Month: November 2005 – page 3

Kimba reunion photos

Larry Loc has posted some photos from last night’s Kimba Reunion at the ASIFA-Hollywood blog and has made a few extra available to Animated News:

Trailer: Open Season

Those people still wondering where they may see the most recent trailer for Open Season can find it at TurboNick, in the “AD: Movie Trailers” section of “Nicksclusives.”

Brickyard VFX begins CGI division

Post Magazine reports that Brickyard VFX is venturing into computer animation with a new division. Recruiting Jay Lichtman and Yafei Wu, both from London’s Glassworks, and Robert Sethi, from UK-based feature film and television effects house Double Negative, this CGI department will thus provide Brickyard with the capabilities of character modeling, animation, and rendering. Concurrently, […]

More actors to fight with Kung Fu Panda

Other actors have signed on to join Jack Black in the DreamWorks Animation comedy Kung Fu Panda, indicates Coming Soon. In addition to Black, who will voice the main character, Po, the cast now features Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, a conditioned kung fu master; Jackie Chan as Master Monkey, a model kung fu warrior; and […]

Pixar releases RenderMan for Maya

Pixar Animation Studios announced Tuesday the beginning of sales of the program RenderMan for Maya 1.0. The Academy-Award winning program “is specifically engineered to deliver high-end feature film quality standards to a new and broader audience” in this version. The new RenderMan for Maya can be purchased from the studio for $1000 and is available […]

Brad Bird to receive first ever Texas Avery Animation Award

Brad Bird, director of animated films The Incredibles and Iron Giant has been selected to receive the first Texas Avery Animation Award. AWN reports that the Oscar-winner will be honored at the Deep Ellum Film Festival on Sunday, November 13, 2005 at North Dallas High School, the alma mater of legendary animator Tex Avery.

Brother Bear 2 sneak peek

Kristin points us to a Japanese site which provides a very initial sneak peek at some Brother Bear 2 content and, yes, Rutt and Tuke are returning.

Ollie Johnston to receive National Medal of Arts

We have just been informed that Ollie Johnston, veteran Disney animator and the last surviving member of Walt’s Nine Old Men, will be awarded with the National Medal of Arts which will be “presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an Oval Office ceremony at the White House on November 10.” He will […]

Caption Contest

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Volume 1 and DuckTales, Vol. 1 are both being released today on Disney DVD through Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Animated News has one copy of each to send to the two winners of our caption contest. This caption contest is now over. The winning entries and some that deserve honorable […]

Kimba Reunion

We mentioned it after it was first announced but are giving a reminder that this Thursday night ASIFA-Hollywood will be holding a reunion for the 40th Anniversary of Osamu Tezuka’s KIMBA, The White Lion. “Guest panelists will be famous animator Sadao Miyamoto (alumnus of Tezuka’s Mushi Production,) Jared Cook, translator & interpreter for Tezuka himself, […]

Trailer: Hoodwinked

Nick.com exclusively has the trailer for the Weinstein Company and Kanbar Entertainment’s Hoodwinked, the CGI movie which tells the “true” story of Little Red Riding Hood. Hoodwinked will be released in theaters on December 23, 2005.

American Dog and Rapunzel rescheduled

In a report on the box office of Chicken Little and the upcoming slate from Walt Disney Feature Animation, the Internet Movie Database indicates that American Dog has been pushed to the summer of 2008, as Rapunzel Unbraided has been moved to sometime in 2009.

Cover art: Corpse Bride, Madagascar, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2

Though bonus features have yet to be announced for the package, DVD Anwers has the cover artwork for the Corpse Bride DVD. Furthermore, the site also has revised cover art for the Madagascar DVD, now having a banner proclaiming its inclusion of the Madagascar Penguin’s short film, A Christmas Caper. Lastly, DVDtoons has the artwork […]

Disney Channel animated movie schedule for November 2005

Toon Zone has the schedule of animated movies appearing on the Disney Channel this month. Included in the lineup are: Alice In Wonderland, The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, Mulan, Mulan II, Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World, Recess: School’s Out, Kim Possible Movie: A Sitch In Time, and Kim Possible Movie: So […]

Chicken Little lays golden egg at box office

Opening with $40.1 million ($10,961 per theater), Chicken Little surpassed the box office expectations of many critics and prediction websites. Box Office Guru provides a commentary on Chicken Little’s weekend, while Jim Hill Media shows how the film’s debut stacks up with the openings of other computer animated flicks.

Golden Age Cartoons for Felix the Cat and Aesop coming

According to DVDtoons, two more editions of Golden Age Cartoons are on the way, focusing on Felix the Cat and Aesop’s Fables. Previously announced Golden Age Cartoons DVDs also arriving on April 11, 2006, are Popeye, Attack of the 30’s Characters, Cultoons, and Cartoons for Victory.

Animated "kid's films" becoming increasingly adult

Recent studies like one series conducted by Harvard University suggest that animated movies are becoming increasingly violent with more abundant mature undertones. SeattlPI comments that while cartoons have long had strong scenes, a recent trend in popular culture has led to a lowering of standards for what is considered appropriate in G-rated movies. Scenes from […]

Family Guy to take on FCC

Variety reports that Family Guy is seeking to take on the “anti-indecency squad” of the FCC. The popular Fox network animated series plans to air an episode that will be a direct criticism of the federal agency and its censorship practices. The show however, which will air November 6th, is going to push the bar […]

DuckTales: Volume 1

The glorious comic book works of Carl Barks inspired this fine series. Too bad the DVD presentation is not nearly so inspired.

Behind the scenes of \\Chicken Little\\

On its opening day, take a look behind the scenes of Disney’s first CG animated feature, \\Chicken Little\\. QUICKTIME: little | big WINDOWS MEDIA: little | big

Chicken Little opens in over 3,000 theaters

Chicken Little enters more than 3,000 theaters this weekend, projecting itself as the first fully computer animated motion picture from Walt Disney Feature Animation. Thus far, reviews for the movie have been leaning on the negative side, considering its score of 30% on the Rotten Tomatoes meter. “Chicken Little, though it has its moments, mostly […]

\\Chicken Little\\ in Disney Digital 3-D

In addition to being Disney’s first entirely computer generated animated film, \\Chicken Little\\ will also be the first film screened in Disney Digital 3-D, a new technology created in collaboration with Dolby Laboratories and Industrial Light & Magic. More information about Disney Digital 3-D, a commercial promoting the film in this format, and a full […]

Ant Bully teaser trailer unveiled

Moviefone is home to the teaser trailer of Ant Bully, a CGI comedy from Warner Bros. Pictures. The film tells the story of Lucas Nickle, who is transformed to the size of an insect, after flooding an ant cologny with his water gun.

Listen to the Chicken Little sountrack

Those people who remain unsure on whether to purchase the Chicken Little soundtrack, released last Tuesday, may check the full project out online at AOL Music.

Yogi Bear, Flintstones, and Huckleberry Hound DVD websites launched

Toon Zone points to the new websites activated for the DVDs of Yogi Bear: The Complete Series, The Flintstones: The Complete Fourth Season, and The Huckleberry Hound Show: Volume 1.

Bambi II rated "G"

Ultimate Disney indicates that Bambi II has been given a “G” rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe has received a “PG” rating, for “battle sequences and frightening moments.”

Lasseter to receive Creative Excellence award

A recent Variety e-mailing reports that Pixar’s John Lasseter will be presented with the George Melies Award for Creative Excellence by the Visual Effects Society on February 15. “The kudos for Lasseter marks the first time the VES has given an honorary award to anyone from the animation business.”

Ron and John podcast conclusion

Animation Podcast has updated with the third and final part of its John Musker and Ron Clements interview in which the famed directing/writing pair discuss “their writing process as well as developing The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.”

Family films becoming less family-friendly?

The Associated Press, via Yahoo! Movies, investigates the subtle adult humor and cartoon violence found in many animated offerings today, including such films as Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Chicken Little. Despite these movies’ inclusion of certain features that may be more suited for adults, both were given a “G” rating […]

Robinsons teaser trailer attached to Little

In a positive review for Chicken Little, at Ain’t It Cool News, one viewer notes that a teaser trailer for Disney’s next computer animated movie, Meet the Robinsons, will be presented in theaters this Friday with the Mouse House’s first venture into computer animation.