Tag Archives: Rise

20th Century Studios to Stream Auli’i Cravalho’s Supernatural Teen Comedy “Darby and the Dead” on Hulu

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Auli’i Cravalho’s latest project is headed to Hulu…

20th Century Studios has announced that its supernatural teen comedy Darby and the Dead, starring the 21-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer and Riele Downs, will stream exclusively on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories on December 2nd.

Auli’i CravalhoThe film formerly titled Darby Harper Wants You to Know is about a high school student who moonlights as a spiritual messenger. After suffering a near-death experience as a young girl, Darby Harper (Downs) gains the ability to see dead people. As a result, she becomes introverted and shut off from her high school peers and prefers to spend time counseling lonely spirits who have unfinished business on earth. But all that changes when Capri (Cravalho), the Queen Bee of the school’s most exclusive clique, unexpectedly dies in a freak hair straightening accident, resulting in the obvious cancellation of her upcoming “Sweet 17.”

Auli’i CravalhoCapri, however, pleads with Darby from the other side to intervene and convince Capri’s friends to proceed with the party as planned. In order to appease the wrath of the undead diva, Darby must emerge from her self-imposed exile and reinvent herself — which along the way allows her to find new joy back in the land of the living.

The film also stars Chosen Jacobs, Asher Angel, Wayne Knight, Derek Luke and Tony Danza.

Darby and the Dead was directed by Emmy nominee Silas Howard. Becca Greene wrote the script, which was based on a story by Wenonah Wilms.

Cravalho made her acting debut as the voice of the titular character in Disney’s Moana. Her other credits include Rise, All Together Now and Crush.

Disney Branded Television Gives Green Light to Auli’i Cravalho’s Animated Series “Hailey’s On It!”

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Auli’i Cravalho’s on it…

Disney Branded Television has given a series green light to Hailey’s On It!, an original animated comedy-adventure with the 20-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer leading the voice cast.

Auli’i CravalhoThe project hails from longtime writing and producing partners Devin Bunje and Nick Stanton and Disney Television Animation.

Cravalho, who rose to acclaim in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana, voices the title character, Hailey; along with Manny Jacinto as Scott, Hailey’s best friend; and Gary Anthony Williams as Beta, an artificially intelligent operating system from the future.

Hailey’s On It! is slated to debut in 2023.

Auli’i Cravalho, Hailey's On It

Created and executive produced by Bunje and Stanton, Hailey’s On It! follows Hailey Banks  (Cravalho), a risk-averse but resourceful teenager on a mission to complete every item on her long list of challenging (and sometimes impractical) tasks in order to save the world. Hailey will be pushed outside her comfort zone to discover the greatness within as she systematically conquers her fears, whether she is winning a sand-building competition, wrestling a honey badger, eating a raw onion, or facing her ever-growing and complicated feelings toward her best friend, Scott (Jacinto).

“Nick and Devin began their writing careers at TVA nearly 15 years ago and have now come full circle returning to their TVA roots to launch their first animated series,” said Meredith Roberts, SVP and general manager, Television Animation, Disney Branded Television. “The series’ fast-paced comedy, heart and grounded stories about two best friends, who happen to get caught up in extraordinary circumstances, made it a perfect fit for Disney.”

Cravalho’s previous credits include the NBC drama series Rise and the Netflix drama film All Together Now.

Auli’i Cravalho to Perform at PBS’ Televised Independence Day Celebration “A Capitol Fourth”

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Auli’i Cravalho is embracing the independence…

The 20-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer will perform at this year’s Independence Day celebration A Capitol Fourth, which will feature a pre-taped concert and live fireworks from Washington, D.C.

Auli’i Cravalho

The city has lifted almost all COVID-19 restrictions, and President Joe Biden is planning an event at the White House that day, his goal for having at least 70% of the country with at least one COVID-19 shot.

But producers have been planning the show for months, with COVID-19 forcing them to set aside the traditional live concert on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

In addition to Cravalho, others who will perform at the event are Jimmy Buffett, Cynthia Erivo, Alan Jackson, Pentatonix, Jennifer Nettles, Train, Gladys Knight, Mickey Guyton, Ali Stroker, Jimmie Allen and Laura Osnes.

The National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jack Everly, will perform John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare, honoring U.S. participation in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. The orchestra and the Joint Armed Forces Chorus will accompany the fireworks with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

Vanessa Williams will host the event, with Renee Fleming set to open the show with the National Anthem. The concert will honor men and women of the military, with other participants including the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The Joint Armed Forces Chorus and The Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.

The concert, a co-production of Michael Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA-TV, will air on July 4 from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm ET on PBS, and it also will be broadcast to the American Forces Network. NPR stations also will air the event, and it will be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and PBS.org through July 18.

Cravalho rose to acclaim as the voice of the title character in Disney’s computer animated musical Moana. Her other credits include NBC’s Rise and Netflix’s drama film All Together Now.

Auliʻi Cravalho to Star in Amazon’s Thriller Series “The Power”

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Auliʻi Cravalho’s got the power…

The 18-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer/actress, who recently starred as Ariel on The Little Mermaid Live!, will co-star opposite Leslie Mann in The Power, Amazon‘s 10-episode global thriller drama series based on Naomi Alderman’s feminist sci-fi book.

Auli’i Cravalho

Hailing from Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures, the project was adapted for screen by Alderman, who’s working alongside an all-female writers’ room.

In The Power, all teenage girls in the world develop the power to electrocute people at will. It’s hereditary, it’s inbuilt, and it can’t be taken away from them. Coming alive to the thrill of pure power: the ability to hurt or even kill by releasing electrical jolts from their fingertips, they rapidly learn they can awaken the Power in older women. Soon enough nearly every woman in the world can do it. And then everything is different.

The subversive, multi-stranded narrative follows a series of characters including Allie, a vulnerable American foster kid who reinvents herself as a faith leader; Roxy, the daughter of a London crime boss, who revels in her new abilities; Tunde, a Nigerian journalist reporting on seismic global change; and Margot Cleary – Lopez (Mann), Mayor of Seattle; loving wife and doting mother to three kids. At least that’s what her official campaign website would tell you.

Cravalho is playing Margot’s (Mann) daughter, Jos. As Margot’s career takes flight, it’s her husband Rob and daughter Jos who privately feel the effects of her success most keenly; for one of them, where previously there was conflict now comes a greater understanding, and for the other where there was love, comes hurt and betrayal.

The Power was created by Alderman, who is executive producing alongside Reed Morano, who is directing.

Cravalho most recently starred as the title character in ABC’s highly-rated The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live! special. 

She’s currently in production as the lead of the Brett Haley’s Netflix film Sorta Like a Rock Star. The actress, who burst onto the scene as the title character in the Disneyanimated hit Moana, has also appeared on NBC’s drama series Rise.

Auli’i Cravalho to Star in ABC’s Live “The Little Mermaid” Special

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Auli’i Cravalho is heading under the sea…

The 18-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer is set to star as Ariel in ABC’s The Little Mermaid live special.

Auli’i Cravalho

In addition to Cravalho, who rose to acclaim as the voice of the title character in Disney’s Moana, the special will also star Queen Latifah as Ursula and Shaggy as Sebastian. 

The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!, featuring a mix of live action, animation and puppetry, will air on November 5 to mark the classic Disney animated feature’s 30th anniversary.

ABC originally announced in May 2017that it would stage a live production of the beloved underwater tale under the long-dormant Wonderful World of Disneybanner, which was slated for October 3, 2017. In August of that year, the network announced that the live event had been put on hold.

Since joining ABC last December as President of Entertainment, Karey Burke has expressed strong support for live specials. Her commitment was likely reaffirmed in May after the success of Jimmy Kimmel’s live staging of two classic Norman Lear sitcoms on the network, which spawned two more installments.

Burke today said that if The Little Mermaid is a success, it too can lead to do more live musicals based on Disneyfilm titles on ABC. “If it works, I expect we will do more of them and we will work closely with the feature department about timing,” she said.

Billed as a tribute to the original animated classic and its music, The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live! will feature live musical performances by its star-studded cast interwoven into the broadcast of the original feature film. 

The hybrid format will combine intricate sets and costumes created for the special with music from the original animated film and the Tony Award-winningBroadway stage version, composed by eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken. 

Howard Ashman’s film lyrics will also be showcased, with Glenn Slater, lyricist for the Broadway adaptation, as a contributor.

Cravalho is already in the extended Disney Princessesfamily having voiced Moana in the hit animated movie. 

Following her breakout role in Moana, Cravalho performed the film’s anthem, How Far I’ll Go, at the Oscarsand starred in the NBCmusical drama series Rise. It was just announced that she is the lead of the Brett Haley Netflixfilm Sorta Like a Rock Star. 

The announcement of The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live! going forward comes as Disney is gearing up for production of a live-action feature adaptation of The Little Mermaid for director Rob Marshall, Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda and Menken. Halle Bailey has been set as Ariel in the movie, Awkwafina as Ariel’s seagull friend Scuttle, and Jacob Tremblay as Ariel’s friendly fish pal Flounder, while Melissa McCarthy has been rumored for the role of UIrsula and Harry Stylesfor Prince Eric.

Burke is not worried about ABC’s live Little Mermaid special and the upcoming movie cannibalizing each other. “Ours is distinctly different from the feature film,” she said.