Recent news out of Laughing Place has been creating a stir about Pixar’s next project after Ratatouille. While recent articles have sparked headlines of a possible Monsters Inc sequel and the wheels are turning on a third installment of Toy Story, the mysterious single sentence article states without source or author that the Pixar film […]

The recent issue of BYU Magazine highlights the school’s burgeoning animation program. The article even mentions that people from Pixar had observed the animation pipeline in place at BYU. The program’s first completed senior project, Lemmings, won 2003’s student Emmy award for nontraditional animation. Thanks to Tricia C. for the heads up.

Cinema Confidential unveils plans by Sony/MGM to make another Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau (no title yet but if they followed a similar naming convention as the first movie series it’d be titled A Shot in the Dark). While not expressly animation news it could mean some more Pink […]

Adding to his impressive work on Walt’s People, Didier Ghez has begun a Disney History blog, focusing on “Interesting discoveries about Disney history, vintage Disneyana, Disney artwork, the Walt’s People book series, and new books about Disney.” Only two days old and there are already ten entries full of in-depth historical information.

DreamWorks Animation recently screened a sneak preview of its Fall release Flushed Away and its respective online game for the press. Reports can be found at Movie Hole, CHUD, and Cinema Confidential. According to the latter, “Based on the material screened yesterday, this collaboration with Aardman is for the best. The DreamWorks technical razzle-dazzle isn’t […]

Industry watchdog Chuck Oberleitner reports on some of the recent happenings at the Walt Disney Studio from a business angle in part one of “Is the Honeymoon Over?” “Even by Disney storytelling standards, it’s been a remarkable first seven months for the Mouse House’s new Big Cheese, Robert ‘Bob’ Iger, as the company’s myriad fans […]

TMZ.com breaks the news that Robert Zemeckis may be moving his ImageMovers production company to Disney, in a multi-year deal. In fact, the online publication calls the action “a cat’s breath away” from occuring. Specializing in motion-capture technology, ImageMovers has been involved with such films as The Polar Express, Monster House, and next year’s Beowulf. […]

At The Washington Post‘s online abode, Berkeley Breathed’s Opus comic strip features its penguin protagonist debating the pro’s of traditional animation with himself in CG form. Interestingly, a computer animated Opus movie was once in consideration at Miramax Films. However, as noted by Wikipedia, the project currently appears to be “in limbo.”

Including the title’s cover artwork, DVD Active has the announcement for the brand-new direct-to-DVD movie Bah, HumDuck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas. Bonus features for the DVD have yet to be revealed. The Looney spin on Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol will enter stores this November 14th.

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo: 2 – Barnyard with $15,820,864, averaging $4,778 over 3,311 theaters (1st week) 7 – Monster House with $6,058,649, averaging $2,000 over 3,029 theaters ($57,010,414 total; 3rd week) 8 – The Ant Bully with $3,892,443, averaging $1,276 over 3,050 theaters ($18,152,994 total; 2nd week) 19 – Cars with $1,084,684, averaging $1,151 […]

Jim Hill Media writes the latest word on Meet the Robinsons, including the lowdown on its villain, the Bowler Hat Guy. The articles views the recent “fine-tuning” the film received, especially regarding its eccentric characters. Moreover, it is described how Robinsons director Steve Anderson, who voices the Bowler Hat Guy, was given suggestions on how […]

The Umbackagain blog contains the press release and poster for Uli Meyer Animation’s MonsterMania!, a computer-animated comedy starring an abundance of classic movie monsters. With an idea from Uli Meyer, Stephen Jones and Michael Marshall Smith, award-winning British horror writers Michael Marshall Smith and Stephen Jones crafted the film’s script. Using a budget of around […]

The Hollywood Reporter via Coming Soon reports that Jerry Lewis will lend his voice to at least two characters in The Weinstein Company’s animated adaptation of The Nutty Professor. This will mark the fourth time Lewis has been involved in a Nutty movie. In addition to acting the title role in the 1963 film, he […]

In a follow-up to last Thursday’s report of Mattel’s upcoming line of die-cast Cars cars, another EzBoard post reveals that cars inspired by Woody and Buzz Lightyear will be included in the mix. Meanwhile, DVD Active displays high-res cover artwork for the Cars DVD, racing into stores this November.

With SCI FI Wire, writer/director Kevin Munroe and producer Thomas Gray refer to next year’s Ninja Turtles film, TMNT. Inside the interview, it is discussed how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze might have hindered early progress on the new picture. Furthermore, the film’s scenery, including the Turtles’ lair, is explained.

Konami has sold the animation rights to its hit franchise Catlevania to Project 51 Productions reports Game Daily. With an extensive following and more than 20 million copies sold, Project 51 principal Kevin Kolde and his representative, Panacea Entertainment’s Eric Gardner, hope to capitalize on its already overwhelming success with direct to DVD stories, TV […]

News of a unexpectedly large second-quarter profit caused shares of DreamWorks Animation SKG (ticker symbol: DWA) to rise on Friday but only by 1.5% as other questions loomed. The big concern hanging over the company is that although DVD sales and film revenue are expected to remain healthy, there looms the possibility $300million worth of […]

A possible release date for Madagascar 2 has been learned by Dark Horizons. The sequel to the 2005 summer hit is expected to enter theaters on November 7, 2008.

USA Today posts a preview for the November 7th DVD release of Disney/Pixar’s Cars. Among the DVD’s features will be a sneak peek at next July’s Ratatouille; the short films Mater and the Ghostlight and One Man Band; and Inspiration for Cars, which explains the story behind the film.

Coming Soon indicates that Harvey Fierstein will play Heatmiser in NBC’s live-action remake of Rankin/Bass’ 1974 classic The Year Without a Santa Claus. The role was originally assigned to Chris Elliot, who had to leave the project for scheduling reasons. Santa Claus‘ cast also includes John Goodman, Delta Burke, Chris Kattan, Ethan Suplee, Michael McKean, […]

Star Trek: The Animated Series‘ DVD premiere will present two featurettes, three text commentaries, and three audio commentaries, says DVD Active, regarding the latest word on the set’s offering. In addition, the site is hosting high-res cover artwork for the title, displaying its packaging with and without a cardboard slip. Meanwhile, TV Shows on DVD […]

Paramount’s \\{{link http://www.barnyardmovie.com/ Barnyard}}\\ opens today at 3,311 theatres, according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2006&wk=31&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The film is not doing so well with critics, garnering a rotten 31% at {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1153230-barnyard_the_original_party_animals/ Rotten Tomatoes}}. The \\{{link http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/movie/0,6115,1222163_1_0_,00.html Detroit Free Press}}\\ complains that the film is “poorly animated and barely scripted”, while \\{{link http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/movie/0,6115,1222163_1_0_,00.html Entertainment Weekly}}\\ […]

Comedy Central has released details on the contents of its October 3 DVD release South Park The Hits: Volume 1, which includes the video Christmas card “The Spirit of Christmas,” and the infamous Tom Cruise-centered “Trapped in the Closet” episode. Read the press release at o-meon.

San Francisco-based Mova LLC is working to improve the motion-capture technology used in such movies as Monster House and The Polar Express, writes Yahoo! News/Associated Press. Employing a system of light flashes too quick for the human eye to detect, the Contour Reality Capture System is able to arrest movements that former motion-capture processes could […]

Coming Soon has collected four scenes (‘Cow Tipping/Boy Tipping,’ ‘Everett the Dog,’ ‘Have You Seen Otis,’ ‘You Have a Lot to Learn’) from Barnyard: The Original Party Animals. The site likewise has five video interviews with the movie’s stars: Sam Elliot, Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Andie MacDowell, and Director/Writer Steve Oedekerk.

Director Kevin Munroe and Producer Thomas Gray talk about next year’s TMNT, the CGI film debut of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The interviews especially regard the tone and target-audience for the movie.

Jim Hill Media points to an EzBoard post, where listed are past, present, and future die-cast Cars cars. A glimpse at the next line of toys on the way reveals “Radiator Springs” Lightning McQueen, the all-blue “young” Mater, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet racer, the Michael Schumacher Ferrari, a yellow Ramone and the Hamm Truck.

As posted at Coming Soon, Weta Digital has issued a press release announcing that the company, including Oscar-winning Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri, has agreed to develop “visual effects, creatures and digital environments” for James Cameron’s Avatar. “Avatar tells a new kind of story in a world we’ve never seen before,” says Letteri. “It […]

TV Shows on DVD tells 1,000 people that Gargoyles is on DVD – and then suggests that everyone else tell 1,000 people the news as well. This action is the result of Greg Weisman’s words at Comic-Con 2006, asking fans of the show to spread the word that Gargoyles – Season 1 and Season 2, […]

SYS-CON Media reports Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. is accepting the resignations of Stephen Brown, Morris Berger, Marcelo Fischer and John Hyde, as Directors of Mainframe. This move comes as the result of RNK Capital Limited Partnership’s buying the 62% interest once owned by IDT Entertainment. Nominees to fill the now-vacant positions have yet to be announced.