• Interviews

D23, Day One- It’s All About Animation

Animation, the very core of the Disney empire, always comes first at D23- and the 2017 edition was no exception. A slew of new animation features was announced, including the return of a favorite of audiences and critics a like – The Incredibles. In The Incredibles 2, once again directed by Brad Bird and featuring most of the original cast,  the superpowered family faces new challenges within and without, including a baby loaded with extraordinary abilities – which, of course, leads to extraordinary baby-proofing problems. Fresh on Disney’s slate is Coco, a supernatural saga immersed in Mexican culture and music. Written and directed by Adrian Molina (The Good Dinosaur ) and Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 2 and 3, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo), Coco takes a young boy (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) to the Land of the Dead thanks to a magical guitar once owned by a distant ancestor (voiced – and sung- by Benjamin Bratt). Our own Ramzi Malouki braved the cosplay crowds at D23 and talked to Incredible 2‘s Brad Bird, Samuel L. Jackson and Holly Hunter, and Coco‘s Anthony Gonzalez and Benjamin Bratt.