James R Whitson Author Archive
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Jeffrey Katzenberg and the future of Hollywood
The blurry line between animated and live action features
Disney Legend Floyd Norman on documenting his life on film
Inside the YouTube animation boom
Archer wins Best Animated Series Emmy
The Wild Life opens

The Wild Life opens today in 2,493 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is getting pummeled by the critics with just a 15% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. A representative comment from the Washington Post: “It’s no great shock when a movie based on a beloved book falls short of the original, but few […]

Lost Doctor Who episode gets animated regeneration
Looking back at 24 other “stranded island” movies like The Wild Life
Moana resurrects Disney 2D animation in a surprising way
Watch the evolution of stop-motion animation

From Vugar Efendi at Vimeo: “With the release of Kubo and the Two Strings, it is a perfect moment to go back in time and see the evolution of stop-motion animation throughout the years.”

How Western animation has changed
New Lego short The Master to debut before Storks
Eight Storks movie clips released
The seven ways to become an animation powerhouse
Why you can’t buy a Pixar lamp
Kristen Bell to produce animated kids series
Kubo and the Two Strings

A beautiful looking film with a unique plot, some surprising turns, bold choices, and an emotional core, Kubo and the Two Strings is magical storytelling.

The art of animating Kubo’s epic opening scene
Kubo and the Two Strings opens

Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings opens today in 3,260 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is a hit with the critics, garnering a 94% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Kubo and the Two Strings matches its incredible animation with an absorbing — and bravely melancholy — story that has something […]

Sausage Party

Sausage Party is irreverent, pornographic, sacrilegious, bigoted… and pretty funny! The story is weak but if raunchy humor and seeing touchy topics get ridiculed is something you’re hungry for, then this film will hit the spot!

Sausage Party opens

Columbia, Imageworks’ Sausage Party opens today in 3,103 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The critics are eating it up, giving it a fresh 82% at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Sausage Party is definitely offensive, but backs up its enthusiastic profanity with an impressively high laugh-to-gag ratio — and a surprisingly thought-provoking storyline”. Box Office […]

Ice Age: Collision Course

It may be a stale pun to make but it’s still funnier than almost everything in Ice Age: Collision Course: hopefully this franchise is now extinct.

Ice Age: Collision Course opens

Blue Sky’s Ice Age: Collision Course opens today in 3,992 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film isn’t wowing the critics, earning a meager 12% at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Unoriginal and unfunny, Ice Age: Collision Course offers further proof that not even the healthiest box office receipts can keep a franchise from slouching […]

Ice Age cast answers burning questions from kids
Trent Harmon covers Dream Weaver for Ice Age soundtrack
Ice Age producer teases Collision Course follow-up