Month: February 2010

Early review for How To Train Your Dragon

An early review of How To Train Your Dragon, in which the author describes a positive experience with the film, can be read at Filmonic. “…Overall I had a really fun time with this movie,” states the writer. “The characters aren’t as fully rounded as I’d like, but the breathtaking visuals and fun tone of […]

Coloring the Kingdom: Disney’s ink and paint girls

Researching through the golden age of Walt Disney, starting from the first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to the other 30s and 40s classics, such as Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi, Vanity Fair takes a look back at as many as 100 of those young women, the inkers and painters, working from dawn […]

The opening montage of Up

Up director Pete Docter discusses the film’s emotional opening montage with The Envelope. The largely silent sequence takes Carl and his beloved, Ellie, from childhood to old age, giving him a reason to fly his entire house to South America.

Early review for Alice in Wonderland

Variety has one of the very first reviews for Disney’s much anticipated Alice in Wonderland movie. The response, however, is lukewarm at best, with the critic saying that the film “has its moments of delight, humor and bedazzlement. But it also becomes more ordinary as it goes along, building to a generic battle climax similar to […]

Final How to Train Your Dragon trailer

The final trailer for DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon can now be found online over at Yahoo! Movies. The animated adventure comedy, featuring the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerald Butler and America Ferrera, is set to breath fire in theaters and IMAX 3D on March 26th.

Lionel Jeffries RIP

Caractacus Potts’ father has gone off for his last cup of tea with the maharajah: British actor and director Lionel Jeffries has died aged 83. Most remembered on screen for portraying Dick Van Dyke’s dad in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jeffries was a fine actor, perhaps more famous for his comic roles (Two Way Stretch, […]

Oscar goes Blu!

Current reviews, and the return of the annual Animated Views Oscar Contest!

¡Andale! ¡Andale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! Speedy Gonzales races to the big screen

New Line has announced, via The Hollywood Reporter, that George Lopez is set to voice a contemporary Speedy Gonzales in a new CG/live-action hybrid written by the Garfield duo of Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen. Story details, which point to a plot that sees “Speedy befriending a gun-shy race-car driver”, and the producers’ take on […]

Deadwood‘s McShane set for Blackbeard

From western to pirate villain: British actor Ian McShane, who has also provided voices for Shrek The Third, Kung Fu Panda and Coraline, will step into Edward Teach’s shoes to play the legendary scalawag of the seven seas, better known as Blackbeard, in the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides, reports The […]

Up, Avatar win BAFTAs

Up won Best Animated Feature and Michael Giacchino picked up the Best Score trophy at the British Academy Film Awards. Avatar had a mildly disappointing night, losing in six of the eight categories it was up for, but taking home the Best Special Visual Effects and Best Production Design awards. Mother of Many won Best […]

Chipmunks coming home in March

20th Century Fox’s Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel will be coming to single disc DVD, 2-disc DVD and Blu-Ray on March 30th, according to DVD Active. The single disc DVD will include only two featurettes, but the 2-disc DVD and the Blu-Ray will include additional featurettes, music videos and more. Just like the 2007 […]

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition

The animated adaptation of the musical that came from an album inspired by the comic strip. Despite the fourth-generation status, it still feels delightfuly like Peanuts.

Steven Spielberg talks Tintin

LATimes has an exclusive interview with Steven Spielberg wherein the director talks about the making of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and his love for the art of Hergé. Produced by Peter Jackson, with the animation done by Weta Workshop, the movie uses special performance-capture technology that James Cameron used on […]

Waking Sleeping Beauty trailer online

The trailer for Waking Sleeping Beauty is now online at Apple. The documentary, which is financed and distributed by Disney, looks at the company during the turbulent period from the 1980s to early 1990s. But according to filmmakers and critics the film is no white-washed version of events. Read on to see what director Don […]

Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases: Volume 4

Animation’s most famous cat and mouse duo return with the fourth volume of their Greatest Chases. After two releases last year, Warner continues to repackage classic shorts in these family-friendly discs.

What Ever Happened to Newt?

Disney/Pixar’s Newt was scheduled for a 2012 release. Recently however, Disney veteran Floyd Norman commented that “Newt is dead” on The Animation Guild Blog. Pixar hasn’t said anything about it, so it’s still unconfirmed at this point.

New Toy Story 3 character revealed

Empire has the latest character poster and turn-around for Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which show-off a new plush-toy character, Buttercup. The site also sports a short synopsis for the Jeff Garlin-voiced character, which states “Saddle up for fun and let Buttercup lead your child away on a magical adventure! This cuddly unicorn features velvety-soft, snow-colored […]

Two new Dragon posters

Two new one-sheets for How To Train Your Dragon have popped up over at Internet Movie Poster Awards. The first, in English, can be seen here, while the other can be viewed here. How To Train Your Dragon hits both IMAX and regular theaters on March 26th.

New Secret of Kells poster

A new poster for The Secret of Kells can now be found online, thanks to the Internet Movie Poster Awards. A surprise nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars this year, Kells is set to get a limited release in theaters this spring.

Seth MacFarlane on boundaries and beginnings

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane talks candidly about his three shows now airing on FOX, why there are no boundaries he won’t cross, and even gets into his personal life and how he got into animation in a long piece over at the Scottish Daily Record.

Sesame Street contest looking for animators

Aniboom and Sesame Street are sponsoring a contest to find talented animators who might get a chance to have their work air on the iconic children’s program. Entrants need to create a short preschool-aimed animation. Winners in five categories will get $5,000 and a grand prize winner will receive an additional $5,000. All winning animators […]

What it takes to make an Oscar nominated short

After watching the ten nominees in the Best Live-action Short and Best Animated Short Oscar categories, The Faster Times has a five-point hypothesis on what it takes to make an Oscar nominated short film. The tongue-in-cheek but funny-becasue-it’s-true “recommendations” range from “going with what works” as in A Matter of Loaf and Death, to “flattering […]

The Ricky Gervais Show debuts this week

HBO will debut a new animated series starting February 19th based on the popular podcast The Ricky Gervais Show. Those unfamiliar with the podcast can get a more in-depth primer on it and the animated series from the Toronto Star, but the gist is three funny guys sit in a studio and riff about what […]

Annecy adds YouTube competition

To help celebrate their 50th anniversary, the international animation festival Annecy has announced an online competition co-sponsored by YouTube. While open to everyone there are specific guidelines entries need to follow, which you can find on their website. The top winner will receive a week at Annecy 2010 (transportation to France, accommodations, and accreditation included) […]

DreamWorks talks marketing

Forbes has an interview with DreamWorks Animation Head of Worldwide Marketing & Consumer Products Anne Globe, where she discusses how the company markets their films.

Scooby Doo Gets the Magic Touch

The all new direct-to-video Scooby Doo movie, Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra Doo, will be released to DVD tomorrow. The gang is back in their groovy 1969 clothing, ready to take on a mystery that deals with dark magic. Matthew Lillard, who plays the role of Shaggy from the first two live action Scooby films, replaces Casey Kasem […]

New Dragon poster

A new one-sheet for How To Train Your Dragon is now online, and can be seen at Cinema Blend. The upcoming DreamWorks film will hit theaters on March 26th. Thanks to ‘CGIFanatic’ over at the Animated Views Forum for the heads up.

Disney’s Rapunzel is now Tangled

Walt Disney Studios have announced that their 2010 film will no longer be called Rapunzel and will now be known as Tangled, reports Collider. Produced by Roy Conli, Tangled is slated to hit theatres on November 24, 2010.

Positive buzz for Despicable Me

Despicable Me hits theaters on July 9th, 2010.Several different film sites, including SlashFilm, JoBlo, HitFiz, and Collider, all feature articles describing their author’s experiences while touring the studio responsible for Despicable Me. All of the stories seem to be returning positive feedback for both the clips they were shown of the film, as well as […]

Guardians Of Ga’hoole gets shorter theatrical run

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has decided to give its’ upcoming 3D animated film Guardians Of Ga’hoole a shorter theatrical run, following suit with the recent news about Disney’s Alice In Wonderland. This decision will allow Guardians to have a DVD/Blu-Ray release just in time for the holiday shopping season. The film, which […]