Harmony is the second of three films based on the fiction of Satoshi Ito (who wrote under the nom de plume Project Itoh). But the novel “Harmony” feels like an improbable candidate for animation. The book is an internal monologue by Tuan Kirie (Jamie Marchi, who carries the film as its de facto narrator), the […]
Archive for October, 2016
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Cinefamily’s Halloween “Spook-tacular”
October 27th, 2016 
Jerry Beck My annual Halloween “Spook-tacular” screening and party is on in Los Angeles next week – on Halloween – and you’re all invited! Yes, that’s right. While everyone else is “trick-or-treating” all over town, I’ll be screening Halloween cartoons on the big screen – with rare film prints AND digital restorations from the “vaults”. I cannot […]
Disney Begins Production on New “Muppet Babies” Series for 2018
October 26th, 2016 Jerry Beck Disney has begun production on a reimagined Muppet Babies television series, which chronicles the playroom antics of the beloved Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and Miss Nanny. A co-production between Disney Junior, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media’s (DCPI) Content & Media group, and The Muppets Studio, the CG-animated series is slated […]
World Animation & VFX Summit Announces 2016 Animation Hall of Fame Recipients
October 24th, 2016 Jerry Beck Animation Magazine has unveiled its list of this year’s distinguished Animation Hall of Fame award recipients. The honorees will receive their awards at the World Animation & VFX Summit Gala on November 1st, 6:30-10:00 p.m. at the beachside Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. Fifth annual gala event will honor Cartoon Network’s founding president […]
ANIME REVIEW: “The Empire of Corpses”
October 24th, 2016 Charles Solomon The first feature based on a novel by Project Itoh (the nom de plume of Satoshi Ito), The Empire of Corpses (2015) is a striking, if often baroque, zombie adventure. The plot seems far more complicated than it needs to be, but the cyberpunk designs, which bolster the film’s curious premise, are stunning. The Empire […]
REVIEW: “The 18th Annual Animation Show of Shows”
October 24th, 2016 Fred Patten On Monday, October 17th, I attended the ASIFA-Hollywood screening of Ron Diamond’s annual 18th Animation Show of Shows, at the DreamWorks Animation Campanile Theater at the studio in Glendale. The Show of Shows is different this year in that fewer films than usual are actual winners of an award at a previous international film festival. […]
SNEAK PEEK: Season 3 Netflix “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” Clip
October 20th, 2016 Jerry Beck The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show is back and crazier than ever! After last season’s cliffhanger, Season 3 opens with Peabody and Sherman teaming up with alter-ego versions of themselves to defeat an evil cyborg version of Mrs. Hughes and fix the course of history! The zaniness continues when the Penthouse is invaded by neighbors, […]
Alpha Animation Hires Alex Schwartz Head Of Production
October 19th, 2016 Jerry Beck Alex Schwartz has joined Alpha Animation as Head of Production, it was announced today by CEO Bob Bacon. In her new role, Schwartz will oversee creative development through production on Alpha’s animated feature slate. The division will produce animated features for worldwide distribution and will look to develop original material as well as leverage existing […]
Is Space Jam so Bad it’s Actually Good?
October 19th, 2016 Charles Kenny Space Jam occupies an unusual place in the lexicon of hybrid animated/live-action films. Not nearly as expensive (or as polished) as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it nonetheless became massively successful thanks mainly to its animated cast. As a kid, Space Jam was downright awesome for many reasons, yet as an adult (and fan of animation,) […]
BLU-RAY REVIEW: “Star Wars Rebels: The Complete Season 2”
October 18th, 2016 W.R. Miller For those unfamiliar with Star Wars Rebels – the Complete Season 2 was released recently on blu-ray – this review begins with a friendly warning: watch Season One first. Season Two literally begins with a bang, and it’s helpful to know who’s shooting at each other, and why. The rebellion against the evil Empire is […]
TEASER: Dreamworks’ “The Boss Baby”
October 17th, 2016 Jerry Beck Opening next March 31st 2017, DreamWorks Animation and director Tom McGrath (Madagascar) invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby. The film is “a universal story about how a new baby’s arrival impacts a […]
TRAILER: “25 April” – Opens This Week In LA
October 17th, 2016 Jerry Beck Opening in Los Angeles this Friday (October 21st – for Oscar consideration) at the Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, is 25 April – an animated documentary based on the tragic 1915 Gallipoli Campaign of WW1 – told through the perspective of six New Zealanders who were involved. Here’s the trailer:
Taschen’s Disney Book: “The Walt Disney Film Archives. The Animated Movies 1921–1968”
October 12th, 2016 Jerry Beck This isn’t a review – but an unabashed plug for one of the most exciting animation book releases of the year. The Walt Disney Film Archives. The Animated Movies 1921–1968 is the first volume in Taschen’s illustrated history of Disney animation. Having some 1,500 images and essays by eminent Disney experts (including our own Charles […]
FIRST LOOK IMAGE: Jane Fonda’s character from “Elena and the Secret of Avalor”
October 11th, 2016 Jerry Beck Elena and the Secret of Avalor, a special television movie event, premieres as a special simulcast Sunday, November 20th (7:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. The TV movie tells the backstory of how Elena was imprisoned in her magical amulet by the evil sorceress Shuriki, voiced by legendary actress Jane Fonda, and […]
Frederator Networks Sale Underscores the Challenges of Distributing Animation on the Internet
This week saw the announcement that Frederator Networks has been bought by Rainmaker Entertainment in a deal that combines it with Ezrin Hirsh Entertainment to create a new company called WOW! Unlimited Media. While it’s a welcome affirmation that web animation has a future, it nonetheless underscores the uphill struggle that animated content has faced […]