logo
Mads Mikkelsen Joins Voice Cast of ‘Snow Queen' Inspired Animated Adventure ‘North' (EXCLUSIVE)

Mads Mikkelsen Joins Voice Cast of ‘Snow Queen' Inspired Animated Adventure ‘North' (EXCLUSIVE)

Yahoo08-05-2025
Mads Mikkelsen has joined the voice cast of the animated feature 'North,' which is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale 'The Snow Queen.' The film is being sold in Cannes by Studio 100 Film, and will be screened on May 13 in the Marché du Film.
The film centers on Gerda, who sets off into the great unknown in search of her friend Kai, who has mysteriously vanished. On her journey, Gerda makes friends with people, birds, beasts, and a kind witch, unaware that a hostile, unseen enemy – the Snow Queen and her devil apprentice, Louie – is watching her. The evil queen keeps Kai prisoner in her ice palace way up north in Finnmark, Norway.
More from Variety
Carlos Rincon to Launch Prestige International Pictures at Cannes, Partnering With Vital Pictures
Variety's International Achievement in Film Honoree Tarak Ben Ammar Soars With Italy's Eagle Pictures Pacts and Local Hits Like 'Boy With Pink Trousers'
Variety's International Achievement in Film Honoree Tarak Ben Ammar Sees His Studio de Paris Soundstages Fill With Global Hits
Mikkelsen will lend his voice to the character of Severin, the father of Kai. Severin is a figure who 'embodies wisdom, sorrow and the timeless magic of storytelling,' according to a statement. As a carpenter, he builds his son a beautiful sled for Christmas and grieves when the sled and the boy vanish.
Norwegian composer Rolf Løvland ('Secret Garden,' 'You Raise Me Up') contributed the original song 'Finding You,' performed by Norwegian pop singer Maria Arredondo. 'This lyrical ballad reflects the themes of longing and connection that lie at the heart of the film's journey,' the statement added.
Raymond Enoksen, one of Scandinavia's leading film and television composers, with over 200 productions to his name, has created the full orchestral score as well as the original track 'True North,' which 'anchors the film's sonic identity and amplifies its dramatic narrative.'
'North' is directed by fantasy author Bente Lohne, and is produced by Håkon Gundersen ('Flight of the Navigator,' 'Free Jimmy') and his company PictoryLand, in collaboration with Anima Vitae. Ralph Guggenheim ('Toy Story'), co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, serves as consulting producer.
Best of Variety
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jay Leno Says Today's Late-Night Hosts ‘Alienate' Half the Audience With Political Jokes ‘Cozying Up to One Side': ‘I Don't Think Anybody Wants to Hear a Lecture'
Jay Leno Says Today's Late-Night Hosts ‘Alienate' Half the Audience With Political Jokes ‘Cozying Up to One Side': ‘I Don't Think Anybody Wants to Hear a Lecture'

Yahoo

time17 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Jay Leno Says Today's Late-Night Hosts ‘Alienate' Half the Audience With Political Jokes ‘Cozying Up to One Side': ‘I Don't Think Anybody Wants to Hear a Lecture'

Jay Leno believes late-night TV comedians have become too politicized — and that they risk losing half the viewing audience by 'cozying up to one side or the other.' 'To me, I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be,' Leno said in a recent interview with David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. 'Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have to give your opinion.' More from Variety Jay Leno Says Jimmy Kimmel 'Humiliated Me' During 2010 'Tonight Show' Interview and 'I Let It Happen. I Didn't Edit It. It Was My Mistake.' Jay Leno Says Election Day Was 'Fair' and 'It Was Honest' After Trump Win: 'It Was a Great Day For Democracy' Jay Leno Recovering From Motorcycle Accident, Two Months After Suffering Serious Burns: Report Leno didn't name names. But the current roster of late-night hosts — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Seth Meyers and more — has routinely mocked President Trump and the MAGA movement. To be fair, they have also opportunistically lampooned Democrats. Leno's impression is that late-night TV these days skews toward specific political viewpoints. 'I love political humor, don't get me wrong,' the late-night veteran told Trulio. 'But it's just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.' Leno asked rhetorically, 'Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole. I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture.' Leno's interview with Trulio, formerly Fox News Digital's managing editor and head of strategy and editorial operations, was conducted before CBS announced on July 17 that it was canceling 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.' CBS claimed it was 'purely a financial decision.' The axing of Colbert's show appeared to many critics to be another concession to Trump, coming after CBS parent company Paramount Global agreed to pay the president $16 million to settle what legal experts said was a meritless lawsuit going after '60 Minutes.' After Trump said 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,' Colbert told Trump to 'Go fuck yourself.' On Friday, David Letterman, former 'Late Show' host, slammed the cancellation of Colbert's show as an act of 'pure cowardice' and suggested that Skydance Media (whose takeover of Paramount is set to close next month after the FCC approved the deal) wanted Colbert ousted to avoid problems with the Trump administration. The caption on the Reagan Foundation's YouTube interview clip with Leno, which was posted July 22, says, 'Late-night TV used to be about laughs — not lectures. ‪@jayleno‬ tells us why he never shared his political opinions on The Tonight Show, and why he thinks today's hosts are losing half of America by doing so.' The first part of Trulio's interview with Leno was posted July 9 on YouTube. Part 2, in which Leno 'shares his thoughts on Reagan's comedic brilliance,' was uploaded July 15. Leno hosted 'The Tonight Show' on NBC from 1992 to 2009; Conan O'Brien briefly took the reins of the show before NBC brought Leno back from 2010-14. Leno was the first late-night talk show host to conduct an interview with a sitting president, with President Barack Obama appearing on the show in March 2009. After Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election, Leno said in an appearance on 'The View' that he was 'not a fan' of Trump but that, 'The nice thing about this election is, it was fair, it was honest…. there was no cheating. Everybody says it was honest. I mean, it's a great day for democracy,' Leno added. In the interview with Leno, Trulio alluded to a study of the comedian's 'Tonight Show' jokes, which Trulio said had found were 'roughly equally balanced between going after Republicans and taking aim at Democrats.' According to a George Mason University analysis released in 2009, on 'The Tonight Show' from 1992-2008, Leno told 4,468 jokes about Bill Clinton, nearly 50% more than George W. Bush (2,999 jokes). Asked by Trulio what his strategy was vis-a-vis political humor, Leno replied, 'It was funny to me when I got hate letters [that said], 'You and your Republican friends' and 'Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy' — over the same joke. And I go, 'Well, that's good. That's how you get a whole audience.'' Leno has previously shared his belief that late-night hosts who have come after him are too one-sided. In 2019, he said on 'The View' that he 'always liked to humiliate and degrade both sides equally.' SEE ALSO: Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword

Billy Joel Gives Health Update After Brain Disorder Diagnosis: ‘It Sounds a Lot Worse Than What I'm Feeling'
Billy Joel Gives Health Update After Brain Disorder Diagnosis: ‘It Sounds a Lot Worse Than What I'm Feeling'

Yahoo

time18 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Billy Joel Gives Health Update After Brain Disorder Diagnosis: ‘It Sounds a Lot Worse Than What I'm Feeling'

Billy Joel is opening up for the first time about his health after revealing he had been diagnosed with a brain disorder that forced him to cancel all of his upcoming concerts. 'I feel fine,' the singer told Bill Maher during his recent appearance on Maher's Club Random podcast. He added, 'My balance sucks. It's like being on a boat.' More from Rolling Stone Billy Joel Went to Extremes. A New Five-Hour Doc Shows How and Why Billy Joel's 'And So It Goes' Documentary: How to Watch Part One Online Billy Joel Details How 'Music Saved My Life' in 'And So It Goes' Documentary Trailer In May, Joel canceled the remainder of his tour — 17 dates that were to take him through stadiums in North America and England — after receiving a diagnosis for normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The brain disorder is caused by the accumulation of excessive cerebrospinal fluid in the brain's ventricles, leading to a range of cognitive and physical problems, particularly issues with gait, coordination, and bladder control. The disorder 'can affect several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,' according to the Cleveland Clinic. 'The symptoms of NPH look very much like those of dementia, but NPH is sometimes reversible.' While Joel told Maher that his condition is not yet 'fixed,' he said, 'it's being worked on.' Joel explained that the disorder 'used to be called water on the brain. Now it's called hydrocephalus — normal pressure hydrocephalus.' When asked what causes the disorder, Joel said, 'Nobody knows.' The musician's last concert on this tour run took place on Feb. 22 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Toward the end of the show, he fell on his back after throwing his microphone stand at a crew member. But he stood back up and finished the set. In March, Joel revealed he was taking a four-month break from the road due to a 'medical condition' that required surgery and physical therapy. He planned on returning to the stage on July 5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 'While I regret postponing any shows, my health must come first,' he told fans in a statement. It's unclear if the procedure was related to his normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis. 'I feel good,' Joel told Maher during the new interview, where they also discussed the two-part, five-hour documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, and more. 'They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked Solve the daily Crossword

Billy Joel Says Elton John's Rehab Comments Were ‘Rock Bottom' For Him in HBO Documentary: ‘There Was Bad Blood For a Little While'
Billy Joel Says Elton John's Rehab Comments Were ‘Rock Bottom' For Him in HBO Documentary: ‘There Was Bad Blood For a Little While'

Yahoo

time20 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Billy Joel Says Elton John's Rehab Comments Were ‘Rock Bottom' For Him in HBO Documentary: ‘There Was Bad Blood For a Little While'

Billy Joel is opening up about a tough moment with longtime friend and tourmate Elton John. In the second part of the new two-part HBO Documentary, 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' the 'New York State of Mind' singer shared how John's public comments that he needed rehab strained their friendship. More from Variety HBO Doc 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' Candidly Examines Singer's Struggles with Money, Alcohol, and Critics 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' Review: The Tribeca Festival Opens with a Luscious Longform Documentary That Captures Just the Way He Is 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' Directors Share Inspirational Message From Ailing Singer: 'He Will Be Back' 'Elton had made a comment that he thought I needed real rehab,' Joel said in the film, referencing an interview he did with 'Rolling Stone' in 2011. 'He chalked it up to, 'Oh, he's a drunk.' And that really hurt me.' He added, 'I said, wait a minute? Don't you know me better than that? And there was bad blood for a little while. There was a dovetailing of things that happened during that time.' Joel and John first co-headlined a stadium together in 1994 during their 'Face to Face' tour. In the first part of the documentary, Joel admitted that he once 'resented' the comparisons to the 'Your Song' singer but eventually grew to embrace it as they continued to perform onstage together. According to People, John told Rolling Stone that they had 'so many cancelled tours because of illnesses and various other things, alcoholism' coming off their joint tour in 2010. John said of Joel in the film, 'He's going to hate me for this, but every time he goes to rehab, they've been light… I love you, Billy, and this is tough love.' In 2005, Joel went to rehab at the Betty Ford Center after his then-wife Katie Lee issued an 'ultimatum.' The couple divorced in 2009. After rehab, the 'Piano Man' singer took a break from the spotlight and stopped touring. In the documentary, Joel described John's comments as making him feel 'clobbered' and noted it was 'rock bottom' for him. 'I was disillusioned with what I thought it was all supposed to mean,' he said. 'It was like all the signs were pointing to me: Enough. And I wrote this letter to the band. 'I don't want to do this anymore. I'm gonna stop.' The second part of 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' premiered on Friday, July 25. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store