I know that a lot of people consider re-releases of classic films as just a money-hungry move, but I disagree (except for when "Avatar" and "The Dark Knight" were re-released less than a year after their original release - let the movies become classic before you re-release them!) Two weeks ago, Disney re-released "The Lion King" in 3D for a limited engagement - and it did so well that it was number 1 for two whole weeks (beating movies that had never been released before). To those of you that didn't go see it, it was incredible. It was really amazing to see it once again on the big screen, but it was even better to see a whole new generation experience the film for the first time.
Apparently, "The Lion King" did well enough that Disney has decided to continue this trend of re-releasing classic films in 3D. A while back they re-released "Beauty and the Beast," but I guess it didn't do well enough to justify more re-releases. However, that doesn't mean that they aren't going to try again. Disney just announced in a press release that the following four classic films are being released over the next few years:
"Beauty and the Beast" (January 13, 2012)
"Finding Nemo" (September 14, 2012)
"Monsters, Inc." (January 18, 2013)
"The Little Mermaid" (September 13, 2013)
I am SUPER excited about this, but where the heck is "Aladdin"?!?!?!? "Beauty and the Beast" has already been re-released... give "Aladdin" a chance! Hopefully, these re-releases will make enough money to warrant more re-releases. And hopefully "Aladdin" is at the top of that list.
Pixar has had 12 movies released in theaters so far: "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monster's, Inc," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," "Cars," "Ratatouille," "WALL-E," "Up," "Toy Story 3," and "Cars 2." All of them have been financial successes, and with the exception of the most recent one, all of them have been extremely well reviewed. Even though "Cars 2" was not the film that Pixar hoped it would be, they are still chugging along with their film-a-year production schedule. Here is the list of projects that will come out of the lamp studio, including two new films just announced this afternoon.
Next summer is the year of firsts for Pixar. "Brave" is the first original film since 2009's "Up," and it also marks the first time that Pixar is dipping into it's bigger brother's territory - fairy tales. Originally titled "The Bear and the Bow," "Brave" tells the tale of courageous Merida, the skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom, unleashing chaos and fury in her kingdom. In desperation, she turns to an eccentric old Witch for help and is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it is too late. Check out the poster and the teaser trailer below.
In 2013, Pixar has yet another first - it's first prequel. "Monster's University" tells the tale of how best friends Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan first met, and how from the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. Sure, Pixar is returning to familiar stories again, but at least this time it is a prequel. I think this movie will be much better than the first. Check out the official logo below.
Here comes another first for Pixar - two movies in the same year! "Monsters University" comes out in June of 2013, and later that November comes the just announced "Untitled Pixar Dinosaur Movie." Not much has been revealed about this movie, except for this official statement - what if the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs missed Earth? This hilarious movie depicts a world where dinosaurs never went extinct. I am very excited about this movie - I love dinosaurs and I love Pixar, so it seems like a win-win to me. Even though this film was just announced today, it is no real surprise. Check out this screenshot from a behind-the-scenes feature on the "Up" DVD:
In the feature, the character sculptor is showing of a sculpture of a young Carl Fredrickson. But look on the wall behind him. There are several sketches and renderings that he is done, but one in particular shows a boy next to a dinosaur. And this was released a couple of years ago!
The second just announced feature comes out in 2014, and is currently being called "The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside The Mind." It is directed by Pete Docter, the director of "Up" and "Monster's, Inc," and all that is known right now is that it would take viewers inside your mind, revealing why we can't get things out of our head, why we forget certain things, and more. Sounds very, very interesting! I can't wait to learn more about these two films.
Hopefully Pixar will jump on the viral marketing train and if they do I will cover that for sure. Stay tuned here for more Pixar movie news!
