They’ve come in many guises over the years, from the monarchical to the Machiavellian, monsters to muscle men, sorcerers, schemers and step-parents. And they have shown levels of genius, incompetence and everything in between in their efforts to thwart our heroes. But they are always without fail ambitious, self-serving and strangely compelling.

In a world of promoting good virtues to children, good must always triumph over evil. And so, Disney villains can’t be left to return and cause havoc another day (unless it’s in an inconsequential direct-to-video sequel) and so usually meet their maker in one of a variety of inventive and sometimes gruesome ways.

If the Disney Princess is the most merchandisable element of the Disney canon, then the villains are a close second and inspire even more fervour among adult fans, perhaps because they’re usually more flawed and interesting than the heroes and especially when so many are (intentionally or not) queer-coded, fabulously designed and played with gusto by talented voice actors giving it their all. 

For this edition of Ranked, we at The Film Magazine have taken every significant villain to be found in Disney animation and ordered them in terms of wickedness, memorability and the threat they represent to our heroes and heroines. So practice your diabolical laughter, rehearse your evil monologue, dust off your best purple attire and enjoy Animated Disney Villains Ranked. 

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

36. King Candy – Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

The ruler of arcade racing video game Sugar Rush who is actually Turbo, the resentful title character of a long-disconnected game.

Alan Tudyk has been Disney’s good luck charm in recent years and delivers a manic performance here as a mascot-gone-wrong, but the vocals have to do most of the work to enliven a baddie who’s just not interesting enough to match the heroes.

Demise by: Destroyed by the collapse of Diet Cola Mountain with the addition of Mentos.

35. Prince Hans – Frozen (2013)

A seemingly classic Prince Charming who is actually conspiring to eliminate both heirs to the Arendelle throne and claim it for himself.

Hans is a duplicitous, generic British-accented baddie revealed in the film’s final act, who gets some bonus evil points for taking advantage of Princess Anna’s emotions the way he does, purely to advance himself.

Demise by: Survives but is arrested and banished for his treachery.

Recommended for you: Best Animated Feature Oscar Winners Ranked

34. Alameda Slim – Home on the Range (2004)

An evil cattle rustler and conman who plans to cheat every rancher he can find out of their land.

Randy Quaid’s growling delivery and the character’s hilariously unconvincing Inspector Clouseau-level disguises aside, what makes Alameda Slim stand out is that he’s a rare villain who uses a combination of theft, foreclosure and cow-hypnotising yodelling to get what he wants.

Demise by: Survives, but his schemes and true identity as a rustler are exposed and the reward for his arrest is claimed.

33. Dr Jumba Jookiba – Lilo & Stitch (2002)

An alien mad scientist on the hunt for his dangerous but cute creation on Earth on the orders of the council who imprisoned him for his work.

Dr Jumba is probably the only character who never underestimates the cute blue title character because he was the one who genetically engineered “Experiment 626” and is fully aware of his destructive capabilities. He finds himself lower down this list for being bumbling and for having a late change of heart, eventually helping to protect Stitch when the council’s military arrives to complete his mission with extreme prejudice.

Demise by: Survives to live a fairly happy exile alongside Stitch on Earth.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Directors: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Screenwriters: Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale
Starring: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Burn Gorman, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson

“Pinocchio” adaptations are like buses, apparently; you wait for one for ages and then three come along at once.

Guillermo del Toro has often spoken of a few key formative texts that have influenced his storytelling through the medium of film from the very beginning. One is Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and another is Carlo Collodi’s “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, which he brings to striking life in stop-motion animation for Netflix here.

In a reimagining of the classic children’s story re-staged to take place in the lead up to WWII and the rise of Mussolini’s fascist Italy, Sebastian J Cricket (Ewan McGregor) recounts the tale of woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley) who makes a puppet to replace his beloved son Carlo (Gregory Mann) whom was lost to a bombing raid. Hardly any time at all after Pinocchio (also voiced by Mann) is brought to life by magic, he is separated from his father and exploited by many parties interested in the potential of an immortal wooden being. 

“No art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation, and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio.” – Guillermo del Toro

The sheer amount of detail packed into every hand-crafted frame is truly staggering. Every environment buzzes with life, every incidental background character seems to be on a journey of their own taking place just off-screen. From the moment we see the meticulousness of Geppetto’s craft, how much love he puts into every stage of shaping an unremarkable lump of wood into something useful, or something beautiful, we get the unmistakable sense that the team of animators working on the film are putting just as much of themselves into their own craft.

This Pinocchio definitely feels of a piece with del Toro’s other period pieces that discuss the innocence of childhood ended by warfare, The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, and it’s no wonder as he has said in interviews that he considers them a thematic trilogy.

You find yourself thinking of such dark satires as Jojo Rabbit in the terrifying scenes of fascist soldiers preparing child recruits with war games while extolling the virtues of fanatical nationalism. This is the very creepy substitution for the boys being kidnapped and transformed into donkeys seen in most versions of the story. 

Del Toro famously loves his monsters and he isn’t afraid of making his Pinocchio monstrous to an extent. The horror-tinged spidery way he moves when he first wakes up and springs at a terrified Geppetto (he just wants a hug), and the manner in which he is broken down and rebuilt multiple times throughout the film, is rather disturbing and at odds with his positive, affable personality. The wooden boy is understandably confused and saddened at the reaction he provokes at church when the congregation are proclaiming him as something unnatural and sinful with one breath, and worshipping a wooden Jesus on the cross the next. 

About 40 minutes into this latest take on Pinocchio you might be feeling like it’s a pretty standard re-telling of the story using the most labour-intensive form of animation there is. But then the wooden boy ends up in a kind of limbo, escorted by undead rabbits to an audience with the sphinx-like Angel of Death (Tilda Swinton), and you realise that only del Toro would tell the tale quite like this; Gothic and metaphysical. All versions of “Pinocchio” are about love and what it means to be human, but no other version is as explicitly about death and living with grief.

A debate that went semi-viral recently with the release of Henry Sellick’s Wendell & Wild was how little credit stop-motion directors receive compared to their big name collaborators who have also made live-action films. It’s known as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas because he conceived it and produced it, but many forget that Sellick was the director and was there every step of the way. While there’s little doubt that del Toro was more hands-on here than Burton ever was, you have to give credit to his co-director Mark Gustafson for the day-to-day guiding of the project and being an essential part of making the animation come to life.

As per usual with del Toro’s work, humanity is far more monstrous than anything otherworldly. The characters are a mixture of those from Collodi’s story (Pinocchio and Geppetto, the Cricket, Candlewick) and new creations to fit the time and place this version is set in. Ron Perlman’s sinister fascist officer Podestà not only serves the same story function as the Coachman from Collodi’s story but could also conceivably be the Italian cousin of Vidal from Pan’s Labyrinth, and Christoph Waltz’s creepy Mangiafuoco/Stromboli stand-in Count Volpe (a gleefully entertaining vocal performance) evokes every exploitative charlatan that profits in times of turmoil.

If there’s one major criticism you could level at this new Pinocchio, it’s that it tries to keep too many plates spinning in the air at once. Thank heavens that it’s not the bland, mass-produced product that was the recent Disney/Robert Zemeckis version, but it also occasionally loses sight of the pure heart and the sheer magic of the thing in its eagerness to make this version darker and more relevant to contemporary society. It is admittedly stronger when it’s being bleak and thoughtful as some of the jokes and certainly most of the songs don’t quite work (Sebastian’s is so bad it becomes a running gag that he keeps getting cut off right until the end credits).

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a vivid and hard-hitting reimagining of a classic story that can’t be faulted for its boldness, ambition and beauty, but loses some of the story’s pure, timeless simplicity and childlike sense of wonder. It’s in a completely different league to the latest Disney version, but it is still Matteo Garronne’s authentic Italian take from 2019 that is the most definitive of the recent adaptations.

Score: 20/24

Pinocchio (2022)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Screenwriters: Robert Zemeckis, Chris Weitz
Starring: Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cynthia Erivo, Luke Evans, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Kyanne Lamaya, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, Giuseppe Battiston, Sheila Atim, Jamie Demetriou, Lewin Lloyd

In 1940 Walt Disney Productions released Pinocchio, the studio’s second animated feature following the smash hit that was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was received rapturously and was held as a high watermark for vibrant, detailed and expressive animation for decades afterwards. Now Disney have remade yet another of their beloved classics in a hybrid of live-action and CG-animation to a particularly uninspiring, straight-to-Disney+ result.

Loosely based on Carlo Collodi’s “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, we follow lonely carpenter Geppetto (Tom Hanks) who has carved himself a wooden son out of grief for the child he has lost. After wishing upon a star, Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) comes to life and sets out on an increasingly dangerous adventure with the help of his nominated conscience Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in an effort to become a real boy.

So let’s start with the positives, because sadly there aren’t too many of them…

Joseph Gordon-Levitt knocks it out of the park with his Jiminy Cricket vocal delivery; all cheer and old-timey gentlemanly charm masking neuroses and self doubt. It was a cunning bit of casting to have Tom Hanks, everyone’s favourite movie dad, play one of Disney’s most lovable parents too, because nobody likes to see Hanks upset and, therefore, we all hope Geppetto’s life is going to get much happier sooner rather than later. Disney must also be praised for wisely staying faithful to Pinocchio’s iconic design from the animation, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth voices him with vigour.

Kyanne Lamaya’s supporting role is also an interesting one. Fabiana is a dancer with a clockwork leg brace working for sideshow honcho Stromboli (Giuseppe Battiston) who throws her voice ventriloquist-style to puppeteer ballerina marionette Sabina, who becomes the only character Pinocchio can truly engage with on the same level (everyone else either exploits or coddles him). This is the only new addition to this version of the story that seems worth the time. Meanwhile, the battle in the ocean with Monstro (a more fantastical sea monster than colossal whale here) is well worth a look; arguably the only scene in the film with enough spectacle to make you wish this got a cinema release.

But, you’ve got to ask if Pinocchio really works as a character when he’s realised so pristinely in a computer. It’s almost as if he needs to be more flawed, more obviously hand-crafted, to make a tangible connection with an audience and to make sense of his journey from talking, walking inanimate object to real boy.

I know using real animals in films is discouraged these days for a number of reasons, but why’d they have to do such a terrible CG job on Figaro the cat and Cleo the goldfish? Is it just because grafting human-like faces onto otherwise zoologically accurate creatures makes it easier to imitate the moments everyone remembers from the 1940 film? The devious huckster Honest John (Keegan-Michael Key) is proof positive that Disney can never remake their take on Robin Hood in CG animation, because we now know that CG-animated anthropomorphic foxes are kind of creepy and they they can’t convey the required range of emotions with their canine faces. Key does his best to bring some life to singing “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee”, but it’s a really uninspired sequence nevertheless.

One of the biggest crimes the Disney remakes keep committing is the compulsion to over-explain absolutely everything including, in this case, Pinocchio’s name. “Pine-oak-io”: why on earth would Geppetto name a representation of his dead son after such a terrible wood pun?

We may be bringing too much logic into a story about a magical wooden boy, but Pinocchio has only been alive for a few days and never actually made it to school, and yet he fully understands complex concepts like combustion, propeller propulsion and even death when it suits the plot. Nothing is consistent or given a second thought it would seem. 

In another moment of completely unearned Disney self-congratulation, you notice that all of Geppetto’s cuckoo clocks are shown to have Disney characters popping out of them, and it’s not a throwaway gag you’ve really got to pay attention to catch either; they give them very deliberate close-ups. All that is achieved by this is that you’re taken out of the story they are supposed to be telling.

Say what you like about the Disney remake of Beauty and the Beast from 2017, but at least they really went for it with the lavish Broadway-style musical sequences. Here, almost all the songs from the animation are cut short as if Zemeckis is scared that the kids will get bored without a new distraction every 30 seconds or so. The songs specially written for this version aren’t good or memorable, and a fun but cheesy scene where Pinocchio begins to dance a rumba with Sabina ends before it truly wins you over.

This may well be Luke Evans’ worst ever performance; all false teeth and grating accent as the Coachman, and a terrible new number that brings to mind Fagin without the rascally charm and singing in the dark. The Pleasure Island sequence that is built around the sinister Coachman’s child-napping machinations in the animation is pure nightmare fuel, but here it’s a knock-off riff on Hook but with added shadow monsters for some reason.

Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio has decent foundation of a beloved story and talented people involved, but is overly self-aware, unimaginative and distinctly lacking in magic no matter how lovely Cynthia Erivo’s rendition of “When You Wish Upon a Star” is. When you compare this to the animated film it so often tries to directly replicate, Matteo Garronne’s twisted Italian film from a few years ago, or even what we’ve seen so far of Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion fable, Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio is just a painted block of wood.

Score: 8/24

While challenges remain ongoing for the film industry and so much has yet to be written regarding the future of exhibition amidst our global efforts against the pandemic, the slate of movies due for release in 2022 seems just as full and exciting as the last few months of 2021. Amongst the most hotly anticipated releases sit blockbuster heavyweights from Marvel and DC, delayed should-be summer hits, some brand new tear-jerking animated films from the world’s most successful studios, a spate of direct-to-streaming offerings, and a handful of films that could take the festival and awards circuits by storm.

In this, The Film Magazine’s 2022 Big Movie Preview, we are looking at the most exciting films due for release in 2022, categorising each by defining factors such as their genres and budgets. Amongst the films listed are those we have trailers for and know lots about, as well as those with little more than a director and some actors attached.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter.

Superhero Specials

The impact of superhero cinema on the big studios’ release slates is incomparable, its importance to the exhibition industry unrivalled, its cultural imprint so significant that the realm of fantasy-action hybrids is now going by its own genred term: superhero films (or comic book movies).

In 2022, DC are following up the audience successes of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and The Suicide Squad with more DCEU releases and another entry into their darker timeline of more adult-focused superhero stories, while Marvel are doubling down on the multiverse idea that proved popular in No Way Home and look set to reimagine some of their franchise stalwarts. Here are the superhero movies to be expectant of in 2022:

The Batman (rel. 4 March 2022) – From the director of Let Me In and the last two Planet of the Apes films (Dawn and Rise) comes a dark reimagining of Batman trying to unravel the truth behind Riddler’s games. With a cast featuring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Keoghan, Peter Sarsgaard and John Turturro, this could be an early-year mega-hit not too dissimilar to Deadpool or the late-year DC billion-dollar movie Joker.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (rel. 6 May 2022) – The long-awaited sequel to Marvel’s Benedict Cumberbatch-led superhero offering Doctor Strange sees the multiverse introduced in the latest Spider-Man movie presented through the lens of original Spider-Man director and cult hero Sam Raimi. With a powerful premise of Strange versus Strange teased in the trailer, it seems that one of Marvel’s Phase 4 leaders could be another MCU box office smash.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One (rel. 7 October 2022) – The original Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a genre-defining hit from Sony Pictures Animation and was probably one of the greatest superhero films ever made. This October, we get its sequel, and this time follow central hero Miles Morales across different universes in his own multiverse of madness, the same quality of animation and same creative team steering the ship.

Some more to add to your watchlists (use Letterboxd, we do: /thefilmagazine):

+ Morbius (rel. 28 January 2022) – Jared Leto stars in the Spider-Man universe film from the director of Life and Child 44.

+ Thor: Love and Thunder (rel. 8 July 2022) – Taika Waititi returns to the director’s chair following Thor: Ragnarok in this upcoming MCU event movie starring the usual suspects and a returning Natalie Portman.

+ Black Adam (rel. 29 July 2022) – Dwayne Johnson stars in this DCEU anti-hero tale from Orphan and Non-Stop director Jaume Collet-Serra.

+ The Flash (rel. 4 November 2022) – It director Andy Muschietti brings Ezra Miller’s Snyderverse version of The Flash to life in another of the year’s multiverse-hopping superhero entries, with an appearance by Michael Keaton as Batman likely to be a late-year talking point.

+ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (rel. 11 November 2022) – Marvel look set to redirect their Black Panther franchise within a franchise without lead Chadwick Boseman.

+ Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (rel. 16 December 2022) – James Wan follows up his billion dollar hit Aquaman with its sequel starring Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman and a slew of big names.

Anticipated Awards Contenders

Each and every year, the festival circuit propels some noteworthy releases towards awards season, and while it is often difficult to predict which films will be hits and which won’t, we’ve looked at some of the upcoming films from respected and award-winning filmmakers to bring to you these must-adds to your watchlists.

Untitled Elvis Presley Project (rel. 3 June 2022) – Baz Luhrmann returns to the silver screen with a summertime Elvis Presley film that is set to star Austin Butler as The King of Rock and Roll and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. While little is known about the film at this time, including its title, anticipation is high for a new film from the director of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!.

Babylon (rel. 25 December 2022) – Whiplash and La La Land director Damien Chazelle takes on the golden era of Hollywood in this period drama with an all-star cast. Margot Robbie will play Clara Bow, one of the few silent era actors to successfully transition into the talkies, and she will be supported by a cast including Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, Kathryn Waterston, Samara Weaving, Flea and more.

Blonde (rel. 2022) – New Zealand-born director Andrew Dominik offers his first feature drama for a decade with Blonde, a look at the inner workings of the life of legendary Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. With the director’s previous films Killing Them Softly and The Assassination of Jesse James being such critical hits, and the cast boasting Ana De Armas in the lead role, this looks set to be a certain awards contender in at least one of the major categories at the 2023 Oscars.

Some more to add to your watchlists (use Letterboxd, we do: /thefilmagazine):

+ Thirteen Lives (rel. 15 April 2022) – Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell star in Ron Howard’s dramatisation of the harrowing real-life events that occurred in Thailand in 2018 when a group of children were trapped in a cave.

+ Untitled David O. Russell Project (rel. 4 November 2022) – American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell reunites with Christian Bale and Robert De Niro. Amongst the supporting cast are Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldana and Taylor Swift.

+ Untitled Bee Gees Biopic (rel. 4 November 2022) – Kenneth Branagh is following up his critical success Belfast with a biopic of famed Australian music group the Bee Gees, though details (including cast) are currently being kept under wraps.

+ I Wanna Dance with Somebody (rel. 23 December 2022) – Harriett director Kasi Lemmons aims to chronicle the life of late pop megastar Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) set for release in the height of awards season.

Click to the next page for even more.

Variety – 18th Oct 2019

Netflix are set to roll out their new Noah Baumbach Original Film Marriage Story in select North American theatres from 6th Nov, one month ahead of the film’s worldwide release via their streaming service. Among the locations set to feature the film is New York’s Paris Theatre, a one-screen theatre that was recently closed ahead of an expected sale and transition into a retail outlet. The release of Marriage Story will re-open the theatre, which is expected to be leased by Netflix and act as a showcase theatre for their awards season contenders soon thereafter.

IndieWire – 18th Oct 2019

Jonah Hill is no longer connected to Matt Reeves’ upcoming DC adaptation The Batman, with reports suggesting the actor asked for a $10million up-front payment to take an unnamed role.

THR – 16th Oct 2019

‘Big Little Lies’ actress Zoe Kravitz has been cast as Catwoman in The Batman.

Variety – 14th Oct 2019

There Will Be Blood actor and Wildlife director Paul Dano is in advanced talks to star in The Batman as The Riddler. If a deal is made, he will star opposite Robert Pattinson, likely as the film’s central protagonist.

Variety – 17th Oct 2019

Michael Giacchino, the Oscar-winning composer of such iconic scores as Star Trek (2009), Jurassic World (2015) and Coco (2017), will provide the score for Matt Reeves’ upcoming DC adaptation The Batman, which is set to star Robert Pattinson.

Chris Hewitt (Empire Magazine) – 18th Oct 2019

MGM’s upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic Respect has added Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore and Tate Donovan to its cast. Multi-award winning musician and actress Jennifer Hudson is set to star.

Deadline – 18th Oct 2019

‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ star Neil Patrick Harris, and ‘Iron Fist’ star Jessica Henwick are set to join the cast of The Matrix 4. The pair will join the returning Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss on the set of the film set to be directed by Lana Wachowski.

Variety/Variety – 15/16th Oct 2019

Michael Caine, Lena Headey and Rita Ora will star in a modern-day adaptation of “Oliver Twist” from Sky titled Twist. The film, which will release same day-and-date in cinemas and on Sky’s pay-TV service, will see Ora take on the role of Dodge, Caine play Fagan and Headey play Sikes. Jude Law’s son Raff Law will play Oliver.

Variety – 16th Oct 2019

Legendary horror director Sam Raimi is set to return to the genre with for a new project with old Spider-Man (2002) studio Columbia Pictures. The yet-to-be-titled project is said to be “Castaway meets Misery“, with the bulk of the horror taking place on a deserted island.

THR – 18th Oct 2019

A sequel to the recently released MGM animated adaptation The Addams Family is already in the works, with a release date slated for 2021.

Variety – 15th Oct 2019

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has confirmed that his long-awaited starring role as DC comic book character Black Adam will begin filming in 2020. The actor, who is Forbes’ highest paid male actor in 2019, was announced for the role in January 2017. The movie, also titled Black Adam, does not yet have a release date, but does take place in the same universe as popular DC release Shazam! (2019).

Deadline – 19th Oct 2019

David Fincher’s newest project Mank, a Netflix Original movie about Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, has made Amanda Seyfried to its all-star cast. The actress joins lead Gary Oldman, Lily Collins, Charles Dance, Tuppence Middleton, Arliss Howard, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Joseph Cross, Sam Troughton, Toby Leonard Moore, Tom Burke and Tom Pelphrey on the film in a yet-to-be-confirmed role.

Variety – 15th Oct 2019

The upcoming Jurassic World 3 has added She’s Gotta Have It breakout star DeWanda Wise to its cast. The actress joins returning names Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Sam Neil and Jeff Goldblum in the Amblin & Universal Pictures project.

Variety – 18th Oct 2019

Star Wars star John Boyega has been cast as the lead in upcoming Netflix sci-fi movie They Cloned Tyrone, which is set to be directed by Creed 2 screenwriter Juel Taylor.

THR – 18th Oct 2019

Ben Affleck will star in an upcoming film adaptation of popular novel “Falling To Earth”, which is set to be adapted for the screen by Insomnia (2002) and Eagle Eye (2008) screenwriter Hillary Seitz.

THR – 17th Oct 2019

The Lighthouse and The Witch director Robert Eggers has cast his two leads for his upcoming 10th century Viking revenge story set in Iceland titled The Northman, making Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman the centrepieces for his newest project.

Variety – 16th Oct 2019

The Lighthouse actor Willem Dafoe has joined Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Guillermo Del Toro’s next movie, Nightmare Alley.

Variety – 15th Oct 2019

Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski are in talks to star in Paramount Studios’ upcoming fantasy comedy Imaginary Friends, with Krasinski set to write, direct and star if the deal goes through, with Reynolds set for a producer and actor role.

Variety – 15th Oct 2019

Widows and Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya is teaming with Mattel Films to bring Barney the Dinosaur to the big screen in a live-action feature via his 59% production banner.

Variety – 18th Oct 2019

Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and Castaway director Robert Zemeckis is reportedly in early talks to direct a live-action remake of Pinocchio for Disney. Paddington director Paul King had originally been signed to direct the film but had to leave the role earlier this year for an unknown reason.

Variety – 18th Oct 2019

Naomie Harris, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Moonlight (2016), is in talks to star as sonic-powered villain Shriek in Sony’s upcoming Venom sequel, Venom 2. The actress, who has also starred in recent 007 movies, will join Woody Harrelson and the returning Tom Hardy in the film set for a 2nd Oct 2020 release.

Deadline – 18th Oct 2019

Recent Quentin Tarantino release Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood has been pulled from distribution in China just a week ahead of an expected 25th Oct release. Though no reason was given to distributors Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter have been informed that Tarantino is unwilling to cut the film if the Chinese censors demand it, the screenwriter-director reportedly taking a “take it or leave it” approach.

THR – 18th Oct 2019

Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, who played The Joker in 2016 David Ayer movie Suicide Squad, was reportedly very upset when he heard of Warner Bros plans to release an alternative Joker story from Todd Phillips starring Joaquin Phoenix, reportedly asking his manager to stop the film from going ahead and describing the situation as leaving him feeling “alienated and upset”.

THR – 19th Oct 2019

The Head of Annapurna Pictures Ivana Lombardi is leaving her role to take the position of Director of Independents at Netflix after a year at Annapurna.

Variety – 14th Oct 2019

Sony Pictures film executive Hannah Minghella has departed Sony for J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, where she will take the role of Head of Film.

THR – 17th Oct 2019

Plans to build a major film studio in East London, UK have suffered a setback as the chosen developers Pacifica Ventures have backed out of their arrangement to build the 20-acre studios in Dagenham.

Variety – 16th Oct 2019

And finally… 

Studio Ghibli’s catalogue of animated films are being made available on streaming for the first time. All 21 of the studio’s releases will be available to North American audiences via streaming provider HBO Max.

THR – 17th Oct 2019

The colder and darker evenings are perfect for getting cosy on the sofa in front of a film with a cup of hot cocoa or mulled wine. For those of you who are stuck for something new to watch, we have compiled a list of some of the best vintage and classic films that are sure to warm you up in the Winter months.

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

This 1955 drama starring Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman will have you dreaming of being in a quaint little log cabin in the woods with that special someone. The thought of a warm fireplace on a snowy night, love overcoming all obstacles, and the beautiful final image of a deer walking through the snow. Could you ask for anything more?

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

This classic musical starring Judy Garland has taught generations that ‘there’s no place like home’. A wonderful family film that brings everybody together, The Wizard of Oz is timeless.

Modern Times (1936)

Directed, written by and starring the iconic Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times is relevant to its pre-WWII era but remains identifiable to this day. The highly-rated silent movie presents a strong lead character getting through rough times in life and pulling through all of his struggles with love. The setting of the industrial revolution gives a ‘stick it to the man’ attitude that radiates a feel-good tone.

City Lights (1931)

Charlie Chaplin movies will never feel outdated, yet while City Lights can be watched any time of year, the warmth that Chaplin’s character presents and the love in his heart is sure to make you feel fuzzy like we all wish to feel in the coldest of months. This silent slapstick movie will also have you belly-laughing throughout.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

A rib-tickling comedy starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, a dinosaur and a leopard. I know what you’re thinking, but trust me, it works. Ridiculous and hilarious, if the laughs don’t warm you up, the endearing lead characters will.

Number 30: Hercules becomes a God –Hercules (1997)

‘Hercules’ at 25 – Review

Number 29: Higitus Figitus. Merlin works his magic – The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Number 28: The Evil Queens evil plan – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Number 27: Pink Elephants on Parade – Dumbo (1941)

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Number 26: Copper saves Todd – The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Number 25: Ohana means family – Lilo and Stich (2002)

Number 24: Mulan gets ready for war – Mulan (1998)

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Number 23: Ray is united with Evangeline –Princess and the Frog (2009)

Number 22: Pocahontas meets John Smith –Pocahontas (1995)

Number 21: Under the Sea – The Little Mermaid (1989)

Number 20: Alice goes down the rabbit hole – Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Number 19: True love’s kiss – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Number 18: 101! – 101 Dalmations (1961)

Number 17: Aladdin wishes Genie to be free – Aladdin (1992)

Number 16: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo – Cinderella (1950)

Number 15: Steamboat Willie – Steamboat Willie (1928)

Number 14: Everybody wants to be a cat – The Aristocats (1970)

Number 13 – I’m a real boy – Pinnochio (1940)

Number 12: The Bare Necessities – The Jungle Book (1967)

Number 11: Bambi goes ice skating – Bambi (1942)

Number 10: Let It go – Frozen (2013)

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Number 9 – The Circle of Life – The Lion King (1994)

Number 8: Ariel gives up her voice – The Little Mermaid (1989)

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Number 7: The Floating Lights – Tangled (2010)

Number 6: Off to Neverland – Peter Pan (1953)

Number 5: Maleficent crashes the party – Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Number 4: Bella Notte – Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Number 3: Mickey’s dancing brooms – Fantasia (1940)

Number 2: Long Live The King – The Lion King (1994)

Number 1: The Dance – Beauty and the Beast (1991)

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