Here’s the announced slate of Disney theatrical releases for 2008. Other titles may be added, as it’s a bit sparse. However, the Writer’s strike isn’t going to help in that regard, not to mention the entirely probably Actor and Director strikes coming in the summer of 2008. If those occur and are stretched out, 2009 should be a depleted year indeed.
There’s nothing on this list I would definitely see, but then I don’t see a lot of movies in theaters. I won’t say I’m not going to see any of them, but most of the films, naturally, are named at demographics that I’m not a part of. Nothing wrong with that, but there it is.
February 1
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Both Worlds Concert Tour
A mischievous young scamp lies about a father dying in Iraq to get some free movie tickets…oh, wait. Concert film. Talk about not aiming at my demographic.
February 14
Step Up 2 the Street
A sequel to the teen dance flick Step Up, unsurprisingly. “When rebellious street dancer Andie (Briana Evigan) lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school’s hottest dancer Chase (Robert Hoffman) to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore’s underground dance battle The Streets, she ultimately finds a way to live her dream while building a bridge between her two separate worlds.” Kudos to the screenwriters, who didn’t omit even a single cliché. In other words, it’s Breakin’ 17. Of course, this is made for a demographic that never saw Breakin’, so it’s all (kinda) new to them.
March
College Road Trip
Another young teenie flick, in which Raven-Symone is *ahem* comically frustrated in her search towards adulthood, as her planned all-girl tour of prospective colleges is hampered when her sheriff father (Martin Lawrence) decides to travel with them. “She soon finds her dream trip has turned into a hilarious nightmare adventure full of comical misfortune and turmoil.” Wow, with that many adjectives this *must* be funny!
May 16
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The second Narnia film, obviously. It will be interesting to see how this does, since the first Narnia was about the only epic fantasy in the wake of the Lord of the Rings trilogy not to completely tank.
June 27
WALL*E
The newest Pixar animated movie, this one featuring robots. They haven’t screwed up yet.
Summer
Swing Vote “Follows the story of Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), an apathetic, beer-slinging, lovable loser, who is coasting through a life that has passed him by. The one bright spot is his precocious, over-achieving twelve-year-old daughter Molly. She takes care of both of them, until one mischievous moment on Election Day, when she accidentally sets off a chain of events which culminates in the election coming down to one vote… her dad’s. Swing Vote is a comical look at the journey of one father and daughter who discover that everyone has the power to change the world.” Stars Kevin Costner who I generally like, and Dennis Hopper, who I generally don’t. That “change the world” rhetoric gives me gas, though. I guess if the reviews are really, really strong…still more of a DVD rental, though.
Fall
South of the Border
Animated flick in which Drew Barrymore voices a pampered Chihuahua who gets lost on the gritty streets of Mexico, and leans valuable life lessons after mixing with a bunch of lower-class pooches. Blech. It’s all in the execution, of course, but that doesn’t sound promising to me.
Fall
Morning Light
Documentary about a crew of young people training for and participating in a 2,300 mile boating race against veteran competition. Interesting, since we may be seeing more documentaries (the movie version of reality TV) if the various guild strikes continue.
Fall
Miracle at St. Anna
“Chronicles the story of four black American soldiers who are members of the Army as part of the all-black 92nd “Buffalo Soldier” Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy.” Directed by Spike Lee. This could be a great film, if Lee restrains his politics, and remembers that subtext beats text every time.
November 26
Bolt
Disney’s third animated film of the year, and the worst sounding. First, the main character is voiced by John Travolta. (Blech.) Second, its another tale of a lost dog on an “incredible journey” home after getting lost, and while learning valuable life lesson. In other words, it sounds 70% the exact same movie as South of the Border (above). Then there’s the fact that Travolta’s dog is a Hollywood action star dog who believes he actually performs the amazing feats he does in his films. So…ripping off Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear was the best idea they had?
December 25
Bedtime Stories
“A family comedy about a guy (Adam Sandler) whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his nephews start to magically come true.” In other words, Jumanji, Part 3. That doesn’t mean it won’t be good, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
TBA
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Latest Chick Lit adaptation that’s hoping to be a bit more The Devil Wears Prada than The Nanny Diaries.
