The Walt Disney Studios previewed 10
animated movies on Monday that it will release during the next
four years, including further installments in the "Toy Story"
and "Cars" series and two new fairy tales.
With the exception of "Wall.E," a robot love story opening
on June 28, and "The Princess and the Frog," a hand-drawn
animated fairy tale set in New Orleans and due to open
Christmas 2009, the remaining eight movies will be made in
digital 3-D.
"We're excited to be pushing the boundaries of 3-D and
computer technology to tell our stories in the best possible
way," said John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt
Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.
Digital 3-D still requires moviegoers to wear geeky
glasses, but the left- and right-eye images are calibrated so
finely that most viewers experience no headache or eyestrain.
The first Disney digital 3-D movie for release is "Bolt,"
the story of a dog of the same name who thinks he has superhero
powers. John Travolta gives voice to Bolt while hit teen
singer/actress Miley Cyrus is voicing Bolt's owner Penny in the
movie, due to open on November 26.
"Up," the story of an unlikely 78-year-old adventurer and
his 8-year-old sidekick, is due to be released on May 29, 2009.
"Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" are due to be re-released in
digital 3-D on October 2, 2009 and February 12, 2010
respectively, while "Toy Story 3" is due to hit screens on June
18, 2010.
All the original cast from the previous "Toy Story" films,
including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack, are returning
for the third film, which picks up with Andy grown up and about
the head off to college.
The classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Rapunzel," about a
girl trapped in a tower whose long golden hair is the only way
for anyone to climb up to her, will be released at Christmas
2010.
Next comes "Newt," a story of the last two blue-footed
newts on the planet that aims to show that love is not a
science, which is due to hit screens in summer 2011.
Another new original fairy tale, "The Bear and the Bow" --
an action-adventure about a royal family in rugged and mythic
Scotland -- is slated to open Christmas 2011 starring the
voices of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson.
"Cars 2," in which Lightning McQueen and his best friend
Mater bid to take on the world's fastest cars, is due for
release in summer 2012. "King of Elves," based on a 1953 short
story by Phillip K. Dick, will hit screens at Christmas 2012.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols)
In Theaters 
