No matter how hard you try, you can’t break up with your past. Universal Pictures has just released the trailer for Love Hurts.

This Valentine’s Day, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Loki, The Electric State) rockets into his first major leading man role as an unlikely hero, a seemingly mild-mannered realtor with a dark secret that he is desperate to leave behind. Spoiler alert: He won’t. 

From 87North—producers of the groundbreaking action films Nobody, Violent Night, Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde and The Fall Guy—comes a visceral, high-octane story of wrath and revenge.  

Quan stars as Marvin Gable, a realtor working the Milwaukee suburbs, where ‘For Sale’ signs bloom. Gable receives a crimson envelope from Rose (Oscar winner Ariana DeBose; West Side Story, Argylle), a former partner-in-crime that he had left for dead. She’s not happy.  Now, Marvin is thrust back into a world of ruthless hitmen, filled with double-crosses and open houses turned into deadly warzones. With his brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu; Tomb Raider, Warcraft), a volatile crime lord, hunting him, Marvin must confront the choices that haunt him and the history he never truly buried.

The film features a killer soundtrack and impressive and diverse cast that includes former NFL running back and Super Bowl champion Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch (Bottoms, 80 for Brady), Mustafa Shakir (Emancipation, Luke Cage), Lio Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love., Lucy), Rhys Darby (Jumanji: The Next Level, Yes Man), André Eriksen (Violent Night, The Trip) and Sean Astin (The Lord of the Ringstrilogy, Perry Mason).

Produced by 87North’s Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, Love Hurts is written by Matthew Murray (Sheltered, CloudStreet: Soaring the American West) & Josh Stoddard (Warrior, Kaleidoscope) and Luke Passmore (Archenemy, Slaughterhouse Rulez). Guy Danella (Violent Night) is also producing. The executive producer is Ben Ormand. 

Making his feature film directing debut on Love Hurts is acclaimed veteran stunt coordinator and fight coordinator JoJo Eusebio, whose credits include some of the greatest action films of the past decade including Black Panther, The Avengers, the John Wick films, The Matrix Resurrections, Violent Night, The Fall Guy and Deadpool 2. Eusebio also served as the second-unit director on Deadpool 2, Violent Night and Birds of Prey. 

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PLOT: Follows an ambitious chef as she opens a restaurant on a remote estate where she battles kitchen chaos, crushing self-doubts… and a haunting presence who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.

REVIEW: The restaurant business is murder. If The Menu and The Bear did not give us enough insight into the stress, anxiety, and sheer psychological warfare of being a chef, Gordon Ramsey and every cooking reality competition should have made it abundantly clear that the artisans that create haute cuisine are emotionally broken by the work they love. The latest Blumhouse offering, House of Spoils, takes the work of starting a restaurant to a new level with a tale of supernatural cookery that may have you rethinking any upcoming reservations at a fine dining establishment. Led by Ariana DeBose, House of Spoils presents a conventional horror yarn through a distinctly epicurean lens.

Ariana DeBose plays Chef, the unnamed star pupil of iconic chef Marcello (Marton Csokas). When investor Andres (Arian Moayed) allows Chef to open her own restaurant, she quits and moves to the remote countryside location for the new venue. Living at the expansive manor that will also serve as the restaurant, Chef develops a concept involving ingredients from their own garden. The idea quickly fizzles when everything brought into the house rots, prompting Chef to try and find an alternative menu. She discovers a gated garden near the house with unique herbs, vegetables, and fruits that are unlike any flavors she has tasted. Chef, alongside new sous-chef Lucia (Barbie Ferreira), experiments with new recipes that are astonishingly unique. But, along with the flavor experience, Chef begins to hallucinate about the prior owner of the home, a supposed witch.

Over the course of the film, Chef presents herself as a capable and strong leader, up to the task of running her own kitchen. But, as she faces obstacles like rotten food and a lack of staff, her inexperience as head chef becomes apparent to Andres. But, Chef pushes through towards the big opening of the new restaurant on the power of her unique recipes even though she begins experiencing hallucinations. At first, Chef sees bugs crawling in and out of her food before she sees spectres of gaunt, emaciated old women. Slowly, she learns about the old woman who lived in the house and how she led a coven in the woods. She also learns about the chef who she replaced and what he experienced in the now seemingly haunted house. Chef forges a tenuous bond with Lucia, but as they careen towards opening day, everyone’s faith in Chef is shaken by her increasingly erratic and hostile behavior.

As a horror film, House of Spoils is not very scary. The jump scare moments are telegraphed a mile away, and the rest are designed as gross-out moments involving either computer-generated bugs crawling around, fleeting glimpses of rotten food, or minor bloody injuries. What works far more greatly is the psychological side of the story, looking at how Chef must contend with the supernatural obstacles but even more so seeing how she faces a lack of confidence in herself as a leader, a chef, and a woman in a professional capacity. Ariana DeBose has played strong characters in her career, but she imbues Chef with a confidence that is hit or miss through House of Spoils. Her reluctance to be scared comes across as silly when she calls BS on the spirits haunting her restaurant. DeBose is good at playing a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the film does not take advantage as much as it should or could.

Food stylist Zoe Hegedus (Midsommar, Poor Things, Dune: Part 1 and Part 2) was key to creating the realistic and distinctive dishes seen in the film, echoing the horror and beauty of cuisine put to great effect in projects like Hannibal and the thriller The Menu. House of Spoils is the second feature from Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy who last collaborated on Blow the Man Down which they co-wrote and co-directed. While that film was more of a mystery with an indie band, House of Spoils is firmly within the wheelhouse of the countless Blumhouse-produced horror films that came before it. Jason Blum has made a fortune in creating horror movies and acquired unique independent projects. Still, House of Spoils feels like a half-realized project that could have been so much better had it chosen to focus on either the supernatural or the straight dramatic elements rather than a combination of the two.

Aside from showcasing Ariana DeBose’s talent in a leading role, House of Spoils is a wasted opportunity in multiple ways. Directors Cole and Krudy make a case for expanding their resumes with broader projects with bigger budgets as much as they do exploring more opportunities in the horror genre. Still, House of Spoils is a half-hearted attempt to tell a psychological horror story by forcing supernatural elements. There is nothing all that scary in this film that we have not seen countless times before, which makes any moment that we are supposed to feel scary less frightening due to its familiarity. House of Spoils wastes a solid premise by not sticking the landing, but it still benefits from having a talented lead take us through this horror story.

House of Spoils premieres October 3rd on Prime Video.

House of Spoils

BELOW AVERAGE

5

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Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) takes the lead in the horror thriller House of Spoils, which is coming to us from Blumhouse Television and Amazon‘s Prime Video. This one has the great Halloween season release date of October 3rd, and with that date right around the corner, a trailer has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

The film has been written and directed by the duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, whose previous credits include the 2019 film Blow the Man Down, episodes of the recent mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and episodes of the AMC+ series Moonhaven.

Described as a “tense, psychological and sensuous” thriller, House of Spoils stars DeBose as an ambitious chef who opens her first restaurant—a farm-to-table affair on a remote estate—where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor, crushing self doubts… and the powerful spirit of the estate’s previous owner who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.

DeBose is joined in the cast by Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Marton Csokas (The Equalizer), Amara Karan (The Darjeeling Limited), and Arian Moayed (Succession).

Cole told Elle that the House of Spoils production put DeBose through the wringer: “This was a challenging shoot. It was like she’s in every scene. It’s dirty, it’s nasty. Some of these sets, we literally had her crawling in dirt over and over again one night and there was a lot we asked of her.” The movie seems interesting enough to me, so I will probably be including it in my October-long horror movie viewing spree. October is all about watching as many horror movies as possible.

House of Spoils was filmed in Hungary and produced by Blumhouse’s Jason Blum, Secret Engine’s Alex Scharfman, Lucas Joaquin, and Drew Houpt, and Divide/Conquer’s Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath. Blumhouse Television’s Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold serve as executive producers.

What did you think of the trailer for House of Spoils? Will you be watching this movie when it reaches Prime Video in October? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Recently, Ke Huy Quan’s upcoming action film With Love announced that it has set a release date for February 7, 2025. The movie comes from Universal and 87North Productions. While the plot details have yet to be revealed, it has been announced that With Love is written by Luke Passmore and was based on an original script by Josh Stoddard & Matthew Murray. Former stunt performer and coordinator Jonathan Eusebio steps up as the director after having done second-unit directing on films like Violent Night, Deadpool 2, Black Panther, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Deadline has now revealed that co-starring with Huy Quan in the film will be West Side Story‘s Ariana DeBose. DeBose recently starred in the sci-fi thriller I.S.S. and showed off a sliver of her action prowess in the recent spy-action-comedy Argylle from Matthew Vaughn. According to Deadline, “After attaching Huy Quan to the starring role, producers and studio execs wanted to make sure his co-star was the perfect, meeting with a number of female actors for the highly-coveted part. Once DeBose got wind of the meetings, she became super aggressive in chasing the role ultimately landing after chem test with Huy Quan, that blew execs away.”

87North’s David Leitch and Kelly McCormick recently shared their excitement for producing the project with their stunt peer, Eusebio, helming the film. The duo were blown away by Huy Quan’s martial arts skills, “What was a lot of discovery for us, he has some action chops because he’d worked with Corey Yuen’s team for a while in the past. He’s done quite a bit of fight action, obviously even before Everything Everywhere All at Once. It was really about like, there was an assessment phase with the guys, and they were all just like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’ The aptitude’s already here, so let’s take it to the next level. I think it was just sort of like tweaking him to the next level and really finding the character in the action. That’s what they were unpacking.” McCormick then shares, “He also has a really amazing glasses move that I can’t really tell you about [Kelly and David laugh] where his spectacles like fly and then land. He does it naturally in like IRL, and we’re gonna take advantage of that superpower.”

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Matthew Vaughn has shown his affinity for the retro spy genre, as evident in Kingsman and even X-Men: First Class. He has also been able to collaborate with some of the most interesting names in his past films. In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Vaughn was able to get Elton John to appear in the film and even partake in some of the action. His upcoming Argylle looks to be just as outrageous as his Kingsman movies, with the over-the-top visual flare. Argylle is set to have a single from its soundtrack with Boy George, Ariana DeBose and Nile Rodgers. And now, courtesy of Universal, you can catch the new music video for the song, “Electric Energy.” The retro-sounding tune has the vibe of pop songs of the past. One can even say it might be disco. Plus, the fun of it all is that the cast of the film makes an appearance in the video as they sing and dance along with the music artists. Even the cat gets into the tune and lip-syncs along. Although, one curious absence in the video is Dua Lipa, who comes from the music world.

Vaughn’s association with pop music acts has him having to set the record straight on rumors that Taylor Swift will make the surprise appearance as the mysterious author, Elly Conway, that the trailer teases. Vaughn has told Rolling Stone, “I’m not a big internet guy, and it was actually my daughter who came up to me — this is the power of celebrity and the internet — and said, ‘You never told me Taylor wrote the book!’ And I’m looking at her going, ‘What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!’ And I was laughing because I was like, ‘It’s not true! She didn’t write the book!’ But my daughter was convinced of it.” 

Additionally, Vaughn has plans to make this film a franchise and continue the story with two films, “Book one is about: how did Argylle become a spy? That will be the next film. And then Argylle 2 is – I don’t want to give it all away, but there’s the young Argylle, and that becomes Henry, because Henry loves the idea of doing a proper Argylle movie as well.”

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PLOT: Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling, the US and Russian astronauts receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary

REVIEW: Ever since its inception, the fear of a lingering nuclear war has existed. Often in film, we see the impact of these events and the apocalyptic world that would result. So, the concept of war breaking out while scientists representing two different countries are asked to take over the International Space Station is an interesting one. Relations with Russia aren’t exactly great, so it’s easy to see these two sides in conflict with each other. But in many ways, I.S.S. feels like last year’s 65, with an intriguing trailer that is hampered by its budget/script.

Oscar Winner Ariana DeBose stars as a scientist just getting acclimated to her job on the I.S.S. Her character isn’t developed a ton, but DeBose is a great actress, so she does well with what she’s given. She works well as the audience surrogate. I usually love Chris Messina, but I’m unsure what he was doing in this one. His performance is uneven and even a little unintentionally funny at times. And John Gallagher Jr. seems to play a similar role in most of the films I’ve seen him in. He does a good job of being a subtly unlikable prick.

But the real highlight is Pilou Asbæk‘s Alexey. Most will likely know the actor from Game of Thrones, which sets a certain expectation for his alliance. He’s easily the most complex character and someone I wish was focused on a little more. In fact, I kind of wish there was more time spent with the Russians, as they feel more developed than the Americans. Getting cheated on isn’t exactly a character trait.

One of their more interesting choices is to fully embrace the zero gravity of it all. It provides for some really fun moments, like the guy sleeping with his eyes open and floating around. But there are far more scenes where it’s very clear they’re just strapped in at the waist to a wire rig. One shot in particular follows DeBose as she maneuvers through the ship, and it’s very poorly done. And I really enjoyed how much they kept the war on earth a mystery, and the focus stayed with the I.S.S. crew.

Unfortunately, the human conflict just isn’t enough, and they feel the need to add issues with the ship to ramp things up. Falling out of the sky is an element that never needs to be added. If anything, it just shows that they had little faith that the human drama would carry viewer interest. This is fair because there’s only so much distrust you can sow amongst six people in such a short period of time.

And it’s really quite the decision to make such an FX-heavy film with such a small budget. It becomes painfully obvious that there are large limitations in place. After movies like Gravity and Star Wars, mediocre space work doesn’t cut it. It’s hard not to chuckle at the fights as they try to simulate the lack of gravity. This is too bad because there are interesting ideas, but they aren’t executed well in the frame.

Dumb character decisions plague the movie’s second half, and most of the potential feels wasted. Not to mention the sheer number of times when people can conveniently do sneaky things amongst the rather small space station. Some laughably stupid moments do their best to ruin anything that would be considered a positive. I really enjoyed the tension of the first half, but the second half destroys nearly all of that. Bad CGI, poor decision-making, and several plot threads that go nowhere result in one of the year’s most disappointing films.

I.S.S. IS IN THEATERS ON JANUARY 19TH, 2023.

I.S.S.

BELOW AVERAGE

5

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If you wish upon a star, Disney’s latest animated film, Wish, will come to Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD platforms sooner than you think. A heartfelt celebration of the magic of Disney and a joyful new entry to the studio’s animated film legacy, Walt Disney Animation Studios‘ Wish becomes available to view at home through digital retailers on January 23. Participating platforms include Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu, with 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD versions landing on shelves on March 12.

Here’s the official synopsis for Wish:

In this animated musical-comedy, Asha (Ariana DeBose), a sharp-witted idealist in the kingdom of Rosas, makes a powerful wish that’s answered by Star, a ball of boundless energy. Soon, Asha and Star must face a formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas—to save her community and prove that when one brave human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things happen.

Joining DeBose as primary cast members are Evan Peters as the voice of Simon, Chris Pine as King Magnifico, Harvey Guillén as Gabo, Angelique Cabral as Queen Amaya, and Victor Garber as Sabino.

Also featuring the voice of Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Chris Buck (Frozen, Frozen 2) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (Raya and the Last Dragon), produced by Peter Del Vecho (Frozen, Frozen 2) and co-produced by Juan Pablo Reyes (Encanto). Jennifer Lee (Frozen, Frozen 2) executive produces—Lee and Allison Moore (Night Sky, Manhunt) are writers on the project. Wish boasts original songs by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus a score by composer Dave Metzger.

In addition to the film, the home release of Disney’s Wish includes a sing-along movie version, never-before-seen bonus features, and deleted scenes.

You’ll find a complete list of the features mentioned above below:

Bonus Features*

• Sing Along With The Movie
• Sing along with your favorite songs while watching the movie with on-screen lyrics.
• Featurette: Once Upon A Studio
• Beloved characters from Disney Animation’s 100 years come together for an unforgettable reunion.
• 100 Years In The Making – The Inside story on the making of Wish
• What Makes Disney, Disney
  • Learn what makes a Disney film and its characters so distinct, memorable and beloved. Discover how Asha and WISH are quintessentially Disney — from the extraordinary challenges Asha must overcome, to the magical, Kingdom of Rosa
• The Wish Equation
  • What is a wish? Join the filmmakers for a surprising conversation as they break down the “Wish Equation,” discuss the “rules of magic,” and describe the role music plays in Disney films. Then hear Julia Michaels’ own original demo of “This Wish.”
• Looking Backward To Go Forward
  • Walk the aisles of the Walt Disney Animation Research Library as the filmmakers “draw” inspiration from 100 years of animation. Learn about the “Pinocchio test,” and how Wish’s design blends new technology with classic techniques.
• Where Dreams And Reality Collide
  • Discover the times and places that were the inspiration for Rosas and helped build the world of this original fairy tale.
• Asha Means Wish
  • Learn all about Asha, from her inspired design to her boundless determination and generosity. Uncover the subtle symbolism in her jewelry, and dive into her dancing skills. See how she’s imperfectly perfect and what makes her a memorable Disney hero.
• The Return Of The Disney Villain
  • You’ll love to hate King Magnifico when you uncover his secrets. Find out what makes him the classic Disney villain — and why he doesn’t wear a crown.
• Star Is Born
  • Uncover early concept drawings to see how Star evolved into Asha’s lovable wish facilitator. Learn about Star’s sparkles, and why Star can communicate with Asha and the other characters.
• Those Who Stand Beside Me
  • Learn more about Asha’s closest allies, Dahlia and Valentino. Find out which of Snow White’s seven companions served as inspiration for Dahlia, and how Valentino breaks one of the rules of Disney animals.
• When Wishes Come True
  • Get to know the kids inside the filmmakers as the creators of WISH reflect on what Disney movies meant to them growing up, and what it’s like being part of the Disney legacy today.
• Featurette: WISH D-Classified
• WISH is filled with references and nods to other Disney films from the studio’s 100-year legacy. From hidden Mickeys to more subtle tributes, you may have caught many of them, but check out this “D-Classified” piece for ones you may have missed.
• Featurette: Outtakes
• Step inside the recording booth with the brilliant and talented actors of WISH for some creative fun as they bring their characters to life.
• Featurette: Deleted Song “A Wish Worth Making”
• Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn introduce this poignant song sung by Saba Sabino (voiced by Victor Garber) expressing what it’s like to be reunited with your one true wish.
• Deleted Scenes – Check out some scenes that didn’t make the Final Cut.
  • Magnifico’s Secret
  • The Wishing Tree
  • To Rosas
  • Finding Flazino
  • Valentino Is A Star
• Song Selection – Jump to your favorite musical moments, with on-screen lyrics.
  • At All Costs
  • This Wish
  • I’m A Star
  • This Is The Thanks I Get?!
  • Knowing What I Know Now
  • This Wish (Reprise)

Are you looking forward to Wish landing on the home market? Will you sing along with your kids as they watch the movie on a loop? Steel yourselves, parents, Disney is at it again.

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Space is a scary enough place. Imagine being in space and witnessing a devastation taking place on Earth. That’s the start of the premise of the new sci-fi thriller, I.S.S., from Bleecker Street. Bloody Disgusting has just unveiled the new trailer online. The titular initials stand for the International Space Station and is the prime setting for this film. The mood starts friendly enough and showcases the crew of both American and Russian missions living in the structure in perfect harmony. Unbeknownst to them, hell is about to break loose on the planet below. As both crew teams witness vast explosions taking place on the surface of Earth, confusion, sadness, desperation and anger overcome the crew, and as they each receive extreme orders from their governments, the peace within the station dissipates.

The synopsis reads,
“Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling from this, the astronauts receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary.”

According to Bloody Disgusting, Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite works with Nick Shafir’s Blacklist script, and assembled an impressive cast for the sci-fi thriller that includes Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina (The Boogeyman), Pilou Asbaek (Run Sweetheart Run, Game of Thrones), John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane, Hush), Costa Ronin, and Masha Mashkova.

This particular film is of no relation, but years ago, it was announced that stunt/actor-extraordinaire Tom Cruise is planning to star in the first Hollywood movie to film on location at the International Space Station. Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman is set to travel with Cruise for the mega-ambitious film. There are very few details known for this movie. However, NASA itself would send out a tweet to confirm and express their excitement about the project. The tweet read, “NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality. — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 5, 2020.”

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In the latest from Disney Animation, Wish, we witness history. The film tells the story of a girl who wishes on a star and opens up a heap of trouble for the villainous ruler Magnifico. While the reviews have been mixed, I immensely enjoyed the story, the music, and the heart of this magical animated tale. Perhaps I needed some magic in my life, but this one was a treat. Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veersaunthorn and starring Chris Pine, Ariana DeBose, Alan Tudyk, and Victor Garber, Wish put a smile on my face, and it was a terrific way to escape into a flick.

I attended the film’s premiere the same night the SAG strike reached an agreement. Initially, I planned on participating in the interviews without the cast (due to the strike). Happily, with that news, we had a couple of new interviews to cover, including Chris Pine and Ariana DeBose. However, the junket was a treat, with or without the discussions. Not only did we have a chance to do a little ADR work, attend an animation class, and chat with the Wish crew. We also were given a tour of Disney Animation Studios—the highlight was the original office of Walt Disney himself.

First, we made our way past photographs representing the 100-year history of Disney. From Mary Poppins to Tangled, the beautifully framed pictures lining the walls stirred a few cinematic memories. Then we made our way into the first room, the reception for Walt Disney. Inside was a mantle with many accolades and awards – Disney has far more than you could place in one bookshelf. Yet, it was the next stop that stirred my movie memories.

As a fan, I had long heard talk of the piano in Walt’s office, which he had Richard and Robert Sherman play for him. Mr. Disney’s favorite? “Feed the Birds.” It was delightful seeing this and his impressive collection of figurines. And yes, you can find numerous representations from his films on display. The office, not fancy by today’s standards, but the two rooms Walt Disney used for himself are impressive. The man undoubtedly enjoyed conveniences, including a lovely kitchen area I’d be thrilled to take over. Although his choice of loving Spam would not be mine.

It was invigorating to be that close to history. And the journalists and influencers on the tour with us may have had another guest. As we were walking into his office initially, one of the attendants wondered aloud if Walt would be joining us (with a laugh). As we all gathered together in one of the main rooms, a thin object leaning up against the door frame fell moments after. Untouched by any of us. Somebody possibly brushed up against the thing setting it up for a fall, but it certainly made the event all the more entertaining. After all, it’s not every day Walt Disney’s ghost pays you a visit.

Wish is currently playing in theatres this Thanksgiving weekend. Check out our interviews at the top of this article with the cast and read our very positive review!

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Occasionally, a flick comes at the right time. And for me, as we head into the holiday season, Wish was one of them (read our review). It may not be technically the best of the current Disney releases, but something about its story and music spoke to this viewer. The film features terrific performances from its stars, including Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, and Victor Garber. Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, from a script by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore, Wish comes from the inspiration of 100 years of Disney animation. From classic cameos to the lovely tunes from Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, Wish was a delight.

Last week, we had the thrill of attending an in-person junket for the film. With the strike ending, Hollywood was again ready to get their voice out there. And after attending a preview event for Wish, it was nice to sit down and talk about the new film. And with the news of the strike, it appeared that a celebration was in order. Not only did we speak with the filmmakers, but we were finally able to speak with the actors. And finally, we were given a tour of Walt Disney’s office and the Disney Animation Studios. It was a packed day, so keep your eyes on JoBlo for more later.

First up, I spoke with Chris Pine about his take on the villainous Magnifico. He talked about the songs he performs, including “This Is The Thanks I Get?” and working with Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice. And as for the very talented Ariana DeBose, she opened up about taking on the lead in a Disney Animated feature and all that comes from it. These two actors bring so much to the film and the songs, and speaking to both for Wish was terrific.

Next up, we sat down with Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasnthorn. Fawn has such a passion for the project, as does Mr. Buck. The two opened up about creating the right movie for the 100-year celebration. And yes, that excitement continued with the producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones. The two spoke about bringing the project to life. However, they are not to be ready to think about a sequel. That’s up to the audiences everywhere when it finally arrives in theatres this Friday.

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