Whitney – Animated Views

Bob Hoskins passes away at 71

Whitney — Thu, 01 May 2014 14:04:38 +0000

Bob Hoskins, known for playing Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit alongside famous cartoon characters, has passed away, Animation Interviews is reporting. While being paired up with a cartoon rabbit and the vivacious Jessica Rabbit made him legendary in the animation community, Hoskins starred in other notable movies, including Hook, The Long Good Friday, Brazil, Mona Lisa, and the rather infamous live-action Super Mario Bros. He also did voice over work for Balto, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, and the TV series The Forgotten Toys. In addition, Hoskins played several characters in motion-capture animated film Disney’s A Christmas Carol. Hoskins had suffered from Parkinson’s Disease and retired from acting 2012 after he finished filming on Snow White and the Huntsman. He died from pneumonia on April 29 with his family by his side.

Enjoy the first five minutes of How to Train Your Dragon 2

Whitney — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 01:19:17 +0000

DreamWorks has been getting fans excited about its newest feature How to Train Your Dragon 2 by releasing tidbits as the premiere date draws closer. The trailers hint at a dynamic storyline with a new enemy, new dragons, and secrets from Hiccup’s past. DreamWorks has unleashed the movie’s first five minutes on the Internet. The clip shows how the characters have aged and how they enjoy their new hobby: dragon racing. It also hints at Hiccup’s longing to explore. Check out the clip on the Playlist and see the movie on June 13th.

Moonbot acquires Olivia Kidney and The Extincts

Whitney — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 01:53:36 +0000

Moonbot Studios, home of William Joyce, develops most of their creative properties in house. For the first time ever, Moonbot has bought two outside properties to turn into feature films. The first is the Olivia Kidney trilogy by Ellen Potter, which is planned as a live action movie with extensive animated sequences.

“At Moonbot, we’re grabbing for magic and Olivia Kidney has captivated us,” said William Joyce, Moonbot co-founder and author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. “Ellen Potter has crafted a unique and enchanting fantasy that we can’t wait to bring to life as a film.”

Moonbot also purchased the film rights for The Extincts by Veronica Cossanteli. Both properties were selected for their immersive, imaginative worlds.

Dexter’s Laboratory gets a comic book series

Whitney — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 00:53:03 +0000

Dexter’s Laboratory was a popular show on Cartoon Network. It was about a super genius boy named Dexter with a secret laboratory in his house. His experiments were constantly being destroyed by his older sister Dee Dee with whom Dexter had a love-hate relationship. Cartoon Network is breathing new life into some of its popular, older properties via comic books, says ComicsAlliance. Dexter’s Laboratory joins fellow shows Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, and Ben 10 with an ongoing comic series. Even more exciting news is there will be a crossover series called Super Secret Crisis War starring other favorite Cartoon Network characters.

Idina Menzel to sing Let It Go at the Oscars

Whitney — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 03:42:36 +0000

To the delight of Frozen fans everywhere, Idina Menzel will perform at the Academy Awards on March 2, singing the signature song of her character Elsa. According to Collider, Let It Go is a frontrunner in the category. The Frozen album is the longest running number one soundtrack since 2003. Disney is capitalizing on the film’s musical appeal by introducing “Frozen Sing Alongs” in theaters as well as potentially adapting the show for Broadway.

Disney Interactive’s animates new short with Google

Whitney — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 03:30:04 +0000

Despite all the negative news about layoffs, Disney Interactive has a new project that pairs it with search mogul Google. Disney and Google are launching a new animated short entitled: Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story. Disney memorabilia collectors will recognize Vinylmation as the line of figurines with mouse ears. It “is a stop-motion animated film that tells the story of an unpainted Vinylmation figure on an epic adventure through an original new world to find his lost soul mate.” Google is encouraging people to spread the word about the short at blankmovie.withgoogle.com. On February 14, the short will have a limited release at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the El Captain Theatre.

Miyazaki expresses views on Japan’s anime industry

Whitney — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:42:00 +0000

Hayao Miyazaki, director of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Castle in the Sky, was recently interviewed on his thoughts about Japan’s anime industry. Anime News Network reports that in the interview Miyazaki said the problem with the anime industry is that it has too many otaku “…who ‘don’t spend time watching real people’ and are ‘humans who can’t stand looking at other humans.’ ” He believes that to animate people successfully, they must be done by those who spend time observing others. In Japan, otaku are stereotypically introverted and obsessed with anime, usually the term has a negative connotation.

Leaked first images of Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Whitney — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:30:54 +0000

A few images have leaked on the Internet of the turtles in Michael Bay’s live action remake of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Many news sources were asked to take down the images, but ComicsAlliance still has one available. Many fans have been speculating about what Michael Bay’s turtles would look like and the pictures reveal they are drastically different from past incarnates. They have more human features, including lips, nose ridges, and human-like eyes. Fan reception is mixed on the new turtles. These are not the final character designs. To see what Michael Bay’s turtles do look like, fans will have to wait for the premiere on August 8.

New poster for How To Train Your Dragon 2

Whitney — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:17:53 +0000

Collider has the newest poster for How To Train Your Dragon 2, featuring the viking twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut with their two-headed Zippleback, affectionately named Barf and Belch. The movie releases on June 13.

Angelina Jolie makes evil look beautiful in new Maleifcent trailer

Whitney — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 13:04:33 +0000

Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty doesn’t delve into the evil enchantress Maleficent’s past. After 55 years, Disney is revealing Maleficent’s backstory in a live-action movie starring Angelina Jolie as the wicked villainess and Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora. In the new film trailer from E! Online, Maleficent’s dastardly deeds are hinted at, including a battle and toying with a king. Maleficent plans to conquer movie theaters May 30, 2014.