Tag: Disney
-
Meet Elena, Disney’s First Latina Princess
Disney Junior is spinning off its popular “Sophia the First” TV series, and with it, introducing a new princess to the fold: Elena.The teenage Latina princess will star in her own show, “Elena of Avalor,” and will be introduced during an episode of “Sophia.” Elena, per Variety, “has been trapped for decades in the signature jeweled amulet that is one of best-known elements of the current kiddie series.”
The synopsis continues:
In the series, Sofia discovers how Princess Elena was trapped inside the amulet, and sets about to help Elena regain her human form and return to the kingdom of Avalor. Elena was trapped in the jewel after trying to protect her little sister and grandparents from Shuriki, an evil sorceress. The 16-year-old character will rule Avalor with help from characters like Grandfather Tito, Grandmother Cici and Duke Esteban, a royal advisor. She will also have friends: Mateo, a wizard-in-training, and Skylar, a magical flying creature.
Actress Aimee Carrero (ABC Family series “Young & Hungry”) will voice Elena.
“What excites us most is the chance to use distinctive animation and visual design to tell wonderful stories influenced by culture and traditions that are familiar to the worldwide population of Hispanic and Latino families and reflect the interests and aspirations of all children as told through a classic fairy tale,” said Nancy Kanter, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, in a statement.
Elena’s episode of “Sophia the First” is currently in production, and will air sometime in 2016. Her standalone series “Elena of Avalor” will debut sometime later that year.
[via: Variety]
Photo credit: Disney
%Slideshow-221076% -
Chris Pratt Could Play Indiana Jones in Disney Reboot: Report
%Slideshow-263811%
Here’s a juicy bit of scoop: Deadline is reporting that Disney wants to reboot “Indiana Jones” — and wants Chris Pratt in the lead role.According to the site, the studio bought the rights to the franchise from Paramount in 2013, and is eager to make good on that acquisition with a reboot or remake of some sort. And who better to lead it than Disney/Marvel’s newest superstar, Pratt?
Deadline reports that “things are very early,” but Disney “has its sights set” on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star, who they “hope to build the new franchise around.” The site cautions that this is nothing but a rumor at this point, though Pratt continuing his already fruitful relationship with Disney makes plenty of sense.
Stay tuned to see if this pans out.
In the meantime, Pratt is currently starring in the seventh and final season of “Parks and Recreation” on NBC, and can be seen this summer in “Jurassic World.” He’s also rumored to be joining the cast of director Antoine Fuqua’s “Magnificent Seven” remake alongside Denzel Washington.
[via: Deadline]
Photo credit: Associated Press
-
Emma Watson Cast as Belle in Disney’s Live-Action ‘Beauty and the Beast’
There is perfect casting and then there’s this — Emma Watson, best known as Hermione Granger from the “Harry Potter” films (and who has essayed tremendous roles in both “Noah” and “The Bling Ring” in the years since) will star as Belle in Disney’s live action musical version of their groundbreaking “Beauty and the Beast.”What’s interesting about this is that Watson was all set to play the same character in a Warner Bros production entitled “Beauty,” which was overseen by Guillermo del Toro. When del Toro left the project last June, Warner Bros started to waffle and Disney came courting the young star for their version of the story. (According to The Wrap, they did so with del Toro’s blessing.) This is going to be a big musical version of the story, very much in keeping with Disney’s animated feature, the first-ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
This new production is being directed by Bill Condon, who wrote the Academy Award-winning big screen adaptation of “Chicago” and who wrote and directed “Dreamgirls” (it was Condon who pitched the live action version as a straight adaptation of the musical), with a script by “Perks of Being a Wallflower” writer Stephen Chbosky (Watson starred in Chosky’s filmed version of his best-selling novel). This movie is going to be huge; not only was the movie a commercial smash (almost $400 million worldwide in early-’90s dollars) and critical darling (it screened, in an incomplete form, at the New York Film Festival to a standing ovation) but it also inspired a musical that ran on Broadway for more than 5,000 performances (and has been staged in 115 additional cities).
Watson is also really excited, taking to Facebook to proclaim, ” “I’m finally able to tell you … that I will be playing Belle in Disney’s new live-action ‘Beauty and the Beast’! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I’ll get to dance to ‘Be Our Guest’ and sing ‘Something There’. My six-year-old self is on the ceiling – heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can’t wait for you to see it. Emma xx.”
We can’t wait to see it either, Emma!
%Slideshow-408%