Disney is taking the lyrics to “Happily Ever After” and diving in with their hearts wide open as they announce everything from magical new movies and charming new princes to their taking major legal steps in the fight for a new tomorrow.
If you’ve been keeping up with the news in any capacity, you know that Ron DeSantis has made Disney his own personal punching bag on his very public quest for vengeance after a dispute regarding the Florida governor’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In a big move from the House of Mouse, the company has decided to fight back against DeSantis, but we’ll fill you in on that soon. We also have the news that the painfully handsome Chris Pine is an upcoming Disney King in the animated film, Wish, set to be released later this year — and we won’t have to wait long to get our first peek at it. Speaking of peeks, fans were given a new look at Ariel’s right-hand fish in the upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid, and we’re wondering what he’s been going through lately.
Life is the bubbles, after all. You know the drill from here; it’s time to cozy up in your Disney blankets and turn on your favorite Pixar classic because we’re filling you in on all things magic.
Disney sues Ron DeSantis, and all feels like it’s moving towards being right with the world
In a significant move regarding the DeSantis vs. Disney battle, Disney is gearing up for a fight of its own as news broke this afternoon that the House of Mouse was suing DeSantis. You’d have to be living under a rock to have missed the legal woes between the two Florida powerhouses, but it’s more obvious than ever before that Disney isn’t going to take this battle lying down.
In a statement shared today, the House of Mouse had this to say about the step forward in the lawsuit, which comes as no surprise especially considering DeSantis’ statement regarding a prison next to Walt Disney World, yes — you read that right.
“Disney regrets that it has come to this, but having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”
Described as a “relentless campaign,” and rightfully so, Disney is as tired as the rest of us about the onslaught of what feels like an almost personal vendetta against Disney from team DeSantis. Of course, the governor isn’t going to keep mum about the issues, either, and his legal team put out the following statement shared by NBC News.
“We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state. This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law.”
It looks like an end to the battle between Disney and DeSantis is far off, but with a little magic and a wish upon a star, anything is possible, right?
The Little Mermaid‘s Flounder looks like he’s had a rough year
When you think of The Little Mermaid, a few things immediately come to mind: the iconic “kiss-the-girl” scene, gadgets and gizmos aplenty, and Ariel’s best sidekick — Flounder. So when the live-action version of the film was announced, fans were worried about just how these sea-dwelling creatures would be portrayed, and rightfully so. Disney knows how to craft a beautiful story, and their animated ventures are just perfect, but they haven’t always hit the mark where live-action remakes are concerned.
That doesn’t mean, however, that they’ve all been terrible. We could watch a Disney movie in any capacity and find some magic in it, but there are characters so perfectly created that it’s hard to see their live-action counterparts without wondering what went wrong. The same can be said for Flounder, and as the previews into The Little Mermaid have grown more prominent, we can’t help but notice that Flounder looks like he’s just been through it lately.
Of course, he is an anxious bestie in the storyline, but it looks like he went from nervous to wholly wrecked emotionally in 3.5 seconds, and he’s not even seen Ariel trying to walk around among the humans as she awaits true love’s kiss yet! If you looked at a random picture of us on any given day, we might also be giving off strong Flounder vibes, but this is a character poster we’re talking about — fans were hoping for the royal treatment.
We’re not going to entirely knock the character until we see the film, as we have all the faith that Jacob Tremblay will come in with charm and sweet nature and breathe some saving grace into our favorite (not) guppy, but we’re just a little mesmerized by the live-action take not being more animated friendly. In fact, we’re a little bummed out about it.
Chris Pine is Disney royalty — but hasn’t he always been?
Onto news that’s made us less frazzled today, Chris Pine has been announced as Disney’s newest charming royal, and he’ll take on the role of King Magnifico in the upcoming animated movie, Wish.
While the first teaser trailer is expected to be released during Good Morning America tomorrow, alongside a surprise, we did get the above first look at Pine’s character, who is said to rule the Kingdom of Rosas. He’s charismatic and charming and a perfect candidate for the role as Pine himself is — well, charismatic and charming too.
The synopsis for the film reads as follows:
“Wish asks the question: ‘How did the wishing star, which so many Disney characters wished upon, came to be?’ Set in the magical kingdom of Rosas, the story introduces Asha (voice of Ariana DeBose), an optimist with a sharp wit who deeply cares about her community. When Asha turns to the sky in a moment of need and makes a wish, her plea is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.”
While the first look at the film is very Frozen-esque, we can’t wait to see where else Disney has drawn inspiration for the film. Until we get the teaser trailer tomorrow, we’ll be dreaming of wishes we’d make if we had our own magical star.