\\Over the Hedge\\ crashed through the $100 million mark this weekend, according to {{link http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=overthehedge.htm Box Office Mojo}}. So far the film has grossed over $112.4 million. \\Ice Age: The Meltdown\\ was the last animated film to reach that mark on its way to its current take of $191.5 million.

{{link http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=17091 Animation World Network}} reports that Warner Brothers has picked up an animated script from actor {{link http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000729/ Casey Affleck}} titled \\Aardvark Art’s Ark\\. “The story centers on the adventures of an animal family aboard Noah’s Ark”.

20th Century Fox has moved the release of \\{{link http://www.garfieldmovie.com/ Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties}}\\ from June 23rd to June 16th. In other \\Garfield\\ news, {{link http://www.catster.com/garfield/?PHPSESSID=e98f66701e2e707f9800295e263258ed Catster}} (the networking community for cats) is holding a Royal Treatment Sweepstakes where 10 lucky cats, and their human, can win a Hagen Living World Cat Spa.

{{link http://refrederator.com/ ReFrederator}}, which posts free classic cartoon podcasts daily, has announced that this week’s downloads will feature some of the great animation shorts directors from the golden age of cartoons. You can see ReFrederator by downloading the episodes at their website or by subscribing through iTunes. According to ReFrederator, Great Director Week will include: […]

The Toronto Animated Image Society is presenting the documentary \\Dream On Silly Dreamer\\ on June 8th, followed by a panel of former Disney artists including Scott Caple from the California studio, Andrew Hickson from Disney Florida, Rob Bekuhrs from the California and Florida studios, and Shawn Seles from the Toronto studio will discuss their own […]

The Los Angeles Professional Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is hosting a discussion on the design and execution of visual effects in IMAX films. The event will include a screening of the film \\Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon\\ followed by a panel discussion. Tim Sassoon and Johnathan Banta of Sassoon Film Design will present some […]

{{link http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/about/news/news20060525.html Apple and Lucasfilm have announced}} the availability of the first twenty chapters of \\Star Wars: Clone Wars\\ on the iTunes Music Store. The Emmy-award winning animated series directed by Genndy Tartakovsky will be available for download individually at $1.99 or at $10.99 for the entire first volume. Volume 2 will soon follow. If […]

After {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00005072.html yesterday’s story}} that the {{link http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/monsterhouse/site/ official \\Monster House\\ website}} had a PG-13 warning listed in a PG rating box, Sony Pictures Animation has had the error corrected and confirms that the film will be rated PG – Parental Guidance Suggested.

DreamWorks’ \\Over the Hedge\\ exceeded expectations but couldn’t break \\The Da Vinci Code\\. According to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2006&wknd=20&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}, \\Over the Hedge\\ took in $37.2 million for a second place finish at the box office.

Animation fans with high definition televisions are in luck, with two films being shown in the format over the next few weeks. {{link http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL=DETAIL&ID=115494 HBO-HD}} is airing Fox/Blue Sky’s \\Robots\\ until April 29th, including tonight. {{link http://www.hd.net/movies_schedule_by_title.html#M0885 HDNet Movies}} premieres \\The Triplets of Belleville\\ tonight, running until May 11th.

According to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2006&wknd=15&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}} estimates, \\The Wild\\ finished in fourth place in its opening weekend with a lower than expected $9.6 million. \\Ice Age: The Meltdown\\ continues to heat up the box office, bringing in an additional $20 million in its third weekend. So far the film has racked up $147 million.

Angela Bassett spoke with {{link http://blackfilm.com/20060414/features/angelinabassettnews.shtml Blackfilm.com}} about her role in Disney’s upcoming \\Meet The Robinsons\\. “I’m little Robinson’s foster mother and trying to know him, and love him. He’s a different little kid and I’m trying to find talent for him and trying to keep his spirit up…”

Nearly a year before its March 2007 theatrical release, Starz Kids & Family viewers will get an exclusive sneak peek at Walt Disney’s \\Meet the Robinsons\\ on Friday, April 14 at 4:28 pm and 7:39 pm (ET/PT). The preview will play through Sunday, April 23. About the film: “Based on William Joyce’s book \\A Day […]

Check out these two new TV spots for \\The Wild\\, and get a glimpse into the adventures Samson the Lion, Nigel the Koala, Bridget the Giraffe, Benny the Squirrel, and Larry the Snake encounter in the streets of New York City:

Disney/C.O.R.E.’s \\The Wild\\ opens today at 2,854 theatres according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2006&wk=15&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The film’s reviews have been disappointing, scoring only 22% on {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_wild/ Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer}}. The critical consensus is that “with a rehashed plot and unimpressive animation, there’s nothing wild about \\The Wild\\”. A third place finish for the weekend […]

{{link http://news.com.com/Disney+to+make+TV+shows+available+free+on+Web/2100-1026_3-6059298.html?tag=nefd.top Reuters}} reports that the ABC television network, owned by the Walt Disney Company, will offer some of its most popular TV shows online for free. Starting in May and June shows like \\Alias\\, \\Commander in Chief\\, \\Desperate Housewives\\, and \\Lost\\ will be available for viewing online the day after they air. The shows […]

Villagers in England hire guards to protect their beloved vegetable gardens from a monster rabbit. Plot of last years best animated film? True, but life is mimicing art in the village of Felton, according to {{link http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060407/od_afp/afplifestylebritainfoodrabbitoffbeat;_ylt=AqaeCQt4FsD0IZZYOdPR0mGs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ- AFP}}. Resident Jeff Smith said, “It is a massive thing. It is a monster”. George Brown added, “I […]

Karl Cohen shares with us a piece about Pixar’s upcoming film \\Cars\\ that he wrote for the April {{link http://www.asifa-sf.org/ ASIFA-SF}} newsletter: PIXAR’S \\CARS\\ IMPRESSED THEATER OWNERS AND REVIEWERS AT SHOWEST IN MARCH Reuters’ reported a Canadian theater owner said, “I thought it was a great movie” and that he believed the film would have […]

Easily beating estimates, \\Ice Age: The Meltdown\\ took in a staggering $68 million at the weekend box office according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2006&wknd=13&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The total easily bests the previous top opening weekend in March of $46.3 million set by the original \\Ice Age\\ back in 2002. Overall, the film had the 21st biggest […]

Coming as a bit of a surprise, even after years of speculation, teaser trailers in front of \\Ice Age: The Meltdown\\ announce that a \\Simpsons\\ movie will be a reality in 2007, according to {{link http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22909 Ain’t It Cool News}}. “The teasers appear to come in at least two flavors. One of the teasers is […]

(NOTE: click here to see how this page looked on April Fool’s Day 2006) AOL Acquires Animated News, Inc. AOL Extends Leadership in Online Entertainment News Hollywood, California – Online consumers seeking the best animation news will now find it on the leading free portal on the web – AOL.com. Animated News, Inc. has been […]

Fox/Blue Sky’s \\Ice Age: The Meltdown\\ opens today at 3,963 theatres according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2006&wk=13&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The film’s reviews come in just on the Fresh side of {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_age_2/ Rotten Tomatoes’}} Tomatometer with 62%. The critical consensus seems to be just the opposite of the the original: “Impressive animation carries this sequel, as […]

Don Knotts, most famous for his role as Deputy Barney Fife on \\The Andy Griffith Show\\, died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, according to the {{link http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/02/25/knotts.obit.ap/index.html AP}}. He was 81 years old. Knotts was no stranger to animation voicing characters in several tv shows and […]

\\Stuart Little 3: Call Of The Wild\\ debuts on DVD today, moving from live action (with some CG characters) to this fully CG animated version which uses toon shading to create a 2D feel. In his third outing, Stuart can’t wait to spend his entire vacation canoeing, hiking and finding his inner scout. But, there […]

Universal Pictures’ \\{{link http://www.curiousgeorgemovie.com/ Curious George}}\\ opens today in 2,565 theatres, according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2006&wk=06&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The film is getting pretty good reviews so far, though most critics note that it is geared towards the younger viewers. The {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10004008-curious_george/ Rotten Tomatoes}} Tomatometer has the film at 74% fresh. {{link http://www.boxofficereport.com/wbon/forecast.shtml Box Office […]

Parents wanting something to entertain the kids with before heading out to the theatre might want to check out these \\Curious George\\ downloads, crafts, and activities!

At the {{link http://www.grammy.com/ 48th Annual Grammy Awards}} music from two animated films took home golden gramophones. “Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media” went to \\Believe\\ from \\The Polar Express\\, written by Glen Ballard & Alan Silvestri and performed by Josh Groban. “Best Instrumental Arrangement” went to Gordon Goodwin for […]

The nominations for the {{link http://www.oscars.org/78academyawards/noms.html 78th Annual Academy Awards}} were announced today. Best Animated Film: \\Howl’s Moving Castle\\, \\Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride\\, \\Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit\\ Best Animated Short: \\{{link http://www.tandemfilms.com/home.html Badgered}}\\, \\{{link http://homepages.nyu.edu/~jc7/press/canemaker.pdf The Moon And The Son: An Imagined Conversation}}\\, \\{{link http://www.jaspermorello.com/gazette/ The Mysterious Geographic Explorations Of Jasper […]

\\Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit\\ took home the Best Animated Film award at the {{link http://www.producersguild.org/pg/awards_a/ 17th Annual Producers Guild Awards}}. The DreamWorks/Aardman film beat out competition from \\Chicken Little\\, \\Madagascar\\, \\Robots\\, and \\Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride\\.

MTV Networks (which operates channels such as MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central) today {{link http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-26-2006/0004268298&EDATE= announced}} a partnership with Apple’s iTunes Music Store to make many of their popular shows available for download. Animated offerings now available include: the number-one show with kids 2-5, \\Dora the Explorer\\ ; the entire first season of the number-one […]