As I have discussed on Disney In Depth recently, the purchase of three key film properties – Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm – that have further realized Disney’s influence in the entertainment industry. Even the 2004 acquisition of The Muppets has forever changed the outlook for Jim Henson’s most adored faces. All of these characters unite the geek community, even those who enjoy Disney. In this edition, I will share some popular YouTube videos that spoof Marvel Studios, Pixar, Muppet, Star Wars and “regular” Disney films by featuring some famous personalities from the whole Disney universe.

Wreck-It Ralph smashed box office records for a Disney animated film in its opening weekend, and won over critics and audiences no less. With its creativity, heart and passionate storytelling, Wreck-It Ralph signals Walt Disney Animation Studios is back in the game, so to speak. This edition of Disney In Depth will explore what has led up to this new hit for the studio, as well as what awaits.

Many individuals say the Disney Renaissance began with 1989’s The Little Mermaid, with following entries Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King reaching even greater heights – everyone seems to leave out the forgotten The Rescuers Down Under. Regardless, this represented a period of unparalleled imagination and inspiration within the studio, continuing for several years to follow. Then came the slump. Audiences were no longer interested in musicals, so it seemed, and Disney animation switched gears into the sci-fi realm with productions like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet. Computer animation emerged, and with that advent Disney entered the new arena with misses like Chicken Little and the awkward-yet-smart Meet the Robinsons. None of these performed all that wonderfully. It had appeared as though Disney lost its touch. But the studio had some exciting developments up their sleeve.

After working on the last four installments of Harry Potter, director David Yates was looking for some new employment and settled on a new adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough‘s Tarzan. Now that he has gotten the deal that he wanted, Yates is looking for some actors to take on the role and he has already settled on rising stars like Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam, Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd, and Tom Hardy for the lead role.

Vulture reports that Yates committed to the project on Monday and is meeting with the aforementioned names soon. Hardy seems like a shoe in for the role since he had some big roles in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, but Charlie Hunnam also has a role in Pacific Rim, and Henry Cavill plays as Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, both pics are under the WB name. I imagine that WB wants to get the ball rolling on this project sooner rather than later and might not want to wait on the results of Pacific Rim and Man of Steel.

Lord of the Jungle Annual #1
Written by Mark Rahner
Illustrated by Sergio Fernandez Davila
Colors by Santosh Kumar Rath
Letters by Simon Bowland
Based on the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Cover by Lucio Parrilo
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Cover Price: $4.99

Lord of the Jungle Annual #1 is a good read for anyone that’s a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Tarzan in general. It’s a classic story that some of you might be familiar with, but entertaining nonetheless.

Writer Mark Rahner brings us Tarzan’s first trip to civilization! And believe me, it’s a really fun read. There’s been many versions of this story told in countless media, but it’s your classic fish out of water story, with a couple of great twists thrown in for good measure.

The Twilight Saga star Kellan Lutz, who played Emmett Cullen in the mega-hit movie franchise, has been cast to play Tarzan in an upcoming adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs jungle-dwelling character for Constantin Films.

Lutz will be joined by Spencer Locke, the actress that played K-Mart in Constantin’s Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil: Afterlife, who will take on the role of Jane Porter.

Instead of going live-action, the movie will instead take the computer animated performance capture route, and will also be in 3D…naturally.