We’ll let you readers decide what to make of this…
The Mickey Mouse Remote
Remember folks, furries may not in fact be the weirdest fandom out there. You can find out more about this Japanese gizmo at Cartoon Brew.
The Rare Calendar for 2011
Fans of rare (and rarely-drawn) species, to say nothing of good furry art, should definitely take a look at the Rare calendar for 2011 — which is taking orders now through the end of August 2010. Featuring a theme of “Extinction” for 2011, the calendar features 12 original pieces depicting anthropomorphic characters based on animals no longer with us… some recently, some long long ago. Artists for this new calender include Donna Quinn, Ashalind, Swandog, Char Reed, Balaa, Katmomma, Alector Fencer, Katie Hofgard, Bubble Wolf, Sekhmet, Lhune, Nimrais, Qzurr, Caveatscoti, and Heather Bruton. Pre-orders are being taken at the official web site; later, a limited number of leftovers will be sold at upcoming furry fandom conventions.
Disney’s Gargoyles, the Movie… but not
Word has snuck out that the Walt Disney Company is working on a gargoyles-themed live-action movie. This is from Variety: “Zoe Green is in final negotiations with the Mouse House to pen a screenplay based on an original idea developed by Lauren Shuler Donner, who will produce the live-action film for Disney.” Unfortunately, much to the chagrin of many fans of the 1990’s animated TV series Gargoyles, the new project has nothing at all to do with that show. According to Variety, “Instead, it centers around a world and mythology of the menacing stone statues that the studio was keen to explore, sources said. Both Disney and Shuler Donner were circling separate gargoyle projects and ultimately paired up and hired Green to tackle an idea hatched with Disney exec LouAnne Brickhouse, who is shepherding the project at the studio. Shuler Donner will produce through the Donners’ Co., which she runs with husband Richard Donner.” None of which is sitting well with the many fans of the original TV series created by Greg Weisman. There’s a Facebook page dedicated to convincing Disney to re-think the whole idea. Stay tuned.
Yogi Bear. In 3D.
In the “Where the heck did this come from?” department… Warner Brothers is releasing a new live-action-with-CGI Yogi Bear movie this coming December 17th. Starring as the voice of the animated Yogi is none other than Dan Aykroyd, with Justin Timberlake (!) as the voice of Yogi’s little bear-friend Boo-Boo. And yes, it’s all about grabbing pic-a-nic baskets and running away from Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh). The new Real-3D film is directed by Eric Brevig (Journey to the Center of the Earth). You can check out the brand new trailer on YouTube and see what you think.
Johnny Depp is Getting Weird Again
You might have come across the teaser trailer for the upcoming CGI film Rango, which features a giant wind-up fish floating serenely through the air across a desert landscape. Well now there’s a possibly even more weird trailer that at least tells us a little more about the film. For one thing it stars Johnny Depp as the voice of a nerdy chameleon named Rango who aspires to be a swashbuckling hero. When he finds himself stranded in a run-down desert village beset by bandits, he might just have to play the role to save the day. Interestingly, this is the first animated feature film produced by Industrial Light and Magic (of Lucasfilms fame), and it’s directed by none other than Gore Verbinksi, who directed Mr. Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. This very odd (check out the trailer, trust us!) little film from Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures is set for release in March of 2011.
Orangina Goes Furry… Again
After blowing everyone’s mind with this commercial a couple of years ago, the French advert campaign for the beverage known as Oragina has done it again. That is, created a commercial with an amazing amount of sexy, anthropomorphic appeal. Only now it’s an entire set of short commercials, each with a different species. Taking off on the assertion that Oragina is “all natural” with no artificial ingredients, the ad campaign spoofs ads for various other “all natural” products, with Orangina standing in. Among them are: Orangina as a hair care product (featuring a lady afghan hound), Orangina as a deodorant (featuring an athletic bear), and Orangina as a feminine hygiene product (featuring a naked lady panda). An ad for Orangina as an aftershave lotion (featuring a male cougar and his… friend) is raising quite a few eyebrows. In fact, some nations in Europe have already banned it from TV. (If you can’t follow the links here, just go to YouTube.com and search on “Orangina”. You’ll find all of this and more.)
Berona’s War: The Field Guide
And now for something rather different: Cute and cuddly wars! Berona’s War: The Field Guide comes to us from the minds of Jesse Labbe and Anthony Coffey. According to Previews it’s “an epic tale of two adorable, fur-covered races doomed by their own escalating violence”. Whew. The Ele-Alta and the Cropones are soft and fuzzy on the outside, but hard as nails on the inside. When both tribes lay claim to Berona Island’s most valuable real estate — a land known as Amity — the result can only be bloody war. This full-color hardcover graphic novel is available now from Archaia Comics. This winter, look for the sequel, Berona’s War: Fight for Amity. And check this out for a preview of the whole series.
New Hollywood Hopefuls…
Last week, Jim Hill’s daily blog presented his review of the recent Licensing International Expo, held at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. This is the annual show where t-shirt, candy, toy and a zillion other manufacturers look for “the next big thing” to put on their products before they get sold to the rest of us. And of course Hollywood studios are there in force, promoting their new upcoming movies and TV series to all the makers of tie-in merchandise. Among the interesting new items being presented: Dreamworks Animation was there advertising their new 3D Shrek spin-off movie that tells the origin of Puss in Boots; as well as Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom, the new sequel which features (along with the original voice cast) newcomer Gary Oldman as “a peacock who is far more than he seems”. 20th Century Fox was there advertising the 4th film in the Ice Age series, Continental Drift; as well as the upcoming “three-quel” for Alvin and the Chipmunks called Chip-Wrecked. Before that new Ice Age film though comes Rio, Blue Sky’s next 3D project coming out next April. (If you haven’t heard of it, the film is about a nerdy macaw who can’t fly — but who gets a chance to escape when he visits his species’ native Brazil. It stars the voices of Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Jamie Foxx, and Will-I-Am. Check out the trailer on YouTube.) Illumination Entertainment (the same house that animated this year’s film Despicable Me for Universal) is hard at work on an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ environmental fable The Lorax, scheduled for release in March of 2012 (also from Universal). And of course (as we’ve reported before) this December Fox will be releasing Walden Media’s long-awaited third entry in the Chronicles of Narnia series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And then, there’s the live-action Smurfs movie coming from Sony in 2011… but let’s not go there, shall we?
