VIDEO: Experience the Game on the Big Screen in “Need For Speed” in Theaters March 2014

WDWNT on October 29, 2013


1235087_10153311113190298_1137965273_n

Are you a fan of the car culture films of the 60’s and 70’s? How about the extremely popular game, “Need For Speed”? Now DreamWorks Pictures with Walt Disney Studios brings the passion and excitement of both to the big screen with the new film “Need For Speed”, in theaters March 2014.

This film, based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, tells the story of Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a mechanic who also races muscle-cars in an unsanctioned street-racing circuit, while struggling to keep his family-owned garage in business. Though reluctantly, he partners with the arrogant and wealthy ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet (Imogen Poots) looks like it could save Tobey’s business, Dino frames Tobey for a crime he didn’t commit, in a disastrous race which sends Tobey to prison.

Now two years later, Tobey is released and wants revenge on Dino. He has the chance in the high-stakes race known as De Leon—the Super Bowl of underground racing. This film is filled with high-octane, action-packed excitement that includes dodging cops coast-to-coast and contending with the dangerous bounty Dino has put out on his car. With the help of his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia, Tobey defies the odds, finding redemption along the way, and proving that the underdog can still finish first.

Here’s some still images from this upcoming movie:

NEED FOR SPEED

NEED FOR SPEED

NEED FOR SPEED

And here’s the “Need For Speed” official trailer:

“Need for Speed” is presented by DreamWorks Pictures, produced by John Gatins, Pat O’Brien and Mark Sourian and directed by Scott Waugh. The screen story is by John Gatins and George Gatins and the screenplay is by George Gatins and John Gatins, based on the video game series created by Electronic Arts. The film releases in U.S. theaters on March 14, 2014.

Stay tuned to WDW News Today for all your updated news on the Walt Disney Studios!

Video and Images courtesy of the Walt Disney Company.

“Into the Woods” Musical Production Begins Filming in the UK; Features Award-Winning Cast and Production Team

WDWNT on October 29, 2013

Walt Disney Pictures has begun production of the highly anticipated musical, “Into the Woods”, first introduced at the 2013 D23 Expo. Production has begun in the UK, with continued shooting in studio and on location throughout England. The film is slated for a December 25, 2014, holiday release.

WaltDisneyPictures

A modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, “Into the Woods” takes the plots of the classic tales of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Rapunzel, and intertwines them into a story which explores the consequences of the characters’ various wishes and quests. This heartfelt and humorous musical brings these tales together into an original story involving a baker and his wife, and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them. Their quest is to break the witch’s curse in order to start a family, and in doing so, learn what it means to “live happily ever after”.

The film is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics. This big-screen adaptation welcomes songs from the stage musical, including “Children Will Listen,” “Giants in the Sky,” “On the Steps of the Palace,” “No One Is Alone” and “Agony,” among others. Sondheim has also penned an all-new song for this story’s theatrical debut.

D23Announce

Sean Bailey shares details with the D23 audience about the new musical.

The Award-Winning Cast includes:

  • Meryl Streep, portraying the Witch who wishes to reverse a curse so that her beauty may be restored.
  • Emily Blunt as the Baker’s Wife, a childless woman who longs to be a mother.
  • James Corden, playing the role of the Baker, a hard-working man who desperately wants to start a family.
  • Anna Kendrick will fill the shoes of Cinderella, who finds herself on a journey of self-discovery.
  • Chris Pine will portray Cinderella’s Prince, charming and impossibly handsome, who is on an endless quest to find his bride.
  • Johnny Depp, as the Wolf, who sets his sights on Little Red Riding Hood.
  • Lilla Crawford will make her feature-film debut as Little Red Riding Hood, a smart and spunky girl who journeys into the woods, finding unexpected adventures along the way.
  • Daniel Huttlestone in the role of Jack, an absentminded and adventurous boy who trades his treasured cow for five magic beans.
  • Tracey Ullman will play Jack’s Mother, a poor and exasperated mom who is overwhelmed, yet fiercely protective of her son.
  • Christine Baranski as the infamous Stepmother who wishes for riches and grandeur; she’ll do anything to marry off one of her daughters to a prince.
  • MacKenzie Mauzy, playing Rapunzel, a sheltered young woman who experiences the world beyond her tower for the first time.
  • Billy Magnussen as the dashing and eager Prince who courts Rapunzel.

Supporting roles include: Tammy Blanchard and Lucy Punch as Cinderella’s spoiled stepsisters, Florinda and Lucinda. Richard Glover is the Princes’ royal steward, Frances de la Tour portrays the giant, and Simon Russell Beale is the Baker’s father. Actress Joanna Riding portrays Cinderella’s late mother, and Little Red Riding Hood’s beloved granny is played by Annette Crosbie.

Daniel Huttlestone and James Corden rehearsing on set of Into The Woods!

Daniel Huttlestone and James Corden rehearsing on set of Into The Woods!

Into the Woods” is being produced by Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical Chicago and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Marc Platt, who produced the multiple Tony Award®-winning musical Wicked on Broadway, along with John DeLuca and Callum McDougall.

The award-winning production team includes Dion Beebe, Oscar® winner for the Marshall-helmed “Memoirs of a Geisha,” as director of photography. Dennis Gassner, who won his own Oscar for “Bugsy,” serves as production designer, and three-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood is costume designer.

“Into the Woods” has been produced around the world, including a 1988 U.S. tour, a 1990 West End production, Broadway and London revivals, in addition to a television production, DVD recording and a 10-year-anniversary concert, and first premiered on Broadway on Nov. 5, 1987. Now we have a Disney Studios Musical Production to look forward to!

Stay tuned to WDW News Today for all your Walt Disney Studios Information!

Images courtesy of the Walt Disney Company.

Bring Your iPads and Go Under the Sea with “Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid”

WDWNT on October 29, 2013

Poster

Starting September 20, 2013, you are invited to be part of the world of “Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid”, a new interactive theatrical experience!

For a limited time in select theatres, fans can become part of the story in a new second-screen technology, Disney Second Screen Live, where the audience can engage with the film, each other and their fellow audience members.

Simply download the FREE “Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid App,” in the iTunes App Store, onto your iPad or iPad mini (iOS 5.0 or higher is required.) Then bring your devices to participating theatres where you can interact with the film, your families and other fans, singing the songs, playing games, finding treasures, and competing for the chance to win prizes!

App

This brand new, magical theatrical experience starts on September 20 at the following theaters:

• City Center 15: Cinema de Lux; White Plains, NY

• Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas; Farmingdale, NY

• Arclight Beach Cities; El Segundo, CA

• Arclight Sherman Oaks; Sherman Oaks, CA

• Muvico Thousand Oaks 14; Thousand Oaks, CA

• AMC Empire 25; New York, NY

• AMC Garden State 16; Paramus, NJ

• AMC Burbank 16; Burbank, CA

• AMC Downtown Disney 12; Anaheim, CA

• AMC Bay Street 16; Emeryville, CA

• AMC Town Center 20; Leawood, KS

• Century Huntington Beach and XD; Huntington Beach, CA

• Cinemark West Plano and XD; West Plano, TX

• Carmike Wynnsong 16; Knoxville, TN

• Carmike 15; Columbus, GA

And a special run is taking place at the El Capitan theater in Los Angeles, CA on Sundays & Thursdays from September 15th through October 13th.

Check out this featured video peek of “Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid”:


Tickets are now available for purchase online or at the box office of participating theaters.

For more information about The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live! theater screenings, locations and ticket purchases, please visit movies.disney.com.

And stay tuned to WDW News Today for all your “Second Screen Live” Information!

Video and Images courtesy of the Walt Disney Company.

Disney “Tomorrowland” Movie Begins Principal Photography

WDWNT on September 13, 2013

Tomorrowland, the Disney mystery movie that’s been teased for the past couple of months, culminating with the finale of “The Optimist” online and real-world viral campaign at the D23 Expo this month, began principal photography in Vancouver this week.

disney-tomorrowland-logo

The movie, starring George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, directed, produced and written by Brad Bird, is about an optimistic, scientifically curious teen and a former boy-genius inventor who team up on a danger-filled mission to discover the secrets of a mysterious place that’s somewhere in space and time and that exists in their collective memory as “Tomorrowland.”

Director Bird has assembled a talented and award-winning team: Life of Pi Director of Photography Claudio Miranda, Star Trek & Star Trek: Into Darkness Production Designer Scott Chambliss, Inception Costume Designer Jeffrey Kurland, and The English Patient Editor Walter Murch will be on the film.

Tomorrowland‘s screenplay is written by Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof from a story by Lindelof & Jeff Jensen and Brad Bird.

Tomorrowland will be released in theaters on December 12, 2014.

Walt Disney Studios

Keep checking WDWNT.com for all Tomorrowland news and details.

VIDEO: New Trailer Just Released for Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World”

WDWNT on August 7, 2013

pic 1

A new trailer has just been released on YouTube for Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” and it looks awesome!

This action-packed film follows the adventures of Thor, The Mighty Avenger as he goes on a dangerous journey to save the cosmos from darkness caused by an ancient race led by Malekith. The story starts where Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers” leaves off, with Thor battling an enemy older than the universe, that even Odin and Asgard cannot overcome, in order to save Earth and the Nine Realms from total destruction, and in doing so, making an ultimate sacrifice.

Watch the action-packed trailer here:

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat and screenplay by Christopher L. Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962.

“Thor: The Dark World” is presented by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Find Thor on Facebook & Twitter, use hashtag #ThorDarkWorld, and visit the Thor website if you dare!

thor2520288394e0b6

Video and Images courtesy of the Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney Studios To Offer Behind The Scenes Peek At Future Projects at D23 Expo

WDWNT on August 7, 2013

Want to get an exclusive peek at future Walt Disney Studios projects that include film, stage and music productions? Well, if you’ll be attending the D23 Expo in Anaheim August 9-11, you’re in for a treat…


This year, two arena shows will be presented:

  • Kicking off the Expo at 10:00a.m. on Friday, August 9, The Walt Disney Studios presents “Art and Imagination: Animation at The Walt Disney Studios,” showcasing upcoming animated films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, and DisneyToon Studios, hosted by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Disney’s Animation Studios. This lively exhibition will feature never-before-seen footage, celebrity and filmmaker appearances and live performances from several films such as Disney’s Frozen, Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur, and the Mickey Mouse short Get a Horse!
  • At 10:30a.m. Saturday, August 10, Alan Horn, Walt Disney Studios Chairman, Sean Bailey, Disney’s Live Action Production President, and Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios President and Producer will host “Let the Adventures Begin: Live Action at The Walt Disney Studios.” This expedition will journey through the Studio’s live-action offerings as well as several powerhouse pictures coming soon from Marvel Studios, and will feature exclusive clips and surprise guests from a range of films including Saving Mr. Banks, Tomorrowland, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and much more.

Appearances from Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel (Frozen), Dane Cook (Disney’s Planes), Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak (Saving Mr. Banks), Ty Burrell (Muppets Most Wanted) and top Marvel and Disney•Pixar talent, plus surprise appearances from more of Disney fans’ favorite stars are in store for D23 Expo attendees.

In “Broadway & Beyond…Celebrating the Stars of Disney on Broadway,” Friday, August 9 at 6:30p.m., Disney Theatrical Productions President Thomas Schumacher will guide audiences on a musical journey along with a bevy of stage stars, including Heidi Blickenstaff (The Little Mermaid), Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast), Merle Dandridge (Tarzan® and AIDA), Josh Strickland (Tarzan) and Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King), who sing beloved songs from the award-winning musicals they starred in as well as classic tunes from the Disney on Broadway catalog.

Also, throughout the weekend fans will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes at several featured panels with the animation artists at Disney and Pixar:

  • Inside the Ice: The Art of Disney’s Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios’ big-screen comedy adventure Frozen, with its icy setting and colorful characters, presented breathtaking opportunities, plus a few challenges for filmmakers. Join the team behind the movie for an exclusive look at the art and animation of Frozen. (Saturday, August 10, 10:30a.m.)  
  • The Art of The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios’ latest feature explores what might have happened if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct. Take a closer look at this imaginative world of possibility and the artistry and production design behind it. (Saturday, August 10, 3:00p.m.)  
  • Toy Story OF TERROR! and the Motivation Behind Pixar’s Short Form Content – From toys on vacation to tow-riffic four wheelers, Pixar keeps some of their most beloved characters alive and well through short-form content. Angus MacLane, director of Toy Story OF TERROR!, a new adventure featuring Woody, Buzz and the Toy Story gang set for release on TV this fall. Producer Galyn Susman; and other Pixar short-form filmmakers share their experiences of expanding the worlds of these characters loved by audiences across the globe. (Saturday, August 10, 5:00p.m.)  
  • Pixar: Doing Our Homework – Research is an integral part of the filmmaking process, and with a story in hand, Pixar artists set out to become experts, immersing themselves in places, people and experiences that inspire and inform their filmmaking, whether it be spirited Scots, delectable French cuisine, or deep sea adventures. (Friday, August 9, 6:00p.m.)  
  • Women of Pixar – Jessie.  Dory.  Sally.  Merida. Although they exist in different worlds, these iconic Pixar females have one thing in common: girl power. Meet a dynamic group of women from Pixar, whose experience and success at the studio have helped craft some of the most memorable animated films in recent history. They will share stories from their journeys and the lessons they have learned along the way. (Sunday, August 11, 1:00p.m.)  

Expo attendees will also get admission to an Exclusive Screening of Disney’s Planes in 3D, featuring an introduction by some very special guests. (Friday, August 9, 3:00p.m.)

And, as Disney welcomes Lucasfilm into the family, fans will have a chance to immerse themselve in the Star Wars universe led by Lucasfilm’s resident authority Pablo Hidalgo with “Crash Course in the Force: Star Wars Saga 101,” a journey into the rich history of the worldwide phenomenon. (Saturday, August 10, 5:00p.m.)

Music fans won’t be left out either. They will be treated to performances by Good Luck Charlie star and platinum-selling Hollywood Records artist Bridgit Mendler, and Hollywood Records artists R5, fronted by Teen Beach Movie and Austin & Ally star Ross Lynch. D23 will also present Richard Sherman and Alan Menken, two of the world’s most celebrated songwriters and composers who have won a combined 10 Academy Awards for their work with Disney. Also, Randy Thornton, Grammy® Award-winning producer and resident Disney Music Historian, will take fans on a musical journey with inside stories of songs written for classic Disney films.

Out on the Expo floor, fans can explore the world of The Walt Disney Studios with comprehensive exhibits, including:

  • Walt Disney Animation Studios Pavilion – Summon your inner artist and escape into diverse worlds of where there’s much to explore, from the stunning snow-covered setting of Frozen to the high-tech, action-packed world of Big Hero 6, featuring the latest animation technology, sneak peeks, and giveaways.
  • Disneytoon Studios Pavilion – Fans of both aviation fairies will be on cloud nine as they explore projects including Disney’s Planes and immerse themselves in the world of Pixie Hollow and the magical heroines from Disney’s Fairies with exciting demonstrations and presentations.
  • Walt Disney Studios In-Home Entertainment Zones – Dive into cutting-edge home entertainment technology and learn what the future holds for Disney movie fans, with sneak peeks of upcoming films in breathtaking high-definition Blu-ray 3D™, including new hit films and new-to-Blu classics, the latest on Disney Second Screen and more. Also, the adorable Disney “Buddies” are back with an all-new movie—Super Buddies—coming August 27! Fans can get a picture with one of the real puppy super heroes. They are appearing live at D23 Expo for the first time—Saturday and Sunday!

For information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for members and general admission, visit D23Expo.com.

Of course, WDWNT will be there at the D23 Expo bring all the excitement to you, so stay tuned for coverage!

 

D23 Expo: Walt Disney Studios Presentation Summary

WDWNT on August 22, 2011

For those that couldn’t attend the Walt Disney Studios presentation during the 2011 D23 Expo, here is a summary of the movies that were discussed.  Leading the presentation were 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).

  • DisneyToon Studios’ Planes – It was announced that actor Jon Cryer (TV’s “Two and a Half Men”) will voice the main character in DisneyToon Studios’ Planes. Jon joined John Lasseter on stage for the announcement and to introduce the teaser trailer of the film.

Read More about D23 Expo: Walt Disney Studios Presentation Summary