Just breaking from Market Watch is news that The Walt Disney Company will be acquiring Marvel Entertainment (the company behind such comic icons as Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four) in a stock and cash transaction worth about $4 billion. No other sources for this yet, but we’ll report more below as it […]

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs continues its steady climbing of the box office charts since its release 4 weeks ago, most impressively so overseas. According to Box Office Mojo, the film has grossed $174 million domestically so far and $676 million worldwide. Those numbers make it the: • #5 Highest grossing animated film worldwide […]

Moviefone tries their hand at creating a list of the top 25 animated film characters of all time. Five on the list are from pre-1942, fifteen are from films out since 1988, and twenty-one are (at least in part) Disney creations. It’s an interesting idea and sure to cause discussion (in our forums, perhaps) among […]

Newsarama has an interesting feature on Gary H. Lee, a DreamWorks employee who is currently head of layout for Kung Fu Panda 2. In his free time (in between working on Over The Hedge, Kung Fu Panda, and Monsters vs. Aliens) Lee has been working on his own project. The result is a live action/CGI […]

Twentieth Century Fox has apparently sent out a casting notice looking for new actors to replace the stars of Futurama, according to Forces of Geek. The latest back from the dead animated series is having trouble signing stars Billy West, Katy Sagal, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, Maurice LaMarche, and Tress MacNeil, and several of them […]

For only the second time in history, an animated TV show has been nominated for a Best Comedy Series Emmy Award alongside the live action counterparts. After being canceled a few years ago before being famously resurrected, Family Guy breaks into the top category this year against 30 Rock, Entourage, Flight Of The Conchords, How […]

In a move that could end up benefiting animated films, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that they are doubling the number of nominations for Best Picture at the Academy Awards from five to ten. AMPAS president Sid Ganis said, “After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some […]

After being canceled after four seasons on FOX, then jumping from Cartoon Network to Comedy Central in reruns, then getting four new direct to DVD movies, Futurama has received yet another new lease on life, Variety reports. 20th Century Fox TV is producing 26 new episodes of the series for Comedy Central with an option […]

DreamWorks Theatricals’ Shrek the Musical took home a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical (Tim Hatley). The production was nominated for 8 awards including Best Musical.

Jim Hill reports that WALL-E will be making an appearance at the Tony Awards this Sunday. Jerry Herman (composer of such Broadway his as La Cage aux Folles, Mame, and, of course, Hello Dolly!) will be receiving a lifetime achievement award and WALL-E will be part of the tribute. Also making a big splash at […]

DreamWorks Animation has announced its upcoming slate of eight animated feature film releases through 2012. They also announced plans to release five feature films every two years, up one from their current two picture a year release schedule. Bill Damaschke, Co-President of Production and President of Live Theatrical, said “Our exceptionally talented and highly experienced […]

CNN talks with the people of Pixar to figure out how they churn out hit after hit. Up director Pete Docter says “I don’t really think it’s much of a secret. I think it comes down to two basic things: one is that we’re run by artists… Second, we have some pretty great people that […]

CNet reports on the technology behind Pixar’s Up. Not any diferent from their past films you might say? “Try thinking of the algorithms required to animate more than 10,000 helium balloons, each with its own string, but each also interdependent on the rest, which are collectively hoisting aloft a small house… Consider that within the […]

Disney/Pixar’s tenth film, Up, opens today in 3,766 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is getting sky high reviews from critics, earning a 98% Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times says, “This is another masterwork from Pixar, which is leading the charge in modern animation”. The Los Angeles […]

Pixar will be opening a second studio in Vancouver according to the Vancouver Sun. The 20,000 square foot facility will employ 75-100 people and will be tasked with making the company’s short films. “Amir Nasrabadi, who will run the Vancouver operation as studio general manager, said Vancouver was attractive to Pixar for a number of […]

Thirty-six students from 20 colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 36th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Nine films will compete in the animation category for Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 13, at 6pm at the […]

Animation Magazine reports that Steven Soderbergh will be animating a character in his upcoming live action baseball film Moneyball. “We have this sort of oracle character that appears throughout and declaims various issue… He’s your host in a way… The background will be real but the person who is supposed to be him will be […]

Before the first season has even premiered, Fox has decided to order up a second seaon of Cleveland according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Family Guy spinoff, which should debut this fall, already had an order for a 22 episode first season. The network has now picked up 13 more for a sophomore season.

Disney/Pixar has announced that they will be bringing 3D versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 to theatres starting October 2, 2009, in a special limited engagement double feature. President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group Mark Zoradi said, “This fantastic double feature will let moviegoers see two of their all-time favorite films […]

The New York Times reports that Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim has ordered a new show from the creators of the stop-motion animated series Robot Chicken. The new show will be called Titan Maximum and will use stop-motion to “satirize Japanese cartoons of the 1980s”.

Pixar’s Andrew Stanton picked up his second career Best Animated Feature Oscar, this time for WALL-E, at the 81st Academy Awards. La Maison en Petits Cubes was named the Best Animated Short Film. In accepting the award for WALL-E, Stanton thanked Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, and Steve Jobs for “creating a cinematic safe haven where […]

Despite not even being nominated for music at animation’s premier awards show, WALL-E has won two Grammy Awards. Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman picked up trophies for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (Down To Earth) and Best Instrumental Arrangement (Define Dancing). WALL-E lost the Best Score Soundtrack Album to […]

Several media outlets are reporting that DreamWorks may have to make a deal with Disney to secure some much needed quick cash along with distribution of their films. The L.A. Times reports that Universal today has dropped out of an already announced multi-year distribution deal with DreamWorks, a deal which was born after the DreamWorks/Paramount […]

Kung Fu Panda was the big winner at last night’s 36th annual Annie Awards. The film picked up 10 awards including Best Animated Feature. Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II won the Television award. Avatar: The Last Airbender won the Children’s TV award. And Sebastian’s Voodoo won the Short award. The full list of winners […]

In an interview with Newsweek Pixar’s Andrew Stanton touches on many interesting topics about his latest film WALL-E, including: breaking down the barrier between animation and live action, the relationship between EVE and WALL-E and how it parallels the way men perceive their relationships with women, the fact that this is Pixar’s first love story, […]

Animation Magazine reports that Shorts International is bringing the Oscar-nominated live action and animated short films to theaters and computer screens. Beginning on February 6th the group will bring the program, titled The 2008 Academy Award Nominated Short Films, to theaters in 60 cities. The film will then be available to download on iTunes on […]

Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio will open in New Orleans this fall according to USA Today. The art exhibit will feature over 600 pieces from films such as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. The idea came directly from […]

George Takei, best known as Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek TV series and films, discusses his new role as part of another iconic sci-fi franchise with the Great Falls Tribune. Takei voices the character of Lok Durd, in Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Besides discussing his role in the series, Takei […]

Engadget reports that the long running Comedy Central animated series South Park and the even longer running FOX animated series The Simpsons will both start broadcasting in high definition in the coming months. The Simpsons will make the switch on February 15th while South Park will change over on March 11th.

The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were announced this morning. Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, and WALL-E were the picks for Animated Feature. WALL-E was also nominated for Original Screenplay, Score, Song (Down to Earth), Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing. WALL-E‘s six nominations ties Beauty and the Beast for most Oscar nominations for an animated […]