Surrounded by cosplayers, fans, and special guests, we were transported into the wonderful world of Disney for over an hour at yesterday’s AsiaPop Comicon. For the first time ever in Southeast Asia, Disney showed off what it has up its sleeve at the first Hall D. The special panel gave the fans and special guests (which included actor Tye Sheridan) a sneak peek of some of the new shows and movies we can expect from the studio in the near future. And they ran through a lot of stuff. We’re going to round up some of the bigger announcements.
DisneyLife and new content
Early in June, Globe and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia launched DisneyLife app, which is basically your one-stop-shop for all things Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, etc. Daniel Tan, Media Networks executive director for Marketing at The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia, introduced the app to the con-goers and shared how the app is available on Google Play and the App Store or through Globe. If you get it through the app stores, you will get a free seven-day trial, while Globe offers everything from three to eight months off your subscription.
Tan also shared the new shows and movies we can expect on the app and in the different Disney properties.
The first one he teased is the new Freaky Friday remake, which will come to Disney Channel starting August 10. It stars Heidi Blickenstaff, who played the mom role in the stage version, and Cozi Zuehlsdorff (Dolphin Tale) as the daughter. It’s directed by Steve Carr and is the latest take on the classic Mary Rodgers book. You might have seen the Jamie Lee Curtis-Lindsay Lohan movie back in 2003. This time though the series is going to be a musical.
He also showed a quick teaser of the new Disney XD show Big City Greens, a new cartoon that follows Cricket Green. Disney describes him as “a mischievous and optimistic country boy who just moved to the big city.” He comes to the city with his sister and dad and they go off to live with his “gramma.”
Tan also shared a bit about Star Wars Resistance. There wasn’t a lot of information, though, nor a clip for the show. But the cartoon will premiere globally in October. It’s set before Force Awakens and will feature the voices of Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma.
There was also a quick behind-the-scenes look at next year’s Descendants 3. While star Dove Cameron wasn’t present at the APCC, we were shown a quick video of her talking about the Kenny Ortega-led film. Cameron also announces that all the cast members of the past two movies are coming back alongside some new faces. Descendants 3 will be coming in September 2019.
We also got a sneak peek of a new animated series based on the classic 1961 movie 101 Dalmatians. This version is called 101 Dalmatian Street and follows the adventures of the oldest two siblings of 101 Dalmatians named Dylan and Dolly alongside their 99 other siblings and parents Doug and Delilah. We weren’t told when this series will come out.
Mark Henn and the magic of Disney
What does The Little Mermaid’s Ariel, Beauty and the Beast’s Belle, The Lion King’s Simba, Aladdin’s Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, The Princess and the Frog’s Princess Tiana have in common? Legendary Disney artist Mark Henn. He has served as supervising animator for the above as well as acted as the lead 2D animator for Big Hero 6 and Frozen.
Henn was at APCC to walk us through his 30-year journey at Disney and how he got there. He tried three times to get into Disney but was turned away. It was only when he was at California Institute of the Arts, where he studied under the likes of Disney animators like Jack Hannah and T. Hee, where he was given an opportunity to animate for Disney.
He talked a bit about his process and how his past experiences in 2D animation still continue to help with enhancing the digital animation that is a big part of today’s animation industry. He even showed us how he helped in enhancing the movements of Hiro in Big Hero 6.
When he was asked which film he’s been involved with would be considered his favorite, he said Mulan had a bit of an advantage just because he got to animate both Mulan and her father, which is considered the heart of the film.
Henn also talked a bit about the upcoming sequel to Wreck-It Ralph called Ralph Breaks The Internet. Wreck-It Ralph and his best friend Vanellope von Schweetz find themselves in the big, bright, sometimes scary, and usually distracting world of the internet as they try to find a replacement for the broken steering wheel of Sugar Rush.
We were introduced to a new character called Yesss who tries to turn Ralph into a viral video star and help them earn the money to buy the wheel. There is also a really funny encounter with iconic Disney princesses. We were shown an extended look at the Disney princesses scene and we’re hoping that makes it into the film because this is a look at these iconic characters as you’ve never seen them before. Ralph Breaks The Internet comes to theaters this November.
Related: Kenneth Cobonpue unveils ‘Star Wars’ collection at APCC 2018
