July 15th is sure to be a day of nostalgia for movie goers, thanks to two major releases from family-friendly franchises.
This Friday marks the end of an era when the eighth and final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), makes its theatrical debut almost ten years after the magical trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione (played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) first journeyed to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s [Philosopher’s] Stone (2001).
Screenshot from Winnie the Pooh (2011), copyright Disney
While Harry Potter‘s epic showdown between good and evil is sure to wow the millions of fans who grew up with the beloved children’s series, movie goers looking to revisit their childhoods in a more mellow fashion can mosey on over to the theater next door for another visit to the charming Hundred Acre Wood, home of Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger too.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1481
In 1986, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs purchased the computer graphics division of George Lucas’s Lucasfilm, Ltd. for $10 million and established the group as an independent company named “Pixar”. And now, 26 Oscars, 11 feature films, and more than 20 animated shorts later, Pixar Animation Studios is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the release of the company’s third sequel, Cars 2, which premieres in theaters on Friday, June 24th, 2011.
Screenshot from the official Cars 2 website, image copyright Disney
The original Cars was released in 2006, coinciding with Pixar’s 20th anniversary and grossed more than $244 million domestically for a worldwide total of almost $462 million. Cars is widely considered by critics to be the weakest of Pixar’s feature films with a 74% Fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com, as compared with Monsters, Inc.‘s 95%, Wall-E‘s 96%, Up‘s 98%, and Toy Story 3‘s 99%. 74% Fresh is hardly shameful, and it’s a target that parent company Disney regularly misses (52% for Alice in Wonderland (2010), 35% for Mars Needs Moms), even with mega-hits like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (33% for On Stranger Tides).
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1362
From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Tangled, there has been a long history of Disney characters who were motherless, fatherless, or orphaned, and characters who suffered the wrath of evil stepmothers and manipulative caretakers in place of parents who loved them. But today is Father’s Day (not Take Your Evil Stepmother to Work Day), and there are several wonderful Disney Dads who deserve to be recognized for their dedication to their families and the sacrifices that they have made for their children.
Simba's father Mufasa is one of several great Disney Dads, image copyright Disney
And so, I present you with ten of the best Disney Dads from some of Disney’s greatest classic and animated films. Are there any other Disney Dads you would add to the list?
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1329
The Lion King, Disney’s most successful traditionally animated film, winner of two Academy Awards, and currently ranked 33rd in the All Time Worldwide Box Office, will finally make it to Blu-ray in 2011. The Lion King was previously released from the Disney Vault as a Platinum Special Edition VHS and DVD in 2003, before being locked away again in January, 2005. And now, Disney has announced that after almost six years in Moratorium, The Lion King will roar out of the Vault once again in Fall 2011.
8-Disc and 4-Disc Blu-ray/DVD packaging for The Lion King
Even bigger news: On September 16th, 17 years after its original 1994 release, The Lion King will return to theaters nationwide in Disney Digital 3D. The two-week limited engagement is the first time The Lion King has appeared in theaters since the 2002 IMAX release which featured a brand-new musical sequence, “Morning Report”. The film’s return to the big screen will allow a whole new generation of children to fall in love with the Hamlet-inspired tale of the lion cub who is destined to be king.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1220
The start of the 2012 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is still nine months away, and with the heat of summer or the cold of winter upon us now (depending on your hemisphere), I thought it would be a nice treat to share more gorgeous springtime photos from 2011’s event. A special “thank you” to our two photographers, Samantha McElhaney and Mandy Chorman. Enjoy!
A Sheriff Woody topiary is posed in front of Epcot's Spaceship Earth. Photograph by Samantha McElhaney
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1178
