Animation

Johnny Depp keeping busy with Dante’s Inferno-based adaptation, Dark Shadows update and much more

Variety reports that Johnny Depp’s production company Infinitum Nihil has nabbed film rights to the 2002 novel In the Hand of Dante by Nick Tosches. Depp will potentially star in the new project. “Dante” revolves around Dante’s masterwork The Divine Comedy, and tells parallel storylines involving Dante in 14th-century Italy, as he tries to complete ….

Animation community site goes global

The Association of Japanese Animations, an industry organization consisting mainly of animation production companies, recently announced that its community website, called Open Post, now has an English-language section. Open Post acts as a forum that provides animation professionals with an opportunity to submit and publish their work online. The new English-language section allows submissions from ….

Japanese anime company making live-action Bubblegum Crisis movie

Tokyo-based animation outfit Anime International Company (AIC) has contracted with Singapore-based Cubix, a visual software production company, to make a live-action version of the sci-fi anime series Bubblegum Crisis, according to Variety. The companies plan a large budget for the feature, directed towards a U.S. theatrical release sometime in 2011. Bubblegum Crisis creators Shinji Aramaki ….

Wall-E Blu-ray disc review

Next Tuesday, Disney-Pixar will release the monumental animated film Wall-E, Blu-ray hi-def and DVD. Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton’s touching story of Wall-E, is a masterwork of animation and technical achievement on par with Pixar’s very best movies. Wall-E proves that a film loaded with technology, can still be heart-felt, enjoyable and unbelievably fun for children ….

Special Wall-E movie clips, trivia, quiz, brand new photos and a hidden item game

One of the year’s most acclaimed and original films, an intergalactic story of the lovable robot Wall-E, comes home to Blu-ray and DVD on November 18th, 2008, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios, just in time for the holidays. Disney-Pixar’s hilarious box-office favorite transports viewers to another galaxy with five different versions. Fans can choose from ….

Kung Fu Panda Blu Ray review

Tomorrow – that’s right on Sunday, November 9th – Paramount and Dreamworks will release the animated hit Kung Fu Panda on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. I hadn’t watched Kung Fu Panda, aside from trailers and clips, along with an extended scene at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, that featured Po vigorously attempting to grab some ….

Monsters vs. Aliens trailer

Monsters vs. Aliens follows the fall out from a meteorite hitting a young California girl named Susan Murphy, turning her into a giant monster. After being taken to a secret government compound she meets a ragtag group of monsters previously rounded up over the years. Under the guidance of General W.R. Monger, and on direct ….

Futurama: Bender’s Game DVD review

Tomorrow, Fox Home Entertainment will release an all-new feature-length film based on Matt Groening’s cult animated series Futurama, called Futurama: Bender’s Game. The film is the third of four all-new feature-length adventures, which began with Bender’s Big Score, and the follow-up effort, The Beast With A Billion Backs. Futurama: Bender’s Game follows Bender, Fry, Leela, ….

Shrek the Halls DVD review and free coloring sheet download

DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek the Halls debuts on DVD tomorrow, November 4th 2008. The fun but too-short story originally premiered on ABC television in November of 2007. Again featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas, the best parts of the holiday short film are the various takes on the Night ….

AniBoom animation contest accepting entries

AniBoom, the world’s first virtual studios, recently announced its Third Annual aniBoom Awards for submissions from independent animators of all types around the globe. Submissions are welcome through December 1, 2008, during which time the animations will be viewed and ranked by the community on aniBoom.com and by a select panel of entertainment industry luminaries. ….

Live-action Mulan epic planned as U.S. China co-production

A $30 million live-action version of the story Mulan, about a heroic Chinese female warrior popularized by Walt Disney’s 1998 animated film, is in the works by Xinhua Media Entertainment in partnership with state-run China Film Group, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to begin production in China next spring, according to ….

The New York Anime Festival lands in NYC this weekend

The New York Anime Festival comes to NYC this weekend. The con is held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and features exclusive and extensive anime screenings, guests from America and Japan, manga, cosplay, video game competitions, live-action Japanese cinema, fashion, food, and the cultural treasures that gave birth to Japanese pop ….

Schoolhouse Rock on DVD tomorrow

Rediscover the infectious music, witty lyrics and colorful animation from the Emmy-winning animated series that rocked America for more than a decade, when Schoolhouse Rock! The Election Collection hits DVD tomorrow, September 23, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios. Rather timely release with a historic presidential election in front of us. For me, the DVD brought ….