Amazon.com is now displaying the cover art for the Season 4 box set of the hit animated television series The Simpsons (large image here) and this may be the first Simpsons box set to feature Ralph Wiggum and Barney Gumble more prominently than the Simpsons themselves. This should be a popular set as this is […]

TheForce.net reports that the Star Wars – Clone Wars animated series DVD is now listed at Amazon.com. While the listing does say, “The studio is currently not producing this title on DVD,” it does allow you to enter your e-mail address to be notified when it does become available, and by doing so your entry […]

Follow the ‘More’ link for information about a new animated series premiering tonight on Comedy Central called Shorties Watchin’ Shorties. Thanks to Kristin for the heads up.

The Orange County Register has a new article on legendary voice actor Paul Frees, who provided the vocal characterizations for the Haunted Mansion’s Ghost Host, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Boris Badenov, Ludwig von Drake, the Burgermeister from Santa Claus is Coming to Town, George of the Jungle’s ape friend, and many others. The article functions mainly […]

Follow the ‘More’ link for more information on another Ray Harryhausen lecture, this one to be held in the afternoon of April 27 at the Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA. “There will be a videotape presentation of Harryhausen’s work followed by a question and answer session, after which he will sign copies […]

It may be a slow news day but there’s a new interview at Animation World Magazine with the legendary Joe Grant, who is just about to turn 96 and is still involved in animation after decades of helping Disney out with such hits as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, both Fantasias, Saludos Amigos, Make […]

Follow the ‘More’ link to read all about two new animated series coming to Nicktoons, Leader Dog and Tortellini Western. Each is said to have a retro, 2D look and is created by a small team of animators at Animation Collective using Macromedia Flash. I should add that when you go to the Animation Collective […]

For those who live in or around Los Angeles, there will be a special one time theatrical screening of Paul McCartney’s Music and Animation Collection at the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre, April 17 at 2:00 pm. Follow the ‘More’ link for complete information. Thanks to Kristin for the heads up.

Follow the ‘More’ link to read the Animated News review of Disney’s upcoming DVD and video title, The Haunted Mansion, which is due out in the U.S. on April 20.

Follow the “More” link to read the complete transcript of a recent web chat with Paul McCartney on MSN. 99% of the discussion is related to animation. Thanks to Kristin for the heads up.

Yahoo! News reports on former Beatle Paul McCartney’s ambition to produce a full-length, traditionally drawn animated feature. McCartney has worked on many short animated subjects over the years (in fact, his Music And Animation Collection is released today on DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment) but has not yet created a feature-length film and cites […]

I haven’t plugged a Jim Hill article in a while but his newest “Why For?” column seems to confirm the suspicion that Fantasia 2006 is no longer in development, although three segments already completed for it have been or will be released to the public in one way or another . . . eventually. The […]

Follow the “More” link to view three menu screens from Disney’s upcoming limited edition DVD set Tomorrow Land: Disney In Space and Beyond from Wave 3 of the Walt Disney’s Treasures series. All four DVDs from Wave 3 will be available May 18, 2004.

Chris Robinson, otherwise known as The Animation Pimp, has a funny new article at Animation World Network discussing the “direction and inconsistencies” of the Justice League animated series. Not to be taken too seriously, this piece asks the following pertinent questions: “Why does nobody ever get seriously injured despite massive explosions and spraying bullets?” “Why […]

Follow the “More” link to view four stills and four menu screens from Disney’s upcoming limited edition DVD set Mickey Mouse in Living Color – Volume 2 from Wave 3 of the Walt Disney’s Treasures series. All four DVDs from Wave 3 will be available May 18, 2004.

Follow the “More” link to view four stills from Disney’s upcoming limited edition DVD set On the Front Lines from Wave 3 of the Walt Disney’s Treasures series. Tomorrow we will have stills of animation from Mickey Mouse in Living Color – Volume 2. All four DVDs from Wave 3 will be available May 18, […]

Follow the “More” link to view four stills from Disney’s upcoming limited edition DVD set The Chronological Donald from Wave 3 of the Walt Disney’s Treasures series. Tomorrow we will have stills of animation from On the Front Lines and on Saturday stills from Mickey Mouse in Living Color – Volume 2 will be available. […]

In addition to the recently announced Toy Story 3 project, it has been reported that Disney is also prepping a prequel to computer-animated insect hit A Bug’s Life. The as-yet-unnamed prequel is said to center around a young Flik reluctantly defending his colony of ants against a real mean kid who has a penchant for […]

Animation World Magazine has a quick little article detailing Walt Disney Studio President Dick Cook’s vision of Toy Story 3 as being a full-fledged theatrical feature rather than a direct-to-video title. I wonder if getting flooded with e-mails requesting that The Three Musketeers go to theaters first has prompted this special treatment for the next, […]

Check out Animation World Magazine for a new article on the development of and animation techniques used for the upcoming Disney short Lorenzo which is about “a snooty and spoiled cat in a sleepy South American town that receives his comeuppance when his tail becomes hexed and takes on an uncontrollable personality of its own.” […]

My sources inform me that the Walt Disney/Salvador Dali collaboration Destino is likely to be available for home viewing sometime early next year. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

As part of our ongoing effort here at Animated News to point out obscure animated shorts, we now direct your attention to this Quisp commercial which has a decidedly Powdered Toast Man feel to it. Apparently this is due to the fact that the short was produced by Spumco, the animation company of John Krisfaluci […]

Kristin writes in to remind us that Roseanne Barr will be hosting segments about Disney’s Home on the Range during The Emperor’s New Groove on ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney, Saturday, April 3, 2004.

As a sign of his ever increasing popularity, Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean is now appearing in plushie form.

The Big Cartoon DataBase reports that the yellow-skinned, blue-haired animated matriarch we all know and love as Marge Simpson will be appearing on the front cover of the next issue of Maxim and that she has been voted as best mother in a survey conducted by Britain’s Mothers’ Union. Runners-up included Sharon “I’m the wife […]

Never thought there’d be anything about Home on the Range at Sci-Fi Wire but there is and the article talks with directors Will Finn and John Sanford about changing story and character concepts throughout the development of the movie. Thanks to Kristin for the alert.

Animation World Network points out an article at VFXWorld about the process of bringing two-dimensional Mickey and friends into the three dimensional, computer-generated world. The article includes screen grabs from “Twice Upon a Christmas, the DVD-premiere produced by DisneyToon Studios featuring five all-new episodes starring Mickey and his Disney pals.”

CHUD‘s got the scoop on a potential third Scooby Doo movie. According to screenwriter James Gunn, a possible focus of the movie might be “Scooby and Shaggy’s fear and how that affects their lives.” Apparently Matthew Lillard (Norville ‘Shaggy’ Rogers) and Linda Cardellini (Velma Dinkley) have signed for it already, but Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne […]

Follow the “More” link to view five screen captures from the outtakes included on disc 1 of Disney’s Brother Bear. Warning: spoilers involved for those who like Disney movies about genetic experiments from outer space crash landing on Hawaii and befriending orphaned little girls.

Follow the “More” link for three screen captures, one from each of the three deleted scenes included on the Brother Bear DVD. Also included are two captures from the cut musical number “The Fishing Song.”