James R Whitson Author Archive
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DreamWorks talks marketing

Forbes has an interview with DreamWorks Animation Head of Worldwide Marketing & Consumer Products Anne Globe, where she discusses how the company markets their films.

New Toy Story 3 trailer online

Apple has the new trailer for Toy Story 3 available in resolutions for your iPod all the may up to 1080p HD.

New Toy Story 3 characters to be revealed

Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich has been tweeting the past week that big news about the film would be announced this week. It appears to start today with the first of 14 new characters being revealed. Ain’t it Cool News has the first look at Barbie’s long time boy toy Ken, voiced by Michael […]

Cars 2 pushed back on track

UPDATE: ComingSoon.net has retracted the story below based on Iger being misquoted. Cars 2 is still on track for June 24, 2011. Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 has been moved to December 2011 from June 2011, ComingSoon.net reports. Disney President and CEO Bob Iger noted the change during the company’s first quarter 2010 earnings call on Tuesday.

Superman Rebooted?

According to Deadline Hollywood, Warner Bros is looking to possibly reboot the Superman franchise — with Batman helmer Chris Nolan taking the lead. While probably not directing the project, Warner Bros is hoping that with Nolan’s leadership as a sort of “godfather” they can “set it in the right direction with the critics and the […]

Imagi shut down

ABC News reports that Imagi Animation Studios has shut down. The parent company of the studio behind TMNT and Astro Boy is trying to stave off financial problems. But Imagi says will continue to develop movie ideas and then outsource work to others. The news does not mention the status of other Imagi projects in […]

How Dumbo rolled into Disney

Michael Barrier has a fascinating essay on the story behind the story of Dumbo. The first version of Dumbo was copyrighted in 1939, but not in normal book form. Instead the thing stated life on an odd and interesting device from the late 1930’s called a “Roll-A-Book”. Barrier’s piece goes in depth with lots of […]

Norm up next from Lionsgate, Crest Animation

Reuters reports that the second film in a three picture deal between Lionsgate and Crest Animation is slated for 2012 and is titled Norm of the North. The story features a polar bear forced out of his arctic home who finds work in New York. Later this year the two companies will release Alpha and […]

Oscar reactions from Coraline, French Roast

Some Oscar reactions from the directors behind the Best Animated Feature nominated Coraline and the Best Animated Short nominated French Roast follows:

Up wins Best Feature Annie Award

Disney/Pixar’s Up took home the top prize at the 37th Annual Annie Awards, but no single production stole the night. Coraline, The Princess and the Frog, and Prep and Landing had the most awards with three. Prep and Landing won the Television award. The Penguins of Madagascar won the Children’s TV award. Robot Chicken: Star […]

2010 Oscar nominations, Up up for Best Picture

The Oscar nominations are out and Disney/Pixar’s Up became just the second animated film in history to be nominated for Best Picture. Avatar also picked up a nomination there along with 8 others. The nominees for Best Animated Feature are: Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, Secret of the Kells, and Up. […]

DreamWorks planning for a big year

The Hollywood Reporter looks at DreamWorks’ big year ahead, where they will become the first studio to release three CG animated films in the same calendar year. Many investors are predicting good things for this strategy — in fact DreamWorks stock hit an all-time high last week. But some analysts are warning that these levels […]

Burton to helm Cannes Film Festival jury

The head of this year’s Cannes Film Festival jury will be Tim Burton, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour movie marathons, I’m finally ready for this,” Burton said. Cannes president Gilles Jacob noted, “It’s the first time an artist whose origins are in animation will preside […]

Shatner to host Annie Awards

ASIFA-Hollywood has announced that William Shatner will host the 37th Annual Annie Awards. Antran Manoogian, president of the organization, said “ASIFA-Hollywood is honored to have William Shatner host this year’s Annie Awards. We are looking forward to Mr. Shatner’s unique and commanding presence presiding over the show.” Shatner is an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor, […]

Up, Avatar score PGA wins, BAFTA nods

Up and Avatar continue to rake in the awards and nominations. Up picked up BAFTA nominations for Best Screenplay, Music, Sound and Animated Film. Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox also picked up Best Animated Film nominations. Avatar was tapped for nominations in the Best Film, Director, Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Sound, and Special Visual […]

Animation artwork auction on eBay to benefit animator’s family

The National Cartoonists Society Foundation is hosting an eBay auction of artwork donated by the animation and cartooning community. The money raised will help pay medical bills for Matthew Hodge, son of former Disney story artist and Big Idea productions director Tim Hodge, whose car was struck by a train a few months ago. The […]

Up, Avatar win at Golden Globes

Up was named the Best Animated Film of the year and Michael Giacchino won for scoring it at the Golden Globes. Avatar won Best Picture and Best Director.

Fox challenging Up?

Is Fantastic Mr. Fox the frontrunner for the Oscar? The New York TImes makes the case — in their usual in-depth fashion. Awards Daily, however, much more tersely replies “but critics don’t vote on the Oscars”.

Tintin historian sued

Amid over at Cartoon Brew has the disappointing news that the Tintin estate (or more specifically “the lawyer who married the widow of Tintin creator Hergé and now controls the Tintin estate”) is suing people who use the character, even when it might fall into the fair use category. One target of a lawsuit, Bob […]

Movies of 2010

The New York TImes has a list of about 100 films being released this year including a short blurb about each. Note that the list is sorted by the season of the year the films are being released.

Blue Sky in the spotlight

The New York Times has a nice piece about Blue Sky Studios, their history, how they upset the major players in 2009, and their future. They note that Ice Age 3 was the #1 animated film of 2009 at the global box office, easily besting Pixar’s Up and DreamWorks’ Monsters vs. Aliens — and they […]

A look at Waking Sleeping Beauty

The L.A. Times was on hand for a screening of Waking Sleeping Beauty, a documentary which looks at Disney during the turbulent period from the 1980s to early 1990s. Financed and distributed by Disney, and produced by Peter Schneider and directed by Don Hahn, you might expect a white-washed version of events. Not so says […]

Disney memorial service held, animation building to be renamed

ABC7 in Los Angeles has a report and some video of the Roy E. Disney memorial service held yesterday at the El Capitan Theatre. The upbeat ceremony featured performances and clips from some of his work and guests were asked to wear bright colors instead of black. Disney CEO Robert Iger announced that Burbank animation […]

DreamWorks at CES

DreamWorks Animation made a splash at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. The company is teaming up with Samsung to promote 3D television, according to Variety. Buyers of Samsung 3D TV’s will get a free copy of the Monsters vs. Aliens 3D Blu-ray disc, the first ever 3D BD. Exclusive 3D trailers from DreamWorks will also […]

Disney vs The Simpsons

Now at 20 years and counting, The Simpsons is a pop culture institution. Intelligent Life compares and contrasts the show to another animation powerhouse — Disney. The piece makes several interesting points, including: while The Simpsons started as a sort of anti-Disney, over time the show has gone from rebel to establishment; perhaps counterintuitively, Disney […]

Little Nemo, The Muppet Movie among those added to National Film Registry

Little Nemo, The Muppet Movie, Quasi at the Quackadero, The Red Book, and Scratch and Crow were added to the National Film Registry according to the head of the Library of Congress, James Billington. Each year the Librarian of Congress, advised by the National Film Preservation Board, selects up to 25 films that are culturally, […]

Brittany Murphy dies at 32

Annie Award winning actress Brittany Murphy has died of an apparent heart attack at age 32, several sources (such as the New York Post) are reporting. Murphy is best known to animation fans as the voice of Luanne Platter on the long running series King of the Hill. She also had roles in the TV […]

Avatar opens

James Cameron’s Avatar (finally) opens in 3,453 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film scores a solid 82% at Rotten Tomatoes, with their consensus being that “It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron’s singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking.” The Tomatometer […]

Trailers for Toy Story 3, Shrek 4 online

New trailers for what are poised to be two of the biggest films of 2010 are now online in high definition at the Apple trailers site: Shrek Forever After (opening in May) and Toy Story 3 (opening in June).

Charity art show and auction in Rancho Cucamonga

If you’re lucky enough to be in the area Saturday night, check out this charity art show and auction at the at the CCAA Museum of Art in Rancho Cucamonga. The event benefits the Loma Linda Childrens Hospital. Among those displaying work will be Disney artists, Floyd Norman, Bruce Smith, Bill Perkins, Aurian Redson, Glen […]