The Little Mermaid TV special

The Little Mermaid is being given a one-off all-star TV makeover with singer-rapper Shaggy voicing Sebastian and Queen Latifah as Ursula.

The US TV network ABC will bring the much-loved character to screens as part of the Wonderful World of Disney collection. Disney’s Moana star Auli’i Cravalho will voice the underwater princess, and will have Shaggy as her crabby best mate Sebastian as she ponders life on land. Queen Latifah will be playing the villainous Ursula, who offers her dream at a cost.

Performed in front of a live studio audience, The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid will be incorporating sets from the Broadway version of the show as well as costumes, plus music from the original film.

The live-action film remake is currently in production — with Halle Bailey, being announced to play Ariel and Melissa McCarthy has been rumoured to be cast as Ursula.

Elvis biopic gets release date

Elvis Presley was the legendary singer, musician and songwriter. His much anticipated biopic now gets the final release date, but we have to wait for it a while. The Baz Luhrmann project is slated to be with us on October 1, 2021, with production for the movie said to be starting later this year.

To play Elvis, Austin Butler has also been finalised, after beating the likes of Harry Styles, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Miles Teller for the part.

The movie will be filmed in Queensland, Australia, and will follow Elvis’s journey from his poor childhood to being a global superstar, as well as his relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. The story will cover two decades of the Jailhouse Rock hitmaker’s life, including his rise to unprecedented fame and the ‘evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence’ in America.

The Haunted Mansion turns 50

Disneyland Park celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the beloved Haunted Mansion attraction. The mansion overlooking the Rivers of America is home to the most “spirited” attraction in New Orleans Square.

A steady stream of “Doom Buggies” carries guests on a tour of the Haunted Mansion, which is inhabited by a lively collection of 999 happy haunts and filled with stunning special effects, haunting show sets and ethereal music.

What’s New: The Disney Gallery at Disneyland Park features a new exhibit entitled “Happy Haunts Materialise — The Art of Haunted Mansion.” The exhibit showcases the evolution of an idea. It is the first to display early sketches and sculptures of the Haunted Mansion concept, and it describes how they evolved into the attraction that guests experience today.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 17th, 2019