disney

Cast of Frozen sings for fans live — and here’s why that’s a big deal

Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell and the rest of the Frozen cast took the stage for a private concert. And that means Disney is finally accepting that sometimes it’s better to let the Broadway singers take central stage — instead of hiding them in the shadows and foregrounding terrible pop-recreations of their movie hits. Bell (voice…

Early Frozen concept art imagined a Snow Queen based on Bette Midler

We know Frozen went through a number of visual and story developments before becoming the tale of two sisters we ultimately saw on the screen. One of those ideas that never came to fruition was a sassy, face-grabbing Snow Queen inspired by Bette Midler. Claire Keane, a former Disney Animation artist who worked on both…

What if Hayao Miyazaki had designed all our consumer goods?

Our world would be a way more wondrous place if Disney and Hayao Miyazaki’s characters littered the logos of our lives. Artist Bruce Yan has created an amazing collection of consumer inspired art that replaces the classic characters with classic Disney, Looney Tunes, Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka characters and more. It’s very clever! Take a look.…

Finally a 3D CG cartoon movie worth a damn: Chip ‘n Dale, Rescue Rangers

We’ve suffered through two Garfields, three godawful Alvin & the Chipmunks flicks, Yogi Bear, and other horrible 3D CG movie remakes of classic cartoons. But the whole irritating phenomenon may be redeemed by this news that Disney is making a new Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers movie. Most kids of the late ’80s probably remember…

Artist perfectly captures genderswapped Disney princesses

Animation student Miyuli decided to spend some time re-designing Disney princesses as their opposite gender. Now what needs to happen is a team up between these and the princesses in their princes’ clothes. Come on, Internet! I have to say, I love the sassy male version of Megara and Jasmin’s counterpart with Rajah. See the…

1966 concept drawing for Disney’s Project X, later known as EPCOT, back when it was imagined to be a fully functioning city. One can easily picture the driverless cars of Magic Highway USA zipping around below. [Designing Disney’s Theme Parks by Karal Ann Marling]

Maleficent trailer transforms “Once Upon Dream” into something evil

The new Maleficent trailer just gave us all sorts of chills. Listen to Lana Del Rey remix the classic Disney love song “Once Upon A Dream” into a eerie tune that promises a lot of problems for Aurora. The new trailer also gives us a good look at Sharlto Copley’s character The King, and Angelina…

If the BBC had been behind Disney’s Great Mouse Detective

It would have looked like this. In all seriousness, though: Looking at FRANKN.STEIN’s post below, it’s hard to imagine someone from the Great Mouse team didn’t have a hand in the whole mustache schtick in Sherlock’s Season 3 opener. [MBC’s ‘BASIL’ by tales to astonish] https://observationdeck.kinja.com/homaging-the-classics-1508823806

People are already drawing fanart of Disney’s next princess

Moana, Disney’s upcoming feature set 2,000 years ago in the South Pacific, doesn’t come out until 2018, but that hasn’t stopped fan artists from sketching up their own visions of the film’s seafaring princess. https://observationdeck.kinja.com/disney-announces-moana-set-for-a-2018-release-1483051984 Top image by Kathryn Hudson. Only one image associated with Moana has come out, and Disney has said that it…

Heart-melting Frozen fanart imagines life after the film

What happens in the Kingdom of Arendelle after the events of Frozen? Artist Vixen imagines castle life years after the film’s closing titles, and it’s pretty adorable. Frozen spoilers below. Vixen’s Frozen fanart series imagines Anna and Kristoff getting married and having a pair of children who very much take after their parents. You can…

Pixar’s Star Wars movie is the best rumor you’ll hear all day

Grab that figurative grain of salt, and then throw it immediately away. Because while the rumor that Pixar has been assigned its own Star Wars movie is indeed only a rumor, it’s frankly too perfect an idea to waste our time worrying whether or not it’s true. Latino Review reported the “news,” although anyone who…

Maleficent is not the creepiest thing in this new Maleficent trailer

I’m going to give those honors to the Polar Express-esque, all-CG, tiny fairy godmothers who flit around to give Princess Aurora her birthdays gifts. I’m going to assume their fairy kingdom is located directly in the uncanny valley, because… eesh. Also: It’s been a looooong time since I last saw Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, but what’s…

What would Disney’s cartoon characters look like as real people?

Once Upon a Time has cast real actors as characters from their princess movies, but one artist has tried to translate the cartoon characters directly into real life in a series of digital manipulations. Can you guess who is who? Karen Graw used features from real people (you may recognize some celebrity features in there)…

Here’s what famous Disney characters would look like in real life

We all know what famous Disney princesses and villains look like in the cartoons and movies but what about in real life? How do their beautifully exaggerated features translate into real humans? Pretty good! Artist Avalonis attempted to make real life Disney characters by piecing together real life famous features as reference points. I think…

Disney is prepping a Frozen live-action musical!

A surprise to no one, Disney is developing a Frozen musical. Does this mean our dreams of hearing Idina Menzel perform “Let it Go” live could come true? Perhaps. In an interview with Fortune, Walt Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger confirmed that Disney is in discussions to develop a show on the recent movie,…

Jessica Chastain transforms into Brave’s Princess Merida

HOLY cow Jessica Chastain looks astoundingly similar to Disney Princess Merida. Disney fairy tale photographer Annie Leibovitz created a pretty compelling recreation of Merida, thanks to Jessica Chastain and a gigantic ginger wig. The similarity is striking — she even has the same smirk! WHERE YOUR DESTINY AWAITS — In a new image by acclaimed…

Disney Villain Perfume Line is Drop Dead Gorgeous

If Disney ever does get into the fancy perfumery business they had better use these brilliant little bottles for packaging. Gaston: a musky cologne with a hint of whisky, tobacco and stag fur. Ursula: a brine infused scent with a touch of sea grass. We could do this all day… These bottle mockups were created…

Disney appoints a group to determine a new, official Star Wars canon

The Expanded Universe as we knew it will soon be no more. Disney has created a special committee whose job it will be to figure out what is and isn’t part of a complete Star Wars canon — meaning all the EU material created over the years will be judged, and either become official or…

The Military Wanted Walt Disney to Build Real-Life Iron Man Suits

In 1965 the American military approached Walt Disney for a very special project. They wanted Disney engineers to build them an exoskeleton—basically a real-life Iron Man suit. The Navy sent a request for proposals to WED Enterprises—Disney’s design and architecture shop, now called Walt Disney Imagineering—hoping that they’d jump at the opportunity. But unfortunately for…

The Clone Wars cartoon will get an ending, courtesy of Dark Horse

Dark Horse may be losing the Star Wars comics license next year, but they’re clearly trying to end it right — including the new announcement that the Clone Wars cartoon will get a real, official ending courtesy of a new four-part comic miniseries, beginning this summer. I don’t need to tell Clone Wars fans that…