Disney release date shifts include The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory

Due to the director issues Disney/Pixar's The Good Dinosaur experienced, they have chosen to shift the release date. It is now delayed over a year past the original date of May 30, 2014 to November 25, 2015. This now makes 2014 the first year since 2005 without a Pixar film.
In addition to this shift, Finding Dory has now been delayed from November 25, 2015 to June 17, 2016. This now makes the next Pixar release to be Inside Out which is slated, as of right now, for June 19, 2015.
Disney has also shifted Maleficent to the original Good Dinosaur date of May 30, 2014 instead of June 2, 2014. Now it won't have to compete with Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.


So to sum this all up... this really sucks. I do not want to wait 3 years for Finding Dory.

Official synopsis for Tomorrowland revealed

We now have a synopsis for the movie that no one seemed to know anything about.

Tomorrowland, the new film by Brad Bird, has been kept under wraps for quite sometime and even escaped the D23 Expo without anything being leaked or spoiled. Here is the just released synopsis:

Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as “Tomorrowland.”

Tomorrowland stars George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, and Britt Robertson. Writers include Damon Lindelof and Jeff Jensen with Brad Bird directing. Bird also co-wrote the screenplay. Production just began with the aimed release date for December 12, 2014.

Star Wars: Episode VII aiming for December 2015?

Possibly.

Disney president Alan Horn basically confirmed a 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII at D23 last weekend. However, there is still no official, confirmed date. Many speculated, including myself, that the release of Episode VII will be anywhere from May to September 2015. However, new rumors are suggesting that Disney is aiming for a December 2015 release. That would put Episode VII far away from the summer blockbuster season.

Now, seeing that we don't even have a start date for production yet it is entirely possible that Episode VII might not make 2015 at all but giving themselves until December might be the best way to guarantee the deadline. Even if they are pushing it. If December does become the official date it will seriously be breaking from tradition as all six previous Star Wars films have been released in May.

It also would put it in competition with, or very close to:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Finding Dory
Kung Fu Panda 3
Inferno
Ant-Man
Bond 24

Movies set for 2015 that still are without official release dates include:

Avatar 2
Jurassic Park 4
Batman vs. Superman
Prometheus 2
Snow White and the Huntsman 2
Ratchet & Clank
Mission Impossible 5
Pitch Perfect 2

Now with that said, if they set a December 2015 release date it is very possible that it could face another major release like Avatar 2 or Jurassic Park 4. If I recall correctly Avatar came out in December of 2009. I highly doubt Batman vs. Superman would be released after summer so I don't think that's possible and I don't think Star Wars would lose to or have decent competition with a movie like Snow White or Pitch Perfect.

This is yet another thing we will just have to wait and see what happens.

Vin Diesel in talks for Guardians of the Galaxy

Despite speculation that Vin Diesel was going to play Vision, Thanos, or Ultron, it seems that he is going to be part of Guardians of the Galaxy. Deadline is reporting that Diesel is in talks to voice Groot, an extraterrestrial plant monster.

News of this came with a rather interesting twist. Diesel apparently changed his Facebook picture to a photo of Groot, but it was quickly taken down and the photo was deleted. Now, this all could be a classic misguided trick by Marvel but I am not doubting it. It probably wasn't announced at D23 this weekend because Diesel hasn't secured any Marvel role yet. We will wait and see.

Guardians of the Galaxy opens on August 1, 2014.

D23 Recap: Marvel presents Phase Two

Disney rounded off a solid second day at D23 in Anaheim, CA with the presentations from Marvel Studios. The films focused on were Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thor: The Dark World is the next release coming this November and some new footage was presented. On site was Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Anthony Hopkins.

"Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself.  In the aftermath of Thor and The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.  Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
It is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962. The film releases November 8, 2013."

Captain America: The Winter Soldier doesn't hit theaters until next April, but we are getting some more tips to the plot. It does indeed follow Captain America with his struggles of coping with the current immorality of the world. On site was Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie.

"After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941. In theaters April 4, 2014."

Guardians of the Galaxy is still fairly new to everything as it began filming less than a month ago, but it came into D23 in style.  A new clip featured Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) attempting to steal an artifact but is disrupted by a trio of guards. The clip also introduced Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Groot, and Rocket Raccoon. There are still no voices for Groot and Rocket Raccoon. In theaters on August 1, 2014.


Aside from those presentations, there was a brief teaser for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. All there was to it was a shot of Ultron's head coming from a reformed, dented Iron Man helmet. Apart from that, Chris Evans confirmed that filming for The Avengers: Age of Ultron will begin in the first week of March 2014.

D23 Recap: Upcoming releases get official logos

Disney revealed some official logos and banners for some upcoming releases as well as a couple plot summaries at D23 today.


Tomorrowland:
This is probably Disney's most secretive film as of right now. It tells the story of an inventor (played by George Clooney) and is said to be an action packed adventure. The only other thing we know is it's set to hit theaters on December 12, 2014.

Maleficent:
This rehash of the Sleeping Beauty story tells the "untold" tale of Maleficent, the evil villain who tries to kill Princess Aurora. The film stars Angelina Jolie in the title role along with Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Juno Temple, Miranda Richardson, and Imelda Staunton. It hits theaters on July 2, 2014.

"A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well."

Muppets Most Wanted:
The sequel to the rather successful  2011 flick starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams will feature Ty Burrell taking the Muppets around Europe on a tour. It hits theaters on March 21, 2014.

"Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. Tina Fey is featured as Nadya, a feisty prison guard."

Saving Mr. Banks:

"When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history. "

Release date confirmed for Star Wars: Episode VII

No official title yet, but we did get something big out of D23 this weekend. We learned the rumor of a summer 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII is indeed true. Previously the time frame was "planned for 2015."

Now... with this we still don't have an exact date. A summer release date gives us a window from June to September. Many are speculating that the release will be right after The Avengers: Age of Ultron which is set for May 1, 2015. The reasoning being that all six previous Star Wars films have been released in May.
Confirming Star Wars for Disney's ridiculously crowded 2015 schedule definitely puts it in a pigeonhole for timing. I highly doubt it will join the July schedule which already contains Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and Independence Day 2. If it doesn't share May with The Avengers, it is possible it could share June with the Disney/Pixar flick Inside Out. In the fall we have Ant-Man and Finding Dory, but both are hitting theaters after summer is technically over. In other words, Disney basically owns 2015.
We also have some Disney projects without official release dates that could be in 2015. These include, but are not limited to, Cinderella and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

My guess will be a late May release date to keep the tradition. Putting it in the later half of the month allows The Avengers to fizzle out a bit and open up some screens for Star Wars to come blazing in. If Disney doesn't pair anything with Inside Out in June, that allows even more time for Star Wars to fizzle before Pirates of the Caribbean comes on July 10th.

Toy Story of Terror premiere date set

The new Disney/Pixar short, Toy Story of Terror, will premiere on ABC this fall on October 16th at 8pm ET.

Returning voice talents for the short include Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Timothy Dalton, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, and Kristen Schaal. Joining the cast is Carl Weathers who will voice Combat Carl and Combat Carl Jr.

The basic synopsis for Toy Story of Terror:

“What starts out as a fun road trip for the Toy Story gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the trip detours to a roadside motel. After one of the toys goes missing, the others find themselves caught up in a mysterious sequence of events that must be solved before they all suffer the same fate in this Toy Story OF TERROR!”

D23 Recap: Pixar presents The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and Finding Dory

The big Disney convention, D23, kicked off this weekend and we had some presentations from Pixar.

First of all, we got confirmation of who will be voicing Dory's parents in Finding Dory. Those special people will be Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton. We also got a key plot detail explaining the film's purpose is following Dory on her quest to find her parents. To be exact:

"The all-new big-screen adventure dives into theaters Nov. 25, 2015, taking moviegoers back to the extraordinary underwater world from the original film. Finding Dory reunites the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the true meaning of family along the way."

Also on board is Ty Burrell (Modern Family) who will voice a young beluga whale. We also got news that the original planned ending for Finding Dory has been changed due to controversy around a recent SeaWorld documentary titled Blackfish. The documentary focuses on the harsh environments on habitat-living aquatic animals. The ending of the Pixar flick apparently ended in a marine park, so now the fish will have the option to leave the park if they choose to do so.
Finding Dory is set to join the big party on November 25, 2015.

Aside from Finding Dory, we got some news on another upcoming film called The Good Dinosaur. The film introduces us to a group of dinosaurs who didn't die from the asteroid and live in harmony with humans. The voice cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Hader, Judy Greer, Lucas Neff, John Lithgow, and Frances McDormand. The Good Dinosaur opens next year on May 30, 2014.

 
In addition, we received news on another Pixar film called Inside Out. It tells the story within an 11-year old girl's mind as she is forced to move to San Francisco. It is directed by Peter Docter who also directed Up. Voices lined up for this one are Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black. Inside Out opens on June 19, 2015, just a few months before Finding Dory.

Star Wars Celebration moving to Anaheim

With the Star Wars Celebration wrapping up in Germany we learned many things. I previously posted (link) about Kathleen Kennedy vowing to stick with a good mix of practical effects and CGI and we can rest assured that J.J. Abrams isn't leaving Star Wars. We also learned the location and dates of the next Star Wars Celebration.

Yes indeed, the next Celebration will take place in Anaheim, CA at the Anaheim Convention Center from April 16-19, 2015. As you may have noticed, this was chosen specifically to coincide with the Summer 2015 release of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Another reason could be, but isn't confirmed yet, is possibly to lineup with the announcement and/or opening of a Star Wars themed land or park at Disneyland in Anaheim. That is due to the fact that the Anaheim Convention Center is approximately a 5min walk from Disneyland. It has been rumored for a while now but the likelihood of this happening shot sky high after Disney purchased Lucasfilm and announced Episode VII. The rumors as of right now are Disney will be announcing either the conversion of Tomorrowland to Star Wars land or opening a third gate park specifically dedicated to Star Wars and other franchises such as Avatar and Marvel (The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, etc.). Said announcement(s) are apparently going down at the D23 Expo in a couple weeks. 

Either way... I just might have to save up and kill two birds with one stone in 2015 and head to Anaheim.