There’s a lot going on in the world of Disney movies right now. The Disney Blog has the scoop on all the details. First I’ll start with the news on one of my most anticipated upcoming Disney films: “The Muppets” sequel. That’s right: 2011’s Muppet movie was successful enough that the famous puppet troop is headed out for another cinematic adventure.
Just like the 2011 Muppet movie drew inspiration from the 1979 original, its sequel shares elements with the original’s sequel. The Muppets are headed back to London, where they went in 1981’s “Great Muppet Caper.” In “The Muppets…Again,” the group has taken their show on the road, kicking off a European tour. They run into trouble once they get to London. Kermit’s a lookalike for Constantine, a criminal mastermind, and they get caught up in his schemes.
The first promotional image for the film shows Walter among the other Muppets, so we know he’s returning. Jason Segel and Amy Adams, the human leads from the first film, will not be reprising their roles, nor was Segel a scriptwriter this time around. The rest of the original team is back, however, with the same director, co-scriptwriter, and music director/songwriter involved.
This time, the human co-stars of the film are Tina Fey, Ty Burrell, and Ricky Gervais. We don’t know who the former two will be playing or how significant their roles are, but Ricky Gervais is going to be Constantine’s right-hand man, called Dominic. “The Muppets…Again” is set for a March 2014 release.
There’s also been a lot happening in the world of Disney animation. First, “Wreck-It Ralph” earned a total of five awards at the Annie Awards (yearly ceremony for animated movies). Disney received a total of 11 nods, for a variety of features including “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Brave,” and television cartoon “Tron: Uprising.” “Ralph” received the single most awards, including best feature, best directing, best writing, and best voice acting (Alan Tudyk for King Candy).
Among the awards Disney received at the Annies was best animated short subject for “Paperman,” which ran before “Wreck-It Ralph.” The black and white short featured a 1940s setting and no dialog, but is considered one of the most poignant animated films of the year, full stop. “Paperman” is up for a Best Animated Short Oscar this year, and to help bolster buzz, Disney has put the entire short up on YouTube. Disney fans should definitely go check it out, whether or not they’ve seen it, because it’s such a sweet feature. Who knows how long past the Oscars Disney will leave it up (especially if it wins), so take advantage of the viewing opportunity now.
*(The above image by dbking is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)