Jim Hill, who is always good for a different perspective on the news, says lower than expected box office numbers for A Christmas Carol aren’t going to bother Disney executives today. Hill says that Disney is taking the long view with the film, looking at what they can make not only in theatres and disc […]

The Anime News Network reports that a work by the late manga and anime creator Shotaro Ishinomori will be made into a live-action and CGI (computer graphics imagery) motion picture in 2012.

Although Disney and Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol won the US box-office this weekend, the tally was less than expected, coming in at just $31 million. Opening to mixed reviews, Disney is hoping another seven weeks until Christmas will give the motion-capture movie a festive boost in takings.

Boxofficemojo.com has updated their release schedule with new release dates for two upcoming movies. Disney’s Rapunzel, the studio’s first computer-animated fairy tale, is set to come out on November 24, 2010, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Meanwhile, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Sqeakuel has been bumped up slightly with a December 23, 2009 release […]

A second teaser trailer for Universal Pictures’ upcoming animated comedy Despicable Me can now be found online over at Apple.com. Me tells the story of Gru, a supervillain voiced by Steve Carell who plots to steal the moon. Also starring Jason Segal, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews, Despicable Me is set to strike theaters on […]

Disney and ImageMovers Digital’s A Christmas Carol opens today, in 3,683 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is getting mixed reviews, garnering a 57% Tomatometer rating from Rotten Tomatoes — though only a 40% Top Critics score. BoxOffice.com projects it should easily win the weekend with $42 million.

Disney has posted a feature on the music of The Princess and the Frog, hosted by the voice of Princess Tiana, Anika Noni Rose. Check out the full video here:

Variety reports that on several actors that are in negotiations to join the cast of the live-action/CG animated Yogi Bear. Dan Aykroyd is reportedly up for the voice of Yogi with Justin Timberlake voicing Boo-Boo. Anna Faris would play a documentary filmmaker.

Fortune Magazine has named Steve Jobs the CEO of the Decade. The Apple (and former Pixar) CEO is lauded for his part in redefining four distinct industries — personal computers, films, music, and phones — three of which occurred in just the last ten years. “Remaking any one business is a career-defining achievement; four is […]

Loose Moose Productions’ Caroline Attia has directed an animated homage to the Gong Man, the iconic trademark of the UK’s Rank Films used as the intro to all their films, to promote Odeon Cinemas’ new initiative of specially scheduled Mother and Baby screenings in England.

According to the Anime News Network, Funimation Productions has confirmed that Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, a reboot of animator Hideaki Anno’s giant robot anime, has been disqualified from competition for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

In addition to the previously mentioned Merry Madagascar, airing November 17th on NBC, at least two more new animated holiday specials will premiere this season. Disney will bring Prep & Landing to ABC this December 1st. “The half-hour holiday special reveals the never-before-told tale of an elite unit of Elves known as Prep & Landing. […]

DVD and Blu-ray cover art is included in a press release, for Halo Legends, an all-new anthology of seven stories that expands the universe of one of the world’s most popular video games, which can be read here:

Robert Zemeckis told MTV that the Who Framed Roger Rabbit sequel will feature motion-capture performances, an animation process he has used extensively over the past several years (and in tomorrow’s A Christmas Carol). “I wouldn’t use it for the cartoon characters, because I think they should stay two-dimensional because that’s what — I wouldn’t dimensonalize […]

USA Today reports that the popular children book series, “The Berenstain Bears”, are being made into a full-length movie. The movie will contain a mixture of both live-action and computer animation. It is prompted for a 2011 release date.

In the first of three featured articles, the UK-based film blog Flickering Myth profiles Pixar Animation Studios. The second part will follow on November 11, and part three on November 18, 2009.

The LA Times reports that after more than a decade of discussions, Disney has finally been granted permission to build a theme park in Shanghai. Disney CEO Robert Iger said, “China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for the Walt […]

Mickey Mouse is re-branded as an action hero in the Nintendo Wii console’s hotly anticipated Epic Mickey game set for release next year. The Guardian online speaks to designer Warren Spector about the game’s Cartoon Wasteland storyline, which will see the return of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit in his first major new role since Disney’s […]

Premiering on NBC November 17, DreamWorks’ animated special Merry Madagascar will debut on DVD the very next day – as a Walmart exclusive title. The half-hour special, in which Santa gets amnesia after his sleigh crashes on the island and Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria and the penguins must save Christmas by delivering presents, will be […]

The 82nd Academy Awards, to be held March 7, will be a two-headed affair as far as the host will be concerned: Steve Martin returns to the podium, to be joined by his SNL, 30 Rock and the upcoming It’s Complicated colleague Alec Baldwin, as announced by The Hollywood Reporter.

The Animation Guild Blog notes that the rumored and then dropped Disney project Joe Jump (mentioned here back in 2006) may be back in development.

Fans of the pioneering web series Tiki Bar TV may recognize the new VP of development for Disney Television Animation. Variety reports that Kevin Gamble, perhaps better known online as the fez-wearing, prescription-filling bartender Johnny Johnny, will be in charge of development and production of new animation shorts and series on Disney Channel and Disney […]

Over at Yahoo Movies, the 2nd trailer for Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon has just been released. The film, which will be shown in Digital 3D, is scheduled to be released on March 26, 2010.

“On a showy, exuberant demonstration of the glories of motion capture, computer animation and 3D technology level, it’s a wow. On any emotional level, it’s as cold as Marley’s Ghost”, so says Kirk Honeycutt in his Hollywood Reporter review for Disney’s production of Robert Zemeckis’ film of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

The National Film Board of Canada’s animated documentary Tying Your Own Shoes by Shira Avni, has won the Golden Dove Award at the 52nd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film.

The Hollywood Reporter suggests the doubling of entries in the Best Picture Academy Awards race could have a major effect on future Oscar winners…or not. Will it mean more space for big-budget blockbusters like Star Trek and animated fare such as Up? Or just create extra room for more arthouse titles? You won’t find the […]

Director Robert Zemeckis revealed in a recent MTV exclusive that Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman are collaborating to develop a script for a Roger Rabbit sequel. There have been many rumors in the past about potential sequels to the film, but this is valid material. You can expect more info about the sequel to be […]

IGN reports Seth Macfarlan’s American Dad has been renewed for a sixth season on Fox. This means all three MacFarlane series – including Family Guy, and the Cleveland Show – will be returning next year.

Home Media Magazine has opened up voting for their 2009 TV DVD Awards, honoring the best television series DVDs released this year. And animation is front and center in several key categories. The categories with animated nominees are listed below (specific animated nominees in bold print)–you can vote on the entire list here:

The Wall Street Journal has a nice piece on The Princess and the Frog, the return of traditional animation to Disney, and how it was brought about by some directors they let go and the company some blamed for the demise of hand drawn films.