Producer Don Hahn is “taking a lengthy sabbatical” from Walt Disney Feature Animation, reports the Animation Guild Blog. The word was spread to animation staffers on Friday via an e-mail, in which Hahn explained that he needed a break. How…

LeafyTractor interviews Simon Otto, supervising animator for DreamWorks/Aardman’s Flushed Away. Topics touched include technical aspects of Away, current trends and the future of computer animation, a return of traditional animation, and tips for aspiring artists.

On a note of pure speculation, the Internet Movie Database has received a synopsis for The Simpsons Movie: “When Homer accidentally pollutes the river with toxic waste from the nuclear power plant, he gets fired from his job, and everyone…

Upcoming Pixar has a review of the Cars DVD, available in stores next week. Sounds like this one-disc edition is lacking in the extras department. High marks for the Pixar short included on the disc, “Mater and the Ghost Light,”…

With this Thanksgiving’s Happy Feet, next summer’s Surf’s Up, and the in-the-works Nickelodeon TV series featuring the “Madagascar” penguins, ThinkFilm felt it was time for yet-another talking penguin movie. In this trailer for next year’s Farce of the Penguins, see…

The animated Hellboy movie, Hellboy: Sword of Storms, premiered on Cartoon Network last night. Many of the actors from Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 live-action film voiced their characters including Ron Perlman and Selma Blair. The movie was directed by Phil…

The Reeler reports that the New York premiere of “Flushed Away” will feature “Celebrities — including stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet — and guests sliding down a 30-foot inflatable toilet slide onto the red carpet.” Sounds like a blue…

Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna, co-founders of videogame developer Oddworld Inhabitants, have teamed with Vanguard Animation to develop Citizen Siege, a CG animated sci-fi action thriller. Lanning will make his directorial debut on the project. The Oddworld videogame franchise has…

The New York Times does a mini-profile of Aqua Teen Hunger Force creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis. Though Willis and Maiellaro are both married with children, they remain the high school jokers needling each other in the back of…

This past weekend, Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss was released in theaters across California. Distributed by Indican Pictures, the film is the brainchild of Phil Nibbelink, who completely animated the project. Blending Flash animation and a hand-drawn fashion,…

The “Full CD Listening Party” section of AOL Music presents the entire soundtrack to Happy Feet. Featuring performances from solo artists with one-word titles as Prince, Pink and Fantasia, the album also offers tracks from actors Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman…

In “T’Iger Shark,” the New York Post examines the current state of the Walt Disney Company under the leadership of CEO Robert Iger. Including a graph in its report, the article recollects on the company’s financial improvement thus far this…

Animation Magazine notices the inspirational tale behind Romeo and Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss. The independently produced film was a labor love for Phil Nibbelink, who completely animated the feature himself. As the article explains, Nibbelink carefully crafted his work,…

The official online stop for Happy Feet has been treated with a fun Halloween theme. Thus, the site now grants visitors a plethora of sections, while also directing to the movie’s MySpace page. Thanks to reader Ryan Bryant for the…

Yahoo! Buzz Log takes a trip down memory lane, on the lookout for “where the air is sweet.” To celebrate the DVD release of Sesame Street – Old School, Vol. 1 (1969-1974), the site reminisces on the series’ early days,…

According to the New York Post [contains mild language], the stage musical of Mary Poppins experienced a misfortune last Wednesday, when its set malfunctioned. Thus, the show was cancelled shortly after the mishap, following the start of Act II. The…

Coming Soon has an exclusive first look at the poster for Meet the Robinsons, from Walt Disney Feature Animation. In addition, the site unveils a couple of character images, along with a synopsis that contains more details regarding the movie’s…

With the Chicago Sun-Times, Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, and animator/director Bill Melendez recollect on the making of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The special premiered October 27, 1966, on CBS. Forty years later, the Halloween…

Coming Soon speaks with two of the stars from DreamWorks/Aardman’s Flushed Away: Hugh Jackman, the voice of Roddy St. James, and Andy Serkis, the voice of Spike. The duo discusss their characters, as well as why they became involved with…

Film Journal shares some thoughts from director George Miller, regarding his latest project, Happy Feet. In the piece, Miller compares and contrasts working with animation and live-action. In addition, the director lists a few of his influences, observing tales from…

The Animation Guild Blog writes that following a story presentation for The Frog Princess, an anonymous Disney animator, described as being on an A-list level, called the traditionally animated project’s plot “fantastic.” Interestingly, a comment in the article’s talkback defined…

Fantastic Mr. Fox is setting up shop at Fox Animation, according to Variety. Partnering with Noah Baumbach to adapt the Roald Dahl classic, Wes Anderson will direct and produce the picture. Likewise, Scott Rudin will also act as a producer…

Reuters via Yahoo! News reports that the Over the Hedge DVD earned an estimated $65 million last week, coming in at #1 on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart. With approximately $6.9 million, the DVD also took the fourth position…

Nickelodeon has updated its animated selection at iTunes, writes Mediaweek. Before its network premiere on November 18, Skyland may already be previewed in four episodes now available to own. Following the adventures of a brother and his sister in the year…

The Ithaca Journal notes that “A Conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg: The Future of Computer Animation” is coming to Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York. This Monday, October 31st, the DreamWorks Animation CEO may be seen at The Statler Hall Auditorium on…

Coming Soon points to the Variety scoop that Walt Disney Pictures has acquired Animated American, which will blend live-action with animation. Bob Cooper’s Landscape Entertainment and ImageMovers partners Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke will produce the picture. From a screenplay by…

Through Yahoo! Movies, Reuters reports that Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf is expected to open in more than 1,000 Real D theaters, in addition to other 3-D locations, in what the article calls the “largest day-and-date large-format 3-D release ever.” It is speculated…

With SCI FI Wire, co-directors David Bowers and Sam Fell explained why they chose computer animation over stop-motion animation for DreamWorks/Aardman’s latest film, Flushed Away. “Our stories took us to a more expansive world. The amount of water and the…

The following is the official press release on the previously mentioned ocean awareness campaign that characters from Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be involved in. Links to two relevant movie files are included:

A two-part Halloween-themed episode of Eloise will premiere on the Starz Kids & Family network on Sunday, October 29. A promotional image with episode synopsis, broadcast times, and link to a preview can be seen here: