Next Club Meeting: November 21, 2026, at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.

This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires in today's pop culture, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.
Showing posts with label disney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disney. Show all posts

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Welcome to Hexe, the World of Witches...

H E X E D
“Hexed” is an all-new magical coming-of-age saga releasing in theaters November 25. The original animated film is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 65th animated feature.

Joining previously announced voice cast members Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones are seven-time Emmy Award® winner Tracey Ullman (“The Tracey Ullman Show,” “Tracey Takes On…,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”), who voices the enchanted feather quill pen Ms. Quill, and Stephen Fry (“Gosford Park,” “Wilde,” “Jeeves and Wooster,” “V for Vendetta,” “The Hobbit” trilogy) as the magical journal Elias Quire.

The new trailer introduces the impulsive and unconventional teenage girl Billie (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and her cautious mother, Alice (voiced by Rashida Jones). When Billie accidentally unleashes secret magical abilities, she’s hurtled out of suburbia and into a magical realm called Hexe, where she’s greeted by Ms. Quill (voiced by Tracey Ullman) and Elias Quire (voiced by Stephen Fry). As Billie’s spectacle-filled journey unfolds, she uncovers family mysteries that could change the magical world of witches forever.

Director Fawn Veerasunthorn said, “A wonderfully strange phenomenon is happening all around Billie, something she can’t explain. She's someone who has felt miscast in her own life, and it takes leaving her normal world behind and entering a hidden world of wild, unhinged magic to begin to understand herself.”
"Hexe is a place where Billie begins to feel seen for the first time in her life,” director Jason Hand said. “She embarks on a journey of self-discovery that reveals a powerful connection to magic, and in the process uncovers long-held secrets about her family.”
Disney’s “Hexed” is directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, co-directed by Josie Trinidad, and produced by Roy Conli and Yvett Merino. The film opens exclusively in theaters November 25, 2026.
Disney’s "Hexed" is only in theaters November 25, 2026

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Not to be all Doom and Gloom, but...

THE DOOMIES
Something spooky is happening only on Disney+. 👻😱 Disney Branded Television has unveiled the KYA, release date, and trailer for Xilám Animation and Disney EMEA Animation's "The Doomies". The animated series will premiere on Disney+ on June 26, with 22 half-hour episodes.

Disney has also unveiled "The Doomies" (Shorts), a new short-form series featuring four episodes: “Doug Unfiltered,” “Ghosted By A Ghost,” “Creepy Crepe” and “What Is That Thing?” set to release on the Disney Channel Animation YouTube channel and Disney+ on Friday June, 26.

Synopsis: When best friends Bobby and Romy accidentally open a portal to evil, their tranquil coastal town transforms into a hotspot for terrifying creatures of doom. As the ordinary teens navigate this extraordinary mystery, they face off against literal and inner monsters in this epic comedy that combines thrills, chills, and emotional spills.

"The Doomies" stars Max Mittelman (Viz Media "One Punch Man", Disney Japan "Twisted Wonderland: The Animation") as Bobby, Madison Calderon (Prime Video & Point Grey Pictures "Invincible: Atom Eve") as Romy, Noel Gibson (Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey Pictures "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem") as Kim, Jon Bailey (Screen Junkies "Honest Trailers") as Doug, and Zehra Fazal ("Amphibia", Dreamworks Animation Television "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power") as Bobby's aunt Jenny.

“The Doomies” competes at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the TV Films category. The episode “Night of the Fishing Dead” was selected from more than 2,400 submissions and will be screened alongside other official selections from June 21-27.

"The Doomies" (Original Series Soundtrack) featuring the score composed by Vincent Artaud ("Chip 'n Dale: Park Life") and Walt Disney Records will be released on Friday, June 26, on all digital music platforms.

The series' theme song will be released on digital platforms in a few weeks as a sneak peek for the show.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

When you merge Magic with Soccer...

Dragon Striker
In a world where sports and magic combine, farm boy Key discovers his ultra-powerful natural talent and learns he could be the legendary Dragon Striker. Set at Kal Asterock, an elite school for students who possess extraordinary abilities, Key joins goalkeeper Ssyelle on a scrappy new team to challenge the school champions. As he struggles with the raging dragon inside him and Ssyelle fights to hold her team together, they learn dark secrets of the past and uncover an ancient evil.

Thursday, November 20, 2025

The movie you never asked for...

M O A N A
In Disney’s live-action adaptation of the beloved Oscar®-nominated animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people. The film is directed by Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”); produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Thomas Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated features “Moana” and “Moana 2.” Audiences can experience the brilliant cinematic sights, sounds and songs of “Moana” in U.S. theaters on July 10, 2026.

Friday, August 22, 2025

Disney Trying to Bring Back the Male Audience...

"Boys Have Turned Away From Disney Brand,"
Variety Says! Oh, Say It Ain't SO!

After years of transforming male franchises into female ones, Disney is now looking to bring the very boys they had spent years rejecting back to the brand. The problem is, now the boys they rejected are rejecting THEM, as Variety magazine has acknowledged it in a new article... GEE, whoever could have seen this COMING folks?!?
DISNEY IS DESPERATE TO BRING BACK MEN!
Disney wants Gen Z MEN to come back to their franchises, and are seemingly admitting that they know they killed off Star Wars and Marvel by making them too female-friendly. They're so desperate they're even looking for NEW franchises -- but they had the two biggest male brands in all of geekdom and they destroyed them in less than a decade!

Friday, August 15, 2025

Princess Battles!


D i s n e y   P r i n c e s s e s :
Fighting Video Game (Concept)
This Veo 3-powered AI video brings your childhood icons into an epic side-scrolling fighting game parody: Princess Clash: Battle Royale — where Disney Princesses don’t just sing… they SLAY 💥🎮 
 
From Elsa’s ice combos to Mulan’s martial arts takedowns, and Ariel’s aquatic special moves, it’s a nostalgic, hilarious, and action-packed tribute to classic games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.

Friday, August 8, 2025

Gina Carano WINS!

Disney SETTLES! She's RETURNING to Star Wars?!
Gina Carano effectively just won her lawsuit against Disney! Not only did Disney (presumably) pay up, but Lucasfilm publicly said nice things about her AND she's apparently working for Lucasfilm again in the "near future." WELL NOW.

Monday, July 7, 2025

Beware Her Wrath!

MARY POPPINS, Re-Cut: RATED R
This summer, Mary Poppins returns... with a vengeance.

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Take me to your "leader"...

E L i O
For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar's all-new feature film Elio, the universe calls back! The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he's beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio's all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth's leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

This October, worlds will collide...

TRON: A R E S
Tron: Ares is an upcoming American science fiction action film that is a standalone sequel to Tron: Legacy and the third installment in the Tron franchise. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is directed by Joachim Rønning from a screenplay by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne. The film stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson and Sarah Desjardins, with Jeff Bridges reprising his role from the previous installments.
Only in theaters 10.10.25

Monday, March 3, 2025

DISNEY IS TRYING TO SELL STAR WARS...

BUT NO ONE WANTS TO BUY IT.
Disney has been trying to sell Star Wars for the past 7 months, but no one seems interested. We wonder why.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

"Meega, nala kweesta!"

LILO & STITCH
A live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2002 animated classic, “Lilo & Stitch” is the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the Oscar®-nominated filmmaker behind the animated feature film “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” the film stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis, introducing Maia Kealoha. “Lilo & Stitch” is produced by Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a. and Dan Lin, with Louie Provost, Tom Peitzman and Ryan Halprin serving as executive producers.

The film tells the story of two individuals: an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai, who is raised by her struggling older sister, Nani, after their parents' deaths, and the genetically engineered extraterrestrial creature Experiment 626, who Lilo adopts as her "dog" and renames "Stitch".
Stitch CRASHES into theaters May 23, 2025!

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

So you want to be a Disney Animator?

What's it like working at Disney Animation?
Come along as we tour Walt Disney Animation Studios guided by directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy! We'll meet animators, explore decked out offices, go behind the scenes of your favorite movies (Encanto, Frozen, The Lion King, Zootopia, Moana) and MUCH MORE. Featuring Dan Abraham, Trent Correy, Mark Henn, Eric Goldberg, Jorge Ruiz, Darrin Butters, Joyce Tong & Brad Simonsen.

See what lies beyond with Disney’s MOANA 2, arriving only in theaters November 27!

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Johnson) three years later 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. 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 film also features returning stars Rachel House (Moana’s Grandma, Tala), Temuera Morrison (Moana’s father, Chief Tui) and Nicole Scherzinger (Moana’s mother, Sina), as well as the voices of 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.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

The Damage is Done...

Disney CEO Bob Iger Selling Star Wars
After Lawsuit DISCLOSES Kathleen Kennedy?

Has Bob Iger finally reached his breaking point with Kathleen Kennedy? After Gina Carano's shocking lawsuit victory, it seems like the tides are turning at Disney. Rumors are swirling that major projects, including the highly-anticipated Rey movie, have been quietly canceled. And Kathleen Kennedy? Well, she’s fighting to leave Lucasfilm on a high note, but without any real wins to her name, is it even possible? In this video, we’ll break down why the lawsuit could spell the end of an era for Star Wars, and how Kathleen Kennedy’s legacy might just be beyond repair.

Friday, August 23, 2024

Disney's Woke Snow White Don't Need No Man...


New Snow White Movie in 1 Minute
The Evil Queen consults her Magic Mirror only to
discover who is truly the fairest of them all...

Sunday, August 18, 2024

This sounds like another Kathleen Kennedy trick...

Disney REBOOTING Star Wars?! Removing Sequels from CANON?
What's Going ON Here? Is It Real or HYPE?

A trailer for a Star Wars series was unveiled at D23 that has a portion of former Star Wars fans uncharacteristically excited, believing this series is the first step towards rebooting Star Wars and removing the sequels from canon. I am skeptical about what this means, but it is an unexpected and intriguing development that could lead to big changes in Star Wars, or simply fizzle out as a blip on the radar. In this video, requested by a number of my viewers, I cast a fair but skeptical eye on what's coming, going over the pros and cons as I see them, but make no mistake - this is an interesting development in the train wreck that is Disney Star Wars.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Disney invites you to the story that started it all...

Disney’s Snow White
“Disney’s Snow White” is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. “Disney’s Snow White” is directed by Marc Webb and produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer, and features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
In theaters March 21

Monday, August 12, 2024

It’s a call from the ancestors...

Disney's  MOANA 2
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Johnson) three years later 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. 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 film also features returning stars Rachel House (Moana’s Grandma, Tala), Temuera Morrison (Moana’s father, Chief Tui) and Nicole Scherzinger (Moana’s mother, Sina), as well as the voices of 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.

Monday, July 8, 2024

How Bob Iger Destroyed Disney From the Inside...

"A great civilization is not conquered from without,
until it has destroyed itself from within."
They were hiring animators from Tumblr to do major Disney films, and so they ask, “do you have friends?” And so now they're bringing in their Tumblr Community into Disney and what happened then is this community of Tumblr artists became a faction within the company, and they began, basically, using their influence and their influence to push out all the old, white guys, and the ones that stayed behind, just like this gentleman, had for as long as he could until he realized that you know, “I was told when I started here 20 years ago that the sky was the limit but then 20 years into it things radically changed under Iger and the limit was lower than the sky.” For the people that left it's one thing, but for the people that stayed, just like Allan talked about in Film Threat, they were, “Hey shut up, go in the corner and if you say anything against the people that look a certain way, it might be taken as an istophobe remark, and you people were afraid to speak their minds like the veterans that were there, the people that had done it for 20-30 years, in some cases some cases, maybe even longer. This is how you know we've been doing this at Disney this way for a while, and it's worked well. Now suddenly, 10 years ago, they were looking at things changing internally to where there's the younger newer voices coming in that are in a lot of cases, they're taking over job positions inside Disney Studios. Even the IT department are walking in on day one taking over those positions to where people that had been there for 10-15 years, took them that long to get there inside of Disney and being told to, basically, just shut up. Not a real good work environment. That's one of the things he talked about was how the people that are still there know a lot of the employees there are walking around on eggshells. One of those guys was Don Hall, a longtime director at Disney Animation. He didn't do anything. It all went down when he was the co-director of Raya and Strange World, and where's he now? He's over at Skydance!
All of the older, more experienced artists were pushed out in favor
of the younger, less talented ones, who believed in the woke agenda.