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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 won the coveted title role. Unsurprisingly among those surrounding her are Burton favorite Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and the director's partner Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, a.k.a. the Queen of Hearts. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Red's banished sister the White Queen, Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, and "Little Britain" star Matt Lucas as Tweedledee and Tweedledum. According to Disney, this is something of a sequel to Carroll's first two Alice books, largely telling a new story of a teenaged Alice's return to a Wonderland that includes a number of newly-created characters. Production began September 2008 in England with much effects work to be later filled in. Disney has pegged the film for a March 5, 2010 theatrical release, which will include Disney Digital 3-D engagements. This is expected to become Burton's third non-Batman film to cross the $100 million mark domestically, something it should have no difficulty doing, even with weak legs and an off-season debut.

The Last Song - Bestselling author Nicholas Sparks has come to be known for his tear-inducing romantic novels. Four of Sparks' first six books have been adapted into films, none more memorably than 2004's The Notebook. Two of Sparks' most recent novels are currently getting film treatment for theatrical release in early 2010. The Last Song, the book of which was published September 2009, tells the story of a rebellious teenaged girl spending the summer with her estranged father. Sparks himself wrote the screenplay, his first, with Miley Cyrus in mind. Cyrus holds the lead role, making this her first substantial live-action work outside of the "Hannah Montana" empire. Greg Kinnear and Kelly Preston will portray her parents, while Australian actor Liam Hemsworth apparently plays a love interest. TV director Julie Anne Robinson ("Grey's Anatomy", "Weeds") makes her feature directorial debut here. Rated PG for "thematic material, some violence, sensuality and mild language", this drama will carry the Touchstone Pictures banner when it hits the big screen on January 8 April 2, 2010.

Oceans - Disney proclaimed a return to its True-Life Adventure roots with the launch of the Disneynature banner. Although such fare has long maintained a niche market outside of IMAX theaters, the studio gave 2009's Earth a heavy promotional push. Earning $31 M domestically, the reworking of a BBC television series handily became the third highest-grossing documentary of all-time, behind bona fide phenomenons Fahrenheit 9/11 and March of the Penguins. Unwilling to tinker with that kind of success, the branch's second American release, Oceans, will bow on Earth Day 2010 (April 22). This one turns our attention to aquatic creatures, care of Winged Migration directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud.


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 Arterton) 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 Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) -- will now open May 28, 2010, supplanting the Disney-departed third Narnia film and narrowly preceding the colossally-expected Toy Story 3. Prince of Persia was recently slapped with a PG-13 rating, something only the three Pirates films have previously received while remaining under the Disney banner.


Toy Story 3 - Few films can boast the guaranteed box office success of this project, once a major factor in Disney/Pixar contract negotations. In the 14 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. Although they now regularly face competition from new players and established studios (DreamWorks, Blue Sky), Pixar has remained ahead of the curve. By most accounts, the studio is now 10 for 10 at obtaining box office and critical success. Since the Best Animated Feature Oscar was debuted in 2002, four of Pixar's six eligible entries have won the prize. Amidst heavy duty challengers, Up is an early favorite to add to that tradition and is also expected to claim one of the Best Picture nominations, with the field widened to ten, an achievement only Beauty and the Beast has earned among animated fare.

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).

The film is set in the summer that for the toys' owner Andy (voiced again by John Davis) represents the transition from senior year of high school to college freshman. The toys fear they're being outgrown. Those fears seem warranted when they wind up in day care center full of rowdy tots.

Longtime Disney regular Tim Allen will reprise his role of once-deluded space ranger action figure Buzz Lightyear alongside Oscar winner 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, and Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

Also expected back but not yet confirmed are R. Lee Ermey as the authoritative Sarge and Laurie Metcalf as Andy's Mom. Meanwhile, The Little Mermaid's Jodi Benson should return as Barbie, who this time is joined by Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton). Other announced newcomers to the cast in roles not yet established are Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton, and Ned Beatty. While the involvement of Annie Potts and Bo Peep is unclear, Slinky Dog has been recast with Blake Clark, a friend of the late Jim Varney and a comedic actor known for stints on '90s ABC sitcoms ("Boy Meets World", "Home Improvement") and more recent appearances in Adam Sandler movies. The premature death of Pixar story man Joe Ranft may mean his Toy Story 2 character Wheezy the Penguin won't return.

While Pixar's usual four-year-production period could have been shortened due with all existing characters already modeled and in the computers, the studio found ways to add detail to their creations utilizing technological advances without betraying the universe. The release date has been set as June 18, 2010, less than a month after DreamWorks' next big sequel, Shrek Forever After, opens.

The film's teaser trailer, featuring two attempts to create a title logo, appeared before 3-D screenings of Up. In anticipation of TS3, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were released as a 3-D double feature theatrical engagement in October of 2009, preceded by TS3's first full trailer. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will come to Blu-ray (with a DVD of the movie) on March 23rd, with new 1-disc DVDs following eight weeks later.

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

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Originally the producer who gave Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures high-voltage guy-oriented action flicks, Jerry Bruckheimer has come to be a major player in Disney-branded family films without really changing the way he operates. On the heels of the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure franchises (a class that the video game-spawned Prince of Persia is expected to join), Bruckheimer and Disney are also moving forward with another potentially edgy family adventure, this one with less sequel potential. A live-action feature filming adapted from Mickey Mouse's memorable Fantasia segment (in turn inspired by Goethe's 1797 poem and Paul Dukas' 1897 musical composition), The Sorcerer's Apprentice reteams Treasure director Jon Turteltaub and star Nicolas Cage before they film that series' third installment. Jay Baruchel (the lead of Judd Apatow's short-lived sitcom "Undeclared" and a supporting player in films like Tropic Thunder and Knocked Up) holds the title role, playing Dave, a college student in contemporary New York who is recruited by magician Balthazar Blake (Cage). The cast also includes Bedtime Stories' Teresa Palmer as a love interest, Spider-Man 2 baddie Alfred Molina as evil sorcerer Horvath, and The Passion of The Christ's Monica Bellucci as sorceress Veronica (Cage's long-lost love). Bedtime's Matt Lopez rewrote the script, originally credited to Mighty Joe Young team Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Cameras began rolling in the spring of 2009, with July 16, 2010 standing as the intended release date. That will make Sorcerer next summer's third hopeful tentpole for Disney, following Persia and Toy Story 3.

You Again - Does Andy Fickman hold some incriminating photographs of Disney's top executives? That would certainly explain why the director is getting another job at Disney after directing the atrocious Game Plan and the disappointing Race to Witch Mountain. This one, which began shooting August 2009, centers on a young woman (Kristen Bell) who hopes to expose the true colors of her brother's fiancée (Cloverfield's Odette Yustman), her own high school tormenter. A host of famous names hold supporting roles here, including Sigourney Weaver, Kristin Chenoweth, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White, Victor Garber, and Patrick Duffy. As something of a "Step by Step" reunion, Duffy's television daughter Christine Lakin (the director's girlfriend) also holds a role. Fickman's Disney-based Oops Doughnuts company is producing the comedy, which marks the feature writing debut of Dave Johnson and Moe Jelline. While the subject matter seems more in line with Touchstone output, this is currently scheduled to carry the Disney name when it's released to theaters September 24, 2010.

Secretariat - Oscar-nominated for Braveheart and Razzie-nominated for Pearl Harbor, screenwriter Randall Wallace will direct this historical drama about Secretariat, the racehorse that famously won the Triple Crown in 1973. Mike Rich (Finding Forrester, The Rookie, Radio, The Navity Story) wrote the screenplay that focuses on the life of the thoroughbred and its owner, "first lady of racing" Penny Chenery (played by Diane Lane). Housewife/mother Chenery inherited her ailing father's Virginia farm knowing little and facing significant inheritance taxes. The film is produced by Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, veterans of the inspirational underdog sports drama who have previously produced Miracle, Invincible, and The Rookie for Disney. Shooting began September 2009 with October 8, 2010 set as the goal release date.

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.

Early synopses centered on a frustrated witch who brought two romantically-challenged teenagers from the real world into that of the story, casting them as Rapunzel and her prince. Updated ones claim this will lose that angle and remain truer to the original fairy tale. Rapunzel and her prince were to be voiced by Broadway veterans Kristin Chenoweth and Dan Fogler, but the parts have since been recast. Singer/actress Mandy Moore will now play Rapunzel, while Zachary Levi (star of NBC's "Chuck") will play her love interest. Although estimated releases have changed with the years, the film has now been firmly pegged to open on 2010's long, lucrative Thanksgiving weekend (November 24). Like Princess and the Frog, the nationwide debut will be preceded by two weeks of premium exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles. Most will be in Disney Digital 3D.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - After the second Narnia film, Prince Caspian, fell way short of financial expectations in 2008, Disney jumped ship on C.S. Lewis's beloved series of best-selling fantasy novels. Walden Media intends to move forward, following the published order with new partner 20th Century Fox. 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 won't return as the two elder Pevensie children, who do not appear in the Voyage book. Shooting is scheduled to begin in Australia July 2009. At Disney, the film was scheduled to open in May of 2010, but Prince Caspian's underperformance has wisely prompted Fox to reconsider. They now intend to bow this on December 10, 2010, five years after The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe's potent opening.

Tron: Legacy - Amidst the experimental, often edgy, and usually quite good live-action fare Disney produced in the years leading up to the creation of Touchstone Pictures, one movie has stood out as more than a little-known gem. Saturn Award winner and two-time Oscar nominee, 1982's Tron boasted computer animation and themes that were ahead of its time. While the passing of years have rendered the sci-fi flick a bit dull and less than stunning visually, Disney and fans have decided it's worth celebrating. And really, it wouldn't be right to overlook the movie that inspired John Lasseter to pursue CGI.

Now comes this sequel, which takes place in the present day. The original film's programmer protagonist Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) now has a 27-year-old son named Sam (Garrett Hedlund). While investigating his father's disappearance, Sam gets pulled into the same world of program combat and challenges. There, father, son, and son's love interest (Olivia Wilde, "House") unite and together journey across the trying cyber universe.

A source of rumors since the original's fancy 20th Anniversary Edition DVD gave way to 2003's Tron 2.0, a first person shooter computer game, this sequel is finally becoming a reality, having started shooting in Vancouver in April 2009. Hoping for holiday business, Disney has scheduled the release for December 17, 2010, with many engagements to be in Disney Digital 3-D.

Tron 2.0 failed to meet sales expectations and it's no great leap to suspect this movie (whose working titles include TR2N) will too, especially if positioned to do big holiday season business, despite some clever viral marketing and the affection for the source that the early '80s children making this hold. Bruce Boxleitner returns from the original film and his new co-stars will include Beau Garrett (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer). The screenplay is currently attributed to "Lost" writers/producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, horror scribe Richard Jefferies (Cold Creek Manor, Disney's Man of the House), and Tron director Steven Lisberger. Lisberger, who will also produce, is working on film for the first time since 1989. Commercial director Joseph Kosinski makes his feature debut. Electronic music duo Daft Punk has composed 24 tracks for the film's score.

Waking Sleeping Beauty - Directed by legendary producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast), this documentary looks at an era of Disney animation celebrated by fans but not yet immortalized by historians. The film will cover the talent behind the movies of the 1980s and '90s, charting the success of such filmmakers as John Lasseter, Brad Bird, John Musker, Ron Clements, Glen Keane, Henry Selick, Tim Burton, and Don Bluth from their time at CalArts in the '70s through the early '90s boom that culminated with Hahn's record-setting hit, The Lion King. To tell this story, Hahn and co-producer (former Disney chairman) Peter Schneider got Disney's bigwigs during the period -- Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Roy E. Disney -- to go on record. They are just three of more than 100 subjects interviewed by veteran journalist Patrick Pacheco. Instead of putting talking heads on screen, though, the sound bites are laid over behind-the-scenes footage shot from 1984 to 1994. Originally pegged for a September 2009 theatrical release, Waking Sleeping Beauty is now planned to open sometime in 2010. It runs 86 minutes and is rated PG.

Disney Films for 2011 and beyond

Untitled Winnie the Pooh Film - After a couple of years of computer animation edutainment in the vein of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", Disney returns Winnie the Pooh and his neighbors in the Hundred Acre Wood to their best-known medium: 2-D animation. The profitably-merchandised franchise has enjoyed three big screen outings starting with 2000's The Tigger Movie. No news regarding a title or plot has been released, but a spring 2011 theatrical opening is targeted.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Like nearly every set of major motion pictures shot back-to-back, third Pirates installment At World's End left a sour taste in the mouths of many excited fans. But that 2007 film still grossed almost $1 billion worldwide, which is more than all but just five films (including 2006's better-attended Dead Man's Chest). Although the third movie carried an air of finality (even reflected in its title), the saga continues. The storyline being bandied around involves Johnny Depp's offbeat Captain Jack Sparrow meeting up with once-nemesis Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in newly-founded New Orleans to plan and execute a journey to the Fountain of Youth. The ostensible leads of the trilogy, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley have both professed an interest to move on, suggesting we probably won't see any more of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Gore Verbinski has also vocalized a reluctance to stay on as director and has lined up other projects. Currently, reports place Chicago's Rob Marshall very close to securing the director's chair. After some jockeying for position with Bruckheimer and Depp's Lone Ranger, the film was recently announced for a May 20, 2011 debut, with shooting scheduled to begin spring 2010, although Depp voiced some hesitation upon the resignation of Dick Cook as Disney's studio chairman.

Cars 2: World Grand Prix - 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. Domain names registered in the summer of 2009 seemed to confirm the subtitle World Grand Prix corresponding to the vague synopses we've thus far gotten.

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.

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. John August, who wrote scripts for Burton's Corpse Bride, Big Fish, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is currently at work on a screenplay for what is said to be a low-budget stop-motion black and white animated movie. News has been sparse lately, meaning this feature probably won't be done any sooner than 2011.

newt - Pixar's fourteenth feature film centers on pampered Newt and streetwise 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.

The Lone Ranger - There is no end in sight for Disney's long, fruitful partnership with Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Besides extending established franchises and inventing potential new ones, the two companies are also tapping this long-respected universe familiar from radio, film serials, and most of all, TV. Pirates of the Caribbean scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio are working on a script fitting the Silver-riding masked Old West lawman. Johnny Depp has already signed on to play Native American sidekick Tonto. On his way to becoming another fixture in the Disney/Bruckheimer universe, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time director Mike Newell is reportedly in negotiations to helm this as well. Expected to reach theaters in 2012, this movie should help guarantee Disney one Johnny Depp film per year until 2013 at the earliest.

King of the Elves - Based on a fantastical short story by late sci-fi icon Phillip K. Dick, this CG Disney Feature Animation film was to center 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, were in the helm for this movie, which was scheduled for a holiday 2012 release. Shortly before Christmas 2009, news broke that this production was halted. Perhaps having another African American protagonist and southern US setting made this too close, too soon to the modestly-performing Princess and the Frog?

John Carter of Mars - Andrew Stanton, the writer and director of Pixar's Finding Nemo and WALL•E journeys to a new world -- live-action -- for this feature film adapted from the novelized Barsoom serials written from 1912 to 1943 by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. Based on Burroughs' first work in the series, 1912's A Princess of Mars, the film will center on John Carter, an American Civil War veteran who has moved to Barsoom (Mars), where oceans are evaporating and the inhabitants are growing more barbaric. After rescuing humanoid Martian princess Dejah Thoris, Carter enlists her impressed captors (four-armed green Martians) to win a civil war and save the dying planet. Already cast in this long haul production are Taylor Kitsch (TV's "Friday Night Lights", Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) in the title role, Lynn Collins (Kayla Silverfox in Wolverine) as the princess, Willem Dafoe as fierce green Martian warrior and ally Tars Tarkas, and Oscar-nominated actor Thomas Haden Church in a role to be determined.

Attempted adaptation of the series dates back to Burroughs' lifetime, when in the 1930s Looney Tunes director Bob Clampett experimented with rotoscope on what would have become America's first animated feature film. It never came to be, nor did other planned productions with John McTieran and Tom Cruise in the 1980s, and Robert Rodriguez and Jon Favreau earlier this decade.

Stanton's script, which he penned with Pixar storyman Mark Andrews, aims for a PG-13 rating. Walt Disney Pictures will distribute, with Pixar not handling the special effects. Stanton has said he is opting for a straight, realistic rendering of the story. He has professed no desire to shoot in Disney Digital 3-D, although he suspects the studio will push him to reconsider. Theatrical release is anticipated for Christmas 2012, with filming set to start early 2010.

Monsters, Inc. 2 - Has Pixar, Hollywood's longtime leader in originality and innovation, gone sequel-crazy? The question arises as this is heavily rumored to become the studio's fourth sequel, and third in just a few years. Although outgrossed by Shrek, which also took the first Best Animated Feature Oscar from it, Monsters, Inc. was a blockbuster by any standard. And its popularity has clearly endured, as evidenced by the Disney park attractions that cropped up years after its release. Between the film's extremely satisfying ending and the fact its story felt like a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence in its industrial world, a creative, fulfilling sequel seems like a bit of a stretch. Neither Disney nor Pixar has said anything officially about the project, but studio Internet searches and domain registrations have pointed to this occurring, presumably by 2013.

Disney Films in Apparent Limbo

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.