At long last, Emma Stone is doing something she’s never done before: go full-blown villain. Disney has just released the trailer for Cruella, their new live-action movie about the iconic 101 Dalmatians antagonist Cruella de Vil, and Stone slips into the titular role with plenty of panache. Watch it below. In the video, Stone commits to the bit by playing up the camp icon’s over-the-top persona and establishing herself as a woman who shouldn’t be messed with. The Oscar-winning actress previously described Cruella as “punk rock”. Between the set design taking place in 1970’s London and her runway-ready gothic outfits, it looks like she was right to make that comparison. Cruella will serve as a prequel to the events of 101 Dalmatians in the same way that Maleficent reimagined what happen...
Now that we know how awesome the Disney+ side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be thanks to WandaVision, hype for the rest of the streamer’s slate is at a fever pitch. That made the Super Bowl the perfect time to unleash the new trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the latest preview, we get to see what the relationship between Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is like in the wake of Captain America retiring. As could be expected, it’s playfully contentious, with the latter not a fan of the former’s blithe approach to superheroing. Of course, it’s the Falcon who now wields Cap’s shield (and he does a bunch in this trailer), but that doesn’t mean Bucky won’t have an opinion on how he handles it. They’ll have ...
Disney+ is bringing the fantastical for February. The great Marvel mystery that is WandaVision will continue each Friday, delivering more sitcom subversions as the two titular heroes attempt to escape their own televised hell. Then again, who would want to leave the comforts of a ’70s living room. Speaking of classic television, the Mouse House is dusting off five seasons of The Muppet Show, as previously reported. Just make sure you bring champagne, roses, and a box of Godiva for Ms. Piggy, who tends to be particular about that stuff. Editors’ Picks Elsewhere, families can enjoy seeing Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz pop up in the new superhero comedy Flora & Ulysses or revisit Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in not one but two Cheaper by the Dozen films. Those are always a fun re...
Another round of changes are coming to both of America’s Disney parks. The iconic Jungle Cruise rides at Disneyland and Disney World will be modified to remove what the company calls “negative depictions” of native peoples. According to a new post on the Disney Parks Blog, the riverboat attraction that first opened at Disneyland in 1955 and was replicated at Disney World in 1971 will no longer feature dated scenes of people of color dressed in generic jungle attire. Instead, the ride will follow an actual storyline narrated by its beloved skippers, and the scenery will contain more animals and less offensive human depictions. These updates are being made to “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.” “This is not a re-envisioning of the entire attraction,” explained Disney Im...
Cruella de Vil walked so that Miranda Priestly could run — and she is absolutely one of the greatest fashion villains of all time. It’s no surprise that a queen of similar stature, Glenn Close, got it written into her 101 Dalmatians contract that Disney would let her keep her entire Cruella de Vil character wardrobe — how divine! Close sat down with Pete Davidson to chat about their most memorable projects for Variety‘s Actors on Actors series for Amazon Studios. “Did you take any of Cruella’s wardrobe? It was so fabulous,” Davidson asked Close, whom played the stylish villain Cruella de Vil in the ’90s hit 101 Dalmatians and the sequel 102 Dalmatians. Close confessed that “I got in my contract that I got to keep all my costumes that I wore in the ...
Moon Knight (Marvel), Ethan Hawke (photo by Heather Kaplan), and Oscar Isaac (Warner Bros.) It’s Tesla vs. Poe: Ethan Hawke has been tapped to play the villain opposite Oscar Isaac in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight. The Hollywood Reporter has it that the deal has been closed and Hawke will officially be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its latest antagonist. Exactly who that will be is not yet know. Moon Knight’s archenemy is a deranged mercenary called Bushman, though the character is typically depicted as a person of color; it would be shocking if Marvel decided to whitewash a character — even a villain — in 2021 (and probably equally shocking if they called a Black character “Bushman”). Other possibilities include Crossfire, the cousin of Ant-Man villain Darren “Ye...
The world’s largest entertainment conglomerates have either very recently grown a backbone or found a convenient excuse to save money. But as The Hollywood Reporter and New York Times report, after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building, coming mere feet and seconds away from a confrontation with lawmakers, companies such as Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, Hallmark, AT&T, Facebook, and the Motion Picture Association are cutting off political contributions to members of the Republican party. Most of the backlash is centered around the man who is somehow still President, Donald Trump. He’s already received bans from Facebook and Twitter, and other digital platforms including Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, and Twitch have since followed suit. Now, entertainment heavyweights are cuttin...
Soul marks a series of firsts for Pixar. It’s the first film the studio has ever released with a Black protagonist, a music teacher voiced by Jamie Foxx; it’s the studio’s first film with a Black co-director in screenwriter Kemp Powers; and the first Pixar film to go straight to streaming. Due out on Christmas via Disney+, Soul follows Joe Gardner (Foxx), a music teacher whose aspirations of performing jazz come to fruition after he nabs a cushy performing gig with a well-respected group. That is, until he falls to his death. Now, left as a metaphysical soul, Joe endeavors to return to Earth to his body before it’s too late. It’s an imaginative journey that the Emeryville, California-based animation studio brings to life with a startling array of visuals that feel unprecedented. Edito...
Chris Evans is going to infinity and beyond as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in a new Pixar film called simply Lightyear. News of the upcoming sort of spin-off was announced during Thursday’s Disney Investors Day presentation. But Evans isn’t technically replacing Tim Allen, who voiced the beloved Space Ranger in the Toy Story films. Instead, think of Lightyear as “the movie within the movie,” as it will be the imagined adventure on which Andy’s favorite action figure was based. As Pixar Chief Creative Office Pete Docter explained during Thursday’s event, “See, back when we created the very first Toy Story, we designed Buzz Lightyear with the idea that he was a toy based on some really cool character from an epic, blockbuster film. Well, all these years later we decided it’s time to make tha...
If The Mandalorian Season 2 were a feature film, this week’s episode, “The Tragedy”, would set us firmly in the mid-point — that moment where all is lost, doom befalls our heroes, and the audience wonders how they’re going to get out of this particular pickle. It’s one of the shorter episodes in the season at 33 minutes, but a lot goes down in that jam-packed half hour: Boba Fett! Baby Yoda The Child Grogu gets Jedi-napped! Of course, all these developments are packed tightly into an action-heavy chapter courtesy of director Robert Rodriguez, filled with nail-biting developments, shocking twists, and more than a few Easter eggs (as per usual). So let’s strap on our jetpacks and dive in. Again, it goes without saying that there are some major, major spoilers ahead. You must b...
After 24 years, Disney is pulling the plug on Radio Disney. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, both the primary outlet and Radio Disney Country will cease operations in early 2021. Radio Disney in Latin America will not be affected. The announcement comes as Disney continues a massive corporate restructuring begun last month. At the time, Gary Marsh was elevated from Disney Channel president to president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television. This is one of his first moves, and comes as his department shifts focus to producing more content for Disney+ and Disney Channels. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic also played a role in the decision. 36 Radio Disney employees will be laid off. Founded in 1996, Radio Disney provided a platform for some of the House of Mouse’s biggest s...