TOY STORY 3 makes a billion!

From ComingSoon.net:

"The Walt Disney Studios announced today that Toy Story 3 will surpass the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office today. It marks the first time a studio will have two $1 billion movies in one year:

Two weeks after becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Disney-Pixar's Toy Story 3 will cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office today, joining Alice in Wonderland as the second $1 billion film this year from The Walt Disney Studios – the first studio in history to accomplish this feat. Disney first crossed the $1 billion threshold with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006. Toy Story 3 becomes the only animated film to reach this milestone and the seventh title in industry history.


'It's been an incredible year as we saw the Pixar team bring Buzz and Woody back to the big screen and watched Tim Burton's vision for Alice in Wonderland take the world by storm,' said Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. 'These box office triumphs prove that creative storytelling brought to life by imaginative, inspired and talented professionals is something audiences respond to the world over.'

As of Thursday (8/26/10), Toy Story 3 tallied more than $592.9 million internationally, Disney's largest international animated release. Latin American audiences have contributed $138 million making Toy Story 3 the highest grossing Disney film ever released in the region. Toy Story 3 is the most successful UK release in Disney history and currently stands as the fourth biggest title in territory history with $102.4 million in box office receipts so far. In Japan, the film has taken in $111.2 million and spent five consecutive weeks as the #1 movie. Toy Story 3 currently ranks as the #7 film in global box office history and domestically ranks #9 with $404.6 million in receipts to date.

Alice in Wonderland began setting records during its opening weekend (March 5-7), becoming the biggest March opening in industry history, the highest 3D opening ever and The Walt Disney Studios' biggest opening for a non-sequel film. Internationally, the film went on to tally more than $690 million, becoming Disney's biggest overseas release of all time and the fourth biggest title ever released overseas. Worldwide, the film took in $1.0243 billion, ranking it as the #5 film in global box office history."

Let's hope Tron: Legacy makes a billion!!!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND coming to DVD!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has announced that Alice in Wonderland will hit DVD on June 1st. The press release:



Following a record-breaking theatrical performance, Tim Burton’s epic fantasy adventure Alice in Wonderland, Disney’s 4th biggest film of all time, takes its booming box-office success into the home with a Disney 1-Disc DVD on June 1, 2010, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

The suggested retail prices for Alice in Wonderland (the Single Disc DVD) is $29.99.

Film Synopsis:

Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. Inviting and magical, Alice in Wonderland is an imaginative new twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you’ve seen before. The extraordinary characters you’ve loved come to life richer and more colorful than ever. There’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more. A triumphant cinematic experience – Alice in Wonderland is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences of all sizes.

The film’s opening weekend made Alice in Wonderland the highest-grossing non-sequel opening weekend in history, the biggest March opening of all time, the biggest 3D opening of all time and the biggest IMAX opening of all time.

Bonus Features:

DVD:

Finding Alice – It’s all things Alice. This featurette includes Tim Burton’s vision for the characters, differences from the book and Disney’s version of Alice and how she evolves as both a character and actor as she takes an adventure through Wonderland.

The Mad Hatter – Audiences are provided with a deeper look into the world of the Mad Hatter. Check out Johnny Depp’s early sketches, make-up, costumes and how they digitally enhanced his eyes.

Effecting Wonderland – A behind-the-scenes piece on the different technologies used to create some of the most beloved characters in the film – Stayne, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Bandersnatch and the Red Queen."

Can't wait to see it all over again!!

From ALICE to MALEFICENT?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Heat Vision has confirmed a report that said Tim Burton is interested in making a live-action feature based on Maleficent from Disney's 1959 adaptation of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.

The trade Blog adds that Alice in Wonderland screenwriter Linda Woolverton will write the script for Disney. Maleficent might reunite Woolverton with Burton, but it's not a done deal as the movie is one of a handful of projects the filmmaker is circling.

The movie would tell the classic fairy tale from the point of view of the self-proclaimed 'Mistress of All Evil.'

Woolverton's credits also include Disney's Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King."

Cue Helena Bonham Carter as Maleficent.

UPDATE:

"Now the Los Angeles Times adds that actress Angelina Jolie had been rumored to be circling the long gestating project last spring and is still 'keen on the film and would like to sign on to play the titular villain.'"

That'll be interesting seeing Angelina Jolie doing a Disney movie (considering the closest things she's down to family-friendly movies are Shark Tale and Kung Fu Panda).

2010 Movie Super Bowl Ads

Here are some upcoming movie ads from Super Bowl 2010, THE MOST WATCHED SUPER BOWL IN HISTORY -

The Wolfman

"Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman, is lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father, Talbot sets out to find his brother... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself. Talbot's childhood ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades recovering and trying to forget. But when his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe, tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns home to join the search. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline has come to investigate."



Robin Hood

"The story of how an archer in the service of King Richard the Lionheart became to be known as Robin Hood, the famous archer and outlaw of English Folklore."



Alice in Wonderland

"19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror."



Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

"Set in medieval Persia, the story of an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. Which is why after the prince was tricked by a dying Vizier to unleash the Sands of Time that turns out to destroy a kingdom and transforms its populace into ferocious demons. In his effort to save his own kingdom and redeem his fatal mistake, it's up to the prince and the princess to return the sands to the hourglass by using the Dagger of Time, which also gives him a limited control over the flow of time."



The Last Airbender

"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. In the old days, there was peace between the four nations of the world. The Avatar -- Master of all four elements -- kept peace between the the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Only the Avatar has the ability to Bend all four elements, but one day, he Vanished. Then the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations for one hundred years. Now, for the good of the world, it's up to 12-year-old Aang, the new Avatar, to return peace and balance by putting an end to the war and mastering all four elements. Aang must accept his destiny by stopping the Fire Nation's war and defeating the Fire Lord for good."

Super Bowl Time in WONDERLAND

From ComingSoon.net:

"Walt Disney Pictures has announced that exclusive first looks at Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland will air on ABC, ESPN and ABC Family starting on January 31st and a spot will air during the Super Bowl on February 7th:

'Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is teaming up with sister networks ABC, ESPN and ABC FAMILY for a week-long, cross-network extravaganza that will send viewers straight down the rabbit hole with Alice in Wonderland. The stunt provides 60-second first-looks customized for each network, all of which will air between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, 2010. Featuring exclusive, never-before-seen footage from visionary director Tim Burton’s 3D theatrical motion-picture event, the first looks will culminate with a spectacular Super Bowl spot on Feb. 7, 2010. Entitled 'Tick-Tock,' this action-packed spot features intense imagery and a few surprises from Burton’s Wonderland.

'We wanted to kick off our television campaign for Alice in Wonderland in a big way,' says David Singh, executive vice president of worldwide marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. 'With Tim Burton at the helm and a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and rising star Mia Wasikowska, the film already has a passionate following. Fans are eager to step into the incredible 3D Wonderland that Burton has created and get a glimpse at what he’s done with these brilliant characters, and we’re ready to give it to them.'

FIRST LOOK SCHEDULE:

ABC

'Desperate Housewives' Jan. 31, 8c

'The Bachelor' Feb. 1, 8/7c

ESPN

2010 NFL Pro Bowl, Jan. 31, 7:20ET

NBA NUGGETS/LAKERS game, Feb. 5, 10:30ET

ABC FAMILY

'Greek' Feb. 1, 9c

The Parent Trap Feb. 6, 7c

Cross-network promo spots for the stunt begin on Jan. 26, 2010. The campaign will be supported, and the creative maximized on the studio’s online/social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Disney.com and more.

The other confirmed movie Super Bowl TV spots so far are for Paramount's Shutter Island, Iron Man 2 and The Last Airbender."

The only real family programming that these spots are going to appear on is The Parent Trap. Other than that, they are gonna appear on non-family programming. Why? It's not like 10 year olds watch "Desperate Housewives"!

Other D23 Expo Info

From ComingSoon.net:

"Among a bevy of surprise guests at today's D23 Expo presentation, Tim Burton offered attendees a look at the 3D teaser for Alice in Wonderland (the same version currently available online) and confirmed that he'll be following it up with Frankenweenie, a full stop-motion adaptation of his original live-action short film that tells the story of a dog brought back to life by a mad scientist kid. Also confirmed was a 2011 release date."

"Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook officially named Summer 2012 as the release date for Pixar's John Carter of Mars, claiming that the film will, indeed, be live-action with intense special effects.

Following the announcement, Johnny Depp appeared in full Jack Sparrow costume, taking the stage and announcing a Summer 2011 release date for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the new title for the fourth installment!


Speculation has already begun that the subtitle On Stranger Tides refers to author Tim Powers' novel with the same name. The following is the official description of the book:

'Puppeteer John Chandagnac, who was sailing to Jamaica to get revenge on the uncle who had stolen his father's inheritance, has no choice but to join the buccaneers who have taken him prisoner--and soon, known now as the pirate Jack Shandy, he finds himself learning to survive in a treacherous new world of cutlass-fights, sea-battles, and voodoo magic on sun-blinded tropical islands. The legendary Blackbeard is assembling a ruthless navy of pirates living and undead to voyage to the fabled Fountain of Youth, and Jack Shandy must use magic, swordsmanship, and even his puppeteer skills to free himself and the girl he has fallen in love with from Blackbeard's deadly supernatural domination.'

At the end of the third Pirates movie, it is shown that both Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) are next eyeing the Fountain of Youth. Barbossa has 'stolen' the Black Pearl back from Sparrow, but Sparrow has cut out the most important part of Barbossa's map to the Fountain of Youth.

If they will be adapting the book, will Sparrow and Barbossa have to team up again against Blackbeard? We'll have to wait and see how it will turn out."

"Roaring applause from Disney fans filled the Anaheim Convention Center Arena as the Muppets took the stage, performing a song and dance number live on-stage. At the conclusion of the performance, Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook officially announced that the upcoming Muppet film (written by Jason Segel) will be titled The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made.

This title references an old title, developed Jim Henson in 1985 but never produced that would have featured Gonzo directing a Hollywood film and quickly blowing the project's budget. Though unconfirmed, it is likely that this new film will mirror the same storyline."

All interesting happenings! Can't wait for new developments!!

IRON MAN 2 to fly out at you in 3D?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Ain't It Cool News is reporting the rumor that Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios are considering releasing Iron Man 2 in 3D format, and possibly the first Iron Man as well. Here's an except from the article:

'Right now, there is a 1 minute demo of Iron Man 2 converted to high quality digital 3D. I'm told this one minute is totally like Kim Basinger & Mickey Rourke in 9 1/2 Weeks. HOT! Crazy Hot! Right now the Suits at Marvel & Paramount & now also Disney are considering this 1 minute.

At the same time that this is happening, they are fishing for bids with 3 different companies to see what the cost and time it would take to convert Iron Man 2 to a complete 3D film. This same process is being done to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland - but if this comes to pass. What will this mean for the rest of Marvel's slate leading to The Avengers? Will Thor & The First Avenger: Captain America also go through this process? Or will they be shot from the get go in 3D?'"

I hate to say it but everybody I've talked to say they hate 3D. Maybe Avatar will change their minds.

UPDATE:

The film will not be adapted in 3D.

Comic-Con: Disney 3D Hits Hall H

JUST IN FROM COMIC-CON
From ComingSoon.net:

"ComingSoon.net has gotten into the 6,500 seat Hall H at Comic-Con, and we're waiting for Walt Disney's 3D presentation to begin which will feature new footage from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Disney's A Christmas Carol, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and the action sequel TRON. The panel moderaed by Patton Oswalt should be starting shortly and we'll try our best to liveblog it, although the Wi-Fi in Hall H this year is horrendous!

*Panel just started... place is packed... already lost my 3D glasses... but found them again. Been hearing about how people having arrived and stood in Hall H as early as yesterday afternoon. Some of our colleagues go in line at 7AM and only got in around 11AM.

*Patton Oswalt just came out to host the event wearing 3D glasses. Incidentally, this is indeed to very first 3D presentation in Hall H ever, which may be why it's so packed. Oswalt is definitely winning the crowd over with his jokes.

*First up is A Christmas Carol and director Robert Zemeckis is on hand to present the 3D footage. Oswalt is asking him why he's excited about 3D. They're sitting on high chairs just like on 'Inside the Actor's Studio' and this is a very different setup than in previous years with one large screen in the center of the Hall rather than three smaller screens.

*Jim Carrey plays 8 roles in the movie and they all have pictures of all of them on the screen. Wish I could keep up with Oswalt's jokes, but he's actually giving a fairly good interview with Zemeckis which we'll try to post highlights of later.

*Zemeckis showed an extended scene that includes the footage of Scrooge being visited by the ghost of his late partner Jacob Marley. It starts earlier with Scrooge visiting Marley lying in a coffin with coins on his eyes and signing the death certificate. It then shows Scrooge returning home and walking up the staircase which is glowing eerily in red. The rest of the clip was pretty much what we had seen with the long build-up to the entrance by Marley's Ghost as well as some of the footage that shows the various ghosts, much of which can be seen in the trailer. The 3D footage actually looked better than the same footage we saw in IMAX a few months ago, the smaller screen really bringing out the detail on Scrooge's wrinkled face since it isn't stretched out to fit the larger IMAX screen.

*They've gone to Q n A and Zemeckis is answering a lot of the obvious questions about why he cast Jim and why he decided to do it animated using motion capture. He said that he didn't feel that anytime while doing motion-capture that he thought they didn't have what they needed from Jim Carrey's performance to do what they need to do in animation. He was just asked whether he'd be doing any more live-action movies and right now he's into 'sending this artform out into the world' because he likes the 'control this artform gives the director'.

*Zemeckis was just asked if he'd ever make a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but he said that he 'can't confirm or deny'. He said that the 2D animated characters from the original movie would remain in 2D if he did decide to revisit those characters in a new movie.

*Next up is Tim Burton making his first Comic-Con panel appearance ever and he got a huge round of applause... he obviously has a lot of fans in this crowd. He says that he hasn't been here since he was a college student in the 70s.

*They just showed the character pictures from Alice in Wonderland including Matt ('Little Britain') Lucas' Tweedledum and Tweedledee, which looks like a shorter dumpier version of Lucas. Oswalt has asked him about why he picked Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and they showed concept art for the Cheshire Cat, voiced by Stephen Fry.


*They showed the first teaser trailer which starts out with an image of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and the voice-over, 'There is a place like no other on Earth.' His Mad Hatter walks across the table set up for the Tea Party and towers over Alice saying, 'You're terribly late, you know. Naughty.' The footage accompanied MGMT's 'Let's Pretend' (great choice!) includes a bit of Alice falling down the Rabbit Hole and then we see her walking through a forest, following the White Rabbit, in turn followed by Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the Jabberwocky. A later scene shows the Jabberwocky swooping down and grabbing the twins. After that we see a shot of Alice and Anne Hathaway's White Queen on a terrace looking over the kingdom and a brief look at Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen. We see a few shots of the Cheshire Cat, including one where he's roaring like a lion. The audience goes wild whenever Johnny Depp appears on the screen as the Hatter, throwing his top hat at the camera and laughing maniacally. Towards the end of the footage, we see Alice drinking the potion that causes her to shrink with her voiceover saying, 'That's impossible' and the Mad Hatter responding, 'Only if you believe it is.' Oswalt immediately showed the teaser again to great applause... and a third time!

*Burton says that the movie is based on all of Lewis Carroll's works including the 'Jabberwocky' poem, not just the best known original 'Alice' novel.

*After the brief Q n A, Oswalt asked if he had anything else and he said he brought an 'imaginary friend' and Johnny Depp walked out to HUGE screams from the ladies in the audience. Apparently, Johnny isn't able to enjoy the 3D experience, according to Burton.


*Next is the Tron Legacy panel and apparently, that is the OFFICIAL title for the new film. Director Joseph Kosinski is on hand, as is producer Sean Bailey and Steve Lisberger. From the cast is Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde and of course, the veteran from the first film, Jeff Bridges.

*They just showed concept art from the world of Tron City including a view down from the top of Mile High Tower and a look at the arena for the city's gladiatorial games including an update of Disc War, which features 16 combatants fighting at once and then the courts combining as someone is eliminated to create one giant court for the final battle. They also showed shots of the new Recognizer, the Solar Sailor, the two passenger Light Runner, and the 5th Generation light cycle.

*They just finished filming last week but Joe had cut together a key scene in which Hedlund's Sam Flynn arrives at the old Flynn's arcade which has been abandoned for 20 years. The place has clearly been vacant for a long time and all the arcade games are covered in plastic but he flicks on the power and the jukebox kicks into the opening of Journey's 'Separate Ways' which was in the original Tron as all of the games comes to life. He sees a blue light emanating from the back wall so he walks back towards it and takes the plastic off the game and it's the original Tron arcade game. He takes out a quarter to play but it drops to the floor and he sees a crack on the floor and realizes that it goes behind the console. He pushes the game aside and there's a secret door with blue light glowing from the cracks and he opens it up and walks in.

*French techno band Daft Punk has composed 24 tracks for the movie so far."

WHY COULDN'T I HAVE BEEN THERE?!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND teaser trailer premieres

From ComingSoon.net:

"From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure Alice in Wonderland, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks ona a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonahm Carter and Crispin Glover."

Here's the first teaser trailer:



Does this not totally bend your mind?

UPDATE:

More mind-bending madness!!

New look at ALICE IN WONDERLAND

From ComingSoon.net:

"USA Today has published new images from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland featuring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.... The article explains that the March 5, 2010 release, co-starring Michael Sheen, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas, Crispin Glover, Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman, is almost like a sequel to the original story: The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn't remember."

What a surprise, Johnny Depp looks freaky in a Tim Burt-- WHAT IN THE WORLD?! Man, that's weird!

Burton's wife looks freaky as well but that's expected. Kidding. She did throw me when she showed up bald in Terminator Salvation.

But there is a light at the end of this tunnel! May I present.... Anne Hathaway as the lovely White Queen, not looking weird at all!

Looking just as lovely is the shrunken Alice played by Mia Wasikowska

WHAT THE HECK?! It's Tweedledee and Tweedledum looking like a monster out of Van Helsing!

First Look at ALICE IN WONDERLAND

From ComingSoon.net:

"Disney has launched its new magazine, Disney twenty-three, this week and included is a preview of Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, coming to theaters on March 5, 2010. Posters at The Tim Burton Collective have scanned the article which features a new photo and concept art from the film, starring Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Sheen, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas, Crispin Glover, Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman."

available at - http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=53661

First off, let me say that Mia Waskikowska should change her name to Mia Wowwowwowska! :) Nice lookin' Alice, if I say so myself. This is going to be Tim Burton's next big thing like CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY was in 2005.