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It's been on ice at Disney for years, but it now seems that a thaw is approaching Uncle Walt's version of The Snow Queen , which has just scored a November 2013 release date, under the new moniker Frozen . That whole clever "thaw" line doesn't really work when paired with that title, but give us a break, eh? It's Christmas. The story, of course, is Hans Christian Andersen's and involves Kay, whose mind is twisted when his heart and eyes are pierced by shards of an evil troll mirror. He's then willingly abducted by the Snow Queen, who travels the world with the winter weather. Kay's playmate, neighbour and sweetheart Gerda however, still believes in him and sets out on an epic quest to retrieve him from the Snow Queen's palace. Animator Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin) was working on the project as early as a decade ago, but abandoned it in favour of Rapunzel, which emerged this year as Tangled. Adjective-based

Here is the first poster for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in 3D, the film will be in theaters on January 13, 2012. With the success of Lion King 3D what can we expect from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? Originally released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast is a classic “tale as old as time” that follows the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman imprisoned in the castle of a mysterious beast and his enchanted staff, who must learn the most important lesson of all – that true beauty comes from within. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film ever nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture, earning an additional five Oscar® nominations and winning two. It has grossed $380.4 million worldwide. Please Leave A Comment-

How that late start impacts the Dec. 21, 2012 release date remains to be seen, but Johnny Depp will get to play Tonto (Disney wouldn’t make the movie without him), and Armie Hammer will be back in as the title character. Ruth Wilson , the scene-stealing killer from Idris Elba’s British cop series Luther, is also expected back as the female lead. Disney has gotten to this point after a painful overhaul of the movie by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski to bring to $215 million a budget the studio feared could reach $250 or more. Verbinski’s struggle has been to reach that number while retaining enough of the spectacle that made them say yes in the first place. The cutting process has included the reworking of deals for Depp, Verbinski and Bruckheimer, and trimming the production budget and the long shoot. That would enable Depp, Gore and Bruckheimer to re-team after making the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films together. The Lone Ranger is one of several

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS TAKES FANS BEHIND THE SCENES AT DISNEY’S D23 EXPO , AUGUST 19-21 BURBANK, Calif. – August 9, 2011 – Exclusively at Disney’s D23 Expo August 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Disney film fans will go behind the scenes to explore the exciting roster of projects on the horizon at The Walt Disney Studios, with a variety of panel discussions, sneak peeks and exhibits… On Saturday, August 20, Rich Ross, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Sean Bailey, president, production, The Walt Disney Studios; John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios ; and Kevin Feige, producer and president, Marvel Studios , will present a not-to-be-missed look at The Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming film slate, which includes Disney’s The Muppets, John Carter, Disney•Pixar’s Brave, Marvel’s The Avengers, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, Oz The Great and Powerful and more . With projects from Disney, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios, this speci

Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for the Pirates of the Caribbean: Four Movie Collection . This treasure chest of discs will include all four films on Blu-ray in a 15- disc set special edition packaging. An announcement from Disney has yet to be made, so details surrounding special features, a release date and the exact contents of all 15 discs included are unconfirmed, but it appears the set will include the DVD and BD 3D versions of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides plus digital copies of all four movies on disc. The image below, though not appearing to be the finalized graphic, since many of the discs displayed are pictured more than once, points to a ten BD set, comprising seven from the previous three movies and three from On Stranger Tides, including the 3D disc, plus the DVD and four digital copies. Please Leave A Comment- Source- blu-ray.com

Hakuna Matata Lion King is returning to theaters and this time in 3D. Don't worry Disney fans 3D always seems to work with animation. AUDIENCES TO EXPERIENCE DISNEY’S “THE LION KING” LIKE NEVER BEFORE… TWO FIRSTS FOR OSCAR®- AND GOLDEN GLOBE®-WINNING ANIMATED CLASSIC: September 16, 2011 —All-New 3D Version of the “ The Lion King ” Hits Theaters for the First Time Ever October 4, 2011 — Available on Disney Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and Blu-ray 3D™ for the First Time Ever BURBANK, Calif. (May 26, 2011) — Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa are back and better than ever this fall when Disney’s “ The Lion King ” roars into theaters and homes in breathtaking 3D. A special two-week theatrical extravaganza kicks off Sept. 16, 2011 , showcasing the Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winning film on the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ for the first time ever, and its highly anticipated home entertainment debut kicks off October 4, celebrating the Diamond Edition release of the epic movie “The L

The is poster just seems alittle freaky to me. What do you think? Thanks to the kind folks at Disney, Fandango's proud to debut the first, official poster for some of your all-time favorite movie star animals, The Muppets , returning to theaters everywhere on Nov. 23rd. As the tag line says, they're "closer than you think," and they definitely look ready for their close-ups. For all the fans, what do you think about this first teaser poster? It's interesting to get a view of Kermit and pals in full stride. This group shot shows our furry friends looking a bit more lithe and agile than we're used to seeing...that's fine by us...wherever they may stroll, we will follow. Let us know what you think of the new poster art in the comments section below, and click through for full details on the latest movie, co-starring Chris Cooper, Jason Segel and Amy Adams , and featuring lots of fun cameos including Zach Galifianakis, Billy Crystal and Jack Black . Plea

Here is the third trailer for the upcoming Pixar/Disney film Cars 2 . This trailer puts more of the spot light on Mater . In the trailer we are treated to some new footage from the film. Cars 2 is an upcoming computer-animated 3-D film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It will be the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. It will be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and is scheduled for release in theaters on June 24, 2011. Ratatouille producer Brad Lewis and John Lasseter will co-direct. It features the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer . Cars 2 is scheduled for release in theaters on June 24, 2011. Watch the trailer after the Jump... Lightning McQueen, his pit crew and his new crew chief, Mater, head around the world for the "Race of Champions" taking place in five different countries: Japan, Austria, Italy, a 24-hour race in France and the United Kingdom. However, Mater, involved in a case of mistaken identity, saves th

Here is the latest T.V. spot for Disney/Pixar's upcoming film Cars 2 . In the spot we get to see some never before scene footage. Watch the clip after the Jump... Lightning McQueen, his pit crew and his new crew chief, Mater, head around the world for the "Race of Champions" taking place in five different countries: Japan, Austria, Italy, a 24-hour race in France and the United Kingdom. However, Mater, involved in a case of mistaken identity, saves the life of a British secret agent named Finn McMissile and finds himself embroiled in his world of international espionage. Please Leave A Comment-

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has painted a clearer picture of where he sees the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanding after next summer's The Avengers . IGN got an exclusive advance look at a new interview Feige did for the upcoming summer issue of Disney twenty-three magazine, the quarterly publication of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club . "X-Men was the dawn of the new Marvel cinematic age,". "Iron Man was the dawn of the Marvel Studios age and the establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the beginning of that continuity. The Avengers is the next big step. Once all these characters come together, it's the culmination of all that has come before. It launches a new era and a new time in the history of our films. Not only will it be the first film that our new home studio, Disney, will be distributing, but it will also renew each of these characters and launch them into their own franchises, starting with the second film to be released by Disne

Universal Pictures has emerged as the front-runner to finance and distribute Oblivion , the Joseph Kosinski-directed sci-fi project that has Tom Cruise in early talks to star. The studio has entered into exclusive negotiations for a deal that would carry progress to production language, with a goal to begin shooting in October. The deal hinges on Kosinski's ability to bring in the film at around the $100 million mark. Cruise doesn't have a deal at this point, but they are talking. Deadline told you last week that Universal was among three studios chasing the film. The film was scripted by William Monahan, with Karl Gajdusek currently rewriting. Oblivion recently shook loose from Disney, where Kosinski made his feature directorial debut on Tron: Legacy. That film just hit the $400 million worldwide gross mark for Disney, and the studio has a Tron sequel and other projects with Kosinski. But the studio let the filmmaker shop it because the post-apocalyptic Oblivion premise d

Disney is negotiating to finance and distribute Chrome and Paint , a gritty Boyz N' The Hood-style drama that Ice Cube will direct and star in, based on a script he co-wrote with Eva Vives. The film is a drama about the custom car culture of South Central Los Angeles. Cube will produce with his Cube Vision partner Matt Alvarez. Cube, who directed the 2010 Oakland Raiders documentary Straight Outta L.A. for ESPN, hasn't directed a narrative feature since 1998's The Players Club , which he also wrote. In Chrome and Paint, Cube uses the subculture of tricked out Mercedes, BMW and Low Rider cars to frame a drama about the temptation to place materialism above all else. The film has elements of Saturday Night Fever and American Graffiti. Disney’s interest came out of a general meeting with Cube. Disney exec Louanne Brickhouse, herself a car enthusiast, took an interest in the project as did production president Sean Bailey. Universal also showed interest in the film but has a

Disney/Pixar’s sequel Monsters University will be released on June 21, 2013, instead of early November 2012. Instead, Disney’s toon Reboot Ralph will open on Nov. 12, 2012. Ralph had been originally scheduled to open on March 12, 2013. In its new home, Monsters University opens two weeks after DreamWorks Animation and Paramount release Turbo . Monsters Inc. was one of Pixar’s earliest hits. The premise for the new movie is under lock and key, although Disney says it will be a prequel. Please Leave A Comment- Source- THR

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scriptwriter Michael Chabon may get the keys to Disney’s Magic Kingdom . Kingdom is the studio’s family adventure project set in its flagship theme park (and maybe even connect to other parks worldwide) that is being directed by Jon Favreau . Ron Moore , who revived the recent Battlestar Galactica TV series, wrote the initial draft but a new direction, as well as a new writer, were sought when Favreau came on board. Chabon has a good chance at being that writer. Chabon and Favreau have talked about the project and a potential team-up on Kingdom. No offer has been made and obviously meetings with Disney execs would need to take place. Chabon already has an in with Disney. The author worked on the studio’s high priority Snow White project titled Snow and the Seven as well as its upcoming adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs book series John Carter of Mars. He is also penning on the book for Broadway-bound Dumbo musical. Chabon is best known for

China has become such an important market for U.S. entertainment companies that one studio has taken the extraordinary step of digitally altering a film to excise bad guys from the Communist nation lest the leadership in Beijing be offended. When MGM decided a few years ago to remake " Red Dawn ," a 1984 Cold War drama about a bunch of American farm kids repelling a Soviet invasion, the studio needed new villains, since the U.S.S.R. had collapsed in 1991. The producers substituted Chinese aggressors for the Soviets and filmed the movie in Michigan in 2009. But potential distributors are nervous about becoming associated with the finished film, concerned that doing so would harm their ability to do business with the rising Asian superpower, one of the fastest-growing and potentially most lucrative markets for American movies, not to mention other U.S. products. As a result, the filmmakers now are digitally erasing Chinese flags and military symbols from " Red Dawn

Robert Downey Jr . is making plans to fill the fall hole in his schedule with the lead role in Inherent Vice for writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson . Anderson has been working on a screenplay adaptation of the 2009 Thomas Pynchon novel while trying to get another film -- an untitled exploration of a religious organization sometimes referred to as The Master -- off the ground. Once Downey dropped out of Disney's Oz, the Great and Powerful last month, it freed him to do another movie later this year after he shoots The Avengers for Marvel and Disney. His commitment to Anderson's movie has recently grown serious. Vice is a comparatively accessible Pynchon work that tells the story of a stoner detective who gets wrapped up in a number of mysteries in 1969 L.A. while the Manson Family trial growls in the background. Downey, who last starred in Due Date and Iron Man 2, has wrapped filming on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows for director Guy Ritchie and Warner Bros. T

Guillermo del Toro , The Jim Henson Company and Pathe are ready to go on Pinocchio , a 3D stop motion animated adaptation of the Carlo Collodi fairy tale that will be edgier than the 1940 animated Disney classic. Gris Grimly will co-direct with Mark Gustafson , and production will begin later this year. Grimly illustrated a 2002 book of Collodi’s tale that formed the basis for a project that is years in the making. The storyline was hatched by Del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and the script was written by the latter, who has collaborated with del Toro on scripts for Mimic , the remake Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark , and del Toro’s next directing project At the Mountains of Madness. Del Toro will produce with Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson and Jason Lust, and Allison Abbate. Gary Ungar is exec producer along with Pathe’s Francois Ivernel and Cameron McCracken. “There has to be darkness in any fairy tale or children’s narrative work, something the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian An

An All-New High-Flying Feature-Length Comedy Adventure With A Fleet Of Fun New Characters BURBANK, Calif. – February 17, 2011 – The sky’s the limit as DisneyToon Studios proudly announces PLANES – a spectacular, full-length CG animated comedy action adventure movie for everyone set high above the world of CARS . PLANES will introduce an entirely original and hilarious crew of daredevils from every corner of the globe and draws inspiration from the immensely popular Disney•Pixar’s CARS world. PLANES will arrive on Blu-ray™ and DVD in Spring 2013… “We had such a great time exploring the world of ‘Cars’ over the course of two films, so it seemed only natural for us to see where our imaginations would take us in a film where planes were the main characters. By expanding the Cars world, ‘Planes’ gave us a whole new set of fun-filled situations and a great opportunity to introduce some fantastic new characters,” commented John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney an

Thehdroom got their hands on what could be the cover art for the upcoming Original Tron Blu-ray cover art. We have known since last fall that Disney is hard at work restoring the original 1982 Tron for Blu-ray Disc and that it would be released alongside Tron: Legacy on Blu-ray in either March or April of this year. While the Tron Blu-ray announcement is still a little ways off, I do have a little treat right off the grid to share this morning. Check out the cover art after the Jump.. Below is what will likely (though not 100% certain as the design could change before release) be the Blu-ray cover art for Tron: The Original Classic. From the cover you can see that Disney will be packaging Tron on Blu-ray with the DVD version and that it has been labeled a "special edition" release. I can't get into specifics right now as to what warrants Tron brandishing the "special edition" tag. I can say that Disney is taking this catalog release seriously and is exp

The Sequel Map: Are The Any Sequels Better Than Their Originals? The scores on the chart come from Rotten Tomatoes with the originals’ scores on the X-axis, and the sequels’ scores on the Y. Films at the center line are sequels with the exact rating as the original; films above are sequels that have surpassed the original; films below, ones that fared worse. The bubble size is the domestic gross. There are exceptions – Godfather II hit harder than the original. The Dark Knight took the start of Batman Begins and made it into either the most thoughtful action movie of all time, or the fasted-paced thoughtful movie of all time (at least until Inception) – but, sadly, far more films fit the rule – and more sequels fail to surpass their original work. Check out the chart after the Jump.. Click the image above for the larger version. As evidence, all sequels with Rotten Tomatoes scores have been categorized below, with the originals’ scores on the X-axis, and the sequels’ scores o