Family Films 2011: What Does Disney Have in Store?

Family Films 2011: What Does Disney Have in Store? Monday January 31, 2011

The trailers are out, and the buzz is big -- what movie is your family most excited about for 2011? This week, we are going to have some fun looking at the upcoming kids and families movies coming up this year.  There's no bigger name in kids and family entertainment than Disney, so let's start out by looking at the 2011 theatrical Disney lineup of family movies. (Note: these are just the animated films and kid-friendly films. We'll be looking at films that are fun for tweens and teens like Pirates and the Disney distributed DreamWorks film I Am Number 4 later in the week.)

• Gnomeo & Juliet: What could be better for Valentine's Day than the timelessly romantic tale by Shakespeare, made into a clever, quirky film for families? Touchtsone Pictures' Gnomeo & Juliet follows the tale of two star-crossed lovers. Garden gnomes from opposite sides of the fence, Gnomeo and Juliet's love seems doomed from the start, but in a world where lawn ornaments come to life, anything can happen. (Photo © Touchstone Pictures)
• Gnomeo & Juliet: Movie Trailer and Info
• Gnomeo & Juliet: Movie Photos & Characters
• Gnomeo & Juliet: Red Carpet Premiere Photos
• Interview with Elton John on Gnomeo & Juliet and How Being a Dad Changes Everything

• Mars Needs Moms: Based on the picture book by Berkeley Breathed, the performance-capture animated movie Mars Needs Moms takes viewers into space and explores the recesses of our emotions and imaginations with a story about how you just don't know what you got until it's gone. Nine-year-old Milo travels all the way to Mars to save what he never before realized was the greatest treasure of his life -- his mom. Not only is this movie a film for families, it is also a family endeavor. Director Simon Wells wrote the screenplay of the film with his wife, Wendy, and their two kiddos had small parts in the movie as well! (Photo © ImageMovers Digital LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

• African Cats: A new Earth Day Disneynature film has become a yearly tradition for moviegoers, and this year nature fans are in for a roaring True Life Adventure with the film African Cats. Another Disneynature tradition is the donation of a portion of the opening week ticket sales to a related environmental organization, and this year it's the African Wildlife Foundation. The cooperative campaign is titled "See African Cats, Save the Savanna."



• Prom: Disney struck gold with the  High School Musical movies, so we'll see if the same will happen with another high school Disney drama... At Prom, every couple has a story and no two are exactly alike. Several intersecting stories unfold at one high school as the big dance approaches. The movie has some promising talent-- some who have been involved with other Disney projects and some newcomers. (Photo © Disney)



• Cars 2: Where will Lightning, Mater and our other Cars friends be heading in their new adventure? All over the world! The cars head overseas to compete in the first ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship takes a surprising turn when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. (Photo © Disney/Pixar)



• Winnie the Pooh: When we think of the absolute most classic characters in children's literature, Pooh always comes to mind. The endearing group of characters will once again be on the big screen, and Disney has gone back to the roots of the Hundred Acre Woods, basing the movie on 5 of Milne's classic Pooh tales. A whole new generation of young children is about to be introduced to the charming set of friends and the little boy who loves them. (Photo © Disney)



• The Muppets: After 11 long years, the Muppets are back with a new big screen movie. He's hard to see in the picture, but they also have a new friend, Walter. On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater. 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 interesting and separate ways. (Photo © The Muppets Studio, LLC)

Tomorrow, we continue our look at upcoming films, so check back for "Rango vs. Rio"...

Family Films