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10 Must-Watch Robin Williams Films ( Photo Credit – Netflix )

Known for his comedic timing, improvisations, and incomparable on-screen presence, Robin Williams was one of the most prolific actors cinema has seen. His roles in films such as Dead Poets Society and Awakenings allowed him to diversify, proving that he could mold himself into any character that the director needed. Let’s take a look at the 10 best Robin Williams films, based on their Rotten Tomatoes score according to critics.

1. Good Will Hunting Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97% Year of release: 1997 Director: Gus Van Sant Streaming On: Prime Video

Plot: A misunderstood genius (Matt Damon) struggling to find himself is approached by a mathematics professor who encourages him to push his limits. Robin Williams stars as Dr. Sean Maguire, a psychology professor providing therapy to Damon’s Will Hunting. Williams won an Academy Award for his performance, and many consider it amongst his best performances.

Netflix and The Egyptian Theatre have announced that Academy Award-nominated directors Ron Clements and John Musker will be in attendance at a screening of their 1989 animated film “The Little Mermaid” on Thursday, July 24 as part of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s 50th anniversary celebration series.

The screening will begin at 7: 30 p.m. and will be preceded by a moderated Q&a with the filmmakers and Lafca member Carlos Aguilar.

The event will commemorate “The Little Mermaid’s” winning of Lafca’s first-ever Best Animation award, which was the first time the organization created a specific category to recognize excellence in animated films.

The original “Little Mermaid” film was released in 1989, based on the 1837 Danish fairytale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. It was written and directed by Clements and Musker, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The voice cast includes Jodi Benson,...

Performances of Disney's Hercules are now underway at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which will run until 28 March 2026. Check out a new video of Luke Brady, who plays the title role, singing the iconic song "Go The Distance." With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, and a brand-new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Casey Nicholaw’s production of Hercules, co-choreographed with Tanisha Scott, is inspired by the 1997 animated film of the same name from Walt Disney Studios. The feature film, directed by The Little Mermaid filmmakers John Musker and Ron Clements, and written by Clements, Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw and Irene Mecchi, won Best Animation Feature at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Original Song for Go the Distance. The cast...

Bless my soul! Performances of Disney's Hercules are now underway at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which will run until 28 March 2026. Check out reviews of the show below! With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, and a brand-new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Casey Nicholaw’s production of Hercules, co-choreographed with Tanisha Scott, is inspired by the 1997 animated film of the same name from Walt Disney Studios. The feature film, directed by The Little Mermaid filmmakers John Musker and Ron Clements, and written by Clements, Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw and Irene Mecchi, won Best Animation Feature at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Original Song for Go the Distance. The cast is Luke Brady (Hercules), as the Muses, Candace Furbert (Thalia), Sharlene Hector (Clio), Brianna Ogunbawo (Melpomene), Malinda Parris (Calliope), Robyn Rose-Li (Terpsichore), and Kimmy...

Performances of Hercules are now underway at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which will run until 28 March 2026. Check out all new photos from the show below! With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, and a brand-new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Casey Nicholaw’s production of Hercules, co-choreographed with Tanisha Scott, is inspired by the 1997 animated film of the same name from Walt Disney Studios. The feature film, directed by The Little Mermaid filmmakers John Musker and Ron Clements, and written by Clements, Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw and Irene Mecchi, won Best Animation Feature at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Original Song for Go the Distance. The cast is Luke Brady (Hercules), as the Muses, Candace Furbert (Thalia), Sharlene Hector (Clio), Brianna Ogunbawo (Melpomene), Malinda Parris (Calliope), Robyn Rose-Li (Terpsichore), and Kimmy Edwards and...

Last week, it was revealed that legendary Disney animator Ron Clements would be coming out of retirement and stepping back into the Disney Animation studio to help guide the next generation of animators. Naturally, longtime fans are excited, but it also begs the question: is he the only one?

Disney has had a major identity crisis post-2020, and now it seems like they're calling on the old guard to help rebuild its empire's image. Ron Clements is a great start, and it might not be long before John Musker joins his co-creator, but there's one icon of the industry Disney needs... and the studio might need to beg.

Could Tim Burton do Disney again? Opening Ceremony - 21st Marrakech International Film Festival | Antoine Flament/GettyImages

Tim Burton, the brilliant mind behind iconic films like Batman, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands, is one of the most iconic directors in cinematic history, but...

As Disney shaped the animation world, many iconic artists cut their teeth on some of the studio's iconic animated features. Even though times have changed, however, it might be time for some of the old professionals to step up to the plate once again.

If you've kept up with some of the recent news out of Walt Disney Animation Studios, you'll already know that many of its most recent cinematic offerings have left much to be desired. Enter one of Disney's legendary directors to do damage control.

Ron Clements returns to Disney

Ron Clements Out From Retirement As He Returns As Walt Disney Animation Studios As Advisory Role Walt Disney Animation...

Posted by Disney Television Animation News on Friday, June 13, 2025

Part of the legendary duo of Musker and Clements, Ron Musker has had his hand behind some of Disney's most beloved animated classics. From The Rescuers to Moana, Clements has...

Pixar showed up to the Annecy International Animation Festival with the goods. The animation studio announced a new film slated for the summer of 2027, an original film called “Gatto” from “Luca” director Enrico Casarosa.

Pixar announced the film from the Annecy stage on Friday and showed some concept art from the film, which you can see above. “Gatto” returns Casarosa to Italy, but this time to Venice, and follows a black cat named Nero who, after years of maneuvering the canal-ridden, superstitious city, begins to question whether he’s lived the right lives. Indebted to a local feline mob boss, Nero finds himself in a quandary and is forced to forge a truly unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to his purpose — unless Venice gets the better of him first.

Casarosa is directing the film, his follow-up to 2021’s Italian Riviera-set “Luca,” and producer Andrea Warren is also re-teaming with Casarosa on the feature.

Today, at Annecy’s International Animation Film Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios presented a series of surprises that thrilled festivalgoers.

In the morning, Jared Bush, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer and director/writer of the upcoming Zootopia 2, made his first appearance in Annecy to debut new footage and images from the anticipated sequel of the beloved Oscar-winning global hit film, which will be theatrically released this November.

Zootopia 2

The footage screened featured returning characters Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin), Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman), and Mr. Big (voice of Maurice Lamarche), and new characters Gary De’Snake (voice of Ke Huy Quan), Nibbles (Fortune Feimster) and Dr. Fuzzby (voice of Quinta Brunson).

The audience was particularly delighted when learning that French actor Jean Reno will lend his voice to a cameo role as an officer of the Zootopia Police Department.

Great Mystery — Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia 2” welcomes back to the big screen rookie cops Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman). When a snake called Gary De’Snake (voice of Ke Huy Quan) arrives on the scene, he kicks off a great mystery—but Nick and Judy are on the case. From the Oscar-winning team of Disney Animation chief creative officer Jared Bush and Byron Howard (directors) and Yvett Merino (producer), “Zootopia 2” releases in theaters Nov. 26. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Today, at Annecy’s International Animation Film Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios offered a series of surprises that thrilled festival goers.

In the morning, Jared Bush, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer and director/writer of the upcoming “Zootopia 2,” made his first appearance in Annecy to debut new footage and images from the...

Pixar is in production on Gatto, a new animated feature about a black cat in Venice, Italy, that will release in cinemas in summer 2027.

Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter revealed the film at the end of Pixar’s slate presentation at Annecy International Animation Film Festival today.

Gatto will follow Nero, a black cat living in Venice, who cannot swim and must navigate a town filled with people who are superstitious about him.

Nero aligns himself with “the seedier side of cat society” said Docter, where he finds himself indebted to a cat boss named Rocco.

He loves music,...

Walt Disney Animation Studios pulled back the curtain on Zootopia 2 on Friday, offering the first major preview of the highly anticipated sequel during a packed presentation at the Annecy international animation film festival.

Director and writer Jared Bush, who also serves as Disney Animation’s new chief creative officer, made his Annecy debut with the film, unveiling new footage from Zootopia 2 at the Bonlieu Scène Nationale. The sequel to Disney’s 2016 Oscar-winning hit reunites audiences with rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and former con-artist fox Nick Wilde as they investigate a mysterious new arrival in the mammal metropolis: a reptile named Gary De’Snake (voiced by Everything Everywhere All At Once star Ke Huy Quan).

Bush revealed they cast Quan after spotting the excitable Oscar-winner doing an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and decided he had exactly the right energy to play Gary the venomous but misunderstood snake.

At the Annecy Animation Festival this Friday morning, Walt Disney Animation Studios offered a first look at its highly anticipated sequel, “Zootopia 2,” coming to theaters on Nov. 26.

Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer and director/writer of the upcoming “Zootopia 2,” Jared Bush, made his first appearance in Annecy to delight the Bonlieu audience with new footage and images from the upcoming sequel to the beloved Oscar-winning film.

“Over the last few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about this moment,” Bush told the audience. “Being here with all of you, like all of us, together in this amazing global community of artists and dreamers who love animation. We all live for it.”

A crowd consisting of industry vets, studio execs and several hundred artists and students responded with laughs, audible “awws” and tremendous excitement to the footage, which featured returning characters Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), Nick Wilde...

For the first time, The Walt Disney Company is assembling its full animation arsenal for a united front at the Annecy Festival, which will take place June 8 to 14 this summer.

Industry giants from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Animation, Lucasfilm, Disney Television Animation and 20th Television Animation will converge on the shores of Lake Annecy in the French Alps to showcase the magic, innovation and cultural legacy that define the company’s place at the head of the global animation table.

From long-awaited sequels to brand new originals, Annecy 2025 will feature the biggest showcase of upcoming Disney titles in its history, with talent-laden panels, never-before-seen footage and career-recognizing honors for some of Disney’s most revered artists.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Zootopia 2” will be teased by its Oscar-winning director, Jared Bush. Set for a theatrical release on Nov. 26, the sequel reunites fan-favorites Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde...

Disney is heading to Annecy. For the first time, the Walt Disney Company will bring the full force of its animation empire to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, giving festival goers a sneak peak at Disney Animation’s Zootopia 2, Pixar’s Elio and Marvel Animation’s Eyes of Wakanda, and screening early footage from Pixar’s upcoming 2026 titles Hoppers and Toy Story 5.

Lucasfilm will premiere Black, a new Star Wars: Visions short by Shinya Ohira at the festival, while Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will screen the episode Devotion as part of Annecy’s official TV competition.

Disney is also deploying its C-suite to Annecy, with Pixar Cco Pete Docter, Walt Disney Animaation Cco Jared Bush, Cco and legendary Disney director Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules), set to attend, as well as The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Docter and Clements will be inducted into...

Quick LinksSebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid Originally Had a Different AccentOne of Disney’s Lead Animators Was Initially Unhappy With an Iconic SequenceWalt Disney Wanted to Make The Little Mermaid in His Lifetime

The Little Mermaid was a hallmark film for Disney. It introduced a new Disney Princess to audiences and was a financial boon for the studio in 1989. The Little Mermaid also successfully rebooted the Disney musical, a formula the studio had moved away from in previous years. It was also the first Disney film to which songwriting team Howard Ashman and Alan Menken lent their talents. Some might argue that a more perfect Disney film could not have been made.

It may be hard to believe that the final vision for The Little Mermaid was a long time coming. Walt Disney had originally envisioned the film being made in his lifetime. And even some of the...

Quick LinksLady and the Tramp Was the First Disney Animated Film to Use CinemaScopeWalt Disney Was Not a Fan of the Famous Spaghetti Scene in Lady and the TrampDisney’s Lady and the Tramp Received Mixed Reviews From Critics in 1955

Disney masterpieces like Lady and the Tramp are considered iconic today, but they were once groundbreaking new entries in the genre of animated film. With some scenes even flagged as problematic by Disney itself, the content of the film has a complex legacy. Walt Disney himself was not pleased with all of it. Following the video release in the 1980s, the movie would be famously plagued by a lawsuit from singer/actress Peggy Lee. Lee voiced multiple characters and co-wrote six songs for the film.

Still, Lady and the Tramp managed to find a place in the hearts of audiences since its first release. And it even merited a live-action...

Quick LinksThe Peddler Introduces the Story to the ViewersThe Peddler Was Supposed to Be the Genie in His Human FormRobin Williams Didn’t Voice the Genie in The Return of Jafar

Aladdinis one of the most popular and beloved Disney animated films, and Robin Williams' portrayal of the Genie is one of the reasons why. However, not many fans know that Robin Williams also voiced another character in the movie and that this character had a bigger connection to the story. Aladdin is an adaptation of the classic folktale from One Thousand and One Nights and follows the titular Aladdin, a "diamond in the rough." Aladdin is a poor young man who has to steal to find food for himself and for his pet monkey, Abu. But Aladdin's fate changes once he meets Jafar, who gives Aladdin a mission: to steal a lamp from a cave.

Aladdin has no idea...

Anika Noni Rose has responded to Disney’s decision to cancel Tiana, the planned animated musical series following The Princess and the Frog. The Tony-winning actress, who originally voiced Tiana in the 2009 film, shared her thoughts on Instagram, calling the cancellation disappointing while encouraging fans to support the upcoming one-off special that will take its place.

Rose acknowledged the support she received following the news, stating, “I too am deeply disappointed that the continuation of Tiana’s journey in series form has been cut short.” The actress highlighted the dedication of those involved in the project, including writer-director Joyce Sherri, longtime Disney creative leader Jenn Lee, and the music team.

Originally announced during a 2020 Disney investor event, Tiana was set to continue the story of Disney’s first Black princess beyond the film. However, the series was among several long-form animated projects scrapped as Walt Disney Animation Studios shifts its focus to shorter-form content.

Anika Noni Rose is breaking her silence over Disney’s decision earlier this month not to move forward with Tiana, an animated musical series offshoot of The Princess and the Frog movie set for Disney+.

First announced in December 2020, the project was expected to feature Rose reprising her role as Tiana from the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog, which revolved around Disney’s first Black princess.

“Last week an announcement was made regarding the cancellation of the series, Tiana,” she began in a statement shared on Instagram. “I’ve been getting loads of messages expressing kindness, support and overwhelming disappointment.”

“I too am deeply disappointed that the continuation of Tiana’s journey in series form has been cut short,” adding that the highly anticipated series adaptation had been a “long time coming” and involved “a lot of beautiful work was put into it by all the creatives involved.”

“As...

In 2009, Disney premiered The Princess and the Frog, introducing Tiana, the first black princess. The animated film was a modest success, and it was expected to continue as a TV series.

Disney announced plans for a television spin-off titled Tianain December 2020. Anika Noni Rose, who voiced the lead character in the 2009 animated film, was confirmed to return to reprise her role. A few days after Disney officially shelved the series, Rose shared her disappointment in an Instagram post.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Anika Noni Rose (@anikaaroundtheworld)

"Last week an announcement was made regarding the cancellation of the series, Tiana. I've been getting loads of messages expressing kindness, support, and overwhelming disappointment," Anika Noni Rose's message began. "I've also been asked by different outlets to make a statement, but I'd rather talk to you directly."

The series was a long time coming, and a lot of beautiful work was put into it.

Disney has won a lawsuit filed against the successful adventure movie Moana which claims the story was stolen. Released in 2016, and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements - from a screenplay by Jared Bush - Moana tells the story of the strong-willed daughter of an island chief, chosen by the ocean to reunite the goddess Te Fiti with a mystical relic. Moana’s cast included newcomer Auli’i Cravalho, alongside Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Jermaine Clement, and Alan Tudyk. The movie was a box office success, grossing $687.2 million worldwide, and spawned a sequel, Moana 2.

Per reports in AP News, Disney has won a lawsuit that was filed against the company, claiming that the story for Moana was stolen from a script called Bucky the Surfer Boy, by writer and animator Buck Woodall. A jury determined that Disney had no access to Woodall’s script or ideas, after claims he...

A Los Angeles jury decided on March 10, 2025, that Disney did not steal the idea for its 2016 animated movie Moana. The decision came after a two-week trial where Buck Woodall, a writer and animator, claimed the film was based on his story Bucky the Surfer Boy.

The jury, made up of six women and two men, took less than three hours to rule that Disney creators John Musker and Ron Clements never saw Woodall’s work. This ended a five-year legal battle over the first Moana film, but Woodall has another case ongoing about the 2024 sequel, Moana 2.

Disney celebrated the victory. “We are incredibly proud of the collective work that went into the making of Moana and are pleased that the jury found it had nothing to do with Plaintiff’s works,” a company spokesperson said after the verdict in Judge Alka Sagar’s courtroom.

The trial showed that Musker and Clements,...

Buck Woodall’s five-year battle with Disney over who really created Moana looks to have come to an end, with a Los Angeles jury on Monday finding for the House of Mouse in the animated franchise dispute, at least for now.

While the panel of six women and two men determined in just under three hours that Disney and primary Moana creators John Musker and Ron Clements never saw or even knew about Woodall’s Bucky the Surfer Boy work while working on the 2016 animated hit, Woodall now has a separate copyright infringement action in the courts over blockbuster sequel Moana 2.

Right now, after a slew of internal communications and more sausage-making was revealed in documents for this trial, Disney is taking the win and leaving it at that.

“We are incredibly proud of the collective work that went into the making of Moana and are pleased that the...

A Los Angeles jury has found that Disney didn’t steal the idea for Moana from an animator’s story about the adventures of a young surfer in Hawaii.

After deliberating for just over two hours, the jury on Monday sided with a Disney unit that it didn’t infringe on Buck Woodall’s copyright to “Bucky and the Surfer Boy” because none of its employees ever saw works related to his screenplay. He alleged that he had shared materials for “Bucky” more than a decade earlier with his brother’s sister-in-law, who worked for Mandeville Films on the Disney lot at the time and allegedly shared it with an individual at Disney Animation TV, prior to the beginning of development for Moana.

The only defendant in the case was Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment, which sells DVDs of the 2016 film. By the time Woodall sued in 2020, the window for him to sue Disney,...

The latest shakeup in the world of media has resulted in Disney laying off nearly 6% of its total staff across ABC News and its TV division. Per Variety, via a source close to the matter, the 6% figure means that about 200 workers across both branches will be losing their jobs.

Also, as part of the cuts, the company is discontinuing its FiveThirtyEight (538) data unit that had been part of ESPN before being absorbed by ABC News. The outlet had become a top source for analyzing polling data before various elections in the U.S. Disney did not make executives available for comment, Variety states.

The ABC News cuts are due to combining different staffing groups through moves that the company previously announced. For instance, all units of the ABC staple Good Morning America, including its daily morning news show as well as GMA3 and ABC News’ overnight broadcasts, were previously combined...

Despite being relatively new to the world of streaming, Disney+ has an extensive catalog of television shows and movies that its subscribers could binge-watch for weeks. With a host of franchises under its belt, including Marvel and Star Wars, the streaming service offers a wide range of options for its viewers. As always, the movies and shows scheduled to arrive this month prove to be no different.

While there will certainly be plenty of family-friendly movies and shows arriving in March, viewers will also see the return of a beloved Marvel character whose previous series was a bit more gruesome than others in the franchise. Whether viewers want a relaxing movie night suitable for all ages or they’d rather watch something intended for a more mature audience, Disney+ is sure to have something they’ll enjoy next month.

'Malawi Wildlife Rescue' (Season 2) Stream on March 3

Malawi Wildlife Rescue...

Walt Disney Animation Studios has decided not to move forward with Tiana, an animated musical series offshoot of The Princess and the Frog movie set for Disney+, Deadline has confirmed.

While Disney did not respond to request for comment today over the Tiana series cancellation, sources confirm that going forward neither animation studio will be providing long form content for Disney +.

With a Tiana original special now the focus, we hear, it seems that creatively a Tiana series had been going nowhere fast for several years. That creative funk was why all we’ve seen the past four years is a single image from the proposed Tiana series.

First announced in December 2020, the project was expected to feature Anika Noni Rose reprising her role as Tiana from the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog, which revolved around Disney’s first Black princess.

Set in New Orleans during the 1920s,...

The Princess and the Frog sequel series has been scrapped at Disney+. Titled Tiana, the streaming exclusive would have brought back Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Disney's first Black princess, Tiana.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Animation Studios has officially pulled the plug on Tiana as it abandons making original long-form content for Disney+. Sources close to the project revealed that despite best efforts, including several changes to the creative team, the animation studio couldn't get Tiana where it needed to be given its budget. The decision to scrap Tiana in its entirety comes as a bit of a surprise, given that Disney recently found success at the box office with Moana 2, which was announced alongside Tiana back in 2020 as a Disney+ series before ultimately being reworked into a feature-length animated sequel.

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If you know your animation history pretty well, you know that even the biggest studios can have false starts. A major studio can announce the development of a new animated film, only for that movie to never see the light of day, for one reason or another. Pixar, for example, has axed its own titles for being too similar to those of competing studios, like the time it removed "Newt," a film about procreating newts, from its schedule over concerns it was too similar to Blue Sky Studios' "Rio," as one example. Sometimes, though, it's as simple as a studio's executive team shifting, like when Netflix's planned adaptation of the "Redwall" fantasy-adventure book series was sent into development hell because of the studio's changing priorities.

Finally, in select cases, there's an even simpler excuse: If one movie doesn't do well at the box office, any potential sequel goes the way of the dodo.

2024 was a stunning year for animated films, and especially for Disney. Over four months after its theatrical release in late November 2024, Moana 2 is sailing to streaming.

Set three years after the events of the 2016 animated film, the sequel sent Moana on yet another adventure. This time, to find other tribes connected by the ocean, and she needed to break a new curse to do so. After the sequel unlocked all the records it could during its stunning theatrical run, Disney officially announced Moana 2 is heading to streaming on Disney+ on Mar. 12.

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The first installment premiered in 2016, and it was a success. It ended its theatrical run as the eleventh highest-grossing film of the year, grossing $684.6 million worldwide...

It's no secret that Disney had a lot to be thankful for in 2024. Not only were Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine the two highest-grossing films of last year, but Moana 2 was a close third. Premiering on Nov. 27, 2024, the hit sequel managed to take in over $1 billion dollars at the box office, and now, after nearly three months, it's finally been announced that the animated smash featuring the voice talents of Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho will make its streaming premiere on Disney+ on March 12, 2025.

The news of Moana 2's streaming release comes via The Wrap, which astutely points out that the date of March 12 is just in time for spring break in many school districts, meaning families who don't already own a digital copy of the film will be able to turn on Disney+ and sing such songs as "Can I Get a Chee Hoo" over and over again.

Fans of Disney’s Hercules are bracing themselves to see the Greek hero turned into one of the latest entrants into the House of Mouse’s never-ending parade of live-action remakes that will this year deliver Snow White and Lilo & Stitch to a (possibly) waiting audience. For those who cannot wait for the Herculean character to be realized on the big screen in some resemblance to real life, Multiverse of Movies on YouTube has you covered with a slightly creepy but technically pleasing AI-generated fan trailer which answers the question, what if Tom Holland played Hercules? Is anyone asking that question?

Hercules is currently marching through development with the Russo Brothers’ production company Agbo and Aladdin director Guy Ritchie behind the scenes. While the film is in early development, there have been whispers of Taron Egerton being eyed to take on the titular role, with fans wanting Wicked’s sensational...

Disney animated movies are some of the best and most beloved animated movies of all time. With classics like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney has released many iconic animated movies that are still popular today. And through their partnership with Pixar Animation Studios, they have introduced several other popular films, such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out. But while these animated films continue to have loyal fans, some of these fans who've seen their favorite animated movie multiple times have found a few plot holes in these beloved stories.

There are many plot holes in Disney animated movies, some of which have been explained one way or another. In some cases, fan theories perfectly explain something that would otherwise not make sense. In other cases, the very directors or writers behind these films have given extra context and detail to a...

Moana 2 makes waves once more at the box office despite recently landing on digital platforms. The acclaimed Disney animated adventure sequel sails to another major achievement as its theatrical run nears an end.

According to Deadline,Moana 2 is now one of the 10 highest-grossing animated movies ever, passing Finding Dory and Despicable Me 3 this past weekend to reach 9th place ($1.037 billion worldwide). The sequel passed the $1 billion mark and became one of the 50 highest-earning movies in history last month, further attaining huge success for Disney. The original Moana, released in 2016, earned $687.2 million globally, a far cry from its successor.

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Moana 2's box office success has been continuing despite the movie being available to rent or purchase on various digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, since Jan.

The 1990s saw Hollywood studios make a rush to 3D animation in the wake of Toy Story. But in the process, it abandoned decades of hand drawn artistry.

When Ron Clements and John Musker got the greenlight to make The Princess And The Frog at Walt Disney Animation Studios, they faced a problem.

Appreciating some hand-drawn animation had been done for the slightly earlier Disney production, Enchanted, remarkably Disney had to outsource those segments as it didn’t have the internal resources to bring them to life. When it then decided to attempt a hand drawn animated film for the first time in over a decade, the apparatus to do so was all but gone.

“They had gotten rid of many of the machines, even the animation desk that had lightboards in them,” co-director John Musker told me on the press tour for The Princess And The Frog in 2009. “They...

Every now and then, a film comes along that transcends its genre, reshaping the cinematic landscape and becoming something of a cultural phenomenon. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is one such movie.

Released in 1975, this thriller didn’t just win audiences over; it reinvented the concept of the summer blockbuster. But its influence didn’t stop there. Jaws secured a rare spot in the hearts of filmmakers worldwide, including one of the most celebrated animators of all time, Hayao Miyazaki.

A scene from Jaws | Credits: Universal Pictures

From the pulse-pounding score that sticks to your bones to the ever-tightening noose of suspense, Jaws was a cultural earthquake, setting the stage for the blockbuster era that would follow. And then there’s that shark. It didn’t just swim into our screens—it sunk its teeth into the very heart of Hollywood, leaving a legacy that continues to send ripples through the industry.

Moana 2 Worldwide Box Office: 8th Friday Update ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Moana 2 is set to reach its goal soon, hopefully this weekend. Which goal? The one-billion-dollar mark worldwide. The movie has already surpassed Despicable Me 4 as the third highest-grossing film of the past year. Due to the amazing collection of the Moana sequel, all three of the highest-grossing films of 2024 are from Disney. Scroll below for the deets.

It is the sequel to the 2016 movie Moana, directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and co-directed by Chris Williams and Don Hall. The sequel has already grossed over 54% more than the original movie. According to reports, the estimated budget of the film is $150 million, and it has now generated 562.2% more than the price tag. It is still going strong at the box office and is expected to earn between $1-$1.1 billion in its global run.

Moana 2 surpassed Despicable Me 4...

Just months after having a lawsuit shut down on a technicality, animator Buck Woodall is suing Disney again for allegedly stealing the idea for their hit movie franchise, Moana. The new lawsuit was filed by Woodall on January 10, and includes claims that both the 2016 original movie and its 2024 sequel were both stolen from a screenplay written by Woodall about a Polynesian village, young adults and spirit animals.

Originally, Woodall filed a suit based on the original Moana movie, but in November a judge kicked the case out of court, stating that the claim had been made too long after the release of the movie eight years ago. However, the release of Moana 2 in cinemas in December allowed Woodall to file his new claim, including the sequel as the focus and also citing the original movie in the filing. This time around, the lawsuit will have a chance to go...

Disney is being sued over Moana 2. The 2024 movie is a sequel to their 2016 smash hit and follows Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) gathering a crew for a new seafaring adventure that brings her face to face once more with her former demigod companion Maui (Dwayne Johnson). The animated musical was an instant smash hit, eventually climbing to a worldwide gross of $964 million, which has made it the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2024 so far.

In addition to the record-breaking Moana 2 box office, the movie is a major contender in the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song categories at various ceremonies during the 2024-2025 awards season. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, losing to Flow, and the song "Beyond" was shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. The official nominations will be announced on January 19 after being delayed by two days amid the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.

For 80s kids, Disney’s The Black Cauldron was a freakishly dark entry in the company’s otherwise squeaky-clean lineup. For those born in the 90s, the movie took on new life as the terrifying rerun spammed on Toon Disney every October. Regardless of how the film is first encountered, its reception by bright-eyed tots is usually along the lines of “understandable terror.” The Black Cauldron shares its legacy with Old Yeller and Bambi as sources of Disney-approved childhood trauma. Its 1985 release prompted a bevy of disdain from critics and theatergoers. Parents complained that the movie was too scary, children were too terrified to offer reviews, and critics questioned the film’s intended demographic. By the end of its theatrical debut, The Black Cauldron joined Sleeping Beauty as one of Disney’s ambitious financial flops.

Recent retrospectives have been kinder to Ted Berman and Richard Rich’s dark fantasy tale.

With just over a week before the Academy Awards nominations are announced, Disney faces a lawsuit for allegedly copying the idea for Moana and its sequel. Animator Buck Woodall claims the studio used elements from a screenplay he wrote for a film called Bucky, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

Woodall’s lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, argues that both Moana and his script follow similar storylines. They feature teenagers from ancient Polynesian villages who defy their parents to embark on dangerous journeys, encountering animal spirits along the way.

In November, a court ruled that a jury could decide if the works are substantially similar, but Woodall’s initial lawsuit over Moana was dismissed for being filed too late. The release of Moana 2 gave Woodall a fresh opportunity to pursue legal action. The court noted that someone at Disney Animation might have seen Woodall’s copyrighted materials before Moana’s development began.

With a little more than a week left before Academy Awards nominations are set to be announced, Disney has been sued for allegedly copying the idea for Moana and its sequel.

Animator Buck Woodall, in a lawsuit filed on Friday in California federal court, claims Disney ripped off elements of a screenplay he wrote for an animated film called “Bucky.” Both works, which are set against the backdrop of an ancient Polynesian village, follow teenagers who defy their parents by embarking on dangerous voyages to save their homes while encountering spirits manifested as animals along the way.

The filing of Friday’s lawsuit follows a court ruling in November that Disney doesn’t have to face an identical copyright lawsuit brought by Woodall over Moana because he sued too late. The release of Moana 2 allowed him to initiate further legal action.

In that case, the court found that a...

Moana 2 has thrived at the box office since its release, and it is now preparing to pass a truly magnificent threshold. Led by returning cast members from Moana, the movie stars Auli'i Cravalho (Moana) and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Maui), as they reunite to find the island of Motufetu. With a $150 million budget, the movie was a significant investment by Disney, which originally saw the project as a potential Disney+ show. After diverting to theaters, Disney has been rewarded with immense success at the box office.

According to a report by Variety, the hit sequel has officially earned $960 million worldwide, with $425 million coming from North America. Sitting at the fourth overall spot in its sixth weekend, it ushered in $12.3 million domestically this weekend alone. It is currently well on its way to the coveted $1 billion mark, though it is not yet known how many weeks it will take.

Developing.

Moana 2 has hit a staggering box office milestone as it swiftly approaches becoming a billion-dollar title. The animated movie is a sequel to Disney's 2016 hit and follows the title character (Auli'i Cravalho) embarking on her next adventure with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) along with her new crew. The record-breaking Moana 2 release kicked off the day before U.S. Thanksgiving and quickly zoomed past the $643.3 million gross earned by the original movie.

Per Box Office Mojo, Moana 2 grossed $900.6 million worldwide by the end of 2024. This means that it has officially passed the $900 million milestone, becoming only the fourth movie of last year to have done so behind Despicable Me 4 ($969.1 million), Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.338 billion), and Inside Out 2 ($1.699 billion). It is currently projected to race past the $1 billion mark sometime in early 2025.

In addition to hitting this major milestone, Moana 2's domestic gross of $404 million...

In recent years, more animated Disney films have received live-action theatrical remakes, but a few untouched beloved classics might work better as live-action TV shows. The response from critics and audiences to Disney's live-action remakes varies, but with the right filmmaking and creative team behind live-action projects, fan-favorite films getting such a transformation is exciting. So far, many of the remakes don't stray too far from the original plot of their animated inspirations. However, with the TV format, the story of films like The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective can be expanded upon across a limited or multiple-season series.

Live-action TV series also benefit certain movies over others when it comes to films with big casts, such as Meet the Robinsons or Encanto — stretching out a story over multiple episodes allows for more attention toward breakout supporting characters. Additionally, the vast setting of these films can be transformed into breathtaking live-action sets,...

With a vast range of Disney movies, it can be hard to know which one to go with, especially when looking for a film that is suitable for a young audience. While the studio is known to create movies for the whole family, some wouldn't appeal to children, nor would they be appropriate. However, there's a whole host of films that meet the G certificate rating.

There is a Disney film for every movie fan's taste. Some involve talking animated animals, and others depict a teenager's journey to becoming a princess. Whether with songs or without, the below selection of G-rated movies provides a varied choice for younger viewers.

Updated by Alexandra Locke on December 24, 2024: Disney is known for making movies that are fun for the whole family - including even the youngest members. Disney has a wide selection of Rated G films, but these are among the best.

Moana's recent sequel has brought the ocean-adventuring not-princess back to everyone's mind. After her musical adventure in 2016, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) became the first Polynesian princess in the Disney Princess franchise, though the character would deny her royal status. Still, as fans look back on her story, they may find a parallel between Moana and an earlier Disney film also written by John Musker and Ron Clements: The Little Mermaid. The 1989 Disney classic about a mermaid princess longing to be human was instrumental in bringing the animation company into what is now called the Disney Renaissance. Even 35 years after its release, The Little Mermaid is widely popular and recently received the live-action remake treatment.

Moana 2 just crossed another major milestone at the box office. After a slow year for theaters, the final months of 2024 have been an explosion for the box office. Gladiator II, Wicked, and now the Moana sequel are all poised for a strong box office finish. With Kraven the Hunter and The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim having released this week, the latest Disney sequel could have stumbled, but Moana 2's hit soundtrack helped to propel it past another record.

According to a report by Variety, the movie earned the top spot for its third straight weekend. With a $26.6 million domestic take on the weekend, it has crossed $337.5 million domestically and $717 million globally so far. That surpasses Dune: Part Two's $714.4 million global gross. It also means that the movie has officially taken its place as the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2024 just three weeks into its run.

While there are a lot of Disney characters who easily stand out on their own, there are some iconic Disney duos that show how much fun a pair can be. Disney has always loved exploring friendship in their animated movies and they have done so successfully since the beginning of their run. However, even in their long history, some Disney duos rise above the rest and showcase those truly special pairings that have delivered laughs, heartbreak, and charm to audiences over the years.

Including all the Pixar movies alongside the animated Disney roster, there are a lot of notable pairs to choose from. There are some friends who clearly go back a long way, like Mike and Sully in Monsters Inc. Some start out with a lot of tension only to find common ground, like Moana and Maui. Of course, some Disney duos are just fun to watch sharing the screen,...