Liana II: Kingdom Protector is an animated fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is a continuation of the series Liana while serving as a sequel to the 1998 of the same name. The film is directed by Aracely Valencia from a screenplay by Valencia, Phil Johnston and Don Hall, and a story by Valencia and Jared Bush. Christina Ricci returns to voice the title character while the supporting cast reprise their roles.
The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on April 14, 2024, and is scheduled to be released theatrically on April 26, in IMAX and RealD 3D. It received critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising the vocal performances, screenplay, emotional depth, animation, and John Powell's musical score.
Synopsis[]
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Cast[]
- Christina Ricci as Liana, a now-grown woman who is now the leader of her force
- Sarah Paulson as Yaretzi, Liana's best friend
- Maggie Gyllenhaal as Thalia
- Debbie Harry as Lucille, Liana's overprotective mother whose the legendary warrior of the kingdom
- Jenna von Oÿ as Mariah
- Natalie Portman
- Kevin Bacon
- Elizabeth Olsen
- Geoffrey Rush
- Emily Blunt
Production[]
Development[]
In 1999, following the release of the original Liana film, creator and director Aracely Valencia stated that a sequel would be possible but the focus would mainly be for television as Disney at the time green-lit the series of the same name, while she being busy on her another film Sidequest.
On September 9, 2022, Walt Disney Animation Studios officially announced Liana II: Kingdom Protector at D23 Expo, with Christina Ricci and Sarah Paulson returning as the title role and Yaretzi respectively. The film is being directed by Aracely Valencia, produced by Peter Del Vecho and Clark Spencer, and written by Valencia, Phil Johnston, and Don Hall while being set to be released exclusively on Disney+ on April 5, 2024. Disney stated the reasoning for the film being released to streaming is to increase their sales on Disney+. However, on April 11, 2023, the film was announced to be given a theatrical release after Disney CEO Bob Iger stated "animation should be in theaters and Liana II is a good example of one that should most definitely seen in the best format."
Casting[]
In November 2022, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Debbie Harry, was revealed to be reprising their roles as Thalia and Lucille, respectively. That same time, Jenna von Oÿ stated that she was unsure if was to reprise her role as Mariah but was later confirmed to be reprising her role in February 2023.
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Animation[]
Many of the animation staff from The Marvelous Mickey Mouse (2020) and Twisted Spell (2023) as well as some current staff were brought in to work on Liana II, as the three films involved traditional animation, and additional clean up/inbetween animation and digital ink and paint was provided by Yowza Animation, Inc. while some of the computer-animation were provided in-house at Disney Burbank Studios as well with the animation being said to be more stylized. The production would also use the same software utilized for Princess and the Frog (2009) and Twisted Spell, Toon Boom Animation's Harmony, to digitally ink and paint the drawings. Animatic supervisor Rasoul Azadani stated that the animation team was inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from the blending of traditional and computer animation.
Release[]
Liana II: Kingdom Protector premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on April 14, 2024, and is scheduled to be released theatrically on April 26, 2024 in IMAX, RealD 3D, ScreenX, and Dolby. It was originally scheduled for release on May 17, 2024 in theaters until it was taken of the Walt Disney Studios schedule due to the ongoing SAG-AFRA strikes. However, after the SAG-AFRA strikes ended, the release date was rescheduled to April 26, 2024. In theaters, Liana II: Kingdom Protector will be preceded by Notable Assistant, a eight-minute Retell short film featuring Serena
Marketing[]
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Reception[]
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