In a recent interview, Monsters Inc. director Pete Docter talked about Ray Harryhausen, the special effects legend who passed away this week, according to the L.A. Times. Harryhausen, who inspired countless filmmakers after him, was honored in Docter’s film by having a restaurant where a pivotal scene takes place named after him. “His pioneering efforts […]

Collider has a quick, mostly spoiler free review of Pixar’s short The Blue Umbrella, which will be attached to their feature film Monsters University on June 21st. Their verdict: an “enjoyable little short” that’s “clever, cute and quirky”.

Film Music Reporter has details on the soundtrack for the upcoming Blue Sky film Epic. Scored by Danny Elfman, the album will hit stores on May 28th, four days after the film. Check out the link for the soundtrack track listing.

Disney was a big winner at the Golden Trailer Awards according to Deadline. The awards honor the best in movie advertising, including theaters spots, TV commercials, posters and more. Iron Man 3, Wreck-It-Ralph, Monsters University, Brave, and The Avengers all took home trophies.

Screen Crush has an interesting look back at “10 Disturbing Classic Disney Cartoons”. From World War II propaganda films, to educational shorts about menstruation, to Mickey Mouse doing blackface — prepare to be uncomfortable!

A feature film version of Aardman Animations’ TV series Shaun The Sheep is in the works according to Deadline. Studiocanal is financing the film. “The family film, written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton, will see the titular character and his flock venture into the big city to rescue their farmer”.

Our friends The Rotoscopers got a look at a preview video for Disney’s Frozen before the Mouse House had it pulled offline. Luckily they have screencaps so you can still check out some of the art. “The video appears to have been made or cleared on 7/25/12, which is a few weeks before Destination D […]

D23 reports that Walt Disney Animation Studios will be premiering a new Mickey Mouse short titled Get A Horse! at the Annecy Animation Festival on June 11. The “never-before-seen short” will feature Walt Disney himself as the voice of Mickey Mouse. “This black-and- white, hand-drawn short follows Mickey, his favorite gal pal Minnie Mouse and […]

As the Professor might say when delivering not so good news, “Good news, everybody!” Futurama has been cancelled… again. Entertainment Weekly reports that the now Comedy Central program will come to an end on September 4th. The series originally ran on Fox from 1999 to 2003 before being revived in 2007 after fan outcry. After […]

Fox has confirmed that the Peanuts film being made by Blue Sky Studios will be CG and 3D, according to Animation Magazine. “The Peanuts script was written by Charles Schulz’s son Craig Schulz, his grandson Bryan Schulz, and Bryan’s screenwriting partner Cornelius Uliano”.

Film Music Reporter says that first timer Dominic Lewis will score the upcoming film Free Birds. “Lewis has previously worked together with [composer John] Powell and composers Henry Jackman and Hans Zimmer, providing additional music for such films as Rio, Rango, Kung Fu Panda, X-Men: First Class and Wreck-It-Ralph“.

Confirming earlier reports, Disney today officially announced The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition will be released on DVD, Digital, Blu-ray, and 3D Blu-ray on October 1st. The full press release, with more details on pricing and special features, and the cover art can be seen here:

Disney Pixar announced on their Twitter account today the already rumored news that “Inside Out, the new film from director Pete Docter, will open in US theaters June 19, 2015″. According to previous reports, the film is “told from the perspective of the emotions inside the mind of a little girl”.

Forbes looks at the implications of Fox and DreamWorks’ recent partnership, saying “it immediately establishes just who the titans in modern day American animation are… the second and third-place animation studios just teamed up, which automatically makes them a strong bet to challenge the Mouse House”. Calling the deal a game-changer, the writer believes the […]

A lawsuit against DreamWorks claiming they stole the ideas for Kung Fu Panda can proceed to a possible trial a judge ruled this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The judge’s decision potentially sets the stage for an uncommon occurrence in Hollywood: a trial concerning a major studio in which a jury would determine whether […]

The New York Times reports that with rating down ABC may look more to parent company Disney for show ideas. “Among ABC’s 24 pilots for the next television season is a drama based on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a Disneyland roller coaster. Another pilot, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is based on ancillary characters from The […]

There’s been lots of upheaval in the Star Wars universe since the Disney acquisition with old projects being shelved and new ones announced. The cancellation of the popular The Clone Wars TV series was a blow to animation fans, but IGN has word that there is another… maybe. RebelForce Radio spoke with Dave Filoni, supervising […]

The Wrap notes that The Croods has become just the second movie of the year to pass $300 million worldwide box office gross. “[This weekend] the 3D caveman cartoon took in $34.1 million from 62 markets to raises its international total to $206.8 million. With its $125.8 million domestic haul, its global gross now stands […]

The Muppets… Again! is filming on the streets of London this week, and Bleeding Cool reports that signs announcing the fact give a little more plot info, a possible British release date, and of course some jokes! The new blurb reads: “Kermit the Frog and the gang embark on a World Tour, with the ‘help’ […]

Phys.org looks at an essay that explains the staying power of animated films and how they are able to draw us in emotionally. Eric Scott Jenkins, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of communication, says “When people talk about Disney animation, they may describe it as magical or wonderful, and I don’t think that has […]

Our friends The Rotoscopers recently attended a test screening for Disney’s upcoming film Planes and they’ve posted their thoughts in an early review. (While they try to keep major spoilers out they do talk about the plot, so beware if you’d prefer absolutely no spoilers.) They’ll be posting a video report soon and you can […]

Film Music Reporter says that Henry Jackman will be scoring the upcoming DreamWorks film Turbo. Jackman’s previous work includes the music for Puss in Boots and Monsters vs Aliens.

A preview of Blue Sky’s upcoming film Epic will air tonight during the Kids’ Choice Awards. Animation fans may also be interested in several of the awards which include Favorite Cartoon (Fairly OddParents, Phineas and Ferb, SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom and Jerry), Favorite Animated Movie (Brave, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Wreck-It […]

ComingSoon.net has an interview with The Croods stars Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds. And Empire Magazine has a gallery of some of the strange creatures their characters will face on their journey. The Croods opens this Friday, March 22nd.

Collider has a photo from the set of The Muppets…Again! movie featuring Tina Fey and what appears to be Kermit’s “jewel-heisting doppelgänger named Constantine”. Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell also star. The film is set to open a year from tomorrow, on March 21, 2014.