10 years ago, hand-drawn film Ernest & Celestine, about the unlikely pairing of a bear and a mouse, charmed moviegoers and Academy members. It earned a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination alongside Hayao Miyazaki’s final film at the time, The Wind Rises, and CG blockbusters Frozen, The Croods and Despicable Me 2. This Friday September […]
Archive for August, 2023
INTERVIEW: The Wait Is Over For “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia”
August 28th, 2023 
Jackson Murphy 
TRAILER: Netflix “Leo”
August 23rd, 2023 Jerry Beck Actor and comedian Adam Sandler (Hotel Transylvania) delivers signature laughs in this coming-of-age animated musical comedy about the last year of elementary school – as seen through the eyes of a class pet. Jaded 74-year-old lizard Leo (Sandler) has been stuck in the same Florida classroom for decades with his terrarium-mate turtle (Bill Burr). When […]
Animation Educators Forum To Support Six Faculty Projects
August 21st, 2023 Jerry Beck ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum (AEF) is proud to announce the six recipients of this year’s AEF Faculty Grants program. This year’s recipients were selected from a pool of creative, talented artists and filmmakers from across the United States. Applications for this year’s grants were received from educators from Australia, Canada, the West Indies, Wales and […]
INTERVIEW: “Jelly” Is Robin Budd’s Jam
August 16th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Emmy-winner Robin Budd (director of the Beetlejuice animated series and Disney’s 2002 Peter Pan sequel Return to Never Land) presents a new animated short film that recently premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival. Budd gives me the 411 on the Nelvana Produced Jelly in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length […]
REVIEW: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
August 15th, 2023 Martin Goodman In writing this review, I found limiting the piece to a simple assessment of the movie challenging. Three levels of critique are to be considered; teasing them apart proved adequate to explain only one aspect of Mutant Mayhem in light of the interplay between the factors involved. Therefore, I present my readers with part review, […]
Posted in Nickelodeon, Paramount, Reviews 
Tags: Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Pictures 
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NTERVIEW: Teeing-Up “One-Of-A-Kind Marcie”
August 14th, 2023 Jackson Murphy The Peanuts/Apple partnership continues to flourish. New 40-minute special Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie premieres this Friday August 18th on AppleTV+. Executive Producer Craig Schulz (son of “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz) and Director Raymond S. Persi (who also voiced Flash the Sloth in Zootopia) discuss the impact of Marcie, her new special and the entire “Peanuts” […]
Animation Educators Forum Announces 2023-24 Student Scholarship Recipients
August 11th, 2023 Jerry Beck ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum (AEF) is proud to announce its scholarship recipients for academic year 2023-24. A record breaking 96 applications were received, with 11 students selected, both graduates and undergraduates, from eight states and three countries. The total scholarship funds ($44,000) will be distributed evenly, will be used to cover costs for necessary software […]
INTERVIEW: All Dogs Go To Hollywood With “Strays”
August 9th, 2023 Jackson Murphy New R-rated comedy Strays opens in theaters nationwide on August 18th. Director Josh Greenbaum (who grew-up near me in Saratoga Springs, NY) has real dogs play the film’s characters in about 95% of the scenes. They’re voiced by some Hollywood A-listers, including Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx. In this Animation Scoop Q&A, Greenbaum shares insights […]
INTERVIEW: The Journey Of “The Monkey King”
August 7th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Anthony Stacchi co-directed Sony Pictures Animation’s first feature, 2006’s hilarious Open Season, and Laika’s 2014 The Boxtrolls, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Now Stacchi is the director of new Netflix animated film The Monkey King, which debuts August 18th. In this Animation Scoop Q&A, Stacchi talks with me about this action-packed adventure, as well […]
