Some of the most talked about films and franchises for the past several years are finally here and Disney’s got ‘em in 2015! Announced today is the current slate of Walt Disney Motion Pictures releases for the year, including films from Disneynature, Marvel, Dreamworks Studios, Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Studios and Pixar. Let’s take a look!
January 23, 2015 brings us STRANGE MAGIC. A new animated film from Lucasfilm, Ltd., STRANGE MAGIC is a madcap fairy tale inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Popular songs from the past six decades hep tell the tale off a colorful cast of goblinsk elves, fairies and imps, and their hialrious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic bring to life the fanciful forest turned upside don with world-class animation and visual effect.
STRANGE MAGIC is directed by Gary Rydstrom from a script by Rydstrom, David Berenbaum and Irene Mecchi based on a story by George Lucas, featuring the voice talents of Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Meredith Anne Bull, Alfred Molina, Elijah Kelley, Bob Einstein and Peter Stormare.
On February 20, 2015 we find ourselves in McFARLAND, USA. Inspired by the 1987 true story, “McFarland, USA” follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school.
Coach White and the McFarland students have a lot to learn about each other but when White starts to realize the boys’ exceptional running ability, things begin to change. Soon something beyond their physical gifts becomes apparent—the power of family relationships, their unwavering commitment to one another and their incredible work ethic.
With grit and determination, the unlikely band of runners eventually overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well. Along the way, Coach White realizes that his family finally found a place to call home and both he and his team achieve their own kind of American dream.
Disney’s “McFarland, USA” stars Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor, Martha Higareda, Michael Aguero, Sergio Avelar, Hector Duran, Rafael Martinez, Johnny Ortiz, Carlos Pratts, Ramiro Rodriguez, Danny Mora,Valente Rodriguez, Vanessa Martinez and Chris Ellis and is directed by Niki Caro with screenplay by Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson, and story by Cleveland & Gilois.
Gordon Gray and Mark Ciardi are producing, with Mario Iscovich and Mary Martin serving as executive producers.
March 13, 2015 should prove to be as lovely as a dream with Kenneth Branagh’s live-action CINDERELLA.
The story of CINDERELLA follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an apprentice at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit (Richard Madden). Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand, and a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham Carter) steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.
A live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale, CINDERELLA brings to life the timeless images from Disney’s 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually-dazzling spectacle for a whole new generation.
Directed by Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh and starring Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden and Academy Award nominee Helena Bonham Carter, CINDERELLA is produced by Simon Kinberg, Allison Shearmur and David Barron with Tim Lewis serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Chris Weitz.
April 17, 2015 you’ll go ape for Disneynature’s MONKEY KINGDOM!
Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in MONKEY KINGDOM, Disneynature’s new feature film set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia. Maya’s world is forever changed when she welcomes her son, Kip, into her complicated extended family. Like all families, Maya’s has more than its share of colorful personalities—and she’s determined to give her son a leg up in the world. When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya’s whole family is forced to relocate, and she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to lead them to untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will all have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son’s future.
Featuring a rich variety of characters, including a mischievous mongoose, simple-minded langur monkeys, predatory leopards and monitor lizards, MONKEY KINGDOM is directed by Mark Linfield (“Chimpanzee,” “Earth”) and co-directed by Alastair Fothergill (“Chimpanzee,” “Bears”). With music from award-winning composer Harry Gregson-Williams (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Shrek” movies), Disneynature’s eighth True Life Adventure—the follow-up to 2014’s “Bears”—swings into theaters April 17, 2015.
It’s been a long time coming but May 1, 2015 brings us a new age, the age of ultron, with AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.
Marvel Studios presents AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Marvel’s AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Patricia Whitcher, Stan Lee and Jon Favreau serve as executive producers.
On May 22, 2015, Disney takes us to TOMORROWLAND when a jaded scientist and optimistic teen embark on a dangerous mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space.
TOMORROWLAND stars George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Tim McGraw, Judy Greer, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Robinson, Britt Robertson and Raffey Cassidy. Brad Bird directs from script by Damon Lindelof, Jeff Jensen and Bird based on a story by Bird and Lindelof.
You’ll find yourself INSIDE OUT with delight if the early images I’ve seen are any indication of what Pete Docter has in store for us on June 19, 2015.
From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Up”) has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie “ Inside Out,” he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind.
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
Disney, as they do every year, once again gives me a perfect early birthday present on July 17, 2015, with Marvel’s ANT-MAN.
The film brings one of Marvel comics’ original founding members of The Avengers into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The production also shoots on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film’s production.
ANT-MAN is directed by Peyton Reed (“Bring it On,” “The Break-Up”) and stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, and Michael Douglas as his mentor Dr. Hank Pym with Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, daughter of Hank Pym. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Based on the Marvel comic character first published in 1962, Marvel’s ANT-MAN continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures chronicled in Marvel’s “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the upcoming Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
The film also includes outstanding additional cast including Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Abby Ryder Fortson, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, John Slattery, Gregg Turkington and multi-hyphenate T.I.
Marvel’s ANT-MAN is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.
October 9, 2015 we find ourselves deep inside THE JUNGLE BOOK.
Directed by Jon Favreau from a script by Justin Marks, THE JUNGLE BOOK combines live action and animated filmmaking. Disney last visited THE JUNGLE BOOK with the animated 1967 classic. This time out, Mowgli, the man-cub raised by wolves, find he is no longer welcome in the jungle when the fierce Shere Kahn, who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern-mentor Bagheera, and the free-spirited Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. THE JUNGLE BOOK seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using cutting-edge technology and storytelling techniques to immerse the audience in an enchanting and lush world.
A star-studded cast of voice talent include, among others, Sir Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johannsson, Bill Murray and Christopher Walken.
Going back in time with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg to the Cold War days on October 16, 2015, we find ourselves with an Untitled Steven Spielberg Cold War Spy Thriller.
From a screenplay by the Coen brothers based on an original script by Matt Charman, and directed by Steven Spielberg, this is the true story of James Donovan, an attorney who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. The film also stars Alan Alda and Billy Magnussen.
Just in time for Thanksgiving comes the animated, THE GOOD DINOSAUR, on November 25 2015. Directed by Peter Soehn, THE GOOD DINOSAUR asks the age-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth, missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? A humorous and exciting story about the adventures of Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event unsettles Arlo’s family, he sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way – a human boy. An extraordinary of self-discovery, THE GOOD DINOSAUR is full of thrilling adventure, hilarious characters and poignant heart.
And the Force is with us all on December 18, 2015 when STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS takes us back to that galaxy far, far away.
Directed by J.J. Abrams with script written by Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams (thus far credited), franchise favorites Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels are joined by Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Max von Sydow, in what is the most anticipated sequel in the universe!
