In a surprise move, Miramax Films, the arthouse division of The Walt Disney Co., has obtained an exclusive deal with Sir Elton John’s Rocket Pictures to develop and produce Gnomeo and Juliet, reports Coming Soon. Along with Miramax president, Daniel Battsek, Rocket Pictures producing partners David Furnish and Steve Hamilton Shaw will shepherd the project. […]

Nearly a year before its March 2007 theatrical release, Starz Kids & Family viewers will get an exclusive sneak peek at Walt Disney’s \\Meet the Robinsons\\ on Friday, April 14 at 4:28 pm and 7:39 pm (ET/PT). The preview will play through Sunday, April 23. About the film: “Based on William Joyce’s book \\A Day […]

Check out these two new TV spots for \\The Wild\\, and get a glimpse into the adventures Samson the Lion, Nigel the Koala, Bridget the Giraffe, Benny the Squirrel, and Larry the Snake encounter in the streets of New York City:

Disney/C.O.R.E.’s \\The Wild\\ opens today at 2,854 theatres according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2006&wk=15&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The film’s reviews have been disappointing, scoring only 22% on {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_wild/ Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer}}. The critical consensus is that “with a rehashed plot and unimpressive animation, there’s nothing wild about \\The Wild\\”. A third place finish for the weekend […]

A press release available at Toon Zone tells the details of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney’s latest series aimed toward preschoolers. The show will use computer animation to bring Disney’s “Sensational Six” (Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, and Daisy and Donald Duck) to life. In addition, “it will combine entertainment with early-learning fundamentals, using an […]

Nausicaa.net relays the news that the official Studio Ghibli website has added a trailer for Tales from Earthsea, presented in Flash format. Directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of legendary film director Hayao Miyazaki, Tales from Earthsea will have it Japanese release in July 2006.

Over at {{link http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002343504 The Hollywood Reporter}}, Frank Scheck has seen Disney’s The Wild – out tomorrow – and has posted a review of the apparently not-screened-for-critics movie. While he highlights the “impressive animation”, the “ultra-frenetic” direction seems to have left Frank with impressions of a “relentlessly loud and ultimately exhausting exercise”, though he misses […]

With a couple of pictures from the scene, Jim Hill Media explains how Lowe’s Motor Speedway is quickly becoming a theater, in preparation for the Cars premiere. Concurrently, Dark Horizons displays two new character images for the film: Chick, voiced by Michael Keaton, and The King, voiced by Richard Petty. Likewise, MovieWeb.com has the latest […]

Unlike its October Platinum Edition siblings, the Little Mermaid Platinum Edition DVD will not be released with a Collector’s Edition Gift Set, reports Ultimate Disney. In the past, the sets contained a hardcover book, signed concept art of characters, and a film frame. Anyone wishing for this news to change may want to contact Disney’s […]

From the first test screening of Monster House comes a review at Ain’t It Cool News. The writer praises the film whole-heartedly, commenting, “I’m really hoping that they don’t change anything because this film was pretty much flawless as it was.” Monster House will open its doors on July 21st.

Starting April 14th, eight of the characters from Walt Disney Pictures’ The Wild will be invading McDonald’s Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. As the company’s press release notes, the promotion will end May 11th.

Speaking with the Orlando Sentinel, Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger stated that controversies which have plagued the company’s recent years are now “largely behind us, if not completely behind us.” Stressing Disney’s quest for “quality entertainment,” Iger continued, “The incredible value that we’ve created over the years when we made great animated films that […]

CGCHAR Animation presents more details about Space Chimps, an upcoming venture from IDT Entertainment and Vanguard Animation. At a planned running time of 80 minutes, the film will tell the story of “Ham, the grandson of the first chimp in space, who has all the wrong stuff, who’s teamed up with Lucy, a buttoned-up Ms. […]

Specializing in direct-to-video entertainment, DVD Sequels includes a list of upcoming movies set to enter stores in the near future. Among the titles in the list is A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Upon contacting the manager of the site, it was discovered that the film was rumored to be in the works last year. However, the […]

Harry Knowles’ AICN gives Disney/C.O.R.E.’s The Wild a favorable review, calling it “a well constructed family film that isn’t the least bit painful to sit through,” and claims that it has “the best American animation to date, with rendering more akin to the gorgeous surrealism of Japan’s recent efforts.”

Variety, via Coming Soon, indicates that Twentieth Century Fox is set to introduce Space Chimps in 2008. Created by Vanguard Animation, the studio behind Valiant, Chimps is the second picture in Fox’s four-picture deal with Vanguard minority owner IDT Entertainment. “Space Chimps is a family comedy about the descendants of the first chimps sent into […]

Speaking to Sci Fi Wire, Jeff Bridges explains his involvement in Sony Pictures Animation’s Surf’s Up. “The character is this penguin, an old surfer penguin. What’s happening in this movie, it’s hard to kind of describe it, but they’re pulling it off pretty well. It’s a cartoon about penguin surfing, but not tongue in cheek. […]

With much more information yet to be revealed, TV Shows on DVD announces that the animated incarnation of The Tick will be arriving on store shelves sometime in late August.

Two television spots for Walt Disney Pictures’ The Wild have been placed at Hollywood.com and iFilm. Meanwhile, Yahoo! Movies has added another Wild scene, titled “Stupid Dogs,” to its video collection.

The DreamWorks Animation SKG Fansite has received word that two months before the film’s release, Flushed Away may be appearing at the Toronto International Film Festival. Past DreamWorks Animation releases presented at the festival include Antz, Shark Tale and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. In other DreamWorks Animation news, the DreamWorks […]

Found by Ain’t It Cool News is an interesting interactive Cars poster. Featuring every major character from the film, the poster allows visitors to hear some of the movie’s humorous lines. To use the Cars poster, one needs to simply place the “magnifying glass” over a character and click.

Reuters reports that Universal Studios and Mattel Inc. are teaming to bring consumers more adventures from the world of Barbie. Previously, Lionsgate served distributor duties for the popular Barbie DTV line of movies, in a deal that ended last month due to disagreement over terms. The first Barbie title to be released by Universal will […]

DVDtoons has the scoop, including artwork, on the release of SpongeBob SquarePants: Karate Island, a compilation of seven new episodes from the series’ fourth season. Look for the DVD to hit stores on July 18th.

Toon Zone offers the April animated schedules for Disney Channel and Toon Disney, where such films as Oliver & Company, An American Tail, The Brave Little Toaster, The Land Before Time, Pocahontas, A Goofy Movie, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy: The Three Musketeers, and Tarzan II may be seen.

The following is a press release and photos regarding the ceremony held earlier today where Winnie the Pooh received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The event was held in front of the Disney Soda Fountain and Studio Store adjacent to Disney’s El Capitan Theatre and was attended by, among others, Disney CEO Bob […]

Justin in our Animated News Forum points to a new page on Disney’s official site about Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. This news could portend a future DVD release but it is at least the first public, official, Disney-sponsored appearance by Oswald in approximately eight decades. UPDATE: Animated News reader Joel writes in with links to […]

Buena Vista’s DVD website for Jim Henson’s early ’90s sitcom “Dinosaurs” is now fully launched – complete with DVD information, video clips, character profiles, and much more! Thanks to JustinWilliams at the Animated News forum for the heads up!

{{link http://news.com.com/Disney+to+make+TV+shows+available+free+on+Web/2100-1026_3-6059298.html?tag=nefd.top Reuters}} reports that the ABC television network, owned by the Walt Disney Company, will offer some of its most popular TV shows online for free. Starting in May and June shows like \\Alias\\, \\Commander in Chief\\, \\Desperate Housewives\\, and \\Lost\\ will be available for viewing online the day after they air. The shows […]

Upcoming Pixar reveals that according to the movie’s page at The Internet Movie Database, Bob Peterson is co-directing Ratatouille with Brad Bird. Credited as one of the screenwriters for Finding Nemo, Peterson has also provided the voices for Mr. Ray in Nemo and Roz in Monsters, Inc.

Twentieth Century Fox’s Ice Age: The Meltdown remained in the top spot at this weekend box office, taking in an estimated $34.5 million. The gross marked a slip of 49%. In only ten days, the sequel has achieved an overall tally of $116.4 million, compared to the $87.5 million grossed by its predecessor in the […]