Here’s a variety of news bits about Disney and Pixar’s future slates that I’ve neglected to comment on in the last couple months that I’ve still wanted to point out. So here we go.
- Pixar’s The Bear and the Bow was renamed Brave, which was apparently the film’s early codename. The film is written and directed by Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt). The movie’s logline: “In rugged and mythic Scotland, the impetuous, tangle-haired Merida (Reese Witherspoon), though a daughter of royalty, would rather make her mark as an archer. A clash of wills with her mother compels Merida to make a reckless choice, which unleashes unintended peril on her father’s kingdom and her mother’s life. Merida struggles with the unpredictable forces of nature, magic and a dark ancient curse.” Brave will be released on June 15th, 2012.
- Pixar’s newt has reportedly been canceled, or at least shelved for the time being. That project was being directed by Gary Rydstrom (Lifted).
- Monsters, Inc 2 is officially happening, and targeted for a November 16th, 2012 release date. Absolutely no details have been revealed, but my bet is on Bob Peterson being the director.
- Cars 2 has returned to its June 24th, 2011 release date after a brief delay to that December.
- Disney has seemingly revived Joe Jump as Reboot Ralph. This project has been in various stages of development for about a decade. It was originally shepherded by Sam Levine, but has undergone major changes as Rich Moore (The Simpsons, Futurama) stepped in with his own take on the material, hence the new title. Reboot Ralph is set for March 22nd, 2013.
- Disney’s King of the Elves, based on one of Philip K. Dick’s forays into fantasy, has been pulled from the release schedule for retooling. Like a lot of projects at Disney, we’ll probably see this one again, sooner or later.
- Discovery Channel will be premiering a special called Reign of the Dinosaurs that involves “top creative talent” from Disney and Pixar to bring to life the most recent paleontological discoveries while involving some kind of “Hollywood storytelling.” It’s not very clear what kind of special this is or what roles Disney and Pixar are playing. This is set for the 2010-11 season at some point.
With all that said, here’s the known schedule for animated films from Disney and Pixar:
- Toy Story 3 (June 18th, 2010)
- Tangled (limited – November 12, 2010, wide – November 24th, 2010)
- Cars 2 (June 24th, 2011)
- Winnie the Pooh (July 15th, 2011)
- Frankenweenie (November 2011)
- Brave (June 15th, 2012)
- Monsters, Inc 2 (November 16th, 2012)
- Reboot Ralph (March 22nd, 2013)
