Latest news with #Mufasa
The Star
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Lilo & Stitch' review: A near perfect live-action remake, Disney's best one yet
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp Cast: Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Hannah Waddingham, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Courtney B. Vance, Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, Jason Scott Lee Disney has finally done it. They've made a live-action remake of their own animated feature that's actually, really really good. Granted, the bar was really, really low in the first place. They've made more than 20 of these live-action remakes so far, and the results have ranged from 'So-so' ( Jungle Book , Maleficent , Mufasa ) and 'Meh' ( Aladdin , Beauty And the Beast , The Lion King ), to 'What were they thinking?' ( Mulan , Snow White , Pinnochio ). With Lilo & Stitch , however, Disney seems to have finally cracked the animation-to-live-action formula with this remake of their 2002 cult favourite hit, managing to strike a perfect balance between remaining faithful to the original while updating it for today's audiences. And the main reason for that is the fact that director Dean Fleischer Camp gets Lilo and Stitch, the two main characters, so perfectly right from the get go. Life is so breezy when you're in a jacuzzi. The remake stays pretty faithful to the animation in terms of story (with a few changes here and there). It revolves around mischievous yet resourceful six-year-old orphan Lilo (Maia Kealoha), whose only wish is to make one best friend. Her sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) is struggling between trying to make ends meet and convincing social worker Kume (Tia Carrere) that she is capable enough to be Lilo's legal guardian. Along comes the mischievous blue alien No.626 aka Stitch (Chris Sanders), created by mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) to be a weapon of destruction. Deemed too dangerous to be let loose, Stitch is exiled by the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham), leader of the United Galactic Federation (UGF), but escapes and ends up on Earth. Ruff! See, I AM a real dog! There, he pretends to be a dog and follows Lilo home in order to evade the clutches of Dr Jumba and his partner, UGF Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen); as well as the wonderfully named CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance). To tell the truth, this remake could have gone so wrong if they had gotten the lead characters wrong. Fortunately, the two lead characters are perfectly cast/rendered. Kealoha is a revelation as Lilo, playing her with enough cuteness and charm without crossing the line to becoming annoying. Nani always had trouble convincing Stitch to go for his vet check ups. The filmmakers have also done a remarkable job with Stitch – he fits into the real world setting completely and naturally, despite being a six-limbed blue furry alien, and they nailed all his facial expressions, body language, and his every movement perfectly. The supporting cast also turn in strong performances – Agudong is wonderful as the conflicted Nani, and it is a real pleasure to see alumni from the animated film (Hill, Lee and Carrere) appearing in the movie, especially Hill, in a more significant role as Nani and Lilo's neighbour, Tutu. Hey, I can fly a spaceship, how hard can driving this truck be? Another advantage Lilo & Stitch may have over its predecessors is that it is set in the modern world, so the live-action environment and human characters are not overshadowed by the more fantastical elements of the film (yes, even the aliens fit in perfectly). There's also not a single element that sticks out like a sore thumb in the way, say, the horrible animated dwarves in Snow White did. Tightly plotted, reasonably paced, full of charm and heart, and with wonderful characters to root for, this really is Disney's best live-action remake so far. Perhaps the best thing I can say about this movie is that I wouldn't mind watching it again, which is more than I can say about for the rest of them.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘American Idol' reveals its top 5
'American Idol' is officially down to a top five. During Sunday night's live episode, more than 20 million votes from viewers at home helped determine the season's top five —eliminating another two singers from the competition. Here's a brief recap of the episode. 'American Idol' headed to Disneyland for its Sunday episode, as well as the one that will air on Monday night. To celebrate the Disney theme, the show brought in superstar songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the smash Broadway hit 'Hamilton' who also wrote the music for a variety of Disney films, including 'Moana,' 'Encanto' and 'Mufasa: The Lion King.' Miranda guided the contestants ahead of their performances of classic Disney songs. The top seven each also performed a song in honor of Mother's Day. 'Getting to work with Lin as a mentor was something so special for this round,' top seven contestant Thunderstorm Artis recently told the Deseret News. 'I think when you're covering iconic Disney songs, you want to make sure that you don't veer too far from the source material, but whatever things that you do add to it, you want to make sure that you really pay respects to not just the people that wrote it, but to the people that are huge fans of the songs. And so he's really helping me find the ways to keep it organic as me, but also really keep it connected to the source material.' Performances from the top seven contestants included: Breanna Nix — 'Reflection,' from 'Mulan'; and 'Like My Mother Does,' by Lauren Alaina Gabby Samone — 'How Far I'll Go,' from 'Moana'; and 'Home,' from 'The Wiz' Jamal Roberts — 'Go the Distance,' from 'Hercules'; and 'A Change is Gonna Come,' by Sam Cooke John Foster — 'Almost There,' from 'The Princess and the Frog'; and 'Believe,' by Brooks and Dunn Mattie Pruitt —'Remember Me,' from 'Coco'; and 'Those Kind of Women,' by Lauren Alaina Slater Nalley — 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight,' from 'The Lion King'; and 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right,' by Bob Dylan Thunderstorm Artis — 'Colors of the Wind,' from 'Pocahontas'; and 'Out of the Blue,' by Thunderstorm Artis At the end of the two-hour episode, host Ryan Seacrest revealed the results of voting and announced the season's top five singers. The following singers made it into the 'American Idol' top five: Thunderstorm Artis John Foster Breanna Nix Jamal Roberts Slater Nalley The following two singers got eliminated from the competition Sunday night: Gabby Samone Mattie Pruitt Monday night will continue the show's Disney theme. During the live episode, each of the top five singers will perform twice from Disneyland Resort in an effort to claim a spot in the season finale, according to a TV listing for the episode. The episode will feature a special appearance from Miranda and also bring on 'Idol' Season 21 winner Iam Tongi for a performance of 'Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride' from the new 'Lilo & Stitch' movie. 'I've seen what he's going to do on the show, and it's going to be really fun,' Artis told the Deseret News. 'He's a real individual that I just really love. He doesn't let the whole stardom stuff go to his head. He's just so down to earth, and I really love that.' The 'American Idol' Season 23 finale airs Sunday, May 18 at 6 p.m. MDT. The live, three-hour episode will feature performances from guest artists and the season's top three contestants. The show will reveal the winner at the end of the episode.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Mufasa: The Lion King' to 'Scoob': 5 children-friendly movies to watch with your kids
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Based on Judith Viorst's beloved children's book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," this new iteration of the tale centers on Alexander Garcia (the adorable Thom Nemer from FX's "Snowfall") and a road trip gone, of course, horribly wrong. Alex's mother, Val (Eva Longoria), wants to inspire some family bonding by bringing her children to Mexico City to get in touch with their roots. So -- along with his father, Frank (Jesse Garcia), and older sister, Mia (Paulina Chávez) -- Alex gets ready to set off in a fancy recreational before they leave their home in Denver, Alex finds an ancient idol in their attic, which unleashes chaos and all the terrible, horrible things you'd expect in a road-trip comedy gone berserk -- including Grandma Lidia (Rose Portillo) getting left behind at a gas station. (Cheech Marin plays Grandpa Gil.)Marvin Lemus directed from a script by Matt Lopez (who wrote the 2022 version of "Father of the Bride").I saw this in the theater with my son in December, and he was transfixed from the first photorealistic frame. Since the hit 1994 Disney movie in which James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa, there has been a long-running Broadway show, TV spinoffs and the 2019 Jon Favreau-directed version -- to name a few winner Barry Jenkins ("Moonlight") directs this latest installment, which is an origin story about how Mufasa (voiced as a cub by Braelyn Rankins and as an adult by Aaron Pierre) meets Taka, aka Scar (Theo Somolu as a cub and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as an adult). Just as she did in Favreau's version, Beyoncé voices the lioness Nala, and this time, her daughter Blue Ivy Carter voices a cub named children will care more about the adventure, the drama and Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs than the star power, though. There are lessons about loyalty, family and bravery as Taka and Mufasa go from adoptive brothers to archenemies, and Jenkins creates some pretty epic action sequences. You also get to learn how Rafiki (John Kani) got his staff. Mads Mikkelsen voices the bad-guy lion Kiros, and Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner provide some over-the-top comic relief as Pumbaa and Timon. Jeff Nathanson, who penned 2019's "The Lion King," wrote the "The Lion King," Jules Verne's 1872 classic has seen its fair share of cinematic retellings, this time with a young marmoset named Passepartout (voiced in English by Cory Doran) taking the journey around his island home alongside his charming con-artist friend, a surfing frog named Phileas (Rob Tinkler). This French-Belgian production isn't quite the 1956 Oscar-winning version with David Niven and Cantinflas in the lead roles, but it's packed with endearing silliness and film is best suited for toddlers and younger elementary-age children. Passepartout's overbearing mother (Shoshana Sperling) sounds like she's from the Bronx for some reason; it's an odd touch, but little ones are unlikely to question the mishmash of accents. Despite her warnings to "do nothing until you're fully prepared," Passepartout sets off with Phileas to make good on his bet to traverse the world (in this case, their island) in 80 days. Along the way, they meet a frog princess named Aouda (Madi Monroe) and Passepartout's hero Juan Frog de Leon (Juan Chioran). The ultimate message is, as Phileas tells his little buddy, "Dream big, man, you can do it."Samuel Tourneux directed, and Gerry Swallow and David Michel wrote the exactly did the best friends Scooby and Shaggy meet, you might wonder? According to this telling, Young Shaggy (voiced by "Young Sheldon" star Iain Armitage as a kid and Will Forte as an adult) was eating a sandwich at Venice Beach one day when a cute stray pup wandered over, and the rest is history. Frank Welker, who has been voicing the goofy Great Dane for over 20 years, adds his voice talent to an impressive cast that includes Amanda Seyfried as Daphne, Gina Rodriguez as Velma and Zac Efron as Fred -- as well as Mark Wahlberg as an insecure yet egocentric superhero, Jason Isaacs as the baddie Dick Dastardly and Tracy Morgan as Captain Dastardly wants to unleash evil upon the world in the form of a glowing green Cerberus, and poor Scooby is the pooch who has the power to help him do just that. The mix of Greek mythology, robots and mechanical flying scorpions is a little all over the place, but my son was plenty entertained by Scooby and Shaggy's ability to act like bumbling fools one minute and brave heroes the next. Fred's beloved Mystery Machine even gets a modern-day reboot is a little light on mystery, but it's a fun addition to the franchise led by longtime Looney Tunes director Tony Cervone and written by Adam Sztykiel, Jack C. Donaldson, Derek Elliott and Matt the start of this Australian-Irish production, a young couple, Aneska (Miranda Otto) and Nerlin Flood (Ardal O'Hanlon), are scared away from their mountain cabin one snowy night. A pregnant Aneska tries to use her magic to dispel an evil force, but it's no use. Cut to years later, and the Floods are raising a teenage daughter, Betty (Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the "Harry Potter" franchise), along with a gaggle of other Munsters-esque children: Winchflat (Ed Byrne); lavender-haired twins Morbid and Silent (Sarah Aubrey); and their talking dog, Staniel (Neil Delamere). Betty longs to possess magical powers like everyone else in her freaky family (even Staniel), but her only real talents are singing and playing music on her hot-pink by a children's book series by Colin Thompson, this movie focuses on an evil king (who happens to be Betty's grandfather) who banished music and magic from the land. It's up to Betty, of course, to bring harmony back to their people, and along the way, she comes to understand that being human is its own sort of magic. Australian television veteran Mark Gravas directed, and Cleon Prineas and Penny Greenhalgh wrote the article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Wales Online
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Britain's Got Talent child star Asanda Jezile's Eurovision journey, Disney project and 'reinvention'
Britain's Got Talent child star Asanda Jezile's Eurovision journey, Disney project and 'reinvention' Asanda was just 11-years-old when she wowed the Britain's Got Talent judges back in 2013 The then 11-year-old blew away the judges with her performance of Rihanna's Diamonds in her audition. (Image: ITV ) Asanda Jezile was just 11-years-old when she first auditioned for Britain's Got Talent back in 2013. She blew the judges away with her performance of Diamonds by Rihanna, and her first audition now has a massive 108 million views on YouTube, making it one of the most viewed auditions in BGT history. Her diva like attitude, dance moves and rich vocals made for a perfectly polished performance at such a young age. What was fascinating to see was watching Asanda snap in and out of character whilst performing, as she flashed the judges her cheeky grin after finishing the song. Now 12 years later, Asanda is almost unrecognisable as she has grown up into a beautiful young woman who has made some impressive career moves. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Britain's Got Talent appearance Back in 2013, Asanda progressed to the final of Britain's Got Talent, where she performed Beyoncé's If I Were a Boy. This led to judge Alesha Dixon saying: "It takes artists years to get to that level of performance and presence, and your voice, by the time you get into a recording studio, you have one of the nicest tones to your voice and I can't wait to hear your album." Article continues below Despite three amazing performances across the series the singer didn't win the competition as that year the theatre troupe Attraction took the title. Glamorous new life Asanda who is now 24, looks so different 13 years after her original stint on the TV talent show. She now has over 30k followers on Instagram and often posts pictures of her glamorous lifestyle. Content cannot be displayed without consent In 2018, she entered Eurovision: You Decide, a competition to decide which act, selected by a public vote and the votes of an eight-member professional jury, would represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ultimately, SuRie won the vote and headed to Lisbon for the competition, but she later lost out to Netta Barzilai who won for Israel that year. She still sings, although now has moved on to a different genre of music, Afrobeats. Asanda was even one of the many people who performed on Disney's Lion King prequel, Mufasa which was released earlier this year. She said on social media: "Grateful and honoured is an understatement! Thank you to @lionking @disneystudios @thereallebo_m and the South African cultural gospel choir in the UK for giving me the platform and the opportunity to perform for the @lionking Mufasa Movie Premiere in the UK & the choir for the movie . "An experience I will never forget. Doing this project, for a year and a half, now seeing the result and the vision come to life was and still is a full circle moment. Thank you." Content cannot be displayed without consent Music career She has also released her own music including an album titled The Wait is Over. In 2023, when she launched the album on social media she decided to explain where she had been since her BGT days and why she hadn't released any music. She referenced her original BGT audition, saying: "I feel like I owe an explanation especially to the individuals who have shown mad love & support from the day I sang on that stage with that crusty looking fringe." She continued: "It's been a long way since 2013. Ten years, time really does fly! "It really hasn't been easy, especially putting a project out after ten years. The woman I'm becoming, is already a journey itself & I'm excited for the next chapter it brings. "I've learned that life has its course where I guess you could say you have to go through it to become a better version of you." She added: "I hope this reinvention of the Asanda I am now, vs me back then shows growth, confidence, and honesty through my music, as I am no different than anyone, I can relate. Article continues below "I know I will be hearing people say finally I'm dropping music, you should've done it a long time ago! That's true, however, I wasn't ready. I wasn't content within myself & now I am."
South China Morning Post
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Are Disney musicals too scary for children? How to prepare your child to watch stage shows
Whenever Disney premieres a new stage musical, we see all over again how much of a draw they can be for families with children. Advertisement Think of Disney musicals like Frozen and The Lion King , where rapt children in their Elsa dresses or those clutching their stuffed Simbas remain glued to their theatre seats. But from what age are the themes of such musicals really suitable for children, and how can they be best prepared for what they will be seeing on stage? Officially, children aged three and up are allowed to attend a Disney live-action musical. Stephan Jaekel, the director of communications at theatre operator Stage Entertainment in Hamburg, Germany, says that it is extremely rare that children have to be turned away, since parents and legal guardians usually respect the minimum-age rule. 'But of course we sometimes see parents actually having to leave the auditorium with their children while watching The Lion King, for example, because the child can't be calmed down and asks: 'Is [Mufasa] really dead?', Jaekel says. A girl dressed as Anna from Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland. Photo: Edmond So While many children will have watched the on-screen version of the musical in question beforehand, having the story unfold in front of them on a stage can affect them much more directly.
