Jonas Brothers: Burnin' Up Concert 3-D Movie - In 2008, Hannah Montana's 3-D concert film made $70 million in worldwide ticket sales on a $7 budget. Being a business first and foremost, Disney is hoping to repeat that success by making red-hot Best of Both Worlds supporting act the Jonas Brothers the main attraction of a similar project opening February 27, 2009. This will be like Camp Rock without the generic story and lengthy Jonas-free sequences. Disney shareholders, smile. IMDb Bottom 100, make room. Jonas Brothers fans, get ready. Beating heart, be still.


Race to Witch Mountain - File this one in the "Terrible Ideas" category. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his Game Plan director Andy Fickman reunite in what's being called an "action thriller" remake of the fondly-remembered 1975 Disney fantasy Escape to Witch Mountain. Johnson will play a Las Vegas cab driver who picks up two young siblings with paranormal powers, played by Bridge to Terabithia's AnnaSophia Robb and The Seeker: The Dark is Rising's Alexander Ludwig. Ciaran Hinds (There Will Be Blood) co-stars as the leader of a group set to hunt down the kids. Bedtime Stories writer Matt Lopez is credited with the screenplay, which is traced back to Alexander Key's 1968 novel. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, the kids from the original movie and its 1978 sequel Return from Witch Mountain, have been tapped for supporting roles as a waitress and a sheriff, respectively. Carla Gugino seems destined for a love interest part. This Nevada-shot film is scheduled to open on March 13, 2009.

Hannah Montana: The Movie - As long as the general public can't get enough of all things Hannah Montana, neither can Disney. What originated as a hokily-conceived low-budget sitcom has become one of the company's biggest money-makers, raking in cash in a variety of platforms, including 2008's 3-D concert film. Following in the footsteps of High School Musical 3 and The Lizzie McGuire Movie, this eponymous film will be closer to the Disney Channel TV series, as it takes Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), her two close friends (Mitchel Musso, Emily Osment), father (Billy Ray Cyrus), and brother (Jason Earles) to Tennessee, where filming began in May 2008. Beyond that and casting calls for specific parts (like a teenaged male love interest and ethnically diverse adults), the plot remains unknown. Slated to appear in the film are "The Office"'s Melora Hardin as Robbie Ray's farmer love interest, Barry Bostwick, Peter Gunn, Vanessa Williams, Margo Martindale, Lucas Till, and teen country sensation Taylor Swift. The production caused Miley Cyrus to miss her 2008 prom. Oh well, the 15-year-old girl made $18.2 million last year. I think she'll be okay. An April 10, 2009, theatrical release is scheduled, moving the film up from its original date of May 1. That's intended to let the movie prosper against light spring competition before the summer season arrives.

Earth - Arriving next Earth Day (April 22, 2009), this film launches the new Disneynature production banner that harks back to Walt's True Life Adventures line. Looking at a year in the lives of various creatures, this documentary employs footage shot for the BBC's award-winning "Planet Earth" series by writer-producer Alastair Fothergill. Voiceover god James Earl Jones was originally tapped to narrate, but that slot seems now to have been filled by Patrick Stewart. While Disney shouldn't expect much hubbub from such niche market fare, the brand already has half a dozen other projects in the works, including The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (opening December 2008 in France), Orangutans (2010), and the much-anticipated Big Cats (2011).

Up - As usual, Pixar Animation Studios has kept a tight lip with regards to information on this, the studio's 10th feature film. Monsters, Inc. writer/director Pete Docter will be in the helm for this "Don Quixote-esque" movie that opens in the summer between those of WALL-E and Toy Story 3. Co-directing and writing the script is Finding Nemo writer/Monsters story supervisor Bob Peterson. The movie centers on Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year-old man (voiced by Ed Asner) who has put off his dreams of exploring the globe his entire life. A twist of fate and the arrival of Russell (newcomer Jordan Nagai), an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer, gives Carl a new lease on life as the boy and elderly man embark on a thrilling journey in which they encounter wild terrain, unexpected villains, and jungle creatures. The studio-provided synopsis sounds vaguely reminiscent of The Emperor's New Groove, with the odd couple being more distant but at least in the same species. Not to be confused with the 1976 Russ Meyer/Roger Ebert film of the same name, Up is slated to open May 29, 2009 with select engagements boasting Disney Digital 3-D technology (and the premium ticket prices it commands). It will likely follow earlier Pixar works to a (hopefully not supplementally-suppressed) DVD and expansive Blu-ray release in November.

G-Force - Jerry Bruckheimer has provided the Walt Disney Company with more hits and franchises than any other producer. That doesn't mean that this project (penned by The Wibberleys of National Treasure fame) sounds like a certain success. Marking the feature directorial debut for longtime visual effects man Hoyt Yeatman, G-Force will tell of a team of specially-trained rodents dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world with household appliances. Those attached to voice the CG-animated genetically-enhanced, government agency commandoes: Bruckheimer's go-to leading man Nicolas Cage (as Speckles the mole), Penelope Cruz (Juarez the guinea pig), "30 Rock"'s Tracy Morgan (Blaster the guinea pig), and Steve Buscemi (Bucky the hamster). Those appearing in live-action roles will include Zach Galifianakis (as the scientist supervisor Ben), Kelli Garner, Gabriel Casseus, Jack Conley, folk singer-actor Loudon Wainwright III, Bill Nighy, and Will Arnett. After briefly assuming the delayed third Narnia film's May release date, G-Force is now scheduled to open on July 24, 2009 in theaters, at least some of which will exhibit the film in 3-D.

A Christmas Carol - From musicals and Mr. Magoo to Mickey Mouse and the Muppets, it seems like Charles Dickens' immortal 1843 novella has been adapted ad nauseam. But many of the film versions of A Christmas Carol have either been made for television (like the Patrick Stewart-headlined 1999 TNT production) or offered a twist on the subject (like the brilliant Scrooged's translocation to a contemporary New York TV network). Walt Disney Pictures' newest version, scheduled for release on November 6, 2009, won't do either of those things. It apparently will be a straight retelling of the ghostly holiday tale, done by director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) and the motion capture technique he used on The Polar Express and Beowulf that converts and elaborates on live-action performances with three-dimensional computer animation. Comedian Jim Carrey will play multiple roles, simultaneously calling to mind his over-the-top work in Ron Howard's sour 2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas, his assorted disguises in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Tom Hanks' various personas in Polar Express. Joining him in the voice/motion capture cast are Bob Hoskins (star of Zemeckis' first mixed-medium blockbuster Who Framed Roger Rabbit) as party-throwing boss Mr. Fezziwig, Colin Firth (Bridget Jones' Diary) as Scrooge's nephew Fred, and British chameleon Gary Oldman as Bob Crachit, Marley, and Tiny Tim. The Princess Bride's Cary Elwes and Robin Wright Penn are also reportedly cast, though it remains to be seen as whom. (Penn as Belle?)

Disney doubtlessly must be excited about this film. They'd have to look long and hard for a person not at all affected by Dickens' book. Modern audiences might be plenty familiar with the tale, but there hasn't been a major feature film doing a straight adaptation since the 1970 musical starring Albert Finney and Alec Guinness. A quick look at the performances of the director and star's works this decade promises high attendance; though it started sluggish, Polar Express went onto become one of 2004's highest-grossers (and remains the benchmark for motion capture), while the live-action Grinch easily ranks as the biggest earner in Carrey's robust career. The two films maintain the highest grosses among Christmas-themed movies, a class that rarely fails to turn a profit. Add to this Disney's long string of success with heavily-promoted November openings, and you'll see that only a tremendous fumble will keep this film from becoming a colossal worldwide blockbuster, whether it's any good or, like Grinch and Polar, not. Filming began early in 2008. This will be one of a number of 2009 releases treated to showings in Disney Digital 3-D.

Old Dogs - After directing the illogically popular Wild Hogs, Walt Becker is staying at Disney with John Travolta. Travolta and funnyman Robin Williams play friends and business partners whose "lives are turned upside down" when strange circumstances place them in the care of 7-year-old twins. Travolta's wife Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Seth Green, Dax Shepard, Lori Loughlin, and Rita Wilson are all also reportedly part of the noteworthy cast. So is comedian Bernie Mac, in what will probably be his final performance in theaters. The script is credited to David Diamond and David Weissman, the duo behind The Family Man, Ivan Reitman's Evolution, and the Disney Channel original movie Minutemen. Though shot in the summer and fall of 2007, the film is not scheduled to open until November 25, 2009, a big delay from its original date of April 10, 2009. It is not yet clear if this broad comedy will be released under the Disney or Touchstone banner, but its recently-assigned MPAA "PG" rating suggests the former.

The Princess and the Frog - This fairy tale is being closely watched for it represents Disney's first 2D-animated feature since 2004's Home on the Range. Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin) wrote and are directing this musical set in 1920s New Orleans. The lead characters include 19-year-old heroine Tiana (voiced by Dreamgirls' Anika Noni Rose); Charlotte La Bouff, a spoiled 18-year-old southern debutante (Broadway veteran Jennifer Cody); villain Dr. Facilier, a voodoo magician ("Gargoyles" star Keith David); and Mama Odie, a 200-year-old voodoo priest (Jenifer Lewis). In a departure from the norm, three of the four are African American characters. So is Tiana's mother Eudora, who will be voiced by Oprah Winfrey. Though Alan Menken was originally pegged to handle the film's music, Pixar veteran Randy Newman now holds this command. Being produced more rapidly than usual (traditional animated films typically take at least four years from first news to reaching the screen), the movie has been scheduled to open on Christmas 2009, just weeks after Disney's Christmas Carol is expected to clean up at the box office.

WALL-E | Prince Caspian | Beverly Hills Chihuahua | Morning Light | High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Bolt
Bedtime Stories | Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Movie | Race to Witch Mountain | Hannah Montana: The Movie
Earth | Up | G-Force | A Christmas Carol | Old Dogs | The Princess and the Frog | Alice in Wonderland
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Toy Story 3 | Rapunzel | More...

In November of 2007, Burton signed a deal to direct two Disney Digital 3-D projects. First up is a live-action/motion-capture/CGI adaptation of Lewis Carroll's most famous story. It seems like an apt fit, based on the trippy source material and Burton's penchant for trippy material. Of course, Disney fans will be judging the project next to Walt Disney's 1951 animated film, which today is regarded highly. Eighteen-year-old Australian girl Mia Wasikowska (HBO's "In Treatment") has been cast in the coveted title role, while "Little Britain" co-creator/performer Matt Lucas has signed onto portray both Tweedledee and Tweedledum. After many rumors, Johnny Depp has now been confirmed to play the Mad Hatter. The only casting less surprising would Burton's partner Helena Bonham Carter trying her hand at the Red Queen, a.k.a. the Queen of Hearts. After years away, Anne Hathaway will return to Disney to play the White Queen, who has been banished by her sister (the Red Queen) and needs Alice's help. Production has begun in England and Disney has pegged the film for a March 5, 2010 theatrical release, which will include Disney Digital 3-D engagements.


Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - On the heels of their record-breaking Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Jerry Bruckheimer and Walt Disney Pictures are collaborating not just on more National Treasure follow-ups but also a new film series based on the popular Prince of Persia video game series. Debuted in 1989 for the Apple II, Prince of Persia was then quickly developed for IBM PCs, the Atari ST, Nintendo and Sega's third-generation systems, and Game Boy. Sequels followed in the 1990s and in the fall of 2003, the franchise gained new life when Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was made available on PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and Windows computers. Subsequent adventures have premiered in the two following holiday seasons. From the title, it would appear that Bruckheimer's first adaptation would be based on merely 2003's game and would be the first of three installments made.

If it remains true to the video game, Sands of Time follows Persian Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal, Zodiac), his father King Sharaman, and the Maharajah's daughter Princess Farah Tamina (Gemma Arteton) in a trek across India to Azad. Along their way, their potent, newly-acquired possesions (a giant hourglass full of sand and a mysterious dagger) make them the targets of a dying Vizier (Oscar-winning Gandhi portrayer Ben Kingsley) and his staff. Romantic relationships, time warps, and twisted allegiances all figure into what unravels and most of that is sure to translate to the type of sweeping, spectacle cinema that Bruckheimer has repeatedly relied on with success.

Originally pegged for a late 2008 release and then briefly summer 2009, this film -- directed by Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Transformers) -- will now open May 28, 2010, narrowly preceding the colossally-expected Toy Story 3.


Toy Story 3 - Few films can boast the guaranteed box office success of this project, once a major factor in the Disney/Pixar contract negotations. In the 13 years since the original Toy Story reached theaters as the first all-CGI film, the animation industry has moved almost exclusively to the domain of computers. 2006's crop of films found a glut of CG-animated works from new players in addition to output from established studios like DreamWorks and Blue Sky. Pixar nevertheless proved that the pioneers have remained well ahead of the learning curve: though their summer release Cars didn't quite match past productions in box office earnings and critical favor, it still outdid nearly all of its competition. The same was true for Ratatouille, which earned the studio its third Best Animated Feature Oscar in five attempts.

When the Walt Disney Company purchased Pixar in 2006, they put this project back in the hands of the people who created the 1995 masterpiece and its blockbuster 1999 sequel. Disney had earlier announced plans (i.e., threatened) to move forth with a Toy Story 3 using its newly-formed Circle 7 Animation division, a script by Meet the Fockers writer James Herzfeld, and director Darrell Rooney (who helmed Lady and the Tramp, The Lion King, and Mulan...sequels). After the acquisition, Pixar executive John Lasseter, given new power at Disney Feature Animation, saw to it that Circle 7 was closed and the ball was back in the creators' court. Though many assumed the busy Lasseter would step back into the director's chair he claimed on the first two Toy Story films, in February 2007, it was announced that longtime Pixar editor and Toy Story 2 co-director Lee Unkrich would single-handedly be helming the film, from a script by Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine). To date, few other specifics have been issued by Disney-Pixar, which isn't too surprising since Pixar has long been mum on upcoming projects while pushing ahead at a proposed one-film-per-summer rate. We won't see the Buzz-is-recalled-to-Asia plotline that Disney was not long ago touting as its core. In February of 2008, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Pixar's storyline will find Woody and his toy-box friends dumped in a day-care center after their owner Andy leaves for college.

Longtime Disney regular Tim Allen will reprise his role of once-deluded space ranger action figure Buzz Lightyear alongside Tom Hanks as pullstring cowboy Woody. Other confirmed returning cast members include Joan Cusack as the energetic cowgirl Jessie, John Ratzenberger as know-it-all piggy bank Hamm, Wallace Shawn as nervous dinosaur Rex, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and Jodi Benson as Barbie, who this time is joined by Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton). Also expected back but not yet confirmed are Annie Potts as the porcelain Bo Peep, R. Lee Ermey as the authoritative Sarge, and Laurie Metcalf as Andy's Mom. Meanwhile, septuagenarian Ned Beatty has joined the cast in a role not yet established. At least two parts will need to either be written out or recast in light of the premature deaths of Jim Varney (Slinky Dog) and Joe Ranft (Wheezy the Penguin).

While Pixar's usual four-year-production period could have been shortened due with all existing characters already modeled and in the computers, the release remains distant. The release date has been set as June 18, 2010. In the months leading up to the film's debut, the original Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will be re-released to theaters in Disney Digital 3-D on October 2, 2009 and February 12, 2010, respectively.

Related Reviews: Toy Story: 10th Anniversary DVD • Toy Story 2: 2-Disc Special Edition DVD

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Disney and Walden continue to follow the published order of C.S. Lewis's best-selling fantasy novels. This third book, first printed in 1952, comes fifth chronologically and sees the two youngest Pevensie children, Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) joining nerdy cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter, Son of Rambow) for a holiday. The three of them are pulled into Narnia through a painting, ending up on the ship Dawn Treader with Lucy and Edmund's royal pal, Caspian (Ben Barnes). The four of them embark on a series of adventures in travelling to a number of Narnian islands.

Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist, The World is Not Enough, and television's renowned "Up" documentaries) will direct, taking over from Andrew Adamson, who will stay on as a producer. William Moseley and Anna Popplewell will not return as the two elder Pevensie children, who do not appear in the Voyage book. The film was scheduled to open in May of 2010, but Prince Caspian's lower than expected earnings in a similar window probably led the studios to reconsider this tentpole's debut. Filming has been repeatedly delayed, awaiting the official greenlight while the budget is pulled back. With Prince of Persia now slated for a Memorial Day 2010 release, it seems safe to say this one won't be opening the same month.

Rapunzel - Certain films attract buzz from an early stage. Often these projects hold a best-selling book as a source or carry a world famous superhero in the title. This computer-animated project doesn't quite fit either of those requirements, but Disney fans have been excited by it for years, while it has been repeatedly bumped and always off in the distance. Longtime A-list Disney animator Glen Keane (supervising animator of such protagonists as Ariel, Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Tarzan) was to simulatenously make his directorial and CGI debuts in this new take on the classic fairy tale of a long-haired princess and her valiant prince. Instead, in 2008, Keane and his assigned co-director stepped down, turning the reins over to Bolt co-director Byron Howard and writer/story artist Nathan Greno.

Here, a frustrated witch brings two romantically-challenged teenagers from the real world into that of the story, casting them as Rapunzel and her prince. Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth (who starred in the Wonderful World of Disney musicals Annie and The Music Man) will voice Rapunzel, while another stage actor (Dan Fogler) will lend his vocals to the prince. Although estimated releases have seemingly changed with the years, the most recent and firm documents pin this for a Christmastime 2010 release.

Disney Films for 2011 and beyond

Cars 2 - It's not just life but the entire world that's a highway in this somewhat surprising project marking Pixar's third sequel and first outside the Toy Story universe. Brad Lewis will direct this follow-up to the 2006 blockbuster, which finds hotshot race car Lighting McQueen and rusty, trusty pal Mater going overseas to compete in a major race. This is scheduled to reach theaters on June 24, 2011. Leading up to then, Pixar has been producing a series of animated shorts starring Mater and friends, for Disney Channel airings and pre-feature theatrical screenings. Upon the passing of Paul Newman, it was revealed that the screen legend hadn't recorded dialogue for this sequel, leaving the presence of Doc Hudson in question.

The Bear and the Bow - 2011 is a year of firsts for Pixar. It's the first year the studio will put out two feature films. The latter of these represents Pixar's first period fantasy. Set in a "rugged and mythic Scotland", the movie tells of Merida (Reese Witherspoon), a royal daughter and archer whose reckless choice has dire consequences for her father's (Billy Connolly) kingdom and her mother (Emma Thompson). "Nature, magic, and an ancient curse" all figure here in this "action-adventure" piece, which marks the biggest Pixar credit for Brenda Chapman, the veteran Disney story writer and story supervisor who co-directed The Prince of Egypt at DreamWorks. Writing credits have yet to be settled. Expect to see this in theaters around November 2011.

newt - Pixar's fourteenth feature film centers on Newt and Brooke, the last two blue-footed newts on Earth. They're supposed to save the species for science, but they can't stand each other. The romantic comedy's premise does sound one-note, which was true but forgivable of writer-director Gary Rydstrom's debut, the 2006 short Lifted. Voice actors haven't yet been announced for the pampered Newt and streetwise Brooke, but the film will open in the summer of 2012, having swapped years with Cars 2.

King of the Elves - Based on a fantastical short story by late sci-fi icon Phillip K. Dick, Disney Feature Animation's CG-animated film centers on an average man in the Mississippi Delta whose reluctant help leads a desperate band of elves to name him king. The man and his elf compadres attempt to elude an evil, menacing troll. Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, the co-directors of Brother Bear, are in the helm for this movie, scheduled for a holiday 2012 release.

Swiss Family Robinson (remake) - Mandeville Films had hoped to start shooting this new adaptation of Johann Wyss's classic book early in 2006 after wrapping production on The Shaggy Dog remake. Then, hired director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3, U-571) pushed things back for Hancock, a superhero mid-life crisis movie starring Will Smith. Mostow has since left that Sony project, giving Swiss the go-ahead to proceed. While attempts were made to modernize the story (perhaps like the Wonderful World of Disney's 1998 telemovie Beverly Hills Family Robinson?), the script by Greg Poirier ultimately kept the 19th century period setting as it was employed for Disney's popular 1960 filming of the same text. Mostow is also to rework Poirier's script with writing partner Sam Montgomery. No casting has been announced, but news in July 2005 stated that Lindsay Lohan was reportedly in talks to unite with Disney for a sixth time presumably to play "Bertie", the cute castaway who catches the eyes of two Robinson brothers. That seems pretty certain not to happen at the present. A release date has yet to be set and filming schedules have been repeatedly pushed back, leaving this in production limbo.

Jungle Cruise - On the heels of big screen adventures Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion comes this latest film inspired by a Disneyland attraction. Described as a family version of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, this comedy/adventure will follow a group which travels upriver to find a cure. Originally said to have a screenplay written by Josh Goldstein and John Norville (Tin Cup), this Disney/Mandeville production is now reportedly going forth with a script commissioned of Al Gough and Miles Millar, the executive producers of TV's "Smallville". The only plot specific released is that the film will be set sometime in the 20th century. Originally slated to start shooting early in 2006, this has since been delayed again and again, with even 2010 release looking unlikely.

Kiki's Delivery Service - A live action English language adaptation of Eiko Kadani's book series, which was previously brought to the screen in Hayao Miyazaki's popular late-'80s anime film of the same name. Jeff Stockwell (Bridge to Terabithia, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) is said to be developing a screenplay, but news has been sparse.

The Banshee and Fin Magee (Originally titled The Banshee) - Dean DeBlois, co-writer and co-director of Lilo & Stitch, tries his hand at live action with this period ghost story set in Ireland. In writer-director-producer DeBlois's own words, "It's the story of a little boy who is ignored by the world and pretends to be a ghost, who (then) comes into contact with a real ghost." DeBlois claims this "story of friendship, love and loss" is aimed at the Harry Potter audience; he hopes older kids will enjoy this supernatural mystery. Production was supposed to begin spring 2005, but as of now, nothing has been shot and there is no firm release date yet set. In February 2006, it was reported that Robert Nelson Jacobs has been hired to rewrite DeBlois' script. Jacobs was Oscar-nominated for his Chocolat screenplay, but got fewer raves for his work on Dinosaur, Out to Sea, and The Shipping News.

Frankenweenie - After tackling Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton's second 3-D film for Disney will be a feature-length version of his 1984 live-action short starring Barret Oliver, Shelley Duvall, and Daniel Stern. Ironically, that half-hour short got Burton fired for wasting company resources and it was shelved for years. Twenty-five years later, Burton is considered a genius and his Nightmare Before Christmas (whose DVD releases house the original Frankenweenie) is treated to annual 3-D theatrical re-releases. The short centered on a boy named Victor who brings his movie subject dog Sparky back to life with help from lightning. This feature probably won't be done any sooner than 2011.