Tag Archives: animation

HollywoodNews.com: Madagascar 3 is so substance-free that one almost feels the need to apologize for enjoying. It tells a story that is almost thinner than the first film and certainly less introspective than the second film’s family drama. And it rivals Back to the Future II for an almost complete lack of overt ‘drama’.
But it *is* completely enjoyable and again proves that the technical side of Dreamworks Animation doesn’t do anything half-assed. It is a visually splendid adventure that continues the franchise’s refreshingly small-scale storytelling. Come what may, the Madagascar series exists as a definitive ‘western’ animated series with a specifically Jewish sensibility. Once again the primary conflict is ‘untamed wilderness versus civilization’ while the primary character arcs involve our heroes dealing with their own neuroses. Yes there is an outside threat, but the primary battle once again lies within.
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By Scott Mendelson
HollywoodNews.com: It’s no secret that Dreamworks films often turn out to be far more complicated than their marketing campaigns might imply. For example, Megamind’s marketing didn’t even hint at the jaw-dropping plot twist in the first twenty minutes, nor did it detail any of the major narrative turns in the third act or the ‘must there be evil to co-exist with good?’ subtext that made the movie more than just a gimmick. And Kung Fu Panda 2′s marketing sold easy-going comedy and stress-free action without hinting at the emotionally draining story at its core while Puss In Boots sold bawdy gags instead of trippy fairy-tale adventure.

So when I say this preview looks painfully generic, take it with a grain of salt. But judging just what’s on display, it’s a little disheartening to see a fascinating idea (a look into the lives of the various holiday-themed creatures of our modern American mythology) and use them purely as a springboard for a conventional action picture (uh-oh, Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, and the gang have to stop a random villain!).
Again, I’m hoping there is more to the story, even while I’ll try to avoid as much spoiler information as possible. It’s no secret I hold Dreamworks Animation in very high regard, so I can only presume that they have something more up their sleave. Rise of the Guardians opens on November 21st, which is a new release date (Thanksgiving weekend) for a Dreamworks cartoon. As always, we’ll see…
To read more go to Mendelson’s Memo
Photos by Dreamworks
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HollywoodNews.com: Newly released talk from JOHN CARTER Director Andrew Stanton discussing his life in story last week in Long Beach, CA.
Andrew Stanton is the writer behind the three hugely successful Pixar Toy Story movies as well as the writer and director of WALL-E, the opening sequence of which will go down in, well, my personal history as being one of the most beautiful animation pieces of all time. His new live action movie, John Carter, comes out in March. He takes to the TED2012 stage and starts with a bang: telling a long-winded, accent-strewn, expletive-filled joke that promptly sets the crowd on fire. Storytelling, you see, is joke-telling. And now he continues to challenge himself to see if he can accord his own greatest storytelling commandment–”make me care”–by telling us his own life story … backwards.
“And that’s what ultimately led me to talking about story here at TED.” Two big laughs in a row; Stanton really is a comedian, as well as everything else!
So the story, naturally, starts with John Carter, based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, of which Burroughs is the narrator. “The book is fundamentally making a promise; this story will lead somewhere worth time,” he says. “A well told promise is like a pebble being pulled back in a slingshot that propels you through the story to the end.”
2008
After showing us a clip from Wall-E, Stanton says he used everything he had, wanting to experiment with the idea that storytelling without dialogue was the purest form of cinematic storytelling. That led to another realization: “We all want to work for our meal when we watch a movie; we just don’t want to know that we’re doing it.”
2002
When Stanton worked with Bob Peterson on Finding Nemo, their unifying theory was 2+2. The twist; to make the audience put things together. “Don’t give them 4. Give them 2+2.” No, it’s not an exact science. Stories, he says, are not a widget. “Stories are inevitable if they’re good but they’re not predictable.”
2001
Stanton took an acting seminar with Judith Weston and learned that all well-drawn characters have a spine. ”They have a dominant unconcsious goal that they’re striving for, an itch they can never scratch.” This was a huge moment for Stanton, who took this on as a dominant theme for his own storytelling.
1998
Hooked on storytelling, he read everything he could, and found the phrase by William Archer: “Drama [...]

HollywoodNews.com: DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. today announced that it has agreed to form a joint venture with China Media Capital (CMC), with plans to include Shanghai Media Group (SMG) and Shanghai Alliance Investment, Ltd. (SAIL), to establish the leading China-focused family entertainment company.
Oriental DreamWorks will engage in the development and production of high-quality original Chinese animated and live action content for distribution both within China and to other territories around the globe. In addition to content creation, the joint venture will pursue business opportunities in the areas of live entertainment, theme parks, mobile, online, interactive games and consumer products.
“We are incredibly proud to establish Oriental DreamWorks alongside CMC, SMG and SAIL in this groundbreaking and historic alliance to create the leading Chinese-branded family entertainment company,” said DreamWorks Animation’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Together with our partners in China, we look forward to building a first-of-its-kind enterprise to locally conceive, produce and distribute high-quality creative content and family entertainment experiences – not only for the people of China but also for related export markets.”
“We share the same vision with DreamWorks Animation to build a world-class family entertainment company,” commented Ruigang Li, Chairman of China Media Capital. “By combining the expertise of CMC in investment and operation, SMG in media and entertainment management, SAIL in high-tech R&D, as well as DreamWorks Animation in creative processes, innovative technology and global network capabilities, Oriental DreamWorks will be in a unique position to create high-quality content and interactive entertainment products for China and international markets.”
The Chinese companies will hold a majority stake of approximately 55% in Oriental DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation will hold approximately 45%. The enterprise will initially be capitalized with cash and intellectual property valued at $330 million. The joint venture plans to launch business operations in Shanghai later this year.
DreamWorks Animation has enjoyed a great track record of success at the box office in China, led by its blockbuster Kung Fu Panda franchise. Kung Fu Panda was the #1 animated film upon its release into China in 2008 and last year, Kung Fu Panda 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time in the region, grossing approximately $100 million.
Photo by Dreamworks SKG
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By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: The VES announced the winners of the 10th Annual VES Awards Tuesday evening at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Gore Verbinski’s Oscar-nominated “Rango” was the night’s biggest winner, collecting four awards including Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture.
“Hugo,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” all took home two awards in the Feature Motion Picture categories. The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.
The complete list of winners of the 10th Annual VES Awards is as follows:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Cyndi Ochs, Kurt Williams
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Hugo: Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning, Rob Legato, Karen Murphy
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango: Tim Alexander, Hal Hickel, Jacqui Lopez, Katie Lynch
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie, or Special
Inside the Human Body: Phil Dobree, Sophie Orde, Dan Upton
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
Terra Nova – Occupation & Resistance: Kevin Blank, Colin Brady, Adica Manis, Jason Zimmerman
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Game of Thrones – Winter is Coming: Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, Angela Barson, Ed Bruce, Adam McInnes
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Live Action Commercial
Dior J’adore: Pascal Giroux, Julien Meesters, Stephane Pivron, Manuel Souillac
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Commercial or Video Game Trailer
Diablo III: The Black Soulstone: Nicholas S. Carpenter, Graham Cunningham, Chris Thunig, Taka Yasuda
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Transformers the Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle: Lori Arnold, Yanick Dusseault, Delio Tramontozzi, Jeff White
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Caesar: Daniel Barrett, Florian Fernandez, Matthew Muntean, Eric Reynolds
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango – Rango: Frank Gravatt, Kevin Martel, Brian Paik, Steve Walton
Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Canal + The Bear: Laurent Creusot, Guillaume Ho, Olivier Mitonneau, Michal Nauzin
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – 155 Wacker Drive: Giles Hancock, John Hanson, Tom Martinek, Scott Younkin
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion [...]

HollywoodNews.com:Paramount Pictures ‘Rango’ took top honors as the Best Animated Feature at the 39th Annual Annie Awards, Saturday, February 4 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. With the expanded list of categories from 25 to 28, and the addition of two new categories – Editing and Best Animated Special Production – this year’s show honored more nominees than in the past. Also new to the ceremony was the live streaming of the event at www.annieawards.org/watch-it-live. The complete list of winners can be viewed at www.annieawards.org. The newly created ‘Member’s Favorite’ award voted on by the entire ASIFA-Hollywood community also went to ‘Rango.’
Newcomer Minkyu Lee’s ‘Adam and Dog’ won for Best Short Subject while Psyop’s Twinings ‘Sea’ was selected Best Television Commercial. ‘The Simpsons’ took Best Animated TV Production and Shadow Planet Production’s ‘Insanely Twisted’ was selected as Best Video Game.
“This was a great evening, with a lot of fun and surprises, “ said ASIFA-Hollywood President Frank Gladstone. “Annies went to a huge variety of individuals and studios. This goes directly to ASIFA-Hollywood’s vision of celebrating the best in animation across project, studio and geographic boundaries.”
Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt ‘s hosting duties kept the show moving at a lively pace. He was joined on stage by animation luminaries, celebrity presenters and comedic talent including animation legend June Foray, J.K. Simmons, Judy Greer, Zachary Levi, Peter Baynham, Mace Heufeld, Weird Al Yankovic, Bruce Boxleitner, Ahmed Best, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Jim Cummings, Phil Lamarr, Diedrich Bader, Daran Norris, Tara Strong, Kelly Stables, Dee Bradley Baker, Nika Futterman, Ariel Winter, Logan Grove, James Hong, Brian Posehn, Greg & Evan Spiridellis and Jim Meskimen (Jib Jab), Bridgit Mendler, Brittany Snow, Jason Marsden and Joe Letteri.
Honored with the Winsor McCay award were Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring and the late Ronald Searle. The Winsor McCay Award stands as one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry in recognition for career contributions to the art of animation.
Art Leonardi was honored with the June Foray award which is presented to an individual who has given significant and benevolent contributions to the art and industry of animation.
Often a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 28 categories ranging from best feature, production design, character animation, and effects animation to [...]

By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Have you got what it takes to help “The Simpsons” break a world record?
In celebration of the animated program’s historic 500th episode milestone, FOX invites fans of the iconic series to participate in The Simpsons Ultimate Fan Marathon Challenge at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.
Fans will come together to watch up to 500 continuous episodes of “The Simpsons” in an attempt to break the current Guinness World Record of 86 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds for the longest continuous television viewing.
The contest winner will take home a $10,500 prize and an array of “Simpsons” merchandise. Members of “The Simposns” will be on-site to kick-off the marathon event, and fans and spectators will be able to watch the marathon and visit a fanfare area equipped with interactive elements and animation cells.
The information is below. Think you’ll give it a shot?

WHERE: Los Angeles — Hollywood and Highland Complex Center
6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
WHO: Members of THE SIMPSONS
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012
THE SIMPSONS 500th Episode, “At Long Last Leave” Airs Sunday, February 19, on FOX
On Blu-ray and DVD, fans can enjoy and experience more from THE SIMPSONS with never-before-seen footage and extras
Fans can also visit www.TheSimpsonsShop.com to get their hands on all of the latest THE SIMPSONS merchandise, and beginning in February, a special selection of products created exclusively to celebrate the 500th episode milestone

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HollywoodNews.com: DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. today announced that Gregg Taylor has been named head of development for the studio, a role previously held by Alex Schwartz. Schwartz will serve as a producer on the studio’s upcoming feature film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which is scheduled to be released onMarch 14, 2014. Taylor will oversee the development of all projects at DreamWorks Animation.
“Gregg is an exceptional executive with a wide range of creative experience that will positively influence our future slate. I am confident that he will thrive as the new leader of DreamWorks Animation’s development team,” said DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke. “Alex’s exemplary work in development over the years makes her an ideal choice to assume the role of producer on Mr. Peabody & Sherman and I look forward to her continued creative input and leadership. On behalf of the entire studio, I offer heartfelt congratulations to both Gregg and Alex as they take on their new roles.”
“To be able to make movies with the incredibly talented team of executives and artists at DreamWorks Animation is an absolute privilege,” said Taylor. “This studio is a very special place and I am deeply grateful to be working alongside Jeffrey, Bill and Ann Daly as we strive to tell great stories and find innovative ways to expand our business.”
“I have enjoyed four wonderful years overseeing development at DreamWorks Animation, thanks in large part to the unparalleled quality of my team, including Gregg, Damon Ross and Chris Kuser,” added Schwartz. “I am eager to take on the next creative challenge of producing Mr. Peabody & Sherman, whichhas long been a passion project of mine. I am thrilled to be working with the immensely talented director Rob Minkoff and partnering with veteran DreamWorks producer Denise Cascino.”
Taylor previously served as a senior development and production executive, overseeing DreamWorks Animation’s expanding franchise properties, including the upcoming sequel to How to Train Your Dragon as well as The Penguins of Madagascar and the Company’s television initiatives. Taylor served six years as executive vice president of development and production for The Kennedy/Marshall Company, during which time the company produced The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Persepolis and The Bourne Ultimatum, among others. His relationship with DreamWorks Animation began with Shrek when Taylor ran Mike Myers’ production company, where he co-produced Austin Powers in Goldmember and executive produced The Cat in [...]

By Scott Mendelson
HollywoodNews.com: I’ve talked a lot about how the under-reported story of 2011 box office was the return to fiscal sanity in regards to production budgets and this weekend is a prime example. We have three big openers, all of which cost under $30 million, which means all of them are well on their way to profitability merely by posting a solid if-not-spectacular opening. Shocking all of Mendelson’s Memos box office analysts (IE – me), Mark Wahlberg powered the low-budget ($25 million) and R-rated Contraband to a $24 million Fri-Sun/$28 million Fri-Mon debut all by himself to win the weekend. Wahlberg has had his share of big weekends (Planet of the Apes, The Perfect Storm, The Happening, etc), but they all arguably had larger factors at play other than just Walhberg’s relatively limited star-power. The closest comparison is the 2005 debut of Four Brothers, but I’d argue that at least some of the credit for that $21 million debut goes to director John Singleton, along with the fact that it was hard-R action picture in a PG-13 time. Comparability, Shooter debuted in early 2007 with $15 million, albeit against the $24 million opening weekend of TMNT and the $19 million third-weekend of 300. Chalk it up to lack of demo competition, a growing appetite for R-rated genre fare, a token boost from Kate Beckinsale’s token fanbase, or something in the marketing that I frankly didn’t see, but Walhberg just scored his biggest ‘all by myself!’ debut of his career.
The picture is a shining example of the most positive trend over the last 1.5 years or so. While Shooter (which had a boatload of character actors in small roles and an apparently larger scale) cost $60 million in 2007, Contraband cost just $25 million to produce, so it will be quite profitable without even factoring in international dollars and the long life that action pictures exhibit post-theatrical (it will play on TNT in the afternoon for decades to come). While the last decade or so has seen a huge decline in R-rated genre fare, owing partially to the 2001 FCC crackdown on marketing such fare to younger audiences, there is a real marketplace for action films that actually show bloodshed, allow characters to use real profanity, and don’t cut away or tone down the sound effects. It is arguably this [...]

By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: There have been 10 winners in the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars since the category was created in 2001. Seven of those were produced by Disney, usually through it’s partnership with Pixar Animation Studios.
In fact, Pixar is on a four-year streak that has included “Ratatouille,” “WALL-E,” “Up” and last year’s Oscar winner, “Toy Story 3.” Many expect that streak to be broken this year, as Pixar’s “Cars 2” wasn’t up to snuff with the company’s previous installments, and far too many creative animated films emerged from Disney and Pixar’s rivals.
“Rango,” for example, charmed critics and audiences from the minute it was released. Gore Verbinski’s attempt at turning the Western genre on its head by viewing it through the unique eye of a domesticated, delusional chameleon (Johnny Depp) collected $245M in worldwide grosses, and earned an impressive 88% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Rango’s not just a kiddie-flick (though it has enough silly slapstick to qualify as a pretty good one). It’s a real movie lover’s movie, conceived as a Blazing Saddles-like comic commentary on genre that’s as back-lot savvy as it is light in the saddle,” wrote NPR critic Bob Mondello.
Will Depp and his scaly creation have the chance to compete at the Oscars? It’s very possible, as “Rango” is up for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Annie Awards and likely could find itself in the animation category when nominees are announced on Jan. 24.
Verbinski started his awards journey this year at the Hollywood Film Awards, where “Rango” was honored with out Hollywood Animation Award. He was presented by longtime producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who calls Verbinski “fearless.” And the director lived up to that reputation with his speech. See for yourself, and then watch to see if “Rango” ends up with a well-deserved Oscar nomination on Jan. 24.

Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
- Harvey Weinstein
- The cast of “The Artist.”
- Kenneth Branagh for “My Week With Marilyn.”
- Bennett Miller talks “Moneyball.”
- Sir Ben Kingsley and Chloe Grace Moretz for “Hugo.”
- Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
- David Fincher, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
- Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for “The Help.”
- Tate Taylor for “The Help.”
- Gavin O’Connor for “Warrior.”
- Gary Oldman and Colin Firth for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
- Charlize Theron, [...]