The studio's forthcoming version of the Brothers Grimm story will be renamed "Tangled" after market research showed that boys do not like films with girls' names in the title.

Disney bosses believe that is the reason for the disappointing box office performance of its recent offering, The Princess and the Frog. The flaxen-haired heroine of Tangled will still bear the name Rapunzel when the 3-D film is released in November.

However, Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, said of the title change: "We did not want to be put in a box. Some people might assume it's a fairytale for girls when it's not. We make movies to be appreciated and loved by everybody." The Princess and the Frog would have fared better "if it wasn't pre-judged by its title", Mr Catmull told the Los Angeles Times.

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Disney is wringing the pink out of its princess movies. After the less-than-fairy-tale results for its most recent animated release, "The Princess and the Frog," executives at the Burbank studio believe they know why the acclaimed movie came up short at the box office.

Brace yourself: Boys didn't want to see a movie with "princess" in the title. This time, Disney is taking measures to ensure that doesn't happen again. The studio renamed its next animated film with the girl-centric name "Rapunzel" to the less gender-specific "Tangled."

The makeover of "Rapunzel" is more than cosmetic. Disney can ill afford a moniker that alienates half the potential audience, young boys, who are needed to make an expensive family film a success. "We did not want to be put in a box," said Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, explaining the reason for the name change.

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News of the World film critic Robbie Collin's review of Alice in Wonderland has become something of an international news event. Collin slated the film in his review as a "bums-in-the-air fiasco"  and gave it one star.

But he reserved special venom for its star Mia Wasikowska: "In 2008, when Tim Burton chose Mia to play Alice, she had never acted in a big feature film before.

And that remains true to this day. Cos bejaysus – there's not been a lead character this paper-flat since the South Park movie.

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A hyper-digitalized, dizzying makeover of an enduring classic succumbing to an identity crisis of its own, Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland veers uneasily between razzle dazzle weirdness and standard kid entertainment.

And with a narrative more internalized in the collective audience consciousness than even the most sequelized of blockbusters, this Alice instead opts for showmanship over storytelling, and whose dense enchanting visuals progressively wear thin.

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This neat mix of contemporary teen culture and Greek myth (based on the first in Rick Riordan's series) ought to entertain teens and pleasantly surprise adults.

As it feels like the old 1950s special-effects fantasies. It might also inspire kids to read those myths. Zeus (Sean Bean) and Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) meet atop the Empire State Building.

Zeus fumes that the son of Poseidon has stolen his lightning bolt. Cut to Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), a New York high-schooler who sees himself as a loser. During a museum visit, Percy learns he is in fact a demigod -- the child of his mom's long-ago liaison with Poseidon.

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The Odeon cinema group has refused to show Disney’s latest 3D movie, Alice in Wonderland, at its theatres in Ireland, Italy and the UK. The reason behind this is release of movie on DVD soon.

Odeon objected to Walt Disney’s decision of releasing the film on DVD within just 12 weeks after it’s first show in theatres. The usual period between cinema and DVD release is 17-18 weeks.

The cinema group further commented that it has invested “huge sums of money” in digital projection equipment to show 3D films all around the globe.

Odeon fears Disney’s strategy could set a new benchmark with a 12 week gap becoming common. This will become a fearfactor for cinema compaines like odeon group, imax and PVR cinema groups.

Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” and Walt Disney Pictures’/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” are headed to ShoWest 2010 which will be held March 15 - 18, 2010, in Las Vegas. “Toy Story 3” will be screened for ShoWest attendees on Tuesday, March 16, while “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” will be screened on Thursday, March 18.

“We are thrilled that Disney has decided to bring two outstanding films to ShoWest 2010,” said Robert Sunshine, managing director of the event. “The opportunity to showcase the story of ‘Prince of Persia’ and the beloved characters of ‘Toy Story 3’ in front of the important professionals of the motion picture industry and owners of theatres demonstrates the significance of this audience to forthcoming blockbusters; and we expect that Disney will only exceed our expectations as they have in years past.”

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The UK's biggest cinema chain Odeon is boycotting Disney's new Alice in Wonderland film in a bitter row over DVD releases. The movie - directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp - will not be shown in Odeon Cinemas in Britain, Ireland and Italy. The move comes after Disney said it planned to release the film on DVD 12 weeks after its cinema debut instead of 17 weeks.Disney says the DVD timespan reduction is a one-off, but Odeon bosses fear it will "set a benchmark, leading to a 12-week window as standard".

A spokesman said: "The negative impact on cinema attendance will threaten the existence of cinemas, especially smaller ones."  The film will be shown in Cineworld and The Vue cinemas and in Odeons in Spain, Portugal, Austria and Germany with the usual 17-week timespan.

I realize that with competition like When in Rome, Valentine’s Day, Dear John, Book of Eli and Extraordinary Measures, that’s like being the least effeminate boy band member. But if Island were released in 2009 like it was supposed to be, there’s no doubt it would fill one of the 10 Best Picture Slots, taking the place of something idiotic like The Blind Side. As it stands, come next fall as Awards season rolls around, it’s almost a surety that Shutter Island will be forgotten. Too bad.

At least you can see it now, and since there’s really nothing else worth watching in theaters, might as well…Shutter Island marks Leonardo DiCaprio’s 4th collaboration with famed director Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Casino, Raging Bull), along with being Scorsese’s first movie since winning the Best Director Oscar for The Departed that he really deserved for Goodfellas. But who’s keeping track?

How does Shutter Island stack up in the DiCaprio/Scorsese canon? It’s a slim notch below The Departed but far more engaging than the uneven Gangs of New York and the slightly bloated Aviator.

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Teenie boppers have been eagerly waiting for Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. And so have all the Harry Potter  fans. With good reason! This film belongs to the same 'magic' genre. Also it's been directed by the master storyteller Chris Columbus, the 'wizard' who gave us Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

In the interim apart from the Potter series we've had The Chronicles of Narnia, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Golden Compass. It really is a tall order to churn out something refreshingly different. But does the film engage you and keep you at the edge of your seat? Yes! And it is the director's mastery that he does not let his audience down.

Percy Jackson (Logan  Lerman) is just an average all-American dyslexic kid struggling with his disabilities. But Percy has been blessed with magical powers due to his half-blood lineage (yes, a little too Harry Potterish) as he is Poseidon's son. Now Percy must locate the lightning bolt and prevent the gods from going to war or mankind is doomed.

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