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Animation

Big Bear, Little Mouse

Nov 23rd, 2012
by rodney.
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It looks as if we’re finally getting some motion on the long-in-development film Ernest & Celestine. This 2D animated feature from France tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a middle-aged bear and a young mouse, and how they learn to realize their dreams and overcome bigotry by working together. Based on a series of books by Daniel Pennac, the film version is directed by Benjamin Renner (A Mouse’s Tale), Stephane Aubier, and Vincent Patar (A Town Called Panic), and produced by Studio Canal.  There’s a trailer up on YouTube, and according to Animation Magazine, it’s likely to come to North American shores in the fall of 2013.

image c. 2012 Studio Canal

Battle Chickens!

Nov 21st, 2012
by rodney.
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Thanks to the folks over at Cartoon Brew, we now know about Chicken Core: The Rise of Kings — one of the first animated short films ever completely produced in the country of Nigeria. Here’s the description from YouTube: “Chicken Core is a Nigerian animated feature which follows the adventures of a group of chicken warriors in their quest to rid the land of Amaji from the clutches of the tyrannous Boar King and his minions.” Got that? It’s directed by Oricha Aliyu and produced by Sporedust Media.  Animation in Nigeria is really starting from the ground up, as all the people who work for Sporedust are self-taught. Check out what they’ve created — and be on the lookout for what they do next.

image c. 2012 Sporedust Media

Eat at the Bear’s

Nov 19th, 2012
by rodney.
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Shirokuma Cafe literally translates from Japanese as Polar Bear Cafe. It’s a manga series created by Aloha Higa, following the story of a little coffee house in Japan — run by a polar bear, and frequented by any number of zoo animals. The three main characters are Polar Bear, lazy young Panda, and lovesick Penguin. (Most of the animal characters in the series are simply naked after their species.) The manga has been running since 2008, but just this year a new anime series based on it came to TV thanks to Studio Pierrot. You can find out more at Anime News Network, or check out an actual episode at Crunchyroll.

image c. 2012 Studio Pierrot

The Fans Have Spoken!

Nov 11th, 2012
by rodney.
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It’s become evident that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is not the only animated TV series that has taken some interesting twists and turns thanks to on-line fan input. Fans of Adventure Time with Finn and Jake became obsessed with the idea of a gender-swapped variation on the popular series after the idea popped up on the Internet. And thus Fionna and Cake, human and cat, were born. Well now Boom! Studio’s Kaboom! line have added to their Adventure Time line with the premier of the new Fionna & Cake 6-issue mini-series (in full color).  Here’s a write-up from Jim Hill Media: “The highly anticipated series will be written and illustrated by none other than the characters’ creator and Adventure Time storyboard artist Natasha Allegri with a full 32-page first issue. Join Cake the Cat and Fionna the Human in this totally algebraic new adventure! When Fionna rescues a feral flame boy from a pack of wild fire lions, it starts her on a quest she’ll never forget…” It all starts this coming January.

image c. 2012 Kaboom!

Dreamworks Adventure Magazine

Nov 9th, 2012
by rodney.
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If you haven’t seen it yet: Dreamworks Animation has a new regular publication, Dreamworks Adventure Magazine, which they put out through Ape Entertainment. Each issue features new full-color comics of various Dreamworks characters and movies, as well as puzzles, artwork, and more. The latest issue (#3) features a Madagascar 3 cover and comic story, ‘Long Live the King’ backed up by a Megamind story, ‘Minion, Where’s the Car?!’. It also features a double-sided pull-out poster for Madagascar 3 and Rise of the Guardians. You can find out more at the Ape Entertainment web site for the magazine, but your humble ed-otter found one for sale at his local supermarket.

image c. 2012 Ape Entertainment

Animated Animal Farm — Sort Of

Oct 30th, 2012
by rodney.
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Andy Serkis is a well-known actor, both in front of the camera and… behind the animation, as one of the world’s most famous motion-capture models. You’ve seen the results of his work as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and also in movies like King Kong and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Now Cartoon Brew has passed along the word the Mr. Serkis is looking to direct his own feature film — and wouldn’t you know it, he plans to do it using mo-cap! George Orwell’s famous allegorical fantasy Animal Farm has been filmed before of course, via traditional animation and also puppetry.  Now Mr. Serkis has bought the rights to the story and has it currently in development, hoping to direct the film himself. No word yet on a projected release date, but Mr. Serkis is currently working on a “proof of concept” short film to help him secure financing.

image c. 2012 Cartoon Brew

A Couple of Real Turkeys

Oct 28th, 2012
by rodney.
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They put it best, so we’re lifting this directly from Cartoon Brew: “Relativity Media and Reel FX have announced that they will jointly produce and finance the upcoming animated feature Turkeys. The film is being directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears A Who!) and stars the voice talent of Owen Wilson (Cars) and Woody Harrelson (A Scanner Darkly). Relativity usually releases their films through a major U.S. distributor like Universal or Warner Bros. Expect one of them to pick it up.” What’s it about?  This is from the Relativity Media press release: “Turkeys is an irreverent, hilarious, adventurous buddy comedy where two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the menu for good.” Hmmm, is it at all significant that both of the lead actors are vegetarians in real life? Watch for this in 2014.

image c. 2012 Relativity Media

New from India

Oct 24th, 2012
by rodney.
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Delhi Safari is a new full-length CGI animated feature from India, directed by Nikhil Advani and animated by Krayon Pictures. It tells the story of a group of rainforest animals in India, who find their forest is being destroyed and paved over by human encroachment and construction. They take it upon themselves to travel to Delhi, with the intention of using a “bilingual” parrot (he speaks both human and non-human languages) to voice their complaints about the destruction of their home. The film has been picked up for international distribution by Fantastic Films, and it recently opened for a limited engagement in North America. Filmed in Hindi, the English version of the film features the voices of Jason Alexander, Cary Elwes, Christopher Lloyd, Jane Lynch, Vanessa Williams, and Brad Garrett. Watch the international trailer on YouTube, or visit the Delhi Safari Facebook page.

image c. 2012 Krayon Pictures

Cowabunga Turtle Dudes in Their Very Own Van

Oct 22nd, 2012
by rodney.
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The first time our buddies the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came to animation was in their first TV series, created in 1987 by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. More comedic in tone than many Turtle variations, this version ran for no less than 10 seasons on TV, intersecting with several of the movie adaptations. Now Lionsgate will soon release all 10 seasons in a 23-disc DVD box set — contained in a bright and shiny turtle-van! “From their origins on the comic book page to the depths of Dimension X and beyond, the pizza-loving, shell-busting Leonardo™, Donatello™, Raphael™ and Michelangelo™, with the guidance of their Sensei, have been delighting fans for decades with their turtle power. Whether it’s facing fierce enemies Krang™, Shredder™ and Lord Dregg™, saving humanity from near extinction, or battling against life-altering mutations, the half-shell heroes are always ready for heart-stopping, time-bending, straight outta the sewer action!” Look for it in November, or order it from Amazon today.

image c. 2012 Lionsgate

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