"Waking Sleeping Beauty" Trailer

Here's the trailer for "Waking Sleeping Beauty."  My review is below. Hope it comes to your area so you can enjoy this yourselves.

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" Review

One of the great things about “Waking Sleeping Beauty” is that it gives you reasons to both root and condemn the studio it’s about. Rarely will you see a documentary that is more insightful then political, but it just goes to prove that insightful documentaries are always going to be better then political ones. The movie was directed by Don Hahn, producer to some of Disney’s biggest hits including “Beauty & The Beast,” which for the longest time was the only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture (until Pixar’s “Up” came along). Hahn took a break from the studio so that he could work on other projects, and this is the first time we’ve seen him in the directors chair. Turns out he can direct a pretty effective documentary.

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"Alice In Wonderland" Review

Why it took Tim Burton this long to make a movie adaptation of “Alice In Wonderland” I’ll never know. Considering Burton’s previous accomplishments of making movies with weird worlds and isolated protagonists, it seems like he would have tackled Lewis Carol’s classic book years ago. But then back then he’d have to make sets to create the world he does here, which would have been tedious and expensive. Now he can just put his characters in front of a green screen for half the cost and just as nice a look. To say this movie looks great would be an understatement as for all the complaints Burton gets on his storytelling I hear very little complaints of his visual accomplishments.

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Miley Cyrus's 'Last Song'

So it appears Miley Cyrus wants to break away from Disney and have a career on her own.  There is tremendous pressure on her to NOT turn out like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan though!  With that in mind her upcoming role in "The Last Song" is...probably a good choice.  It's PG-rated.  She gets to contribute a few songs (real ones maybe).  She gets top billing.  Greg Kinnear and Kelly Preston play major roles.  Her part isn't hammered to audiences by the trailer (giving us the impression this may be a role movie and not a star vehicle).  The thing that could go either way for this film is the fact that it's based off a Nicolas Sparks novel.  For me the guy is hit and miss.  Some movies like "A Walk In The Clouds" and "The Notebook" range from excellent to pretty good.

Some of his movie adaptations are unrealistic and predictable.  Most of his stuff tends to be syrupy whether it be presented in print or celluloid.  I'm more than certain that this film will not get any Oscar nominations.  That said it's going to be fun to see where Cyrus's career goes from here.  With all the concerns that she may be trying to "sexy up" her musical career, it's nice to see a realistic transition from family star to real movie star with this movie.  If the movie is actually good then her career could get a critical boost.  If it's bad then be prepared for her to "sexy up" her movie parts as well.  I have to say though that scene where she's accepted to Julliard but has decided she's not going rings of a very bad TV movie cliche.

"Toy Story 3" Trailer Released

Though it was supposed to be kept offline until the double feature run of the first two films had closed, it appears Disney has decided to let the clip out of the bag for those who don't want to go to the theater and relive some great nostalgia:

Full 'Princess' Clip

Though I don't like spoiling too much Disney has released a full clip of their highly anticipated "The Princess and the Frog."  Okay, so it's not a great scene, but it sure is great to hand drawn animation again.

New Trailer For "The Princess and the Frog"

Before I go to bed I present the second trailer for Disney's much anticipated return to traditional animation "The Princess and the Frog":

"Alice In Wonderland" Johnny Depp Trailer

I keep hearing how Disney plans to release multiple trailers for Tim Burton's upcoming "Alice In Wonderland" movie. Trailers starring Alan Rickman, Helen Boham Carter, and all those other famous people that are starring in the film. So far all the focus has been on Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter. While I get the fact that Depp is famous and a big box office draw, focusing the ad campaign on him still strikes me as odd seeing that The Mad Hatter very much a supporting character, and too much Depp in the ads could prove fatal once the public realizes just how little of the film he's in.

More "Ponyo" Trailers

We've got an additional two trailers for Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo." One bragging about the voice talent and the other one actually selling the film on it's own merits. And while it may be premature to say this, I think "Ponyo" may actually be a hit. It seems like Disney is finally getting behind this movie. With Miyazaki visiting the states, the 800 screen release, and for the first time Disney has made more then one trailer for a Miayazaki film and they don't totally suck. Who knows, but I think this is the perfect oportunity for the world to discover Miyzaki. Here's hoping they do.

"Ponyo" Trailer

Disney has finally graced us with the trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's latest film:

While it certainly is better then the Japanese one, I'm a little disapointed that they have so little faith in this film that they have to make it look like a second rate action film. Oh well. August 4th. Mark your calanders.

Disney Enterting The Documentary Race?

Though Disney has popped up in various Oscar categories over the years the one category they rarely pop up in anymore is Best Documentary. I'm not even sure if they've won in that category yet. However their release of "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story" may change that. While Disney's official trailer has chosen to focus on songs and celebrities praise of those songs (most likely in hopes that they'll sell a few more CD's), the fact of the matter is "The Boys" is a terrible story of two brothers who creatively worked well together but through personal differences never had much of a family relationship. It's actually a very tragic movie, one that sticks with you long after the movie is over. I left wondering how two men who wrote such great songs of friendship and love could hate each other so much. Worth hunting down if you can find it.

Disney's "A Christmas Carol" Poster

Though Disney may be returning to 2D animation with "The Princess & The Frog" they aren't going to throw in the towel with 3D animation yet either. In fact, they may have done one of the smartest things by signing a multi-picture deal with Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis. Now Bob may be best known for "Forrest Gump" and the "Back To The Future" trilogy, but in recent years he's been perfecting motion capture technology. His most recent work was with "Beowulf," which took in so much more money with it's IMAX and 3D showings that Hollywood had to sit up and take notice. His most noticble work in recent years was "The Polar Express." Though the movie was snubbed an Oscar nomination in favor of Dreamworks (far more subpar in my opinion) "Shark Tale," Bob had the last laugh when word-of-mouth made his film a much bigger hit. Not only that, but IMAX found it could be a yearly tradition, and the thing was re-released for five years straight every Christmas at IMAX.

That said though "The Polar Express" is starting to run out of steam, and IMAX needs a new tradition to keep them alive during the holidays. Enter Disney's "A Christmas Carol." Bob has wrote the screenplay, directed the film, and Disney is finally coming home to IMAX after a long absense. What should make this a big hit is Jim Carrey providing the voice of not only Scrooge, but the three ghosts as well. If this movie is half as good as "The Polar Express" was we should have a new Christmas tradition on our hands. Oh, and hopefully the Academy won't blunder the nomination with this one.

I've Been Waiting For This: 'Ponyo' Gets Dated

As mentioned above, this is the announcement I've been waiting for:

Walt Disney Pictures has announced the U.S. release date of Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale THE LITTLE MERMAID. Fans of the animation master will only have to wait until Aug. 14th to see what is already a hit in Japan.

The story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) and her quest to become human. The voice cast includes Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White and Frankie Jonas as Sosuke, a young boy who befriends Ponyo.

Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are producing the English-language dub with Steve Alpert. Exec producers are Miyazaki and John Lasseter, who also exec produced the English dubs of Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY and HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

The English screenplay was written by Melissa Mathison.

As you can read above Disney has dropped the overlong "Ponyo On A Cliff" title for the shorter "Ponyo." Maybe that will help and maybe it won't. It's hard to tell at this point. But good news is good news: "Ponyo" is coming to America!

Pixar's 'Up' Opens Cannes

In what will surely be considered a big step for "Up" for animated films everywhere, Pixar's newest film "Up" is going to be opening the important Cannes Film Festival. John Lasseter is obviously thrilled. As he said so perfectly, "This is a huge step for animation, and further supports our belief that a great animated film is simply a great film." This is actually the first Disney, Pixar, and animated film to open the prestige festival. Here's hoping it wows the audience and judges alike.

Limited Run For Disney's New Princess?

One of my most eagerly anticipated movies is Disney's return to 2D animation "The Princess and the Frog." Early on it was reported that the movie would be released this summer. But thanks to some protests about the main characters race, name, and occupation the film had to be retooled and will now open for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Or will it?

According to "The Disney Blog" Disney may actually be flirting with changing the date once again. See, last year Disney thought they had a smash hit with "Bolt"...

...which, despite getting solid reviews, Miley Cyrus, and an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film, the movie didn't exactly make a lot of money at the box office (though the 3D showings had more legs then the 2D showing). While there were a ton of reasons why this could have happened, the thing Disney singled out was competition from "Twilight"...

...which was fighting for teens money just as much as "Bolt" was, and it ultimately won (having the advantage of a best selling book on its side). Disney was hoping to avoid that fate this time around with their return to 2D, but wouldn't you know it: That new Sherlock Holmes movie was bumped up in it's release date, and now shares the same week as "The Princess and the Frog." Well, Disney obviously doesn't want competition from ANOTHER big budget release (especially since this one might actually be good), so they are considering changing the release pattern. Though they haven't commited to changing the date again, they ARE considering releasing the movie as a limited release film first and slowly expanding it as the weeks go by.

This would be a pretty daring move on their part, as this is a release stradegy normally saved for low budget films and Oscar contenders. Seeing that Disney hasn't made a "must see" film in years though, this sort of "word-of-mouth" advertising may be just what they need to get people excited about this film. Nothing is confirmed yet, but I think this is an interesting way to sell the movie. What do you guys think?

Jonas Brothers Road To Oscar?

The new Jonas Brothers concert film opened at number 3, making slightly more then $12 million dollars. This was not what Disney was expected. Clearly they'd like us to THINK the Jonas Brothers are more popular then they really are! The movie was outgrossed by "Madea Goes To Jail" (#1) and "Slumdog Millionaire" (#2). While it's doubtful their movie career is going to take off don't count them out of an Oscar just yet. There is at least one original song in this concert that was performed exclusively for this movie. That means they could get an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category should the Academy want tween viewers to tune into the show next year. Will it win? Doubtful, but if an original song is performed by a popular artist I assume it to have a good chance at garnering a nomination regardless of the quality. The Academy has done this before and they'll do it again.

Mother-of-Three To Disney: "You're Crazy"

For those who are still disappointed that Disney passed on the third Narnia film, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (and are doubly disappointed to see Narnia pretty much shut out of the Oscars), Mary McNamara of the L.A. Times gives Disney a good public beating in an open letter she printed in the paper:

Dear Disney:

I don't pretend to understand the vagaries of filmmaking or the pressures of corporate America in an economically challenged year, but I do know a few things about your target audience since, as the credit-card-wielding, annual-Disneyland-pass-holding mother of a 10-, an 8-, and a 2-year-old, I pretty much am she.

I discovered, belatedly, that you've decided to pull out of the third part of "The Chronicles of Narnia," "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" -- you made the announcement on, what, Christmas Eve? -- because of "budget considerations," leaving Walden Media to find a new studio partner.

And I'm here to tell you, though it is probably too late, that you are crazy.

So, part two, "Prince Caspian," didn't make a gazillion dollars. What a surprise. "Prince Caspian" was always the dud, relatively speaking, of the series. For fans who read and reread "The Chronicles of Narnia," it was the one you could skip. The fact that "Prince Caspian" the movie did as well as it did was a miracle, and a testament to the filmmakers. It certainly did not have the built-in, can't-wait draw of the first Narnia film, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Or, more important, of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," which is, hands down, the best book of the series, the one inevitably most dog-eared or lost entirely from the boxed set because in reading it for the 98th time, you left it in the backyard right before it rained or lent it to your cousin who lives in Virginia. If you don't believe me, consult the truly excellent BBC audio version and you will find that the narrator for "Dawn Treader" is Derek Jacobi. Derek Jacobi! If those CDs don't keep you and your kids rapt and silent during the five-hour ride to Yosemite and back, nothing will.

Cinematically, "Dawn Treader" is a no-brainer. It's a sea voyage, for Pete's sake. There's a dragon and missing knights and a wizard and all manner of magic involved. The moral ambiguity of slavery, the deleterious effect of great wealth, the meaning of the afterlife are all dealt with in entertaining and thrilling ways. Aslan barely makes an appearance, so you don't even need to worry about Liam's schedule.

Peter and Susan are gone, and in their place is the irritating cousin, Eustace Scrubb, one of the more inspired and believable rotten kids in English literature -- a career maker for some lucky young actor. Imagine the big-screen possibilities of the trip to the Island of Dreams or the battle with the sea serpent. Not to mention all the subsequent merchandising opportunities. Reepicheep is back, in a big way, and if you can't earn your investment back in Reepicheep plushies and pajamas, then, honestly, you aren't really trying.

And what happened to momentum? What happened to artistic commitment? Imagine if New Line had decided that, because the critics were lukewarm on "The Two Towers," it would pull out of "The Return of the King"? (Not that this could have happened, because New Line had the foresight and the guts to put up for all three at once.)

Meanwhile, you put money in "Race to Witch Mountain" and took a pass on "Dawn Treader"? Disney, Disney, now is not the time to lose your heads. In tough times, what are parents going to do -- shell out to renew those park passes or take their kids to another matinee? Now pick up the phone and make nice. Maybe Aslan will relent and let you back into Narnia after all.

Sincerely,

Mary McNamara

Amen to that sister. Oh yeah, I'd like to mention one more thing: "Prince Caspian" was one of the top selling DVD's of 2008. In less then two weeks. How's that for short-sightedness?

My Friend Says Ponyo Was "Personal"

So I have a friend who is studying in Japan this year and he got to see Hayao Miyazaki's new hit "Ponyo on a Cliff" in a Japanese theater. This is cool because I feel that watching a Japanese movie in a Japanese theater would be a fun experience. He couldn't understand everything that was going on, but he did comment that it was a more personal film then his last couple. In fact, here's the part of his e-mail where he mentions the film:

The art style was very different and welcome - it looked like a large part of it had been done with coloured pencils, tho it's still recognisably a Ghibli film. It's not a very epic movie, like most of Miyazaki's previous works; it's more of a personal narrative like "Totoro" with fantasy added in. Oh, and the villain kind of reminds me of Howl. Good movie. I hope to see it again when subtitles are available!

Well, if it's still in theaters when I go to Japan this year I want to see it too. Oh, and I also can't wait to see Disney's dub of the movie early next year. I normally frown on dubs but Disney does theirs right.

And The Oscar Goes To...WHAT!?!

I'm going to start one more feature installment and then go to bed, but this feature will be a series of rants where I take a random award won by a film that, I feel, didn't deserve an award in that category. For my first installment I want to mention the Oscar Anne Dudley won for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. The movie she won for? "The Full Monty."



Now don't get me wrong folks; I LOVE "The Full Monty!" I think it's one of our British cousins finest comedies. That said, the score was NOT Oscar worthy! Don't believe me? Go to Amazon.com product page and listen to some of the score samples. Not the songs (which were excellent), the score. Heck, if those samples aren't underwelming enough for you, then just buy the CD. You can buy it used for less then a buck through Amazon.com (Editor's Shameless Note: All purchases through Amazon.com links through this site provides royalties for the webmaster...and he's saving money to go to Japan). This is a classic case where the quality of the songs spilled into the voting of the score.

Of course, this was nothing new for the AMPAS. They were having this problem for years with Disney films winning Oscars not only for songs, but for the scores as well. Scores that, when listened to alone, weren't that great. The straw that broke the camles back was when Hans Zimmer won for his score for "The Lion King," and the Academy created the musical and comedy score award to try and keep Disney from stealing the Best Original Score Oscar away from composers who deserved it. What I find ironic about this is that unlike the Menkin scores, Zimmer's score for "The Lion King" was a good score in it's own right, and probably did deserve to win.

Watch Out Wall•E: Here Comes Ponyo

Every year there is much debate about who will win what at the Oscars. Whether it be for actors, songs, or Best Picture, the debate goes on and on. One of the few categories that is pretty easy to properly predict every year is the Best Animated Film category. Not only is this award easy to predict because Pixar wins it most of the time, but also because there's rarely enough quality animated films to warrant getting nominated. Last year "Ratatouille" was a sure bet, and so far people are saying "Wall•E" is the sure winner.



I admit that I was one of the people who felt this way. I mean, once you see movies like "Space Chimps" and "Fly Me To The Moon" you don't exactly feel threatened by the so-called "competition." However I forgot about "Ponyo on the Cliff."



Now I have to admit something: I have no idea what this movie is about. Watching the trailer didn't help one bit (and it's not because of the language barrier). But it has something going for it: Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki is one of the few giants in animation. Like Akira Kurosawa, his films are universally popular and people will watch his movies just because he made them. The thing about the movie is that I'm not sure which year it will be elegable for the Oscars. Chances are Disney will give the film a limited theatrical release near the end of this year. Or they can hold off on it until next year. Either way it goes, this film is likely to be one of the front runners for the Oscar race, and can prove another surprise (Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" beat out the far more popular "Lilo & Stitch" for the gold).