First Look at the Song "Belle" from "Beauty and the Beast" as the Cast Begins Their Worldwide Tour in Paris

The cast and filmmakers from Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” including Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Josh Gad, Luke Evans, director Bill Condon and composer Alan Menken, gathered in the City of Light earlier today. Paris is the perfect setting for the launch of the worldwide press tour, as it is France where the story originated.

Plu, watch a clip from the movie and featuring one of my favorite songs, "Belle".

James Earl Jones and Donald Glover Join Disney's Live-Action The Lion King

Acclaimed actors James Earl Jones and Donald Glover have joined the voice cast of Disney and director Jon Favreau’s live-action reimagining of The Lion King. Donald Glover will voice adult Simba, while James Earl Jones will reprise the role of Mufasa, which he made famous in the 1994 animated film. 

The Lion King follows in the footsteps of Disney’s contemporary re-envisioning of some of its most beloved classics with films like Maleficent, Cinderella, and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and debuting in theaters on March 17. In addition, Disney recently collaborated with Favreau on the Oscar-nominated smash hit The Jungle Book.

For The Lion King, Disney and Favreau will build on the groundbreaking technology used in The Jungle Book to bring the story of Simba to photorealistic life. The film’s release date has not been announced.

Jon Favreau on James Earl Jones:

https://twitter.com/Jon_Favreau/status/832754734557601792

https://www.facebook.com/jonfavreau/photos/a.437300899719695.1073741825.345424128907373/1219212638195180/?type=3&theater

Jon Favreau on Donald Glover:

https://twitter.com/Jon_Favreau/status/832747544450998274

https://www.facebook.com/jonfavreau/photos/a.437300899719695.1073741825.345424128907373/1219191354863975/?type=3&theater

Angela Lansbury joins cast of "Mary Poppins Returns"

LEGENDARY PERFORMER ANGELA LANSBURY JOINS CAST OF

“MARY POPPINS RETURNS”

The Sequel to the Studio’s 1964 Film

Stars Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda

And is Directed by Rob Marshall

BURBANK, Calif. (February 17, 2017) – Angela Lansbury has joined the cast of “Mary Poppins Returns,” the all-new sequel to Disney’s 1964 film “Mary Poppins” currently filming at Shepperton Studios. She will feature as the Balloon Lady, a treasured character from PL Travers’ series of Mary Poppins children’s books. The film is scheduled for release December 25, 2018.

A five-time Tony Award® winner and the recipient of an honorary Academy Award®, three Academy Award nominations and bestowed with numerous other accolades, Angela Lansbury’s career encompasses more than 70 years. She is a beloved member of the Disney family and starred in “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and voiced Mrs. Potts in the animated classic “Beauty and the Beast.” Her roles in film, television and theater range from “Gaslight,” “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” “The Manchurian Candidate” and “Death on the Nile” to “Murder, She Wrote,” “Mame,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and “Gypsy.” 

Directed and produced by Rob Marshall (“Into the Woods,” “Chicago”), “Mary Poppins Returns” stars Emily Blunt (“The Girl on the Train,” “Into the Woods”), Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”), Ben Whishaw (“Spectre”), Emily Mortimer (“Hugo”) and Julie Walters (“Harry Potter” films) with Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”) and Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”). The film, which introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), Nathanael Saleh (“Game of Thrones”) and newcomer Joel Dawson, also features Dick Van Dyke.

The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep).

The film is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca (“Chicago”) and Marc Platt (“La La Land”). The screenplay is by David Magee (“Life of Pi”) based on The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers with Marc Shaiman (“Hairspray”) and Scott Wittman (“Hairspray”) writing all new songs and Shaiman composing an original score.

The Walt Disney Studios

For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; and Lucasfilm. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

STAR WARS FORCE FRIDAY II FLIES INTO STORES AROUND THE GLOBE ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2017

STAR WARS FORCE FRIDAY II FLIES INTO STORES AROUND THE GLOBE ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2017

Countdown begins for world-wide release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” products

New product packaging revealed today features trio of heroes: Poe, Rey and Finn

Glendale, Calif. (February 16, 2017) – Disney and Lucasfilm today announced Star Wars Force Friday II, a global fan event celebrating the launch of new products inspired by the highly anticipated “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Toys, collectibles, books, apparel and more will go on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. on September 1, 2017, with stores around the world opening for a weekend-long celebration of all things Star Wars. 

“The first Star Wars Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents in an unprecedented global live unboxing event ahead of thousands of midnight openings at retail,” says Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We’re excited to confirm that Star Wars Force Friday is back for ‘The Last Jedi’. Plans for this year’s world-wide event are top secret but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga.”

Star Wars fans around the globe embraced Force Friday in 2015, with hundreds of thousands turning up to stores at midnight to be the first to get their hands on merchandise from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Toys from the new line were revealed via a global live-stream unboxing event that unfolded over 18 hours, 15 different cities and 12 countries, attracting millions of views on YouTube. Fans took to social media to share their experiences with nearly 3 billion Twitter impressions about the events, using #ForceFriday. 

Jill Wilfert, Vice President of global licensing and entertainment from The LEGO Group comments, “It was so much fun to be a part of Star Wars Force Friday, and we can’t wait for fans to join this year’s celebration as we reveal new ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ products during Force Friday II – a global event that will connect fans and families, and allow them to build, create and share their experiences with others.”

Details of how fans can participate will be revealed closer to the event but the world-wide launch will tap new technology and Star Wars mythology to create a unique experience for fans. Just like 2015, products for “The Last Jedi” will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans. As well as introducing new characters from the movie in toy form, the line will build on the success of products like Sphero’s BB-8, introducing more innovative technology to bring the characters and stories from the film to life in unique ways.

“Toys play a unique role in the Star Wars universe, and we’re proud to have been part of that incredible legacy for the past forty years. The new line for ‘The Last Jedi’ is our most innovative yet, and we’re excited to unveil it on Force Friday II,” said Samantha Lomow, Senior Vice President at Hasbro.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the highest grossing movie of all time domestically and that success was mirrored at retail. NPD^[1] reported that Star Wars was the number one toy property in the U.S. for 2016 and 2015, and that during the week of ForceFriday, $1 for every $11 spent on toys was on a Star Wars item. Additionally, the popularity of the movie propelled Star Wars onto the top ten toy list for both boys and girls for the first time ever in 2015^[2].

Also being revealed today is a first look at packaging for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” products which feature leading heroes: Poe Dameron, Rey and Finn. The trio will be featured on Star Wars packaging beginning September 1, 2017.

Fans can stay tuned to StarWars.com for more details on Force Friday II events, and can follow the conversation on social using #ForceFridayII.

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About Disney Consumer Products and Interactive MediaDisney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that brings our Company’s stories and characters to life through innovative and engaging physical products and digital experiences across more than 100 categories, from toys and t-shirts, to apps, books and console games. DCPI comprises two main lines of business: Disney Consumer Products (DCP), and Disney Interactive (DI). The combined segment is home to world class teams of app and game developers, licensing and retail experts, a leading retail business (Disney Store), artists and storytellers, and technologists who inspire imaginations around the world.

About Lucasfilm Ltd. Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company’s activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

Lucasfilm, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.

^[1] Source: The NPD Group Inc. / Retail Tracking Service, January-December 2016; Weekly Retail Tracking Service, August 30-September 5, 2015

² Source: National Retail Federation / Top Toys list for 2015 holiday season, November 24, 2015