Year: 2008 – page 18

Kung Fu Panda sequel in the works and more 2D coming

The TAG Blog reveals that a story crew has started early work on a Kung Fu Panda sequel at DreamWorks, while animators are hand-drawing new material for the DVD of the first film, expected to be released this Fall. Comments one animator: “This has been a fun project. It should go on to late July. […]

Marketing budgets for animated features are on the rise

Wall•E is expected to easily become the year’s most marketed movie, with DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda coming close behind. Last year, Ratatouille topped the marketing charts, with Disney spending $54 million to cook up ads for the Pixar-produced pic. To put that into perspective, the industry average to promote a pic was $35.9 million last […]

Wall•E articles keep flooding in

The film, which Cinema Blend calls “another winning confection from Pixar” and GFR “the perfect window for kids into a broader world of imagination and perhaps even activism”, could be “Pixar’s best movie ever” according to the New York Magazine. The Village Voice feels that “you’ll adore it because of a cuddly, lonely little robot […]

Stan Winston to be honored at SIGGRAPH this August

With the recent passing of VFX legend Stan Winston, Sony Pictures Imageworks has decided to change its upcoming SIGGRAPH 2008 “Studio Events” program and instead pay tribute to Stan at the Nokia Theater on Aug. 13 (8:00 -11:00 p.m.). Find out more details at AWN.

Ratatouille and Enchanted grab Saturn awards

Disney won big at last night’s Satury Awards as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror presented three trophies to Enchanted (best Fantasy Film, Actress for Amy Adams, and Music for Alan Menken) while Ratatouille won for best Writing and unsurprisingly beat Beowulf, Meet the Robinsons, Shrek the Third, The Simpsons Movie and Surf’s […]

Christina Ricci leading voice cast for Hero of Color City

Movieweb reports that Christina Ricci will voice the lead role of the timid crayon Yellow in Exodus Film Group’s animated CG feature The Hero of Color City. She plays one of several crayons whose colorful world is threatened by an evil tyrant. She is the first member of the cast to be announced for the […]

Toy Story 3 plot details revealed

MTV Movies Blog features new plot points for Pixar’s upcoming sequel, Toy Story 3. According to John Ratzenberger and Estelle Harris, who played Hamm the piggy bank and Mrs. Potato Head in the previous Toy Story flicks, both characters will be playing a bigger role this time around. Harris also assures readers that there’s no […]

Wall•E video interview

An exclusive video interview with Andrew Stanton, Fred Willard, and Jeff Garlin, all of whom had a hand in the creation and production of Pixar’s Wall•E, can be viewed on ComingSoon. Featuring several new clips from the film, Stanton, Willard, and Garlin each discuss the world that Wall•E takes place in, pointing out the reasons […]

Ambitious plans for Portland-based animation studio Laika

Variety reveals what Laika has in the works post Coraline , and it’s quite exciting! The studio, which does both CG and stop-motion features, was created when Phil Knight, whose Nike empire gives him an estimated worth of $7.9 billion, stepped in to buy the former Will Vinton Studios, famous for the California Raisins, after […]

DVD reviews: Two more from BCI, plus contest winners

This week we have two new reviews for you to enjoy, and they do seem appropriate to put together. First up, a single-disc edition of Bravestarr: The Movie, also known as Bravestarr: The Legend. This film did also show up last year on the impressive “Best Of Bravestarr” set, and in fact I did use […]

He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Volume Two

This second volume of the 2002 version of the classic Mattel characters provides plenty of action, though only a couple of truly interesting episodes. However, BCI as usual does a great job of putting it all together in a package that collectors will love.

Arthur and the Minimoys sequels update

Freddie Highmore told SCI FI Wire he just completed the final voice work for two more Arthur and the Minimoys films, inspired by the popular children’s fantasy books of Luc Besson. The 16-year-old British actor completed filming two sequels to the 2006 film more than a year ago and had to finish the looping for […]

Wall•E worldwide premiere and early buzz

Disney orchestrated a one-of-a-kind premiere last Saturday at the Greek theater in Los Angeles, which was turned for the occasion into a 2,000-seat outdoor movie theater; NASA Mars rovers lined the red carpet. After the screening, 30 vans shuttled guests up the hill to the Griffith Observatory for the party, which included a special setup […]

Tinkerbell to join Hollywood Walk of Fame

The spunky little fairy, which is headlining one of Disney’s hottest franchises, will get her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later this year. She will join other imaginary characters there including Winnie the Pooh, Kermit the Frog and Mickey Mouse.

Jeffrey Katzenberg promotes upcoming DreamWorks films at Cine Expo

The DreamWorks Animation CEO introduced clips, storyboards and early animation sequences from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and touted the studio’s first stereoscopic 3-D feature Monsters vs. Aliens earlier today at the Cinema Expo conference in Amsterdam.

Please welcome Glago's Guest

Follow the ‘More’ link to read the official synopsis of Glago’s Guest, the new CGI short which will show in theaters with Disney’s Bolt for the Thanksgiving 2008 season, and to view three screenshots from this film.

iTunes hooked up with How to Hook Up

Thanks to ‘harkin’ in the Animated News & Views forum for the notice that Goofy’s latest short How To Hook Up Your Home Theater is now available for download from Apple’s popular iTunes service for $1.99. Be sure to look for some cameos and Disney in-jokes while enjoying the short. For more about the short […]

Domo stars in short series

According to Animation World Network, the popular animated character Domo has begun to star in his first short form series. The videos, which started appearing online on June 20th, can be viewed on Veoh. Domo, who has become a Japanese cultural icon since his first appearance in 1998, started his career as a mascot for […]

Lego Wall•E

A Lego rendition of the title character from Pixar’s upcoming Wall•E can be viewed in a Flickr photo album. This Wall•E uses 2 Power functions IR controllers to move and features poseable arms, according to the model’s creator. Wall•E hits the big-screen this Friday.

Watership Down deluxe edition DVD in October

DVDActive reports that Warner Home Video has announced a deluxe edition dvd of the 1978 movie Watership Down on October 7. Full details are yet to be revealed but the 30th Anniversary release will include featurettes, and a storyboard comparison.

More Wall-E clips, Watercolors for sale and a New Pixar short

IESB.net has posted six film clips and a new featurette from Pixar’s upcoming film WALL-E. Be warned of the possible spoilers. Directed by Andrew Stanton, Wall-E hits theatres on June 27. In addition, UpcomingPixar also shares a Sanders Art Studio link featuring six promotional concept art prints from Wall-E for sale. UpcomingPixar has also posted […]

Another Wall•E trailer

An additional trailer for Pixar’s latest, Wall•E, is available for your viewing pleasure on ComingSoon. This new trailer, titled ‘Cities’, gives us a closer look at the abandoned metropolitan areas on Earth. Wall•E, as well as the new animated short Presto, can both be seen in theaters on June 27th.

New Bolt poster

A new one-sheet advertising Disney’s upcoming CGI comedy Bolt has appeared online at Internet Movie Poster Awards. Hitting theaters on November 16th of this year, Bolt stars the voice talents of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus.

Eric Goldberg book signing

If you’re on the fence about whether you should attend next month’s San Diego Comic-Con or not then vacillate no longer as we have just learned that master animator Eric Goldberg will be signing copies of his upcoming book Character Animation Crash Course! at the Stuart Ng Books booth on Friday July 25th from 2 […]

Bravestarr: The Movie

This cowboys-in-space film marked the beginning of the end for Filmation, but in fact it represents the best of what the studio could accomplish.

Presto clip

A clip from Pixar’s upcoming short film Presto can be viewed on CartoonBrew. Presto, which will be playing alongside Wall•E starting June 27th, follows the antics of a magician and his rabbit. The short was helmed by first-time director Doug Sweetland, and is an ode to slapstick cartoons such as Tom & Jerry and Looney […]

WALL•E the webmaster

o-meon has a sneak peek at what Disney.com will look like beginning June 24 when Pixar’s Wall-E attempts to run the huge corporate website. “With the approach of one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated films, the Disney/Pixar release of WALL•E, the designers and engineers began to wonder what, besides linking to the film’s web […]

AFI's top 10 animated films

AFI’s top 10 of animation was revealed tonight, with quotes-sadly limited to voice talent and random celebrities but still enjoyable-by Isabella Rossellini, Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberg, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Cameron Crowe and more. Like all lists the ranking is highly questionable but still more credible than most. Click […]

Details on Coraline video games

D3Publisher will release the video games based on Focus Features and Laika’s stop-motion feature film Coraline, credited as the first to be originally filmed in 3-D. Directed by Henry Selick, Coraline follows a young girl (Dakota Fanning) who walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. […]

Monsters vs. Aliens toy licensee announced

While Hasbro is the master toy licensee on DreamWorks’ latest hit Kung Fu Panda, the studio will have to settle for a smaller partner on its first stereoscopic 3D film next March. ToyQuest’s line for Monsters vs. Aliens will include action figures, non-electronic table top games, vehicles, playsets, role-play products, plush, youth electronics, seasonal toys, […]