Your Middle-of-Week Linkfest

The Nikkster's site details Chris Medadandri's (and Illumination Entertainment's) next moves.

... Despicable Me 2 talks are already underway among the studio, Meledandri, and writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

Illumination is also making two short films featuring The Minions ... Right behind Despicable Me is Hop--a live-action CG film with Russell Brand voicing the Easter Bunny—which Universal releases April 1, 2011. After that is Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, most likely followed by the Ricky Gervais-created Flanimals. There is a Where’s Waldo film and Tim Burton is involved in a new version of The Addams Family ...

Sounds like Illumination Entertainment is going to be a busy little company ...

Entertainment Weekly reports Pixar helped polish Tron Legacy.

... In late March, the Tron filmmakers chose to show a very early working cut of the film starring Garrett Hedlund and Jeff Bridges to Pixar’s John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, The Incredibles director Brad Bird, Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt, and others. ... Disney hired Arndt and Bird to write some pages for the upcoming re-shoots, which lasted six days last month. Original writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Lost) were also integral in the writing ...

MTV allows us to sample "Jonah Hex, the animated short":

... [Thomas] Jane, [voice of the Jonah Hex], campaigned for the role of Hex in the live-action film based on the character— a role that eventually went to Josh Brolin. Would Jane have made a better Hex? "DC Showcase: Jonah Hex" could be our best way to find out. ...

Here's hoping it's better received than "Jonah Hex, the live-action feature."

Pharrell Williams talks about his foray into Cartoonland:

... "Working on Despicable Me expanded my mind. The opportunity to work with Hans Zimmer and seeing posters on his wall of spaghetti westerns, made me think. I thought of Ennio Morricone's sound, and wanted that to [blend] with N.E.R.D and it went from there. It ends up sounding very Doors, America, Crosby, Stills, & Nash and Neil Young influenced. There's a bit of Queen. ..."

Farewell to Betty Kimball. (Betty had a long, productive and fulfilling life. We should all be so lucky ...)

The Daily Express in Britain rattles on about the latest "Golden Age of Animation."

Over the past decade, animated film-making has not only been revived, it has come close to dominating the movie industry. Cartoons are no longer just for children. Adults are no longer going along under sufferance to see films such as Ratatouille, The Incredibles or the Shrek series; they’re going because they actually want to see them too.

There have been adult, high-grossing animated features in every decade from the 1930s onward. We don't need another half-informed columnist telling us nothing like this has happened before.

Have a life-affirming Wednesday.