‘MusicFan’ in the {{link http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=411#post411 Animated News Forum}} pointed us towards {{link http://www.scriptsales.com/DDScriptSales.htm Done Deal’s sales page}}, regularly updated to provide information on the hottest selling scripts and treatments in Hollywood. Seems that Disney Feature Animation has just bought the rights to Which Witch?, a novel by Eva Ibbotson that tells of a wizard who […]

{{link http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=16504 Ain’t It Cool}} is back this morning with their latest update in the world of Japanese animation. Check out the link for a round up of all the breaking news concerning Manga/anime titles, including recent and coming soon releases!

{{link http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=2730&n=1&burl= DVD Answers}} have posted slightly revised cover art for the upcoming region one release of Lion King 1½. Follow the link to see the new look, and thanks to ‘Buzz’ in the {{link http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/index.php?s= Animated News Forums}} for the alert!

A source in the heart of the animation industry “heard today that the My Peoples project has today been cancelled and there is no back up project as of now”. The film, which has been in production for over a year now at Disney’s Florida Animation unit, mixes 2D and 3D with a voice cast […]

In a very expected move (it’s been rumored for months), Ghostbusters and Evolution director Ivan Reitman has been announced by MGM as responsible for continuing the Pink Panther live-action movie franchise. {{link http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2029268 The Hollywood Reporter}} also states that none other than Steve Martin (currently starring as the twisted head of the Acme Corporation in […]

If you just haven’t made it to the theater to see this new Joe Dante film yet, or you’re stuck outside the United States, then the French site {{link http://www.cinemovies.fr/fiche_extrait.php?IDfilm=1579 CineMovies}} has a treat in store: ten lengthy clips from Back In Action! These are probably of most interest to those in the UK, who […]

LatinoReview brings us the new {{link http://www.latinoreview.com/films_2004/disney/teacherspet/poster.html poster}} for Disney’s Teacher’s Pet, coming to theaters January 16!

Four times Annie Award Nominee Michel Gagné is well known for his animation and design work on movies such as The Iron Giant, Osmosis Jones and more recently, the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series. His quirky art books, such as Insanely Twisted Rabbits and Frenzied Fauna: From A to Z, have also earned him […]

The Big Cartoon Database notes that the now rumored release date for The Search for Mickey Mouse is in 2012.

Also noted by The Big Cartoon Database is that Fantasia 2006 may be more simply titled The Music Project.

Director Tim Johnson tells Empire Online a few tidbits about his upcoming CGI movies for DreamWorks, including Over The Hedge and Tusker. Concerning Over The Hedge, Johnson says, “We have Verne the turtle, voiced by Gary Shandling. He wakes up after sleeping for five months and hibernating through a cold mid-Western winter, takes two steps […]

Variety reports, “Intermedia Films has hired Adam and Melanie Wilson to adapt Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, with ice skater Katarina Witt attached to star.” It will be interesting to see if this news, or possibly the success of this movie, will affect the rumored Disney animated version of the tale.

According to Dark Horizons, Geoffrey Rush will be probably back for only Pirates of the Carribean II, with the film and his character’s return having “something to do with Voodoo magic.” Also, Rush has signed on for Son of the Mask, although his character for the film is unknown at this time.

Warner Bros. has entered its own contestant for the holiday family film race today with Looney Tunes: Back in Action. So far the reviews are split nearly in half – check out the consensus page at Rotten Tomatoes. However, critical bigwigs like Roger Ebert, the Hollywood Reporter, and the Los Angeles Times are impressed. [Registration […]

ICv2 News reports that Witch Hunter Robin, the superbly animated 26-episode series from Sunrise Animation, will appear on the Cartoon Network during the current 2003-2004 television season, either late this year or early in 2004. The stylish series, which has been described as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Meets The X-Files“, has demonstrated a strong appeal […]

The forum at the Big Cartoon DataBase has a new report on an Oregonian scientist who has bred his very own ToMacco plant (a blend of tomato and tobacco), inspired by the Simpsons episode #AABF19, “E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt),” from a couple years back. In our increasingly smoke-free world one wonders what use it is to breed […]

Here’s a couple of news items on a couple of upcoming live-action features based on animated characters. Even though the first film has yet to open, producer Brian Grazer is pointing towards a second {{link http://www.catinthehat.com/ The Cat In The Hat}} movie. Set to shoot next summer, The Cat In The Hat Comes Back already […]

The Lego Corporation’s successful collaboration with Disney’s Miramax, the Bionicle series, is about to get an upgrade to its CGI graphics. After the release of the first in the series, {{link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008WFHG/qid%3D1068745813/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-1902555-2863210 Mask Of Light}}, a second film (currently in production and simply referred to as Bioncicle 2 at this point) is on the way […]

Michael Eisner, the chairman-CEO of the Walt Disney Company since averting the takeover bid of 1984, is to be honored as the 65th “Pioneer Of The Year” at a special dinner organized by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. {{link http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031112/law025a_1.html Yahoo News}} has more on the story, announcing that Tarzan and Brother Bear […]

Following news that Disney’s Buena Vista is negotiating to release theatrical film product in China, comes details on a new Magic Kingdom to be based in Shanghai. The company already has a theme park set to open in Hong Kong in 2006. The news group {{link http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=TIXK2MKFG2CJMCRBAEKSFFA?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3812879 Reuters}} has the full story.

Derrick Fish, the creator and artist of an online comic strip called {{link http://www.dandyandcompany.com/ Dandy & Company}}, a cartoon about the trials and tribulations of a dog and his boy, has updated the {{link http://www.bigpondcomics.com/bigpondcomics/animation/index.html Animated Gallery}} of his site to include new rough animation tests and finished color (silent) shorts. Those looking for a […]

Jim Hill returns from NYC with a somewhat depressing story about the 5th Avenue Disney Store. What was once the crown jewel of the entire Disney retail chain is now a sad shell of itself. Where once there was great art … now there are t-shirts for sale.

Animation historian Jerry Beck comments on the delay of this year’s wave of the Walt Disney Treasures DVDs on his Cartoon Research news page: “Originally scheduled for release on December 2, 2003 – the latest (and greatest) wave of DISNEY TREASURES have now been rescheduled for next May. I’ve been told this delay has nothing […]

The star of Looney Tunes: Back In Action was interviewed by Al Rocker on NBC yesterday. Here is a hilarious clip from the show.

Chris Van Allsburg’s classic children’s book has been in highly secretive production now for over a year, with another 12 months still to go before its debut as a big special effects filled film next November. Directed by the amazing Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Back To The Future), and starring Tom […]

Animation Insider recently scored an exclusive interview with Brother Bear directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, in which they discuss the development of the film from its inception and the development of Rutt and Tuke as characters that became increasingly central and important to the story. There’s even a picture that shows the directors with […]

This great Zap 2 It article describes the Back In Action team’s inclusion of us net geeks with a smattering of obscure “inside” jokes throughout the film. Riffs on cult horror classics, the new Batman director, and the political correctness of the Looney Tunes characters are but a few gems that you’ll find in the […]

Superhero Hype! has gained the exclusive first look at the new DVD cover artwork for Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, arriving in stores on January 13 as a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. As noted by Superhero Hype!, special features for the DVD include, “a blooper reel, a music featurette, cast and crew filmographies, a photo […]

The {{link http://www.ultimatedisney.com/ Ultimate Disney}} DVD Fansite confirms their news of last week that this year’s wave of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets, housed in individually numbered tin boxes, is being pushed back to next May, 2004. “Don’t expect an official reason, but the prevailing wisdom seems to be that there’s been a huge […]

\\Finding Nemo\\ has been nominated for a European Film Award for best non-European film of 2003, according to {{link http://forum.bcdb.com/gforum.cgi?post=14428 The Big Cartoon Database}}. The winners will be announced by the European Film Academy December 6 at their awards ceremony in Berlin.