Today, April 17, The Walt Disney Company held a presentation at CinemaCon–one of the largest movie conventions. We now bring you a recap of all the animation-related announcements! Get ready, Disney geeks!
First things first. Pixar’s Monsters University was screened in its entirety (but not the final cut), receiving a great response. Non-spoiler reviews say that while it isn’t as innovative as the original Monsters, Inc. (which introduced us to an all new world), the portrayal of college culture and the resulting charm, wit, heart and humor make for a great movie. It releases June 21 this year.
Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur is confirmed for summer 2014. Disney execs said that it would make you forget about the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. Also with a confirmed release date is Inside Out (or the Pixar movie that takes you inside the mind). It will hit theaters in June 19, 2015.
Finding Dory is, as we know, set for November 2015. So Pixar definitely has two movies set for 2015.
Part of the “sizzle reel” were November 2013’s eagerly anticipated Frozen (just a couple of scenes, so expect a trailer very soon!), which people are calling the “new Tangled”. Seriously? Just a couple of scenes? It’s about time we see SOMETHING! As always, I wish Disney would ramp up the promotion for this movie if they indeed want it to be a Tangled-sized hit.
NON-ANIMATION NEWS: Animation wasn’t the only focus at CinemaCon, Disney also gave us info on upcoming movies throughout next year. Audiences were given an extended look at this summer’s The Lone Ranger. New scenes from Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Maleficent, The Muppets…Again! (which recently wrapped up filming), Saving Mr. Banks and the newly announced Tomorrow (the Tomorrowland movie) were part of the “sizzle reel” that Disney showcased. In major Star Wars news, Disney announced that a new Star Wars film will release every summer starting in 2015 with Star Wars: Episode VII.
Other movies lightly touched upon include Antman, The Avengers 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Fifth Estate, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
So basically it was the Marvel show, with Pixar getting a little promotion too. Of course, this isn’t the first and last convention, just wait for Comic Con and D23, where Disney animation gets a greater spotlight. But hey, it’s good to know the awesome things that are going on at the Mouse House, right?