Disney Announces 3D Blu-ray Releases Including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Tron Legacy

The 3D trend is showing no signs of slowing down with Walt Disney Pictures announcing their line up of the latest 3D home entertainment titles. The studio has 15 Blu-rays slated to hit stores this year includingThe Lion King, Tron Legacy, Tangled, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beauty and the Beast. All this time we’ve been waiting for them to re-release The Lion King and they just had to do it in 3D didn’t they? Check out the official press release below…

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS UNVEILS STELLAR 2011 BLU-RAY 3DTM RELEASE SLATE

Leader In 3D Filmed Entertainment To Offer At Least 15 Films On Growing Blu-ray 3D Format For The Home

– TRON: LEGACY and TANGLED Lead Day-and-Date 3D Releases and THE LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Make 3D Debut –

BURBANK, Calif. — January 3, 2011 — Continuing its leadership in the advancement of 3D entertainment and marking the most significant title commitment to the growing Blu-ray 3DTM market, The Walt Disney Studios today announced plans to release at least 15 of its films for in-home viewing on Blu- ray 3D in 2011.

Among the stellar list of films to debut on 3D include beloved and celebrated animated classics THE LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, recent theatrical releases including the visually stunning high tech adventure TRON: LEGACY and acclaimed box-office smash hit TANGLED, plus many others to be announced that will release day-and-date and packaged with the Blu-ray 2DTM version.

“As our contemporary library of 3D content continues to grow, and the original artists and filmmakers meticulously „dimensionalize‟ their work for release on the Blu-ray 3D format, we will be offering movie- lovers the most incredible in-home entertainment experience they will ever have,” noted Lori MacPherson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. “In addition to offering new releases day-and-date in 3D and further cementing our leadership in the marketplace, we‟re thrilled that consumers will have the exclusive Blu-ray 3D experience of two of the most celebrated Disney animated features, THE LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, in their homes.”

Also included among the titles slated for release in 2011 are BOLT, MEET THE ROBINSONS, TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, G-FORCE and CHICKEN LITTLE. These titles will join Walt Disney Studios‟ recent 2010 Blu-ray 3D releases ALICE IN WONDERLAND, DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL and STEP UP 3, bringing Disney‟s list of available Blu-ray 3D titles for the home to nearly 20 in all.In addition to the film being in 3D, each disc will include thematically linked 3D menus, 3D previews of coming-attractions trailers and an introduction to the eye-popping world of Disney Blu-ray 3D featuring beloved characters Timon and Pumbaa from THE LION KING.

The Social Network Wins its 18th Best Picture Award

David Fincher’s The Social Network continues to plow its path to the Oscars by picking up its 18th BestPicture win. The latest honor comes from The Online Film Critics Society where it won three awards including the big one. Fincher also took home the award for Best Director and Aaron Sorkin won for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Here’s the complete list of winners from the Online Critics Association:

• Best Picture: The Social Network
• Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
• Best Lead Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
• Best Lead Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
• Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
• Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
• Best Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Inception
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
• Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, True Grit
• Best Editing: Lee Smith, Inception
• Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
• Best Foreign Language Film: Mother
• Best Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop

Thus far, The Social Network has been named Best Picture by the Critic’s Circle, the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, the Satellite Awards, and critic groups from Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Kansas City, Florida, and Oklahoma.

The film is currently nominated for Best Drama at this year’s Golden Globes, as well as best cast for the upcoming Screen Actor’s Guild Awards.

Tron Legacy Earns 3.5 Million at Midnight, Record 25 Percent Comes From IMAX

Today Tron Legacy finally debuts in theaters after 3 years of heavy campaigning from Disney Studios. The follow up to their 1982 feature Tron is expected to introduce a new generation to the mythology surrounding Kevin Flynn and his son Sam. According to Deadline, the movie is off to a good start by earning $3.5 million at midnight screenings on Thursday night.

The amount may not seem that huge in comparison to other openers like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but take this into consideration: 25% of its gross came from IMAX. That’s a record for the company! Tron Legacy grossed about $1 million from the 228 IMAX locations where it was featured.

By far, the 25% is the largest IMAX take from any movie’s midnight box office including Iron Man 2,Inception, and even Avatar. But with that, Legacy still isn’t the largest IMAX opening ever. We’re not sure if it will be able to beat current champ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and their $11.8 million opening.

We’re not surprised that Tron Legacy had more IMAX viewers than anyone else. It’s Tron! It’s one of those movies that you should see in the best possible conditions. IMAX is definitely the way to go.

Disney D23: Tron Light Cycle Photos

While at the D23 Exposition event, I’ve gotten to see a lot of promo material for Disney’s upcoming 2010 film roster. One of the movies that a lot of people are waiting for is Tron Legacy. The sequel has been over 25 years in the making, and will feature the return of Jeff Bridges, and the only thing bigger than his character Flynn, is the Light Cycle he rides in on.

I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the latest version of the high tech bike on the convention floor, and it is amazing. Here are a couple of photos so you can experience the 3-D glow for yourself.

As you can see the new bike has a sleeker design than the original, but still has a similar look. The only bad thing about this Light Cycle is the fact that you’ll have to wait over a year to see it in action. We’ve previously posted the film’s teaser trailer, but it doesn’t do it justice.

Tron Legacy is scheduled to debut in theaters on December 17, 2010. Where is the justice in that?

By Mali Elfman

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides

At the Disney D23 Expo, some new info has been revealed regarding the upcoming fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The studio recently announced the new film’s subtitle as, On Stranger Tides. Pirates is scheduled for release during the summer of 2011, and will feature the return of Captain Jack as played by Johnny Depp. The new title isn’t as catchy as At World’s End, but it will do.

Production on Pirates 4: On Stranger Tides is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2010 around April or May. At the moment they haven’t confirmed a director for the feature even though earlier reports hadChicago helmer Rob Marshall up for the job. Since Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom won’t be reprising their roles for the fourth film, Disney is considering On Stranger Tides the first installment of a new trilogy.

As a die hard Johnny Depp fan this is great news, but can Jack Sparrow cover another trilogy? Is there enough material for him? He is an entertaining and interesting character, but this sounds a bit like over kill. Here’s to hoping everything works out.

By Krystal Clark

Jerry Bruckheimer Purchases Shake Story

Super producer Jerry Bruckheimer has just bought the rights to the short story entitled, Shake. In a real life Cinderella tale, Bruckheimer acquired the story from a very unlikely source. He spotted Shake, on the website Popcornfiction, an outlet for television and film writers to showcase their pulpy short stories. One thing led to another and the story’s author Derek Haas was hired and paid a hefty salary to adapt a screenplay based on his original piece.

According to Yahoo, Bruckheimer paid seven figures to acquire the story and the writing talent of Derek Haas to expand Shake into a screenplay. The film centers on an FBI agent chasing a killer while he begins to lose control of his own body. The producer loved the concept and thought it would make a great film for Disney. Haas is no stranger to feature film writing, he and partner Michael Brandt co-wrote the screenplays for Wanted and 3:10 to Yuma.

It’s hard to believe that Haas had a hand in both Wanted and 3:10 to Yuma. They’re so different on so many levels, with one being pretty good and the other one not so much. Either way, he must be excited to get paid a nice amount of money to write a script based on his own work. That way he still maintains some control over the story that he originally created.

By Krystal Clark

Spider-Man 4 IMAX Release Date Set

The release date for Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man film has been set. According to Superherohype, Columbia Pictures sent out an official press release announcing the news. Spider-Man 4 will hit theaters on May 5, 2011 in both conventional and IMAX venues. The film will closely follow the previous installment that debuted on May 4, 2007. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who has followed the franchise closely. Spider-Man and IMAX are practically joint at the hip.

The last two Spider-Man films were given full fledged IMAX releases and this new feature will be no different. The studio and the theater think that Spider-Man 4 will be bigger than ever, because a lot more IMAX locations have been opened since the last time the webbed one was showcased on their screens.

According to Rory Bruer, President, Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures Releasing.”The addition of so many new IMAX locations will give even more fans of Spider-Man an opportunity to experience the action and adventure in a unique way.”

There you have it. In 2011 we will literally have more Spidey than we can handle. I’m not particularly excited about this film, because the third one burned me pretty bad. It wasn’t just the story, but the overall lack of trying that really got under my skin. Spider-Man 4 has a lot of cleaning up to do, and I’m just not sure if it can do the job.

By Krystal Clark

Michael Jackson’s This is It Poster

A poster has already been printed for the upcoming concert documentary, Michael Jackson’s This is it.The film is a compilation of footage covering the singer’s last days, while rehearsing for his 2009 comeback tour. The film will hit theaters on October 28th, and will give fans the ultimate behind the scenes experience from one of the greatest performers of all time.

The following poster isn’t as over the top as I thought it would be, but it gets the message across…

I love how his silhouette is filled with images of him performing. That’s a beautiful way to remember Jackson as an artist. Now that September is here, the studio has some serious promoting to do beforeThis is it comes out. But then again, as much coverage as the Jackson family has received in the past few months I’m sure the word is out there.

One side of me thinks this is a great way to see Michael in action one last time, while the other part wishes they weren’t capitalizing so quickly off of his death. I’m at a crossroads.

By Krystal Clark