The 64-year-old singer-songwriter revealed earlier this month to The Gazette that he is currently writing songs for the third chapter of Pixar’s Toy Story franchise in addition to working on music for Disney’s 2D film The Princess and the Frog. “I like writing songs for movies because I’m good at writing to an assignment. If […]

E! reports on yesterday’s star-studded event for the new ride which is said to be “packed with twists and turns.” It will officially open to the public tomorrow.

The Simpsons Movie has earned seven nominations, the most for any film, for the 37th annual Hollywood Reporter Movie Marketing Key Art Awards which honor the design and creation of theatrical and home entertainment motion picture marketing materials such as posters, standees, trailers, or TV spots. Winners will be announced June 13th.

Amazon posted cover artwork and a track listing for Wall•E‘s June 27th soundtrack. The CD will feature no less than 38 tracks with score by Thomas Newman and 5 songs: Put On Your Sunday Clothes and It Only Takes a Moment, both from the movie Hello Dolly and performed by Michael Crawford; La Vie En […]

French site Inter-Activities posted an interesting interview with the character designer of all three Ice Age movies, Peter DeSève. The three time Annie Award nominee also worked on Disney’s Mulan and Hunchback of Notre Dame. Thank you to ‘Jeremie’ for the alert on the Animated News & Views Forum.

The reviews are in and the pictures are out: Jack Black with 40 Po’s on the Carlton pier for DreamWorks’ annual promotional stunt; the costume character Jeffrey Katzenberg managed to sneak on the red carpet; and the star-studded premiere featuring the much-talked about pregnant Angelina Jolie whose announcement she was expecting twin girls seems to […]

Jim Hill recently chatted with the book author about how he went about writing this unauthorized history of Pixar Animation Studios. The 320-page book is in stores now. Update: Also visit The Pixar Blog for another interview with David Price, this one conducted by Mike B./MB1000.

According to the New York Post, “the animated film generating the most buzz at the Cannes Film Festival is not Kung Fu Panda” but rather Waltz With Bashir, “an unconventional documentary by Israel’s Ari Folman that combines flash animation, traditional hand drawing and computer-generated images. The animation was based on video interviews Folman shot of […]

The excellent Deadline Hollywood Daily reports very early weekend estimates, forecasting that Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will make only $60 million over the weekend after earning a relatively weak $19 million Friday from 3,929 theaters. Many had expected the film to open in the $80 million range; at least it’s not sinking […]

Those curious about what Monster House director Gil Kenan has in store for us next should check out the official site of his new live action film for a teaser look. City of Ember opens in U.S. theaters October 10th.

And Jim Hill Media has an exclusive report from the event!

Reviews of DreamWorks’ June 6th offering are pouring in following Kung Fu Panda‘s world premiere Thursday in Cannes. Kirk Honeycutt at the Hollywood Reporter calls the film “a martial arts masterpiece” (the stunning fight sequences in the film were choreographed by animation veteran Rodolphe Guenoden), adding that “although it’s aimed primarily at youngsters, Kung Fu […]

DreamWorks is now auctioning movie premiere tickets and a private screening of their upcoming film Kung Fu Panda on eBay to benefit Conservation International and “help pandas in the wild.”

Those living in the L.A. area should make sure to check out the second Animation Book Look festival tomorrow afternoon between 1pm and 6pm in Sherman Oaks, CA (13613 Ventura Blvd). Surf’s Up directors Chris Buck and Chris Jenkins will be in attendance along with the authors of the art of Kung Fu Panda, Monster […]

Variety quietly confirmed last week that ER actor Bruno Campos had been cast as the titular amphibian character in Disney’s traditionally animated feature The Princess and the Frog. Anika Noni Rose will be his princess and Keith David will voice the film’s villain, Dr. Facilier.

Asked by Movieweb about her role in the upcoming Pixar movie while promoting King of the Hill, the talented actress revealed that “I play a character named Mary and I actually haven’t seen the movie. I’m seeing it on the 20th. I was so honored to do it. When my agent called and said Pixar, […]

IBN Live attended a press screening of DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda earlier today in Cannes, France and reports that journalists “laughed and cheered in unison as the overweight panda outshone himself and emerged the gifted Dragon Warrior in this gem of an animated film (…) that’ll have its world premiere in Cannes on Thursday.” Expect […]

Pathe will unveil footage from Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville)’s new animated feature film The Illusionist at the Marche du Film in Cannes this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Chomet, who wrote the movie based on previously unproduced material by Jacques Tati, has been working on it since June 2006. The 2D/CGI blend […]

Five new stills from the Pixar film are now up at MovieWeb.

While writing about “Faith, Home and Pixie Dust,” the new album of Disney covers by Broadway star (and, since this morning, Tony Award nominee) Kerry Butler, Jim Hill points to three little heard songs featured on the CD: “Call Me a Princess, Princess Jasmine’s caustic comic number that wound up getting cut from Aladdin; Disneyland, […]

Cartoon Brew points out that “illustrator Ben Butcher has done an interview with Grain Edit about his illustration process on Lots of Bots, a graphically-striking illustrated book being released this week as a tie-in for Pixar’s Wall•E.”

Rush over to the Character Design blog while you can for a rumored first look at early character designs from upcoming Pixar and Disney character: Miley Cyrus’ character Penny from this November’s Bolt; the soulful singing crocodile from the anticipated 2D feature The Princess and the Frog; the prince of Glen Keane’s Rapunzel; and several […]

Hot off the press! The Weinstein Co. will turn the Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock into a live-action musical feature, reports Variety. Cory Edwards, who directed the animated Hoodwinked! for the studio, will helm the picture and write the screenplay. The Jim Henson Co. will produce and TWC will distribute. Just like the series, the […]

USA Today offers a run-down of the exclusive features to be found on this Fall’s Blu-Ray release of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. However be warned that only the latest players to be launched this summer by Sony and Panasonic will be able to access the disc’s online BD Live features…

Iron Man director Jon Favreau will next write, helm and produce the feature-length motion capture caveman comedy Neanderthals for Sony Pictures Animation, a project which was intially announced back in 2005. Favreau told MTV News back in January that he was hoping to shoot the motion capture part before the potential actors strike next month […]

Head over to Animation Insider for details on the upcoming Indian 2D feature film Ghatothkach: Master of Magic which will debut in its home country on May 23rd.

Sony Pictures Imageworks just accepted seven new schools into their Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program. “We are excited that the IPAX program continues to follow its original goal of helping educate the educators which in turn helps students excel,” commented Imageworks’ president, Tim Sarnoff.

Animation studio Fable Works announced today that it is producing the original 3D-animated Feature Film Cereal Heroes! for theatrical release in 2010. The movie will be produced at Sparx Animation Studios (Igor) in Paris, France and Ho-chi-min, Vietnam. The story follows the adventures of cartoon cereal-box-mascots who are mistakenly brought to life when a plan […]

The Orlando Sentinel‘s Roger Moore reviews positively David A. Price’s book The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company, calling it “the best single-source history of Pixar that I’ve read.” This new hardcover book will be available nationwide tomorrow.

Billboard reveals via THR that Kung Fu Panda star Jack Black and Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo have teamed up for a cover of Carl Douglas’ 1974 hit “Kung Fu Fighting” for the soundtrack to DreamWorks’ upcoming movie which will get his worldwide premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this Wednesday and hit U.S. screens on June […]