Animation Magazine notices the inspirational tale behind Romeo and Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss. The independently produced film was a labor love for Phil Nibbelink, who completely animated the feature himself. As the article explains, Nibbelink carefully crafted his work, using Flash animation to assist his hand-drawn style. After five years in the making, Sealed […]

The official online stop for Happy Feet has been treated with a fun Halloween theme. Thus, the site now grants visitors a plethora of sections, while also directing to the movie’s MySpace page. Thanks to reader Ryan Bryant for the heads up on this news, as well as the following two reports.

Yahoo! Buzz Log takes a trip down memory lane, on the lookout for “where the air is sweet.” To celebrate the DVD release of Sesame Street – Old School, Vol. 1 (1969-1974), the site reminisces on the series’ early days, linking to some interesting Sesame searches.

According to the New York Post [contains mild language], the stage musical of Mary Poppins experienced a misfortune last Wednesday, when its set malfunctioned. Thus, the show was cancelled shortly after the mishap, following the start of Act II. The accident is believed to have cost Disney and its co-producer, Cameron Mackintosh, about $150,000 in […]

Coming Soon has an exclusive first look at the poster for Meet the Robinsons, from Walt Disney Feature Animation. In addition, the site unveils a couple of character images, along with a synopsis that contains more details regarding the movie’s story. Meet the Robinsons will open in theaters on March 30th. Thanks to “KingPopper” at […]

With the Chicago Sun-Times, Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, and animator/director Bill Melendez recollect on the making of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The special premiered October 27, 1966, on CBS. Forty years later, the Halloween classic continues its annual television tradition, airing tonight on its latest network home, ABC. Thanks […]

Coming Soon speaks with two of the stars from DreamWorks/Aardman’s Flushed Away: Hugh Jackman, the voice of Roddy St. James, and Andy Serkis, the voice of Spike. The duo discusss their characters, as well as why they became involved with the feature, which opens next Friday.

Film Journal shares some thoughts from director George Miller, regarding his latest project, Happy Feet. In the piece, Miller compares and contrasts working with animation and live-action. In addition, the director lists a few of his influences, observing tales from Aboriginal cultures, as well as Pixar’s pictures and Walt Disney’s Pinocchio.

The Animation Guild Blog writes that following a story presentation for The Frog Princess, an anonymous Disney animator, described as being on an A-list level, called the traditionally animated project’s plot “fantastic.” Interestingly, a comment in the article’s talkback defined some of Princess’ early pre-production artwork as bearing a style somewhat reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki’ […]

Fantastic Mr. Fox is setting up shop at Fox Animation, according to Variety. Partnering with Noah Baumbach to adapt the Roald Dahl classic, Wes Anderson will direct and produce the picture. Likewise, Scott Rudin will also act as a producer for the project. “The book tells the story of a fox who uses its wits […]

Reuters via Yahoo! News reports that the Over the Hedge DVD earned an estimated $65 million last week, coming in at #1 on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart. With approximately $6.9 million, the DVD also took the fourth position on Home Media Retailing’s video rental chart. Meanwhile, the Little Mermaid Platinum Edition DVD continued […]

Nickelodeon has updated its animated selection at iTunes, writes Mediaweek. Before its network premiere on November 18, Skyland may already be previewed in four episodes now available to own. Following the adventures of a brother and his sister in the year 2251, the series’ first episode may be downloaded for free at the online store. […]

The Ithaca Journal notes that “A Conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg: The Future of Computer Animation” is coming to Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York. This Monday, October 31st, the DreamWorks Animation CEO may be seen at The Statler Hall Auditorium on the Cornell campus at 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Faculty of […]

Coming Soon points to the Variety scoop that Walt Disney Pictures has acquired Animated American, which will blend live-action with animation. Bob Cooper’s Landscape Entertainment and ImageMovers partners Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke will produce the picture. From a screenplay by Peter Ackerman, the film’s premise focuses on “a misfit who’s at sea when his […]

Through Yahoo! Movies, Reuters reports that Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf is expected to open in more than 1,000 Real D theaters, in addition to other 3-D locations, in what the article calls the “largest day-and-date large-format 3-D release ever.” It is speculated that Imax theaters will also be involved in the event. The motion-captured Beowulf will […]

With SCI FI Wire, co-directors David Bowers and Sam Fell explained why they chose computer animation over stop-motion animation for DreamWorks/Aardman’s latest film, Flushed Away. “Our stories took us to a more expansive world. The amount of water and the underground world we would have to build would have been difficult to create [in reality],” […]

Post Magazine explains and screens the most recent television advertisement featuring the Pillsbury Doughboy. The commercial reveals the character braving a frosty mountain in a quest for “biscuits from the freezer that taste like homemade.” The ad’s visual effects were created by Topix, which has been involved in all of the Doughboy’s TV adventures for […]

The Associated Press via Yahoo! News reports that on October 31, Late Night with Conan O’Brien will air an episode from last May. The difference is this time, the rerun will appear in “skelevision,” reconstructed with skeleton puppets. Guests for the episode include talk show personality Larry King, House co-star Omar Epps and “pole dancing […]

The San Francisco Chronicle focuses on Goro Miyazaki, son of anime master Hayao Miyazaki. While Goro’s first film, Tales from Earthsea, became the biggest hit of the summer in Japan, its reviews failed to equal the acclaim Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpieces have received. “I realized for the first time how difficult it is to be the […]

Variety via Coming Soon indicates that Kung Fu Panda and the Madagascar penguins Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private are coming to Nickelodeon in their very own shows. Nick Studios will handle the “day-to-day” duties for the series, with DreamWorks Animation having less involvement in the shows than in the films upon which they are based. […]

On October 14th, Mary Matilyn Mouser, who voices the title role in Starz Kids & Family’s Eloise, was honored with the “Outstanding Performance Award” at the KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival at the Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival. Mouser earned the award specifically for her performance in the series’ special Me, Eloise, now […]

After collaborating on such Disney projects as Home on the Range and the Broadway adaptation of The Little Mermaid, composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater are possibly combining their talents once more for the movies Enchanted and The Frog Princess. The word arrives from the latest Jim Hill Media article, which sheds some light […]

Latino Review is conducting a contest in celebration of Warner Brothers’ Happy Feet, opening November 17th. The competition offers a tremendous plethora of prizes, ranging from attire to accessories to toys based on the film. With an online form, one has until November 21st to enter the contest. Winners will be randomly drawn the following […]

In preparation for his animated series Class of 3000, André “André 3000” Benjamin asked Tom Kenny, possibly best known as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, for advice on vocal acting. “Since it’s animated, you can do so much with your character. I mean, you can jump up in the air and stay there for five […]

At the official blog for Spider-Man 3, producer Grant Curtis comments on the film’s post-production, in which visual effects become heavily involved. Specifically, Curtis elaborates on the movie’s blend of computer animation, crafted by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and a miniature, developed by New Deal Studios

To celebrate the Smurf’s 48th birthday, Yahoo! briefly breaks down some of the controversies that have plagued the blue beings in the past. Topics touched include communism and anti-feminism. Concurrently, the summary links to a couple of noteworthy Smurf sites.

According to Contact Music, Hugh Jackman is nervous that his reputation as a master storyteller will go down the drain as soon as his son sees Flushed Away. In the film, Jackman plays the leading role of Roddy. “I always read to my son at night, but probably every second or third night I’ll actually […]

A 2008 Broadway musical based on the DreamWorks hit Shrek is readying for a staged reading to be held on February 23, 2007. Rehearsels for the one-day event are scheduled for February 12. Playbill indicates the Dreamworks Animation and Neal Street Productions collaboration will feature music from composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire. Tim […]

In QuickTime and Windows Media formats, a couple of new TV spots for Happy Feet have been placed online at The Movie Box, while iKLIPZ contains more of the latest ads. Concurrently, the Internet Movie Poster Awards displays three character banners for Surf’s Up.

TV Shows on DVD breaks down the latest news regarding some animated television favorites coming soon to DVD. First of all, it appears fans of Transformers should expect the series to hit store shelves at an unknown date in 2007. In the meantime, The Little Prince fans should be on the lookout for Volume 5 […]