Director Don Bluth with some dinosaur friends from “The Land Before Time” (© Universal Pictures)
Universal Pictures’ perennial favorite The Land Before Time is getting some TLC for a new Blu-ray and Digital HD release this fall.
Fifteen years ago, Disney was shown again that they aren’t the only animation company capable of captivating audiences with award-winning music, story and design. The Prince of Egypt was DreamWorks’ first hand-drawn film and follows the story of Moses as told in Exodus of the Bible. The film was critically acclaimed and enjoyed fantastic box office numbers, being the second non-Disney animated film to top $100 million (the first was [drumroll, wait for it] The Rugrats Movie). Its numbers wouldn’t be matched by a non-Disney film until The Simpsons Movie in 1997.
The Spielberg/Jackson MoCap film The Adventures of Tintin from 2011 may not have fared as spectacularly here as with the European audiences, but the film did favor well with critics and there are two sequels scheduled in the works. For the first film, Steven Spielberg directed and Peter Jackson produced. For the next installment, the two titans will reverse jobs and because of this, Jackson says the production of the next Tintin film will have to wait for a wrap on The Hobbit films.
Drawing by Austin Madison
Though I can’t pinpoint my first experience with a Ray Harryhausen film, I know the one that inspired me the most. In 1981, I sat in a dark theater and watched Titans Clash. I watched men fight huge scorpions, and I saw Gorgons beheaded, and horses flew effortlessly before my eyes, and I was enthralled when the Kraken was released by the gods to cause terror and destruction upon the world. I was completely mesmerized by what I was seeing. This–this was what movie magic was all about.
Scorch me, baby! Straight from Planet Baab all the way to the Dark Planet itself, we’re back with another episode.
Marc and Matt interview Cal Brunker the writer/director of Rainmaker Entertainment’s Escape from Planet Earth. They discuss Cal’s introduction into the world of animation, what it’s like working at different animation studios, and the zombie version of Gary Supernova.
Also discussed: review of Dreamworks’ The Croods, new trailers for Despicable Me 2 and Turbo, and whole slew of animation news.
In an interview published in the Times of India, Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg let slip that the sequel to his and Peter Jackson’s 2011 animated effort, The Adventures of Tintin, would be ready by Christmas, 2015.
Can you hear the music?
In this episode Marc and Matt interview Annie Award nominated Pixar composer Alex Mandel. We discuss Alex’s influences on his music, how he came to work for Pixar, Mickey Mouse-ing, and what it’s like to have an iTunes library in your head. Alex also talks about the collaborative process at Pixar and the 25 verse version of one of the songs he wrote for Brave.
The new trailers for Monsters University and From Up on Poppy Hill as well as our recommendations are also brought up.
Happy New Year! In the first episode of 2013 Marc and Matt are joined by returning guest host, Ralph Apel. Amongst things discussed are “Green Lantern: The Animated Series”, our best of 2012 lists, and what we’re excited for in 2013.
Animation Fascination 