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Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 18, 2013 in Animation, Videogames 
The first footage of Cartoon Network’s next Adventure Time and Regular Show games is out! Both Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW and Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land are being made by WayForward, the 2D masters who also made the previous Adventure Time game Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! However, the new AT game isn’t a 2D sidescroller with an overworld (a la Zelda II) like the previous one was. The new game is a multiplayer dungeon crawler, where you can play as Finn, Jake, Marceline, and Cinnamon Bun — yes, Cinnamon Bun! But of course, it’s got that Adventure Time charm, so I’d expect it to me more than just another Gauntlet game. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Adventure Time, Cartoon Network, PS3, Regular Show, Wii U, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 9, 2013 in Animation, Comic Books 
DC’s latest reboot, “The New 52,” didn’t pop up overnight. Even if they were discarding all that pesky old continuity (sort of), DC had to build up to it and give an in-universe reason why the reboot occurred. Hence, Flashpoint, a storyline where the Flash wakes up in an alternate universe and must fix things, leading to The New 52 universe which made changes and merged the Vertigo and Wildstorm lines into the main DC continuity. There’s an animated adaptation by Warner Brothers coming out July 30 on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. It’s called Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and WB has put out this preview! Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Flash, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 30, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Apparently, the narrative that Pixar has been doing too many sequels is stronger than I thought. While I never had too much of an issue with Pixar’s sequels, I won’t deny that I prefer more original stories. You have to have those original stories to make sequels, anyway! But Pixar has heard your calls and have said their new plan is to release an original film every year, and a sequel every other year. Seems pretty solid, right? If you hadn’t said anything I may have thought that was already the plan. But so far we only know one upcoming original Pixar film, Lee Unkrich’s Día de los Muertos-inspired movie. Hopefully we’ll hear more about these original projects soon! Read more…
Tags: Pixar
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 29, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
When you think of big-budget superhero movies, which unused characters do you think are really dying for good adaption? Dr. Strange? The Flash? What about… Captain Planet? No? Please come back and watch a Captain Planet movie, Sony Pictures exclaims as the crowds run away. Yes, apparently the cartoon superhero is looking to make a comeback, and he was on top of the list of “unused superheroes.” Is there any way to make this film without embracing the cheesy, kitschy, and oh-so-90s stylings? I suppose there’s an opportunity to make a comedy out of this, but a) that’s already been done by Funny or Die, and b) do you really think they’d go that route? Read more…
Tags: captain planet
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 28, 2013 in Animation 
Those wonderful Mickey Mouse animated shorts are still happening – and the latest one has just arrived. This one is called “No Service” and features Mickey and Donald has they attempt to battle a “no shirt, no shoes, no service” rule with their limited collection of clothing. It’s a surprisingly self-aware cartoon, subtly mocking that neither character has ever been completely clothed. I’m both surprised and glad Disney signed off on this, because it’s a great little short. I hope we see many more like this in the future! Watch it below. Read more…
Tags: Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 19, 2013 in Animation 
It might not be the next Disney Renaissance, but after a new dark age in the 00s, Disney has been putting out several solid films in a row. The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh, Tangled, and Wreck-It Ralph have all done well, so it’s natural to anticipate Disney’s adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen, which they’re calling Frozen. The original title suggests a dark fairy tale, and even the changed name conjures up images of frozen wastelands and endless snow. And then, Disney puts out this teaser. Read more…
Tags: Disney
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 3, 2013 in Animation, Cinema, Videogames 
By now it’s known that Disney had considered featuring additional game worlds in Wreck-It Ralph, but cut them for various reasons. The world farthest along in the planning stages was Extreme Easy Living 2, an open-world game (Grand Theft Auto) with a Sims vibe and lots of modern social gaming aspects (think Facebook-like interactions). It was cut both for pacing and logistical reasons — Ralph ended up on the arcade owner’s computer, since this sort of game is not something that would be found in an arcade — but it was storyboarded. Check out this clip showing what might have been had it made it into the finished film. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Wreck-It Ralph
Posted by Ben Huber on May 17, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Brad Bird recently did an interview and talked about a ton of projects he either passed up or still wants to do. Being asked about the always-wanted Incredibles sequel, Bird said that he “would probably wanna do that” and that he has ideas floating around in his head for the next film if the opportunity ever arises. That gives me some hope! He also spoke about Star Wars Episode VII, and mentioned that Kathleen Kennedy offered him the director’s chair for the movie, but he had to pass it up to finish Tomorrowland. Too bad, I think it would’ve been a good fit, but with a new Star Wars film every year starting in 2015, he has a much higher chance of doing one sooner or later! Read more…
Tags: Brad Bird, Episode VII, Star Wars, The Incredibles
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 7, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Ray Harryhausen didn’t invent stop motion animation, but he certainly made it into an art form. Unlike computer graphics today stop motion animation was a painful art: You had to plan and pose puppets, and shoot them frame by frame. And there are 24 frames per second in film, so you can imagine how painful that sort of work was. Yet Harryhausen turned that tedious work into screen magic with a careers that lasted from the 1930s until very recently. Read more…
Tags: Ray Harryhausen
Posted by Ben Huber on May 6, 2013 in Animation 
I like to try to start off the week with something happy or neat, to beat away those Monday blues, so here’s a great little CalArts film made by Madeline Sharafian. Featuring an adorable little dog who just wants to help prepare food, this film focus on “how meaningful it is to make food for someone you love.” I’m really enjoying how many student films are catching on big with the internet – it’s great to see talented people receive recognition. Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: Short Films
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 27, 2013 in Animation 
In those sad years in the 80s before Disney came back Don Bluth was keeping the dream of animation alive with films like The Secret of NIMH. Most of his studio work has been donated to the Savannah College of Art and Design which has placed quite a bit of his studio’s artwork online. If you love animation I’d urge you to check the site out. Read more…
Tags: Don Bluth
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 24, 2013 in Animation, Cinema, Videogames 
Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank franchise has been a beautiful cartoony series of games for a while now. So as news breaks that there is a Ratchet & Clank movie in the works, I’d like to say that I’m completely surprised, but really, it makes sense. Insomniac has some established, likable characters, and considering how the game already looks like a cartoon, this isn’t too much of a stretch. The only surprise is that this will be theatrically released instead of just releasing direct-to-DVD.
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Tags: PlayStation 3, Ratchet & Clank, Sony
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 18, 2013 in Animation 
Wondered where Mickey Mouse has been all these years? His animated adventures have been few and far between, but it seems Disney is finally letting him back out again. Disney Animation has teamed up with Paul Rudd (Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory), to create 19 new animated shorts featuring the rambunctious mouse. The first, Croissant de Triomphe, is already available online for you to watch, and the rest will be trickling out onto the Disney Channel starting June 28th. I love how the art looks, and I can’t wait to see more of these films because this first one is fantastic! Check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Mickey Mouse
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 13, 2013 in Animation 
Yes, May 19 is right around the corner, and that means that it’s almost time for season five of The Venture Bros. And since it’s almost upon us, Adult Swim has released a nearly five-minute-long trailer previewing what we can expect. As is to be expected from the mix of 60s cartoons, supervillains, comics, super science, and tons of other geeky elements that make up the show, the trailer makes no sense whatsoever, serving only to entice fans further. Read more…
Tags: Adult Swim, Venture Bros.
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 12, 2013 in Animation, Videogames 
It has been a dry post-launch period for Wii U owners, with not a whole lot coming out. In hindsight, it’s almost good that Pikmin 3 got delayed until early this year, since at least there will be a must-buy game coming out for those desperate for new games. But before then, Nintendo has a small side-project to share: short Pikmin cartoons.
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Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pikmin, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 28, 2013 in Animation, Fandom, Videogames 
It’s not May 19 yet, so that means we’re all still waiting on the fifth season of The Venture Brothers, one of the few good shows still on Adult Swim. In the meantime, fans who have waited forever (or since 2010) for a new season will have to make due with fan-made content. That’s not a problem when there’s awesome stuff like this reanimation of one of season two’s best scenes using the Source Filmmaker. Read more…
Tags: Source Filmmaker, Team Fortress, Venture Bros.
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 18, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Actually, it’s not even a trailer! Pixar has released a new video that’s a faux university commercial, with a message from the school dean giving a message to prospective students. It’s great to get a look at the upcoming Monsters University film, and I love how committed the marketing has been to the whole project. There’s been all kinds of marketing that acts as though MU is an actual place, and there’s even a website made for it! I always prefer that style of advertising. Check out the video below to see the dean’s message. Monsters University arrives June 21st. Read more…
Tags: Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Pixar
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 11, 2013 in Animation 
Want to take a look at the nominees for the Oscars this year? Many of the films aren’t out on Blu-ray yet, are already out of theaters, or had limited releases, but with the Animated Short Film category, you don’t have to worry about that! All of the nominees for the category are available online to watch, and there are a bunch of great contenders. Disney’s Paperman is there, as well as another solid choice, Adam and Dog. The Simpson’s also have an entry, in The Longest Daycare. All in all, there’s some excellent work on display here! Watch a few below, or click through to Bleeding Cool for the full list. Read more…
Tags: The Oscars
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 1, 2013 in Animation 
I love seeing student animation films, especially some of the ones that come out of The Animation Workshop in Denmark. Some real high-quality work is produced there, and this latest short film is no exception. The Reward tells the tale of two adventurers who snatch up a dropped map and embark on a journey for lost treasure… or whatever it is under the X on the map. The journey is long and storied, and – you know – just watch it. The animation is very well done and in particular I thought the character design was fantastic. It’s roughly 9 minutes long, so buckle in and click through to watch it. Read more…
Tags: Short Films
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 31, 2013 in Animation 
For those of you who didn’t get to see the surprisingly well-done Wreck-It Ralph last fall, you probably missed a bonus cartoon before the movie named Paperman. The black-and-white short film married 3D animation to a classic 2D style that has me very excited for what Disney may be planning in terms of future animated films. Plus, it didn’t hurt that it was well-directed and had a sweet story of an office worker trying to grab the attention of a pretty lady he met that morning. Since Paperman is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, Disney has made the short available online! Read more…
Tags: Cartoons, Disney
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 23, 2013 in Animation 
Dexter’s Laboratory, one of Cartoon Network’s best shows ever, had 78 episodes with 221 segments and one special, which is quite a long run. However, there was one segment that never aired on TV called “Rude Removal.” It involves Dexter removing the rudeness from himself and his sister DeeDee, resulting in two foul-mouth versions of themselves. A lot of (censored) swearing follows, so it’s understandable that they wouldn’t show it to kids. It’s been shown at festivals and conventions, but now it’s available online for anyone to see. Check it out!
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Tags: Cartoon Network
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 23, 2012 in Animation 
I love seeing up-and-coming artists online. Seeing people with new styles, creative ideas – or something that’s just plain cute. Yawen Zheng created this short animated film called The Song for Rain for their graduation project, which features a young boy splashing about in the rain who discovers a friendly fox. The art style is really adorable, and I love the texture used throughout the piece. You’ll see the ending coming a mile away, but that won’t make you “aww” any less either. Click through below to see the video. Read more…
Tags: Short Films
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 17, 2012 in Animation 
Sometimes news comes from the strangest places. We’d been hearing rumors of a Powerpuff Girls reboot for a long while now. Lauren Faust’s name also popped up in relation to it, in addition to Craig McCracken and Genndy Tartakovsky. While Genndy confirmed the reboot in his Reddit AMA two months ago, he stated he isn’t involved. But we do know one person involved: Ringo Starr. Yeah, that Ringo Starr. He posted a video update in which he mentioned him doing a voice for a character in the new show… so I suppose that’s about the most random way to get confirmation of a Powerpuff Girls reboot. But now the real question is: they’re doing voicework, but if they haven’t even officially announced the show, when will we “hear” about it? Perhaps 2013 will bring us some new news. Read more…
Tags: Powerpuff Girls
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 15, 2012 in Animation, Cinema 
You may have seen a few pieces of art relating to this before, but here’s your first Disney-approved look at their next CGI film: Frozen. They’re following in Tangled’s (excellent) footsteps and applying traditional animation style to modern CGI tech, and of course, renaming old fairy tales so as to attract a larger audience. In this case, as you may have gathered, this film is based off of the story of the Snow Queen. It’ll be starring Kristen Bell as Anna, along with what the PR calls an “extreme mountain man” to find her sister, the Snow Queen (Idina Menzel). If they can do what Tangled did – or better – I think we’ll have another winner on our hands. I’m not sold on Bell as the main character… but the art looks great! Read more…
Tags: Disney, Frozen
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