The Animation Blog

Month: March 2008 (Page 2 of 5)

Every South Park episode available online for free!

March 24, 2008 / / 0 Comments

In what could be the best news all week, and its barely Monday, every South Park episode is now available online for free! The official South Park site: www.southparkstudios.com has all 12 seasons available for viewing and the quality is really good too, compared to other internet video sites.

The new beta site also includes a new avatar creator, where you can create your very own South Park characters.

The only catch to the free episodes is that there are short ads embedded into the episodes which cannot be skipped. No big deal though. Toyota is currently sponsoring the episodes.

The launch is a joint venture between co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and Comedy Central; the two will split ad revenue 50/50.

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Using the internet and animation for marketing

March 24, 2008 / / 0 Comments

I’m really surprised that more TV networks, movie studios, etc don’t use the power of the internet and animation to their advantage. A good animation can go viral on the internet quite easily. Get it on youtube and have a few sites pick up on it and the hits start rolling in. The people who see the animation will then pass the word along via IM or social sites like Myspace and Facebook… pretty soon the hype train is rolling at 100mph and people don’t even notice that the animation they just watched was an advertisement.

Then, once the viewer sees the show on TV they’ll say “Oh, that’s that show that was mentioned in that cool animation. Hmm… I wonder what this show is about.” And if the show is good, a new audience member has just been gained — all through the power of the internet, animation and viral marketing.

Here is an example of a Showtime animation for the second season of their hit show The Tudors, premiering Sunday, March 30, at 9PM ET/PT.

I personally haven’t seen The Tudors but am now interested to see exactly what the show is about… hey, Showtime, how about you send over a copy of Season 1 on DVD.

Persopolis returns to theaters

March 23, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Persepolis, the Oscar-nominated animated feature, will return to 100 theaters in an English-language version on April 11. Co-written and co-directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, it’s based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel.

The English version of Persepolis features the voices of Chiara Mastroianni and her mother, Catherine Deneuve, as Marjane and Marjane’s mother. Sean Penn provides the voice of Marjane’s father; Gena Rowlands plays Marjane’s grandmother; Iggy Pop is Uncle Anouche; and Amethyste Frezignac plays young Marjane.

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The Art of Cars exhibit

March 21, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Route 66 ends this year at Fairfax and Wilshire with the launch of a special exhibition “The Art of Cars,” the first-ever creative collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and the Petersen Automotive Museum. “The Art of Cars” showcases the artistic process behind the creation of the animated feature film Cars. The exhibit will run from March 29 through November 2, 2008.

“The Art of Cars” exhibit includes more than 60 watercolor and pastel drawings, pencil and marker sketches, and a variety of three-dimensional pieces.

Since I live within driving distance, I may just go check this out. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures to share with all of you.

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Interview with the director of Disney’s Enchanted

March 21, 2008 / / 0 Comments

The folks over at Animated Views got a chance to interview Enchanted’s director, Kevin Lima, and executive producer, Chris Chase.

Animated Views: You’re well-known for being one of the key-artists in Disney’s revival during the 90s. How do you see that period now?

Kevin Lima: I’ve never quite thought of myself in those terms. I think what we, as a group were trying to do, really, was making movies that we loved, and I think, for most of us, that goes back to redefining what we looked at when we were children. And it’s especially true for me. I know that I mostly make movies about things that affected me as a child and things that I fantasized about when I was a child. I’m trying to put that into what I do as an adult and I think that’s really what we all tried to do: look back to our past, remember what we loved when we were children and try to put that on screen.

Head on over to Animated Views to check out the lengthy interview.

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Justin Wright, Pixar artist, passes away

March 20, 2008 / / 0 Comments

I’m sad to report that Justin Wright, who had been with Pixar for just more than a year in the story department, has passed away at the young age of 27 from a heart attack.

Justin Wright was a survivor, undergoing a heart transplant at age 12. He loved his job and was a humble man. On his blog, he wrote: “People might get mad at me if they knew how good we have it here. Massages, a gym — all that is true.”

Justin’s credits at Pixar include the 2D line drawings shown during the credits of Ratatouille. He was currently working on a new short that will be released with WALL-E this year.

While I didn’t know Justin Wright personally, I feel like I did. Being, somewhat, a part of the animation industry myself (writing this blog) it really hurt to learn of his passing, especially since he was so young. My condolences go out to his family. May he Rest in Peace.

In his honor, there will be no other posts today at The Animation Blog.

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Batman Gotham Knight voice cast announced

March 19, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Kevin Conroy returns to the title role in Batman Gotham Knight, scheduled for release July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, as well as OnDemand and Pay-per-View. The film will be available for download on the same date.

Conroy set the standard for modern day Batman voices with his performance in Batman: The Animated Series, The New Adventures of Batman and Robin and The New Batman Superman Adventures. He reprised the role as an aging Bruce Wayne playing mentor to a new Caped Crusader in Batman Beyond.

“Anytime we initiate an animated Batman project, ‘Will Kevin Conroy voice Batman?’ is the first question we hear from fans,” said Bruce Timm, Executive Producer. “To meet Kevin is to know that he’s not anything like Batman, and yet he manages to perfectly nail that indefinable element that is Batman. He’s got the voice, he’s got the acting chops, and he’s absolutely the best man for the job.”

Gary Dourdan (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty) are heard in multiple segments of the six-story film as police detectives Crispus Allen and Anna Ramirez, key members of a special unit who learn to trust the Dark Knight’s motives. Parminder Nagra (ER, Bend It Like Beckham) supplies the voice of Cassandra, a mystical Indian woman who teaches Bruce Wayne to endure and manage his pain. David McCallum (Navy NCIS, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Great Escape) takes on the role of loyal servant Alfred. George Newbern (Father of the Bride) and Alanna Ubach (Legally Blonde) also join the cast.

The cast also features popular voice over artists Corey Burton, Rob Paulsen, Kevin Michael Richardson, Will Friedle, Jason Marsden, Jim Meskimen, Pat Musick, Scott Menville, Hynden Walch, Corey Padnos and Crystal Scales.

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U.K.’s Channel 4 to launch animation website

March 19, 2008 / / 0 Comments

U.K.’s Channel 4 announced that it has partnered with Aardman Animations and Lupus Films to develop a new online site devoted to animation.

The website, 4mations, will provide a home for animators to view and vote on the latest and greatest animation, upload videos and games for cash prizes, get commissioned to create new work and view classics from the Channel 4 archive.

The beta site launch is scheduled for summer, with a full launch this fall.

Via AWN
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Special Edition Jungle Book 2 DVD details

March 19, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Scheduled for release on June 17, 2008 is a special edition of The Jungle Book 2. The film will be presented in 1.66:1, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround tracks. Extras include deleted scenes, a Story of Jungle Book featurette, music videos, a Legacy Of The Jungle Book featurette, a Mowgli’s Jungle Ruins Maze game, and a sing-along function.

Via DVD Active

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