The following is the official press release announcing The Visual Effects Society’s festival this year with particular mention being made of Joe Dante’s participation in the “VFX Guilty Pleasures” Panel:

In Walt Disney World news, Blue Sky Disney has the latest word regarding the transition of Disney-MGM Studios into Disney-Pixar Studios. With the change in name, alterations in the park’s theme and design will occur as well, as Walt Disney Imagineering’s Principal Creative Advisor John Lasseter has supposedly expressed interest in the park providing a […]

The Age recently received the opportunity to speak with DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. In the interview, Katzenberg particularly regards the success of the Shrek franchise, noting that the series will end with Shrek 5. “It’s a finite story, has been from the beginning and I think that’s part of its integrity, part of its […]

The Houston Chronicle indicates that the real-life Tasmanian Devil is faced with a contagious cancer in its homeland. To help the Australian marsupial, Warner Bros. will donate one Australian dollar ($0.82) for every sale from a new series of DVDs to be released in Australia featuring the company’s cartoon characters.

The following are twelve photos taken yesterday at the new Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island attraction at Disneyland Park in Anaheim highlighting the Jack Sparrow stage show, Dead Man’s Grotto, the Turner blacksmith shop, shipwrecks, bone cages, and more:

Charles Nelson Reilly, best known for his appearances on game shows such as Match Game and Hollywood Squares, died Friday due to complications from pneumonia, the L.A.Times reports. The Tony award winning actor did voice work for many animated projects during the last two decades of his life. He appeared in the films All Dogs […]

DVD Active has the R2 cover artwork for the first two volumes of Men in Black: The Animated Series – Season 1. In R1 news, TV Shows on DVD dishes the details for The Best of Bravestarr, a package that includes the feature film Bravestarr: The Legend, five episodes from the TV series, and numerous […]

News.com.au reports that Persepolis was the recipient of the coveted jury prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film shared the honor with Stellet Licht from Carlos Reygadas. Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is a black-and-white animated adaptation of Satrapi’s graphic novel, which tells of her childhood experiences during and after […]

The official online home to Star Wars is currently serving the trailer for the upcoming computer animated series The Clone Wars. Lending insight into the look and feel of the show, the video runs nearly two minutes.

Yahoo! Movies showcases eight video clips from Sony Pictures Animation’s Surf’s Up. Featuring a documentary style, the latest penguin picture is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on June 8.

TV Shows on DVD suggests that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Season 5 could land in stores on August 7th, because that is the same day the latest Turtles film, TMNT, will see its DVD debut. Concurrently, the site has the cover artwork for both titles.

The World Entertainment News Network side of IMDB.com notes that in an interview with SuicideGirls.com, filmmaker Luc Besson expressed disappointment at how his film Arthur and the Minimoys was distributed in the U.S. by The Weinstein Company. “I’ve worked in the movie business for 30 years now. (The Weinstein Company) was the worst I have […]

On Wednesday, May 23rd, it was reported that Green Day will appear in The Simpsons Movie. Now, Billboard.com writes that the score soundtrack for Simpsons Movie will include a new version of the show’s theme, by the band. On July 24, Warner Bros. Records will debut the Day single in stores, while Fox Music will […]

Coming Soon reports that Family Guy will kick off its fifth season with a special hourlong episode that retells the Star Wars saga making use of the Family Guy characters. The plot of the episode will have the Griffin family stuck at home during a blackout. With no TV to entertain them, Peter decides to […]

TV Shows on DVD reveals the cover artwork for The Archie Show – The Complete Series, set for a July 31st release. The site also showcases both the Standard and Bart Head covers for The Simpsons – season 10, both sheduled for an August 7 release.

Coming Soon hosts a new exclusive Ratatouille Podcast entitled “Cooking Up CG Food”. The podcast features the creative minds behind Pixar’s newest flick who talk about the challenges in bringing CG food to the big screen. Ratatouille opens in US theaters on June 29th.

Now that you’ve seen the movie, take on pirates yourself at Disneyland’s Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island attraction, which opened today. “The attraction itself has been loaded with special effects, live pirates skulking about and activity areas for visitors to discover hidden treasure. In one cove, guests can maneuver pumps that reveal a sunken […]

Dutch entertainment show RTL Boulevard recently featured comic/gag artist Wilbert Plijnaar who has also worked on American animated films such as Ice Age and Shrek 2. The video (for those who are not familiar with the Dutch language you will have to use your intuitive skills to pick a size for your video to play […]

According to Yahoo! Finance, The Lion King, Disney’s story of nephew/uncle conflict on the African Savannah, recently previewed its stage version of the lion tale in Johannesburg, South Africa in preparation for its official run beginning June 6. Director Julie Taymor shares her excitement: “In the ten years I’ve been working on The Lion King […]

The Sydney Morning Herald hints at a Shrek Broadway style musical heading to Australia and also hints that the Shrek movie series may finish up with a fifth installment. Those wishing to apply for the part of Shrek in the stage version should have “a powerful presence and strength … preferably a baritone.” Thanks to […]

Even though it’s called an “UnReview” o-meon’s look at Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End still gives an in-depth look at this blockbuster-in-the-waiting. “In the final analysis, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is a much better film than the second of the three POTC films, Dead Man’s Chest. It is by […]

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, confirmed to MTV News that rockband Green Day will indeed make an appearance in the upcoming Simpsons Movie. Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune has published an interesting article on all the cities named Springfield still trying to get the rights to hold The Simpsons Movie premiere.

Comic strip cartoonist and children’s book creator Berkeley Breathed chats with Quick Stop Entertainment, as a considerable portion of the interview centers on the adaptations of his works. Breathed regards the unfortunate fate of the animated A Wish for Wings That Work and Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big. Likewise, he admits that the Opus movie is […]

Animated Views presents its latest two reviews: Hero High: The Complete Series and Tex Avery’s Droopy: Complete Theatrical Collection. Examining Droopy, Ben Simon provides a perfect score for the set’s main content, writing, “Despite a couple of serious technical issues which may otherwise go unnoticed by most, this collection is simply essential and not a […]