The trailer begins with the story of love struck meets star struck when a small town couple (Amy Adams, Jason Segel) head to Hollywood and discover their dreams of hitting the big time may cost them the one thing that matters most — each other. It looks like any generic romantic comedy until the stars are announced… Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit the Frog…

The story line centers around Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Segel) and Mary (Adams), Together, they discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways.

Disney’s “The Muppets” is scheduled in theaters November 23, 2011.

Here is the list of all of the nominations received by the Walt Disney Company for the 2011 Oscars:

Toy Story 3

Best Motion Picture of the Year – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Achievement in Sound Editing – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Tom Myers and Michael Silvers

Adapted Screenplay – Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

Alice in Wonderland

Art Direction – Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney), Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O’Hara (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Costume Design – Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Colleen Atwood

Achievement in Visual Effects – Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips

Day & Night

Best Animated Short Film – Day & Night (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Teddy Newton

Tangled

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – “I See the Light” from Tangled (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Glenn Slater

The Tempest

Achievement in Costume Design – The Tempest (Touchstone) Sandy Powell

TRON: Legacy

Achievement in Sound Editing – TRON: Legacy (Walt Disney) Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

So what do you think? Does Disney have a good chance of at least coming away with one Oscar if not more?

The synopsis for 2nd edition of the Monsters, Inc. film “will take us back to before a time when Mike Wazowski was top comedian, before James P. Sullivan was top scarer, and even before the buddies joined the MI workforce. In fact it takes us all the way back to school – the University of Fear to be precise. Although the two start out as frenemies, Monsters, Inc. 2 will weave the tale of how the dynamic duo transition from rivals to BFFs.”

Keep in mind that at this point, this news is simply speculation and  rumor. Things could change and evolve over the course of development so the currently unveiled plot may not be used for the film.

What we do know is that the new film will feature “Monsters, Inc.” director Pete Docter as he returns to the helming duty. Monsters, Inc. 2 is due November 2, 2012 in the U.S.

The official synopsis reads like this:

“Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.”

Regarding the four pieces of concept art that were released last week, below are more details related to each piece.

Star racecar Lightning McQueen heads overseas next summer to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the fastest car on the planet. McQueen and his best friend Mater make a pit stop in London, but there’s no time for tea when an international spy plot entangles Mater, and McQueen must race before royalty.

There’s no place in the world like Radiator Springs, but Paris comes close! Lightning McQueen and Mater venture abroad for the first-ever World Grand Prix. While McQueen focuses on the races, his best friend Mater hits a few detours. International espionage, anyone? On his top-secret mission, Mater takes the scenic route and manages to see the Parisian sights—including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the famous car-goyles of Notre Dame.

Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new destinations when McQueen is tapped for the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. First stop, Tokyo, Japan—where ancient tradition meets modern technology. But like a modern-day Samurai, Mater must play the part of a top-secret spy when he’s unknowingly embroiled in a case of international espionage.

It’s an international feast of epic proportions when star racecar Lightning McQueen and lovable tow truck Mater travel to Porto Corsa, Italy, for the first-ever World Grand Prix. The pair will have to bypass the Italian Riviera’s specialties—boating, beaches and pasta al pesto—as Mater is detoured on a top-secret spy mission and McQueen must race to win against the world’s best!

Whereas the original cars took place in and around old Route 66, this one appears to go international.

Cars 2 synopsis: “Lightning McQueen, his pit crew and his new crew chief, Mater, head around the world for the “Race of Champions” taking place in five different countries: Japan, Austria, Italy, a 24-hour race in France and the United Kingdom. However, Mater, involved in a case of mistaken identity, saves the life of a British secret agent named Finn McMissile and finds himself embroiled in his world of international espionage.”

With no further ado, here is a very short sneak peek into the second installment of Cars.

And here is the concept art related to the Cars sequel.

“It’s been an incredible year as we saw the Pixar team bring Buzz and Woody back to the big screen and watched Tim Burton’s vision for Alice in Wonderland take the world by storm,” said Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios.  “These box office triumphs prove that creative storytelling brought to life by imaginative, inspired and talented professionals is something audiences respond to the world over.”

As of yesterday, Toy Story 3 tallied more than $592.9 million internationally, Disney’s largest international animated release. Latin American audiences have contributed $138 million making Toy Story 3 the highest grossing Disney film ever released in the region.  Toy Story 3 is the most successful UK release in Disney history and currently stands as the fourth biggest title in territory history with $102.4 million in box office receipts so far.  In Japan, the film has taken in $111.2 million and spent five consecutive weeks as the #1 movie.  Toy Story 3 currently ranks as the #7 film in global box office history and domestically ranks #9 with $404.6 million in receipts to date.

Disney first crossed the $1 billion threshold with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” in 2006. Other films to reach this status are part of a short list and include “Avatar,” “Titanic,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “The Dark Knight.”

Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, remarked “Millions of people from around the world visit The Haunted Mansion each year, but no one has ever had a tour guide like Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo is one of the most gifted and innovative filmmakers working today and he is going to take audiences on a visually-thrilling journey like they’ve never experienced before.”

Now if you’re like me, you may be thinking, “Wait, didn’t they already do a movie based off the Haunted Mansion?” However, unlike the 2003 version of Haunted Mansion, which starred Eddie Murphy, del Toro said the live-action film will not be a comedy, but instead will be “scary and fun at the same time.” Del Toro commented, “if you take the children, they will scream.” If this new film has any of the elements that Pan’s Labyrinth did, that will certainly be true.

“Dark imagery is an integral part of the Walt Disney legacy,” Del Toro said of the live action 3D film. “After all, Disney himself was the father of some really chilling moments and characters – think Chernabog from Fantasia or Maleficent as The Dragon or The Evil Queen in Snow White. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of my own adaptation of the original theme park attraction Walt envisioned and that remains, for me, the most desirable piece of real estate in the whole world. The scary will be scary. We’re being true to the spirit of the original imagineers.”

The director, who recently announced he would not be directing The Hobbit, described the Haunted Mansion project as “a dream come true.” He will produce and co-write the film, and may direct as well.

I can’t wait to see another Tim Burton masterpiece. Also the fact that the film includes Johnny Depp portraying the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter portraying the red Queen makes this a must-see for this blogger.

With no further ado, here is the official trailer for “Alice in Wonderland.”

Disney, who owns a host of film and television venues including ABC, Pixar and Miramax to name a few, will partner with two regional free-to-air channels – Fox Movies and Fox Series. The two free-to-air channels were launched in the past year as joint ventures between Fox and the Saudi-owned Rotana Group.

Interesting enough, the Rotana Group is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the billionaire investor who is a major shareholder of both Disney and News Corporation, the parent company of Fox. News Corporation is expected to announce a significant investment in Rotana in January, acquiring 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the company.

Rotana said it paid Dh100 million to Disney for the rights to screen its content.

Disney content has previously been screened on regional pay TV channels accessed by less than 5 per cent of the region’s television viewers. This new partnership will greatly expand coverage by making the content available to the Middle East’s booming satellite free-to-air television market.

Original story at The National.

The film is still in production with an expected release date of  July 16, 2010.