According to {{link http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200508/200508080004.html Digital Chosunilbo}}, the traditionally animated film \\Empress Chung\\ will be released in South Korea today, and in North Korea on August 15. Eight years in the making, the film marks the very first time North and South Korea have collaborated to create a movie. The film follows one of Korea’s favorite […]

{{link http://www.ultimatedisney.com/ducktales-chipndale-dvdsets-factsheet.html Ultimate Disney}} reports that \\Duck Tales\\ and \\Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers\\ will be coming to DVD on November 8th. Both popular animated series of the late ’80s and early ’90s will get 3 disc sets priced at $34.99 each. No details on features have been revealed as of yet. Thanks to several […]

Animated News is looking for new contributors! With the continuing development of the site, the current staff is looking for new, enthusiastic and articulate animation fans with plenty of spare time to come and write up animated news stories from around the web. If you’re interested in joining our team, read on for details!

The August 2005 issue of \\{{link http://www.animationmagazine.net/ Animation Magazine}}\\ has a few details on Sony Pictures Animation’s 2007 feature \\Surf’s Up\\ that they picked up at the Licensing 2005 International: “\\Surf’s Up\\ is a CG toon mockumentary which reveals the little-known fact that penguins were the actual inventors of surfing. Ash Brannon (\\Toy Story 2\\) […]

The {{link http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2005/05.06.24.html Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}} has extended membership invitations to 112 people who have distinguished themselves in the film industry. The group will be the only new voting members invited to join the organization in 2005. Among them are Pixar and Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and several others in the […]

In more sad news for \\Winnie the Pooh\\ fans, John Fiedler, the voice of Piglet, passed away on June 25 according to {{link http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/27/obit.fiedler.ap CNN}}. The stage and screen actor became the voice of Pooh’s “ever-worrying” friend when his naturally high-pitched voice was noticed. “Walt Disney heard it on a program and said, ‘That’s Piglet’ […]

Paul Winchell, best known as the voice of Tigger in Disney’s \\Winnie the Pooh\\ cartoons and Gargamel in \\The Smurfs\\, has died at the age of 82, according to the {{link http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050626/D8AVA1TO0.html Associated Press}}. Winchell began his career as a ventriloquist in the 1930s, and went on to star in his own TV shows in […]

\\{{link http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fi-animate19jun19,1,83088.story The L.A. Times}}\\ takes an in-depth look at a major shift in animation away from big budget/big studio produced films. “Increasingly, major studios are relying on independent producers such as Vanguard in Los Angeles, Wild Brain Inc. in San Francisco and Threshold Animation Studios in Santa Monica to help feed their expanding pipelines […]

An {{link http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=20502 AICN}} spy has seen two almost finished scenes from \\Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit\\ and gives the spoiler filled scoop.

{{link http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=10086 ComingSoon.net}} reports that Walt Disney Pictures is finalizing a deal to turn the classic cartoon \\Underdog\\ into a big screen live-action feature. In the Disney version, which they hope to turn into a possible franchise, “a diminutive hound named Shoeshine gets superpowers after a lab accident. When he’s adopted by a 12-year-old boy, […]

{{link http://www.onionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=4124 The Onion}} has a spirited interview with voiceover actor Billy West. In a no holds barred style, West talks on issues such as the possible future of \\Futurama\\, the pressure of being Bugs Bunny, and the problem with celebrities in animated films.

{{link http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/15/pf/tv_dads/index.htm CNN}} reveals that it pays to be a TV dad, but maybe not one so animated! Salary.com’s TV Dad Salary Analysis finds that the average salary of fathers on television shows is $195,000 after adjusting for inflation. However, animated dads find themselves on the lower end of the scale. Homer Simpson would make […]

PLEASE NOTE: THIS GIVE-AWAY HAS ENDED. The Grant family and Walt Disney Feature Animation are celebrating the extraordinary life and artistic legacy of Joe Grant. Animated News has a limited number of tickets available to the Joe Grant Life Celebration being held on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. Among […]

After only two weeks in the top spot, \\Star Wars Episode III\\ was knocked off its perch this weekend by \\Madagascar\\, according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/ Box Office Mojo}}. The DreamWorks animated film raked in $28.7 million this weekend, bringing it’s 10 day cumulative take to just over $100 million.

{{link http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/02/news/midcaps/dreamworks.reut/index.htm CNN}} reports that DreamWorks Animation is facing a shareholder lawsuit that accuses the company of misrepresenting DVD sales for \\Shrek 2\\. The lawsuit, which could become a class-action suit, “claims DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and Chairman Roger Enrico failed to disclose in the first quarter that sales of \\Shrek 2\\ DVDs were declining […]

DreamWorks Animation’s \\{{link http://www.madagascar-themovie.com/ Madagascar}}\\ opens today. The film will debut in a staggering 4,131 theatres – making it the third widest released film of all time according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/ Box Office Mojo}}. While no one expects that the film will dethrone \\Star Wars Episode III\\, it should pull in a very impressive second […]

The comic adaptation of Frank Miller’s \\Sin City\\ topped the box office in its opening weekend with $29.1 million, according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2005&wknd=13&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. \\Robots\\ continues to do well with $9.8 million this weekend, good for 4th place, and giving it enough to cross the $100 million threshold in its 4th week of […]

\\{{link http://www.thehollywoodreporter.com/thr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000865912 The Hollywood Reporter}}\\ reviews \\Valiant\\, the Disney/Vanguard Animation film which has already opened in England and is slated to for an August 19th US release. \\THR\\ says that “despite a voice cast of big-name British stars including Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais and John Cleese, the movie almost certainly will head south for the […]

Recently named writer and director of the long-in-development \\Wonder Woman\\, Joss Whedon (\\Toy Story\\, \\Titan AE\\, \\Atlantis: The Lost Empire\\) plans to take the superhero back to her roots, according to {{link http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1498869/03222005/story.jhtml MTV.com}}. “I think she sort of sprang out fully formed, much like Athena herself. And, you know, it’s a question of really […]

Henry Selick (\\The Nightmare Before Christmas\\, \\James and the Giant Peach\\) is attached to direct a film version of the children’s novel \\The Wall and the Wing\\ for the independent animation company Vinton Studios according to a \\Variety\\ story reported by {{link http://comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=8751 ComingSoon.net}}. In part one of an interview with \\{{link http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=3757 Animation Magazine}}\\ […]

{{link http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ Cartoon Brew}} has posted a CalArts student film from the late 1980’s by longtime \\The Simpsons\\ director Jim Reardon. A parody of the “heart-warming holiday” \\Peanuts\\ specials, \\Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown\\ has Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the gang trying to bump Charlie Brown off to collect a bounty […]

Nicktoons and Frederator Studios are holding their second film festival, this year renamed “Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival”. The festival aims to showcase the diversity of independent animated filmmaking. Animators from around the world can submit entries from March 28th through June 17th. Entry forms can be downloaded on {{link http://www.nicktoons.com www.nicktoons.com}}. Keith Dawkins, General […]

Fox/Blue Sky’s \\Robots\\ opens today in 3,776 theatres according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2005&wk=10&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. The film has received fairly positive reviews, with 28 out 42 fresh reviews for a respectable 67% rating at {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robots/ Rotten Tomatoes}}. The critics range from “Robots is in high gear from start to finish” (Jeff Strickler, \\Minneapolis Star […]

\\Pooh’s Heffalump Movie\\ opened a little below expectations in 5th place with $6 million according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/ Box Office Mojo}}. The film is getting good reviews however, with a 75% freshness rating on the {{link http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/poohs_heffalump_movie/ Rotten Tomatoes}} Tomatometer.

According to \\{{link http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-pixar11feb11,1,7547317.story The L.A. Times}}\\, Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs have been publicly sparring with each other this week. When asked about Disney’s computer animation efforts during an investor conference last week Eisner “described as ‘pretty pathetic’ the computerized human characters created by Pixar, compared with the ones Disney […]

Former Lucasfilm Digital President Jim Morris has moved to Pixar where he will be producing one of the post-Disney films coming after Cars’ release in 2006, according to a {{link http://pixaranimation.blogspot.com/ Luxo}} report of a \\Variety\\ story. While at Lucasfilm Digital, Morris “oversaw effects and sound divisions of Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. […]

Nominations for the {{link http://www.oscars.com/nominees/nominees.html 77th Annual Academy Awards}} have been announced. As expected \\The Incredibles\\ was the big animated winner with four nominations, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay. DreamWorks got two of the three Best Animated Feature award nominations, for \\Shrek 2\\ and \\Shark Tale\\. And \\The Polar Express\\ ended up […]

Get in on the discussion of the 2005 Academy Awards at the Animated News Forum! If you’re not a member it only takes a few minutes to join. Oscar nominations are set to be announced in less than two days. What films will be nominated for Best Animated Film? Who should win? Who was robbed? […]

Animation didn’t fare well at the 62nd Golden Globe Awards with all three animated nominees losing. \\The Incredibles\\ lost for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) to \\Sideways\\. \\Shrek 2\\’s “\\Accidentally In Love\\” and \\The Polar Express\\’ “\\Believe\\” both lost in the Best Original Song category to \\Alfie\\’s “\\Old Habits Die Hard\\”. Better news went to Robin Williams […]

{{link http://comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=7913 ComngSoon.net}} reports that Disney will be remaking the 1982 film \\Tron\\. Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal have been hired to write the script. “We are contemporizing it, taking these ideas that were ahead of the curve and applying them to the present, and we feel the film now has a chance to resonate […]