News

Disney's D23 Expo is here, and with the launch of Disney Plus just around the corner, we're expecting big things from the studio behind Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Fox. So far, they have delivered. Disney released the first trailer for the live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp, and it's definitely pulling those nostalgia strings.

As we learned at D23, the new Lady and the Tramp is written by Andrew Bujalski (Support the Girls) and brought to life by director Charlie Bean. It follows the relationship between an American cocker spaniel from a wealthy family and a streetsmart stray mutt. Disney released an image of the two sweet dogs via twitter earlier this month. They were also featured on the cover of Disney's Twenty-Three magazine. But an image doesn't quite encapsulate the feel of the film like the trailer does.

The new canine-centric movie will features voices from...

There has been much debate about whether Nickelodeon has been copied by other studios, such as Disney and Cartoon Network, or if they just provided inspiration for very similar shows. For instance, is “Too Loud” copying “The Loud House?” What about “Puppy Dog Pals” and “Paw Patrol?” Is “Robotboy,” a copy of “My Life as a Teenage Robot?” And then there’s “Rocko’s Modern Life” and “The Amazing World of Gumball.” Can you guess which shows copied “Spongebob Squarepants,” “Fairly OddParents,” and “Team Umizoomi?” The answers may surprise you.

Warner Bros.. plans to expand the brand of its popular Lego franchise revved up today, as they have staked out territory for a spinoff feature modeled after the Ninjago toy and story line. Specifically, a Lego Ninjago movie will reach theaters on September 23, 2016, according to Variety. The trade notes that Charlie Bean will direct the picture, with Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (of The Lego Movie fame) producing. Bean.s previous credits include episodes of the TV series Robotboy and Tron: Uprising. This will be his feature-film debut, but it might look something like this: Lego Ninjas date back to 1998, when the toy company launched a line modeled after the mighty warriors. Recently, in 2011, the line was upgraded to revolve around Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, which inspired a Cartoon Network TV series and a video game. The world of Lego Ninjago blends Chinese and Japanese...

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Charlie Bean (Tron: Uprising, Robotboy) is set to direct Warner Bros. big screen adaptation of Lego's Ninjago. According to the site, "Ninjago sees ninjas, samurais, and senseis fight side-by-side against dragons, armies of snake men, and Lord Gagmadon, an evil warlord banished to an underworld who now seeks to return to power." The movie is being written by The Lego Movie producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee, while the directors of that movie - Chris Miller and Phil Lord - will produce Ninjago. How do you guys feel about there being more Lego movies? Be sure to sound off with your thoughts on this news in the usual place!

Here’s the first promo trailer for the new Disney Xd animated series Tron: Uprising, which films the gap between the original Tron and the new movie Tron: Legacy. The series features the voices of Elijah Wood as Beck, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Paige, Mandy Moore as Mara, Nate Corddry as Zed, Lance Henriksen as Tesler, Paul Reubens as Pavel, Reginald VelJohnson as Able and Bruce Boxleitner reprising his role as Tron (yay!).

From the press release:

The story focuses on an era of the “Tron” storyline that transpires after the popular 1982 feature film and before the story in Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming Tron: Legacy. Its impressive list of artists, animators, directors, producers and digital technicians includes executive producer/director Charlie Bean (“Robotboy,” “Samurai Jack,” and “Powerpuff Girls”); and consulting producers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of Tron: Legacy / executive producers of “Lost”) and Justin Springer (co-producer of Tron: Legacy...

Hey gang here's the first promo trailer for the new Disney Xd animated series Tron: Uprising. This actually looks better than I expected. It's got a nice mix of traditional and CG animation going on, and it keep the same style and feel as the movie which is cool. As far as how good the story and script are, I imagine it will be pretty much the same thing we saw in the movie Tron: Legacy, which was pretty much just a big budget live-action cartoon anyway. I also love the voice cast they were able to round up for this thing which includes Elijah Wood as Beck, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Paige,Mandy Moore as Mara, Nate Corddry as Zed, Lance Henriksen as Tesler, Paul Reubens as Pavel,Reginald VelJohnson as Able and Bruce Boxleitner reprising his role as Tron.

Here are the details on the new series:

The story...

A teaser trailer for Disney Xd's "Tron: Uprising" has come online and can be watched using the player below. The show is expected to premiere in summer 2012 and is described as follows: The story focuses on an era of the "Tron" storyline that transpires after the popular 1982 feature film and before the story in Walt Disney Studios' upcoming Tron: Legacy. Its impressive list of artists, animators, directors, producers and digital technicians includes executive producer/director Charlie Bean ("Robotboy," "Samurai Jack," and "Powerpuff Girls"); and consulting producers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of Tron: Legacy / executive producers of "Lost") and Justin Springer (co-producer of Tron: Legacy). The...

Disney Xd has put Tron: Uprising on the grid —a compelling story and visually stunning television series scheduled to premiere in summer 2012 on Disney Xd. The story focuses on an era of the “Tron” storyline that transpires after the popular 1982 feature film and before the story in Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming “Tron: Legacy.” Its impressive list of artists, animators, directors, producers and digital technicians includes executive producer/director Charlie Bean (“Robotboy,” “Samurai Jack,” and “Powerpuff Girls”); and consulting producers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of “Tron: Legacy” / executive producers of “Lost”) and Justin Springer (co-producer of “Tron: Legacy”). The series will be preceded by a 10-part “Tron” micro-series launching in Fall 2011 on Disney Xd.

The noteworthy voice cast of “Tron: Uprising” includes Elijah Wood as Beck, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Paige, Mandy Moore as Mara, Nate Corddry as Zed, Lance Henriksen as Tesler, Paul Reubens as Pavel, Reginald VelJohnson...

Disney Xd have just released details on Tron: Uprising the Tron television series scheduled to premiere in the Us in summer 2012:

The story focuses on an era of the “Tron” storyline that transpires after the popular 1982 feature film and before the story in Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming Tron: Legacy Its impressive list of artists, animators, directors, producers and digital technicians includes executive producer/director Charlie Bean (“Robotboy,” “Samurai Jack,” and “Powerpuff Girls”); and consulting producers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of Tron: Legacy / executive producers of “Lost”) and Justin Springer (co-producer of Tron: Legacy). The series will be preceded by a 10-part “Tron” micro-series launching in Fall 2011 on Disney Xd.

The noteworthy voice cast of Tron: Uprising includes Elijah Wood as Beck, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Paige, Mandy Moore as Mara, Nate Corddry as Zed, Lance Henriksen as Tesler, Paul Reubens as Pavel, Reginald VelJohnson as Able...

Disney Xd has formally confirmed that the cable network will be spinning off this winter's "Tron: Legacy" as a new animated series premiering in the summer of 2012.   "Tron: Uprising" will be executive produced and directed by Charlie Bean ("Samurai Jack," "Robotboy") and will feature "Tron: Legacy" screenwriters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz as consulting producers, along with "Tron: Legacy" co-producer Justin Stringer.   The Disney Xd series will bridge the gap in the "Tron" storyline between the 1982 feature film and "Tron: Legacy." "Tron: Uprising" will, in turn, be preceded by a 10-part micro-series airing in the fall of...

Disney Xd has put "Tron: Uprising" on the grid - a compelling story and visually stunning television series scheduled to premiere in summer 2012 on Disney Xd. The story focuses on an era of the "Tron" storyline that transpires after the popular 1982 feature film and before the story in Walt Disney Studios' upcoming Tron: Legacy Its impressive list of artists, animators, directors, producers and digital technicians includes executive producer/director Charlie Bean ("Robotboy," "Samurai Jack," and "Powerpuff Girls"); and consulting producers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of Tron: Legacy / executive producers of "Lost") and Justin Springer (co-producer of Tron: Legacy ). The series will be preceded by a...

Beguiling Japanese star of fringe theatre and popular television

The Japanese actor Eiji Kusuhara, who has died of cancer aged 63, played the sadistic Lieutenant Sato in the television series Tenko (1981-85), was one of the narrators on the cult show Banzai (2001) and appeared on stages across the UK and Europe in a variety of beguiling roles. He was one of the first professional Japanese actors active in London in the 1970s and enjoyed something of a monopoly on roles until he starred alongside a fellow countryman, Togo Igawa, in The Man Who Shot Christmas (1984). Eiji spent most of his adult life in Britain. He always seemed relieved to have left his home country but was also perplexed by British culture. A natural comedian, he thought he was a misfit and constructed an endlessly playful persona for himself.

He was born in Tokyo shortly after the second world war, a time...