Frozen Songwriters

The Oscars Get Even Cooler with an Original Number from Frozen’s Songwriters, plus More in News Briefs for January 27, 2015

Neil Patrick Harris to Let It Go at Oscars® with Number from Frozen Songwriters

Disney fans already had at least nine great reasons to watch the Academy Awards® and see which Oscars will be handed out to Disney films. But now we can add another reason to our list: Last year’s Oscar winners for best original song, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, are writing an original multimedia musical sequence, “Moving Pictures,” for Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris to perform on the telecast. “We love the Oscars and have always been huge Neil Patrick Harris fans, so when he asked us to write him a song for this year’s show we said, ‘Yes!’ before he could finish the sentence—it’s possible he may have been asking us for something else,” said the Lopezes. “We are having so much fun collaborating, and have even enjoyed weaving our experience as Oscar nominees into the song.” The Oscars will be televised live on the ABC Television Network on February 22 (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT).


 

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Save the Date!

Be sure to mark these upcoming Disney events on your calendar:

D23 and Walt Disney Archives
Fall 2014-2015
D23 Member Nights at Newsies—On Tour
February 8
101 Dalmatians: An Afternoon in the “Spot”-light

August 14-16, 2015
D23 Expo 2015 returns to Anaheim, California

Television
February 6
Miles from Tomorrowland premieres on Disney Channel at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT
February 13
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero premieres on Disney XD and Disney Channel at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT
Parks
March 4–May 17
22nd Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
May 15–June 14
Star Wars Weekends Returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Studios
February 20
McFarland, USA opens in theaters.
March 13
Cinderella opens in theaters.
April 17
Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom opens in theaters.
May 1
Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in theaters.
May 22
Tomorrowland opens in theaters.
June 19
Inside Out opens in theaters (along with the short Lava).
July 17
Ant Man opens in theaters.

Emma Watson
Emma Watson Brings Brains and Beauty to Live-Action Interpretation

Disney princesses have had a pretty big week. Perhaps the biggest news is that not only do we have a new live-action interpretation of an iconic fairy tale to look forward to—Beauty and the Beast—but that Belle is going to be played by Emma Watson, best known, of course, as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise. Beauty and the Beast will be directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Production is expected to begin later in 2015. No release date has been announced, but we’ll share every piece of news about the film as it breaks.


 

Watch a Sneak Peek of Cinderella Here… and See a Longer Preview at Disney California Adventure

Cinderella’s dress… Her ever-so-charming prince… A glass slipper to die for… All of these are on display in the newest spot for Cinderella, called “Midnight is Just the Beginning,” and we’re happy to watch these 30 seconds over and over while we wait for the film’s March 13 release date. But proving that this is just the beginning, lucky for us, the Disney Parks Blog reported this week that guests visiting Disney California Adventure will be able to see an extended sneak preview for the film—including a magical sequence being shown exclusively in Disney Parks. This special presentation can be seen at the park’s Bug’s Life Theater for a limited time, January 30–March 26.


 

Frozen Coming to Disney Cruise Line
Frozen Coming to Disney Cruise Line “In Summer”

The eastern part of the U.S. is cold and snowy this week, so there may be no better time to start thinking about a summer vacation—somewhere warm, somewhere Disney, somewhere… Frozen? Yes—Anna, Elsa, and Olaf will be taking a royal tour of the Disney Cruise Line ships this summer. On board select Disney Magic and Disney Wonder sailings to Europe and Alaska, guests will enjoy a day of frozen fun when the ship is transformed into a winter wonderland. The Arendelle royal sisters and their friends will be part of “Disney Dreams… An Enchanted Classic,” an original production at the Walt Disney Theatre aboard the Disney Magic. Olaf will be available for meet and greets on the Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, Disney Wonder, and Disney Magic; and Olaf’s Summertime Freeze bar on Castaway Cay will feature non-alcoholic specialty frozen drinks like “Sven’s Carrot Delight.” Between these new additions and Port Adventures in Norway, the land that inspired Arendelle, we’ve stopped singing “Let It Go” and we’re singing, “Let Us Go!” Bon Voyage!


 

Wintery-White Frozen-Themed Reception from Disney Weddings
Wintery-White Frozen-Themed Reception from Disney Weddings

Do you want to build a wedding? A Frozen-inspired wedding? Disney Wedding’s Ever After Blog shared a gallery of gorgeous photos that will help you start thinking about your own happily-ever-after event. And check out DisneyWeddings.com for everything you need to plan a dream Disney wedding.


 

Disney Inquizitive App
Disney Inquizitive App Asks All the Right Questions

Do you know which Disney hero you are? We do—we’re Prince Phillip. Which Disney character is your fashion muse? Ours is Anna! These are our results from just two of the many Disney quizzes that are now all conveniently accessed on one amazing app, Disney Inquizitive. New quizzes are added every week to this free app, and you can even connect with your friends on social media to share your results. You can download Disney Inquizitive for iOS in the iTunes App Store.


 

Classic Star Wars Games on GOG.com
Second Wave of Classic Star Wars Games on GOG.com

The upcoming Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, is making us nostalgic for classic titles from the saga—and classic games, as well. Last fall, six Lucasfilm titles were released on GOG.com, and 12 titles are being released in January, including several that are available digitally for the first time ever. Among the latest assortment of games are Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D, and Star Wars Rebellion. Visit GOG.com to view the entire collection and start playing.

Limited-Edition Fawn Doll
Limited-Edition Fawn Doll Coming to Disney Store

Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast will be available on Blu-ray and Digital HD March 3, and Disney Store is already carrying items like an adorable Gruff plush, since the NeverBeast really doesn’t seem so scary at all once you get to know him. But collectors will be super excited about a limited-edition Fawn doll that will only be available in select North American Disney Stores starting Tuesday, February 17 (and online starting Wednesday, February 18). The doll will also be available for purchase in Europe this March. The elegant doll has been styled by Disney Store artists to capture her playful character and is part of the Disney Fairies Designer Collection.


 

Get Ready for 2015’s DCOMs with This New Trailer

Disney Channel Original Movies are always fun—even their shorthand nickname, DCOM, is fun to say. This trailer showcases three upcoming DCOMs, Bad Hair Day, Teen Beach 2, and Descendants, and we can’t wait for all of them to premiere. Bad Hair Day is the first one up, premiering Friday, February 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel; but as this trailer shows, with clips from all three, 2015 is going to be a great year for DCOM fans.