From Sony Pictures Animation, take a look at this early design of Cee-Lo Green’s “Murray the Mummy” in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA – in theaters September 21, 2012.

Welcome to the HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more – to celebrate his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (TV’s “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Star Wars: Clone Wars”), Miley Cyrus, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and David Koechner round out the voices for Columbia Pictures’ animated family comedy.

Moviegoers seeing the 3D family adventure “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” are in for a bonus reel of laughs and action with “Daffy’s Rhapsody.” The original Looney Tunes cartoon short makes its theatrical debut in tandem with the feature film release from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, opening nationwide Friday, February 10th.

In “Daffy’s Rhapsody,” a brand new escapade starring Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck, a relaxing evening at the theater turns into hunting season when Fudd is surprised by the unexpected appearance of his perpetual and ever-elusive target, Daffy. As Elmer gives chase, Daffy cleverly evades him while regaling the audience with a song that illustrates his plight—how hunters never leave him alone.

Featuring an original story and all-new animation, the short stars the voice of the late, legendary Mel Blanc in Daffy’s song, recorded in the 1950s, alongside acclaimed voice actor Billy West’s current characterization of Elmer Fudd.

Directed by Matthew O’Callaghan, it is the second in a new series of three original 3D cartoon shorts created for theatrical release, in keeping with Warner Bros. Animation’s commitment to present the Looney Tunes on the big screen as they were first enjoyed and embraced by audiences around the world.

Sam Register, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation, served as executive producer on “Daffy’s Rhapsody,” as well as the first short of the series, last year’s “I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat.” He says, “Everyone grew up loving the Looney Tunes characters, and it has been both a great honor and an enormous challenge to continue the legacy of these animation icons and introduce them to a new generation of fans. To hear the incomparable Mel Blanc voicing these characters once more is nothing short of a dream come true.”

As with “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” “Daffy’s Rhapsody” will screen in both 2D and 3D, and in IMAX where available, in theaters across the country.

All Photos: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

The now Academy Award®-nominated RANGO, from director Gore Verbinski and starring the voice of Johnny Depp, saddles up for a one week limited engagement at the ArcLight Hollywood beginning this Friday, January 27th. The original animated comedy-adventure from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies a Blind Wing/GK Films Production that takes moviegoers for a hilarious and heartfelt walk in the Wild West, was this morning nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film.

Rango is the winner of the National Board of Review and Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, while top critics’ groups around the country have declared Rango the Best Animated Film of 2011, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

The incomparable Johnny Depp voices Rango, a chameleon living as an ordinary family pet who dreams of being a fearless hero and is challenged to become just that when he inadvertently becomes the sheriff of a lawless desert town called Dirt.  Story by John Logan Gore Verbinski and James Ward Byrkit, Written by John Logan, Directed by Gore Verbinski, the visionary behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Rango delighted audiences of all ages, earning more than $230 million worldwide.  The film also features the voices of Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Ned Beatty, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone and Timothy Olyphant.

Motion capture animation and 3D appear to be the rising stars of cinema technology, both of which have the equal shares of supporters and opponents. One thing is for sure, both relatively new technologies are still within their infancy, but there are occasionally examples of the inspiring potential of this trend toward high-tech storytelling. The most current being THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, a collaborative effort of gargantuan proportion.

While many audiences may not be aware of the film’s origin, or too young to know better, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN — which happens to be the film’s official, unofficial full title — is adapted from a comic book series from the ’30s of the same name by the Belgian artist Herge, which also became an animated television series which ran 1991-1992. Sadly, I must report I have no personal knowledge or experience with either, so you will not find me referencing the source material in this review, but, by all means… seek them out as I plan to do.

With all the history behind TINTIN, it’s no wonder the film has such an all-star team of imaginative storytellers working behind the scenes to bring the adventures to a whole new audience. Directed by Steven Spielberg, who also co-produced the film alongside Peter Jackson (LORD OF THE RINGS), THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN was written by Steven Moffat, a very talented writer behind the popular BBC series SHERLOCK and DOCTOR WHO, with assistance from Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD) and Joe Cornish (ATTACK THE BLOCK). That’s a lot of creative star power, and we haven’t even introduced the cast yet.

THE ADVENTURES F TINTIN follows a clever, young report named Tintin – no, the dog is not names Tintin, that’s an entirely separate franchise – played by Jamie Bell (JUMPER). Tintin has an unquenchable curiosity, so when he happens upon a magnificent model ship, he manages to haggle a good deal. Immediately following, he finds himself the center of an immense mystery regarding that model ship, for which various unsavory and dark figures are seeking for them selves. This is where Tintin’s adventure begins, leading him to the drunken Captain Haddock, played by Andy Serkis (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES), a man with a family history crucial to the mystery of the model ship. Tintin also encounters Ivanovich Sakharine, played by Daniel Craig (CASINO ROYALE), a deviously cunning and dangerous foe seeking the secret of the model ship.

One thing you will certainly not experience during the film is sleep. THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN is non-stop action and endlessly fun. Tintin is sort of a combination of the Hardy Boys and Indiana Jones wrapped up into a small, scrappy package, always getting into a pickle but always managing to find a way out of trouble. He and his trusty Scottish terrier – I may be off slightly on the breed — are an effective investigative team, as they work with Captain Haddock and his rum-induced amnesia to recover the secret of the model ship before Sakharine figures it out himself.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN takes the audience halfway around the globe to Morocco, where the greatest excitement of the story takes place. Tintin runs into a number of interesting characters along the way, including the bumbling Thompson twin detectives, played unrecognizably by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ). Cary Elwes (THE PRINCESS BRIDE, SAW) also makes a welcome vocal cameo as the Pilot. The most awe-inspiring scene in the film occurs in Morocco, one last massive chase sequence that resembles a deadly life-sized Rube Goldberg contraption that spans an entire ancient city. This sequence is bound to have you leaning forward, even partially lifted from your seat, as Tintin repeatedly navigates through the perils of the Moroccan streets and Sakharine’s henchmen.

I’ve never had a personal grudge against motion capture, which seems a logical marriage between live acting and animation, as we move forward into new cinematic frontiers of technology. With that said, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN does a splendid job of capturing the energy and excitement of the story using motion capture, but I am also pleased to say that the film gets the 3D right as well, integrating the often intrusive and annoying technology into the entire film, still utilizing the gimmick value of the tool, but without getting in the way. The use of 3D enhances the story without causing hurdles for the film to stumble over, which is rare indeed.

John Williams has been a busy man in 2011, having scored WAR HORSE as well as THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, but the difference between the two scores is the music’s presence. In WAR HORSE, Williams’ music n unconventional backseat, but in TINTIN his work stands front and center, making itself known with all its glory and becomes, as is usually the case, a character in and of itself.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN is likely to be the most fun you’ve had in an animated family flick all year, perfectly kid friendly with plenty of visual stimulus to keep the rug rats entertained, while still creative and intelligent enough to keep adults thrilled and engaged. Personally, this is the first animated film in some time I have left the theater with an immediate desire to watch a second time.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ah, what Hollywood will do in the pursuit of family movie box office bucks. The studio executives love pre-sold properties, so for the past several years the rights to the Saturday morning superstars of yesteryear have been scooped up to attract not only the small set, but their parents who have nostalgic memories of wolfing down their sugar-blasted cereals in front of the old, glowing cathode tube babysitter. For most of these trips down memory lane, the classic characters are rendered in CGI alongside live actors, perhaps to set these new efforts apart from their limited cell animation roots. This may have begun with CASPER, who frolicked with Christina Ricci and Bill Paxton, and continued with SCOOBY DOO ( and a CGI Great Dane ), YOGI BEAR, this past Summer’s smash THE SMURFS, and now the third of the movie series, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS : CHIPWRECKED. While they might be best remembered by most adults as TV stars, the Chipmunks were created for novelty records ( now that’s really going back ). After several audio experiments, music producer/ songwriter Ross Bagdasarian ( movie trivia : he’s the lonely piano player living across from Jimmy Stewart in REAR WINDOW ) created the trio for the recording ” The Chipmunk Song” AKA ” Christmas Don’t Be Late “. Not only did Bagdasarian provide the voices of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, but he become the character David Seville, the human manager / father figure to the child-like rodents. This prompted several more best-selling record albums and eventually a CBS prime time animated series ( produced by Format Films ), ” The Alvin Show “. A few more albums followed until they drifted into pop culture limbo after the death of Bagdasarian in 1972. In the early eighties son Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. revived the group with new versions of pop tunes and returned them to Saturday mornings on NBC with a new series in 1983 ( this time produced by Ruby-Spears and later DIC ). The trio invaded home video with a series of original animated films and jumped to cinemas in 2007 with the live action/ CGI hybrid ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS. A follow-up in 2009, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS : THE SQUEAKQUEL introduced moviegoers to the trio’s female counterparts : Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor. Both flicks were box office bonanzas, so here’s the film that hopes to pull off the old franchise hat trick.

Well. what did they come up with for this new movie adventure? Let’s send ‘em on vacation! On a high seas cruise to be exact. Dave Seville ( Jason Lee ) takes the chipmunks and chipettes on a nautical excursion before they perform on the International Music Awards show. This will be a perfect opportunity for ole’ Dave to sooth his jangled nerves. But with that hellion Alvin leading the group there’s little chance of any relaxation for Mr. S! Dave soon earns the ire of the ship’s captain and the intrusive ship mascot who turns out to be the villain from the previous films, Ian ( David Cross ) former music producer now reduced to wearing a cumbersome pelican costume. An incident with a kite sends the ‘munks flying off the boat. Dave and Ian grab a paraglider, but soon are adrift at sea. The six castaways land on an island that turns out not to be deserted. There’s a loopy delivery woman named Zoe ( Jenny Slate ) who helps them. The island provides more than just survival challenges for the title trio. The more immature Theodore is still traumatized by a monster flick he watched in their cabin on the ship. A spider bite turns the usually timid Simon into a reckless, French-accented daredevil who makes Jeanette swoon. And the usually irresponsible Alvin must take charge as a looming volcano threatens to erupt. Will they be re-united with Dave ( and Ian ) and return to civilization in time for the big award show. And what’s the secret behind the waterfall?

These little critters may just have overstayed their time at the multiplex with this uninspired ( well, with a bit of inspiration from CASTAWAY and TV’s ” Survivor “, ” Lost “, and ” Gilligan’s Island ” ) romp. The chipmunks are just not complex enough to warrant a third film. Theo’s the pudgy baby, Simon’s the timid brainiac, and Alvin’s the wild card. Their main gimmick ( squeaky, sped-up voices ) grows tiresome quickly. I could only understand have of the vocals on their takes on pop tunes ( luckily there’s only one ” chip-rap ” number ). Some name actors supply the voices, but sound nearly alike ( I can’t tell you which chipette is Christina Applegate, Anna Faris, or Amy Poehler ). The CGI animation of them is serviceable, but in most of the action scenes they bounce around like little furry rubber balls ( I’m so glad we were spared 3D on this one ). Their live human co-stars don’t fare much better. Lee and Cross have shown their impressive comedy skills on TV ( in ” My Name is Earl ” and ” Arrested Development ” ), but here the must struggle through some poorly scripted bits of clumsy slapstick. It was a surprise seeing the gifted SNL vet Slate involved, but she can’t turn this into comic gold. Even the biggest baby boomer and Gen X fans ( now parents ) will be checking their time pieces as this film plods along. With much superior family films still in theatres ( THE MUPPETS, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS, and the magical HUGO ), there’s no need to board this sinking ship. The old ” it’s just a kids’ movie” excuse should not give a free pass to mediocre movies.

Overall Rating: One Out of Five Stars

Well, Harold and Kumar have already taken their 3D shot at Christmas, so it’s time for another 3D flick that hopes to become a holiday viewing tradition. Unlike those two ‘buds’, this one is made for all ages. And it’s animated, but ARTHUR CHRISTMAS is a co-production between Sony Animation and those fine folks from across the pond, Aardman Studios ( the Wallace and Grommit folks ), so it’s got some of that dry British humor which will appeal to the grown-ups . This film follows in the tradition of many holiday flick in that it wants to give you the real low-down on how Saint Nick makes his rounds ( this what THE SANTA CLAUSE , SANTA CLAUS THE MOVIE, and FRED CLAUS all purported to reveal ).

The film opens up on the Claus family’s busiest night of the year. We get to see an entire village serviced by Santa and countless elves. They zip in on a spaceship ( the massive S-1 ) and, like a cross between super-secret agents and wily ninjas they enter homes, disable alarms, and distribute the presents, all without getting detected ( they collect the snacks left for Santa and his reindeer and turn them into bio-fuel for the S-1 ). The slighty befuddled Santa ( Jim Broadbent ) wouldn’t get the job done without the high-tech mission control back at the North Pole  run with precision by the next in line to be Santa, oldest son Steve ( Hugh Laurie ). Oh, and in his own tiny office ( decorated with all manner of Santa stuff ) is his younger brother Arthur ( James McAvoy ), who’s in charge of answering all the letters to Santa. The big man in the big spaceship finally returns ro home base : mission accomplished. Everyone is pleased except Arthur! It turns out that a present didn’t make it on to the ship. Santa and Steve shrug it off-they’ll just ship the gift to the little girl and she’ll get it in a few days. Arthur will not stand for this. There’s a few hours before dawn breaks on the girl’s Cornwall village, so Arthur, with the aid of the retired Grandsanta ( Bill Nighy ) and his old sled Evie ( and reindeer ) embarks on a race against the clock to insure that every child has a very merry Christmas.

The film begins with a bang with the history of the Santa line ( the current one is seventeen ) , then quickly cuts to the elves leaving the S-1 I ( in invisible stealth mode ) and zipping down ropes onto the homes. This sequence is like Bond or Mission: Impossible times a hundred! McAvoy is wonderfully innocent and ernest as the son that just wants to make sure that all the kids are happy. In this film Laurie sounds closer to one of his upper-class twits in ” Black Adder” than Dr. Gregory House. Steve is quite full of himself and has his own Santa suit already whipped up ( a great gag ). Broadbent is terrific as the slightly out of it Santa. It’s a good thing Mrs. Claus ( Imelda Staunton ) is there to keep him focused. The best present here is Nighy as the crotchety, surly Grandsanta he really dislikes all these new fangled gizmos.  Some of his lines are true politically incorrect gems. The character designs are very pleasant and creative ( all those elves! ) and the 3D works well with the bright designs and backgrounds. The film tends to sag a bit when Arhtur’s on his journey, but everything leads up to a rousing and sentimental finale.  A warning : the film is preceeded by a music video of Justin Biebers version of a classic holiday tune. Talk about your lump of coal! Ah, back to the main event-ARTHUR CHRISTMAS  is a tasty holiday treat that has a smart funny script that will keep parents amused while the tykes are enthralled.

Overall Rating : Three and a Half Out of Five Stars

I was more than a little surprised by the animated film A CAT IN PARIS. From the stills I expected a sweet little cartoon cat zipping up the Eiffel Tower after dashing through a sidewalk bistro. It turns out that this films owes more to THAT DARN CAT than THE ARISTOCATS. We get a sweet little story about a cute young girl and her kitty with elements of a sleek crime thriller. The film starts with a figure leaping from rooftop to rooftop under moonlit skies. Nico the cat burglar strikes again accompanied by his feline pal, Dino. After they’ve returned to his home with a bagful of stolen jewels, the two part ways. Dino returns to Zoe who lives with her widowed police superintendent Mom and housekeeper. Mother is busy with these night-time robberies and pursuing Victor the crime kingpin who murdered her policeman hubby ( which caused Zoe to stop speaking ). Soon their worlds will collide in a wild chase through the streets of Paris ( including a zoo and cathedral ).

The film resembles a children’s storybook come to life with the rounded characters rendered in the style of pastel and colored pencil drawings. No CGI stuff on display here. Their faces are basic, simple shapes with long, sharp noses and tiny eyes. Backgrounds are blocky box shapes for the cityscapes and loosely detailed shrubbery. Some of the violent gunplay, mild cursing, suspenseful pursuits, and stories of ” dead daddies ” may upset the very youngest film goers. And the English dubbing is a bit clumsy at times. But there’s some great gags and terrific hand drawn animation work on display here, so a trip to the city of lights with Dino the cat is a pleasant, diverting little cartoon getaway

Showtimes

Saturday, November 12th at 1:00pm – Wildey Theatre

Sunday, November 20th at 12:00pm – Washington U. /Brown

CHICO AND RITA is a dazzling, musical feature-length animated film that uses many modern techniques while harkening back to a time, not too long ago, when American studios flirted with the idea of animation geared to more adult stories. Now this is not to say that the great Pixar films don’t have adult themes but their  finished stories are “kid-friendly”. Forty years ago Ralph Bakshi was heading the charge for movie cartoons to compete for mature audiences. As Fritz the Cat said in the ads, ” I’m X-rated and animated! “. Soon Bakshi’s  toned down th more extreme elements in his features ( ending his run with WIZARDS, AMERICAN POP, and his take on Tolkein ) while other studios explored the territory with WATERSHIP DOWN and HEAVY METAL. American audiences never embraced these as they did in Asia and Europe. With C&R the artists are tackling an old fashioned show biz rags to riches love story ( having just seen the new BluRay release I was reminded of NEW YORK,NEW YORK ) and giving it some animated energy to go with that bouncy Latin beat.

The film begins in modern day Havana as Chico, an old shoe shine man, returns to his simple apartment. He tunes in his battered radio to a classic music station and listens to one of his old melodies. His mind flashes back to 1948. Then he was a promising young jazz pianist who, along with his bandmate Ramon, are giving two American “chicas ’ a whirlwind tour of Cuban hot spots. When they enter a small  nightclub, Chico is stunned by the talent and beauty of a young singer named Rita. Over the next few years the two form a professional and personal partnership. They make great music, fight, break-up, reunite, and pursue their dreams. Eventually they separate and Chico travels to New York, Las Vegas, and Hollywood to be with his dream girl as her star quickly rises.

The story is told primarily through the medium of hand-drawn 2-D animation ( as opposed to the CGI molded stars like Shrek ). The human characters are simply designed with a minimum of details and linework. Like a live-action film the camera does zoom in slowly on them for dramatic effect. Now, this is not to say that computers were not used here, The intricate background drawings are separated into levels and given a rounded quality as are the gorgeous vintage autos. This is very effective as the principals race through those sixty year old neon streets. Caricature is also used to establish the settings. We get to hear and see several musical greats from Woody Herman to Charlie Parker to Nat King Cole ( is that Desi Arnaz singing at a funeral? ). During a fantasy dream sequence  Rita’s  dancing with Astaire and romanced by Bogart. As I stated earlier this is really an adult story. There’s some rough language, drug use, smoking, full nudity, and a mob-style shoot out. We even get a bit of history with the Cuban revolution and segregation ( the two leads are dark-skinned Cubans ). This film is a treat for the eyes and ears that doesn’t forget the heart.

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Showtimes

Friday, November 11th at 9:00pm – Wildey Theatre

Friday, November 18th at 9:30pm – Tivoli Theatre

Check out all the latest photos and featurette from Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure HAPPY FEET TWO. You can catch it in RealD 3D, IMAX 3D and 2D in select theaters on Friday, November 18

The sequel to HAPPY FEET, the Academy Award®-winning animated smash hit, HAPPY FEET TWO returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica in superb 3D.

Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven – a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model.

But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces.

Erik learns of his father’s guts and grit as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures – from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals – to put things right.

(3rd from left) Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD; and (right) Bryan the Beachmaster, voiced by RICHARD CARTER, with two Elephant Seals, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Ramon (center), voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS, stands between (back l-r) Nestor, voiced by CARLOS ALAZRAQUI; Lombardo, voiced by JOHNNY SANCHEZ III; Rinaldo, voiced by JEFF GARCIA; and Raul, voiced by LOMBARDO BOYAR; and (front l-r) Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR.; Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES and Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD; and Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Bill the Krill, voiced by MATT DAMON, and Will the Krill, voiced by BRAD PITT, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Will the Krill, voiced by BRAD PITT; and Bill the Krill, voiced by MATT DAMON, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) The Mighty Sven, voiced by HANK AZARIA; and Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES (background), and Will the Krill, voiced by BRAD PITT (foreground), in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Director GEORGE MILLER, during the making of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

ELIJAH WOOD, voice of Mumble, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

ELIJAH WOOD, voice of Mumble, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., voice of Atticus, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., voice of Atticus, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

HUGO WEAVING, voice of Noah The Elder, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Noah The Elder, voiced by HUGO WEAVING, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

HUGO WEAVING, voice of Noah The Elder, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

BRAD PITT, voice of Will the Krill, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Bob Marshak

(Top to bottom) Will the Krill, voiced by BRAD PITT; and Bill the Krill, voiced by MATT DAMON, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

BRAD PITT, voice of Will the Krill, and MATT DAMON, voice of Bill the Krill, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

MATT DAMON, voice of Bill the Krill, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

COMMON, voice of Seymour, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Seymour, voiced by COMMON, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

COMMON, voice of Seymour, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

ROBIN WILLIAMS, voice of Ramon and Lovelace, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Lovelace, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Ramon, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

ROBIN WILLIAMS, voice of Ramon and Lovelace, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

HANK AZARIA, voice of The Mighty Sven in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Mighty Sven, voiced by HANK AZARIA, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

HANK AZARIA, voice of The Mighty Sven in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

ALECIA MOORE (P!NK), voice of Gloria in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Gloria, voiced by ALECIA MOORE (P!NK), in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(Center) Ramon, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(Center) Carmen, voiced by SOFIA VERGARA, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Carmen, voiced by SOFIA VERGARA; and Ramon, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r from center) Raul, voiced by LOMBARDO BOYAR; The Mighty Sven, voiced by HANK AZARIA, Ramon, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS; Nestor, voiced by CARLOS ALAZRAQUI; and Rinaldo, voiced by JEFF GARCIA, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(Center) Lovelace, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS, and (far right l-r) Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL, and Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(Center) The Mighty Sven, voiced by HANK AZARIA, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Miss Viola, voiced by MAGDA SZUBANSKI, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR.; and Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Gloria, voiced by ALECIA MOORE (P!NK), in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Gloria, voiced by ALECIA MOORE (P!NK), in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

 (L-r) Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD; and Gloria, voiced by ALECIA MOORE (P!NK), in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL; Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES; Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD; and Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL (center), with two Baby Emperor Penguins, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD; and Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Carmen, voiced by SOFIA VERGARA; and Ramon, voiced by ROBIN WILLIAMS, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL; Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES; and Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD; Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL; Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES; and Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR.; Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES; and Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Bo, voiced by MEIBH CAMPBELL; Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES; and Atticus, voiced by BENJAMIN “LIL P-NUT” FLORES JR., in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Erik, voiced by AVA ACRES in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

(L-r) Gloria, voiced by ALECIA MOORE (P!NK); and Mumble, voiced by ELIJAH WOOD, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ animated family comedy adventure “HAPPY FEET TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

HAPPY FEET TWO is directed by George Miller, who won an Oscar® as the creator of the original “Happy Feet.” The film features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Alecia Moore (P!nk), Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Richard Carter, Magda Szubanski, Anthony LaPaglia and Benjamin “Lil P-Nut” Flores, Jr.

George Miller co-wrote the screenplay with Gary Eck, Warren Coleman and Paul Livingston. Miller is also producing the film, along with Doug Mitchell and Bill Miller. Chris deFaria, Philip Hearnshaw, Graham Burke and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers. The cinematographer is David Peers and the animation director is Rob Coleman. The film features vocals by P!nk, with music by John Powell.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy Miller Mitchell production, with Dr. D. Studios, a George Miller film, “Happy Feet Two.” The film will be presented in RealD 3D and IMAX 3D, and also in 2D. It has been rated PG for “rude humor and mild peril.”

www.happyfeettwo.com

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If I read RULE SEVEN: SPECIAL RULES FOR THE ANIMATED FEATURE FILM AWARD correctly, they’ll be 5 Nominations for Best Animated Feature:

In any year in which 8 to 12 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, either 2 or 3 motion pictures may be nominated. In any year in which 13 to 15 films are released, a maximum of 4 motion pictures may be nominated. In any year in which 16 or more animated features are released, a maximum of 5 motion pictures may be nominated.

Which of the 18 listed below was your favorite?

Press Release:

Beverly Hills, CA – Eighteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The 18 submitted features are:

“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Alois Nebel”
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Cars 2″
“A Cat in Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Gnomeo & Juliet”
“Happy Feet Two”
“Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil”
“Kung Fu Panda 2″
“Mars Needs Moms”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
“Rio”
“The Smurfs”
“Winnie the Pooh”
“Wrinkles”

Several of the films listed have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying runs. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and meet all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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In DreamWorks Animation’s latest animated outing, we are introduced to the world of PUSS IN BOOTS populated by some eyebrow-raising nursery rhyme characters. A back story to the little wide-eyed cat we met in SHREK 2, the film opens with the newly-orphaned Puss, growing up in the small village of San Ricardo. He later befriends a somewhat twisted and oval shaped guy – Humpty Alexander Dumpty. Puss continually listens to Humpty’s lofty dreams and plans, but at the end of the day, he’s just an egg who’s better at rolling than walking. Ultimately Humpty doesn’t have the means to really accomplish any of his goals. Director Chris Miller shows us an egg who was picked on and a bit of an outsider, and Puss protected him and always stood up for him. Humpty is the dreamer and Puss is helping him realize his dreams.

They both have a simple dream of leaving the orphanage for a better life – all they need is a few magic beans to grow into a beanstalk so they can steal a fabled goose that lays golden eggs from a giant’s castle in the clouds. Easy-peasy. The continual childhood search for the fabled beans turns up nothing, ending the childish dreams and the friendship of the cat and the egg.

It isn’t long before the cat of action finds his true calling, when he selflessly rescues a woman from the path of a charging bull. San Ricardo quickly bestows the title of hero to Puss, which earns him his debonair hat and legendary boots (meant to stand for truth, honor and courage) – thus becoming El Gato con Botas! When Puss agrees to help a jealous Humpty in a plan all in the name of saving their friendship, the two are set on separate paths with quite different goals. Puss becomes a presumed traitor to his village and everyone who trusted him, while Humpty becomes a bad egg, whose childhood dreams turn to thoughts of personal gain and revenge.

After their separation, Humpty comes back into Puss’ life, when he finally finds a way to make their childhood dream of finding the magic beans come true. He’s planned it out, but he needs Puss’ help to execute it. However, it’s also going to be a three man (cat, egg, cat) job and that’s where the greatest thief in all of Old Spain is introduced – Kitty Softpaws.

After Puss finds himself confronted by a masked opponent, he tracks his rival to a “cats only” cantina, intending to challenge the sly feline. The house rules dictate that on Tuesday, fights are restricted to dance challenges, so our hero and the still-masked adversary engage in a free-for-all dance-off, much to the delight of the all cat audience. The scene works due to the clever choreography, which humorously blends everything from flamenco, to Latin ballroom, to contemporary, from Laura Gorenstein Miller, founder, choreographer and artistic director of the Los Angeles-based modern dance troupe, Helios Dance Theater.

Part of the problem with Humpty’s plan to obtain the beans and eventually get rich is that there is someone out there who wants the beans as much as he – in fact, there are two who stand in the way of Humpty’s dream – an ornery pair of husband-and-wife bandits known as Jack and Jill, played with grit and gusto by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. As with the general filmmaker blueprint for fairy tale revisionism, this is not your nursery rhyme duo who “went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.” They are big, mean and out for themselves, which naturally makes them perfect for a life of crime.

This amazing fairy tale race to find the confounded golden goose leads them to discover that this goose is a mom with a gosling. The precarious travels lead the trio to realize that “wanting” isn’t always such a pleasing thing as “having,” with Humpty learning the lesson that it’s not too late to change the course of his life – even he deserves a second chance.

The two fanciful scenes that’ll leave you purrin’ are the wagon chase and swirling, growing beanstalk. Production designer Guillaume Aretos’ minute details are rich in depth and scale – it’s lovely to watch these tiny characters wondering at the universe as they rise into the cloudy heavens of the giants. With the advantageous use of 3D, visual effects supervisor Ken Bielenberg is able to capture some energetic moments especially in the stagecoach heist. Puss in Boots, Kitty and Humpty attempt to steal the magic beans right out from under the noses of criminals Jack and Jill…while all are traveling at breakneck speed on a stagecoach. There’s a lot of action in these scenes. Executive producer Guillermo del Toro influences can be felt throughout this colorful, stylized world filled with big symbolic shadowing. It’s the feel of an old spaghetti Western, bordering Sergio Leone, that really suits PUSS IN BOOTS – even down to editor Eric Dapkewicz’s use of the split screens.

The audience could totally believe this strong, adventurous cat in an Indiana Jones, 007, or even (wink) in a Zorro role. Antonio Banderas and Puss have become interchangeable – they’ve become one and the same. You can’t have one without the other. Salma Hayek’s “Kitty Softpaws” is a strong, independent, funny cat – her sultry voice brings many attributes to the “femme fatale” feline. The villainous Humpty Alexander Dumpty is played by Zach Galifianakis with a sly wit and charm – right down to his thinly pursed lips. There’s a lot more depth to his vulnerability beyond the king’s men putting him back together.

Henry Jackman (MONSTERS VS ALIENS) has composed a score scattered with flourishes of classical and flamenco music throughout. A beautiful homage to the genre that reinvigorated the American Western is the end result. Instead of the staid, sobering nursery rhymes, director Chris Miller (SHREK THE THIRD) delivers a magical twist on the fairy tale genre. PUSS IN BOOTS is epically romantic, with a great heart!

4 out of 5 stars

The film is rated “PG” for some adventure action and mild rude humor.

“Beauty and the Beast,” “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc.”
and “The Little Mermaid” Will Make 3D
Theatrical Debut in 2012 and 2013

BURBANK, Calif. – October 4, 2011 – On the heels of the phenomenal success of The Lion King 3D – which will cross the $80 million mark at the domestic box office today – The Walt Disney Studios has announced limited theatrical engagements for four of its classic films for the first time in 3D. The following titles from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios will be released in 2012 and 2013:

* Beauty and the Beast – January 13, 2012
* Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo – September 14, 2012
* Disney•Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. – January 18, 2013 (Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, arrives in theaters in Disney Digital 3D on June 21, 2013)
* The Little Mermaid – September 13, 2013

“Great stories and great characters are timeless, and at Disney we’re fortunate to have a treasure trove of both,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “We’re thrilled to give audiences of all ages the chance to experience these beloved tales in an exciting new way with 3D – and in the case of younger generations, for the first time on the big screen.”

Originally released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast is a classic “tale as old as time” that follows the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman imprisoned in the castle of a mysterious beast and his enchanted staff, who must learn the most important lesson of all – that true beauty comes from within. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film ever nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture, earning an additional five Oscar® nominations and winning two. It has grossed $380.4 million worldwide.

First released in 2003, Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo takes audiences into a whole new world in this undersea adventure about family, courage and challenges. When Marlin, an overly cautious clownfish living in the Great Barrier Reef, helplessly watches his son get scooped up by a diver, he must put aside his fears of the ocean and leave the safety of his coral enclave to find Nemo. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory, a forgetful but relentlessly optimistic fish, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero in a seemingly impossible land-and-sea rescue. Finding Nemo won an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for three others. With a total of $867.6 million worldwide, it was the second highest-grossing film of 2003.

In 2001, Disney•Pixar released Monsters, Inc. Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. But when a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it’s up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home. Monsters, Inc. shattered every DVD-era home entertainment sales record when 11 million DVD/VHS copies were sold during its first week of release. It won an Academy Award® for Best Song and has grossed $526.9 million worldwide.

Released in 1989, The Little Mermaid, stars Ariel, a fun-loving and mischievous mermaid, off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder, and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true and save her father’s beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula. One of the most celebrated animated films of all time, The Little Mermaid was nominated for three Academy Awards®, winning two. It has grossed $228.9 million worldwide.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel; and Touchstone Pictures, which includes the distribution of live-action films from DreamWorks Studios. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced under Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE!. For more information, visit www.waltdisneystudios.com.

Beverly Hills, CA – The lasting influence of Disney artist Mary Blair will be celebrated through an examination of her concept artwork for “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan” in the 1950s during “Mary Blair’s World of Color: A Centennial Tribute,” the latest installment of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Marc Davis Celebration of Animation, on Thursday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Several of today’s top animation talents will discuss Blair’s work as an artist and stylist and will also demonstrate how her work has influenced their own. The panel will be moderated by animation critic and film historian Charles Solomon.

Blair’s unmistakably bold and colorful designs continue to inspire artists in all areas of animation today. Her unique and lasting impact on animation continues to this day, though Blair is best known for her design of Disneyland’s “it’s a small world” attraction, which she worked on with legendary animator Marc Davis, for whom the lecture series is named, and his wife Disney Imagineer Alice Davis.

Panelists for the evening include:

Pete Docter, whose Oscar nominations include Original Screenplay for “Toy Story,” “WALL-E” and “Up,” Animated Feature film for “Monsters, Inc.” and Animated Short Film for “Mike’s New Car,” received the 2009 Oscar for Animated Feature Film for “Up.”

Mike Giaimo, who served as a character designer on “The Brave Little Toaster” and “FernGully: The Last Rainforest,” was the art director on “Pocahontas” and a visual development artist on “Home on the Range.”

Eric Goldberg, who served as the supervising animator for the Genie in “Aladdin,” Phil in “Hercules” and Rabbit in “Winnie the Pooh,” was the co-director of “Pocahontas” as well as the director of the “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Carnival of the Animals” segments of “Fantasia/2000.”

Susan Goldberg, who served as an assistant animator on “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Hercules,” was the art director on the “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Carnival of the Animals” sequences in “Fantasia/2000.”
Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, the lead color key artist on “Robots” and the lead color designer on “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” was the art director on “Toy Story 3.”

Following the program, attendees will be able to view a selection of original works by Blair.

The Marc Davis Lecture on Animation was established in 1994 to provide a forum for established film animators and other experts in the craft to share their experiences as well as explore with their colleagues the challenges of creating animation for the screen. The lecture is named in honor of the man who gave life to characters as diverse as Brer Rabbit, the beautiful Cinderella, Alice (of Wonderland fame), Tinkerbell, and the delightfully wicked Maleficent and Cruella De Vil.

Tickets for “Mary Blair’s World of Color: A Centennial Tribute” will go on sale Monday, October 3. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the program when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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Photos Courtesy of A.M.P.A.S

How do you take a hand-drawn animated Disney classic like THE LION KING and turn it into a 3D masterpiece? With the theatrical release on September 16th and on Disney Blu-ray, Hi-Def and Blu-ray 3D on October 4th, Disney Stereographer Robert Neuman provides some insight on what a stereographer does (responsible for all 3D aspects of cinematography on the film) & the process involved and for some insight on why Disney chose to convert THE LION KING to 3D.

How long has 3D cinema been around?

We all know that 2D cinema has a rich history spanning more than a century, but 3D cinema has been around much longer than most people think. Back in the 1930s, the Lumiere brothers - who invented film - remade one of their features in 3D. They were convinced that 3D was going to be the next evolution in storytelling, but it didn’t catch on in that period of history. This means that 3D cinema has been around for nearly 80 years, but thankfully we’ve now gone past the gimmick stage. Today we’re ready to use 3D in order to tell a better story.

What does 3D add to an animated movie like The Lion King?

From my standpoint as a filmmaker, the most important aspect of a movie is the story. I knew we could add something to the storytelling of The Lion King with 3D. If we couldn’t use 3D to enhance the story, I wouldn’t be interested in the project. However, I knew we could take a classic and plus it – and I think that’s exactly what we’ve done with The Lion King 3D.

What does the job of Stereographer entail?

As Stereographer on The Lion King 3D, I’m responsible for all of the 3D aspects of cinematography. I designed the 3D look of the film, which involved working out how the characters were going to look in 3D, as well as what was going to move back into the screen and what was going to come out of the screen when you watch it in 3D. I also had to come up with a way to use depth to enhance the storytelling, which was of paramount importance.

How do you use depth as a storytelling tool?

The way I approach depth on the movie is to create a depth score, which is a similar process to the way that a film composer creates a musical score. A film composer uses the rises and falls of the score to echo the emotional content of the film. I try to do the same thing with depth in the movie.

How did you achieve that with The Lion King?

To do this with depth, I created a chart by going over the story of the film. I quantified the chart from a scale of one to ten. At a level of one would be a scene that has very low emotional content, for example an expositional scene. At a level of ten would be a big emotional moment in the movie, a big action sequence or a climatic action point. The chart is called my “depth script.”

What do you do with the depth script?

I equate stereoscopic depth to emotional depth. In other words, the shots in the depth script with a value of one get the minimum amount of depth. We’d pull out all the stops on shots with a value of ten by using as much depth as possible. Additionally, if there’s a scene where we’re supposed to feel detached from a character, then I put the character further back into the background. If we’re supposed to feel connected to a character, I bring them further forward. In this way, we’re not using 3D randomly. We’re using 3D as part of the narrative.

Is a Stereographer responsible for anything else in a movie?

I also spend a lot of time researching viewer comfort. There have been plenty of 3D movies that don’t consider viewing comfort when they are made. They don’t maintain depth continuity to ensure a great viewing experience, but that was extremely important to us. I wanted to make sure that the viewer would be comfortable and that their eyes aren’t strained when they watch the action in 3D.

How large was the team that worked on the conversion of The Lion King?

A team of 60 artists worked on the project, alongside four Sequence Supervisors and myself, the Stereoscopic Supervisor. We divided the artists up into teams that would take on one sequence at a time. That way, we were able to ensure there was 3D continuity within that sequence.

How long did it take to convert the movie into 3D?

It took four months to complete the conversion. It was extremely challenging and a very busy four months, but we got there in the end. We couldn’t be more proud of the outcome.

What was the first step in the conversion process?

At the onset, our technology team had to de-archive the original movie. The Lion King was one of the first features created with a pioneering digital ink and paint system that Disney developed called CAPS. Before that, everything had been painted by hand and was photographed on multi-plane cameras. The technology team had to convert the old system into images that we could use. Once we had the images, we could start the conversion.

The original film image.

The 3D Depth Map created by Robert Neuman, the 3D Stereographer on the film. Positive numbers refer to the amount of pixels the image will come out of the screen and negative numbers refer to the amount of pixels the image will go deeper into the screen, creating the 3D depth.

Grey Scale – The final image in the computer representation of depth. Darker images will be furthest away, and lighter images will be closer to the viewer.

What was the most difficult scene to convert into 3D?

The wildebeest stampede was very difficult. There were a lot of effects elements in that sequence and there was an entire herd of wildebeest to deal with. We also discovered that some of the movie’s characters were more difficult than others. The idiosyncrasies of the design of the bird Zazu were challenging because he has very angular features in his beak, wings and tail. Angular details are more difficult to work with in comparison to the more rounded features of other characters, such as Simba or Mufasa. That was certainly a challenge, too.

Is the same 3D version used in theaters and on Blu-Ray?

It’s basically the same version; although we slide everything back a little for Blu-Ray because a television screen isn’t as big as a movie theater screen. We take the final images and slide them along by a few pixels. But other than that, everything is identical.

How much input did the original filmmakers have into the 3D version?

One of the great things about working on this project was the fact that we had access to the original filmmakers. The input we were able to get from the original directors, Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, and the producer, Don Hahn, was extremely reassuring. It was great to make sure that what we were implementing was their vision.

Why did Disney decide to convert The Lion King into 3D?

Why do this with such a great, classic film? In creating this 3D version, we’re creating a whole new art form, a whole new medium. You have all of the charm and the energy of the hand-drawn line that the original artists put down on paper, but there’s a tangibility that you usually only get out of something that has more dimensional framework. Let me give you an example – It feels like you can touch the characters in Toy Story because they’re starting from this truly dimensional framework. The Lion King 3D has the same characteristics. It has this tangibility, charm and, in my eyes, it has become a distinct form of animation. Even if you’ve seen the movie a hundred times, you’ll feel like you’re seeing it for the first time when you see it in 3D.

Will we see more classic Disney animations in 3D?

It’s certainly a possibility, but nothing has been decided yet. We have the technology available, but there are no specific plans to do anything else right now. Personally, I think it would be amazing to see something as vintage as Snow White come to life in 3D. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it happens one day soon - and that I get the opportunity to work on it.

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Official website: http://disney.com/TheLionKing

DISNEY-PIXAR’S “CARS 2″ IS OFF TO THE RACES

Lightning McQueen Takes on 10 Global Champions in the First-Ever World Grand Prix to Determine the World’s Fastest Car

Who’s the fastest car in the world?

If you said Lightning McQueen – you’re not alone. As a four-time Piston Cup-winner, number 95 is a real contender. But can the American compete against international champs like Formula Racer Francesco Bernoulli – the favorite according to racing experts - (and Bernoulli himself)? And don’t forget Lewis Hamilton, the young, but incredibly talented yellow and black GTS car; Jeff Gorvette, the classic, all-American GTS master; and Carla Veloso, the tough Brazilian whose record speaks for itself – they have the guts to give the veterans a run for the title of world’s  fastest car.

Indeed, that title is what’s up for grabs in the first ever World Grand Prix – a race created by Sir Miles Axlerod, the infamous oil-baron-turned-environmentalist whose wonder-fuel Allinol will be the sole fuel allowed in the three-country race. Some say the race is merely an exhibition for Axlerod’s clean-burning fuel – but even if it is, the World Grand Prix has drawn the world’s top competitors and is already shaping up to be the race among races. What’s not to like? This race kicks off at night in Tokyo, Japan, cruises through breathtaking Porto Corsa, Italy, with a grand finale through the streets of London.

THE LINE-UP

- Lightning McQueen, #95, USA. Four-time Piston Cup-winner and Hudson Hornet protege says he’s not afraid of international competition.

- Francesco Bernoulli, #1, Italy. The Formula Racer champion is by far the most popular race car in Europe “if not the world”and has little doubt he’ll take the World Grand Prix, too.

- Lewis Hamilton, #2, Great Britain. The young Grand Touring Sports champion is a winner inside and out with unrivaled technical skills and a natural speed ability—but his achievements on the track speak for themselves.

- Max Schnell, #4, Germany. The carbon fiber convert has won more races at Motorheimring than any other World Torque Champion League car in history.

- Miguel Camino, #5, Spain. A veteran of the Running of the Bulldozers, he’s a fierce competitor on the Grand Touring Sport racing circuit, too.

- Raoul ÇaRoule, #6, France. “World’s Greatest Rally Car” – the first car to ever win nine consecutive rallies will dominate on the dirt sections.

- Shu Todoroki, #7, Japan. The Le Motor Prototype and champion of the Suzuka Circuit sports a fiery red Ka-Riu dragon that some say might intimidate the competition.

- Carla Veloso, #8, Brazil. Le Motor Prototype racer with a powerful Brazilian spirit who’s seen success in Europe’s 24-hour endurance racing team.

- Nigel Gearsley, #9, England. The Aston Martin DB9R racer who’s won nearly every start in the Grand Touring Sports circuit, including a string of podiums at Nurburgring and Le Mans.

- Rip Clutchgoneski, #10, Republic of New Rearendia. The Cinderella story of the competition just might put his country on the map.

-Jeff Gorvette, #24, USA. A master of the Grand Touring Sports circuits, his numerous championships make him a respected competitor – and legitimate threat.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Orchestrating a race the size and scope of the World Grand Prix isn’t easy. Fortunately, there was a team at Pixar Animation Studios that was up for the task. Director John Lasseter drove the effort, having experienced the Spanish Grand Prix during the CARS publicity tour. The experience opened his eyes to the power of the sport, particularly outside the U.S. Says CARS franchise guardian Jay Ward, “What people around the world love is formula style racing: open-wheeled, high horsepower, left-right-turn- Chicane-technical-course-type competition.”

Enter characters like Francesco Bernoulli’s a star racecar with a worldwide following. He’s his own number one fan. “Francesco is a fun character,” says producer Denise Ream. “He has a lot of personality and a very high opinion of himself. The interaction between Lightning McQueen and Francesco is fun and entertaining throughout the movie.”

“This guy is so funny,” says Lasseter of Francesco. “He is so full of himself, he’s an open-wheel car and in the car world, an open-wheel car is like those guys who barely button their shirts. He talks about himself in the third person. He’s so much fun. Voicing Francesco Bernoulli is John Turturro and he hit it out of the park. It’s one of the most entertaining characters we’ve ever created.”

Adds Ream, “I really look forward to watching Francesco’s scenes – maybe it’s because I have John Turturro in my mind when I’m watching it, because he is really funny. But I think the character’s going to be incredibly popular.”

Ream had the opportunity to work with a real Formula 1 driver when Lewis Hamilton was tapped for the film. Hamilton was hands on when it came to designing his CARS 2 car. “He was very particular about what he wanted,” she says. “His emblem combines the Union Jack and the flag of Grenada – which is on his actual helmet. He wanted the car to be black with yellow pinstriping, and he picked the wheels. We had a great time sending pictures back and forth and sharing notes.”

THE RACE IS ON

The team behind CARS 2 wanted to get the world’s newest event for racing enthusiasts “the World Grand Prix” just right – even if it meant traveling to some of the greatest race sites and races in the world, hanging out in the pits and riding in a racecar or two. Lasseter and co-director Brad Lewis took a trip in September 2007. “We flew into Italy,” says Lewis. “We stayed in Modena and went to the Ferrari factory and spent a day or two there. Then John and I drove over to Milan and we went to Monza and saw the Italian Grand Prix.”

But that was just the beginning of what would be several adventures. “John insisted that we do extensive research,” says Ream. “We’ve done quite a few research trips, perhaps more than any other film. We went to the Jim Russell driving school in Sears Point – we took the animation department. That was a lot of fun. I also got to go to the Monaco Grand Prix, which was pretty spectacular.”

Several members of the Pixar team took part in Monaco’s Grand Prix practice and qualifying events. “Monaco is the most famous street grand prix Formula 1 racing track in the world,” says Lewis. “It was important for everybody to experience a high-end Formula 1 race.”

“On the way to Monaco, we stopped in Torino,” says production designer Harley Jessup. “We went to the Fiat track there and they brought out a great collection of cars that that we got to ride in with their driver – going 150 miles per hour. It was really fun.”

When it came time to decide just who would race in the World Grand Prix, filmmakers had a lot to consider. “In order for this to be a true international racing decathlon,” says Lewis, “we knew we wanted the best athletes from all the different racing disciplines. But we couldn’t have a cast of thousands and there are lots of different racing forms. So we decided to take a singular champion from the major racing forms.”

They subsequently created their version of the world’s fastest racecars for the film – NASCAR, Formula 1, Rally racing, Le Mans Prototypes, Grand Touring/GT1, GT2 and Deutsche Tourwagen Masters. For the designs of the racecars, the team considered speed, weight, power output and function to create the right look for each racecar.

The result? A race to top all races. “All the gloves are off,” says Ward. “If the best of the best in every type of racing around the world were invited to compete, what would happen?”

“It’s a race of champions in all these different classes,” continues Ward. “We thought, ‘how do we level the playing field?’ And we came up with these courses that basically offered a little bit of benefit to each car. There’s an off-road section so the rally car could just fly down the course and the Formula racer would go really slow in the dirt, but then speed back up on the street. Lightning McQueen is great at both.”

But can number 95 top Francesco Bernoulli? Bernoulli is, after all, the car considered by many to be the fastest car in the world – at least before the World Grand Prix.

And what about Lewis Hamilton, Jeff Gorvette, Carla Veloso and the rest? In a field of 11 champions, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will finish first. And the filmmakers – well, they’re not talking. “We’ve all got our favorites,” says Lewis.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in CARS 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

John Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat to direct this follow-up to his 2006 Golden Globe®-winning CARS. CARS 2 is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film RATATOUILLE, and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, UP; visual effects executive producer, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”). The film hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D® and IMAX® 3D in select theaters.

In honor of Pixar’s 25th Anniversary, we’re continuing to provide a wide array of special stories for the upcoming CARS 2.

DISNEY•PIXAR’S “CARS 2” REVEALS WORLD’S SAVVIEST SECRET AGENTS:

Finn McMissile, Holley Shiftwell… and Mater!

Mater is known for tall tales, superior backwards driving, tractor tipping and uncompromising loyalty.

He’s also a secret agent… though unwittingly.

“Cars 2” sends the affable tow truck overseas, along with his best buddy Lightning McQueen, who’s competing in the first-ever World Grand Prix – a race through Japan, Italy and the U.K. to determine who is the world’s fastest car.

Mater’s intentions are good. He wants to lend a helping tire to Lightning and be there to see his best friend win the race and get the glory. Never having been overseas, Mater is a bit naïve to life outside Radiator Springs.

Then he meets Holley Shiftwell. She’s sleek, smart and sophisticated, and she’s interested in him! Mater is smitten with this rookie field spy who’s been sent to rendezvous with an American agent. Her colleague, master British spy Finn McMissile, is the best in the business with all the gadgets and savvy moves to prove it, but even he’s impressed when he meets Mater and finds his rusty undercover disguise particularly admirable.

Indeed, Mater fuels this fast-paced tale of international espionage, but it was Finn McMissile who sparked the story more than five years ago.

A SPY IS BORN

Disney•Pixar’s 2006 release “Cars” featured a blossoming romance between Lightning McQueen and Sally. Filmmakers storyboarded a date scene at a drive-in theater and pondered what movie might be playing. “I love spy movies,” says director John Lasseter, “and I thought it would be so much fun to see what a spy movie would look like in the car world. We came up with this character named Finn McMissile, who was going to be starring in this little movie-within-a-movie.”

Instead, says Lasseter, Lightning and Sally went on the picturesque drive on Route 66. “I never forgot the idea of Finn McMissile and the spy movie,” adds Lasseter. “I thought, ‘There’s a lot of potential there.’”

“Cars 2” took off with vast, global backdrops and an unprecedented multi-location race. But, says Lasseter, “That’s just the setting, the real story is this spy conspiracy.”

Finn McMissile evolved, of course. “He’s a British supercar,” says Jay Ward, art manager for “Cars” and now the “Cars” franchise guardian at Pixar Animation Studios, “and he’s a serious agent in the field.”

And serious agents come with some really serious gadgetry. Finn McMissile has a missile launcher in one headlight, and sports a spy cam in the other. He’s armed with deployable machine guns and an undercarriage-mounted quad harpoon gun, plus surveillance probes, grappling hooks and a rear turn signal oil blaster. His side mirrors feature digital read-outs and a deployable glass-cutter and his front wheel hub is equipped with a magnetic explosives launcher. He has several modes of transportation: drive, hydrofoil for overseas transportation and submarine mode for underwater escapes. And there’s always his roof-deployed holographic disguise emitter for particularly sticky situations. “He has steel magnets on his wheels so he can climb up the side of a steel wall,” adds Ward. “He’s a really cool car.”

But if the audience is in the market for a sixties spy car with Finn’s sharp, British looks—a car that gives new meaning to “fully loaded”—they’re out of luck. “He’s an in-house design,” says Ward. “We looked for British cars with fins, and guess what? They didn’t put a lot of fins on their cars.”

The 1958 Peerless, a British sports car, did feature tailfins, which served as partial inspiration, but the team studied a number of cars—British cars, Italian cars. “We wanted him to be a really elegantly designed English sportscar from the sixties,” says character art director Jay Shuster. “We did this really deep search into that kind of car from that era. We took everything from all the cars we love and baked it into Finn.”

Meanwhile, Holley Shiftwell is assertive, yet refined—and she’s fresh out of the academy. “She’s a really smart, up-and-coming British agent who hasn’t spent a lot of time in the field,” says producer Denise Ream.

“She’s basically a logistics agent,” adds Ward. “She’s not somebody who’s usually out there beating up the bad guys. But in this film, she gets pulled into that world for the first time.”

Holley is sharp and capable, with expertise in computers and logistics. She’s also young, cool and quite fetching (just ask Mater). Like Finn McMissile, she owes her good looks to the team at Pixar who created her design in house. “Holley developed really quickly,” says Shuster. “I came in on a Sunday afternoon and was doodling and sketching based on what John said he’d like Holley to look like. She’s new-school. I referenced the modern supercar from all the makes of the world. There’s a whole new breed of supercar that all these little private manufacturers are putting out in limited runs. I drew this sketch and the next day John saw it and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it.’”

Of course, Holley, too, comes well equipped with state-of-the-art mechanisms, including headlight cameras, a concealed gun and electro-shock device and a telescoping utility arm. “She can fly, actually,” says Shuster. “She’s got wings that protrude from her rocker panels and her rear deck lid becomes a horizontal stabilizer of a rear wing that has a jet intake. She’s got afterburners that appear in her exhaust.”

The spy business is a serious one. Missions pop up around the world, so a good transportation system is key, even for the four-wheeled spies in “Cars 2.” With twin jet engines and a speed of mach 1, Siddeley the spy jet can get them where they need to go faster than anyone—and he can do it completely undetected with cutting-edge cloaking and stealth technologies.

The question remains: is Mater a spy sporting the best disguise Britain’s secret agents have ever encountered?

That’s classified, of course.

Michael Caine lends his voice to Finn McMissile, Emily Mortimer is the voice of Holley Shiftwell, Jason Isaacs voices Siddeley, and both Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy once again brings Lightning McQueen and Mater, respectively, to life.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

John Lasseter returns to the driver’s seat to direct this follow-up to his 2006 Golden Globe®-winning “Cars.” “Cars 2” is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film “Ratatouille,” and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, “Up”; visual effects executive producer, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”). The film hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D in select theaters.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman will reprise their roles in the prequel as the wise-cracking Mike Wazowski and lovable Sulley to Disney•Pixar’s MONSTER UNIVERSITY. The film will hit U.S. theaters nearly 12 years after the MONSTERS, INC. theatrical debut and will feature a host of new faces and a few returning favorites from MONSTERS, INC.

Synopsis:

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

When MONSTERS, INC., originally released on November 2, 2001, was nominated for four Oscars^®: Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song—“If I Didn’t Have You,” for which it won.

Screaming with laughter and fun, MONSTER UNIVERSITY is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”) and produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”). The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

“Like” it on Facebook: facebook.com/disneypixar. Follow them on Twitter: twitter.com/disneypixar

As a film lover, one of the comments I’ve heard over the years that irks me every time is ” Well. it’s intended for kids”. This seems to be a blanket excuse for any sloppily made animated features aimed at the moppet set. I believe that now , thanks to the cinema gems from Pixar, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky, that hackneyed phrase can finally be put to rest. Certainly UP, RIO, and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON have themes that interest youngsters, but they’re well executed stories that all ages can appreciate. The makers of HOOWINKED TOO! HOOD VS. EVIL seem to believe that by pairing up star voices with fairy tale satire that they can score a bullseye with that all ages audience. The end result  not only misses that bullseye, it comes nowhere near the target.

As the title suggests, this is a sequel to the original HOODWINKED from a few years ago. The Big Bad Wolf is now part of a secret spy group the Happily Ever After Agency run by a frog named Nick Flippers. When Granny Puckett is captured during a botched rescue if Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood  stops her training with the Sister Hoods to prevent Verushka the witch from perfecting the recipe for a chocolate truffle that makes the consumer all powerful. Along the way they must get information from the Giant and enlist the aid of Kirk the Woodsman and his yodeling gang in infiltrating the witch’s towering apartment buiding and defeat her pig army.

This movie included many of my animation pet peeves. I knew I was in for a rough ride when the first credits seen in the first moments is not for the writers or artists but for all the celebrity voice actors. Over a black screen we got all,ALL. the actors listed along with their characters, not in a group or three or four,but individual title cards: Heidi Klum as Heidi! I don’t believe you need a recognizable voice in every role. It’s not a guarantee of quality. Even more than the Shrek films or SHARK TAILS, the script was choked with dated pop culture references. Oh, Granny’s wearing Uma’s yellow track suit from KILL BILL! The Giant’s doing Joe Pesci’s ” Do I amuse you ” monologue from GOODFELLAS! Oh, a Star Wars joke and a Star Trek gag-from the 60′s series! And the characters never shut up for more than a second! The Wolf is chattering away non-stop! One running gag involves a banjo playing goats who shows up just in time to be smashed by some falling object-almost every fifteen minutes!  Unfortunately not all the problems here are verbal. The character designs of the Wolf, Flippers and Red are very unappealing and flat. They bounce around the generic backgrounds and seem to have no weight or gravity to them. As I left the theatre my aggravation turned to sadness as I thought of all the artists that worked to produce this soon to be daytime cable TV time filler. A lot of talent is needed to produce any animation. Let’s hope that the HOODWINKED series ends with this installment and the artists move on to projects much more worthy of their time and talent.

Overall Rating: One Half out of 5 stars

Po, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® balloon from KUNG FU PANDA made a stop in St. Louis at Kiener Plaza, in front of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, on Friday, April 22nd during his 6 city tour! DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and Macy’s previously announced that KUNG FU PANDA’s Po would embark on the first-ever U.S. tour of an official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® balloon. Po’s tour of awesomeness through Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix and St. Louis will culminate in his debut visit to Los Angeles to mark the opening of KUNG FU PANDA 2 this Memorial Day weekend.

Even though the inclement weather conditions did not permit for Po to be fully inflated, fans were able to catch a glimpse of The Dragon Warrior.

Po’s appearance in St. Louis coincided with a day of family-friendly festivities, which were all open to the public. Many families turned out and were treated to complimentary pictures via a photo booth from Tom Paule Photography, The Pet Doctor, Sarah’s Cake Stop cupcake truck with KUNG FU KUPCAKES and free face painting.

One of the highlights was the martial arts demonstration by ATA Martial Arts, alongside a chinese dragon.

At 42-feet tall, 46-feet long and 34-feet wide, here’s a photo of Po at The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The balloon is truly larger-than-life and is posed in one of Po’s signature martial arts moves from the DreamWorks Animation feature film.

Said Anne Globe, head of Worldwide Marketing for DreamWorks Animation, “We are thrilled to join forces once again with our friends at Macy’s, who have done an incredible job of bringing our character of Po to life as a giant balloon for audiences to enjoy at the annual Macy’s parade and now in cities across the country. This first-ever premiere event is an exciting way to help kick off the summer movie season.”

Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade commented on how this special tour will bring Po closer to fans nationwide and launch the highly anticipated sequel, KUNG FU PANDA 2.

In KUNG FU PANDA 2, Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five.  But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.

KUNG FU PANDA 2 will be distributed by Paramount Pictures nationwide on May 26th and features the voice talents of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Victor Garber, Dennis Heysbert and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

“Like” KUNG FU PANDA 2 On Facebook HERE.

About DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation creates high-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, television specials and series, live entertainment properties and online virtual worlds, meant for audiences around the world. The Company has world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced filmmaking technology and techniques. DreamWorks Animation has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE^® Magazine for three consecutive years. In 2011, DreamWorks Animation ranks #10 on the list. All of DreamWorks Animation’s feature films are now being produced in 3D. The Company has theatrically released a total of 21 animated feature films, including the franchise properties of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company’s labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.

About Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. For more than 80 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade proudly marches down a more than 2-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow including Macy’s employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The Parade also features America’s best marching bands, fabulous floats and Macy’s signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy’s Parade please visit www.macysparade.com.

Being the Anglophile (read – lover of all things British), may I present her Majesty The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family of automobiles from CARS 2. What with the big wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday April 29th, as my English sis would say, these new photos are ”Bloody marvellous.” A cuppa PG Tips all around!

The Queen (voice of Vanessa Redgrave)

With the final stage of the World Grand Prix racing through the historic streets of London, England, the Queen is quietly elated she was invited to preside over the finish line by Sir Miles Axlerod. Painted in shades of the most royal blues and never without her jeweled crown, the Queen is the definition of decorum and regality, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy a bit of first-rate competition! Sidenote – Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday is this Thursday, April 21st.

Prince Wheeliam

Prince Wheeliam of England is an avid racing fan. He can’t believe his luck that the final race of the one-of-a-kind World Grand Prix is happening on the streets of London. Though he must remain impartial when by his grandmother the Queen’s side, he is privately rooting for his fellow Brits Lewis Hamilton and Nigel Gearsley to cross the finish line first.

Sgt. Highgear

Sgt. Highgear is a member of the regiment assigned to London’s landmark Buckingham Palace. With a recognizable tall bearskin cap atop his scarlet body, he stands guard at his sentry box with pride and conviction.

Topper Deckington III

Topper Deckington III is a classic British double-decker bus in a vivid shade of red who relishes in his daily Killswitch route through London’s famous bustling Petroldilly Circus.

Chauncy Fares

No one knows the sites, streets or shortcuts of London better than the jovial Chauncy Fares, a quintessential London black cab.

Synopsis:

Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in CARS 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

CARS 2 features the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Jason Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Peter Jacobson, Thomas Kretschmann, Guido Quaroni, Lloyd Sherr, Paul Dooley, John Ratzenberger, Jenifer Lewis, Michael Wallis, Katherine Helmond, John Turturro, Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard, Bruce Campbell, Michel Michelis, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, Lewis Hamilton, and David Hobbs.

CARS 2 is co-directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film RATATOUILLE, and produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, UP ; visual effects executive producer, STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH.

CARS 2 hits the track on June 24, 2011 and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D in select theaters.

Visit the film’s official site here, like it on Facebook here and follow it on Twitter here.