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The Lion King film cast list has been confirmed… and it includes Beyoncé!

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The Lion King film cast list has been confirmed… and it includes Beyoncé!

Prepare yourself. Disney has released the official cast list for the 2019 remake of The Lion King and, boy, is it good.

Late last night (Wednesday 1 November), Disney announced the 14 leading cast members for its adaptation of the Academy Award-winning animation.



Donald Glover was previously confirmed as Simba, but now the full cast has been unveiled and it looks like he’ll be joined by one hell of a line-up.

Beyoncé fans will be delighted to hear that their one and only Queen Bey will be starring as Simba’s best friend Nala, while James Earl Jones will take on the role of the mighty Mufasa. Also welcomed to the lion family is Alfre Woodard, as Simba’s mother Sarabi.

And we know you’ve all itching to know who will be playing Simba’s evil uncle, Scar… Well, as had been rumoured, the brilliant Chiwetel Ejiofor will be taking on that role, and we’re sure he’ll do a fantastic job. He sure played the villain well in Marvel’s Doctor Strange!

Comedians Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will play the hilarious Pumbaa and Timon, while John Oliver has been confirmed as Zazu.

And that’s not all! Emmy nominee Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre as Azizi, John Kani, Florence Kasumba also all star in the exciting new, updated film.

If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, music legend Hans Zimmer will be returning to add new music to his original 1994 score.

Now all we have to do is count down the days until the film arrives in 2019. *weeps*

Disney’s The Lion King lands in cinemas July 19, 2019

Toy Story 4 release date revealed

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Toy Story 4 release date revealed

Disney fans, get your diaries at the ready because the release date for Toy Story 4 has officially been confirmed!

The conclusion to the third Disney Pixar film made it seem like we would be saying goodbye to the Toy Story characters forever, but we’re delighted to hear a fourth movie is definitely in the makes.

This time around, Woody and Buzz will be going on an adventure to find Bo Peep; a character who was noticeably missing from the gang in Toy Story 3…

The release date for the sequel has now been announced, and unfortunately fans are going to have to wait a little while to be reunited with the beloved Disney crew.

The official release date is set to be two years from now, on June 21 2019.

John Lasseter, who directed the first Toy Story movie in 1995, is returning to work on the fourth instalment, and has talked about what we can expect from the next film.

“We love these characters so much; they are like family to us,” he said. “We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before.

“Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz’s story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie.

“But when Andrew, Pete, Lee, and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie—and I wanted to direct it myself.”

Disney’s announcement said the new movie will “open a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the Toy Story gang.”

Toy Story 4 lands in cinemas June 21 2019.

Spider-Man is getting his very own channel

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Spider-Man is getting his very own channel

Great news, Spider-Man fans! Your favourite superhero is getting his very own channel, so you can now watch him in action all day, every day!

Today, Disney Channels UK and Ireland announced the exciting news it will launch a Marvel Spider-Man takeover on Monday, July 3rd. The takeover will run for the course of the month on the Sky and Virgin Disney XD +1 channels and wall-to-wall Spider-Man content will be available to watch 24 hours a day.

Highlights will include the world premiere of six Spider-Man Origin shorts, as well as a Spider-Man Homecoming 15-minute movie special.

Additionally, every single episode of Ultimate Spider-Man ever made will air during the month-long takeover.

David Levine, General Manager of Disney Channels UK and Ireland said: “This is the first time that we have created a takeover dedicated to Spider-Man, arguably one of the most popular characters from the Marvel universe and one of Stan Lee’s most venerated creations.

“The wall-crawler continues to draw kids to Disney XD so what better way to pay tribute to his genius than by giving him his own channel throughout the month of July when the whole world will be going Spidey crazy.”

Marvel Spider-Man takeover will be broadcast on Disney XD +1 from July 3-30 in the UK (Sky 608 and Virgin 708). 

The release date for Frozen 2 has finally been revealed

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The release date for Frozen 2 has finally been revealed

The release date for the highly anticipated Disney film Frozen 2 has finally been unveiled.

Can’t we just skip a year and jump straight into 2019 already? It’s going to be a seriously exciting year for all us Disney fanatics.

Both Frozen 2 and the live action remake of the 1994 classic The Lion King are set to land in cinemas in 2019 and now the exact release dates have been announced on Twitter.

Viewers will be reunited with favourite characters Elsa, Anna and Olaf when the Frozen sequel comes out on November 27, 2019.

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The exciting announcement was made by Kristen Bell, who is the voice of Anna. The Disney Princess tweeted: “Quick weather forecast from your favourite disney princess’ sister: Theaters are gonna get Frozen on November 27, 2019.”



The actress recently talked about whether a live action remake of Frozen could be on the cards. Bell said: “I think in maybe 10 or 15 years, when sadly we’re all too old to play the roles, that would be cool, much like they did with Beauty And The Beast.”

Meanwhile, another release date was revealed by director Jon Favreau, who is creating the Disney adaptation of The Lion King.

The director shared the news simply by tweeting a picture of the release date, which will be on July 19, 2019.

Favreau was also behind the live action version of The Jungle Book back in 2016, which was incredibly well-received by fans and critically acclaimed for its ground-breaking graphics.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Lion King might have already nabbed two cast members already. Comedians Seth Rogen and Billy Eicher are reportedly in talks to voice Timon and Pumbaa in the remake. If the rumours are true, the pair will join Donald Glover as Simba and James Earl Jones who is voicing Mufasa for the second time.

Frozen 2 will land in cinemas November 27, 2019.

The Lion King will land in cinemas July 19, 2019. 

Disney producer reveals how Frozen ended in the original draft

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Disney producer reveals how Frozen ended in the original draft

Producer Peter Del Vecho has revealed how the hugely successful Disney film Frozen could have ended pretty differently…

The ending, and its emphasis on sisterly love, is one of the main reasons why Frozen is so widely adored. However, it wasn’t always going to play out that way. In fact, Peter Del Vecho has now uncovered the very different story that was in the original draft.

Peter said: “So Anna was not a princess. Elsa was a self-proclaimed Snow Queen, but she was a villain and pure evil — much more like the Hans Christian Andersen tale.

“We started out with an evil female villain and an innocent female heroine and the ending involved a big epic battle with snow monsters that Elsa had created as her army.”

He added: “We learn Elsa is a scorned woman; she was stood up (by Hans) at the altar on her wedding day and froze her own heart so she would never love again.

“Both Elsa and the audience assume she’s the villain from the prophecy.”

Apparently the film originally then ended with Elsa unleashing snow monsters on Anna, with Kristoff soon coming to the rescue. Hans triggers a massive avalanche to kill everyone, so Anna persuades Elsa to use her powers and save them. Elsa’s heart then thaws, and she is finally able to love again.

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However, something just didn’t seem quite right…

Peter continued: ‘The problem was that we felt like we had seen it before. We had no emotional connection to Elsa — we didn’t care about her because she had spent the whole movie being the villain. We weren’t drawn in. The characters weren’t relatable.

“That led to making Elsa a much more dimensional sympathetic character, and instead of the traditional good vs. evil theme we had one that we felt was more relatable. Love vs. fear, and the premise of the movie became that love is stronger than fear.”

The producer told Entertainment Weekly: “One of the things Chris Buck had in most versions of the film was a moment where Anna’s heart was frozen and needed to be thawed. Chris said, “Does it always need to be true love’s kiss that solves that problem? Does it always have to be the man who comes in and rescues the female? Could it be something different?” and that led to a different ending.

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“Now that they’re related, Elsa had her own fear and it was Anna who would save the day instead of Elsa by rescuing her sister — and it would be that selfless act that thawed Elsa’s heart.

“That allowed us to isolate Hans and Elsa from Anna searching for Kristoff through the mist. That way we can reveal Kristoff just moments before we reveal Elsa to Anna, and it allowed the timing we needed.”

The creators knew at once that the story had come together, with the final draft receiving a standing ovation after artist John Rippa brought it to life on screen.

N’aww.

WATCH: The moment Belle falls in love in new Beauty and the Beast clip

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WATCH: The moment Belle falls in love in new Beauty and the Beast clip

Disney’s highly anticipated remake of Beauty and the Beast is finally arriving in cinemas this Friday (March 17), and fans have been given a taste of what’s to come in an all-new video clip.

Ahead of the film’s release, Disney has dropped a 46 second clip from the upcoming, live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. And it’s the cutest thing ever.

The video shows the moment Belle falls in love with the Beast, and features vocals from Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as they sing the original classic “Something There”. You can watch the clip in full below:

Earlier this week, Emma Watson revealed why she rejected La La Land to play her lead role as the Disney Princess.

Speaking on Lorraine, the Harry Potter actress revealed exactly why she chose not to play the female lead in Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The star explained how she had turned down the job offer in order to fully commit to her role as Belle.

She said: “I was saying before it’s like you can’t half-arse a project like this, you know, you’re in or you’re out. And I was like I’ve kinda got to be all in and so this was really where my heart was and I knew I had to fully commit and make sure that I did this.”

Emma also emphasised the importance of creating films that make people smile. She said: “For me it’s so important to have films that are just pure joy. And that’s what this film is. It’s pure joy.”

Beauty and the Beast will hit theatres Friday March 17.

Ariana Grande and John Legend release video for Beauty and the Beast cover

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Ariana Grande and John Legend release video for Beauty and the Beast cover

Get ready for goosebumps, because Ariana Grande and John Legend’s Beauty and the Beast music video has landed.

The “Tale As Old As Time” tune was originally sung by Angela Lansbury for the 1991 animated Disney classic and now the magical song has been brought back to life with Ariana Grande and John Legend’s cover.

The track will feature as the theme song in the upcoming Beauty and the Beast adaptation this March and, although the film’s soundtrack was released in February, this is the first time fans have been able to see the video for the movie’s main tune.

The video sees John Legend doing what he does best as serenades us at a grand piano, whilst Ariana Grande looks every bit the Disney princess as she stands among a flurry of dancers in an extravagant, red ballgown.

And blimey, those vocals! Ariana and John sure know how to belt out a duet that will hit you straight in the feels.

Harry Potter‘s Emma Watson recently admitted that, although she was “excited” about her upcoming role as Belle, she was somewhat nervous about singing the musical numbers.

She said: “It’s so crazy. I was so excited. It was nerve-wracking for me because I’ve sung as a child in plays and I loved it, but I just hadn’t done it in such a long time, it was like learning to ride a bike again.”‘

Beauty and the Beast will hit theatres on March 17.

Ben Whishaw cast as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins reboot

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Ben Whishaw cast as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins reboot

London Spy star Ben Whishaw is set to build upon his already prestigious filmography by joining Emily Blunt in Disney’s Mary Poppins reboot. Currently in talks to play a grown-up version of Michael Banks in the new film, Whishaw will play a key figure in the new story, which is said to pick up 20 years after the events of the 1964 original film.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, when Banks experiences a personal loss and sees the return of his big sister Jane, it heralds the arrival of the magical Mary Poppins (Blunt), who teams up with her lamplighter friend Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) to help the family.

The new movie, titled Mary Poppins Returns, is under the direction of five-time Tony Award nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods), and will inevitably feature much singing and dancing. While we haven’t seen that side to Whishaw in his best known roles in Paddington, The Lobster, or the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre, he has previously flaunted his singing chops as Ariel in The Tempest (2010).

Rumour also has it that Meryl Streep, who has previously worked with Whishaw in Suffragette, and with Marshall and Blunt in Into the Woods, is in talks to join the talented cast.

Mary Poppins Returns will shoot in early 2017 in London, and is currently scheduled for a December 25th 2018 release date.

Channing Tatum to play a mermaid in Disney’s Splash remake

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Channing Tatum to play a mermaid in Disney’s Splash remake

Well, this is something we never expected to happen… Channing Tatum is set to take on the mermaid role made famous by Daryl Hannah when Disney remakes the 1984 fantasy classic Splash.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are working on a modernised version of the original movie, in which Tom Hanks played a man who had been saved from drowning by a beautiful mermaid in his childhood. Now, the new film will flip the gender roles upside down, with Tatum as the mermaid/merman, and his 22 Jump Street co-star Jillian Bell taking on Hanks’s character.

Marja-Lewis Ryan, who is currently writing Free Association’s HBO College pilot Unsupervised, will write the script, which we imagine will be absolutely hilarious judging by everyone involved in the project.

Tatum recently made a scene-stealing guest appearance in Bell’s raucous sitcom Idiotsitter, and can next be seen in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, while Bell will soon star in Office Christmas Party, which we already have earmarked as the comedy hit of the festive season.

Stay tuned for more developments on Splash as we hear them!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sofia Carson talks Adventures in Babysitting and NAILS our Disney Quiz

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sofia Carson talks Adventures in Babysitting and NAILS our Disney Quiz

How many of us can admit to intentionally trying to screw over our babysitters? They’re usually naive, bored, and definitely doing it for the money, not the joy of responsibility. Worse still, how many of us can admit to being the bored babysitter? You’ve only promised to ensure their kids survive the night with the hope that you can watch TV all night with an endless supply of snacks.

This is the hellish night that Sofia Carson is in for as Lola Perez in the new Disney Channel Original Movie: Adventures in Babysitting. And boy, what an adventure it is.

This fresh and action-packed film pays homage to the 1980s classic of the same name with all of the crazy shenanigans and mishaps reimagined for a younger generation. The film follows Lola (Carson) and Jenny (Sabrina Carpenter), two teenagers with incredibly different personalities, as their night of babysitting turns disastrous. After the girls accidentally switch phones, free-spirited wild child Lola grabs the chance to earn some extra cash babysitting the Anderson kids, whilst dependable Jenny sets off to babysit the Coopers. When one child sneaks off to a concert, the girls are forced to team up and head into the big city to try and get everyone tucked up in bed before mum and dad get home… if only it were that easy.

Sofia Carson is a triple threat like no other. Training in vocal performance and dance since the age of three, Sofia has won numerous awards for her talents. She is best-known for her role as Evie – daughter of the Evil Queen – in Descendants, a Kenny Ortega-directed musical fantasy which follows the lives of four Disney villain’s children. Sofia’s rendition of the film’s iconic song, “Rotten to the Core” has racked up over 61 million views on YouTube.

Earlier this year Sofia was named Disney’s “Next Big Thing” after signing to Hollywood Records and Republic Records. Following in the footsteps of Fifth Harmony and Shawn Mendes, as the “NBT” she will be featured in Radio Disney’s popular multi-platform program that champions young recording artists, showcasing their developing career and personal journey as they pursue their musical dreams. Sofia recently released her debut single, “Love is the Name”, and her album comes out in 2017. As if her schedule wasn’t full enough, she is nine classes away from completing her diploma at UCLA. How this girl has time to breathe, we don’t know.

SOFIA CARSON

Somewhere in between studying for class, writing songs, and watching Moulin Rouge, Sofia sat down with us to discuss Adventures in Babysitting. Although she professes she’s “never been cool or effortless in anyway” she comes across as incredibly put together; she reels off full and detailed answers like only a trained Disney Channel performer could, but she does it with such a dazzling smile and buckets of charm that she is forgiven for her over-polished responses.

Sofia gives us the low-down on what it’s really like working with all those kids (and a ferret), reveals some gossip about Descendants 2, and proves herself as a Disney prodigy in our quotes quiz. Take a look:

Adventures in Babysitting premieres on Disney Channel at 5.30pm on Friday 15th July. 

Sofia Carson’s ‘Love is the Name’ is Out Now

2016 (P) Hollywood Records, Inc.

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