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      ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and More as Disney Leans Sharply Into Streaming

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘Star Wars,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and More as Disney Leans Sharply Into StreamingThe company unveiled a blitz of new projects on Thursday, including 10 series from the “Star Wars” universe for Disney+, which now has 87 million subscribers. Hulu will also get a major content boost.The Disney+ hit “The Mandalorian” will soon have two spinoffs.Credit…Disney Plus, via Associated PressDec. 10, 2020Updated 7:36 p.m. ETLOS ANGELES — In February, Robert A. Iger stepped down as Disney’s chief executive and became executive chairman, saying he would decamp entirely in 2021. But he saw himself as having one final task. “I want to make sure that our creative pipelines are vibrant,” Mr. Iger said in an interview at the time. “That is very, very important, especially as we roll out Disney+ around the world.”On Thursday, as part of a four-hour investor presentation focused on the future of Disney’s streaming business, Wall Street got a sense of what Mr. Iger was talking about. Never have Disney’s content engines been turbocharged like this.Disney unveiled a blitz of new “Star Wars” projects, including 10 television shows — two of which will be “Mandalorian” spinoffs, another that will follow C-3PO and R2-D2 — and a new theatrical film, “Rogue Squadron,” directed by Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”). Ms. Jenkins will be the first female filmmaker in the 43-year history of the “Star Wars” movie franchise.Patty Jenkins will direct a new “Star Wars” movie called “Rogue Squadron,” becoming the franchise’s first female filmmaker.Credit…Mike Coppola/Getty Images For TNTIn the coming years, 15 movies will be released directly on Disney+, with new installments in the “Ice Age,” “Night at the Museum,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Sister Act” and “Cheaper by the Dozen” franchises on the way. Amy Adams will star in a sequel to the 2007 musical “Enchanted,” while Tom Hanks will appear as Geppetto in a live-action “Pinocchio.” Multiple sports dramas fill out the slate, including one based on the life of the Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.National Geographic, another Disney division, also announced a flurry of Disney+ shows, including an endurance-focused series starring Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) and directed by the Oscar-winning Darren Aronofsky.Bob Chapek, Disney’s new chief executive, disclosed that Disney’s flagship streaming service had 87 million subscribers as of Thursday, nearing the high end of its initial five-year goal after only a year in operation. Disney+ has benefited from a low monthly price ($7), a smash hit (“The Mandalorian”) and the coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted Disney to reroute theatrical releases like “Hamilton” to the service and created spiking demand from homebound consumers. (A significant percentage of Disney+ subscribers — nearly 30 percent — come from India, where the monthly subscription price is much lower.)Wall Street has started to value Disney less as an old-line entertainment company with challenged businesses (traditional television networks in secular decline, theme parks closed or operating with coronavirus-forced capacity restrictions) and more of a streaming colossus in the making. Disney shares reached roughly $160 in after-hours trading on Thursday, an all-time high.The out-of-the-gate success of Disney+ has generated much of the excitement. Many analysts initially thought it would be lucky to achieve 55 million subscribers within five years. Having missed the mark in such epic fashion, Wall Street is now more willing to give Disney the benefit of the doubt.But daunting challenges lie ahead. Building streaming services is monstrously expensive, and Disney now has four: Disney+, Hulu (39 million subscribers), ESPN+ (11.5 million) and Star+, an overseas version of Hulu that will roll out in Latin America in the coming months. Losses in Disney’s direct-to-consumer division totaled $2.8 billion in the company’s 2020 fiscal year. The company has given up billions of dollars in licensing fees as it has amassed library content on Disney+ rather than selling to outside companies like Netflix.Disney also faces an increasingly competitive streaming environment. HBO Max, CBS All Access (soon to be renamed Paramount+), Peacock, Apple TV+ and the recently announced Discovery+ are determined to make inroads. Netflix and Amazon continue to pour billions of dollars a year into original programming.A significant portion of the presentation was dedicated to Star, which will be stocked with programming from Disney properties like ABC, FX, Freeform, Searchlight and 20th Century Studios, which Rupert Murdoch sold to Disney last year. In Latin America, Star+ will roll out as a stand-alone service in June and also include some ESPN coverage of sporting events. In Europe, Canada, Australia and several other markets, Star+ will be integrated directly into Disney+, which will add a vast amount of more mature programming to the service (“Deadpool 2,” the “Family Guy” cartoon series), allowing Disney to potentially reach an audience far beyond families.The addition of a Star channel inside Disney+ will also justify a price increase of roughly 28 percent, to about $11 a month.New programming is also headed to the Disney-owned Hulu, including the series “Nine Perfect Strangers,” a mystery from David E. Kelley and starring Regina Hall, Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy — what Dana Walden, chairman of entertainment for Walt Disney Television, called “juicy, can’t-turn-it-off content.” The Disney-owned FX, which funnels its programming to multiple Disney streaming services, is working on a television spinoff of the “Alien” movie franchise and a retelling of “Shogun,” the James Clavell saga, along with a half-dozen other high-profile projects.As part of the presentation, Disney discussed its evolving approach to movie distribution. The coronavirus pandemic has forced Disney and other studios to push back the releases of big-budget films — more than half of the cinemas in the United States are closed — and reroute others to streaming services. In September, Disney debuted “Mulan” on Disney+ as part of a “premium access” experiment, charging subscribers $30 for indefinite access. “Soul,” the latest Pixar film, will arrive on Disney+ on Christmas Day for no additional cost.Disney debuted “Mulan” on Disney+ as part of a “premium access” experiment, charging subscribers $30 for indefinite access.Credit…Jasin Boland/Disney, via Associated PressDisney said that some movies would continue to arrive in theaters for an exclusive play period. Others will follow the “Mulan” model; a coming animated film, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” for instance, will be made available on Disney+ in March for a premium price.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Disney to Reveal Plans to Turbocharge Streaming Offerings

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeHoliday TVBest Netflix DocumentariesAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyDisney to Reveal Plans to Turbocharge Streaming OfferingsSome big-budget movies will first go to theaters. Other offerings will debut online. All will ultimately strengthen Disney+.“The Mandalorian” has been a hit for Disney+ and the company is planning more “Star Wars” content for the streaming service.Credit…Disney Plus, via Associated PressDec. 9, 2020Updated 6:39 p.m. ETLOS ANGELES — A significant expansion of the “Star Wars” universe. Tom Hanks as Geppetto in a live-action “Pinocchio,” and Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell in a live-action “Peter Pan & Wendy.” Footage from new Marvel projects. A star-studded prequel to “The Lion King.”On Thursday, as part of a four-hour investor presentation focused on streaming, the Walt Disney Company will discuss a Death Star-size trove of coming content — all of the above and more, said three people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private planning.Some big-budget Disney movies will continue to have exclusive runs in theaters. (The “Lion King” project, directed by Barry Jenkins and focused on Mufasa’s back story, is a good bet.) Others will debut online. (That is where “Pinocchio” is headed.) All will ultimately serve one goal, which is strengthening Disney+, the company’s flagship streaming service.At a time when streaming is becoming cuttingly competitive — and some of Disney’s traditional businesses are struggling — Disney hopes to use the virtual event to dazzle Wall Street: Here is a 97-year-old company making a jump to direct-to-consumer hyperspace.Last month, Bob Chapek, Disney’s chief executive, announced that Disney+ had reached 74 million subscribers worldwide after only 11 months in operation. (Netflix took seven years to reach that threshold, and now has 195 million customers worldwide.) Disney+ has since rolled out in Latin America and grown rapidly in India, analysts say, leading some to estimate that Disney may reveal that the service is within reach of 100 million subscribers.Disney is also expected to give growth updates on its other streaming platforms, including ESPN+, Hulu and a new general entertainment offering, Star, which will debut overseas in the coming months.“The question everyone has now is where to from here?” Michael Nathanson, a founder of the MoffettNathanson media research firm, said in a phone interview. “We expect to see a lot more spending on content to turn Disney+ into more of an always-on service, which will increase pricing power.”Subscriptions to Disney+ cost $7 a month. The least expensive Netflix plan is $9 a month, and HBO Max, a fledgling WarnerMedia service, costs $15.Disney declined to comment for this article.Investors have been licking their lips in anticipation of what Disney will unveil, including forecasts of subscriber growth. Disney shares have climbed 32 percent since the investor day was announced in August, compared with an 11 percent rise in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index.Disney was trading at about $155 on Wednesday, near an all-time high, even though several of its theme park resorts (which are enormous cash generators) remain closed because of the pandemic. The company laid off 30,000 workers.Hollywood is keenly interested in the investor presentation because Disney executives have said they will discuss an evolving approach to movie distribution. The coronavirus has forced Disney and other studios to push back the releases of more than a dozen major films and reroute others to streaming services. In September, Disney debuted “Mulan” on Disney+ as part of a “premium access” experiment, charging subscribers $30 for indefinite access. “Soul,” the latest Pixar film, will arrive on Disney+ on Christmas Day for no additional cost.Pixar’s “Soul” will arrive exclusively on Disney+ on Christmas Day.Credit…Disney/PixarCiting the pandemic, WarnerMedia last week shifted 17 coming Warner Bros. movies to a hybrid release model — simultaneous arrival on HBO Max and in theaters — even though some of the films (“Dune,” “The Matrix 4”) are not scheduled to come out until the fourth quarter, long after vaccines are expected to be deployed. The surprise move prompted swift and severe blowback from WarnerMedia talent, who felt betrayed by the sudden switch. They also stand to receive considerably lower paydays.John Stankey, the chief executive of AT&T, which owns Warner Media, referred to the furor as “a lot of noise” while speaking at a conference on Tuesday and predicted that WarnerMedia’s strategy would prove to be a “win-win-win.”In contrast, Mr. Chapek and Robert A. Iger, Disney’s executive chairman, will not go with a one-size-fits-all approach for movie releases in 2021, the people with knowledge of the company’s plan said.Some titles on Disney’s theatrical slate will move to Disney+ at no extra cost. Expect “Peter Pan & Wendy,” like “Soul” and “Pinocchio,” to debut in this manner.Other movies will take the “Mulan” route and arrive on Disney+ as premium offerings. “We’ve got something here in terms of the premier access strategy,” Mr. Chapek told analysts on a recent conference call. “There’s going to be a role for it strategically with our portfolio of offerings.”And some of Disney’s biggest movies will continue to receive exclusive runs in theaters before arriving on the company’s streaming services. For instance, contrary to widespread speculation, “Black Widow,” a much-anticipated Marvel spectacle, will remain on Disney’s theatrical release calendar for May 7, the people with knowledge of the presentation said.Scarlett Johansson in “Black Widow,” which will remain on Disney’s theatrical release calendar for May.Credit…Marvel Studios/Disney, via Associated PressMovies are helpful in attracting subscribers, but television shows keep streaming customers paying month after month. To that end, Disney has an abundance of series on the way for its services. They include “Turner and Hooch,” an adaptation of the 1989 film about a detective and his oversize mutt; “Willow,” an adaptation of the 1988 big-screen fantasy; and eight Marvel shows based on characters like Loki and She-Hulk.Streaming is not yet profitable for Disney — far from it. Losses in the direct-to-consumer division totaled $2.8 billion in the company’s 2020 fiscal year. Streaming-related losses are expected to peak in 2022, as rollout costs decline and content expenses normalize, with analysts expecting Disney+ profitability by 2024.Disney has indicated that some of the money for its new content blitz will come from programming budgets at its traditional television networks. The company owns the Disney Channel, National Geographic, FX, Freeform and ABC, among others.“We will be heavily tilting the scale from linear networks over to our direct-to-consumer business,” Mr. Chapek said on the recent conference call.Analysts pushed for additional details. “Just hold on until Dec. 10,” Christine McCarthy, Disney’s chief financial officer, said on the call. “Hopefully we can answer all your questions then.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      TikTok ‘Ratatouille’ Musical to Be Presented as Benefit Performance

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyTikTok ‘Ratatouille’ Musical to Be Presented as Benefit PerformanceCobbled together from songs and scenes inspired by the Disney-Pixar movie, the online performance will benefit the Actors Fund.The story of Remy, a rat with culinary ambitions in the capital of haute cuisine, has proved to have staying power far beyond the 2007 release of “Ratatouille.”Credit…Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation StudiosDec. 9, 2020, 4:31 p.m. ETWith Broadway houses and performance venues across the country closed because of the pandemic, musical theater lovers burned off pent-up creative energy on TikTok this year, creating songs, dances and even set designs for a hypothetical musical version of the 2007 Disney-Pixar movie “Ratatouille.”Now, the crowdsourced hodgepodge of a show is coming to virtual life in a one-time-only benefit performance.Seaview, a theatrical production company, announced on Wednesday that it would present an online performance of the show on Jan. 1 to raise money for the Actors Fund. The performance will be available for streaming for three days, the company said.“The love for the performing arts shines through in the ‘Ratatouille’-inspired TikToks from theater lovers around the world,” Joseph P. Benincasa, the Actors Fund chief executive, said in a statement.In thousands of TikTok videos, creators have paid homage to the movie, an animated film about a rat who dreams of becoming a French chef. Creators, some of whom can boast of honest-to-goodness Broadway credits, created their own songs, dances, makeup looks, set designs, puppets and Playbill programs.Without a director, choreographer or stage crew, the performance will be unlike any show on Broadway. It came together organically on TikTok, where users have only a minute to catch people’s attention.“In a year where we saw Broadway close, the TikTok community brought musical fans together virtually with one of the most unique trends we have ever seen on platform,” said Lizzy Hale, senior manager for content at TikTok.Lawyers for Disney have a history of zealously guarding the conglomerate’s intellectual property. As social media has become a global force over the last decade, Disney has become more tolerant of fan appropriation, weighing the public relations risk of shutting down endeavors like this against a loss of control over its characters.“Although we do not have development plans for the title, we love when our fans engage with Disney stories,” Disney said in a statement. “We applaud and thank all of the online theater makers for helping to benefit the Actors Fund in this unprecedented time of need.”Daniel Mertzlufft, 27, a composer, orchestrator and arranger in New York, used a computer program to create his own song for a Disney-style finale scene he imagined.Mr. Mertzlufft, who is involved with the performance, said there was coordination with Disney for the one-night-only benefit concert.“I’m really excited about it and how the TikTok community manifested this,” he said.Brooks Barnes contributed reporting.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Radio Disney, Launching Pad for Young Stars, Will Shut Down Next Year

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyRadio Disney, Launching Pad for Young Stars, Will Shut Down Next YearSince 1996, the network has been a go-to music destination for preteens and helped jump-start the careers of future superstars. Disney said it was ending it to focus on streaming and TV.Selena Gomez at the 2014 Radio Disney Music Awards. The network boosted the music careers of several young Disney Channel stars.Credit…Michael Yada/Disney ChannelBy More

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      On TikTok, Fans Are Making Their Own ‘Ratatouille’ Musical

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      With Broadway and theaters across the country idle because of the coronavirus, some actors, producers and prop designers have found an unlikely outlet for their talents: a musical version of the animated film “Ratatouille” that is playing out in exuberant 60-second increments on TikTok.Starting last month, thousands of TikTok users, including many with Broadway credits, have paid homage to the 2007 Disney Pixar film, about a rat who dreams of becoming a French chef, by creating their own songs, dances, makeup looks, set designs, puppets and Playbill programs.The result is a virtual show unlike any on Broadway. There is no director, no choreographer, no stage crew. It has come together organically on TikTok, where users have only a minute to catch people’s attention.In the film, Remy the rat follows the example of a famous chef who says that “anyone can cook.” It is in that spirt that professionals and amateurs alike have taken up the “Ratatouille” musical challenge, said Brandon Hardy, a puppet designer whose Broadway credits include “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “The Pee-Wee Herman Show.”“He never limited himself on his vision,” Mr. Hardy, 30, said of Remy. He added, “We just fell in love with this, and we don’t want anyone to stop us.”The project began in August, when Emily Jacobsen, 26, a schoolteacher, Disney fanatic and theater lover from Westchester County, N.Y., read about a “Ratatouille” ride that is scheduled to open next year at Walt Disney World in Florida.As she was cleaning her apartment, she started singing a song about Remy. Adopting a high pitch, she recorded what she described as “a love ballad” for the rat — “Remy, the ratatouille / The rat of all my dreams / I praise you, my ratatouille / May the world remember your name” — and posted a video of the tune on TikTok.
      @e_jaccs A love ballad ##remy ##rat ##ratatoille ##disney ##wdw ##disneyworld ##ratlove ##ratlife ##rats ##Alphets ##StanleyCup ##CanYouWorkIt ♬ Ode to Remy – Em Jaccs Daniel Mertzlufft, 27, a New York-based composer, orchestrator and arranger, was tagged in Ms. Jacobsen’s video. Last month, he used a computer program to enhance her original ode to Remy, adding a French horn, trumpets, vocals and strings to create a big Disney-style finale for a “Ratatouille” musical.Mr. Mertzlufft said he had been inspired by the music Alan Menken composed for “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and other classic animated Disney films.
      @danieljmertzlufft Remy: The Musical OG Song @e_jaccs add. Vocals @cjaskier #remy #ratatouille #musicaltheatre #broadway #singer #musical #disney #fyp #disneymusicals ♬ original sound – danieljmertzlufft Since Mr. Mertzlufft posted his video in mid-October, thousands of others have shared their own contributions to what has become something of a virtual “Ratatouille” musical. In the last few days, Disney signaled that it had been paying attention, quoting Ms. Jacobsen’s lyrics on Instagram and Twitter. It even made its own TikTok rap at Epcot, where the “Ratatouille” ride is being built.“We love when our fans engage with our stories,” Disney said in a statement, “and we look forward to seeing these super fans experience the attraction when it opens at Walt Disney World next year.”Kevin Chamberlin, whose Broadway acting credits include “The Addams Family” and “Seussical,” revisited the “Ratatouille” movie before recording his own contribution to the musical. It was the Chef Gusteau character, and his observation that “anyone can cook,” that spoke to him, he said.A theme of the movie, Mr. Chamberlin said, is that even the clumsiest among us can find talent deep inside ourselves. Inspired, Mr. Chamberlain sat down to write while his husband rushed out to get him a chef’s hat.Once in costume, he sat at his piano and sang: “Anyone can cook / All you have to do is look inside yourself.”Only the coronavirus pandemic could have brought out a virtual show like this, Mr. Chamberlin said. “What’s really interesting about all this is that, during this pandemic, art is pushing through because we can’t get on stages and in front of audiences.”Other contributors echoed that sentiment, adding that the “Ratatouille” musical project had given them reason to hope during a dark time.“If it can bring joy to people, and it seems like it has, then that’s the best feeling in the world,” said Tristan McIntyre, 22, a Los Angeles actor who helped choreograph a rat dance for the show.
      @tristanmichaelmcintyre cookin’ up some choreo for #ratatouillemusical ���� @rawalton4 @ratatouillemusical #foryoupage #fyp ♬ original sound – danieljmertzlufft RJ Christian, 21, a vocal performance student at New York University, said he had been inspired by the movie’s acerbic food critic, Anton Ego, for the solo he contributed. He said he wanted embody Mr. Ego with “weird chords, spicy harmony and creepy-crawly kind of music.”
      @rjthecomposer Anton Ego’s chilling solo, when he is served the title dish ##ratatouille ##ratatouillemusical ♬ original sound – RJ Christian For Blake Rouse, 17, of Fort Collins, Colo., the “Ratatouille” project gave him an outlet after the pandemic forced the cancellation of his high school’s production of “Newsies.”He contributed several songs based on scenes from the movie, including a tango between two chefs and a duet between Remy and his brother.“This is no longer a niche TikTok theater joke,” he said. “This is kind of a thing that people care about and are starting to keep up with.”
      @mikeyjosemusic Full version on my insta @mikeyjosemusic ##remi ##ratatouille ##musical ##singer ##disney ##theatrekid ##disneymusicals ##fyp ##foryou ♬ original sound – Mikey Jose Music The contributions go beyond performances. Mr. Hardy, the puppeteer, made some masks and small puppets for the virtual show, even using garbage to create some of the elements.“We’ve created something that’s engaging to people at every level,” he said. “People of every age group are fascinated by this and want to contribute to this. As far as I’ve seen, there really hasn’t been a show or musical in history that’s sort of operated that way.”And Christopher Routh, 30, of Chatham, N.J., used boxes to create elaborate miniature set designs for the show, complete with lighting and a Lego robotics set to move the pieces around.“It’s such an incredible trend on how our community can come together like this and create a musical out of nowhere,” he said. “And it all started with one girl.” More