News

“It’s a Small World” just got a little bit bigger.

Late last year Disney released a short film celebrating song’s 60th anniversary titled The Final Verse. It revealed that songwriter Richard Sherman had crafted a third verse to the classic tune and shared it with Disney CEO Bob Iger in 2023.

Sherman, who died in 2024, and his brother Robert were responsible for music in Disney classics such Mary Poppins — for which the Sherman Brothers earned Academy Awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score — The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and many more.

This week, Disney announced that the verse would be added to soundtrack of the song’s namesake attraction at Disneyland, beginning July 17.

Here is the new concluding verse:

Mother earth unites us in heart and mind

And the love we give makes us humankind

Through our vast wondrous land

When we stand hand in hand...

Joe Hale, who spent 35 years as an animator, layout artist and producer at Disney and received an Oscar nomination for his effects work on the 1979 film The Black Hole, has died. He was 99.

Hale died Jan. 29 of natural causes at his home in Atascadero, California, his wife of nearly 60 years, Beverly Hale, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Hale started out as an inbetweener on Alice in Wonderland (1951) and worked on such other classics as Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), The Fox and the Hound (1981), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Pete’s Dragon (1977).

In 1980, Hale was named a first-time producer on The Black Cauldron (1985), a project that had been languishing at Disney for about seven years, and he oversaw a staff of 300 artists — including a young Tim Burton — and a big budget of $44 million.

When some children found scenes in the...

What’s Christmas without “A Christmas Carol”? There’s a reason why Charles Dickens’ classic has been made over and over: It’s always timely to remind people of the real spirit of the season. And to not be a selfish jerk. Here are our favorite versions of “A Christmas Carol,” from various Disney takes to the one everyone agrees is the best adaptation ever.

Photo credit: Apple TV+

12. Spirited (2022)

What if Scrooge (here named Clint Briggs) were a smug CEO who was beyond redemption? Ryan Reynolds brings his ususal snark to this holiday musical, which costars Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present, who’s long overdue to retire, and Tracy Morgan as the voice of Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Photo credit: Walt Disney

11. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)

Who else but Scrooge McDuck could play mean old Ebenezer Scrooge? Mickey is, of course, underappreciated clerk Bob Cratchit,...

Mere mortals have been fascinated by witchcraft for hundreds of years, and the film industry has taken note, with witch-themed movies going back more than 100 years.

In 1922, the silent partly documentary-style Swedish film “Haxan” sought to understand the roots and misunderstandings of witchcraft, and the mania that surrounded the witch hunts. Controversial at the time, it is now considered one of the most influential of the early horror films. Less than 20 years later, Margaret Hamilton would make the Wicked Witch the standard for evil witches, and help make “The Wizard of Oz” a timeless classic.

SEE25 best TV witches, ranked worst to best

In the decades since, witches have appeared in just about every genre of film. Early romantic comedies “I Married a Witch” and “Bell, Book and Candle” were so popular they inspired the classic 1960s TV series “Bewitched.” But while a witch’s antics on the small screen were amusing audiences,...

Richard M. Sherman, a nine-time Academy Award nominee and one of the songwriting brothers behind Disney movies like 1964’s Mary Poppins and 1967’s The Jungle Book, has died at 95. Sherman died of age-related illness at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills on Saturday, according to a Walt Disney Company announcement. Robert B. Sherman, the other half of the duo, died in 2012. The Sherman Brothers, who had a big fan in Walt Disney himself, won two Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, taking home the trophies for Best Score – Substantially Original and Best Original Song (for “Chim Chim Cher-ee”). Richard and Robert wrote more than 200 songs for some 27 films and 24 television productions, Disney reports. Their film credits include The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), The Parent Trap (1961), Summer Magic (1963), The Sword in the Stone (1963), That Darn Cat! (1965), Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), The Happiest Millionaire (1967), The Aristocats (1970), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). The brothers...

Richard M. Sherman, the Academy Award-winning songwriter, who along with his late brother Robert, composed music for classic films including Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, has died at the age of 95.

Over the course of their prolific career, the Shermans composed over 1,000 songs for more 50 movies, and were responsible for more movie musical songs than any duo in film history, according to Billboard.

Their brothers’ other notable film scores included The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Charlotte’s Web, and The Tigger Movie.

Additionally, the Shermans composed “It’s a Small World (After All),” for the Disney theme park attraction of the same name, and wrote “You’re Sixteen,” which later became a No. 1 hit for Ringo Starr.

The Shermans’s accolades included a total nine Academy Award nominations with two victories; four Grammy nominations with two wins; and 23 gold- or platinum-certified albums.

Richard M. Sherman, known for songs including “it’s a small world,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “The Parent Trap,” and more passed away at age 95 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Richard Sherman was 1/2 of the famous Sherman Brothers duo that often worked with Walt Disney. Robert B. Sherman, Richard’s brother, passed away in 2012.

The duo started working for Disney after they created a song for Annette Funicello in 1958. From there, they created songs for many popular Disney films and wrote the “Small World” song for the “It’s a Small World” attraction at the New York World’s Fair.

Together, the brothers won nine Oscars, two Grammy Awards, and over 20 gold and platinum albums.

Their music was featured in many films, including “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” “The Jungle Book,” “The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Tigger Movie,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,”Victory Canteen,” “Summer Magic,” “The Absent-Minded Professor,...

Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman, half of the Academy Award-winning songwriting team of the Sherman Brothers with his late brother, fellow Legend Robert B. Sherman, died today at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills at 95 from age-related illness.

Sherman was a key member of Walt Disney’s inner circle of creative talents. He garnered nine Academy Award nominations (winning two Oscars for his work on the 1964 Mary Poppins), won three Grammy Awards, and received 24 gold and platinum albums over the course of his 65-year career.

Richard and his brother were inducted as Disney Legends in 1990.

The Sherman brothers were perhaps best known for their work on Mary Poppins, for which they won Oscars for Best Score – Substantially Original, and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee.

Another cherished song from the film, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, became a pop hit, entering the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, while the lullaby Feed the Birds became one of Walt’s favorite songs.

Richard M. Sherman has passed away at age 95. Along with his brother, the legendary songwriter composed music for classic Disney hits including Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. Sherman was a multitalented writer who also penned screenplays and stage musicals.

Richard M. Sherman has passed away. The legendary songwriter, who composed music alongside his brother Robert B. Sherman (who pre-deceased him in 2012 at age 86) as The Sherman Brothers, is best known for contributing music to more than a dozen classic Disney properties, both live-action and animated, including Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Sword in the Stone, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Over the years, the duo were nominated for nine Oscars, winning two, for Best Original Score for Mary Poppins and Best Original Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee."

Per The Walt Disney Company, Richard M. Sherman passed away at the age of 95 due to age-related illness.

Richard M. Sherman, the Oscar-winning songwriter who partnered with his late brother to craft tunes for such Disney classics as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Jungle Book, died Saturday. He was 95.

Sherman, who also co-wrote “It’s a Small World (After All)” — considered the most performed song ever — as well as “You’re Sixteen,” a chart-topper for Ringo Starr, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of age-related illness, Disney announced.

Members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and recipients of the National Medal of Honor, Richard and his older brother, Robert Sherman, wrote an estimated 1,000 songs and music for 50 movies, and they were responsible for more movie musical songs than anyone in history.

For their work on Mary Poppins (1964), the Sherman brothers made two victorious trips to the Academy Awards stage at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, accepting the trophies for best original score and...

Richard M. Sherman, two-time Oscar winner who collaborated with brother Robert B. Sherman on the songs for “Mary Poppins,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and the enduring Disneyland tune “It’s a Small World (After All),” died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills due to age-related illness. He was 95.

The Sherman brothers worked in a job that no longer exists: inhouse songwriters for a studio. In their case, the studio was Disney, and the brothers were hired for that steady gig after their 1958 song “Tall Paul” was a hit for Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.

In the early 1960s, they penned tunes for Hayley Mills in Disney films “The Parent Trap,” “In Search of the Castaways” and “Summer Magic,” as well as songs for “The Absent-Minded Professor” and “Moon Pilot”; Walt Disney, always aware of synergy, made sure his family comedies had a tune with radio-play potential. The Shermans wrote for...

Richard M. Sherman, one-half of the prolific Disney songwriting duo The Sherman Brothers, has died. He was 95.

Sherman and his brother Robert were responsible for dozens of the brand’s most memorable cinematic songs. They were most known for their work on “Mary Poppins,” which earned the duo two Oscars, the soundtrack for “The Jungle Book” and “It’s a Small World.”

“Richard Sherman was the embodiment of what it means to be a Disney Legend, creating along with his brother Robert the beloved classics that have become a cherished part of the soundtrack of our lives,” Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement Saturday.

“From films like ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘The Jungle Book’ to attractions like ‘It’s a Small World,’ the music of the Sherman Brothers has captured the hearts of generations of audiences. We are forever grateful for the mark Richard left on the world,...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks deserves a modern remake to enhance its engaging story with updated visuals. The Blob, a sci-fi classic, could benefit from modern special effects to create a more terrifying Blob. Air Force One's iconic crash scene could be improved with modern CGI for a more realistic impact.

Special effects have developed and changed over the years, and some great movie titles deserve to be remade for the modern world with a fresh and updated look. The first movie that used special effects was Alfred Clark's 1895 reenactment of the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots, and since then, the world of cinema has progressed an incredible amount. Whether they differed from the original or not, plenty of the best movie remakes have also relied on special effects to keep audiences engaged and have transported them to all manner of fictional universes.

For example, some of the best sci-fi movies,...

Mere mortals have been fascinated by witchcraft for hundreds of years, and the film industry has taken note, with witch-themed movies going back more than 100 years.

In 1922, the silent partly documentary-style Swedish film “Haxan” sought to understand the roots and misunderstandings of witchcraft, and the mania that surrounded the witch hunts. Controversial at the time, it is now considered one of the most influential of the early horror films. Less than 20 years later, Margaret Hamilton would make the Wicked Witch the standard for evil witches, and help make “The Wizard of Oz” a timeless classic.

SEE25 best TV witches, ranked worst to best

In the decades since, witches have appeared in just about every genre of film. Early romantic comedies “I Married a Witch” and “Bell, Book and Candle” were so popular they inspired the classic 1960s TV series “Bewitched.” But while a witch’s antics on the small screen were amusing audiences,...

Jeopardy! is making amends on social media after a video-audio mix-up led to confusion among fans online. In a video posted to the show’s official Instagram account, some audio and visual aspects didn’t match the clue that was shown, forcing the show to issue an apology to RuPaul’s Drag Race. In the video, the clue, “At the end of an episode of Drag Race, RuPaul tells one contestant, ‘Shantay, you stay’ & the other, do this ‘away.'” As host Ken Jennings reads this clue aloud, it was a different clue appearing onscreen instead, which read, “Angela Lansbury used her witching powers to thwart Nazis in this classic that won an Oscar for special effects in 1971,” in reference to the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Clearly, the flub hit a nerve as fans who saw the video online were quick to point out the error and the clip has...

Adaptation

“Tabby McTat,” the lively children’s story by writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, is set to get the BBC treatment with a new adaptation by longtime Donaldson/Scheffler collaborators Magic Light Pictures. “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker will narrate the tale about a cat who gets separated from his owner while Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (“Gangs of London”) will voice Tabby. Other stars lending their voices to the short include Rob Brydon (“Gavin and Stacey”), Cariad Lloyd (“Peep Show”), Joanna Scanlan (“The Thick of It”) and Susan Wokoma (“Enola Holmes”).

“Superworm” directors Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman will helm the project, which was written by Max Lang and Suzanne Lang. Barney Goodland and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures will produce. BBC chief content office Charlotte Moore and BBC drama commissioning editor Nawfal Faizullah acquired the film for the BBC. Red Star Studio will provide animation services.

Disney Season...

From The Video Archives Podcast, writer/director Roger Avary and writer/producer Gala Avary discuss a few of their favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Taxi Driver (1976)

Star Wars (1977)

Matinee (1993)

Dune (1984)

Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Batman (1989)

Yentl (1983)

Nuts (1987)

Spaceballs (1987)

Die Hard (1988)

Top Gun (1986)

Cocksucker Blues (1972)

Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)

Straw Dogs (1971)

The Godfather (1972)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Day Of The Dolphin (1973)

Babylon (2022)

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)

Carrie (1976)

Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)

Blow Out (1981)

The Matrix (1999)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Killing Zoe (1993)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The Tenant (1976)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Bugsy Malone (1976)

Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)

The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Rules Of Attraction (2002)

The Sound Of Music (1965)

Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Giant (1956)

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Babe (1995)

Time Bandits...

Writer/Director Joe Cornish discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Attack The Block (2011)

Rocks (2019)

Poltergeist (1982)

Gremlins (1984)

Avanti! (1972)

Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)

The Last Wave (1977)

Witness (1985)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Fearless (1993)

Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)

Gallipoli (1981)

The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)

The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)

The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai (1984)

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

The Rescuers (1977)

Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)

The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Moonraker (1979)

The Adventures Of Tintin (2011)

Bambi (1942)

Dumbo (1941)

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

This Island Earth (1955)

Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)

The Thing From Another World (1951)

Matinee (1993)

The Lord Of The Rings (1978)

The Omen (1976)

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exterminator (1980)

Friday The 13th...

Daniel Craig has revealed he “flatly ignored” one key stage direction while making the 2019 murder mystery film Knives Out.

In the film, Craig plays the southern sleuth Benoit Blanc, a role he is now reprising in the Netflix-produced sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

The James Bond star drew praise for his comic portrayal of the character, employing a thick accent likened by several critics to that of cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn.

During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday (25 November), Craig discussed how his characterisation of Blanc diverged from what was originally in the script.

“There was a very small stage direction in the script that said Benoit Blanc has a subtle, lilting southern accent, which I clearly flatly ignored!” he joked.

Craig then discussed Glass Onion, which features a number of surprise celebrity cameos – including one from the late Angela Lansbury.

“It was her very last screen performance,...

Although the popularity of witches in no way rivals that of zombies, ghosts, or demons, witch mythology has been around for hundreds of years. For the most part, they either resembled a decrepit old hag, which was normally their true form, or disguised themselves as a beautiful young woman. Nevertheless, witches always had abilities of differing strengths, able to cast spells, brew potions, and manipulate circumstances to meet their ends.

Ultimately, witches came to represent the mystery and suppression of female sexuality in many cultures, which is why so many witches employ the power of seduction. They are often the woman scorned, seeking revenge or questing for power so that they may be never be suppressed again.

While the majority of big-screen portrayals of witches show the dark side of witchcraft, occasionally there will be a good witch among them. As Halloween approaches, it's time to celebrate the good and the bad,...

It was only a few days ago that we lost Angela Lansbury, the legendary Dame of both stage and screen, just shy of her 97th birthday. One of the last surviving stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Lansbury starred in a bevy of brilliant films and received numerous accolades for her talent. Before her passing, Lansbury earned six Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), six Golden Globe Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and the Academy Honorary Award. While she never took home the statues, she was graciously nominated for three Academy Awards, a Grammy Award, and a whopping eighteen Primetime Emmy Awards. Lansbury was beloved the world over and across generations, with her artistry and humility turning her into one of the most beloved celebrity figures in history.

In celebration of her life and career, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will be hosting a 24-hour programming tribute next month. Lansbury's film career spanned nearly eight decades,...

Angela Lansbury was a versatile star, with films including, clockwise from top left, The Court Jester, The Manchurian Candidate, Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Beauty And The Beast The film world paid tribute tonight to Angela Lansbury, who has died at the age of 96.

The British-born star, who would have turned 97 on October 16, had a wide-ranging career on stage, TV and screen spanning 75-years, including roles in classics such as Bedknobs And Broomsticks, The Manchurian Candidate and Beauty And The Beast.

The three-time Oscar nominee - who also became a household name for TV fans with Murder She Wrote - "died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles" her family said.

Born in London in 1925, Lansbury moved to the US as a young woman and picked up her first movie role, in George Cukor's Gaslight, in 1944, for which she picked up her first Academy Award nomination. She was nominated again...

The 1971 Robert Stevenson film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" often gets unfairly maligned as a lesser "Mary Poppins," but that's a huge disservice to the performance of the late, great Angela Lansbury. The late Academy Award-nominated actor had not yet become a household name with the 1980s television series "Murder, She Wrote," but film and Broadway fans were sure to recognize her playing a wacky witch who goes on a magical animated journey with a family of children and a con artist/purported school of witchcraft professor named Mr. Brown. She brings a kind of madcap energy to the role that's hard to describe or replicate, and is clearly having a ball imagining herself with supernatural powers and fighting Nazis. 

There are some moments in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" that have aged strangely, namely in a segment where the bed-riding crew visits the magical land of Naboombu, where animals rule, but for the most part,...

Star of stage and screen earned three Oscar nominations and multiple Tony Awards.

Angela Lansbury, the London-born star of stage, film and TV who earned three Oscar nominations and will perhaps be best remembered for her long-running role in TV hit Murder, She Wrote, has died. She was 96.

Lansbury was born on October 16, 1925, in central London to Irish actor Moyna Macgill and MP Edgar Lansbury, whose father George Lansbury led the Labour Party in the 1930s.

She was nine when her father died. Aged 14 Lansbury, her mother and two siblings were evacuated from the Blitz. The family sailed from Liverpool to New York,...

The entertainment industry lost a legend today. The children of Dame Angela Lansbury have sadly had to announce that their mother has passed away at the age of 96 – just five days shy of her 97th birthday. According to the announcement, Lansbury “died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 Am today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022.”

Lansbury is best known for her twelve season, 264 episode run as author / crime solver Jessica Fletcher on the mystery series Murder, She Wrote – a role she went on to reprise in four made-for-tv movies. But when you look on her filmography, Murder, She Wrote is just one of 111 screen acting credits she earned during a career that stretched back to 1944.

Born in London on October 16, 1925, Lansbury is said to have “retreated into playing characters” after her politician father died of stomach cancer in 1935. She became interested in film while attending high school, and...

Dame Angela Lansbury, star of stage and screens both big and small, has died at the age of 96. According to a statement released by her family, Lansbury passed away peacefully just five days short of her 97th birthday. The performer was known for something different by each generation, as she was a near-constant presence on Broadway, was practically omnipresent our TVs as crime writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher on "Murder, She Wrote," and starred in a number of films that range from the darkly dramatic to beloved family favorites. 

Lansbury could truly do it all. She was funny, charismatic, capable of carrying a dramatic scene with gravitas, and my god, could she sing! Lansbury has five Tony awards for her performances on stage, perhaps most famously for playing the people-cooking pie maker Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" in 1979. That performance was a far...

Angela Lansbury, one of the most iconic actresses in Hollywood, has died.

She was 96.

According to People, Lansbury passed away in her sleep Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles.

"The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday," her family says in a statement obtained by the outlet.

"In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury," the statement adds.

"She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw."

"A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined."

Lansbury was born on October 16, 1925 in London, England.

Her mother, Moyna Macgill, was well...

Angela Lansbury, the London-born actress whose career spanned eight decades and included hits in film (“The Manchurian Candidate”), TV and theater (“Mame” and “Sweeney Todd”), has died at age 96.

Her family announced her death, saying she died early Tuesday morning “peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles.”

A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined for Lansbury, who would have turned 97 on Sunday.

One of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Lansbury first rose to fame as an MGM player who nabbed Academy Award nominations for her first films roles, in 1944’s “Gaslight” and 1945’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

Also Read:

Angela Lansbury’s 10 Best Film and TV Roles, From ‘Gaslight’ to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (Photos)

In 1962, she earned another Oscar nomination for “The Manchurian Candidate” playing the scheming mother of a war hero — played by an actor,...

Angela Lansbury, whose career crossed theater, film, and television across more than seven decades, has died at the age of 96. Her death was announced by MSNBC’s Ali Velshi on his Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon and confirmed by NBC News. “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 Am today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family said in a statement.

The actress is best known for “Murder, She Wrote,” but started her career in 1944 and has delighted generations of fans with nearly 150 credits. That includes everything ranging from voice-over performances to musicals and dramas. Lansbury was able to be anything an audience needed, from a warmhearted mother to a vicious villain.

Angela Brigid Lansbury was born on October 16, 1925 in London, England. She was born into entertainment,...

Angela Lansbury, a TV legend thanks to her portrayal of Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, passed away Tuesday at the age of 96.

Broadway World has a statement from Lansbury’s family: “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 Am today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday. In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. She...

Sylvester Stallone's 2022 direct-to-streaming action flick "Samaritan" has a certain irresistible je ne sais quoi. Maybe it's the story's comfortingly familiar formula, or maybe it's the contrast of physical, practical stunts performed in a hyper-stylized world. Maybe — just maybe — the key element is how much fun everyone seems to be having; for a story about an aging superhero set against the backdrop of urban decay, there's a surprising amount of joy and earnest affection in the underlying structure.

"Samaritan" feels like a lost relic from the early aughts; this is exactly the kind of movie pre-teens used to rent from the corner store and become absolutely obsessed with. It is peak "12-year-old-boy cool" — like "Spy Kids" but with attitude. The film centers on Sam Clearly (Javon Walton), a kid from the wrong side of town who finds himself drawn into the seedy world of notorious gang leader Cyrus (Pilou Asbæk...

Jason Momoa is all over the place these days. In addition to preparing for the release of the next "Aquaman" movie and playing the villain in the tenth installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, he's also set to star in the live-action "Minecraft" adaptation, an action-comedy called "Shots! Shots! Shots!," the fantasy murder mystery "The Executioner," a Hawaiian historical drama "Chief of War," and much more. Since the statuesque beefcake of an actor is someone that many consider the man of their dreams, I don't think too many people will be complaining.

In fact, the former "Game of Thrones" star has also taken a starring role in the World of Dreams. Based on the acclaimed comic strip "Little Nemo In Slumberland" by Winsor McCay, he will appear in the upcoming Netflix movie "Slumberland." Ahead of the film's fall premiere, the streamer has released the first teaser that gives off...

One of the most anticipated honors to be handed out Sunday at the 75th annual Tony Awards is Angela Lansbury’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The big question is: Why did it take so long?

Now 96, the beloved Lansbury has won five competitive Tony and was nominated for two more. She’s also one of the leading interpreters of the work of composers Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman. Her Broadway career is best described with the lyric from Herman’s 1966 musical “Mame: “You came, you saw, your conquered and absolutely nothing is the same…we think you’re just sensational!”

In fact, she’s been sensational since making her film debut at 18 in 1944’s “Gaslight,” received her first of three Oscar nominations — she earned an Honorary Oscar in 2013 — and starred for 12 seasons as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on ‘Murder, She Wrote.” And she brought her musical talents to movie and TV...

Though there were vestiges of traditional Hollywood in 1971 with the releases of big musical “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and an extravagant, albeit old-fashioned, historical epic “Nicholas & Alexander,” it was the untraditional fare that dominated the year with such films as Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange,” Alan J. Pakula’s “Klute,” Gordon Parks’ “Shaft” and John Schlesinger’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

Two of the most lauded and influential films of the 1970s made their debuts 50 years ago and earned places in Oscars history: Peter Bogdanovich’s black-and-white study of a dying Texas town “The Last Picture Show” and William Friedkin’s pulsating crime thriller “The French Connection.”

Both directors had made movies before, but these productions made them critics darlings and each film changed the careers of their stars. “The French Connection’ won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, director, and actor for Gene Hackman. “The Last Picture Show...

Exclusive: Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, writers of the stage musical adaptation of Disney’s Bedknobs And Broomsticks that launched a UK and Ireland tour last weekend, have signed with Verve for representation.

Produced by Michael Harrison, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is adapted from Disney’s 1971 live action-animation hybrid. Bertram wrote new music for the stage production (which also includes songs from the original film) and Hill wrote the book.

The stage musical made its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle on Aug. 14, with additional tour dates currently scheduled through next spring.

The production stars Dianne Pilkington as Miss Price, the witch-in-training played in the film by Angela Lansbury, and Charles Brunton as Emelius Browne (David Tomlinson in the movie).

Other Bertram-Hill credits include The Story of My Life, which ran on Broadway in 2009, and Goodspeed Musicals’ The Theory of Relativity and Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an incredibly charming, whimsical, and entertaining family movie that has proven to be a real Disney classic. The film has gone on to be loved by generations with the excellent story proving to be timeless. The musical elements are all very catchy and the characters are relatable and fun.

Related: 10 Classic Disney Movies That Haven't Aged Well

The songs are the type that will have people singing them for days on end, while the characters themselves come out with some very quotable lines throughout the course of the film. This is what has helped to make Bedknobs and Broomsticks an iconic movie over time.

Walt Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an incredible movie for the entire family that did a tremendous job of blending live-action and animation together in a way that was way ahead of its time. This 1971 movie was packed with fun moments, catchy songs, and tremendous characters who were easy to love.

Related: Bedknobs & Broomsticks: 5 Things That Didn't Age Well (5 That Are Timeless)

The story, set around the time of the Blitz, touches on the war and has some serious tones, all while still being able to go underwater for a soccer game against animated animals. Dipping into the world of magic really helped to bring this movie alive. But what other films can fans of this Disney classic enjoy?...

To some, it's regarded as one of the most underrated live-action Disney features of all time. To others, it's a cobbled-together filler piece using leftovers from Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. Either way, Bedknobs and Broomsticks was, at one time, one of the most revolutionary films made by Disney.

Related: Mary Poppins: 5 Things That Didn’t Age Well (& 5 That Are Timeless)

With that sentiment in mind, all that glitters is not gold. While some of the effects and story subjects were charming at the time, not all of the film has aged exceptionally well. There are as many falls as there are fantasies in this film, making it perfect for Disney fans old and young alike to pick apart and unpack.

John Ericson, who starred alongside Anne Francis on TV's Honey West and with Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock and with Angela Lansbury in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, has died. He was 93.

Ericson died Sunday of pneumonia in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had been living since the mid-1990s, a family spokesman said.

Ericson appeared on Broadway in the original production 1951 of Stalag 17, directed by José Ferrer, and he made his film debut in Teresa (1951), directed by Fred Zinnemann. Three years later, he starred with Elizabeth Taylor in Rhapsody (1954).

Ericson played "Man Friday" Sam ...

John Ericson, who starred alongside Anne Francis on TV's Honey West and with Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock and with Angela Lansbury in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, has died. He was 93.

Ericson died Sunday of pneumonia in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had been living since the mid-1990s, a family spokesman said.

Ericson appeared on Broadway in the original production 1951 of Stalag 17, directed by José Ferrer, and he made his film debut in Teresa (1951), directed by Fred Zinnemann. Three years later, he starred with Elizabeth Taylor in Rhapsody (1954).

Ericson played "Man Friday" Sam ...

Mouse House streamer Disney Plus has revealed a substantial amount of programming ahead of its March 24 U.K. and Ireland launch. This includes more than 500 films, some 350 series and a slate of 26 originals.

As expected, the Marvel universe, with more than 30 films and 50 series, including “Avengers: Endgame,” “Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” is thoroughly represented.

The Skywalker saga will be available in force, with eight “Star Wars” films available from launch and “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” arriving at a later date. The entire collection of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and saga spinoff series, “The Mandalorian,” from executive producer and writer Jon Favreau, will also be available at launch.

Meanwhile, all 30 seasons of “The Simpsons” will stream, with Season 31 available beginning in November. For a period, there was a question mark hanging over the future of the show in the U.K.

Disney+ brings everything from classic animated movies to Pixar films and Marvel blockbusters right to the comfort of your own home. If you’re looking for something a bit more awards-worthy than your standard fare, you’ve come to the right place. Gold Derby has tracked down 25 Oscar-winning movies that are streaming right now on Disney’s media platform. From “Pinocchio” to “Star Wars” to “Black Panther,” we’ve got you covered. So sit back, relax and scroll through our photo gallery above featuring the best of Disney+’s Oscar titles.

See‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Oscar predictions: Will the force be with Episode IX at Academy Awards?

The popular video on-demand service launched worldwide in November 2019 and immediately scored gold by announcing 10 million subscribers within the first 24 hours. In fact, it was such a success that “Disney+” was the top trending Google search in 2019, per Variety.

In...

After 11 years, Disney is pulling the plug on Disney Family Movies On Demand — with the service’s shutdown coming just days before the launch of the Mouse House’s Disney Plus.

Disney Family Movies, which cost between $5-$10 per month, has been available via pay-tv providers in the U.S., including Comcast Xfinity, Charter Communications, Verizon Fios, Cox Communications, Altice USA’s Optimum and AT&T’s U-verse.

As of Oct. 31, 2019, Disney Family Movies will no longer be available, according to a notice on Comcast’s site. Recent movies featured on the subscription VOD service included “The Princess Diaries,” “Enchanted” starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” with Nicolas Cage, and Tim Allen-starrer “The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause,” as well as “Pinocchio,” “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid,” “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch,” “Encino Man” and “Oliver & Company.”

The end of...

Disney unveiled the complete list of films to premiere on its streaming service Disney Plus via a lengthy Twitter thread Monday. With its powerhouse catalog including Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic properties, the full magnitude of the Disney empire will be seen once the streaming service launches. Along with Disney originals previously announced like “Star Wars” live action series “The Mandalorian” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” viewers in search of nostalgic watches can find dozens of titles from Disney, Disney channel, Disney direct-to-home video and Fox joining the streaming service come Nov. 12.

Feature films start off with the 1937 version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and continues with quintessential feature films such as “Fantasia,” “Dumbo” and “Cinderella.”

Fantasia (1940) pic.twitter.com/pHbtWWseNH

— Disney+ (@disneyplus) October 14, 2019

Check out some of the pre-Lindsay Lohan titles like “Parent Trap” and “Freaky Friday” starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris.

Disney has shared a new trailer for their upcoming Disney+ streaming service and it’s over 3-hours long! I don’t know if you want to spend over three hours seeing what Disney+ has to offer when it launches, but you have the option!

Disney+ also posted all of the films and TV shows coming to the streaming service on a super long Twitter thread, which I included below the trailer. As you’ll see there’s a ton of stuff that will be available that will make Disney fans happy. Gargoyles and several other classic 90s animated series are among them along with a lot of old weird films that have been pulled out of the Disney vault.

If you don’t want to watch the trailer or scroll through the Twitter feed, I shared the full list of titles for you. Check everything out below and let us...

This article marks Part 11 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the winners.

The 1970 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:

“Whistling Away the Dark” from “Darling Lili”

“For All We Know” from “Lovers and Other Strangers”

“‘Til Love Touches Your Life” from “Madron”

“Pieces of Dreams” from “Pieces of Dreams”

“Thank You Very Much” from “Scrooge”

Won: “For All We Know” from “Lovers and Other Strangers”

Should’ve won: “Whistling Away the Dark” from “Darling Lili”

1970, the year voters embraced monumental pictures including “Patton” and “Mash” and far lesser efforts like “Airport” and “Love Story,” marked a comparably mixed bag in Best Original Song, sporting a truly grand Julie Andrews tune and respectable winner in “For All We Know,...

by Nathaniel R

"Bad Ape" is still one of the best movie characters of 2017. He comes courtesy of the ambitious War for the Planet of the Apes, various visual effects technicians, and Steve Zahn who brilliantly embodies him. On the actor's 50th birthday a quick list of our 5 favorite Zahn performances over the years. He's one of Hollywood's most reliable (and most adorable) character actors and still has never really gotten his due. 

01 "Sammy Gray" in Reality Bites

02 "Glenn Michaels" in Out of Sight

03 "Lenny Hase" in That Thing You Do!

04 "Bad Ape" in War for the Planet of the Apes

05 "Fuller" in Joy Ride

P.S. Also celebrating birthdays today: actors Whoopi Goldberg, Gerard Butler, Xiaoming Huang, Frances Conroy, Chris Noth, Joe Mantegna, and Shawn Yue, cinematographer Conrad W Hall, and director Gary Marshall; And though they are departed they are not forgotten: author Robert Louis Stevenson, and actors Hermione Baddeley,...

The Los Angeles City College Lacc Theatre Academy and Kritzerland Entertainment present the world premiere of Levi, a classic fit new musical based on the life of Levi Strauss, with a book by legendary cult film writerdirector Larry Cohen and Janelle Webb Cohen, and music and lyrics written by Disney's most celebrated Oscar-winning composers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang, Charlotte's Web, The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and more.

Dancing cockneys, cobbled streets, red phoneboxes and cold cliques … why are film-makers still peddling dated tourist-friendly fantasies of London when the reality is so much more interesting?

“Portobello Road! Portobello Road! / Street where the riches of ages are stowed / Anything but anything a chap can unload / Is sold off the barrow of Portobello Road / You can find what you want in the Pooooortobelllllllo Road!”

Until I moved to London from New York that song, performed in the 1971 Disney classic Bedknobs and Broomsticks, formed the entire basis of my idea of the city. As a kid I was obsessed with this movie, in which three children are sent out of London during the second world war, only to go back into the city with their new guardian – who happens to be a witch, and even more excitingly happens to be Angela Lansbury – to find a book of spells which will end the war. So they head, yes, to Portobello Road.

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Author: Stefan Pape

Few films released last year carried quite the same political message than Disney’s Zootropolis, as a studio that so often preaches positive messages in the realm of a family adventure movie. Beauty and the Beast is no different, and when we spoke to Bill Condon, the man at the helm of the live-action reimagining of the classic animation, he discussed why this is such an important, pertinent piece of cinema.

So, why the Beauty and the Beast story, and why now?

Honestly, it wasn’t a now, I’ve always wanted to, it’s just, to be perfectly frank, I heard they were doing it and I wanted to get involved with it. I didn’t go to them and say, ‘you should do Beauty and the Beast’, but having said that, it did feel to me that it had a continuing relevance with a lot of the themes.