The titan of quality that is Pixar might have stubbed it’s toe last year with the release of the sub-par Cars 2, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still riding a nearly two decade long winning streak. Creatively, their mandate of doing what isn’t expected has paid off in droves.

What makes Brave such an interesting next step for Pixar is the fact that it is the first film with a female lead who is for all intents and purposes a princess. That’s right, this is a classic Disney princess fairy tale, but done the Pixar way. Fans of Disney and Pixar have reason to be very excited at that prospect.

Disney has just released a third trailer for the film, but instead of just hyper cutting more footage to beautiful music, they opted for an extended scene that does a brilliant job of summing up the general conflict of the movie. You can tell immediately that this film has that Pixar charm we all know and love.

Check out the new trailer after the jump.

The second stretch of filming for the two-part Hobbit adaptation is set to begin later this month. Even though there has already been over one hundred days of shooting, the final roles are still being cast for parts in the later portions of movie two.

Deadline is reporting that the great Billy Connolly has been cast as Dain Ironfoot, the leader of a fierce band of Dwarf warriors and cousin to Thorin Oakenshield:

We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can’t wait to see him on the Battlefield!

It is hard to call this perfect casting before we see Connolly in action, but if it is possible we here at The Flickcast are somehow now even more excited for the final Hobbit film. The next two years are going to be very big for Billy Connolly who has yet to really break out here in the states.

Aside from his role in 2013’s Hobbit finale he will also be providing a pivotal voice in the next Pixar film, Brave.

There are very little studios these days that you can bank on having a hit just about every time they release a film. Sure, there will always be Cars 2, but that’s only after nearly a dozen award-winning, amazing films. That’s why we have no doubt that the next project in the Disney/Pixar house, Brave, will be anything short of genius.

With a pretty stellar cast of Scottish actors and actresses, you can expect this film to bring new-found love to the kilt-wearing pure bloods proud to hail from Scotland. Here’s the premise for those not in the know.

In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson).

Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

Strong female hero? Majestic setting? It’s a definite that Brave has the stuff Disney legends are made of, but what do you think? Take a look at the trailer after the jump and sound off! Brave hits theaters on June 22nd.

It was unfortunate when Disney and Pixar broke up over creative differences a few years back. For a time, albeit brief, there were thoughts that the two iconic animation studios would never reconcile their differences and get back together for us. Turns out, we were wrong, as they got back together almost immediately and have been cranking out amazing films since. Mostly sequels to their franchises, those films had a built in audience. Now, they’re branching into less familiar territory with their newest fantasy film, Brave. Here’s a rundown of the premise.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

A pretty stellar voice cast, with Journeyman’s McKidd and Late Night Guru Craig Ferguson, but will the film hold up against the other epic franchises like Toy Story and Cars? You’ll have to decide on June 22nd when it hits theaters. In the meantime, check out the newest teaser for the film after the jump.

In the world of Marmadukes and Meet Daves, it was bound to happen that we would see something like the movie Gulliver’s Travels on the horizon. And why wouldn’t they make it even better by adding Jack Black as Gulliver?

In the newest film, from animation director Ron Letterman (Shark Tale, Monsters Vs. Aliens), Black plays Lemuel Gulliver, a nerdy, going-nowhere mail clerk who gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to write for a travel magazine by investigating the Bermuda Triangle. After a boat crash, Gulliver wakes up in the classical land of Lilliput where he’s gigantic and everyone else is tiny.

Black doesn’t really bring anything new to the role that we haven’t seen him do before, from his googly eyes to his outrageous flip outs, it’s all been done. We do get an interesting side cast consisting of Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, and Romany Malco, which could save the film, but don’t have gigantic (pun not intended) hopes.

Check out the newest trailer for the film after the jump. Catch Gulliver’s Travels in theaters on December 22nd, 2010.

This week sees the release of a few Academy Award nominees and winners, some new tv shows and some movies coming to Blu-ray for the first time. Among the ones we’re most interested in this week are Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, The Boondock Saints II, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Commish and Up in the Air (with George Clooney and Anna Kendrick, pictured above.)

Check them out:

Movies

Capitalism: A Love Story (Blu-ray and DVD)

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Pit And The Pendulum ~ Lorielle New, Stephen Hansen, Bart Voitila (Blu-ray and DVD)

Falling for Grace ~ Gale Harold, Fay Ann Lee, Billy Asher (Blu-ray and DVD)

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale ~ Richard Gere, Joan Allen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Blu-ray and DVD)

Nine Dead ~ Melissa Joan Hart, John Terry, Lawrence Turner (Blu-ray and DVD)

Old Dogs ~ John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Robin Williams, Seth Green (Blu-ray and DVD)

Not many people know this, but the first Boondock Saints film barely even happened. After a one week run in five theaters, the film was released on DVD… and embraced by a massive cult following. A sequel was always promised and showed up on IMDB years before production had even begun, but after a while, fans started to doubt that we’d ever even see another installment. Now, ten years later, Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day happened, and thank the Lord it did.

All Saints Day picks up eight years after the McManus Brothers and their vigilante killing spree across Boston. They’ve fled to Ireland, along with their father, to find some peace and escape the insanity cause by their killings. But a copycat killer leaves their signature mark after murdering a priest and lure Connor and Murphy back to Boston to finish what they started eight years ago.