Forbes’ “Eye On Stock” feature gives their estimates of Pixar’s fourth-quarter earnings, which will be announced after the market closes today. “First Boston maintained a ‘neutral’ rating and $88 target price. ‘Our view on Pixar fundamentals hasn’t changed. We believe its long-term business model will dramatically improve upon signing a new distribution deal,’ it said.”

The New York Times [free subscription required] has an excellent review up today of the new book Disney War, set to be released February 22nd. “The book describes Disney’s Darwinian corporate culture. (‘What Michael likes to do is put six pit bulls together and see which five die.’) It presents this on a Monopoly board […]

Dark Horizons forwards an article from Now Playing Magazine, reporting legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen’s thoughts on Peter Jackson’s upcoming remake of King Kong, scheduled to open December 14th. “‘There will always only be one King Kong, it was such a unique production. Dino De Laurentiis’s [1976] interpretation, he left all the fantasy out. He […]

The Kyodo News (via Yahoo Asia) reports that “Director Hayao Miyazaki will receive the Honorary Golden Lion award for professional achievements at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival in August. Miyazaki, 64, will be the first Japanese, and the first director of animated films, to receive the prestigious prize, according to Toho.” Kyodo also notes […]

Sigourney Weaver recently talked to SCI FI Wire about her upcoming role in the new comedy/fantasy feature film Happily N’Ever After, based on the classic tales of the Brothers Grimm. “‘Frieda is Cinderella’s stepmother. She gets power, and she undoes all the laws of physics that govern happy endings. All hell breaks loose, and she […]

UK Yahoo! site Launch reports that Beyoncé Knowles will perform at the Academy Awards this year. “According to Billboard.com, the Destiny’s Child singer will duet with Josh Groban on the Oscar-nominated song ‘Believe’ from the animated film The Polar Express.” The Oscars are scheduled to air Sunday, February 27th at 8 Eastern, on the ABC […]

The Welwyn & Hatfield Times has news on a new film of an animated British TV classic. “It first appeared on British television screens in the 1960s, and many generations have grown up watching the animated children’s classic, The Magic Roundabout. Now [it] is returning with an outing on the big screen, with an all-star […]

The folks over at IGN have a great new review up – this time of the recently-released second volume of Batman: The Animated Series. “Though it was positioned as a cartoon for kids, it was easily something that adult fans of the Caped Crusader could enjoy too. The cinematic staging and gothic designs gave it […]

The New York Daily News reports more protest about Italian stereotypes have risen upon its release to DVD. “[Tony] Avella, who heads the 12-member Italian-American caucus of the City Council, was joined at a press conference outside City Hall by several other Council members and representatives of Italian-American organizations. ‘All too often, the media, especially […]

The Associated Press (via Yahoo! Business) has an article covering Roy Disney and Stanley Gold’s repeated vote of “no confidence” for the Disney Company, as well as their current criticism of the board’s handling of the search for a CEO successor. “The two dissidents have acknowledged progress made by the Disney board, but said the […]

Ultimate Disney has a couple new reviews that look at two new DVDs featuring a compilation of episodes from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Each volume has been dubbed “Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh,” and feature four episodes each. The episodes are linked loosely by theme, including the adventurous Great Day of […]

The Associated Press, via Twin Cities local news station WCCO, has written an article on Dan Lund’s 40-minute documentary, Dream On Silly Dreamer, which covers the closing of Disney’s 75-year-old hand-drawn animation department. The film will be screened this Thursday in Minneapolis, a day before the annual Disney shareholder meeting. “Lund said he hopes Disney […]

In a clever retaliation to recent accusations by conservatist groups that the characters of SpongeBob SquarePants display homosexual behavior, Newsweek‘s Andy Borowitz has written up a satirical article using the Flintstones characters. “Harland Devane, leader of the group Focus on the Flintstones, said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. today that his organization was […]

Kyodo News (via Yahoo! Asia) reports on Belgium’s “Anima 2005” film festival, where Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle opened, and a special retrospective on South Korean animé, like Oseam, will also be featured. “‘For a long time Korea was seen as a place where Europeans could make their cartoons in a cheap way,’ the festival director, […]

“After some fits and starts, [Bryan Fuller] is moving ahead with his upcoming animated alternative series Amazing Screw-On Head,” Sci-Fi Wire reports. Based on a comic by Hellboy‘s Mike Mignola, the series is set to air on the SCI FI Channel next year. “‘The Mignola comic book is brilliant absurdism,’ Fuller said in an interview. […]

The Boston Globe has an excellent article up about Song of the South‘s controversial history, and its push for a release on DVD. “This isn’t kowtowing to political correctness, as some may maintain, but an opportunity to deal with issues that most of us would rather not think about. Important discussions about still-relevant issues can […]

According to Box Office Mojo, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film has been targeted for a June 10th release date! It was previously reported that Buena Vista was aiming for a June release, but no date had been specified. Pixar’s Pete Docter is overseeing the English translation of the film, although no voice cast has been announced […]

Ultimate Disney has posted another new review – this time around they take a look at Mulan II, Disney’s direct-to-video sequel coming out February 1st. Coming up less-than-impressed, they write that “the film is passably entertaining at best and mediocre at worst. The elements are in place for a better than average sequel, but in […]

Finally! A press release for the March 15th Incredibles DVD has been posted online at Ultimate Disney, confirming that the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition promises loads of great bonus materials, including making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, and the new animated short Jack-Jack Attack. The DVD will also be available in separate Widescreen or Fullscreen Editions – a […]

A review for the 2 Aladdin direct-to-video sequels, released for the first time on DVD (curiously, as a double pack), is now online at Ultimate Disney. “These are undoubtedly direct-to-video sequels, but as Disney’s first forays into this domain, they’re neither as schlocky as some of the bottom-rung follow-ups we’ve seen since nor as ambitious […]

Ultimate Disney has created an excellent preview page for the upcoming Platinum Edition DVD of Bambi, arriving March 1st. Included are a detailed list of extras, screenshots of the DVD’s painterly menus, and preview shots of the 2-disc set’s bonus features. The menus alone are worth a peek at this page, so check it out!

Ultimate Disney has a fabulous review of the 2-disc season set of Gargoyles, due in stores on December 7th. Certainly an event for Gargoyles fans, the set also marks a Disney milestone, as this is the first Disney animated series to be released in a complete season format. As the review puts it, “Whether or […]

Although there isn’t much there yet, an official Flash teaser site for the Platinum Edition DVD of Bambi, set to come out March 1st, has been set up for your viewing pleasure!

Animated Bliss has the press release for the acclaimed (if not too creatively titled) independent animated film The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear. Central Park Media will release this Danish film to both a standard and a collector’s edition DVD on February 8th of next year.

British tabloid The Sun has a short column today featuring an image of Johnny Depp as the one and only Willy Wonka, from Tim Burton’s upcoming adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In addition, Movie Hole has a few set pics that have been sneaked onto the net.

Jim Hill returns with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim talks about the Times Square hotel that the Walt Disney Company almost built, where to look to find Frank & Ollie in The Incredibles, as well as announcing his next set of Disney World tours.

All the way from Japan, ‘Senator Ovaltine’ has sent Ain’t It Cool News a positive early review of the next Hayao Miyazaki film Howl’s Moving Castle. While he has a few minor quibbles, it was overall a great experience; hopefully this bodes well for the film when it arrives in U.S. theaters next year!

Michel Gagné, ambitiously continuing his Insanely Twisted Puppet Show pet project, has released a new teaser for the series, first reported about by Animated News on October 30th. This time around he gives us a much eerier and more tantalizing glimpse at what’s in store!

Be prepared for yet another new DVD line from Disney; this time with Walt Disney’s Classic Cartoon Favorites! Mimicking the Spotlight Collection series that Warner Bros. has utilized with the Looney Tunes, among others, these four single-disc DVD volumes will each contain an hour of classic Disney shorts – making the cartoons more widely available […]

Many thanks to Ultimate Disney for the exciting press release! Buena Vista has, at last, announced the release of three more 2-disc Special Edition DVDs of long sought-after Studio Ghibli films! In short – the good news is the release date is still February 22nd, 2005; it has not been pushed back further. The bad […]