Music has accompanied cinema since its beginnings. The chronicles of the time show this: the projectors of that time, at the dawn of silent cinema, generated so much noise that the live band was almost a sine qua nom for a more pleasant experience. But soon the filmmakers of the time saw the opportunity to use the mix, at the same time that renowned composers, summoned by the popularity of the new medium, began to write original music for the scenes on screen.
disney
In animated cinema, the match dates back to the first Disney films. The “Alice Comedies” (1923-1927) and “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” (1927-1928) series that the studio made in this period were deeply musical: a three-piece cat band played for Alice; and Oswald was accompanied by numerous sound winks, such as the “clang clang” or “toot toot” of a train, the “honk” of a car, the “ding dong” of bells and the “bang” of weapons.
But the studio took a quantum leap with Steamboat Willie (1928): synchronized sound technology to make Mickey Mouse speak and sing, turned the character into a major star and established the studio’s fame as a leader.
And since then, Disney has taken special care in the feat of its soundtracks, in collaboration with great stars who have sown a long history of milestones (songs like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from “Encanto”, or “Let It Go” from “Frozen”), from which today it reaps fruits: musicals are produced based on those stories sung from Europe to Argentina.
“Disney Rock, the musical” is now being presented in Madrid, where different stories come together. The sorceress Maleficent frees herself from her lethargy in search of revenge, using her new servants, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, to do so. On the good side are Puss in Boots, Snow White and the intrepid Alice, giving life to a successful crossover.
And here, “Disney La Caja Mágica”, developed by Disney Theatrical Group, has just premiered at the Teatro Ópera, produced by RGB Entertainment. A theatrical show in which more than 70 iconic songs are played alongside a large cast of artists, a sensory feast in which elaborate costumes, captivating projections, lights, animations and more are interspersed (it lasts an hour and a half and tickets start in 12,500 pesos).
And this week will finally see the debut at the Teatro Colón of “Pixar in Concert”, a musical festival by the Academic Orchestra of the Teatro Colón, with musical direction by maestro Ezequiel Silberstein. A symphonic show in which fragments of Pixar films will be projected, with dancers, singers and iconic characters: Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Mérida, among others.
Among the most iconic songs you can hear “When She Loved Me” from “Toy Story 2”; “If I’m Not With You” from “Monsters Inc” (winner of the Oscar for Best Original Song); “Le Festin” from “Ratatouille”; “Wind and Sky Reach” from “Valiente”; “Nobody Like You” from “Red”; “Recuérdame” (winner of the Oscar for Best Original Song), “Un Poco Loco” and “El latido de mi corazón” from “Coco”.
“Pixar in Concert” is the sixth co-production between Disney and the Colón, which comes after the success of “Disney in Concert: Symphony of Movies” (2019); “Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert” (2020); “Magic and Symphony” (2022); “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert” (2022) and “Disney 100 in Concert”, which took place during 2023 as part of the celebrations for Disney’s 100th anniversary.
Columbus and more
Taking care of excellence is taking care of Colón’s ability to update itself, to continue conversing with society. This theater has something that very few other places have: it is an inspiring icon. And it has to be more and more so. It has to be that inspiring place, even for those who do not frequently come to Colón,” Jorge Telerman told NOTICIAS some time ago. The director of the Buenos Aires Coliseum has always been inclined to open the theater to other audiences, and in the same way export the Columbus experience to other venues.
“We did it in the past with the concert at Luna Park that was sold out. And there are conversations with some of the most important venues in the city to repeat those experiences, for the Colón to go to other places to make it more massive, in the city of Buenos Aires, but also in all of Argentina,” Telerman added in that talk. . This was the case, among other things, with the extension of the link with Disney that added functions this year and extended throughout February.
“This encounter with the Colón was in search of offering a differential experience, uniting the music of our stories performed live with the magic of an iconic and imposing venue such as the Teatro Colón. “This is how the first joint proposal was born in 2019,” Martín Iraola, General Manager The Walt Disney Studios Latin America & Out-of-Home, explains to NEWS today.
“One of the things that makes us most proud is that since we began the journey of experiences with symphonic music at the Teatro Colón, we have sold out performances. Pixar in Concert is no exception: very recently we announced that we were adding more shows after completely selling out the first ones. This shows us that we are on the right path,” celebrates Iraola.
And Disney’s repertoire is so broad that we could see other products from the entertainment giant jump to the Columbus experience in the future, as the Disney fallacy has already done. Star Wars. A repertoire that will be played again in May, at the Belgrano Auditorium, when fans will once again celebrate the day of strength. Music composed by John Williams will be performed by more than 40 artists from the Pop Symphonic Orchestra, conducted by Clara Ackermann.
Musicals
In January, one of the theatrical events of 2023 resumed: after having reached more than 130,000 spectators during the winter holidays, “Matilda” returned to the stage of the Gran Rex Theater. Based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, an author who has sold more than 250 million books, and which has inspired the iconic children’s film of the 90s, “Matilda” directed by Ariel Del Mastro is not only an Argentine success: it is a mega-production that has been running for 12 years in London and 4 years on Broadway with more than 1,500 performances, 99 international awards and more than 10 million viewers who have already seen it.
The story focuses on a girl in love with reading who loves to invent stories to escape reality, her escape from parents who treat her with indifference (José María Listorti and Fernanda Metilli), and a repressive upbringing: the terrifying Tronchatoro shines performed by Agustín “Radagast” Aristarán. But with the help of Miss Honey (Laurita Fernández), Matilda will manage to overcome the adverse environment and flourish.
In the production are Carlos and Tomas Rottemberg, Go Broadway Productions, MP and Ozono Producciones. Some of those who will repeat in the production in 2024 of a film success that adapts to the stage: “School of Rock”. The 2003 film directed by Richard Linklater, starring Jack Black, tells the story of a frustrated musician, who after being kicked out of his band, becomes a substitute teacher at a private school to pay the bills. But after discovering the talents of his students, he will try to turn his class into a rock band.
“Many of us believe that Matilda opened a door and these new proposals solidify that opening for production musical theater to establish itself in Argentina. It expresses a philosophy that all of us who are coming together for this, which is to reinvest in what we believe, share.” , noted Rottemberg, about the works to come. “School of Rock” premiered on Broadway in 2015, and established itself on stages in the United States and London, later also arriving in Madrid. Its premiere in our country has been in the plans of Rottemberg and company since 2020: they were postponed by the pandemic. “Migue” Granados was going to be the protagonist, and there is speculation that this promise will be signed in 2024 given the success of the children’s and youth musicals
by RN
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