Month: April 2008 (Page 1 of 3)
Ben 10: ALIEN FORCE proved to be a ratings juggernaut when it premiered on Cartoon Network last Friday night (8-9 p.m., ET/PT). It set new records as the most-watched original series premiere in Cartoon Network history among kids 6-11, boys 6-11, boys 2-11 and Households, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The one-hour premiere also scored as the #1 telecast of the day on all television — both cable and broadcast — with kids 9-14, boys 6-11 boys 2-11 and households. Also, the BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE premiere out-performed the original BEN 10 series premiere on January 13, 2006.
BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE begins the next chapter in the continuing BEN 10 saga five years later when 15-year-old Ben Tennyson chooses to once again put on the OMNITRIX and discovers that it has reconfigured his DNA and can now transform him into 10 brand new aliens. Joined by his super-powered cousin Gwen Tennyson and his equally powerful former enemy Kevin Levin, Ben is on a mission to find his missing Grandpa Max. In order to save his Grandpa, Ben must defeat the evil DNALIENS, a powerful alien race intent on destroying the galaxy, starting with planet Earth.
Via AWN
Igor stars the voices of Eddie Izzard, Jay Leno, Jennifer Coolidge, Molly Shannon, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, John Cusack and Sean Hayes. The movie will be released on September 19, 2008.
Shout! Factory has released today Oban Star-Racers Vol. 1: The Alwas Cycle on DVD with Oban Star-Racers Vol. 2: The Oban Cycle following on May 20, 2008. Each volume of these DVDs feature 13 completely uncut episodes.
Volume One: It’s 2082. Ten thousand years have passed since the last great race on the remote planet of Oban. Now the time has come for the pilots of the galaxy to compete in a new race, and Earth is more than ready with its spectacular Whizzing Arrow star-racer. Built and maintained by racing legend Don Wei’s team of engineers and mechanics, the Whizzing Arrow has become the Earth’s only hope against annihilation by the greatest foe the world has ever seen—the menacing Crog Imperium.
There’s just one problem: Once he arrives on the distant planet of Alwas for the competition, Wei’s top pilot is forced into early retirement, and the controls of the Whizzing Arrow are placed into the inexperienced hands of “Molly,†a 15-year-old racing prodigy!
Volume Two: The satellite tournament on Alwas has been completed, and Molly and the crew of the Whizzing Arrow have qualified to compete on Oban for the mysterious Ultimate Prize. Can young Molly outrun the competition, save Earth and win the power to bring her mother back to life? See this epic anime adventure which features spectacular mixed-media, combining 2D Japanese-animated characters with 3D animated ships and races. To maintain the quality and originality of this project, creator and animator Savin Yeatman-Eiffel spent nine years on a personal mission to complete this series with no influence from outside investors.
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Sometimes human beings have to decide between habit and survival. Sadly, and unlike other animal species, we don’t always have clear enough priorities. This short film shows an example not too far from (sur)reality.
Check out the official trailer for the upcoming (July 8th) DVD/Blu-ray release of Batman Gotham Knight:
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Mitch Hurwitz has recruited three of his “Arrested Development” cast members — Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler — to voice roles in his animated Fox comedy “Sit Down, Shut Up.” Also joining the voice cast are Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Regina King, Nick Kroll, Tom Kenny and Maria Bamford.
“Sit Down, Shut Up” centers on staff members at a high school who are preoccupied with their own needs and agendas, which means the students come second. The show is based on the live-action Australian series.
Ollie Johnston, the last surviving animator of Disney’s famed Nine Old Men, passed away on April 14, 2008. Johnston worked for Disney from 1935 to 1978 as an animator on such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Bambi and Pinocchio.
He was named a Disney Legend in 1989, and in 2005, Johnston was one of the recipients of the National Medal of Arts.
Roy E. Disney said, “Ollie was part of an amazing generation of artists, one of the real pioneers of our art, one of the major participants in the blossoming of animation into the art form we know today. One of Ollie’s strongest beliefs was that his characters should think first, then act, and they all did. He brought warmth and wit and sly humor and a wonderful gentleness to every character he animated. He brought all those same qualities to his life, and to all of our lives who knew him. We will miss him greatly, but we were all enormously enriched by him.”
John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and a longtime friend to Johnston, added, “Ollie had such a huge heart and it came through in all of his animation, which is why his work is some of the best ever done. Ollie was a great teacher and mentor to all of us. His door at the studio was always open to young animators, and I can’t imagine what animation would be like today without him passing on all of the knowledge and principles that the Nine Old Men and Walt Disney developed. He taught me to always be aware of what a character is thinking, and we continue to make sure that every character we create at Pixar and Disney has a thought process and emotion that makes them come alive.”
Via AWN
The Writers Guild of America, West’s Animation Writers Caucus has awarded its 10th annual Animation Writing Award for lifetime achievement to acclaimed Pixar writer-director Brad Bird, whose filmography includes The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille.
At age 11, Bird started his first animated film — and finished it nearly three years later. The film brought him to the attention of Walt Disney Studios, where, at age 14, Milt Kahl, one of Disney’s Nine Old Men, mentored him.
Bird’s animated television credits include serving as executive consultant on The Simpsons and King of the Hill.
Via AWN
