Atlantis Productions Announce the Asian Premiere of Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical
According to Playbill (and brought to my attention by the wonderful AladdinsGenie over at Aladdin Central, really if you aren't checking out that amazing site, please do!) Atlantis Production, through special arrangement with Music Theatre International will stage the Asian Premiere of Aladdin: The New Stage Musical this November! According to Atlantis Productions' Creative Head Bobby Garcia, they are "We are honored that Disney has handpicked us to premiere the musical in Asia. We look forward to creating the enchanting world of Agrabah and the romantic Arabian nights where Aladdin and Princess Jasmine take flight on their magic carpet ride"
Casting and dates will be announced soon. Expect further information to be posted on Atlantis' official site and here as it becomes available.
John Musker Answers Fans' Questions with Sarah Ashman
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| John Musker |
You may remember earlier this year I mentioned that Howard Ashman's sister Sarah was offering fans a rare chance to interact with Disney writer/director John Musker at her site Part of His World. Well the first four questions have now been answered;
These questions offer an amazing insight into the minds of some of the creative geniuses responsible for Disney's renaissance era and some of my most precious childhood memories (and I'm sure many of yours as well). Whilst you're at her site, make sure you take the time to look around, it's a beautifully personal site and an amazing tribute to Howard Ashman.
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| Howard Ashman |
This last bit of news isn't really about the musical, but it is Aladdin related. Friday 23rd March was a sad day for many Disney fans;
Glen Keane Resigns from Disney Animation
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| Glen Keane, along with Ron Clements, views some early footage from Aladdin |
After an incredible 38 year career with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Glen Keane resigned last Friday to explore new territories in animation, which he remains convinced is "the ultimate form of our time with endless new territories to explore". His full letter of resignation can be read over at Cartoon Brew. During his time with Disney, Glen Keane was responsible for bringing many classic characters to life, including Ariel, the Beast, Pocahontas, Tarzan and, of course, Aladdin. Most recently he was the Executive Producer and Animating Director of Tangled.
A spokesperson for Disney confirmed the news with The Hollywood Reporter, saying “After an incredible 38-year career as an animator, storyteller, and filmmaking pioneer with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Glen Keane has decided that the time has come to take the next step in his personal exploration of the art of animation. As much as we are saddened by his departure, we respect his desires and wish him the very best with all his future endeavors.”
I would like to take this oppurtunity to wish Glen Keane all the best with his future endeavours and to thank him for the part he played in bringing so many of my childhood favourites to life. I would also like to wish the very best to the next generation of Disney animators, those who trained under Glen Keane, and look forward to seeing them push the boundaries of Disney animation as Glen Keane did. And, of course, I can't wait to see what Glen does next!
