Walt Disney Studios 2006 Showcase
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The host for this grand showcase was none other than Dick Cook, the chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. After the musical montage Dick took the stage and welcomed the crowd. Almost immediately he launched into his pitch. What we just saw was a medley of past Disney greats - films like Pretty Woman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians, The Happiest Millionaire, Peter Pan, Jungle Book, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense, Pearl Harbor, just to name a few, and today, he explained, we would see the roster for 2006 and beyond. We’d also be treated to a few surprises along the way -- and he wasn’t kidding.

Richard Cook, the chairman of Walt Disney Studios

Roll Picture
The first film of the day Dick would introduce us to was Flightplan with Jodi Foster. With a massive title card projected on a screen backdrop (this format would be used throughout the day), Dick talked excitedly about the film and Disney’s expectations for it. But who better to talk about the movie than Jodi Foster, he asked, who, on cue, entered from the wings. She joked about how her first film with Disney (Menace on the Mountain) wasn’t mentioned by the studio in her biography so she wouldn’t mention it here either, but was upbeat and enthusiastic about working with the studio yet again. Foster was only on stage for a few minutes when she turned things back over to Dick who thanked her and moved on.

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a golf drama starring Shia LaBeouf (Holes, Even Stevens). Directed by Bill Paxton, Disney has hopes for the film. Dick commented, a lot of people have ask why Disney would make a movie about golf. The answer was simple he said, “I like golf.�? We then saw a trailer for it, the first of several trailers we would see during the day. After that, we were briefly introduced to the talent behind the film, director Bill Paxton, writer mark Frost and star Shia LaBeof, they all came briefly onto the stage, waved to the crowd and then exited.

Next up, the action adventure Eight Below starring Paul Walker (The Fast and Furious) and Jason Biggs (American Pie). Best described as Vertical Limit meets Snow Dogs (minus the talking dogs), we were shown about a four-minute trailer, and it looked worthy of further investigation. Based on a true story, the film follows a group of sled dogs left behind by Antarctic explorers and how the dogs make their way through the wilderness for survival. One of the dogs from the film also made a brief appearance on stage before Dick wrapped up the presentation for this movie.

Still with lots of ground to cover we were then introduced to Casanova. Starring Heath Ledger, the film received a standing ovation at this year's Venice Film Festival where it enjoyed a post-premiere party outing. We were shown a charming trailer. Shot on location in Venice, Italy the period piece follows the adventures of the world’s greatest lover, Casanova.

Animated Action
Shifting gears, literally, we were then shown a preview of Pixar’s next feature – and last film for Disney under the current contract – Cars. Inspired by Pixar president John Lasseter’s experience working in an auto parts store in Orange County, California (and his own love for NASCAR, cars and the road trip experience), Cars is the story of stock-car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and his adventures on the open road. The film also features the voices of Richard Petty, Paul Newman and Cheech Marin.

Brad Paisley

Dick talked positively about the film and the relationship with Pixa. He then explained that John Lasseter couldn’t make today’s presentation and launched into an impromptu interview with Lasseter with Dick played both parts, both interviewer and interviewee. It was a funny bit. Unlike the previous films, significantly more time was spent on this presentation and in addition to Dick’s stand-up routine, country music artist Brad Paisley performed his hit “Mud on the Tires�? while various images from the film (including one of Lighting McQueen being chased through a corn field by an evil harvester) played on giant screens positioned above the stage. After the preview and song, Dick returned to the stage to say Brad would also be writing a song exclusively for the film. The big surprise, though, was special guest John Lasseter. John (who made a surprise live appearance) spoke for a moment about his excitement for the film and working with Disney, then turned things back over to Dick. No announcement about the future of the Pixar/Disney relationship was mentioned, but Dick did say, “If Cars grosses 300 million domestically he’s (Steve Jobs) gonna get me an iPod at cost.�? And all this before 10 a.m. We were then turned loose for a twenty-minute break.