New UK Trailer and Release Date for The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises will finally show in the UK on 9th May! Thanks to The Telegraph, we also have a new trailer just for the occasion. Check it out:

Frozen Out Now In the UK! Who's Seeing It This Weekend?

It's actually not been a particularly long wait (especially when compared to the 3 month gap between the US and UK releases of Wreck-It Ralph), but UK Disney fans should be extremely happy to know that Frozen, the studio's acclaimed new hit, is out now!

New International Posters for Frozen

Disney's Frozen is looking more and more exciting by the day. Ahead of the new trailer going online this Thursday, Disney have rolled out some snazzy new international posters! My favourite is the one above, emailed out by Disney's UK reps an hour ago.

Notice again that Anna (Kristen Bell) is beside Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), not believed love interest Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), who's next to the conflicted Snow Queen, Elsa (Idina Menzel). Nice framing of all the main characters, and it's nice to see Kristoff's reindeer Sven get some love alongside Olaf (Josh Gad). Check out the other posters, via @Artof_Animation, below.

New Sky Broadband Ad Advertises Toy Story of Terror

This rather shameless new ad for Sky Fibre Broadband also sorta serves as our first promo for Pixar's Halloween special, Toy Story of Terror. No word on when the special (which airs in America on ABC on 16th October) will show in the UK yet, but I'd imagine it'll be before or on Halloween, and it will show on Sky Movies | Disney.

Be sure to check out the new poster we got earlier in the week too.

UPDATE - 07/09/2013, 21:29 (GMT): Some readers said they couldn't view the video from their country, so we've uploaded it to our channel; you should be able to check it out now.

Via Bleeding Cool

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D to Air in UK Friday 27th September at 8pm!

This isn't really news unless you live in the UK, more of an announcement. But UK Marvel fans will be happy to learn that we don't have to wait long after the US premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D to see it (legally).

This means there is only 3 days between the US air date and the UK one. I see this as positive for views, as it means people are less likely to want to watch it online because, for once, there is no long delay in broadcast. The pilot is directed by Avengers director Joss Whedon.

As we've previously reported, the show will air on Channel 4 in the UK, and we can catch it starting at 8pm, Friday 27th September.

Cool UK Teaser Poster for Frozen

It's a poster-y kind of week. Disney UK have just sent out this cool (haha, get it?) new teaser poster for the studio's 53rd animated feature film, Frozen.

Big Hero 6 Not Released in the UK Until 2015? Or, Why Disney Still Hates Non-Americans

Yes, this is another international staggered release dates rant. If there's one thing that boils my bacon, when it comes to film studios, it's when films are released several months after their initial North American premieres over here in the UK. While writing a post about animated releases in 2014 (watch out for that in the next couple of days), I logged onto fiilmdates.co.uk to check when Walt Disney Animation Studios' Marvel adaptation, Big Hero 6, was due over here in good ole Blighty. And I was very much not pleased with what I found: the film isn't even due here next year; much like the God-awful situation with Wreck-It Ralph last year, it's not arriving until 15th February, 2015!

The Little Mermaid to Hit UK Blu-ray Players Two Months Before US; Jungle Book Arrives in September

US cover art for the Blu-ray Diamond Edition Double Play;
no UK cover art as of yet.

Anyone out there outside of America knows the pain of Disney irritating staggered release dates. Disney's 28th animated feature, The Little Mermaid, is scheduled in the US for a 1st October release, and I'd long been under the assumption that Britons and Europeans wouldn't get a sniff of the now HD classic until at least early 2014. I'm happy to be proven wrong.

New UK Poster for Monsters University

The UK often get a raw deal when it comes to release dates, but we do get some really rather nifty posters. Yesterday, Disney's UK PR team sent us out this cool new poster for Monsters University (due in UK cinemas on 12th July), showing some of the pranks Sulley seems to enjoy pulling on Mike.

Mulan Blu-ray Review - I'll Make an HD Man Out of You

©Disney

Mulan is available to own on Disney Blu-ray™ from today

Four Disney films arrive on Blu-ray here in the UK today: Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Brother Bear and Mulan. Rounding off our quadrilogy of reviews is this one of the HD transfer of Disney's 1998 animated classic. Given that the primary focus of A113Animation is news, often there are many an old film on which I haven't made clear my opinion - allow me to rectify this particular instance: I love Mulan. The film is funny, has great music, is very dark in places, has a great villain, a great voice cast and, the most recent addition, a pretty damn good Blu-ray package.

Brother Bear Blu-ray Review - A Flawed But Well-Rounded Set, Eh

©Disney

Brother Bear is available to own on Disney Blu-ray™ from 15th April 2013

The third of four Disney movies that are coming to UK Blu-ray players on 15th April is one often cited as a low-point for the studio, 2003's Brother Bear. That's because Brother Bear, the 44th feature animated film from Disney, came in the midst of an ostensible dark age for the Mouse House, amidst a storm of creatively damp and visually uninspired films like Dinosaur and Home on the Range. I put it to you though, that Brother Bear is in fact quite a good film: sweet, well-meaning and visually inventive - if not particularly groundbreaking. The Blu-ray, likewise, is a good, but flawed, package.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Blu-ray Review - Pretty Nice Looking For a Hunchback

©Disney

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is available to own on Disney Blu-ray™ from 15th April 2013

Alongside Aladdin (the hi-def release of which, there still isn't a firm US release date for), three really rather good animated Disney films are coming to UK Blu-ray players on 15th April: Mulan, Brother Bear and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (and, yes, I did just call Brother Bear rather good). The latter three releases are already out Stateside, but Disney were kind enough to send me out advance review copies of the UK releases of the films, - check out our Aladdin Blu-ray review here - second on the agenda: Hunchback.

Aladdin Blu-ray Review - Prince Ali, Yes It Is He, In Glorious HD

©Disney

Aladdin is available to own on Disney Blu-ray™ from 15th April 2013

Within the Disney pantheon, there are good films, there are bad films, there are very good films and there are very bad films. Included in the very good films are indisputable, inarguable classics: The Lion King, Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and, yes, Aladdin. The former lot, we have, film by film, drip by drop, got on Blu-ray, but the latter has eluded Disney-collectors for the longest time. Until now.

Upcoming UK Disney Blu-ray Details

©Disney

We in the UK often get a raw deal of things, Disney are a particularly nefarious culprit of giving us films late. One such area is that we get Disney Blu-rays at times completely independent to the US, sometimes this is good (we got Cinderella and Peter Pan early), but sometimes it isn't (we still haven't got the Finding Nemo Blu-ray, and the bonus features we get on our BD releases are always slim pickings). However, once in a while there's a ray of light in the dark, stormy night; for instance, we've got a succulent slew of Disney Blu-ray releases coming up in the next month.

William On The Scotty Jo Podcast

A few days ago I had the chance to speak to Scotty Jo Nicholson of the self-titled Scotty Jo Podcast via video chat, to record a little segment for his show (which this week is Conan O'Brien themed). The show's up on Scotty's website now and you can check it out embedded above.

I'm one of a few special guests (his words, not mine) on the episode and Scotty and I discuss A113Animation, our favourite Pixar memories, my thoughts on Brave, 2013 in animation and, yes, I even have a little rant about UK release dates. Please excuse the tinny quality on my end - my Wi-Fi sucks.You can check out my segment from 4:35 to around the 13:10 mark, although I encourage you to give the whole thing a listen - it's a fun show.

Yes, animation podcasters, I am available for bookings... Y'know, if you like.

Brave Out Now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK!

Fortunately, the wait for Pixar's thirteenth feature film to arrive on home video here in the UK hasn't been nearly as long as the wait we had for its arrival in cinemas, because Brave was released today on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK!

The film is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D - I got the 3D package, despite not having a 3D Blu-ray player, because it includes the normal 2D Blu-ray disc, and an extra 2D Blu-ray bonus disc (as well as the 3D disc) for only an extra £5! We'll have a full review up of the Blu-ray package later in the week.

After the less than stellar array of extras on the Cars 2 release, Brave is packed full of everything from behind the scenes featurettes, an alternate opening, filmmakers' commentary and a brand new short, The Legend of Mor'du. Be sure to check it out, it's great!

Related posts: Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 Blu-ray Review

Watch: Clip From The Legend of Mor'du

Disney UK may suck at releasing films in decent time, but their YouTube channel is top notch. Today, Walt Disney Studios UK brings us the above clip of the new short film that's on the Brave DVD and Blu-ray, The Legend of Mor'du.

We got our first look at the feature-based short a couple of weeks ago, and you can really see the distinctively different visual style mentioned then in this clip. The short, which is directed by long-time Pixar storyboard artist Brian Larsen, (Ratatouille, Brave) is narrated by Julie Walters' Witch and follows the story of demon bear Mor'du more closely. It looks great and I can't wait to check it out with the fantastic Brave very soon!

The Legend of Mor'du arrives in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray with Brave this coming Monday - and is already out in the US. You can pre-order below.

New International Wreck-It Ralph Trailer

Walt Disney Studios UK have released an international trailer for Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. Directed by Rich Moore (The Simpsons, Futurama), Wreck-It Ralph is set inside the world of arcade games, and is looking pretty good... Hell, who am I kidding? It's looking fantastic! A great film, with great marketing and another great trailer; Disney, you're doing it right.

The last few bits of advertising have really played up the relationship between Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), and it has grown on me. Good to see it's got heart behind that awesomeness! In fact, the only thing I don't like about the trailer is the line "This February"... Come on, Disney, it doesn't take 3 months to ship a film across the Atlantic!

But check out that awesome 8-bit Disney castle! This looks like it could be this generation's Toy Story! Well... I suppose Toy Story 3 is this generation's Toy Story, but you get my point. Be sure to check out the two previous trailers, and TV spot, too.

For US fans, Wreck-It Ralph hits cinemas on 2nd November, but us poor UK guys'll have to wait until 15th February, 2013.

Brave Blu-ray and DVD Gets a UK Release Date

Wow, well this is much quicker than I'd imagined! Although Brave's still out in cinemas here in the UK, it'll arrive on home media formats on 26th November, only 13 days after the US release. I didn't think it'd arrive here until January at least, so this is pretty cool - that and getting Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 this month almost makes up for the 2 month wait for Brave in cinemas over here... almost.

The release will include director's commentary, an alternate opening, La Luna, an all new short-film The Legend of Mor'du, the actual feature film and more! You'll need to check out the Blu-ray to get the bulk of the bonus features though - although you should be doing so anyway; imagine how fantastic Brave's going to look in HD!

Great Blu-ray and DVD release dates for UK animation fans to pen into their diaries include:

• Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 - Listed a month earlier than the US, on 15th October, on HMV, but only a day before its 13th November US release on Amazon.co.uk
• Peter Pan - 5th November
  
• Dr Seuss' The Lorax - 19th November
• Arthur Christmas (finally!) - 19th November
• Brave - 26th November
  

You can pre-order Pixar's latest from Amazon.co.uk below.

101 Dalmatians is out on Blu-ray!

Walt Disney's 17th animated feature film, and one of my absolute favourites, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, is out of the Disney Vault! Not only is there no longer moratorium on it, but 101 is also now in glorious high-definition. The classic tale of Pongo, Perdita and their century-and-one of pups is out on Blu-ray for the first time today - and also re-released, with a whole host of special features, on DVD.

While it is a UK release, the good news for US and other worldwide fans is that it's listed on Amazon as being region free! I assume this isn't a mistake, and, while there'll be some hefty postage and packaging costs, it's a great addition to anyone's Disney collection.

With Cinderella and The Aristocats also recently released (and listed as region free too!), and the Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 due out in just over a month here in the UK, it's certainly a good time to be a Disney fan. Now if they'd only get round to releasing Jungle Book on Blu-ray...

You can buy 101 Dalmatians on Blu Ray and DVD from HMV, or, slightly cheaper, from Amazon.