James R Whitson Author Archive
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Early Man director Nick Park on his prehistoric world
Library of Congress adds Dumbo to the National Film Registry
Disney buys most of Fox

In an industry-shaking deal reportedly between $50-60 billion, the Walt Disney Company bought most of the assets of 21st Century Fox. According to Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the deal will give Disney a “much larger international footprint” and enable it to “use cutting-edge technology and we know how important that is in this […]

Coco

Coco is a beautiful film in a lot of ways — artistically, musically, and culturally. But narratively it’s just a ghost of the type of stories we’re used to from Pixar.

Incredibles 2 teaser trailer released
26 animated feature films submitted for 2017 Oscar consideration

AMPAS announced today that twenty-six films have been submitted for consideration in the Best Animated Feature Film category for the 90th Academy Awards, but some still need to have their required Los Angeles qualifying run before being finalized. If sixteen or more films qualify, there will be five nominees up for the Oscar. For the […]

Gael García Bernal talks about singing in Coco
Pixar scientist speaks on the calculus of animation
My Little Pony: The Movie opens

Lionsgate and Allspark’s My Little Pony: The Movie opens today in 2,528 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is doing well with the critics, earning a solid 70% on the Tomatometer. Box Office Prophets predicts a 5th place opening weekend with $8.5 million, while BOM says 6th place with $8.3 million.

The humble roots of Despicable Me
My Little Pony cast discuss their roles
Why 1930s animation continues to grip our culture
Halloween SpongeBob SquarePants stop-motion episode airing in October
The Lego Ninjago Movie

The Lego Ninjago Movie is enjoyable but not at all awesome. While there is some fun to be had, it’s hard to spin it as anything else but a letdown.

Aardman launches online hub for original animated comedy

PRESS RELEASE Academy Award winning studio Aardman have today launched AardBoiled – an exciting new YouTube hub for creators of original, off-beat animated comedy. With 17 successful YouTube channels for their own IP sharing content with a global audience and an average of over 25 million monthly views, the studio is now looking to share […]

The Lego Ninjago Movie opens

Warner Bros.’ The Lego Ninjago Movie opens today in 4,047 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film hasn’t impressed the critics as much as the previous two titles, earning only 48% at Rotten Tomatoes. BOM projects a second place weekend for the movie with $35 million, while Box Office Prophets sees it winning the […]

How 9/11 changed Disney’s Lilo & Stitch

The climax of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch originally featured a large passenger airplane weaving through the building of a city. But as the film was being finished the terrorist attacks on September 11th occuered prompting the studio to rework the finale. Vox shows us a side by side comparison of the original cut and the […]

The Nut Job 2 opens

The Nut Job 2 opens today in 4,003 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is faring poorly with the critics, earning just a 15% from Rotten Tomatoes. Box Office Prophets predicts a second place opening weekend finish with $14.5 million.

The awkward language of The Emoji Movie
Maya Rudolph on Nut Job 2, parenting, and SNL
How bad is the year in animation so far?