Month: October 2007 – page 3

View Lightning Lad's cybernetic arm

Warner Bros. has released a set of four images from last Saturday’s episode of Legion of Super Heroes, titled Chained Lightning. Showcased at Comics2Film, the pictures focus on Lightning Lad and his cybernetic arm. A brand-new episode of Super Heroes, named The Karate Kid, will premiere on Saturday, October 27, at 11:00 a.m. ET/PT as […]

AN&V DVD review: Jungle Book Platinum Edition

“The Jungle Book’s Platinum Edition, for any faults, is a clear step back up after the lacklustre recent inclusions of Cinderella, Lady And The Tramp and The Little Mermaid,” writes animation historian Ben Simon, in Animated Views‘ review of the latest entry in Disney’s premium home entertainment series. Of the film, Ben proclaims, “The movie […]

Rumble in the Jungle!

Notes on the review of Disney’s The Jungle Book and the Platinum Editions.

Surf's Up tops DVD charts

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Sony Pictures Animation’s Surf’s Up rode to the top of the national sales and rental DVD charts for the week ending October 14. Meanwhile, the previous week’s top title, Disney’s Jungle Book Platinum Edition DVD, slipped to the #3 position on the sales chart.

International audiences eat Ratatouille

IMDB.com’s Studio Briefing provides an update on the international box office for Ratatouille. During its debut in the U.K. last weekend, the Disney/Pixar hit collected $9 million. That amount translates into an impressive $18,000 per each of the 503 theaters showing the film. Likewise, Ratatouille performed strongly in its second week in Germany, taking $6.5 […]

G-Force to face Wolverine

Walt Disney Pictures’ animated G-Force has received a strong competitor for its opening weekend. Variety writes that the family adventure will now go against X-Men Origins: Wolverine on the weekend of May 1, 2009.

Press release: Pixar Short Films Collection

Ultimate Disney shares the press announcement for the Disney DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Pixar Short Films Collection – Volume 1. Containing Pixar’s brief animated classics, from The Adventures of André & Wally B. to Lifted, the anticipated collection is scheduled for November 6.

Smurfs – Season 1, Volume 1 coming in February

According to a source described as ‘solid,’ TV Shows on DVD believes the Smurfs – Season 1, Volume 1 two-disc DVD set will hit stores on February 26, 2008. As the site cautions, however, one should take the news with a grain of salt until an official announcement from Warner Bros. arrives.

The Chestnut Tree wins La Femme award

Picnic Pictures’ The Chestnut Tree (see our prior writeup), directed by Hyun-min Lee, produced by Bert and Jennifer Klein, and executive produced by Don Hahn, recently won “Best Animated Short” at the LaFemme International Film Festival held in Beverly Hills. A photo of the award winners shortly after accepting the award and more information on […]

A look at Golden animals

SciFi Wire currently features a behind-the-scenes look at the special effects for the animal characters of The Golden Compass. Due to the fact that the furry co-stars are almost entirely computer-generated in the movie, actors Dakota Blue Richards and Nicole Kidman acted out scenes with green footballs and other devices in place of animals. The […]

James Marsden on Enchanted

James Marsden, who plays the Prince in the upcoming Disney film Enchanted, recently discussed his royal role with Disney Insider. Commenting on the story of the movie, Marsden explains, “I guess they’re calling it ‘a modern-day fairy tale’. It begins in the animated world, much like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella — the Disney classics, […]

DCA Expansion

Information on the changes announced earlier today for Disney’s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, CA, can be found at The Orange County Register and o-meon (with numerous photos). Of particular interest to animation fans is news of Cars Land, “A 12-acre addition that will be based on the Cars movie, including an attraction called […]

Pre-order Ratatouille on iTunes

Upcoming Pixar reports that Brad Bird’s critically acclaimed film Ratatouille is up for pre-order on iTunes. The French-set tale’s price is set at $12.99, and will be available for purchase on November 6.

The Jungle Book: 2-Disc Platinum Edition

Walt’s swansong, and one of the best Disney animated features ever produced, The Jungle Book is here in a fairly decent collectors’ edition 2-disc set!

3 new Beouwulf TV Spots

The official Beouwulf website has been updated and currently showcases 3 new TV Spots for Robert Zemeckis’ latest motion-capture flick in a streaming Flash format. Beowulf will be released in US theaters on November 16th, 2007.

TV to DVD: Spongebob, Legion of Superheroes, Super Friends, Aqua Teen Hunger Force

TV Shows on DVD displays the cover art for two upcoming Spongebob titles, To Love a Patty and Atlantis SquarePantis, with release dates set for January 29th and November 13th respectively. The site also offers a first glimpse at The All-New Super Friends Hour – Season 1, Volume 1 and Legion of Super-Heroes – Volume […]

Studio Ghibli to release Miyazaki's inspiration Snow Queen

Nausicaa.net reports that the Ghibli Museum Library label is set to release Lev Atamanov’s 1957 animated film Snow Queen on December 15 in select theaters in Japan. The film strongly inspired Hayao Miyazaki and played a critical role in the early days of his career. GhibliWorld has the English translation of an interview with Hayao […]

Nick Park's van goes for charity

WallaceandGromit.com reports that Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park’s 1958 Austin A35 van, which inspired the Anti-Pesto van in Curse of the Were-Rabbit, is up for auction on eBay. The van will be auctioned on eBay from 9am on Wednesday, October 17th, until Friday, October 26. In addition, it will be delivered with a Certificate […]

Trolltech's Software Enables World's Largest Animation Houses

Today, Trolltech has announced that Lucasfilm is using Trolltech’s Qt software to help develop their digital entertainment software. Examples of other major studios using Qt are Walt Disney Feature Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Duboi. Using Trolltech’s Qt is helping big animation houses get their movies to market faster and save money. The full press […]

Birdman's back! And so are Raggedy Ann and Andy!

Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law is back! Plus Disney’s Indian feature and a rare screening of Richard Williams’ Raggedy Ann And Andy!

Kill Bunnies

Angry Alien Productions introduces the latest installment in the 30-Second Bunnies Theatre Library: a spoof combining the first and second volumes of the Kill Bill saga. Interestingly, the site has listed upcoming bunny re-enactments to include Snakes on a Plane and Spider-Man 3.

Leguizamo on Ice Age 3 voice work, script

In a recent conversation between Latino Review and John Leguizamo, the subject of Ice Age 3 was raised. “I just started recording last month,” mentioned the actor, who then added, “The script is tight!”

Best Compass sequence saved for second film

According to visual-effects producer Gary Nolin, the most dazzling sequence in The Golden Compass may be saved for a possible second entry in the His Dark Materials film series. The visual wizardry, as provided by effects powerhouse Rhythm & Hues, was to take place at the North Pole, involving the aurora borealis. SCI FI Wire […]

ASIFA-Hollywood screening for Raggedy Ann & Andy

ASIFA-Hollywood has announced a special screening and panel discussion to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Richard Williams’ Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure, writes Cartoon Brew. The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 17, in the Mark Goodson Auditorium at the American Film Institute in Hollywood. At 3pm, a rare CinemaScope 35mm print of […]

Paprika DVD, Blu-ray details

DVD Active shares the bonus features and cover artwork for Paprika. For the DVD, extras will include: a Tsutsui and Kon’s Paprika behind-the-scenes featurette; A Conversation about ‘The Dream’ with the director, novelist and voice actors; a featurette on the movie’s art direction; and a featurette on its cinematography and computer-generated world. The Blu-ray release […]

New Persepolis images

IGN Movies has added a considerable amount of images to its gallery for Persepolis. Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, the film will begin a limited run in the U.S. on December 25.

Mary Blair, Harrison Ellenshaw celebrated

Jim Hill Media directs attention toward The Art and Flair of Mary Blair exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum, as well as Harrison Ellenshaw’s signing celebration at the Where the Magic Begins store in Livermore, California. Both recommended events are set to take place on Saturday, October 27.

U.S. box office actuals: October 12–14, 2007

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo: 30) Ratatouille with $389,332, averaging $990 over 393 theaters ($204,431,330 total; 16th week) 36) The Simpsons Movie with $180,675, averaging $810 over 223 theaters ($182,511,152 total; 12th week) 95) Paprika with $3,610, averaging $515 over 7 theaters ($878,607 total; 21st week)

Imagi: China's answer to Pixar?

Business Week places Imagi Animation Studios in the spotlight, detailing the Hong Kong company’s creation and aspirations. Supervised by Tim Cheung, Imagi has recruited talented artists from some of the major Western animation studios.

Summary of Pixar Story's Austin, Texas screening

JV Pixar News briefly describes the sights and sounds of the October 14th screening of The Pixar Story, held at the Alamo South Lamar in Austin, Texas. The report includes a list of further screenings for the critically acclaimed film.