Disney

On the heels of last week’s Aladdin update comes another exciting bit of casting news for another big Disney remake. This time it’s Jon Favreau’s take on The Lion King, which has enlisted Alfre Woodard as the voice of Sarabi — head lioness, partner to Mufasa, and mother of Simba in the upcoming live-action (ish) version of the studio’s beloved animated classic.

According to a recent LOL-worthy rumor, Guy Ritchie was eyeing Tom Hardy to play Jafar in his live-action remake of Aladdin, but today’s news will give your eyes a much-needed break from rolling: Disney has not only lined up an actor for the role of the sinister villain in the upcoming live-action reimagining of their animated classic, but they’ve added a former SNL favorite to the cast, as well.

Even the world's most humble, honey-hungry animated bear can't escape the watchful eye of China's internet censors.

This weekend's D23 convention promises to be filled with loads of Disney news, but the Mouse House got things started last night with a virtual tour of its new Star Wars Land.

A big part of every D23 convention is the Disney Legends Awards, where the company honors its own, celebrating artists and executives who have made major contributions to the Walt Disney Company. This year’s honorees include Oprah Winfrey, Mark Hamill, and the late Carrie Fisher. The Marvel portion of the event honored two of the comics company’s most important creators: Writer and editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Kirby passed away in 1994, so his son accepted his award on his behalf, but Stan “The Man” was on hand to accept his Disney Legends honor. He gave a great speech, and a very emotional one as well.

We’re still waiting for news of the live-action (ish) Lion King, but the franchise’s TV arm has its own brand-new Scar. Lion King sequel series The Lion Guard will borrow a Star Wars Rebels fan-favorite to bring Scar back to life (ish), and we’ve got the first look.

Do you wanna build a snowman... again? Disney sure hopes so, as they announced in a new press release today that their mega-successful Frozen would gain a sort of mini-sequel in an upcoming short to be bundled with Coco. But Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is no ordinary lead-in to the main event; it sounds like quite a bit has gone into the short that Disney repeatedly refers to as a “featurette,” running at 21 minutes and including four new songs, as well as returning cast members Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, and Jonathan Groff. Parents, batten down the hatches, for a new ‘Let It Go’ is close at hand.

Dance Unlimited Performance Company is hosting a night of shopping, Thursday, June 8. It's a fundraiser for team members to dance at Disney next spring, on stage and in a Disney parade! A variety of vendors including Scentsy, Thirty-One, Pampered Chef, LulaRoe, Dot Dot Smile and many more...

Question: Do you want to build a snowman... again?

Hold onto your winter hats, your lightsabers and your whips; Disney just announced the official release dates for 'Frozen 2,' 'Star Wars: Episode IX' and 'Indiana Jones 5.'

Certain as the sun, this Belle figure from Good Smile will turn any dusty shelf into a charming display full of Disney magic.

From horror to comedy to action, here are the must-see films hitting theaters this spring.

Have you ever wondered what Sir Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King soundtrack would sound like if it had been re-recorded by Ozzy Osbourne? Or maybe you’ve always loved the title track from Beauty and the Beast, but thought that Angela Lansbury’s genteel vocals would sound just a hair better if she had the shrieking warble of a demon veering down the highway at 90 miles per hour — you know, like if the artwork from a heavy metal record came to life. If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions or, “What would it sound like if Dokken covered The Little Mermaid?,” then Disney has the album for you.

Aah, remember just three weeks ago when we all thought Disney was about to introduce the studio’s first openly gay character? Director Bill Condon said his live-action Beauty and the Beast remake would feature a character having an “exclusively gay moment,” and described Josh Gad‘s LeFou as someone who both wants to be Gaston (Luke Evans), and kiss Gaston. Then critics saw the movie and found no openly gay character in sight. The investigation continues into what exactly an “exclusively gay moment” is – if anyone has figured it out, please let me know – but it’s certainly not whatever happened at the end of Beauty and the Beast.

Once upon a time, a man with a dream turned a small animation studio into a global empire. Much of that success was built on a series of wildly popular feature films, many of which shared a common figure: A beautiful, heroic princess. The man was Walt Disney and even after he passed away in 1966, his company continued to dedicate much of its creative energy on films (and television shows and untold tons of merchandise) dedicated to princesses. The latest, a live-action version of the studio’s Oscar-nominated cartoon Beauty and the Beast, opens in theaters on Friday. In its honor, the staff of ScreenCrush (and Mousterpiece Cinema co-host Josh Spiegel) decided to rank every single Disney princess in history.

Slowly but surely, Disney is becoming a little more woke. With last year’s politically-minded (and now Oscar-winning) Zootopia, announcements of Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie and first black superhero movie, and making Ava DuVernay the first woman of color to helm a $100 million movie, the studio is adding diversity to their roster little by little. Now the studio has finally decided to feature their first openly gay character in not just any movie, but a remake of a Disney classic.