We’re now only a few weeks away from the release of Disney’s newest addition to the successful Fairies franchise, The Pirate Fairy. As we reported in January, this installment will introduce a new character, Zarina, voiced by Christina Hendricks (TV’s Mad Men). Disney has now released an extended clip showcasing the chief conflict in the movie—a scene in which Zarina steals the blue pixie dust and takes it to a band of pirates.
Like it or lump it, the Disney Fairies franchise’s newest addition, The Pirate Fairy, which releases April 1st is the latest swashbuckling successor. Disney has enjoyed a good deal of critical and monetary success from the Fairy films, even though they have been direct-to-video releases. Tinker Bell, the first of the CG films based in Pixie Hollow, has an 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating. For The Pirate Fairy, Disney has something else to be proud of, having netted the highly acclaimed fashion designer Christian Siriano, who was the youngest winner of Project Runway and whose brand is worth millions in revenue to date, to work on character design.
John Lasseter, Disney’s chief creative officer, announced new films today coming from Disneytoon Studios, Disney’s direct-to-video division during his epic “Art and Imagination: Animation at The Walt Disney Studios” presentation Friday, August 9 at the D23 Expo 2013. First up were two new films from Disneytoon’s Fairies label: The Legend of the Neverbeast and The Pirate Fairy followed by a sneak peek at 2014’s Planes sequel Planes: Fire and Rescue.
The English-language dub version of Studio Ghibli’s 2011 film From Up on Poppy Hill opens today in New York and will expand to Los Angeles and other select U.S. cities later this month. The official theater list and current U.S. release schedule is available on the film’s Facebook page. The English-speaking voice cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Anderson, Bruce Dern, Christina Hendricks, Aubrey Plaza and Beau Bridges. The film is being distributed in the U.S. by GKIDS Films.
Animation Fascination 