News - 12/23/08...

Thundercats movie trailer

It's not real, but you have to appreciate the work that went into it. All the effects were done frame by frame in Photoshop. The footage was edited in Adobe Premiere.



The same person also put together this -







Spirit, Bashir Open for X-Mas

Having co-directed with Robert Rodriguez the filmed adaptation of his graphic novel Sin City, Frank Miller makes his eagerly awaited solo directorial debut with a classic comic-book property he grew up with. His stylized take on Will Eisner’s The Spirit comes to theaters on Dec. 25 courtesy of distributor Lionsgate. Moviegoers in New York and Los Angeles can also seek out the critically acclaimed animated documentary Waltz with Bashir, which opens in limited release.

Taking a page from Sin City and the blockbuster screen version of his 300 comic, Miller blends live-action with CG sets and effects to tell the story of a man who fakes his own death and becomes a legendary crime fighter. From the shadows of Central City, he tracks cold-blooded The Octopus and tries to cope with a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill him. The film stars Gabriel Macht in the title role, with Samuel L. Jackson playing the part of The Octopus. Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Stana Katic, Dan Lauria, Jaime King, Paz Vega and Louis Lombardi round out the cast.

Reviews for the film haven’t been too kind, but moviegoers can at least look forward to some interesting visuals and comic-book action. The visual effects were created by Entity FX, The Orphanage, R!OT, Digital Dimension, Fuel VFX, Furious FX, Rising Sun Pictures, Cinesoup, LookFX and Ollin Studio.

Waltz with Bashir from Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman has been racking up awards and nominations this Awards season, and now moviegoers on either coast can see what all the fuss is about. Israel’s Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign-Language Film, the pic may also be up for Best Animated Feature when nominees are announced next month.

Co-produced by Bridgit Folman Film Gang and ITVS, the film documents Folman’s quest to recover memories and discover the truth about an Israeli army mission he participated in during the first Lebanon War of the early 1980s. Long-forgotten images begin to resurface as the director interviews old friends and comrades around the world regarding the events.

Bashir was named Best Foreign Film at the recent British Independent Film Awards and top animated film by the Los Angeles Film Critics’ Association. It was also included in the National Board of Review’s list of top-five foreign films of 2008, and is up for Annie and Critics’ Choice awards, among others.





LEGO Batman Flies to iPhones/iPods

Just in time for the holidays, fans of LEGO Batman: Gotham City Games can enjoy their favorite caped crusader on iPhones and iPod Touch screens. The Warner Bros. Interactive game features 16 fun mini games that explore the heart of Wayne Manor. Along the way, players pilot the LEGO Batwing and solve some of The Riddler’s most mind-bending puzzles. Each challenge is linked together by a brand new story, shown through stunning, hand rendered cut scenes, backed by a full orchestral soundtrack.

Once players master the game to become a True Hero or True Villain, they unlock bonus content including never before seen artwork, trailers and wallpapers. The wallpapers can then be saved into the player’s iPhone or iPod Touch picture library and used to identify callers or to spruce up the background of their phone.

The game was developed by TT Games, the same studio that created the acclaimed console release. You can download it from the iTunes App Store for $5.99 (a special holiday price) at http://tinyurl.com/lego-batman-itunes-game.





Bully Bros. Post Ready for Business

A new state-of-the-art post and vfx studio has opened its door in Santa Monica, Calif. Founded by creative director/lead fx artist Kiki Chansamone and exec producer Jason Forest, Bully Bros. specializes in full-service HD finishing for spots, expert compositing, RED and P2 conversions, 3D previz/storyboarding and on-set vfx supe work. The facility is housed at Christopher Sliney’s Playground Media Group.

Chansamone comes to Bully Bros. after nine years as lead Inferno artist at R!OT in Santa Monica, and Forest is the founder/exec producer of TV spot production house Bully Pictures in Marina Del Rey, Calif.

The new facility just finished campaigns for IW Group (Wal-Mart and Met-Life), DraftFCB (Taco Bell), Bozell/Jacobs (Alegent Health), Ogilvy & Mather (Nature Made), and Chiat/Day (Visa). Chansamone and Forest have been good friends since meeting on a Bacardi campaign several years ago. “We started Bully Bros. Post with the goal of creating a ‘family’ atmosphere, not just for ourselves, but for our clients as well,” Chansamone says. “Artistically and technologically, we want to build a company that is based on working with well-known brands for well-known agencies.”

“We’re not just a finishing house; from storyboard to delivery, we can do everything at the Playground,” says Chansamone. “Because of our experience with effects supervision, we can work with agencies to cover everything from assisting on conceptual design, to working with creatives and directors to help determine the best ways to approach vfx shots. We also shoot second unit for green-screen, as well as production and capture for effects-oriented projects. For us, it’s all about being involved as early in the pipeline as possible.”

To learn more about the company, visit www.bullybrospost.com.





NYC kids given early "Child's Christmas in Wales"

Thanks to the Welsh Assembly Government office in New York, children in the Big Apple's hospitals and schools will get a sneak peek of the first animated version of Dylan Thomas's famed story A Child's Christmas in Wales.

In advance of its United States commercial release, the office has been working with Michael Jeffrey of Brave New World Productions to provide private screenings to such children's organizations and institutions as Bronx public schools, Blythedale Children's Hospital, the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the United Nations International School in Manhattan.

Brave New World produced A Child's Christmas in Wales in both Welsh and English in association with Cwmni Da in Caernarfon, Wales. The Welsh-language version will be aired on Christmas Eve (Wednesday night) on Welsh channel S4C.

Directed by British animator Dave Unwin, the 30-minute film combines 2D hand-drawn and computer animation with live-action sequences filmed in Swansea Bay and at Thomas's childhood home on Cwmdonkin Drive in the city's Uplands neighborhood. It's voiced by Brothers and Sisters star Matthew Rhys.

Published posthumously in 1955, A Child's Christmas in Wales tells of a young boy who wants to know what Christmas was like in the old days. Hearing vivid descriptions of Yuletide in 1920s Swansea, he learns that the magic of Christmas is perennial.

"A Child's Christmas in Wales is a genuine Welsh classic Christmas tale which brings to life in Dylan Thomas' very own unique way what Christmases of his own childhood were really like," said Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

"A wide range of organizations across the United States will get to learn more about life in Wales through watching this film."

















Scene from Dave Unwin's A Child's Christmas in Wales.





Rooftop Films Call for Submissions









Rooftop Films, the yearly film festival that takes place across the rooftops of New York City, is currently accepting submissions for its 2009 summer series. Next year’s festival, the 13th anniversary of Rooftop, runs from May through September. The early submission deadline is January 5, 2009. Submission fees are a reasonable $9, and everybody who submits receives two free passes to any Rooftop Films show. They’re a solid filmmaker-friendly organization that I hear only good things about and should be commended for supporting both animation and live-action filmmakers. Complete submission info can be found on the Rooftop Films website.

(Thanks cartoonbrew)





New Years Looney Tunes marathon












Looney Tunes make a return appearance to television on New Years Day when Cartoon Network is scheduled to broadcast an all-day 14-hour marathon of classic Warner Bros. cartoons.

95 shorts, spanning four decades, begin on New Years Day (January 1st) at 6am with Freleng’s The Wabbit Who Came To Supper (pictured above). The final hour at 7pm highlights Chuck Jones masterpieces like One Froggy Evening, Duck Amuck, Duck Dodgers and What’s Opera Doc?. Jon Cooke posted the exact schedule on the Termite Terrace Trading Post forum.

But note, this is a one-time-only stunt. Perhaps overwhelming ratings will convince the network to return these treasures to the regular line-up. Whatever happens, this sounds like the perfect way to start 2009.

(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Newsweek Names Steve Jobs, John Lasseter in List of 50 Most Powerful People for 2009

Newsweek's cover story "The Story of Power" contains their "highly subjective list of the most powerful people who will figure in the era over which [US President Barack] Obama will preside." Sitting at #34 and #35, respectively, are Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and co-founder of Pixar, and John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Disney/Pixar. Lasseter is named for his success at turning Pixar from an independent animation studio into a critical and popular success story, and the prospect of movies' resiliency in tough economic situations. Jobs is named for Apple Computer's dominance over the iPod and iPhone markets, but he has also set industry trends with video for sale or rent on the iTunes store and is also currently the Walt Disney Company's largest shareholder and a member of the Board of Directors.





New "Batman: The Brave And The Bold" Images, Upcoming New Episode Information

The World's Finest has received new information and two dozen new images from an upcoming Batman: The Brave and The Bold episode.

Cartoon Network has passed along the episode synopsis and two dozen images for the upcoming Batman: The Brave and The Bold episode "Day of the Dark Knight!." To get a closer look at the images, click on the thumbnails below.





































































































































































































The all-new Batman: The Brave and The Bold episode "Day of the Dark Knight!" is scheduled for January 2th, 2009. Below is the description.

The evil Morgan Le Fey has taken over Camelot and turned everyone to stone! To thwart her plans, Merlin transports Batman and Green Arrow back in time to retrieve Excalibur, defeat Etrigan, battle dragons and return King Arthur to the Throne! In the teaser, Guy Gardner teams up with Batman to stop a criminal riot at Green Lantern Corps.

This week's episode of Batman: The Brave and The Bold on Cartoon Network will be a repeat of the series opener "The Rise of the Blue Beetle." The episode will air Friday, December 19th, 2008, at 8pm (ET) on Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network has also scheduled the episode "Terror on Dinosaur Island!" to re-air at 8pm (ET) on December 26th, 2008.





Holiday Look-alikes

They have rosy cheeks, red noses, cherubic faces ... and so do all the Christmas characters!































































































































(Thanks TMZ)


Happy Holidays!!

News - 12/22/08...

Canemaker Animates South Beach Fest

The South Beach Int’l Animation Film Festival announced that Oscar-winning animation legend John Canemaker will be a guest of honor at the next annual event in Miami, Fla. The four-day event is hosted by the Miami Beach Cinematheque Theater in the heart of South Beach’s famed art deco district, and will spill into other nearby venues between April 2 and April 5, 2009.

Canemaker is an independent animator and animation historian whose 2004 Academy Award-winning film The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation is based on his own life and marks a personal and professional breakthrough in its treatment of a troubled father/son relationship.

He recently co-produced and directed animation sequences for Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood, a 26-minute documentary that premieres on Turner Classic Movies on March 24 at 8 p.m. (ET).

South Beach International Animation Festival features both juried and showcased screenings. Participants are treated to art and technology exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, panel discussions and classes for beginners and masters. The highlight of the 2009 event will be screenings, lectures, and question-and-answer sessions with Academy Award-winning animators. All events are open to the public and the format encourages artists and audience to commingle.

The South Beach International Animation Festival was launched in 1999 with the Alliance Cinema and was supported by Animation Magazine and Chuck Jones Studios. The second event, Cinema In Paradise, blossomed into an international festival with work arriving from Japan, Denmark and Australia. For more information on the upcoming fest, go to www.southbeachanimationfest.com.





WALL•E Wins Over Chicago Critics

Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E has been honored by yet another group of movie reviewers as end-of-the year picks continue to roll in from around the country. The film garnered four 2008 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, including Best Picture. It also took Best Animated Film, Best Original Screenplay for the script by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, and Best Original Score for Thomas Newman’s work.

WALL•E was the most recognized film of 2008 among Chi-Town critics. The sleeper hit Slumdog Millionaire was second with three awards for Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy) and Most Promising Newcomer (Dev Patel). Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight earned a Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger, as well as Best Cinematography for Wally Pfister. The Swedish horror sensation Let the Right One In also took a pair of awards. The pic was named Best Foreign-Language Film and Tomas Alfredson was voted Most Promising Director.

Mickey Rourke racked up another Best Actor prize for his starring role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, and Anne Hathaway took Best Actress for Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married. Kate Winslet received the Best Supporting Actress for Stephen Daldry’s The Reader. Ari Folman’s animated Waltz with Bashir was beat out in the Best Documetary category by Man On Wire, James Marsh’s film chronicling the 1974 attempt by a French daredevil to walk on a wire suspended between the two World Trade Center towers.

The awards represent voting by the 55 members of the Chicago Film Critics Association, an organization covering print, radio, television and the Internet. Winners were announced on Dec. 19 on WGN-TV by CFCA president Dann Gire and group members Dean Richards and Richard Roeper.

2008 CFCA Award Winners:

Best Picture: WALL•E
Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Best Original Screenplay: WALL•E (Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire (Simon Beaufoy)
Best Foreign Language Film: Let the Right One In
Best Documentary: Man On Wire
Best Animated Feature: WALL•E
Best Cinematography: The Dark Knight (Wally Pfister)
Best Original Score: WALL•E (Thomas Newman)
Most Promising Performer: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Most Promising Director: Tomas Alfredson - Let the Right One In





Disney Revs Up Kid Knievel

Walt Disney Television Animation has begun production on Kid Knievel, a 2D-animated comedy series about a 12-year-old boy who aspires to become the world's greatest daredevil. Famed thrill seeker “Kaptain” Robbie Knievel will serve as a stunt consultant on the series, which is slated to premiere in the fall of 2009 on the soon-to-launch Disney XD channel. Kids will be able to catch a sneak peek when five 55-second original animated shorts debut on DisneyXD.com in advance of the television premiere.

Created by Sandro Corsaro, Kid Knievel centers on Francis Little, a boy who overcomes incredible obstacles in his quest to become famous for his death-defying acts. Inspired by the will and determination of daredevil Robbie Knievel, son of the legendary Evel Knievel, Francis pursues his daily dose of danger with his loyal friends Gunther and Sam by his side. His imaginative journey takes him speeding down a river in a rocket-powered kayak, jumping Dead Man's Drop on a skateboard and riding a unicycle while blindfolded atop a herd of white rhinos.

Animation producer Chris Savino (Johnny Test, The Powerpuff Girls), who has twice been nominated for an Emmy Award, serves as exec producer and director on the series. The voice cast includes Chris Edgerly (Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law) as Francis Little, Matt Jones (Greek) as quirky best friend Gunther, and Danny Cooksey (Xiaolin Showdown, Pepper Ann) as obnoxious older brother Brad.

“As our first animated show for the new Disney XD platform, Kid Knievel sets the tone for the animated series to come,” says Eric Coleman, senior VP of original series at Walt Disney Television Animation. "It has break-out characters, fresh designs, big laughs and great action.”

Disney XD is a re-branding of Toon Disney. The basic cable channel will debut in February with a multi-platform setup that will showcase a mix of live-action and animated programming for kids 6-14, especially boys into discovery, sports, adventure and humor. Offerings will include sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD will be a 24-hour, advertiser-supported network reaching 72 million households.





WALL•E, Bashir, Persepolis Nominated by London Critics

Critical darling WALL•E from Disney and Pixar is among the five films nominated for Film of the Year by the London Film Critics’ Circle. The acclaimed animated doc Waltz with Bashir from Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman is up for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, along with Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s Persepolis, another animated biographical account. Persepolis was nominated for an Academy Award last year, but is up for contention in the U.K. this year because it didn’t open there until early 2008.

The London Film Critics’ Circle Awards doesn’t have an animation category, so it’s quite a coup when a family-friendly animated film makes the list at all. The Aardman/DreamWorks Animation feature Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit was up for the Attenborough Award for British Film in 2005, but other than that London reviewers haven’t shown much love for the art of animation come awards season.

WALL•E is competing against the live-action heavy hitters The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
 Frost/Nixon,
 Milk and The Wrestler. Meanwhile, Waltz with Bashir and Persepolis are in the company of fellow foreign-language entries The Orphanage from Spain, Gomorrah from Italy and I’ve Loved You So Long from France/Germany. DC Comics’ Batman has also become an award-worthy franchise as Heath Ledger picks up a posthumous Actor of the Year nomination and Christopher Nolan makes the cut for Best British Director for their work on the Warner Bros. blockbuster The Dark Knight.

The 29th annual London Film Critic’s Circle Awards will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Feb. 4. See the full list of nominees at www.altfg.com/blog/awards/london-film-critics-awards-2009.





Layout artist James "Jim" Mueller dead at 85

James "Jim" Mueller, a layout artist at Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, Warner Bros. and Filmation, died November 13 in Prescott, Arizona. He was 85.

"After over 40 years in the business, Jim retired and eventually moved to Prescott, where he made many new friends, took up fishing, and got himself a cat, Biscuit!", said friend Bill Exter. "He enjoyed his new life, but still kept in touch with old friends in California."

Mueller was a layout artist on Spider-Man (1967-70), Jabberjaw and The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (both 1976), The All-New Super Friends Hour (1977), Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977-79), Challenge of the SuperFriends (1978), The Godzilla Power Hour (1978-80), The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show (1979), Pac-Man (1982), Smurfs (1982-1984), The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show (1983), and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985).

He also laid out individual episodes of Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down (1970), The Jetsons and Paw Paws (both 1985) and Peter Pan and the Pirates (1990), as well as the 1977 TV special A Flintstone Christmas.

He was story director of 1972's The Flintstones Comedy Hour, and was storyboard director of 29 episodes of Muppet Babies between 1985 and 1986.

More recently, Mueller hosted the live-action 1995 series The American Outdoorsman. He was one of the show's executive producers, starting in 2007.

Born in Blue Island, Illinois on July 25, 1923, James Mueller was a United States Army veteran.

Services and arrangements were at Heritage Memory Mortuary, 131 Grove Avenue in Prescott.





"Yes Man," but maybe "Tale of Despereaux" as well

Although filmgoers gave thumbs up to Jim Carrey's live-action "Yes Man" this weekend, they also gave a qualified endorsement to Matthew Broderick's animated family film "The Tale of Despereaux."

Distributed by Universal, "Despereaux" debuted in third place with $10.5 million. Broderick's the voice of a tiny mouse taking part in a heroic mission.

The comedy "Yes Man," a Warner Bros. release, topped the box office with an $18.2 million opening.

Will Smith's drama "Seven Pounds," from Sony, debuted in No. 2 spot with $16 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"The Tale of Despereaux" played in 3,104 theaters for an average of $3,385 per screen. Meanwhile, "Yes Man" played in 3,434 theaters for a $5,288 per theater average, while "Seven Pounds" opened in 2,758 theaters for $5,801 per venue.

In its fifth weekend, Disney's "Bolt" was in seventh place with $4.3 million.

Complicating the picture for new films opening Friday was the presence of snowstorms blanketing the Northeast. Severe weather also hit parts of the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.

"Those markets back east just got hammered," said Chris Aronson, distribution executive for 20th Century Fox.

The total box office fell for the second weekend in a row. Holiday films for this year fell far behind the strong results provided in 2007 by hits as the partly animated "Alvin and the Chipmunks."

This weekend, the top 12 movies collected $82.8 million -- down 44% from the same time last year, when "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" was No. 1 with $44.8 million.

Year-to-date revenues through Sunday reached $9.24 billion, virtually the same as the same date last year, according to box-office tracking company Media By Numbers LLC.

"The movie business may be recession-proof, but this weekend, it's not weather-proof," observed Media By Numbers president Paul Dergarabedian.

Ticket sales were especially affected by winter storms in such major markets such as New York, Boston and Detroit. Boston, normally a top-10 market, was near the lower end of the top 25 on Friday.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at United States and Canadian theaters were released by Media By Numbers.





Rare Commercials by Tex Avery, Ed Benedict and Tom Oreb

YouTube user ‘VidResidue’ has uploaded a couple of rare 1950s animated commercials worth sharing. The first is a Kool-Aid spot directed by Tex Avery and designed by Ed Benedict. I think it’s amazing that Avery’s last theatrical cartoon—Sh-h-h-h—was released in 1955 when he was only 47 years old. Tex’s flame burned out prematurely. As much as I enjoy his TV commercials (of which I’ve only seen a dozen or so out of hundreds that he directed), it’s disheartening that one of animation’s greatest directors has a late body of work that is comprised entirely of lightweight advertising jobs and cheap TV shows. (Earlier this year I did a lengthier post about Avery’s late-career.)



Next is a Peter Pan Peanut Butter spot designed by Tom Oreb. I’m guessing the director of the spot is Charles Nichols.



Here is the model sheet that Tom Oreb created for the TV version of Peter Pan characters (click for bigger version).







(Thanks cartoonbrew)





Navarre Shuts Down BCI Eclipse Division

The Navarre Corp. has issued a press release announcing the demise of their BCI Eclipse subsidiary label, effective immediately. The label was best known for their boxed sets of the He-Man, She-Ra, Dungeons & Dragons, and Prince Valiant animated series, but the press release states that the label has been "unprofitable for the past two years." There will be "a workforce reduction, a writedown of assets, and the incorporation of BCI's exclusively distributed DVD business into the company's distribution segment."





MyToons.com and Google Launch MyToons Live

MyToons.com and Google have launched MyToons Live, a social networking application that uses Google Earth technology to graphically represent animators' activity on a real-time global map. The application is a free download off the MyToons.com website.

For full details, read the press release here.





Fred Ladd Talks "Astro Boy," "Kimba," and Classic Anime on Anime Today Podcast

The latest Anime Today podcast contains an interview with Fred Ladd, producer of the earliest anime imports such as Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, about his upcoming book Astro Boy and Anime Come to the Americas, the similarities between Osamu Tezuka's Kimba and Disney's Simba the Lion King, the live-action Speed Racer movie, and the new CGI animated Astro Boy.

For full details, read the press release here.





Alan Horn Talks Batman, Superman, Lantern

Warner Bros. president Alan Horn recently spoke to Collider at the premiere of "Yes Man" where he talked about the future of the studio's plans for the various DC superhero movie adaptations.

Most importantly of course is director Chris Nolan's follow-up to "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". Horn says "We've been talking to Chris Nolan and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story, but Chris did a great job and we'd love to have him come back and do another one."

It's always welcome to hear a studio actually taking its time on a film to get the story right. Horn adds "The story is everything and we are very respectful of Chris. We have a wonderful relationship with him and we are going to be respectful of his timing and we want to get it right. Also, I think the fans expect that - they want us to make a terrific movie - we have to give them another great movie."

The next Superman however seems much more tenuous - "Probably in the next couple of years. We're very anxious to bring Superman back also."

As previously reported in the Aussie press earlier this week, the "Green Lantern" project is apparently considering studio space at present. Asked about the projects status, he admits that it's probably the next superhero film the studio will put out - "I think Green Lantern is probably the best guess but I can't promise it at this moment." He adds that it is "On the runway. Hasn't taken off yet, but we're close."

Finally what about the long-troubled "Justice League: Mortal" feature? Horn says "Not yet."





James Cameron's Forbidden Planet?

Sounds like James Cameron's going to be hanging onto his membership card to the L.A Science-Fiction club a little longer. The "Avatar" helmer is reportedly interested in directing a remake of 60s classic "Forbidden Planet".

You'll recall Cameron briefly flirted with this project in the 90s - at one stage talking to his "Terminator" lead Arnie Schwarzenegger about headlining the picture.

This latest incarnation is being produced by Joel Silver and has been penned by "Changeling" scribe J. Michael Straczynski.

IESB has the low-down...





Watch A New Knowing Trailer!

A new trailer has gone live for Knowing, the SF thriller from director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow), which stars Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne.

The story, written by Ryne Douglas Pearson and Richard Kelly (Southland Tales), centers on Cage, a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future contained in a time capsule--and sets out to prevent them from coming true. Knowing opens March 20, 2009.







Pixar Makes Bolt?

I can dig that there's a lot of personnel overlap, but I think Newsweek has a detail wrong as it writes a profile on #35 of its Newsweek Fifty:

The animated features "Wall-E" and "Bolt," both produced by Pixar studios, where Lasseter is the chief creative officer, just received Golden Globe nominations for best picture ...

Obviously magazine fact-checkers aren't what they once were. (Thank Gawd for the intertubes.)

Bolt, I'm afraid, is going to make less at the U.S. box office than its predecessor Chicken Little, but more than Meet the Robinsons, which stalled out just south of $100 million.

I'm sure that the Disney Co. is wishing that the white doggie was up in Madagascar 2's air space, but it doesn't look like the picture is going to climb to that elevation.

More's the pity.

(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)