A new TV spot offers a sneak peek at Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana 2,” including a new song, “We’re Back,” from the film. The epic animated musical, which opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024, reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
The voice cast also features returning stars Rachel House (Gramma Tala), Temuera Morrison (Chief Tui) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sina), as well as Hualālai Chung, David Fane and Rose Matafeo as Moana’s new crew members Moni, Kele and Loto, respectively. Awhimai Fraser voices mysterious new character Matangi; Gerald Ramsey plays Moana’s ancestor, Tautai Vasa; and Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda lends her voice to Moana’s adoring and adorable little sister, Simea.
Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, “Moana 2” features music by Grammy® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa‘i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. Jared Bush and Miller are writing the film, which is executive produced by Jennifer Lee, Bush and Johnson.
The legendary Alien franchise gives birth to an all-new terrifying sci-fi horror thriller when 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus arrives to digital retailers (Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home) on October 15 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on December 3.
Director Fede Alvarez takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its iconic roots in the next jaw-dropping installment heralded by critics as “sheer terror” (Brian Truitt, USA Today) and “utterly breathtaking” (Andrew J. Salazar, Discussing Film). Alien: Romulus is Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes™ and has already thrilled audiences at the box office, becoming the second highest grossing film in the Alien franchise globally.
Alien: Romulus is the start of a new chapter with a brand-new story unlike any other Alien movie that came before it, featuring all-new creatures and characters that are “tense enough to grab you by the throat” (Owen Gleiberman, Variety). Fans can delve deeper into the Alien franchise with all-new exclusive bonus features, including featurettes with filmmakers Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott, behind the scenes content, and alternate and extended scenes. The 4K UHD will be available in a collectible limited edition SteelBook® with custom artwork and packaging.
The original 1979 sci-fi thriller, Alien, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Fans can experience the terror in a 2-Movie Collection digital bundle (Alien & Alien: Romulus) on October 15 in 4K UHD, HD and SD.
Bonus Features* Return to Horror: Crafting Alien: Romulus
The Director’s Vision – Discover how one of today’s greatest horror directors, Fede Alvarez, collaborated with master filmmaker Ridley Scott to craft a new, heart-pounding chapter in the Alien franchise.
Creating the Story – Learn what inspired the story of Alien: Romulus and see the many easter eggs from previous Alien installments that you may have missed.
Casting the Faces – Meet the stars of Alien: Romulus as they take us inside the hearts and minds of their characters. Explore the parallels between Rain and the iconic franchise heroine, Ripley, and learn how filmmakers brought back a face from the past.
Constructing the World – Explore the massive, practical sets of Alien: Romulus that hearken back to the futuristic style established in the '80s and get up close and personal with a hoard of practically built facehuggers, chestbursters, and xenomorphs.
Inside the Xenomorph Showdown – Experience the film’s climactic zero-gravity sequence from every angle as filmmakers break down what it took to make the moment spectacular. From sets and performances, to wirework, stunts, and VFX, see how it all came together.
Alien: A Conversation – A special conversation with Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez for the Alien 45th Anniversary theatrical re-release.
Alternate / Extended Scenes – Check out scenes that didn't make the final cut.
LFG! Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine bursts onto digital retailers (Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango) on October 1 and explodes on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 22.
The highly anticipated introduction of the edgy, and dynamically comical heroes into the Marvel Cinematic Universe has already proven to be a massive success, becoming the biggest rated-R movie in history and the #5 highest-grossing MCU domestic release of all-time. “The movie broke so many records,” said Ryan Reynolds. “The only way to describe how I feel is, just south of ‘I’m finally enough’ and slightly north of, ‘I forgive my father.’”
Certified-Fresh and Verified Hot on Rotten Tomatoes™ and celebrated by critics as “Just really f*cking fun” (Kristy Puchko, Mashable), “Fires on all cylinders, and one viewing is not enough” (Pete Hammond, Deadline), and “The Greatest Film Ever Made” (Ryan Reynolds), the home entertainment release goes far beyond the fourth wall with exclusive content featuring a hilarious gag reel, deleted scenes, all-new featurettes, filmmaker commentary with director/producer/writer, Shawn Levy and star/producer/writer, Ryan Reynolds and much more of that extras s$%t fans love.
Plus, get your socks ready, nerds…you can look for all the cameos and easter eggs you missed in the theater when the film arrives in stunning, mind-blowing 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision® along with Atmos® audio for the finest picture and sound presentation at home!
Moreover, a maximum effort has gone into Amazon Prime Video’s Bonus X-ray Experience. More revealing than red spandex, it includes featurettes you can’t get just anywhere including Deadpool doodles, character pros and cons, and trivia that’s been fact-checked by the Merc with a Mouth himself (pinkie swear). And there’s a carousel of fun on Fandango at Home and crisp, juicy bits on Apple TV for pumpkin-pie lovers and everyone else, including those who are Avengers-adjacent, to enjoy.
The 4K UHD Blu-ray will be released in a national sku and special limited-edition SteelBooks®, featuring exclusive custom art and packaging. Fans will see red and yellow with two SteelBook versions to choose – one version spotlights Deadpool and the other showcases Wolverine, with images of each character’s multiple variants in all their glory included inside!
Film Synopsis Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date – Deadpool & Wolverine. A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his home world faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit up again with an even more reluctantlier... reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to... oh hell, just watch the movie. Synopses are stupid.
Bonus Features*
Finding Madonna: Making the Oner – Director Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds break down a historic scene in the film: the “Oner,” which highlights the first fight in which Deadpool and Wolverine finally unite.
Practical Approach: Celebrating the Art of Ray Chan – A tribute to longtime Marvel Studios collaborator Ray Chan, who sadly passed away in 2024 – the cast and crew recall anecdotes and echo the resounding positive effects of filming on the set he helped design, full of intricate details and Easter eggs.
Loose Ends: The Legacy Heroes – Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, and the cast and crew go through some of the mind-blowing cameos and the characters who finally get their deserved endings. They cover the intensive choreographed sequences, updated costumes, and assembling the iconic team.
Wolverine – Hugh Jackman describes the return to his iconic role as Wolverine. Cast and crew discuss how he picks up his yellow and blue suit for the first time, brings variety to the role, and continues his legacy from previous films.
Filmmaker Commentary – Listen to audio commentary by director Shawn Levy and actor Ryan Reynolds.
Gag Reel – Watch some hilarious outtakes on set with the cast and crew of Deadpool & Wolverine
Deleted Scenes
Elevator Ride – Paradox explains the sacred timeline to Deadpool as they walk around the TVA.
Do Nothing – B-15 instructs Paradox to stay out of trouble, rejecting his efforts to take action.
Daddy’s In Love – B-15 and Peter strike up a romance. Peter announces he is in love to his friends, Headpool and Kidpool.
“Fun Sack”
Dr. Deadpool – Dr. Deadpool, Ph.D. very kindly informs us of the risks of testicular cancer and tries to convince Hugh Jackman to do a live checkup.
Product Review – Deadpool shows off some toys and trinkets from the franchise, including one top-secret item that may or may not be a spoiler.
Wade is Back – Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman promote a movie...but Ryan misleads Hugh on just exactly which movie they are there for.
Today, the teaser trailer and poster for the upcoming feature film, “Thunderbolts*” debuted. Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present “Thunderbolts*,”an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.
The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces.
Jake Schreier directs “Thunderbolts*”with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.
When Inside Out came out in 2015, it caught us all by surprise with a heartwarming story about growing up and the emotions that struggle to work together to keep us together. A charming movie and a huge box office win meant that a sequel was inevitable. I don't think anyone was prepared for Inside Out 2 to not only recapture the originals magic but far surpass it and become the biggest growing animated film in history.
Inside Out 2 essentially picks up right where the first movie left off and gives us a quick recap to get us all up to speed. Riley (Kensington Tallman) is now 13 years old and has grown up to be a kind, loving person who loves hockey and has two best friends, Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green). Riley hits puberty and is flooded with a whole new set of emotions along with all of the original emotions. She also finds out her friends are going to be going to a different high school from her and this threatens their friendships.
Inside Out 2 serves as a way to let kids know that things will get better. That we are all more than just our emotions. The complexities of growing up, trying to fit in, all shape who we are and who we will become. This film is a reminder that none of us are alone when it comes to experiencing all our emotions.
Video:
The 4K Digital UHD transfer is stunning from beginning to end. The textures of the materials, the characters and the backgrounds are sharp and the vividness of the colors really stand out. There is so much to take in and you will keep finding better and better examples of the attention to detail that Pixar always puts into their animation.
Audio:
The Dolby Atmos audio track is practically perfect here. The dialogue is crisp and clean from the front channels. Surround activity is spectacular and will give your side and rear channels a good workout. Another outstanding audio effort from Disney and Pixar.
Bonus Features:
New Emotions – With Riley's imminent puberty, the story of Inside Out 2 always suggested that there would be a party of new emotions complicating Riley's world—and throwing a wrench into Joy's hard-won stability. But exactly what those new emotions could be was a big question mark. Casting the new emotions in Riley’s mind was a fun exploration into the shifting mindset of a teenager, and was also informed by some of the discarded scenes and characters from the original film. In this documentary we’ll discuss that process of creating Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui, and Envy—from narrowing them down from a long list of possible emotions, to the design, animation, and voicing of these new, hilarious, and strangely recognizable characters.
Unlocking the Vault – In a kind of visual commentary, a group of central creatives watch and discuss the scene “The Vault.” As they stop and start—and refer to various IP versions of the scene—we’ll hear about the inspiration for Riley’s repressed memories like Bloofy and Lance Slashblade, the development of the scene in Story, and the technical challenges of creating 2D characters that exist in the CG world of Riley’s mind.
Deleted Scenes
Cold Open – In this alternate opening, a now 13-year-old Riley awkwardly fumbles her way through an original song she wrote for a school audition.
Broken Joy – After momentarily being unable to drive the console, Joy worries that she might be starting to malfunction.
Pool Party – After Riley tries too hard to be fun at an older teen’s party – resulting in utter embarrassment – her “Anxiety” becomes “Self-Loathing” who then ousts our hero emotions from headquarters.
Puberty Park – After seeing their faces printed on “wanted posters,” Joy and the others rogue emotions race through a puberty-themed amusement park while being chased by mind worker cops.
Shame Spiral – At a lock-in with some cool, older girls, Riley and friends play a game of “Never Have I Ever” that goes a bit too far – wreaking havoc in Riley’s mind.
Conclusion:
Inside Out 2 is a return to form for Pixar and couldn't have come at a better time. The story is outstanding, balancing both laughs and heart while combining with beautiful animation artistry. Another solid movie from Pixar, with good supplemental features, though I would have loved an audio commentary. Inside Out 2 is a must have addition to your library.
Inside Out 2 is currently out on digital, 4K UHD, blu-ray and DVD.
*The movie was supplied by Walt Disney Home Entertainment for the sole purpose of review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.*
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