The New York Times has an exciting article about a potential “renaissance” of animated shorts at Walt Disney Feature Animation. Four shorts are currently in development, including a new Goofy “How-To” – in this case, How To Install Your Home Theater. “‘The impetus comes from John Lasseter, who takes the idea from Walt Disney and […]

According to weekend stats from Box Office Mojo, Happy Feet has bested Casino Royale, and all other films, at the domestic box office this weekend, earning $41.6 million over the Bond film’s $40.8 million. As {{link http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i61fccc799efa3cb7768358f72f63fd64 The Hollywood Reporter}} confirms, Happy Feet‘s debut marks Warner Brothers’ biggest ever opening for an animated movie in […]

Buena Vista’s DVD website for Jim Henson’s early ’90s sitcom “Dinosaurs” is now fully launched – complete with DVD information, video clips, character profiles, and much more! Thanks to JustinWilliams at the Animated News forum for the heads up!

According to an IMDb forum post by Connor Cochran, the business manager for Last Unicorn author Peter S. Beagle, talks are underway for a possible new Region 1 DVD release of the 1982 animated film, The Last Unicorn. Cochran asks for public feedback on extra features that The Last Unicorn fans would like to see […]

IGN has a great 4-page article today on a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney’s vast animation archives “for an inside look at the studio’s illustrious (and illustrated) legacy of hand-drawn classics.” Check it out!

SquarejawHero at the Animation Nation forum has pointed out a Japanese trailer for Studio Ghibli’s next project Gedo Senki, or Tales from Earthsea – found on the French Catsuka.com website and brought to us via Ain’t It Cool News. The file is a zipped download, and contains the trailer in RealPlayer format. Tales from Earthsea […]

The Orlando Sentinel via the Los Angeles Times has an interesting article up about Andy Serkis’ research and preparation for his motion-capture acting of the title character in King Kong. Director Peter Jackson utilized not only Serkis’ broader body action, but the nuanced expressions of his face as well. “To play Kong in the lavish […]

Nausicaa.net relays a translation from a Japanese article describing 3 new exclusive short features produced and soon-to-be screened at the Studio Ghibli Museum in Japan. Shown only at the museum’s Saturn Theater, House-hunting, Mon-mon the Water Spider, and The Day I Harvested A Star will be showing alternatively to the visitor’s choice, rather than the […]

Right on the heels of the Looney Tunes announcement, TV Shows on DVD has details on the next Tom & Jerry set from Warner – Tom & Jerry: The Spotlight Collection Volume 2 has been announced for a October 25th release. “Warner Brothers has announced details for the second Spotlight Collection; this 2 disc set […]

TV Shows on DVD has some early details on the next wave of Looney Tunes shorts (and films!) coming out from Warner. “October 25th sees the release of this 4-DVD set, featuring Bugs Bunny shorts on the first disc, a salute to Hollywood on the second disc, Porky Pig shorts on the third disc, and […]

Ultimate Disney has the exciting news that, due to arrive August 16th, are 2 more titles from Studio Ghibli! “My Neighbors the Yamadas and Pom Poko will arrive the same day with the type of treatment we’ve come to expect from Buena Vista’s releases of the Japanese studio’s animated films. At this point, it’s not […]

Ain’t It Cool News is reporting on a very out-of-the-blue proposal by notorious animation director Ralph Bakshi to produce a sequel to his blatantly stereotypical 1975 film, Coonskin. Oddly enough, the rap artists Wu Tang Clan are also reportedly interested in participating. Mention of a Wizards sequel are also included, but apparently that proposal has […]

The Beloit Daily News has an interesting piece that profiles the box office grosses of family-friendly fare, versus the bloodier “adult” films that have been released in the last few years. “Five of 2004’s top-10 moneymakers were rated PG, which means they were open to all audiences, among them Shrek 2, The Incredibles and Harry […]

Ultimate Disney has just posted Buena Vista’s huge new sales announcements, which shed some light on many of the studio’s upcoming DVDs expected through next autumn. Among the revelations are the first two volumes of Timeless Tales, a new line of classic shorts on DVD that coincide with Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, the direct-to-video films Lilo […]

Ultimate Disney has two new reviews up – an extensive look at the March 1st Bambi DVD, and the last of the three Studio Ghibli films to arrive today, Porco Rosso. They also report that this October’s Platinum Edition release of Cinderella will include a Gift Set edition, as well as the sole 2-disc DVD.

Ain’t It Cool News points to the iFilm web premiere of the trailer for A Scanner Darkly. Composed entirely of rotoscope – animation traced over live-action – the film has a distinct “comic” look to it, in order to match the “feel” of the original graphic novel. Scanner is set for a September 16th, 2005 […]

Ultimate Disney has recently put out three great new reviews. Two of these are looks at the new Region 1 DVD releases of Studio Ghibli – Miyazaki’s 1984 classic, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and the studio’s most recent work, The Cat Returns. A review of the third title, Porco Rosso, is also […]

The Associated Press, via Yahoo! News, has an article on Ryan, a film that seems to be the most talked-about animated short at this year’s Oscars. “Part documentary, part animation, Ryan uses computer animation that peels away skin and bone to reveal fluctuating collapsed skulls, decayed bodies and whittled skeletons as a visual metaphor for […]

Canada’s Metro News profiles the creation of one of this year’s Oscar-nominated animated shorts, Ryan. “The project began when director Chris Landreth, lacking studio and crew, stumbled upon Seneca to fill both voids in 2002. Producer Steve Hoban and program co-ordinator Larry DeFlorio agreed Seneca would provide the labour and location — including a production […]

An interesting article from The Business Standard covers the growing trend of performing voicework for animated characters in India. “Ronnie Screwvala, chief executive officer (CEO) of UTV Software Communications, which has so far created 300 episodes of animations, said, ‘Of late voice-over has become a hot part-time profession for so many people as it helps […]

Though it’s dated at February 3rd, this article about the tech of Valiant has just appeared at HDTV Buyer Online. “Vanguard Animation was founded in 2002 by John H. Williams – the producer of Shrek, Shrek 2 and Valiant – with Valiant being the first of ten full-length animated features it has planned. Once financing […]

Reuters, via CNN Money, reports on the unit sales of the new Shark Tale home video release, according to DreamWorks. “Shark Tale [has] sold more than 6 million units in its first week in domestic home video and DVD release. The sales generated an estimated $80 million-plus in retail sales since its Feb. 8 release, […]

The Latino Review points to a new international trailer for Madagascar, opening May 27th.

JAM! Music has an article up about French-Canadian composer Ben Charest, who wrote the unique and catchy music to last year’s Les Triplettes de Bellville. “Other than being up for a Grammy on Sunday night — Charest’s in the running for best song written for a motion picture for Belleville Rendez-Vous — he was previously […]

Ain’t It Cool News has posted another early review of DreamWorks’ next CG film, Madagascar. The reviewer summarizes that one should “go see it expecting to be entertained and to get a few laughs, but not much else. I found myself thinking about what they could have done with such a great premise, so try […]

Asia Pulse, via Yahoo! Australia, reports the stunning numbers that Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film Howl’s Moving Castle has drawn in South Korea. “The film’s national audience reached the 3 million mark 50 days after its opening, rising to 3,005,200 as of Thursday, Laughing Boa said. It is now the most popular Japanese movie in South […]

“The Off-Broadway hit Blue Man Group adds film scoring to the team’s growing, multi-faceted resume as the team collaborate on the upcoming animated feature Robots,” writes Yahoo! Arts and Stage News. “Blue Man Group joined acclaimed composer John Powell on the score for the upcoming 20th Century Fox film.”

The Globe and Mail lists a few planned projects coming up for Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. “A celebration kicks off on May 5 with festivities there and at the other Disney parks in Florida, France and Japan. From a roaming animatronic dinosaur at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Florida to new rides and an on-line […]

With Minneapolis chosen as the destination for the annual Disney shareholder meeting, where better to make the U.S. premiere for a film like Dream On, Silly Dreamer? Another sharply critical look at “Corporate Disney,” shareholders were urged to attend its free screenings the day before the annual meet took place. Native director Dan Lund “came […]

Ain’t It Cool News has posted an early look at DreamWorks’ upcoming CGI feature Madagascar, set to open May 27th. The reviewer has mostly positive things to say about the unfinished screening, stating “The film was a great surprise. It was genuinely funny and had plenty of characters that an audience can actually care about. […]