animated-news

Buena Vista Pictures asks "For Your Consideration"

Buena Vista Pictures has opened its yearly “For Your Consideration” site. This time around, the studio is marketing Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Prestige, Déjà Vu and Apocalypto for the award season.

Nick Park talks Wallace, Gromit, and Aardman

An extended vodcast edition of Melvyn Bragg’s interview with Aardman animator Nick Park, {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00005785.html broadcast Sunday evening}} on the UK’s South Bank Show is now available on the ITV {{link http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=6479 South Bank webpage}}. The free 20-minute special will remain the highlighted episode for one week and can be played in regular iTunes players.

Smurfs features find inspiration in TV series, Lord of the Rings

From producer Jordan Kerner, Moviehole has the latest information regarding the upcoming computer-animated Smurfs movie trilogy. “Having seen all 234 episodes of the show, numerous times, Herb Ratner and I have been working really hard at looking where all the holes were in the episodes – ya’know, like all of a sudden another woman appears, […]

TV to DVD: Voltron, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

Hosted by TV Shows on DVD, new photos from the extras of Voltron – Volume 2: Yellow Lion are now online. The DVD set will make its way into stores on December 12. In the meantime, the cover artwork for Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends – Season 1 has been updated, along with the DVD […]

Cartoon Network gets Re-Animated with live-action

In the article “Cartoon Comes Alive,” Multichannel News notices the Cartoon Network original movie Re-Animated, airing December 3. The essay particularly observes the live-action content of the film, while also explaining the gradual shift Cartoon Network is taking in its programming. Nonetheless, the channel’s president, Jim Samples, assures viewers that his network will remain dedicated […]

Wallace & Gromit honored with children's BAFTA

Over the weekend, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was honored with another award, being named best feature film at the children’s British Academy Film and Television Awards. The Telegraph records that the film beat The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire […]

Cars car mockups

Upcoming Pixar has discovered some unique pictures of cars, as the vehicles have been tailored to mimic the stars of Disney/Pixar’s Cars. The Aston Martin, Dodge Viper and Ford Thames are just some of the rides receiving the mockup treatment at the interestingly named Monster Monster.

Sony to take stake in FrameFlow?

The Hindu Business Line writes that the Sony Corporation of America may soon have a 51% stake in FrameFlow India Pvt Ltd. Employing 70 visual effects artists, the Chennai-based animation and special effects company recently worked with Sony on the Adam Sandler comedy Click.

Flushed Away character posters

The Internet Movie Poster Awards displays four character banners (Roddy and Rita, The Toad, Spike, Le Frog) for Flushed Away. Proudly proclaiming various puns, the poster set comes from the U.K., where the most recent DreamWorks/Aardman collaboration will be making its debut this Friday.

Robin Hood DVD grab bag #3

Following are six images from the concept art and promotional images bonus feature on tomorrow’s release of Disney’s Robin Hood: The Most Wanted Edition to DVD.

Aardman "Bragg"s about Flushed Away tonight on UK TV

As Flushed Away gears up for its debut in UK cinemas, a specially animated Plasticine Melvyn Bragg introduces tonight’s South Bank Show profile of Aardman Animation’s Nick Park, whose small and big-screen hits include Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run and Creature Comforts, examining the filmmaker’s stringent working practices and asking why the studio has been […]

Machomer

For those who can’t wait for The Simpsons Movie and can transport themselves to the master planned community of Irvine in Orange County Machomer, a one man play performed by Rick Miller acting out William Shakespeare’s MacBeth utilizing characters from long-running television animated comedy The Simpsons, is running today and tomorrow at the Irvine Barclay […]

Robin Hood DVD grab bag #2

From next Tuesday’s DVD release of Disney’s Robin Hood: The Most Wanted Edition comes four screen shots from a proposed alternate ending to the classic film:

101 Dalmatians, AristoCats DVD release dates found?

From an anonymous source, Ultimate Disney has learned that the two-disc Platinum Edition DVD for One Hundred and One Dalmatians is scheduled for October 2008. As the site notes, this latest word contradicts an earlier report from Australia that claimed Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the two Platinum releases for 2008. […]

Happy Feet roundup #3

Yahoo! Movies/FilmStew takes an extended look behind the scenes of Happy Feet, with director George Miller weighing in on the movie’s making. Concurrently, Miller speaks to JoBlo about his penguin picture. In the meantime, it appears that not everyone is happy with Happy Feet, as Media Matters provides a rundown of why numerous political commentators […]

Nightmare Before Christmas fan art contest winners

After receiving a healthy amount of entries, Coming Soon displays the winners for its recent fan art contest, held in celebration of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D. Finishing at #1 place is “The Tragic Couple,” giving new meaning to the vow “‘Til death do us part.” Other honorees include: “Marianne,” […]

Realscan 3D experiences Déjà Vu

PR Newswire delivers SYS-CON Media an official press release regarding the services of Realscan 3D in Touchtone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Déjà Vu. The visual effects supplier produced ten digital doubles of humans, for use in the movie’s computer-generated crowd sequences. This feat was made possible through the high-res texture maps and geometry captured by Realscan […]

Electronic Arts, University College London study game animation

Gamasutra writes that the UK branch of major video game publisher and developer Electronic Arts is teaming with graphics researchers at University College London to research visualization methods. This action is a step toward the development of animation techniques to considerably improve the visual quality of computer games.

Dissecting a scene from Happy Feet

In its most recent “Anatomy of a Scene,” The New York Times takes an intriguing look at the making of a particular point in Happy Feet. Broadcasting the clip, the piece then shares a commentary from the movie’s director, George Miller.

Potter trailer offers glimpse of traditional animation

On the heels of the teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes a trailer about a much different Potter. Playing now at Moviefone, the video for Miss Potter previews the biopic of children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. As shown in the trailer, the live-action film contains traditional animation, bringing […]

RIP, Robert Altman (February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006)

At the age of 81 years, legendary film director Robert Altman died Monday, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His passing was the result of complications with cancer. Altman enjoyed a career filled with much critical acclaim. Among his many honors, he was nominated for the “Best Director” Academy Award five times, for the films M*A*S*H (1970), […]

Medical cartoons reviewed

Discovered by Cartoon Brew, an article found in The New York Times, “Historians Resurrect ‘Cartoon Medicine’ for a New Generation,” notices past cartoons used to teach important medical lessons. Some of the shorts featured in the editorial are Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike, Use Your Head and The Traitor Within.

More Arthur and the Invisibles images

Latino Review showcases a few new pictures from Arthur and the Invisibles. The latest images show the more animated side of the computer-animated/live-action flick. In the U.S., Arthur and the Invisibles will have a limited run starting December 15, before opening nationwide on January 12.

Robin Hood DVD grab bag

From next Tuesday’s DVD release of Disney’s Robin Hood: The Most Wanted Edition comes five menu screens (with screen grabs of a deleted scene and concept art to come):

Destino and Oswald coming to DVD

As pointed out by David in our Animated News Forum, Disney will be releasing the Salvador Dali/Walt Disney short Destino and many of the old Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts to DVD soon. These collections are being prepared under the watchful eye of Roy Disney. Check out the Disney Legacy page for more details.

First Ratatouille review

This was certainly earlier than expected but AICN has a very early review of Pixar’s next summer release, Ratatouille.

Platige Image treads Paths of Hate

Platige Image, the studio behind the Oscar-nominated The Cathedral and the BAFTA-winning Fallen Art, is teaming with Damian Nenow to work on Paths of Hate. A trailer for the film is now showing at its website. For more official information, including pictures, on Paths of Hate, please click:

Disney, Target reach agreement in DVD dispute

The Walt Disney Co. and Target have reached a truce, providing some relief from a recent conflict over DVD pricing, writes the Los Angeles Times. “Target had begun taking down some signs advertising Disney DVDs and moving others to unfavorable locations after Disney refused to lower the wholesale prices of the products to the level […]

U.S. weekend box office actuals: November 17–19, 2006

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo: 1) Happy Feet with $41,533,432, averaging $10,918 over 3,804 theaters (1st week) 5) Flushed Away with $6,596,962, averaging $1,994 over 3,307 theaters ($48,588,533 total; 3rd week) 28) Open Season with $201,388, averaging $516 over 390 theaters ($83,948,077 total; 8th week) 33) The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D with $140,675, averaging […]

Seinfeld gets animated

As a promotion for today’s release of Seinfeld – Season 7 on DVD, Grouper broadcasts numerous scenes from the series, including a couple that have been animated. Interestingly, the black-and-white animation combines a somewhat simple style but an imaginative take on the clips’ dialogue, leading to humorous results.