animated-news

Cartoon Network to explore Jimmy's Head

Coming Soon reports that Cartoon Network will bring viewers the live-action/animated series Out of Jimmy’s Head this fall. The show will expand the world introduced last year in the channel’s original movie Re-Animated. Regarding Jimmy’s Head, Michael Ouweleen, senior vice president of programming and development for Cartoon Network, explained, “With the success of the movie […]

Announcing Walt's People – Volume 5

On sale now at Xlibris books from the masterful hand of Didier Ghez comes Walt’s People – Volume 5, the next in a series of books conducting serious, scholarly interviews with artists who knew Walt Disney himself. Volume 5 features “in-depth interviews with artists James Algar, Bill Anderson, Buddy Baker, Jack Bradbury, George Bruns, Alice […]

M51 & Gizmo spotlighted; Anime licenses announced

Ain’t It Cool News points out the involvement of animator Tim Pyle (Invader Zim) on M51 & Gizmo. Blending traditional and computer animation, the educational short “looks at NASA’s Spitzer space telescopes and their role in the search for life in the universe, specifically where habitable planets can be located.” In other anime news, AICN […]

U.S. box office actuals: June 29–July 1, 2007

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo: 1) Ratatouille with $47,027,395, averaging $11,935 over 3,940 theaters (1st week) 11) Shrek the Third with $2,673,877, averaging $1,294 over 2,066 theaters ($313,739,703 total; 7th week) 12) Surf’s Up with $2,446,757, averaging $977 over 2,503 theaters ($53,760,658 total; 4th week) 30) Meet the Robinsons with $96,310, averaging $1,035 over 93 […]

Cast and crew talk Ratatouille

SCI FI Wire offers a video montage of interviews with Ratatouille writer/director Brad Bird and stars Patton Oswalt, Janeane Garofalo and Lou Romano. Meanwhile, Pixar illustrator and production designer Romano and story artist and animator Peter Sohn explain how they acquired the roles of Linguini and Emile for the film. In addition, Bird and producer […]

Kevin Costner presents The Explorers Club

According to Variety, Kevin Costner will produce, finance and lend his voice to The Explorers Club, an new animated series that will originate on the Internet during the holiday season in 12 four-minute segments. Costner intends to build a following and then turn The Explorers Club into a live-action feature. The animated series is a […]

Ratatouille takes the #1 spot

Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that Pixar’s Ratatouille was the number 1 movie in America this weekend, opening big with $47.2 mil this weekend across more then 3,940 theaters. Ratatouille‘s debut is still well below the last Pixar toon Cars, which opened in 2006 to $60 mil and earned less than 2003’s Finding Nemo ($70 mil) […]

TV to DVD: He-Man, Voltron, Josie And The Pussycats, Superman

TV Shows on DVD reveals that the 2002 series of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will be making its way to DVD in the near future. The site also reveals the rear cover artwork for Voltron: Defender Of The Universe, Josie And The Pussycats and Superman: Doomsday.

Simpsons Movie Roundup

Coming Soon hosts the latest poster for The Simpsons Movie while reporting that the full site went online and now hosts multiple games, downloads, a Virtual Springfield Tour and the ability to create your own Simpsons character. Meanwhile, /Film points to a Flickr.com album wich showcases a bunch of pictures of the first 7-Eleven turned […]

Cinema Expo debuts new posters

As noticed by Coming Soon, this week’s Cinema Expo, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, supplied a large assortment of new posters, banners and floor displays for upcoming features. Among the various films, titles relating to animation included Bee Movie, Horton Hears a Who!, The Simpsons Movie, Enchanted, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Beowulf. Film […]

Ratatouille story supervisor discusses research and challenges

Ratatouille story supervisor Mark Andrews discusses the research that went into making the animated film with Leo N. Holzer at TheReporter.com. A trip to Paris was a must. “With Google, we could look at shots of Paris until our eyes bleed, but you don’t get a sense of the true light there. You don’t get […]

Boomerang marathon to air every Flintstones episode

Cable channel Boomerang, Cartoon Network’s sister network, announced a special Independence Day marathon where they will air every episode of the first prime time animated series, The Flintstones, in chronological order. Kicking things off at 6am on Wednesday, July 4, will be the original pilot, entitled The Flagstones. The series finale will air Saturday, July […]

Weinstein, Gotham, Chungcheongnam-do team for animation

The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the Weinstein Company, animation management powerhouse Gotham Group and the Chungcheongnam-do government of South Korea are teaming to produce and distribute animated features. In addition, the Weinstein Co. and Gotham Group have entered a multiyear, first-look deal that will provide the Weinsteins with a steady stream of animated and family […]

Quiz: "Are you a Pixar pro?"

Moviefone presents the quiz “Are you a Pixar pro?” With queries spanning all of the company’s movies, this fun 13-question challenge can help one determine just how much a Pixar fan he or she truly is.

Art Stevens, RIP

o-meon reports the sad news that Disney animator/director Art Stevens passed away last May 22 due to a heart attack. Stevens began work at Disney in 1940 and worked on animated features such as Fantasia, Song of the South, The Three Caballeros, the Winnie the Pooh shorts and more. He helped Ward Kimball out with […]

Ratatouille opens

Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille opens today in 3,940 theaters according to Box Office Mojo. The film is wowing the critics, garnering an impressive 94% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, and a perfect 100% with the Cream of the Crop critics. The film is being gushed over for its look (Chicago Tribune: “you have never seen a computer-animated […]

Chances favorable for a TMNT sequel

Coming Soon points to the blog of Mirage Studios’ Steve Murphy, where it is confirmed that the a sequel to TMNT is looking more likely to happen. While the odds of a second installment in the computer animated franchise were recently described as “50-50,” Murphy writes that the odds have been raised to “70-30,” with […]

Simpsons Movie merchandise?

The American Chronicle asks the question, “Where is all the Simpsons Movie merchandise just one month before the movie hits theaters?” As a fan of the show, the article’s author, Timothy Sexton, ponders why more items relating to the film are unavailable at stores such as Target and Walmart.

StoryMakers salutes Walter Lantz and Woody Woodpecker

StoryMakers Studio is preparing an event honoring Woody Woodpecker and his creator Walter Lantz. With appearances by popular personalities in the animation industry, the ceremony may be seen by both Los Angeles attendees and the online community. Futhermore, everyone who registers to view the Woodpecker/Lantz celebration will receive their choice of animation-related eBooks. More details […]

Ratatouille roundup #3

Coming Soon conducts an interesting conversation with Ratatouille director Brad Bird. Meanwhile, SCI FI Wire serves a trio of articles regarding the movie: “Ratatouille, Short Share A Character,” “Ratatouille Sparked To Oswalt’s Rant” and “Ratatouille Mixes Toon Styles.”

Magic Moving Images book now available

From Colin Ord comes the new book Magic Moving Images – Animated Optical Illusions. The publication features such visuals as a horse galloping, a cat pouncing, cogs turning and 3D objects rotating. A demonstration of Magic Moving Images may be found at YouTube.

Nintendo DS becomes Enchanted

Details on the Enchanted Nintendo DS game have arrived at Mickey News. Coming this fall, the game will allow one to play as Princess Giselle, Prince Edward and chipmunk Pip in the settings of mythical Andalasia and real-world New York City. From Disney Interactive Studios, the Enchanted video game is being developed by Altron Corporation.

Bee Movie game trailer and demo

The trailer for the video game adaptation of Seinfeld’s Bee Movie can be viewed at Yahoo! Games. A free game demo is also available on the site.

Fixing up Ratatouille

Reuters has posted an interesting article giving insight on the changes Brad Bird made to Ratatouille when he took over as director for the film. The story also mentions why he was asked to step in on the project, as well as looking at his views on filmmaking and what his future plans are.

Canadian Simpsons poster

The latest poster for The Simpsons Movie can be found at CanMag. The one-sheet features the famous family on the run from an angry mob.

Beowulf comic mini-series coming in October

Comic Book Resources writes that a comic mini-series of Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf will arrive this October. From writer Chris Ryall, artist Gabriel Rodriguez and colorist Jay Fotos, the 32-page comics will be released in four weekly installments, leading up to the November 16 release of the motion picture.

Tarzan to leave Broadway

Thomas Schumacher, Disney’s head of theatrical productions, has announced that the Broadway incarnation of the animated hit Tarzan will end July 8, reports the IMDB’s Studio Briefing. Admitting that the show will close “earlier than any of us had hoped,” Schumacher was optmistic about the Dutch version of Tarzan, commenting, “I would have loved for […]

TV to DVD: She-Ra, Tree Friends, Foster's Home, Littles

TV Shows on DVD has the specs and artwork for She-Ra: Princess of Power – Season 2 and The Littles – The Complete Series. The site also introduces the front cover art for Happy Tree Friends – Season 1, Volume 3. In addition, the rear side of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends – The Complete […]

The Simpsons Movie soundtrack information

IGN features information on the soundtrack for The Simpsons Movie, which will be released July 24th, 2007. The article includes a look at what composer Hanz Zimmer wanted the music to be, as well as listing the tracks on the album. A limited edition will be released the following week.

Woodpecker DVD site updated

The official site for the Woody Woodpecker and friends – Classic Cartoon Collection DVD has been updated and now holds an extensive look at the DVD, its featured cartoons and bonus material. Furthermore, the site showcases some photos, clips and downloads. Woody‘s first venture on DVD will be available to own from July 24th.