
Rio 2 opens
Blue Sky’s Rio 2 opens today in 3,948 theatres, according to Box Office Mojo. Critics are split with most leaning the wrong way, according to the Tomatometer where the film currently sits at 47%. Their consensus: “Like most sequels, Rio 2 takes its predecessor’s basic template and tries to make it bigger – which means […] |
Final How to Train Your Dragon 2 trailer on the way
The final trailer for How to Train Your Dragon 2 is just days away now, with the film’s official Facebook page announcing that it will be shown in theaters before Rio 2 next Friday. However, it is very likely to appear online shortly before then. How to Train Your Dragon 2 opens everywhere June 13th. |
Aardman’s Shaun The Sheep Movie gets its first teaser trailer
The first teaser trailer and poster for Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep the Movie has been unveiled online, reports Collider. Shaun the Sheep the Movie marks the big screen debut of Shaun, who was first seen in the Oscar winning Wallace & Gromit short film A Close Shave and got its own TV show later, proving […] |
Frozen is now the biggest animated movie ever in terms of worldwide box office
Frozen surpassed yet another milestone today, surpassing Toy Story 3 to become the biggest animated movie of all time in terms of worldwide box office receipts, The Wrap is reporting. The movie also passed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, making the billion dollar hit one of the ten biggest movies of all time. One record […] |
Cowabunga! First Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trailer now online
After years of troubled production, a first teaser trailer for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot is now online, and can be seen on YouTube. The preview features only fleeting glimpses of the heroes in a half-shell, with the main focus being on Megan Fox’s April O’Neal. Those who want to wait to see […] |
First How to Train Your Dragon 2 clips emerges
A first (and very short) clip from How to Train Your Dragon 2 has made its way online, and can be seen at ComingSoon.net. In addition, a new trailer for the sequel is expected to debut in the coming weeks. The much anticipated release flies into theaters on June 13th. |
Dexter’s Laboratory gets a comic book series
Dexter’s Laboratory was a popular show on Cartoon Network. It was about a super genius boy named Dexter with a secret laboratory in his house. His experiments were constantly being destroyed by his older sister Dee Dee with whom Dexter had a love-hate relationship. Cartoon Network is breathing new life into some of its popular, […] |
Muppets not quite Most Wanted at the box office
The Muppets returned to the big screen for the first time since 2011’s The Muppets this weekend, but in terms of money, things weren’t quite as good for them this time around. Box Office Mojo is reporting that Muppets Most Wanted made a less-than-expected $17 million, which was still good for second place. Part of the reason […] |
Behind the animation on Cosmos
The reboot of the classic TV series Cosmos is currently airing on FOX, which in addition to featuring impressive computer-generated images of the galaxy, also features animated sequences that tell the stories of old scientists and astronomers from history. Yahoo! Movies took a look behind the scenes, revealing that the idea for those scenes came from […] |
Final Maleficent trailer now online
The final trailer for Disney’s upcoming Maleficent is now online, and can be seen at ComingSoon.net. The movie will reveal a number of things about the classic villain–including how she “lost her wings”–and of course will retell the story of Sleeping Beauty. Starring Angelina Jolie, Maleficent opens everywhere May 30th. |
First Peanuts teaser trailer from Blue Sky
The first teaser trailer for Blue Sky’s upcoming Peanuts animated film has hit the web. Slated for a 2015 release, the studio hypes the new preview: “For the first time ever, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz’s timeless Peanut comic strip will be making their […] |
The Incredibles 2 and Cars 3 both in the works from Pixar
Fans have been wondering if it would happen for years, but it looks as though Pixar may finally be getting to work on an Incredibles sequel, Collider is reporting. At a recent meeting with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Brad Bird is “currently writing The Incredibles 2.” Iger also said that another Cars […] |
GKIDS to bring Ghibli’s The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya Stateside
GKIDS has announced that they have acquired the theatrical and home release North American distribution rights for Studio Ghibli’s The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, the new animated feature by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko, Only Yesterday, My Neighbors the Yamadas), reports Deadline. An English language version is being produced by Studio […] |
Sony Pictures Animation unveils updated production slate
SPA has just announced their production slate. It includes Kelly Asbury (Shrek2, Gnomeo & Juliet) directing an all-animated new Smurfs film with new designs and environments, scheduled for August 2015, and Genndy Tartakovsky directing Hotel Transylvania 2 eyeing September 2015, Popeye and developing an original idea entitled Can You Imagine?. The first concept art of […] |
Ernest & Celestine Blu-ray/DVD in June
GKIDS and New Video Group have announced the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of the critically acclaimed, award-winning French-Belgian animated film Ernest & Celestine on June 10th, reports Blu-ray. The release will include both an original French language track and an English dub, featuring the voice talents of Forest Whitaker, Mackenzie Foy, Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, […] |
Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki retires
Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki has announced his retirement as a producer, reports AnimeNewsNetwork. Suzuki, who co-founded Studio Ghibli together with Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, is voluntarily stepping down from his position but will still stay on as the general manager of the company. Suzuki also served as the president of Studio Ghibli until […] |
New trailer for The Boxtrolls now online
Universal and Focus Features have released a new trailer for their new animated adventure The Boxtrolls, an upcoming stop motion animated feature from Laika Entertainment, the studio behind the visually stunning films Coraline and ParaNorman. Featuring the voice talents of Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Ben Kingsley, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, […] |
Mr. Peabody and Sherman opens
DreamWorks Animation’s latest movie, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, opens today on 3,470 screens, Box Office Mojo is reporting. The film is scoring pretty well with critics, earning a 77% “freshness” score over at Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus being that the movie “offers a surprisingly entertaining burst of colorful all-ages fun, despite its dated source […] |
Disney staff celebrates Oscar win
The New York Times covers a story that was a long time coming — Disney staffers celebrating an animated feature winning an Oscar. “The gathering at Walt Disney Animation here was supposed to be a giddy celebration. The studio had achieved the ultimate validation for its hard-fought creative rebirth: Frozen, its Nordic tale of two […] |
Ernest & Celestine director discusses how he started
Ernest & Celestine co-director Benjamin Renner talks about the genesis of the film with the Wall Street Journal. The “24-year-old fresh out of film school… got a phone call that would change everything. Didier Brunner, the French producer behind Oscar-nominated films The Triplets of Belleville and The Secret of Kells, had liked one of Mr. […] |
New Muppets Most Wanted posters
A fun new batch of international posters for Muppets Most Wanted is now alone, and can be seen on Bleeding Cool. The posters spoof those of various spy movies, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Skyfall. Muppets Most Wanted comes to theaters March 21st. |
Pixar team leads Disney renaissance
The Pixar team that came into Disney Animation in 2006 believes their work at changing the culture at the then-struggling studio has paid off over the last few years, according to the Wall Street Journal. Disney and Pixar president Ed Catmull said, “When we came to Disney eight years ago, it was to bring the […] |
Lava – Pixar’s newest short revealed?
One particular highlight of seeing a Pixar film in theaters is catching the short that precedes it. Now the newest theatrical short from the animation powerhouse may have been discovered: Lava. Scheduled for 2015, the short is listed among Pixar’s upcoming projects in the LinkedIn.com profile of animator Shaun Seong-Young Kim. Time will tell whether […] |
First teaser trailer for Paddington arrives
TWC-Dimension has released the first teaser trailer for the Live Action/CGI feature Paddington, reports Collider. The teaser gives a brief look at the iconic Michael Bond character voiced by Colin Firth. Directed by Paul King, and produced by David Heyman, Paddington also stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Peter […] |
Frozen hits a billion, Lego Movie stays strong
Box Office Mojo reports that Frozen hit a major milestone this weekend, becoming just the 18th movie to ever take in $1 billion worldwide. They also note it’s only the fifth non-sequel movie to reach that number. They’re projecting Frozen could eventually land in the all-time worldwide top ten list, which would put it past […] |
Gravity, Frozen big Oscar winners
Gravity was one of the big winners at the 76th Annual Academy Awards, taking home seven Oscars, including Best Director, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score. Frozen beat out Despicable Me 2, The Croods, Ernest and Celestine, and The Wind Rises for Best Animated Feature. The song Let It Go from Frozen won the award […] |
Is Shrek 5 on the way?
Despite Shrek Forever After being marketed as “the final chapter” in the ogre’s saga, it appears we might be getting something along the lines of Shrek’s High Five someday. Collider is reporting that DreamWorks Animation honcho Jeffery Katzenberg is hinting at a continuation of the franchise. “We like to let them have a little bit […] |
Everything continues to be awesome for The Lego Movie
Continuing to build on its box office success, The Lego Movie topped the charts for the third weekend in a row, Box Office Mojo is reporting. The critically acclaimed film had an impressive take of $31 million, bringing its total to a massive $183 million. Speaking of massive, Frozen continued to be in the top […] |
DreamWorks diversification good news for investors
The Wrap says DreamWorks Animation has reached a pivotal moment in growth of the company — they “can get away with releasing movies that are not huge hits”. How? Diversification, including things like licensing, TV, toys, and theme parks. An investment analyst quoted pointed out that DreamWorks “has reduced its reliance on film performance by […] |
Miyazaki talks about career and retirement
BuzzFeed talks with legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki about his career, his latest film (The Wind Rises) opening in the United States, and his announced retirement. “I really felt that this was the maximum that I could give to produce an animated film. The work of animation is building up bricks and mortar, bricks and […] |