* "Up," set for release May 29, 2009, will be Pixar's first 3-D title, and thereafter every Pixar toon will be produced in 3-D. Disney has been an early proponent of the format, starting with 2005's "Chicken Little," and all its own toons going forward will use the format as well. Lasseter noted he is such a fan that his wedding pictures were done in 3-D. Along with its new pics, Disney is also releasing Pixar classics "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" in digital 3-D in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
* Larry the Cable Guy, who voiced Mater in "Cars," took the stage to announce that "Cars 2" is going into production, with a planned release date of summer 2012. It's being directed by "Ratatouille" producer Brad Lewis and is the first sequel for Pixar outside the "Toy Story" franchise. Though "Cars" didn't do as well at the box office as some other Pixar titles, it has been a licensing bonanza for the Mouse House.
* Miley Cyrus will be a lead voice opposite John Travolta in Thanksgiving's "Bolt," formerly titled "American Dog." About 15 minutes of footage of the pic screened to some of the heartiest applause of the day.
* "Toy Story 3" will be released June 18, 2010. Plot details for the third part remain under wraps, though the filmmakers said it begins with Andy (owner of Woody and Buzz) about to head off to college. A Ken doll will be the franchise's newest toy.
* Anchoring the Disney side of things is the hand-drawn musical "The Princess and the Frog," from "Aladdin" and "Little Mermaid" helmers John Musker and Ron Clements, who were lured back to Disney by Lasseter. It's set for a Christmas 2009 release. Stills were shown, and star Anika Noni Rose performed a song live, as did Randy Newman and his eight-piece New Orleans combo.
* Disney's long-in-development CG version of "Rapunzel" finally has a release date: Christmas 2010. It's directed by studio vet Glen Keane and Dean Wellins.
* Pixar will have two original films in 2011: "Newt," a romantic comedy directed by Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and "The Bear and the Bow," a magical tale set in Scotland and helmed by Brenda Chapman, who previously directed "The Prince of Egypt" for DreamWorks. The first Pixar feature from a femme helmer will star the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson.
"I love sincere fairy tales," Lasseter said.
* Last release on the slate for Disney Animation Studios is Christmas 2012's "King of the Elves," directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, based on the short story by sci-fi scribe Dick.
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"If you were looking for something clever or witty or funny here, you've come to the wrong place."
We were watching a little of AI Gives Back last night, and that Cyrus girl made my skin crawl. Why on earth is she so popular? That's just all sorts of wrong, IMHO.
I don't know, but my daughter loves her. I do have to admit one thing. She did look like a 15 year old last night .. except for the part where she grabbed her own butt. I don't think many people caught it, but imho it looked like she had to fix a wedgie. Her songs are at least clean from what I've heard so far. She does dress pretty cute so I think the young girls like that especially all of the glittery stuff she wears.
I would be so happy if she was really a wholesome good girl and stayed that way. I would like to see her daddy put the fear of God into her about acting like a little tart. It would be just wonderful to see a teen girl acting like and doing things that a teen girl should. I do have to put out there that when Britney was a teen sensation she was dressing very slutty. Soem people disagree, but HELLOOOO Hit me Baby One More Time vido was slut central. At least last night she was farily well covered up.
I do think the show is really what has garnered her all of the popularity. It actually is a cute show, and one that I don't mind letting my kids watch. There is no violence, no rudeness, no adult messages at all. Not once have I been embarassed to let Bethany watch it. I like that the show isa bout a girl who isn't the most popular in school, and doesn't get all of the cute and popular guys, but still is a "star" in her own rights. One time she was given the chance to exact revenge on the school mean girl who has made her life quite horrible, but after talking to her as Hanna she realized why she was so mean to her as Miley. In the end she of course didn't get her revenge etc ... Granted the chances of these things ever really happening are slim to none, but hey my favorite show when I was younger was She-ra and I think the chances of someone being a superhero are even slimmer lol.
Jessica your thoughts are the same as mine, my niece adores Hannah and frankly compared with the other people she could love (Britney) I am thrilled that she likes someone so clean cut. And I am hoping that her country background keeps her grounded.
I hope so too. It's sad because the chances of her becoming another Brit are so high, but on the other hand looka t Christina Aguilera. She seems to be a perfect example of handling fame from a young age. She had her crazy days and her lashing out (Stripped) but she was still pretty much a good person. She expressed herself in a way that other did not like, but I for one loved it. Now look at her. She's a mother and very happily married. Her music may not be as popular and widely consumed as Britney's but I love it. I can't think of one album she's put out that I haven't loved. I love the throwback to the 20's and 40's in Back to Basics.
Maybe she could give lessons to these young stars.
I've never watched her show, nor did I have any idea what it was all about. I was reacting to two things. The first was a really obnoxious turn she had on Leno one night when she was gushing and would not stop talking, interrupting both Jay and her father numerous times, and last night, her bragging about her fame to Billy Crystal. You'd think her parents would have instilled a little humility in such a lucky little girl. I see Karma written all over this kid. Give her a few years and we'll see.
Shelly, I didn't see her grab her butt, but I did catch her stroking her thigh. That's a very provocative move coming from a child. And THAT turned my stomach.
I guess I just hope that given a few years and she proves everyone wrong. I hope that she continues to be a good influence. I didn't watch Idol last night, kind of gave up on that show a few years ago...
Oh yeah the Billy Crystal thing .. it seemed scripted though. I tried not to holdit against her because I think it was all to show Billy's age. I totally missed the thigh thing becasue I was too busy laughing at the thought of her picking her wedgie publicly and of course still talking to the hub about Ferg's wet pant incident.
I am a hopeless Idol fan. I love music and have even considered trying out as well, but I'd like to drop some weight first. I would like to know what someone like Simon has to say about me. I really don't care if it's good or bad becasue I don't care, I'm just very curious.
Oh I have to ask this one .. Kae Avril vs Miley???
Avril lost the love of fans when she persisted in her finger to the world gesture. She isn't talented enough to pull that off, not that it's acceptable in any case. She asked for this demotion to has-been status. Karma, yet again.
Miley's the product of the Disney machine. She's IMO, on her way to train-wreck status before she's 20. I find her "golly-shucks" routine hollow and phony, not to mention obnoxious.
Given the two young women, I'd give Avril my sympathies long before Miley. Avril's a nasty little punk, but she's not a fake. I think Avril has already started getting Karma in her face (low ticket sales to her concerts everywhere). If she responds with humility and cleans up her act, she might have a second chance. Miley won't get that. Then again, I'm no fan of Disney anything.
I was very curious about what you'd say, and I'm a bit of a bugger. Another curiosity .. what do you think of Aguilera considering she was part of the Disney Machine?
I think Christina is immensely talented. She got her start at Disney, went on to create her own career. Justin Timberlake, too. He's not my cuppa tea, but you can't deny his talent. So some people get a good leg up through Disney, but that's not what they care about. They want money, use the kids to that end. Some people with a strong enough sense of self can handle being used that way and move beyond it.
Another Disney alumnus is Kurt Russell, and I like him too. He'll never set the world on fire, but I think he's really likable and I've always enjoyed his movies. He survived his years in the stable, so it is possible.
Oh i forgot he was a Disney alum! And you're right about using them and just being out for money. I think Raven Symone has really weathered the fame well. She's not a huge A list actress, but I think she's happy with herself.
i love Raven and call me a weird mouseketeer. I love all of them. I mean Britney definitely was less the a roll model but I think that if she gets her act together thing may be different for her. I, probably very naively, hope for the best with these young girls..
I believe one of the biggest problems with these young stars is that they are still so very young when they get the kind of exposure Disney puts them through. If they have really strong values (parents calling the shots who are concerned with their children's' long term development and NOT fame and money), they stand a better chance of surviving without all the drama and chaos like Brittney and Lindsay Lohan, not to mention the kid from Home Alone and his sibs. Those parents, stage parents, or whatever they're politely called, are behind so much of the messes these kids get themselves into.
It's still possible to be a young star and do well. Look at Anna Paquin, the girl that won an Oscar for her portrayal in The Piano. She's back in movies now, saw her interviewed and she's lovely. Ditto, Natalie Portman, although there are some nasty things out there about her choices of boyfriends. Not that we can't all make that kind of dumb mistake, lol.
As for Brittney, Shelly, if her father who has conservatorship (?) is a sensible decent guy, then maybe she will be okay after all, long term. When a kid is given everything so fast, with so few guidelines, it's no big shock they turn into disaster areas. But that girl's rampant consumerism, her obsession with acquiring stuff just because she can afford it, that's something that will take a lot of hard counselling to overcome. She lost her soul somewhere along the line. Stuff you buy can't replace that.
I have always loved Christina. She has always seemed to be very inh control of herself and her mother seems to be just wonderful. The Olsens are another case of good parenting vs bad parenting. You can see tht they're mothers stage mommishness is evident , but once their father booted her out of their lives they finally got to be the brilliant young women into which I think they will eventually blossom. Right now I know it's a very rough patch, but they were put through a lot. I think of all of the young stars they had the most potential to just spiral entirely out of control. These girls are mega rich and I love that their father still made them help around the house and tried his hardest to fosther morals.
