Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Will Feature Yoda, Other Surprising Returning Personalities

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Will Feature Yoda, Other Surprising Returning Personalities

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge promises to open up a new corner of the Star Wars universe. It creates an outpost on a planet at the edge of wild space where guests will be able to interact with new characters, eat new food, and experience all new attractions. However, it wouldn't be Star Wars if the new land didn't also include those elements of the franchise that we're familiar with. At the recent Star Wars Celebration it was revealed that several classic characters will appear in the new land, including Jedi Master Yoda.

Of course, since the time period for the new Galaxy's Edge land is set in the era of the new trilogy, don't expect to actually see Yoda anyplace in the new land, except possibly as merchandise. Yoda has been long dead by the point in which this part of the story is taking place. However Chris Beatty, the Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering did reveal that Yoda would be heard someplace in the new land, and that Yoda's voice was being provided by Frank Oz, the voice of Yoda throughout all of the films.

Exactly how the voice would be heard wasn't revealed. It could be part of one of the E-ticket attractions inside the new land, though neither of them strikes me as particularly Jedi enough to make Yoda make sense there. Perhaps Yoda will help guide you as you build your own custom lightsaber, which will be something you'll be able to schedule for yourself in one of the Black Spire Outpost shops.

However, Yoda isn't the only classic voice who will be returning for Galaxy's Edge. Fans of the original Star Tours will remember the pilot, named R3x, who was voiced by Paul Reubens. While the current version of the attraction doesn't have R3x flying, Galaxy's Edge will have the character back, as a DJ at Oga's Cantina.  Margaret Kerrison, Story Editor at Walt Disney Imagineering says the new R3x is going to be a lot of fun...

We worked with so many incredible voice-over actors. One of the ones that we definitely wanted to bring back was Paul Reubens. We were super excited to bring him back and nobody was more excited than Paul. He was really great to work with. He really, really was. He brought in a lot of inspiration and new lines for us. Let’s just say you will be thoroughly entertained in Oga’s Cantina.

Reubens apparently recorded a lot of new dialogue for his new role, where he'll be playing a lot of brand new music written specifically for the land. Some of that music is being attributed to the band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, which is the group more widely known as the "Cantina Band" from Star Wars: A New Hope. Take a listen to some of it below.

One more classic Star Wars character who will be seen at Black Spire Outpost is the alien Nien Nunb. First seen as Lando Calrissian's co-pilot during the attack on the second Death Star in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Nien Nunb was seen as an X-Wing pilot in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and he's also a background character in Star Wars: The Last Jedi who survives until the evacuation on Crait.

Nien Nunb will also appear in Galaxy's Edge in some capacity, and he will be voiced by the same man who gave him a voice back in Return of the Jedi, even though, according to Galaxy's Edge project lead Scott Trowbridge, making that happen was a little bit tougher this time around...

I love this story because Nien Nunb, when he was voiced in his original appearance, was voiced by a young man who was a student in the bay area at the time. Actually, was from Kenya. He spoke a unique dialect and had a unique sounding voice. But then, time passed and the gentleman, whose name is Kipsang, went back to Africa. We kind of lost track of him. But when we decided we were going to bring Nien Nunb back for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we actually went to Kenya, tracked him down, to record the original voice actor for Nien Nunb to play in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge because that’s the kind of thing you want us to do.

All of these characters get added to the list of Star Wars characters we already knew would be appearing. All of the main heroes and villains of the current trilogy will also appear on Batuu. We'll see Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and even Kylo Ren as part of the Rise of the Resistance attraction. Fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series will meet an incredibly life like animatronic of Hondo Ohnaka

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will also see new music written for it created by John Williams, the man who has written nearly every note of music for the galaxy far, far away. It won't simply be ambient music throughout the land, as that would potentially break the illusion that you actually standing on an alien world. I'm sure, however, that Disneyland and Walt Disney World have found plenty of other ways to include the music.

Whatever your level of love for Star Wars, there's going to be so much going on in Galaxy's Edge that you're going to find something that strikes a chord. Disney never gives the entire game away and with all this announced only slightly over a month before the new land opens, there's almost certainly more to see and hear that we don't know about yet.

We'll find out when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland on May 31 and at Walt Disney World August 29. If you want to guarantee yourself access to the new land, you'll need to book a Disneyland Resort hotel stay during the land's first three weeks, as that will get you a no-cost reservation to enter Black Spire Outpost.

Colin Trevorrow Jokes About His Thwarted Star Wars: Episode IX Plans

Colin Trevorrow Jokes About His Thwarted Star Wars: Episode IX Plans

The hype for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is real. The first details and footage for the blockbuster debuted at Star Wars Celebration earlier this month, and it sent fans racing to board the Star Wars train. However, things didn't used to look so positive for Episode IX. Colin Trevorrow was originally supposed to direct the film, but was fired. It seems that time heals all wounds and Trevorrow is now joking online about The Rise of Skywalker.

The first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker ends with the laugh of Emperor Palpatine as the screen fades to black. One fan posted online an alternate take of this moment in which Jurassic Park villain Dennis Nedry replaces Palpatine. For those who may no remember, Nedry (played by Wayne Knight) was the disgruntled computer programmer who sabotaged the park in order to steal dinosaur DNA.

It might seem pretty random to substitute Nedry and his catchphrase into Star Wars, but not with Trevorrow tagged in the post. Colin Trevorrow is connected to both Jurassic Park and Star Wars. He's something of the overseer of the new Jurassic World movies, and he was the original director of Episode IX before he was fired in 2017.

Colin Trevorrow was let go from Star Wars after Lucasfilm was reportedly dissatisfied with the drafts of the script he was turning in. So he was replaced with J.J. Abrams, who started from scratch.

At the time, it was just the latest behind-the-scenes drama to plague Star Wars, but it seems like Trevorrow is over it all. The director replied to the Nedry post on Twitter joking that those had been his original plans for the movie -- or maybe joking that he had that twist planned for Jurassic World 3.

It's not the only Star Wars-related joke Colin Trevorrow has made online recently. He responded to a tweet of a photoshopped Star Wars poster that had Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu as every character. The title of the movie? Star Wars: The Last Motherfucker.

It's good to see that Colin Trevorrow is in good spirits in a post-Star Wars life. He hit a rough patch after the release of his film The Book of Henry, which was absolutely savaged by critics. He lost his Star Wars job soon after, but it wasn't like he didn't have another major franchise to fall back on. He'll be directing the upcoming Jurassic World 3, which is targeting a 2021 release date.

Colin Trevorrow may not have anything to do with it, but there's a lot going on in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and plenty more to be excited about. To find out more about the highly-anticipated film, here's what we know so far. The final film of the Skywalker Saga will debut in theaters on December 20, 2019.

The 5 Best Jennifer Aniston Movies, And The 5 Worst

The 5 Best Jennifer Aniston Movies, And The 5 Worst

Though some folks might know her best as Rachel Green during her long-standing stint on NBC's Friends, Jennifer Aniston has been on the big screen more than a few times, in a variety of different movies — including the upcoming Netflix picture Murder Mystery with Adam Sandler. For more than twenty years, she has split her time on screens both big and small, although a few of her cinematic performances remain her best to date. Some of these films are well-known. Other titles are often forgotten — or, in some cases, best forgotten.

There are several good Jennifer Aniston movies, and there are several other Jennifer Aniston movies that make you wish she chose a different project altogether. Or maybe fired her agent. Opinions may vary. Jennifer Aniston has, of course, been in some great comedies. But of course  she has, unfortunately, been involved with a few stinkers in her career. Not every film can be a winner. Let's take a look at the best and the brightest, and some of the worst.

It should be noted there are a few popular titles that didn't make the list, for several different reasons. For instance, I still consider The Iron Giant to be the best movie that Jennifer Aniston has ever been in. But while she did lend her voice to a prominent role, it's not necessarily a "Jennifer Aniston movie." At least, not in the way most people would categorize that distinction. Additionally, Horrible Bosses 1 & 2, for better or for worse, fall under a similar umbrella. They're movies that star Jennifer Aniston, but they're not quite "Jennifer Aniston movies" in my view. I hope that makes sense.

The Best Jennifer Aniston Movies

The Good Girl

Simultaneously one of Jennifer Aniston's best and most underrated movies, Miguel Arteta's The Good Girl was well-regarded by critics, particularly during its film festival runs. However, it never earned a wide audience — despite Jennifer Aniston's enormous celebrity and fame from Friends. That's really a shame, because it's a fantastic character study, built quietly and impeccably by Aniston's graceful, compelling performance.

Playing Justine Last, a discount store clerk stuck in a dead-end town in a passionless marriage, our titular good girl starts to make some morally-grey decisions (at best) when she fancies an affair with a stock boy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Bolstered by lovely cinematography and another fantastically resounding screenplay by Mike White (School of Rock), The Good Girl is a stunner, and it deserves to be acclaimed and celebrated more than it is. In my view, Jennifer Aniston gives a career-best performance in here. She's not just good; she's great.

Office Space

A true cult classic, Mike Judge's often-quoted dark comedy Office Space initially didn't find its audience when it first rolled into theaters back in 1999. Yet, once it made its way onto home video, there were folks everywhere who found themselves relating to the exhausted struggles of its lead characters, as well as their desire to rebel against their brain-dead managers. In the midst of these office struggles, however, is Peter's (Ron Livingston) fostering a relationship with a waitress named Joanna, played by Jennifer Aniston.

A similarly disgruntled employee who also doesn't appreciate her management, to put it mildly, Joanna seems like the right match for Peter. Sure enough, she and Peter begin to form a relationship through their distain for their jobs. And it provided Jennifer Aniston with one of her most relatable, down-to-earth performances. That's particularly noteworthy since the movie was filmed in between seasons of Friends, which was easily becoming one of the most popular sitcoms in TV history. Foxy, funny and strong-willed, Jennifer Aniston's performance in Office Space is a stand-out. There's no denying that Office Space holds a special place in people's hearts for many reasons, and Jennifer Aniston's involvement is certainly one reason why. Work might suck, but Office Space most certainly does not.

The Break-Up

In Peyton Reed's charming, endearing anti-rom-com, The Break-Up, Jennifer Aniston acts alongside Vince Vaughn as one-half of a disgruntled couple who decide to call it quits, only to continue living together in their luxurious Chicago condo. Not too far-fetched as far as comedy premises go, truth be told. And that is part of what makes this movie work. Acting alongside one another, Aniston and Vaughn have an enjoyably prickly chemistry — which sounds like an oxymoron, but it actually fits the film's surprisingly effective tonal mix of loose comedy and serious drama.

There are no meet cutes here; only un-cute, well-established disgruntlements. That doesn't roll off the tongue quite so well. While this premise could've easily been a major turn off if it had been done wrong, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn (who actually became a couple after filming The Break-Up), strike the right off-kilter balance and sell the hardships of their uncoupling in amusing, yet believable, ways. And Aniston fully commits to this premise. Whether it's creating authentic, convincing arguments with her on-screen partner or prancing around the apartment naked in order to spite her ex-lover, Aniston is dedicated to this break-up comedy. The movie is all the better for it.

Bruce Almighty

Admittedly, Bruce Almighty might be more of a Jim Carrey picture than a Jennifer Aniston film. Much like the main character, I'm bending the rules a little bit here. Still, this original, inspired early '00s comedy, which imagines what would happen if an average man were given the powers of God, finds Aniston playing a good romantic and comedic companion to the typically-hysterical Jim Carrey in one of his most liberating cinematic performances.

No doubt, it's hard to go toe-to-toe with Jim Carrey — most particularly at the height of his cinematic fame. Yet, Jennifer Aniston was far from a nobody at this point in her career. She confidently brings the comedy and heart, helping to craft the romantic centerpiece that's at the root of this farce. As a result, as funny as Bruce Almighty can be, it wouldn't be quite as memorable or winning if it weren't for Jennifer Aniston's performance. It's divine.

Dumplin'

A winsome and warm-hearted adaptation of Julie Murphy's novel of the same name, Dumplin' is the tale of Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald), also known as "Dumplin," an overweight teenager who decides to spite her beauty queen mom, played by Jennifer Aniston, by participating in the local beauty pageant. The result is an inviting, good-natured and emotionally rewarding coming-of-age story that would've made quite a splash in theaters as an underdog hit if it had been made 10 years earlier. Alas, in 2018, however, it was put on Netflix with only moderate fanfare. That's a shame, truly, because Macdonald and Aniston each give one of their best performances to date.

Empowered by good morals and the wonderful guiding music of Dolly Parton -- who also produced a pair of original tunes for the film -- Dumplin' gives Jennifer Aniston a role that benefits her comedic and dramatic talents, while not always taking the center stage. Nevertheless, in the movie's best moments, Aniston provides a commendable, heartfelt performance that showcases what she can do with her talents as an actress. Notably in a way that other recent movies like Cake tried and didn't succeed in doing (at least in this writer's humble opinion). Netflix's Dumplin' is most certainly a winner.

The Worst Jennifer Aniston Movies

The Bounty Hunter

Much like relationships, romantic comedies don't always work out. You can try your best to squish two bankable stars together, but if the sparks don't fly, there's nothing worth celebrating. Sure enough, 2010's grating, unlikable rom-com The Bounty Hunter is a poorly-calculated, constantly overblown flop that tries to sell the the idea of Gerard Butler having a cold-then-hot on-screen relationship with Jennifer Aniston. It simply doesn't work. At all.

The story wants us to fall in love with a bounty hunter who discovers that his next target is his ex-wife, only to finds themselves on the run with their lives on the line. You can definitely see why these two ex-lovers wouldn't want anything to do with each other, and never get the understanding of why they might want to fall in love again. The result is a painful, unrewarding studio comedy that isn't worth the finder's fee. Try to find a better movie.

Leprechaun

Before she became Rachel Green, Jennifer Aniston was a young up-and-coming actress trying to make a name for yourself. You can't be too picky at that stage in your career. And when you're given your first leading role, you take it — even if the movie might not win you any Oscars. Sure enough, Jennifer Aniston made her movie debut (if you're not counting her brief, random appearance in Mac & Me) in 1993's schlocky horror flick, Leprechaun.

As Tory Reding, Jennifer Aniston did the best she could with the material. Leprechaun was the first in the series, before the franchise fully embraced its comedic side, and Aniston is given no favors as she tries her best to sell the idea that a leprechaun is running around town and killing people. Not even Meryl Streep could sell this convincingly. While the film would spawn an oddball series, it wouldn't be until her days on NBC when Jennifer Aniston found fame and popularity for her acting work. She certainly didn't find a lot of luck with her pre-fame role in Leprechaun, however. Oh well. At least it gave us this memorable scene from Wayne's World 2.

Mother's Day

The movie that has the unfortunate distinction of being director Gary Marshall's final picture, Mother's Day is yet another loosely-assembled ensemble piece based around a commercially-popular holiday. In this case, it's not Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve, but rather — as the title would suggest — Mother's Day. In the film, Jennifer Aniston plays Sandy, a recently-divorced mother of two whose husband has recently remarried a younger woman.

While generally harmless in its cutesy execution, this deeply bland family dramedy plays like a bad sitcom with an overqualified cast playing broadly-drawn characters that are beneath their established talents. It's a waste of a great cast, and that's certainly true for Jennifer Aniston. It's also lazy and woefully generic, much like a tacky Mother's Day card that you would pick up at the supermarket for 99 cents. In that case, with many sincere apologizes to the late, great Gary Marshall, Mother's Day is far from a holiday.

Rumor Has It ...

With The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally..., director Rob Reiner proved himself to be one of the best romantic comedy-makers of the 20th century. Unfortunately, when it came time to transition into the 2000s, something got lost in the last millennium. That was made evident with Rumor Has It..., a deeply mediocre, poorly realized rom-com with a fun premise: What if you found out your mother AND grandmother inspired The Graduate?

A film with a troubled production, with screenwriter Ted Griffin fired from the director's chair 12 days after filming began and Reiner coming on at the last minute to retool it, the result is a middling, meandering, dull and deeply forgettable comedy that never makes good use of Jennifer Aniston's on-screen talents. She does the best she can, but there was no sense trying to save this sinking picture. Perhaps some rumors are better left unsaid.

Along Came Polly

I used to have a running gag with a couple of my friends where I start to describe the trailer for an exceptionally generic romantic comedy with two miscast actors. And it always (intentionally and unintentionally) turned into the plot synopsis for 2004's Along Came Polly. The film, which finds a neurotic Ben Stiller learning to let loose and have fun when he falls in love with free-spirited Jennifer Aniston, hits almost all of the expected corny beats of a predictable, run-of-the-mill early 2000s romantic comedy, and it never strives to do anything better or worse than its other contemporary romantic comedies.

Instead, Along Came Polly is the type of movie that once used to fill the shelves of Blockbusters and became an easy pick for couples to select on date night, only to turn it off or not pay attention. It's not necessarily the worst rom-com out there, but it has nothing to make it particularly noteworthy or distinctive — beyond the absurdly weird choice to have the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays second fiddle to Ben Stiller's nervous antics. You can move along. There's nothing to see here.

Also, we didn't find the time to write about a few other Jennifer Aniston movies, including We're the Millers, Cake, Marley & Me, Wanderlust, Picture Perfect, Rock Star, Just Go With It... or Friends with Money, though each of those movies have their fans and critics. Even though they're not included, they were not forgotten. Do you think these are Jennifer Aniston's best and worst movies? Let us know what you think below if you agree or disagree with our Jennifer Aniston movie selections and tell us your personal favorites/least favorites.

New Angry Birds 2 Trailer Has Birds And Pigs Teaming Up

New Angry Birds 2 Trailer Has Birds And Pigs Teaming Up

When it comes to Angry Birds, most people are familiar with the general premise: birds don't like pigs because they steal eggs, and so they aim to take the oinkers down by launching themselves with a slingshot. The bird vs. pig conflict is at the center of the whole thing, which is why it's a bit surprising to see them fighting on the same side in this new trailer for The Angry Birds Movie 2.

Written by Peter Ackerman (The Americans), and the feature directorial debut of Adventure Time and Camp Lazlo! writer Thurop Van Orman, The Angry Birds 2 seems to start with the famous aforementioned animosity still in place, but things start to change when the birds and pigs are united against a common enemy. It's not really made clear in this trailer, but it seems that this common enemy is a different race of birds who are tired of living on their frozen wasteland of an island.

Many of the actors from the original are coming back, including Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and Peter Dinklage, but there are also a ton of newcomers joining the fray, including Rachel Bloom, Leslie Jones, Sterling K. Brown, Awkwafina, and Eugenio Derbez.

The first Angry Birds Movie, released in 2016, didn't exactly get the warmest reception from critics, but a sequel was definitely inevitable. Young audiences ate it up, having already been hooked on the brand courtesy of the popular mobile game, and the result was major box office success. Made with a $73 million budget, the film crossed the century mark in America with a $107.5 million gross - but that total balloons to $352.3 million when you also include all of the cash flowing in from foreign territories.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 won't exactly be following in the path of its predecessor, which got a May release when it hit theaters, but there may be significant chance for the sequel to hit even bigger when it comes out this summer. It's one of the few major movies coming out in the latter half of August this year, and that could lead to a lot of tickets being sold as parents try and figure out what the hell they should do with their kids in the weeks leading up to the start of the new school year.

This trailer has some funny moments, and the cast is certainly spectacular, so we'll just have to wait and see if The Angry Birds Movie 2 can outpace its predecessor in multiple areas. Sony Pictures Animation definitely hasn't been shy about promoting it, as this is our second full trailer, and there are still four months to go before the thing hits theaters. Perhaps they are just riding high on confidence following their big Oscar win for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse last year.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 will be arriving in theaters on August 16th, and to see what else is coming up on the big screen in the months ahead, please check out our 2019 Movie Release Calendar.

Why Wolverine Isn’t In Dark Phoenix, According To Simon Kinberg

Why Wolverine Isn’t In Dark Phoenix, According To Simon Kinberg

Although the X-Men are traditionally an ensemble-led property, there’s no question that when it comes to the film franchise, Wolverine was the most prominent character. With the exception of Deadpool, Hugh Jackman played the clawed mutant in every X-Men-related movie from 2000 to 2017, officially retiring from the role in Logan.

However, since Dark Phoenix is marking the last of the Fox era’s main X-Men movies, you might have wondered if Hugh Jackman will reprise Wolverine for a cameo, similar to his appearances in First Class and Apocalypse. Well, no such luck, and not just because Hugh Jackman hung up the adamantium claws. Here’s what director Simon Kinberg had to say about Wolverine’s absence in Dark Phoenix:

If you know the Dark Phoenix story, you’d want to really service the love story between Logan and Jean. And I think the notion of Hugh Jackman, as great as he looks for his age, and Sophie Turner — it didn’t sit well with me. Or anyone else!

Simon Kinberg makes a fair point. On the one hand, there was a love triangle between Cyclops, Jean Grey and Wolverine in the comics era when The Dark Phoenix Saga was published, and X-Men: The Last Stand continued exploring the latter two’s romantic dynamic. Dark Phoenix eschewing that is a notable departure from the source material.

On the other hand, while there’s only a four-year age difference between Hugh Jackman and original Jean Grey Famke Janssen, Jackman and Sophie Turner have nearly 30 years separating them. Granted, Wolverine is nearly two centuries old in the modern day X-Men universe, so age will always be an issue with any woman he gets romantically involved with, but since visually it’s more noticeable between Jackman and Turner, Kinberg and the creative team decided to set that element of the original story aside.

Additionally, Simon Kinberg told Rolling Stone that excluding Wolverine from Dark Phoenix came from not wanting to divert attention from the main character, as this movie revolves around Jean Grey’s corruption. Kinberg continued:

There was an element of this being Jean’s story. And I was committing so fully to it that I didn’t want to run the risk of pulling away from Jean by going to the well of a fan-favorite character in these movies. I wanted this to be a very different experience of seeing an X-Men movie.

At least we know that in this new timeline that Dark Phoenix and its predecessor take place in, Wolverine is still set to join the X-Men somewhere down the line, just like he did in the original timeline. But as far as Dark Phoenix goes, he’s still doing his own thing nine years after Jean Grey, Cyclops and Nightcrawler freed him from William Stryker’s facility.

It also helps that Wolverine’s story was concluded in Logan, where (SPOILER ALERT) the character died in the year 2029 protecting his daughter and other young mutants being targeted by Transigen. Jackman made it clear after Logan’s release that he would not play Wolverine again, so even if Simon Kinberg and his team had wanted to include the character in Dark Phoenix, it’s highly unlikely the actor would have come back.

Dark Phoenix opens in theaters this Friday, June 7. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage (including our review of the movie) and browse through our 2019 release schedule to learn what movies there are to look forward to later this year.

Why Dumbo Actually Needed A Remake

Why Dumbo Actually Needed A Remake

Disney has become fully invested in making live-action remakes of its popular animated films. In the past few years we've seen Maleficent, The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, and we're going to get three remakes this year alone with Dumbo, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Many have questioned why many of these movies are even being remade in the first place, considering the fact that the original films are considered classics in their own right - but if there's one Disney movie that is certainly in worthy of being remade, it's Dumbo. The original is a movie with some serious issues that need to be fixed, and a modern update is a great way to execute those changes.

There are a couple of sequences in Dumbo that simply haven't aged well. The first, you may very well be familiar with, as it has become one of the more notorious sequences in the Disney canon. Near the end of the film, when Dumbo finds himself up a tree with no memory of how he got there (because Dumbo got drunk, you see), he meets a collection of crows. The crows speak jive, and modern audiences have widely labeled them as racist caricatures. The leader of the small gang is even named Jim Crow, which... isn't great. The crows don't represent the worst we've seen from Disney, as Dumbo isn't quite on the level of Song of the South, but they do lean heavily into African-American stereotypes. That sort of thing wasn't uncommon in the 1940s, but looking back on it we can see it's wrong.

However, the crows aren't the only problematic racial element in Dumbo. Earlier in the film, we see Dumbo's circus move to a new town and begin to be constructed. This is all done to a Disney tune called the "Song of the Roustabouts." The roustabouts are singing to, and about, themselves, while putting up the circus tents. We see a change in the animation from the previous scene, which shows Dumbo and the other elephants in perfectly clear detail, to a look where the roustabouts are mostly obscured. None of them have a clear face to distinguish them as independent characters. The only thing that's clear is that they're all not white.

Beyond that, the lyrics of the "Song of the Roustabouts" are also troubling. They sing about how they are all uneducated, and that they can't read or write. They also sing about how once they get paid they'll just throw their money away, implying they wouldn't know how to do anything else. Take a listen.

However, beyond simply making a new version of Dumbo that removes these elements, there are other reasons that the Walt Disney Animated classic is a film that deserves to be remade.

Dumbo was the fourth theatrical feature released by the animation studio back in 1941, however, calling Dumbo a feature is actually being more than a little generous. The film has an official run time of only 64 minutes. It's shorter than some episodes of Game of Thrones.

The length of the film is one symptom of larger issues that Disney was facing at the time. Specifically, there was an intentional move by the studio to make Dumbo on the cheap. Since, in the case of animation, making a longer movie is simply more expensive to produce, one of the ways Dumbo was kept inexpensive was by keeping it short.

In addition to making a shorter movie, the detail work of the animation that was done clearly suffered. If you compare Dumbo to something like Pinocchio, which came before it, or Bambi, which was released after, it's clear that less detail work was done on the backgrounds and the characters, and that they don't look quite as "real" as the other animals or people in the movies Disney created in the era.

The reasons for making Dumbo cheap were simple: Walt Disney Animation Studios was in trouble. In May of 1941, 200 members of the company went on strike in an attempt to get the animators to join the Screen Cartoonists Guild. The strike lasted for nine weeks, during what would have been a prime period of work on Dumbo.

Beyond that, there were other issues. The studio's previous theatrical release, Fantasia, had bombed. This was largely due to the fact that with the start of World War II Disney movies were not seeing wide release overseas. Europe was pretty much entirely closed off, and since countries like England had been a big part of Disney's success with other films, the end of that market hit the company hard.

As such, the Disney studio had begun to make a hard turn toward creating other types of films. Even before Dumbo hit theaters Disney had been commissioned to make short film to promote the sale of Canadian War Bonds and instructional videos on aircraft construction. A large part of what the studio produced in the early 1940s were training films for military use and propaganda shorts. The U.S. would enter the war officially only a couple of months after Dumbo hit theaters and from that point until the end of the war the studio was largely focused on the war effort. The studio itself was commandeered by the U.S. Army and soundstages were used to repair military equipment.

The simple fact is that Disney wasn't able to give Dumbo the attention it deserved during its creation. You can tell that the movie is far too short considering the movie ends at the point where most films would just be getting started. The resolution between "Dumbo learns he can fly" and "Dumbo becomes the star of the circus and everybody lives happily ever after" happens within only a couple of minutes.

And Dumbo is a story worth telling right. When I watched every animated Disney movie a couple years ago in chronological order, Dumbo was the first one to make me want to tear up. The "Baby Mine" sequence is beautiful, but it's one moment a story that otherwise feels like it was put together in much more haphazard fashion. It's clear from the trailers that there's a lot more going on in this new version and that, at least in theory, is a good call.

There's certainly an argument to be made that not every animated Disney movie needs a remake. Just what did the live-action Beauty and the Beast really add to the story? However, if there's a Disney movie that could truly benefit from a remake, it's Dumbo. Now I just hope it's actually good.

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters’ Kyle Chandler Loved All The Green Screen Work

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters’ Kyle Chandler Loved All The Green Screen Work

When you think of movie monsters, there are none quite as massive (literally) as Godzilla. The titan has enthralled generations of moviegoers, appearing in countless live-action adaptations. The big guy is getting extra attention over the last few years, as the MonsterVerse puts Godzilla front and center. Following the release of Kong: Skull Island, the cinematic universe will introduce a ton of Godzilla monsters, who will go to battle with the franchise protagonist in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Giant monster movies obviously require a ton of visual affects, so actors must act with/in front of massive green screens. But there's also a push to include more practical sets and effects for major blockbusters, citing the difference it makes for performers. Kyle Chandler is starring in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and previously worked in the genre with 2005's King Kong. Chandler recently expressed how he enjoys the challenge that comes with extensive green screen work, saying:

I mean, you know a big film like this, there's the challenge of all the green screen, which I did in King Kong, but this is more extensive. And the deal with that is it's fun because a lot of people say 'Isn't that hard, because there's nothing there?' But the fact is everything's there, and it's yours. You're creating what's there and that's sort of enjoyable. And when you're working with it, or running through it or jumping over it, it doesn't matter what you see or what is. They put something there for you so it's sorta fun to jump over something and wonder 'I wonder what I'm gonna see in the film. Is it ice or a bullet or, what have you.' And then the idea of this will be international, so for me as an actor that's something new as well. To be seen by crowds I haven't been seen by before, so that's a good positive right there.

It looks like Kyle Chandler's love for green screen work is two fold. One one hand, it gives the actor the chance to really exercise his imagination and create a brand new world from scratch. And he also get to watch the finished product with as much wonder as audiences, because he has no clue how the movie will end up looking.

Kyle Chandler's comments from the set of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (via Comic Book) may surprise cinephiles who prefer more practical sets and effects. Too much green screen has been a point of contention in movies like the Star Wars prequel trilogy, with the current trilogy using far more practical means to film. But Chandler seems to enjoy working with extensive green screens. And with projects as massive as Godzilla and King Kong, there's really no other choice.

In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Kyle Chandler will play Dr. Mark Russell. An animal behavior specialist and the father of Millie Bobby Brown's Madison, he'll play an instrumental role in understanding the massive monsters that occupy the blockbuster. And there's going to be plenty of them.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters will arrive in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.