Latest news with #WaltDisneyStudios
News18
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Lilo & Stitch's Cast Reveals Who Was The Set Prankster. It Was None Other Than…
Lilo & Stitch's creator shared that he imagined Stitch as a green, forest dweller not as the blue extraterrestrial being. The cast of Disney's live action movie Lilo & Stitch gathered at San Diego Comic-Con on July 26. At the event, they shared some fun behind-the-scenes stories, adorable moments and even gave fans an exciting update on the sequel to the superhit movie. Maia Kealoha, who plays Lilo, Tia Carrere (Mrs. Kekoa) and Sydney Agudong (Nani), along with Chris Sanders, the creator of the 2002 Lilo & Stitch animated film and the voice behind Stitch, were in attendance. Lilo & Stitch, which was released on May 23, has become a huge box office hit of 2025. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide in July and has joined Disney's growing list of billion-dollar blockbusters alongside Moana 2, Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. Here's what the cast shared about at Comic-Con. Stitch Was Envisioned Green Chris revealed that Stitch, the extraterrestrial agent, was originally envisioned green and not blue, living in a forest. He created earlier sketches of the character while he was still in art school. And the story came to life when he began adding twists on typical tropes. ''What if one of our villains became a hero?' That was the engine that started the whole thing," he shared. The Agudong Sisters Competed For The Role Of Nani At the panel, actress Sydney Agudong, who played Nani in the live-action film, shared, 'I don't know if this is known to a lot of people, but it was down to my sister and I for Nani." She recalled that when she bagged the role, the first thing she wanted to do was to hug her sister Sienna. Besides her, Sydney also became an elder sister to Maia Kealoha, both on-screen and off-screen. Maia Kealoha Was The Set Prankster Eight-year-old Maia Kealoha, who portrays Lilo in the film, loved pulling pranks on the sets, as told by her castmates. She pranked everyone, from the film's director Dean Fleischer Camp to her own mother. Actor Zach Galifianakis, who was the voice behind Dr. Jumba Jookiba, said in a BTS video, 'She would greet me with, 'Hello dummy!' And I thought, 'I really like this kid.'" Maia Kealoha Bonded With Stitch Even though Stitch is all CGI, Maia had a puppet to act with during the shoot. She recalled how she set a tradition of planting a kiss on it every day on the set. 'Every day I would kiss his nose," she said, which eventually became a heartfelt moment in the film. Lilo & Stitch 2 Officially In Works Following the success of Lilo & Stitch, the makers announced its sequel on June 26, a nod to the alien character's moniker, Experiment 626. In an Instagram video, Stitch was seen driving a pink-coloured convertible with '2 FAST" as the license plate. 'Should've known he couldn't keep a secret. A 626-day surprise: #LiloAndStitch 2 is now in development!" read the caption. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Walt Disney Studios (@disneystudios) 'I have begun writing it," said Chris at the event. Lilo & Stitch 2 is expected to hit theatres sometime in 2026. First Published: July 26, 2025, 17:32 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
20 facts about Walt Disney that even his biggest fans may not know
Disney was born in 1901 on the second floor of a wooden cottage designed and built by his parents in Chicago. He was the fourth child of Elias Disney, a carpenter, and his wife, Flora. It's widely reported that it cost them $800 to build the house, which was not an insignificant sum as Elias Disney was making a dollar a day. The house still stands today and has been restored to how it looked when the Disney family lived there. Disney was a high-school dropout. Before founding his studio, he worked as an artist for a Kansas City advertising agency. When he returned to the US after serving in the Red Cross in Europe, Disney found work as a cartoonist in a Kansas City advertising agency. His first animation studio went bankrupt in less than a year. In 1920, Disney started his first animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram, in Kansas City, Missouri, where he produced animated cartoons based on fairy tales. Shortly after completing the short film "Alice in Cartoonland," in 1923, he filed for bankruptcy and moved to California. Contrary to popular belief, he did not actually design the final version of Mickey Mouse. Even though many think of Walt and Mickey as partners, Walt did not actually create the final design of Mickey Mouse, Disney archivist Dave Smith wrote in "Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered." Walt provided initial sketches and ideas for the famous rodent, but it was Walt Disney Studios animator Ub Iwerks who animated the Mickey we know and love today. Walt reportedly never even drew Mickey unless a fan specifically requested it for an autograph, Smith wrote. But he did voice the iconic character for nearly two decades. In 1929 through the mid-1940s, Walt Disney was actually the voice of Mickey Mouse. The famous mouse has been voiced by several other individuals since. At one time, Disney was the only person allowed to make a cartoon in full Technicolor. In 1932, Disney produced the first-ever full-color Technicolor cartoon, "Flowers and Trees." He had exclusive rights to use the new three-color animation process from then until the end of 1935, Variety reported. All other color cartoons had to be made using the out-of-date two-color process. Disney was laughed at for wanting to create a feature-length animated film. It's hard to imagine a time when animated films were considered a ridiculous concept, but when Walt Disney set out to create the first feature-length cartoon in 1937 — " Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" — he was laughed at. The project became known in the industry as "Disney's Folly," per the Sheboygan County Historical Society Museum. But he surprised everyone when "Snow White" premiered to packed houses, and Disney won an honorary Academy Award (and eight Oscar statuettes: one normal-sized and seven dwarf-sized) for the breakthrough project. The tables soon turned — he still holds the record for most Academy Award wins ever. Disney and his studio worked for the United States government during World War II to create propaganda cartoons. He received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon B. Johnson. President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Disney the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. The American Presidency Project reported that President Johnson described Disney as an "artist and impresario, in the course of entertaining an age, he has created an American folklore." Disney created a railroad in his own backyard. In the 1950s, after moving into the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, Disney laid tracks around his property to build a railroad. Named Carolwood Pacific Railroad after the street he lived on, he would even dress up sometimes and give visitors rides on it. His passion for trains found its way into his Disney parks, as Disneyland has been home to its own railroad since opening in 1955. Supposedly, he came up with the idea of Disneyland while watching his daughters ride a merry-go-round. Disney often took his daughters to Griffith Park in Los Angeles. As the story goes, during one of these visits, while he was sitting on a park bench watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round, he thought of creating a large-scale park where families could enjoy multiple attractions in one place. Later, this would be Disneyland. The supposed park bench itself is on display at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Disney kept his identity secret when buying the land that would become Disney World. By the mid-1960s, with the success of Disneyland reaching exponential heights, rumors swirled that Disney was looking to create an "East Coast Disneyland." While looking for a location for his next theme-park venture, he stumbled upon the ideal swamplands around Orlando. In order to keep his purchase of 27,000 acres a secret, Disney created fake shell companies like Tomahawk Properties and the appropriately named M.T. Lott Co. to keep his identity hidden, the LA Times reported. He based the design of Main Street, USA, on the main street in his hometown in Missouri. Although Main Street, USA, in Disneyland and Disney World is supposed to represent every-town Americana, Walt drew inspiration from his childhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri. He lived there from ages 5 to 9 after the family moved from Chicago. According to the town's official website, Disney was specifically inspired by Kansas Avenue. Disney had a secret apartment above the firehouse on Main Street. One of the worst-kept "secrets" in Disneyland is Walt's apartment, located above the fire department on Main Street. Back then, it was where the Disney family would go to get work done without being disturbed or to entertain high-profile Disneyland guests. Today, guests can pay to tour it. He and his team invented audio-animatronics, and the first was on display at the 1964 World's Fair. If you've ever been to a Disney theme park, you've likely seen many audio-animatronics. These human-like robots can blink, talk, move, and even — as later models demonstrate — interact with guests. The first audio-animatronic was an Abraham Lincoln figurine, created specifically for the 1964 World's Fair, which later became the basis for Disney's Hall of Presidents, The Orange County Register reported. Disney's housekeeper, whom he called the "real-life Mary Poppins," died a multimillionaire thanks to the stocks he gave her every year. Thelma Howard was the Disney family's longtime housekeeper, who became an important part of the family throughout her 30 years of employment, the LA Times reported. Walt often referred to her as the "real-life Mary Poppins." Every year, for the holidays, he would gift her shares of Disney stock. By the time she died in 1994, she had amassed a fortune of millions. At one time, he came close to opening a major ski resort. The success of Disneyland, which opened in 1955, prompted Disney to set his sights on another potential project: a ski resort in Mineral King Valley, near California's Sequoia National Park. The initial plans involved creating a vacation spot centered on a Swiss-style village with six ski areas and the capacity to house 20,000 people, 14 ski lifts, 10 restaurants, two hotels, and more, SF Gate reported. The project almost came to fruition, with Disney even gaining approval from the Forest Service and creating a deal with the then-governor of California, Ronald Reagan. However, after Disney's sudden death in 1966, the company chose to focus on Disney World, which had just opened and cost much more than budgeted. Not all of Mineral King Ski Resort was lost, though. The Country Bear Jamboree, an attraction planned for one of the resort's restaurants, was given a new home in Disney World. Contrary to popular belief, Disney was not cryogenically frozen. Many believe that Disney's body was preserved through cryogenics, frozen in a cryonic chamber containing liquid nitrogen to be later revived. In early 1967, a reporter for a tabloid newspaper, The National Spotlite, claimed he saw the deceased Disney suspended in a cryogenic metal cylinder, PBS reported. From there, the rumor went rampant and eventually became an urban legend. However, there is no truth to it: All available documentation states that Disney was cremated. Also, the first-ever cryogenic freezings actually took place after Disney had passed, according to which produced a point-by-point analysis refuting cryogenics and this legend. This story was originally published in December 2017, and most recently updated on July 23, 2025.
See - Sada Elbalad
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
"Lilo & Stitch" Becomes First 2025 Title to Hit $1 Billion Globally
Yara Sameh Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' remake is the year's first Hollywood pic to hit $1 billion at the worldwide box office. After eight weekends in theaters, the family comedy has grossed $416.1 million in North America and $584.8 million internationally for a global tally of $1.001 billion. China's blockbuster 'Ne Zha 2,' however, remains by far the biggest film of 2025 with $1.899 billion in the bank. Originally planned as a straight-to-streaming release, 'Lilo & Stitch' is the latest example of the outsized returns that Disney can mine from theatrical with the right property at the right time. 'Moana 2' was also developed for Disney+, as a television show, and became a billion-dollar box office smash last Thanksgiving after the studio first released the animated sequel to the big screen. With those achievements, Walt Disney Studios has released four billion-dollar films in the past 13 months alone, including Marvel's 'Deadpool & Wolverine' and Pixar's 'Inside Out 2.' 'We knew there was a lot of love for 'Lilo & Stitch' with audiences around the world, yet we never take that for granted, and we're proud of how this new film has connected with people,' Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said. 'I'm thankful to our filmmakers, our cast and all on our studio team who have made this film such a success, and we look forward to more adventures with these characters ahead.' 'Lilo & Stitch' debuted in late May to $183 million domestically and $341 million globally in four days, setting the biggest Memorial Day weekend debut in history. It remained No. 1 for three consecutive weekends and became one of only two films this year (the Warner Bros. video game adaptation 'A Minecraft Movie' is the other) to surpass $400 million at this domestic box office. At one point, 'Minecraft' was poised to be the year's first billion-dollar blockbuster but the tentpole ended up falling just short of that milestone with $955 million worldwide. In the case of 'Lilo & Stitch,' top international territories include Mexico ($67 million), the United Kingdom ($49 million), and France ($42.5 million). Though 23 years have passed since the 2002's animated 'Lilo & Stitch' arrived in theaters, the character has never waned in popularity on the shelves of toy stores. In 2024, Disney sold $2.6 billion in consumer products featuring the 'Lilo & Stitch' duo. Now that a whole new generation has been introduced to the mischievous agent of chaos, merchandise sales are likely to keep soaring through the holiday season. Then there's Disney+ viewership, which has grown significantly every year on the streaming service, according to studio insiders. The franchise, which includes several direct-to-video movies and television shows, has driven more than 680 million hours of streams, with the original film accounting for more than 280 hours. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and produced by Rideback, 'Lilo & Stitch' follows an adorable blue extraterrestrial creature who crash-lands in Hawaii and gets adopted by a young girl and her older sister. Disney already announced a live-action sequel is in the works, so get ready for more Stitch mayhem. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Arts & Culture Hawass Foundation Launches 1st Course to Teach Ancient Egyptian Language
Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: As Disneyland turns 70, readers share their earliest memories of their visits
To the editor: In reading this article, I feel compelled to cast my vote for Disneyland's first decade as the best of times for those of us who were able to enjoy it ('What was the greatest Disneyland era? We look back on 70 years at the happiest place on Earth,' July 17). Shortly after I turned 5, my parents took the family to Disneyland just two weeks after its opening in 1955. Even in its early days, it fit the definition of 'magic kingdom' to a T. While I was watching a parade, Zorro himself (Guy Williams) stopped his horse right in front of me and scrolled a familiar 'Z' in the air with his famous saber. He then dismounted and signed my autograph book after having his merry band of characters do just the same. The icing on the cake came when Walt Disney himself suddenly appeared, patted me on the head and told my parents 'nice kid.' I suppose it helped that I was wearing an official Davy Crockett coonskin hat. To this day, I feel like Disney royalty as a result of his kind words. Those of us who remember what an 'E' ticket is are a dwindling horde, but even after all these years, I still remember that day and the kind pat on the head from the man himself. Stephen Lash, Carlsbad .. To the editor: Thank you for this wonderful overview of the 70-year history of Disneyland. Seventy years ago, when I was 8, my sister was 12 and my brother was 6, my parents decided to take us on a five-week drive across the country from the Boston suburbs to Los Angeles to be part of the grand opening of Disneyland. We drove without GPS, but with the old AAA booklets, to see our beautiful country. Along the way, we stopped at Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion and Yosemite national parks. But what was most memorable was our wonderful time at Disneyland's grand opening. All our neighbors came out to say goodbye as we started our journey, and we drove in an old DeSoto without air conditioning. But we didn't care because we got to see so much. We collected small pendants from each state and learned to appreciate this great country's beauty and natural wonders. Because of this experience, I am still an active traveler all over the world, and it all started with my parents' desire to imbue in us a love of seeing this country and the world — and of course, Disneyland. Fran Lyons, Encino .. To the editor: My dad began working at Walt Disney Studios in 1956 just after the opening of Disneyland. He would tell us that the Disney motto was 'Never stop creating.' All Disney employees were given free tickets to the park annually. While driving from Hollywood to Anaheim took about two hours since the 5 Freeway was just being constructed, my mom would pack a lunch to eat in the car during the long journeys. Very special memories. Cheryl Ortega, Los Feliz .. To the editor: Disney may have created '70 years of magic' but, elsewhere in the same edition of the paper, the Los Angeles Times noted that Disney pledged $15 million for President Trump's library to resolve a defamation lawsuit ('After CBS and ABC's Trump settlements, Democrats want to curb presidential library gifts,' July 16). That pretty much cancels out Disney magic in my book. Mary Montes, West Hills
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Disney Sets ‘Rental Family' & ‘Psycho Killer' Release Dates
Disney has shared its latest release schedule, which includes two of its hotly anticipated motion pictures. On Thursday, Walt Disney Studios announced that Searchlight Pictures' Rental Family will premiere November 21, while 20th Century Fox's Psycho Killer will debut on February 20, 2026. More from Deadline 'Shōgun's Takehiro Hira And Akira Emoto Join Brendan Fraser's 'Rental Family' At Searchlight 'Psycho Killer': James Preston Rogers Latest To Join New Regency's Horror-Thriller 'Love Island' Lands On Disney+ UK Under Landmark Content Swap Deal With ITV Which Will See 'The Bear' Head To ITVX Rental Family, which filmed last spring in Japan, stars Brendan Fraser as a lonely, down-and-out American actor living in Tokyo. He starts working for a Japanese 'rental family' company to play various stand-in roles in other people's lives. Along the way, he forges some surprising human connections and discovers unexpected joys within his built-in family. Marking Fraser's first starring role since his Oscar-winning performance in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale (2022), the actor said at Deadline's Red Sea Studio, 'I couldn't resist making this film for the opportunity to work there and to also blaze a trail. I think more and more productions are likely going start working their way towards shooting in Japan, considering there's the production value.' Directed by Hikari from a script she wrote with Stephen Blahut, Rental Family also stars Mari Yamamoto. In Psycho Killer, written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by Gavin Polone, police officer Jane Thorne (Georgina Campbell) makes it her mission to take down a serial killer referred to on the news as the 'Satanic Slasher', following the murder of her state trooper husband (Logan Miller). The horror-thriller that filmed in 2023 also stars James Preston Rogers. Best of Deadline 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
