A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books as a kid. I read it over and over, then tracked down the sequels and gobbled up many more of Madeleine L’Engle’s fantasy- and science fiction-tinged novels for young adults.
But I hadn’t touched it in more than 20 years, maybe closer to 30, when the excitement began to build around a new Disney adaptation directed by Ava Duvernay. Read More
Category: the walt disney company
Jon Favreau is making a Star Wars show for Disney’s streaming service
Disney plans to include Star Wars and Marvel TV shows as part of the lineup in its upcoming streaming service, but details about those shows have been scant until today, when the company announced that Jon Favreau will be writing and producing a live action Star Wars series.
While Favreau is best-known for directing films like Iron Man, The Jungle Book and the upcoming Lion King remake… Read More
Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ is a new high point for superhero cinema
Black Panther doesn’t look like any movie I’ve seen. I mean, I don’t want to downplay America’s long history of black cinema (a history that already includes a handful of black superheroes). Nor am I ignoring the fact that Black Panther is the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — so yes, it conforms in a number of ways to the dictates of… Read More
Disney has begun populating its parks with autonomous, personality-driven robots
The process of making a Disney park feel alive is most easily encapsulated in animatronic figures. These hydraulic, pneumatic and now electric figures have been a fixture at Disneyland since the 60s. Since then, massive advancements have been made in control systems, movement architecture and programming. The most advanced animatronic figures like the Na’Vi Shaman in Disney… Read More
The showrunners behind ‘Game of Thrones’ have signed on to write some ‘Star Wars’ movies
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the writers who turned George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novels into a television phenomenon, will be writing and producing a new series of Star Wars films. Read More
Disney details overarching direct-to-consumer plan possible through Fox deal
Disney CEO Bob Iger positioned his company’s acquisition of Fox’s TV and movie businesses as a way for the company to prepare for a future in which streaming and direct-to-consumer dominate media consumption, on a conference call this morning to discuss the $52 billion deal. He noted that while they’re still planning to support cable channels and external distribution… Read More
It’s official: Disney is acquiring Fox’s film and TV divisions for $52.4 billion
We’re about to see two entertainment behemoths come together, as The Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox have officially announced a deal. As a result, Disney will acquire Fox’s film division and much of its TV operations for a price of over $52 billion in stock. Disney will take over the Nat Geo network, Star TV, Fox’s movie and TV studios and its stakes in both Sky… Read More
‘The Last Jedi’ is the most moving Star Wars movie — and the funniest
One of the most common ways to praise a new Star Wars movie is to claim that it’s the best one since The Empire Strikes Back. But sometimes the clichés are accurate. And I have to say it: The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back. The comparison seems particularly apt, since Last Jedi occupies a similar spot in the new Star Wars trilogy. It doesn’t… Read More
Pixar’s John Lasseter taking a six-month leave of absence amid reports of inappropriate behavior
John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, is the latest media executive to face allegations of inappropriate behavior. In a memo to employees, Lasseter acknowledged “missteps” and said he will be taking a six-month sabbatical. Read More
New Stars Wars and Marvel TV shows planned for Disney’s streaming service
Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed some amazing news on his company’s earnings call for this quarter, including a live-action Star Wars TV show that will be coming to Disney’s subscription streaming service with a target premiere date by the end of 2019. It’s going to live alongside a Monsters, Inc. adaptation, a High School Musical show and one original series from… Read More