Carlos Saldanha’s Disney Comedy Series “How to be a Carioca” to Screen at Iberseries & Platino Industria

Carlos Saldanha’s latest project will get its first screening next month.

The 58-year-old Brazilian animator, director, producer and voice actor’s Disney comedy series How to be a Carioca will screen for the first time at the Iberseries & Platino Industria event in October.

Carlos SaldanhaThe first episode of the Star Original Productions-badged comedy will play at the fest, which is held in Madrid.

Saldanha and co-creator Joana Mariani will feature on a panel for the show alongside Leonardo Aranguibel, VP of Production, Head of Production Operations and Strategy, The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

The Portuguese-language comedy series follows an American writer who has to learn the quirks of Rio de Janeiro’s people after moving to the city. It stars the likes of Seu Jorge and Douglas Silva, and marks one of the first live-action Brazilian series the Oscar-nominated Saldanha has made in some years. He’s known for directing two of the Ice Age and Rio movies and picked up an Academy Award nom for 2017’s Ferdinand.

The show is set to launch on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+’s streaming services, including Disney+ worldwide.

How to be a Carioca follows an American writer who has to learn the quirks of Rio de Janeiro’s people after moving to the Brazilian city. Saldanha is creating the show with Mariani and Diogo Dhal with scriptwriters Rodrigo Nogueira, Sabrina Rosa and Felipe Scholl. Moovie is producing.

The series will screen as part of the Chapter One strand of Iberseries.

Disney+ to Begin Streaming Rosario Dawson’s “Haunted Mansion” in October

Rosario Dawson’s latest film will be bringing the fright to Disney+ soon.

Haunted Mansion, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist, will begin streaming on Disney+ on October 4.

Rosario Dawson, Haunted MansionThe feature, inspired by the famed theme park ride at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, opened in theaters on July 28.

Directed by Justin Simien and penned by Katie Dippold, the film tells the story of a woman (Dawson) and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help them rid their home of supernatural squatters.

In addition to Dawson, the cast includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Chase W. Dillon and Daniel Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.

The film also will be available at digital retailers on October 4, including Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu.

Disney+ to Release CNCO’s Original Fiction Miniseries “4Ever” in October

CNCO may have disbanded as a group, but the members are planning on forever

The highly-awaited series from Disney+ featuring the members of the Latin boy band has a release date.

CNCOThis week, CNCO unveiled new details on 4 Ever, Disney’s upcoming original fiction miniseries where Christopher Vélez, Richard Camacho, Zabdiel De Jesús and Erick Brian Colón make their acting debut.

“Ian, Andy, Dario, and Ciro. Four voices, one same destiny,” reads the Instagram caption.

The five-episode miniseries that’s produced by Tolmur and Bourke and directed by Nuno Gomes will air October 11 on Disney+. 

4 Ever will follow the story of four musicians who are on their way to becoming a popular band in Miami’s music scene, and will include three original songs performed by CNCO and three covers of well-known ballads.

Disney Releases New Trailer for Rosario Dawson’s “Haunted Mansion”

More Haunted moments from Rosario Dawson

Disney has released a new trailer for Haunted Manson, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist.

Rosario Dawson“When my son and I moved in here, it wasn’t as warm as we’d hoped,” says Dawson’s character Gabbie. 

Directed by Justin Simien, the film follows a woman (Dawson) and her son (Chase W. Dillon) who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. “It’s time to assemble the Dream Team,” we are told. 

LaKeith Stanfield plays a paranormal tour guide, Tiffany Haddish is a psychic, Owen Wilson is a priest, and Danny DeVito is a historian. Daniel Levy also stars, along with Jamie Lee Curtis as the disembodied Madame Leota and Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost — and all get some screen time in the new trailer.

Fans of the longtime Disney ride — it opened in 1969 at Disneyland and two years later at Walt Disney World — will recognize the eerie hallways, the stretching room, the ghostly ballroom and the creepy house itself.

“You’re all in for a treat.”

Katie Dippold wrote the Haunted Mansion script, Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are the producers, and Nick Reynolds and Tom Peitzman serve as executive producers.

Disney earlier had planned to open the filmon March 10, but now it is set to hit theaters on July 28.

Disney to Premiere Zoe Saldaña’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” on Disney+ in August

Zoe Saldaña’s galaxy is headed online…

Disney has set the Disney+ global premiere date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, starring the 45-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, for August 2, 90 days after the film’s theatrical release of May 5.

Zoe SaldanaWhile Disney received criticism during CEO Bob Chapek’s era for executing theatrical day-and-date releases on Disney+ during the pandemic, the Mouse House continues to make it up to movie theater operators.

In fact, they’ve been following long theatrical windows before Marvel films hit Disney+ going back to 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Recently, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had an 89-day theatrical window until it hit its Disney+ debut date on May 17. Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had an 82-day window after its November 11 theatrical release date before hitting Disney+ on February 1.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 from filmmaker-turned-DC Studios co-Boss James Gunn, is currently the second highest grossing movie of the year with $842.4M worldwide after

Universal/Illumination’s Super Mario Bros Movie, which has minted $1.34 billion. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still shy of the $955.7M that Disney/MCU’s summer kickstarter, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessgrossed last year.

Meanwhile, Super Mario Bros will hit Universal’s streaming service Peacock after 121 days in theaters.

Disney & Pixar Release Trailer for Animated Film “Elio,” Featuring America Ferrera

America Ferrera is getting animated…

Disney and Pixar have released the first teaser for Elio, featuring the 39-year-old Honduran American award-winning actress as part of the voice cast.

America FerreraIn addition to Ferrera, the voice cast of Pixar Animation’s 28th animated feature will also include up-and-comer Yonas Kibreab, Jameela Jamil and Brad Garrett.

Directed by Adrian Molina, the co-director and writer of Pixar’s Coco, Elio introduces viewers to Kibreab’s character of the same name. An underdog with an active imagination, Elio finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide.

Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, and completely unprepared for that kind of pressure, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien life forms, survive a series of formidable trials and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.

Ferrera voices Elio’s mom, Olga, with Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Garrett as Ambassador Grigon.

Produced by Mary Alice Drumm, who associate produced Coco, the film is set for release in theaters on March 1, 2024.

Caco Ciocler to Star in Disney’s Brazilian Drama Series “Americana”

Caco Ciocler is celebrating Americana

The 51-year-old Brazilian actor will star in the Disney drama series Americana, which centers on the plight of ‘Confederados’ who left the U.S. for Brazil after the American Civil War.

Caco Ciocler, The streaming series, which is for Disney’s Star+ in Brazil, is shooting in São Paulo with a cast including Kaiwi Lyman.

São Paolo production house CineFilm is making the show based on scripts from Maurilio Martins and Manuel Moruzzi. Two six-episode seasons have been ordered ahead of a 2024 launch date.

In addition to Ciocler, other Brazilian actors starring in the project include Andre Ramiro, Bruno Gissoni, Larissa Nunes, Zeze Motta, Thalma de Freitas, David Júnior, Maria Luiza Mendonça, Luciano Quirino, Zahy Tentehar, Lucila Gandolfo, Diego lleske, Arthur Garbe and Ditte Marie le-Fèvreare.

The series is set in Americana, a municipality in the state of São Paulo, during the late 19th century and follows the Confederates who left the U.S. for Brazil after losing the American Civil War. It reportedly follows a police officer and his female slave, who is also a detective, as they uncover the truth behind murders in the town. About 20,000 Confederate subjects — known as Confederados — left America to emigrate to Brazil in the 19th Century.

First Trailer Released for Jesse Garcia-Starrer “Flamin’ Hot,” Directed by Eva Longoria

Jesse Garcia is ready to spice up the streaming world…

The first trailer has been released for Flamin’ Hot starring the 40-year-old Mexican and Spanish American actor.

Jesse Garcia, Flamin' Hot “I know I don’t look it, but I got a Ph.D.,” Richard Montañez (Garcia) tells his new supervisor at the Frito-Lay plant. After a doubting “Hmm?” from the boss, he continues, “I’m poor, hungry and determined, sir.”

Replies the button-down manager, “OK, I can see you’re gonna be a weird one.”

Flamin’ Hot, directed by Eva Longoria, is a tale of a janitor who channeled his Mexican-American heritage and upbringing into an idea for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, which disrupted the food industry and became a pop culture phenomenon.

As Montañez says in the trailer, “I’m the guy who helped bring the world the most popular snack it’s ever seen.”

Layoffs are hitting the PepsiCo snack-food giant because “Frito-Lay isn’t getting enough orders to keep the factory open,” the workers are told. But Montañez has the answer: “It’s a spicy chip. It’s gonna change everything.” Doubts converge among the higher-ups — “Why are we wasting time on this janitor’s crazy idea?” — but he starts to convincing.

Talking to roomful of execs, Montañez says, “If we knew there was a product out there for us, we’d say, ‘Take all our money, cabrones!” A mini-montage later, he admits, “I got a little ‘hood there at the end, but…”

Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh, Pepe Serna, Bobby Soto, Jimmy Gonzales, Brice Gonzalez, Vanessa Martinez, Fabian Alomar, Mario Ponce, Hunter Jones also star in the Searchlight Pictures film, which will be the first film to hit both Disney+ and Hulu in its streaming debut, on June 9.

 

Disney Animation Releases First Trailer for Ariana DeBose’s “Wish”

Ariana DeBose is looking to the stars…

Disney has dropped the first trailer for Wish, the Disney Animation film, featuring the 32-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress voicing the lead role.

Ariana DeBose“Imagine a place where wishes come true,” starts the trailer, which introduces 17-year-old Asha, played by DeBose, the powerful King Magnifico (Chris Pine), Asha’s pet goat Valentino (Alan Tudyk), and Star, a celestial ball of boundless energy that Asha’s wish calls down from the sky.

It also features DeBose’s princess belting out a powerful anthem, “So I Made This Wish” as she swirls around underneath a starry sky. It’s one of several new songs written by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice for the film.

The film is set in Rosas, a fantastical land located off the Iberian Peninsula. “Our heroine, Asha, lives in Rosas, known as the kingdom of wishes,” said director Chris Buck, who helms the film with Fawn Veerasunthorn. “People come from everywhere to give their wishes to a magical king who promises to grant their deepest desires—someday. Only he can decide which wishes will come true and when.”

Added Veerasunthorn, “We have been inspired by so many iconic films over Disney Animation’s 100 years, especially stories where we explore the power of someone with a wish, combined with the conviction to make that wish come true. Being able to honor that legacy with this incredible story and these amazing characters has been a joy for our entire team.”

In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—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.

The film is produced by Peter Del Vecho and co-produced by Juan Pablo Reyes. Jennifer Lee executive produces and serves as writer with Allison Moore. The score is composed by Dave Metzger.

Wish debuts in theaters on November 22.

Demi Lovato to Release Rock Version of Their Hit Single “Heart Attack”

Demi Lovato is preparing to rockify one of her beloved hits…

The 30-year-old half-Mexican singer/actress is set to release their power-fueled pop hit “Heart Attack” with a fresh update.

Demi LovatoTen years after its initial released, Lovato will release a rock version of the track this Friday, March 24. 

Lovato announced the new via Instagram on Monday.

“Heart Attack, but make it Rock,” they captioned the post, which features a short, guitar-centered snippet of the new track.

Upon its original release in early 2013, the song peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart dated April 27, 2013.

The Grammy-nominated Disney alum’s latest record marked a stark shift in image and sound from their revelatory 2021 album — Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over.

Led by the singles “Skin of My Teeth,” “Substance” and “29,” 2022’s Holy Fvck took on a more rock, edgy sound. Holy Fvck features collaborations with Royal & the SerpentYUNGBLUD and Dead Sara, as well as writing and production credits from Warren “Oak” Felder, Michael Pollack, and Lovato themselves.

In early 2022, Lovato hosted a “funeral” for their pop music days, sharing an image to their Instagram page posing with both middle fingers up, joined by music executives from Island Records and manager Scooter Braun. Every person in the picture wore all black. “A funeral for my pop music,” Lovato captioned the image.