So here’s your first notice about the localized voice cast for Studio Ghibli’s new Arrietty the Borrower: the young Brigit Mendler is voicing Arrietty for the North American release.

Producer Frank Marshall said via tweet last night, “Full day of recording with the very talented Bridgit Mendler, doing the lead role in the US version of Studio Ghibli’s ARRIETTY THE BORROWER.” The actress has been in the series Wizards of Waverly Place and Good Luck Charlie.

No word on the rest of the new cast for the film. As has been the case with Disney’s releases of Ghibli films in the past, some audiences may be able to see a subtitled print of the film rather than the dub, but that isn’t confirmed at this point.

The film, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, with supervision by Hayao Miyazaki, was released in Japan on July 17, 2010. It updates Mary Norton‘s 1952 novel The Borrowers, placing the action in a modern Tokyo suburb.

Here’s the synopsis, with the Japanese fansubbed trailer following:

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items “borrowed” from the house’s human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

Source: /Film

The NAMM event is here the nation’s top 10 teen bands will perform for the title of the nation’s best teen band on Saturday, January 15.

SchoolJam USA is a national program that rewards aspiring teen music makers, between the ages of 13 and 19, and their respective school music programs with music funding and prizes, as well as the opportunity to perform live before the public and a panel of music industry professionals.

This year’s event will take place at the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., during the weekend of the popular NAMM Show, the largest musical instruments and products trade show in the world.

Mendler (Disney Channel’s “Good Luck Charlie”) and Hicks (Disney XD’s “Zeke and Luther”), co-stars of Disney Channel’s forthcoming original movie, “Lemonade Mouth,” will emcee the live battle of the teen bands. The highly-anticipated Disney film “Lemonade Mouth” is based on the book by Mark Peter Hughes and tells the story of five high school students who meet in detention and realize that they are destined to make music. They ultimately form a band that becomes a champion for students sidelined by the high school elite.

An expert judges panel, including five leading music industry veterans, Michael Blakeslee (MENC); Steve Dobo (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum); Stan Freese (Disney); Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour); and Menzie Pittman (Contemporary Music Center) will preside over the competition and select one band as the “Best Teen Band in the USA.” In addition to the championship title, the winning band will receive a grand-prize trip to perform at the original SchoolJam festival in Frankfurt, Germany, a private music video recording session on the John Lennon Educational Bus, $1,000 towards the purchase of new music gear, and an additional $5,000 in funding for their school music program. The remaining finalists will receive money to purchase new gear as well as funding for their respective school music programs.

The SchoolJam USA top 10 band finalists, including two wild card* picks, are (in alphabetical order):

• Clearly from Negligence (Fairport, N.Y.)* •
• Dangerous Daze (Charlotte, N.C.) •
• Orpheus (De Pere, Wis.) •
• Peligro (Gahanna, Ohio) •
• Rooftop Manor (Port Washington, N.Y.)
• Schmillion (Austin, Texas)
• The Freefall (Fountain Valley, Calif.)
• The Jessica Prouty Band (Marblehead, Mass.)*
• Uprising (Raceland, La.)
• VIA (Salt Lake City, Utah)

The top 10 finalist bands in the 2010-2011 SchoolJam USA competition have contributed one of their favorite original songs to create a compilation CD. All proceeds from the album will be used to support and promote music education programs through NAMM. To download the album and support national music education programs, visit https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/schooljamusa.

In Radio Disney’s “Give Back” sweepstakes, one lucky winner will get to present a $10,000 check, along with Friends For Change, to Bridgit Mendler’s charity of choice First Book.

Plus, Disney Book Group will donate 5,000 books to First Book and the winner will get $500 for themselves!

The contest, which runs through December 26th, RD listeners have a chance to give back with the 17-year-old Good Luck Charlie star in support of her favorite charity, First Book. The organization books to children in need. The winner will get to meet Bridgit and present the check to her (and they get $500 for themselves as well…a nice holiday treat!).

In her upcoming take over, Bridgit chatted with host Ernie D about some of her holiday traditions: “Every holiday season on Christmas Eve, my dad would read ‘The Night Before Christmas’…we still do it every year.”

She added, “We like to celebrate at home a lot of the time where it’s just me and my family, but then there’s some years that we travel…This year actually, we’re going to Argentina, big trip!”

Be sure to listen in to Bridgit’s Take Over on Tuesday, November 30 @ 3PM PT/6PM ET on Radio Disney.

Source: JustJaredJr

When Bridgit Mendler’s music video for “How to Believe” debuted, there were so many comparisons to Taylor Swift!

JustJaredJr.com caught up with the 17-year-old actress to chat about the video a bit and found out just how much fun she had filming it. “That was my first music video ever. It was great to work with all the kids and it was such a cool concept. I was there to encourage the kids to embrace their talents and then to perform on stage. Even performing with my own guitar was awesome, ” Bridgit shared.

Bridgit also shared exclusively with us about the Taylor comparisons, “It was so unintentional (laughs). It wasn’t like, ‘Taylor plays guitar, lets play my guitar; she has wavy hair, let’s make mine wavy too’ kind of thing. It’s such a compliment to even be compared to her because she’s been such a success and of course, she’s gorgeous. But she’s not who I’m trying to be musically. I’m still finding my own thing to do in music.”

Source: Just Jared Jr

# as;lkjaeflbkjaelrkjae; i can’t believe i’m nominated for a teen choice award!!! so incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Bridgit Mendler! She has been nominated at the Teen Choice Awards, which airs August 9th on Fox. VOTE and VOTE AGAIN, every 24 hours, and let your voice be heard! Then, tune in on August 9 with your fingers crossed!

Choice Breakout Star: Female
Bridgit Mendler, Good Luck Charlie
Dianna Agron, Glee
Mae Whitman, Parenthood
Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries
Sarah Hyland, Modern Family

1. Allstar Weekend – Just Can’t Wait To Be King (The Lion King)
2. Selena Gomez – Trust In Me (The Jungle Book)
3. Honor Society – Real Gone (Cars)
4. Tiffany Thornton – If I Never Knew You (Pocahontas)
5. Mitchel Musso – Stand Out (A Goofy Movie)
6. KSM – Good Enough (The Wild)
7. Savannah – Little Wonders (Meet The Robinsons)
8. Boo Boo Stewart – Under The Sea (The Little Mermaid)
9. Bridgit Mendler – When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2)
10. Drew Seeley – Her Voice (Disney On Broadways – The Little Mermaid)
11. Ruby Summer – Bella Notte (Lady and the Tramp)
12. Anna Maria Perez de Taglé – Part Of Your World (The Little Mermaid)
13. Alyson Stoner – What I’ve Been Looking For (High School Musical)
14. Demi Lovato – The Gift Of A Friend (Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure)
15. Debby Ryan – Hakuna Matata (The Lion King)