James R Whitson Author Archive
Reviews | Interviews | Features | Blogs | News

What’s next for VFX

The Wrap asks what’s next for the visual effects community after the Rhythm & Hues bankruptcy. Ideas range from forming a union to changing the way studios are charged for special effects. But with the availability of low-cost foreign effects and the other ways the price of their labor has been hit there are no […]

Marvel heroes to unite on stage

Deadline says that Marvel has signed a deal with Feld Entertainment (the company behind the Disney on Ice series) to bring their characters together in a live-action show called Marvel Universe Live. While various studios have the movie rights to certain characters, Marvel still holds the rights to them in other mediums meaning this version […]

Writers Guild warns Nick

The Writers Guild of America, West claims Nickelodeon has been negligent in making residual payments, according to The Wrap. The union has given them until March 25th to post a $3 million bond before they tell their members to withhold their services from the company. Nick says they’ve “been working with the WGA to resolve […]

Escape From Planet Earth

Escape From Planet Earth, the first theatrically released film from Rainmaker Entertainment, isn’t out of this world. But it’s no black hole either.

SXSW films include Blue Umbrella, Gold Sparrow

The South by Southwest festival opens today in Austin, Texas. Eleven animated short films are on the schedule, including the United States premiere of Pixar’s The Blue Umbrella. The full list of movies being screened is on the SXSW website. Another film to look for is The Gold Sparrow. The film was directed by Daniel […]

Disney and Oz through the years

With Oz The Great and Powerful opening today, Indiewire looks back at the long history Disney has with the stories of L. Frank Baum, dating back to the 1930’s when Walt considered Oz as a possible followup to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Pixar scientist lectures on importance of math

The Verge writes about a recent lecture titled Math in the Movies by Pixar Senior Scientist Tony DeRose at New York’s Museum of Mathematics. His talk to a diverse crowd of young and old was about “translating principles of arithmetic, geometry, and algebra into software that renders objects or powers physics engines. This process is […]

New Turkeys image?

Other than a couple of press releases and a blurry image there isn’t a lot out there about Relativity Media and Reel FX’s upcoming film Turkeys. The movie was originally set for a 2014 premiere but in an aggressive move after DreamWorks moved Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Reel FX moved their film up by an […]

How Disney bought Lucasfilm and what the future holds

BusinessWeek has an in-depth article on how Disney bought Lucasfilm and what they plan to do with it. The behind the scenes piece reveals that the seed of the plan was planted at the opening of the revamped Star Tours ride in Walt Disney World where Disney CEO Bob Iger and George Lucas had a […]

Year long Stravinsky celebration excludes animation

Charles Solomon, writing for the Southern California Public Radio decries the latest Los Angeles cultural event to exclude animation — a year-long cultural celebration of The Rite of Spring called LA’s Rite: Stravinsky, Innovation and Dance. “Musicians, dancers and scholars will be involved in symposia, performances, exhibitions and digital installations through October. Nowhere is there […]

DreamWorks investing in technology to streamline animation

The Motley Fool, a financial-services company that supports investments, recently took a tour of DreamWorks Animation. Despite their recent issues with layoffs and earnings results, after seeing the “investments the company had made in terms of technology to streamline and improve its animations” the reporter changed his “overall image of the company from just a […]

Amazon adds another kid’s series to original slate

Amazon Studios has added another original children’s series to their production slate. Sara Solves It (created by the people behind Blue’s Clues, Super Why, Arthur and Curious George) follows a brother and sister as they attempt to solve each episode’s mystery — an interactive, math-based puzzle that the home viewer can solve along with the […]

Stripped

A love-letter to comic strips, Stripped is the story of the funny pages — from the golden days of print to the wild west of the web — told by over ninety of the cartoonists themselves. But they need your help to tell it.

Fix-It Felix Jr. high score champion profiled

Disney has posted a video exposé on “one time Fix-It Felix Jr. high score champion Garlan Hulse, his fall into obscurity, and his attempt to be on top again”. A promotion for Wreck-It Ralph which was released on home video this week, you can watch the 30 minute mockumentary here:

Poppy Hill photo gallery

Check out an image gallery from Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill over at The Daily Blam. Directed by Gorō Miyazaki with a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, the film opens in the United States on March 15th.

Shareholders may challenge Disney at meeting

Deadline reports that Disney could face some contentious shareholders at the annual meeting today. Attendees and the company “are girding for a fight over resolutions that could shape the way Disney’s run, especially after Bob Iger steps down in June 2016. Many shareholders support a movement sweeping corporate America to democratize governance policies, giving the […]

Croods clips and featurettes, Guardians home video trailer online

In anticipation of their upcoming film The Croods, DreamWorks is posting new clips and featurettes to their YouTube channel. Also just added is a preview of the upcoming home video release of Rise of the Guardians, which you can watch here. The Croods hits theatres on March 22nd while Guardians hits store shelves on March […]

Welcome The Rotoscopers!

Animated Views is happy to announce that we’ve teamed up with The Rotoscopers! Morgan Stradling, Chelsea Robson, and Mason Smith are the hosts of a fun and informative show called the Animation Addicts Podcast.

Monsters University, Blue Umbrella posters

The Nerdist has a look at a new poster for Pixar’s Monsters University. You can view a large version here, or the original there. Also here, check out a large size poster for the short attached to MU, The Blue Umbrella. You can see both in theatres June 21, 2013.

Cook to voice Planes’ Dusty

Disney has announced that Dane Cook will voice the lead character Dusty in the upcoming film Planes. Inspired by the world of Cars and directed by Disneytoon Studios veteran Klay Hall (King of the Hill, The Simpsons), the film is about a plane who dreams of competing as an air racer despite his unfortunate fear […]

Rio 2 cast news

Flick Direct reports that Twentieth Century Fox has released cast details for their upcoming sequel Rio 2. Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Bebel Gilberto, Jake T. Austin, and Jamie Foxx return and will be joined by Andy Garcia, Bruno Mars, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Moreno, Amandla […]

Watch Oscar nominated short The Longest Daycare

from YouTube

Feast on a new Cloudy 2 poster

Sony Pictures Animation has revealed the teaser poster for their upcoming film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. A trailer for the film will be released tomorrow. The sequel will hit theatres on September 27, 2013. Check out the full size poster here:

Nick app plays games (and TV shows if you’re into that)

The New York Times looks into Nickelodeon’s attempt to win the hearts of the young with their new app. After research showed their target audience was more interested in fun and games than watching TV, the company that makes TV shows had some work to do. But outside the entertainment value, the app “has serious […]

Jim Hill and directors get Crood

Jim Hill discusses DreamWorks’ upcoming film The Croods which recently had it’s premiere in a somewhat unlikely place. “You’d think — given the sophisticated sorts of folks who annually attend the Berlin Film Festival — that this wouldn’t be the sort of crowd which would enthusiastically embrace something as crass-sounding as The Croods. But that’s […]

The art and technology of Paperman

Fast Company delves into the art and technology behind Paperman with legendary 2D animator Glen Keane and 3D animator John Kahrs. Inspired by watching Keane sketch on top of CG animations, Kahrs combined “new aesthetics with standing traditions” and married “the tangibility of CG with the human grit of a pen on paper” to bring […]

Powell and Mendes going back to Rio

John Powell and Sergio Mendes will be back to provide the music for Rio 2, according to Film Music Reporter. The movie will also include “new Brazilian artists and original music by Janelle Monáe and The Wondaland Arts Society”. Look for the Rio to return next spring.

Lasseter talks Disney Infinity

Disney recently announced a major new video game called Disney Infinity. Like Activision’s Skylanders, the game will use toys you buy as your onscreen character. The more toys you collect the more characters you have to choose from — and the more money the company rakes in on a game you already bought. John Lasseter […]

Tiana a top moment in recent black history

In their coverage of the “Top Moments in Black History” from 2000-2012, NewsOne has listed Disney introducing the first African-American princess. Voiced by Anika Noni Rose in the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog, “Tiana’s plucky character and the film’s New Orleans backdrop gave the typical tale with an original twist”.

VFX issues bubble over

After a pre-Oscar protest by Rhythm & Hues visual effects employees and supporters, and the winner of the visual effects Oscar having his mic cut off just as he was about to mention their issues, VFX Soldier has an open letter to Life of Pi director Ang Lee who mentioned after winning the directing trophy […]