animation

While the kids today don’t know who Max Fleischer was, his contributions to the advancement of animated family entertainment are pretty important.  Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman are just a few of the many characters he brought to the big screen, along with some pretty significant creative and technical innovations. 

The history of maverick filmmaker Ralph Bakshi‘s 1992 return to feature length films, Cool World, is the quintessential example of a studio’s complete disregard for artistic vision, maximization of profits, pandering to the powerful, double dealings, manipulation, and Hollywood nepotism.  The film marked the end of a 9 year movie

After talking with Frankenweenie producer Don Hahn, I had the opportunity to chat with Allison Abbate, whom he called “one of the greatest stop-motion producers of all time.”  Allison has worked with some incredible directors including Wes Anderson, Brad Bird, and, of course, Tim Burton.  Her credits include Space Jam,

Don Hahn has produced some of the most beloved Disney films of all time including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.  His work has brought joy and enchantment to thousands of people around the globe, including me.  I can say in all honesty that

With a beautiful score, charming characters, and lush animation, The Secret World of Arrietty is a wonderful treat for animation fans.

A while back, the ABCs of Cinema meme was going around the film blogosphere. People included one image from each of their 26 film picks, covering all the letters of the alphabets. While that meme slowly died out, Evan Sietz was taking it to a whole ‘nother level. He created

This animated film itself is like a wave, a wave of nostalgia, that is. World of adolescence opens up, and adults are magically reminded what they cared about as children, and why they cared so much. The subdued quiet quality, yet high precision of the animation work makes the experience almost tangible.

The average filmgoer probably has not heard of “Bone,” but to the comic geek, this is exciting news. Jeff Smith’s “Bone” was a series of comic books written from 1991-2004, and it follows the story of three cartoonish creatures as they struggle to survive in an epic fantasy world.  Imagine

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has returned to theaters in 3-D, and has already done huge business. The folks at the Mouse House are swimming in the money from these classic re-releases, so what good reason is there to see a movie you’ve probably watched hundreds of times on a squeaky VHS tape at your parents’ place? Well…here’s eight reasons…

There are so very few truly empowered characters in film nowadays, especially female ones. That’s probably one of the reasons why BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is still relevant: it has one of the most interesting lead characters in a family film: Belle. Growing up as a shy, nerdy, little girl

Here is the new trailer for PARANORMAN, Laika Studios latest effort  directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell. We find a recognizable visual style following a story that looks like lots of creepy/cute  fun. With works under their belt  like  Coraline, the studio’s  taste for the uncanny is the best