BFI announce Great Expectations as the LFF 2012 closing night film

After announcing earlier in the week that this year’s BFI London Film Festival opening night film will be Frankenweenie, they’ve now announced that the closing night film will be Mike Newell’s anticipated adaptation of Great Expectations.

Newell’s adaptation will be making its world première the Toronto International Film Festival on 11th September, and will then make its European début here in London on Sunday, 21st October, before its UK-wide release at the end of November.

Jeremy Irvine stars as the young Pip, and is joined by a stellar cast headed up by Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Jason Flemyng, Robbie Coltrane, Sally Hawkins, David Walliams, and Ewen Bremner.

Newell, whose credits include the classic Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is directing a script penned by the best-selling novelist/screenwriter David Nicholls (Starter for 10, One Day).

Great Expectations sounds like a magnificent choice for the closing night film, with one of the most promising casts of the year. Following its European début at the BFI LFF, it will then be released in the UK and Ireland on 30th November. No word yet on when it will be reaching screens across the Atlantic, but with a bit of luck, hopefully it will reach North American cinemas before the year’s end, too.

Read more at Hey U Guys 

 

Also reported by Deadline 

First International Trailer For “Great Expectations”

Making its world première at TIFF in September, we have the first trailer to Mike Newell‘s Great Expectations starring Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Flemyng, Jeremy Irvine, Ewen Bremner & Sally Hawkins.

About the Film

An outstanding roster of British acting talent bring Charles Dickens’ universe to life in this magnificent new screen version of the classic novel from director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mona Lisa Smile, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Love in the Time of Cholera, Prince of Persia). 

The story involves a humble orphan, played by Jeremy Irvine, who suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor. The screenplay, adapted from Charles Dickens’ classic novel, was written by David Nicholls, author of the book One Day and its adaptation, as well as Starter for 10 and When Did You Last See Your Father?. 

This will première at the Toronto Film Fest next month, but doesn’t have a US release yet.

Read more at Xavierpop 

Scottish Actors note: I couldn't view the trailer in my browser, but hopefully you'll be able to do so!

Robbie Coltrane & Ewen Bremner: "Great Expectations" update

A couple of new photos have been released for the Mike Newell-directed drama film Great Expectations, which is based on the Charles Dickens classic.

The film stars Jeremy Irvine as Pip, Toby Irvine as Young Pip, Helena Bonham Carter as Ms. Havisham, Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, Robbie Coltrane as Mr. Jaggers, Jason Flemyng as Joe Gargery, Holliday Grainger as Estella, Helena Barlow as Young Estella, Ewen Bremner as Wemmick, Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Joe, David Walliams as Uncle Pumblechook, and Daniel Weyman as Arthur Havisham.

Orphan Pip rises from humble beginnings thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Moving through London’s class-ridden world as a gentleman, Pip uses his new status to pursue Estella, a beautiful, heartless heiress he’s always loved. The shocking truth behind his fortune will have devastating consequences for everything he holds dear.

The film is written by David Nicholls.

Great Expectations premières in Ireland, UK on November 30th, 2012 and a US release date is still to be decided.

Source (with photos): Filmofilia

Interview: Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd discuss Brave

Disney-Pixar’s Brave finally opens on “home” turf this week, as the year’s most Scottish film lands in cinemas from Orkney to Galashiels.

For Scottish audiences, used to hearing the accent getting mangled on screen (Brigadoon anyone?), Disney-Pixars’ decision to use Scottish actors, including Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd as Lords Dingwall and MacGuffin respectively, is a welcome one.

The Lords and their sons are seen to arrive at DunBroch Castle, home of Merida (Kelly Macdonald) and her parents, King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), just before things start to go very wrong in the Kingdom.

One thing immediately noticeable in Brave is that the actors haven’t been forced to tone down their accents, at least not too much.

“They were very tolerant of us putting in Scots words people won’t have heard before, but in the context of the settings you’d understand them,” says Coltrane. “Everybody instinctively knows what ‘jings, crivvens, help ma boab’ means, even if they’ve never heard it before.”

Unlike live action roles, the actors don’t resemble their characters in Brave. Was it odd for Coltrane to voice such a small character?

“The size of the body, throat and chest size have to be right or the public won’t accept it. The guys at Pixar know exactly how to do that. It was great fun to do, we’d try different things. All the production costs go into the animation so when you’re in the studio you have all the time in the world.”

“They make you do things in many permutations,” adds McKidd. “That gives them the option to use what they want.”
Read more at Reel Scotland

STV also have a video interview as do Movie.ie

Brave: extended behind-the-scenes featurette

Extended Behind-The-Scenes Featurette For Pixar’s ‘Brave’

With the film's release date fast approaching, Disney•Pixar has set loose this new featurette for their upcoming fantasy-adventure flick ‘Brave,’ providing us with a behind-the-scenes look at the film's story, characters, and cast. 

‘Brave’ is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida (Kelly Macdonald) one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest – and serving as comic relief – are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane). 

Look out for Disney•Pixar’s ’Brave’ this summer from June 22nd in the US and August 17th in the UK.

Read more at Flicks and Bits 

Brave fears Scots accents

Published on Saturday 9 June 2012 13:38

Makes of animated blockbuster Brave have hired actors to dub the film overseas because they fear the Scottish accents will be difficult to understand.

The Disney Pixar film, which will premiere in Edinburgh, is to be voiced by natives in countries such as Japan, Taiwan and France to avoid confusion.

That means Scottish cast members Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson and Kevin McKidd will not be heard in non-English speaking countries.

Brave is set to provide a multi-million pound tourism boost for the country.

Source: The Scotsman

Brave: interviews, photos, new clip

• Stars of Disney Pixar's new film Brave visit Edinburgh for special preview

The stars of Disney Pixar blockbuster Brave left Edinburgh yesterday after welcoming the world’s press to Scotland.

Kelly Macdonald, Kevin McKidd and Robbie Coltrane – who voice Princess Merida, Lord MacGuffin and Lord Dingwall – spoke to ­journalists from around the globe attending special previews before a gala dinner.

But they took time out to chat to the Sunday Mail about their own Disney memories.

All the stars are proud to be part of Brave –the story of Highland princess Merida – which will have its European première when it closes the Edinburgh Film Festival on June 30.

It goes on general release in the UK in August and Kevin hopes Scots moviegoers will be delighted by the way that the country is depicted.

He said: “It is a love letter to Scotland. It really conjures up the feel of the country – the wind is blowing, the sea is flowing and everything is covered in ferns or moss and always in motion. It is a very textured landscape and you see this in the movie. Everything looks so real and vibrant.

“They have managed to capture the lush texture and the rough, primal nature of the Scottish landscapes in a beautiful way.”

The preview ended in a spectacular dinner on Friday at five-star Prestonfield House, in Edinburgh, where Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis performed two songs from the Brave soundtrack.

Here, the film’s stars reveal the impact that the world of Walt had on their childhood.

Read more at Daily Record 

Also reported by Kevin McKidd Online

Zimbio have added Brave Photoshoot Edinburgh to their gallery here

• Brave interviews

Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly & Emma Thompson – Flicks And Bits

Kelly Macdonald, Kevin McKidd and Robbie Coltrane – I Need My Fix and The Scotsman

Billy Connolly –  Trailer Addict

1. His character

2. The Lords

3. Emma Thompson

4. Themes

• New Brave clip  

Source: Spinoff

Brave updates - première, merchandise, new clip

Pixar's 'Brave' to play at Dolby Theatre for L.A. Film Fest
Pixar's Brave will have its world première June 18 at the newly renamed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood as part of the L.A. Film Festival.

The screening of the animated film about a rebellious princess will be the first première at the 3,400-seat venue that hosts the Academy Awards since Dolby signed a 20-year deal taking over the naming rights from Kodak this spring.

Brave, which will hit theatres nationwide on June 22, tells the story of Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), a teenage girl who is handy with a bow and arrow and crowned with a mane of red curls. In the Scotland-set adventure directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, Merida defies her parents, King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) and disregards an ancient custom, inadvertently setting off a disaster in the kingdom.

“With a spirited heroine and enchanting setting in the ancient Scottish Highlands, Brave represents some exciting firsts for Pixar,” said Walt Disney Studios marketing president Ricky Strauss in a statement. “We are proud that the world première of Brave will serve as the inaugural première at the new Dolby Theatre as part of the L.A. Film Festival, a fitting way to launch Merida’s extraordinary adventure.”

An additional gala screening of Brave will be held on June 19 at Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live downtown for L.A. Film Festival pass and ticket holders.

On June 17, the festival will hold a panel called “Women of Wonder – A Celebration of Women in Animation” on the challenges and accomplishments of women in the animation industry. Panelists will include Kristine Belson (executive producer of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon), Karen Rupert Toliver (20th Century Fox Animation’s vice president of production), Katharine Sarafian (producer of Brave) and Michelle Murdocca (producer of Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania).

“We are thrilled to present the world première of Brave, a beautiful adventure story, to our L.A. Film Fest audience,” festival director Stephanie Allain said in a statement. “As Disney/Pixar’s first film with a female protagonist, it fits perfectly with our celebration of women in animation programming we’ll be holding during the festival.”

The L.A. Film Festival runs June 14-24 in downtown Los Angeles.
Source: L A Times





New clip from Pixar's Brave online
With about one more month until the film's release, Disney•Pixar has released a new clip from Brave which you can watch using the player below. The animated adventure features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane.
 
Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In Brave, a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.




Source: Coming Soon 

• Brave merchandise is now available – but beware of spoilers! 
  See and read more at SC Icon
  
  
   

Disney•Pixar’s ‘Brave’ to Join ‘World of Color’ at Disney California Adventure Park

Since “World of Color” made its debut back in 2010, the show has featured occasional updates and surprises, delighting audiences with forays into new worlds ranging from “TRON: Legacy” to “Prep & Landing.” Just in time for one of the biggest summers in Disney California Adventure park history, “World of Color” is set to introduce another new sequence, inspired by the Disney•Pixar film “Brave.”

Set to “Brave” composer Patrick Doyle’s stirring Scottish score, the sequence introduces us to the film’s adventurous heroine Merida, as she races across the Scottish Highlands, bow and arrow in hand, on her faithful horse Angus, and follows the mysterious will o’ the wisps on an epic journey to change her fate.

“Brave” opens in theatres on June 22, but you’ll be able to catch the “Brave”-inspired sequence in “World of Color” starting June 15.

Source: Disney Parks Blog 

Brave soundtrack available to pre-order at Amazon

The Brave original soundtrack is now available to pre-order on Amazon.

Product Details

    Audio CD (June 19, 2012)

    Original Release Date: 2012

    Number of Discs: 1

    Format: Soundtrack

    Label: Disney

    ASIN: B007XSFKAW

Track Listings

1. Touch the Sky (Performed by Julie Fowlis)

2. Into the Open Air (Performed by Julie Fowlis)

3. Learn Me Right (Performed by Birdy - with Mumford & Sons)

4. Fate and Destiny Score

5. The Games Score

6. I Am Merida Score

7. Remember to Smile Score

8. Merida Rides Away Score

9. The Witch's Cottage Score

10. Song of Mor du (Performed by Billy Connolly and Cast)

11. Through the Castle Score

12. Legends Are Lessons Score

13. Show Us the Way Score

14. Mum Goes Wild Score

15. In Her Heart Score

16. Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal) (Performed by Emma Thompson and Peigi Barker)

17. Not Now! Score

18. Get the Key Score

19. We've Both Changed Score

20. Merida's Home Score

Editorial Reviews

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In 'Brave', a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it's too late.

The soundtrack is a mixture of Academy Award nominated Patrick Doyle's mastery score with songs from Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and a collaboration between Grammy Award winning Mumford and Sons who penned 'Learn Me Right' sung by Birdy.

Pre-order your CD at Amazon here

Two new images from Brave
Two new images have surfaced from Disney-Pixar’s Brave, the epic Highland fantasy adventure directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman. One features Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) playfully crossing swords with her father King Fergus (Billy Connolly) under the watchful eye of her mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). The other is significantly darker, with Merida seemingly standing against the clan lords, who’ve roped a bear — something presumably central to the plot, as the film was originally titled The Bear and the Bow.
They can be seen at Spinoff