
Monsters University opens
Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University opens today in 4,004 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is doing well with critics, earning a 76% Freshness rating from Rotten Tomatoes. A big haul is expected, with Box Office Prophets projecting a first place weekend with $74.3 million, and Mojo agreeing with a $73.9 million prediction. |
Smurfy new Smurfs 2 trailer now online
Yet another trailer for an upcoming animated movie has made its way online this week, this time being the full preview for Sony’s upcoming The Smurfs 2, which can be found on the studio’s YouTube page. Although children are obviously the target audience for this film, those who don’t want the entire movie’s plot laid out […] |
MU round-up
With Monsters University opening tomorrow (and in some theatres this evening), Pixar and the cast and crew are making their last big promotional blitz. Director Dan Scanlon was recently profiled in the Washington Post. Actor Charlie Day sat down with Cinema Blend to discuss the film and his role. And stars John Goodman and Billy […] |
Free Birds trailer online
The torrent of trailers continues, as the Relativity Media/Real FX film Free Birds gives us a first look. “Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu for good.” […] |
The Lego Movie trailer online
Warner Bros. has posted the trailer for their February 7, 2014 film The Lego Movie. Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and starring Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, and Alison Brie, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman, the “original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly […] |
Frozen teaser trailer online
The first teaser trailer for Disney’s upcoming film Frozen is now online. Based on the story The Snow Queen, Disney synopsizes the film this way: “Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her […] |
B.O.O. logo revealed
Jerry Beck’s Animation Scoop has a first look at a logo from DreamWorks’ 2015 film B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, and an updated plot synopsis that takes the film away from the Monsters University/Inc. direction it was orginally going in: “B.O.O. (Bureau of Otherworldly Operations) is the super classified agency you’ve never heard of and […] |
MU cast and crew interviews
ComingSoon has an almost nine minute video of new interviews with some of the Monsters University cast and crew: director Dan Scanlon, producer Kori Rae, actors Billy Crystal, Nathan Fillion, and Charlie Day. |
First look at Disney’s Frozen
With the first trailer hitting the internet later this week, USA Today has a sneak peek at Disney’s upcoming Frozen. The article features official images from the movie, as well as an interview with Kristen Bell, who voices Anna, a young woman who goes on a quest to find her long lost sister, who has become the Snow […] |
New DreamWorks, Classic Media content coming to Netflix
After previously announcing that a series based on the upcoming film Turbo would premiere on Netflix, Deadline reports that DreamWorks has expanded the partnership. “This agreement, which marks the largest deal for original first-run content in Netflix history, is also the first time DreamWorks Animation’s beloved characters will be introduced into the television market as […] |
UPDATED: Pics, vids and reviews for Despicable Me 2
Collider has 7 video clips and 23 high resolution images from Despicable Me 2. The film opens July 3rd. UPDATE: Rotten Tomatoes has started posting the first reviews for the movie, with the sequel currently holding a “freshness” rating of 100%. |
Clone Wars wins first Emmys
The Doctor and the Master picked up the first ever Emmy Awards for Star Wars: The Clone Wars this past weekend. George Lucas earned his first Emmy as producer of the show while David Tennant won for his performance as Huyang. Other awards went to Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness for Outstanding Children’s Animated […] |
UPDATED: Man of Steel bulletproof at box office
Man of Steel opened huge this weekend according to Box Office Mojo, despite getting mixed reviews from the critics. The film earned $113.1 million from Friday to Sunday (with an additional $12 million with early Thursday shows). That makes it the top film ever in June beating out the previous leader, Toy Story 3, which […] |
Lego Movie movie trailer coming soon
It appears Disney’s Frozen isn’t the only highly anticipated animated feature with a teaser trailer on the way. A tweet by ComingSoon.net suggests the teaser for The Lego Movie could hit theaters within the next few weeks, perhaps with either Monsters University next Friday or Despicable Me 2 on July 3. The Lego Movie will […] |
Planes goes Canadian with new poster
Despite announcing Planes: Fire & Rescue yesterday, Disney still has the first Planes movie to promote. With that said, a brand-new poster for the Cars spin-off is now online, at Cineplex.com. U.S. moviegoers shouldn’t bother seeking the one-sheet in their local theaters: this one is for Canadian theaters only. In both countries, Planes opens August […] |
Frozen teaser trailer to arrive next week
“Your summer is about to get a bit cooler…” reads a tweet from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Twitter feed. Indeed, the studio is finally releasing a trailer for Frozen next week. The teaser will hit online in five days, before premiering in theaters with Monsters University. In other Frozen news, The Rotoscopers points out that […] |
Planes: Fire & Rescue coming July 18, 2014
Folks who enjoy DisneyToons’ Planes this August won’t have to wait long for a sequel. Disney has scheduled Planes: Fire & Rescue for July 18 next year. The announcement isn’t totally unexpected, since the film’s teaser poster and Art Of book have already been revealed. However, the news does confirm that Fire & Rescue will […] |
The Muppets…Again! retitled Muppets Most Wanted
Disney has announced that The Muppets…Again! is now Muppets Most Wanted. The title was actually unveiled earlier this year, when Disney Channel began airing behind-the-scenes ads for the upcoming sequel. However, the TV spots were unclear as to whether Muppets Most Wanted would be the final title of the sequel or simply a name for […] |
Melissa McCarthy becomes agent for B.O.O.
Deadline reports that Melissa McCarthy has joined DreamWorks Animation’s B.O.O. (Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations). The film tells of the secret government agency whose mission is to protect humans from evil hauntings – though the agents themselves are ghosts. McCarthy will voice Agent Watts, who teams with fellow spook Jackson Moss (voiced by Seth Rogen) to […] |
Who will win this summer’s “animation war”?
The Hollywood Reporter profiles what it calls “summer’s brutal animation war.” A record six animated features are scheduled this summer: Blue Sky’s Epic, Pixar’s Monsters University, Illumination’s Despicable Me 2, DreamWorks’ Turbo, Sony’s Smurfs 2 and DisneyToons’ Planes. But is there enough interest from families to go around? The piece also looks at a growing […] |
First images from Free Birds now online
Going more or less unnoticed by most movie websites this past week was the debut of new images from Free Birds, the animated comedy about a pair of turkeys who go back in time to change the course of history. Collider has a first look at two stills from the film, and also announces that Eddie […] |
And you thought they were gone! The Chipmunks are coming back to theaters
Although many thought that the franchise ended with 2011’s Chip-Wrecked!, Alvin & the Chipmunks are set to come back to the big screen in 2015, Box Office Mojo is reporting. The plot this time finds Alvin and his singing pals seeking revenge when their friend and owner Dave is murdered by their arch-enemy “Uncle Ian,” which […] |
The Croods pulled from Chinese theaters for making too much money
Chinese authorities have pulled The Croods from theaters, THR is reporting. This wasn’t done because the movie hit any political nerves with the country’s film censors, or because it wasn’t doing well. Indeed, the DreamWorks Animation release was actually pulled because it was doing “too well,” and was making much more money than China’s homegrown animated […] |
The Little Prince gets a stellar voice cast
James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro and Paul Giamatti have signed on to lend their voices to the animated adaptation of the classic philosophical French novel The Little Prince, reports THR. The animated feature will be helmed by Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda), and produced by Onyx Films’ Aton Soumach […] |
Billy Crystal and John Goodman reflect on Monsters University
In the excitement of Monsters University, Billy Crystal and John Goodman found the time to sit down with Collider and discuss the sequel which is really a prequel. In the interview, the respectable voices of Mike and Sulley discuss what they think about the new movie and the differences between the younger versions of their characters. They even share some […] |
Epic Blu-ray available to pre-order
Despite having been in theaters for less than two weeks, Fox/Blue Sky’s Epic is now available to pre-order at Amazon.com. Consumers may purchase the film in either the standard Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack or – for just three bucks more right now – the Blu-ray 3D combo pack. Released to positive reviews, Epic has collected […] |
China wants to be known for fruit and veggie animation
China has long lagged behind in the animation industry compared to the US, Japan, and Europe. With DreamWorks opening a studio in Shanghai, animation studios in the Middle Kingdom want to improve the domestic product. China.org.cn interviewed Xiong Weihu–the founder and chairman of Chengdu Hengfeng Animation Co.–to get his opinion on the current state of […] |
Planes rated PG, with Blu-ray coming this December?
While the official website for Disney’s Planes says the film is not yet rated, IGN and Blu-ray.com claim the MPAA has given the Cars spinoff a PG rating. Both Cars and its 2011 sequel were rated G – a rating which proved controversial for the latter film as parents found it too violent for younger […] |
Animated look at MU animation process
Disney Insider is giving fans a chance to get a behind the scenes look at the making of Monsters University and Pixar’s six-step progressive animation process, showing one scene from the film as it is transformed from an initial sketch into the final frame that will appear on the big screen. |
A first look at the live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service
Years ago, Walt Disney Pictures was planning on making a live-action remake of Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, but those plans fell apart a long time ago. Now a Japanese version is in production, with the first image being revealed on Coming Soon. This version is expected to follow the book series on which its based […] |