Month: May 2004 – page 2

Disney animator Jack Bradbury dies at 89

The Los Angeles Times [free registration required] has posted an obituary for Disney animator and comic book artist Jack Bradbury, who died of kidney failure on May 15th, at the age of 89. “In a career spanning five decades, he started at Disney in the mid-1930s and worked his way up to a full animator […]

Jerry Bruckheimer growing mouse ears?

Check out Business Week Online at Yahoo! Finance for a new interview with highly successful movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Lots of Disney talk in there.

Can't get enough of Lorenzo

Animated shorts played in front of high profile, widely released movies are a dying breed nowadays so anytime one comes along it is likely to catch the attention of the whole animation industry. The new Disney short Lorenzo appears to be worthy of all its attention. Set to open May 28 with Touchstone Pictures’ Raising […]

Marvel & Lions Gate To Produce Original Animated DVDs

Animation World Network is reporting that Marvel and Lions Gate have entered an agreement to develop, produce and distribute original animated DVDs based on Marvel characters. Both companies plan to start production immediately on eight projects, with the first expected to be released late next year. Specific titles and characters will be announced at a […]

More Kingdom Hearts 2 Info

Macaluso in the Animated News Forum has posted a link to a page at KingdomHearts2.net which gives a wealth of new information on the upcoming sequel to the popular video game. And ‘Monkeyboy12’ has provided this link to information about Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for Nintendo’s GameBoy Advance.

Shrek 3 and 4 moving ahead "one at a time"

DreamWorks animation head Ann Daly has said that plans for the continuation of the Shrek franchise are moving ahead, with the company taking on each future sequel “one at a time”. Dark Horizons’ {{link http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040525e.php News Bites}} reports the details, with Daly adding that DWs was in “final talks” with principal voice actors Mike Myers, […]

Disney DVD release and discontinue dates

Ultimate Disney reveals that the Bambi Special Edition DVD will be released on March 8th, while Cinderella is scheduled for October 4, 2005. Meanwhile, The Lion King, The Lion King 1½, and the upcoming The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Special Edition will be discontinued in January 2005.

New Garfield: The Movie pics

Latino Review has new photos from Garfield: The Movie, which will hit theaters on June 11, 2004.

Dark website now online

The official website for The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, the animated prequel to this summer’s The Chronicles of Riddick, is now online, featuring the film’s synopsis, DVD details, a picture gallery, downloads, and the trailer. The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury be available to own on June 15, 2004.

Doo 2 DVD details

DVD Answers has the specs and pics for the Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed DVD. In addtion to an anamorphic widescreen transfer, the DVD will include “English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, ten minutes of deleted scenes with director’s commentary, a True Ghoul Hollywood Story documentary and a Dancing Dog featurette which shows […]

New Shrek 2 poster!

United International Pictures has the German poster for Shrek 2. Thanks to the Internet Movie Posters Awards for the heads up!

New Incredible posters!

Coming Soon! has the new one sheet and banner posters for The Incredibles!

"Shrek ate our sales!"

With Shrek 2 breaking box office records left, right and center, its presence is also being felt in retail stores across the country. {{link http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/25/news/economy/weeklysales/index.htm?cnn=yes CNN Money}} is saying that “The International Council of Shopping Centers’ weekly sales report shows sales decreased 0.5 percent” during Shrek 2‘s opening in theaters. However, retail analysts said they […]

Disney directors to name new board seat

Following last week’s meeting between the Disney board and the state pension fund companies who objected to Michael Eisner’s staying put at the top of the Disney company, the Mouse House has come forward with a concession plan: to “allow them to suggest nominees for a seat on the company’s board this year”, says the […]

Futurama: Volume Four specs and details

{{link http://www.dvdtoons.com/news/574 DVD Toons}} today posts what we can look forward to in the fourth box of Futurama comedy adventures. The new set will include commentaries and deleted scenes for many of the episodes. Futurama: Volume Four is set to street August 24, retailing at $49.98.

AWN on the Disney Orlando Closure

Animation World Network has a new article by Minneapolis-based freelance business writer Karen Raugust updating us on the unfortunate closure of Disney’s Florida-based animation facility and some of the projects that have sprung up in the aftermath.

Pixar looking for new deal with Disney?

{{link http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/24/technology/pixar/ CNN}} reports that Pixar is not in a hurry to find a new distribution partner and that may signal they are still interested in reaching a new agreement with Disney. A \\New York Times\\ report “said that some Hollywood executives are speculating that Jobs may hope of another deal with Disney, depending upon […]

\\Wired\\ cover story on Pixar

{{link http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ Cartoon Brew}} notes that the June issue of \\Wired\\ Magazine (on sale now) has a “major article about Pixar and Brad Bird”. Brewmaster Jerry Beck calls it “a must read”.

Behind the scenes of \\Shrek 2\\

{{link http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&article_no=2099 AWN}} takes a behind the scenes look at the making of \\Shrek 2\\, including the technical hurdles encountered in the film, and the advances in computer animation that allowed them to overcome them.

Disney animation insulting to the mentally ill?

{{link http://forum.bcdb.com/gforum.cgi?post=26428 The Big Cartoon Database}} has the info on a study recently conducted on how mental illness is treated in Disney animated features. “The researchers discovered that almost all the features contained characters shown as ‘crazy’, ‘mad’ or ‘nuts’, and who were, therefore, shunned and disparaged”. Andrea Lawson, the study’s principal investigator, said “Mental-illness […]

More from The Front Lines

Dave Bossart, producer of the Walt Disney Treasures: On The Front Lines DVD, answers {{link http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report/ten_questions/bossert_dave/index.html DVD File’s Ten Questions}}, in which he also reveals that digital restorations for Bambi and Cinderella are underway.

UPDATED: \\Shrek 2\\ opens big, breaks records

{{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/articles/news/?id=040523bo.htm Box Office Mojo}} reports that \\Shrek 2\\ is tearing up the box office. Estimates are that \\Shrek 2\\ has pulled in $104.3 million over the weekend and $125.2 million since opening on Wednesday. The film is already shaking up the record books as well. Assuming the estimates hold: {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/widest.htm?page=WIDESTOPEN&p=.htm widest opening release}}: […]

Project Dogwaffle update

As {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00001053.html we posted}} a couple of months ago, the Project Dogwaffle animation system is the brainchild of animator Dan Ritchie. He now posts in the {{link http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=2724#post2724 Animated News Forums}} that an updated version is available, as well as providing links to three Media 9 video clips showcasing the program.

Garfield: More than just a movie

The online edition of The Indianapolis Star has an article on Garfield: The Movie with information on merchandising tie-ins for it and also the importance of it for other movies. Thanks to Kristin for the heads up.

More Nemo

‘Music Fan’ and ‘monkeyboy12’ have posted a little more about the upcoming video game based on Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo. Take a look at The Continuing Adventures‘ {{link http://gba.gamespy.com/articles/516/516940p1.html details}} and a bunch of {{link http://media.gameboy.ign.com/media/684/684222/imgs_1.html?fromint=1 screen grabs}} from the Game Boy Advance game.

mtvU Best Animation on Campus Contest Winner Announced

‘MusicFan’ writes in with a link to the announced winners of the Best Animation On Campus competition to find new animation talent and projects for mtvU. Congratulations to Gary Finkler, whose {{link http://www.mtvu.com/contests/mtvu_animation/ Rock/Paper/Scissors}} is the winning film. Check out the site for a short Q&A with Finkler and co-creator Joseph Rosenberg, as well as […]

Lorenzo Teaser

Here is a teaser for the Disney short. Lorenzo was originally intended as part of a follow-up musical anthology to Fantasia 2000. It is the story of a snooty and spoiled cat in a sleepy South American town that receives his comeuppance when his tail becomes hexed and takes on an uncontrollable personality of its […]

Smurfs to smurf back to the smurf screen

Over at Smurf fan boards {{link http://216.104.189.49/cgi-bin/forum/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=3823&forum=SmurfVillage&omm=1&viewmode=threaded The Mushroom Village}}, one member has posted an image from last year’s Licensing Show which shows “a Smurf walking through a piece of film strip. On one side, he is a computer 3D vector model, on the other side he is fleshed out”. Though this image is actually […]

Raven Tales: The first all Native American computer animated short film

Animation independent Raven Tales Productions has been short listed to be the recipient of a $10,000 completion grant from National Geographic’s All Roads Film Project, as stated in the company’s press release. “The $10,000 grant will allow completion and distribution of the first computer animated film written, produced, designed, voiced by and directed by an […]

"From The Other Side": Shrek 2; Ogre-sized box office take

Usually only dealing with product from the Disney Studio, {{link http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID280220.asp The Laughing Place}}’s Kirby Holt takes at look at rival DreamWorks’ Shrek 2, now in theaters and making a mint for itself. By the end of the weekend, the film is expected to have made close to $100 million after just five days on […]