“Captain Hook is Shakespearean…” – Tom Hiddleston

Do you think sometimes that Tom Hiddleston looks at Benedict Cumberbatch and thinks “That should be mine”? I do. Just days after we discovered that Benedict Cumberbatch will be doing his first animated film for DreamWorks’ The Penguins of Madagascar, now we find out that Tom Hiddleston will be doing his first animated voice work as well. And in typical Hiddles fashion, Tom had to grab the microphone and talk and talk and talk. First, let’s hear about the project:

For the sixth installment of the little sprite’s solo adventures, Tinkerbell is getting a new hook. Zarina, the newest fairy in Pixie Hollow, will be voiced by the voluptuous Christina Hendricks, playing a seafaring, smart, swashbuckling fairy who creates a new type of Pixie Dust that gives her the power of all the other fairies’ talents. Tinkerbell (again voiced by Parenthood‘s Mae Whitman) must find a way to return things to normal.

Zarina also keeps some sinister company.

Disneytoon Studio’s latest Tinkerbell movie, The Pirate Fairy, turns the community of Pixie Hollow on its head when dust-keeper fairy Zarina snatches the Hollow’s essential Blue Pixie Dust (insert your own Breaking Bad joke here, please) — and joins the pirates of Skull Rock.

Among them is a young rogue named James, who is better known by his future title: Captain Hook. None other than Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston, will be the voice behind the young soon-to-be villain. “Cabin Boy James is educated and polite and energetic and charming and attentive. James and Zarina are steady on. They’re like best friends … for a while,” said Hiddleston. “It’s all an act. He’s covering for his ruthless and cunning nature.”

Hendricks chimed in: “Imagine the betrayal!”

Director Peggy Holmes announced the casting news Friday morning at D23, Disney’s what’s-coming-next expo and celebration. “We start to bridge Tink’s world of Pixie Hollow and her world of Peter Pan,” Holmes told the D23 crowd.

The Pirate Fairy further complicates things for Tinkerbell and her pals when they discover that all their respective talents have been switched — forcing them to walk in each other’s little pixie booties.

Hiddleston told D23 he was excited to be a part of a Disney film because he idolized The Jungle Book and sang “The Bear Necessities” in an audition once. Naturally, the crowd cheered until he was forced to sing some of it live.

Disneytoon Studios also announced another Tinkerbell film, The Legend of the Neverbeast.

In that one, due in spring 2015, director Steve Loter said Fawn, the nature fairy from Tinkerbell’s world, rallies her friends to not fear the white-furred, sharp-toothed creature that comes to inhabit their land. It turns out Ruff, the eponymous creature, looks fearsome but has a big, sweet center.
The other film highlighted by Disneytoon Studios was Planes: Fire and Rescue, a sequel to the high-flying race adventure opening in theaters today. It will focus on the elite team of machines tasked with stopping wildfires. Dane Cook will return as Dusty Crophopper, and Modern Family‘s Julie Bowen will play a tanker plane named Dipper, who has a crush on him. (And since she’s probably twice his size, that’s a big crush.) “You’re smaller than I thought,” her character says in a preview clip shown to the D23 crowd.

[From Entertainment Weekly]

Yes, I guess they don’t care about SPOILERS for the whole Captain Hook twist…? That seems like something they would want to keep a secret. Anyway, I want to prepare yourselves for the video. This is like the MTV Movie Awards all over again. No one can stand in between Tom and a microphone and his public. Christina Hendricks barely got a word in edgewise.

Cheeseball. Ham. Typical Tom. I mean, if I’m being nice… I’ll say that it’s good for his career that he’s so willing to fly anywhere to promote future projects. And he IS legitamitely enthusiastic. And I’ll also give him credit for that bulge he’s packing in those tight pants. Mm. But still… did we need a song? No, we didn’t.

Photos courtesy of PR Photos.