Friday, April 01, 2011

The Neglected Festival of Links

Now, a dollop of end-of-week linkage ... which we haven't done one in ever so long.

There's a new director for a cartoon prequel.

... Dan Scanlon, will make his full-length movie debut with the recently announced Monsters University. ... He worked as a writer on Cars, and co-directed the short Mater And The Ghostlight. He also worked as story artist on Toy Story 3 and produced Up. ...

A voice actor is announced by one of those other studios that do sequels:

Ryan Reynolds ... to play a snail

[Ryan Reynods] already has a DreamWorks cartoon feature coming out ..., the caveman-era comedy The Croods. But ... Reynolds will next speak for a garden snail who dreams of winning the Indy 500 in the studio's June 2013 release, Turbo ...

Then there was the little lizard (amphibian?) that could:

... "Rango" in its fourth weekend took in a solid $16 million in 48 territories for a global total of $159.5 million. ...

With the $109.2 million collected stateside, the Paramount release now has a worldwide total of $268.7 million in theatrical receipts.

Film composer Christopher Lennertz talks about making music for Hop:

... It’s a very secular Easter movie; the factory that makes the Easter eggs and candy is on Easter Island, and we decided early on that we weren’t going to get into any religious overtones or anything of that nature. So we played up on the magical, secular side of the holiday. ...

Cartoon Network sinks money into Philipine animation.

Cartoon Network is looking to engage animation studios based in the Philippines for a few long-term projects that would see the children's entertainment group co-developing original animation in the region. ... "[T]his is the first time in our company's history that we are considering to work with Filipino animators to develop a new show that we can produce for airing not only on Cartoon Network Asia, but for our other markets as well, like Europe," Silas Hickey, Creative Director, Asia-Pacific Animation Development, TBS Asia Pacific, commented ...

And here's what's happening with a former Disney exec:

... Bets are on [Dick] Cook launching a film production company once he raises the requisite money, but it’s unclear whether he will distribute his own films. Producers and talent — Johnny Depp tops the list — are eager for Cook to get back in the game. Cook’s close relationship with Depp has been the stuff of Hollywood lore since the idea for the Pirates franchise first came together during a one-on-one meeting between the two.

“All we had was this tiny little two-page treatment, based on the attraction at Disneyland,” Cook recalls. “Before the end of the conversation, Johnny said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I believe at that particular moment, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with the character. He was in.” ...

Apparently Mr. Cook is so well-loved in Tinseltown, that even bitter enemies gather at the same Will Rogers charity fund event to honor him.

... Everybody showed up for Dick Cook - including people who officially can't stand each other. Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner sipped a drink at the VIP cocktail party near DreamWorks Animation (and former Disney studio chief) Jeffrey Katzenberg, managing to momentarily forget that he lost a $280 million lawsuit to him. ...

Lastly, the Reporter reports that studios are getting into the cross-pollination/ synergy thing: releasing live-action and animated versions of their comic book super-heroes simultaneously.

... [T]he world will be inundated by many things Thor, as Marvel Studios will release one of this summer’s first big movies featuring the Norse god of thunder May 6.

One of those things will be Thor: Tales of Asgard, from Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Thor, the live-action (and please ignore the trailer on top of the trailer.)

And Thor, the animated:

Have a fine weekend.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The snail movie sounds worse the more I read about it. And imagine the lead character "secreting mucus" in CGI~!

Bleahh.

Anonymous said...

"Turbo" sounds like Dreamwork's version of "Mars Needs Moms", i.e. big animated flop.

Anonymous said...

""Turbo" sounds like Dreamwork's version of "Mars Needs Moms", i.e. big animated flop.'

Yeah, because they have so much in common.

Anonymous said...

Turbo's concept sounds like a really bad and stupid idea. But then again so did "a rat that wants to cook" and that turned out pretty great. So I guess, we'll have to wait and see.

Anonymous said...

Turbo sounds like an unholy mix of Kung Fu Panda/Cars/A Bugs Life, and also like a PARODY of the Dreamworks formula of: incongruous unlikely animal takes up an activity totally unsuited for it and inexplicably succeeds beyond anyone's most reasonable expectations and wins the love/respect of its bullies/love interest/father.

But in this case, a snail wants to be in the Indy 500. Why should anybody CARE? (Maybe the thing's spiral shell gets turned into a wheel and the snail propels itself via massive farts. Certainly sounds like Dreamworks, doesn't it)?

This flick sounds like a stale, bland, reconstituted formula regurgitated by corporate suits and focus groups. And here I'd thought, after the excellent How To Train Your Dragon, Dreamworks was improving. DOA.

Anonymous said...

This flick sounds like a stale, bland, reconstituted formula regurgitated by corporate suits and focus groups.

So based on a 10-word description in a puff piece on a voice actor, you can deduce all that? You're amazing. Alternatively, you're an anti-Dreamworks troll who would have said the exact same thing about any possible description of a Dreamworks' movie in development.

Anonymous said...

Thank. You. : )

Anonymous said...

The dudes above can fuck off. I loved How To Train Your Dragon and really liked the artistry of Kung Fu Panda, so I'm not an anti-Dreamworks troll. It's just that it's a bit distressing to see an animation company that seemed to be improving on its product stoop once again to producing a project that's grossly formulaic and contrived and, in this case especially, stupid.

Just sayin'.

DOA.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Pixar thinks a snail wanting to be the fastest snail in the world and participate in the Indy 500 is a lame bad stupid idea too. It just rescheduled "Monster University" from November 2012 to June 21st, 2013 - two weeks after the premiere of
"Turbo".

It'll be no contest. Mike and Sully eat escargot for lunch! :D

Anonymous said...

Is it that, or is it that Monster University is a mess that needs an additional six months to sort out?

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