If there was an award given at CinemaCon this year for the largest slate of films to run through, it would probably go to Disney but that’s really no surprise given that they’re comprised of Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, 20th Century Studios, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. Throughout this presentation, The Mouse House covered the likes of a live action take on LILO AND STITCH, FREAKIER FRIDAY, DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE, THE ROSES, THUNDERBOLTS, FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS and, THE AMATEUR. They even covered AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY if ever so briefly. That said, here’s a look at 5 Disney sizzles that left the biggest impressions on us as this epic presentation came to a close.
PREDATOR: BADLANDS
Some folks might shiver at the thought of a Disneyfied take on PREDATOR but it seemed to work out okay with PREY so we’re willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt. Bonus points that PREY director Dan Trachtenberg is returning to helm BADLANDS. Even more points to Disney/20th Century Studios for giving this one a proper theatrical release, too! PREDATOR: BADLANDS co-star Elle Fanning was on hand to tee up the premiere of the trailer and it was pretty damn great! This latest PREDATOR entry looks to be putting a nifty little spin on the franchise by telling its story from the Predator’s perspective. More specifically, a Predator who was booted from his clan. Ultimately, this particular Predator sets out to prove himself worthy after landing on a remote planet where he reluctantly teams with an android (played by Fanning). This looks like a whole lot of fun and I’m hopeful that Trachtenberg will deliver the goods yet again.
ELLA MCCKAY
As far as I’m concerned, James L. Brooks is a national treasure and this goes way beyond his legendary television work. We’re also talking about the man who gave us BROADCAST NEWS and AS GOOD AS IT GETS. It’s been a great while since we’ve seen a movie from this legend but now, he’s back with ELLA MCCKAY. Brooks was on hand at CinemaCon this year where he was honored with the Cinema Vérité Award. It was a thrill seeing in person and in fact, it was one of the highlights of the convention for me. We were also the first audience to see the trailer. ELLA MCCKAY features the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Albert Brooks, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, and Kumail Nanjiani in a story that revolves around the title character (played by Emma Mackey), a young, idealistic woman navigating family, work, and life in general. ELLA MCCKAY looks just like the kind of winning character comedy/drama you’d expect from Brooks and I couldn’t be any more excited to see it when it opens this fall.
ZOOTOPIA 2
ZOOTOPIA may not be the kind of animated feature you were expecting a sequel to but I suspect a lot of folks (me included) forgot what a huge hit it was when it was released back in 2016. So, I suppose the fact that it’s getting a sequel isn’t as surprising as the fact that it took nearly 10 years for that to happen. Ke Huy Quan (Short Round of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, Data of THE GOONIES, and Waymond Wang of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar) was on hand to talk about his role as a venomous snake in the decade-in-the-making sequel. An affable Quan also shared a couple of clips from the film and I have to tell you…It’s looks colorful, charming, and high energy. Of all the animated film footage saw during this presentation, this was the footage that impressed me the most. ZOOTOPIA 2 will drop in theaters this holiday season and it’s safe to say it’s going to be a monster hit.
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
Truth be told, I’m not the world’s biggest AVATAR fan but I am one of the world’s biggest James Cameron fans. Furthermore, I respect the pushing of the technical envelope and I also respect the fact that Cameron makes the biggest of movies for the biggest of screens. Therefore, I wasn’t about to leave this bad boy off of the list. Because Cameron is still knee deep in post on FIRE AND ASH, he couldn’t be at CinemaCon this year but he did send along a recorded message. In the recording, he talked about his love of Pandora and his passion for this franchise. He then went on to treat viewers to the world premiere of the trailer in 3D. And yep…It looks like an AVATAR movie. This sequel looks to serve as a direct continuation of THE WAY OF WATER which makes sense as both that film and FIRE AND ASH were shot at the same time. Those vibrant Pandora vistas and meticulously crafted action sequences were on full display in the trailer and while it’ll be an uphill battle for this movie to pull in the 2 billion plus dollars that the last two entries capped out at, you can never bet against a guy like Cameron. There’s a reason that 3 of his films grace the top ten highest grossing films of all time list. It’s because he’s James freakin’ Cameron! AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH opens this December.
TRON: ARES
Like TRON before it, TRON: LEGACY didn’t exactly set the box-office ablaze, but it developed a big enough cult following that several years later, we’re finally getting TRON: ARES. Gone is LEGACY director Joseph Kosinski (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) and in his place is PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES director Joachim Ronning. Also missing…Daft Punk. That said, if you can’t get Daft Punk back to score your TRON movie, you can do a hell of a lot worse than Nine Inch Nails! Admittedly, Nine Inch Nails is a big draw for me where this movie is concerned and deep down, I think I was secretly hoping that Reznor and crew might show up and do a couple of live tunes during this presentation. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. That said, stars Jared Leto and the Dude himself, Mr. Jeff Bridges, were both on hand to chat about the making of the film before debuting a brand new trailer and I have to admit…It looks pretty damn spectacular! The big selling point here is that the computer programs (led by Jared Leto’s Ares) come into the real world and we got a taste of that in this new clip. Whether TRON: ARES is a breakaway hit or more of a cult title like its predecessors remains to be seen, but this certainly looks like the kind of movie filmgoers are going to need to see (and hear) in a movie theater! It opens this fall and I can’t wait to see it!
*CinemaCon is an annual convention held in Las Vegas, NV. Formally ShoWest, this get-together is designed to give cinema exhibitors from around the world a peek at upcoming movie theater tech, theater cosmetics (seats, screens, etc.), snack bar upgrades, concession goodness, and of course, big studio product. The convention takes place at Ceasar’s Palace with the majority of the studio presentations taking place in the luxurious Colosseum.
