Disney and Epic Games Collaborate on New Universe Connected to Fortnite

As a 40-year-old man with far too many hobbies, I’ll warily admit that I dabble in Fortnite from time to time. Whether popping in to spend way too much money on a new Star Wars skin or killing time while another game downloads, Fortnite serves as an easy-to-pick-up palate cleanser that’s a lot more fun and immersive than a lot of people my age assume it is. I’m also pretty terrible at it.

Well, I might be spending a lot more time getting one-shotted by buff Peter Griffins following news that Disney and Fortnite makers Epic Games are teaming up to bring us “an all-new gams and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences.”

According to the press release, which you can read in full here, the new experience will connect to Fortnite, and “the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. This will all be powered by Unreal Engine.”

Disney is also investing $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games as part of this multiyear project.

So might we soon see Lightning McQueen do the griddy through Pandora as Babu Frik wields a Keyblade against Goofy in Iron Man armor? God, I hope so.

Watch the announcement video below!

Is 'Star Wars' Getting the Pixar Treatment?

Just days after J.J. Abrams revealed the completion of the Star Wars: Episode VII script, LatinoReview.com reports that Pixar will be producing a film set in George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away.

This news has yet to be confirmed in any official capacity, but it pretty much makes perfect sense. Pixar has been responsible for some of Disney’s most successful animated films over the past two decades, and Star Wars will be a brand to watch over the next few years as Disney continues to expand the franchise across all media platforms. If this report turns out to be true, let’s hope Pixar’s take on the Star Wars saga is more WALL-E than Cars.

For the full story, click here.

New Toy Story 3 Trailer Hits the Web!

Disney and Pixar have debuted the third trailer for Toy Story 3, which introduces some new characters—including an ascot-wearing Ken doll, voiced by Michael Keaton—and gives us a better idea of the story and tone of this second and presumably final Toy Story sequel.

While I’m sure we’d all much rather get something fresh and original from Pixar this summer (or at the very least, a much-needed sequel to The Incredibles), let’s not forget that its one sequel to date, Toy Story 2, is one of the best films to come out of the studio. Try not to get misty-eyed when Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (Joan Cusack) sings “When Somebody Loved Me.” I dare ya.

In Toy Story 3, which hits theaters June 18, Andy goes off to college, so his mom donates Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the gang to a daycare center loaded with grabby toddlers. But the toys soon learn that Andy is looking for them, inspiring his former playthings to stage a breakout attempt to reunite with their former owner.

Let me reiterate: Michael Keaton is playing a Ken doll that wears an ascot. That’s worth the ticket price right there.

The trailer is available at Apple. Click here to watch it.

By the Numbers

A post-apocalyptic computer-animated action film pitting cute, ragdoll-like robots against evil, monstrous ones, Shane Acker’s 9 is all about spectacle. Produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov and based on Acker’s 2005 short film of the same name, 9 has a fascinating steampunk aesthetic and moves along at a breakneck pace.

However, with a brief running time of 79 minutes and a barely-there plot, 9 just doesn’t feel like a feature. And since the screenplay by Acker, Ben Gluck and Corpse Bride co-writer Pamela Pettler never gives 9’s archetypal characters anything all that interesting to do or say, this film will probably be remembered as a visually arresting yet hollow movie experience. That is, if it’s remembered at all.

The verdict? It looks great, but save for some cool action sequences, 9 doesn’t offer much to latch onto from a narrative perspective. If there’s one thing that Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E taught us last summer, it’s that computer-animated robots can be more human than most flesh-and-blood Hollywood stars. Unfortunately, 9 never reaches that level of emotional engagement. But, then again, it never aspires to it. While flawed, this is a worthwhile rental.