Planet 51

Finally some news has leaked out on Ilion Animation Studios' "Planet 51," a film I've been very excited about for some time.



The film has now been sold to New Line Cinema for distribution (that's the good news), and will be in theaters sometime in 2009 (that "9" is the bad news).

According to an article on The Hollywood Reporter's website:

New Line is venturing into the animation business for the first time in its 40-year history by acquiring Ilion Animation Studios' $60 million feature "Planet 51" from Handmade Films International.

Written by Joe Stillman ("Shrek"), the story is set on Planet 51, whose inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home.

I don't know if you folks remember the screenshots from this film, but if you don't, let me give you a refresher:













Needless to say, I cannot wait for 2009!

The Hollywood Reporter's Article on Planet 51

Fa La La La La....

Dreamworks' made for TV special "Shrek the Halls," will hit ABC tonight at 8/7c.



According to ABC:

Just when Shrek thought he could finally sit back, relax and enjoy his happily ever after with his new family, the most joyous of all holidays arrives. It's Christmas Eve and everyone is filled with holiday cheer -- except for Shrek. He isn't exactly the picture of yuletide joy, but for the sake of Fiona and the kids, he tries to get into the spirit of things as only an ogre can. Unfortunately, everyone seems to have their own ideas about what Christmas is all about, so when Donkey, Puss In Boots, Gingerbread Man and the whole gang try to join in on the fun, Shrek's plans for a cozy family celebration end up spiraling into one truly unforgettable Christmas.

I'll watch it, but I swear the first joke I hear about how eggnogg gives ogres gas, and I'm changing the channel.

ABC's lame Shrek the Halls website

Reviews, clips, and images at Newsday

Jerry "bee" even richer!

Hey... I'm still on a massive turkey hangover, so excuse the lame title, but Dreamworks' "Bee Movie" cracked the $100 million mark at the US box office the past weekend.



While it's nowhere near the insane numbers of "Shrek," the creators have to feel pretty good about breaking $100 million, especially considering this was yet another talking insect film, and could have easily gone the way of "The Ant Bully" at the box office.

Not only that, but the $112 million the film has now brought in should pay for at least a tenth of the marketing budget used on the film. Kidding aside, Box Office Mojo lists the budget at $150 million, so the film still has some work to do just to break even.

If it doesn't, you can bet Jerry is going to bee in some hot water!

Forgive me.

Box Office Mojo's box office ranking for all computer animated films.

Year In Review

This was something I've been planning on doing for a while, and with my first child ready to show up any day now, I figured I had better get my tail in gear and get it out of the way.



2007 was the year in which animated films (no matter how good) felt the backlash of the previous year, in which film company executives did their best to ruin the genre for everyone.

No matter how good "Meet the Robinsons," "Surf's Up," and the others were, audiences just weren't ready to turn out in masses after being burnt by some of the flaming turds from the year before. However that doesn't mean that CG was without a home as "Shrek the Third" continued to give Mike Myers a reason to live outside of "Austin Powers" and "Ratatouille" scrounged up a hefty haul, despite falling short of previous Pixar gems.

Here is my rundown of the CG films released this year, in order of North American box off take. Obviously films like the recently released "Bee Movie" will continue to make money throughout the end of the year, so keep that in mind.

1. - Shrek the Third - $321 million
Yes, you read that correctly. "Shrek the Third" brought in $321 million in U.S. theaters alone, putting it third on the list of highest grossing CG films, behind "Shrek 2: We Hadn't Started Coming Up With Clever Names Yet" and "Finding Nemo." It's a good, but not great, film, and if you are a fan of the series, you'll find more to like here. My good friend, who is a casual animation fan, summed it up best when he said, "My family and I liked it, but we just felt like we had seen it all before." With "Shrek Goes Fourth" already announced, we can only hope that the filmmakers take a few more chances with everyone favorite green ogre.

2. - Ratatouille - $206 million
Pixar needs to sign Brad Bird to a lifetime contract and let the man do what he wants until he retires. If he wanted to make custom women's clogs instead of films, I'd even probably let him, because they'd be the best custom women's clogs ever. "Ratatouille" was a beautiful, charming, cinematic treat, and one that I now own on DVD and Blu-Ray. Sure I'm a Pixar nerd (who isn't?), but films like this one deserve to be seen by every person on the planet. Thank you, Mr. Bird... for giving me a reason to live.

3. - Meet the Robinsons - $98 million
While a modest hit, I would have love to see "Robinsons" find a larger audience, if for no other reason than getting the chance to meet The Bowler Hat Guy, who is in my opinion the greatest movie villain to emerge in the last 20 years. While the film was a little too over the top in spots, it's actually got a lot of heart, and some true laugh out loud moments.

4. - Bee Movie - $94 million
Haven't seen it. Want to see it. Nine month pregnant women can't sit through movies in movie theaters. Not only do they have to pee every 5 minutes ("Excuse me." "Pardon me." "Sorry... again."), but the seats just aren't comfortable enough. I will sneak away at some point though... you have my word, Jerry.

5. - Surf's Up! - $59 million
By far the biggest disappointment on the list. Not in terms of the film's quality, which is superb, but in terms of the box office revenue. "Surf's Up!" was done in by being lumped into the "another talking animal" film, and not only that but the fact that most parents didn't want to sit through another "Happy Feet." Oh if they had only given it a shot, they would have seen that "Surf's Up!" is to "Happy Feet" as steak and lobster is to fried baby turds. Fans of animation and mockumentaries ("Spinal Tap," "Best in Show") should love "Surf's," but even folks who don't like those genres can at least marvel at the beautiful water. It's on DVD and Blu-Ray, and you need to add this one to your library if you haven't already.

6. - TMNT - $54 million
After a strong opening weekend ($24 million) prompted one of the Weinsteins to announce we would be seeing many more turtle films, things looked quite good for the four "heroes in a half shell." However it seems that most of the nerds who grew up loving the turtles as kids chose to see the film on opening weekend, because after that its take dropped off considerably. The film was decent, the acting was passable, and the visuals were top-notch (the scene in the rain on the rooftop is still amazing.)

7. - Beowulf - $28 million
Haven't seen it. Won't see it. Might rent it.

8. - Happily N'Ever After - $16 million
While audiences may not always be the best at spotting the gems, they can sure sniff out the stinkers, hence "Happily" only pulling in $16 million. My wife rented this not too long ago, and it only took me walking in halfway through and watching 5 minutes to know that I had seen enough. It just wasn't for me, and Rotten Tomatoes combined score for the film is a 4%, so I guess I'm not alone.

---

So there you have it. My year in review. All in all it was a great year, in terms of quality of CG films, with only a few lame ducks in the mix. 2008 slows a bit more over 2007, in terms of output, but with films like "WALL-E," "Kung Fu Panda," and "Horton Hears a Who" set to release, it should be another great year.

Take care!

I AM...

...not going to see "Beowulf."



Yes, I know the film is getting good reviews. Yes, I know it's a "technical masterpiece." Yes, I know it's the first CG film in a long time that doesn't center around talking animals and/or insects.

I'm not going to see it.

I know I sound like a big animation snob, and I'll probably rent it on DVD, but I just can't allow myself to go see a mo-cap film. If you saw it and you liked it, good for you. That being said, I really hope it bombs at the box office. Not because I want to see anyone's work fail, but simply because it only takes on hit like this (and Happy Feet) to make movie studios everywhere decide that this is the way to go and that they don't need all of those snot-nosed "animators."

Maybe I'll give it a rent on DVD, maybe not. I won't fault you for going to see it, but if you want to try to convince me that it's the best thing since sliced bread, you've got another thing coming.

Movie Poster Friday: WALL-E

Oh yeah... it's everyone's favorite day of the week, and to celebrate, here's a picture of that robot from "Short Circuit!"



Of course I'm kidding and this is the poster for Pixar's upcoming "WALL-E" movie.

Johnny Lasseter recently had this to say about the film to Rotten Tomatoes:

"It's a love story. It's got a lot of heart but it's really appealing. It's less dialogue with the characters but it's really fantastic."

I'm glad that the film has a lot of heart and is really appealing. I usually hate films with a lot of heart... oh... and good stories. I hate films with good stories.

Who's with me?

More from John Lasseter on Rotten Tomatoes

Academy Award Nominees

EDIT: As Jason was kind enough to point out in the comments, this list is not the actual nominees, but the "short list" of hopefuls looking to be included in final nominations. So I'm an idiot. That being said, the post still stands, as frankly I don't think the films that I refer to below even belong on a "long list," let alone a "short list."

That Sesame Street song comes to mind and I begin to sing "Which one of these is not like the other ones, not like the other ones, not like the other ones..."



While I never like to directly bag on the hard work of artists, regardless of what they may need to do to pay the bills, it's pretty obvious that certain films in this year's list of hopefuls were submitted simply because they were animated, and not because they deserve the award.

Listen... I like hotdogs as much as I like a good $60 steak, given the right circumstances, but I wouldn't expect my Oscar Meyer cheese-stuffed wieners to compete for a food award with a steak I can cut with my own hand. In the same manner, while some of the films in the list may be great for college kids sucking on a bong and eating Cheetos, or a Mom or Dad to bring their kids to see, they really can't compare on a pure filmmaking level to some of the other nominees.

To put it a different way, you don't go into a diamond store and find a couple of cat turds in the case next to the tennis bracelets and earrings.

All this being said, one of those turds will probably wind up winning and then I'll look like an (even bigger) idiot.

Oh... and if you're wondering, here is the list of nominees:

Alvin and the Chipmunks
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Meet the Robinsons
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie
Surf’s Up
Tekkonkinkreet
TMNT

I'm off to eat now... suddenly I've got a craving for a hotdog.

Kung Fu Panda Game Trailer

It's a slow news day, so all I really have is this new trailer for the "Kung Fu Panda" videogame.



Be warned that there may or may not be spoilers in this trailer. I have no idea since I (obviously) haven't seen the movie yet.

Tomorrow I'll try to track down some more amazing footage like this.

One Froggy Evening

So according to Cartoon Brew, some Brazilian Graphic Design students got together and tried to recreate Chuck Jones' "One Froggy Evening" in 3D.



While I commend them on their efforts, I will say that it takes some brass knockers to try and recreate an animated masterpiece such as this. I think they did an overall decent job, but the minute I saw the way the animated the frog's mouth, I was done. I watched this cartoon a million times as a kid, and I guess it was just engrained in my brain that when he croaks, his mouth opens up just a bit on one side and then rolls to the other. It sounds picky, but as soon as I saw that, something in my head just wouldn't let me enjoy the piece for the technical accomplishment that it is.

Not only that, but the students only managed to finish 2 minutes. I would have thrown their computers back at them, called them all "hacks" and then demanded that they leave my classroom immediately.

Of course then the professor would have asked what I was doing in his classroom, and why I was throwing the expensive equipment around.

You can swing on over to Cartoon Brew to check out the original.

Cartoon Brew's coverage of One (CG) Froggy Evening

Bee Movie Opens Today!

In case you've missed on of the millions of commercials that seem to play every 5 minutes from my picture-box, Dreamworks' "Bee Movie" is hitting theaters today!



If you haven't heard of the film yet, let me clue you in:

Jerry Seinfeld is the voice of a bee who lives in a New York apartment. When his wacky neighbor, Kramer, decides to install a ferris wheel in his apartment, comedy mayhem ensues. Not only that, but Jerry's ex-girlfriend Elaine is dating a man who likes to snort Drain-O, and his best friend, George, yells a lot!

Should be really good, despite its current score of 56% over on Rotten Tomatoes.

Bee Movie Official Website

Bee Movie Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes