Vampires, Werewolves, Heroes in Hollywood's Upcoming Film Slate

(Last of 2 Parts)

CEBU, Philippines - Rascals, rogues, beasts and baddies abound, but family fare, funny people, as well as song and dance flicks also share the spotlight in Hollywood’s forthcoming movie lineup.

FAMILY FARE:

Singing rodents return in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” with Alvin, Simon and Theodore in a battle-of-the-bands showdown with three female chipmunks.

Food falls from the sky in an animated adaptation of the children’s book “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” the story of a town where plenty eventually becomes too much.

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back as Woody and Buzz in 3-D versions of “Toy Story,” the first computer-animated feature film, and “Toy Story 2,” which play as a double-feature in advance of next year’s “Toy Story 3.”

Disney bucks the computer-animation trend with a throwback to its hand-drawn cartoon roots on “The Princess and the Frog,” updating the fairy tale about a girl and her slimy prince.

The animated adventure “Planet 51” features the voices of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jessica Biel in the tale of an astronaut who discovers a world of tiny green aliens living the “Ozzie and Harriet” life of 1950s America.

George Clooney puts his silver tongue to use in a screen version of Roald Dahl’s storybook “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” about a chicken thief whose wily ways land him and his animal pals in a battle against nasty farmers.

With a voice cast including James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker and Catherine O’Hara, “Where the Wild Things Are” casts an adventurous boy onto an island where he rules over an assortment of cuddly but unpredictable beasts.

Rather than relying on digital effects to bring Maurice Sendak’s exotic world to life, director Spike Jonze stuffed performers into bulky suits on real sets to adapt the picture book.

“When he goes to this place, it’s a real place,” Jonze said. “Its creatures, you can walk up and touch them. They can bump into him and shove him, hug him and pet him. There’s a real forest, real beaches, real sand and real dirt and real wind. Doing it that way, I thought it would feel the most visceral and the most dangerous.”

Singers and dancers:

Michael Jackson’s 50-night concert stand in London never came to pass. But rehearsal footage for his comeback shows offer what’s sure to be one of the biggest music documentaries ever as “Michael Jackson: This Is It” hits theaters for a limited two-week run.

“Chicago” director Rob Marshall presents his next movie musical with “Nine,” featuring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren in an adaptation of Federico Fellini’s “8 1/2.”

A new gang of young wannabes sharpen their talents in “Fame,” an update of the 1980s film set at a high school for the performing arts, with a faculty cast that includes Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Debbie Allen, who co-starred in the original.

DOOMSDAY:

Just when you thought hard times were bottoming out, the apocalypse hits in “The Road,” adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel about a man (Viggo Mortensen) trying to fend for his young son across a bleak America struck by catastrophe.

John Cusack heads the cast of “2012” as survivors of worldwide cataclysms struggle on in the action tale from Roland Emmerich (“The Day After Tomorrow”).

FUNNY PEOPLE:

Hollywood spreads the love with a rush of romantic comedies, including “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”, with Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant as a couple whose failing marriage may get a second chance after they’re sent into witness protection; “All About Steve,” starring Sandra Bullock stalking the man she thinks is her true love; “Couple’s Retreat,” featuring Vince Vaughn, Kristin Davis, Jon Favreau and Kristen Bell working out relationship kinks on a therapy vacation; and “It’s Complicated,” about a woman (Meryl Streep) pursued by two men (Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin).

George Clooney takes to the skies in “Juno” director Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air,” playing a corporate-downsizing specialist whose nomadic life is put in jeopardy just as he nears an epic milestone in his frequent-flyer mileage account.

“Old Dogs” features Robin Williams as a single guy forced to care for young twins he never knew he had, enlisting the help of his womanizing business partner (John Travolta) to raise them.

Travolta’s character “starts using them as bait for women, as cougar bait,” Williams said. “He’s like, ‘Chicks dig kids,’ and he’s using them to kind of gather around older, sexier women.” (AP)