The first trailer for Disney’s "The Princess and the Frog" aired during Friday’s episode of "Wizards of Waverly Place." The animated fairy tale centers on a young princess named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose – love her in HBO’s "The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency") who lives in the French Quarters of New Orleans during the Jazz Age.

Directed by Ron Clements, the Disney romance features the voices of Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Keith David, and Oprah Winfrey. It’ll hit theaters just in time for Christmas, on Dec. 11, 2009.

Hot off his turn as Wolverine in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Hugh Jackman is attached to star in "Ghostopolis," a Disney flick a la "Medium."

Based on a graphic novel by Doug TenNapel, "Ghostopolis" follows a man who works for the government’s Supernatural Immigration Task Force (I Googled it and couldn’t find such a real-life task force; doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, though. Sounds very X-Files.)

It’s the job of this agent to send ghosts who’ve escaped from their world back to Ghostopolis. But when a living boy is accidentally sent there, the agent teams with a female ghost (and former flame, natch) to make things right again and bring the boy home. 

No director or writer is attached yet, but it’s being produced by Jackman’s Seed Productions and Gotham Group, which produced last year’s "The Spiderwick Chronicles." There were some pretty fantastic special effects in that movie, so hopefully more of the same with "Ghostopolis."

By the way, Seed Productions is run by Jackman and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness and John Palermo. They’re working up several comic book projects, including "Nowhere Man" from Virgin Comics.

Photo: Mike Moore/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox (via Image.net)

Tough guy with a heart-of-gold Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is continuing his association with Disney by being the first actor cast in the reboot of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Directed by McG and produced by Sam Raimi, it’s set for a 2010 release.

Hmmm, interesting because I read earlier this year that Will Smith was in contention for the movie. Seeing as there are two main leads – Captain Nemo and Ned Land – there’s still room for Smith in there. We don’t know which role Johnson has, but it seems like maybe he’d be Land and, if cast, Smith would be Nemo…? Any predictions there?

The plot, as unveiled by Disney: "A fugitive whaler teams up with a naturalist, a mysterious woman, and a captain of a futuristic submarine, to search for a lost underwater civilization that holds libraries of vast knowledge and a weapon with the power to destroy mankind."

And way to go, McG! From "Terminator Salvation" to "20,000 Leagues" … I’m sure he can use a little lighter fare after the intensity of "Terminator."

Image: PR Photos

If you’re old enough to remember "The Wonderful World of Disney," which used to air every Sunday night and featured the likes of "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar" and other furry and feathered friends, then you’ll get a kick out of "Earth."

Disney is resurrecting the concept of documenting animals in the wild (or maybe they never stopped). There’s another feature film coming in 2010 called "Oceans."

The trailer for "Earth" said the movie would follow the lives and migration paths of four animal families, and I guess it did. I saw it with my two kids – 11 and 14 – and we came out of the theater going, "Ok, now which were the four families they followed?" The reason is because while it did focus on specific families, there was a lot of content about the other animals and plant life in the family’s particular region of the world.

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New movies in theaters today run the gamut from a fun Disney remake starring AnnaSophia Robb to some psycho killers who really, REALLY pick the wrong place to shack up. Check out the new releases:

Race to Witch Mountain (Rated PG). When a Las Vegas cab driver (Dwayne Johnson) finds two teens (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can’t explain. Rated PG. [Preview & Trailer] [Official Site]

Sunshine Cleaning (NY, LA; expands March 20). This made my list of "16 Movies I Can’t Wait to See in 2009"; it looks fun and quirky, and I hope it gets some traction in theaters. Amy Adams stars as a single mom who, along with her slacker sister (Emily Blunt), starts a crime-scene cleanup biz as a way out of their dead-end lives. Alan Arkin plays the doting dad in this dramedy that scored big at Sundance last year. [Premiere Video] [Official Site]

More after the jump…

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I always love seeing the Disney classics get a fresh makeover. With all the chaos in the world, it’s a joy to go back and watch these innocent films.

“Pinocchio” is newly restored after being in the Disney vault for eight years. It will be released on Platinum DVD and Blu-ray on March 10, just in time to celebrate the film’s 70th anniversary. “When you wish upon a star…”

Here’s a deleted scene that will be available on DVD/Blu-ray called “The Story of the Grandfather Tree.” If you have kids or grandkids, now is a great time to pick up this lovely classic.

Disney has a nice lineup of movies this year. I’m really excited about "Confessions of a Shopaholic," in theaters Feb. 13, 2009. A Valentine’s movie! Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming:

Confessions of a Shopaholic, Feb. 13, 2009

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, Feb. 27, 2009

Race to Witch Mountain, March 13, 2009

Hannah Montana: The Movie, April 10, 2009

Earth, April 22, 2009

Up (in Disney Digital 3D), May 29, 2009

The Proposal, June 12, 2009

G-Force (in Disney Digital 3D), July 24, 2009

When in Rome, Summer 2009

Surrogates, Sept. 25, 2009

Old Dogs, Nov. 25, 2009

The Princess and the Frog, Christmas, 2009

Image: Confessions of a Shopaholic, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2009

When I heard that McG was directing "Nemo" for Disney, I thought, cool! They’re making a sequel to "Finding Nemo."

Nope, it’s "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo," a family film being fast tracked by the studio. I’m still holding out hope for a "Finding Nemo" sequel, but this sounds like a fun movie, too.

It’ll be a departure for McG, who most recently helmed "Terminator: Salvation," which had multiple studios vying for his next project. Sean Bailey ("Tron") is producing with McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision.

Penned by Bill Marsilli, the film will tell the beginning of the famous Captain Nemo, and how he created his warship, the Nautilus. The characters come from the Jules Verne novel.

The original 1954 film was the first live-action film made by Walt Disney, who famously bet his studio on a movie best remembered for the giant squid scene. It became the second-highest grossing film that year and won three Oscars. And if you’ve been to a Disney theme park in recent years, you’ve probably seen some of the various Nemo rides.

Disney hopes to begin production this year.

Image: McG, We Are Marshall, Warner Bros., 2006

A remake of Disney’s "Tron" is in the works, and they’ve signed a lead actor: Garrett Hedlund.

He’s had roles in "Troy," "Friday Night Lights," "Four Brothers," and "Eragon," and also starred opposite Lindsay Lohan, Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman in "Georgia Rule."

Remember the original "Tron," the 1982 cult classic? It starred Bruce Boxleitner as a computer hacker who was abducted into a computer and forced to participate in gladiator-type games. His only chance of escape rested in a heroic security program.

Gee, I kind of feel like that pretty much every day – like I’ve been abducted by my computer and forced to live in its world. But hey, it pays the bills, so I can’t complain!

More after the jump…

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Looks like Disney/Pixar will do it again with "Up," a bright, colorful, inventive movie coming to theaters May 29, 2009 (in digital 3D in select theaters).

It tells the story of a 78-year-old balloon salesman named Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.

Sounds great, right? Until he discovers a stowaway on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai). Check out the official "Up" site and watch the trailer: