James Van Der Beek, Lauren Graham & Isabella Crovetti Star in ‘Vampirina’

Jun 27th, 2017                    

Vampirina

The undead are anything but unfriendly in the animated family comedy series Vampirina, premiering this fall on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and the new Disney NOW app. The CG-animated kids’ book adaptation stars James Van Der Beek (What Would Diplo Do?) and Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) as parents Boris and Oxana Hauntley, with 12-year-old Isabella Crovetti (Colony) voicing lovable little bloodsucker Vampirina (a.k.a. Vee).

Inspired by Disney Publishing’s book series Vampirina Ballerina, the TV show centers on Vee as she settles into her new urban surroundings, after her family relocates from Transylvania to Pennsylvania. Excited to experience everything that the human world has to offer, Vee will learn that while it may be easier to blend in with her peers, it’s important to celebrate the differences that make everyone unique. Always by her side, Vee’ mom and dad are also adapting to their new life as proprietors of the local Scare B&B, a bed and breakfast for visiting ghouls and goblins.

The recurring guest voice cast includes Tony-award winning Broadway performers Patti LuPone (Evita) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate) as Vee’s grandparents, Nanpire and Grandpop, and Wanda Sykes (Black-ish) as Vee’s cantankerous yet loyal gargoyle sidekick, Gregoria.

Rounding out the voice cast are: Mitchell Whitfield as playful ghost, Demi; Jordan Alexa Davis as Vee’s best friend and next-door neighbor, Poppy; ViviAnn Yee as another close friend, Bridget; Dee Bradley Baker as teacher, Mr. Gore, and the Hauntleys’ dog, Wolfie; Benji Risley as Poppy’s twin brother, Edgar; Cree Summer as Poppy and Edgar’s mom, Edna; and Ian James Corlett as Chef Remy Bones, the Scare B&B’s comedic skeleton chef.

Disney Junior’s Vampirina will feature music by Broadway composers Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond (The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes), with original songs performed by the voice cast (Van De Beek, Graham and Crovetti belt out the theme song). The series creative team reunites many of the key players from Peabody winner Doc McStuffins, including executive producer Chris Nee and co-exec producer Norton Virgien. Nicky Phelan (Octonauts) serves as director.

Vampirina is produced by Brown Bag Films in association with Disney Junior.

Vampirina

Vampirina

James Van Der Beek, Lauren Graham & Isabella Crovetti Star in Vampirina

'What's Good' With Jenna Ortega To Premiere On Radio Disney Today

Jenna Ortega

JENNA ORTEGA, the 14-year-old star of DISNEY CHANNEL's "Stuck In The Middle," will host an all-new RADIO DISNEY program, "What's Good" with JENNA ORTEGA, premiering TODAY at 4p (PT)/ 7p (ET) and will air weekly across multiple platforms, including the RADIO DISNEY app, SIRIUSXM 79, TUNEIN, iHEARTRADIO and AHA RADIO digital streaming services.

The hour-long show will follow ORTEGA as she spotlights weekly inspirational stories, shares positive news, reveals her favorite trends, and interviews co-stars and friends from other DISNEY CHANNEL shows.

ORTEGA stars as Harley Diaz, a creative and engineering whiz kid and the middle child in a family of seven children, in DISNEY CHANNEL's family comedy series "Stuck In The Middle." She is also known for her role in the GOLDEN GLOBE-winning series "Jane The Virgin," and voices Princess Isabel, Elena's younger sister, in DISNEY's animated "Elena Of Avalor." She was a host of the 2017 RADIO DISNEY MUSIC AWARDS.

‘DuckTales’ Premiere Dates Set; Title Sequence Teased

Disney XD’s new take on the classic animated series DuckTales will kick off its run with an hour-long premiere movie airing on the channel for 24 consecutive hours Aug. 12, with the series debuting with two episodes premiering Sept. 23.

The premiere date of the movie — titled “Woo-oo!” — was announced on Facebook today along with the series’ title sequence and a new version of the classic theme song. The theme is written by Mark C. Mueller, the song is performed by singer/songwriter Felicia Barton (Dancing with the Stars) and produced by Emmy Award-winning Michael ‘Smidi’ Smith (Coldplay, Sia, Britney Spears) and composer Dominic Lewis (Rough Night, Fist Fight). It will be released June 23 by Walt Disney Records.

Here’s a look at the sequence:

Featuring animation inspired by the classic Carl Barks’ comic book stories, DuckTales chronicles the high-flying adventures of Duckburg’s most famous trillionaire Scrooge McDuck, his mischief-making triplet grandnephews – Huey, Dewey and Louie, temperamental nephew Donald Duck and the trusted McDuck Manor team: big-hearted, fearless chauffer/pilot Launchpad McQuack, no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Beakley and Mrs. Beakley’s granddaughter, Webby Vanderquack, resident adventurer and the triplet’s newfound fierce friend.

The voice cast is: David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Scrooge McDuck, Danny Pudi (Community) as Huey, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Dewey, Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) as Louie, Kate Micucci (Garfunkel and Oates) as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live) as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye (Castle) as Mrs. Beakley and Tony Anselmo (Mickey Mouse) as Donald Duck.

DuckTales is executive-produced by Annie Award-nominee Matt Youngberg (Ben 10: Omniverse), with Francisco Angones (Disney XD’s Emmy Award-nominated Wander Over Yonder) serving as co-producer and story editor and Sean Jimenez (Disney XD’s Annie Award-winning Gravity Falls) as art director. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TV-Y7 parental guideline.

DuckTales

Disney Teases ‘Frozen’ Short Attached to Pixar’s ‘Coco’

Olaf's Frozen Adventure

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the world of its hit Frozen, releasing a trailer for the featurette Olaf’s Frozen Adventure that will play in front of Pixar’s Coco when it’s released Nov. 22.

The trailer appeared online June 13 and will run in theaters ahead of Pixar’s Cars 3 when it arrives in theaters June 16.

Featuring four new original songs, the 21-minute featurette welcomes the original cast and characters back to the big screen, including Olaf (voice of Josh Gad), who is on a mission to harness the best holiday traditions for Anna (voice of Kristen Bell), Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) and Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff). It’s directed by Emmy-winning filmmakers Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton (Prep & Landing), produced by Oscar-winner Roy Conli (Big Hero 6), and includes original songs by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Between the Lines).

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

Disney’s ‘Sofia the First’ Season 4 Debuts April 28

Season four of the hit animated series Sofia the First will premiere Friday, April 28 at 11:30 a.m. ET on Disney Channel. Featuring a fresh raft of special voice guests, the new season will see Sofia take on a larger role as protector of her kingdom and send her on a journey to an enchanted world called The Mystic Isles.

A great success for Disney Junior, Sofia holds the record for the top two cable TV telecasts ever among Kids 2-5, and top three cable TV telecasts ever among Girls 2-5. The show recently received a Humanitas Prize, which recognizes movies and series that inspire compassion, hope and understanding.

The season four guest star line-up includes Andrew Rannells (Girls) as an enthusiastic unicorn named Skye; Megan Hilty (Smash) as a Crystalmaster named Prisma; Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan (both from The Lord of the Rings franchise) as two gnomes named Malachite and Fig; Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as a magical human/hawk character named Vega; Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Underground) as a crystal fairy named Christa; and Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black) and Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as dragons named Cinder and Sizzle.

Sofia the First tells the story of an ordinary girl who becomes a princess, and follows her journey at she learns the positive qualities that make someone truly royal. The series stars Ariel Winter as Sofia; Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda; Wayne Brady as Clover; Tim Gunn as Baileywick; Darcy Rose Byrnes as Amber; Nicolas Cantu as James; Travis Willingham as King Roland II; and Jess Harnell as Cedric. Recurring guest stars include Eric Stonestreet, Ellie Kemper, Anna Camp, Kiernan Shipka, Hugh Bonneville and Bonnie Hunt.

Jamie Mitchell and Craig Gerber serve as executive producers, with Mitchell directing. Emmy winners John Kavanaugh (Elena of Avalor) and Kevin Kliesch (Tangled: The Series) are songwriter/music director and composer, respectively. Sofia is produced by Disney Television Animation.

Sofia the First

Harland Williams’ ‘Puppy Dog Pals’ to Sit, Stay on Disney TV

A “pugtastic” new animated series is coming to screens, with Puppy Dog Pals set to premiere Friday, April 14 at 10:30 a.m. ET with two back-to-back episodes on Disney Channel, which will also launch the same day on the Disney Junior app and YouTube page. Created by comedian Harland Williams, the show follow two fun-loving pug brothers on their exhilarating adventures. Williams also acts as consulting producer and writer, and voices “Bob,” the pups’ devoted owner. Sean Coyle (The Awesomes, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) serves as executive producer.

Pug brothers Bingo and Rolly are always up for adventure, whether in their neighborhood or around the globe. Their motto is: life is more exciting with your best friend by your side! Along for their ride are their colorful animal pals, including Bob’s cat Hissy and his loveable robot dog creation, A.R.F. Each episode features two 11-minute stories that illuminate Bingo and Rolly’s similarities and differences while demonstrating positive lessons about friendship, problem solving, collaboration, creativity and adventure.

Puppy Dog Pals stars Issac Ryan Brown (black-ish) as quick-witted problem solver Bingo; Sam Lavagnino (Miles from Tomorrowland) as silly, energetic Rolly; Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as A.R.F.; and Jessica DiCicco (The Lion Guard) as Hissy.

Recurring guest stars include musician Huey Lewis as Bulworth, the junkyard dog; Patrick Warburton as Captain Dog, the star of the pups’ favorite TV show; Jack McBrayer as Hedgie the hedgehog; Yvette Nicole Brown as Daisy, a kind German Shepherd; sportscaster Bob Uecker as a baseball announcer; Leslie David Baker and Cheri Oteri as neighbors Frank and Esther Exposition; Jill Talley as bossy pup Cupcake; Mo Collins as Strider, a fast-talking sheep herder; and Tress MacNeille as Bob’s Mom.

The series is produced by Wild Canary (Miles from Tomorrowland, Sheriff Callie’s Wild West) in association with Disney Junior.

Games and activities inspired by Puppy Dog Pals will launch on the Disney Junior app and DisneyJunior.com on Fri., April 7. Branded products from Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, such as activity and story books, will arrive in June followed by an apparel and toys launch in August.

Puppy Dog Pals / Photo credit: Disney Junior

Disney Teases ‘Tangled’ TV Movie with First 5 Minutes

Mar 3rd, 2017

A sneak peek at the first five minutes of upcoming Original Movie Tangled Before Ever After launched Friday morning on the channel’s YouTube page. The feature-length adventure — which stars Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi reprising their roles as Rapunzel and Eugene (formerly known as Flynn Rider) — premieres Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to familiar characters like loyal chameleon Pascal, no-nonsense horse Maximus, and the Snuggly Duckling Pub Thugs, fans will meet tough-as-nails lady-in-waiting, Cassandra (voiced by Broadway’s Eden Espinosa), who becomes Rapunzel’s confidante.

The movie will be followed a week later by the premiere of Tangled: The Series on March 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The show has already received a second season order.

Set between the events of the Tangled theatrical feature and the short film Tangled Ever After, the new movie is a visually vibrant, 2D-animated adventure comedy that unfolds as Rapunzel gets to know her parents, her kingdom and the people of Corona. When she realizes there is so much more she wants to learn about the world before accepting her royal destiny, Rapunzel puts off her coronation to seek adventure — much to the dismay of the king, who missed his daughter’s childhood and must now accept her as an independent young woman. But the princess’s plans get an added, magical kink in them when her long blonde hair suddenly grows back…

Tangled Before Ever After

Tangled Before Ever After