STACK NZ Sep #66

EXTRAS

NEWS

visit stack.net.nz

NEW REBEL HEROES FOR STAR WARS DISNEY’S WOW FACTOR As well as updates on StarWars and Marvel, the Pacific-themed Moana was among the new animated titles showcased at Disney expo D23.

ue in cinemas next Christmas, Moana tells the story of a teenager in search of a fabled Pacific island and will feature the voice talents of Dwayne Johnson as the god Maui. Pacific music icon Opetaia Foa’i and his Pacific fusion group Te Vaka gave attendees a taste of the music soundtrack with a show-stopping live performance. Other upcoming animated blockbusters showcased at D23 included the next big Disney movie The Good Dinosaur (in cinemas in December), Zootopia (April 2016), two highly-anticipated sequels: Finding Dory (June 2016) and Toy Story 4 (June 2017). A new Pixar short Riley’s First Date? , which will be featured on the Blu-ray edition of the next Disney blockbuster Inside Out , was also premiered. As well as sneak peeks and music performances, there were also appearances from stars such as Ellen DeGeneres, Ginnifer Goodwin, Rashida Jones and Ty Burrell. Pixar chief and Toy Story creator John Lasseter said: “We really have an unbelievable range of movies in production at our studios right now.” In addition to the animated line-up, Disney also gave a run through of the studio’s upcoming live action slate, which includes remakes and reboots of classics such as The Jungle Book (April 2016), Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 2016), Pete’s Dragon (September 2016) and Beauty and the Beast (March 2017). There was also a surprise appearance on stage from Johnny Depp in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales . Unsurprisingly, the events that attracted the most media attention were the sessions devoted to Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic D

To whet your appetite for the upcoming big screen return of Star Wars, this month sees the DVD debut of the brand new animated series Star Wars Rebels . The first season features 15 episodes and follows the adventures of the motley crew of the starship Ghost who have taken the fight to the Empire, five years after the events of Stars Wars IV: A New Hope . Receiving help from familiar heroes such as Lando Calrissian, Ahsoka Tano, and Jedi Master Yoda, the series also features an appearance from Star Wars’ most infamous villain Darth Vader. Freddie Prinze Jr, David Oyelowo and Jason Isaacs are among those providing the voices for Star Wars Rebels ; a second season is already in the works.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

universes. Although there were no ground- breaking revelations, more detail was confirmed about the spin-off Rogue One , the first of the standalone Star Wars stories due to hit the big screen. Gareth Edwards ( Godzilla ) is directing and the cast includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn and Donnie Yen. Meanwhile, Colin Trevorrow was confirmed as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX , which is scheduled for release in 2019. There was nothing really new announced about Star Wars: The Force Awakens , but there was wild applause from the audience when Harrison Ford joined director J.J. Abrams on stage during the presentation. As for Marvel, there was an early glimpse into the world of Doctor Strange (November 2016), featuring a video greeting by Benedict Cumberbatch, while Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie joined producer Kevin Feige on stage to show never-seen-before footage from Captain America: Civil War , due in cinemas in May 2016. The superhero blockbuster follows on from the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron , which is out this month on DVD and Blu-ray.

Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One is due out on September 2

Te Vaka

Former Soundgarden man Chris Cornell, who returns to New Zealand for three shows in November, this month releases his fifth studio set Higher Truth . Produced by Brendan O’Brien, the new LP is due on September 18 and is inspired by the stark arrangements of the likes of Nick Drake and Daniel Johnston. Expect to hear plenty of tracks from the new LP during his acoustic shows in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in November.

SEPTEMBER 2015

06

jbhifi.co.nz