animated-news

WALL•E the webmaster

o-meon has a sneak peek at what Disney.com will look like beginning June 24 when Pixar’s Wall-E attempts to run the huge corporate website. “With the approach of one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated films, the Disney/Pixar release of WALL•E, the designers and engineers began to wonder what, besides linking to the film’s web […]

AFI's top 10 animated films

AFI’s top 10 of animation was revealed tonight, with quotes-sadly limited to voice talent and random celebrities but still enjoyable-by Isabella Rossellini, Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberg, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Cameron Crowe and more. Like all lists the ranking is highly questionable but still more credible than most. Click […]

Details on Coraline video games

D3Publisher will release the video games based on Focus Features and Laika’s stop-motion feature film Coraline, credited as the first to be originally filmed in 3-D. Directed by Henry Selick, Coraline follows a young girl (Dakota Fanning) who walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. […]

Monsters vs. Aliens toy licensee announced

While Hasbro is the master toy licensee on DreamWorks’ latest hit Kung Fu Panda, the studio will have to settle for a smaller partner on its first stereoscopic 3D film next March. ToyQuest’s line for Monsters vs. Aliens will include action figures, non-electronic table top games, vehicles, playsets, role-play products, plush, youth electronics, seasonal toys, […]

Review of The Jungle Book 2: Special Edition DVD

Ultimate Disney took a look for us at the sequel’s new DVD edition: “Unsurprisingly, the name Special Edition is anything but in this case. All Disney has done is changed the packaging and sneak peeks, and added a game. It’s doubtful anyone eager to own this sequel has waited up until this point to purchase […]

Pixar does it again! A first, rave review of Presto

Coming Soon! had the chance to see Pixar’s new short and their verdict is now online: “without a doubt (…) one of Pixar’s best. It’s definitely a treat before the main feature even starts.”

The magic behind Toy Story Mania

AWN recently sat down with Pixar’s Roger Gould and Walt Disney Imagineering’s Sue Bryan to discuss the making of the much talked about new Disney ride, Toy Story Mania. The L.A. Times also takes a look at the new attraction.

More Wall•E goodness

The Pixar Blog posted more quotes with writer/director Andrew Stanton, new movie stills, and the first production photos.

New stills for Pixar's Presto

Check out the Upcoming Pixar Gallery page for four beautiful images from the new Pixar short Presto which will play later this month before the already critically acclaimed Wall•E. Here’s the official synopsis for the Doug Sweetland-directed short: “Dignity. Poise. Mystery. We expect nothing less from the great, turn-of-the-century magician, Presto. But, when Presto forgets […]

Meet the man behind Big Bird

AP offers an interesting profile 74-year-old Caroll Spinney who has been playing both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch in Sesame Street for nearly four decades now.

The world loses a great: Stan Winston (1946-2008)

Four-time Oscar winner Stan Winston, who created some of the most memorable visual effects in cinematic history, passed away yesterday at age 62 after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma. The effects master helped bring the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, the extraterrestrials from Aliens, the robots from Terminator and even Edward Scissorhands to the big […]

Wall-E at the Needle

An image of Wall-E checking out “the Seattle sights, developing a special – though not surprising interest in the city’s landmark Space Needle” has just been released by the Walt Disney Studios and can be viewed here:

Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane join Astro Boy

Imagi announced today that Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy and Eugene Levy would be joining Freddie Highmore for the 2009 feature adaptation of Astro Boy, being directed by David Bowers (Flushed Away). Summit Entertainment will distribute the film worldwide except for Imagi‘s reserved territories of Japan, Hong Kong and China. Astro Boy […]

Kung Fu Panda continues to kick at the box office

The DreamWorks Animation hit grossed a healthy $14 million overseas over its second weekend in only 15 markets. Paramount’s go-slow release strategy has paid off so far with a foreign cume of $41.5 million so far, with the family pic expanding to China and Mexico next weekend. Panda only dropped one spot this weekend at […]

Fly Me To The Moon's success encouraging for the future of 3D

European exhibitor Kinepolis in Belgium, France and Spain have been keen to take on alternative 3-D films. They not only want to test the market but also ensure a steady 3-D product stream once they start promoting the format, says Variety. Fly Me to the Moon, a family animation conceived in 3-D by Belgium toon […]

Space Chimps backed up by out of this world promotional campaign

MediaPost offers a rundown of the various promotions in the works for Twentieth Century Fox’s July animated film Space Chimps, from partners like Dole to malls and theaters ads, video games, an online campaign and a chimp language translator found on the film’s official site that allows kids create messages in chimp-an-eez and send them […]

Very first images of Disney's Bolt

/Film finally offers us a first look at Disney’s CG follow-up to Meet the Robinsons, which has had a rocky production and the Mouse House kept under wraps until today. Miley Cyrus voices Penny, Bolt’s acting partner, in this anticipated 3D November release. Except a teaser trailer to be attached to Wall•E later this month.

Reviews leak and amazing buzz starts on Wall•E

Harry Knowles describes the new Pixar film as “arguably the best film Walt Disney has ever had its name on,” “one of the absolute best hard science fiction films made in my adult life,” and “an incredible work of speculative future mythology the likes of which, I’ve never seen… whilst also being wildly entertaining and […]

Wall-E set to clean up at the El Capitan

From June 27 to August 27 the Disney/Pixar sure-to-be-hit Wall-E will be screening at Disney’s own El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. An all new live stage show “Flights of Fantasy” featuring Disney characters past and present (most who have the ability to fly in one way or another) will precede each screening of the […]

Panda's 2D opening scene

The traditionally animated opening scene of Kung Fu Panda is available for your viewing pleasure on MSN Movies. This scene is one of the two in Panda which employs traditional animation, with more 2-D character animation being featured in the end credits. The opening sequence was created by James Baxter’s studio, also responsible for the […]

New Ponyo images

GhibliWorld has posted new images from Hayao Miyazaki’s upcoming film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Ponyo opens in theatres across Japan on July 19.

Seann William Scott talks about Planet 51

Actor Seann William Scott revealed more details on the animated comedy Planet 51 in a recent interview with SCI FI Wire. “One of the first scenes is, like, you see everyone watching this movie, and it pulls back to reveal that they’re aliens. And so humans are aliens to them. And Dwayne Johnson’s character lands […]

More Wall•E featurettes and music

The Pixar Blog just posted three new vignettes which recently aired in Brazil. Also make sure to preview the excellent soundtrack over at Amazon MP3!

Pixar vs. DreamWorks

‘Renn Brown’ posted an interesting mini-essay on his blog over at CHUD about what he thinks the main difference is between the two animation giants.

Sony responds to Sit Down walkout

Sony responded yesterday to the walkout by the writers for Sony Pictures TV’s upcoming animated series for Fox Sit Down, Shut Up. The writers, who are members of the WGA, left the show Thursday, claiming that they were misled by Sony TV that they would be covered by the WGA, while the studio had made […]

Sita, Plympton's Angels win at Annecy

Nina Paley’s feminist musical Sita Sings the Blues and Bill Plympton’s blackly comic redemption tale Idiots & Angels pulled off a triumphant double at the 32nd Annecy International Animated Film Festival, winning best picture and a Special Mention respectively. Read the full list of winners here.

The Simpsons Movie, Ratatouille and Bee Movie score at the Key Art Awards

The Simpsons Movie was one of the big winners last night at the 37th annual Key Art Awards, which honor the best movie posters, trailers and other marketing efforts. The Fox feature film won four awards, including honors for its theatrical cardboard “standees” and its Web site design. Meanwhile Bee Movie won for Best Family […]

Kung Fu Panda to reach $120M by Sunday

Kung Fu Panda dropped only 50% yesterday to gross an estimated $10M Friday from an expanded theater count of 4,136 en route for a strong $35M weekend. Nikki Finke warns that Saturday matinees will need to be big for the animated film to grab the #2 spot since M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening performed much […]

Kung Fu Panda heading into a strong second weekend

DreamWorks Animation’s latest hit is trailing the pace of 2006’s Cars and reached yesterday a very impressive $83 million at the U.S. box office. Kung Fu Panda is expected to only drop 35-40% this weekend with most kids finally out of school. Look for Po to sit on $120 million by Sunday.

Anna Faris and Andy Samberg to star in Sony's Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

The hilarious Anna Faris revealed to MTV News, while on the Albuquerque set of her new movie Observe & Report, that should be starring alongside Saturday Night Live‘s Andy Samberg in Sony Pictures Animation’s next feature film: “I’m doing an animated movie when I get back called Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. It’s a […]