Disney kicked off its CinemaCon session with extended looks at Pixar’s Lightyear and Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness on Wednesday (April 27).
Chris Evans voices the lead character in Angus MacLane’s Toy Story spin-off that arrives in North American on June 17. Thirty minutes of footage showed Space Ranger Lightyear racing to get home after he is marooned 4.2m light years from Earth.
Upon his return Lightyear learns he has aged more slowly than his colleagues, one of whom, Alisha Hawthorne voiced by Uzo Aduba, has a female love interest.
Last month Pixar’s LGBTQIA+ employees and supporters issued an open letter revealing that parent company Disney cut out “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” in their stories. That prompted Disney to restore a same-sex kiss in Lightyear.
Another notable new character in the Lightyear footage likely to become a merchandise hit is robotic cat assistant Sox, voiced by Peter Sohn.
Prior to the Pixar footage, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige introduced several scenes from next week’s global release Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (May 6) to attendees at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
The audience got to see Benedict Cumberbatch as the ponytailed title character battling a monster in deep space together with a young girl before both vanish through a portal. Back on Earth, Strange defeats a different creature and reunites with the young girl again who introduces herself as America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez. There were also sequences involving Elizabeth Olsen and Rachel McAdams.
Disney EVP, head of theatrical distribution Tony Chambers said Sam Raimi’s tentpole had already generated $42m in advance ticket sales. Feige added that the next decade of Marvel films would be “different and unique” with existing characters and new characters exploring aspects of the multiverse.
It also emerged that last week’s trailer for Taika Waititi’s July release Thor: Love And Thunder drew 209m views in its first 24 hours.
Chambers cued up footage from David O Russell’s 1930’s-set drama Amsterdam from New Regency/20th Century Studios about three friends who witness a murder and uncover a plot. Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert De Niro and Rami Malek are among the cast and on first sight Russell appears to have captured his trademark oddball ensemble chemistry. Amsterdam opens on November 4.
The presentation included musical footage from The Bob’s Burgers Movie which opens on May 27.
Chambers rounded out the event name-checking several previously announced 2023 releases: The Marvels on February 17; Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5; Untitled Indiana Jones on June 30; and Antman And The Wasp: Quantumania on July 28;
No comments yet