Disney announces 'Frozen' with Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents an epic tale of adventure and comedy in “Frozen,” a computer-animated feature film slated for the big screen in November 2013.

Kristen Bell

Directed by Chris Buck (“Tarzan,” “Surf’s Up”) and produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Winnie the Pooh,” “The Princess and the Frog”), “Frozen” features the vocal talents of Kristen Bell as Anna, a young dreamer about to take the adventure of a lifetime, and Tony Award-winning actress Idina Menzel as Elsa the Snow Queen. The movie will feature original songs by Broadway greats Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

In “Frozen,” a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, so Anna (Bell) must team up with Kristoff, a daring mountain man, on the grandest of journeys to find the Snow Queen (Menzel) and put an end to the icy spell. Encountering Everest-like extremes, mystical creatures and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

Pixar announced two new films for 2013 and 2014

At Disney's D23 Expo held this weekend in Anaheim, Calif., the studio announced two new Pixar films slated for release in late 2013 and the summer of 2014.

Bob Peterson

The first, which will be directed by Bob Peterson and produced by John Walker, supposes what the world would be like today if the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hadn't hit the Earth, allowing them to live on and evolve.

The as-yet-untitled film is set for release on Nov. 27, 2013.

Peterson was co-director on the Academy Award-winning "Up," for which he also had story and screenplay credits, as well as voicing the talking dog Dug. He has a long history with Pixar, having served as story artist for "A Bug's Life" and "Toy Story 2," and also worked on the original "Toy Story."

The second untitled Pixar film announced at D23 will explore "a place that everyone knows, but no one has ever seen: the world inside the human mind." Directed by Pete Docter and produced by Jonas Rivera, the movie will be released May 30, 2014. It has been previously reported that Pixar was eying a May 2014 date for a future Pixar release, and it would seem this is it.

Pete Docter

Docter has had his hand in almost every Pixar project, directing "Up" and "Monsters, Inc.," and receiving story credit on "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc.," "WALL·E" and "Up."

The newly announced films will follow fellow forthcoming Pixar projects "Brave" (June 22, 2012) and Monsters University (June 21, 2013), a prequel to 2011's "Monsters, Inc."

Until this summer's "Cars 2," Pixar has enjoyed an almost unbroken string of critical and box office successes. Despite the bump in the road, the studio's track record proves it should be able to easily get back on track.

Can Gore Verbinski justify a $250 million western?

Disney has pulled the plug on director Gore Verbinski's $250 million "The Lone Ranger" and is demanding tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts.

"At World's End" grossed $963 million.

Based solely on Verbinski's record with Disney's "Pirate of the Caribbean" franchise, one might wonder why Disney is so worried. Didn't the first three films directed by Verbinski gross a combined $2.6 billion?

And don't forget that actor Johnny Depp is set to star as the Lone Ranger's companion Tonto. Depp's last two films with Disney--"Alice in Wonderland" in 2010 and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" this year--each grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Looking at the ever-increasing budgets of the first three "Pirates" films--$140 million, $225 million and $300 million--it's understandable that the studio might be concerned with another $250 million project. And since Depp isn't portraying the lead character here, perhaps his star power may not provide quite the bang (no actor has been named to play the Lone Ranger).

Mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer is also attached, as he has been with all four "Pirates" films. But he also helped deliver two less-than-stellar box office results to Disney last summer with "Prince of Persia" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

In the end, however, the decision to take a step back--and perhaps cut their losses altogether--has nothing to do with Verbinski, Depp or Bruckheimer. It has everything to do with the fact that "The Lone Ranger" is a western.

Gore Verbinski trims 'The Lone Ranger' budget, but still millions above Disney's goal

Director Gore Verbinski is trying to salvage his big-budgeted "Lone Ranger" project after Disney pulled the plug Friday.

Johnny Depp

Featuring actor Johnny Depp ("Alice in Wonderland') as the Lone Ranger's companion Tonto and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the project's reported $250 budget million led the studio to halt production.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has reportedly given Verbinski a week to retool the script and cut at least $30 million from the budget. Citing a source, the report states Verbinski has the budget down to around $242 million with the director and Bruckheimer giving up $10 million in fees.

Unfortunately for the future of the project, that seems like the bulk of the cuts Verbinski is willing to make.

Big-budget westerns have not fared well, with last month's "Cowboys & Aliens," a western/sci-fi mash-up, bringing in only $84 million domestically to date on a budget of $163 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

With neither side looking like it's going to blink, the future of the project looks very much in doubt at this point. "The Lone Ranger" had been set for a Dec. 21, 2012, release.

Disney pulling the plug on 'The Lone Ranger'?

Disney has at least temporarily pulled the plug on production of its big-budgeted adaptation of "The Lone Ranger," which was set for released in December 2012.

Johnny Depp

The project features producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp, who teamed together for a little project called "Pirates of the Caribbean."

According to reports, the issue at hand is one of money, namely the large budget, which is in the range of $200 million.

The concern surrounds the fact that the film is a western, which has not exactly lit the box office aflame lately. "Cowboys & Aliens," which was a western/sci-fi mash-up, has brought in $76 million domestically to date on a budget of $163 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Pirates of the Caribbean," on the other hand, includes two of the 10 films to cross the billion-dollar mark. Verbinski directed the first three films of the franchise. He and Depp re-teamed earlier this year for the animated western "Rango," which drew $123 million domestically and $242 million worldwide on a budget of $135 million.

Right now it's not clear if either side will be quick to blink, either Disney and its demands for a smaller budget or Bruckheimer and Verbinski, who seems to be sticking to their guns. Muddying the waters is the fact that Disney needs to keep Depp, who is set to star as the Ranger's Native American companion Tonto, happy so he'll be back for a fifth "Pirates" film.

Incidentally, Paramount Pictures announced this week it is releasing the adaptation of Max Brook's "World War Z" the same weekend as "The Lone Ranger," on Dec. 21, 2012.

Disney planning two Marvel film releases during summer of 2014

Apparently in response to Columbia Picture's announcement last Friday that the sequel to next summer's "The Amazing Spider-Man" will open the 2014 blockbuster season, Disney, parent company of Marvel Comics, has laid claim to two other summer 2014 dates.

According to Deadline, Disney has set release dates for as-yet-unannounced Marvel films on May 16, 2014, and June 27, 2014.

Disney is making plans for 2014.

The film rights to "Spider-Man," like the "X-Men," were not included in Disney's purchase of Marvel and are under the control of Columbia and Fox respectively. Paramount has been releasing the Marvel self-produced films which began with 2008's "Iron Man," but Disney bought the rights to future projects, beginning with next year's "The Avengers."

Disney already has their 2013 arsenal planned, with "Iron Man 3" set for May 3, 2013, and "Thor 2" on July 26, 2013.

The only other film set for the summer of 2014 had been Dreamworks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon 2" on June 20, but included in today's announcement was that Pixar will release a film on May 16, although what that might be is unknown.