The 'Toon Linkomatic

And now, the links of mid-March.

USA Today previews DreamWorks' 3-D spectacular Monsters and Aliens:

... [T]he DreamsWorks sci-fi spoof, landing March 27, 2009, also transforms a once-tacky Ike-era gimmick into an eye-popping 21st-century experience as the first computer-animated feature to be shot in 3-D.

Studios such as Disney have dimensionalized CGI films, but only after a non-3-D version was made.

DreamWorks, which will preview Monsters for ShoWest exhibitors in Las Vegas today, is commit- ted to doing all its animated releases directly in 3-D from now on. "This isn't our father's 3-D," says the studio's animation chief, Jeffrey Katzenberg ...

While we're on the subject of 3-D, the LA Times covered Jeffrey Katzenberg (Dreamworks Animation's dollar-a-year CEO) and his speech about the glorious new world of three dimensions at ShowWest ... as well as lots of other items. (And Hollywood Reporter columnist Greg Kilday points out it's still nice for 3-D movies to have compelling stories).

Brad Bird departs animation to journey back to Warner Bros. and live action:

Brad Bird has signed on to make his live-action feature directorial debut with "1906," a co-production between Warner Bros. and Disney/Pixar, with the historical San Francisco earthquake as its backdrop ...

"1906" will mark a return for Bird to the studio that released his 1999 2-D-animated film "The Iron Giant." The movie was critically acclaimed though failed to muster much muscle at the boxoffice, causing some to suggest that Warner Bros. had failed to market the film aggressively enough ...

We posted Mark Evanier's obituary of Dave Stevens. Here's the L.A. TIMES obit and a longer bio on Dave's work and career (courtesy of Mr. Evanier).

Animation Magazine profiles Nicktoons present and near-future product:

Currently in its sixth season, SpongeBob SquarePants has been given another 26-episode order ... The Fairly OddParents was renewed for an additional 20 episodes ... The network has committed to at least 20 new installments of its latest hit toon, Back at the Barnyard ...

And while Sony Pictures Animation is having less than stellar results with its theatrical releases, Sony Adelaide (the teevee toon arm) has itself a hit:

"The Spectacular Spider-Man" swung to new heights for Kids' WB! on The CW for Saturday, March 8, scoring season high household numbers in its timeslots and raising ratings by significant percentages during the series' premiere weekend for the No. 1 rated broadcast network kids lineup, according to Nielsen Research Media ...

Later today, Horton comes to a theatre near you. Rottentomatoes rating (as of the moment I write) is solidly positive on the flick. The Orlando Sentinental is downright enthusiastic:

"Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" is the best cartoon ever to come out of Blue Sky Studios, the animation house that produced the "Ice Age" blockbusters. And for that, Fox and Blue Sky have Dr. Seuss to thank ...

We just came across this disheartening story: the Russian Guvmint isn't happy with some of Mother Russia's television cartoons ...

The cartoon channel 2x2 has yanked two animated programs from its rotation after being warned by the federal media watchdog that the shows promote a "cult of violence and brutality."

The Federal Culture and Cinematography Agency issued an official warning to 2x2 over the cartoons "Happy Tree Friends" and "The Adventures of Big Jeff" because it is "absolutely against the law to promote cruelty," agency spokesman Yevgeny Strelchik said Wednesday ...

Thank God the shows aren't being produced by one of TAG's contract studios.

Yair Landau of Sony Pictures Imageworks and Animation, one of their digital kingpins, is leaving the company to strike out on his own:

After 17 years at the studio and nearly a decade as president of its digital division, Yair Landau is preparing to leave Sony Pictures Entertainment in April ...

Sony Pictures Imageworks blossomed under Landau and president Tim Sarnoff. In 2003, its first animated short, "The Chubb Chubbs!" won an Academy Award for best animated short film. Two years later, Imageworks' work on "Spider-Man 2" won an Oscar for achievement in visual effects.

Landau established Sony Pictures Animation in 2002. Along with Penney Finkelman Cox and Sandra Rabins, they assembled a team of filmmakers that have produced 2006's "Open Season" and 2007's Oscar-nominated "Surf's Up" ...

So, is this departure entirely voluntary? Or was there a gentle nudge?

Finally, the Oregonian tells us that Henry Selick's new stop-motion film will debut before the year is done:

"Coraline," the keenly anticipated debut animated feature from Laika, the Portland-based studio owned by Phil Knight, is still being filmed in our fair city. But it will make its first appearance in limited release in December, 2008 (no doubt to qualify for Academy Award consideration), and open in general release on Feb. 6, 2009 ...

Directed by Henry Selick ("The Nightmare Before Christmas"), "Coraline" is a dark fairy tale from Neil Gaiman. A young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning), finds a door in her house that leads to an alternate version of her life. It seems too good to be true -- and sure enough, it is ...

Addendum: The British Animation Awards have showered trophies on Aardman animation:

Shaun The Sheep: Still Life, which is broadcast on CBBC, won best children's series and the children's choice award.

The Pearce Sisters, a short film that also won a Bafta this year, won the best craft award.

Aardman was also awarded the gong for best commissioned new media animation for The Peculiar Adventures of Hector at London's National Film Theatre.

Nice to know Aardman is still going strong, even without the DreamWorks partnership ...

Continue your memorable weekend.