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Blythe Tries on Vampire and Disney Wardrobes: Toy Fair 2010
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
There’s always been something very haunting about the eyes of Blythe dolls so it’s highly appropriate that we’d see a vampire Blythe sooner or later. Although what I didn’t expect to see were these two Disney Blythes which celebrate the classic films Dumbo and Pinocchio: Read more… Will Alice be Atrocious or Astounding?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 26, 2010 in Cinema
I have to say that one of my bigger disappointments of seeing Avatar wasn’t just the lack of plot in Avatar itself, but the uninspiring trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland which made me heartbroken. Now there’s a chance that the trailer was rushed, and I hope that’s the case because I’m a Burton fanboy and would trust him to get the animation right. Although looking at the above featurette I’m still on the fence. The Man Who Saved Disney — Twice!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 17, 2009 in Animation
When people think of Disney they always think of a solo founder — Walt Disney. And while Walt was a genius he had a partner that made the business work: Roy O. Disney. He was the younger brother to Walt, and business brains of the operation. To be blunt, without him Disney might have been a director and a producer but never a studio head. It’s because of Roy that Disney as a company existed. Read more… Tron Evolution: This Virus Teaser Trailer is Infectious
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 15, 2009 in Videogames
Never judge the game by the trailer — it’s the gameplay that counts! Good I’m glad I got that out of my system because I KNOW that’s true, but the fanboy in me is pre-sold on this because we’re talking about Tron. Now that’s a gamble as it’s a favorite geek franchise from back in the day, but frankly everything in this trailer feels like the perfect update from the quality of the voice over to bringing the look of the original film to the next level. Read more… How Two Brothers and a Rodent Changed the World
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 16, 2009 in Animation
On this day in 1923 two brothers founded an animation studio to produce a series of cartoons for Margaret J. Winkler. Margaret started out as a secretary at Warner Brothers during the silent film era which then branched into cartoons in 1917. Her breakthrough came in 1922 when she put together Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat. Based upon that success she formed her own distribution company, but had a then falling out with Pat. So Margaret was on the lookout for a replacement when some kid called Walt Disney showed her a pilot reel for a film called Alice’s Wonderland which featured a live-action girl in an animated setting. Read more… The Princess and The Frog: Second Official Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 11, 2009 in Animation
I’ll sidestep all of the politically correct (or not) arguments about this film until I see a bit more. On the positive side I really like the animation I see here, it’s classic Disney and that’s nice to see good old fashioned cartooning in a world filled with too many 3D animated films. However the one thing that I dislike in this second trailer is the soundtrack by Randy Newman. To me Newman has always been overrated and his previous work on Pixar films hasn’t changed my mind at all. Given the focus of the film on New Orleans I wish they did a bit more with the music, it feels like they’ve ignored all of those wonderful musical traditions associated with the venue. Comic Books are Officially Dead
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 10, 2009 in Comic Books
Tokyo Disneyland’s Halloween is Very Venetian Indeed
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 7, 2009 in Animation, Japanese TV
I was trying to figure out why this recent commercial for Tokyo Disneyland Disney Halloween looks so damn cool. I’m an anime fanboy so my thought was that anything with a Japanese voiceover would just seem cooler, but that’s not the case. Then it struck me: Mickey and Mini and decked out in Venetian costumes instead of the typical goth look associated with Halloween. The result is that our mouse suddenly takes on a magical European quality that I just doesn’t associate with Mickey who’s as American as you can get. Read more… Ponyo: The Voice Acting Sounds Quite Promising!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 7, 2009 in Animation
We already know that Ponyo is going to be a great film — but the real question is if Disney would mess up the voice acting? I always hate when Hollywood studios favor screen actors over good old fashioned voice actors, but I’ve got to say that it sounds like they’ve pulled it off looking at this second trailer! The film opens on August 14th so get ready to reserve your tickets… Tron Legacy Trailer: Retro CGI FunI hate to say it: But it looks like director Joseph Kosinski is doing a nice job with this Tron update! What’s great is that they’ve kept to vision of the original art direction of the film and given it just the right dash of slick. I also like the fact that Jeff Bridges is in this film as well. Hats off to Disney for getting this one right… Miyazaki’s Fish Story: A First Look at the Disney Release of Ponyo
Posted by Joe Strike on Jun 30, 2009 in Animation
Everyone’s had that tingling feeling running (as they say) up and down one’s spine when they experience something awesome. Last night I saw a preview of Hayao Miyazaki’s new film Ponyo — and the feeling hasn’t gone away yet. Read more… Donald Duck’s Animated Debut: 75 Years Ago
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 8, 2009 in Animation
On June 9th, 1934 Donald Duck made his debut in the Disney short The Wise Little Hen. His original character design (seen above) wasn’t quite the foil that he would evolve to be in later cartoons — although all the essential elements are there from his trademark voice to his sailor suit: Read more… Toy Story 3: Pixar Teaser Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 31, 2009 in Animation
I hate to say it but as much as I’m against sequels, I must just trust Pixar to get Toy Story 3 right. The Princess and the Frog: Disney’s Latest Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 11, 2009 in Animation
Disney just released their latest trailer for The Princess and the Frog and it doesn’t look too bad, although it’s a bit early to tell. But from what I see here Disney is going back a step in a good way and getting back to a 2D style and good old fashioned fairy tales which has always been their strong suite. In general I like the Mardi Gras twist on the tale, but the devil is in the details to see if they can make this work. Here’s an official description of the film: Read more… Mickey Mouse as Tron
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 9, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
Taking him into the maze! Of course being a mouse playing a maze game is second nature when you kit bash Mickey Mouse and Tron. This Tron Mickey Mouse Vinyl Collectible Doll is available for preorder at National Console Support, here’s their description: Read more… Not a Bad First Attempt for an Anime Robot from Disney!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 28, 2009 in Animation
I was quite pleasantly surprised that the above robot design was created by Disney! Earlier this year Disney cracked the Japanese market with a show called Fireball which was designed to appeal to a Japanese audience (with some help from Toei who did all of the heavy lifting). The main character is a robot-girl named Hatsune Miki who also goes by “Drossel” is a mech-girl — shown above is a figurine based on her character (which can be pre-order from National Console Support). Sadly Fireball didn’t do too great because a second season isn’t in the works, but here’s a bit of video to give you a taste: Read more… Monsters Inc. at Tokyo Disneyland
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 16, 2009 in Animation, Japanese TV
These two commercials for the Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! attraction at Tokyo Disneyland are enjoyable on two levels: First it’s great to see these familiar Pixar characters speaking Japanese, it almost gives them an anime like quality. Next on the first ad above I love the intercuts of the typical Japanese family mirroring the actions of the animated characters. In fact the high quality of the Japanese voice actors almost makes me want to re-watch the film in Japanese with English subtitles just to see what they did. Read more… Mickey’s Space Fantasy: Star Wars Meets the Mouse
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 31, 2009 in Star Wars
I wasn’t aware of this — but it seems that back 1989 at Tokyo Disneyland they had a Star Wars themed attraction called Mickey’s Space Fantasy. After some research I found out that the ride featured in this old advert is in fact Star Tours which was advertised as “The Ultimate Star Wars Adventure!” which was the direct result of Lucas working with Disney back in the 80s on several projects. But best of all, I found out that the ride is still running to this very day… Marc Davis: A Disney Animator Who Put the Cruel in Cruella De Vil
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 30, 2009 in Animation
Sadly not many animation fans know who he was, but today is the the 96th birthday of legendary Disney animator Marc Davis who was born on this day in 1913 (and passed away in 2000). Disney had a core of talented animators who were known as “Disney’s Nine Old Men” and Davis was a member of that dream team. His did character design work and animation on Thumper from Bambi (1942), Tinker Bell in Peter Pan (1953) and my favorite Cruella De Vil of 101 Dalmatians (1961). He was also involved in creating many characters for Disneyland rides including working on the costume design for the Pirates of the Caribbean. Here’s an amazing video profile of Marc from the Disney Family Album which will inspire any fanboy: Read more… Transformers: More than Meets the Mouse (and a Mickey in Disguise)
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 2, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
From a quick glance I wasn’t too impressed with the mecha design of this Transformers Disney Label Mickey Mouse — the problem was that it just wasn’t cute enough! But of course the devil is in the details: If you look closely at the top you’ll see the classic Mickey Mouse enjoying being at the controls of his very own giant robot. If You Like Anthropomorphic Robots, Does That Make You a ‘Botty’?
Posted by Guest Author on Jan 27, 2009 in Animation
Editor’s Note: In this essay film critic Joe Strike offers us his insights into the Oscars nominees for best animated feature. For me, the Oscar I most look forward to during that endless TV show isn’t Best Picture or Best Director, but Best (or Outstanding Achievement In, I guess) Animated Feature (from hereon referred to as BAF). The first straw in the wind was Wall-E‘s Golden Globes BAF win. At that point I was sure the Oscar nominees would be Wall-E, Kung-Fu Panda and (the token intellectual nominee) Waltz with Bashir. Turns out Bashir got a Best Foreign Film nomination (way to go, Avi – nice Jewish boy makes good!) and Disney’s superdog Bolt filled out the third spot. (A fun movie, but not a flick for the ages.) Read more… Mickey Mouse Desk Light: Brilliant Industrial Design
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 18, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
I love the clever industrial design of this Mickey Mouse Desk Light which is from Japan. The top light enclosure with the ears is a bit of an obvious concept although what I think makes the design so great is the added touch of making the base of the lamp have the buttons from Mickey’s pants. Read more… If Disney Remade Akira…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 2, 2008 in Animation
If you hate what Hollywood does to anime classics (or perhaps just dread the thought of it) you’ll love this parody flash film which comes from Happy Harry Toons in England. Beauty and the Beast in 3D (I’m Sorry This Headline Isn’t a Joke)
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 19, 2008 in Animation
In the good old days Walt would worry about the important things in film making: the story, character design, quality animation and of course sound. Disney rediscovered some of the magic later, but sadly they seem to be going backwards again and getting caught up in technique over theater. While I realize that the 3D is cool and of curse it will make money it sort of takes away the focus on what makes the film work on the silver screen: Read more… |
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It’s been unofficial for a while, but as of this week I’d say that as of this week the comic book biz is no longer about actually publishing comic books, but in fact about making films that star comic book characters. The take over of Marvel Entertainment by Disney and the reorganization of DC Comics into DC Entertainment is part of a larger picture which includes the death of print as a viable commercial medium. Although to be fair this story has been a long time in the making: In fact the first chapter in this story can be traced to Disney. 
