Toy Story 4
BUZZ, Woody and the rest of the gang are back, in the third sequel to the original Toy Story, which was released in 1995. A teaser trailer, soundtracked by Judy Collins’s cover of the Joni Mitchell classic, Both Sides Now, introduces the characters as they circle joyfully beneath a summery sky until a new addition, Forky, disrupts things. The movie and TV news website Screen Rant says: “At first listen, it’s easy to get caught up in Both Sides Now’s bouncy instrumentation that makes it sound like an upbeat pop song. However, a close analysis of the lyrics hints at something darker.
Cats
“In the song, the singer reflects on life’s various ups and downs (hence, the title) and comes to the conclusion no matter which perspective you have, they’re all too big for one person to fully understand.
“There’s a melancholic undercurrent to the verses, which is certainly appropriate for Pixar. The studio’s calling card is reducing audiences to tears with emotional tales that comment on the human condition, and based on comments by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, Toy Story 4 won’t be any different.
“The two stars had trouble getting through their final scenes due to the nature of the movie’s ending.” BACK in 1981, the stage musical, Cats, had its West End premiere. In London and on Broadway it broke all sorts of records and received numerous awards. Now it is being turned into a film, by the Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper, and with a starry cast. Professional dancers are being choreographed by the Tony-award-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, whose CV includes Hamilton: An American Musical. The film is not due to debut until December 20.
Hooper, who earned critical plaudits for The King’s Speech and Les Misérables, is said by the studios Working Title and Universal Pictures to bringing “astonishing new technology to transform his cast members in a breathtaking, vivid new vision of one of the most beloved musicals of all time”.
The cast includes James Corden (Bustopher Jones), Dame Judi Dench (Old Deuteronomy), Jason Derulo (Rum Tum Tugger), Idris Elba (Macavity), Jennifer Hudson (Grizabella), Sir Ian McKellen (Gus), Taylor Swift (Bombalurina) and Rebel Wilson (Jennyanydots).