The official website for Mulan II is now up at Disney.com and features three rather lengthy clips from the movie, as well as the usual games and activities, downloads, etc. Also, Music from the Movies mentions Joel McNeely has composed the score for Mulan II and is now moving on to scoring Lilo and Stitch […]

DVD Exclusive has announced its list of nominees for its 2004 Awards ceremony to be held February 8 at the Annenberg Building at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Animated features figure in prominently with The Lion King 1½ gathering eleven nominations. Other animated features that earned nominations include: Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition, […]

Could this image, currently on a shirt at Mr. Tee Shirt, be the image that will be used for final poster for Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith? Comparing it to the final posters for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, it certainly looks like the image may very well be […]

{{link http://www.cgnetworks.com/story_custom.php?story_id=2671&page=1 CGNetworks}} has posted their CG Retrospective, a look back at the top 20 “CG-related things that happened in 2004. The criteria for selection were that the event or thing that happened in 2004 had to be innovative, landmark or very cool”. Included in the list are software, video game, and movie news and […]

\\Shrek 2\\ was the top grossing film at the US box office this year according to {{link http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2004&p=.htm Box Office Mojo}}. Films of interest on the list (with their box office totals trough December 27) include: 1. \\Shrek 2\\, $441.2 million 2. \\Spider-Man 2\\, $373.6 million 4. \\The Incredibles\\, $251.7 million* 5. \\Harry Potter and […]

{{link http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa97.html#spo The Digital Bits}} has picked up a rumor that Paramount may be releasing \\Star Trek: The Complete Animated Series\\ on DVD on March 15. Originally aired in 1973 on NBC, \\Star Trek: The Animated Series\\ was at the time the most expensive animated series ever made, coming in at $75,000 per half-hour episode. […]

Ricky Gervais, the creator and star of the British hit show \\The Office\\, will be writing and lending his voice to an episode of \\The Simpsons\\ at the personal invitation of Matt Groening, according to {{link http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=cat&category1=Television&newsitem_no=12735 AWN}}. “I’ve got the rough idea, but this is the most intimidating project of my career,” Gervais said. […]

According to his {{link http://www.kellyfreas.com website}}, Frank Kelly Freas, one of the most prolific and popular science fiction artists in the world, died yesterday. In his long varied career as an artist Freas: illustrated stories for Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. Van Vogt, and many others; did covers for \\Mad Magazine\\; […]

\\{{link http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=3360 Animation Magazine}}\\ reports that \\Spider-Man 2\\ will be the first major motion picture to be screened using Sony’s new 4K Digital Projection System. The screening will take place on January 13 at the Entertainment Technology Center’s Digital Cinema Lab at the Hollywood Pacific Theatre, to be followed by a panel discussion on the […]

Box Office Guru reports that over the weekend, the live-action/animated film Fat Albert found itself in fourth place, taking in an estimated $10.7 million, rising 7% from its two-day bow last weekend. After nine days, the PG-rated family comedy has grossed $33.9 million. Meanwhile, though the film may not be animated, it should be noted […]

Ultimate Disney has a new DVD ad stand for The Incredibles, which advertises the DVD’s release date as March 15th. Meanwhile, DVDtoons has the cover art and list of bonus features for the Spongebob Squarepants Movie DVD, due to arrive in stores in March as well. Special features for the DVD include: “The Absorbing Tale […]

While news has been slow near the end of the year we can all use our hindsight now and take a look back at what was. For a rundown of the key business and animation events for The Walt Disney Company in the year 2004 check out That Was the (Disney) Year That Was at […]

This may be the most belated bit of news we’ll ever post here, but over at Cartoon Brew, Jerry Beck has posted a link to a piece at an Iranian News site about the recent discovery of the world’s oldest animation. The animated bit was found on some 5,000-year old pottery and shows a goat […]

After what seems like only a few weeks since we last compiled a similar pick of our favorite animated goodies, we come to the end of yet another year – Animated News’ first complete one – and another selection of all fine things animated.

Stage, screen, and TV actor Jerry Orbach has died of prostate cancer at 69. Orbach gave voice to Lumiere in \\Beauty and the Beast\\ where he gave an unforgettable performance in the Academy Award nominated song \\Be Our Guest\\. He also voiced Sa’luk in \\Aladdin and the King of Thieves\\, where he again turned in […]

{{link http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product.asp?master_movie_id=24545 }}Max and Dave Fleischer’s 1936 classic \\Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor\\ and a rarely seen short by (hand drawn and stop motion) animator Charley Bowers titled \\There It Is\\ have been added to the {{link http://www.loc.gov/film/nfr2004.html National Film Registry}} according to the head of Library of Congress, James Billington. Each year […]

The Superhero Times has a catalog shot of some of the merchandise for Batman Begins, fighting into theaters on June 17, 2005.

Before you pitch that next big movie idea to a studio or star, you may want to check out Animation World Magazine‘s helpful guide, “The Pitch Bible”.

Ashanti speaks to Blackfilm about her starring role in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, airing on ABC in May.

Comcast has a new, rather large image of the Batman from Batman Begins. Though the photo is dark, it does better reveal the highly-stylized look of the suit’s belt.

At Ultimate Disney‘s forum, ‘2099net’ has posted the latest bonus features passed by the British Board of Film Classification for the Incredibles Collector’s Edition DVD. Included in the bonus features are the new short “Jack Jack Attack” (4½ minutes), a trailer for Cars, a 15-minute alternate opening, and around 20 minutes of additional deleted scenes. […]

Box Office Report estimates indicate that the live action version of \\Fat Albert\\ debuted in the #2 spot gathering about $12.7 million for its two-day weekend (as the film opened on Christmas Day), well behind the $44.7 million made by the first place \\Meet the Fockers\\. The holiday season has been good to \\The Polar […]

Roy Disney has posted an open letter on the {{link http://www.savedisney.com/letters/shareholder_proposal122204.asp Save Disney}} website coming out against a recent proposal by Disney shareholder Frank Wierenga that would reserve a seat on the Board of Directors for a member of the Disney family. Disney said while he appreciated the sentiment behind the proposal he warned that […]

The official website for the Aladdin II & III Collection, featuring Aladdin: The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, is now online, containing DVD info, trailers, games, activities, and wallpaper. Thanks to Justin Williams at the AN Forum for the heads up! The Aladdin II & III Collection will be available […]

At Ain’t It Cool News, ‘Tron’ writes his thoughts concerning the Son of the Mask, which he saw at a test screening. Not surprisingly, his advice is, “Please do yourself a favor and believe your instincts when you watch the trailer for this flick. I wouldn’t be surprised that this flick ends up being released […]

Ain’t It Cool News has pics from The Muppet Wizard of Oz, featuring Kermit as the Scarecrow, Fozzie as the Cowardly Lion, Gonzo as the Tin Man, and singer Ashanti as Dorothy.

IGN FilmForce speaks to Kenan Thompson, who stars as the lovable main character in Fat Albert, opening domestically on Christmas Day.

Jerry Bruckheimer tells MTV that Geoffrey Rush has yet to sign on for a third Pirates of the Caribbean film- if the studio signs on for a third film, that is. “We’re hoping to start shooting [the second and third movies] in March, but we’re waiting for a very big check from Disney,” says Bruckheimer. […]

The Internet Movie Database’s Daily Poll for today poses the question, “What’s your fave Rankin-Bass Christmas special?“

In video interviews, IESB talks to Kenan Thompson, Dania Ramirez, and Kyla Pratt about their roles in the film Fat Albert, opening domestically on Christmas Day.