James R Whitson Author Archive
Reviews | Interviews | Features | Blogs | News

Disturbing Disney cartoons

Screen Crush has an interesting look back at “10 Disturbing Classic Disney Cartoons”. From World War II propaganda films, to educational shorts about menstruation, to Mickey Mouse doing blackface — prepare to be uncomfortable!

Shaun The Sheep moving to big screen

A feature film version of Aardman Animations’ TV series Shaun The Sheep is in the works according to Deadline. Studiocanal is financing the film. “The family film, written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton, will see the titular character and his flock venture into the big city to rescue their farmer”.

Frozen preview pulled

Our friends The Rotoscopers got a look at a preview video for Disney’s Frozen before the Mouse House had it pulled offline. Luckily they have screencaps so you can still check out some of the art. “The video appears to have been made or cleared on 7/25/12, which is a few weeks before Destination D […]

“New” Mickey Mouse short features Walt’s voicing

D23 reports that Walt Disney Animation Studios will be premiering a new Mickey Mouse short titled Get A Horse! at the Annecy Animation Festival on June 11. The “never-before-seen short” will feature Walt Disney himself as the voice of Mickey Mouse. “This black-and- white, hand-drawn short follows Mickey, his favorite gal pal Minnie Mouse and […]

Futurama cancelled (not a repeat from 2003)

As the Professor might say when delivering not so good news, “Good news, everybody!” Futurama has been cancelled… again. Entertainment Weekly reports that the now Comedy Central program will come to an end on September 4th. The series originally ran on Fox from 1999 to 2003 before being revived in 2007 after fan outcry. After […]

Peanuts will be 3D and CG

Fox has confirmed that the Peanuts film being made by Blue Sky Studios will be CG and 3D, according to Animation Magazine. “The Peanuts script was written by Charles Schulz’s son Craig Schulz, his grandson Bryan Schulz, and Bryan’s screenwriting partner Cornelius Uliano”.

Free Birds gets rookie composer

Film Music Reporter says that first timer Dominic Lewis will score the upcoming film Free Birds. “Lewis has previously worked together with [composer John] Powell and composers Henry Jackman and Hans Zimmer, providing additional music for such films as Rio, Rango, Kung Fu Panda, X-Men: First Class and Wreck-It-Ralph“.

The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition

Confirming earlier reports, Disney today officially announced The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition will be released on DVD, Digital, Blu-ray, and 3D Blu-ray on October 1st. The full press release, with more details on pricing and special features, and the cover art can be seen here:

Win Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie on Blu-ray – Winner announced!

Animated Views is giving away Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie on Blu-ray to one lucky reader!

Pixar’s Inside Out gets a release date

Disney Pixar announced on their Twitter account today the already rumored news that “Inside Out, the new film from director Pete Docter, will open in US theaters June 19, 2015″. According to previous reports, the film is “told from the perspective of the emotions inside the mind of a little girl”.

Fox/DreamWorks only challenger left to Disney/Pixar hegemony?

Forbes looks at the implications of Fox and DreamWorks’ recent partnership, saying “it immediately establishes just who the titans in modern day American animation are… the second and third-place animation studios just teamed up, which automatically makes them a strong bet to challenge the Mouse House”. Calling the deal a game-changer, the writer believes the […]

DreamWorks fighting Kung Fu Panda lawsuit

A lawsuit against DreamWorks claiming they stole the ideas for Kung Fu Panda can proceed to a possible trial a judge ruled this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The judge’s decision potentially sets the stage for an uncommon occurrence in Hollywood: a trial concerning a major studio in which a jury would determine whether […]

ABC looks to Disney for ideas

The New York Times reports that with rating down ABC may look more to parent company Disney for show ideas. “Among ABC’s 24 pilots for the next television season is a drama based on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a Disneyland roller coaster. Another pilot, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is based on ancillary characters from The […]

A new hope for Star Wars animation?

There’s been lots of upheaval in the Star Wars universe since the Disney acquisition with old projects being shelved and new ones announced. The cancellation of the popular The Clone Wars TV series was a blow to animation fans, but IGN has word that there is another… maybe. RebelForce Radio spoke with Dave Filoni, supervising […]

The Croods hit $300 million

The Wrap notes that The Croods has become just the second movie of the year to pass $300 million worldwide box office gross. “[This weekend] the 3D caveman cartoon took in $34.1 million from 62 markets to raises its international total to $206.8 million. With its $125.8 million domestic haul, its global gross now stands […]

Muppets signs give new details

The Muppets… Again! is filming on the streets of London this week, and Bleeding Cool reports that signs announcing the fact give a little more plot info, a possible British release date, and of course some jokes! The new blurb reads: “Kermit the Frog and the gang embark on a World Tour, with the ‘help’ […]

Science explains the attraction of animation

Phys.org looks at an essay that explains the staying power of animated films and how they are able to draw us in emotionally. Eric Scott Jenkins, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of communication, says “When people talk about Disney animation, they may describe it as magical or wonderful, and I don’t think that has […]

Animated Doctor Who part of the Neverweres

Bleeding Cool notes that Dan Norton (DC, Wildstorm comics, Thundercats) posted some preliminary artwork on his deviantART page from a never produced Doctor Who animated series he worked on. “We were so close… End of the day, BBC didn’t want anything to distract from production of the tv show”. This wouldn’t be the first time […]

New Cloudy 2 promo

Sony has released a new promotional video for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, according to Cinema Blend. The preview, hosted by Terry Crews, shows off some of the animal/food hybrids that will feature in the film.

Planes test screening report

Our friends The Rotoscopers recently attended a test screening for Disney’s upcoming film Planes and they’ve posted their thoughts in an early review. (While they try to keep major spoilers out they do talk about the plot, so beware if you’d prefer absolutely no spoilers.) They’ll be posting a video report soon and you can […]

Jackman scores Turbo

Film Music Reporter says that Henry Jackman will be scoring the upcoming DreamWorks film Turbo. Jackman’s previous work includes the music for Puss in Boots and Monsters vs Aliens.

The Croods

Though you might not naturally select it based on the ads, The Croods might surprise you. Full of fun, stunning to look at, and filled with heart, DreamWorks’ latest is a step up the evolutionary ladder.

Kids’ Choice Awards feature Epic preview, animation categories, Monsters vs Aliens debut

A preview of Blue Sky’s upcoming film Epic will air tonight during the Kids’ Choice Awards. Animation fans may also be interested in several of the awards which include Favorite Cartoon (Fairly OddParents, Phineas and Ferb, SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom and Jerry), Favorite Animated Movie (Brave, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Wreck-It […]

DuckTales remastered, woo-oo!

Ars Technica reports that Capcom sent PAX East attendees into a “sing-along frenzy” today with the announcement that they are rewriting history by remastering the 1989 Nintendo Entertainment System video game DuckTales for modern high definition consoles. Details are still a blur, but “the game is based heavily on the NES classic—about 70 percent of […]

Croods stars talk; creatures revealed

ComingSoon.net has an interview with The Croods stars Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds. And Empire Magazine has a gallery of some of the strange creatures their characters will face on their journey. The Croods opens this Friday, March 22nd.

Tina Fey on Muppets set

Collider has a photo from the set of The Muppets…Again! movie featuring Tina Fey and what appears to be Kermit’s “jewel-heisting doppelgänger named Constantine”. Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell also star. The film is set to open a year from tomorrow, on March 21, 2014.

Teen Titans Go! promo

Spinoff Online has a look (courtesy of BeyBladeMetalRanger) at the first promo for Teen Titans Go!, a new series from Cartoon Network’s DC Nation programming block. “Character-driven comedy is the order of the day as this new take on the superhero series focuses on the funny business that happens between saving the world and living […]

Monsters University “student-run” Tumblr

Stitch Kingdom notes that in keeping with Pixar’s marketing push to make Monsters University feel like a real school, they recently started a Tumblr page ran by a “student” — a “Monstropolis transplant”, an “MU Sophomore”, and a “Self-diagnosed coffee addict”. Be sure to check out The Grumblr for more, including this ESPN video on […]

Touring Laika

Grow Film Company recently posted some behind the scenes videos from Laika and their recent film ParaNorman. Included are tours of the puppets, animation, and art departments. You can watch the animation video here, but check out their page for the rest.

Art of The Croods book preview

ComingSoon.net has some images from the upcoming The Art of The Croods book, “which features over 400 pieces of concept art, character sketches, storyboards and digital paintings, along with interviews with key animation talent”. The film opens this Friday, while you can pick up the book on March 26th.