News Archive for Ben Simon

The Paranormal Action Squad hits YouTube Red

YouTube Red today debuts its first animated series THE PARANORMAL ACTION SQUAD from Michael Rowe, an Emmy-winning writer on “Futurama” and “Family Guy,” and some of YouTube’s top gaming/animated creators, SeaNanners, TheMrSark and VanossGaming. The series launched today, November 16th, with a holiday episode still to come in early December. THE PARANORMAL ACTION SQUAD is […]

Record 27 animated features to compete for Oscar slots
Now DreamWorks India operation is to close in “early 2017”
Well that was quick: 200 DreamWorkers lose jobs under NBCUniversal
Alan Menken discusses Sausage Party‘s super-serious music in new featurette
Suicide Squad “all flash, no fun” according to first review
Mad Magazine founder, cartoonist and movie poster artist Jack Davis dies aged 91
Rocketeer to fly again at Disney
Beauty and the Beast teaser trailer now online

The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast is here! The highly anticipated release arrives in theaters next March.

Is the Dream over? NBC/Universal to acquire DreamWorks Animation

It’s official – Comcast owned NBC/Universal will acquire DreamWorks Animation, the sale bringing DWA back under the same fold as its original parent DreamWorks/Amblin, whose films are now distributed by Universal. Jeffrey Katzenberg’s DWA will finally compete with Disney on a massive scale, from television to theme parks and, while he will stay on in […]

How Disney’s original Jungle Book remains Germany’s biggest film!
Jeffrey Katzenberg’s recipe for “the perfect family movie”
Wart, Robin, Oliver and more Pan come to Disney Blu-ray

In what is shaping up to be an exciting (and expensive!) summer for high-def Disney fans, the Studio has just announced new additions to its already busy Blu-ray catalog releases. Joining the June 11 release of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Emperor’s New Groove and Lilo & Stitch, and the August 27 release of The […]

Ray Harryhausen RIP

In news that will sadden many in the animation community, legendary stop-motion and visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen has died aged 92, The Hollywood Reporter has announced. Starting out under the supervision of George Pal (on his Puppetoon series) and original King Kong animator Willis O’Brien on the 1949 edition of the similarly themed Mighty […]

From Paris to home video: A Monster finally arrives!

Fans of offbeat animated movies rejoice: Bibo (Shark Tale) Bergeron’s Euro-animated feature A Monster In Paris is finally headed to the US, when Shout! Factory unleashes the film on Blu-ray and DVD this April 16th, 2013! Mirroring the international disc release, the Blu-ray Combo Pack will also include the 3D and DVD editions of the […]

Q&A with Disney director George Scribner

Disney feature director and Imagineer George Scribner is captured in Q&A mode by Kaki Flynn, in an eight-part session now posted to YouTube. With a 30-plus year career, he provides great advice and several never-before-heard behind-the-scenes stories, including anecdotes on the original director of The Lion King, Oliver And Company and the theme park rides […]

Looney Tunes back in action again?

Bugs, Daffy and company are about to have a little Harry Potter magic sprinkled upon them if THR’s Heat Vision blog’s announcement makes it from script to screen. Potter‘s David Heyman has turned to one-time Saturday Night Live cast member Jenny Slate to pen a new CG/live-action hybrid feature that is apparently non-related to Kevin […]

Celebrate 20 years of Disneyland Paris with a new book!

As Disneyland Paris begins its twenty-year anniversary celebrations, our very own Jeremie Noyer has been hard at work behind the scenes on a new publication marking this historic birthday! Disneyland Paris: 20 Years Of Dreams documents the development of what was once EuroDisney (at its opening in 1992) through to the resort destination it has […]

Disney contemporary classic cover art revealed!

Over at Amazon.com, some new additions to Disney’s extensive Blu-ray catalog line up for the year have just been made available for pre-order, revealing the cover artwork for the first time. Perhaps predictably recycling previous DVD sleeve incarnations, Newsies: 20th Anniversary Edition arrives on June 19 to tie in with its Broadway musical stage bow, […]

Gnomeo 2 taps Sherlock Gnomes for new adventure

Following the surprise success of the Disney-distributed Gnomeo And Juliet from Elton John’s Rocket Pictures, the company has revealed its next literary target in the title for a sequel film, Gnomeo And Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes, which has gone into development according to Dealine.com. John will again compose new songs for the film, which is set […]

Kung Fu Panda lawsuit thrown out

Somewhat incredibly, it seems that an LA jury has agreed with DreamWorks Animation that they did not use ideas from a pitch by Terence Dunn in the development of their film Kung Fu Panda. Dunn’s alleged pitch was about a kung-fu fighting panda bear who was “adopted by five animal friends in the forest (a […]

Kevin Lima heading back to animation

After helming Disney’s Tarzan and the studio’s live-action fantasies 102 Dalmatians and Enchanted, director Kevin Lima is returning to the animated musical, though this time he’ll be overseeing a movie for rival DreamWorks instead. The previously announced film, now titled Monkeys Of Mumbai has already caused some controversy for being based loosely on the epic […]

Hanks: Pixar working on Toy Story 4

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that actor Tom Hanks, talking to the BBC in promoting his new movie, thinks Pixar is secretly working on a Toy Story 4. While not a total surprise given the critical and commercial success of the previous Toy Story films, in particular last summer’s Oscar-winning threequel, it was thought the […]

Dripped drips online

Director Léo Verrier’s new animated short homage to Jackson Pollack, Dripped, produced by French animation studio ChezEddy, is now available to view online at Vimeo ahead of its upcoming submission to various festivals, where it is sure to gain notice. Good luck, Léo!

Dumbo finally on Blu-ray for 70th Anniversary!

After much teasing on Disney home video releases in the last 18 months, and an HD release in many other countries around the world already, Walt Disney’s Dumbo has finally been announced for release in the US, in time for its 70th Anniversary. Often treated as a secondary title on home video, the Blu-ray release […]

Superman flies to deluxe Blu-ray set

Following on the crime-fighting heels of Batman, it’s the turn of the big blue boy scout to come to Blu-ray with the release of The Superman Motion Picture Anthology: 1978-2006, which collects the Christopher Reeve movies alongside the – it has to be said – less well received recent theatrical outing. In fact, the set […]