“AVENGERS” SEQUEL, “CINDERELLA” Lead DISNEY'S 2015 Film Line Up

Walt Disney Studios Philippines will release nine movies in 2015, led by Marvel's “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the live-action “Cinderella” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the first Star Wars installment since 2005.

Disney's opening film for the new year will be Rob Marshall's “Into the Woods,” already a December blockbuster in the U.S. and stars Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine and Emily Blunt. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel — all tied together by an original story.

In March, “Cinderella” will get the live-action treatment, the way Disney brought fantasy characters like “Maleficent” and “Alice in Wonderland” to the bigscreen. “Cinderella” is directed by Kenneth Branagh and features Lily James (“Downton Abbey”) and Cate Blanchett.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” will start its box-office campaign in April. The sequel will once again feature the team-up of superheroes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, with some new additions. The team must reassemble to defeat Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. The first “Avengers” earned $1.5 billion in 2012.

The month of May will see Disney’s riveting mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” in which a jaded scientist (George Clooney) and an optimistic teen embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space.

In June, Pixar will bow its original movie “Inside Out,” which will take audiences to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind, complete with anthromorphized emotions Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness.

Marvel's “Ant-Man” starring Paul Rudd will see action in July. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats.

Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book” will be a live-action retelling of another literary classic — and Disney animation — when it bows in October.

In November, Pixar's “The Good Dinosaur” will ask the generations-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? The film promises to be an extraordinary journey of self-discovery full of thrilling adventure, hilarious characters and poignant heart.

Disney ends the year with J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the first of new “Star Wars” films through the studio's acquisition of Lucasfilm.

“The Force Awakens” is expected to bolster the studio’s offerings through sequels and spinoffs the way Marvel launched a series of superhero franchises for the company, which benefitted the rest of Disney’s divisions.

Disney Studios generated around $3.4 billion at the worldwide box office ($1.37 billion domestic) in 2014 through the release of 13 movies.

Its top earner was Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” at $772 million, followed by “Maleficent,” with $758 million, and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” another hit for Marvel, at $714 million.

“CINDERELLA” Characters Posters Revealed

Walt Disney Studios has rolled out three new character posters for “Cinderella” featuring Ella and the Prince (Lily James, Richard Madden), the Wicked Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and the Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter).

A live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale, “Cinderella” brings to life the timeless images from Disney’s 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually-dazzling spectacle for a whole new generation. The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope.

Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an apprentice at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit.

Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand, and a kindly beggar woman steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh (“Thor,” “Hamlet”), “Cinderella” is produced by Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium”), Allison Shearmur (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I”) and David Barron (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”) with Tim Lewis (“Goldeneye”) serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Chris Weitz (“About a Boy,” “The Golden Compass”).

“Cinderella” will be released in the Philippines on March 11, 2015 through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International. For more information, visit: http://www.disney.com/Cinderella.

The teaser trailer for Disney's highly anticipated film version of “Into the Woods” has just been revealed online and may be viewed here.

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.

Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” helms the film, which is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics. The film is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall.

The principal cast is led by Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine, Baranski and Johnny Depp.

Also starring are Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Frances de la Tour, Simon Russell Beale, Richard Glover, Joanna Riding, Annette Crosbie.

Opening across the Philippines on January 21, 2015, “Into the Woods” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Disney's New "CINDERELLA" Teases Trailer, Poster

Walt Disney Pictures has launched its marketing campaign for director Kenneth Branagh’s live-action re-imagining of “Cinderella” with the release of a teaser poster and trailer which may be viewed here.

            The film stars Lily James (TV's "Downton Abbey," “Wrath of the Titans”) in the title role, Richard Madden (TV's "Game of Thrones") as the Prince, Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”) as the infamous stepmother Lady Tremaine, and Academy Award-nominee Helena Bonham Carter (“Alice in Wonderland”) as the Fairy Godmother.

Holliday Grainger (“Anna Karenina”) and Sophie McShera ("Downton Abbey”) play Ella's stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella, respectively. Stellan Skarsgard (“Marvel's The Avengers”) and Nonso Anozie ("Game of Thrones”) play the Arch Grand Duke and the Prince's loyal friend, the Captain. Tony-Award-winner Derek Jacobi portrays the King.

            The timeless story of "Cinderella" dates back to 1697 when first created by Charles Perrault, although it truly came to life for millions all over the world in 1950 with Walt Disney's celebrated animated feature.

            The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the tragic death of her mother. Keen to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drisella into the family home. But, when Ella's father suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother's dying words and to "have courage and be kind." She will not give in to despair nor despise those who abuse her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an employee at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears as if her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella's hopes of once again encountering the charming "Kit." Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand as a kindly beggar woman steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella's life forever.

            “Cinderella” will be released in the Philippines on March 11, 2015 through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.