Month: June 2008 – page 4

The world's biggest drawing

Filemon Trevino accomplished his lifelong dream of entering the Guinness Book of World Records thanks to a quarter-mile-long pencil drawing now certified as the world’s largest. The Mexican artist said he spent 6,000 hours and used 800 pencils to complete his representation of the heart and circulatory system, with symbols including doves, geometric shapes and […]

What to expect from Disney's BD Live Features

Disney hosted a press demonstration of its new BD Live features earlier this week, which will be launched with the Blu-Ray release of the Sleeping Beauty‘s 50th Anniversary Edition disc. Movieweb offers several stills from the demo along with a detailed rundown. While the new features do sound impressive, sadly they will only be available […]

Reese Witherspoon's role to be the lead in DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens

The actress recently dropped a tidbit to Reuters about her part as Susan Murphy, aka Ginormica, in DreamWorks’ March 2009 stereoscopic feature: “[It] will be a real achievement for myself in that it’s the first female lead of an animated film from a major animation studio in quite a while. I just work with studios […]

Disney animation exhibit coming next year to New Orleans

NOLA reveals that Bullard said the New Orleans Museum of Art blockbuster will host an exhibit of cartoon illustration next year called Dreams Do Come True: Classic Fairy Tales from Disney Studios, and set to coincide with the release of Disney’s New Orleans-based The Princess and the Frog.

First look at Where the Wild Things Are

MTV offers an exciting first look at Spike Jonze’s troubled adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are which will incorporate voice performance, live-action puppetry and computer animation. The film, which Warner Bros. will release theatrically on October 16, 2009, features the talent of Catherine Keener, Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, and Catherine O’Hara.

More on Weta's special effects in Prince Caspian

In anticipation of the New Zealand opening of the second Narnia film, the Dominion Post takes a closer look at the special effects for the film created by local studio Weta.

DreamWorks Animation share downgraded from neutral to sell

DreamWorks Animation SKG was downgraded today to sell from neutral at UBS Investment Research, which said the current share price implies domestic box office receipts for future films above the historical average. The share price, driven up by enthusiasm over Kung Fu Panda implies the company will average domestic box office receipts of $202 million […]

Walt Disney performs magic tricks

Head over to MovieWeb for a vintage clip of Walt Disney doing some magic of his own. This clip is included on the 45th Anniversary Edition DVD of The Sword in the Stone which will be available next Tuesday and also features a Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers featurette along with two classic Disney shorts: […]

The Muppet Show: Season Three

1970s icons meet Muppet magic. More Henson greatness. Simple as that.

Disney projecting $30 billion in branded retail sales for 2008

The Hollywood Reporter published an interesting article this morning outlining the huge success of Disney merchandise, driven by franchises such as Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Cars and the Disney Princess line. The record $30 billion-plus global revenues expected for this fiscal year represent 5 times the retail sales generated by Warner Bros. Consumer Products […]

New Clone Wars trailer

A new theatrical trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars has debuted online at Yahoo. Star Wars: The Clones Wars, which serves as a prequel to an upcoming animated series, hits theaters on August 15th.

First look at DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon!

DreamWorks unveiled a teaser poster, featuring what looks like visual development art, for its March 2010 feature adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s book How To Train Your Dragon, at the ongoing New York Licensing Show this week. AICN has a snapshot along with an exclusive look at new artwork from DreamWorks’ first stereoscopic 3D film Monsters […]

Andrew Stanton discusses Hello Dolly and other Wall•E inspirations

Suite 101 posted part 1 and 2 of a very interesting, insightful interview with Wall•E director Andrew Stanton.

Official Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa site opens its doors

DreamWorks just launched a fun plane-themed official website of its November sequel. Not much there yet but keep checking back for more over the next couple of months.

Wall•E toys coming to a store near you

The Ultimate Wall•E robot, priced at $179.99 and produced by Thinkway Toys (a company Pixar has been loyal to since its very beginning) and scheduled to ship on September 13, is now available for pre-order online from Toys ‘R’ Us, says Upcoming Pixar. For those with a tight purse, small action figures are also in […]

Peter Gabriel's Wall•E song now on iTunes

The Pixar Blog alerts fans that Peter Gabriel’s 6-minute original song Down to Earth, written for Pixar’s latest film, is now available for download from the iTunes Store for 99¢ (U.S. and Canada only).

Disney to offer free movies online

Disney will stream full-length movies on its Web site for the first time, as part of its “Wonderful World of Disney” series on ABC, says The Hollywood Reporter. The films are scheduled to stream through August. Finding Nemo is available at Disney.com/WWoD through Friday. Monsters, Inc., Haunted Mansion, and Peter Pan also will be available […]

Five Kung Fu Panda sequels on the way?

In news that will surprise noone, Jack Black told AAP while promoting Kung Fu Panda in Sydney earlier today that he was confident there would be a follow up: “My eight ball says signs point to yes.” Jack says he’d jump at the chance to be involved if “all the stars are aligned to make […]

Christopher Lee back in Star Wars, animation style

According to TheForce.net, Christopher Lee will reprise his role as Count Dooku in the animated feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Interestingly enough, his scenes were apparently animated before he recorded his lines; says a message board member on the actor’s official site: “Mr. Lee has recorded the voice of Count Dooku for this […]

New Orleans artist to sing The Princess and the Frog theme song

A NY Times article profiling Mac Rebennack, the 67-year-old New Orleans pianist, guitarist and songwriter better known as Dr. John, drops an interesting piece of news: the artist recently recorded Randy Newman’s theme song for Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, about old New Orleans. “They wanted his voice, which is not a bad idea […]

2D Panda closing credits online

The closing credits for DreamWork’s hit animated flick Kung Fu Panda have appeared on the official website of Shine, the studio responsible for the creation of the sequence. These credits are unique in that they feature traditionally animated snippets of the main characters from the martial arts film, reflecting the film’s opening scene, which was […]

"Don't call 'em kids movies!"

An interesting article over at O-Meon brings to light the common perception of animation as purely “kid’s stuff”. The story discusses how modern films like Kung Fu Panda and Wall•E are considered to be aimed solely at children, despite a large portion of their audiences being teenagers and adults. Older animated shorts and films, such […]

Stills and production update on new Wallace & Gromit film

Aardman posted a half dozen new stills from the upcoming Nick Park short, A Matter of Loaf and Death (previously announced under the title Trouble At’ Mill). Production is almost half-way through on the half hour TV project which is expected to debut on BBC1 in the UK later this year.

Studios tying licensing programs to animated sequels

DreamWorks Animation plans to launch a fairly modest licensing program behind Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa later this fall with a new videogame, toys, apparel and home decor, according to Variety. But the Madagascar film franchise, just like Fox’s Ice Age ‘s, has yet to translate in equally impressive consumer product sales. Hoping to come closer […]

Can Kung Fu Panda mark DreamWorks' return to the Oscars?

Jeffrey Katzenberg’s studio has been snubbed by the Academy Awards two years in a row now, and only scored house nominations once in the past five years (Wallace & Gromit was the studio’s last win since 2001’s Shrek but an Aardman production). Tough to digest for the only studio in town to be solely dedicated […]

M. Night Shyamalan's take on The Last Airbender

The Sixth Sense director told Coming Soon! about his plans for the live action adaptation of the Nickelodeon cartoon, which is set in a world that’s divided up into elemental factions, two of whom are preparing for war. Asked why he wanted to do the movie, Night explains: “It was just the story. I just […]

The Smurfs coming to the big screen

Variety reveals exclusively this morning that Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation are bringing a live-action/animated Smurfs project to the big screen, in what will be SPA’s first hybrid film. Sony obtained film rights to the blue-colored characters from Lafig Belgium via Jordan Kerner (Charlotte’s Web), who is producing. David Stem and David Weiss, who […]

Kung Fu Panda's directors reveal their secrets

Over at Animated Views, Kung Fu Panda‘s directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne speak to Jeremie Noyer about the making of their $60 million grossing movie! Also newly posted is Animated Views’ Toon Review of the film.

AICN hosting Wall•E screening this Sunday

Lucky Austin, TX residents should rush to Ain’t It Cool for their chance to see the new Pixar film this Sunday at the Alamo Drafthouse!

New Muppets film in the works

IESB recently caught up with Jason Segel about the Muppets film project he is currently developing with Nick Stoller for Walt Disney Pictures. “I actually just turned in my first draft of the MUPPETS and I’m really excited about it. I think we’re bringing them back. Sam the Eagle is definitely in it. Statler and […]