Theresa Smith
Disney Africa recently hosted their annual showcase, giving us a glimpse into their forthcoming slate for the next few months.
It is easy to glean details of their Marvel Studios content from the internet, but the joy of discovery, as always, lies in details about their new content.
Cynics may decry their spate of live action films predicated on their own classic material as a money grab, but the truth is these new films are turning out to be pretty good.
An organic feel
Watching the behind the scenes material for Mary Poppins Returns (December 2018) you realise that the finicky attention to detail and meticulous world building creates an organic feel that CGI still cannot quite match.
The storyline of Mary Poppins Returns follows directly after the 1964 film, with Michael and Jane all grown up in Depression-era London, and it takes its cue from PL Travers’ original book sequels.
Wondrous creature design
So too the imagery from behind-the-scenes on the next Star Wars episode 8 set exhibits wondrous creature design and intriguing personal interaction.
First up though is an animated film from Pixar Studios, Coco (November 24). Don’t be fooled by the storyline’s similarity to The Book Of Life (Mexican boy finds himself in the land of the dead and enlists the help of his dead family members to return to the land of the living, discovering several family secrets along the way). While this Pixar film also mines the imagery around the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, the style is different.
Coco will be preceded by 21 minute short Olaf’s Frozen Adventure featuring the snowman from Frozen, finding out about Christmas holiday traditions. Yes, there will be singing.
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’
The animated film releases onto a crowded market which will be dominated by Disney products, immediately preceded by Thor: Ragnarok (Oct 27) and followed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December 15).
The trailer for Black Panther (February 16) racking up 89 million views in its first 24 hours of release, tells us people are more than ready for a trip to Wakanda. South Africans would have been tickled by Andy Serkis’ very consistent South African accent as Ulysses Klaue spilling Wakanda’s secrets. John Kani reprises his role as king T’Chaka – probably in some sort of flashback. Kani has also been cast as Rafiki in the live-action version of The Lion King, which will be directed by Jon Favreau for a 2019 release.
The adaptation of Madelein L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time lands on our screens on March 9 next year and if the film holds true to its book origins, then the characters exploit wormholes to travel through time and space.
Looking forward there’s also Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet, a sequel to Wreck It Ralph slated for next year.
What: Disney Africa, 2017 – 2018
Web: www.disney.co.za
Mobisite: disneyafrica.mobi
Social media: www.facebook.com/DisneyinAfrica, www.facebook.com/DisneyJuniorAfrica, www.facebook.com/MarvelAfrica, www.facebook.com/StarWarsAfrica
More from Theresa Smith: theresathewordsmith.wordpress.com
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