Apple’s iTunes is rapidly adding new video content to its pay-for-download online service. Some of the more recent animated offerings include Clone Wars, Volume 2, Invader Zim, and American Dragon: Jake Long.

Warner Independent Pictures’ rotoscoped animated feature A Scanner Darkly, based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, opens this Friday, July 7, in selected theaters. According to Yahoo! Movies, the movie is, “Set in a future world where America has lost the war on drugs, an undercover cop, Fred, is one […]

With the marketing campaign in full swing for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest we are starting to get plenty of information. Roger Colton at JHM and Chuck Oberleitner at o-meon both report on the recent premiere event held at Disneyland while Jim Hill sorts through the chest full of movie-related merchandise tie-ins. Moriarty […]

The TV Guide online reports that a Broadway adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is in the works and “booked for a holiday-time, Nov. 8 Broadway debut, with previews starting Oct. 25.” The musical will apparently allow all the Whos down in Whoville a chance to sing again.

Clay Kaytis’ Animation Podcast site fires back up with part one of an interview with long-time Disney animation worker Burny Mattinson. As a bridge between generations of animators Burny Mattinson has plenty of tales to recount including working on Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty, and working with some of the Nine Old Men […]

Keeping up with the world of independent animated shorts, Animation World Network presents reviews and QuickTime clips of Bob Log III’s Electric Fence Story by Stock ‘n’ Wolf, El Doctor by Suzan Pitt, It Pains Me to Say This by George Griffin, Olis Chance by Saschka Unseld and Johannes Weiland and She She She She’s […]

AICN has posted pictures of a toy on display at last week’s New York Licensing Show of what appears to be an updated design for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s original animated anthropomorphic animal.

We can’t all attend the premiere tomorrow at Disneyland for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest but anyone with Internet access can view it via the webcast sponsored by MSN and Disney. The full press release, which also details recent changes made to the famous ride, can be read here:

Harry Knowles’ Ain’t It Cool News site has posted images here, here, and here from the recent New York Licensing Show including promotional art for such upcoming animated films as Bee Movie, Where the Wild Things Are, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Happy Feet, and Kung Fu Panda.

Universal CityWalk will be screening classic movies on a gigantic outdoor screen every Thursday night this summer. Animated offerings include Blue Sky’s Ice Age: The Meltdown and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek 2 and Madagascar.

Disney’s Leroy and Stitch will premiere tonight on the Disney Channel at 8pm only four days before its DVD release. “The adventure never stops as Lilo and Stitch face the challenge of their lives in Disney’s hilarious, all-new movie Leroy and Stitch. As a reward for rounding up all 625 experiments, Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and […]

Bolstered by a similar success by fans of the Kim Possible television series fans of Lilo and Stitch: The Series have begun a campaign in an effort to keep their show going. The current television series story arc is set to wrap up with Leroy and Stitch but new seasons of the television series could […]

Disney’s direct-to-video sequel Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure enjoys a re-release on DVD today, featuring Lady and Tramp’s one male offspring Scamp (a frequent subject of Disney comics in the 1950s and 1960s) in the lead role. On a side note, John Lasseter’s 1979 CalArts piece, Lady and the Lamp, can be seen […]

She won’t be trailer park trash now but Disney’s Tinker Bell, according to Yahoo! Movies, will be voiced by Brittany Murphy who is well-known as the voice of Hank Hill’s niece Luanne Platter for Fox’s King of the Hill. Murphy will be voicing the iconic pixie for The Tinker Bell Movie, the first animated film […]

Jim Hill Media discusses the recent box office performance of Disney/Pixar’s Cars, sales of Cars-related merchandise, and a possible sequel to Monsters, Inc., or at least a new Pixar film directed by Pete Docter that features monsters. Meanwhile, o-meon features an article by Michael Howe discussing his recent book, The Art of Cars.

Tomorrow, June 17, at 3:00pm ASIFA-Hollywood will celebrate the hundredth anniversary of animated cartoons with a special focus on the work and contributions of Winsor McCay, Max Fleischer, and Walt Disney. “This one hour program will follow the development of animated cartoons from the earliest concepts to the many milestones that influenced Disney in his […]

The official Blue Sky Studios page presents a list of gag alternate titles “considered” for their hit Ice Age: The Meltdown by adding an icy spin to the titles of many well-known classic and current hits.

Chuck Oberleitner gives a plausible reason for the somewhat less than expected box office take last weekend for Disney/Pixar’s Cars. The film “lapped the competition this past weekend to claim the number one spot atop the North American box office. For some analysts, the Cars’ $60.1 million take was disappointing. Is it possible some of […]

Jim Hill reveals some semi-official plot descriptions for four big 2007 Disney releases: Meet the Robinsons, Pirates of the Caribbean III: World’s End, Ratatouille, and Enchanted. Tread carefully as some of the information could be considered spoilers.

Animation World Network has a biographic piece on Jerry Beck, animation’s Jack-of-all-trades. In a career spanning three decades Jerry Beck has filled the roles of animation historian, film preservationist, promoter of animation festivals and events, and author, and is now the producer of Hornswiggle.

The animation team of Angie Jones and Jamie Oliff have written in to inform us of their new book due for release on June 27: Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG. “Learn how to think before you animate. Thinking Animation is a one-of-a-kind book that emphasizes how artists can use traditional animation […]

Pixar’s on a roll. Having released CARS to theaters and One Man Band to iTunes yesterday they’ve also just released the teaser trailer for their Summer 2007 Brad Bird-directed release Ratatouille for online and iPod viewing. Hang on to your cheese!

Pixar’s latest short One Man Band, written and directed by Andrew Jimenez and Mark Andrews, makes two debuts today: See it in the theater with Disney/Pixar’s CARS, then download it from iTunes. The new animated short tells the story of, “two rival street performers, Bass and Treble, who vie for the attentions (and coin) of […]

Following are numerous multimedia clips from CARS including extended clips directly from the film, song samples, and podcasts. Suitable for viewing before or after seeing the movie.

The reviews for Cars are starting to pour in. First up is a glowing “un-review” at o-meon which states that the film “should be given serious consideration as a Best Picture Academy Award nominee.” Jerry Beck at Cartoon Brew highly recommends Pixar’s latest declaring, “Pixar has put a fresh spin on a classic concept and […]

Today marks the release of the official soundtrack for Disney/Pixar’s Cars. Described as the “ultimate road trip album” it can be purchased wherever music is sold, downloaded from iTunes (download comes with a free digital booklet), procured for free in a limited edition with unique cover art as part of a Goodyear Tires promotion, or […]

A new series of four video podcasts, which can be viewed on the o-meon.com site, with iTunes or a video iPod or listened to like a regular podcast, feature behind the scenes insights and interview with CARS director John Lasseter, producer Darla K. Anderson, character team manager Jay Ward and many of the film and […]

On Thursday, June 22, at 7:30pm, Hollywood Heritage will host an “Evening @ the Barn” (the Lasky-DeMille Barn across from the Hollywood Bowl) with special guests Virginia Davis (Walt Disney’s original Alice), Michael Broggie (author of Walt Disney’s Railroad Story), and Marc Wanamaker who will be presenting slides of early Disney sites. They will also […]

An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at DreamWorks Animation’s recent animated feature Over the Hedge has just been unveiled here. It includes: * Story Boards * Visual Development * End credits character animation * Colorful pop art graphic animation used in the ’60’s tradition * Video interviews * Full Cast and Crew information

A recent article at VFX World looks at the steadily reviving animated shorts program at Disney, the never-dormant shorts program at Pixar, the new short First Flight from DreamWorks Animation, as well as animated shorts from other companies. The article mentions a short feature directed by John Lasseter to be included on the DVD for […]