Happy Thanksgiving!
Though there were only three days in the workweek, I hopped around to a number of studios. Herewith -- before I totter off into overeating land -- a few snippets from the days recently gone by:
A lead Disney Feature artist:
"Some of us told marketing that opening Bolt against Twilight was a bad idea. They said they knew best ..."
Which reminds me of a letter writer-producer-director Nunnally Johnson wrote to a friend regarding the marketing department at 20th Century-Fox:
"The marketing people here on the lot said the failure of the picture was a 100% the fault of production ..."
This was fifty-five years ago. Funny how most things never change. If the film underperforms, it's the creators responsibility. If the picture succeeds, the credit should be given to the folks who put together the terrific advertising campaign.
And at another studio across town, management sent out the following memo to the artists:
There is a real possibility that SAG will decide to go on strike as early as January ...
Hopefully this contract dispute will be resolved without a strike but everyone should be prpeared that there is a possiblity that this may happen. We're not sure how this would impact productions at this time.
Enough to set teeth on edge, yes? No wonder people are asking me what I know about the voice actors going out.
Lastly, at Film Roman, artists still aren't sure of future production plans for The Simpsons. Is the Yellow Family good for one more season? Two? Five? If Fox and Gracie Films know the answer, they aren't revealing it.
It's yet another workplace wrinkle that has made things tense. When I was up there yesterday and gave my usual cheery "Hi how's things going?", the artist I posed the question to growled: "Don't ask."
If you can, have a good four-day holiday anyway.
(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers. Here’s a little turkey day treat - Tex Avery’s Jerky Turkey. For model sheets and animation drawings from the film, head on over to Kevin Langley’s blog.
(Thanks cartoonbrew)
English voice cast for Ponyo on the Cliff
GhibliWorld shares an exclusive word on the English voice cast for Miyazaki latest feature Ponyo on the Cliff. According to the report, the English version of Ponyo will feature an all star voice talent cast including Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Fankie Jonas, Noah Cyrys and Cloris Leachman. Produced by Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, Ponyo will see a North American release in 2009.Five favorite films with John Lasseter
Pixar co-founder and director John Lasseter picks his five favorite movies of all time, speaking with RottenTomatoes. Lasseter lists his favorites along with a bonus Chuck Jones short in front of each of them.
NASA robots give WALL-E a touch of realism
Wired Blog Network reports that Pixar Animation Studios turned to real NASA robots for inspiration to give WALL-E a more realistic feel. To get some insights into how robots move, think and learn, director Andrew Stanton and his team visited the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and talked with the folks who designed the machines such as, Phoenix Mars Lander and red planet rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which survived long past their life expectancies. This real-world NASA connection is also featured in the extensive collection of special features that appear on the WALL-E dvd and Blu-ray discs, released last week.New Toy Story 3 character
IMDB lists a new character, “Chuckles the Clown”, in the Pixar’s upcoming sequel Toy Story 3 to be voiced by the actor James Anthony Cotton. The sequel is set for a 2010 release.
Live Action Bubblegum Crisis in Development
Anime News Network reports that the 1987-1991 sci-fi action OVA Bubblegum Crisis is being developed into a live action film by Singapore's Cubix International PTE Ltd.
Cubix has stated the film, planned with a budget of several billion yen (several tens of millions of dollars), is intended for an international release in 2011. The studios plan to work with former ARTMIC staffers Shinji Aramaki (screenplay and mechanical design) and Kenichi Sonoda (character design) to maintain a connection with the world concepts of the original series.
Pre-production images can be seen on Singaporean media company Axxis' site (In the linked page, select "Axxis Lineup," then select "Upcoming Titles," and finally select ">>next.")
In May that Axxis announced "four live-action/computer-generated feature films valued at over US$135 million" at the Cannes Film Festival.
. The May 20 press release itself described Bubblegum Crisis as "a film based on the same-name original anime series from Japan about 4 young female mercenaries fighting for justice."
The original creators/licensor Anime International Company (AIC) also plans to produce a new animated Bubblegum Crisis.
Ponyo Spring Release?
ICV2 notes that there is evident that Disney may release Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea theatrically in North America in first quarter 2008. The article sites that Amazon.com is listing Viz Media’s The Art of Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea for release on March 3rd, and AAA Anime has the release of the first volume of the Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea Film Comic set for early April.
2005 when Miyazaki’s previous movie, Howl’s Moving Castle, debuted in theaters on June 10th, Viz Media released The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle on the 5th of July and The Howl’s Moving Castle Film Comic in August. In 2002 when Miyazaki’s Spirited Away premiered in theaters on September 20th, Viz Media released The Art of Spirited Away in October.
Nausicaa.net reports Fandango.com has a listing for Ponyo with a release date of July 19, 2009 (a Sunday).
Hollywood Adaptation Updates
The official site for the Imagi Astro Boy movie is online at www.astroboy-themovie.com/
DragonBall concept art has hit the net on IESB
Event News
Giant Robot's San Francisco location is running a Black Friday sale
*
Super7 will also be running a sale
This Thanksgiving weekend, we at Super7 want to show how thankful we are for the enthusiasm and support of our fans and customers, and are having a Black Friday Sale just for you! Look for amazing deals on all your favorite monsters, fighters, neo-kaiju, and more! Domestic shipping is free Wednesday night through Sunday, so now is the time to have your monsters hitch a ride!
*
Washington DC's DC Anime Club will host a Marathon of Anime Films based upon the Manga (Japanese Comics) works by Dr.Osamu Tezuka on December 6, 2008 from 2pm-5pm at the Martin Luthur King, Jr Memorial Library in 901 G St NW Washington, DC 20001in Room A10. During the Marathon such anime as Phoenix , Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack and of course, Tetsuwan Atom, best known to American audience as Astro Boy will be shown.
*
Giant Robot is will host the third annual Uglydoll convention at GRNY, starting with opening at 12:00 noon on Saturday, December 6.
In 2001, Sun-Min Kim turned a drawing on the bottom of letters from David Horvath into a hand-sewn doll. It was Wage, the first Uglydoll ever. After David brought the piece to the newly opened Giant Robot store, it evolved into a toy with a rabid following - selling out at shops around the world, appearing in movies, creating spin-offs, spawning bootlegs, and inspiring a new wave of stuffed plushes.
This year's art show offerings will include original paintings by Sun-Min, black-and-white drawings by David, and print-and-drawing sets from Uglycon Tokyo. Also available for purchase will be rare toys such as test samples from past lines, signed prototypes, and "test shots" of kaiju figures.
In the tradition of the first two Uglycons, there will be costume contest in which fans are asked to dress up as their favorite Uglydoll. Winners chosen by David and Sun-Min will receive a bounty of prizes.
And there will be even more, including a sneak peek at a never-before-seen Uglydoll for 2009.
The first two Uglycons caused an online buzz and attracted fans from around the country and overseas. We expect the New York occasion to be even bigger. To facilitate demand and eliminate uncomfortable lineups, raffle tickets for making purchases will be handed out beginning at 12:00 noon. Starting at 3:00, these tickets will be drawn to determine the order of sales.
*
Vintage Japanese Anime will be running January 3rd at Indianapolis Museum of Art
In the early 1960s, American television was flooded with Japanese pop manga (comics) and animation. Characters like Astro Boy and Gigantor captured the imagination of American audiences and dramatically impacted graphic design and visual arts in the U.S. The influence of this early manga / anime is visible in today's visual culture, from the films of the Wachowski Brothers to Pokemon. View rare clips from post-war manga from the collection of collector Fred Ladd, who helped introduce Japanese animation to the U.S.
Anime (and animation) on TV
Gundam OO has begin running on Sci-fi's Ani-Monday, with two episodes running at 11:00PM
*
Gurren Lagann will run on Canada's Super Channel 2 w starting December 8th. The anime programming block will also feature Now and Then, Here and There and Descendants of Darkness
*
Newsarama reports that with the exit of the 4Kids block in January, Fox will be ending its Saturday morning cartoons programming. The space will be filled with two-hours of network controlled infomercials, and two hours of local affiliate programming.
Fox has said that it will find space for its mandated 2 and 1/2 hours of Educational/Instructional programming during the week.
According to Animenews.biz the number of Fox affiliates signed up to carry this new programming block, tentatively titled “Weekend Marketplace”, is over 95%, whereas the number that had been carrying the 4Kids programming block had dropped below 85%.
4Kids programming will continue to run on The CW network.
*
The creators of Batman: The Brave and the Bold spoke to MediaBlvd. There's a mention of how the new super-hero animated series is design to appeal to anime fans among other audiences.
Worth Checking Out...
Insight
Twitch presents a translation of Hayao Miyazaki's press conference at Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo
Ninja Consultants presents NYAF 2008 OtakuUSA Magazine Panel
Episode 80 of Right Stuf's Anime Today speaks to the team responsible for Bandai Entertainment’s release of the Toward the Terra television series
In this new, two-segment interview, Richard Kekahuna (series producer), Brian Cutts (series assistant producer), Robert Napton (director of marketing) and Anthony Foronda (marketing coordinator) share details about the series’ production, including how they decided upon its release format. They also discuss their exclusive video interview with the creator of the To Terra... manga, Keiko Takemiya, as well as why they feel Toward the Terra is a classic sci-fi story. And finally, they offer hints about future projects.
Ed Chavez on Riding the Rails with Shogakukan's IKKI at Otaku USA
If anything has significant meaning in Japanese culture it is bound to be immortalized in a manga. Trains have been a part of the Japanese comics scene since its beginning. You can see them play a pivotal role in Tatsumi's gekiga classic the Pushman. Every high school set romance-comedy from Maison Ikkoku to Orange Road and Love Hina to School Rumble have featured trains in some capacity - field trip, beach trip. And let’s not forget the significance trains had on the internet and mass media sensation Densha Otoko a few years back.
AniPages Daily on recent anime episodes of note
Colony Drop on Masaaki Yuasa's (Cat Soup, Mind Game) Kaiba, Root Search and Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend
Jog on anime to manga and Gankutsuou and the implicit message of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
A look at the relationship between anime and games
Awesome Engine has been running down Lupin III movies/specials
A brief history of mecha anime
Bandai on the quality control process
Production I.G's Q and A with the The Sky Crawler's Chihiro Ito
Mecha Mecha Media on Monster Men Bureiko Lullaby
Media
Fifteen Pound Pink Productions, the producers of Mr. Reaper's Really Bad Morning (covered here) have launched a 15lbpink channel on You Tube!
The studio's Intergalactic Who's Who will be featured in the fiftieth issue of Stash
IWW: The Pork 'n' Being and IWW: The Praepredatorprae are included in the bonus DVD. These short are part of a special selection of 6 works that screened at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival.
STASH is a monthly DVD showcase of animation, visual effects and motion graphics that includes a 40-page companion book of productive notes, color stills, credits and links
Takadanobaba Tezuka murals
Orson Welles Japanese Whiskey Ads
Grandizer fan film
C4DTeam ::: Grendizer Returns ::: Short Movie ::: from C4DTeam on Vimeo.
C4DTeam ::: Grendizer Returns ::: Short Movie ::: from C4DTeam on Vimeo.
Go Nagai Overload! Part 3
Shin Getter Kirby
Misc
Cleaning manga for translation
Daisuke Enomoto, the millionaire Gundam cosplayer and would-be space tourist is suing for a refund after being grounded for health issues.
The animated site for the Tokyo 2016 Olympics proposal
60% off the Speed Racer manga
Alt Japan on Kaiju Autopsy
"Anime Hair" for your Xbox avatar.
Hello Kitty x MAC cosmetics
La-La Land Records To Release Soundtrack Collecting “Batman: The Animated Series” Score
The World’s Finest has confirmed that La-La Land Records will be releasing soundtrack CDs collecting the acclaimed score to Batman: The Animated Series next month.
La-La Land Records is slated to ship the first in a possible series of Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack releases on December 16th, 2008, with pre-orders for the release starting next week, on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008. This is a limited edition collector's release of 3000 units and will be available only through the La-La Land Records website and other online soundtrack specialty stores. Roughly 100 autographed copies of the Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release will only be available through the La-La Land Records site and are first-come, first-serve while supplies last, though not guaranteed. Orders will begin December 2nd at 12:00pm (PST). The release will also include a detailed 20-page booklet.
La-La Land Records will be supplying more information later this week on this highly anticipated release. The first official Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release will ship on December 16th, 2008.
So, stay tuned for further details, but, to tide you over, La-La Land Records has supplied the track listing for the scheduled Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release.
DISC ONE
01. Gotham City Overture 14:01
02. Batman™: The Animated Series - Main Title (Danny Elfman) 1:02
“On Leather Wings” – Shirley Walker
03. Sub-Main Title / Batwing / Bat Attack 1:51
04. Batman Drives To Gotham 1:00
05. Batman Investigates / Batman Uses Infrared /
Police Rush Building 1:48
06. Batman Escapes / Batman Flies 1:48
07. Bats / Evidence Goes Up In Smoke/ The Formula /
Dr Jekyll And Mr. Bat 3:01
08. Gotham From the Air / Ride’Em Batman / Epilogue 2:16
“The Last Laugh” – Shirley Walker
09. Sub-Main Title 1:35
10. The Submarine / Joker Loots Gotham 2:35
11. Alfred Loses It 0:58
12. Bat Boat / Batman Catches The Big Fish /
Batman Fights The Bad Guys 2:18
13. Cliff-Hanger Under Water / Batman A.K.A Houdini 1:56
14. Batman The Terminator 2:01
15. Batman Vs. Joker / Batman Vs Joker Part 2 3:47
“It’s Never Too Late” – Lolita Ritmanis
16. Sub-Main Title / Stromwell’s Flashback 2:01
17. Batman on Top of Church / Stromwell Arrives At Pete’s / Thugs Exit 1:20
18. Stromwell Confronts Thorn 1:15
19. It’s Party Time / Batman Carries Stromwell 0:48
20. Stromwell Sees Joey 1:41
21. Stromwell Tricks Batman / Thorn’s Men Move In /
Thorn Chases Stromwell 3:22
22. Stromwell’s Flashback #2 1:45
23. Batman Cracks Heads / Thorn Removed 1:20
“Pretty Poison” – Shirley Walker / Lolita Ritmanis / Michael McCuiston
24. Ground Breaking Ceremony / Penitentiary Time Lapses 1:11
25. Batman Catches A Chopper / The Chopper Crashes / Rooftop Chase 1:58
26. Batman Sneaks Around 1:09
27. A Little Plant Muzak / The Carnivorous Plant 0:59
28. Batman Vs. Poison Ivy / Poison Ivy In Prison 3:52
“Christmas with the Joker” - Shirley Walker / Lolita Ritmanis / Michael McCuiston
29. 14 Seconds Opening / Jingle Bells / The Joker Blasts Off 1:03
30. Down the Mountain / Sidewalk Red Herring 0:51
31. Pukey Christmas Music / Christmas With The Joker / Game Show Music 2:18
32. The Train Crashes 1:19
33. Observatory Cannon / Cannon Out Of Control / Robin Blows Up Cannon 1:11
34. More Game Show Music / Drive To The Toy Company 1:39
35. Nutcracker Suite Medley 1:24
36. Pie In Batman’s Face / Dangling Hostages Saved / Deck The Halls 1:40
CD One Total Time: 76:05
DISC TWO
01. Batman™: The Animated Series - Alternate Main Title (S. Walker) 1:09
“Two-Face, Part I” – Shirley Walker
02. Harvey’s Nightmare / Dent’s Soap Box 2:24
03. Batman Tracks Dent 2:07
04. Split Personality / Harvey / Harv 4:21
“Two-Face, Part II” – Shirley Walker
05. Part One Recap 0:33
06. Sub-Main Title / The Heist 1:49
07. Bruce Wayne’s Nightmare / Two-Face Remembers 2:47
8. Batcycle / What About Grace 1:58
9. My Name Is Two-Face 1:52
10. The Great Equalizer / Where There’s Love 4:03
“Joker’s Favor” – Shirley Walker
11. Sub-Main Title / Cussing Out The Joker / I Had A Bad Day 3:18
12. Joker’s Hide-Out 1:19
13. Charlie’s Neighborhood / Joker Finds Charlie 1:18
14. Charlie Arrives In Gotham / Joker Collects His Favor 0:42
15. Harley’s Party Source 0:44
16. Crashing The Party 1:33
17. Batman Saves The Commissioner / Batman’s After The Joker /
Charlie Gets the Joker 3:38
“Vendetta” – Michael McCuiston
18. Sub-Main Title / Conway Is Abducted 0:43
19. A Clue / The Crocodile’s Lair 1:27
20. Another Clue 1:19
21. Croc’s Cave / Killer Croc 2:52
22. Batman Chases Croc / Sewer Fight 2:54
23. Bullock Gets The Croc 1:09
“Perchance To Dream” – Shirley Walker
24. Sub-Main Title / The Dream Begins 0:52
25. It’s Impossible / Bruce Sees Batman / Bruce Watches Batman At Work 2:14
26. My Life Is A Dream 2:48
27. Climbing The Church Tower / Belltower Fight 2:45
28. Your Own Private Wonderland / Back to Reality 2:48
“Birds of a Feather” – Shirley Walker
29. Birds Of A Feather 1:54
30. That Fine Roman Nose / Penguin vs. Muggers 2:32
31. Penguin Takes Veronica 0:40
32. The Drop / Rubber Duckie Ride 1:50
33. The Penguin’s Opera / High Society 2:19
34. Batman™: The Animated Series - End Credit (Danny Elfman) 0:34
BONUS TRACK:
35. Music Of The Bat 101 6:45
CD Two Total Time: 74:02
Future Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack releases are possible, depending on the reaction to this release.
See The Animated Terminator Poster!
The makers of director McG's upcoming prequel film Terminator Salvation have released an unusual Flash-animated poster HERE for the film.Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, the film stars Christian Bale as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators.
But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. Terminator Salvation opens May 22, 2009.
‘The Dark Knight’ DVD Special Features Leaked To The Web
For those of us out there who simply can not wait for the December 9 release of “The Dark Knight” on DVD and Blu-ray, Italian website BadTaste.it were invited to a special screening of the DVD and given exclusive permission to post six clips of the special features on their site.As we’ve previously mentioned, “The Dark Knight” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray, and for you hardcore Bat-fans out there, you’ll definitely want to grab the special edition sets which boasts over three hours of special features, six episodes of “Gotham Tonight” (Gotham City’s premiere news program, natch), Joker cards, concept and poster art, production stills and Best Buy is offering two store exclusive sets which include either a Batman mask, a Joker mask and will also make available two limited edition statuettes of Batman and the Joker.
Adding to this news, it will be interesting to see if summer ‘08 will replay itself as "Iron Man” and The Dark Knight” once again go toe-to-toe — this time on the DVD shelves. Given the reports that “Iron Man” has been setting Blu-ray sales records, will “The Dark Knight” manage to further its dominance in the 2008 superhero film battle, or will ol’ Shellhead come out on top in this round? We’ll find out soon enough.
Hugh Jackman On Bringing ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Back For A Sequel… In Japan
Fresh off being named “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine, Hugh Jackman has a lot to be thankful for these days. His epic Baz Luhrmann film “Australia” hits theaters today, and he’s returning to the big screen as one of comics’ most popular superheroes, Wolverine, in next year’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
In the following video, Jackman explains to MTV that there are plenty of surprises left for the “Wolverine” audience, and not only tells us that he’d like to do another film, but teases the story he’d like to tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment