Disney Teaming Up With Guillermo del Toro For New Disney Double Dare You Label

CHICAGO – The Walt Disney Studios is teaming up with acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Hobbit”) to launch a new production label called Disney Double Dare You. With the new production company they will create new animated movies that are full of “chills and thrills” for people of all ages, announced at D23 Expo last week by Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

Guillermo Del Toro. Photo credit: New Line

Del Toro who originated the concept of the new production company will produce the movies. “Trollhunters,” which is an original story from del Toro is the first film in development.

Cook had this to say about the announcement, “Guillermo is a brilliant and visionary filmmaker, and we’re excited to be launching this new label with him. His knowledge and appreciation for Disney films, along with his penchant for creating worlds of fantasy, presented a great opportunity for us to explore a whole new genre of filmmaking for moviegoers of all ages. We have admired Guillermo’s imaginative approach to filmmaking for some time, and now we’re proud to be working with him to create films full of imaginative delights and lots of thrills at the same time.”

Del Toro went on to add that, “As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition. To partner up with The Walt Disney Studios, with the support of Dick Cook and John Lasseter, is to belong to a storytelling partnership that I admire deeply. It is a true honor. I look forward to coming up with fresh and original stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the storyboards.”

In 2007, Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” received six Academy Award nominations, including one for original screenplay. The film went on to win three awards. “Labyrinth” also went on to win a BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English language. Del Toro is currently directing back-to-back film adaptations of the Tolkien cult classic, “The Hobbit,” which is set for a 2011 and 2012 release.

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com