Category Archives: Movies

A Wrinkle in Time: Meet the Cast!

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A Wrinkle in Time: Meet the Cast!

By Erin

*We attended a screening/press conference as a guest of Disney*

I am beyond thrilled to see one of my all time favorite books turned into a magical adventure on the big screen. What makes it even more special is the cast! Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon? Both amazing women I’ve looked up to since I was a little girl. Then you add in an incredible visionary director, Ava DuVernay who is from my home town of Long Beach, California. You can bet I am more than excited to see this film come to life. Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” is an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic that takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light, good versus evil and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light. A Wrinkle in Time comes out in theaters on Friday, March 9th.

I had the pleasure to meet the cast a couple weeks ago at the press conference in Holllywood, California. Here is what they had to share with us about the film, it was full of magic.

The talent in attendance was:
  •  Oprah Winfrey (“Mrs. Which”)
  •  Reese Witherspoon (“Mrs. Whatsit”)
  •  Mindy Kaling (“Mrs. Who”)
  •  Storm Reid (“Meg Murry”)
  • Chris Pine (“Dr. Alex Murry”)
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Dr. Kate Murry”)
  •  Zach Galifianakis (“The Happy Medium”)
  •  Rowan Blanchard (“Veronica”)
  •  Levi Miller (“Calvin”)
  •  Deric McCabe (“Charles Wallace Murry”)
  •  Director Ava DuVernay
  • Jennifer Lee (Screenplay by)

For all of the Wrinkle in Time loyalists from the 1960s, what is the greatest shift that you made to adapt it to 2018?

JENNIFER LEE: I think we talked a lot about what makes Wrinkle so amazing and has resonated for decades and decades is because there is a timeless quality to the themes she’s dealing with. But we did look a lot at what are those themes today, what do they mean today? And how do you stay true to that, but re-interpret them in a way that we all say this is our world? This is what we understand. So we just had a lot of conversations about what we were inspired by and then what that meant to us growing up and to children now and to the world now.

Love is a huge through-line in this movie. They are a modern family, an interracial couple, a beautiful 2018 family. Chris, what was it like for you playing a scientist in this very complex story about wanting to move the narrative forward as a culture but the culture’s not ready for it?

CHRIS PINE: Well, I had so much fun with this guy, Dr. Alexander. He is so cool. This book, Jazz of Physics, I love jazz and I love John Coltrane. He opens the book talking about the music of the universe and how music and John Coltrane and physics and stars are one of the same thing and I just fell in love with this guy. I could talk to him for hours. The poor guy was having emails all the time asking him the dumbest things of all time. Something he said that I thought was really interesting and this may be part of the movie or not, but he was talking about how in what he’s doing now, it’s like we are all part of the same thing and in his studies, in his academic studies, he not only studies physics but he studies music, and then he studies painting, it’s like this incredible hive of a bursting mind. So I think that’s what I really enjoyed about this character is that his brain is hungry and searching and explorative. Obviously that ambition to do great things propels him forward to do some wonderful things scientifically, but unfortunately that kind of shadow side of him, ambition, it disconnects from what is most important in his life and what requires his daughter to reintroduce him to, which is the spirit and the beauty and regenerative quality of being next to human beings, touching and feeling and holding and kissing. All those things that make us human.

Ava Duvernay was asked how she felt about how the film turned out.

AVA DUVERNAY:  I feel like I tried and gave everything I had to a film again. So if that’s the it, then yes. There’s love in every frame of this movie and there’s love in every frame of everything that I do. I don’t have children. I won’t have children by choice. These films are my children, are what I leave behind. They have my name on them, have my blood in them. And so I feel I did that. And from there, you offer it up to the world and you hope that they can see our intention. But this was an extraordinary experience for me. It’s emotional to sit here with all of them because we really held hands on this and became a family, trying to just give a little bit of sweetness to the world in these dark times. It’s a tough time right now. This film really saved me in a lot of ways from kind of going down dark holes and kept me in a really light-filled place so I’m grateful for the past few years working on A Wrinkle in Time.

Oprah was told that her role was absolutely perfectly tailored to her, Mrs. Which. It’s like art imitating life. Did you feel that when you were playing the character?

OPRAH WINFREY: Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, I actually did. No, you all have heard me say this before and it’s so true. Ava and I are talking on the phone and when she went to New Zealand and posted pictures of scouting for New Zealand, I had been in New Zealand the year before, in Auckland and did not get to the South Island. I had wanted to do that. And so wanted to do that. Everybody says, you didn’t get to the South Island, you haven’t really seen New Zealand. So when I heard that she was going to be filming in New Zealand, I said, I’m going. I’m going. I’m just gonna go. She goes, what do you mean, go? I go, I’m just gonna go hang out with you for however long it takes, I’m gonna block it on my schedule, I’m gonna be there, I’m gonna watch you shoot and say action. Do that, and you know, because I can.  Ava said, well if you’re serious about that, you’d actually come to New Zealand? I go, for sure I’m gonna be there. And she said well, why not take a look at the script? I’ve been wanting to ask you to do this, but I didn’t want to pressure you because of our friendship. I go, okay, I’ll do it. I didn’t even know what it was. I’ll do it.

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Disney•Pixar’s COCO 

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Disney•Pixar’s COCO

By Erin

Disney•Pixar’s COCO is now playing in theatres everywhere! Also, for a limited time only, you can see the brand new Walt Disney Animation Studios’ featurette OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE playing in front of COCO only in theatres! Both of these films are the perfect way to start the holiday season! They will give you all the warm and fuzzy feels.

In COCO, Miguel is an aspiring singer and self-taught guitarist who dreams of following in the footsteps of his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, the most famous musician in the history of Mexico. But Miguel’s family forbids music. Many years ago, his great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather came to an impasse: She wanted to raise their family together in Santa Cecilia, but he couldn’t let go of his dream, leaving his family behind in his quest to be a musician. Passed down from generation to generation, great-great-grandmother Mamá Imelda’s consequent ban on music is strictly enforced—much to Miguel’s dismay. When Miguel unearths a secret from his family’s past—a connection to Ernesto de la Cruz, he rushes to share the news with his family, thinking it will clear the way for him to be a musician. Unfortunately, it only makes matters worse. Miguel feels like he has to choose between his passion for music and his love for his family. Miguel wants to prove to his family that making music is both beautiful and honorable. We follow Miguel as he follows his heart and his dreams.

NO MUSIC – Miguel challenges his family’s generations-old ban on music, spending time with a local mariachi. But his grandmother Abuelita promptly puts a stop to it.

A magical event is sparked by Miguel’s impulsive actions that renders him visible only to those who have come to visit from the Land of the Dead on Día de los Muertos. This world is a beautiful, lively and colorful parallel world that is populated by generations and generations of people who long ago left the Land of the Living, including Miguel’s own ancestors, who instantly recognize him and offer to help—but only if he agrees to give up music forever. Miguel ends up running into and teams up with a scrappy, streetwise skeleton named Héctor and they set out to find Ernesto de la Cruz—who they believe holds the key to Miguel’s baffling and decidedly unmusical family history.

What happens next? Well you will just have to go see the film now won’t you? 😉 I do not want to give away all the magical twists and turns and melt-your-heart moments. However, I will leave you with some fun tidbits about the film and some cool things to look for and take notice of in Coco!

Miguel’s love of music ultimately leads him to the Land of the Dead where he teams up with charming trickster Hector.

THEM BONES – Look for the very subtle nods to the skeleton residents in the Land of the Dead, like the cobblestone streets that feature some bone-shaped paving stones.

CHANGE OF PLANTS – Artists at Pixar Animation Studios like to add vegetation—grass, trees, bushes—to exterior environments, but “Coco” filmmakers wanted the Land of the Dead to be different. The only living plants in the vibrant fantastical world are marigolds.

• During research trips to Mexico, filmmakers learned that the color and aroma of marigold petals are believed to help guide the spirit of a family’s loved one home during Día de los Muertos.

Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) finds himself in the Land of the Dead—a rich and vibrant community featuring bridges of marigold petals.

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Fun Facts From the Cast of Disney*Pixar’s Coco!

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Fun Facts From the Cast of Disney*Pixar’s Coco!

By Erin

*We were invited by Disney to attend this press conference for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own!*

Thanksgiving is just about here. It’s the perfect time for families everywhere to come together and celebrate everything there is to be thankful for. Pixar’s new movie Coco, couldn’t be coming out at a better time than at Thanksgiving as Coco showcases the importance of family, honoring your ancestors and following your dreams. Opening in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, November 22nd.

Coco is about a 12-year-old boy named Miguel with big dreams and a hardworking family with great traditions and a lot of love. What’s so cool is that this could be any family that lives next door. The sweet, bossy grandmother who insists on one more bite might be your grandma (she sure reminds me a lot of my own grandmother). There’s something familiar to us all in this story. The universal theme of family is what makes it so special, with relationships that are beautiful and complicated, but our family shapes who we are. Pixar Animation Studios’ 19th feature film introduces Miguel, an aspiring singer and self- taught guitarist who dreams of following in the footsteps of his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, the most famous musician in the history of Mexico. But Miguel’s family forbids music.

The other week we were delighted to meet the cast at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The talent in attendance were:
  • Benjamin Bratt (voice of “Ernesto de la Cruz”)
  • Gael Garcia Bernal (voice of “Hector”)
  • Anthony Gonzalez (voice of “Miguel”)
  • Edward James Olmos (voice of “Chicharron”)
  • Alanna Ubach (voice of “Mama Imelda”)
  • Director Lee Unkrich
  • Co-Director Adrian Molina
  • Producer Darla K. Anderson

Darla K. Anderson; Adrian Molina; Anthony Gonzalez; Gael Garcia Bernal; Benjamin Bratt; Edward James Olmos; Alanna Ubach; Lee Unkrich. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney.

Right before the conference started, we were in for a very special treat: a performance by Mariachi Divas and some dancers.

Mariachi Divas perform at the Global Press Conference for Disney-Pixar’s “Coco.” Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Look how beautiful those dresses are. They put on a beautiful performance for all of us to enjoy.

Dancers perform at the Global Press Conference for Disney-Pixar’s “Coco” Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney.

During the press conference, here were some of the fun and interesting facts we all learned.

Lee Unkrich- “Darla, and Adrian, and I all worked on Toy Story III together. When we finished that film, I started to think about what was next, and I had a few different ideas that I was kicking around. One of them was the idea of telling a story set against Dia de los Muertos. I had always been interested in the tradition, and I spent some time doing some research, and really trying to understand more than I already knew. The more that I dug in, the more that I learned about how central family is to this celebration, and that Dia de los Muertos is all about this obligation that we all have to remember our loved ones, and to pass their stories along. I just really started to see the potential to tell a unique story, to tell a story that could only be told in animation, that could be visually dazzling, but also had the potential to have a real emotional core to it. That was really kind of the beginning of this journey. We immediately headed down to Mexico and started – went on the first of what proved to be many lengthy research trips, to spend time learning about the traditions, learning about the culture, and spending a lot of time with many beautiful families down in Mexico.” 

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