Disney 2011 Preview of Films

December 18th, 2010 by Gilbert Seah

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada

2011 PREVIEW

I AM NUMBER FOUR

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS
Release date: February 18, 2011

Genre: Suspense-thriller
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand
Director: D.J. Caruso
Producer: Michael Bay
Executive Producers: David Valdes, Chris Bender, J.C. Spink
Screenplay by: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Marti Noxon
Based on the book by: Pittacus Lore

Three are dead. He is Number Four. D.J. Caruso (“Eagle Eye,” “Disturbia”) helms a suspense-thriller about an extraordinary young man, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events—his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

MARS NEEDS MOMS (In Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D)

WALT DISNEY PICTURES/IMAGEMOVERS DIGITAL

Release date: March 11, 2011

Website and Mobile site: Disney.com/MarsNeedsMoms

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/MarsNeedsMomsMovie

Genre: Comedy Adventure

Cast: Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Kevin Cahoon and Joan Cusack

Director: Simon Wells

Producers: Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Steven Boyd

Screenplay by: Simon Wells & Wendy Wells

Based on the book by: Berkeley Breathed

Take out the trash, eat your broccoli—who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom (Joan Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. Produced by the team behind “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express,” “Mars Needs Moms” showcases Milo’s quest to save his mom—a wild adventure in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Mindy Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble (Dan Fogler) and a rebel Martian girl called Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo just might find his way back to his mom—in more ways than one.

Notes:

• Berkeley Breathed, a Pulitzer Prize winner for his comic strip “Bloom County,” is the author and illustrator of the book “Mars Needs Moms.” The story was inspired by a particular moment of disagreement that took place between his son Milo and his wife.

• Producer Robert Zemeckis, who wrote, directed and produced “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express,” is a pioneer in performance-capture filmmaking. The process digitally captures the performances of the actors with computerized cameras in a full 360 degrees, allowing actors like Jim Carrey and Tom Hanks to play several roles of varying ages in one film, and for 36-year-old Seth Green to portray a nine-year-old.

AFRICAN CATS

DISNEYNATURE

Release date: April 22, 2011 – Earth Day

Website and Mobile Site: Disney.com/AfricanCats

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/Disneynature

Genre: True Life Adventure

Narrator: TBD

Directors: Keith Scholey, Alastair Fothergill

Producer: Keith Scholey, Alix Tidmarsh

An epic true story set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth, “African Cats” captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. The story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion. Disneynature brings “The Lion King” to life on the big screen in this True-Life Adventure directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”). An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, “African Cats” leaps into theatres on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.

Notes:

• “African Cats” is the third release for Disneynature, the first new Disney-branded fi lm label from The Walt Disney Studios in over 60 years. Launched in April 2008 to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to capture a variety of wildlife subjects and stories, Disneynature was behind both “Earth” and “Oceans.”

• “Earth,” the first f lm to premiere domestically under the new label on Earth Day 2009, garnered a record-breaking opening weekend for a nature documentary. On its opening day, the film also broke the single-day box-office record for a nature documentary.

• Hitting theaters on April 22, 2010, “Oceans” was the #1 film that day and had the third highest opening weekend box-office gross of all time for a nature film. “Oceans” is the third highest grossing feature-length nature film in history.

• Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife documentary filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1949 and 1960, including “Seal Island” (1949), “Beaver Valley” (1950), “The Living Desert” (1953) and “Jungle Cat” (1958). The fi lms earned eight Academy Awards®.

PROM

WALT DISNEY PICTURES
Release date: April 29, 2011

Website and Mobile site: Disney.com/Prom

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyProm

Genre: Drama-Comedy

Cast: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang, Kylie Bunbury, Nicholas Braun, Jared Kusnitz, Jonathan Keltz, De’Vaughn Nixon, Nolan Sotillo, Cameron Monaghan, Joe Adler, Janelle Ortiz, Raini Rodriguez

Director: Joe Nussbaum

Producers: Ted Griffin, Justin Springer

Executive Producer: Samson Mucke

Written by: Katie Wech

At “Prom,” every couple has a story and no two are exactly alike. Several intersecting stories unfold at one high school as the big dance approaches; “Prom” portrays the precarious passage from high school to independence as some relationships unravel and others ignite. For Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden), it’s a battle of wills as she fi nds herself drawn to the guy (Thomas McDonell) who gets in the way of her perfect prom. Fellow seniors Mei (Yin Chang) and Tyler (De’Vaughn Nixon) harbor secrets, while others face all the insecurity and anticipation that surrounds one of high school’s most seminal events. There are hundreds of nights in high school, but there’s only one “Prom.” Featuring an emerging ensemble cast and a powerful soundtrack, “Prom” hits theatres April 29, 2011.

PIRATES OF THE CARRIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (In Disney Digital 3D™)

WALT DISNEY PICTURES and JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS

Release date: May 20, 2011

Website and Mobile site: Disney.com/Pirates

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/PiratesoftheCaribbean

Genre: Comedy-Adventure

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Sam Claflin and Geoffrey Rush

Director: Rob Marshall

Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer

Executive Producers: Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Barry Waldman, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, John DeLuca

Screenplay by: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humour that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise. When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love— or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa, and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Clafl in as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

CARS 2 (In Disney Digital 3D™)

Disney•Pixar

Release date: June 24, 2011

Website and Mobile Site: Disney.com/cars

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/pixarcars

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Adventure

Voice Talent: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Jason Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Peter Jacobson, Thomas

Kretschmann

Director: John Lasseter

Co-Director: Brad Lewis

Producer: Denise Ream

Composer: Michael Giacchino

Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high profile race and towing the line in a top secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning spy in training Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast paced fun includes a colorful new all car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

John Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat to direct this follow up to his 2006 Golden Globe® winning “Cars.” “Cars 2” is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar® winning film “Ratatouille,” and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, “Up”; visual effects executive producer, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”). The film hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D in select theatres.

Notes:

• John Lasseter made his feature film directing debut with “Toy Story” in 1995. He has since directed such Disney•Pixar classics as “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Cars” and

served as executive producer of all other Pixar films to date. He is currently the chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and principal creative advisor of Walt Disney Imagineering.

• “Cars 2” is the 12th feature length animated film from Pixar Animation Studios (its first 11 have earned $6.5 billion at the global box office). Pixar, which has earned 26 Academy

Awards® and six Golden Globes®, celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2011.

• “Cars” originally released on June 9, 2006, and grossed nearly $462 million worldwide. It was nominated for two Oscars® and one Golden Globe®, winning the first ever Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.

WINNIE THE POOH

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Release date: July 15, 2011

Website and Mobile site: Disney.com/Pooh

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/WinnieThePooh

Genre: Animation

Voice Cast: Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny, Travis Oates, Bud Luckey

Directors: Stephen Anderson, Don Hall

Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Score Composer: Henry Jackman

Lyrics by: Bobby Lopez , Kristen Lopez

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh,” the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo— and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Well a tail is either there or it isn’t there,” said Pooh. “And yours isn’t… there.” Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some hunny. Inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, “Winnie the Pooh” hits theatres July 15, 2011.

Notes:

• Veteran Disney animator/storyman/director Burny Mattinson (a key animator on the 1974 featurette “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!”) serves as senior story artist, with a dynamic young directing duo—Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall—at the helm.

• Director Stephen Anderson helmed animated films “Meet the Robinsons” and “Journey Beneath the Sea,” among others; he worked as a story supervisor on “Brother Bear” and “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and as an additional story artist on 2008’s award-winning “Bolt.” Director Don Hall is a veteran story artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios with credits including “The Princess and the Frog,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Brother Bear,” “Home on the Range,” “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Tarzan.”

• “Winnie the Pooh” welcomes a few new voices to the Hundred Acre Wood: Craig Ferguson (“The Late Show with Craig Ferguson”), Tom Kenny (“SpongeBob SquarePants”) and Bud Luckey (director of the Pixar short “Boundin’”).

• Actress/musician/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel (Indie folk band, “She & Him”) provides the vocals for a special rendition of the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” theme song.

• London-born A.A. Milne (1882-1956), a noted writer and playwright, penned two books and several poems about the beloved Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin (named after Milne’s son). His books are actually collections of stories, five of which inspired the film.

• A.A. Milne’s son’s teddy bear inspired the beloved character. The child named his bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear from London Zoo. Pooh was the name of a swan they encountered together.

• Filmmakers visited Ashdown Forest where Milne wrote the books and the real Christopher Robin spent his summer vacations.

• Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez, and his wife Kristen, wrote the seven spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals, including “A Pooh Bear Takes Care of His Tummy,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey” and “The Winner Song.” Lopez is composer on several episodes of “The Wonder Pets,” which earned a Daytime Emmy® in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.

THE HELP

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS and participant media

Release date: August 12, 2010

Website and Mobile site: DreamWorksStudios.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheHelpCommunity

Genre: Drama

Cast: Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone

Director: Tate Taylor

Producers: Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan

Executive Producers: Tate Taylor, Mark Radcliffe, Dean Jones, Nate Berkus, Jennifer Blum, Jeff Skoll, Mohamed Khalef Al-Mazrouei

Screenplay by: Tate Taylor

Based on the novel by: Kathryn Stockett

Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, “The Help” stars Emma Stone (star of the breakout hit, “Zombieland”) as Skeeter, a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends’ lives—and a small Mississippi town—upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Academy Award® nominee Viola Davis (“Eat Pray Love”) stars as Aibileen, Skeeter’s best friend’s housekeeper, who is the first to open up—to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter’s life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories—and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly—and unwillingly—caught up in the changing times.

FRIGHT NIGHT

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS

Release date: August 19, 2011

Website and Mobile site: DreamWorksStudios.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios

Genre: Horror

Cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant and Imogen Poots

Director: Craig Gillespie

Producer: Michael De Luca, Alison R. Rosenzweig

Executive Producers: Ray Angelic, Lloyd Ivan Miller, Michael Gaeta, Josh Bratman

Screenplay by: Marti Noxon

Senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all going on: he’s running with the popular crowd and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. In fact, he’s so cool he’s even dissing his best friend. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right—but everyone, including Charlie’s mom (Toni Collette), doesn’t notice. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic.

REAL STEEL

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS

Release date: October 7, 2011

Website and Mobile site: DreamWorksStudios.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/RealSteelMovie

Genre: Action-Drama

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Kevin Durand, Anthony Mackie

Director: Shawn Levy

Producers: Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Shawn Levy

Executive Producers: Bob Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen

Screenplay by: John Gatins

Based on the short

Story “Steel” by: Richard Mathis

A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a smalltime promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to

the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback. “Real Steel” is directed by Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum” franchise and “Date Night”).

THE MUPPETS (In Disney Digital 3D™)

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Release date: November 23, 2011

Website and Mobile site: Disney.com/Muppets

Become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/Muppets

Genre: Family Comedy

Cast: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggie, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Jason Segel, Walter

Director: James Bobin

Writers: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, “The Muppets” hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.

Notes:

• Funnyman Jason Segel (TV’s “How I Met Your Mother,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) stars in, co-writes and executive produces “The Muppets.”

• “The Muppets” is directed by James Bobin, who was a director/writer/EP for HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords.”

• Kermit received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. His song “The Rainbow Connection” was nominated for an Academy Award®.

• Bret McKenzie, who starred in, wrote for and served as composer for HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords,” is the music supervisor for “The Muppets,” as well as the writer/producer on some of the songs, which include big Muppet-style opening and closing numbers.

• It’s been 11 years since the Muppets’ last big-screen feature film.

WAR HORSE

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS

Release date: December 28, 2011

Website and Mobile site: DreamWorksStudios.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios

Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, David Thewlis

Director: Steven Spielberg

Producers: Steven Spielberg & Kathleen Kennedy

Executive Producers: Frank Marshall, Revel Guest

Writers: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis

From director Steven Spielberg comes “War Horse,” an epic adventure for audiences of all ages. Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, “War Horse” begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war—a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is arriving on Broadway next year. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

Disney 2011 Preview of Films

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