One of Disney’s most classic — and successful — films of all time is the 1994 animated film The Lion King. The Lion King told the story of lion cub Simba, who had to go on a journey of self-discovery after his father, Mufasa, is killed by Simba’s evil uncle, Scar. After years of being away from his pride, Simba sees a vision of his father and returns to his family, ready to take over the throne from his vicious uncle.
The Lion King was so successful that Disney made it into a live-action remake, which was released in 2019. And now, we have more Lion King news to share. At this year’s D23 Expo, Disney shared that a new prequel called Mufasa: The Lion King will premiere sometime in 2024.
Barry Jenkins — director of the new movie — gave the audience more details about what the film will be about.
‘Mufasa’ is the origin story of one of the greatest kings in the history of pride lions… Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa — we all know and love — are relaying the story of Mufasa…
What viewers may find most surprising is that Mufasa was not born into royalty. Even though he seems as though leading is in his blood, he was actually orphaned as a cub.
“Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone, by himself. In telling this story, we get to experience the real journey of how Mufasa found his place in the Circle of Life. It is pretty awesome.”
During the D23 panel, Disney shared an exclusive clip of the film, but it has not been made public yet. In the preview, a young Mufasa is seen hanging precariously onto a log as it is swept away during a flood. Mufasa must then make his way to a new pride and find a new family.
While it was confirmed that Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa will be in the prequel, Jenkins did not mention Mufasa’s brother, Scar. Scar was such a large part of the original Lion King — and the one responsible for Scar’s death — it would seem inevitable that he make an appearance in the prequel.
Jenkins would also not confirm if James Earl Jones would return to voice adult Mufasa.
In 2023, Disney fans will meet Asha (Ariana DeBose), a 17-year-old girl whose wish calls down an adorable nonverbal star, aptly named “Star,” from the sky. Also starring Alan Tudyk as Valentino the goat and with an original song by Julia Michaels, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ WISH will share the origin of the wishing star.
At D23 Expo, Walt Disney Animation Studios revealed that WISH would premiere to celebrate 100 years of Disney animation. From journalist Scott Gustin:
Disney Animation will celebrate its 100th anniversary with an original film — Disney WISH set to release in 2023. The film will focus on the origin of the Wishing Star. #D23Expopic.twitter.com/mZolIJ5gJu
Disney also shared another image from the film on Twitter:
Walt Disney Animation Studios revealed a FIRST LOOK at “Wish,” their all-new animated feature film that explores how the iconic wishing star came to be. (1/2) #D23Expopic.twitter.com/LWOy7X5JLM
It’s hard to believe, but 29 years have passed since the Sanderson sisters descended on Salem, Massachusetts on All Hallows Eve to suck the lives out of the children, so they could live forever. Time sure does fly (maybe on a broomstick?) when you are having fun. But now we are so excited to see that the Sanderson sisters are set to return to our screens in Hocus Pocus 2 on September 30! Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker are all coming back as well, reprising their roles as Winifred Sanderson, Mary Sanderson, and Sarah Sanderson, respectively.
So, we know that a lot of the stars of the original film — including Doug Jones, AKA Billy Butcherson — will be returning to the new film. We also know that viewers will learn about the lives of the Sanderson sisters as children, and we know that September 30 will be the premiere date. What we were missing? A trailer. Now that has changed and Disney has released an official trailer for Hocus Pocus 2!
If there is one thing Disney knows how to do, it is put out a successful film. Whether it comes from Walt Disney Studios, Marvel, Pixar, or LucasFilm, Disney has some of the best screenwriters on the planet working for it. One area Disney has found particular success with in recent years is its live-action remakes. Fans flock to the theaters to see their favorite animated films come to life, like Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, The Lion King, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and more.
One of the more successful live-action remakes was the 2019 film, Aladdin. The film starred Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, and Will Smith as the Genie. The film was written by John August and Guy Ritchie, with Ritchie also directing the film. Aladdin was a massive hit for Disney and brought in more than $1 billion worldwide. Disney was so impressed with Ritchie’s work that we are now learning they are bringing him back to work on another one of their live-action films.
Deadline Hollywood has learned that Guy Ritchie has signed on to direct Hercules, which will be based on the 1997 animated film of the same name that starred Tate Donovan as the voice of Hercules and Susan Egan as the voice of Megara. James Woods was also hilarious in the original film as the voice of the God of the Underworld, Hades.
After watching his live-action transfer of Disney’s animated Aladdin become his first film to crack the billion-dollar gross mark, Guy Ritchie is back in business with the studio. This time, he’s overseeing a live-action film based on the Disney animated film Hercules.
The film will be produced by AGBO, the production company run by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe & Anthony Russo. The studio is in the process of hiring writers after Dave Callaham wrote a first draft.
This deal was made by CAA, before Ritchie last month exited the agency and went to WME.
Most of Disney’s live-action remakes stick pretty close to their animated originals, but one thing we do not know is if Disney will keep the music from the original film. “Go the Distance” is an incredibly popular song and a favorite amongst Disney fans, so many may be disappointed if Disney decides to change up the music. Hopefully, they will keep the favorites and maybe add in another great song or two!
Though it’s touted as a Disney “remake,” the 2022 live-action take-two of Disney’s 1940 classic, Pinocchio, will not feature much of the classic’s questionable content.
PIXAR celebrated the release of Lightyear over the weekend. The first Pixarian film to debut at the box office in more than two years, Lightyear is the “definitive origin story” of the space ranger, Buzz Lightyear, who inspired a line of action figures like the Buzz fans see in the Toy Story film franchise. Unlike Toy Story, however, Lightyear features content that some have deemed “questionable” or “controversial.”
But regardless of fans’ sentiments about the content, PIXAR producers made it undeniably clear that the animated film powerhouse had no intentions of modifying the content in the film.
But Disney has chosen to omit some of the content from its 1940 classic, Pinocchio, at least when it comes to the live-action remake, which is set to debut exclusively on the Disney+ streaming platform in September, according to GameRant:
“Director Robert Zemeckis and company certainly have their work cut out for them in making this tale friendly enough for audiences,” a post online at GameRant.com reads. “Released in 1940, the original “Pinocchio” has a plethora of moments and characters which might be frowned on today. Not only are they scary, but they reflect a different time in terms of what was politically acceptable. As such, some parents might worry about exposing their kids to the wrong values. Disney likely won’t take the risk of driving away consumers in this way, so viewers can expect to see plenty of changes with this remake.”
For starters, the canine version of Honest John will likely be absent or replaced with a human version of a similar character. For one thing, he’s a bit scary, and for another thing, as GameRant points out, if the film features a talking fox who walks on his hind legs and tricks children into participating in his schemes, a talking puppet who dreams of being a real boy might not seem so special.
The Italian character from the 1940 film named Stromboli may also be replaced, and that’s to squash the racial stereotypes involved in his character. In the Disney classic, Stromboli is flamboyant and echoes visages of a gypsy, which is a bit distasteful now, though it wasn’t in 1940. For these reasons, Disney will more than likely remove the Stromboli character or create a less-offensive version of him in the upcoming release.
Swearing and smoking will undoubtedly not be included in the 2022 version of Pinocchio. In the 1940 version, the word “jackass” is used a few times, and the film also features characters who smoke. It’s safe to assume Disney will want a lesser word than “jackass” in the new film, and smoking will absolutely be absent in the film. After Walt Disney died in December 1966 from lung cancer, the Walt Disney Company decided to ban smoking in its films.
Pinocchio‘s Pleasure Island will undoubtedly be left in the dust of 1940, as it nods to the practice of human trafficking:
“This is among the scarier scenes not just because of the visuals but also due to the implications. Pleasure Island is a place where kids can misbehave to their heart’s content. Delinquent activities include gambling and chomping on cigars. These already raise red flags with today’s Disney; they don’t even want adults smoking in their movies anymore. However, it only gets worse.
Kids who indulge in this bad behavior slowly turn into donkeys. The overseers then ship them to various unscrupulous organizations, never to be seen nor heard from again. Yep, an animated movie has human trafficking.”
Though Disney is in the business of live-action remakes, as evidenced by the copious numbers of remakes to date, the House of Mouse has been diligent in attempting to stop the perpetuation of stereotypes that found their way into earlier films, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Disney’s remake of Pinocchio appears to be no different.
You can stream Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks as Gepetto, beginning September 8, 2022, on Disney+.
