Disney animated musicals have made achievements and advanced breakthroughs in visual storytelling since 1923. So, to celebrate its centennial anniversary, the studio honors its legacy with Wish, an all-new animated musical that tells the origin story of the Wishing Star.
Continue reading “‘Wish’ Delivers a Magical and Inspirational Gift for Generations of Disney Fans”
Shanghai Disney Resort has released the first set of new images of Zootopia Themed Land. The latest park expansion will have attractions, foods, and an experience that puts guests into the world of the 2016 film of the same name.
Continue reading “Shanghai Disney Resort Reveals New Look at ‘Zootopia’ Themed Land”
Pixar Animation Studios has announced that Elemental, their 27th feature film, will close out the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2023. Elemental will be the fourth Pixar film to close the festival, after Up, Inside Out, and Soul.
Continue reading “Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ to Close Out 76th Cannes Film Festival”
The purpose of the Criterion Collection is to restore and distribute classic and contemporary films. In essence, it preserves films of cultural impact and importance. And while cinephiles can find an assortment of gems, there is almost no animation titles in its collection. That is until they announced that Wall•E would be a part of their November 2022 release slate.
Continue reading “Andrew Stanton on the Legacy of ‘Wall-E’ and Joining the Criterion Collection”
In just a few short weeks from now, Disney+ subscribers will see how messy growing up can be in Pixar’s Turning Red. Based loosely on director Domee Shi‘s life, the film follows Mei Lee (Roseling Cheng), a confident 13-year-old girl struggling to balance her life as a dutiful daughter to her mother (Sandra Oh) and the chaos of her youth. And things get more complicated when she finds out that if she gets too excited or stressed, she turns into a giant red panda.
Continue reading “Domee Shi Talks Blending Real-Life Stories And Anime In ‘Turning Red’”
Pixar has changed the way we see animated films since they released Toy Story, their first theatrical feature, in 1996. But, while they have made great strides to change the visual and narrative language of animated cinema, the studio has also affirmed its commitment to be more inclusive and deliver content that reflects the world we live in today. That’s why shorts like Sanjay’s Super Team and films like Coco and Soul are crucial because those films feature people of color in lead roles as real people with real stories that authentically reflect their lives and not cliched characters.
Continue reading “‘Turning Red’ Blazes a Trail for Female Animators and Storytellers”
Pixar’s Turning Red is a film unlike any other. Directed by Domee Shi, the film centers on Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl torn between being the dutiful daughter to her mother (Sandra Oh) and navigating the chaos of adolescence. But her life gets turned upside-down when she discovers she turns into a giant red panda if she gets too excited.
Continue reading “‘Turning Red’ Reimagines the Coming-of-Age Story Through Cultural Specificity”
There was plenty of excitement surrounding Domee Shi‘s Turning Red as it would have marked the turn of a Pixar film to be released in a theater. It was also the studio’s first film to be directed by a woman. However, because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Turning Red will make its debut on Disney+ on March 11, 2021, instead of the traditional theatrical release like initially planned.
Continue reading “Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ to Debut Exclusively on Disney+”
Disney•Pixar has released the latest trailer for their forthcoming animated feature Turning Red. From the mind of Academy Award-winner Domee Shi, the coming-of-age film follows the teenage Mei (voice of Rosalie Chiang) who goes through a unique kind of growing pain that’s different from any other teenager. Anytime Mei exhibits a strong emotion, she turns into a giant red panda. So, think of a cuter and cuddlier version of how Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk.
Continue reading “Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ Promises Teenage Angst and Red Panda Transformations”
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Far From Tree may feature a pair of raccoons as the main characters, but they have very humanistic qualities. Like the protective instincts of a parents or the genuine curiosity of a child. Set on a quiet idyllic beach of the Pacific Northwest, audiences will get to see how the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree applies to every parent and child relationship, even those who are raccoons.
Continue reading “Natalie Nourigat Talks How ‘Far From Tree’ is Personal and Speaks to a Larger Audience”
This Thursday, Pixar will unveil their latest adventure — a fantastical bromance of humor and emotion that will surely get your eyes soaking wet with tears, as par for the course from this studio. I’m speaking of course of their latest film, Onward, starring Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. You can check out our NOC review here. Additionally, The Nerds of Color was recently invited to the press conference of the film, to hear from Pratt and Holland themselves, as well as director Dan Scanlon, and producer Kori Rae. Here’s what the party had to say about the new film. Here’s what they had to say about the film.
Continue reading “Going On a Quest with the Cast and Crew of ‘Onward’”
This week, the world will meet Timmy Failure. The Disney+ Original movie, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made directed by Academy Award-Winning director, Tom McCarthy, will debut on Friday, February 7, on the streaming platform, but it’s already making waves with a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a well received premiere at Sundance earlier this year. And last week, The Nerds of Color was lucky enough to meet with the film’s stars, Winslow Fegley (Timmy Failure) and Chloe Coleman (Molly Moskins) to discuss the film, as well as the future of movies and TV.
When I first saw The Force Awakens after a fully funded summer media apparatus of hype in the winter of 2015, I remember the following Christmas morning my mother turned the corner, threw me a Force Awakens pillow, and coldly chuckled “Merry Christmas.” It was a good joke — like many the Force is moderately strong in my family — but it left me to wonder, what Christmas spirit at Walmart possessed my Mom to buy me this gift? I suspect my mother may have unknowingly become a Disney market research statistic. But after the last five years and our predestined Rise of Skywalker, I am largely left to ask the same question.
Continue reading “The Rise of Disney and the Future of Fantasy in the Shadow of the Empire”
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.
Have you ever found yourself doodling Mickey ears on pieces of paper? Or find yourself looking for Mouse ears in places outside of a Disney theme park? Then you’re a #TrueOriginal Mickey fan and the Mickey: True Original Exhibition in New York City is for you. The exhibit is also for those who aren’t hip to the power of the Mouse. The exhibit walks visitors through the history of Mickey Mouse — from Steamboat Willie to the latest Mickey x Vans collection (I want those Fantasia hi-tops so badly!) — and his influence on art and popular culture.
Continue reading “Mickey: The True Original Exhibition is a Colorful Playground for Disnerds”
