By Bryce Garcia

The 84th Annual Academy Awards

The 84th Annual Academy Awards took place on Sunday, February 26, 2012. Walt Disney Studios and Touchstone pictures received a total of eleven Oscar nominations for “War Horse”, “The Muppets”, “Real Steel”, “The Help” and Pixar’s animated short “La Luna”, in a range of categories.¹

“War Horse”, directed by Steven Spielberg, picked up five Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.²

However, on award night, “War Horse” received no love from Oscar, receiving no awards. “The Muppets” picked up an Oscar for Best Original Score for “Man or Muppet.”³

“Reel Steel” was nominated for Visual Effects but did not win. Octavia Spencer won best supporting actress for her role in “The Help.” “The Help”, which was released through Touchstone pictures, also received two other Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Leading Actress.⁴

Lastly, “La Luna” received a nomination for Best Animated Short but also did not win.

 

 

“The Avengers” Assemble on Twitter

Marvel Studios hosted a global twitter chat with the stars and director of “The Avengers” to promote its release on May 4, 2012. Fans used the #Avengers hashtag and @Avengers handle to ask any questions regarding the highly anticipated film.⁵

In addition, fans who participated got a 10-second sneak peak of the 30-second teaser trailer that aired during Super Bowl XLVI, along with many trivia prize give-aways. “The Avengers”, based on the very popular comic book series, stars Robert Downy Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård  and Samuel Jackson, with the direction of Joss Whedon.

 

 

The Annie Awards

Walt Disney Pictures won five Annie Awards, awarded to by the International Animated Film Society on Saturday, February 4, 2012.⁶

The awards included the following:

• “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice”:

• Character Animation in a TV Production (Tony Smeed)
• Character Design in a TV Production (Bill Schwab)
• Music in a TV Production (Grace Potter and Michael Giacchino)
• Storyboarding in a TV Production (Brian Kesinger)

• “Winnie the Pooh”:

• Storyboarding in a Feature Production (Jeremy Spears)

 

“The Lone Ranger” Begins Production 

Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ film “The Lone Ranger” went into full swing of production as of the end of February.⁷

The film stars Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp as spirit warrior Tonto and “The Social Networks’” Armie Hammer in the leading role of the Lone Ranger. Other cast mates include Helena Bonham Carter, William Fitchner, Ruth Wilson, James Frain and Tom Wilkinson.⁸

The film is directed by Gore Verbinski, known for his direction in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” blockbusters and Rango.⁹

In addition, “The Lone Ranger” reunites the very successful filmmaking team of the first three “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, including producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

The summary of the film, given by Disney, taken from www.waltdisneynews.com, says: “ ‘The Lone Ranger’ is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.”

Disney released a first look at “The Lone Rangers”’ principal photography on March 9, 2012. The film is anticipated to release on May 31, 2013.

 

Release of “The Avengers’” New Trailer

On February 29, 2012, Marvel Studios released the new trailer for their upcoming  superhero team-up movie, “The Avengers.”¹⁰

Within 24 hours of its release, the trailer received 13.7 million views, setting a new record for most-viewed trailer on iTunes. The movie will be released world wide on May 4, 2012.

 

New “The Prize” Trailer for “Brave”

Pixar’s newest upcoming film, “Brave”, released its newest trailer at the end of February. The trailer, which is titled “The Prize”, is the longest and most detailed trailer Pixar has released for “Brave”; it has received praise from critics and fans alike.¹¹

The trailer gives its viewers a look into the rebellious princess and archery master, Merida. In addition, the trailer gives viewers a first look at the mother-daughter conflict that has been referred to as a driving point of the film.¹²

With much anticipation, “Brave” is expected to release on June 22, 2012.

 

“John Carter” Flops

Disney’s “John Carter” flopped terribly in box offices its first weekend. The epic sci-fi adventure starring Taylor Kitsch and directed by Andrew Stanton, had a major budget of $250 million, but it failed to bring in audiences.¹³

A statement released by Disney stated: “We expect the film to generate an operating loss of approximately $200 million during our second fiscal quarter ending March 31.¹⁴

As a result, our current expectation is that the Studio segment will have an operating loss of between $80 and $120 million for the second quarter.”

 

 

“The Avenger” Fans See Advance Screening

On April 2, 2012, Marvel studios announced that they will be having an early IMAX 3D screening of “The Avengers” in major cities across the U.S. weeks in advance, specifically for their Facebook fans.¹⁵

The screenings will begin the week of April 12, 2012 and will continue for several weeks up to its worldwide release on May 5. The screenings will be a first-come first-serve basis.

 

Captain America Sequel and “Maleficent”

On April 5, 2012, Walt Disney Studios announced that the sequel to “Captain America: The First Avenger”, starring Chris Evans, will be released April 4, 2012.

The sequel’s story will pick up based upon the events yet to unfold in “The Avengers” on May 4, 2012.

Disney Studios also announced that “Maleficent”, starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent herself, will be released March 14, 2014.¹⁷

The story follows the origins of the infamous Disney villain Maleficent. The film will be directed by Robert Stromberg.¹⁸

 

Upcoming Movies for Disney/ Touchstone (2011)

1. Frankenweenie (2012)
2. The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
3. Brave (2012)
4. Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings (2012)

 

References

¹ http://oscar.go.com/nominees. Retrieved April 1, 2012.

² 84th Academy Awards Nominations, Feburary 27, 2012. http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/779. Retrieved April 1, 2012 

³ Bret McKenzie Won Best Original Song “Man or Muppet”, February 27, 2012. http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/798. Retrieved April 1, 2012.

⁴ “The Help” Star Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, February 27, 2012. http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/805. Retrieved April 1, 2012.

⁵ “Marvel’s The Avengers” Assemble on Twitter. (2012, January 27). Retrieved from http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/780

⁶ Annies for “Prep,” “Pooh”. (2012, February 6). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/782

⁷ Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Epic Adventure “The Lone Ranger” Begins Production. (2012, February 28). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/799

⁸ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/news#ni24760977

⁹ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0893659/

¹⁰ “Marvel’s The Avengers” Trailer Sets New Record With Over 13.7 Million Views n First 24 hours on iTunes. (2012, March 2). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/814

¹¹ Disney Pixar’s Brave “The Prize” Trailer Now Available. (2012, February 29). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/812

¹² Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/02/23/new-brave-trailer-the-prize-shows-off-pixars-best-animation-ever/

¹³ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401729/

¹⁴ John Carter Cost Disney $200 Million After Bombing at the Box Office. (2012, March 20). Retrieved from http://perezhilton.com/2012-03-20-john-carter-200-million-dollar-loss#.T2-NJmJSQiA

¹⁵ “Marvel’s The Avengers” Fans Assemble Worldwide. (2012, April 2). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/859

¹⁶ Captain America Sequel to Hit Theaters on April 4, 2014. (2012, April 5). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/860

¹⁷ “Maleficent” To Hit Theaters on March 4, 2014. (2012, April 10). Retrieved from http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/869

¹⁸ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310/

¹⁹ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/

²⁰ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462769/

²¹ Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/

²² Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217213/