The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda is the best part of Disney+ - Vox.com

Baby Yoda is perfection, and I won’t hear otherwise. Not that I’m worried anyone will disagree, because this is one take the world seems to stand behind.

The TV show that birthed him, the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, got off to a slow start, in part because it’s full of big-name character actors playing unfamiliar intergalactic heroes and villains. But the final moment of its otherwise-unexciting premiere gave many Star Wars fans a sign that The Mandalorian would be more than an expensive exercise in bringing the franchise to streaming TV.

When the Mandalorian saved an infant in a floating bassinet from certain death at the end of the episode, the adorable baby was revealed to be a lot more recognizable than the rest of the show’s new heroes and villains. Because that adorable baby looked a heckuva lot like Yoda.

As far as we know, this character is not the 900-year-old green wiseman that Star Wars fans have long revered; Yoda himself died at the end of Return of the Jedi, which is set five years before the start of The Mandalorian. But the youngster appears to be from the same species as Yoda. And as we learned in episode two, there’s much more to him than his resemblance to one of Star Wars’ most beloved characters: Referred to on the show as “the Child,” he is 50 years old, so still a baby in Yoda years. But he’s shockingly powerful for someone who appears to be just an infant, able to use the Force to take down giant beasts.

We all want to protect Baby Yoda. He’s baby!

Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures via Disney+

This makes him a great companion for the Mandalorian, who’s committed to protecting Baby Yoda from the dangers of the galaxy after members of what remains of the evil Empire offered him a hefty bounty for bringing the Child to them. The Mandalorian quickly fell in love with the sweet, cooing baby, and refused to let him become little more than a trophy for unfeeling villains.

So did viewers. Predictably, the fact that this big-eyed, big-headed, pure-hearted alien isn’t actually Yoda hasn’t stopped people from dubbing him Baby Yoda. And Baby Yoda has already become an online phenomenon.

Memes, odes to his cuteness, and fanart have spread widely across Twitter and other corners of the internet since The Mandalorian’s November 12 debut, especially after he was granted more screen time in episode two. The character seems to have broadened interest in the show immensely. He clearly appeals not just to Star Wars fans, but a bigger demographic: lovers of all things tiny-baby-adorable.

If The Mandalorian hadn’t leaned into Baby Yoda as hard as it has so far — as it’s done by giving him plenty of screen time in episode two, “The Child,” and episode three, “The Sin” — there’s a chance no one would even be talking about him right now.

Disney hyped up the series ahead of its debut as a live-action Star Wars TV show of grand scale, a first for the franchise. Previous efforts to translate Star Wars for live-action television have notoriously fizzled out, like the aborted Star Wars: Underworld project of the mid-aughts. But The Mandalorian had much more promise from the start.

Disney assembled a team that gave the show immediate credibility: Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as showrunner, a cast that includes Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog, and episode directors like Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok; Jojo Rabbit) among them. Early promotional photos teased a project reminiscent of the Star Wars movies themselves: There were sandy dunes, a variety of aliens, and plenty of droids. And the mysterious main character (played by Pedro Pascal) was shown to be a bounty hunter in the vein of fan-favorite villains Boba and Jango Fett. What wasn’t to love?

Early promotional photos released for The Mandalorian focused on making the title character look badass af.

Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures

But critics raised plenty of complaints when The Mandalorian debuted as the crown jewel of Disney+’s original programming lineup. Vox critic at large Emily VanDerWerff called the first episode “fundamentally empty entertainment and not a great harbinger for many Disney+ original programs to come.” Slate described it as “truncated and half-sketched.” Entertainment Weekly wrote that “this was a very strange debut, merging grim toughness with mawkish softening twists.”

The negative response hinged on the concern that The Mandalorian would inch toward its meaningful reveals, a questionable approach to a story whose hero’s primary trait is how little is known about him. (It didn’t help that Disney+ chose not to screen the series for critics ahead of its premiere, which didn’t give them anything to go on beyond the first episode.)

Baby Yoda, at least, was a point of interest. Some spoiler-y reviews of his surprise introduction made mention of the baby’s appearance more dismissively, writing off the character as an obvious marketing ploy or cheap and unoriginal twist. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone: “Even the twist at the very end — that the Mandalorian’s latest target is a baby from the same species as Yoda — echoes the plot of the Clone Wars film.” VanDerWerff of Vox: “You’re probably just seeing the big-eyed, big-eared baby alien as yet another merchandising opportunity.”

He is beauty. He is grace. He’s ... a toy for anxious parents to chase?

Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures via Disney+

Indeed, right before the release of episode three, reports emerged that Baby Yoda merchandise would be hitting shelves very soon (apparently after a purposeful delay intended to help “preserve the surprise of the character’s reveal”).

But toys and plushes will arrive into a world where Baby Yoda is already a more fleshed-out character than some critics expected. In episode two, fittingly called “The Child,” The Mandalorian made an effort to show off that this baby is a meaningful part of the show, not just a toy in the making.

The show is ostensibly focused on its title character, but in “The Child,” every move the Mandalorian made was followed by the camera holding on Baby Yoda’s reaction, with clear affection for his emotive blue eyes and goofy oversized coat. When the Mandalorian boarded his ship, Baby Yoda waddled along behind him. (The character was brought to life through a combination of animatronic puppeteering and computer-generated graphics, lending a nice sense of practicality to his movements.) When the Mandalorian got roughed up in a fight while trying to protect his ship, Baby Yoda outstretched his little arm to reach for his new friend. When the Mandalorian was busy fighting some bad guys, the show paused to let us know what Baby Yoda was up to, and it turned out he was eating a frog that made him sick. (He’s even cute when he’s sick!)

All of these scenes added lighthearted moments to a show that had initially come off as meditative, if not quite dour. The addition of a pure-hearted baby alleviated the solitude and tension that comes with a story of a silent bounty hunter.

It also made the show more memorable and evocative. So few events occurred in episode one that it quickly escaped recall. But “The Child” began to properly introduce this instantly likable mystery character with an apparent tie to one of Star Wars’ most beloved figures. And episode three, “The Sin,” further balanced Baby Yoda’s extreme cuteness with intrigue well enough to prove that his appeal is no fluke — by putting him in real danger and introducing life-or-death stakes that forced the stoic Mandalorian into full-on Good Dad mode to make sure the kid stayed alive.

Werner Herzog, who plays a man known as the Client, has even admitted that Baby Yoda has made him “cry,” which encapsulates his power better than anything.

Entertainment outlets are eager to celebrate the Baby Yoda goodness. Vox is not immune to that impulse, clearly! Because we would give our lives to protect Baby Yoda’s in an instant. He’s a new friend who is feeling out a world that evil bounty hunters didn’t want him to survive in. How could anyone not love a creature this cute?

The desire to protect Baby Yoda at all costs has been the dominant response from Mandalorian viewers and non-viewers alike, as fans have waxed poetic about the character’s button nose and shining eyes online.

“The bottom line is that Baby Yoda is the best part of The Mandalorian so far, and right now, the main thing persuading me to watch more episodes,” Vulture’s Jen Chaney wrote after episode two. At Wired, Emmy Grey Ellis acknowledged that a contingent of haters are protesting Baby Yoda as nothing more than marketing — and then argued that “Baby Yoda is, in fact, so lovable that its lovability is evidence of storytellers and character designers at the peak of their powers.”

Ellis continued: “Typically, building a character out of elements people are sure to adore is a ticket to Try-Hardsville. ... Baby Yoda is different. The character is simply a mashup of the most beloved being in the Star Wars universe, Disney’s cuteness formula, and a superbaby.”

The 6 stages of Baby Yoda
(1) denial: it cannot be this cute
(2) pain: it's so cute it hurts me
(3) anger: it's so cute, i want to hurt it
(4) depression: will anything ever be this cute
(5) reflection: what did i do to deserve something so cute
(6) acceptance: it cute pic.twitter.com/TmqxSedivQ

— Alison Foreman (@alfaforeman) November 19, 2019

regular babies:
- ugly
- loud
- annoying as fuck
- would not die for them

baby yoda:
- cute
- quiet
- can use the force
- would literally die for them pic.twitter.com/oy5RzU2BqV

— melina ¨̮ (@melmadara) November 18, 2019

Baby Yoda has definitely cemented The Mandalorian as one of the cutest shows on streaming, against all odds. But his cuteness is only one reason why Baby Yoda fever has exploded. Another, more major reason is that Disney made a very smart move in choosing to unveil the character the way it did, and meting out his development by releasing The Mandalorian one episode at a time.

Disney+ launched on a Tuesday, along with the first episodes of its initial wave of exclusive original programming. The most advertised of the lot was The Mandalorian, what with the weight of Star Wars and a $100 million budget behind it.

Disney had announced in late August that it would release new episodes of its original Disney+ series weekly, rather than drop them all season at once.

But the company did launch The Mandalorian (and other Disney+ originals) on a slightly compressed schedule, with the second episode premiering just three days after the first. Future new episodes will also premiere on Fridays. This ended up being a smart play by Disney, especially in the wake of critics’ reactions to The Mandalorian’s first episode.

By launching the show’s first two installments so close together, Disney encouraged viewers to at least give The Mandalorian two episodes’ worth of their time. It’s hard to say whether skeptics who raised an eyebrow at Baby Yoda’s surprise appearance would have returned for episode two if they’d been asked to wait a full week (or longer) to see it. The episode’s arrival in quick succession helped make a case that The Mandalorian has more charm than the first episode implied — namely because of Baby Yoda, but also because of a more exciting story and brighter set design in general.

The show’s more traditional release schedule has fueled the excitement around Baby Yoda. While Netflix and Amazon Prime Video typically release their original series one full season at a time, encouraging viewers to consume all of the episodes as quickly as possible, Disney+’s decision to release episodes weekly allows those episodes more time and space to drive individual conversation. And Baby Yoda has certainly given viewers something to talk about.

As Vox sister site the Verge has noted: “Tying new content to beloved franchises, then doling it out a bit at a time is a way for Disney, in particular, to keep subscribers hooked.” Making sure viewers got to know Baby Yoda in episodes two and three was a way to assuage any fears that The Mandalorian would be all style with little substance, or that Baby Yoda himself would be a cash grab trotted out by the show to sell merchandise. Now, many viewers are in love with the lil’ cutie. And for Star Wars fans who want to know every inch of the franchise’s expansive canon, the mystery of what Baby Yoda will teach us about the Yoda species is alluring.

With each passing episode, those fans will have to subsist on the latest Baby Yoda developments until the next episode arrives. And they’ll have to stay on Disney+ to do so, to make sure that Baby Yoda is A-OK.

Because if something ever happens to him, Disney, y’all will have thousands of us Baby Yoda Stans knocking on your door with pitchforks.

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2019-11-23 15:30:00Z
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'Frozen 2': Kristen Bell Admits What Anna's New Song Means to Her - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Get ready to “Let It Go” all over again. That’s right, folks. Frozen 2 is here, and the long-awaited Disney sequel is likely to make just as big of an icy splash as the first film.

The cast — especially Kristen Bell — have been out and about talking up their latest project. All the promotional marketing has yielded tons of fun tidbits about Frozen 2, its cast, and the characters they play. After all, Frozen has become a bonafide phenomenon, and no one recognizes that more than the actors involved.

Kristen Bell at the ‘Frozen 2’ premiere | Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Kristen Bell on ‘Frozen’ fever

In an interview with USA Today, Bell took on the popularity of Frozen head-on. Sure, the film has catchy music and gorgeous animation. But Bell attributes its success more to how kids connected with the movie’s themes.

[Children don’t get enough credit] for their ability to understand and digest complexity and suffering. That’s why people identified with Elsa: She was a paradox. She felt shy and vulnerable and incredibly powerful at the same time. So having people watch these characters go through it, it’s a little bit like therapy.

Bell is certainly on to something. “Let It Go” in particular is powerful for moviegoers of all ages because of what it says about self-love and acceptance. While it remains ubiquitous years later, Elsa’s signature tune has endured precisely because of the cathartic release it represents.

Why ‘The Next Right Thing’ is so impactful

Bell said Frozen 2 features a song that similarly captures the essence of her character, Anna. One of Anna’s best attributes is her determination, and the sequel finds her at a crossroads, deciding what she should do. “The Next Right Thing” — Anna’s big solo this time around — sums it up best, according to Bell.

A lot of people feel that feeling: What do I do when I don’t know what to do? My personal mantra is you just do the next right thing. It also stems from when I am experiencing anxiety and depression. What do I do when I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning? You just do the next right thing, and that’s stepping out of bed. The next right thing is brushing your teeth. The next right thing is eating your breakfast. The next right thing is looking at your calendar and going to work. This idea of having an intrinsic motivation vs. extrinsic motivation is something that as a parent I know is incredibly important to show kids and to help them cope. I really wanted Anna to be representative of that.

Even in early reviews, critics noted how Frozen 2 made it a point to give each member of its principal cast a solo of his or her own. The above insight into Anna’s character is just one example of how the new film delves deeper into the franchise’s beloved characters and what makes them who they are.

Can ‘Frozen 2’ top the first film?

Yet, even if the soundtrack to Frozen 2 is as strong as the first film’s, the movie itself still faces an uphill battle if it’s going to compete with its predecessor. Back in 2013, Frozen earned an astounding $1.3 billion worldwide. That total still remains the biggest box office gross for an animated film, aside from perhaps this year’s The Lion King.

Still, as Bell pointed out, there’s something almost elemental about the way Frozen connects with audiences. And after hooking families so strongly the first time around, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Frozen 2 emerge as one of this year’s top performers. Between its live-action remakes, Marvel releases, and the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney is having a record year. We expect Frozen 2 to be a big part of that equation.

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2019-11-23 13:57:37Z
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Who is Amanda Thirsk? Prince Andrew’s private secretary who was sacked by The Queen - The Sun

AMANDA Thirsk, Prince Andrew's private secretary and his most senior member of staff was sacked by the Queen following his "car crash" interview.

But who is Amanda Thirsk, how long has she worked for the Prince and what will she do now? Here's everything we know...

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Thirsk pictured at the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this yearCredit: PA:Press Association

Who is Amanda Thirsk?

Amanda Thirsk is a mum-of three educated at the University of Cambridge who has worked for the Prince for years and was regarded as his right-hand-woman.

The mum-of-three previously boasted she was so close to him her office is steps from his bedroom at the Palace.

According to holaconnect, Amanda studied law at Cambridge before going on to become a successful banker.

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She previously boasted that she previously boasted she was so close to Andrew her office is steps from his bedroom at the PalaceCredit: Press Association

How long has she worked for Prince Andrew?

Thirsk has worked for the Prince since 2012.

She was appointed as his Private secretary in August of that year and quickly became one of his most trusted members of staff.

According to The Telegraph, it was Thirsk who pressed Andrew to undergo his interview with Newsnight following calls for him to explain his highly publicised and controversial friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

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Prince Andrew's attempts to defend himself in a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview were deridedCredit: BBC Newsnight

It is alleged she advised him to be interviewed by a hard-line female journalist, and clashed with Aides over the decision.

She had hoped the no-holds-barred interview would leave viewers with "a clear and unambiguous denial from the duke that he'd known anything about Jeffrey Epstein's activities," ITV says.

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The Sun exclusively revealed that Thirsk was told she would have to step down following the interview - widely viewed as a career ending "car crash."

What will she do next?

The Sun revealed that Thirsk's next steps will see her remain close to the Prince.

She is being employed privately by the prince and has been announced as Chief Executive of his business mentoring undertaking, Pitch@Palace.

Prince Andrew says he is ‘stepping back’ from royal duties over Epstein scandal and offers to help police

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2019-11-23 11:54:00Z
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Mr. Rogers was a televangelist to toddlers - CNN

"Let some word that is heard be thine," he prayed.

The "thine," of course, refers to God, and the prayer was one of many ways Rogers' faith became an integral part of his long-running and groundbreaking television show.

He was, in a way, a televangelist to toddlers.

Before you click away or cancel your subscription to PBS, let me explain.

It's not that Rogers, the subject of a new biopic starring Tom Hanks, coaxed kids to donate their hard-earned allowances so that he could buy a private jet. Rogers rarely wore religion on his cardigan sleeves.

But consider these facts:

Rogers was ordained a Presbyterian pastor whose vocation was to minister to children through the airwaves, and he kept up his ordination, appearing before church elders to renew it through the years. He once said his ministry was the "broadcasting of grace throughout the land."

Rogers also called the space between the viewer and the television set "holy ground" and said the central message of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" -- that you are loved just the way you are -- was based on God's concern for all creation, a core tenet of Christianity.

Because he wanted to keep his show inclusive, Rogers seldom spoke about his faith on air. He believed that teaching through example could be just as powerful as preaching.

"You don't need to speak overtly about religion in order to get a message across," Rogers once said.

You can read about Rogers' spirituality and how it influenced his television ministry in Shea Tuttle's new book, "Exactly as You Are: The Life and Faith of Mister Rogers."

Tuttle, a writer who holds a masters in divinity from Emory University, spoke to CNN this week about Rogers' religion, why he wasn't always a perfect person, and his haunting last words. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

After reading your book I realized how much religion was part of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." Is it crazy to think that Fred Rogers was a televangelist to toddlers?

Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about that. He probably would have cringed away from that kind of title, but that is totally what he was doing. He was telling people that they are loved and I am confident that that was at the heart of his theology, that God loves us just the way we are. So if you look at the true meaning of evangelism, sharing the good news of the Gospel, he was trying to offer the good news all the time.

How important was religion to Fred Rogers?

He said it was as fundamental to him as DNA, and that's a pretty apt metaphor as I understand him. Faith was so much a part of who he was, it's almost like it wasn't something of his choosing, it was part of his makeup. Faith affected him in every moment, and beyond this he had an awareness of being tapped into the deeper mysteries of the universe.

He called the space between the viewer and the TV set "holy ground," which was interesting for someone who works at a cable news network to read. What did he mean by that?

He saw the potential in every human encounter for something holy to happen, and he saw that as the work of the Holy Spirit. He often told a story about going to hear a famous preacher, but a substitute was there instead, and Rogers didn't think the sermon was very good. But the person he was sitting next to said it had been just what she needed to hear. He realized in that moment that he could trust that if he was offering his television show in good faith, then whatever shortcomings he had, the Holy Spirit would do the work necessary so that people could receive the grace they needed.

Rogers also said the message of his show was "very theological."

It's not like he had a covert theological mission, but religion was so much a part of who he was that it was always there. The way he thought about the feelings of children and his working to be very present with them and look straight into the camera in that intimate way was connected for him with the Incarnation, God coming alongside humanity in the form of humanity. God became fully human and came alongside us. Inn some ways, that was similar to Fred's goal: to experience things with children through their own lens.

As good as he was, Roger was not a perfect person, as you write. What were some ways in which his humanity, rather than his secular sainthood, were evident?

It's pretty important that he wasn't perfect. He was extraordinarily good in many ways but he could be clueless about some of his privilege. He was born with a lot of power and money and he was sometimes aware of that and sometimes less so. The people working for him, for example, were performing artists and didn't make a ton of money and instead of giving them bonuses at Christmas he would make a charitable donation in their name, when some of them could have really used the money. He could also be pretty controlling about how things on the "Neighborhood" should be, and some of that came from having a clear creative vision. But I think he struggled with anger and conflict.

His last words are pretty haunting. He asked his wife if he was a "sheep," referring to the Last Judgment in the Bible, when Jesus separates the good sheep from the bad goats. If Fred Rogers questioned his sheepyness, what hope do the rest of us have?

I had the same takeaway the first time I heard that. "Oh my God, if Fred Rogers had a moment at the end of his life when he wasn't sure, after spending 30 years saying that you are loved just the way you are..." t's an incredibly,vulnerable moment, and it is haunting.

But I also love it because it makes him so real. I find it moving and really relatable that even the things we are most committed to proclaiming we can still have doubts about. It helped me combat the idea that he was this perfect, saintly person.

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2019-11-23 11:34:00Z
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Prince Andrew: Private secretary Amanda Thirsk moves to new role - BBC News

The woman who organised the Duke of York's interview with the BBC is no longer his private secretary after the royal withdrew from public duties.

Amanda Thirsk, who has worked for the duke since 2012, will become chief executive of his business mentoring scheme, Pitch@Palace.

The move comes as further organisations announced their association with the prince had ended.

Buckingham Palace said it did not comment on those in the duke's team.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the decision to move Ms Thirsk into her new role was part of a "downscaling" of the duke's office.

It is unclear what the duke's role at Pitch@Palace will be moving forwards.

On Wednesday, Prince Andrew explained he had decided to step down from his royal duties for the "foreseeable future".

It came after a growing backlash following a BBC Newsnight interview about the duke's friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, has claimed she was forced to have sex with the duke three times. Prince Andrew has "categorically" denied having any sexual contact with her.

Ms Giuffre will reveal further details about her time with Epstein in her first UK interview with BBC Panorama on Monday 2 December.

Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, who has been credited with securing the interview for the BBC, said Ms Thirsk was the person she was "mostly dealing with" during the negotiation process.

She told GQ magazine she was "extremely charming, well-informed, thorough and brilliant".

According to Ms Thirsk's LinkedIn page, she has been a director of Pitch@Palace, which provides start-up firms with advice and contacts but no funding, since 2014.

BBC News has approached Pitch@Palace for comment about her new role.

The BBC understands there are no plans to recruit a new private secretary for Prince Andrew.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The duke was photographed horse riding with the Queen in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Friday.

The decision to step back from royal duties came amid growing pressure from his critics.

Businesses, charities and other institutions have been cutting their ties with the prince in the wake of his announcement and the BBC interview.

On Friday, the English National Ballet, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Metropolitan University all announced the prince would no longer be their patron, with immediate effect.

Lawyers representing Epstein's accusers have also urged the prince to speak to US authorities about his former friendship with Epstein.

In his statement announcing that he would be stepping back from royal duties, the prince said he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required".

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2019-11-22 17:14:24Z
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'Frozen 2' delivers for those willing to chill out and enjoy - CNN

To their credit, the filmmakers haven't completely rested on their laurels, but for better and worse have bitten off a whole lot in terms of the story, which -- set three years after the first movie -- moves relationships forward while going back to address sins of the past. That includes dredging up Elsa and Anna's family history, and the source of former's fantastical powers.

There's a bit of messiness in that, but fortunately, the movie has several not-so-secret weapons at its disposal, starting with the soaring instrument that is Idina Menzel's singing voice as Elsa. While her new power ballad (one of two, really), "Into the Unknown," doesn't quite match the catchiness of "Let It Go," songwriters Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez have presented their star with enough operatic highs to again send audiences out of the theater singing three little words, just not nearly as well as she does.

There is also some very funny stuff for Josh Gad as the snowman Olaf, who, in one applause-inducing sequence, breathlessly recaps the previous movie in one rat-a-tat burst. And of course, there's the ongoing romance between Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), the latter of whom actually gets to sing a whole song this time out, in a cleverly amusing boy-band spoof.

All that amounts to the side dishes around this Thanksgiving feast, with the entrée being the haunting voice that summons Elsa and her entourage into an enchanted forest, where the promise of unlocking the aforementioned secrets resides.

The film gets a little convoluted at that point, frankly, but it's never less than fun -- including a number of savvy references to the original, and jokes at its own expense -- even if sisterly love triumphing over all loses something thanks to all the work that "Frozen" did toward establishing that notion.

The creative team remains the same -- with Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee directing, and Lee receiving script credit based on a story attributed to multiple hands -- and the visuals are not surprisingly stunning, including the frequently previewed sequence of Elsa seeking to use her ice-creating powers to cross a raging sea. As for the message, there's actually one about indigenous peoples that adults should recognize more than the kids they'll be squiring and/or chauffeuring.

Like the best Disney animation, "Frozen 2" effectively operates on multiple levels. And like any follow-up to a major hit, it comes burdened with expectations that are challenging to fulfill. (Incidentally, there's a small post-credit scene as a reward for those who sit through the long roll of animators and production babies.)

Because the first movie generated such a bracing gust of enthusiasm, "Frozen 2" will inevitably be nitpicked and judged against those lofty standards. Still, there's plenty to enjoy for those willing to chill out, and yes, let the past go.

"Frozen II" premieres Nov. 22 in the US. It's rated PG.

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2019-11-22 14:44:00Z
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Star Wars' Harrison Ford eyes first-ever TV role for true crime series - digitalspy.com

In news that has us excitably screeching like a Wookiee, Star Wars legend Harrison Ford is reportedly eyeing up a role in an adaptation of one of the decade's best true-crime series.

According to a report in Entertainment Weekly, the Blade Runner actor is set to star in a new series based on The Staircase, the twisty, heartbreaking story of the death of Kathleen Peterson.

The Staircase, which filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade recently revisited a second time for Netflix, follows novelist Michael Peterson as he is charged with the murder of his wife. He's later released from jail when a key witness is revealed to have committed perjury.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / ContributorGetty Images

Related: Netflix's The Staircase has a link to Making a Murderer that wasn't shown during the series

Spanning 16 years and meticulously filmed, The Staircase gripped viewers when it was re-released with its incredible access to the defence team and their process, even sparking a popular – and potentially credible – theory as to what killed Kathleen.

Now, reports suggest that a TV series based on the documentary is in the works, with Ford tipped to play Michael Peterson, over 15 years since he last appeared on the small screen.

Peterson won his freedom after taking the 'Alford plea', prompting The Staircase's Lestrade to rule out any further filming.

Netflix

Related: The Staircase on Netflix – Answering 7 BIG questions raised by the true-crime doc

Speaking to Digital Spy last year, the filmmaker said that the judge had delivered "the final answer, and nobody can come back to that."

He continued: "That's the end of the process for us. Sometimes I wish that some other step could be introduced in the court room that we could shoot. But it was not. So yes, it's finished."

The Staircase is available to stream on Netflix.

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2019-11-22 09:42:00Z
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