Animated News

DVDActive reports that Fox Home Entertainment has announced DVD and Blu-ray releases of Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder for the 24th February. Extras will include a commentary by Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Michael Rowe, Lee Supercinski, Patric M. Verrone and Peter Avanzino, a Storyboard Animatic, featurettes, a “How We Make Futurama So Good” Docudrama, 3D Models with Animator Discussion, Bender’s Movie Theater Etiquette, Zapp Brannigan’s Guide to Making Love at a Woman, and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray release will include all of the above, plus a picture in picture video commentary.

IMPAWARDS shares a new poster for the upcoming animated feature Delgo. Directed by Marc F. Adler & Jason Maurer, Delgo features the voices of Val Kilmer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Chris Kattan, Louis Gossett Jr. and Eric Idle. The film is slated for a December 12, 2008 release.

Anime News Network reports that the Golden State Theater in Monterey, California will host the three-night Anime After Dark film program beginning at 6:00 p.m. on November 28. Ten films to be screened over three evenings during Thanksgiving weekend include Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, Tekkonkinkreet, Cat Soup, Princess Mononoke, Millennium Actress, Urotsukidoji, Appleseed, Project A-Ko, Kakurenbo and Grave of the Fireflies.

In an exclusive video interview with Collider, Henry Selick, the director of upcoming stop-motion feature Coraline, talks about the story behind the film, use of 3-D, and more. Selick also explains what fans can expect from the movie and why everyone should stay through the end credits of Coraline. The film, which tells the tale of a young girl named Coraline and her descent into a fantastical alternate reality will be out in theatres on February 6, 2009.

GhibliWorld shares an exclusive word on the English voice cast for Hayao Miyazaki’s 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, Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus and Cloris Leachman. Produced by Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, Ponyo will see a North American release in 2009.

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.

Miyazaki discussed the inspiration for his latest feature Ponyo on the Cliff and the issues facing the society of Japan, during a luncheon hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on November 20. TwitchFilm has posted a text version of much of the discussion wherein Miyazaki also shares his views on commercial success, inspiration, Pixar, and more.

Aardman animation’s popular stop-motion show Shaun the Sheep won the International Emmy award in the Children & Young People category, reports AnimationMagazine. Shaun the Sheep which features mischievous adventures of Shaun and his flock, was the only animated program recognized at this year’s International Emmy Awards. Shaun was first introduced in director Nick Park’s Oscar-winning 1995 Wallace & Gromit short, A Close Shave. Park also serves as an executive producer on the series.

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.

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.

PixarPlanet has posted an exclusive interview with John Ratzenberger wherein he talks about Pixar, his humanitarian work, and more. From Toy Story to the forthcoming Up, Ratzenberger has appeared in every Pixar film and is often considered as Pixar’s lucky charm.

Disney’s animated feature Bolt debuted below expectations in third place, trailing far behind Twilight, the teenage vampire flick which dominated the weekend box office taking in $70.6 million, reports RottenTomatoes. The PG-rated animated flick took in an estimated $27M from 3,651 theaters for a $7,395 average. The report also suggests that the debut of Bolt came in well below what other November toons in recent years have opened to - 2005’s Chicken Little, 2006’s Happy Feet, and last year’s Bee Movie all bowed in the $38-42M range. The canine flick has been certified fresh by RottenTomatoes, with 84% fresh ratings on their tomatometer and a positive consensus which says, “Bolt is a pleasant animated comedy that overcomes the story’s familiarity with strong visuals and likable characters.”

Movie-List shares the music video I thought I lost you, featuring Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, from Disney’s animated feature Bolt. The music video is available to watch or download in various formats, including high definition.

DVDActive reports that MGM Home Entertainment has announced DVD and Blu-ray releases of Igor on 20th January. Extras on the DVD will include “deleted scenes”, “bloopers” and a “Be An Igor” featurette. The Blu-ray release will also include commentary by Director Tony Leondis, writer Chris McKenna and producer Max Howard, and an alternate opening scene.

Apple has made available a new trailer for the upcoming animated sequel Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in various formats including HD. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, will be fully produced in 3-D and will see a July 4, 2009 release.

A brand new teaser trailer for the big-screen adaption of Astro Boy has hit the net. The trailer, which can be seen on MovieFone, is available to view in high definition, as well as standard format. Astro Boy stars the voice talents of Freddie Highmore and hits theaters on October 23rd, 2009.

A new theatrical trailer for Henry Selick’s stop-motion animated Coraline can be viewed at Yahoo Movies. Based on Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, Coraline opens in theaters on February 6th, 2009.

Two exclusive interviews concerning Bolt can both be read at ComingSoon. The first features John Lasseter’s thoughts on the new film, as well as the differences between Pixar and Disney’s creative process and output. The second of the two features a video interview with John Travolta, Miley Cyrus and Mark Walton, all of whom lent their voices to major characters in the animated flick. Bolt hits theaters tomorrow.

IMPAWARDS shares new posters for the upcoming animated films Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Waltz with Bashir.

The 25th Sundance Film Festival will open with Adam Elliot’s clay-animated feature Mary and Max on January 15, reports Variety. Featuring the voices of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette, the claymation feature tells the story of a young girl in Melbourne and an obese man in Gotham who are pen pals. Australian animator Adam Elliot’s Academy award winning short Harvie Krumpet was also screened at the Sundance in 2004.