If you’re a fan of animation, you know the name John Musker, whose four decades at Disney included writing and directing such classics as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Moana. Since retiring from the studio in 2018, he independently pursued an idea for a playful hand-drawn short, which he populated with caricatures of dozens of people from his life, among them fellow animators, CalArts classmates and Disney studios execs.
I’m Hip — shortlisted for an Academy Award — is a charming, music video-like film featuring a cat singing the catchy title song, Dave Frishberg’s 1970s recording of a tune he wrote with Bob Dorough. “[The song’s] very witty, and I always thought that would make for a fun short,” says Musker, 70.
“I have a penchant for teasing people,” he says, and his film “teases people who are so desperate to be on the cutting edge of things. Certainly Los Angeles is full of those people.
I’m Hip — shortlisted for an Academy Award — is a charming, music video-like film featuring a cat singing the catchy title song, Dave Frishberg’s 1970s recording of a tune he wrote with Bob Dorough. “[The song’s] very witty, and I always thought that would make for a fun short,” says Musker, 70.
“I have a penchant for teasing people,” he says, and his film “teases people who are so desperate to be on the cutting edge of things. Certainly Los Angeles is full of those people.
- 1/10/2024
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ariel and her aquatic friends may have ushered in the Disney Renaissance, but Roger Rabbit helped right the sinking ship that was Disney in the '80s. Indeed, 1988's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" came at the perfect time for the House of Mouse. After a string of failed (but fascinating) attempts to reinvigorate its artistry, the flailing studio recruited director Robert Zemeckis and executive producer Steven Spielberg -- members of the same crack team behind "Back to the Future" just three years before -- to adapt Gary K. Wolf's satirical 1981 novel "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?" into a film.
The result? An incredible visual feat by way of a detective yarn based in a fantasy version of '40s Los Angeles where "toons" from the Golden Age of American Animation walk alongside flesh-and-blood humans. With Zemeckis operating at the height of his powers, "Roger Rabbit" moves like clockwork, serving up...
The result? An incredible visual feat by way of a detective yarn based in a fantasy version of '40s Los Angeles where "toons" from the Golden Age of American Animation walk alongside flesh-and-blood humans. With Zemeckis operating at the height of his powers, "Roger Rabbit" moves like clockwork, serving up...
- 10/15/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Randy Fullmer, an effects animator, visual effects supervisor, artistic coordinator and producer who worked at Disney for almost 20 years, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 73.
Over his nearly two decades at Disney, he did everything from work on the Toon Town portion of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (his first gig at the studio) to working as an artistic coordinator on “The Lion King” to producing full Disney features like “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Chicken Little.” A key and unsung player in the Disney Renaissance of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Fullmer’s legacy will live on.
Fullmer, who died July 10, in Woodland Hills, California, attended the California Institute of the Arts, a school co-founded by Walt Disney. After Fullmer graduated in 1974, he spent time working with Don Bluth, the Disney hotshot whose departure from the studio nearly crippled the animation department. Fullmer joined Bluth on his...
Over his nearly two decades at Disney, he did everything from work on the Toon Town portion of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (his first gig at the studio) to working as an artistic coordinator on “The Lion King” to producing full Disney features like “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Chicken Little.” A key and unsung player in the Disney Renaissance of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Fullmer’s legacy will live on.
Fullmer, who died July 10, in Woodland Hills, California, attended the California Institute of the Arts, a school co-founded by Walt Disney. After Fullmer graduated in 1974, he spent time working with Don Bluth, the Disney hotshot whose departure from the studio nearly crippled the animation department. Fullmer joined Bluth on his...
- 7/26/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Randy Fullmer, a veteran Walt Disney Animation Studios animator and producer who worked on “The Little Mermaid” and “Chicken Little,” died of cancer on July 10. He was 73. Walt Disney Animation confirmed the news in a statement to Variety.
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” wrote Don Hahn, whom Fullmer worked with on “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” “He could draw and paint beautifully, but he had the mind of an engineer, and the heart of an artisan. He was great at animation; great at producing movies, too. He was at the very center of the Disney renaissance in animation, then when he needed a new chapter in his life, he started making exquisite and much sought-after bass guitars with that same engineer’s mind and artistic soul he brought to Disney animated movies. His masterful...
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” wrote Don Hahn, whom Fullmer worked with on “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” “He could draw and paint beautifully, but he had the mind of an engineer, and the heart of an artisan. He was great at animation; great at producing movies, too. He was at the very center of the Disney renaissance in animation, then when he needed a new chapter in his life, he started making exquisite and much sought-after bass guitars with that same engineer’s mind and artistic soul he brought to Disney animated movies. His masterful...
- 7/25/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Randy Fullmer, the wildly creative effects animator, visual effects supervisor, artistic coordinator and producer who contributed to films including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King at Walt Disney Animation Studios, has died. He was 73.
Fullmer died July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills following a long battle with cancer, his family announced.
From 1983-84, Fullmer worked for Don Bluth Studios, creating special effects for Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, the first video games to be produced on laserdisc. He later was employed at John Dykstra’s live-action special effects house Apogee and at Filmation, where he handled animation for such TV shows as Happily Ever After, BraveStarr, She-Ra: Princess of Power and Ghostbusters from 1985-87.
In 1987, Fullmer was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios) for a three-month contract to animate the Toon Town section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
Fullmer died July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills following a long battle with cancer, his family announced.
From 1983-84, Fullmer worked for Don Bluth Studios, creating special effects for Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, the first video games to be produced on laserdisc. He later was employed at John Dykstra’s live-action special effects house Apogee and at Filmation, where he handled animation for such TV shows as Happily Ever After, BraveStarr, She-Ra: Princess of Power and Ghostbusters from 1985-87.
In 1987, Fullmer was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios) for a three-month contract to animate the Toon Town section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
- 7/25/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Randy Fullmer, a Walt Disney Animation Studios effects animator, VFX supervisor and producer who worked on such classics as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, has died. He was 73. The studio said he died July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills, CA, after a long cancer battle.
Fullmer worked at the Disney toon studio for nearly 20 years, racking up credits that also include effects animator on Oliver & Company (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989), effects supervisor on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), artistic coordinator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and producer on The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005). He served as artistic coordinator on 1994’s The Lion King and as VFX supervisor on 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” said Don Hahn, producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
Fullmer worked at the Disney toon studio for nearly 20 years, racking up credits that also include effects animator on Oliver & Company (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989), effects supervisor on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), artistic coordinator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and producer on The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005). He served as artistic coordinator on 1994’s The Lion King and as VFX supervisor on 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” said Don Hahn, producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
- 7/25/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
There wouldn't be "The Little Mermaid" without Howard Ashman. There probably wouldn't be many of the most beloved Disney movies without him. Ashman was credited as a lyricist on 1989's "The Little Mermaid," 1991's "Beauty and the Beast," and 1992's "Aladdin," but he also worked as a storyteller behind the scenes, whipping the movies into shape and helping create the framework of a Disney animated movie that the studio continued to use throughout the '90s.
Don Hahn, who produced "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," said in his 2009 documentary, "Waking Sleeping Beauty," about the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation, "Howard is referred to by Roy Disney as another Walt. To us, and to our generation, he was a Walt Disney type." Hahn also directed the 2018 documentary "Howard" about Ashman's life and his work for Disney.
"The animation studio was basically shutting down," Jodi Benson, who voices Ariel in the original film,...
Don Hahn, who produced "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," said in his 2009 documentary, "Waking Sleeping Beauty," about the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation, "Howard is referred to by Roy Disney as another Walt. To us, and to our generation, he was a Walt Disney type." Hahn also directed the 2018 documentary "Howard" about Ashman's life and his work for Disney.
"The animation studio was basically shutting down," Jodi Benson, who voices Ariel in the original film,...
- 5/29/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
Disney is reversing its decision to pull Howard, the documentary about lyricist Howard Ashman, from Disney+. The film explores Ashman’s achievements, including co-writing songs for the Disney animated classic The Little Mermaid. Ashman, a gay man who also wrote songs for Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, and Aladdin, is one of the most celebrated talents in music, whose contributions to film are as legendary as the projects he’s worked on. When word got out that Howard is part of the list of titles Disney plans to pull from its Disney+ platform, people began expressing their anger online.
After yesterday’s uproar about several titles being pulled from the streamer, including Willow, The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Mighty Ducks, and more, Disney says it’s removing Howard from the list of titles set to disappear at the end of the month. “The list of titles coming...
After yesterday’s uproar about several titles being pulled from the streamer, including Willow, The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Mighty Ducks, and more, Disney says it’s removing Howard from the list of titles set to disappear at the end of the month. “The list of titles coming...
- 5/19/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Update, 11:25 Am: Disney+’s documentary Howard will not be removed from the service.
“The list of titles coming off of Hulu and Disney+ next week is still being finalized,” a rep for the company said, indicating that there could be additional changes.
As revealed by Canal+ last week, Howard was on the list of titles Disney had sent to its international partners, informing them that they will be taken off the platform May 26. The authenticity of the list was confirmed by Deadline.
Since the titles were made public yesterday, Disney had received backlash over the pending removal of Howard — about famous lyricist Howard Ashman, a gay man, who co-wrote the songs for Disney’s Little Mermaid animated classic — and its timing, on the eve of the release of the live-action Little Mermaid movie and LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Previous, 10:28 Am: Disney is taking some heat following news yesterday that...
“The list of titles coming off of Hulu and Disney+ next week is still being finalized,” a rep for the company said, indicating that there could be additional changes.
As revealed by Canal+ last week, Howard was on the list of titles Disney had sent to its international partners, informing them that they will be taken off the platform May 26. The authenticity of the list was confirmed by Deadline.
Since the titles were made public yesterday, Disney had received backlash over the pending removal of Howard — about famous lyricist Howard Ashman, a gay man, who co-wrote the songs for Disney’s Little Mermaid animated classic — and its timing, on the eve of the release of the live-action Little Mermaid movie and LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Previous, 10:28 Am: Disney is taking some heat following news yesterday that...
- 5/19/2023
- by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Burny Mattinson, a Disney Legend who served as an animator, producer, director and story artist in his nearly 70-year career with the studio, died Monday at the age of 87 following a short illness. Disney announced his death on their official website.
The story goes that Mattinson, who was born in San Francisco in 1935, was transformed when his mother took him to see Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio” at the age of 6. He knew what he wanted to do. As Don Hahn, who produced some of Disney’s most beloved movies during the Disney Renaissance, said of Mattinson’s life: “His life could be a Disney movie: teenaged kid shows up at the Disney gate with his portfolio under his arm and stays for 70 years. He was our story sensei, a brilliant draftsman who showed us what it was like to grind on a story until it was right.”
Mattinson’s first...
The story goes that Mattinson, who was born in San Francisco in 1935, was transformed when his mother took him to see Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio” at the age of 6. He knew what he wanted to do. As Don Hahn, who produced some of Disney’s most beloved movies during the Disney Renaissance, said of Mattinson’s life: “His life could be a Disney movie: teenaged kid shows up at the Disney gate with his portfolio under his arm and stays for 70 years. He was our story sensei, a brilliant draftsman who showed us what it was like to grind on a story until it was right.”
Mattinson’s first...
- 2/27/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Walt Disney Co. Archives director Becky Cline has spent the past several months shuttling between the studio’s Burbank lot and Philadelphia, where a sprawling exhibit is debuting in February as part of the conglomerate’s yearlong 100th anniversary celebration in 2023. After Philly’s famed Franklin Institute, Disney100: The Exhibition will embark on a global five-year tour. The 15,000-square-foot spectacle will showcase more than 250 items, including Mickey Mouse sketches through the years, the storybook seen in 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the snow globe from 1964’s Mary Poppins, not to mention Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and Pixar paraphernalia.
None is more important than the contract signed by Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney on Oct. 16, 1923, to make a series of six Alice in Wonderland-themed cartoons for distributor M.J. Winkler, who booked animated shorts to play before silent movies. The pact marked the founding of the Disney Brothers Studio,...
None is more important than the contract signed by Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney on Oct. 16, 1923, to make a series of six Alice in Wonderland-themed cartoons for distributor M.J. Winkler, who booked animated shorts to play before silent movies. The pact marked the founding of the Disney Brothers Studio,...
- 1/6/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every so often, Disney Animation veers from the path.
Veteran Disney producer Don Hahn said he called it “turning left at the castle.” His analogy was built on theme park geography: instead of heading through the castle to Fantasyland, you would veer left, into Adventureland – an area full of hidden danger, wild creatures and very few songs.
This week, Walt Disney Animation Studios turns left again with their 61st feature “Strange World,” a story set in a mythological realm that follows three generations – manly adventurer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), his more intellectual son Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Searcher’s teen son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White) – as they explore a world beneath our own full of bizarre, deadly creatures and equally odd geography. They’re there in an attempt to save our world but uncover a threat that could destroy both.
TheWrap talked to producer Roy Conli, director Don Hall and...
Veteran Disney producer Don Hahn said he called it “turning left at the castle.” His analogy was built on theme park geography: instead of heading through the castle to Fantasyland, you would veer left, into Adventureland – an area full of hidden danger, wild creatures and very few songs.
This week, Walt Disney Animation Studios turns left again with their 61st feature “Strange World,” a story set in a mythological realm that follows three generations – manly adventurer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), his more intellectual son Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Searcher’s teen son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White) – as they explore a world beneath our own full of bizarre, deadly creatures and equally odd geography. They’re there in an attempt to save our world but uncover a threat that could destroy both.
TheWrap talked to producer Roy Conli, director Don Hall and...
- 11/25/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
“Atlantis: The Lost Empire” producer Don Hahn had an anecdote about the ethos that drove that 2001 animated Disney film’s production. If other Disney animated films, the ones concerned with princesses and magic kingdoms, represent the Fantasyland area of a Disney theme park, the one you reach after passing through the castle, then he wanted “Atlantis” to be the Adventureland movie. This would be one where you turn left.
For “Strange World,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 61st (!) feature, they have decided to turn left again. “It’s funny, every time I walk down Main Street, I turn left,” said “Strange World” producer Ron Conli.
“Strange World” is the story of the Clades, led by the rugged adventurer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid). After Jaeger goes missing on an expedition, his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenaal) grows up, maintaining the family name in a different way: he farms a powerful crop that has...
For “Strange World,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 61st (!) feature, they have decided to turn left again. “It’s funny, every time I walk down Main Street, I turn left,” said “Strange World” producer Ron Conli.
“Strange World” is the story of the Clades, led by the rugged adventurer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid). After Jaeger goes missing on an expedition, his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenaal) grows up, maintaining the family name in a different way: he farms a powerful crop that has...
- 9/21/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Ellen Pompeo on Friday made her first public comments about her reduced on-screen presence on Grey’s Anatomy next season. As Deadline exclusively reported last month, Pompeo will appear in only eight episodes of ABC’s top scripted series for the upcoming 19th season. She is using the time to star in and executive produce an eight-episode Untitled Orphan limited series for Hulu.
“[Grey’s is] still gonna be just fine without me — I’m still gonna do the voiceover,” Pompeo told Deadline today on the red carpet for the Disney Legends ceremony at the D23 Expo, confirming that she will still do the series’ narration as Meredith. She said she hopes her fans would “come with me” to check out the Hulu series, in which she plays the mom in a drama inspired by the true story of Ukrainian-born Natalia Grace and her U.S. adoptive parents who claimed that she was an...
“[Grey’s is] still gonna be just fine without me — I’m still gonna do the voiceover,” Pompeo told Deadline today on the red carpet for the Disney Legends ceremony at the D23 Expo, confirming that she will still do the series’ narration as Meredith. She said she hopes her fans would “come with me” to check out the Hulu series, in which she plays the mom in a drama inspired by the true story of Ukrainian-born Natalia Grace and her U.S. adoptive parents who claimed that she was an...
- 9/9/2022
- by Rosy Cordero and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Grey’s Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey, along with blackish leads Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson and the late Chadwick Boseman, were honored as Legends Friday to help kick off D23 Expo: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
The ABC stars and the lead of Black Panther, along with Frozen‘s Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, Imagineer Robert Coltrin, the late Robert Price “Bob” Foster (who procured the land for Walt Disney World), producer Don Hahn, Imagineer Doris Hardoon and music producer Chris Montan were named Disney Legends for their “extraordinary contributions” to the studio’s legacy.
Disney D23 Expo 2022 Photo Gallery: Marvel, Star Wars, and More
Pompeo was celebrated first for her starring role in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Dubbed a superhero in scrubs by host Tamron Hall, Pompeo took the stage and began with an anecdote about her daughter Stella and how she...
The ABC stars and the lead of Black Panther, along with Frozen‘s Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, Imagineer Robert Coltrin, the late Robert Price “Bob” Foster (who procured the land for Walt Disney World), producer Don Hahn, Imagineer Doris Hardoon and music producer Chris Montan were named Disney Legends for their “extraordinary contributions” to the studio’s legacy.
Disney D23 Expo 2022 Photo Gallery: Marvel, Star Wars, and More
Pompeo was celebrated first for her starring role in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Dubbed a superhero in scrubs by host Tamron Hall, Pompeo took the stage and began with an anecdote about her daughter Stella and how she...
- 9/9/2022
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s going to be a lot more of Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains at Disneyland and a lot more interaction on Disney+, said Bob Chapek today, kicking off 2022’s D23 Expo.
Speaking at the start of the now traditional Disney Legends Awards ceremony at the Anaheim confab, the clearly pumped House of Mouse CEO told attendees that the just opened Avengers Campus at the theme park’s California Adventure will be adding a third attraction. “The Marvel team continues to expand its Cinematic Universe, and Avengers Campus is going to grow right along with it, Chapek said Friday. “So today, I’m excited to announce that the Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure is going deeper into the Multiverse,” the pacing CEO added.
“To do that, we are expanding Avengers Campus—and the heart of this new area will be a sensational new attraction,” former Theme Park...
Speaking at the start of the now traditional Disney Legends Awards ceremony at the Anaheim confab, the clearly pumped House of Mouse CEO told attendees that the just opened Avengers Campus at the theme park’s California Adventure will be adding a third attraction. “The Marvel team continues to expand its Cinematic Universe, and Avengers Campus is going to grow right along with it, Chapek said Friday. “So today, I’m excited to announce that the Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure is going deeper into the Multiverse,” the pacing CEO added.
“To do that, we are expanding Avengers Campus—and the heart of this new area will be a sensational new attraction,” former Theme Park...
- 9/9/2022
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Sept. 7, Wednesday
Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo and Luke Evans premiere “Pinocchio.”
Walt Disney Studios lot, Burbank
“Cobra Kai” Season 5 kicks off with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña and Tanner Buchanan.
L.A. State Historic Park, Los Angeles
Jimmy Kimmel hosts the premiere party for “Chef’s Table: Pizza.”
Pizzeria Bianco, Los Angeles
Peacock premieres “A Friend of the Family.”
San Vicente Bungalows, West Hollywood
Brie Larson attends the premiere of Disney+’s “Growing Up.”
Neuehouse, Hollywood
Sept. 8, Thursday
David E. Kelley accepts the Creative Conscience Award in the field of television at Variety’s Showrunners Dinner.
Sunset Tower, Los Angeles
Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” opens the 11-day Toronto International Film Festival.
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
Sept. 9, Friday
“Disney 100 Years of Wonder” kicks off at D23 Expo with the Disney Legends Awards, honoring Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price Foster, Josh Gad,...
Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo and Luke Evans premiere “Pinocchio.”
Walt Disney Studios lot, Burbank
“Cobra Kai” Season 5 kicks off with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña and Tanner Buchanan.
L.A. State Historic Park, Los Angeles
Jimmy Kimmel hosts the premiere party for “Chef’s Table: Pizza.”
Pizzeria Bianco, Los Angeles
Peacock premieres “A Friend of the Family.”
San Vicente Bungalows, West Hollywood
Brie Larson attends the premiere of Disney+’s “Growing Up.”
Neuehouse, Hollywood
Sept. 8, Thursday
David E. Kelley accepts the Creative Conscience Award in the field of television at Variety’s Showrunners Dinner.
Sunset Tower, Los Angeles
Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” opens the 11-day Toronto International Film Festival.
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
Sept. 9, Friday
“Disney 100 Years of Wonder” kicks off at D23 Expo with the Disney Legends Awards, honoring Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price Foster, Josh Gad,...
- 9/6/2022
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
It's one of the tragic moments of adulthood. You sit down to watch a film you idolized in your childhood — and haven't seen in just as long — only to discover a far less magical or even entertaining experience. Luckily, that's absolutely not the case with the 1995 Disney classic "A Goofy Movie," which I recently treated myself to a rewatch of. I am happy to report that the movie is still as heartwarming and hilarious as I remember it. From the big laughs of the Bigfoot scene to the teary eyes I still get when Max and Goofy finally reconcile.
But from the very beginning, Disney had less than stellar expectations for "A Goofy Movie" compared to bigger features like "The Lion King" or "Pocahontas." In fact, it wasn't even developed by Walt Disney Animation Studios (then called Walt Disney Feature Animation) but rather by a subdivision called Disneytoon Studios that...
But from the very beginning, Disney had less than stellar expectations for "A Goofy Movie" compared to bigger features like "The Lion King" or "Pocahontas." In fact, it wasn't even developed by Walt Disney Animation Studios (then called Walt Disney Feature Animation) but rather by a subdivision called Disneytoon Studios that...
- 9/4/2022
- by Steven Ward
- Slash Film
Kevin Lima's "A Goofy Movie" usually isn't listed as part of the Disney Renaissance. The film "wasn't even a B movie. It was a C movie," as Don Hahn (a producer on "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King") recalled to Vanity Fair in honor of the movie's 25th anniversary in 2020. Much of the film's animation was outsourced to Disney Animation's smaller outlets in Paris and Australia, as well as non-Disney studios in Canada and Spain. The whole thing might've been scrapped, too, had it not already been greenlit by the head of Disney's film division, Jeffrey Katzenberg, just prior to his departure in the mid-1990s.
I bring all this up not to trash "A Goofy Movie" (I would never!), but to point out how ironic it is this "C movie" would go on to develop a passionate following, rivaling those for any of the Disney Renaissance hits.
I bring all this up not to trash "A Goofy Movie" (I would never!), but to point out how ironic it is this "C movie" would go on to develop a passionate following, rivaling those for any of the Disney Renaissance hits.
- 8/26/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Black Panther–well, Chadwick Boseman–is now a Disney Legend. The Walt Disney Company has announced 14 new honorees as part of their Disney Legends brand. This 35th anniversary edition of Disney Legends includes actors, animators, Imagineers, and more.
The list: Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Perhaps the standout name is Chadwick Boseman, one of just two members being honored posthumously (the other is Foster). Boseman passed away just over two years ago.
The hall of fame was established in 1987 and included just one honoree that year: Fred MacMurray, whose most notable Disney movie is The Shaggy Dog (1959), later remade with Robert Downey Jr., a member of the Class of 2019.
The honorees also join the likes of Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, George Lucas,...
The list: Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Perhaps the standout name is Chadwick Boseman, one of just two members being honored posthumously (the other is Foster). Boseman passed away just over two years ago.
The hall of fame was established in 1987 and included just one honoree that year: Fred MacMurray, whose most notable Disney movie is The Shaggy Dog (1959), later remade with Robert Downey Jr., a member of the Class of 2019.
The honorees also join the likes of Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, George Lucas,...
- 8/20/2022
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Disney’s upcoming D23 Expo is just a few weeks away, and news is emerging about what fans can expect from this year’s event.
According to a press release, D23 — a.k.a. “the ultimate Disney fan event” — will kick off with an opening ceremony featuring the Disney Legends Awards and a sneak peek at the upcoming Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration.
“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Bob Chapek, CEO, the Walt Disney Company. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.”
Read More: Kristen Bell’s ‘Encore!’ Gets Debut Trailer At D23 Expo
The opening ceremony will feature musical performances, special guests and some surprises,...
According to a press release, D23 — a.k.a. “the ultimate Disney fan event” — will kick off with an opening ceremony featuring the Disney Legends Awards and a sneak peek at the upcoming Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration.
“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Bob Chapek, CEO, the Walt Disney Company. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.”
Read More: Kristen Bell’s ‘Encore!’ Gets Debut Trailer At D23 Expo
The opening ceremony will feature musical performances, special guests and some surprises,...
- 8/19/2022
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Disney’s D23 Expo will kick off next month with a presentation of this year’s class of Disney Legends, the roster of which was announced today. Per the company, “The Disney Legends Award is given to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Disney legacy.”
This year’s honorees are Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Tamron Hall will host the ceremony.
“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Chapek in a statement today. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.
This year’s honorees are Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Tamron Hall will host the ceremony.
“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Chapek in a statement today. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.
- 8/19/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Inventor,” the animated family feature by Oscar-nominated “Ratatouille” scribe Jim Capobianco whose all-star voice cast is led by Marion Cotillard, Daisy Ridley, Stephen Fry and Matt Berry, has been sold by MK2 Films to a flurry of territories.
The stop-motion film, which charts the life of Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, has pre-sold to a large part of the world, with deals in France (Kmbo), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Hong Kong and Taiwan (Muse), the Philippines (Falcon), Former Yugoslavia (Karantanija).
MK2 Films has already sold to the U.K., German-speaking Europe, Greece, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Indonesia. Further deals are in negotiation.
Penned and directed by Capobianco, “The Inventor” tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci (Fry), whose free-thinking ways clashed with Pope Leo X (Berry). He was sent far from Rome to the French court...
The stop-motion film, which charts the life of Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, has pre-sold to a large part of the world, with deals in France (Kmbo), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Hong Kong and Taiwan (Muse), the Philippines (Falcon), Former Yugoslavia (Karantanija).
MK2 Films has already sold to the U.K., German-speaking Europe, Greece, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Indonesia. Further deals are in negotiation.
Penned and directed by Capobianco, “The Inventor” tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci (Fry), whose free-thinking ways clashed with Pope Leo X (Berry). He was sent far from Rome to the French court...
- 4/28/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Triple Oscar nominee Tomm Moore has joined the creative team of The Inventor, the animated film being directed by Ratatouille writer Jim Capobianco.
Hand-drawn animation master Moore will direct the 2D sequences of the stop-motion film, working aside his frequent collaborator Fabian Erlinghäuser, who was an animator on Moore’s Wolfwalkers, the Apple TV+ movie that is vying for the Animated Feature Oscar this weekend.
The Inventor will encompass both 2D and puppet animation, the latter sequences to be directed by Capobianco, who also penned the screenplay. The $10 million movie is now in pre-production, with delivery scheduled for spring 2023. As Deadline previously revealed, voice cast include Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Matt Berry.
The story follows the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci, tracking how the insatiably curious and headstrong Italian inventor joins the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines,...
Hand-drawn animation master Moore will direct the 2D sequences of the stop-motion film, working aside his frequent collaborator Fabian Erlinghäuser, who was an animator on Moore’s Wolfwalkers, the Apple TV+ movie that is vying for the Animated Feature Oscar this weekend.
The Inventor will encompass both 2D and puppet animation, the latter sequences to be directed by Capobianco, who also penned the screenplay. The $10 million movie is now in pre-production, with delivery scheduled for spring 2023. As Deadline previously revealed, voice cast include Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Matt Berry.
The story follows the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci, tracking how the insatiably curious and headstrong Italian inventor joins the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines,...
- 4/23/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) is joining Daisy Ridley (“Star Wars”) and Stephen Fry (“Gosford Park”) for the voice cast of “The Inventor,” the forthcoming stop-motion animated family feature about the life of Renaissance master Leonardo Da Vinci. “The Inventor” is written and directed by Jim Capobianco, the Oscar-nominated scribe of “Ratatouille.”
Matt Berry, who currently stars in FX’s 10-time Emmy-nominated TV series “What We Do In The Shadows,” is also joining the cast.
Negotiations are underway for the remaining cast and will be announced shortly. MK2 Films is handling international sales while North American rights are handled by The Exchange.
“The Inventor” is the story of Leonardo da Vinci (Fry), whose free-thinking ways clashed with Pope Leo X (Berry), who sent the inventor far from Rome to the more enlightened but reluctant French court of Francis I, his sister Marguerite (Ridley) and his mother Louise de Savoy...
Matt Berry, who currently stars in FX’s 10-time Emmy-nominated TV series “What We Do In The Shadows,” is also joining the cast.
Negotiations are underway for the remaining cast and will be announced shortly. MK2 Films is handling international sales while North American rights are handled by The Exchange.
“The Inventor” is the story of Leonardo da Vinci (Fry), whose free-thinking ways clashed with Pope Leo X (Berry), who sent the inventor far from Rome to the more enlightened but reluctant French court of Francis I, his sister Marguerite (Ridley) and his mother Louise de Savoy...
- 9/11/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The late lyricist Howard Ashman gave us the gift of many of the most-loved Disney songs of the modern era, teaming with composer Alan Menken to write “Beauty and the Beast’s” “Be Our Guest,” “The Little Mermaid’s” “Part of Your World” and “Aladdin’s” “Friend Like Me.” In the new documentary “Howard,” streaming on Disney Plus from August 7, director Don Hahn — who knew his subject well, having produced the original animated version of “Beauty and the Beast” — goes in for a look at Ashman’s life behind the music.
Hahn talks with Variety about the importance of remembering Ashman (pictured above working on “Little Mermaid” with actress Paige O’Hara) and making a documentary about his life, the art and his music with the people who knew him best, such as his sister and life partner.
What made you want to finally tell Howard’s story?
It hadn’t...
Hahn talks with Variety about the importance of remembering Ashman (pictured above working on “Little Mermaid” with actress Paige O’Hara) and making a documentary about his life, the art and his music with the people who knew him best, such as his sister and life partner.
What made you want to finally tell Howard’s story?
It hadn’t...
- 8/7/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Disney has seen enormous financial success from their tactic of remaking their animated classics in live-action, but the response from critics and audiences alike has been much more mixed. It’s generally agreed that the new versions can’t top the original films, of course, but the relative creativity and entertainment value of the remakes is not the only controversial element about them. For instance, it’s known that the creators of the old movies don’t receive any fee for having their original works remade.
The latest filmmakers to talk about this are Gary Wise and Kirk Trousdale, the directing duo behind Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. They spoke with Collider and opened up about how they didn’t receive any money from the studio for the 2017 BatB reboot, which earned Disney a whopping $1 billion at the global box office.
The latest filmmakers to talk about this are Gary Wise and Kirk Trousdale, the directing duo behind Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. They spoke with Collider and opened up about how they didn’t receive any money from the studio for the 2017 BatB reboot, which earned Disney a whopping $1 billion at the global box office.
- 8/7/2020
- by Christian Bone
- We Got This Covered
as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Ashman was only 40 when he died of complications from AIDS in 1991. His life partner, architect Bill Lauch, picked up the posthumous Oscar that Ashman won for Beauty. Jeffrey Katzenberg, then propelling Disney’s animation renaissance, recalls seeing Ashman near the end, having lost his sight and weighing barely 80 pounds. It’s unlikely such a graphic depiction will ever surface on Blu-ray extras for the family-friendly blockbusters that Ashman created with composer Alan Menken — so cheers to Disney+ for presenting the revelatory doc.
- 8/4/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
One of the hidden strengths of Disney Plus — a streaming service whose subtler assets are indeed easily overshadowed by the library of blockbuster movies available — is its collection of entertainments that pay tribute to the history of its parent company. For die-hard fans, “The Imagineering Story” and “Prop Culture” pull back the aperture a bit and allow fans to feel a bit closer to the action, a mission that only really makes sense for a streamer with quite so precisely calibrated a brand identity.
“Howard,” a new documentary directed by longtime Disney producer Don Hahn and launching on the service August 7, is likeliest to appeal to diehards who’ve already familiarized themselves with what else is on offer there. But there’s stuff there to appeal to anyone who’s ever hummed along to “Under the Sea” or “Be Our Guest,” too. Telling the story of Howard Ashman — the lyricist...
“Howard,” a new documentary directed by longtime Disney producer Don Hahn and launching on the service August 7, is likeliest to appeal to diehards who’ve already familiarized themselves with what else is on offer there. But there’s stuff there to appeal to anyone who’s ever hummed along to “Under the Sea” or “Be Our Guest,” too. Telling the story of Howard Ashman — the lyricist...
- 8/3/2020
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Kcet picked up eight wins tonight at the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, including awards for local color, culture and sports programming. Kmex followed with five wins.
Kvea’s wins included best news series and live coverage of an unscheduled news event. ABC7 took the honors for best evening newscast. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the awards were presented without audience in front of the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood and livestreamed on YouTube.
Below is the complete list of winners at the 72nd Los Angeles Area Emmys, including a breakdown of wins by each outlet.
L.A. Local Color
Transformation (Broken Bread) Kcet
Juan Devis, Executive Producer
Roy Choi, Executive Producer
Host Emily Mraz
Producer Matthew Crotty
Producer Elizabeth Collins
Producer Natasha Phan
Producer Aaron Warzynski
Editor Jacqueline Reyno
Associate Producer James Mann
Director, Director of Photography
Jt Smith, Editor
Live Special Events – Programming
60th Annual L.
Kvea’s wins included best news series and live coverage of an unscheduled news event. ABC7 took the honors for best evening newscast. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the awards were presented without audience in front of the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood and livestreamed on YouTube.
Below is the complete list of winners at the 72nd Los Angeles Area Emmys, including a breakdown of wins by each outlet.
L.A. Local Color
Transformation (Broken Bread) Kcet
Juan Devis, Executive Producer
Roy Choi, Executive Producer
Host Emily Mraz
Producer Matthew Crotty
Producer Elizabeth Collins
Producer Natasha Phan
Producer Aaron Warzynski
Editor Jacqueline Reyno
Associate Producer James Mann
Director, Director of Photography
Jt Smith, Editor
Live Special Events – Programming
60th Annual L.
- 7/19/2020
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
"Howard and Alan Menken had captured the imagination of a generation..." Disney has released the new official trailer for a documentary titled Howard, made by the acclaimed Disney veteran Don Hahn. The doc film tells the story of songwriter Howard Ashman, who penned the lyrics for the musicals Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, before he died of AIDS at the height of the AIDS crisis in 1991. "You may not know his name, but you sure know Howard Ashman's music," states Hahn. "He's one of the greatest storytellers of the twentieth century who helped to revitalize the American musical and re-energize Disney Animation. He left us a songbook that still lives on in us today, yet his personal story has never been fully told until now." The film features interviews with Ashman's longtime musical collaborator Alan Menken, who also scored the film, Bill Lauch...
- 7/16/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The new documentary “Howard” profiles the life and work of Howard Ashman, the legendary lyricist whose music and words on stage and in Disney films helped inspire a golden age of stories and musicals.
And along with the first trailer for the documentary film which shows behind the scenes footage of Ashman working with the voice actors for “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” Disney has unveiled that “Howard” will debut on Disney+ on Aug. 7.
“As a lyricist, the last great place to do musicals is in animation,” Ashman says in a clip in the trailer. “We knew something really special was happening, but what we didn’t know is that in nine months, Howard would be gone,” one of his Disney colleagues adds.
Also Read: Why 'Hamilton' on Disney+ Could Spark More Demand for Filmed Broadway Shows
“Howard” made its debut at the Tribeca Film...
And along with the first trailer for the documentary film which shows behind the scenes footage of Ashman working with the voice actors for “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” Disney has unveiled that “Howard” will debut on Disney+ on Aug. 7.
“As a lyricist, the last great place to do musicals is in animation,” Ashman says in a clip in the trailer. “We knew something really special was happening, but what we didn’t know is that in nine months, Howard would be gone,” one of his Disney colleagues adds.
Also Read: Why 'Hamilton' on Disney+ Could Spark More Demand for Filmed Broadway Shows
“Howard” made its debut at the Tribeca Film...
- 7/16/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Star Wars star Daisy Ridley and Brit national treasure Stephen Fry have boarded the voice cast of The Inventor, a feature stop-motion animation about Leonardo da Vinci written and directed by Jim Capobianco, the Oscar-nominated scribe of Ratatouille.
Fry will voice da Vinci and Ridley will be the French Princess Marguerite. Pic will follow the life of the insatiably curious and headstrong inventor as he leaves Italy to join the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines, and studying the human body. There, joined by the princess, he looks to answer the ultimate question – what is the meaning of it all?
Deadline can also reveal a first look at the movie below.
French major mk2 films is handling international rights with The Exchange overseeing the U.S. sale; the film will take part in next week’s Cannes Marche.
The $10M project is being...
Fry will voice da Vinci and Ridley will be the French Princess Marguerite. Pic will follow the life of the insatiably curious and headstrong inventor as he leaves Italy to join the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines, and studying the human body. There, joined by the princess, he looks to answer the ultimate question – what is the meaning of it all?
Deadline can also reveal a first look at the movie below.
French major mk2 films is handling international rights with The Exchange overseeing the U.S. sale; the film will take part in next week’s Cannes Marche.
The $10M project is being...
- 6/19/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The Television Academy has unveiled nominations for the 72nd Los Angeles Emmy Awards. Kcet has re-claimed the top spot with 20 nominations, followed by last year’s leader Spanish-language outlet Kmex with 15. Last year was the first time since 2015 that Kmex had led the nominations outright. Kvea is third with 13 nominations, followed by Spectrum News 1 with 12.
In all, there are 121 nominations in 33 categories including Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Human Interest, Sports, the Environment, and Live and Breaking News Coverage.
Due to production restrictions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Emmy Awards will be held virtually this year. Trophies will be presented Saturday evening, July 18 at 7 Pm on Emmys.com. The show will be produced by Bob Bain Productions and is currently in development.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Programming & News Categories
L.A. Local Color
Día de Los Muertos (Artbound) • Kcet
Juan Devis,...
In all, there are 121 nominations in 33 categories including Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Human Interest, Sports, the Environment, and Live and Breaking News Coverage.
Due to production restrictions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Emmy Awards will be held virtually this year. Trophies will be presented Saturday evening, July 18 at 7 Pm on Emmys.com. The show will be produced by Bob Bain Productions and is currently in development.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Programming & News Categories
L.A. Local Color
Día de Los Muertos (Artbound) • Kcet
Juan Devis,...
- 6/8/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Mark Harrison Nov 20, 2019
Released in 1990, The Rescuers Down Under is one of the great forgotten films of the Disney Renaissance.
In conversations about Disney Animation’s spell-binding run of films from The Little Mermaid to The Lion King and beyond, there’s rarely enough lip-service given to the overlooked milestone that came out in 1990.
Sandwiched between the transformational The Little Mermaid, the studio’s biggest box office success in decades, and Beauty and the Beast, which became the first ever animated Best Picture nominee at the 1992 Oscars and is still considered by many to be Disney's best, The Rescuers Down Under is somewhat lost in the mix.
Nevertheless, it was a groundbreaking film for the studio’s steadily regrouping feature animation department and marked a number of notable firsts for them and the medium in general. The circumstances of its production and its release would make it the...
Released in 1990, The Rescuers Down Under is one of the great forgotten films of the Disney Renaissance.
In conversations about Disney Animation’s spell-binding run of films from The Little Mermaid to The Lion King and beyond, there’s rarely enough lip-service given to the overlooked milestone that came out in 1990.
Sandwiched between the transformational The Little Mermaid, the studio’s biggest box office success in decades, and Beauty and the Beast, which became the first ever animated Best Picture nominee at the 1992 Oscars and is still considered by many to be Disney's best, The Rescuers Down Under is somewhat lost in the mix.
Nevertheless, it was a groundbreaking film for the studio’s steadily regrouping feature animation department and marked a number of notable firsts for them and the medium in general. The circumstances of its production and its release would make it the...
- 11/20/2019
- Den of Geek
David Crow Nov 15, 2019
Thirty years later, The Little Mermaid remains one of the most important Disney movies, changing the studio’s entire trajectory.
She sits atop a rock, wind blowing through her red hair. In the distance the object of her desire recedes from the surf, and something suddenly shifts. It is the moment of epiphany for Ariel, and the one on which The Little Mermaid turns. Yet it’s also the moment of transformation for the studio that gave her life. She would change her world, all right, and ours with it.
Originally a creature of tragedy in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, the once nameless heroine was reshaped by Disney, and more precisely Walt Disney Animation Studios during a moment of crisis, into an animated life so vibrant it is recognized as the beginning of the Disney Renaissance: the era in which Disney Animation reclaimed its legacy...
Thirty years later, The Little Mermaid remains one of the most important Disney movies, changing the studio’s entire trajectory.
She sits atop a rock, wind blowing through her red hair. In the distance the object of her desire recedes from the surf, and something suddenly shifts. It is the moment of epiphany for Ariel, and the one on which The Little Mermaid turns. Yet it’s also the moment of transformation for the studio that gave her life. She would change her world, all right, and ours with it.
Originally a creature of tragedy in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, the once nameless heroine was reshaped by Disney, and more precisely Walt Disney Animation Studios during a moment of crisis, into an animated life so vibrant it is recognized as the beginning of the Disney Renaissance: the era in which Disney Animation reclaimed its legacy...
- 11/13/2019
- Den of Geek
Platform acquires worldwide rights to Little Shop Of Horrors lyricist Howard Ashman.
Morgan Neville will produce and Jeff Malmberg will direct Untitled Mickey Mouse Documentary for Disney+ as the streaming platform offered a peek at its non-fiction line-up on Friday (19) in a presentation with International Documentary Association.
Neville won the Oscar in 2014 for 20 Feet From Stardom and also directed Fred Rogers film Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Malmberg’s credits include Marwencol and Shangri-la.
The film will attempt to understand the deeper significance of arguably the most recognizable cartoon character in history, and explore his cultural impact. From Tremolo Productions...
Morgan Neville will produce and Jeff Malmberg will direct Untitled Mickey Mouse Documentary for Disney+ as the streaming platform offered a peek at its non-fiction line-up on Friday (19) in a presentation with International Documentary Association.
Neville won the Oscar in 2014 for 20 Feet From Stardom and also directed Fred Rogers film Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Malmberg’s credits include Marwencol and Shangri-la.
The film will attempt to understand the deeper significance of arguably the most recognizable cartoon character in history, and explore his cultural impact. From Tremolo Productions...
- 10/18/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Disney+ added a bunch of non-fiction programming to its expansive slate on Friday, including a documentary about the original Disney mascot, Mickey Mouse, from “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” director Morgan Neville.
Neville will produce the untitled doc, with Jeff Malmberg directing the feature. Disney said that the film will work to decode Mickey’s deeper significance, getting to the core of what his cultural impact says about each of us, and about our world. From Tremolo Productions and Lincoln Square Productions, the film will strive to be the definitive analysis of Mickey as a cultural icon.
Disney+ has also acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the documentary, “Howard.” Directed by Don Hahn, “Howard” is the untold story of Howard Ashman, the lyricist behind Disney classics like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid” and creator of musicals including “Little Shop of Horrors.” The film will stream exclusively...
Neville will produce the untitled doc, with Jeff Malmberg directing the feature. Disney said that the film will work to decode Mickey’s deeper significance, getting to the core of what his cultural impact says about each of us, and about our world. From Tremolo Productions and Lincoln Square Productions, the film will strive to be the definitive analysis of Mickey as a cultural icon.
Disney+ has also acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the documentary, “Howard.” Directed by Don Hahn, “Howard” is the untold story of Howard Ashman, the lyricist behind Disney classics like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid” and creator of musicals including “Little Shop of Horrors.” The film will stream exclusively...
- 10/18/2019
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Today, I attended a Disney+ presentation in Hollywood, where we learned that the upcoming streaming service will be the home of two interesting documentaries. Don Hahn, the producer of Disney animation movies like The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and a talented director in his own right, directed a film about the life […]
The post Howard Ashman and Wolfgang Puck Documentaries Coming to Disney+ from Don Hahn & ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ Filmmaker appeared first on /Film.
The post Howard Ashman and Wolfgang Puck Documentaries Coming to Disney+ from Don Hahn & ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ Filmmaker appeared first on /Film.
- 10/18/2019
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Disney Plus further fleshed out its nonfiction content slate at an International Documentary Association showcase event Friday, as the streamer, preparing for its Nov. 12 launch, continues to flesh out its programming strategy.
Among the announcements:
The streamer has acquired the global distribution rights to “Howard,” the Don Hahn-directed documentary about “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast” lyricist Howard Ashman, which will stream exclusively on Disney Plus in 2020. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “20 Feet From Stardom” documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville is producing an untitled Mickey Mouse documentary from Tremolo Productions and Lincoln Square Productions for the streamer, one that will “work to decode Mickey’s deeper significance” and its cultural impact. As part of an overall deal with production company Supper Club, Disney Plus has the following three projects in the works: docu-series “People & Places,” about people who “embody the Disney ethos,” David Gelb-directed “Wolfgang,” about celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck,...
Among the announcements:
The streamer has acquired the global distribution rights to “Howard,” the Don Hahn-directed documentary about “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast” lyricist Howard Ashman, which will stream exclusively on Disney Plus in 2020. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “20 Feet From Stardom” documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville is producing an untitled Mickey Mouse documentary from Tremolo Productions and Lincoln Square Productions for the streamer, one that will “work to decode Mickey’s deeper significance” and its cultural impact. As part of an overall deal with production company Supper Club, Disney Plus has the following three projects in the works: docu-series “People & Places,” about people who “embody the Disney ethos,” David Gelb-directed “Wolfgang,” about celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck,...
- 10/18/2019
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
Disney+ on Friday revealed some of the new content it is adding to its nonfiction slate on or after the streaming service’s November 12 launch, including newly announced documentaries about Mickey Mouse from Morgan Neville and Marwencol‘s Jeff Malmberg, and about Wolfgang Puck, from Jiro Dreams of Sushi director David Gelb.
The streamer, which showcased its expanding slate at an event Friday at NeueHouse Hollywood sponsored by the International Documentary Association, also said it is reviving Disney’s short-form film series People & Places, which originally aired in the 1950s and ’60s.
Disney+ also acquired rights to be the exclusive streaming home of sibling Nat Geo’s Emmy-winning docu feature Science Fair and the Don Hahn-directed Howard about Disney songwriter Howard Ashman, which bowed at Tribeca in 2018.
In addition, Disney said that Gillian Jacobs, Paul Scheer, Andrew Rossi and Gelb will helm episodes of Marvel’s 616, the superhero factory...
The streamer, which showcased its expanding slate at an event Friday at NeueHouse Hollywood sponsored by the International Documentary Association, also said it is reviving Disney’s short-form film series People & Places, which originally aired in the 1950s and ’60s.
Disney+ also acquired rights to be the exclusive streaming home of sibling Nat Geo’s Emmy-winning docu feature Science Fair and the Don Hahn-directed Howard about Disney songwriter Howard Ashman, which bowed at Tribeca in 2018.
In addition, Disney said that Gillian Jacobs, Paul Scheer, Andrew Rossi and Gelb will helm episodes of Marvel’s 616, the superhero factory...
- 10/18/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Disney+ is expanding its nonfiction slate, announcing several new titles in the works at the soon-to-launch streamer.
An untitled Mickey Mouse documentary from Won't You Be My Neighbor? producer Morgan Neville and director Jeff Malmberg, centering on the iconic character's cultural impact, is in the works. Disney+ has also acquired worldwide rights to documentary Howard, about Disney lyricist Howard Ashman — who was behind Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid — directed by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn and debuting in 2020.
As part of its overall deal with production company Supper Club, Disney+ also ...
An untitled Mickey Mouse documentary from Won't You Be My Neighbor? producer Morgan Neville and director Jeff Malmberg, centering on the iconic character's cultural impact, is in the works. Disney+ has also acquired worldwide rights to documentary Howard, about Disney lyricist Howard Ashman — who was behind Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid — directed by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn and debuting in 2020.
As part of its overall deal with production company Supper Club, Disney+ also ...
- 10/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Make no mistake: “The Lion King” is an animated movie. Almost 100 percent. Only one shot, teased director Jon Favreau ahead of the Hollywood world premiere Tuesday night, was filmed live. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel confirmed that it was the first thing they filmed on location in Africa. And it’s a gorgeous shot — but the whole film is photo-real gorgeous, and made within a digital world.
What Favreau and his “Jungle Book” VFX master Rob Legato have achieved with global squadrons of animators from Oscar-winner Mpc Film is an astonishing gamechanger. As IndieWire reported during production, “The Lion King” marks the first keyframe-animated movie shot on a virtual reality set with a live-action aesthetic.
The results are stunning. Aesthetically, Favreau was able to pull together naturalistic animation of wild animals moving their mouths, with voice actors speaking in English and breaking into song. This could have gone wrong in so many ways,...
What Favreau and his “Jungle Book” VFX master Rob Legato have achieved with global squadrons of animators from Oscar-winner Mpc Film is an astonishing gamechanger. As IndieWire reported during production, “The Lion King” marks the first keyframe-animated movie shot on a virtual reality set with a live-action aesthetic.
The results are stunning. Aesthetically, Favreau was able to pull together naturalistic animation of wild animals moving their mouths, with voice actors speaking in English and breaking into song. This could have gone wrong in so many ways,...
- 7/11/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Make no mistake: “The Lion King” is an animated movie. Almost 100 percent. Only one shot, teased director Jon Favreau ahead of the Hollywood world premiere Tuesday night, was filmed live. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel confirmed that it was the first thing they filmed on location in Africa. And it’s a gorgeous shot — but the whole film is photo-real gorgeous, and made within a digital world.
What Favreau and his “Jungle Book” VFX master Rob Legato have achieved with global squadrons of animators from Oscar-winner Mpc Film is an astonishing gamechanger. As IndieWire reported during production, “The Lion King” marks the first keyframe-animated movie shot on a virtual reality set with a live-action aesthetic.
The results are stunning. Aesthetically, Favreau was able to pull together naturalistic animation of wild animals moving their mouths, with voice actors speaking in English and breaking into song. This could have gone wrong in so many ways,...
What Favreau and his “Jungle Book” VFX master Rob Legato have achieved with global squadrons of animators from Oscar-winner Mpc Film is an astonishing gamechanger. As IndieWire reported during production, “The Lion King” marks the first keyframe-animated movie shot on a virtual reality set with a live-action aesthetic.
The results are stunning. Aesthetically, Favreau was able to pull together naturalistic animation of wild animals moving their mouths, with voice actors speaking in English and breaking into song. This could have gone wrong in so many ways,...
- 7/11/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Paramount Pictures has released the first teaser trailer for their upcoming animation, Wonder Park.
The trailer lacks to inform of us with any real information on the film. Missing any major dialogue, the 1 minute 44 trailer consists of swooping camera shots over a thematic score fails to unveil any of the story.
That’s not all that’s missing from the release; a list of the voice cast seems to have been omitted. It had previously been reported that the likes of Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, Matthew Broderick, Kath Soucie, and Norbert Leo Butz would be making up the voice cast.
The screenplay is by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec with a story by Robert Gordon and Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec. The film is produced by Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Kendra Haaland Executive Producers Karen Rosenfelt and Don Hahn.
The trailer lacks to inform of us with any real information on the film. Missing any major dialogue, the 1 minute 44 trailer consists of swooping camera shots over a thematic score fails to unveil any of the story.
That’s not all that’s missing from the release; a list of the voice cast seems to have been omitted. It had previously been reported that the likes of Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, Matthew Broderick, Kath Soucie, and Norbert Leo Butz would be making up the voice cast.
The screenplay is by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec with a story by Robert Gordon and Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec. The film is produced by Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Kendra Haaland Executive Producers Karen Rosenfelt and Don Hahn.
- 7/10/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Howard Ashman passed away nearly three decades ago, but his career is going stronger than ever. The live-action movie version of Beauty and the Beast was a box-office smash last year. The stage version of Aladdin is attracting sell-out Broadway crowds. And live-action cinematic versions of that animated classic and The Little Mermaid are currently in development. The time is ripe, then, for Don Hahn's documentary paying loving tribute to the lyricist whose work helped kickstart a new golden era of animated musicals. Receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, Howard should be essential viewing for movie and...
- 4/24/2018
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some rare and wonderful behind-the-scenes footage has surfaced from Disney's classic 90s animated film Beauty and the Beast. It features Angela Lansbury and the late Jerry Orbach recording the song "Be Our Guest" with a live orchestra and I couldn't help but just smile as I watched this.
The footage is part of a documentary being made by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn that will explore the life and career of Howard Ashman, who collaborated with Alan Menken on some of the classic and most memorable songs from the Disney animated films in the 90s.
For those of you who don't know, Ashman passed away at age 40, only months before Disney's Beauty and the Beast premiered.
The footage is part of a documentary being made by Beauty and the Beast producer Don Hahn that will explore the life and career of Howard Ashman, who collaborated with Alan Menken on some of the classic and most memorable songs from the Disney animated films in the 90s.
For those of you who don't know, Ashman passed away at age 40, only months before Disney's Beauty and the Beast premiered.
- 4/17/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
In today’s film news roundup, Gravitas buys “Dating My Mother,” and “The Inventor” and “Walking on Palmettos” will begin shooting.
Acquisition
Gravitas Ventures has bought the rights to the Kathryn Erbe-Patrick Reilly family drama “Dating My Mother” and plans to digitally release the film on May 8, prior to Mothers Day, Variety has learned exclusively.
Reilly portrays an unemployed gay screenwriter living in his New Jersey hometown who practices yoga, sips red wine, and power-walks with his mother Joan, played by Erbe. When she reveals she’s seeing another man, their version of domestic bliss comes crashing down. While they search for their versions of Mr. Right, mother and son discover that sometimes you need to be apart in order to grow together.
“Dating My Mother” was written and directed by Mike Roma. It also stars Kathy Najimy, James LeGros, Michael Rosen, and Paul Iacono.
Stop-motion Film
Jim Capobianco,...
Acquisition
Gravitas Ventures has bought the rights to the Kathryn Erbe-Patrick Reilly family drama “Dating My Mother” and plans to digitally release the film on May 8, prior to Mothers Day, Variety has learned exclusively.
Reilly portrays an unemployed gay screenwriter living in his New Jersey hometown who practices yoga, sips red wine, and power-walks with his mother Joan, played by Erbe. When she reveals she’s seeing another man, their version of domestic bliss comes crashing down. While they search for their versions of Mr. Right, mother and son discover that sometimes you need to be apart in order to grow together.
“Dating My Mother” was written and directed by Mike Roma. It also stars Kathy Najimy, James LeGros, Michael Rosen, and Paul Iacono.
Stop-motion Film
Jim Capobianco,...
- 4/13/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: If you love a song from a classic Disney animated feature, it is likely that Howard Ashman was the mind behind the words. Don Hahn’s documentary Howard takes a look at the life of the Academy Award-winning lyricist and the legacy he left behind. In the exclusive clip above, we see him at work recording the memorable Beauty and the Beast song “Be Our Guest” with composer and frequent collaborator Alan Menken as well as the movie’s stars Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach. Howard will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22.
Ashman grew up with love for musical theater and after living the life of a starving artist in New York, he adapted Roger Corman’s film The Little Shop of Horrors into a musical with Menken which served as a turning point in his career. The success led to some speed...
Ashman grew up with love for musical theater and after living the life of a starving artist in New York, he adapted Roger Corman’s film The Little Shop of Horrors into a musical with Menken which served as a turning point in his career. The success led to some speed...
- 4/11/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
In late April, theater lovers devote most of their attention to the clutch of Broadway shows rushing to open before the eligibility cutoff for Tony nominations. But this year fans should be keeping an eye on things downtown too: New projects by or about Broadway talent aren’t onstage. They’re at a film festival — the Tribeca Film Festival (running April 18-29), where Terrence McNally, Howard Ashman, Michael Mayer and Stephen Karam are all in the mix.
Every Act of Life (pictured top)
Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross’ documentary, making its world premiere at the festival, chronicles the life of McNally, the veteran, out-and-proud playwright and four-time Tony winner behind “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Ragtime,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and more. The biopic — which counts Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston among those involved — touches on everything from McNally’s romance with Edward Albee to...
Every Act of Life (pictured top)
Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross’ documentary, making its world premiere at the festival, chronicles the life of McNally, the veteran, out-and-proud playwright and four-time Tony winner behind “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Ragtime,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and more. The biopic — which counts Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston among those involved — touches on everything from McNally’s romance with Edward Albee to...
- 4/10/2018
- by Gordon Cox
- Variety Film + TV
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