Here comes The Lego Movie’s younger cousin — PlayMobil: The Movie takes audiences on an epic comedy adventure through a sprawling imaginative universe in the first-ever feature film inspired by the award-winning German Playmobil role-play toys. Directed by Lino DiSalvo (head of animation on Disney’s Frozen), It is currently scheduled for a August 16th, 2019 […]
Archive for the ‘Independent’ Category
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TEASER TRAILER: A New Shaun The Sheep Movie “Farmageddon”
December 11th, 2018 
Jerry Beck It’s close encounters of the herd kind in the brand new Shaun The Sheep movie from Aardman Animation. Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is directed by Richard Phelan and Will Becher, Written by Jon Brown and Mark Burton, Produced by Paul Kewley with Executive Producers Mark Burton and Richard Starzak, Peter Lord, Nick Park and […]
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SHORTS WATCH: Animator Perry Chen on “Changyou’s Journey”
November 23rd, 2018 Jackson Murphy Perry Chen began his journey in the world of animation as a film critic. Today, the 18-year-old freshman at U.C. Irvine is the director of an acclaimed animated short film about the life of his father. Chen is hoping Changyou’s Journey continues to have an impact on audiences and makes it all the way to […]
“The 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows” Opens in December in New York and LA
November 13th, 2018 Jerry Beck The 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows returns to theaters across North America and will have its US theatrical premiere at Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles on December 14th, and at the Quad Cinema in New York on December 28th (many other cities will follow). Since 1998, The Animation Show of Shows has been selecting […]
TRAILER: Kelly Asbury’s “UglyDolls”
November 8th, 2018 Jerry Beck Unconventionality rules in UglyDolls, a new animated family adventure based on the famous toy brand. Directed by Kelly Asbury (Gnomeo and Juliet, Shrek 2), UglyDolls features original songs by Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas and Pitbull. The film will be released next summer via STX Entertainment. Here’s what it looks like:
TRAILER: Laika Studios “Missing Link”
November 8th, 2018 Jerry Beck Meet “Mr. Link”: 8 feet tall, 630 lbs, and covered in fur, but don’t let his appearance fool you… he is funny, sweet, and adorably literal, making him the world’s most lovable legend at the heart of Missing Link, the latest stop-motion animated adventure from LAIKA. Chris Butler writes and directs with a cast led […]
Spotlight Stories Sets Premieres For John Kahrs’ “Age Of Sail”
August 29th, 2018 Jerry Beck Directed by Oscar-winning director John Kahrs (Disney’s Paperman), Age Of Sail is Google Spotlight Stories’ longest, most visually complex experience to date. Set on the open ocean in 1900, Age Of Sail is the story of William Avery (played by Ian McShane), an old sailor adrift and alone in the North Atlantic. When Avery reluctantly […]
Shout! Studios Acquires “Tito And The Birds”
August 22nd, 2018 Jerry Beck Shout! Studios, the distribution arm of Shout! Factory, has acquired North American distribution rights to the new animated feature Tito and The Birds, directed by Gustavo Steinberg (End of the Line), Gabriel Bitar (Cidade Cinza), and André Catoto (Say I Am Only Seventeen), and written by Eduardo Benaim and Gustavo Steinberg. Tito and The Birds […]
TRAILER: “Ruben Brant, Collector”
July 15th, 2018 Jerry Beck Now this is what we are looking for. Ruben Brandt, Collector, which will have its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival next month. The feature was directed by Milorad Krstić, and produced by Peter Miskolczi, Radmila Roczkov, Hermina Roczkov, János Kurdy-Fehér and Krstić. It was written by Krstić, with original music composed by Tibor […]
Laika’s “Missing Link” To Be Released Spring 2019
May 8th, 2018 Jerry Beck LAIKA, the animation studio behind the Academy Award nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, and Coraline, announces its fifth and most ambitious film to date: Missing Link. The title, U.S. release date (Spring, 2019) and complete cast details were revealed today by LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight as he prepares to […]
TRAILER: “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero” Opens Nationwide April 13th
February 27th, 2018 Jerry Beck Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero is based on the incredible true story of the unbreakable bond between a young Soldier and a stray dog who, for his valorous feats, is still recognized today as the first dog promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the U.S. Army, the most decorated dog in American history and […]
OSCAR NOMINEE SPOTLIGHT: “Revolting Rhymes”
February 25th, 2018 Jackson Murphy Directors Jan Lachauer and Jakob Schuh are veterans when it comes to the Academy Awards Animated Shorts category. Schuh and partner Max Lang were nominated back in 2009 for The Gruffalo and Lachauer and Lang teamed-up on 2012 finalist, Room on the Broom. The pair, again working with Magic Light Pictures, is part of this […]
Shout and Funimation To Give Chinese “Big Fish and Begonia” US Theatrical Release in April
February 16th, 2018 Jerry Beck Shout! Studios, the multi-platform filmed entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, has tapped Funimation Films as its U.S. theatrical partner to jointly launch artful animated feature Big Fish and Begonia across U.S. cinemas starting on Friday, April 6, 2018. The announcement was made today by Melissa Boag, Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment […]
INTERVIEW: Nick Park on “Early Man”
February 14th, 2018 Jackson Murphy It’s impossible to separate Nick Park from his two most famous creations – Wallace & Gromit. But fans worldwide know the iconic Park is also responsible, as animator, writer, producer and/or director for such classics as “Chicken Run”, “Creature Comforts” and “Shaun the Sheep”. The 4-time Oscar-winner got back in the director’s chair after nearly […]
Less Is More: The Simple Beauty of “Dam Keeper Poems”, “The Big Bad Fox”, and “The Yamadas”
January 8th, 2018 Charles Solomon We live in an era of visual overload. Animation studios are producing images so detailed, they’re virtually indistinguishable from live action, but why do they want to? How does rendering every leaf in the background make a story more compelling? What does an audience gain by seeing each stitch in a cartoon character’s sweater? Why […]
