
A look at the world of Ponyo
GhibliWold has a look at a watercolor made by Hayao Miyazaki that shows the world of his upcoming film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Naussica.net reports that according to the film’s production diary the number of the animation cels in Ponyo exceeds 160,000. That compares to about 148,000 for Howl’s Moving Castle, 140,000 […] |
Box office and sales charts – week ending March 23, 2008
MOVIES (weekend box office from Box Office Mojo) 1. Horton Hears a Who! – $24.6 million ($86.0 million total) DVD (weekly sales from Nielsen VideoScan via The Hollywood Reporter) 1. Bee Movie 4. 101 Dalmations 6. Beowulf BROADWAY (weekly box office from Broadway.com) 2. The Lion King ($1,323,304) 3. The Little Mermaid ($1,186,297) 4. Mary […] |
Creating the Who-world of Horton
CGSociety has an excellent in-depth article where they talk to the the crew at Blue Sky Studios who worked on Horton Hears a Who! to find out what went into creating the unique look of the Who-world and its characters. The piece delves into the programming of the Seussian logic of exaggeration required to get […] |
Japan names anime ambassador
MSNBC reports that Japan has named an animated cat to be the country’s anime ambassador! Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura named Doraemon, a popular cartoon robot cat, to the post during an inauguration ceremony and said, “Doraemon, I hope you will travel around the world as an anime ambassador to deepen people’s understanding of Japan so […] |
DreamWorks Animation names new head of development
Alex Schwartz has been named head of development at DreamWorks Animation according to The Big Cartoon Database. Co-president of production Bill Damaschke said, “Alex is an exceptional and experienced executive with a proven track record. As we see the line between live action and animation continue to blur, we are eager to broaden our slate […] |
The Hanna Barbera Treasury nominated for Book of the Year award
Congratulations to animation historian Jerry Beck whose book The Hanna Barbera Treasury has been named a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards. The book is nominated in the “Popular Culture” category and faces competition from seven other entrants. Beck said, “This was a rare case where the finished book turned out exactly […] |
Batman: Gotham Knights voice cast announced
Currently featured on Toon Zone is an article announcing the voice cast of the upcoming direct-to-DVD project, Batman: Gotham Knights. Playing Batman will be fan-favorite Kevin Conroy, who has voiced the character in numerous other animated outings starring the superhero. Gary Dourdan, Ana Ortiz, David McCallum, and Parminder Nagra will also voicing major characters. Batman: […] |
Persepolis to return to theaters
Yahoo! News reports that the Academy Award nominated film Persepolis will be returning to 100 screens in the United States on April 11th. This time around, the animated autobiography will feature the English language, replacing the subtitles the film sported in its first run. Included in the cast are Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Sean Penn, […] |
Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk South Park and more
AV Club has an interview with South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wherein they talk about the show, writing the hardest episodes and why they don’t want to make any more movies. Parker also talks about his collaboration with Matt over the years, the show’s tight schedule and why he never enjoyed making […] |
Exclusive! Enchanted’s Kevin Lima and Chris Chase on their fairytale experience
Concluding Animated Views’ extensive Enchanted coverage, Jeremie Noyer speaks to the two men who made it all happen: director Kevin Lima and executive producer Chris Chase. The discussion is highlighted with some beautiful, never before seen development artwork chosen especially for us by them both, as they reveal how they finally brought the long on […] |
Disney's Enchanted Easter Experience
This Saturday, March 22, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will be present an Enchanted afternoon for families at The Grove of LA to celebrate the release of its animated/live action fairy tale to DVD and Blu-Ray. More information follows: |
Monster Vs Aliens website launched
The official website for the upcoming sci-fi satire Monsters Vs Aliens has recently been launched by DreamWorks. The teaser site features a short intro, as well as information regarding the film’s plot and cast. Monster Vs Aliens is set to hit theaters in Ultimate 3D on March 27, 2009. |
Toy Story Mania loads up its interactive ammo
The Orange County Register today showcases the new Toy Story Mania ride coming this May to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl, and in June to Disney’s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, CA. The 5½ minute ride is divided into several 31-second interactive carnival style games such as “an egg toss called Hamm ‘N’ […] |
The Jungle Book 2: Special Edition DVD details
DVDActive has posted the cover art and details for the upcoming The Jungle Book 2: Special Edition dvd, due out on 17th June. According to the site, the film will be presented in 1.66:1, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround tracks. Extras on the disc will include deleted scenes (including the original […] |
Casts for an imaginary live action Simpsons Movie
What if a live-action version of The Simpsons movie was to be made? Who would you cast as Bart or Homer? Filmonic has posted their list of cast, though according to the article, it is just for fun and they never want a live action movie to be made as The Simpsons are all about […] |
Japanese University to return animation cels to Disney
NYTimes reports that a Japanese university plans to return about 250 pieces of original animation art to the Walt Disney Company that were mislaid in storage after traveling to Japan nearly five decades ago. The collection which includes cels, backgrounds, preliminary paintings and storyboard sketches was handpicked by Walt Disney himself and sent to Japan […] |
Enchanted on DVD and Blu-Ray today!
Disney’s romantic part-animated musical comedy adventure Enchanted comes to DVD today, and we’re highlighting the release at Animated Views with a number of special articles, including exclusive interviews and never before seen artwork! • An interview with screenwriter Bill Kelly, Giselle’s Enchanted creator. • An interview with Disney executive Doug Short, who championed the project. […] |
How to Train Your Dragon voice cast
Variety reports that actors such as Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel and Christopher Mintz-Plasse will lend their voices for for DreamWorks Animation’s feature How to Train Your Dragon. Directed by Peter Hastings, Dragon marks the second film the studio will produce in Ultimate 3-D after Monsters vs. Aliens. How to Train Your […] |
Interview with Andreas Deja
UltimateDisney has an interview with Andreas Deja, who has served as supervising animator for some of Disney’s most famous and memorable characters, including “Gaston” from Beauty and the Beast, “Jafar” from Aladdin, “Roger Rabbit” from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, “Lilo” from Lilo and Stitch and “Scar” from The Lion King. Deja talks about Disney’s 1961 […] |
Horton a hit
Box Office Mojo reports that Fox/Blue Sky’s Horton Hears a Who! was a big hit with audiences in it’s debut weekend, easily taking the #1 spot with $45 million. |
Paul Eiding new WALL•E cast member
UpcomingPixar and PixarBlog report that IMDb is now listing actor Paul Eiding as providing additional voices for the upcoming Disney/Pixar film WALL•E. Eiding has provided voice work for every Pixar film, except the Toy Story films, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. |
The Art of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!
As the film gets ready to open in cinemas around the world, RottenTomatoes explores the art of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who! with Blue Sky’s VP of Creative Development, Chris Wedge and Mike Thurmeier, Senior Supervising Animator on the film. The duo talk about the film’s visual style and the creative team at Blue […] |
The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book 2 DVDs in June
UltimateDisney reports that Disney has announced The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition and The Jungle Book 2: Special Edition DVDs for release on June 17th. The Sword in the Stone disc will get a 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby 5.1 remix. Bonus features will include Disney Song Selection, a new “Merlin’s Magic […] |
First Ice Age 3 still
Latino Review has posted a first look at the upcoming animated sequel, Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. Available on the site is a still from the movie, which features the character Scrat in the jaws of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. A direct link to the image can be found here. Ice Age 3 opens […] |
Ghibli art exhibition in Tokyo, Ponyo gets an official English name
GhibliWorld reports that starting July 26 till September 28, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo will be holding an exhibition, called Studio Ghibli Layout Designs: Understanding the Secrets of Takahata/Miyazaki Animation wherein over 1000 layouts from the works of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata will be displayed. In addition, the website has also posted […] |
Batman: Gotham Knight DVD in July
DVDActive shares the details and artwork for the upcoming single-disc and double-disc releases of Batman: Gotham Knight in which six interlocking stories reveal how Bruce Wayne became Batman. The film will be released to coincide with the theatrical release of The Dark Knight, on the 8th July. The full details are yet to be revealed, […] |
Warner Bros and Disney/Pixar to co-produce Brad Bird's live-action film
UpcomingPixar and TheHollywoodReporter report that Two time Academy award winning director Brad Bird has signed on for his live-action feature directorial debut with 1906, a co-production between Warner Bros. and Disney/Pixar. The story of the film centers on a college student who begins to investigate the murder of his father, uncovering a web of deceit […] |
Horton Hears a Who! opens
Fox/Blue Sky’s Horton Hears a Who! opens today in 3,954 theatres, according to Box Office Mojo. The film is winning over the critics, garnering an impressive 82% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. Their consensus is that the film “is both whimsical and heartwarming, and is the rare Dr. Seuss adaptation that stays true to the […] |
New Madagascar 2 teaser
A new sneak peak for Madagascar 2: The Crate Escape can be viewed at DreamWorks SKG Fansite. The video is included in the Bee Movie DVD, which hit stores last Tuesday. Madagascar 2 is due out in theaters on 7 November, and features the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, […] |
WALL•E full length trailer online
A new full length trailer for the Disney/Pixar’s upcoming film WALL•E has made its way online. Apple has made available the trailer to watch or download in various formats, including HD. Directed by Andrew Stanton, WALL•E is set to hit the screens on June 27th, 2008. |