News - 07/10/09...

Bruno Tries to Crack Ice Age, Transformers

It may take a new comedy from the creator of Borat to finally end the robots’ rein atop the box office.

Bruno, which stars Sascha Baron Cohen as the effeminate, offensively clueless and very gay Austrian fashion journalist, opens in 2,755 theaters Friday. Borat, which opened in November 2003, grossed $128 million domestically.

The Universal release goes up against the Fox comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper, starring Hayden Panettiere of Heroes fame and opening in 1,900 venues.

Both films enter a tough field, dominated by the juggernaut known as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and the animated 3-D comedy Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Transformers is the most-successful film of the year, having so far grossed more than $310 million and looking to add even more. Ice Age, the third film in the series from Fox and Blue Sky Studios, also is formidable, having grossed more than $86 million in its first week of release.

Up, the Disney-Pixar release, appears to be winding down a bit, but remains the year’s second-most successful film with a to-date gross of more than $268 million.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Lasseter, Burton, Zemeckis and Miyazaki to take part in Disney panels to be presented at this year’s Comic-Con

Jim Hill shares a press release that Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures just passed along. Which offers details on the Mouse’s presentations at this year’s Comic-Con International

If you haven’t already decided that you really, really, REALLY need to attend this year’s Comic-Con International, the following will certainly seal the deal.

You wanna know who Disney’s bringing to San Diego this year? Would you believe John Lasseter, Tim Burton, Robert Zemeckis and Hayao Miyazaki? Not to mention Ron Clements, John Musker, Kirk Wise and Lee Unkrich.

Wait. It gets better. On Thursday, July 23rd, Patton Oswalt (That’s right. The voice of Remy from “Ratatouille” ) will moderated Comic-Con’s first-ever 3D panel. Which feature footage from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ upcoming 3D adventures, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Tron.”

Here. Read the press release. Then – if you don’t already have a pass to the show – head on over to eBay and hope & pray that someone is selling their tickets to this year’s Comic-Con:

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES’ COMIC-CON AGENDA IS FULL OF “FIRSTS”

DIRECTORS ZEMECKIS, BURTON TO TAKE PART IN FIRST-EVER 3D PANEL

ANIMATION LEGENDS MIYAZAKI & LASSETER TO ANCHOR ANIMATION PANEL

Studio to Showcase Key Titles—PONYO, TOY STORY & TOY STORY 2 DOUBLE FEATURE, DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, TOY STORY 3 and TRON

BURBANK, Calif. (July 9 , 2009) — Animation greats Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter and directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton will take part in their first ever Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center July 23-24. The filmmakers will be on hand to help Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures showcase a wide-ranging roster of upcoming films, including 3D juggernauts ALICE IN WONDERLAND, TRON and DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and animated gems THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, PONYO and the TOY STORY trilogy.

Zemeckis, Burton, Miyazaki and Lasseter will take part in industry panels.

COMIC-CON’S FIRST EVER 3D PANEL — Veteran directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton join TRON producers Sean Bailey and Steve Lisberger on Thurs., July 23 at 11 a.m. for an unprecedented presentation featuring behind-the-scenes filmmaker insights about the highly anticipated 3D adventures DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and TRON. In addition to Q&A opportunities with each of the filmmakers, the 90-minute panel will feature never-before-seen concept art, trailers, actual 3D film footage and other Comic-Con-only footage debuts. In a groundbreaking technical feat, this is the first time ever that 3D footage will be shown at Comic-Con.Patton Oswalt will moderate.

ANIMATION PANEL — Animation legends Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter join veteran animation directors Lee Unkrich, Kirk Wise, Ron Clements and John Musker on Fri., July 24 at 12:45 p.m. for an animation panel which will highlight upcoming animated films, including Disney•Pixar’s TOY STORY/TOY STORY 2 double feature, Disney•Pixar’s TOY STORY 3, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ half-hour holiday TV special PREP & LANDING, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG and Miyazaki’s PONYO. John Lasseter will host the panel and Patton Oswalt will moderate a group Q&A following the presentation, which will include filmmaker insights, trailers and select film sequences.

ABOUT THE MOVIES:
























Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved

PONYO

From the Academy Award®-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by NOAH CYRUS) and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent, including CATE BLANCHETT, MATT DAMON, TINA FEY, FRANKIE JONAS, CLORIS LEACHMAN, LIAM NEESON, LILY TOMLIN and BETTY WHITE. PONYO opens in U.S. theaters on Aug. 14, 2009.

TOY STORY & TOY STORY 2 – DOUBLE FEATURE (In Disney Digital 3D™)

Disney ● Pixar’s TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2 return to the big screen in an exciting double feature Oct. 2, 2009—this time in Disney Digital 3D™.

TOY STORY

They’re toys, they talk—at least when people aren’t around—and they’re back… celebrating the return of the “Toy Story” franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D. TOY STORY, the film that started it all, takes moviegoers back to that fantastic fun-filled journey, viewed mostly through the eyes of two rival toys— Woody (voice of TOM HANKS), the lanky, likable cowboy, and Buzz Lightyear (voice of TIM ALLEN), the fearless space ranger.The comically-mismatched duo eventually learn to put aside their differences when circumstances separate them from their owner Andy and they find themselves on a hilarious adventure-filled mission where the only way they can survive is to form an uneasy alliance.

TOY STORY 2

Disney•Pixar’s TOY STORY 2 picks up as Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp, leaving his toys to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector named Al McWhiggin (voice of WAYNE KNIGHT), owner of Al's Toy Barn, kidnaps Woody (voice of TOM HANKS).At Al's apartment, Woody discovers that he is a highly valued collectible from a 1950s TV show called “Woody's Roundup," and he meets the other prized toys from that show - Jessie the cowgirl (voice of JOAN CUSACK), Bullseye the horse and Stinky Pete the Prospector (voice of KELSEY GRAMMER).Back at the scene of the crime, Buzz Lightyear (voice of TIM ALLEN) and the gang from Andy's room – Mr. Potato Head (voice of DON RICKLES), Slinky Dog (voice of JIM VARNEY), Rex (voice of WALLACE SHAWN) and Hamm (voice of JOHN RATZENBERGER) – spring into action to rescue their pal from winding up as a museum piece.The toys get into one predicament after another in their daring race to get Woody home before Andy returns.

DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL (In Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D)

DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event.Ebenezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH).But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.Opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 6, 2009.

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Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (ANIKA NONI ROSE), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman. Opens on November 25, 2009 in NY and LA, and on December 11, 2009 nationwide.

PREP & LANDING

PREP & LANDING is ABC’s first television special produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The half-hour holiday special reveals the never-before-told tale of an elite unit of Elves known as Prep & Landing. Every Christmas Eve, this high-tech organization ensures that homes around the world are properly prepared for a visit from the Big Guy (aka Santa Claus). After working tirelessly on Prep & Landing for 227 years, an elf named Wayne (voice of Dave Foley) is upset when he doesn’t receive an expected promotion to be the Director of Naughty List Intelligence. Instead, Magee (voice of Sarah Chalke), the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator (NPCECCC for short), partners Wayne with Lanny (voice of Derek Richardson), an idealistic rookie who has an undying enthusiasm for Christmas.During their Christmas Eve mission, Wayne and Lanny encounter unexpected challenges that push them to their limits.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (In Disney Digital 3D™)

Walt Disney Pictures’ magical animated classic BEAUTY AND THE BEAST returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™, introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery. Opening Feb. 12, 2010, the film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of PAIGE O’HARA), a bright and beautiful young woman who’s taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of ROBBY BENSON) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff—a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others—and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast’s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince. Featuring unforgettable music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, and an enormously talented vocal ensemble, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was the first—and only—animated feature to receive a Best Picture nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (In Disney Digital 3D™)

From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER; Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ on March 5, 2010.

























Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved

TOY STORY 3 (In Disney Digital 3D™)

The creators of the beloved “Toy Story” films re-open the toy box and bring moviegoers back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz and our favorite gang of toy characters in TOY STORY 3.Lee Unkrich (co-director of “Toy Story 2” and “Finding Nemo”) directs this highly anticipated film, and Michael Arndt, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of “Little Miss Sunshine,” brings his unique talents and comedic sensibilities to the proceedings.TOY STORY 3 comes to theaters nationwide in Disney Digital 3D™ on June 18, 2010.

TRON (title not final) (In Disney Digital 3D™)

TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? And – yes (Just in case you’re wondering) JHM WILL be covering these panels at this year’s Comic-Con.





Miyazaki’s U.S. Tour to Stop in Berkeley

Master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s upcoming visit to the United States is adding a stop at the University of California, Berkeley.

Miyazaki is set to visit the Northern California city on July 25, accepting the Japan Prize from the college’s Center for Japanese Studies, reports The New York Times.

In preparation, the Pacific Film Archive is presenting Miyazaki’s films on the big screen in a series that runs from July 12-21. The screenings, which will be held at the Archive’s theater at 2575 Bancroft Way, runs by the following schedule:

July 12, 4 p.m., My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
July 14, 7 p.m., Porco Rosso (1992)
July 19, 2:30 p.m. Castle in the Sky (1986)
July 21, 7 p.m., Princess Mononoke (1997)

Tickets are available by calling (510) 642-5249 or online at
http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/tickets.

Miyazaki’s appearance at Berkeley will follow his appearance July 24 at Comic-Con International in San Diego, where he is set to address fans in the 6,500-seat Hall H.

He also will appear at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on July 28 for a sold-out discussion with Disney-Pixar exec John Lasseter.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Nick UK Rounds Up Super Hero Squad

Marvel Animation’s new kid-friendly series Super Hero Squad is coming to the United Kingdom’s NickToons in October.

In an exclusive acquisition, the channel will present 26 half-hour episodes of the new series, which featuers super-stylized versions of such iconic Marvel characters as Captain America, Silver Surfer, Iron Man, Hulk and Wolverine.

The series features an all-star cast of voice talent, including Tom Kenny, Charlie Adler, Steve Blum and Grey DeLisle. Guest voices include turns by such fan favorites as Wayne Knight, LeVar Burton, Michelle Trachtenberg, Greg Grunberg, Lena Headey, Adrian Pasdar, Tricia Helfer, Jennifer Morrison, Tamera Mowry, Robert Englund and Stan Lee as the Mayor of Super Hero City.

“The Super Hero Squad show is an exciting new acquisition for NickToons, which will be a major highlight of 2010,” says Debbie MacDonald, VP, Programming Director for Nickelodeon UK. “We’re delighted to have such a brilliant animation series that will appeal to the super hero in us all.”

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Chorion Reps Dan Dare License

Dan Dare, the space-faring hero of classic English comic strips, is back in the game, with the Dan Dare Corp. choosing Chorion to represent the international licensing rights to the characters.

Created by Frank Hampson and first appearing in The Eagle in April 1950, Dan Dare became an icon to English comics readers of the 1950s and 1960s.

Already signed to new deals are Simon Spicer for greeting cards and wrap; Somerbond for apparel; Day 2 Day Trading for figurines, and Russimco, who will be launching a master toy range in early 2010.

“The Dan Dare artwork is simply breathtaking, with vivid colours and precise detail and we are excited to be reviving this much loved property, bringing new products to the market for both old and new fans alike.” said Nicholas Durbridge, Chairman, Copyrights, a Chorion company.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Monsters, Wubbzy to Wow at Home

Monsters vs. Aliens, DreamWorks Animation’s hit 3-D feature film, and the smash Nick hit Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: Wubb Idol are coming home in September.

Arriving on Sept. 29, Monsters vs. Aliens arrives on DVD and Blu-ray with a world premiere 3-D short film, B.O.B.’s Big Break.

The film will be released in a single DVD, Ginormous Double DVD Pack and a Blu-ray edition, both of which include four pairs of 3-D glasses, a new 3-D interactive game, deleted scenes, behind the scenes features, a filmmaker commentary and activities. The feature film is not presented in 3-D on this release.

Wubb Idol, which aired as a TV movie on Nick Jr., comes to DVD on Oct. 13 and features a new original song, "Sing-a-Song", from Beyonce Knowles.

The international music star also provides the voice of Shine, lead singer of the Wubb Girlz group in the movie.

The new 93-minute DVD offers twice the content of the Wubb Idol TV movie and also features special activities, coloring pages, music videos and more. Released by Anchor Bay Entertainment, the disc has a suggested retail price of $16.98.












(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Trailer for CG Animated Horror BLOOD TRAIL

My biggest gripe with animated films in Hollywood today is the lack of mature or edgy content for adults. Most of the animated films getting produced are driven by slapstick gags and the characters are drawn in cartoony fashion. Creative studio Nathan Love, in collaboration with Perspective Studios, has completed a three-minute trailer for Blood Trail that utterly go against this convention. Its a horror piece based on writer Matt Cochran’s screenplay of the same name and its expected to be developed into a feature film, video game and/or graphic novel. Before you watch this trailer, I must warn you that it contains extreme gore and graphic violence in full CG animated glory. This is definitely not safe for work so keep your kids away. What transpire in the last half had me going “oh shit!”.

You’ll find the trailer embedded below after the break.

Note: Ignore the "Preview unavailable" - it does work.



(Thanks Twitch)





Run Wrake Falls Under The Spell Of THE CONTROL MASTER!

Just over two years back I fell completely and madly in love with the work of animator Run Wrake, specifically his surreal and stream of consciousness piece Rabbit, which was then screening as part of the Worldwide Short Film Festival. And so, it was with much chagrin that earlier today I realized that Wrake had since completed an entirely new piece and released it for free online viewing in 2008 and I’d missed it entirely. Well, thank god for the Fantasia Festival in Montreal for setting me right on this one. It’s called The Control Master and I’m including the trailer below the break. It is typically brilliant.

Note: Ignore the "Preview unavailable" - it does work.



(Thanks Twitch)





Gramophone! Teaser for Jonathan Nix’s THE MISSING KEY

Twitch has not as yet given the work of Jonathan Nix any attention. That will change. Better late than never, right? Jonathan’s work producing animated shorts and soundtracks for the same has won him critical acclaim at festivals across his native Australia and beyond, and his latest project is the very wonderful-looking The Missing Key. This planned 25-minute short appears to build on the whimsical baroque setting for his earlier piece Hello (2003), a melancholy Italianate fantasy world with a distinctive touch of the surreal, and so far it looks to be absolutely gorgeous. Find the synopsis and a two-minute preview trailer from YouTube embedded after the break.

Set in a richly re-imagined Venice of the early twentieth century, The Missing Key tells the story of the young composer Hero Wasabi and his clarinet-playing cat Jacuzzi. When Hero’s almost completed musical composition and piano are destroyed by the villainous Morsocodo, henchman of rival composer Count Telefino, Hero has to search deep within himself to find a melody that can compete in the prestigious musical competition he has worked so hard to enter.



The Missing Key appears to have become very much an ongoing project, with other commitments forcing Jonathan Nix and his colleagues to delay it quite some time past its intended release, but Cartwheel Productions plan to have the film finally completed later this year. Fingers crossed!

(Thanks Twitch)





UPDATED - "Saturday Morning Cartoons" Vol. 2 Coming in October

According to Home Theater Forum, the second volumes of Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960's and 1970's come to DVD on 10/27/09 for $26.99 each. Both sets will contain two discs and special features include Saturday Morning Previews similar to the first volumes'.

A preliminary listing of episodes for both sets are as follows:

1960's:
* Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero: Attack From Outer Space/Rhom, Super Criminal/The Eye of Ramapoor
* Flintstones: The Flintstones Flyer
* The Porky Pig Show: Scaredy Cat/Baton Bunny/Feather Dusted
* The Adventures of Aquaman: Menace of the Blanc Manta/The Rampaging Reptile-Men/The Return of Nepto
* Superman: The Force Phantom
* The Jetsons: A Date With Jet Screamer
* The Road Runner Show: Beep Beep/Satan's Waitin'/Chili Corn Corny
* Tom and Jerry Show: No Bones About It/An Ill Wind/Beach Bully

1970's:
* The Bugs Bunny Show: Whoa! Be Gone/To Itch His Own/Gee Whiz-z-z
* Pebbles and Bamm Bamm: Gridiron Girl Trouble
* Scooby Doo: What a Night For a Knight
* Shazzan!: The Living Island
* The Jetsons: Jetson's Night Out
* The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour: Snow Business/Two Crows From Tacos/Ready, Set, Zoom!
* Dastardly & Muttley: Stop That Pigeon
* Wacky Races: See-Saw to Arkansas/Creepy Trip to Lemon Twist
* Banana Splits: Joining the Knights/The Littlest Musketeer/"Danger Island" Episodes 1 and 2
* The Flintstones: No Biz Like Show Biz
* Penelope Pitstop: The Diabolical Department Store Manager
* The New Adventures of Superman: Mermen of Emor

Please note that these are highly tentative and subject to change.





Smears and Poses

John K. has an interesting blog on the technique of using smears and poses, focusing primarily on Chuck Jones' 1942 classic, "The Dover Boys"















I remember when I first discovered "The Dover Boys" I was swept away by the technique of "smears" that the animators used to get from one pose to the next.















What I later realized was much more important were the poses themselves. If you don't have great poses to get to, the smears are wasted.















This whole cartoon is great: the gags, the timing, the design, the backgrounds, the voices, the music. The smears are really just an added cool trick.




























































































To see more on it, go HERE.





UK Students Stage a Cirkus Spektakular

Cirkus Spektakular was the graduation film for 3 students who attended the Arts Institute at Bournemouth in 2008. Matt Timms, Gillian Reid and Sean McCormack animated the film 2D, with a few CG bits thrown in here and there.







International Trailer For Acker’s Animated 9

Two more months until Shane Acker’s CG film 9 hits theaters, and today we’re treated to the international trailer. The film, which was animated by Starz Animation in Canada, is due in theaters on 09/09/09. It’s a Focus Features release.

Aside from the main website, there’s also a mysterious film website at 9experiment.com.





Recent "Wonder Woman" Direct-To-Video Animated Feature Enjoys Consistent Video Sales

The recent direct-to-video Wonder Woman animated feature continues to be an admirable performer for Warner Home Video, selling over 235,000 units on DVD.

As of late-June 2009, Wonder Woman, the direct-to-video animated feature from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie line, has now sold an estimated 235,850 DVD copies since the title's release in March 2009. According to various home media retailing outlets and independent research, Wonder Woman has remained a consistent seller since its release, and will likely cross the 250,000 units sold mark by the end of July 2009. Please note the home video sales figure above does not take into account rental numbers, OnDemand numbers, hi-def sales, or legal download numbers.

Continuing to buck the standard home video trend of a strong debut followed by tepid sales, the direct-to-video Wonder Woman animated feature has managed to keep steady sales since March 2009. Special promotional events, including marketing tie-ins to the upcoming Green Lantern: First Flight and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies direct-to-video animated features releases, are expected to keep the title on track for the remainder of the year.

The Blu-ray sales for Wonder Woman have also remained stable, now selling over an estimated 23,000 Blu-ray copies since hitting shelves at the beginning of March 2009.





Badger Pencil Test - Fox & the Hound by Glen Keane ?

I've had photocopies of this scene from The Fox & The Hound for years. I've finally decided to scan them and make a proper pencil test of the scene so it can be shared. The person who gave the copies of the drawings to me said that Glen Keane animated this scene, but I'm not 100% certain about that because it didn't come with an X-sheet or a copy of the original scene folder. Could be Glen's ... If anyone has the draft from the film and can positively ID who animated this scene I'd appreciate it.



(Thanks David Nethery)





Milt Kahl animates Mowgli from The Jungle Book

A little reminder of how amazing Milt's animation is:



(Thanks David Nethery)





SUPERMAN Rights Decision and how it affects the sequel










Variety reports that Warner Bros. have won a victory in one of the various lawsuits filed by the heirs of "Superman" co-creator Jerome Siegel.

The Wednesday ruling by District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson had to do with the Siegel estate's claim that DC Comics basically gave away the film rights for the character to their parent company. If they succeeded in that claim, they would be able to pursue compensation from Warner Bros. studio.

However, the judge ruled that the 1999 deal for feature film rights was a fair one. DC Comics received $1.5 million upfront, $18.5 million for option extensions over 31 years and 5% of first-dollar worldwide distributor gross or 7.5% of domestic gross -- whichever was larger. Similarly the 2000 deal for the TV rights deal represented fair market value.

So any claims about compensation made by the Siegel estate will have to be directed solely at those profits realized by DC Comics.

Most interesting in the court filings is the assertion by the Siegels' attorney that the heirs, along with the heirs of co-creator Joe Shuster, will own the entire Superman copyright in 2013.

"This trial was only an interim step in the multifaceted accounting case which remains, in that it only concerned the secondary issue of whether DC Comics, or DC Comics and Warner Bros., would have to account to the Siegels," Attorney Marc Toberoff said. "To put this in further perspective, the entire accounting action pales in comparison to the fact that in 2013, the Siegels, along with the estate of Joe Shuster, will own the entire original copyright to Superman, and neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros. will be able to exploit any new Superman works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters."

If that does prove to be the case, it puts tremendous pressure on Warner Bros to exploit the film rights while they still can under their current agreement with DC Comics.

However, during the 10-day bench trial, Warner Bros. chairman Alan Horn had testified that a 'Superman' sequel wasn't under development at the studio, that no script had been written and that the earliest another movie could be released would be in 2012.

These are very interesting developments with regards to one of the world's most recognizable and profitable pop-culture characters.





Doctor Doom: Tyrant, Villain And… Stand-Up Comedian?

We all know about Victor Von Doom’s long and villainous history as the primary nemesis of The Fantastic Four, but have you heard his stand-up comedy routine?

In a clip that’s been making the rounds online, the infamous Marvel Comics character appears to make a surprise visit to a Baltimore club’s monthly comedy show. While his act doesn’t stray too far from jabs at Marvel’s first family of superheroes, it seems to prove that Doom missed his calling on the comedy circuit when he got sidetracked by all this global domination and supreme power stuff.



Man, the people of Latveria sure are lucky to have such a funny guy as their dictator-for-life.





District 9 Full Trailer Is Out

Sony / Columbia Pictures has released the full trailer for the new sci-fi thriller "District 9" from director Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson.

The film stars Sharlto Copley, and David James and is set to hit theaters on August 14th 2009

DISTRICT 9 depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa. Extraterrestrial race is forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.

Check out the full trailer below.

'Uninvited' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Tauntaun sleeping bag inches closer to reality















From the file of things so cool we wish they were real: That sleeping bag in the shape of a Tauntaun from The Empire Strikes Back, which ThinkGeek.com posted as an April Fool's joke this year. (Such cunning details, like the lightsaber zipper, meant to evoke Han's evisceration of the poor creature.)

Well, we weren't alone in wanting one, of course, and the site was compelled to post this note:

Due to an overwhelming tsunami of requests from YOU THE PEOPLE, we have decided to TRY and bring this to life. We have no clue if the suits at Lucasfilms will grant little ThinkGeek a license, nor do we know how much it would ultimately retail for. But if you are interested in ever owning one of these, click the link below and we'll try!

Now comes news from the LA Weekly that ThinkGeek has been working with Lucasfilm to get an actual license to produce the thing, which will likely be modified from the design in the spoof (and also likely cost a bit more than the $39 on the fake ad). Here's what ThinkGeek's PR guy, Shane Peterman, told the weekly newspaper:

We are definitely trying to make it into an actual item to be sold on our site. As of right now, it's still an "if," but it's turning into more of a "when." Things are looking pretty good, we just don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. There's certainly been enough of a demand, both from customers and from those of us that work here. Right now, we're aiming to have it available for the holidays or, at the latest, the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back next spring.

Have you gotten the go-ahead from Lucas?

We're still working with Lucas to get approval for a final design. Again, it's looking good, we just can't say too much right now since it's still in the works.

Of course, if history is our guide, it's always possible that Lucasfilm will go ahead and copy the thing and just sell it themselves.





ULTRAMAN Returns For A MEGA MONSTER BATTLE!

What do you do if you’re the producer of a venerable scifi franchise and you have to follow up an entry that featured not one and not two but a whopping EIGHT variations on your hero? If you’re the folks behind Japan’s Ultraman franchise - about to hit its thirty eighth installment! - you trigger a mega monster battle, of course! And also recruit a whole lot more Ultramen.

The evil Ultraman Belial was imprisoned by the Ultraman King tens of thousands of years ago. When he finally escapes, he attempts to use the Giga-Battlenizer to control 100 giant monsters and conquer the galaxy. On the Ultraman homeworld, where there is no 3-minute time restriction, a team of 50 Ultramen including Ultraman, Ultra Seven, and Ultraman Mebius among many others mobilize to put a stop to Ultraman Belial’s plans and face off against his monsters.

Bad Ultraman plus one hundred giant monsters versus a team of fifty good Ultramen? Madness, I say. Madness. And the first glimpse of the madness can be seen in the teaser below the break.

Note: Ignore the "Preview unavailable" - it does work -



(Thanks Twitch)

News - 07/09/09...

UPDATE - Magoo’s Christmas Carol book









I’m pleased to report that Darrell Van Citters’s book on the making of Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol has now gone to press. If all goes well, advance copies will be available at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, July 23-26 with a wide release in the fall. Darrell has been at work on this labor of love for several years and when he couldn’t secure a satisfactory publisher, he decided to go the self-publishing route. Events to support the book launch are in the works on both coasts with the intent to reach as wide an audience as possible. I will certainly keep you posted about it on Cartoon Brew — I can’t wait to get this!

(Thanks cartoon brew)

UPDATE: The book is now available at mrmagooschristmascarol.com.





A sneak peak into Coraline DVD

Sneak peak into some of the bonus features from the upcoming dvd releases of Coraline have been made available online. Making of Coraline, Teri Hatcher/Dakota Fanning Voice Session, Dakota Fanning/Robert Bailey Jr. Voice Session and Teri Hatcher Voices Character are some of the bonus features that will appear on the Coraline dvd and Blu-ray releases which will hit stores on July 21. Details on these releases can be found here.





Monsters Vs. Aliens DVD in September

DVDActive reports that Paramount Home Entertainment have announced 1-disc DVD, 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray releases of Monsters vs. Aliens for the 29th September. Extras on the 1-disc DVD will include a filmmaker commentary, featurettes, 3 deleted scenes, a DWA Music Video Juke Box, and Top Secret Sneak Peak Files. The 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray releases will include all that, along with a disc containing 2D and 3D versions of new adventure B.O.B.’S BIG BREAK. Four pair of 3D glasses will also be included, as well as a Karaoke Music Party feature, and more.





The Astonishing Work of Osamu Tezuka DVD in July

AnimeNewsNetwork reports that Kino International have announced the dvd release of The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu, a collection of 13 anime shorts by the anime pioneer Osamu Tezuka, on July 28. The English subtitled DVD will feature many of Tezuka’s most experimental shorts. Osamu Tezuka is better known for anime projects, such as Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Phoenix.





Ponyo tops DVD charts in Japan

Within its first week of release, Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo has easily become the bestselling DVD of the year so far in Japan. According to AnimeNewsNetwork, 502,228 copies of the dvd were sold in just its first week of release. Ponyo is seventh Miyazaki film to claim the top spot in the weekly DVD sales charts in its first week.





International poster for A Christmas Carol

Collider shares a new international poster for Disney’s upcoming 3D motion-capture flick A Christmas Carol. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol will hit theatres on November 6th.





Warner Bros. Animation Planning Animated Shorts Series Based On DC Comics Characters

While Warner Bros. Animation currently has no comment, The World's Finest can confirm that the animation studio is producing a series of animated shorts based on DC Comics characters, including Jonah Hex and more.

The first in a series of animated shorts based on DC Comics characters, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, is expected to appear within the first half of 2010, with more appearing during the year. The DC Comics character Jonah Hex will be featured in the first animated short, written by Joe R. Lansdale, slated to appear on an upcoming DC Universe Animated Original Movie DVD/Blu-ray release. The animated shorts will also tentatively spotlight other DC Comics characters and be similar in tone to the DC Universe Animated Original Movie titles. Multiple animated shorts are currently in production. Please note that schedule and content details are subject to change. Expect an official comment and announcement from Warner Bros. Animation in the future.

Warner Bros. Animation currently has seven different direct-to-video animated projects in different stages of production, the majority of these direct-to-video projects headlining characters from DC Comics. Expect more announcements soon.





Up No. 1 on Yahoo!’s Top 30 List

Disney/Pixar’s Up has landed on top of the list of top 30 animated films of all time, compiled from ratings posted by Yahoo! users. Directed by Pete Docter, the tenth animated feature from Pixar has been setting new records at the box office this summer, generating over $265 billion domestically and $35.3 million in foreign territories (as of July 6).

Although like most Best of lists, there is huge room for arguments here (Where’s Pinocchio? No Wallace & Gromit? Transformers, really?), the top position bodes well for Up’s chances as an Oscar contender!
Here is Yahoo!’s complete list:

1. Up
2. WALL•E
3. Bolt (2008)
4. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
5. Spirited Away (2002)
6. The Lion King (1994)
7. My Neighbor Totoro (1993)
8. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
9. Toy Story (1995)
10. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
11. Howl’s Moving Castle (2005)
12. Ratatouille (2007)
13. Princess Mononoke (1999)
14. Finding Nemo (2003)
15. Coraline (2009)
16. Aladdin (1982)
17. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
18. The Little Mermaid (1989)
19. Mulan (1998)
20. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
21. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
22. Shrek (2001)
23. Cars (2006)
24. The Incredibles (2004)
25. Cinderella (1950)
26. Shrek 2 (2004)
27. Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
28. Happy Feet (2006)
29. The Simpsons Movie (2007)
30. Transformers: The Movie (1986)

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Wallace & Gromit to Shine on Blu-ray This Fall

Aardman fans should mark September 22 on their calendars since that’s the date the new Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection Blu-ray comes out. According to the Blu-ray.com, the new disc from HIT Entertainment will include four of Nick Park’s award-winning shorts—A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and the most recent project, A Matter of Loaf and Death, which won an Annie and a BAFTA award earlier this year.

A Matter of Loaf and Death made its U.S. debut on June 5 as part of the U-verse TV On Demand library as well as AT&T’s wireless devices through CV-Video. In this latest outing, which premiered last Christmas on the BBC, our heroes have opened up a new bakery business and have to track down a deadly “cereal” killer who is murdering all the bakers in their charming town.

By the way, this is not really the “complete” Wallace & Gromit collection, since it doesn’t include the movie The Curse of the Were-Rabbit nor the web collection Cracking Contraptions, but, hey, we’re happy HIT is offering this awesome release this fall anyway. The pre-order price on amazon is $19.99.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Ontario Invests in Toronto Ubisoft Studio

Video game giant Ubisoft is coming to Canada, announcing plans to open a major video game studio and create 800 high-quality jobs over the next decade.

The studio will open in Toronto, which the company chose for its competitive tax environment, talent pool and connections to the film industry.

The move comes with the government of the province of Ontario investing C$263 million over the next ten years in the company. Ubisoft will put up more than a half-billion dollars for the studio, which is set to open later this year.

This is the company’s third operation in Canada — Ubisoft has studios in Montreal that opened 12 years ago and just opened a facility in Vancouver earlier this year.

"The best jobs require creative minds, innovative technology, a positive investment climate and a government that supports the industry,” said Sandra Pupatello, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Garrett Develops Dumb Bunny at Sony

Actor Brad Garrett, star of the Fox comedy series ’Til Death and Everybody Loves Raymond, is developing Dumb Bunny and a Jackass as an animated comedy series at Sony Pictures TV.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is based on the work of Bill Kopp, who created Eek! The Cat and Toonsylvania, and will be an R-rated series that will be shopped to appropriate cable outlets.

The series is about two of the most popular cartoon stars in history whose careers are in decline.

Garrett will provide a voice for one of the lead characters and serve as an executive producer along with Glenn Robbins and Doug Wald. Kopp will be a co-executive producer and the show will be produced through Garrett’s Mope Productions.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Sales Go Global

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s is set to land in multiple new territories across Europe, Latin America and in the Middle East thanks to a series of new deals cut by 4Kids Entertainment.

Outlets picking up the series for broadcast include CITV in the United Kingdom, Network Ten in Australia, AB Group in France, Mediaset in Italy, RTL2 in Germany, VAS in Latin America, TV2 in Denmark, Digiturk in Turkey, Children’s Channel in Israel and MBC in the Middle East.

The first season of the spinoff series airs in the United States on The CW4Kids and on Cartoon Network.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Kroyer Elected Academy Governor

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has elected four new governors in its branch elections — one of which will oversea the short film and animated feature branch.

Bill Kroyer will join John Lasseter and Carl Bell — neither of whom was up for election this year — as governors of the branch. An animation director, Kroyer’s credits include directing the animated Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, visual effects on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and writing and character design on Click and Clack’s As the Wrench Turns.

Also new to the academy’s governor ranks are James D. Bissell, Art Directors Branch; Lynne Littman, Documentary; and Robert G. Friedman, Public Relations.

A tie in the directors branch between candidates Gil Cates and Edward Zwick will lead to a runoff, with ballots due back from Directors Branch members by July 29.

Re-elected to their posts are incumbents Caleb Deschanel, Cinematographers Branch; Rob Epstein, Documentary; Tom Sherak, Executives; Mark Goldblatt, Film Editors; Bruce Broughton, Music; Mark Johnson, Producers; Kevin O’Connell, Sound; Bill Taylor, Visual Effects; and James L. Brooks, Writers.

Governors who were not up for reelection this year are: Annette Bening and Henry Winkler, Actors Branch; Rosemary Brandenburg and Jeffrey Kurland, Art Directors; Owen Roizman and Vilmos Zsigmond, Cinematographers; Martha Coolidge and Curtis Hanson, Directors; Richard Pearce, Documentary; Jim Gianopulos and Robert Rehme, Executives; Dede Allen and Donn Cambern, Film Editors; Leonard Engelman, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists; Charles Fox and Arthur Hamilton, Music; Kathleen Kennedy and Hawk Koch, Producers; Sid Ganis and Marvin Levy, Public Relations; Carl Bell and John Lasseter, Short Films and Feature Animation; Curt Behlmer and Don Hall, Sound; Craig Barron and Richard Edlund, Visual Effects; and Frank Pierson and Phil Robinson, Writers.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)






Late Night Synchrolux











TAG President Kevin Koch holds forth at Synchrolux and here. He's far more immersed in the animation biz than I am at present ... (I'm the union rep; he's the president working in the cartoon industry) ... so we share some of his recent posts. (Click the links below for the full articles.)

Story Development in Animated Features

... The story building process typically lasts two or three full years for an animated feature, but there’s a lot of variation, and in some cases it stretches out much, much longer. That’s 2-3 years of dedicated work by a team that usually involves a director or two, a few writers, a team of story artists, and several visual development artists and character designers (at least at the big studios). Often that several-year period of intense development work is preceded by more years of development by one person or a few people who either originated the concept or are trying to make the concept salable or ready for full development ...

Partly Cloudy and G-Force

... Partly Cloudy. This Pixar short seems to have gotten a lot less attention than previous Pixar shorts. Maybe it’s because Partly Cloudy hearkens back to Dumbo and a seemingly simpler and gentler style. If you ignore the technical accomplishments, it is a lot less showy than most short-form animation these days. But that’s what blew me away — the submersion of very difficult and impressive technological accomplishments into a beautiful, evocative piece that never showed off its technical merits for their own sake, but instead told a layered, heartfelt story....

WALL-E: When Theme and Plot Get Out of Sync

... [L]et’s start with a film that many called the best film of 2008. It was not only glowingly reviewed, but it won the Oscar for Best Animated Picture, and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I enjoyed the film, but found it flawed. Given the reviews and success, I’m clearly seeing a problem where most others don’t, but bear with me.

My issue, put simply, is that the film’s theme was revealed and resolved early, robbing the remainder of the film of meaning. Put another way, by climaxing and resolving the theme about half way through the movie, it ended up feeling like two distinct, shorter episodes welded together, with the first one quite a bit more compelling than the second. ...

(Thanls Animation Guild Blog)





Grickle Offers a Change of Scenery

More Grickle goodness has arrives by way of the talented Graham Annable. Enjoy Change of Scenery and then spend your change on Grickle stuff.







Sony Plunges Into Chipmunks Territory

This has been in Sony's hopper for awhile. When I've walked through the Imageworks' campus, there has been artwork and storyboard festooning the walls. But not the company is moving forward with the Blue Crew:

Raja Gosnell has been tapped to direct Sony’s live-action/animated “Smurfs.”

The film will be released in 3-D and 2-D formats on Dec. 17, 2010.

“Smurfs” will be produced by Jordan Kerner (“Charlotte’s Web”). J. David Stem and David N. Weiss (the second and third “Shrek” pics) and Audrey Wells (“George of the Jungle”) penned the script; the logline’s being kept under wraps.

Gosnell started his career as an editor on “Home Alone,” “Pretty Woman” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” and broke into directing on “Home Alone 3.” He most recently helmed “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”

Sony announced in June 2008 that it had launched the “Smurfs” movie project after obtaining film rights ...

A while ago, when I ambled through Sony Pictures Animation big white building in Culver City, there was jawing among the artists about how realistic/live action or stylized/animated the Smurfs were going to look in the new feature.

You'll be amazed at this, but the artists were pushing for more of a cartoon look. (What possessed them?) And one of the producers on board was pushing for a live-action approach to the the little blue people.

Shocking, but there it is.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





Pixar's "Up" among nominees for Teen Choice Awards

Pixar-Disney's "Up" is one of five nominees announced Wednesday in the "Choice Summer Movie: Comedy" category of the Teen Choice Awards.

Up is competing in the category alongside the live-action Bruno, Funny People, The Hangover and Year One.

Teen Choice 2009 will air from 8 to 10 p.m. (ET/PT) Monday, August 10 on FOX.

Three-time Grammy Award winners The Black Eyed Peas are set to perform their newest single, "I Gotta Feeling," from their No. 1 album, The E.N.D., at the awards.

Fans ages 13 to 19 can vote once each day for all of their favorite nominees at www.teenchoiceawards.com.

Hosted by the Jonas Brothers, Teen Choice celebrates the hottest teen icons in film, television, music, sports and fashion in a star-studded two-hour event featuring appearances by Kristen Bell, Jordana Brewster, Ashley Greene, Vanessa Hudgens, Shawn Johnson, Daren Kagasoff, Kim Kardashian, Sean Kingston, Taylor Lautner, Jennette McCurdy and Emma Roberts. Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon.





The International Linkomatic

This time, let's not link to animation from the U.S. of A., but range farther afield. Below are a few articles and overlooks at toonage in other parts of the globe ... beginning with the animation biz of Singapore:

... "Since the launch of the Media 21 blueprint in 2003 to chart growth for Singapore's media sector, the industry has experienced steady growth with revenues increasing to S$19.5 billion (US$12.26 billion) ... Today, international giants such as Lucasfilm, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft are based in Singapore, working in partnership with Singapore companies and talents to produce and distribute media content and services for the their customers worldwide ... To date, there are more that S$1.3 billion (US$818 million) worth of media funds based in Singapore, covering the TV, film, animation, games and distribution sectors. The figure is a cumulative total, as a result of private capital injected by banks, financial institutions and strategic Investors over the past few years ...

I wouldn't have guessed that a c.g. animated feature would come our of Palestine, but hey. A c.g. feature has now come out of Palestine.



And yet another animation studio (it's for games, but it's still animation) is going into Toronto:

French interactive game maker Ubisoft on Monday unveiled plans to open a Toronto development studio, with the Ontario provincial government pitching in $226 million over 10 years to create 800 jobs.

The move follows the Ontario provincial government in May announcing it will invest $20.5 million into the Starz Animation Toronto 3D cartoon studio over the next five years to create and retain high-tech jobs locally ...

San Diego's Comic Con will be getting more than its usual herd of Hollywood producers and stars this year:

... [Hayao] Miyazaki ... has agreed to address a room full of 6,500 admirers at the San Diego comics, fantasy and film convention on July 24. That is a prelude to his planned appearance the next day in Berkeley, where Mr. Williams’s center will present Mr. Miyazaki with its Japan Prize, awarded annually to a person who has brought the world closer to Japan ...

And there are other things from Japan to celebrate. A big, cartoon robot has a birthday:

The animated sci-fi series "Mobile Suit Gundam" first aired in 1979. It was set 100 years in the future amid a space war between the Earth Federation and hostile space colonies. The show's popularity quickly skyrocketed and further Gundam series, comic books, video games and films were spun off ...

To mark the 30th anniversary of Gundam's launch, a massive replica of the robot is being erected at Tokyo's Odaiba seaside park. It is scheduled to be unveiled Saturday and can be viewed until Aug. 31 — part of Gundam's birthday celebrations ...

Animation World Network reports in detail on the glories of Annecy:

... This year Annecy spotlighted Germany's contribution to the world of animation with numerous special screenings, including a presentation of Lotte Reiniger's 1926 classic The Adventures of Prince Ahmed with live musical accompaniment. Stuttgart's renowned Studio Film Builder, celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, was saluted with a screening of their films and Throwing Light on Works in the Shade took us deep into the archives of German animation from the 1920s to the 1960s along with interviews with surviving witnesses of the dynamic German avant-garde film scene ..

Lastly, we present to you "the Pokemon of Russia" (duly noting that even the original Pokemon isn't what it used to be ...):

... Gogoriki was created by a gentleman named Denis Chernov. He did it under mandate from the Russian government to develop a series that had no “negative” characters amongst the cast. Instead, plots would revolve around “not on the battle of opposing forces but on the unexpected situations which the animated characters stumble upon in their lives.” Launched in 2004, the series is now considered the “Spongebob” of the former USSR, and has also taken off in Germany....

So what is it, exactly? Pokemon or Sponge Bob? Have a zesty week; you're more than halfway through.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





How Blood's vampire star Gianna kicks ass, takes names












Korean model/actress Gianna Jun, the star of the upcoming live-action Blood: The Last Vampire, tried to bring to life the intense, 400-year-old vampire from the 2000 anime movie and subsequent manga on which the new film is based.

"When I first saw her, she looked very mysterious, unfriendly and gloomy," Gianna said in an exclusive e-mail interview on Monday. "It was kind of shocking, but very attractive."

Gianna plays Saya, a "halfling," or person with a human father and vampire mother. Though she is centuries old, she looks like a schoolgirl, which allows her to infiltrate her enemies. She works with a secret organization, which cleans up after she goes all slayer on evil vampires. Ultimately, she hopes to find and destroy head vampire Onigen to avenge her father's death. If we've learned anything from revenge movies, finding peace is never that simple.

"I wanted to portray Saya's inner pain and her charm through more action scenes," Gianna said.

The film's fight scenes, in which Saya takes on hordes of vampires in forests and back alleys, live up to the title. Gianna did not know quite how bloody the film would be, because a lot of the splatters were added in post-production.

"I myself was pretty surprised when I watched the finished product," she said. "It was much bloodier than I had imagined while filming. I didn't realize I had killed so brutally. Ha ha."













Gianna has starred in such Korean movies as My Sassy Girl, Windstruck and Il Mare (the basis for the American remake The Lake House). In this, her first action movie, Gianna felt empowered by her newfound abilities. "I was a little shy to be daring and violent as a female actress, but now I've become even more daring and strong," she said.

As in Hollywood movies in which pretty boys learn kick-ass martial arts, Gianna had to undergo rigorous fight training. "I trained from basic physical training to kickboxing, sword fighting, fighting on wire, etc.," she said. "Every movement was difficult. If I had to pick the easiest, [it was] probably running."

Even the film's simpler action scenes required days of exacting choreography. One sequence has an American student watch as Saya fights vampires in the school gymnasium. The audience only sees snippets of the fight through the student's eyes, but Gianna still had to spend two to three days performing the moves.

Saya is a Japanese character from the Japanese style of anime, but the Korean Gianna felt a broader connection to her. "I didn't approach the role as a Korean or as Japanese, but as an Asian," she said.

Blood: The Last Vampire also afforded Gianna the opportunity and responsibility to learn English. "I started to learn as I began to prepare for Blood," she said. "I don't get nervous while speaking. I learned that with great effort, you can achieve anything."

Blood: The Last Vampire opens Friday.



















Why Potter VI is 'sex, potions and rock 'n' roll'












Daniel Radcliffe (from left) as Harry Potter, Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley (Jaap Buitendijk for Warner Brothers)

The sixth Harry Potter movie is finally here, after a delay of almost eight months, and viewers can expect a bit more humor, some teen romance and a rousing match of Quidditch, even as the threat of evil looms in the background, building up to the upcoming seventh and eighth movies that will cap the franchise. And you won't believe just how much those kids have grown.

Director David Yates, who returns to captain this film after the previous Order of the Phoenix, has described it as Potter's version of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.












Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown

"Yeah," Yates said in a group interview on the film's set outside London in January 2008. "I want to amend that. It's actually about sex, potions and rock 'n' roll. ... It's a wonderfully fun, slightly rebellious, quite naughty stage of teenage life, when you're kind of discovering the opposite sex. ... In the previous film, it was about the first kiss. This film is a bit more sexualized than that. You know, in a way. We don't see sex, but it's kind of in there. And the relationships are a bit more complicated and romantic and convoluted. So we're pushing into new emotional and kind of physical territory for Harry Potter, you know, in a way, so it's quite playful and fun." (Spoilers ahead!)

The sixth film feels like the first act in a final trilogy (the upcoming seventh and eighth films will split J.K. Rowling's final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). In Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) enlists the help of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) to befriend the new potions teacher, Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), to weasel out a crucial bit of information that may help in the coming battle against Voldemort. Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), meanwhile, is tasked by the Death Eaters with a sinister assignment. But as the students return to Hogwarts, romance is in the air, with Ron (Rupert Grint) dealing with the attentions of Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), much to the chagrin of Hermione (Emma Watson), and Harry himself aware of new feelings toward Ron's sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright).

Yates promises a lot more humor than the dark installment that preceded it. "Very much so," he said, adding: "We really enjoyed making the last film. ... I liked the intensity of the story that we did last time. ... This has intensity, but it's very playful, and there are some terrifically funny scenes. And six is a much lighter, more playful book than five was. It still has some tremendous intensity at the end of the story, but it's got lots of laughs, too, and for me, as a director, what's lovely is to change gears a little bit, and that's why I wanted to do it. I didn't want to make a kind of film about teenage angst, I wanted to make a film about teenage romance. And so, when I took over for Mike Newell [director of the fourth film], I said, 'You [fancy] doing the kind of teenage love side of things?' And so now I've got a bit of that to do, and it's really fun to come back and do it."

Such themes are natural for the cast, who have literally grown up before our eyes: Radcliffe turns 20 shortly after Half-Blood Prince opens; Watson, who plays Hermione, is now 19; and Grint turns 21 later this summer. Even Wright, who plays Ron's red-haired little sister, is 18.

The stars have also grown as actors and really get to shine this time around, Yates said. "Emma has become much more confident," he said. "I mean, she was confident before, but ... her acting ... is becoming more effortless. Dan's been off and done Equus and some television things, a television film, and he's grown a lot more confident and matured a wee bit. And they're all getting a wee bit older, and the material allows them to take a few more turns. ... They're getting better, as they should be as they get older, you know, so it's encouraging and enjoyable to see the whole [evolution]."












Director David Yates (left) discusses a scene with the cast. (Jaap Buitendijk for Warner Brothers) (Click for a larger version)

Radcliffe and Wright found it a tiny bit awkward to take Harry and Ginny's relationship to a new level in the movie. "It's slightly odd, though, with Bonnie, because when Katie [Leung] came into play Cho [Harry's love interest in] the fourth film, it was very much the case when she came in, we always knew she was going to be as a love interest," Radcliffe said. "Whereas, of course, when I first met Bonnie, she was just another character. She was, I think, ... 9 [or] 10 years old when I first met her, and so it's very strange. I've sort of grown up with Bonnie, and now suddenly having to play love interest scenes is very—it's kind of odd."

Wright agreed: "It was quite, obviously quite weird, I guess, after you've known someone for quite a long time," she admitted. "It's quite a weird thing to get to do. But, no, it was fine. It wasn't too bad. ... It was better than I expected."

SCI FI Wire was among a handful of reporters on set to watch the filming and speak with the cast and crew in winter 2008. We toured the movie's sets, including the hallway of the orphanage where Dumbledore first meets the young Tom Riddle (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), a scene that takes place in flashback. The walls are paved with brown "tile," and Riddle's narrow cell is bare and bleak.

We also visited a new set representing the interior of the Weasley house, a ramshackle farmhouse interior without a single right angle: The low ceiling, timbered walls and floors are all canted in weird ways, as if the house hasn't quite settled. But it's very cozy, with overstuffed ratty furniture, a grandfather clock and a big fireplace in the center of the room.

We also observed the filming of a scene in the Great Hall, which is filled with Hogwarts students at breakfast (big platters of sausages, racks of toast). It's the day of Ron's big Quidditch match, and he's nervous as heck. Ron enters the hall, kitted out in full Quidditch gear.

We also previewed the film last week and found it to work wonderfully well. After six installments, it was apparent that all involved have settled so expertly into their roles that the magic comes almost effortlessly, both behind and in front of the camera. This film in particular showcases many brilliant performances, beginning with the three principals, who find new depths in their familiar characters, and extending to the smallest part. Most noteworthy is Alan Rickman's Snape, who is deliciously arch, and the veteran actor finds a way to stretch his character's lines nearly to the point of absurdity without going overboard. New cast member Broadbent, meanwhile, finds a way to make Slughorn at once ridiculous and heartbreaking. And longtime cast member Felton shows us that there's a lot more to Draco than a sneer.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens July 15.





‘Kick-Ass’ Movie To Feature Animation & Significant Differences From Comic, Says Co-Creator

For a film without a release date and a comic without a strict publishing schedule, Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s “Kick-Ass” continues to intrigue fans of over-the-top crime fighting. Now, as both projects proceed toward their respective conclusions, Romita has started to open up regarding how the source material and the adaptation will likely diverge.

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Romita offered an update on his current comic book progress stating that he was almost done with issue #7 and into issue #8 — the series’ final issue. That being the case, Romita said he’s well aware that what he draws might not match up perfectly with director Matthew Vaughn’s ending for the film.

“Things have to be independent because, as [Millar] made the great point, we don’t want to look like we’re ‘demagoging’ the film and trying to capitalize on it. We didn’t want to do that,” said Romita.

Romita’s artwork won’t be limited to the “Kick-Ass” comic, though, with his style being animated for flashback sequences in the film. That particular process involved Romita visiting the set of the film this past winter as well as getting to read the screenplay. His response seemed enthusiastic, differences and all.

“Matthew Vaughn is a fan of the comic, and that’s where the flashback animation sequence comes from. He wanted an homage to the comic. He was a fan of my pacing and storytelling and used as much as he could along those lines,” Romita said, “As long as you get along with people professionally and don’t get too abrasive, generally you’re going to find the happy medium.”

Despite its current ambiguous schedule, there seems to be a clear vision the end of “Kick-Ass” in one medium or another. With the announcement-filled San Diego Comic-Con International just a few weeks away, there’s a good chance fans will have a better idea of how and when “Kick-Ass” will conclude in comics and premier in theaters.





EXCLUSIVE: A Superman Cameo In ‘Green Lantern’ Movie? Marc Guggenheim Weighs In On Rumor

When MTV Splash Page spoke to “Green Lantern” movie co-writer Marc Guggenheim last month about his Oni Press comic book series “Resurrection” (as well as the “Green Lantern” movie, of course), they somehow managed to leave out a small chunk of the conversation that could be of interest to fans of Hal Jordan — and a certain “Man of Steel,” too.

While Guggenheim couldn’t get into specifics regarding plot points of the live-action “Green Lantern” movie, they did ask him about his comments late last year regarding a potential cameo from Superman (or rather, Clark Kent). Was a crossover still on the table for DC’s Green Lantern of Sector 2814?

“Honestly, it changes on a daily basis. Whatever information I gave you today would be obsolete in a week, and maybe come back again in two weeks,” said Guggenheim. ”And even if it wasn’t in flux at the script stage, it would still be constantly in flux because you can film it, put it in the original cut, and eventually it could end up on the editing room floor.”

However, he didn’t deny that the Superman’s alter ego would be making an appearance during the big-screen debut of “Green Lantern” — so there’s still hope for fans hoping to get Hal Jordan and Clark Kent on the same screen at the same time.

“I will say, all the Easter Eggs and the cameos that I put in, I couldn’t even begin to predict at this point which ones will stay and which ones will go,” he said. “I’ll be as interested as anyone else to see what we end up keeping and losing by the time the picture is actually locked… and that’s pretty far away from now.”

So there you have it, Green Lantern (and Superman) fans. Make of it what you will. Who knows? Maybe Brandon Routh will get to put on the cape again!






News briefs: New District 9 trailer; Dollhouse delayed









District 9

Yahoo! Movies has posted a new trailer for District 9, the new alien-refugee movie from producer Peter Jackson and director Neill Blomkamp, which gives us a much better look at the film's story and visual effects. District 9 opens Aug. 14.
...

Fox has pushed back the second season premiere of Dollhouse a week, to 9 p.m. ET/PT on Sept. 25 from Sept. 18, to give the production more time, HitFix reported; Entertainment Weekly, meanwhile, reports that series creator Joss Whedon will write and direct the season premiere.
...

Monsters vs. Aliens drops on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 29, featuring the world premiere of B.O.B.'S Big Break, a new 3-D adventure featuring Seth Rogen's character; the 3-D release will include four pair of 3-D glasses.
...

Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Platinum Studios announced that principal photography has wrapped in New Orleans on the gothic thriller movie Dead of Night.





Zak Penn Talks The Avengers

CraveOnline talked to Zak Penn about his work on Marvel Studios' upcoming films and here's an excerpt:

CraveOnline: How is working for autonomous Marvel different from working under the studio collaborations?

Zak Penn: Pretty much night and day. Marvel, everyone there has read every comic. They’re big fans of it. We’ve kind of moved past the normal fights that you have and just talk about what would make a cool movie. Here’s the thing though. Once you get into the process of making a movie, compromise is like your life. Everything is a compromise. Even if everyone has the best intentions setting out on a movie, you can make a total piece of sh*t. I’ve learned this the hard way. It is really damn hard to make a good movie. If you ever manage it, be proud of yourself. It’s so damn hard. Even though we all have the best intentions, it still might suck but it is at least a relief to not be fighting with people as much. We’re all kind of on the same page.

CraveOnline: How do you start writing The Avengers before Captain America and Thor are done?

Zak Penn: My job is to kind of shuttle between the different movies and make sure that finally we’re mimicking that comic book structure where all of these movies are connected. It used to drive me crazy at Fox not being able to interweave. Why couldn’t we have Fantastic Four in this movie? Why couldn’t we do this? Now we will. Thor and Captain America will lead right into the Avengers movie, and Iron Man 2 as well.

CraveOnline: Do they give you a place to start or do you have to wait to find out where you pick up?

Zak Penn: We are learning it as we go and it’s pretty complicated. I have a meeting at Marvel this week to catch up on continuity. There’s just a board that tracks “Here’s where everything that happens in this movie overlaps with that movie.” It’s just what they do in the comic books. Think how complicated it is when you’ve got all the titles those companies do. Someone’s got to keep track of all that. What’s Wolverine wearing this week? Are his claws bone or [adamantium]? Yeah, it’s going to be really difficult. The only thing I can say is I’m pushing them to do as many animatics as possible to animate the movie, to draw boards so that we’re all working off the same visual ideas. But the exigencies of production take first priority.

CraveOnline: Should Wolverine have been R?

Zak Penn: That was our frustration. He’s got razor sharp claws and you can’t show blood. So what does he do? In every scene, he’s running around blocking, hitting you with the claws and not cutting you. Where do you go with that? There’s no way to do it.

You can read the full interview here.





$300 Million in 14 Days for Transformers Sequel

After only 14 days in release, the worldwide hit Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen became the second-fastest film in movie history to earn $300 million in U.S. ticket sales, eclipsing the previous record-holder Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, by two days. From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, the Paramount Pictures release trails only The Dark Knight in this record-setting achievement.

"Moviegoers everywhere propelled the film to this great success, paving the way for a phenomenal run," said Paramount Pictures Vice Chairman Rob Moore.

2007's Transformers earned $319.2 million in its theatrical run, and more than $700 million worldwide. The sequel has already taken in over $600 million worldwide to date, conquering several records including:

* Biggest Wednesday-Sunday opening of all time.
* Biggest Wednesday opening of all time.
* Paramount's biggest international opening of all time.
* 3rd biggest worldwide opening weekend of all time.
* 4th biggest international opening of all time.





Gary Ross to Rewrite Spider-Man 4

Gary Ross, who directed Tobey Maguire in Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, has come aboard to rewrite the script for Spider-Man 4, reports Variety.

Sam Raimi will again direct the Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios project that will go into production early next year.

The Spider-Man 4 script was originally written by James Vanderbilt, and then rewritten by David Lindsay-Abaire.

The fourth installment is scheduled for a May 6, 2011 release.

News - 07/08/09...

Project Twenty1 Launch Event & Networking Party



















Saturday, August 1, 2009
Time: 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: North Bowl Lounge & Lanes
Street: 909 N. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA

Teams of filmmakers & animators have 21-Days to create an original short, and they need YOU to help them. Bring business cards, demos CDs, headshots, etc., and get involved!

This is a FREE event, open to the public, All-Ages welcomed.

All completed films will screen at a REAL movie theater! Top films will receive DVD distribution, compete for over $1,000 in prizes from Sony Creative, and get submitted to partner festivals all over the world.

Check out clips from last year’s Launch Event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyQUNxqKQM

Get Connected! Win Hundreds of dollars in door prizes from Dymo! 21+ can enjoy CHEAP drink specials!

RSVP on Evite (for reminder): http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/LFVGUQIADMTODOSRKPIR/launch09

Not local? Get on the forum on www.ProjectTwenty1.com and support our Teams from all over the world.

This event is proudly sponsored by Project Twenty1 and North Bowl.

(Thanks asifaeast)





The Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival 7/8/09

Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Freddy’s Bar and Backroom
Street: 485 Dean St.
City/Town: Prospect Heights, NY

You’re invited to the next installment of the Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival presented by The Kings County Cinema Society! Come and see some classic cartoon characters you know and some ancient ones you’ve never heard of! The show is presented in 16mm with a projector–no digital aspect whatsoever enabling you to enjoy film as it was originally intended. $5 Donation at the back of Freddy’s Bar

By Subway take the 2, 3 trains to Bergen Street; Freddy’s is right around the corner. Or take practically any train in the city to Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street Stations; Walk East on Flatbush and take a left on Dean.

http://kingscountycinemasociety.org/

(Thanks asifaeast)





Classic Peanuts Collection Comes Home

Fans of Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez would have to be real blockheads to not pick up the Peanuts 1960s Collection, out this week on DVD.

The two-disc set (Warner Bros., $29.98) includes six classic Peanuts specials from the 1960s. Included are the perennial classics A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, as well as the less well-known titles Charlie Brown’s All-Stars, You’re in Love, Charlie Brown, He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown and It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown.

Also due out this week are a pair of visual-effects-heavy sci-fi films: Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage (Summit Entertainment, $26.99 DVD, $34.99 Blu-ray), and Push, featuring Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans (Summit Entertainment, $26.99 DVD, $34.99 Blu-ray).

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Weta Buys Nuke License

Weta Digital has bought a site license for Nuke, the compositing software application created by The Foundry, and will incorporate it into the company’s in-house pipeline.

The New Zealand-based visual effects house, founded in 1993 to create effects for Peter Jackson’s film Heavenly Creatures, has won five Oscars for visual effects and worked on such successful films as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, I, Robot, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Jumper.

The Foundry, based in the United Kingdom, has created such industry standard applications as Nuke and Furnace, and its products are in use at such major visual effects houses as Digital Domain, The Moving Picture Co., Framestore, and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

“Our long-standing relationship with The Foundry and our faith in their product development, support and focus on producing a truly useful artist tool set, have given us the confidence to make this investment,” said Paul Ryan, chief technology officer at Weta Digital. “We have a lot of challenges ahead and are looking forward to seeing the difference that Nuke makes to our workflow.”

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Voice-O-Matic for 3ds Max Gets Upgrade

Montreal-based animation software maker Di-O-Matic has upgraded Voice-O-Matic, its lip-synching plug-in tool for 3ds Max.

The new version of the software, version 3, is set to ship this summer and includes as new features 64-bit support for Autodesk 3ds Max 9, 3ds Max 2008, 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max 2010; added compatibility for 3ds Max 2010; improved lip-synch quality; and new presets and settings.

“All of our customers who have used Voice-O-Matic over the years consistently tell us how much they recommend it to anyone who needs to add quality lip-sync to their 3D characters in a quick and easy way,” said Laurent M. Abecassis, president and co-founder of Di-O-Matic. “Voice-O-Matic v3 for 3ds Max will offer 3D artists and studios new features and productivity enhancements that will not only accelerate the process of creating accurate lip sync — it will perpetuate the artist friendly and ‘it just works’ reputation it built over the last six years.”

The software is expected to be available for purchase direct from the Di-O-Matic online store (http://www.di-o-matic.com/shop/) or through Di-O-Matic worldwide resellers in summer 2009. Pricing will be $349 for a full commercial version, with floating licensing options and one year premium support.

Upgrade information is listed at:
http://www.di-o-matic.com/products/plugins/VoiceOMatic/update.html

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Brand to Rep Brit Chicks Worldwide

Brand Champions has been tapped as the worldwide licensing representative for the Target Entertainment musical online property Brit Chicks.

The property is a girls fashion and lifestyle brand set to launch in October with a social networking site where girls ages 7 and up can make friends, chat and share adventures about the Brit Chicks, a girl-group sensation taking the world by storm.

The property will also offer original songs through the Brit Chicks web site and iTunes, with a CD release also planned.

“The licensing program will be fashion-led with apparel and accessories high on the agenda,” Helen Howells, global brand director at Target Entertainment Group. “We are also keen to extend the program in to publishing and gaming.”

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





One giant leap: Buzz Lightyear as lunar pioneer?

Eleven out of 1,009 people surveyed for a British magazine identified fictional Toy Story astronaut Buzz Lightyear as the first person to land on the Moon.

Another eight people thought jazz great Louis Armstrong was the first. Fewer than 75% gave the correct answer: Neil Armstrong. (Buzz Aldrin -- not Lightyear -- was the second.)

The poll was conducted on behalf of E&T magazine, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Over one-fourth of respondents didn't think that the three Apollo 11 astronauts actually landed on the Moon 40 years ago this month.

"The Apollo moon landing is mankind's most outstanding engineering event, so it's deeply worrying that such a large number of people should think the first moon walk never happened, and that the public's belief in the legitimacy of science and technology seems to be declining over time," said E&T editor in chief Dickon Ross.





Briefly: Shanghai Animation Expo Opens; HP and Cartoon Network Asia Launch Award

* The 5th China International Animation Expo opened in Shanghai, China, on Saturday, July 4, 2009, and will continue to next Monday. [CCTV English]

* Cartoon Network Asia and Hewlett-Packard have jointly launched the Toon Creators Award "for young talent from Australia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to showcase their creativity through technology." [AWN]





"Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes" Comes to Nicktoons Network in October 2009

Marvel Entertainment has announced that the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes series will be debuting on Nicktoons Network alongside Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron Man: Armored Adventures. The show focuses on Marvel's first family of superheroes, and Nicktoons will air episodes that were never broadcast during its original run on Cartoon Network.

The Marvel Animation Age is reporting a debut date in October 2009.





Live Action Jin-Roh Coming? How About More Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex?

Anime News Network reports that Production I.G Vice-President Maki Terashima-Furuta has acknowledged a comment made at Production I.G's Anime Expo convention panel, stating "somebody has the live-action rights, and somebody was planning to make a live-action Jin-Roh, but at the moment, I have no comment."

Written by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell movies, Sky Crawlers), but directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, the anime film is set within Oshii's Kerberos saga, an alternate history of a totalitarian Japan moving from the 1940's to the 21st century, centered around armored anti-riot, anti-revolutionary police.

From the provocative entry in The Japanamerican Devil

Jin Roh n: A brilliant film about what might happen if Japan lost World War II. Actually, Japan did lose World War II. So this film is about what would happen if Japan lost World War II to Japan's friends - the Germans.
It's horrible and beautiful in equal doses. And it makes you think: maybe Japan did lose the war to its friends - the Americans - and they took over everything.

Set in the 1950's, Jin-Roh follows Kerberos Panzer Cops member Kazuki Fuse, who is assigned to be retrained after failing to shoot a bomber known as a Little Red Riding Hood.

The anime was released on DVD and Blu-ray (good luck finding the latter) in North America by Bandai Entertainment and VIZ Media.





Speaking of Production I.G at Anime Expo, according to ANN, the company rep responded to questions about the possibility of more Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime saying they expect the project to happen, but that the director is currently tied up in other projects.



Stand Alone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama has recently been working on "fantapolitical thriller" Eden of The East. An 11 episode anime TV series has completed and two movies are on the way.







The Art of Yo Gabba Gabba!













This Saturday, July 11, in Minneapolis, the Pink Hobo Gallery (507 E. Hennepin Ave.) will host an art show “The Art of Yo Gabba Gabba!” featuring artwork from the Nick Jr. TV series. Among the items on display: never-before-seen original drawings and sketches from the show’s creator and lead designer Parker Jacobs, props used in the show, and original production artwork from the show’s guest artists including King Mini, Mark Mothersbaugh, Option-G, Panda Panther, Megan Brain, Aaron Stewart, Mitch Loidolt, Tim Sievert, Julia Vickerman, and Tanya Haden. The opening is between 5pm and 1am. The show will continue to run after this weekend, but beware that the gallery doesn’t keep normal hours because it’s located in the offices of the production company Puny Entertainment. More details are available on this Facebook invite.

(Thanks cartoon brew)





Spongebob documentary








Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants (who first appeared on July 17th, 1999), VH1 will premiere Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants, on Tuesday, July 14 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). This is an original SpongeBob TV documentary from producers Creadon O’Malley (Wordplay, I.O.U.S.A).

From the Viacom press release:

Commissioned by Nickelodeon to commemorate the anniversary of the series’ first episode, the documentary chronicles the beloved character’s journey to international pop culture icon status and showcases the series’ impact on everyone from President Barack Obama, kids across the globe and San Quentin inmates who readily sing its catchy theme song. The one-hour documentary, features an opening song from Avril Lavigne and commentary from creator Steve Hillenburg, cast and crew members, industry experts, fanatics and celebrities like LeBron James, Ricky Gervais and Rosario Dawson.

It also features several comments from yours truly - I wonder if I’m considered an “industry expert” or a “fanatic”? Tune in and find out.








(Thanks cartoon brew)





‘Gatchaman’ Teaser Trailer Debuts At Anime Expo

It looks like “Gatchaman” is still on track for its 2010 release date from Imagi Studios. Debuting a new teaser this past weekend at Anime Expo 2009, Imagi gave attendees a first look at footage from the upcoming CGI feature film.

The 45-second teaser doesn’t reveal much about the film’s plot, which is being written by Paul Dini (“Batman: The Animated Series,” “Lost”), but does provide the first image of main villain Galactor, as well as a group shot of the entire Gatchaman team both in and out of costume.



Alongside the images, the trailer sums up the film’s theme with cryptic juxtaposed text, “A world in chaos, an alien evil, a lone warrior is found, earth’s last hope, five shall rise, ‘Gatchaman.’

Set in the not-too-distant future, “Gatchaman” sees a world on the verge of environmental and technological catastrophe attacked by an evil alien menace. Its only hope is a group of five genetically advanced teenagers in bird-themed uniforms. Naturally, they’ve got special abilities, fighting skills and spaceships to get the job done right.

Airing as “Battle of the Planets,” “G-Force” and “Eagle Riders” in North America over time in North America, “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman” was a huge hit in Japan, being exported in various forms around the world. With its five-person team dynamic, outlandish costumes and over-the-top space drama, many credit it as a predecessor to series such as “Kamen Rider” and North American “Super Sentai” import the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”

It’s still unknown whether or not the lead characters will be called by their Japanese names or by one of their various North American incarnations. But judging by the faithful “Gatchaman” film title, there’s a good chance fans of the original Japanese series will be hearing some familiar names.





Fido Fetches Giant Spot For RWE

Andrés Rosas Hott at Sweden’s Fido directed this new animated spot for the German electric power company RWE. The CG spot, titled Giant, runs nearly 2 minutes in length, and the creative effort was led by the ad agency Jung von Matt.







Atom.com Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge

Columbian animator Oscar Triana has been selected as a finalist in this year’s Atom.com Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge. His short Star Wars in a Notebook is up for the Audience Choice Award (vote now), which will be presented at Comic-Con on July 24th. Good luck to each of the finalists!

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Proof’ Co-Creator Confirms Animated Series, Addresses Samuel L. Jackson Rumor

Last week news broke that Image Comics’ “Proof” had been optioned by Kickstart Entertainment with intent to make it an animated series. “Futurama” writer Evan Gore was named as the potential writer for a pilot and comic book film veteran Samuel L. Jackson was rumored to star. However, since the report came from an anonymous source, there was a distinct lack of, well… proof.

Fortunately, “Proof” writer, letterer and co-creator Alex Grecian was willing to not only confirm the news, but also to share some insights into an animated world showcasing supernatural species and sasquatch action.

Grecian said he was flattered when Kickstart Entertainment, known for bringing Mark Millar’s “Wanted” to the big screen, reached out to him after taking a look at he and co-creator Riley Rossmo’s handiwork. Things progressed quickly, with Gore consulting Grecian on the show’s blueprint.

“I’ve read his treatment for the series and talked to [Gore] many times, both by phone and in person, and he’s extremely enthusiastic about ‘Proof,’ Grecian said.

Whether Samuel L. Jackson will be voicing sasquatch “Proof” protagonist John Prufrock is still being ironed out by Kickstart, but Grecian thinks the actor is perfect for the role.

“I haven’t spoken personally to Sam Jackson, but I’m told that 'Proof' is one of his favorite comic book series ever and he’s excited to be involved,” Grecian said.

As far as the show’s proposed style of animation, which some speculated would emulate Rossmo’s jagged style, Grecian said to expect some simplification.

“I haven’t seen any art for the series yet, but I think it would be really hard to animate [Rossmo's] style. [Rossmo's] character designs are perfect and I’m hoping they stick pretty close to those, but I’d look for the actual style of the show to be streamlined a bit.”

Even though the series has only just been optioned, Grecian could be penning episodes if things work out. For now, though, he’s just excited to see how things unfold.

“[Rossmo] and I have put our trust in Kickstart to get everything off the ground the right way and they’re doing a fantastic job of that,” Grecian said.





Warner Home Video Releases Hi-Res Images From "Green Lantern: First Flight" Feature

Warner Home Video has released hi-res versions of previously-seen images from the Green Lantern: First Flight direct-to-video animated feature.

For a closer look at the newly released hi-res images from the Green Lantern: First Flight direct-to-video animated feature, click on the thumbnails below.







Both images have been used liberally in publicity for the Green Lantern: First Flight animated feature, appearing in multiple advertisements and promotions for the highly-anticipated upcoming direct-to-video release.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Green Lantern: First Flight animated feature will debut Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc.





New onesheet poster for Peter Jackson's District 9










Yahoo! Movies has posted a new onesheet for producer Peter Jackson's new District 9, which you can view after the jump.

The movie, which is directed by Neill Blomkamp, takes place in a South African refugee camp for extraterrestrials. It opens Aug. 14; click on the image below for a larger version.
























Review: Learn the dueling secrets behind Rings and Star Wars












Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Reclaiming the Blade is a documentary that poses the question: Why did most sword fights look so fake in old movies—and why are they suddenly getting more realistic? The answer reveals one of the world's best-kept secrets.

This documentary came out in limited release last April in theaters, and the DVD (which is packed with fun and fascinating bonuses) comes out July 7. John Rhys-Davies narrates a story that begins in Hollywood and shows sword fights from silent movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride and Star Wars.











Cary Elwes as the Dread Pirate Roberts and Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride

Well-deserved focus centers on Bob Anderson, the longtime fight choreographer who trained Errol Flynn and was the man behind the mask of Darth Vader in the Star Wars fight scenes. Anderson is a Hollywood legend, and at long last he gets his own screen time to talk about his career in the movies.

Viggo Mortensen and Karl Urban tell stories of working with Anderson when they trained for Lord of the Rings. There's plenty of attention given to the design and making of their swords, including a peek inside the WETA Workshop, where a swordsmith talks about his work for the fantasy series and lets the cameras take a close look.

The rest of Reclaiming the Blade delves into the history of swords, revealing why filmmakers have recently been able to make fights look more realistic. Here's the secret: During the Middle Ages, weapons experts wrote books about their sword-fighting techniques. During the past 15 years or so, martial artists all over the world have discovered these ancient books and deciphered them. In other words, we now know how knights really fought, because people are reconstructing the sword techniques they used. Reclaiming the Blade introduces the experts in this field and the work they're doing. There's also a look at sword techniques used in the Society of Creative Anachronism, Asian martial arts and modern-day fencing.

The bonuses on this DVD are gems, including a closer look at weapons made at the WETA Workshop and their makers, as well as Mortensen telling stories about Aragorn and the details as to how the broken shards of Aragorn's ancestor's sword Narsil were re-forged into Anduril. My favorite is the short film about the real school for Jedi knights in New York City where students train with fake lightsabers. Who knew such a thing existed?





















(Ed note: One "old school" sword fight not mentioned is one of my favorites - from the 1940 "Mark of Zorro" w/ Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone, for whom fencing was one of his favorite off-camera recreations.)







Didja catch Optimus Prime on Letterman the other night?











The biggest machine in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is not Devastator: It's the PR mechanism, as evidenced by the following clip from The Late Show With David Letterman, which you can view after the jump.

In this clip, Optimus Prime delivers Letterman's trademark "Top Ten" list: in this case, "Things that sound cool when spoken by a giant robot." We don't guarantee it's funny; we just bring you this stuff.

(Thanks to Collider.com for the heads-up.)

News - 07/07/09...

Transformers 2 is No. 1, breaking holiday weekend tie









The big frakkin' robots appear to have won out over the woolly mammoths after all. Updated studio estimates released today show that Paramount's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was No. 1 in the photo-finish race for box-office supremacy this weekend, topping the domestic pack with $42.4 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

We reported yesterday that Transformers and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs were tied for the top spot when preliminary box-office estimates for the July 4 weekend were released.

But morning updates from various studios consistently showed Ice Age in second place with less than $42 million in Friday-Sunday box office. On Sunday, both Paramount and Fox estimated their pictures had taken in a chart-topping $42.5 million in box office over the three-day Fourth of July weekend. Final official data from Nielsen EDI will be released midday today.

Sunday estimates showed Transformers with a cumulative $293.5 million for its first 12 days in domestic release. The Ice Age three-quel boasted a $67.5 million since opening Wednesday.





Anime Expo Draws More Than 40,000

Anime Expo 2009 is reporting strong attendance at the four-day event, which wrapped up Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

More than 40,000 unique attendees reportedly have attended the annual event, with Saturday night’s Masquerade Main Event drawing a standing-room only crowd even with some 7,200 seats available.

Among the announcements that came out of the show, FUNimation announced the release in September of full-season DVD sets of Dragon Ball as well as the English-dub cast for the series Slayers Revolution.

The event also saw the announcement of the winners of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation’s 2009 Industry Awards. The winners are:

• Best Voice Actor (Japanese): Kappei Yamaguchi, Death Note, “L”

• Best Voice Actor (English): Kyla Hebert, Gurren Lagann, “Kamina”

• Best Voice Actress (Japanese): Junko Takeuchi, Naruto, “Naruto Uzumaki”

• Best Voice Actress (English): Michelle Ruff, Bleach The Movie: Memories Of Nobody, “Rukia Kuchiki”

• Best Casting Director: Jaime Simone, Bleach

• Best Character Design: Masaru Kitao of Madhouse, Death Note

• Best Mechanical Design: Yoh Yoshirari, Gurren Lagann

• Best Male Character: “L,” Death Note

• Best Female Character: “Rukia Kuchiki,” Bleach The Movie: Memories Of Nobody

• Best Mascot Character: “Mokona,” xxxHOLiC

• Best Background Design: Minoru Nakamura of Studio Pierrot, Bleach

• Best Original Video Animation: Lucky Star OVA, Bandai Entertainment

• Best Feature Film: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Bandai Entertainment

• Best Television Series: Gurren Lagann, Bandai Entertainment

• Best Original Score: Death Note, Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi

• Best Original Song: "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," Bleach, Beat Crusaders, Aniplex Inc.

• Best Director (Japanese): Tetsuro Araki, Death Note

• Best Director (American): Karl Willems, Death Note

• Best Manga – Action: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Del Rey Manga, CLAMP

• Best Manga – Comedy: Fairy Tail, Del Rey Manga, Hiro Mashima

• Best Manga – Drama: Monster, VIZ Media, Naoki Urasawa

• Best Publication: Shonen Jump, VIZ Media

• Best Full Motion Video in Video Game: Final Fantasy IV, Square-Enix

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





WB Completes Midway Assets Purchase

Warner Bros. has completed its purchase of the assets of Midway Games, including the rights to such well-known gaming franchises as Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter and Joust.

The studio picked up the assets in bankruptcy court for $33 million in a deal approved last week by the judge, reports Variety.

Warner’s acquisition did not include two of the company’s development studios, one in San Diego and the other in England.

Midway filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. Warner Bros. did not comment on its plans for Midway.

Thanks Animation Magazine)





Weinstein Co.’s Escape Delayed

The Weinstein Co.’s 3-D animated feature film Escape From Planet Earth has been delayed, with production shut down until August and its release pushed back to January 2011 at the earliest.

The problems with the film are mostly creative, with script problems prompting the shut down that idled 150 animators at Vancouver-based Rainmaker, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Escape from Planet Earth is not the only film from The Weinstein Co. to be delayed. The studio, run by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, recently brought in financial consultants to help them re-organize their debt and finances.

The delays have hampered the bottom line for Rainmaker, which reported a 31 percent first-quarter drop in animation revenues due to the production delays. But Warren Franklin, the company’s CEO, says the issues are being sorted out and expects the film to get back on track.

"The production schedule is being sorted out," he told the Times, adding that the delays are "very normal for an animated film."

Thanks Animation Magazine)





Losses Bump Gonzo Stock Listing

Japanese animation company Gonzo’s ongoing financial issues have forced it to delist from the Mothers section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, effective July 30.

The decision was made according to the rules of the exchange, which state that a company must prepare for delisting if its been in the red for two straight years.

The company reported that its debts exceeded it assets for the fiscal year that ended in March. It is currently restructuring and plans to cut its creative staff from 130 to 30 in the next five years.

Gonzo is best know for the series Afro Samurai and its feature follow-up Afro Samurai: Resurrection.

Thanks Animation Magazine)





John Helps Jackson Say Goodbye to London

South African artist Murray John conceived and directed this mixed-media music video for the Luke Jackson. The track is titled Goodbye London and John, now based in London, shot all the photos of the city and then composited the 2D animation using After Effects.







Trunk Animates Mitchell & Webb For BBC

UK-based Trunk Animation brought this Mitchell and Webb comedy sketch to life for the BBC Comedy Extra website. The short is titled Morning temperature knob! Is he fiddling with you again?








Don Bluth and Ralph Bakshi discuss animation (1982)






Here’s a rare treat. Ralph Bakshi and Don Bluth discuss the future of animation on Nightcap, a literary roundtable hosted by journalists Studs Terkel and Calvin Trillin.

Here Bakshi and Bluth are joined by Larry Elin, who represents computer animation. All have great things to say, much of it still relevant — except for Elin, who essentially claims that computer animation will never create real characters. It’s a great peek into the animation mindset of 1982. What a blast to see Bakshi and Bluth on the same set, grilled by two of America’s most noted writers, talking about, among other things, Saturday morning cartoons. It’s also a reminder of how intelligent talk shows used to be — and perhaps, could be again.

Nightcap aired weekly on the forerunner of A&E, ARTS - when the channel aired as the nighttime programming block of Nickelodeon (pre-Nick-at-Nite)! The whole show is about 26 minutes. I split the episode into three parts for YouTube, but for your viewing pleasure, I’ve compiled them into a playlist below:



(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Marshall Preps The 3 Amigonauts’ Mission

We began following Canadian animator Kyle Marshall’s new project The 3 Amigonauts back in February, when we saw a walk test. Today Marshall delivers a little musical trailer for the project.

The 3 Amigonauts trailer from kmarshall on Vimeo.

Lane Beams Out Backyard Courtesy Short

Ben Lane, a storyboard for The Simpsons, has revealed another backyard theater short, which he screens prior to the feature presentation. This one urges courtesy to your neighbors.







"Daria" Coming to DVD in 2010

TVShowsOnDVD reports that an early screener DVD of MTV's The State reveals that the animated series Daria will be released on DVD in 2010. The spinoff from Beavis and Butt-head ran on MTV from 1997 - 2002, and centered on the cynical, misanthropic high school teenager Daria Morgendorffer. It is not known if the series will be released with the original music from the series, as the 2 Daria TV movies currently on DVD had licensed music removed.





680News on Tom Kenny as "The New Mel Blanc"

680News has dubbed Tom Kenny "the New Mel Blanc" in a profile article, where the voice actor for SpongeBob SquarePants discusses that role and his many others in the voice acting business, with roles in Rocko's Modern Life, Camp Lazlo, The Powerpuff Girls, Transformers Animated, and Dilbert. The article discusses how Kenny got the gig as SpongeBob and notes the upcoming plans to celebrate SpongeBob's 10th Anniversary.





Asian American Comic Con in NYC on July 11, 2009

The first Asian American Comic Con will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2009, at the Museum of Chinese in America at 215 Centre Street in New York City. The con will be open to all and will include some of the comic industries leading Asian American creators examining "the unique contemporary rolehistorical legacy of Asians in the world of comics and cartoon art." Special guests at the convention will include Larry Hama (G.I. Joe), Greg Pak (Planet Hulk), and William F. Wu (Hong on the Range).

For full registration and programming information, visit the official AACC home page.





"Saturday Morning Cartoons" Vol. 2 Coming in October

According to Home Theater Forum, the second volumes of Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960's and 1970's come to DVD on 10/27/09 for $26.99 each. Both sets will contain two discs and special features include Saturday Morning Previews similar to the first volumes'. Included episodes have yet to be announced.





Why Hollywood stuntmen think The Matrix changed everything










Matrix producer Joel Silver changed the rules of the game and made Hollywood stunt history when he traveled to China to beg reluctant action director Yuen Wo-Ping to choreograph the fighting for the film, according to an informal poll by author Kevin Conley.

Conley, who went behind the scenes with the stunt performers who make sure our favorite stars don't break their necks to research his book The Full Burn: On the Set, at the Bar, Behind the Wheel, and Over the Edge With Hollywood Stuntmen, wrote in Salon that "Wo-Ping set ridiculous demands in the hopes that Silver would just go away: a huge budget, a ridiculous salary, and six months of training with the actors and stuntmen. Much to his surprise, Silver agreed to everything, and when the series became a blockbuster, the practice of hiring stuntmen for lengthy training and rehearsal periods took off."

Other flicks admired by Hollywood stuntmen include Crank, the three installments of the Bourne trilogy and the Thai action movie Ong-Bak.

News - 07/06/09...

Transformers, Ice Age in Fourth of July tie for top slot








It's going to be close: Preliminary box-office estimates for the July Fourth weekend show that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs are tied for the top spot, with and estimated $42.5 million in domestic ticket sales each, the Associated Press reported.

Whether that tie will remain on Monday, when final figures are reported, remains to be seen.

Johnny Depp and Christian Bale's gangster epic Public Enemies, meanwhile, debuted in third place, with $26.2 million.





Ecuador forces "The Simpsons" out of prime time

"The Simpsons" is being taken off prime-time in Ecuador pending a government investigation of its effects on children, the Teleamazonas network said Thursday.

The network said that it will no longer be allowed to show the dysfunctional family between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. until the probe takes place.

"It is not going to go off the air, but we had to change its slot to 5:30 a.m.," Teleamazonas' lawyer, Pablo Ortiz, told the Agence France-Presse news service.

A government-supported broadcast regulator will examing The Simpsons' impact on "boys, girls and teenagers." It also wants airings restricted "to assure the protection" of younger viewers.

The state TV watchdog said that it was concerned by the impact of "programs and messages that promote violence, racial and gender discrimination." The investigation is expected to take 90 days.

Recently, Japanese cartoon Dragon Ball was also forced from its normal timeslot by Ecuador's broadcast regulator.

Another South American country, Venezuela, instituted a sanction against private TV channel Televen in June 2008 for broadcasting The Simpsons during family viewing hours.





The Slow Death of Cartoon Network

Guess who else doesn’t like the new CN? The people who used to make cartoons at the network, like Chowder creator C.H. Greenblatt. He posted the following comment on his blog a couple days ago: “As I sit here on an empty floor of an empty building looking at all the empty animation offices, I can at least put this on endless loop for some comfort.” The endless loop refers to this ignominious piece of video.

Meanwhile, at Cartoon Network’s executive offices, where the blind continue to lead the blind into irrelevance, they’re convinced that they’ve discovered what kids really want to watch on TV nowadays: golf. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the farcical details about one of the network’s new programming initiatives, which involves teaming up with the PGA of America to offer live-action golf shows for kids. “We have to work hard to ensure that we continue reaching families and young people for golf to be relevant in the future,” said Joe Steranka, chief executive officer of the PGA of America. “The Cartoon Network complements the PGA of America’s leadership in junior golf.”

If you wish, there’s a Boycott CN Real group on Facebook. Frankly, I’m just about ready to label it a lost cause and move on.

(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Evind Earle - "Sleeping Beauty" Animation Concept Paintings, 1959










Medium - tempera on heavy illustration board.
All artwork found while digging through the Heritage Auction website.

(Thanks Monster Brains)





Ponyo, Miyazaki and Ghibli

Reminder: Hayao Miyazaki's Ponzo hits Japanese DVD on July 3rd and American theaters on August 14th.

The LA Times confirmed Miyazaki will be appearing at Comic-Con in San Diego in July showing clips from Ponyo. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will also be showing "Spirited Away" on July 17; Pixar's John Lasseter, who has executive produced the American-language version of the last three Miyazaki films, will be interviewing the master animator at the academy on July 28.

Ponyo event held at Aquarium Kaiyukan, Osaka











Zac Bertschy at ANN reviews Ponyo
Drew McWeeny at HitFlix on the movie

Ponyo adaptation thoughts and a survey of international Ponyo trailers

Speaking of Ponyo on the international front, Nausicaa.net reports Walt Disney Home Entertainment announced that the Japanese release of "How Ponyo was Born" (DVD and BD) and "Ponyo Special DVD BOX" are postponed until December.

Toshio Suzuki commented that the delay is due to rights negotiation on incidental music.

Ghibli World reports that a new short is being produced for the Ghibli Museum. The douga work of the new short finished on June 25 and the people at the studio play its rush film every week.

Ghibli World also offers an update on Miyazaki's manga Kaze Tachin

Ayumi Suzuki's essay A nightmare of capitalist Japan: Spirited Away

At look at the Grave of the Fireflies musical

Ghibli gate crest

Kiki's Delivery Service - Japanese Trailers

T.H.E.M. Anime review on Ghibli ga Ippai Special Short Short










CG Totoro Mae





Going Hollywood

Reuters reports that the Steven Spielberg and Will Smith remake of Old Boy is moving forward despite the legal battle between the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 cult hit. Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake. Show East and Big Egg, who produced the Korean film are now out of business, but South Korean sales company Cineclick Asia, which represented Show East's "Oldboy" in international territories, actually negotiated the remake deal with Universal.

From a Futabasha press release

As a separate matter, Futabasha, along with Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, the original author and illustrator of the manga work, fully support plans for an upcoming film adaptation of the original “Old Boy” material currently planned by Steven Spielberg and Will Smith in conjunction with Dreamworks Studio.

“We are very excited about this latest “Old Boy” project,” said Futabasha Board Member Kenji Honda. “Currently, the option rights are held by Universal Pictures. The legal action should not affect Universal's rights or the Dreamworks project in any way. The suit was commenced to protect the rights of Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, as well as to enforce and protect the rights of Futabasha under the contract with Show East.”

*

The rumored death of the Hollywood live action Akira might be exaggerated. That assertion might also be an exaggeration. MTV Splashpage quotes rumored cast member Joseph Gordon-Levitt as saying “you never know” when asked about the project's fate.

*

Anime News Network reports Joshua Long, the production supervisor of 20th Century Fox's proposed live-action Cowboy Bebop film, has revealed on Thursday that live-action film projects based on the Kakurenbo supernatural horror anime and a Kazuo Koike work are being pursued. Long revealed the projects at the Anime Expo convention's keynote speech on "Making Anime and Manga into Hollywood Features."





Upcoming in Japan

Previews -
Bakemonogatari

Baton

Eden of the East (movie)

Manglobe's (Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy) Sacred Blacksmith



Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (official English language profile)

Anime -
A-1 Pictures and Satelight will be adapting Hiro Mashima’s fantasy adventure Fairy Tail into an anime series. The manga is released in North America by Del Rey.

A unique version of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone will air on Japanese TV this week

Following November's Macross Frontier the Movie: The False Songstress, which will present a compillation of the story chronicled in the Macross F TV series, a second, newly announced Macross F will tell an original story.

The second season of risque fantasy adventure Queen's Blade is now scheduled to hit Japanese TV in October

A new xxxHoLiC OVA will be packaged with a limited edition of volume 16 of the manga

Fresh Precure! Big Secret of the Toy Kingdom will hit Japanese theatres October 31st.

A fourth Gag Manga Biyori anime adaptation is the works.




Manga -
Ai Yazawa's Nana has gone on hiatus due to illness

Bokurano, the painful approach to sci-fi adventure tropes by Shadow Star's Mohiro Kitoh has come to an end. A one-shot spin-off Yet Another Bokurano will be in the next issue of Japan's Ikki. The manga will be running in Viz's English, only edition of the magazine.

Masato Natsumoto's Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record U.C. 0081: Tears of the Seas and Skies and Tsukasa Kotobuki's Mobile Suit Gundam: Day after Tomorrow: From Kai Shiden's Memories have launched in the latest issue of Gundam Ace

Macross Ace has also launched a new Macross F manga.

Live Action -
Ultraman movie Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu) is Japanese theatre bound



Kamen Rider Double (W) will premiere in September





The Anime Business

ICV2 reports that American anime sales declined 2% in Q1 2009 versus Q1 2008, versus an 11% drop in 2008 versus 2007.Consolidation of anime companies is also continuing, according to the report, with FUNimation’s market share topping 40% in Q1 2009.

Robert of Robert's Anime Corner Store comments

*

Toonzone and Video Business report that Millenium Media Services, a joint manufacturing/distribution venture between First Look Studios and Sony DADC hope to streamline the process of getting DVD/Blu-ray media into Best Buy. One of the mentioned client is Bandai Entertainment, who were unable to get releases such as Code Geass Part 3 and Gurren Lagann Part 3 into Best Buy.

*

Plans to a build a government funded anime hall of fame are controversial among animators in addition to politicians

Via Matt Alt's translation

"The number of productions and the production budgets have plummeted in comparison to last year," says Studio Gonzo producer Junichi Tagaki. "We used to get 1.8 million yen for a thirty minute television episode. Now we get 1.3 million yen.... If there's the money to build an [anime] center, I'd rather see it spent on reorganizing the domestic anime industry."

...

"Totally useless," opined no less a personage than Mobile Suit Gundam character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko about the proposed anime center. "Anime has the vitality of a weed. I want it to be left alone. And with government support, I worry about potential restrictions being placed on freedom of expression."

ANN reports the members of its preparatory committee to establish the tentatively named National Media Arts Center include
Media Arts in General

Yasuki Hamano, Tokyo University professor in graduate studies
Kazuo Hayashi, Pia Research Institute President
Tomoe Moriyama, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Curator

Film, Video

Kohei Ando, Waseda University professor

Anime

Taku Furukawa, artistic anime creator
Sachiko Kamimura, character designer (City Hunter, The Heroic Legend of Arslan)
Yuji Nunokawa, The Association of Japanese Animations Board Chairperson

Manga

Chiho Saito, manga creator (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Anastasia Club)
Machiko Satonaka, manga creator (Lady Ann)

Media Arts

Hide Nakaya, NHK commentator
Nobumichii Tosa, Maywa Denki artist

Computer Games

Tsunekazu Ishihara, Pokémon President
Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Q Entertainment Representative Director

Helen McCarthy on the topic

*

Robert's Anime Corner Store Blog asserts that Viz is abandoning the niche anime market

It's pretty clear that Viz has pretty much abandoned the niche market and is only going to go forward with DVD releases that have the potential for mass appeal (and mass market sales) and that they will no longer be publishing lower sell through fetish shows (I think I's will end up being the final 'fan centric' show they release with the Nana and Honey and Clover releases being sort of hold overs from prior planning). It's also clear they will probably not resurrect Hikaru No Go into boxed sets as we originally had hoped. Someone asked me on Friday if they will be packaging Shippuden to match the original 16 Naruto Uncut boxed sets, and while we don't have specs on the release yet, I think the answer is almost certainly no. They will most likely be standard double DVD packs.

*

Anime producer Gonzo will be delisted from the growth "Mother" section of the Tokyo Stock exchange on July 31.

*

ADV Nation spoke to Anime Network's Vice President, Stacy Dodson about their offerings





Non-Anime Animation

Chinese steampunk animation

Fenrir







Worth Checking Out...

Official
Central Park Media's farewell message from the anime Expo program

Siren Visual's posted a provocative Siren Otaku Tv promo, looking ahead to releases of Genius Party and Tower Of Druaga.

ADV has also posted trailers on YouTube



Insight
Exit the Dragon - "Asian movies are dead in America and no one cares," says Grady Hendrix, "We're right back where we started."

An interesting look at what to expect from Imagi Astro Boy

A look at the various incarnations of Tezuka's Phoenix
part one
part two
part three
part four

Speaking of Madinkbeard, Phoenix Volume 10 and 11: Sun



Let's Anime on "Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works"

















J-Film Pow-Wow on The Diary of Tortov Roddle

There's a lot of talk about which Japanese animator will take up the title of "The Next Miyazaki". Of course Makoto Shinkai and his lushly illustrated, but often saccharine films "Voices of a Distant Star" and "5 Centimeters per Second" usually get the brunt of this talk, but for my money I have to say that with the ability to evoke the kind of magic that he does in "The Diary of Tortov Roddle" that Kunio Kato will ultimately be the animator to wear this coveted crown... and this is coming from a die hard Miyazaki fan. No, Kato's style doesn't evoke the traditional Osamu Tezuka-based "anime" from which Hayao Miyazaki sprung. It's renderings are polished, but rudimentary. Unnecessary details are left out and there's nary a doe-eyed high school girl in sight, but (and I hope this doesn't sound intentionally cryptic) sometimes you have to go outside what you would normally classify as "anime" to discover "Japanese animation".

AniPages Daily on Genius Party

Animator Spotlight: Sushio


Media

Not anime, but still worth a look Evind Earle - "Sleeping Beauty" Animation Concept Paintings, 1959

Stone Bridge Press is offering The Four Immigrants Manga: Excerpts

Hello Kitty x Star Wars

The cover of the upcoming Satoshi Kon book


















The Japanese dub of Little Mermaid


Fantasmatic Enjoyment of Animation Stills - including Tezuka work

Blood: The Last Vampire live action concept art

Astro Boy Color Illustrations

G-Force (as in Gatchaman, not the upcoming rodent animated movie) fan art

Sayaka’s Gorgeous Illustration

Felix Ip's Art Blog















Misc
Proposed changes for San Francisco's Japantown

With the full size Gundam statue built, the full size Tetsujin 28 of Wakamatsu Park in Kobe is getting lots of play - more here



comic censorship fights in India

Stan Lee, Go Nagai and Osamu Tezuka

Chinese Marry Off Dead Girls as Ghost Brides - as seen in Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service

Penny Arcarde on the Avatar race-casting issue





Art is spinach: Koons' "Popeye" show comes to UK

American artist Jeff Koons sailed into London on Tuesday to launch a series of Popeye paintings.

The Serpentine Gallery, which is hosting the show, said that it was the first major exhibition of Koons' work in a public gallery in England.

"Jeff Koons: Popeye Series" also features what appear to be giant inflatable children's toys, such as dolphins, monkeys and lobsters.

The series, featuring loans from public as well as private collections, is centered around the cartoon figures of Popeye and Olive Oyl.

Koons, who is based in New York, was at the gallery for Tuesday's press launch. Sometimes called the "king of kitsch" for his pop-culture references, he began his Popeye series in 2002.

He called the cartoon sailor a symbol of self-confidence.

"Working with everyday objects, it's about people and the acceptance of others. I watched Popeye when I was younger... I always see a little bit of my father in Popeye," the 54-year-old artist said, describing his father as a strong and optimistic man.

"But something that's not so personal is that it's 'I yam what I yam,' and it's this self-acceptance," he told reporters at a preview of the show. "And for art to function... you first have to trust in yourself and when you trust in yourself you can follow your interests and follow them on a profound level."

"Maybe art is the spinach," The Telegraph quoted him as saying.

Koons is famous in the art world for making a sculpture of the late Michael Jackson and his chimp Bubbles.

The London exhibition is open to the public until September 13.





Scott Bradley at Walter Lantz

Yesterday Michael Sporn posted a commentary about how the musical composers at animation studios of the past served as a trademark for a particular studio. Each had a unique style and sound which immediately identify the cartoon to its makers.

Scott Bradley, who composed the music for MGM cartoons from 1934 through 1957, was one of the best. His delightful scores are upbeat and lush sounding, and perfectly capture the right feel of the upscale MGM animation. But what if Bradley had composed a score for a B-Studio like Universal? Well it just so happens that Bradley did take on such a freelance assignment in 1938 just prior to joining MGM full time, where he’d be under contract for the rest of his career (He had previously been a composer at large, creating music for Ub Iwerks and Harman-Ising cartoons).

Baby Kittens (1938) is an unremarkable, run-of-the-mill Universal short, directed by Alex Lovy for Walter Lantz Productions. It’s made even more unbearable by the voice-over “thoughts” of the dog character. Print uploaded (embedded below) has time code obscuring part of the picture, but we present it here for its soundtrack not the animation or story. Bradley’s trademark themes and music cues are all there, and are much more sophistcated than what Lantz house composer Frank Marsales was doing at the time. If you close your eyes and just listen to the track (and try to ignore the dog), you might think you are listening to a 40s MGM cartoon - proving Michael Sporn’s point entirely.



(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Warner Home Video Announces "Green Lantern: First Flight" Animated Feature Contest

Warner Home Video has announced a new contest based on the upcoming Green Lantern: First Flight direct-to-video animated feature.

Official details are available below.

From June 30 - August 11, 2009, Green Lantern Fans Can Enter to Win a PlayStation 3, 40" LCD HDTV, a Copy of Green Lantern: First Flight on Blu-ray and Much More

To promote the Blu-ray and DVD release of Green Lantern: First Flight on July 28, a sweepstakes has been created to get fans involved and give them a chance to win cool prizes. Green Lantern fans can enter the sweepstakes and learn more about the fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Originals through a Facebook Power Ring widget.

Once the Facebook Power Ring Widget has been added to a fan's page, they can "recharge their ring" continuously to keep it powered to 100% and automatically submit additional entries in the sweepstakes. Additional features of the widget include a Personality Quiz, Green Lantern IQ Test, Video, News and Updates, Downloads and Links.

Check it out now at GreenLanternSweeps.com.





Writer Jeph Loeb On The Upcoming "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" Animated Feature

Jeph Loeb sits down with The World's Finest for an exclusive Q & A on the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies direct-to-video animated feature.

The World's Finest caught up with famed comic and television writer Jeph Loeb for a quick Q & A to share his thoughts on the upcoming direct-to-video Superman/Batman: Public Enemies animated feature. The animated feature adapts the six-issue story arc of the same name, originally written by Loeb, from the Superman/Batman comic series currently published by DC Comics. The story features Superman and Batman facing off against Lex Luthor, now President of the United States.

The World's Finest: Any thoughts on seeing one of your stories being adapted into an animated feature? Were you surprised by the announcement?

Jeph Loeb: I got a call from DC asking if I wanted to write the script, which caught me totally off guard because I had no idea they were thinking about this series. I love the Justice League: The New Frontier DVD both in terms of look and how faithful they were to the story. My schedule wouldn't allow it, so all I could do was hope for the best. And from what I've seen it's better than the best!

WF: Have you been consulted about this project? Are there any moments you'd like to make sure appear in the animated movie, and do you think they'll stick close to the source material?

JL: I didn't have anything to do with it. I know the people involved and they are all first rate, top of their game in animation. I did some commentary that is on the DVD. I hope that's not too embarrassing!

WF: Is there another Superman/Batman arc of yours you would like to see adapted?

JL: Sure! All of them! I'd love to see them adapt the next arc, Supergirl, and do it in Mike Turner's style. That's what makes these DVD's so unique is that they have been following the designs of the specific artists. The “McGuinness” look to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies just rocks!

WF: Do you plan to check out Superman/Batman: Public Enemies when it hits shelves?

JL: On the shelves?! I'm hoping for an advance copy (laughs)! I've downloaded the trailer and play it all the time.

WF: There have been rumors that your other work, specifically Batman: The Long Halloween, may be adapted into animation at some point. Any details on that? Any thoughts?

JL: Haven't heard a thing, but they keep secrets really well over there. Batman: The Long Halloween is certainly one of my favorite stories, and I was incredibly flattered how much has been used in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

WF: To wrap this up, can you give fans a quick update on what you're up to right now, including current comic and entertainment work? What can we expect from you down the line?

JL: In movies and television there are a few huge announcements which I can't really talk about at this time, but very soon. I am going back to television on a new series that is going to be huge!

In comics, my plate is very full. I've got the monthly Hulk book, featuring the all-new, all-deadly Red Hulk, with my Superman/Batman partner Ed McGuinness. Also, we're finishing up Ultimatum with David Finch, which will both reinvent and reinvigorate the Ultimate Universe at Marvel and lead toward Brian Bendis' new Ultimate Spider-Man, Mark Millar's Ultimate Avengers, and my own New Ultimates with Frank Cho. It's going to be a very big year!

The World's Finest would like to thank Jeph Loeb for his participation!

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies will debut Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc. Click here to view the official press release for the upcoming direct-to-video Superman/Batman: Public Enemies animated feature release.





Chris Wedge Speaks

Marshall Fine interviews Chris Wedge, the Big Man of Blue Sky:

...“The differences [between Pixar and Blue Sky features] are pretty apparent to the audience,” Wedge says. “It all depends on what audience you’re making the film for. With the first ‘Ice Age,’ we were making it mostly to entertain ourselves. When we saw the audience was into it, we fine-tuned it. But still, the things we like best are the ideas that entertain me and my buddies.

... “Pixar has a well-understood internal development paradigm. It was started by animators who were influenced by the tradition of animation at Disney. On the other hand, we started on our own." ...

Blue Sky is, to my mind, the third studio in the triad of "Blockbuster Animation Houses" (the other two being Pixar and DreamWorks.)

There are those who snipe at Wedge, but anybody who has produced as much high quality work that is also highly commercial is in rare company. I can only think of two others with equivalent track records who began their working lives as artist/creators.

So here's to Mr. Wedge, and congratulations for seeing Ice Age Three off to a roaring start.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





July 4th Linkorama!

Happy fireworks; now enjoy a shorter linkfest to get the holiday sparking.

Consequences of Sound examines the splendors of Beavis and Butthead Do America Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album:

... [W]hile [the animated film] cost about five million to make (pocket change nowadays), …Do America grossed over $60 million dollars for its domestic box office run, a feat attributed to timing as the height of Beavis and Butt-head’s popularity only dwindled shortly thereafter ...

... [T]his album is essentially the love child of late ’90s alternative and Beavis and Butt-head-approved metal, only with a little comic relief for good measure — a perfect mix for such a confused yet brilliant decade. The on-screen duo get the ’70s buddy cop treatment with the late Issac Hayes turning their TV show theme song into the “Theme From Shaft”’s evil twin, and it’s all aptly titled, “Two Cool Dudes” ...

Bruce Kirkland at the Toronto Sun overviews some of the newer and older animation now out on those little silver disks:

... Animation is about 117 years old, depending on what you count as the earliest example ...

The 1960s [cartoon] collection [from Warner Bros.] includes good stuff like Top Cat, Quick Draw McGraw, The Flintstones and Porky Pig. There is also marginal work such as Precious Pupp and Peter Potamus. The 1970s set includes bits of Batman and Tarzan from their Adventure Hour, as well as Scooby-Doo, Yogi's Gang and other Hanna-Barbera animations.

In the three-dimensional world of animation, the Diz Co. has dropped three million new dollars into the Florida Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents..

After an eight-month rehab and a total script rewrite, Walt Disney World on Friday reopened the Hall of Presidents with an animatronic Barack Obama...

Nicknamed "Robobama" by the artisans who created him under tight secrecy in a Los Angeles warehouse, Disney's presidential replica is more realistic than predecessors thanks to new technology such as a more flexible silicone skin.

His mouth wraps around more sounds like "oh" than just jawing up and down. The muscles in the chin and cheeks flex as he talks ....

Examiner.com takes a short tour -- photographic and written -- of the Disney archives.

The archives ... contain shelves and shelves of books, cases of rare antique Mickey Mouse watches, drawers of rare animation cels and artwork, vintage Disney-licensed toys, and almost anything else Disney-related you might imagine ...

The archives are contained in the Frank G. Wells building on the studio lot, and inside the lobby were many more historical exhibits ... on display was one of Walt Disney's three multiplane cameras, which were used to create three-dimensional pans in Walt's early animated films. A set-up from "Pinocchio" was on display, demonstrating how the cameras would hold the cels spaced apart, allowing the camera to focus on various layers giving the viewers the illusion of depth ...

On the European front, The Hollywood Reporter informs us that the live-action icon Lassie is morphing into a 3-D cartoon:

... The series, to be a 26 x 26 min series, will be a U.K.-Ireland-France-Germany-India co-production.

"What we are announcing now is a co-development agreement. But it is very well understood that we will go ahead and co-produce this as a multi-million Euro series, with us as the lead producer," said Tapaas Chakravarti, DQ's CEO. "The script will primarily be written in Europe with the intention of delivering the series at the end of 2010 or early 2011."

If you're in the right age group, black-and-white memories of Lassie are vivid, since the series, beginning in the early fifties, ran for almost twenty years.

Lastly, Tech Radar offers five animated shorts from various times and places for you to pick over ... as you pick the cob corn out of your teeth. (Here's one):



(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





Penultimate RDCCDX Episode Jailbreak

Matt Burnett and Ben Levin are bringing their online series RDCCDX: Digital Pirates of Dark Water Saga to a close at Otakon 2009, which runs from July 17th-19th at the Baltimore Convention Center. The finale will premiere at the For Tax Reasons panel, but in the meantime we’ve got another installment. In episode 3.5, You Are (Not) Loved, Dad busts the boys out of jail, but Mark and Barry might have preferred if he didn’t….







Then Is the Animation Going To ... Hawaii?

Well, a little of it is. Amazingly enough, there's a small slice of toonage being produced in the Island State.

... [A] production studio in Hawaii will launch a series of animated shows on the national scene. Hawaii Film Partners has produced 38 two-minute episodes of "Ape Escape" for Nickelodeon's NickToons network. The series premieres at 9 a.m. today.

"This was a way for us to do our first animation project on something that was bite-sized," said Rann Watumull, co-founder of Hawaii Film Partners and an executive producer of "Ape Escape." "It's a wonderful way to introduce a show without having to take over a time slot."

... Creating the infrastructure for animation has already led to the next step. Watumull's company is working on 26 half-hour episodes of "Guardians of the Power Masks," an animated series that represents a multinational partnership with South Korea and China, where it will air in prime time ...

The last animation produced in Hawaii was Final Fantasy, also the product of a multi-national effort. A consortium of Japanese and American artists created the elaborate mo-cap feature in Honolulu at the turn of the millenium. High hopes and big bucks were poured into Fantasy, but only tiny box office resulted, so the big Honolulu studio in the oceanfront high rise went away.

Animation, to a far greater extent than live action, is market driven. If the projects tank, then the jobs and studios disappear. Sadly, this is the way it's always worked.

If Hawaii's latest animation house hopes to endure, it will have to deliver the goods, quality wise. It shouldn't take long to tell if that comes to pass.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





Routh done with SUPERMAN?

Actor Brandon Routh chatted with Brazilian website Omelete.com on the set of 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World'. They quizzed the actor about the status of the 'Superman' franchise.

Omelete's article is not in English so we can't be sure what Routh said but a Google translation of the piece seems to indicate that Routh is saying his contract to return to the franchise has expired. However, if the studio wants him he's happy to return to the role that made him famous.

In the interview Routh also grouses a bit about how Chrisopher Nolan's 'Batman Begins' didn't totally live up to studio expectations, yet they found room for the sequel. Of course, the actor doesn't own up to the arguable difference in quality and critical reception between 'Batman Begins' and 'Superman Returns'.





BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE Opens This Week

If you live in select cities, you'll be able to check out 'Blood: The Last Vampire' in theaters this Friday. Here's a list of cities and theaters that will be screening the film on July 10th.

Los Angeles - Mann Chinese 6 / Hollywood, CA, University Town Center 6 / Irvine, CA
Chicago - Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema / Chicago, IL
San Diego - Hillcrest Cinemas / San Diego, CA
Seattle - Varsity Theatre / Seattle, WA
Boston - Kendall Square Cinema / Cambridge, MA, Embassy Cinema / Waltham, MA
DC - E Street Cinema / Washington DC
San Francisco - Metreon 15 / San Francisco, CA, Shattuck Cinemas 10 / Berkeley, CA
Honolulu - Kahala Theatres 8 / Honolulu, HI, Pearlridge West 16 / Aiea, HI
Dallas - Magnolia Theatres / Dallas, TX
Houston - Angelika Film Center / Houston, TX
Las Vegas - Village Square 18 / Las Vegas, NV
New York - Empire 25 Theatres / New York, NY
Village Theatre 7 / New York, NY

Visit BloodTheLastVampire-Movie.com for trailers and info.





SUPERMAN LIVES' Brainiac Revealed

Drawings and models Tim Burton's vision for the DC Villain







Model of Brainiac from SUPERMAN LIVES
© Mania

Remember back in the mid-late 1990s when Tim Burton was developing 'Superman Lives'? They were building sets for the Daily Planet in Pittsburgh. Nicolas Cage was signed to star for a huge pay-or-play deal. Cameras were going to role at any second...and then the whole thing collapsed (much to the relief of fans everywhere).

How bizarre would that movie have been?

Well, a Japanese Tim Burton fan site has uncovered a slew of drawings and models of Brainiac from the film, not to mention numerous additional concept sketches of other things that are difficult to recognize.

Is that the resurrection suit Superman? Or the cyborg? Or the Eradicator?

What's with the little Edwards Superhands drawing? Is that Superboy?

Click through for a look at the drawings because they are fascinating. Any of you who read Japanese can help us out by posting translations in the comments below.

One thing that is clear is Burton's plans for Brainiac, which has him as a disembodied head who apparently utilizes various robotic bodies. The fan site has posted a video displaying Burton's Brainiac, which you can see below. Clearly the director is channeling sci-fi movies from the 1950s, like 'Invaders from Mars' which featured a similar alien psychic contained in a glass sphere, or 'War of the Worlds' with it's tripod walking ships.

HEEEEERE'S BRAINIAC!






Stan Lee to Appear in the Venom Spin-Off

At this point, it's a foregone conclusion that Marvel's former president and chairman Stan Lee will have a cameo in every single movie based on a Marvel Comics character whether or not he had any direct association with that character during his lengthy career. But how many of the upcoming movies can claim that he's already been written into the script?

When we spoke to Zombieland creators Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese a few months back, they were hesitant about saying much about the Venom script they'd been working on. (You can read what they could say here.) As we were going through our lengthy interview with them, we found a little missed tidbit that might thrill Marvel fans, as they admitted to us that Lee will appear in the Venom movie and that they've even already written his part!

"Oh, yeah. Stan Lee is in it," Reese told us. "I feel like that's the one thing we can say. He does appear in our script, and we're very specific about where he is and why. May he live forever. Let's hope he's in many movies to come."





Trilogy Details On The Last Goofybender

lastairbenderfilm.com has an interview with Producer Frank Marshall and "writer/director" M. Night Shymaskiptotheloomydarlinglan about how long it would take to make the entire Last Goofybender trilogy:

“We’re shooting them one at a time, because they’re being written one at a time,” says veteran producer… Frank Marshall. “Night is now working on the script for the second movie, but he hasn’t had time to write the second or third ones. He’s looking at the arc of all three. One of the things we’ll be doing is using the sets, ships and elements for each different nation in this film and incorporating them into movies two and three. We’re not waiting. There just isn’t enough time. Night will finish this movie, then the script and then we’ll prepare for the next one. I think it’ll probably happen over six years.”

M. Night InBangkok also talks about how important he thinks the film is and how he plans on screwing the whole thing up:

“THE LAST AIRBENDER will be a very entertaining movie, a really fun summer film,” says Shyamalan. “But underneath that, it’s serious and talks about genocide, balance, our connection to the planet and all those things that interest me if you’ve seen the other movies that I’ve made. It felt like an important film.”

It felt like an important film? Our connection to the planet? I think you severed that connection when you made The Happening. That movie was so awful I'm surprised trees don't try and fall on you when you walk by them. Sounds like M. Night is going to try and make this a deeper movie than it should be because he has such a boner for the elements. And Goofybender is all about elemental powers. Perfect fit!

There's more to the story including quotes from the film's stars. Click HERE to read the rest.

(Thanks Latino Review)





Full Body Character Shots From Alice in Wonderland












Planet Disney has posted some new character photos from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which appear to be scanned from a magazine. I have cleaned up the images a bunch, and included the cleaner versions after the jump. The photos include Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Mia Wasikowska as Alice with The White Rabbit. No characters that we haven’t see previously, but each photo gives us a better look at the make-up and wardrobe of Burton’s Wonderland.





















The film is actually a sequel to the original story, and follows Alice, now 17 years old, as she escapes from a snooty party and follows a white rabbit down a hole, back to Wonderland. The White Rabbit is convinced that he has the right girl, the one who had visited the magical land ten years prior. But Alice doesn’t remember her past visit to Wonderland. The creatures of Wonderland are ready to revolt and are hoping/waiting for Alice to help them, but will she? Can she?

Alice in Wonderland hits theaters on March 5th 2010.





Check Out Tony Stark's New Whip

The other online guys don't know a damn thing about cars, which is kind of a shame because men are supposed to know shit about cars. It's kind of built into our genetic code that we know how to tune up our vehicles (minus the new computer controlled ones), change a flat, install your own aftermarket transmission cooler, etc. So when a guy tells me he doesn't know anything about cars my inner voice calls him an enormous wuss while my outer voice calls him an asshole.

Road & Track (one of my magazine subscriptions. d-uh) has the first look at one of Tony Stark's cars in the upcoming Iron Man 2.

R&T has more:

This is the Stark Industries-sponsored vintage race car that the movie's main protagonist — genius inventor and swashbuckling lady's man Tony Stark — will be driving in a scene that depicts him racing in the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, a vintage race held in Monte Carlo. The scene is not being filmed on the actual streets of the tiny, glamorous seaside principality near the south of France, but on an elaborate set that replicates the Monaco circuit. We're not sure what the Stark Industries car, which is built to resemble a '70s racer, is based on exactly, but this image leads us to believe that a fully functional race car — perhaps a Formula Ford or Formula Mazda car — resides beneath that blue-and-white Stark Motor Sports livery. Check out the Avon racing slicks and transmission sticking out the back of the car beneath the rear wing.










Click HERE to read the rest.

We've seen the picture of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash on a race track, so this must be where they first meet? By the way, did you know the hot rod he works on in the first film is actually Favreau's car?

Looking forward to Iron Man 2!!

News - 07/03/09...

Ice Age, Enemies Take on Transformers

It’s old-fashioned star power taking on the latest and greatest in animation and 3-D technology, as Public Enemies squares off against Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in the July Fourth box office battle.

Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the third film in the series, opened Wednesday at more than 3,900 theaters. The film, distributed by Fox, is Blue Sky Studio’s first 3-D animated movie, and features returning voice actors Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and Queen Latifah. The movie will up its screen count Friday to more than 4,000 screens and will play on more than 1,600 3-D ready screens, making it the largest-ever 3-D release.

Reviews have been mixed, with the film getting only a 36 percent positive rating on RottenTomatoes.com. But the positives have come from some of the most respected movie critics in the biz, such as Roger Ebert, who wrote: “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the best of the three films about our friends in the inter-species herd of plucky prehistoric heroes. And it involves some of the best use of 3-D I've seen in an animated feature.”

Expressing a more common sentiment in Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman writes the movie is “sweet, safe, and — sorry, I have to say it — slightly dull family fun.”

Public Enemies, which revisits the true-life legend of gangster John Dillinger, is aimed squarely at adult audiences. The film, directed by Michael Mann, stars Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard and opened in more than 3,200 theaters.

The biggest obstacle facing both films’ claim to the holiday weekend crown remains Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The film is expected to remain a top draw through its second weekend, and to add significantly to its already impressive take of more than $400 million worldwide through its first six days of release.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Ice Age Chills Transformers in Opening

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs grossed a cool $13.8 million in its Wednesday opening, edging out the juggernaut known as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The opening — the best-ever Wednesday opening for an animated feature — was a strong one for the Fox-Blue Sky Studios film heading into the long Independence Day holiday weekend.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen remained a strong performer, taking in a strong $10.9 million on Wednesday, further padding its hefty domestic gross to $241 million.

But it remains to be seen if the 3-D toon, starring Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo, will sit atop the box office come Sunday night, or if the giant robots of Transformers will retain the crown.

Also opening Wednesday was Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. The film, directed by Michael Mann, also did well with a first-day gross of $8.2 million.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Aniboom, History to Let People Speak in Contest

Aniboom and History Channel have teamed up to solicit unique animated interpretations of A-list talent doing 10 readings and musical performances.

The best entries will have a chance to win $35,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to have their animation shown on the History Channel.

The audio recordings feature talent such as Matt Damon, Marisa Tomei, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder and Viggo Mortensen and will appear in the film The People Speak, airing later this year on History Channel. The readings celebrate democracy and convey the lives of ordinary Americans who have influenced or changed the course of history.

Animators from the around the world will be able to submit their animations based on the 10 recordings beginning July 15 through the Aniboom site at www.aniboom.com/history.

The contest will occur in two phases, with the first involving the solicitation and submission of entries. For the second phase, five finalists will be given $5,000 each to further develop their animation and may earn the opportunity to have their work aired on History as a 30-second spot. The grand-prize winner receives $10,000 and a development deal with History Channel.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Green Lantern Premiere to Light Up Comic-Con

Green Lantern: First Flight, an original animated DVD feature movie, will have its world premiere at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 23.

The film, the most recent in Warner Home Video’s line of original animated features, will screen in Ballroom 20 at 8 p.m. in front of an expected full house of 4,000 fans.

A panel featuring filmmakers and cast members will be held the following day, with details on attendees, time and place still to be determined.

The film stars Christopher Meloni, of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is inducted into the cosmic Green Lantern Corps. The film also stars Victor Garber as Sinestro, Tricia Helfer as Boodikka, and Michael Madsen as Kilowog.

The film is directed by Lauren Montgomery, written by Alan Burnett and produced by Bruce Timm.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





FUNimation Bags Sands From Sega

FUNimation kicked off Anime Expo 2009 by announcing Thursday the acquisition from Sega of rights to the first season of Sands of Destruction.

The series, based on the Sega video game, will launch in spring 2010 in conjunction with the release of a new RPG game of the same name.

The first season consists of 13 episodes and is Sega’s first anime, launched in partnership with Production IG and directed by Shunsuke Tada.

The deal includes home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to the 13-episode first season.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Poll Names PBS Kids Top Educational Brand

A national survey by GfK Roper has found PBS Kids is the top educational media brand for children.

The poll asked more than 1,000 randomly chosen adults in the United States to compare such top brands as Leapfrog, Nick, Playhouse Disney, Noggin, Discovery Kids, National Geographic Kids, YahooKids and others, finding the highest level of confidence in PBS.

Among the results, 73% agreed that PBS serves all children, regardless of their circumstances; 73% indicated that the network provides “a trusted and safe place for children to watch television”; and 70% say that PBS serves as a “safe haven for children.” Overall, Americans noted they are much more satisfied with programming for children ages 2-8 on PBS compared with offerings on commercial broadcast and cable television.

"The American public has spoken and declared PBS the best choice in children's media," said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP Children’s Media, PBS.

“The results of this study confirm the success of our approach — using media to open new worlds for all children, regardless of their family's income or background, and help them realize their potential,” said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP Children’s Media, PBS.

PBS Kids’ lineup of programs includes Super WHY!, Sid the Science Kid, Martha Speaks, Curious George, Between the Lions, WordWorld, Cyberchase and Maya & Miguel.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





D'oh!: Agents seize Homer Simpson ecstasy pills

United States Customs officers seized over 100,000 ecstasy pills shaped like Homer Simpson and the Transformers' Megatron from a British Columbia resident's vehicle Friday morning.

Authorities say that they seized 107,734 tablets -- with a street value of over $1 million -- from the vehicle, which was searched at the Pacific Highway border crossing near Blaine, Washington.

Krysta Edwards, 23, of North Vancouver was arrested and faces up to 20 years in a U.S. prison.

Weighing about 60 pounds, the pills were found in a hidden compartment that was built into the vehicle's cargo area and opened by a hidden electrical switch, according to Customs and Border Protection.

"This is the second major ecstasy seizure at the Pacific Highway Port of Entry this month, and signals the intensity of the illicit narcotic trade," said port director Greg Alvarez.

Edwards was taken into custody by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending further investigation and possible prosecution.

The pills contained BZP, the street name for the synthetic drug N-benzylpiperazine, which is a strong stimulant with effects like those of ecstasy. Often, it is pressed into colored tablets and embossed with logos.

The tablets tested positive for the synthetic drug N-benzylpiperazine, a stimulant with effects similar to ecstasy, according to Customs and Border Protection.

"It's a club drug like ecstasy," said Customs and Border Protection spokesman Tom Schreiber. "It uses a synthetic drug, benzylpiperazine, which was originally developed as a worming treatment for internal parasites in cattle."

Although the ingredients used in BZP are illegal in the U.S., they are available over the counter in Canada, he said.

After the drugs were found, inspectors let Edwards return to her car and enter the U.S. She was later arrested at a storage facility.















Seized drugs shaped like cartoon characters Homer Simpson and Megatron have a total street value of over $1 million. (Photo: U.S. Customs)





“Phineas & Ferb” creators say that art & creativity hold the key to kids making the most of their summer vacations

Jim Hill shares the wisdom of Dan Povenmire & Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, who use examples from their own childhood to show today's children how to have an enjoyable June, July & August

Are you looking to get the most out of the upcoming Fourth of July weekend? Well, then maybe it’s time that you heeded the advice of those two great Americans, Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh.













(L to R) Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and Dan Povenmire. Photo by Claudio Asquini.
Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

(There will now be a short pause here for those of you who need to ask: “Who the hell are Dan Povenmire and Jeff ‘Swampy’ Marsh?”)

Dan & Swampy are the very talented guys behind “Phineas & Ferb,” that hit animated series which airs on the Disney Channel at 9 p.m. on Friday nights and Monday nights at 8 p.m. on Disney XD.

And given that “Phineas and Ferb” is a TV show about two step brothers who are determined to make the most of their summer vacation … Well, it shouldn’t really surprise you that Povenmire & Marsh have some distinct thoughts when it comes to how kids should spend the months of June, July & August.











Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

As Dan explains:

"You’re never going to remember your (summer vacation) in years to come if you spend the entire time playing video games and watching TV. But if you do something fun, inventive and unusual with your time, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life – and all of your friends will, too.

"(So you should) do something fun during (June, July & August), like borrow a video camera and make a mini movie. When I was a kid, I wrote a science fiction comedy that we recorded throughout my neighborhood on an old video camera. My mom helped sew costumes for my friends and everyone got involved. It was really cool – and something I could keep for years."











Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

Swampy also has fond memories of fun times with his family, when Marsh’s parents encouraged him to try new things:

"I grew up in a very musical family and we always had tons of instruments around the house. Over the years, I’ve played the banjo, trombone, trumpet and guitar. I’d sing into fake microphones and create full rock bands with my friends and family. (So) why not learn a new musical instrument during the holidays? You might find you’re more musical than you imagined!"

But given that Povenmire & Marsh are the creators of an Emmy-nominated animated series, does it really surprise you to learn that Dan & Swampy strongly encourage kids to spend their summer vacation learning how to draw?










Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

Now before all you parents out there start carping about the cost of pens, paper, etc. Marsh wants to remind you that learning how to draw shouldn’t really involve a whole lot of dough.

"When it comes to art, you don’t need special equipment. You can draw on anything and use anything to draw with, so it shouldn’t cost too much to get into it. Whether it’s a pen, pencil, crayon or even a piece of chalk you find in the park, you can use whatever you want. And who says you need a blank piece of paper to draw on? Use scraps or anything you find that might work!"

So how do you actually learn how to draw? Well, according to Dan, the real key to getting started is copying.











Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

"One of the things that helped me (learn how to draw was) copying. If I saw a drawing I really liked in a magazine or comic book, I would copy that drawing line-for-line and it showed me a lot of shortcuts. It taught me a kind of cartooning shorthand. I don’t mean trace these pictures. I’d just look at a drawing, analyze it and copy it line-for-line to see how the artist drew the picture in the first place. I’d then incorporate the techniques into my own art."

Now some folks might discourage kids to learn how to draw via copying. But as Swampy explains …

“ … there is no right or wrong way to draw. Draw what makes you happy and never worry about somebody saying, "Oh, that isn’t a good drawing." There are so many, infinite drawing styles out there. Your work doesn’t have to look like it’s straight out of a comic book or straight out of an art book. As long as you’re expressing yourself and you’re getting a reaction, then that’s good."












Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

More importantly, don’t just think of art as something that you have to do with paints & an easel. If you really to learn how to draw, Povenmire suggests that you …

"Take a doodle pad with you wherever you go so that you can practice drawing anywhere in the world. I used to draw flipbooks in the corner of my schoolbooks, which were a fun way to learn simple animation. I’d draw a bouncing ball and when you flipped through the book, the ball would bounce away. There are loads of animated scenes you could come up with. Be creative and go for it!"

Marsh is also a big fan of always carrying a notebook / sketch pad with you because …













Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

" … you never know when a creative idea might pop into your head. Write down all of your ideas: doodles, pictures, diagrams, mini stories and funny names for characters – everything!"

But that said, Swampy wants to remind everyone that you don’t really need a notebook and/or a sketch pad in order to create art:

"Some of my favorite drawings were created by a guy who used to draw caricatures on his newspaper every morning of people sitting near him on the train. He would draw these caricatures in ink pen on the newspaper’s print. It wasn’t a clean, white sheet of paper, but he had reams of these drawings and they were the coolest pictures I’ve ever seen."













Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

In fact, sometimes when you use an unconventional piece of paper, you can wind up with a really remarkable work of art. As Dan recalls:

"I used to really enjoy creating posters for my favorite films when I was younger. When the shark movie, Jaws, came out, I got a big sheet of fluorescent green paper and colored in the entire page with a big, black marker – apart from the outline of a shark. After it was finished, all you could see was this shark in fluorescent green against a black background. The shark glowed in the dark and looked really cool!"

Swampy agrees that kids should spend their summer tackling all sorts of art projects, be they posters or comic books.














Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

"I was always creating my own comics when I was a kid. I’d make up loads of different characters and write a story around them. You don’t have to be brilliant at art to make a comic book. Stick figures will do. All you need is a fun story and a lot of imagination."

Of course, what also helps in this situation is to have supportive parents. People who’ll really get behind their kids as they attempt to spread their wings artistically. As Povenmire says:

"Phineas And Ferb is loosely inspired by when Swampy and I were kids. We had very creative parents who pushed our creativity. They would always be getting us to do interesting, creative things including building and creating. We always think it’s a good thing to use your imagination and make it come to life, whether you want to build a fort or create art of some description or invent your own game or even take a video camera out to make a movie. Do something fun to get your creativity flowing."











Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved

With the hope that this might help kickstart your kids’ creativity, Dan & Swampy provided the drawings that I used to illustrate today’s article. Which will then walk you through how to draw the title characters from “Phineas & Ferb.”

Mind you, if you’d like to hear more of Povenmire & Marsh’s advice when it comes to creativity (or you’d just like to hear some great behind-the-scenes stories about “Phineas and Ferb”), you should probably check out their panel at this year’s Comic-Con. Which will be held on Sunday, July 26th starting at 10 a.m.

Anyway, that’s Dan & Swampy’s advice when it comes to making the most of your summer. So go Fourth … and have fun.











Copyright 2009 Disney Channel. All Rights Reserved





The Simpsons: The Twelfth Season DVD in August

DVDTimes reports that Fox Home Entertainment has announced the release of 12th season of The Simpsons DVD on August 18. Extras on this four disc set will include commentaries featuring Executives Producers and more, Illustrated Commentary, deleted scenes, Animation Showcases, a “Comic Book Guy: Best. Moments. Ever” featurette, a Global Fanfest feature, a Sketch Gallery, and commercials.





Interview with Pixar’s Angus MacLane

Collider has an exclusive video interview with Pixar’s Angus MacLane, taken during the recently held Saturn Awards where WALL-E won the Best Animated Film award. MacLane, who has worked as an animator on eight of Pixar films, talks about WALL-E, Toy Story 3, why Pixar makes such great films, and more.





Movie characters get Simpsonized

What would iconic movie characters look like in Springfield? Virgin Media has the answers as they give those famous movie characters The Simpsons treatment.





Robot Chicken Supports DVD with Roller Rink Tour

The creators of Robot Chicken are going to party like it’s 1980 to support the DVD release Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II, hitting the road for two weeks with a touring roller skating party.

The show’s executive producers, Matthew Senreich and Seth Green, will hit the road starting in late August to travel the country in a bus and bring the celebration to roller rinks in nine cities. The pair will host each celebration, which will include performances by the musical group Gym Class Heroes, appearances by special guests, Robot Chicken-themed games and activities, and special merchandise.

The tour will kick off with a preview party in San Diego during Comic-Con.

“When Seth first pitched the idea of throwing roller skating parties around the country, I rolled my eyes and laughed at him,” says Senreich. “I said, ‘That’s crazy talk.’ Now that we’re actually going to do it, I’m in awe of its absurdity and can’t wait to attend. It fits with the randomness of our Robot Chicken show. Why not throw roller skating parties across the U.S.?”

The tour itinerary is as follows and subject to change:

• July 25, San Diego, Calif.: Skate San Diego—Preview party minus the band but with a guest DJ and extra Comic-Con awesomeness
• August 1, Los Angeles, Calif.: Venue TBA
• August 2, Las Vegas, Nev.: Rancho Crystal Palace Skating Center
• August 4, Denver, Colo.: Skate City Westminster
• August 6, Kansas City, Mo.: River Roll Skate Center
• August 8, Indianapolis, Ind.: Skateland
• August 10, Richmond, Va.: Roller Dome Skating
• August 12, Philadelphia, Pa.: Jamz Roller Skating Center
• August 14, New York: Venue TBA

The DVD edition of Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II arrives in stores July 21 and will feature 22 minutes of never-before-seen footage not included in the show’s broadcast version, as well as 90 minutes of bonus features and a voucher for early entry into one of the roller skating parties.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Nick Animation Fest Seeks Short Entries

Revamped and renamed, the sixth annual Nickelodeon Animation Festival has put out a call for entries for great animated films anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in length.

Formerly known as the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, the event will present six awards this year, including the first ever “15 Seconds to Fame” award, which asks animators to submit 15 seconds of a funny character. The winner, chosen by the Nickelodeon television development team, will receive $5,000 to be applied to the creation of an original two-minute animated short that will be made in conjunction with and commissioned by the Nickelodeon development team.

General entries using any style of animation and running 10 minutes or less also are being solicited and will be judged by a jury of celebrities and animation experts. The jury will determine the winners of the Grand Jury Award of $10,000; the Student Award, given in partnership with mtvU, of $2,000; a $5,000 Producer’s Choice Award; and a $5,000 Viewer’s Choice Award determined by online votes. An additional award will be given in the “I Got Game” contest, held in conjunction with AddictingGames, with winner’s original game idea and character being made into a free online game for AddictingGames.com.

Select short films will be shown at an exclusive two-day event in October at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, and will be shown on air and online at www.nick.com/naf in November.

The deadline for submission is Sept. 8. Entry forms and details on entering are available at www.nick.com/naf.

(Thanks Animation Magazine)





Focus Features Unveils 9 Stitchpunk Images

The movie is named 9 — and now Focus Features has unveiled the characters behind the title of the upcoming animated film directed by Shane Acker.

Based on Acker’s short film and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), the images reveal the identities and voices behind the 9 stitchpunk beings from the movie, which is due to be released in theaters on Sept. 9.

1 -Voiced by one of the world’s most respected actors, Christopher Plummer, 1 is the Scientist's first creation. As the elder, he is the self-declared leader of the group. He is clever and sly, but also domineering, quick-tempered, and threatened by the new arrival of 9, whose higher intellect leads him to question authority.

























2 -Voiced by Academy Award Winner Martin Landau, 2 is a kindly but now frail inventor and explorer who embodies the Scientist’s strong creative spirit. An inquisitive personality, 2 is fearless. Director Shane Acker affectionately describes him as a “salty old dog.”

























3 and 4 -Communicating visually, not verbally, 3 and 4 are the scholarly twins who voraciously catalogue everything they can see and find, recording and building a massive database for the group of the world that surrounds them and the history that led up to their creation.

























5 - Voiced by Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly, 5 is a caring, nuturing engineer – the loyal, big-hearted “common man” who always tries to play the peacemaker. He is also an apprentice of 2, with whom he shares a special bond.

























6 – The group’s visionary is voiced by Crispin Glover. Although reclusive and eccentric, his bursts of artistic inspiration through drawings made from his pen nib hands may be keys to help his fellow stitchpunk beings navigate their darkest hours.

























7 - A brave and self-sufficient warrior, 7, voiced by Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, is the group's sole female. A fiercely independent adventuress she has been out patrolling the wasteland. To survive, she has adapted, finding the bones of a deceased bird and crafting her signature skull helmet.

























8 - Armed with a giant kitchen cleaver and half a scissor blade, the none-too-bright muscle and enforcer of the group, 8, is created to help the others physically survive the dangerous post-apocalyptic world.

























9 - To voice the lead role of the newly born – and aborning hero -- 9, Acker couldn’t help but have in mind an actor who was so central to the film set he had worked on years earlier in New Zealand – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King star Elijah Wood.

























(Thanks Animation Magazine)





FHM Interviews Seth MacFarlane

FHM has interviewed Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane at his offices in Los Angeles. Topics discussed include his many links to pop culture icons like George Lucas, plans/targets for other projects similar to the Star Wars-themed Blue Harvest episode, and the supposed feuds Family Guy has with The Simpsons and South Park.




Briefly: CT Computers Courtesy of "Ice Age"; Palestinian Animation with "Fatenah"

* Blue Sky Studios, creators of the Ice Age series of movies, will be donating computers for use at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and Wesleyan University in Middletown. [Republican American]

* The AP looks at Fatenah, a 30-minute film described as "the first serious Palestinian attempt at animation," based on the life of a Palestinian woman whose battle against breast cancer led to conflicts with Palestinian doctors and Israeli soldiers. [Associated Press]




Nancy Cartwright Speaks with Brad Bird

In her latest column at AWN, actor Nancy Cartwright speaks with Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille) in a career-spanning interview starting with a tour of the Disney animation studios as a boy and moving on to making his first animated short at 14, his time at Cal Arts, working for Disney, Steven Spielberg, and The Simpsons, making The Iron Giant at Warner Bros., and joining up with Pixar.





The Unending Question: Is It All Going to India?

This inquiry comes up with metronomic regularity. This article from the Sub-Continent Down Under highlights it:

...When [the animated feature] Alpha and Omega hits the screens in April 2010, it will be a turning point not only for Crest Animation, but for the entire Indian animation industry as well. The box-office fate of the first animated Hollywood film to be produced by an Indian company could well define how the world looks at Indian animators.

The movie, with a budget of US$25 million, is being co-produced by the U.S.-based distributor Lionsgate. It is the first production in a three-film contract between the two ...

Now, I'm not a person who never says "Never!" But here's the working reality as I see it.

The momentum is on the side of domestically-produced theatrical animated features because domestically-produced cartoons are the epics that have performed at the box office in a major way. Ice Age. Up. Kung-Fu Panda. Shrek. All these products were created in some part of the U.S.A., and all of them made their mother companies oodles of money.

Foreign-produced animated features (with the exception of Australia's Happy Feet)?

Not so much.

Now. The day may come when some Mumbai-based Pixar produces ninety minutes of animated splendor that makes a half-billion dollars in the world marketplace, but that hasn't happened yet, not in the twenty years that I've been thinking about it and anticipating it.

As a general rule, Hollywood producers are reluctant to take unconventional chances, because that can get their expensive derrieres fired. And the conventional Hollywood wisdom is that television animation, direct-to-video animated features and some digital visual effects can be outsourced with success, but the bigger budget theatrical stuff cannot. (Success is here defined as one hundred million or more dollars at the world box office.) Many point to Hoodwinked as the big indie c.g.i. hit from the Philippines, but the Red Riding Hood comedy, though profitable, was hardly a money-spinner on the level of Shrek or Ice Age.

My thinking on all this is that some theatrical animation work will probably find its way to the world's lower-cost neighborhoods over the next few years, but until an Asian studio hits a major home-run with one of its productions, the floodgates will not open.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





If It Were Simple ...

The Weinstein brothers had a nice profit with Hoodwinked, but it seems this cartoon thing isn't as easy as it looks:

[The animated feature Escape from Planet Earth] is not expected to resume until August or early fall, [and] was halted because of script issues, said several people involved in the production. The film is being written by Tony Leech and Cory Edwards, the writing team behind "Hoodwinked!," The Weinstein Co.'s 2006 hit release that took in $110 million worldwide. Leech is also directing the movie.

But Leech has not been satisfied with his script and has worked through several rewrites. Most of the movie's 150 animators were sent packing from the Vancouver production facility until the creative issues could be resolved ...

There aren't a lot of memorable animated features that haven't been reworked like pretzel dough during the course of production. Snow White had half-finished sequences cut. Aladdin had its whole second act thrown out and redone ("Jeffrey gave us three and a half weeks to reboard it," an artist moaned to me at the time). Toy Story was hanging by a thread when the world's first cgi feature went through a major overhaul. Lion King and Shrek changed directors, and the crews wondered if the pictures would ever come together.

Face it. Creating ninety minutes of animated entertainment that audiences will flock to see is tough under the best of circumstances, which is why so many companies flame out trying to make an entertaining and profitable cartoon. Lasseter, like Disney before him, figured out that having good creative minds focus on story problems and offer solutions was useful, but the landscape is littered with production houses that haven't absorbed the lesson.

Best of luck to the Weinstein Co. It's been a long time since Hoodwinked.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





Planet 51 Trailer 2

Ilion Studios’ Planet 51 is still on track for a November 20, 2009 release, and a second trailer has been revealed. This $60 million CG feature about a reverse alien invasion is being released by TriStar Pictures.







LAIKA/house Delivers Spam Ads

Mike Wellins, a director at LAIKA/house in Portland helmed these three stop-motion spots for Hormel Foods canned precooked meat product Spam. The agency leading the effort was BBDO Minneapolis.

Classroom



Boredroom



Date







11 most patriotic sci-fi movie and TV moments
















The long July 4th holiday weekend kicks off tomorrow, which for many of us means trips to the beach, burgers on the grill and fireworks (only where legal, of course). But it should also mean some time spent remembering those patriots who defended our liberty—both the real ones who fought for our freedoms and those fictional ones who on television and at the movies reminded us what that liberty was all about.

With that in mind, let's take a look back at our 10 favorite sci-fi examples of patriotic film and TV.

Superman returns the American flag to White House

After Kryptonian criminals General Zod, Ursa and Non escaped from the Phantom Zone in 1980's Superman II, the trio traveled to the White House and forced the president to surrender. The Man of Steel was nowhere to be found, as he'd stripped himself of his powers in order to lead a normal life with Lois.

But he eventually rededicated himself to Truth, Justice and the American Way, and in this stirring clip at the film's finale, he restores the American flag to the White House, where he promises us all that "I won't let you down again."



The President rallies the troops in Independence Day

With humanity on the ropes after an alien invasion in Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's 1996 film, Bill Pullman gets a chance to offer one of cinema's most rousing speeches.

Portraying a president who'd been a former Persian Gulf War fighter pilot himself, he launches "the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind" and promises that future generations will agree "today we celebrate our independence day."



Capt. Kirk teaches the Constitution

In the episode "Omega Glory" from the original Star Trek, William Shatner puts his passionate acting style to good use with a speech worthy of his unique delivery. When the U.S.S. Enterprise responds to a distress call, its crew finds warring tribes whose behaviors have evolved to parallel the Cold War that once existed between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

And how does Kirk bring peace to the Kohms ("Communists") and Yangs ("Yankees")? Why, by reciting the preamble to the U.S. Constitution—which is known on this planet only in a highly distorted form—so that even they may "form a more perfect union."



World War III's fallen soldiers are remembered in Red Dawn

In the final moments of 1984's Red Dawn, after a Russian invasion is put down in part due to a band of teens gone guerrilla, we are told, "We're free now."

In a voice-over, one of the survivors, Erica (Lea Thompson), shows us a memorial plaque and asks that we remember those who "gave up their lives so that this nation shall not perish from the earth."



Tony Stark celebrates America with fireworks in Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr., who stars as a Tony Stark updated from his original Marvel Comics Vietnam roots to a more contemporary Afghanistan, has no problem with being called both "the Da Vinci of our time" and the "merchant of death." All that matters to him, as the film begins, is blowing things up real good.

As as he demonstrates his latest weaponry, demolishing a mountain, he announces that "They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I prefer the weapon you only need to fire once." Then he delivers the line that ties it all together and gets him on this list: "That's how America does it."



Adama holds out hope

At the funeral service after the battle at Ragnor, Adm. William Adama of the Battlestar Galactica promises to lead the survivors to Earth. "I know where it is!" says Edward James Olmos in one of the many moving speeches he gave on the series. "Earth—the most guarded secret we have. The location was only known by the senior commanders of the fleet, and we dared not share it with the public."

He wasn't being truthful, but that doesn't matter. By leading the assembled mourners in a repetition of "So say we all," he rededicated them to fighting for all we hold dear.



Babylon 5 declares independence

With a corrupt President Clark transforming the Earth Alliance into a dictatorship, it's up to Babylon 5's Cmdr. John Sheridan, portrayed by Bruce Boxleitner, to take a stand.

As with the Battlestar Galactica clip above, while this might not reflect patriotism on behalf of the U.S. alone, Sheridan's declaration of the right of all people to be free certainly belongs here due to its defense of the values on which this nation was founded.



Zoidberg eats an American flag to prove his love of freedom

In the Futurama episode "A Taste of Freedom," RIchard Nixon's head (you'll see) declares it to be Freedom Day, and the lobster-like alien Zoidberg takes that opportunity to celebrate in his own special way—by eating an American flag! "To express oneself by doing a thing," he declares, "is the very essence of Freedom Day!"

We can't find an embeddable version of the clip, but you can check out the scene here.














A band of brothers prepares to prevent Armageddon

As a team of 14 astronauts launches a mission to destroy an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, the president tells the world that "I address you tonight not as the president of the United States, not as the leader of the country, but as a citizen of humanity."

And yet—it is the president of the United States speaking, after all. And though we see the entire world listening to his inspiring speech, translated into multiple languages, there are those NASA patches, and the lovely Liv Tyler at first worried and then smiling in front of a massive American flag ...



Wonder Woman wins World War II

The pilot to the '70s TV series Wonder Woman began with an old-time newsreel showing Hitler and Mussolini ready to conquer the world, plus footage of Nazi soldiers desecrating an American flag. Witnessing all of this, the narrator exclaims that "the only hope for freedom and democracy is—Wonder Woman!"

As we're introduced to star Lynda Carter in her red, gold and blue outfit, the theme song tells us that she can "stop a bullet cold—make the Axis fold!" And that's exactly what she did, helping to end the Good War. Check out that debut episode here.















Skeet Ulrich channels a famed World War II general's reply in Jericho

Jericho followed the inhabitants of a small town as they dealt with the aftermath of a nuclear war that might have been set off deliberately as part of a government conspiracy. In "Why We Fight," the final episode of the first season, Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) finds himself facing a near-certain defeat against those who would invade his town.

With his father dead, Green replies using the same retort issued by Gen. Anthony Clement McAuliffe when given a German surrender ultimatum during the Battle of the Bulge: "Nuts!"









Rumor mill: Live-action Star Wars TV series in preproduction in Australia?








SCI FI Wire's Australian sister site SCI FI TV reports a rumor that preproduction is gearing up for George Lucas' proposed live-action Star Wars series, which is to be shot Down Under.

The site, citing anonymous sources, adds that the show is assembling high-quality writers from the Aussie TV industry, including writers from Love My Way and Secret Life of Us, who have been approached by Lucas' longtime producer Rick McCallum.

The as-yet-untitled series is supposedly set to debut in 2010, though there has been no word of a distributor yet. The series will reportedly be set between the eras of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope and will not feature any major characters from the film series.





11 hot things you MUST see at Comic-Con in San Diego this month












It won't get any hotter at Comic-Con than Ninja Assassin

Comic-Con can be an overwhelming four days of multimedia spectacle, and unless you can clone yourself or you have access to time travel, there's no way to attend every cool event. That's where we can help.

The schedule's not even out yet, but we've already gotten wind of dozens of must-see happenings. For those of you corporeal beings traveling to San Diego July 22-26, here are SCI FI Wire's recommendations for 11 Comic-Con events not to miss. (The movies, panelists, days and times are all tentative; check Comic-Con's official Web site closer to the convention for the full schedule.)

1) James Cameron and Avatar. Director Cameron will reportedly return to Comic-Con for the first time since some dude handed him a VHS tape when he was promoting Steven Soderbergh's Solaris. This time he has footage of his upcoming 3-D sci-fi epic to show. So far, only a few folk have been privy to this hot property, and Comic-Con is rumored to be trying to equip the San Diego Convention Center's 6,500-seat Hall H with 3-D projectors to accommodate the footage.↓
















James Cameron on the set of Avatar

2) Peter Jackson's first-ever appearance. This year marks the director/producer's first physical manifestation in San Diego. He's bringing District 9, the sci-fi allegory he produced and which is directed by Neill Blomkamp (it was teased last year with those cryptic signs saying "Humans only" all over the convention center). Something tells us Jackson will have to field a lot of fanboy questions about the Hobbit movies and maybe even The Lovely Bones.

3) Ninja Assassin. Of all the studios coming to Comic-Con, Warner Brothers will have the most varied and plentiful slate that appeals to the sci-fi fan (Jonah Hex, The Book of Eli, The Box), but the real movie to watch for is Ninja Assassin, the Wachowski brothers' and James McTeigue's martial-arts opus, which takes the well-worn genre and amps it up to a new level of bloody action.

↑ 4) ABC's Lost. Saturday is your last chance to ask executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse questions they won't answer about the final season of the maddeningly elliptical sci-fi series. They're also promising surprise guests. Could it be Maggie Grace, Ian Somerhalder, Dominic Monaghan?













5) V pilot screening. TV fans will face a Sophie's Choice among the new and returning genre shows on display, but the real one to camp out for is the pilot screening of V in Ballroom 20 on Saturday, a first look at ABC's re-imagining of the classic 1980s sci-fi series, featuring Firefly/Serenity's Morena Baccarin as Anna, the alien lizard queen; the show doesn't hit the airwaves until January.↓



6) Doctor Who, David Tennant, in person. In his first appearance, Tennant will co-host a panel with writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies to talk about four Doctor Who specials. (If you're a Torchwood fan, catch star John Barrowman and behind-the-scenes crew later that day in Room 6BCF, just two days after the last episode airs.)

7) Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. There will be a panel for SCI FI's upcoming Caprica prequel series, and as well as a trailer for the upcoming prequel movie The Plan, the Edward James Olmos-directed story told from the Cylons' perspective, the first time you'll likely get a glimpse at the film, which doesn't have a firm release date yet.↓













From left: Ron Moore, David Eick, Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos of Battlestar Galactica

8) Tron. Disney will reportedly bring several films to the con, but the must-see event would be a 3-D screening of footage from the new Tron sequel/reboot. (Remember that sneak footage of a light-cycle race last year? That was simply demonstration footage, so you ain't seen nothing yet.)

9) True Blood. The fans will get more access to the cast of this HBO vampire series than the press will, so don't count on us to report any potential season-three scoops from behind the scenes. Season two will be halfway finished by then, so start taking notes now and have something really juicy prepared for your turn at the mic.↓














True Blood

10) Zack Snyder's live Watchmen commentary. If you loved Watchmen, you can view Snyder's full three-hour director's cut for the first time, with the director himself answering questions live at a San Diego theater. The event will also be made accessible remotely through BD Live. Stay up late on Saturday for the midnight screening, which could go until at least 4 a.m.

11) ABC's FlashForward. This highly anticipated fall series, from The Dark Knight writer David Goyer and Star Trek veteran Brannon Braga—the duo behind CBS' Threshold—won't screen at the con, but you'll get a first look at clips from it and get to query members of the all-star cast, which includes Joseph Fiennes, Star Trek's John Cho, Jack Davenport and Sonya Walger, as well as Goyer and show runner Marc Guggenheim.

Bonus item: At 4 p.m. on Friday in Ballroom 20 you can catch a screening of "Epitaph One," the bonus episode of Fox's Dollhouse that was produced for the upcoming DVD but never aired and doesn't fall within the present-day continuity of the show. It's set in the future and features an appearance by Felicia Day, a favorite of show runner Joss Whedon (she is one of the stars of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog).

News - 07/02/09...

Cartoon Network’s Death Knell Promo



Your name is Cartoon Network,
so you expect to see
nothing but animation when you flip CN on your TV.
But the times they are a-changing,
so don’t get left behind
because now we’ve got real people and
we’ve heard it blows your mind.

Those are the lyrics from an abrasive Andrew W.K. music video that Cartoon Network released online yesterday. We’ve been reporting on Cartoon Network’s slow, steady decline since April 2006. It’s fascinating to watch how clumsily the network is diluting their brand, and how tactlessly they’re integrating this cheap hodge-podge of live-action shows into their line-up. The first signs of a CN Real backlash are already forming: a Facebook group called Boycott Cartoon Network’s “CN Real” block was recently started and has over 1,400 members.

(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2nd Trailer



Also: Armand Serrano has posted some nice artwork for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on his blog.

(Thanks, Marcos)

(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Trailer for Jean François by Tom&Bruno

teaser jean françois from tom haugomat on Vimeo.

After graduating from French animation school Gobelins, Tom Haugomat and Bruno Mangyoku partnered up and became the directing duo Tom&Bruno. They are currently repped by Cube Creative and have been working on a short film called Jean François, the trailer for which can be seen above. The piece looks beautiful; it’s a fusion of anime filmmaking techniques and graphically inventive character design that wouldn’t look out of place in an Estonian animated short. Can’t wait to see the finished product. The filmmakers have a blog with artwork from the film.

(Thanks, Jakob Schuh)

(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Volume 2 of "The Secret Saturdays" Coming to DVD

Tvshowsondvd.com reports that Warner will release Volume 2 of the Cartoon Network show, The Secret Saturdays on DVD October 27th.

It will contain these 5 episodes:

The King of Kumari Kandam
Van Rook's Apprentice
Twelve Hundred Degrees Fahrenheit
The Swarm at the Edge of Space
The Owlman Feeds at Midnight





Fox Tells Us To Munk Ourselves!! A Teaser For Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel Is Now Online!!

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...

As much as we wanted it to go away, the coming of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel seems inexorable. Evidenced by this teaser, originating from MTV's Movie Blog







Princess And The Frog Animation Tour Featurette

When Eisner finally left and Lasseter moved in, the Mouse House's animation department was suffering big time. A lot of desks had been basically emptied and the cartoon division of Disney was struggling.

Now that the ship has been repainted with a new crew, Disney is not only looking forward with its CGI animation division, it's also going back to what made them famous in the first place - hand drawn animation.

The Disney Channel and some dorky hosts went on a tour of he animation studio located in Burbank.

The clips are in five parts and include interviews, a scene from the film and more. Check them all out below.















Ice Age Snark

I flitted through some MSM stories and reviews about Fox's new animated feature Ice Age 3. Not pretty.

Lazy, transparent, disposable and at its worst, boring, Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs is a sometimes beautiful piece of animation consistently ruined by unfocused directing, bizarre editing choices, phoned-in voice acting, and a script which is neither witty nor filled with momentum. Of course it’s in 3D too because the extra dimension, like everything else in the prehistoric troposphere, is yet another apparatus for the film to hastily implement without foresight, planning or success. I guess the first question which comes to mind is why bother? Why bother even finishing a film all involved were clearly so ambivalent about? ...

Or:

There are so many things going on in "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," ... why does the third installment of this animated tale often feel so glacial? ...

Even the gray lady, even while sprinkling a few compliments, gives the feature the back of its gloved hand.

A collection of short Scrat films would be much more pleasing than the elephantine “Ice Age” series ...

Owwy yeowy.

Me? I liked the first Ice Age and thought the second one told its story well. (The third one I have not seen.) But I think that the negative reviews -- and they are far from being all negative -- will have minimal impact on worldwide grosses. The earlier films did robust numbers in all corners of the globe, and by now Ice Age is a brand name.

This third incarnation is going to make Fox lots of money.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)





DVD And Blu-ray Art For Upcoming "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" Animated Feature

Warner Home Video has released the cover art for the single-disc DVD, two-disc DVD, and Blu-ray editions of the upcoming September 29th, 2009 release of the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies animated feature.

Click on the thumbnails below for a closer look.









A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies will debut Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc.





"Green Lantern: First Flight" Makes its World Premiere at Comic Con

Warner Home Video has issued a press release for the world premiere of Green Lantern: First Flight at Comic Con on Thursday, July 23rd.

Warner Home Video presents the World Premiere of
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
at Comic-Con on Thursday, July 23

Green Lantern: First Flight, the highly-anticipated fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies, will have its world premiere at Comic-Con in San Diego on Thursday, July 23, 2009.

More than 4,000 fans will have the opportunity to see Green Lantern: First Flight on the big screen five days before the latest DC Universe film is distributed on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def. The film will premiere in the San Diego Convention Center’s Ballroom 20 at 8:00 p.m.

A panel comprised of filmmakers and voice cast will be presented on the following day, Friday, July 24. Details on that panel and its participants will be announced next week.

Acclaimed actor Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) fills the lead voice of Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. Meloni is joined by fellow Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber (Milk, Titanic) as the villainous Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as the voice of Boodikka, and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) as Kilowog. The cast also includes Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), John Larroquette (Night Court), Kurtwood Smith (That ‘70s Show), and David Lander (Laverne & Shirley).

Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm, Green Lantern: First Flight is helmed by heralded director Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman Doomsday) and scripted by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (The Batman).

Green Lantern: First Flight finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film is set for release by Warner Home Video on July 28, 2009. Green Lantern: First Flight will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD.





Secret of Kells NYC Screenings

Animationinsider.net has announced the first public US screening of Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells feature. The New York International Children’s Film Festival will screen the film on July 18th and 19th. Tickets are currently available.

Here’s some rough animation from the film, which is included in Alfredo Cassano’s animation reel.







City Harvest Launches Animated PSAs

City Harvest, a NYC-based food rescue program (they gather and distribute excess food), has launched an online campaign, titled Rescue Food, featuring a number of animated shorts. Here’s one by Nathan Love, who also produced the music for this piece, titled Cabbage, Interrupted.



And here’s another. High Stakes Poker is a stop-motion piece by David Michael Friend.







Astro Boy's Kristen Bell ready to win more fanboy hearts as an anime urchin








Cora (Kristen Bell) befriends Astro Boy

Kristen Bell—who has become a cult favorite for her roles in Heroes, Fanboys and Veronica Mars—is likely to extend her following as she lends her voice to the ultimate sci-fi franchise: She plays the new girl in Imagi Studios' upcoming 3-D animated feature-film version of the venerable Japanese Astro Boy series.

"I play Cora, who is a girl who befriends Astro when he comes down from Metro City onto the surface of Earth," Bell said in an interview last week at the Saturn Awards in Burbank, Calif. (She presented the award for best action/adventure film.) "She runs a little kind of like Peter Pan group of kids. She's pretty tough, pretty sassy."









Freddie Highmore voices the title character in Astro Boy

The original Astro Boy series, based on the 1952 manga by Osamu Tezuka, is often credited as the first anime-style film. Like the original series, the new English-language movie centers on the origins of the robot boy who was created by a scientist who had lost his real son. Fans got their first peek at the new CGI incarnation of Astro Boy at New York Comic Con in February. Bell has seen footage throughout the process of animation.

"I've seen a lot of it, actually," Bell said. "It looks amazing. To be involved in the process is really exciting, because you see the layers that they put on, and you see when they don't have the 3-D involved and then when they do, and you see when it's just penciled out. It was a really interesting process."

Bell's part has not changed much throughout the visual development of the film, although she has had to re-record lines based on other voice actors' performances. "Sometimes when another character comes in and records and they like something they've done, you have to match it or be at a comparable state of mind in the scene, because you don't record with other people," she said. "Overall, it was a really easy, fun process."

For all her self-professed sci-fi obsessions, Bell was a newcomer to Astro Boy. Until now. "I didn't know Astro Boy at all, but now I'm immersed and have all the little toys and stuff," she said.

Summit Entertainment will release Astro Boy in theaters on Oct. 23.





EXCLUSIVE: ‘Beavis And Butt-Head’ & ‘Office Space’ Creator Mike Judge Bringing ‘Extract’ To Comic-Con

For anyone wondering what’s next on the schedule for Mike Judge, the writer/director of “Office Space” and creator of the animated series “Beavis and Butt-Head” and “King of the Hill,” the wait is over. Judge will join MTV’s Josh Horowitz at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25 to discuss his new film, “Extract,” starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck and Kristen Wiig.

Judge will also be screening exclusive footage from the film as part of the panel, but anyone unable to make the trip to San Diego can check out MTV.com for the exclusive premiere of the “Extract” footage. The online premiere will coincide with the Comic-Con panel, but Judge offered MTV.com readers the first look at an exclusive image from “Extract” over on MTV Movies Blog. He also shared some thoughts with Splash Page about the Comic-Con experience.

“It didn’t seem to have a whole lot to do with comic books,” said Judge of his first Comic-Con, three years ago. “I’m sure it started out as this comic book convention and now it’s turned into a big film festival. I don’t know what’s next — maybe there will be a baseball card trade show there.”

As for why he chose Comic-Con for the big debut of “Extract,” Judge seemed a bit, well… uncertain.

“Why are we showing ‘Extract’ at Comic Con?” he joked. “It’s not based on a comic book. ‘Office Space’ at least started off as animated.”

For more on Mike Judge and “Extract,” head over to MoviesBlog.MTV.com.





EXCLUSIVE: Sam Jackson Says Nick Fury Won’t See Action In ‘Iron Man 2’

Back in early May, we got our first look at Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. Chief Nick Fury on the set of “Iron Man 2,” looking every bit the bad-ass in black leather and eyepatch — or at least, as bad-ass as someone can look when standing next to a giant donut.

Never mind the environment, we said, Nick Fury is sure to be kickin’ butt and taking names alongside Tony Stark in the “Iron Man” sequel, right? Not so, according to Jackson. In fact, when we caught up with the actor during an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing,” Jackson said fans will likely have to wait for “The Avengers” for Fury to see some action.

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“Not this time, not yet,” Jackson told MTV News of the likelihood we’ll see his character become the action hero fans know in “Iron Man 2.” “We still haven’t moved Nick Fury into the bad-ass zone. He’s still just kind of a talker.”

Asked whether fans will have to wait until the superhero team-up in “The Avengers” to see Fury get ready to rumble, Jackson simply said, “Looking forward to that, yeah.”

Along with dropping some hints about Nick Fury’s potential brawl, Jackson also told MTV News that he’s done filming on the project, adding that most of his scenes were shot with Robert Downey Jr., but there were also a few with Scarlett Johansson, too.

With a nine-movie deal for Marvel Studios, it’s likely that we’ll see a lot more of Jackson’s character — and in more than just “Iron Man 2″ or “The Avengers.” Whether his roles in films like “Thor” and “The First Avenger: Captain America” will be similarly low on action or move Nick Fury into a more aggressive place in Marvel’s movie world remains to be seen, though.





A new Alien Nation series develops at SCI FI Channel














Looks like another fan-favorite franchise will get the reboot: SCI FI Channel is developing a new version of Alien Nation, which originated as a 1988 movie written by Rockne O'Bannon and was spun off as a TV show and a series of TV movies.

Tim Minear—the writer/producer known to fans for his work on Angel, Firefly and Wonderfalls, among others—is writing the new take on the franchise, about the arrival of a group of refugee aliens and their integration into Earth's population, with the focus on a veteran police detective and his "newcomer" partner and family.

Variety broke the news:

Alien Nation centers on the partnership between a veteran cop and his alien detective partner, set against the larger tale of alien "newcomers" who move to Earth and attempt to assimilate into society.

Fox 21 topper Chris Carlisle said he believed Alien Nation could rep the next franchise revival for SCI FI, which found huge success in dusting off Battlestar Galactica and reworking it for today's auds. Carlisle said Alien Nation works both as a sci-fi piece and a procedural drama.

"It's absolute perfect timing for this type of show," Carlisle said. "They're looking for more grounded sci-fi and close-ended episodes, and at the heart of Alien Nation, it's a cop movie. It's grounded. And it has a tremendous amount of dramatic possibilities and humor."

Alien Nation was originally envisioned in part as a metaphor for the immigration issues facing America in the 1980s; the new version would undoubtedly work in current issues facing society in the first part of the 21st century.

The new series is designed to take place in the 2020s, about 20 years after the first ship crashes on Earth, and will take place in the Pacific Northwest (perhaps to take advantage of a shooting location in Vancouver? We're just guessing here). The aliens will have multiplied to a population of about 3.5 million and would live in their own communities, analogous to the North African ghettos in France.

The news coincides with the similarly themed movie District 9, produced by Peter Jackson, which deals with the arrival of a group of refugee aliens who find themselves segregated from society and interned in camps. That movie opens on Aug. 14.





So now it's possible Smallville's upcoming ninth season may not be its last?











Justin Hartley at the Saturn Awards

The fact that The CW's Smallville is entering its ninth season has surprised its producers, let alone the fans. The show, which began with Clark Kent in high school before he became Superman, has morphed into a series with many other popular DC Comics characters in their younger incarnations. Now, Justin Hartley, who plays Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, said reports that the ninth season will be the last may be premature.

"Look, they're so busy right now, they don't know if they're doing one more season or eight more seasons or two more seasons," Hartley said last week at the Saturn Awards in Burbank, Calif. "They have no idea. So we'll see. I've spoken to them a couple weeks ago and had kind of a vague conversation with them about concept and stuff."










Hartley plays Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

Hartley returns to work in July. As season nine begins, Oliver might be doing more harm than good. "I know I'm in the episode," he said. "I know there's a couple of saves gone awry. I think Oliver might be drinking again, which is always fun to play. So we'll see what happens. I'll leave that up to the brain trust."

The show should pick up where the season finale left off, though considering how long its cast has been playing teenagers/young adults, Hartley can't be sure of the timeline.

"I don't know, but I've been going to the gym, and I've been doing a lot of moisturizing, so hopefully not too long [after], because I think actually in season nine, I'm actually going to play a little younger than I did in season eight," Hartley said. "So we'll see. Maybe we actually go back in time. I'd say I'm playing what, 14 or 15 right now, about, roughly. I don't know, maybe a couple months [have passed]."

Smallville will also introduce General Zod this year (played by Callum Blue), but it is too early for Hartley to know if Green Arrow will encounter the iconic supervillain.

"I don't know, we'll see," Hartley said. "I hope so. I always like to work with new actors. We just got this guy. I guess they hired a gentleman a couple days ago, so hopefully. We'll see what happens."

Smallville returns Sept. 25 on The CW and will move to a new timeslot, Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.