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As denizens of Blockbuster Video will be able to attest, the mid-1990s to early 2000s saw a massive glut of animated straight-to-video sequels and prequels to many of Disney's known animated features. There were sequels to "The Fox and the Hound," "Bambi," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," "Lady and the Tramp," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "The Emperor's New Groove," "Mulan," "Pocahontas," "Tarzan," "The Jungle Book," and even "Brother Bear." The sequels all came when there was a change of leadership at Disney, and the studio tripled-down on the mandate to make as much money as possible. 

The only people who watched these movies were nostalgic Disney-obsessed adults who viewed them as a scientific curiosity, and sought to use them as talking points in long-form online articles. Very occasionally, the films were rented from Blockbuster by anyone who happened to be seven years old when the sequel in question was released.

“I would say I wanted to do a gay version of Clue, but Clue is the gayest thing ever,” writer Ted Malawer jokes about his new scripted podcast Does This Murder Make Me Look Gay?! “So, I would just say a gayer, queerer version of Clue.”

Malawer, along with cast members Michael Urie, Cheyenne Jackson, Frankie Grande and Nathan Lee Graham, can’t contain their seemingly genuine love for the scripted podcast on a Monday afternoon Zoom.

Hailing from Ninth Planet Audio and iHeartMedia’s Outspoken Podcast Network, the podcast chronicles the life and death of a fictional D-list movie director Vandy Monroe III (Jonathan Freeman).

As the victim narrates at the top of the podcast (before diving into the cast of characters), “In dissecting my big gay murder, I have two goals: to name my killer and to entertain.”

The ensemble, full of possible suspects, includes: Monroe’s neighbor...

The essence of Netflix’s apocalyptic sci-fi series “3 Body Problem” is contained within the immersive VR game engineered by the San-Ti aliens. Using a headset, the VR game transports the player from China’s Shang Dynasty to Tudor England to Kubla Khan’s Xanadu, recreating the chaotic destruction of the alien planet as a result of living in an unstable three-star solar system.

In adapting Liu Cixin’s acclaimed novel, showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (“Game of Thrones”) and Alexander Woo made the VR game the VFX centerpiece early on, particularly for Episode 3 (“Destroyer of Worlds”), directed by Pixar’s Andrew Stanton (“Wall-e”). Here cosmologist Jin (Jess Hong) and entrepreneur Jack (John Bradley) stand on the observation deck of the Kubla Khan Pleasure Dome and witness 30 million people getting sucked up into the sun because of reverse gravity. It’s a trippy CG effect from Scanline.

“I...

Top 10 animated movies of all time ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Let’s take a trip down memory lane as we explore a curated selection of the greatest animated films ever crafted. If your favorite isn’t included, don’t worry; there may be a follow-up if this piece strikes a chord with readers. Animated movies, particularly those tailored for young audiences, have traditionally been led by Disney and its offshoot Pixar. Despite their continuous reinvention of beloved tales, both studios have gifted us a wealth of timeless animated treasures. So, without delay, let’s begin our cinematic voyage through the enchanting world of animation.

10. Cars (2006)

Director: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft (co-director) Cast: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75% IMDb Score: 7./10 Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes Available on: Disney Plus (US & India)

On his journey to the most important race of his career, Lightning McQueen gets separated from his hauler truck,...

Aladdin remains an iconic film from the Disney Renaissance era. The popularity of the movie led to a sequel and a live-action remake. One of the memorable characters in the animated film is Jafar, and a parrot named Iago accompanies him.

Jafar and Iago attempt to rule over Agrabah, and the latter provides comedic relief. The two have distinct and opposing personalities. Viewers almost saw the villains with reversed character traits. However, the filmmakers chose to switch the personalities in a revised script.

Jafar and Iago are classic antagonists from ‘Aladdin’

Hot Jafar's parrot Iago will be voiced by the impossibly busy Alan Tudyk https://t.co/yI0T6oCq74 pic.twitter.com/yGZzLM5BJ9

— io9 (@io9) March 12, 2019

Aladdin draws inspiration from the famous Middle Eastern collection One Thousand and One Nights. The Disney movie uses one of the tales in the compilation to tell the story of a street urchin.

On Nov. 25, 1992, Disney released an animated film that would go on to become one of its all-time most beloved classics, “Aladdin”.

Retelling the “Arabian Nights” tale of the “street rat” who discovered a tarnished lamp that had imprisoned a genie — played to hilarious perfection by the late Robin Williams — “Aladdin” went on to become one of Disney’s biggest hits and continues to entertain new generations of children.

Read More: Robin Williams’ Grandson Is Learning About Him Through ‘Aladdin’

In honour of the film’s 30th anniversary, check out these 10 facts about the film that you may not have known.

1. In a possible nod to “Pinocchio”, Aladdin has a “tell” whenever he tells a lie: the feather in his turban falls in his face whenever he fibs.

2. Steven Spielberg, who was filming “Schindler’s List” at that time, regularly called Williams to speak with the cast and crew in order to...

The death of beloved comedian Gilbert Gottfried at the age of 67 after a lengthy battle with type II myotonic dystrophy came as a shock to many fans of his standup career, as well as fans of perhaps his most iconic role, the saucy sidekick Iago in Disney’s Aladdin.

And it was particularly devastating to those who had known him for years, including the actor Jonathan Freeman, who is perhaps best known for voicing the villainous Jafar in Aladdin. Like Gottfried, he has voiced the role for the past 31 years,...

Opposition to the Academy’s plan to award eight Oscars prior to the live telecast continues to grow, with more than 350 new names — including more than a dozen Oscar-winning editors, cinematographers and production designers — added to the petition sent last week to Academy president David Rubin urging a reversal of the plan.

Among the industry professionals signing are Oscar-winning cinematographers John Seale (“The English Patient”), John Toll (“Braveheart”) and Dean Semler (“Dances With Wolves”), and Oscar-winning editors Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch (“Star Wars”), Mikkel Neilsen (“The Sound of Metal”), Pietro Scalia (“JFK”) and Zach Staenberg (“The Matrix”).

Oscar-winning production designers Hannah Beachler (“Black Panther”), Barbara Ling (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Adam Stockhausen (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) and David and Sandy Wasco (“La La Land”) also signed on.

Cinematography will be presented during the live show, but editing and production design are among the eight awards to be presented during the 4 p.

Update Disney’s Aladdin will resume performances on Broadway tonight following last night’s cancellation after members of the show’s company tested positive for Covid.

In a statement this afternoon, producer Disney Theatrical said the musical will return to The New Amsterdam Theatre for its 7 p.m. Et curtain tonight.

“Our extensive protocol system to test our employees and identify positive cases worked, and allowed us to act immediately to contain those cases,” the statement reads.”Given the thoroughness of our Covid protocols and a vaccinated workforce, we remain confident that the environment is safe for our guests, cast, crew and musicians.”

Last night’s performance was canceled shortly before curtain when Disney Theatrical announced that “breakthrough Covid-19 cases have been detected” within the company of Aladdin. The announcement marked the first confirmed cancellation of a show since Broadway reopened over the summer.

According to the producer, two additional...

Broadway has been dark for well over a year, but the circle of life will go on The Lion King and Aladdin will returnto Broadway this fall and just last week, some of the cast members of both shows includingStephen Carlile, L. Steven Taylor, Tshidi Manye, Bonita J. Hamilton, Brandon A. McCall, Michael James Scott,Michael Maliakel,Shoba Narayan,Jonathan Freeman, andDon Darryl Rivera gathered at the New Amsterdam Theatre to celebrate Broadway's return.

Is this a thrilling, Chinatown-like Hollywood mystery, or a semi-docu about the making of the first TV Superman show? Or is it going to shed light on the mysterious death of actor George Reeves, the childhood hero we couldn’t believe had died by his own hand? Allen Coulter’s well-crafted show has a lot to say and says it well with an excellent cast… yet it needed something it doesn’t deliver. If you don’t require your movieland mysteries tied up in a neat bow, this could fit the bill.

Hollywoodland

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

2006 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 126 min. / Street Date August 25, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Lois Smith, Robin Tunney, Joe Spano, Kathleen Robertson, Larry Cedar, Molly Parker.

Cinematography: Jonathan Freeman

Film Editor: Michael Berenbaum

Original Music: Marcelo Zarvos

Written by Paul Bernbaum

Produced by Glenn Williamson

Directed by...

If Apple TV+ is slightly on the back foot in the war of the streaming services it’s not for want of trying. With this latest crime drama it has definitely brought out the big guns – and it’s really paid off in terms of quality. On a more widely subscribed service, Defending Jacob could easily become the next hot button series garnering buzz like Bodyguard or Apple Tree Yard.

Based on the best selling novel by William Landay, Defending Jacob is a clever and complex courtroom drama packed with ambiguities and moral quandaries that makes some smart deviations from the novel and adding extra layers of tension in the best possible way.

Framed around a court hearing to determine whether or not an unspecified case should be pursued, Defending Jacob stars Captain America’s Chris Evans as Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney whose 14-year-old son Jacob has been...

Tony Sokol Feb 13, 2020

Last summer's Aladdin made Disney rich enough to impress a princess. Studio stands by its oath loyalty to a sequel or three.

There's still a lot of gray area, but after the billion-dollar success of last summer’s reboot, Disney is developing a sequel to Aladdin, according to Variety. Director Guy Ritchie is scheduled to return to the helm. Aladdin starred Will Smith as Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, who are expected to take another ride on the carpet.

Aladdin 2 will be an original story and not follow the sequels to 1992's Aladdin, 1994's The Return of Jafar or Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), which went straight-to-dvd. The Aladdin 2 screenplay will be written by John Gatins, who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Denzel Washington film Flight, and Andrea Berloff, who was nominated for an Oscar...

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” made a major splash with a record 32 Emmy nominations in July for its eighth and final season, bringing the show’s ultimate total to 161. One of those 32 bids is for Best One-Hour Single-Camera Cinematography, a category the show has never won. Can it finally do it this year with director of photography Jonathan Freeman, who is nominated for shooting the series finale “The Iron Throne”?

“Thrones” wasn’t able to break into this race until 2013 for its third season, but has since nabbed eight additional noms to become the most nominated show in this category. If anyone can now finally get it across the finish line, it’s Freeman, a three-time Emmy winner for another HBO show, “Boardwalk Empire”, and previous nominee for “Thrones” (in 2014 for the episode “Two Swords”). He’s also won five out of eight times at the American Society of Cinematographer Awards,...

IndieWire reached out to this year’s nominees for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour), Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), and Limited Series or Movie, and asked them which cameras and lenses they used — but even more important: Why were these these the right tools to create the look of their series?

Single Camera Series (One Hour)

The 2019 Emmy nominees for outstanding cinematography in this category are Jonathan Freeman (“Game of Thrones”), Zoë White (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Colin Watkinson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Dana Gonzales (“Hanna”), Gonzalo Amat (“The Man In The High Castle”), M. David Mullen (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), and Robert McLachlan (“Ray Donovan”).

2018 Emmy Winner: Adriano Goldman for “The Crown”

2017 Emmy Winner: Colin Watkinson for “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

“Game Of Thrones”

Nominated Episode: “The Iron Throne”

Format: 3.2K Pro-Res and Arriraw 1:78

Camera: Alexa Sxt Plus, Mini; Red Epic-m Dragon (for some VFX work)

Lens: Cooke S-4, Angenieux Optimo Zooms,...

Aladdin is the gift that keeps on giving. Following the Summer debut of the live-action film, Disney has released a new behind-the-scenes look of the 1992 cast in the recording booth. The clip - which is part of the movie's forthcoming Signature Collection home release - shows the late Robin Williams bringing Genie to life as he recites his lines in the booth. It also includes Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, Linda Larkin as Jasmine, Douglas Seale as Sultan, and Brad Kane doing Aladdin's singing voice.

There's no denying that Aladdin wouldn't have been the same without Williams as Genie. The larger-than-life character granted wishes, cracked jokes, and gave us the song "Friend Like Me," which is one of the best Disney songs of all time. Watch the nostalgic video ahead of the Aug. 27 Signature Collection release of Aladdin.

For many years, true cinematic darkness — the indispensable bass note of any cinematographer’s melody — was a struggle to achieve on television screens. Limitations in capture, transmission and display have been overcome in no small part due to the stubborn vision of directors of photography including Roy Wagner, John Bartley and Bill Roe (“The X-Files”) and Jonathan Freeman (“Boardwalk Empire”).

The latest controversy involving a darkly lit “Game of Thrones” episode marks another stage in this evolution, but the main takeaway may be the astonishing extent to which the show’s fans are engaged — less-than-ideal home viewing conditions notwithstanding.

Fabian Wagner, the director of photography behind the episode that has millions discussing contrast ratios, says for every complaint he has heard, a dozen or more have communicated their compliments.

“The whole thing was driven by a creative decision to depict the subjective experience of being in a battle,” says Wagner.

It’s been a good week for Disney casting new versions of its most iconic villains; hot on the heels of Chiwetel Ejiofor entering serious talks to play Scar in Jon Favreau’s The Lion King, the studio has also found its Jafar for Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin. Variety reports that Marwan Kenzari, recently of Tom Cruise’s The Mummy, is in discussions to play the vile vizier.

We can only hope that Kenzari—who’s also set to appear in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Murder On The Orient Express—won’t be too distracted by his franchise obligations to the ever-growing, vital and active Universal Dark Universe to really commit to this new part. (But we kid the giant, possibly moribund cinematic universe.) The role of Jafar previously belonged to Jonathan Freeman, who played him in the 1992 animated original, its sequel, several Kingdom Hearts games, and the ...

Perhaps you'd like to see how snakelike Marwan Kenzari can be? The 34-year-old actor is in negotiations to play the villain Jafar in the live-action remake of Aladdin, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Disney has not commented on the alleged casting, but several sources also told Variety that Kenzari is involved in the upcoming movie. Jafar, vizier to the sultan of Agrabah, was voiced by Jonathan Freeman in the animated film. Kenzari joins Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) and Will Smith (the Genie). Nasim Pedrad has also joined the cast as a handmaid and friend to Princess Jasmine. Guy Ritchie is directing the project from a script by John August. Dan Lin is producing the...

Will Smith is in early talks to star as the genie in Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. The actor was previously in early negotiations to star in the studio’s live-action “Dumbo,” but he is no longer attached to the project. Guy Ritchie (“Sherlock Holmes”) is directing the modern take on the animated classic, which was released in 1992 and featured the voices of Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman and Scott Weinger. The movie followed a young man who was granted three wishes by a genie (Williams) trapped in a lamp.

Guy Ritchie is in negotiations to direct Disney’s live-action “Aladdin,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. The animated film “Aladdin” was released in 1992 and featured the voices of Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman and Scott Weinger. The movie followed a young man who was granted three wishes by a genie trapped in a lamp. “Aladdin” was the highest-grossing film of the year (grossing $217 million in the U.S. and over $504 million worldwide) and won Academy Awards for Best Score and Best Song for “A Whole New World.” Also Read: Aladdin Under Attack: 30 Percent of Republicans Support.

Disney characters are so beloved that it’s easy to forget they’re also commercial products, united by the marketing heft of a massive corporate entity. Their history is also riddled with culturally problematic representations, from the Middle Eastern stereotypes of “Aladdin” to the black crows of “Dumbo.” But such a skeptical reading is irrelevant to the appeal of “Life, Animated,” documentarian Roger Ross William’s straightforward but innately touching look at a young man with autism for whom Disney characters represent salvation from his condition. It’s the best Disney movie that Disney didn’t make.

Williams (who won an Oscar for his short “Music By Prudence”) follows up his look at homophobia in “God Loves Uganda” with a far more intimate project. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind’s book, “Life, Animated” revolves around the plight facing Suskind’s autistic son Owen, who spent several years of...

The people who brought Aladdin to Broadway did so without the help of a genie. Capitalizing off the success of the 1992 animated film of the same name, Alan Menken and Chad Beguelin began working on a stage version of the Disney musical. Aladdin premiered at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle in 2011. Jonathan Freeman, who voiced Jafar in the movie, reprised his role in the stage adaptation, while Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed played Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, respectively. James Monroe Iglehart played the pivotal role of the Genie. Adapting the film for the stage was no easy task. "When people say, 'We knew Aladdin was going to happen,' I say, 'I'm glad you guys did!'" Iglehart told E!...

“Oi! Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!”

Now is your chance to experience Disney’s beloved masterpiece Aladdin, a timeless adventure for the whole family that will make your heart race and your spirit soar. Enjoy this magic carpet ride of non-stop comedy on Digital HD and Dma September 29th and on Blu-ray Combo Pack October 13th. You won’t want to miss out hearing Academy Award®-winning music (1992: Best Music, Original Song, “A Whole New World,” Original Score) for the first time on Blu-ray and Digital HD. And now Aladdin shines even brighter with never-before-seen tributes to the enchanting talent of Robin Williams, the “Genius behind the Genie”.

Read the We Are Movie Geeks interview with Brad Kane, the singing voice of Aladdin Here

http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2015/10/wamg-interview-brad-kane-singing-voice-disneys-aladdin/

See our pics from the La screening Here.

Disney’s beloved...

A whole new. . . movie! Disney is gearing up for an Aladdin live-action prequel, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Wednesday, July 15. The new comedy adventure, called Genies, will finally reveal how Genie ended up in the mysterious lamp. The late Robin Williams voiced Genie in Disney's 1992 original classic. The heartwarming tale about a boy pretending to be a prince also featured the voices of Full House alum Scott Weinger (Aladdin), Linda Larkin (Jasmine), Jonathan Freeman (Jafar), Frank Welker (Abu), and Gilbert Gottfried, who voiced the [...]...

Original stars Adam Jacobs Aladdin, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman Jafar, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart Genie and Courtney Reed Jasmine just sat down with BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge to chat about their magical year in the show. Be sure to check out the full interview, split into Part 1 and Part 2.In the meantime, find out what we learned from the stars below...

Welcome to Bww's exclusive talk show, Backstage With Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. In the special interview below, Richard welcomes the four original stars of Aladdin Adam Jacobs, Jonathan Freeman, James Monroe Iglehart, and Courtney Reed, who just extended their contracts in the Tony Award-winning new musical comedy through 2016. Watch as they discuss how they got into the business, which Disney movies inspired them as children, and so much more. Check out Part 2 of the interview below...

Welcome to Bww's exclusive talk show, Backstage With Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. In the special interview below, Richard welcomes the four original stars of Aladdin Adam Jacobs, Jonathan Freeman, James Monroe Iglehart, and Courtney Reed, who just extended their contracts in the Tony Award-winning new musical comedy through 2016. Watch as they discuss their year with the show, how they wrap their heads around playing iconic Disney characters, and so much more. Check out Part 1 of the interview below...

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Disney's Aladdin, the Tony Award-winning new musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, just announced that original stars Adam JacobsAladdin, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman Jafar, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart Genie and Courtney ReedJasmine have extended their contracts with the production through February 21, 2016. The four actors have led the 'sublime' NY1 Aladdin company since its pilot production at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre in the summer of 2011 and garnered critical acclaim when the Broadway production opened on March 20, 2014.In celebration of their extensions, BroadwayWorld brings you videos of the four stars in action and performing songs you won't see in Aladdin...

Disney's Aladdin, the Tony Award-winning new musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, is pleased to announce that original stars Adam Jacobs Aladdin, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Freeman Jafar, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart Genie and Courtney Reed Jasmine have extended their contracts with the production through February 21, 2016. The four actors have led the 'sublime' NY1 Aladdin company since its pilot production at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre in the summer of 2011 and garnered critical acclaim when the Broadway production opened on March 20, 2014.

With the colorful world of Agrabah, an Academy Award-winning score by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, and some of the most memorable lyrics of Disney’s golden age, it seems like Aladdin — the 1992 animated classic about a street rat and his magic lamp — was always destined for stage treatment. And next week, the flying carpet will soar at the New Amsterdam Theatre, when Aladdin begins previews ahead of its March 20 opening.

At a recent “meet the press” event, EW chatted with the show’s director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw, co-lyricist/book writer Chad Beguelin, and principal cast — including Adam Jacobs (Aladdin...

Why is Aladdin just now being revamped for Broadway when The Lion King has been a hit for so long? No one exactly knows, but with the early 2014 opening will come Jonathan Freeman, the actor who originally voiced Jafar. And he's playing Jafar! Does this mean Robin Williams can return as the genie? Give it some thought, Robin — you can even just wear whatever clothes you've got on that day, as long as you bring the voices and the jokes.

When he was a kid, James Monroe Iglehart wished to be a Disney character. When he was 17, he wanted to be the Genie in Aladdin. Now at 39, he’s getting all his wishes.

Disney Theatrical Productions on Monday announced the full Broadway-bound cast of the new musical, with Iglehart in the role made famous by Robin Williams, who lent his manic voice to the big blue Genie in the 1992 animated version of Aladdin.

“It took three wishes from the time I was 4 to 39,” said Iglehart. “I can’t wait. I am looking forward to this challenge but truthfully I want...

One of the juiciest rumors currently making the rounds is that Disney is thinking of turning Tomorrowland in their theme parks into the Stark Expo. If you seen Iron Man 2, you'll remember that the Stark Expo is a kind of Disneyland environment based on the latest technological innovations and that's what Tomorrowland strives for at Disney's parks. Add that to the fact that Disney now owns Marvel and it sounds like a match made in Heaven. The latest update is that this rumor does have some basis in fact but there are some major logistical hurdles, namely a lack of time. The ideal time to launch a Marvel themed section of the Disney theme parks would be next summer with The Avengers and that doesn't seem possible. After the jump, read more about that and another new ride where fans can battle their favorite villains. Starting with the last bit first,...