Archives for February, 2009
Three new UP posters
Release date: May 29, 2009
‘Battle for Terra’ photos and poster
Battle for Terra arrives in theaters on May 1, 2009 and stars the voices of Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, James Garner, Dennis Quaid, Danny Glover and more.
The film tells the story of Senn and Mala, two alien teens living on planet Terra, a place that long ago rejected war and weapons of mass destruction. But when Terra is invaded by human beings fleeing a civil war and environmental catastrophe, the planet is plunged into chaos. Mala befriends an injured human pilot and each learns the two races are not so different from one another. Together they realize that in a world of limited resources, only one of their races is likely to survive.
‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ trailer
Available on DVD March 17, 2009, this new film based on one of the most beloved family tales of all time comes to life with a combination of live-action and animated footage. Its the story of a young boy named Toby who is sent by his father to spend the holiday season with his grandmother. Toby’s world instantly changes when he discovers the house’s magic attic where three forgotten toys unlock a world of imagination that will change all their lives forever.
The Simpsons renewed for two more seasons
Great news for fans of The Simpsons, currently in its 20th season, as Fox has announced a two-season renewal for the series, brining it ever closer to becoming the longest running primetime show of all time, trailing only the Ed Sullivan Show’s 24 seasons.
The two-season pick up consists of 44 episodes, bringing the series total to 493 in 22 seasons. You can rest assured that FOX wants the record for longest running primetime series, so a three-season renewal, bringing the show to its 25th season, is pretty much a given.
Even though the ratings for The Simpsons aren’t what they used to be, FOX still makes tons of money from licensing and from syndication. It’s plain and simple, the more episodes available for syndication equals more money for FOX.
Full length film ‘Sita Sings the Blues’ released for free
Reel13 has released Nina Paley’s amazing, full length animated film ‘Sita Sings the Blues’ on their website for free!
Synopsis: Sita is a goddess separated from her Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by e-mail. Three shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues is “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.â€
‘Wonder Woman’ Gladiators clip
Release date: March 3, 2009
Weekly ‘Wonder Woman’ Q&A: Actress Rosario Dawson
Actress Rosario Dawson provides the voice of Amazonian warrior Artemis in Wonder Woman, the next entry in the series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies due from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation on March 3, 2009. Warner Home Video will distribute the all-new film, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, March 3, 2009.
Rosario took some time to discuss her role in Wonder Woman, her adoration of Neil Gaiman, her love for anything in the comics realm, and much more.
‘Tom & Jerry: Chuck Jones Collection’ DVD announced
Warner Bros. has announced that a 2-Disc DVD set consisting of all 34 Chuck Jones produced Tom & Jerry shorts will be released on June 23, 2009. Also included in the set are two new documentaries: Tom and Jerry…and Chuck and Chuck Jones: Memories of a Childhood.
Continue reading for a complete list of all the included shorts along with a look at the DVD cover art.
10 fun facts about Pixar’s short films
This month, Chronicle Books releases The Art of Pixar Short Films which goes behind the scenes of the small films that helped Pixar become an animation fan favorite. Many look forward to seeing these shorts when they accompany Pixar’s feature-length films in the theaters.
Author Amid Amidi, also author of Cartoon Modern and co-founder of Cartoon Brew, has written up a blog post over at Chronicle Books Blog with behind the scenes trivia that he discovered while writing the book. When you’re done with the list, enter their contest to win a copy of the book and a copy of the Disney DVD, Pixar Short Films Collection, Vol. 1.
‘SpongeBob vs. The Big One’ coming to DVD
Featuring the voice of Johnny Depp as Jack Kahuna Laguna, SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob vs. The Big One will include 7 episodes, including a world premiere episode, when it arrives in stores on March 3rd.
Episode Descriptions:
A Life in a Day: SpongeBob and Patrick add adventure to their dull lives by “livin’ like Larry.†And boy, does it hurt!
‘WALL-E’ wins Oscar for Best Animated Feature
During last night’s 81st Academy Awards, Pixar’s WALL-E took home the award for Best Animated Feature, marking Andrew Stanton’s second win in the category. In case you’re wondering, he also won for Finding Nemo. WALL-E was a huge hit for Disney/Pixar, raking in over $534MM worldwide and receiving a movie critic review average of 96% on RottenTomatoes.
Also announced at last night’s awards ceremony was the winner for Best Animated Short. The winner was “La Maison En Petits Cubes,” directed by Kunio Kato, which you can watch in its entirety here.
‘American Dad Vol. 4’ coming to DVD April 28
FOX announced today that “American Dad Vol. 4″ arrives on DVD April 28. From “Family Guy†producers Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, “American Dad†follows the adventures of ultra-conservative CIA agent Stan Smith, a man who will stop at nothing to protect his family and country from the dangers of international terrorism and left-wing America.
“American Dad Vol. 4″ features 14 episodes from seasons three and four along with commentaries from cast and crew members, deleted scenes and more.
The “American Dad Vol. 4†DVD Collection is presented on full screen (aspect ratio 1.33:1) and features English 5.1 Dolby Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles.
