March that reports were confirming a production location in Vancouver with Legacy stars Olivia Wilde (Drinking Buddies) and Garrett Hedlund (On the Road) and director Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion) returning.
However, Disney suddenly pulled the plug on the film's production over the weekend, as was originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter. While no official word has been said, some sites are speculating a correlation between this film and Tomorrowland's weak debut of $33m in comparison to its $188m budget.
With many more live-action films on the slate for Disney, such as adaptations of Disney classics The Jungle Book, Alice: Through the Looking Glass and Beauty and the Beast, the company may want to re-visit each respective films' budgets. As for Tron: Ascension, a fan petition has already been launched in hopes of Disney's reconsideration. However, as of press time, the site is down, perhaps due to high volume.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
Spider-Man Officially Joining Marvel Cinematic Universe
It finally happened. After the Sony hacks took place a few months ago, it appeared that a lot of the leaked emails and information would be dead in the water. One such negotiation involved Sony and Disney coming to terms so Spider-Man could appear in official Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Per the press release Marvel released, the "new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU)." Afterwards, a Sony Pictures installment will release on July 28, 2017 co-produced by MCU's main behind-the-scenes man, Kevin Feige, and Amy Pascal, former Sony head who faced a lot of criticism following the aforementioned Sony hacks. More importantly, the two "will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger." In addition, the release also states that "Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films."
What's interesting to note is that Andrew Garfield is probably out per the release's specific notation of a "new Spider-Man" appearing. Marvel has also adjusted their upcoming release schedule, fitting the upcoming Spider-Man film for July 2017, pushing Thor: Ragnarok to November 2017, Black Panther to July 2018, Captain Marvel to November 2018, and Inhumans to July 2019.
It's an exciting time for superhero film fans, especially those of us who are avid Spider-Man fans that have waited for exactly this moment. With Feige helping oversee the direction of the Spider-Man films, we can finally have the proper Spider-Man film we haven't seen on the big screen yet. Furthermore, the collaboration between Sony and Marvel could open up doors for FOX to negotiate some type of dual deal with Disney and Sony to have their characters (X-Men and Fantastic Four) appear altogether.
Make mine Marvel!
[via Marvel]
Is Studio Ghibli Shutting Down?
Studio Ghibli is one of the greatest animation studios around. At one point, Ghibli was seen as the East's equivalent of Disney (and hell, many still do) thanks to the amazing vision and talent from Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. It's Miyazaki's many films, including My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, that helped elevate the widespread acceptance and critical praise of feature-length anime films in the West. However, with the rising costs of production and the lack of financial profit guarantee following Miyazaki's retirement last year, the company has decided to go on a temporary hiatus as they re-evaluate their future.
Over the past few days, many outlets reported this news as Studio Ghibli completely shutting down. Thankfully, however, it was all a misunderstanding over a translation error. What is known is this: Studio Ghibli will be cutting back on production in an attempt to find a better financial solution that will allow them to continue creating films post-Miyazaki. After all, while the iconic director was arguably the most well-known from the studio, there are many other talented animators working for Studio Ghibli, including Miyazaki's own son, Goro, that will help keep the studio going for a long time.
Here's hoping the future of Studio Ghibli is just as successful as its past.
[via Collider]
[Short Film] The Duet from Disney Animator Glen Keane
Animation might just be one of the most beautiful utilizations of art in existence. The ability to watch someone's imagination dance across a screen is an act that has always amazed me. Like most other children, I had a particular fondness for classic Disney films such as The Little Mermaid and Pocahontas. Toddler Mackenzie had no idea who to thank for these masterpieces, but Glen Keane is the answer for this. His animations have graced a variety of households with works also including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Tangled.
While most of his work may be within the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Keane found the time to produce his own short animated film called The Duet. The story, entirely animated and directed by the great animator himself, follows characters Mia and Tosh from birth to adulthood as their individual paths in life find themselves continuously intertwining. The illustrations from one scene and period in life for each character flows with such ease on the eyes, and the simplicity of the color scheme adds a beautiful aesthetic that has become extremely underrated with the advancement of animation technology over the years. The film is merely 3:42 long, but the story that unfolds within has a beautiful impact that lasts for a lot longer. Keane always seems to have a way to reach into the hearts of all who watch the films he's involved with, and I must say that his work with this one is absolutely no exception. I can't wait for whatever he plans to surprise us with next!
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Disney Developing Live-Action Dumbo Remake
It's been 73 years since Disney's classic film Dumbo was released. If you're in the small minority that's always wondered what a live-action remake of the film would entail, worry no longer! Considering Disney has already dipped into the live-action remake (somewhat) with this year's Maleficent and is already in production on a live-action remake of Cinderella, it was only a matter of time before they began to find inspiration from other classic Disney films... but Dumbo?!
What's more interesting about this live-action Dumbo remake is that the script is being written by one of Transformers: Age of Extinction's writers, Ehren Kruger. Kruger will also be co-producing the film with Oblivion's Justin Springer. Dumbo will obviously be remade in CGI, but will he be rendered realistically or in a more stylized style? Furthermore, the shape of the story might be a bit different than the classic film's, as The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the remake will add "a unique family story that parallels Dumbo's story."
Is nothing sacred? It's only a matter of time before The Lion King gets a live-action remake... which might actually be a good thing if all of the characters are just humans in body paint a la the Broadway show. What do you guys think about a live-action Dumbo film? Let us know!
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
Our 10 Favorite Disney Animated Villains
With Disney's latest re-imagining of Maleficent burning through the box office, it got us here at Ruby Hornet thinking. We've had Disney on the brain for quite some time, so we'd figure we share some of that with you all. Geoff Henao, Alex Katz, and I have put our heads together to come up with a list of our ten favorite Disney animated villains.
So for this list, it means no Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Ghibli, or even live-action villains. It's just villains crafted by the House of Mouse itself (if there's enough interest, we may visit those later). Finally, this isn't a definitive list by any means. It's just our ten favorites as of this writing. With all of that said, check out our Ten Favorite Disney Animated Villains!