Category: Disney Movie News

Trailers! We’ve Got Your Disney Movie Trailers Here!

Disney has released a bunch of new trailers and featurettes in the last couple of weeks, so I thought I would pull them together for you to find in one easy spot.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

First up, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.  Coming out on October 18, 2019, Disney is doing a full court press with tv spots and special featurettes for this one.  Given it’s Angelina Jolie’s first film in a while, I am hoping this one meets my expectations (or exceeds them!)

The original teaser, released in the spring, really intrigued me.  (Click here if you missed it.)  The first trailer, released in July, (see it here if you missed it) looked very interesting and mysterious.

These three TV spots, released over the last week, appear to focus on the “scary” in honor of Halloween:

We also got this Maleficent: Mistress of Evil “Special Look”:

This “Return to the Moors” Featurette:

This fun look at Angelina Jolie’s transformation into Maleficent:

And finally, this “Tickets on Sale Now” TV Spot:

I’m fairly jazzed for this one.  I thought the first one was a little odd, but beautiful and interesting.  I think Michelle Pfeiffer  is a great addition to this cast, and I’m hoping we get to see a bit of HER dark side.

Are you looking forward to Maleficent: Mistress of Evil?

Mulan

The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live action Mulan has been released, and I think it’s gorgeous!

Disney has chosen to take a more serious approach to the live action Mulan, so it won’t be a musical like the original animated version, and, I strongly suspect, there will be no wise cracking dragon voiced by a comedian.

I think these are good choices, and I hope that Mulan will be the powerful and inspiring “girl power” movie it should be.

Scheduled for release on March 27, 2020, Mulan is only the second Disney movie directed by a female director (Niki Caro) with a budget above $100 million.  Based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored Chinese warrior who disguised herself as man to take the place of her ill father and fight for the Imperial Chinese Army against the Huns.  Mulan features Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Gong Li, and Jet Li.

Based on the teaser, I think the film looks visually stunning.  I really hope it lives up to its potential!

Frozen 2

The second trailer for the long awaited sequel to Frozen has been released, and it’s a doozy!

If you missed the first trailer, you can find it here.

Frozen 2 opens in theaters November 22, 2019, and appears to be focused on discovering the origin of Elsa’s magical gifts, and the impact of that search on Arendelle, the sisters and their friends.  I’m a little disappointed that we still aren’t hearing any of the music for this new film, but I’m sure once it’s released, we’ll all hear way more of it than we want to, so I’m surviving, haha.

Both these trailers look a little dark–I suspect this is going to be a bigger adventure than the first film, and more serious.  I’m very curious to see if Frozen 2 can approach the success of the first Frozen, the highest grossing animated film of ALL TIME!!  Frozen also won two Academy Awards AND two Grammys.

What do you think?  Are you as anxious to see Frozen 2 as I am?

Noelle (Streaming on Disney +)

Noelle is one of the first trailers released for films produced exclusively for Disney’s new streaming service, Disney +.  Starring Anna Kendrick, Shirley MacClaine and Bill Hader (ok, let’s face it, whoever put that cast together deserves a BONUS!), Noelle is the story of Santa Claus’ sister, Noelle, and her adventures to make sure her brother does his job.  Played by Bill Hader, Nick Kringle isn’t quite sure he wants the job and Christmas is in DANGER!

I think this looks like a lot of fun, and a great way to kick of the holiday season.  This film will be live on the new Disney streaming service when it goes live November 12, 2019.  Have you signed up for Disney + yet?

Lady and the Tramp (Streaming on Disney +)

Another new “live action” remake of a Disney classic animated film, Lady and the Tramp comes to Disney’s streaming service, Disney +) on November 12, 2019.

I have to admit, I’m not very excited about this one.  This really feels like a case of “we didn’t need this”.  But I realize this one isn’t really for me, it’s for the new generation, and they will probably love it.  Because, dogs.  Cute right?  I will reserve judgement until I’ve seen it…but I’m not feeling optimistic, sadly.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl was originally on the schedule for this summer.  Originally planned for release on August 9, 2019, the film’s release has been pushed back to May 29, 2019.  I’m not sure why, but it’s possible Disney felt that having ensured they will have all of our money this year, they wanted to make sure to get some next year.  Who knows?

Artemis Fowl is based on a popular children’s book series by Eoin Colfer, and features Dame Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Nonso Anozie, and two newcomers in the young main character roles: Ferdia Shaw as Artemis Fowl and Lara McDonnell as Holly Short.

The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who reports that the author has been involved with the film.

There haven’t been any new trailers, but I never posted the original teaser, so I’m including it here:

I’m not sure what to think of this one.  I’ve not read these books, but I may have to check them out before May as the teaser looks intriguing.

Have you read these books?  Are you looking forward to the film’s release?

It looks like we have lots of movies to look forward to over the next few months.  Are you excited?  Which of these are you planning to see?  Please comment below.

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

Brooke Hudson Disney Travel Agent
Ready to Help Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!

 

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Official Trailer Released!

Walt Disney Studios has released the official trailer for Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Scheduled to be in theaters nationwide on October 18, 2019, this trailer gives us a pretty deep look at this sequel to 2014’s Maleficent.

Take a look at the official Maleficent: Mistressof Evil trailer below:

Back in May, we got a teaser trailer that gave us a tiny glimpse of the sequel.  If you didn’t get a chance to see it, check it out here: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Teaser Trailer Released!

Coming October 18, 2019

Have you seen this gorgeous poster yet?  Michelle Pfeiffer looks STUNNING (really, when DOESN’T she?) and Elle Fanning looks pretty and perfect, as she should.  Angelina Jolie looks appropriately wicked and a little creepy.  What do you think?

 

Maleficent Mistress of Evil Trailer
Photo Credit: Walt Disney Studios

I think the new trailer shows us that we are in for a lot of DRAMA in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.  It looks like Maleficent may not share her toys well with others (BIG surprise), and that she may have issues with Aurora growing up and getting a lot more independent.  Michelle Pfeiffer looks like she may be the TRUE Mistress of Evil in the movie, and I look forward to her performance as she is always terrific.  Elle Fanning is back as Aurora, and of course, Angelina Jolie is reprising her role as Maleficent.  We haven’t seen much from Jolie in the last few years (other than in the tabloids), so I’m looking forward to seeing her in this.

Angelina Jolie Maleficent Mistress of Evil Official Trailer
Photo Credit: Walt Disney Studios

It looks like it may be a little darker than the first film, but still gorgeous–at least based on this trailer.

What do you guys think?  Does this make you any more excited to see Maleficent: Mistress of Evil?

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Disney Launches Free Dining Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
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Official Frozen II Trailer Released!

Hello everyone!  How’s everybody doing?  I’m finally getting some summer-ish weather, and I am SO ready!!  Of course, summer brings lots of heat to much of the country.  Maybe summer is the perfect time for a quick visit with our favorite FROZEN princesses? Today’s an exciting day in the world of Disney animation.  Disney has released the official trailer for Frozen II!  Check it out below:

What do you think?  We’re getting a lot more information about the core story of Frozen II that we had previously in the teaser trailer.  (If you haven’t seen the teaser trailer yet, you can see it here.)

Where’s the Music?

Do any of you think it’s interesting that Disney isn’t giving us any real glimpse of the music or songs that we’ll be hearing in the long awaited Frozen sequel?  I am happy that it appears that the sequel seems to be focusing on Elsa’s story.  This makes a lot of sense to me.  Although Elsa was very important in Frozen, Frozen felt more like a story about Anna’s journey, at least to me personally.  It also had a great love story between the sisters, which made it unique in the Disney “Princess” movie genre.

Anna and Elsa Official Trailer Frozen II
(Copyright Walt Disney Animation)

I’m hoping that Frozen II will continue to emphasize the love between the two sisters, and not be about a romantic love story for Elsa.  Having said that, I’m a die-hard romantic, and am a sucker for Disney love stories.  I guess we will have to wait and see if the next trailer gives us any more hints.

I can’t wait to see what all the kids that fell in love with Elsa and Anna in Frozen think of this new adventure for them.

It’s Your Turn!

What are your thoughts of the official Frozen II trailer?  Are you on the fence about Frozen II?  Did this trailer make you any more or less excited to see this movie?  Please comment below.

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Brooke Hudson Disney Travel Agent
Ready to Help Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Teaser Trailer Released!

Surprise!  Originally slated for release in May 2020, the sequel to Disney’s Maleficent from 2014, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is NOW scheduled to come out later this year.  The Maleficent: Mistress of Evil teaser trailer has been released, and it looks really good (in my opinion!).

Maleficent (2014)

Did you see Disney’s Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie, when it was originally released?  Visually stunning, the film offered a slightly different perspective on the evil fairy queen from the Sleeping Beauty story.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was entertaining and interesting.  Jolie’s performance was intense and thoughtful.  Elle Fanning was perfect as Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and the story was very much about the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora.  There was also a very strong thread of “Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned” running through the movie.  Maleficent grossed $758 million, worldwide.  After the movie was released, talk of a sequel began almost immediately.

 

Maleficent
Disney Maleficent, 2014

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

The sequel, also known as Maleficent 2, is officially titled Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.  Scheduled for release October 18, 2019, the new film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, reprising her role from the first film.  Also returning are Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton, Sam Riley, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.  The role of Prince Phillip has been recast with Harris Dickinson, as the original actor was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts.

New additions to the sequel include Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Disney Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Teaser Trailer Released
Disney Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Official Film Poster

Take a look at the teaser trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil:

The first Maleficent featured some really cool visual effects, and I suspect this sequel will have even more in the visual effects arena.  Michelle Pfeiffer is always amazing, and I suspect her participation in this film will raise the quality even higher.  I’m interested to see how Maleficent’s relationship with Aurora has evolved over the years.  I’m also really interested in how and why Maleficent is the Mistress of Evil.  Essentially, at the end of the first film, she seemed mostly content.  However, in Jolie’s more than capable hands, Maleficent was (and no doubt still is) a complex and fascinating character.  I bet there will be lots to dig into!

Will You See It?

What do you think of this trailer?  Does it make you want to see the movie?

Please comment below and let me know if you saw the original Maleficent, and what you thought.  Tell us if you are planning to see Maleficent: Mistress of Evil when its released this October.

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Brooke Hudson Disney Travel Agent
Ready to Help Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!

P.S.:  In other Disney movie trailer news, Disney has released a few more additional trailers and tv spots for soon to be released Aladdin.  Rather than creating a NEW post, I have added the new spots to the most recent post with Aladdin trailers.  If you’d like to see the latest additions, click here, and scroll to the bottom of the post!  (Aladdin is coming to our theaters on May 24, 2019!).

 

 

 

 

 

New Aladdin Trailers and Film Clips

This year is moving so fast, isn’t it?  And Disney is off to a rip-roaring year with Avengers: Endgame making GOBS of money so far in its two week run.  As of Monday, May 7, 2019, Avengers: Endgame has earned $632 million domestically and $2.24 billion world wide.  Wow.  That’s a LOT of money.  But of course, we know that Disney wants ALL our money, so they’re not stopping with Avengers: Endgame.  Nope.  They have several more BIG releases coming this year.  Not as big as Avengers: Endgame, of course, but still BIG.

Aladdin is next up, releasing May 24. June 21 will bring us Toy Story 4 and July 19 brings us The Lion King.  Oh my goodness!  BIG summer at the movies for Disney fans!

With the release of Aladdin only a couple of weeks away, Disney is ramping up the marketing campaign.  We have several new film clips, trailers and TV spots that have been released over the last 10 days.

We also have a new poster.  Take a look:

Disney Aladdin Poster

If you want to see the previous trailers and teasers, check out this post.

Keep reading to see all the latest Aladdin trailers and film clips.

TV Commercial: Wingman

First up is the latest TV spot, focusing on Will Smith as the Genie and his efforts to bring Aladdin and Jasmine together.

Aladdin Film Clip: A Whole New World

Next we have a brief scene from the movie to whet our appetite for the “Whole New World” duet that we KNOW is coming.

I really like this scene, and can’t wait to see more of the two of them together.

Aladdin Film Clip: I Wish to Become a Prince

Some of this scene we’ve seen in the second trailer, but this is a whole 30 second scene of the moment where Aladdin tells the Genie he wants to be a Prince, rather than just the 4-7 second snip we saw in the trailer.

I have to say, I really like Will Smith as the Genie.  Very different energy from the original animated Robin Williams version, but I think that’s a GOOD thing.  I LOVED that version, and wouldn’t want an imitation.  I think Will Smith making his OWN version of the Genie is good.  And remember, for younger audiences and first time viewers, his Genie may become THEIR Genie.

TV Commercial: Inside

This is a great 30 second commercial focusing on the overall message of Aladdin.  The outside packaging isn’t all that important, it’s what’s INSIDE that matters.

TV Commercial: Confident

I like this commercial–its focusing a little more on the big set pieces and the extravagance than we’ve seen in some of the other spots.

TV Commercial: Basics

This is a good “general” Aladdin commercial.  It provides a very brief overview of the main points…there’s a Genie, a lamp and a flying carpet.  The Genie can do lots of cool stuff.  Aladdin likes a girl. {sigh}

TV Commercial: Rags to Riches

This is another quick TV commercial hitting the highlights.  Mainly focusing on Aladdin as a “street rat” and his finding the Genie.

Disney’s #Friendlikeme Challenge

I LOVE it when Disney does stuff like this:

Here’s how it works:

Between now and May 24, 2019, every public social media post (Twitter and/or Instagram) that includes the tag #Friendlikeme, Disney will donate $5 (up to $1 million) to Make-a-Wish to help Make-a-Wish grant wishes for critically ill children all over the world.  So PLEASE, post on Instagram and/or Twitter every day and include the tag #Friendlikeme so we can get Make-a-Wish that $1 million!

To learn more, visit friendlikeme.org.  To learn more about how you can help your local chapter of the Make-a-Wish foundation, visit wish.org/local-chapters.

Tickets on Sale NOW!

Check out this cute video from Will Smith and Mena Massoud promoting presale tickets for Aladdin.

Beautiful New Character Posters

Check out the beautiful new individual character posters that Disney released for Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie.

Disney Aladdin Character Poster

What do YOU Think?

Are all these new Aladdin TV trailers and film clips getting you excited to see the film?  Will you be purchasing pre-sale tickets or waiting for reviews?  I have high hopes for Aladdin.  I think it will be fun and entertaining.  Please like this post, and let me know below if you’re planning to go see Aladdin in theaters!

UPDATE May 14, 2019

Disney has released several new Aladdin film clips and trailers since I put up this post.  Rather than do another separate post, I just decided to add the new promos to this post.  Enjoy!

TV Commercial: On Fire

This spot focuses on Will Smith’s Genie showing off his magic.

TV Commercial: Stumbled Upon

There’s not really any new visuals in this short spot, but Jafar’s creepy voice over persuading Aladdin to retrieve the lamp for him is mostly new, and the visuals focus on the “adventure” aspects of the film.

TV Commercial: Dalia

This quick spot focuses more on Jasmine’s perspective than the other trailers we’ve seen.  It’s short, but I like it a lot.  See what you think:

TV Commercial: Friend

Only a couple “new” elements in this 45 second spot, but the focus is on the Genie.  I think this is a fun one.

Featurette: Cast of Wonders

This is a short behind the scenes featurette, showing brief snippets from the primary cast members.

I hope you enjoyed these latest additions!

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Wishing for a Disney Vacation?                                                    Email brooke@disneycastledreaming.com today to start planning YOUR dream vacation.

 

Check out the Latest Aladdin Trailer!

Disney has released a new trailer for the live action version of Aladdin.  This one was designed as a TV spot, so it’s a shorter than the trailer they released a few weeks ago.

Aladdin arrives in theaters on May 24, so I think we can expect one more trailer after this.  POSSIBLY two.

Take a look at this newest trailer:

I like this one.  A little more time on the magic carpet with Aladdin and Jasmine, and a smidge more Genie time.

Aladdin Sneak Peek in the Disney Parks

Last week, Disney premiered their latest “sneak peek” in the theme parks and on Disney Cruise Line.

The sneak peek includes a special preview of scenes from Aladdin.  At Disneyland park, the preview is in the Main Street Opera House in Town Square.  At Walt Disney World, the Aladdin sneak peek is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney Presents attraction.

Aladdin is being touted as a thrilling and vibrant live action adaptation of the classic animated version.  And based on what we’ve seen so far in the trailers, I have to agree that VIBRANT is right, for sure!  Don’t know yet about thrilling, I think I have to see it to know for sure.  But I’m loving the bright colors and the set pieces we have seen so far.  The scope looks EPIC.

And I’m really loving the romantic chemistry between Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Jasmine (Naomi Scott).  Directed by Guy Ritchie, Aladdin also features Will Smith as the Genie and Marwan Kenzari as Jafar.

Aladdin Flies into Theaters May 24

Hopefully, he will also fly into our hearts! What do you think of this latest trailer?  Does it have you excited to see the film?

If you haven’t seen the previous trailers, check out this post:

Have You Seen The Latest Official Trailer For Aladdin?

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Brooke Hudson Disney Travel Agent
Ready to Help Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!

Star Wars Episode 9 The Rise of Skywalker Teaser Trailer

Last week at Star Wars Celebration, Disney released the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise Skywalker.  Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the long awaited title for Episode 9.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is scheduled for a December 2019 release.

Just in case you haven’t had a chance to see the teaser yet, here it is:

Lots of good stuff to whet our appetite for this long awaited conclusion to the epic Star Wars saga.  Or at least this particular story….

So what do you think of this teaser?  Does it get you excited to see this movie?

What Do We Know So Far?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed by JJ Abrams, who also directed The Force Awakens (Episode 7).

JJ Abrams has told us that time has passed since the end of Episode 8, The Last Jedi.  He has specified how much time, but he’s indicated that a pretty decent amount of time has passed.

JJ Abrams has shared that Princess Leia does have a role in this film that is not CGI, despite the passing of beloved actress Carrie Fisher.  Abrams has said there is enough footage of Fisher that was unused in the Episode 7 and 8 films that they were able to re-purpose and use in Episode 9.  I’m really happy that she will still be at least a small part of this story; I don’t know that the end of the story would feel right without her.

Ian McDiarmid, the actor that has portrayed Emperor Palpatine, appeared at Star Wars Celebration and confirmed that the evil laugh we hear at the end of the trailer is Emperor Palpatine, who died in The Last Jedi (Episode 8)  McDiarmid stated that Palpatine is dead.  But also that Palpatine is laughing at the end of the teaser.  So what could that mean?

LOTS of theories going around about this teaser.  I can’t wait to see what actually plays out.

As new or additional trailers are released, I’ll be sure and share them.

I believe we will see some influx into Disney parks as this movie gets closer to release.  New scenes were added to the Star Tours attraction prior to the release of the Last Jedi, so I suspect we will see that again, at the very least.

And of course, this time, we will have Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge open at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios.  It’s not much of a stretch to anticipate we’ll get some kind of cross promotion of the film at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

Do you have a favorite moment from the trailer?  I’m loving the shot of Rey doing that amazing back flip!  I’m really excited to see what Rey grows into in this film.

Please comment below!

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Brooke Hudson Disney Travel Agent
Ready to Help Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!

New Official Lion King Trailer

Disney has released the new trailer for the Lion King.  This is the “live action” version, directed by Jon Favreau, who also directed the recent live action version of the Jungle Book, among many other films and television shows.

This version of the Lion King comes out on July 19, 2019.

Here’s the trailer:

This year is the 25th anniversary of the original Lion King animated classic film.  This new trailer has me really excited about this new version.  It looks really beautiful, and while I love the classic animated version, I think this version will attract a whole new generation of fans.  The animals and the visuals look stunning.

Incredible Cast

The voice cast features Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa (reprising his role), Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, John Kani as Rafiki, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, John Oliver as Zazu, and Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari.  What a great cast!

If you haven’t see the previous Lion King teaser trailer that was released a few months ago, check it out:

Gives me chills, I swear.  Looks so good.  And how cute is baby Simba?  I know they are calling this Live Action, and I realize that’s a misnomer–it has to be mostly CGI, right?  But my goodness, looking at the teaser trailer and the official trailer…every thing looks really good.

Of course, maybe it will be different 40 feet tall, who knows.  But this is Disney and I have a lot of faith.

Disappointing Dumbo?

The Lion King will be the third “live action” remake released this year by Disney.  Dumbo opened March 29, 2019, and Aladdin will open May 24, 2019.  (Click here if you’d like to see the Aladdin trailers that have been released so far).

Dumbo’s opening weekend box office was softer than Disney had anticipated.  While Dumbo was the top film of the weekend, it grossed $45 million in the US, falling short of the conservative $50 million projections.  Worldwide, it grossed $116 million during it’s opening weekend.  While this is a TON of money, this is the lowest opening weekend of any Disney “re-imaginings” of their classic animated feature films.  Both Beauty and the Beast and the Jungle Book earned more than $100 million in the US during their opening weekend.

Does this mean that audiences aren’t that interested in remakes anymore?  I don’t think so.  I think Dumbo was at a disadvantage from the beginning.  Dumbo is a much less famous character than many of the other characters that Disney has featured in recent remakes.  Dumbo’s original animated film was released in 1941, and while it is a classic, I don’t think it’s ever had the same kind of watch over and over again as many of the other films.  As a child, Dumbo made me very sad.  Yes, it ends up happy, but overall, I think it’s a much sadder film–Dumbo is a much sadder character than many other beloved characters.  He has his fans, certainly, but I don’t think he has quite the universal appeal of, for example, Cinderella (or her mice!).

Reviews haven’t been terrific for Dumbo, either.  While that doesn’t necessarily have a major impact on family audiences outright, rave reviews can often get people more excited to see a movie, and that just hasn’t been the case.

Frank and I normally see any new Disney movie the first weekend it opens, but we have not seen Dumbo yet.  I just can’t get excited about it.  I will eventually see it…most likely.

Bottom line: I don’t think Dumbo’s less than stellar box office is an indicator that fans are NOT excited about Disney’s re-imaginings or re-makes. As long as the films look good, and the trailers make us want to see the films, I think Disney fans young and old will continue to flock to the theaters.  I’m MUCH more excited about Lion King and Aladdin than I was about Dumbo.  Maybe I’m alone on this ledge, but I don’t think so.

Will You See The Lion King?

What do you all think?  Are you excited to see the new version of the Lion King?

Have you been to Animal Kingdom yet this year?  Have you seen any of the Lion King 25th Anniversary celebration happening at Animal Kingdom?  I think it will be interesting to see what Disney does at the parks as the release of Lion King gets closer.

If you’re planning to see this version of the Lion King, please click Like below.  Leave a comment letting me know what you think about the new trailer.  Share your thoughts about Dumbo if you saw it, too!

Happy dreaming!

Brooke

Brooke Hudson Disney Travel Agent
Ready to Help Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!

Have You Seen The Latest Official Trailer For Aladdin?

This is going to be a BIG year for Disney at the box office. The official trailer for Aladdin dropped last week, just to get us warmed up.  It was almost immediately followed by new trailers for Avengers: Endgame and Toy Story 4 (I’ll post those in a separate story).

With more than TEN films scheduled to hit our movie theaters in 2019, including conclusions to TWO of the biggest stories in the history of franchise films, Avengers Endgame and Star Wars: Episode 9, it seems likely that Disney will dominate box office receipts this year.  Just over the next five months, Disney has five MAJOR releases coming our way.

Check out the upcoming schedule:

  • Dumbo: March 29
  • Avengers: Endgame: April 26
  • Aladdin: May 24
  • Toy Story 4: June 20
  • The Lion King: July 19

And that’s just the FIRST PART  OF THE YEAR PEOPLE!!!!

Captain Marvel Sets Box Office Records

Recent release Captain Marvel has already topped $750 million worldwide after only three weeks in theaters, the first female led superhero movie to achieve those numbers in that time frame EVER.  Captain Marvel is on track to hit or exceed 1 billion dollars, especially once Avengers: Endgame comes out, given her participation in that film.  (Side note: have you seen Captain Marvel yet?  It’s not perfect, but it is FUN, and it’s terrific to see several strong female characters in a Marvel movie.  I especially loved the role that female friendship played, and am looking forward to what the future will bring for Captain Marvel and her friends.)

Disney Captain Marvel
Disney’s Captain Marvel

The live action release of Dumbo is this week (March 29), and while the trailers have been beautiful, I’m waiting for reviews on this one.  The original Dumbo story ripped my heart out and I just can’t re watch that one.  So I’m waiting to see how tear-jerking this one will be before I brave the theater.   (I didn’t do well with Bambi either, folks!)

Aladdin: Original Teaser Trailer

Next up in the live action remake arena is Aladdin.  The original teaser was met with some excitement, along with a lot of “but why?”  The simple answer?  Because it will make lots of money.  Seriously.  The Broadway version of Aladdin has been EXTREMELY popular, as has the touring version.  New technologies make it possible for Disney to introduce a whole new audience to a “live action” (CGI) version of Aladdin and Disney is going to capitalize on that.  Here’s that very first teaser trailer, released by Disney last October.

For those of us that loved the original Aladdin and mourn the passing of Robin Williams, this idea may seem like blasphemy.  However, we also need to remember that even though we love that original film and always will–and no new version may ever be able to hold a candle to it, there are LOTS of people out there who have NEVER seen it.

There is a whole new world (bad musical pun intended) out there to be an audience for this new version, and they may fall in love with it the same way we loved the original.  Ok maybe not the SAME way.  But in their own way.  There is a lot to celebrate about THAT too.

There’s a lot more cultural diversity and less racial stereotyping in this version of Aladdin.  Aladdin and Jasmine are being played by very talented up and coming gifted artists that may find lots more opportunities if this film does well.  And Will Smith as the Genie?  It will definitely be DIFFERENT from Robin Williams, so we won’t have to suffer through someone trying to imitate Williams’ amazing performance.  Will Smith doesn’t imitate.  EVER.

Aladdin: Our First Glimpse of Will Smith

In February, Disney released another teaser trailer, one that included our first glimpse of Will Smith as the Genie.  Oh my goodness, the internet reaction was NOT kind.  This teaser includes about 3 seconds of Will Smith at the very end, and I honestly think the response was a bit on crazy side.  I personally don’t think one should make sweeping judgments about the quality of a film or a performance based on the grand total of about 30 seconds of the movie we’ve seen as of this particular teaser, and based on 3 seconds of a GLIMPSE of an actor in a role.  The strong negative response really felt like a major over-reaction to me.  Here’s the February teaser–take a look and see what you think:

Now, a couple things.  Number one, I did NOT love what I saw from Will Smith in this teaser–and it DID make me concerned that Disney hadn’t shown us more of the Genie yet.  Especially given what a significant role the Genie plays in the Aladdin story.  It seemed really odd for Disney to not be beating the “Will Smith is our Genie” drum really loudly.  Rumors were circulating that there were problems with the film, and this teaser did not necessarily make me feel loads better.   The BLUE….seemed WAY off, personally.  But, this was February.  The movie comes out at the end of May.  Maybe they were still working on it?  I was concerned, but I didn’t go out and wring my hands to the world and declare it a catastrophe.  Not really my style, not to mention–I didn’t believe for a minute it would be.

Regardless of what a teaser may show or internet gossip may say, I will never assume a movie is going to be terrible, or an actor’s performance is going to be horrible (commentary I saw on more than one site) based on less than one minute of footage–especially when the actor in question is so talented, and the studio behind the film is Disney.

Aladdin: Official Trailer

Which brings us to today.  This week, Disney released the official, full length trailer for Aladdin.  And I don’t know about you guys, but this one got me feeling pretty good about this version.  I’m still not sure they needed a live action Aladdin movie, but if they were going to make it, I think it looks like it will be a lot of fun.  Take a look and see what you think:

What do you think?  Does this official trailer intrigue you?  Are you at all interested in seeing the live action Aladdin?  Will you take your kids?  Please comment below and let me know what you think about this coming Disney attraction!

I always think its good for more kids of color to see themselves on film, so I’m happy to see Disney trying to improve representation of more races and cultures on film.

I’m interested to see what Will Smith will do as the Genie, and it looks like they’ve fixed the BLUE issue, and that he doesn’t spend the whole movie blue, which is also a really good thing.   😉

I’m also very interested to see what tie-ins to the new film Disney will bring to the Parks.  Aladdin and Jasmine are already a very popular character greeting; it will be interesting to see if their character looks evolve at all, based on the new film or remain based on the original, cartoon version.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

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Disney Releases Official Frozen II Teaser Trailer

Ok, I know this isn’t specifically Disney theme park news…but given the FROZEN explosion we saw in the theme parks after the raging success of the FIRST Frozen movie, I figured you all might be at least MILDLY interested in this update:  the Frozen II teaser trailer is HERE!

Walt Disney Animation Studios released the first official teaser trailer today for the long awaited sequel to Frozen.  Take a look at the trailer below:

So, what do you think?  Did this intrigue you?  It’s a true teaser and doesn’t give away much.  However, based on the teaser, I think we are in for some excitement.

The original voice cast is all back on board: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff.  The academy award winning directing team of Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are back to direct the sequel, and we can look forward to new music from Oscar winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.   Do you all remember hearing “Let It Go” everywhere for about a year after Frozen was released?   Every little girl (and a lot of little boys) between the ages of 3 and well, 97, was belting that song out every chance they got.

I can’t wait to see what the “Let it Go” will be from Frozen II!

Frozen II Teaser
Frozen II Teaser

We can expect Frozen II to blow into our movie theaters this November.  I suspect we  will have some Frozen II tie ins to look forward to at the parks next Christmas!

Let me know what you think of the Frozen II teaser trailer in the comments below!

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Disney Launches Free Dining Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
Ready to Plan Your Disney Vacation!

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