Coming up on Saturday at the Described Movies: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Little Mermaid.
From this Saturday at 12am Eastern, that’s 4pm Saturday in NZ, 2pm in Sydney and 5am in the UK, and repeated every four hours throughout the day, it’s
the described Movies Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets from 2002 and The Little Mermaid from 1989.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, based on J. K. Rowling's 1998 novel of the same name.
Produced by David Heyman and written by Steve Kloves, it is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and the second instalment in the Harry Potter film series.
The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
Its story follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the Heir of Salazar Slytherin opens the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing a monster that petrifies the school's denizens.
The cast of the first film returned for the sequel, with the additions of Kenneth Branagh, Jason Isaacs, and Gemma Jones, among others.
It was the last film to feature Richard Harris as Professor Albus Dumbledore, due to his death that same year.
Principal photography began in November 2001, only three days after the release of the first film.
It was shot at Leavesden Film Studios and historic buildings around the United Kingdom, as well as on the Isle of Man.
Filming concluded in July 2002.
Chamber of Secrets was released in theatres in the United Kingdom and the United States on 15 November 2002.
The film became a critical and commercial success, grossing $879 million worldwide and becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2002 behind The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
It was nominated for many awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects.
It was followed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004.
Directed by: Chris Columbus.
Produced by: David Heyman.
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves.
Based on: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets By: J. K. Rowling.
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Richard Harris, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith and Julie Walters.
Music by: John Williams.
Cinematography: Roger Pratt.
Edited by: Peter Honess.
Production Companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films and 1492 Pictures.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Release date: 3 November 2002 ( Odeon Leicester Square) and 15 November 2002 (United Kingdom and United States).
File Length: 154 minutes.
Countries: United Kingdom and United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $100 million.
Box office: $879.6 million.
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Pictures.
The 28th Disney animated feature film, it is based on the 1837 Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
The film tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel, who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric, which leads her to make a magic deal with the sea witch, Ursula, to become human and be with him.
Written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman (who also served as producer alongside John Musker), and art direction by Michael Peraza Jr. and Donald A. Towns, the film features the voices of Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, and René Auberjonois.
Walt Disney planned to put the story in a proposed package film containing Andersen's stories, but scrapped the project.
In 1985, while working on The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Clements and Musker decided to adapt the fairy tale and proposed it to Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who initially declined due to its similarities to a proposed sequel to the 1984 film Splash, but ultimately approved of it.
Ashman became involved and brought in Menken.
With supervision from Katzenberg, they made a Broadway-style structure with musical numbers as the staff was working on Oliver & Company (1988).
Katzenberg warned that the film would earn less since it appealed to females, but he eventually became convinced that it would be Disney's first blockbuster hit.
The Little Mermaid was released to theaters on November 15, 1989 to critical acclaim, earning praise for the animation, music, and characters.
It was also a commercial success, garnering $84 million at the domestic box office during its initial release, and $233 million in total lifetime gross worldwide.
After the major success of both the 1986 Disney animated film The Great Mouse Detective and the 1988 Disney/ Amblin live-action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid is given credit for breathing life back into the art of Disney animated feature films after some films produced by Disney were struggling.
It also marked the start of the era known as the Disney Renaissance.
The film won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Under the Sea").
The film's success led to a stage adaptation with a book by Doug Wright and additional songs by Alan Menken and new lyricist Glenn Slater opened in Denver in July 2007 and began performances on Broadway 10 January, 2008starring Sierra Boggess.
Other derived works and material inspired by the movie, include a live-action film adaptation, directed by Rob Marshall, currently in production, and a 2019 live musical presentation of the film airing on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney.
Directed by: Ron Clements and John Musker.
Produced by: John Musker and Howard Ashman.
Written by: Ron Clements and John Musker.
Based on: The Little Mermaid By: Hans Christian Andersen.
Starring: René Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Edie McClurg, Will Ryan, Ben Wright and Samuel E. Wright.
Music by: Alan Menken.
Edited by: Mark Hester.
Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation and Silver Screen Partners IV.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures.
Release date: 15 November , 1989.
Running time: 83 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $40 million.
Box office: $233 million.
Any questions, comments, or ideas for future described movies: e-mail me: anthony at mushroomfm dot com (e-mail address written that way to cut down on spam)
Enjoy the movies,