The Links of Middle June

Now with Add On!

As the second half of June unfolds, we roll out linkage of interest, starting with ...

Green Lantern actors working in a "special effects" environment? "You're sitting in a blue cave for god knows how long, and after a while, it's fine. ... You sort of adjust to it, you get used to it like anything else, it becomes the norm."

Mr. Lasseter on Pixar's pre-Toy Story days? "Ed Catmull was hired by George Lucas in 1979 and was asked to do three projects, with a fourth project added by Ed. They were insane ideas at the time: digital nonlinear film editing, digital sound editing, digital optical printing, and 3-D computer animation ..."

China's heroic quest for its own Kung Fu Panda? Kuiba, the $7 million Chinese animated debut feature film from veteran Beijing-based television studio Vassoon Animation will be released nationwide in July by the Shanghai Media Group, China’s latest attempt to showcase its homegrown cartooning talent. ...

Irish animation studios gaining traction? Two Irish animation companies have picked up awards at the Annecy Film Festival in France for their films "Santa’s Apprentice" and "The Amazing World of Gumball – The Quest."

Will a tax credit help goose the Australian games industry? Basically it’s a 45 per cent refundable tax offset (equivalent to a 150 per cent concession) for eligible entities with a turnover of less than $20 million per annum. ... [I]t’s an attempt to drive investment dollars into R&D, and videogames fall into that department – in a very big way.

"Ben 10", animation to live-action? Joel Silver has been tapped to produce a tentpole version of the Cartoon Network licensing machine Ben 10, about a ten-year old boy who finds a watch-like piece of alient technology that allows him to take ten different alien forms.

Lastly. What new exhibit is on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum? “’Ice Age’ To the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios” ...

Add On: Do the Chinese like "Kung Fu Panda"? When I first heard about Kung Fu Panda in New York, I was thinking it was just another cheap ploy out to make money off Chinese culture, but I was wrong. ... At no point does Kung Fu Panda 2 lose its momentum. This film is definitely worth the effort of watching in theaters or on a big-screen TV, because of the vast visuals to behold.

Have a fine and restful weekend.