It’s been perfectly clear that Disney has been all about turning their classic animated movies into new live-action features, but lately they haven’t been wasting time in announcing what’s next. Just in the past month alone we’ve found out about planned live-action adaptations of Dumbo, Mulan, and Winnie the Pooh, as well as castings for the live-action Beauty and the Beast adaptation. These all follow already-released live-action takes on Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty (Maleficent), and Cinderella, and other upcoming titles The Jungle Book and sequel Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass.

Now another project is being added to Disney’s live-action slate, an adaptation of their 1940 animated classic Pinocchio. The movie about a wooden puppet wanting to become a real boy was the studio’s second animated feature after 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

“˜Tis the season to be surprised with Disney cheer. The gift of the Mouse, or at least the gift from individuals who care about people who love the Mouse, is one that keeps on giving each year. Thanks to the Internet, and specifically YouTube, everyone can enjoy these special holiday moments. Often parents bring their children yuletide joy through bestowing them a Disney present, sometimes as cool as a vacation to one of the magical destinations.

Here below watch some of the funniest and most heartwarming reactions.

Somewhere beyond the sea, Finding Nemo returns to theatres in 3D! The breathtakingly gorgeous animated feature first provided audiences with a glimpse into the environments and lives of the ocean’s inhabitants just about ten years ago. Only Pixar could develop such an enchanting atmosphere with a heart-tugging story that grasps the audience’s full attention as much as the visual “eye candy.” For a number of reasons, this is quite possibly the most immersive and entertaining 3D film I have experienced.

To be considered in this extraordinary league requires several components, and Nemo delivers in all of these ways. For one, you need a compelling plot. Who can argue with gripping storytelling that ties us to the universal theme of parents allowing their children to let go? In this case, little clownfish Nemo’s surprising capture by a diver startles us. Here, caring father Marlin (voiced by the perfectly-cast Albert Brooks) finally brings Nemo (Alexander Gould) to his first day of school, and in a matter of minutes and an act of defiance, Nemo wanders beyond the reef. Caught. Gone. We feel for Marlin, lost without his little boy, and also for his son, now stuck in a dentist’s office aquarium. Now it’s up to each of the fish to face their fears, overcome their doubts, and attempt to reunite. Compelling, check.

We are told in Peter Pan that through having faith, trust, and pixie dust, we can fly. To soar. To flee from society, even if only briefly. We believe in this magic for the hope that our worries will disappear. Disney seems to possess that touch on individuals, especially “geeks” like me, who find value in a break from reality for the hope of dream-like atmospheres.

Since the devastating massacre in Aurora, Colorado, struck the United States with another tragedy, in an environment where many Americans seek diversions – at the movies – I began thinking of the importance of escapism in our society. Though we cannot avoid actuality, and boy would it be unhealthy if we denied truth, I feel we must continue to place merit in visiting worlds of whimsy. Whether they be fictional in the form of Disney films, or where the lines become blurred even further in the Disney theme parks, Americans shall always depart from reality in favor of some fantasy.

It’s great to see that Guillermo Del Toro is finally finding his footing after he had to leave The Hobbit and At the Mountains of Madness. It is expected that after del Toro completes his work on Pacific Rim, he will immediately jump in to co-direct his first stop-motion animated film, Pinocchio, with Mark Gustafson (animation director for Fantastic Mr. Fox).

But this won’t be a kid-friendly Pinocchio; no, the film will be based on Gris Grimly‘s dark interpretation of the story that takes place in Italy between World War I and World War II. Looking at del Toro’s IMDB profile, this should not come as a big surprise. The film will also be in 3D.