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For their Oscar-nominated animated feature Onward, director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae wanted to tell a story of personal loss and an appreciation for what you still have.

Onward follows two brothers, Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) Lightfoot, as they find a magical spell that allows them to bring their father back to life for one day. “My brother and I never knew my dad,” Scanlon says, “and I’m always wondering who he was and how we were like him. That led to this idea of ‘what if you could spend one day with someone who you lost,’ which felt like a universal desire for all of us.”

After the spell goes awry and they only bring the bottom half of their father back, the brothers go on a quest to find the last item needed to bring him back completely, before their time with him is up.

It’s been a strange year, but cinema endures. The 2021 British Academy Film and Television Awards took place at the Royal Albert Hall on the 11th of April, 2021. In a first in BAFTA history, four women have been nominated in the Director category, including Nomadland director Chloe Zhao, Sarah Gavron for Rocks, and Shannon Murphy for Babyteeth. Other notable nominees include Promising Young Woman, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Father, Saint Maud and Minari. It is a diverse line up, and a very unusual time but the red carpets are rolling out, even if they are in living rooms around the world.

Yesterday director Ang Lee was entered into the BAFTA Fellowship, and Noel Clarke was awarded the Outstanding British Contribution to cinema. This evening Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary hosted the awards and it was a delight to see Yun-Jung Youn’s incredible win for her role in Minari.

Under executive director Roger Durling, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (March 31 through April 10) has thrived by surfing the awards season wave, programming tons of onstage interviews with Oscar contenders. In this pandemic edition, the tributes and panels will be live-streamed, while films will be shown online and at two free ocean-front drive-in theatres.

Every year, screenwriters, directors, and producers promote their films on panels, and the likes of Brad Pitt, Bong Joon Ho, Adam Driver, Renee Zellweger, Laura Dern, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o, Saoirse Ronan, Bruce Dern, Jeff Bridges, Melissa McCarthy, Isabelle Huppert, Viggo Mortensen, Rami Malek, Glenn Close, Ben Affleck, Christopher Nolan, and Sam Elliott submit to in-depth tributes from Scott Feinberg, Leonard Maltin, and Pete Hammond, among others.

The annual Producers Panel, moderated by the Los Angeles Times’ Glenn Whipp, assembles top producers to dig into the business and creative sides of producing the year’s top films.

Under executive director Roger Durling, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (March 31 through April 10) has thrived by surfing the awards season wave, programming tons of onstage interviews with Oscar contenders. In this pandemic edition, the tributes and panels will be live-streamed, while films will be shown online and at two free ocean-front drive-in theatres.

Every year, screenwriters, directors, and producers promote their films on panels, and the likes of Brad Pitt, Bong Joon Ho, Adam Driver, Renee Zellweger, Laura Dern, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o, Saoirse Ronan, Bruce Dern, Jeff Bridges, Melissa McCarthy, Isabelle Huppert, Viggo Mortensen, Rami Malek, Glenn Close, Ben Affleck, Christopher Nolan, and Sam Elliott submit to in-depth tributes from Scott Feinberg, Leonard Maltin, and Pete Hammond, among others.

The annual Producers Panel, moderated by the Los Angeles Times’ Glenn Whipp, assembles top producers to dig into the business and creative sides of producing the year’s top films.

A few minutes ago, the Producers Guild Awards concluded, and with that, we can now say with a fair amount of certainty that Nomadland is in the driver’s seat for Best Picture. The Academy Awards could still potentially throw a curveball, but the odds don’t favor that. Rather, it sure seems like this movie is the Oscar pick. Sit tight for the rest of the guilds to chime in, but if you had to pick a film to repeat with the Academy, Nomadland is the one, especially after PGA… Here’s all of the winners from the Producers Guild Awards: Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios) Producers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Monica Levinson, Anthony Hines “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros) Producers: Charles D. King, Ryan Coogler, Shaka King “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) Producers: Denzel Washington, Todd Black...

The Producers Guild of America Awards awarded Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” with their top prize, one of the key indicators for the Academy Awards, particularly the best picture category. Edging out its closest competitors including Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” this might just end any questions about whether or not the moving drama is running away with the Oscars’ big prize.

All the acceptance speeches were pre-recorded with “Nomadland” giving a more produced, glitzier presentation than what we’ve seen at other award shows.

It should be noted that last year’s “1917” from Sam Mendes lost the Oscar after wins from PGA and DGA to “Parasite,” which only had the coveted SAG cast ensemble prize under its belt. Coincidentally, “Nomadland” is not nominated at SAG in their top category, leaving an opening for...

“Nomadland” look home the top film prize at the 2021 Producers Guild Awards Wednesday, bringing it closer to a Best Picture win. The winner of the PGA Awards’ top prize has historically been a strong indicator of which film will will go on to win the Best Picture Oscar. Since 1989, the PGA winner has matched up with the top Oscar 21 out of 31 times. It happened in 2018 with “Green Book,” but not last year: “1917” won at the 2020 PGAs, but the Academy Award for Best Picture went to “Parasite.”

This year, 10 movies competed for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures (see the full list of nominees and winners below). Seven 2021 PGA nominees for the top prize are also 2021 Oscar Best Picture nominees: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Sound Of Metal,” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

One film,...

“Nomadland” has been named the best produced film of 202o by the Producers Guild of America, giving it yet another boost in an Oscar race where it was already considered the favorite.

In a category where Chloé Zhao’s understated travelogue was facing off against seven other Oscar nominees, the Producers Guild provided a key indicator that the film has the kind of strength within the industry that it already showed with critics. In doing so, it took away the chance that rivals like “Promising Young Woman,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Minari had to seize momentum at a crucial moment in awards season.

The film has now picked up a formidable array of awards, including wins at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the Gotham Awards.

Still, the Producers Guild Award is not the infallible Oscar predictor it had once seemed to be. For many years,...

The Producers Guild of America Awards were handed out during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, March 24. Throughout their 31-year history, the PGA has proven to be one of the most successful Oscar bellwethers around. A whopping 21 of their picks have gone onto win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. That success rate flows from the fact that both the guild and the academy use the same voting system – the preferential ballot – to determine a winner. Scroll down for the 2021 Producers Guild of America Awards winners list.

This year, seven out of the 10 PGA contenders earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” The eighth Best Picture Oscar nominee – “The Father” – was missing from the PGA lineup, with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “One Night in Miami” rounding out the guild’s top 10 list.

Today, director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae were recognized with their first Oscar nominations, claiming a slot in the Best Animated Feature category with Disney/Pixar’s Onward.

“We’re so proud of the film, and proud of the cast and crew, and it’s a real honor,” said Scanlon. “It’s so surreal, and early in the morning, so it almost feels like a dream. But it’s pretty great.”

“We’re so happy for the cast and crew that put their all into this film, and shared their personal stories, along with Dan’s and mine,” added Rae. “There was a whole lot of heart from the crew on the film, and I’m just so happy for all of them.”

Drawing inspiration for the film from the loss of his father at a very early age, Scanlon feels the film has resonated, in part, because loss has unfortunately been rampant,...

Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas and singer, songwriter, and actor Nick Jonas announced the 93rd Oscars® nominations today (March 15), live from London, via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed, and broadcast media.

Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.

Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...

Shannon Murphy has been nominated for the BAFTA Award for best direction for her debut feature, Babyteeth.

Murphy is in good company, with fellow nominees for the prize including Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round; Lee Issac Chung for Minari; Chloé Zhao for Nomadland; Jasmila Žbanić for Quo Vadis, Aida? and Sarah Gavron for Rocks.

It is the first time in BAFTA history that four women have been nominated in the director category.

These are the first edition of nominations to follow BAFTA’s seven-month diversity review, which came about after it faced significant backlash one year ago for a lack of diversity among nominees – including an all-male director category. Three of the nominated directors are also up for best film not in the English language.

The BAFTA nod is yet another accolade for Babyteeth and Murphy’s work, following on from the film’s premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. There,...

Today, at the Royal Albert Hall, Aisling Bea and Susan Wokoma, on behalf of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), announced the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in 2021, celebrating the very best in film of the past year.

In a first in BAFTA history, four women have been nominated in the Director category, including ‘Nomadland’ director Chloe Zhao, Sarah Gavron for ‘Rocks’, and Shannon Murphy for ‘Babyteeth’. In all, ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Rocks’ received seven nominations each.

‘The Father’, ‘Mank’, ‘Minari’ and ‘Promising Young Woman’ all received a total of six nominations while ‘The Dig’ and ‘The Mauritanian’ received five.

Supporting new talent is at the heart of BAFTA’s remit and four of the five nominated films in Outstanding Debut are also nominated across other categories. This year, first-time nominees account for four of the six nominated Directors and 21 of the 24 nominees in the performance categories.

PGA best feature contenders include award front runners Nomadland, Mank and Minari.

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has revealed the nominations in film and TV categories for its 32nd annual awards event, set to take place virtually on March 24.

Up for PGA’s theatrical feature award, which the Guild says has predicted 21 of the past 31 best picture Oscar winners, are the producers of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Judas And The Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank, Minari, Nomadland and One Night In Miami.

In the animated feature category, the producers of The Croods: A New Age, Onward, Over The Moon,...

The 2021 Oscar race for Best Picture comes into clearer focus with the announcement of the nominees for the 32nd Producers Guild of America Awards. More often than not, the PGA award-winner is the same as the eventual winner of the Best Picture Oscar. But that’s not always the case, as it was when Sam Mendes’ “1917” won the PGA last year over “Parasite,” although Bong Joon Ho’s eventual Oscar winner for Best Picture did receive a PGA nomination.

Usually the most likely to vie for the Best Picture Oscar are movies landing both SAG Ensemble and PGA nominations. This year that includes two dramas from Netflix, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Sundance’s Korean language prize-winner “Minari” (A24), and “One Night in Miami” (Amazon).

The more likely Best Picture winner is Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” (Searchlight...

Indie studios and streamers dominated the nominations for the 32nd annual Producers Guild of Awards, which were announced on Monday by the Producers Guild of America.

Netflix and Amazon each landed three films on the list of 10, with Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Mank” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” making the list along with Amazon’ “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “One Night in Miami” and “Sound of Metal.”

The nominees also included A24’s “Minari,” Searchlight’s “Nomadland,” Focus Features’ “Promising Young Woman” and the sole film from a major studio, Warner Bros.’ “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

“Judas and the Black Messiah” is the first film with an all-Black producing team ever nominated for the Producers Guild Award.

Among the notable films missing from the PGA list are Universal’s Paul Greengrass Western “News of the World”; Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” which Warner Bros. released into theaters during the summer,...

The Producers Guild has pulled back the curtain on its PGA Awards nominations for theatrical motion pictures, animated features, TV series and specials and televised/streamed motion pictures. See the full list below.

Vying in the marquee category — the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures — are the producers behind

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, One Night in Miami, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

On the toon side, the five pics up for the Animated Theatrical Motion Picture prize are The Croods: A New Age, Onward, Over the Moon, Soul and Wolfwalkers.

Annie Awards Nominations: ‘Soul’ & ‘Wolfwalkers’ Lead Field For Animation Prizes

Over on the small screen, the Episodic Television Drama category includes Better Call Saul, Bridgerton, The Crown, The Mandalorian and Ozark, and the comedy series nominees are Curb Your Enthusiasm,...

Oscar ballots will be in the hands of AMPAS voters on March 5, and they’ll have until March 10 to turn them in. All the predicting, theorizing and prognosticating have led to this crucial six-day period when the nearly 10,000 Academy members make their choices among the year’s achievements. As we head into this critical period, in a year defined by a global pandemic that has changed the way we look at cinema, we’re still reminded that movies are well worth celebrating.

Streamers provided access to some of the best films of 2020. This year, no matter what AMPAS ends up selecting as its nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards, most films will be widely available for consumers to watch before the ceremony. Cinema continues to evolve, and we can’t stop what’s coming. As with any true cinephile, my choices for what touched me from this extended eligibility are personally mine.

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Animated Feature

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: “Over the Moon” continues to miss in a few key spots like art directors and could be that Oscar morning snub we aren’t anticipating, even with the love for Glen Keane pouring through the branch.

This marks the fourth year that the entire membership of the academy can take part in the nomination stage of the Animated Feature Oscar race. Previously, only select members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch and invited members from the other branches could serve on the committee that decided the nominees. Collectively, the committee tended to favor traditional and stop-motion films over CG fare. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Animated Feature.)

Mandatory attendance at screenings has been dropped and voters who want to be on the nominations committee need only attest to having seen all the contenders at theaters or screenings or by way of the the academy’s streaming site.

And the method of determining the nominees has been changed. Gone is the system where voters scored a film from 6 (poor) to 10 (excellent) with only those movies meriting an average mark of...

It’s truly a measure of the pandemic that the 19th annual Ves Awards (to be held virtually on April 6) was dominated by Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” with 13 nominations (topped by photoreal episode). Like the Oscar shortlist, there was an absence of big budget, VFX-intensive studio films. But, truth be told, Season 2 of Jon Favreau’s engaging “Star Wars” bounty hunter series offered the industry’s most innovative tech (wrapped around Industrial Light & Magic’s improved StageCraft virtual production system).

Pixar’s “Soul” was the top animation contender with five nominations, while the feature competition was split between “Project Power,” the Netflix superhero film, Robert Zemeckis’ “The Witches” (which streamed on HBO Max), and Disney’s live-action “Mulan” (which streamed on Disney+), each garnering three nominations.

Joining “Project Power” and “The Witches” in the top photoreal feature category were Netflix’s “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” and “The Midnight Sky...

The nominations for the 19th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards have been announced with “The Mandalorian” and “Soul” leading.

“The Mandalorian” leads with 13 nominations including outstanding visual effects in a photoreal episode. “Soul” was next with five nominations, followed by “The Witches” and “Project Power.”

The Ves awards will be handed out in a virtual ceremony and will stream worldwide on April 6.

“Traditions find a way to persist,” said Lisa Cooke, Ves Board Chair. “With vision and a lot of hard work, we are proud to host our annual celebration of the artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world – virtually. We are seeing best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and engages the audience in new and innovative ways. The Ves Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of all our nominees!

The Visual Effects Society today announced the nominees for its 19th annual Ves Awards, which recognize VFX artistry in 25 categories spanning film, TV, animation, commercials and video games. Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, April 6.

Disney+’s The Mandalorian leads all TV shows and films with 13 noms, and Disney/Pixar’s animated Soul tops the film side with five. Project Power and The Witches tied for second among movies with three noms apiece in a decidedly strange year for VFX-heavy projects.

Vying for the Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature prize are Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, The Midnight Sky, Project Power, Tenet and The Witches. The films up for

Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature are Da 5 Bloods, Extraction, Mank, News of the World and Welcome to Chechnya.

Soul will battle it out for the Visual Effects in an Animated Feature trophy against fellow Pixar pic Onward,...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Golden Globe Predictions:

Best Motion Picture – Animated

Updated: Feb. 24, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been analyzed to determine...

With Onward, writer/director Dan Scanlon made magic out of a profound personal experience, using his understanding of loss as a foundation, from which he’d craft a quest story like none other.

The second Disney/Pixar animated feature from Scanlon, following 2013’s Monsters University, centers on Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt), elven brothers in search of a magical artifact that will bring their father back to life for a day.

One of few films in 2020 experienced as intended, Onward enjoyed a splashly premiere in Berlin and debuted in theaters across the world in early March. Subsequently, with the enormous degree of loss brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Scanlon’s film would only become more timely—his notion of channeling pain into art, all the more resonant.

“A big part of the film is about, there’s things you want in life and people you want to be with,...

Greta Thunberg, Jon Batiste and a schoolgirl in China were some of the inspirations behind the protagonists in this year’s crop of animated features. These were just a few of the secrets shared at The Hollywood Reporter’s Dec. 15 Animation Roundtable by Pete Docter, director of Disney/Pixar’s Soul; Glen Keane, director of Netflix’s Over the Moon; Tomm Moore, co-director of Wolfwalkers from Cartoon Saloon, Apple TV+ and Gkids; Kori Rae, producer of Disney/Pixar’s Onward; Gitanjali Rao, director of Netflix’s Bombay Rose; and Mark Swift, producer of DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s The Croods: A New Age. Speaking of this ...

Greta Thunberg, Jon Batiste and a schoolgirl in China were some of the inspirations behind the protagonists in this year’s crop of animated features. These were just a few of the secrets shared at The Hollywood Reporter’s Dec. 15 Animation Roundtable by Pete Docter, director of Disney/Pixar’s Soul; Glen Keane, director of Netflix’s Over the Moon; Tomm Moore, co-director of Wolfwalkers from Cartoon Saloon, Apple TV+ and Gkids; Kori Rae, producer of Disney/Pixar’s Onward; Gitanjali Rao, director of Netflix’s Bombay Rose; and Mark Swift, producer of DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s The Croods: A New Age. Speaking of this ...

Production on set was halted earlier this year, but animated films have continued to entertain audiences from the comfort of their homes.

The creators behind hit animated films — Glen Keane, Kori Rae, Dan Scanlon, Pete Docter, Joel Crawford, Mark Swift, Gennie Rim, Dana Murray, Tomm Moore and Norah Twomey — discussed their recent works during Variety’s FYC Fest.

When creating Netflix’s “Over the Moon,” Keane, who reimagined the story of Chinese moon goddess Chang’e, said he tried to focus on “thinking like a child, loving characters that believe the impossible is possible.”

“When I was reading the script, Fei Fei just captured my imagination,” he said. “And I had no idea [that] I was actually auditioning for directing the movie, which is pretty wonderful way to do it — that you just give a talk and say everything you love about animation, what moves you.”

The film’s executive producer Rim,...

To mark the release of Onward on 1st June, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.

Disney and Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae — the team behind Monsters University.

The film, which was applauded by critics and audiences alike at its theatrical release for its humour, heart and themes of brotherhood is inspired by director Dan Scanlon’s own personal experiences with his brother. “That was the jumping-off point,” says Scanlon. “We’ve all lost someone, and if we could spend one more day with them—what an exciting opportunity that would be. We knew that if we wanted to tell that story...

Before the coronavirus pandemic took hold of our society and shut down movie theaters around the globe, “Onward” was one of the last feature films to be released. Pixar’s 22nd feature film was able to bring in a respectable $104 million in worldwide ticket sales ($61 domestically) before Covid-19 deemed going out to movie theaters a thing of the past. As of Friday, April 3, Disney Plus subscribers in the Us and Canada can stream “Onward” for free — and trust me when I say it’s the perfect family film for these trying times.

This mythical story about the descendants of medieval beings centers around elf brothers Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt). The boys don’t have much in common, as Ian suffers from a lack of self-confidence and Barley is obsessed with mythical quests. When their mother Laurel Lightfoot (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) finds a package from the boys’ deceased father,...

‘Onward.’

Disney and Pixar’s Onward, which was due to launch in cinemas on March 26, will be available to buy on digital platforms on April 3 for $19.99, followed by the April 24 premiere on Disney+.

So continues the fall-out from the closure of Australia’s cinemas, which has since seen Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears and a raft of Warner Bros. titles get expedited sell-through release.

The Invisible Man, Emma and Bloodshot are taking the Premium VoD route on April 1 within weeks of their theatrical premieres.

Earlier this month Disney decided to make Frozen 2 available three months ahead of schedule on Disney+ in Australia from March 17.

Directed by Dan Scanlon, Onward follows elves Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) and his big brother Barley (Chris Pratt), who live with their mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and stepfather Colt (Mel Rodriguez),a Centaur who works as a local cop.

Their father...

With just hours to go until Disney + steams into the UK , we were given access to preview some of it’s original content. In case you are not familiar with Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+ is a platform for Disney’s content including film and TV shows, Pixar, Marvel , Star Wars and National Geographic. Boasting “over 500films, more than 350 series and a slate of 26exclusive Disney+ Originals” Disney+ also includes seasons 1 – 30 of “The Simpsons,” which is over 600 episodes!

Some of the original content includes the much raved about The Mandalorian, we watched the first two episodes and were hooked. They are strangely slow, yet exciting, quiet yet full of action! Having seen so much about the infamous “Child” we now finally see what all the fuss is about. Our only disappointment is that they are releasing the show one episode a week, which leaves us very open to accidentally...

‘Onward’ will available for digital download in the Us from today (March 20) and on Disney+ from April 3.

Disney and Paramount announced separately on Friday (March 20) plans to move up the digital releases of Onward and Sonic The Hedgehog, respectively, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Pixar title Onward will be available for digital download in the Us from today (March 20) and on Disney+ from April 3.

At present Disney has not announced if the film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival before being released in cinemas in the first week of March, will also be available on digital outside of the Us.

‘Onward’ will available for digital download in the Us from today (March 20) and on Disney+ from April 3.

Disney has become the latest Us studio to break the standard theatrical window by announcing that Pixar title Onward will be available for digital download in the Us from today (March 20) and on Disney+ from April 3.

At present Disney has not announced if the film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival before being released in cinemas in the first week of March, will also be available on digital outside of the Us.

Disney+ is set to launch in many international territories, including the UK,...

What a difference a week can make. Just two weeks ago, the conversation around Disney and Pixar’s Onward was about how the film opened in first place at the box office with $39.1 million—an okay if somewhat disappointing number for a Pixar movie. Still, it was a much more upbeat story than seven days later when it was number one again… and saw a stunning 73 percent drop-off between weekends. Of course what happened in between was realistic anxiety about the coronavirus outbreak finally taking hold in North America while the World Health Organization declared the crisis to be a pandemic.

And that was all before the theaters began closing nationwide and across Europe, including in the UK. Now with theaters closed around the world and major cities on lockdown, many are wondering if Onward will be following in the footsteps of Universal Pictures’ spring output, as well as Warner Brothers’ Birds of Prey,...

More and more brand-new motion pictures are being fast-tracked for VOD and then streaming releases, now that theaters (or as I like to call them, “movie houses”) have been hermetically sealed shut by the coronavirus pandemic.

Pixar’s Onward, after barely two weeks on the silver screen, will be available on VOD/for digital purchase this Friday evening at 8/7c, for the reasonable (if you are a family of any size) price of $19.99. The animated feature, which features the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, will then get an early Disney+ release on Friday, April 3.

More...

Walt Disney Studios is offering audiences at home a treat to cheer them up through the coronavirus pandemic.

The studio announced it will be making its latest Pixar release Onward available to buy digitally beginning 5 p.m. Pt/ 8 p.m. Et on Friday; and it will land on Disney+ April 3 — months ahead of a schedule for a movie that only hit theaters earlier this month. The decision comes as most of the country and the world is either quarantined or staying home to practice social distancing in hopes of curbing the Covid-19 outbreak.

“While we’re looking forward to audiences...

Onward, the Disney Pixar animated feature, is being made available online ahead of schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on cinemas.

The studio will make the film available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere for $19.99 today at 5:00Pm Pst, and it will be released on Disney+ on April 3 in the U.S.

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It had grossed $62M domestic and $103M global before cinemas around the world shuttered due to the spread of Covid-19. With no confirmed date in place yet for theaters to re-open, and many people stuck at home, more films are heading online.

Earlier this week, Universal opted to release Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man and The Hunt, and Focus Features’ Emma online early,...

The Walt Disney Studios announced today that Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” will be available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere beginning today at 5:00Pm Pst/ 8:00Pm Est and on Disney+ on April 3 in the U.S.

Review: http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2020/03/onward-review/

The film premiered in theaters on March 6 and earned rave reviews from audiences, including a 95% Verified Audience Score on RottenTomatoes. With cinemas currently impacted by closures due to the global health crisis, Disney will offer the film ahead of schedule to purchase on digital platforms in the U.S. beginning today at 5:00Pm Pst /8:00Pm Est for $19.99.

“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae.

Disney joins the growing number of studios releasing films early digitally as theaters remain shuttered nationwide in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” will be available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere for $19.99 beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. Pt. It hits Disney Plus on April 3 in the U.S.

“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae.

The fantasy adventure, starring Chris Pratt and Tom Holland as elf brothers, opened to $39.1 million in theaters on March 6. It topped newcomers “Bloodshot” (Sony), “The Hunt” (Universal) and “I Still Believe” (Lionsgate) last weekend, when the box office hit a two-decade low. All three...

Spoiler Warning: This article discusses major plot elements and the ending of “Onward”

There was a point during the making of “Onward” that Pixar director Dan Scanlon was afraid he was oversharing. Maybe he was putting too much of his own memories of growing up without his father into this story about two elven brothers in a magical world dealing with the same loss. But his colleagues at Pixar encouraged him to put more of himself into his work, and he credits that supportive environment at the hallowed animation studio for helping him create a movie that has already gotten him praise from audiences for its emotional resonance.

“I felt very comfortable talking about personal stuff and being vulnerable because that’s what the other artists here wanted to hear and got excited about,” Scanlon said. “My filmmaking partner Kori Rae and my co-writer Keith Bunin told me at one point,...

Though Pixar’s “Onward” is set in a fantasy world, its characters embody real-life qualities and virtues. In the film, out March 6, two elf brothers, voiced by Tom Holland (Ian) and Chris Pratt (Barley), try to use magic to bring their father back from the dead. When the attempt short-circuits, they embark on a journey to complete the conjuring before the 24-hour clock to save him runs out.

While extremely early design depicted a real-world aesthetic, the filmmakers’ brainstorming soon transitioned into a fantasy realm to better support the series of contrasts needed to tell the story. The characters and their journey are a lesson in divergent themes: chaos versus order, adventure versus safety, fantasy versus the familiar. Ian, the embodiment of order, must learn to face chaos and take risks, while Barley, his opposite in everything from look to temperament, serves as guide.

Events surrounding Ian were created to reflect that gap.

In Pixar’s Onward, stars Chris Pratt and Tom Holland ditch their Star-Lord and Spider-Man costumes (the two were last seen together battling Thanos in the Avengers movies) for a recording booth. The two actors voice Ian (Holland) and Barley (Pratt) Lightfoot, two elven brothers who embark on a quest to find a magical artifact that will bring their late father back to them for one day—an artifact that only Ian can wield in a world where magic has faded.

Just like Onward director and co-writer Dan Scanlon drew on personal experience for the basis of the story (his own dad passed away when he and his brother were very young), Holland and Pratt said at a recent press conference for the film that they also tapped their own family dynamics in finding the relationship between Ian and Barley.

“I’m the oldest brother of four, and Chris is the youngest brother of two,...

To celebrate the release of Disney and Pixar’s latest animated offering Onward, which opens in UK and Us cinemas this week, we sat down with the films filmmaking team to chat all things questing.

Onward, which features the voices of Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Chris Pratt (Avengers: Endgame), Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Downhill), Octavia Spencer (Ma) and more, tells the story of two young brothers who, after losing their father years earlier, discover he was something of wizard and that they may have a way of bringing him back to life for one last goodbye.

Scanlon, who lost his own father when he was young, used his own experiences to bring the story to life and through the brother relationship in the film, was able to weave in themes of family, connection, and loss. Indeed, it’s Scanlon and producer Rae think that it is those personal touches that...

“Onward,” Pixar’s first foray into fantasy and magic, was a departure for everyone involved, but especially for cinematographer Sharon Calahan, the only animation member of the Asc, known for her stunning naturalism on “Ratatouille,” “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story 2,” and “The Good Dinosaur.” But Calahan was willing to break out of her comfort zone for such a personal, warmhearted adventure from director Dan Scanlon (“Monsters University”) about two teenage elf brothers (the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) trying to resurrect their dad from the dead using a 24-hour magic spell.

“I was intrigued because Dan wanted to set it in a fantasy world and at that point it was kind of ill-defined,” said Calahan. “It was a pretty broad canvas to narrow down what fantasy means and how far you want to go. How much of it is mundane versus fantasy? So all of that was interesting to figure out,...

Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” introduces two teenage elf brothers (voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. A new trailer and poster are now available, and new character posters were recently revealed, introducing cast members Mel Rodriguez, who voices Officer Colt Bronco; Lena Waithe, who lends her voice to Officer Specter; and Ali Wong, the voice of Officer Gore.

Directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae, “Onward” opens in U.S. theaters on March 6, 2020.

Enter for your chance to win Four free passes to the St. Louis advance screening of Onward. The theatrical sneak preview will be on Monday, March 2, 2020 at 7pm.

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Pixar brought its latest family friendly fare to the capital today for the premiere on Onward, the modern day fairy tale in which two brothers seek to bring magic back to the world.

We were on the carpet for the arrivals at the premiere and interviewed the good and great all about the film. Tom Holland (Spider-Man) and Chris Pratt (Star Lord of Guardians of the Galaxy) lead the animated film, which also stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Ratzenberger, Tracey lman, Octavia Spencer and Ali Wong. The film was directed by Pixar’s Dan Scanlon from a screenplay he wrote with Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.

Colin Hart and Scott Davis were our intrepid wanderers asking questions on the magic carpet.

Onward is released in cinemas on the 6th of March, 2020.

Onward Premiere Interviews

Plot:

Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover...

Disney is moving “onwards” with its plans to be more diverse.

The animation giant’s upcoming flick Onward will feature the first animated Lgbtq character to exist in the Disney-Pixar universe.

The role — a Cyclops cop by the name of Officer Specter — is voiced by Lena Waithe and is Disney and Pixar’s first self-identified Lgbtq character in its history.

Onward producer Kori Rae confirmed the role in an interview published Friday, telling Yahoo Entertainment that the inclusion of the character “just kind of happened” when the movie was being written.

“The scene, when we wrote it, was kind...

Pixar’s “Onward” saw its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the film’s director, Dan Scanlon, and producer, Kori Rae, talked to the press at the festival about the film, which follows brother elves on a magical quest to reconnect with their late father. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voice the brothers who travel through a world in which mythical creatures inhabit a world that’s just like early 21st century America, complete with the customized van the brothers travel in. Pic gets its North American release March 5.

Scanlon and Rae previously paired on 2013’s “Monsters University.”

“Onward’s” story was inspired by Scanlon’s own experience of longing to connect with his own dad, who died when he was just a year old. The suburb where young elf siblings Ian and Barley live was initially modeled on his hometown of Clawson, Michigan, but it quickly...

After scoring an Oscar for "Toy Story 4", Disney-Pixar has lined up its next animated urban fantasy film "Onward" for March.

The film will release in India on March 6.

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Pratt has voiced the character of Barley Lightfoot, the big brother to Holland's Ian Lightfoot.

Set in a suburban fantasy world, "Onward" is about two teenage elf brothers who embark on an quest to discover if there is a little magic left in the world.

"The story is inspired by my own relationship with my brother and our connection with our dad who passed away when I was about a year old," said director Dan Scanlon.

"He's always been a mystery to us. A family member sent us a tape recording of him saying just two words: 'hello' and 'goodbye'. Two words. But to my brother and me - it was magic,...