Broadway’s ‘The Lion King’ featured intricate puppets and costumes. Ensemble dancers marched across the stage with grass hats. Kellen Stancil operated a giraffe puppet on stilts. Aisha Mitchell’s large, wooden cheetah extended from her chest. The actors communicated a story about African ecosystems.
The Knockturnal got to sit down with Yuya Yagira at the Hulu offices to discuss his new role as police officer Daigo Agawa in GANNIBAL. Daigo is posted to a mountain village where a series of alarming events makes him realize that there is something deeply wrong with the village and those who live there.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is now streaming on Disney+.
Disney brings us a new movie, the true story of their greatest hero: Mickey. In this documentary we discover what has made Mickey so famous and iconic for decades. This story about Mickey is also the story of his creator: Walt Disney. Mickey: The Story of a Mouse follows the history of this character. Featuring interviews with creators, historians and fans this documentary provides a fresh appreciation for what Walt Disney built. This movie also reminds us of why we loved Mickey and Disney as a child and why we still love them.
The Knockturnal recently interviewed some of the artists involved in this film. First we interviewed Floyd Norman, an animation artist that was hired by Disney in 1956. In the film, Floyd shared his experiences working with Walt Disney and animating for Disney. We then interviewed Dr. Carmenita Higginbotham, she’s a prominent art history. She shared her experience studying Mickey and talked about what made this mouse an enduring character. Then we interviewed Meghan Walsh and she talked about the process of collaborating with Disney and the other creatives involved in creating this movie.
Stream Mickey: The Story of a Mouse now on Disney+.
After four long years, Marvel Studios has finally blessed us with a Black Panther sequel: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Having been released mere days ago, the film is already the highest grossing theatrical debut for the year and 13th highest opening weekend grossing film of all time. How do we suggest you see this top crossing film? On a Dolby screen, of course. And here’s why…
To begin, much of the film is a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away in 2020 of stage III colon cancer at the age of 43. Dolby’s ultra-vivid colors and sound system make seeing Boseman’s face on the silver screen feel like we never lost the talented actor at all. Beginning with T’Challa’s (Boseman) death, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is now at the helm, running an empire that is rich in vibranium, a metal used to make weapons and armor. Tensions rise when other nations attempt to procure this scarce resource via taking it by force or tracking missions in the Atlantic Ocean led by the US government.
The Atlantic is populated by the Talokan and led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), who wishes to keep Talokan secluded. However, the tracking mission threatens exposure to his secret empire. Infuriated, Namor goes to Wakanda, claiming them responsible for the mission and asks for help to kill the lead scientist who built the vibranium tracking device, but Wakanda refuses, thus spurring conflict between the two worlds. What ensues is a complex tale of colonialism, struggle, and loss.
Seeing the world building executed by Ryan Coogler on the Dolby screen enriched the experience for the viewers. The Dolby screen unlocked the emotional impact of every scene and enhanced the costume design that defines each character within their respective communities. And thanks to Dolby’s superior sound capabilities, the audience felt like they were part of the action scenes.
In all, if you want to be one of the millions who have seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the silver screen, our suggestion is to experience the beauty and power of this film on a Dolby screen near you.
Following the success of season one of the Mysterious Benedict Society, the crew is back together for season two. In season one, this group of four ‘misfits’ Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance were brought together to stop the evil Dr. Curtain and save the world. They used their wit, intelligence, kindness and empathy to stop the evil schemes. In this new season, they return to help Mr. Benedict once again. When their leaders Mr. Benedict and Number Two are kidnapped, these kids must use their minds to find their leaders. This is a fun series for the whole family. Each episode is filled with mystery, beauty and humor.
The Knockturnal recently spoke with the cast and creators of this show. Tony Hale, who plays Mr. Benedict and his evil twin brother Dr. Curtain, shared his creative journey of developing these characters. Mystic Inscho (“Reynie Muldoon”), Marta Kessler (“Constance Contriare”), Seth Carr (“George “Sticky” Washington”) and Emmy DeOliveira (“Kate Wetherall”) are the four main heroes of this show. We spoke with them about the costumes, sets and exciting process of creating another season of this show. Gia Sandhu (“Ms. Perumal”) and MaameYaa Baofo (“Rhonda Kazembe”) told us about working with these young actors and the excitement that filled each new day of filming. We also spoke with the creators of this series Darren Swimmer, Todd Slavkin, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. They shared their creative processes of collaborating on the Mysterious Benedict Society.
Watch The Mysterious Benedict Society season two now only on Disney+.
Stream Zombies 3 now on Disney+!
The popular Disney movie series Zombies concludes with Zombies 3. The final film in the trilogy is filled once again with amazing acting, dancing and music from our beloved characters. Leading the crew once again is Milo Manheim as the zombie football star Zed and the girl cheerleader Meg Donnelly. They shine once again with their beautiful romantic duets and leading their epic dance offs. Their town and school in Seabrook has changed dramatically since their first film. The zombies, wolves, and humans in Seabrook now face an alien invasion.
The Knockturnal spoke with the Zombies 3 stars. Milo and Meg star once again in the lead roles. Appearing in all three of the Zombies films is Carla Jeffery as Bree, Trevor Tordjman as Bucky and Kylee Russell as Eliza. The werewolves return again after first staring in Zombies 2. The leading werewolves include Chandler Kinney as Willa, Ariel Martin as Wynter and Pearce Joza as Wyatt. Appearing as the aliens for the first time in the Zombies universe is Terry Hu as A-spen, Matt Cornett as A-lan and Kyra Tantao as A-li. We spoke to this cast about their dancing, acting and music in this film. They shares their stories of team bonding and working together to create this epic film.
Zombies 3 is now available for streaming only on Disney+.
Kyla Pratt, Paula Jai Parker, and Jo Marie Payton set the stage at ABFF to share what’s next for season
two on the highly anticipated series, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
Pharrell’s Something is the Water Festival was something worth talking about!
Dr. Vernard Hodges and Dr. Terrance Ferguson are not just Critter Fixers, they are Critics Choice Award
winners! The two Georgia natives won the Critics Choice Award for best animal/nature show on
television.
This past Wednesday, the Tribeca Film Festival hosted the Tribeca X event, co-sponsored by Roku, at the Indeed Theater at Spring Studios.