
“Barsoom” reads a sign on the outskirts of the movie set we’re about to visit. “Barsoom” is what Martians call their planet in Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ A Princess of Mars. A group of my fellow online movie journalists and I are headed to the set of Andrew Stanton‘s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, John Carter. Mars may technically be in Big Water, Utah, but today we’ll be walking the ruins of an ancient Martian city, meeting a princess who bleeds blue, and a nine-foot-tall nomad tribe of warriors. Hit the jump to take a trip to the red planet and find out about my visit to the set of John Carter.

A new trailer for Pixar’s upcoming film Brave has been released. The pic is the studio’s first fairy tale and revolves around a young princess (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) in the Scottish Highlands who defies an age-old custom, inadvertently unleashing chaos and fury in the kingdom. The tone of the trailer is a bit scattershot. On the one hand, there are grand statements about changing your fate and wanting freedom. On the other hand, there’s a guy in a kilt mooning his fellow Scot. Tone aside, the visuals look fantastic. Overall, the trailer is alright, but I think Brave still has the potential to be a great movie.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also features the voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Brave opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

Pixar has released a new image from their upcoming film, Brave. The movie revolves around a young and rebellious princess (voiced my Kelly Macdonald) who defies a sacred custom of the land, inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom, and then makes an ill-fated wish in order to set things right. While the movie features Pixar’s first female protagonist, co-director Mark Andrews tells Yahoo! the movie is “less about girl power” (yeah, because who wants that?) and “more about the oppositional relationship between mother Elinor and daughter Merida, likening the defiant red-haired princess to a scrutinized teenager who is forced to attend the same high school where her mother serves as the principal.” YAWN. Pixar whiffed in a big way with Cars 2 and it looked like Brave was a chance for the studio to get back on track. Let’s hope that’s still the case.
Hit the jump to check out the new image. The film also features the voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Brave opens in 3D on June 22, 2012. Pixar will be releasing a new trailer in the near future. [Update: We've added two more images to the story, which you can check out after the jump.]

At this weekend’s D23 (essentially Disney’s Comic-Con), I got to speak with producer Katherine Sarafian and director Mark Andrews about Pixar’s next movie, Brave. If you’re not aware, Brave is Pixar’s first film with a female protagonist. During the interview, I asked them why has it taken so long for that to happen, what is the film about, and are they already thinking about the Easter Eggs. They promise there will be a few of them, but you’ll have to look very close. Hit the jump to watch.

One thing I love about the way Pixar markets their original films is that the trailers show very little footage from the actual movie itself. You’re able to go in almost completely fresh, without feeling like you’ve already seen 2/3’s of the movie. The next original film to be released from Pixar will be Brave next summer, and now The Pixar Blog confirms that the first teaser trailer for the film will be attached to Pixar’s Cars 2 when it hits theaters next month.
The studio’s first fairy tale (and their first film with a female protagonist), Brave centers on Princess Merida, a skilled archer who accidentally sets evil upon the Scottish highlands when she is granted an ill-fated wish. The phenomenal voice cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Judging by the gorgeous concept art that Pixar released in March, we’re in for quite a treat. Brave is slated for a June 22nd, 2012 release, while Cars 2 hits theaters June 24th.

I’m already looking past Cars 2 and on to Pixar’s next film Brave. That’s partially because Cars 2 looks awful and partially because Brave will feature the studio’s first female protagonist. It was also going to be the studio’s first film with a female director (Brenda Chapman), but there was a bit of controversy last October when Chapman was replaced by Mark Andrews, who previously directed the Pixar short One Man Band.
Behind-the-scenes drama aside, Brave looks like it could be a great film. The film is set in Scotland and centers on a tomboyish princess who accidentally unleashes evil on her kingdom and must save the day. The princess was to be voiced by Reese Witherspoon but scheduling conflicts forced her to drop out. She’ll be replaced by they actually scottish Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire). Hit the jump for more details on the film plus a first look at the concept art. Brave is set to hit theaters in 3D on June 22, 2012. [Updated: Disney has provided some high-resolution images of the concept, which you can check out after the jump]

With production underway on director Andrew Stanton’s John Carter of Mars in London, Walt Disney has released the synopsis for the movie and also started a Facebook fan page for the film. Here’s what they sent over:
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”), JOHN CARTER OF MARS brings this captivating hero to the big screen in a stunning adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings. Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom Series,” the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (TAYLOR KITSCH), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (WILLEM DAFOE) and Dejah Thoris (LYNN COLLINS).
As you might imagine, this is a huge film for us at Collider, so expect plenty of updates. Hit the jump to read the rest of what Disney sent over:
Russell Crowe in Early Talks to Star in DRACULA Re-Imagining, HARKER
Hasbro Picks up the STAR TREK License; Toys to Be Released in 2013 to Coincide with STAR TREK 2
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES Casts Emma Thompson; Jenna Fischer and Rita Wilson Join KISS ME
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