MANILA, Philippines - Walt Disney Studios brings back Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Lightning McQueen (Cars) in new, big screen adventures to reinforce the studios illustrious line-up for 2011. The new year also marks the first time that Disney will release titles from DreamWorks led by the action-thrillers I Am Number Four, Real Steel and Fright Night.
The rest of the line-up features the usual reliable offerings which audiences have come to expect and enjoy from the family-oriented studio.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, On Stranger Tides captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise — this time in Disney Digital 3D. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise.
Cars 2. From the creators/producers of Up and Ratatouille comes the thrilling high-octane new installment of the Cars saga. All the world’s a racetrack as racing superstar Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend Mater in tow, to take on the globe’s fastest and finest in the World Grand Prix.
Fright Night. Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all going on: He’s running with the popular crowd and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right — but everyone, including Charlie’s mom (Toni Collette), doesn’t notice.
Real Steel. A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech. Charlie (Hugh Jackman) is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8’-tall steel robots took over the ring. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son to build and train a championship contender.
I Am Number Four. D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye) helms an action-packed thriller about an extraordinary teen, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John encounters his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
Tangled. When the kingdom’s most wanted — and most charming — bandit Flynn Rider hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel, a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade.
The Help. Set in Mississippi during the ’60s, The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends’ lives — and a small Mississippi town — upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families.
Mars Needs Moms. The animated adventure showcases a young boy’s epic quest to save his mom on a thrilling trip to another world in Disney Digital 3Dand IMAX 3D that sees nine-year-old Milo stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader.
Gnomeo & Juliet. The greatest love story ever told, starring... garden gnomes? Shakespeare’s revered tale gets a comical, off-the-wall makeover. The film features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as Gnomeo and Juliet, who have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors.
African Cats. Leaping into theaters on Earth Day 2011, African Cats features the real-life love, humor and determination of the kings of the African savanna: Mara, the daughter of an injured, but determined lioness; Sita, a brave cheetah and single mother of five newborn cubs; and Kali, a lion once banished from his pride who returns with his five sons to reclaim his home.
Winnie the Pooh. Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, the all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo — and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.
Prom. Every couple at prom night has a story and no two are exactly alike. Several intersecting stories unfold at one high school as the big dance approaches. The movie portrays the precarious passage from high school to independence as some relationships unravel and others ignite.
The Muppets. On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-M needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways.
War Horse. From director Steven Spielberg comes the epic adventure for audiences of all ages. Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets — British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter — before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.