‘Beauty and the Beast’ Returns to the Film Society of Lincoln Center for 25th Anniversary Celebration

(© Disney)

It was 25 years ago that a work in progress print of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Beauty and the Beast made its celebrated debut at the New York Film Festival. The completed film opened later that year to rave reviews, major box office, and ultimately an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of the Year, a first for an animated feature. To celebrate the momentous occasion along with the release of the 25th anniversary edition on Digital HD and Blu-ray, the Walt Disney Studios and the Film Society of Lincoln Center hosted an anniversary screening along with a guest panel of some of the film’s great creative and vocal talent.

D23 Celebrates 25th Aniversary of Disney Animation’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Beauty and the Beast, one of the all time greats from Disney Animation, is getting ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its initial release. Can you believe it’s been 25 years? D23, Disney’s official fan club, is going to celebrate this milestone in some cool ways, too.

Disney to Release Signature Collection Edition of ‘Beauty and the Beast’

(© Disney)

The Walt Disney Studios’ next release in their new “Signature Collection” home entertainment series is the 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast. We got the scoop from Yahoo! Movies about the upcoming re-release and what to expect when it hits shelves and online retailers this fall.

Interview with Animation Legend Nik Ranieri

Long before I knew it was him, Nik Ranieri has been entertaining and inspiring me with his character animation. Nik is a talented artist whose bold personality has translated into Lumiere, Hades, Kuzco, Buck Cluck, Lewis Robinson, Charlotte La Bouff and my dad’s favorite animated character, Meeko—all characters he supervised. I first heard Nik on Clay Kaytis’ Animation Podcast and I have been an ardent fan of this passionate animator ever since. I asked him if he may be game for an informal interview over Facebook about various topics related to the state of animation today and he very kindly agreed. Nik is such a kind person, yet he will not sidestep the truth to appease popular sentiment. It was an absolute pleasure getting to interview one of my heroes.

“Animation Fascination” Episode 54: Top Ten Animated Disney Films of All Time with Tom Fonss

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It’s a Walt Disney Animation Top Ten episode, so who better to join Marc for this best of list other than Tom Fonss himself. Are any of your favorite films on either of their lists? Maybe… probably. But you can’t know for sure unless you listen.

Also discussed: Doctor Who, Rocky and Bullwinkle returning to the big screen, the 19 films that may or may not get nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, and trailers for The Lego Movie, Maleficent, and Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

(Recorded on 11/24/13)

Selick Admits to Industry Challenges at SIGGRAPH

SIGGRAPH 2013 is well underway in Anaheim, CA, and Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented a keynote panel, which included many of feature animations best and brightest.

Veteran Animator Burny Mattinson Celebrates 60 Years of Working at Disney

Animator, writer and director Burny Mattinson celebrated his 60th year of working at The Walt Disney Company this week. The commemoration and celebration were held on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building on The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA.

“Animation Fascination” Episode 38: The Disney Renaissance

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In this episode Marc and Matt become renaissance men with guest host Josh Spiegel (from “Mousterpiece Cinema“). From The Little Mermaid up to Tarzan, we discuss Disney’s most successful era that began in the late 80s and ended around the year 2000.

Also discussed: the new release Escape from Planet Earth, some new clips from Monsters University, as well as news from Dreamworks and Illumination Entertainment.

Animation Fascination Episode 12: The History Of Animation with Austin Madison and Chris Chua

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Welcome back to the Animation Fascination podcast. Each episode will feature an animated series or film from the past or present. Traditionally hand drawn, computer generated, or stop motion/claymation, if it’s animated, its up for discussion!

On this episode, Marc and Justin discuss the history of animation with Pixar animators Austin Madison and Chris Chua!

• New Releases (Reviews)

• Jem & the Holograms: Season 1 DVD
• The Lion King 3D Blu-ray
• African Cats Blu-ray
• Beauty and the Beast 3D Blu-ray
• Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Blu-ray
• Jake and the Neverland Pirates DVD

• Topic Discussion
• The History of Animation

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