The Hobbit Delayed

News from Middle Earth and it is not what we want to hear. Last week Sir Ian Mckellen’s via his website announced that shooting for The Hobbit part one and two was to commence in June. Well, that’s all changed, with uncertainty hovering over the project after other cast members suggest the film won’t shoot until the end of the year, they think.


Digital spy asked Andy Serkis on the red carpet for the Empire Awards when filming was due to start, his response was not all that positive. "It is, apparently! At some point towards the end of this year, I expect it'll start kicking off." Expect? A film that by all accounts was set to roll in  two months, which will relocate many of the stars, producers and director for an entire year to New Zealand, is only 'expected' to now start by the end of the year. 


Further adding to the woes off all Hobbites' was the reversal of Mckellen’s website announcement, now saying that the film beginning ‘at a time to be announced’.


The speculation is that MGM, who are the distributors for both forthcoming Hobbit release, are in dire straights financially. Indeed, TORN, the number one website for fans of all thing’s JRR Tolkien, have repeatedly reported the problems surrounding MGM  and how that this difficulty is impeding Guillermo del Toro in getting the films into production. 


As it stands MGM are currently in the process of stripping its assests to any one that is interested in order to their balance the books. This paints a bleak picture for The Hobbit's eventual release date, for as long as MGM remain in financial strain and the films distributor, the film could be delayed even further.


We hope to have more positive news soon.

Maleficent Finds Its Queen?

We reported last week that Disney were pushing ahead with Alice in Wonderland scribe Linda Woolverton to manifest ‘Maleficent’; the retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the titular evil queen. Now rumours stemming from the LA Times place Angelina Jolie as the main contender for the starring lead.

Tim Burton is still currently linked to the project, yet he has remained allusive to signing onto any deals post Alice, with Maleficient one of many possibles.

Nothing is concrete for the moment, but Jolie is reportedly actively following its development. However, It is understood that Jolie [currently to be seen alongside Johnny Depp in the  ‘The Tourist’] may only sign on with the condition that Burton himself is involved as director.

Jolie’s move to Disney would certainly raise eyebrows, if not of only the dad’s taking their young ones to the theatre, certainly the mothers who suddenly want to know why they are not in their customary leaned back, feet up position watching the world go by on a Sunday afternoon. 

Yet, the move would be a benefit for Disney as it would be snaring a 'movie star' very much at the top of the list and at the top of her game. And for Jolie it could potentially bring a more rounded audience view of the star, who is seen more of a dark temptress of Hollywood, rather than an actress.

With the script only just kicking into development, it is safe to say the project is one for the future; so a commitment by Burton could coincide with him working on Dark Shadows or The Addams Family that he is currently circling first.

Review: The Princess and the Frog

Walt Disney classics are just that, defined by their place in a different generation, confined to history. Pixar, have stolen a march on the old master, creating the types of stories that a new Walt Disney generation must delve backwards to discover; The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, and the Lion King are just three possible examples.

However, as The Princess and the Frog plays before your eyes, you would be forgiven in thinking that you had stepped back to the golden era of Disney. Legendary animation writer-directors Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid and Aladdin) have delved into the richness of previous Disney’s releases to produce a fresh and vibrant old-fashioned fairy tale, but set in a modern mould. The aesthetics of the film are impeccable handled and beautifully envisioned using a combination of hand-drawn animation and digital polishing, to bring to life a contender to any other recent animated release.

It is New Orleans in the 1920’s, Prince Naveen has been turned into a frog; our heroine Tiana, believing a kiss would restore him to his stately figure, is also cursed. In order to find a cure, our now amphibious duo must journey through the swarming swamp to find a legendary voodoo witch Mama Odie.

Clements and Musker do not alienate Disney’s latest picture from the roots of instilled its creator. The customary staples are still present:  we have our photogenic heroine, the handsome prince, the unsightly villains and even a fairy god mother, well, kind of.  And not to mention the comic relieve in the form of imaginative excess: a large crocodile who desires nothing more than to plays Jazz.

Spectacle is added through the intersection of storyline and the accustomed song and dance fare. Randy Newman (Toy Story) provides a score that buoys the picture, flowing effortless complimenting, or even enhancing the film; ‘Friend’s on the Other Side’ is truly hallucinogenic. The mixture delivers a resounding endorsement to the Disney ‘brand’ of feature, still having a place amongst modern animated cinema.

But, it is the subtle differences embedded in The Princess and the Frog that allow it to stand up against its precedents.

For a start, in heroine Tiana (Dreamgirls’ Anika Noni Rose) we are led into a characterisation of feminine determination and responsibility; a drive that sees’ her occupy two jobs simultaneously in order to achieve her ambition of opening a restaurant – does that sound like any Disney classic you’ve heard  of? But it rings in true within the context of a modern audience. And the fact that Roses’ Tiana is the first portrayal of an African-American lead in a Disney feature should not be lost in translation. Change is signposted continually.

To emphasise this transition Tiana’s opposite, Prince Naveen, is handsome, loveable and utterly helpless; surviving off the name of a lost generation with no inclination to take responsibility himself. In this film the lead characters’ have flaws, with the themes of wealth and ambition countered with the importance of love and family; a staple that transcends the old, and the new generation Disney.

With the addition of delightfully crafted support characters, such as the air headed best-friend (Jennifer Cody), Louis the jazz playing alligator, Southern firefly (Jim Cummings), and the delightfully demonic Dr. Facilier (Keith David), a villainous foe worthy of any nightmare, what you are left with is The Princess and the Frog: the return of Disney.

The Princess and the Frog delivers; even it may not surpass the older generation classics. Still, it is a vast improvement on the recent output from Walt Disney, combining old staples with vibrancy and a modern re-imagining, to create a fresh enjoyable old-fashioned fairytale with heart.   

Verdict:

****

MATT RICHARDSON

Robin Hood Steals Cannes

Following in the footsteps of UP last year, it has been announced by The Hollywood Reporter that Ridley Scott’s Blockbuster “Robin Hood” will raise the prestigious curtain to the 63^rd Festival de Cannes on May 12.

Cannes President Thierry Fremaux revealed “The choice of the opening night film is always tricky. By choosing Robin Hood, we’ll have a popular movie directed by Ridley Scott, a ‘Hollywood auteur’ whose work is respected throughout the world”. Fremaux added “the film will be released everywhere at the same time it screens in Cannes which will be a great connection between the Festival and audiences all over the world”.

Written by Brian Helgleland, the latest trailers indicate that the new version is an action packed re-telling of the thief-turned-hero of Nottinghamshire. In fact, if you squint at the snippets released it feels very much like Gladiator: The English Years. But that is no bad thing.

Russell Crowe lends his screen presence as the legendary ‘Robin Hood’ alongside a stellar cast including: Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Lea Sedoux and William Hurt. The indications are that Helgleland's incarnation of Robin Hood is an origin story. The film follows the story of an archer in the service of King Richards the Lionherat became to be the outlaw Robin Hood, rather than an established Robin Hood escapade.   

Produced by Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment and Scott’s Scott Free, it will hit out  of competition theatres as it christens this year’s French festival, before being released worldwide by Universal on the 14 May. 

MATT RICHARDSON