J.J. Abrams Eyes Animated Film
Continually broadening his directorial horizons, J.J. Abrams is looking to file animation under the long list of film types that make up his impressive credits. Abrams has acquired the rights to Beastlies, a line of monster figurines hand-sculpted and sold by artist Leslie Levings through her Etsy store.... read more
Found in: Movies, NewsA Liar’s Autobiography
Several years before his death in 1989, Monty Python member Graham Chapman recorded himself reading excerpts from his book, A Liar’s Autobiography, an ostensibly fictionalized account of his life. These recordings of his surreal, darkly comic work serve as the basis for this animated adaptation, in which Chapman and (most of) the other Python troupe voice themselves and various other characters. Directors Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson and Ben Timlett have amassed a number of animation houses to bring the different segments to life, each in a different style.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsBreaking Bad Credits in Animated Form
The internet is brimming with undiscovered talent itching to be noticed and pop culture gives these creative types an outlet to show their work to the masses.... read more
Found in: Blogs, Awesome of the DayParaNorman
The beautifully crafted new stop-motion film ParaNorman opens with two important pieces of information. First, we observe our young hero as he watches a B-zombie flick, complete with choppy edits and a boom mic that creeps its way into the frame. This lets us know that the filmmakers approach the upcoming story with tongues firmly planted in cheeks. Second, Norman carries on a conversation with his grandmother. This part of the scene is only significant once we learn that grandma is quite dead.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsJay & Silent Bob Animated Film To Be Released Next Year
The actor/director/producer/writer Kevin Smith has made clear that Jay & Silent Bob would get a cartoon makeover. That project now has a title—Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. In an interview with Crave last February, Smith discussed the project briefly, stating that the film would be more “fanciful” and involve “superhero stuff.” On Reddit, Smith announced the film would be out sometime next year. Jay and Silent Bob have been animated before as part of Clerks: The Animated Series in 2000.... read more
Found in: Movies, NewsA Cat in Paris
It’s an uncommon crime thriller that makes room for whimsy, but A Cat in Paris, France’s recent Oscar-nominated animated feature, suffuses its story of gangsters and thieves with a playfulness as nimble as the feline after which it’s named.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsDr. Seuss’ The Lorax
Just in time for what would have been Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s 108th birthday, the creators of Despicable Me adapt the favorite tale of the beloved children’s author for the big screen, rendering his whimsical 2-D illustrations in shiny, computer-generated 3-D. The moral of the story, published more than 40 years ago, couldn’t be more topical: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot [about trees specifically or the environment generally], nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Unfortunately, in their bid to expand the good doctor’s rhymes to feature length, the filmmakers bookend the fable about the... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsChico & Rita
The one animated feature nominated for an Academy Award this year that does not center on an animal and is decidedly not for kids is Chico & Rita, a Spanish-language collaboration between Fernando Trueba (whose Belle Epoque won a foreign-language Oscar in 1994) and the popular and acclaimed Spanish designer Javier Mariscal. Coarse language, nudity and a historical backdrop that appeals to the politically and culturally astute render this expressive film an anomaly in the category—expressly for adults. Unfortunately, its evocative setting—the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz in Havana and New York—sets the stage for a rather slight romance.... read more
Found in: Movies, Reviews15 Indie Artists Featured On Animated Film Soundtracks
Animated movies are geared toward children, and often the soundtracks follow suit, but every so often an artist appears on an animated soundtrack that makes us want to sing along. read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the Day
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