Could Lee Unkrich's 'Dìa de los Muertos' be a Musical?

In an interview with veteran Pixar film composer Randy Newman, Classic FM got what could be an interesting bit of information regarding Lee Unkrich's upcoming Dìa de los Muertos. Here's what Randy Newman had to say:

I’m not so sure I don’t have a reputation for being a little trouble. Lee Unkrich isn’t going to use me, I don’t think. And not only that, Lee Unkrich had Toy Story 3 temped with my music and it was limiting to me. It was fine, the movie did great and everything and maybe I’m wrong and if I look back on it I won’t know the difference, but it didn’t fit hand in glove the way I would have tried to do. And he fell in love with the temp, very much so. Now he’s not going to use me to work with him again. He’s doing a musical now.

Muppets Most Wanted First Scene and Song Online!

Boy do we have a treat for you! The first scene and song from Muppets Most Wanted is online!

Bob Iger Confirms Frozen Headed to Broadway!

Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke to Fortune yesterday about the immense success of Walt Disney Animation Studios' runaway hit Frozen, and, particularly, about the company's plans of where to take it from here: namely, Broadway!

Frozen Review - Believe the Hype

Not that you would have believed it six months ago, when you couldn't find any decent advertising for the film to save your life, but there is a considerable amount of hype surrounding Frozen right now. The 53rd animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios has been called "Disney's best since Beauty and the Beast;” particularly coming off massive successes with Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph - in addition to critically acclaimed, if less financially impressive, films like The Princess and the Frog and Winnie the Pooh - there's a lot of expectation. Surely it can't be that good? Surely it's not all that? It can. And it is. I was extremely privileged to see the first UK screening of the film this morning, and can now tell you, with full confidence, to believe the hype. Frozen is the best Disney Animated film in about 20 years.

Watch: Olaf Sings in New Frozen Clip

Disney continue their recent Frozen marketing blitz with a brand-spanking new clip from the film, featuring Olaf (voice of Josh Gad) singing a fun new song, called "In Summer!" Contrary to the impression early over-saturation gave us of him, Olaf actually seems immensely loveable, and this cute, barmy song certainly helps only makes one's affection for the little snowy fella grow.

Frozen Stuff: Opening Song and Oh So Many Olaf Posters

Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee pointed to an interview with Norwegian composer Frode Fjellheim, which reveals that a new song of his, "Eatnemen Vuelie," will be the opening number for Disney's upcoming 53rd animated feature film. Give the song a listen below.

Ron Clements Talks Disney, The Little Mermaid and Moana - Which Is Apparently a Musical

Photo credit: Sioux City Journal

Ron Clements, alongside directing partner John Musker, is a legendary name in animation, having directed Disney classics like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and, more recently, The Princess and the Frog. Clements and Musker are now hard at work on their seventh feature film, a film we've previously learned is called Moana. In a new interview with Sioux City Journal, Clements talks about his tenure at Disney and speaks a little about Moana.

The Muppets Review - The Most Sensational, Inspirational, Celebrational, Muppetational Return Possible

For those of you in the States, this is a very belated review, but, as we long ago came to terms with, Disney clearly hates all of us here in Europe, and we often have a ridiculously large delay between the US release and the UK (or European) release of Disney, or Disney owned, films - last year we had to wait until January for Tangled which came out in November in the US, The Muppets is our 2012 equivalent. Fortunately though, much like Tangled was, The Muppets was definitely worth the wait.

The Corner - Week 6 - Heather Reviews The Lion King

I would like to begin by saying: anybody who has not seen The Lion King is deprived. Since a rather young age (we’re talking two or three years old), The Lion King has been my all-time, most-magnificent, favourite film. So, excuse me if this review is a little biased- although, in retrospect, all reviews are opinionated articles, are they not? I digress…

The story is set on the prosperous African land: Pride Rock. Enter a young lion cub, Simba, future king of Pride Rock and its surrounding lands, son to the revered current king, Mufasa. The story is essentially, a “coming-of-age adventure” (as says the blurb of the Diamond Edition box, which, for the record, sits proudly at the forefront of my DVD collection). An assortment of likeable friends, joviality and seriousness, and never-ending hilarity help Simba come to terms with his destiny, and, more importantly, himself.

I could waffle on about how amazing and encapsulating The Lion King is, and win a prize for it-or if there was no existing prize for waffling, I could invent one and win that. However, I doubt a siege of paragraphs hailing this movie would interest anybody except myself, and possibly my fellow A113-ers. Therefore, I am going to have to try and back-off and gain a moral high-ground. Says the person who was given a badge with a picture of Simba, and her own name on it, for Christmas. Nobody said reviewing was easy.

Character-wise, The Lion King thrives. There is, and of course there would be, a certain glee to be had from the friendship between a meerkat and a warthog. Timon (aforementioned meerkat), and Pumbaa (warthog) make quite a pair of comedians, who show themselves to be quite the help when Simba loses his way. Beneath all the jokes and witty comments, the two show what it is to be a friend: loyalty and the willingness to help each other. Soppy? No, they make all their help quite the opposite. Of course, as, in my opinion, there should be in every good film, there is a budding romance. From the start, the naiveté of a young king’s attitude to love is clear: what can be no more than a minute’s dialogue between Zazu (the king's right-hand hornbill-a bird. Yes, you would have thought he'd be eaten, yet apparently his annoying demeanour is a quality Mufasa admires) and Simba outlines how Simba is too young to even consider falling for his best friend, Nala. Cute.

The music, too, is something to behold. Written by the duo of Tim Rice and Elton John, the songs are catchy and quirky. Download them to your iPod or MP3 Player, for example, and you’ll have them on loop (yes, I am guilty of this). The score, likewise, is brilliant – written by acclaimed Hans Zimmer (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Inception, Gladiator). To pick out one particular instance: Timon and Pumbaa are being “live bait” at their future king’s insistence, and Timon performs a hula-dance. It’s rather hilarious, and one of the funniest bits of the film, in my opinion. However, I did show it to my younger sister the other night and I was almost lying on the floor laughing, yet she just stood there with one eyebrow raised… she just didn’t get it.

So: The Lion King. Now, to reign my enthusiasm in, and to sign off. The Lion King is a five-star film, for me. Full of music (so, if you don’t like music, perhaps not five-star, and more like three and a half- I really can’t go any lower), and jokes, and loveable characters, and a moral. Yes, a moral. It is impossible not to watch this film without cracking a smile, and once you have seen it a couple of times, it also becomes an obligation to sing along to the songs. Watching it more than once will not bore you, it will only become more enrapturing to you than the last time you watch it. I recommend it to all, with my highest endorsements.

Alan Menken Medley

WaltDisneyStudiosUK have just uploaded the above video onto their YouTube page. The video is a medley, from Alan Menken, legendary Disney composer, of some of his greatest Disney hits. The video really brings back all of the magic of these famed Dinsey Renaissance films. Say what you like about musicals, but they really are very magical. I particularly liked the snippets from Colours of the Wind (Pocahontas), Beauty and the Beast and A Whole New World (Aladdin), although I loved all of them.

Menken certainly is a fantastic composer.

Gnomeo & Juliet Released on DVD/Blu Ray in the UK/Semi-Review

On June 6th (next Monday) Gnomeo and Juliet, a film several years in the making, that was originally planned at Disney before being shut down by John Lasseter after the 2006 Disney/Pixar merger and eventually picked up by Starz Animation, comes to DVD and Blu Ray here in the UK.

The film, based on William Shakespeare's classic play, Romeo and Juliet, came out in early 2011 here in the UK and was met with a quite good box office reception and a not bad critical reception.

Personally, I'd give the film about a 6.5/10, it was very funny and had a fairly sound story (as it was based on a play written by the genius that is Shakespeare), the film also had very solid voice acting (James McAvoy, Emily Blunt et al) and had really good music (from Elton John and Lady GaGa). However, it's not particularly great, the characters are so-so - nothing original - and easily forgettable, the animation is also a bit clunky and certainly is nowhere near the best I've seen this year ( *cough* Rango *cough*). However, there are enough laughs, jaunty tunes and Shakespeare/nerd references (i.e. the house numbers: 2b and not 2b and some glue labelled 'Taming of the Glue') to make this a wholly enjoyable - if not entirely memorable - film.

I'd probably recommend renting it as opposed to buying it, but the decision rests with you. It's still a good film.

Luke's Corner: Week 1

Allow me, as Editor-in-Chief of A113Animation, to introduce our newest feature, Luke's Corner, a column to provide another opinion and perspective to the blog. Without further ado, I will now hand you over to Luke:-


Hello and welcome to Week 1 of Luke's Corner; my name is Luke Ross and I am going to be doing this column regularly, generally every Saturday. Like William, I am a huge animation fan and this column is going to give my opinions on some of my favourite (and least favourite) animated films and give a short, quick, second opinion on the films that A113Animation has already reviewed, starting today with Tangled:

Well as a fellow Disney lover I must say that Tangled was one of the best Disney films that I have seen. It had pretty much everything a Disney movie should have in it: comedy, drama, suspense and more. It was just amazing, generally funny and surprisingly heartfelt. I think that the Rivalry between Flynn Ryder and Maximus made the film even more fantastic, there was so much comedy stemming from these situations. Overall, it just all added to one of the best Disney films in the last several years.

Although it wasn't perfect. I feel that some moments in the movie kind of dragged on for too long e.g. the Snuggly Duckling scene, which felt like it went for quite a while. Also, another criticism I have is the villain. In contrast to William, I don't think Mother Gothel was a great villain, she just seemed a bit so-so, furthermore, I think the Stabbington brothers were a bit too stereotypical as villains - just the regular old thugs that they have in A LOT of films. But these aren't that big problems.

Overall I give it an 8/10

Ups: The emotional scene in which Flynn Ryder reveals his real name, music, storyline

Downs: Not much evil portrayed, somwhat laggy scenes

Luke

Next Week: Toy Story 3 Review

Tangled Blu Ray Review

As Tangled is finally released on Blu Ray and DVD over here in the UK, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the quality of the Blu Ray. This will review the visuals and sounds, not the film, I have already penned my extensive thoughts on Disney's 50th Animated Feature Film, which was absolutely fantastic and I can be quoted as saying that "Tangled is the best animated film made by Disney (and not Pixar) in over a decade. It was great to see a return to the magical Disney of the nineties to commemorate the 50th Disney Animated Film."

The picture quality in Tangled is superb; the HD visuals are fantastic, visceral, sharp and vibrant. The colours are all brilliantly articulated and the little details and nuances are intricate and crisp, this is particularly potent and visible on the hairs on Rapunzel and Flynn and, perhaps more so, on the bright, vivacious and effervescent look of the grass. Everything in Tangled looks so lush and realistic, yet not too realistic to detract from the animated feel of the film. Likewise, the character animation is top-notch, everything is detailed but also exaggerated and accentuated to look like old-fashioned 2D animation - like the size of Rapunzel's eyes (almost Anime like) and the blur and squishing and stretching of moving characters; it is a very intelligent animation style that clearly required a lot of effort and a large dose of kudos should go to the genius that is Glen Keane.

Similarly, the sound quality is splendid, the 7.1 surround sound is great and really effective. There is a nice fluctuation between scenes and the sound effects and voices are clear and detailed. Also, as this is a musical, the music is as good as it should be and helps to enforce the generally jaunty, up-beat feel of the film.

All in all, the Blu Ray quality is just superb and all just enhances a great film to the point where it can stand almost toe to toe with some of the best Disney classics. Tangled is just an all round winner and I can see it being my favourite animated Blu Ray film for the next few months, until the release of The Lion King this Autumn. So, overall, adding to a 9/10 film rating, I'd give Tangled a 10/10 Blu Ray rating; all combining to an extremely solid product and a must buy for die-hard Disney fans and casual viewers alike.

Want to find out for yourself? You can order a Double Play (DVD + Blu Ray) of Tangled by clicking above (UK link).

Winnie the Pooh Review - No Bother

This review is of a film that I very much wanted to see, the classically animated and wonderfully charming, Winnie the Pooh. However, as regular blog followers will know, I was unsure how good it would be. I knew a Winnie the Pooh film would be charming, funny and nostalgic, but would it be "the defining film"? Would it be great? Or just good? Would it be purely a nostalgia film, or could it sustain itself? I found that Winnie the Pooh faced some of the same questions that I aimed at Toy Story 3. Fortunately, Winnie the Pooh - like TS3 - did not disappoint.

Rio Review - A Film That Easily Takes Flight

This latest review is of a film that, as regular blog followers will know, is one of the animated films I have been most looking forward to this year, Rio. Rio is the sixth film from Blue Sky Studios, the animation company famous for the Ice Age trilogy, however Rio is far removed from director Carlos Saldanha's more comedic Ice Age films and is a far more musical endeavour than Blue Sky Studios' previous films.

Newest Rio Clip

The newest clip for Blue Sky Studios' upcoming film, Rio, was released today (above). As I predicted, as the film's April release date draws ever closer, we're being treated to more and more clips, and they're all great. As regular blog followers will know, Rio is one of the animated films that I'm most looking forward to this year and these clips are very reassuring!

The animation looks great, the music looks great, the story sounds great and - as the film that allegedly was the reason for Pixar's newt being cancelled - I'm hoping it is great.

Stay tuned for more!

Rio Song

Blue Sky Studios just now uploaded the above video, our first proper look at the main villain of their upcoming animated film, Rio. As regular readers of the blog will know, Rio is one of the films I am most looking forward to this year and this gave us our first proper look at its villain, Nigel. It also provided another full glimpse at the musical aspect of the film.

Stay tuned for more updates as the film's release next month draws ever closer.

Rio at the Superbowl

The above trailer, of Blue Sky Studios' upcoming animated film, Rio, aired at yesterday's Superbowl. Whilst the Superbowl isn't particularly important to anyone outside of the States, having a commercial spot in the Superbowl is a big deal in America and this is certainly great for the publicity of Rio - but from the studio behind the box office smash series, Ice Age, they don't necessarily need it.

The trailer looks great, showcasing more of the musical elements we saw in the first 2 minutes last week. It shows more of the musical sides, as compared to the comedy shown in the first couple of trailers.

Thoughts about the new trailer, comment or use the reaction feature.

First 2 Minutes of Rio

Blue Sky Studios recently uploaded the first 2 minutes of their upcoming animated film, Rio, (above) onto the film's official YouTube page. The film looks absolutely beautiful, the animation is stunning, bright and vibrant, and as previously reported the film is a heck of a lot more musical than director, Carlos Saldanha's other films - Ice Age and Robots.

The film looks good so far and is far removed from all other Blue Sky Studios films.

Your thoughts?

Tangled Review - A Hair Raisingly Good Return to Form for Disney

Having just been to see Tangled, the day after it opened here in the U.K., I decided to do my first ever A113Animation review.

Tangled is the 50th animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, a studio that, in recent years, has embodied that oh so famous Forest Gump metaphor - Disney is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. However, I can say with some conviction, that Tangled is the best animated film made by Disney (and not Pixar) in over a decade. It was great to see a return to the magical Disney of the nineties to commemorate the 50th Disney Animated Film.