Disney is in a pickle. The company that used to be a four-quadrant factory has to survive in a world where nobody is satisfied. The challenge of which results in something of an identity crisis. Do they aim for progress and alienate half the country? Or play it safe? There is no better representation of this confusion than Mark Webb’s Snow White.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Snow White’ is a Half-Baked Hypocritical Hodgepodge”
Disneyland welcomed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Attraction on November 15 in the newly renamed Bayou Country (formerly Critter Country). Based on the 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog, the ride tells the story of Princess Tiana and her upbringing (and entrepreneurship) in New Orleans in the 1920s.
Continue reading “How Disney Imagineers Found Inspiration for ‘Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’ Attraction”
Disney animated musicals and princesses have shaped pop culture for generations. It’s hard to name a favorite, considering how many there are and what they mean to fans. So, the Disney Princess – The Concert brings the most iconic princesses together on one stage to sing their unforgettable signature songs by Broadway and West End stars.
Continue reading “Win Tickets to See ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’”
Disneyland’s French Market Restaurant has been a staple of the park’s New Orleans Square for as long as I can remember. The quick-service Cajun- and Creole-inspired eatery featuring a garden patio and live jazz is being reimagined into Tiana’s Palace. Inspired by the princess’ dream restaurant in Disney’s The Princess and The Frog, Disney Imagineers transformed the French Market Restaurant space into a place that acts as a love letter to the film in its design and cuisine.
Continue reading “‘Tiana’s Palace’ is a Sweet and Savory New Orleans-Inspired Escape”
Disney is a household name. From the moment we learn to walk or talk, we are exposed to the most legendary stories and cinematic classics that the company has produced over the past 100 years; from Snow White to Encanto.
Continue reading “D23Expo: The Future Classics of Disney Animation”
Remember the excitement to hear an animated musical? Looking back, the Disney animation renaissance filled our hears with song and dance. And no other film did that so spectacularly well then The Little Mermaid.
Continue reading “D23Expo: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Gets a Neat Trailer”
D23Expo 2022 cast its latest spell of movie magic with its first look at the long-awaited sequel to their beloved live-action musical, Disenchanted. Released 15 years after the original, the sequel sees the return of Amy Adams as Giselle, who seems to having a hard time adjusting to her life as a mother of a teenager and infant in the real world.
Continue reading “D23Expo: Disney Casting New Spells with ‘Disenchanted’”
It’s no secret that Disney has found some critical but much commercial success with their live-action adaptations of animated classics. But these film adaptations help introduce a new telling of an old story to a young generation. And in a way, it is a great way to introduce the animated original to them as well.
Continue reading “D23Expo: ‘Snow White’ Teases a New Telling of an Old Story”
Mandy Moore has portrayed Rebecca Pearson in the award-winning and critically acclaimed drama, This Is Us for six seasons. The beloved series is currently in its final season. New episodes air Tuesdays at 9PM ET on NBC.
Continue reading “Mandy Moore Discusses Her ‘This Is Us’ Journey”
Hard NOC Life is back with Britney’s Naomi Podcast co-host Brother Nate Milton guest co-hosting! Britney and Nate grade Marvel Studios’ Disney+ presentation and the non-Marvel shows they’re most excited for, including a first look at Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The following has minor plot setup spoilers for the Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 episode “The Satanist’s Apprentice.”
Continue reading “NOC Review: Astra’s a Hell Queen Out of Fire on ‘Legends of Tomorrow’”
In the few seasons Astra Logue has been on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, she’s gone from being a hellish antagonist for our heroes, to being a key ally, to now trying to lead a semi-normal life on Earth. But how will she adjust after all she’s been through, and where does her journey go from here? In the upcoming Legends episode “The Satanist’s Apprentice,” Astra gets more than she bargained for as she attempts to get some of the power and ease of her life in Hell back on Earth, and typical Legends shennigans ensue. We at The Nerds of Color were fortunately enough to speak with Astra’s wonderful actress, Olivia Swann, to talk about everything that her character has gone through and where she’s going as the season goes on.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: Olivia Swann of ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’”
The new live-action musical comedy sequel to the beloved Enchanted, which will be directed by Adam Shankman and produced by Barry Josephson, Amy Adams, and Barry Sonnenfeld, is currently shooting in Ireland. The film features Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, and Idina Menzel all reprising their roles from the first film with Maya Rudolph and newcomer Gabriella Baldacchino joining the cast. Disenchanted will also include new songs from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
Continue reading “Production Begins on Disney’s Highly-Anticipated ‘Disenchanted’”
Every family has a story. This Is Us chronicles the Pearson family across the decades: from Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) starting their life together in the 1980s to their kids, Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), building their own lives in the present day along with Toby (Chris Sullivan) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson). The show is still going strong, currently airing its fifth season.
Continue reading “NBC’s ‘This Is Us’ Cast Is Filled With Fandom Legends”
With Raya and the Last Dragon out for about a week now, there are many thoughts and opinions being shared across the Internet about it. While a few of us here at The Nerds of Color have written extensively about Disney’s first Southeast Asian film, I thought it would be appropriate to gather together the Southeast Asian Nerds of Color writers and discuss it. Together with Laura Sirikul, Mike Manalo, and Patrick Michael Strange, in a conversation about as long as Raya and the Last Dragon itself, we go in-depth on everything from the film’s plot, how it tackled the topic of trust, the characters, the majority East Asian cast, the lack of Filipino culture and actors, and more.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers from Raya and the Last Dragon.
Continue reading “NOC Presents: A SEA Conversation about ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’”
Today, I’m beyond thrilled that I get to say that we finally have a Southeast Asian Disney Princess! That’s right! Raya and the Last Dragon is officially hitting cinemas and Disney+ via Premier Access today, and we couldn’t be happier. In fact, if you want to take a look at what we thought of the film, check out our review here.
Having said that, here at The Nerds of Color, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing may talented and wonderful actors of color; each one doing their part to further the cause of shining a light on the underrepresented. However, to me, this 10 minute interview may top them all!
Continue reading “Getting Real with Raya: An Interview with Kelly Marie Tran”
Disney’s Frozen has released multiple stories surrounding the world of Arendelle and its people since the release of the original animation in 2010. Now, Disney+ is about to release the VR Short, Myth: A Frozen Tale, which transports viewers to a vibrant and mystical world where the elemental spirits (inspired by Frozen 2) come to life and the myth of their past and future is revealed. It serves as a prequel to the second film.
Continue reading “‘Myth: A Frozen Tale’ Expands The Frozen Universe with Fairytale Story”
We made it folks! It’s been a few months and our countdown is at last complete! Frozen II has arrived! That’s right, give yourselves a big pat on the back for sticking with us! To cap off everything, we wanted to take you all inside, perhaps, the most fun press conference we’ve ever covered here at The Nerds of Color. We got the chance to hear from (and bask in the glory of) national treasures Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Evan Rachel Wood, Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez, and Peter Del Vecho! Here’s how the magic went down.
Continue reading “Arendelle Antics at the ‘Frozen II’ Press Conference”
Well folks, after a month-long countdown on our site, we are in the homestretch leading up to the release of Frozen II, and we’ve only just begun to break the ice (Wow. That was bad. Sorry.). I would like to extend my humble thanks to everyone who counted down to the film’s release with us, and we have a couple more surprises in store for you Frozen fans this week! For one, we had a chance to talk to the Heads of Animation for the film (Becky Bresee and Tony Smeed), as well as the Head of Story (Normand Lemay) and Director of Story (Marc Smith) about the evolution of the project. Here’s what they had to say!
The Oscar Race for Best Animated Feature is over. It’s going to be Frozen II. As someone who thought Frozen, now considered by many to be a classic animated film on par with The Little Mermaid, was a very good-not-great movie, it was going to be tough for its successor to melt my icy cold heart. Rest assured, this one is grander, deeper, more challenging, and even more gorgeous than its predecessor. Walt Disney Animation Studios has made a near perfect movie here, and they deserve to be proud. Frozen II outdoes the first in every respect! Heart melted!
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Frozen II’ is the Best Animated Movie of the Year”
To countdown to the release of Frozen II, we are providing all of you with an inside look at the making of the movie, as well as interviews with the filmmakers and artists who worked incredibly hard to bring Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and, of course, Olaf to life. Earlier this week, we brought you a look at how the talented team at Walt Disney Animation brought a future classic musical sequence to life. Today, we’re excited to reveal another new sneak peek at the magic to come!
Continue reading “Exploring the Enchanted Forests and Dark Seas of ‘Frozen II’”
To countdown to the release of Frozen II, we are providing all of you with an inside look at the making of the movie, as well as interviews with the filmmakers and artists who worked incredibly hard to bring Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and, of course, Olaf to life. A couple of weeks ago we brought you a look at the production design of the film. This week we’re excited to reveal another new sneak peek at the magic to come!
Continue reading “Letting Go: Deconstructing a New Musical Sequence for ‘Frozen II’”
By Russell Fung
Did anyone ask for a sequel to Sleeping Beauty?
I used to write English-language screenplays for a feature animation studio in China. They hired me to write sequels to Snow White and Cinderella, asking me to infuse Western humor so that it would appeal to an international audience. The experience was difficult because nobody could agree on what the story and message had to be. I was told, “It’s a movie for children, so don’t take the themes too far or too serious. It doesn’t have to be logical or make sense. It just has to be fun and pretty.” I left the projects amicably, because I didn’t want to write a generic story that didn’t resonate with the current human condition.
