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• "The Art of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" details how DreamWorks Animation's latest came together

  Jim Hill reviews Jerry Beck's new book, which takes a look at the artistic development at both "Madagascar" movies Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 05, 2008 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: animation, book, DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, Glendale, Jerry Beck, 2008, October, behind-the-scenes stories , animated feature, feature film , coffee table book, 2005, animated features, Insight Editions, lion, African savanna, design team, director , Development , Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, behind-the-scenes , hippo, art of books, DW, art of book, feature-length cartoon, animation historian, artistic development, technological development, DWA, Little Golden Books, Henri Rousseau, stylization, Melman, Gloria, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Disney Photo Library, directors, Ben Stiller, Africa, artistic choices, storytelling, giraffe, zebra, Marty

• Toon Tuesday : Will Disney Animation's latest "Rapunzel" rescue attempt have a negative impact on "Bolt" 's debut ?

  Jim Hill wonders if Glen Keane's exit will result in more reporters asking about why Chris Sanders was taken off of "American Dog" Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 AM | 10 Comments Filed under: Disney, movies, DreamWorks, John Lasseter, Ratatouille, DreamWorks Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios, marketing, WDAS, Ed Catmull, Bolt, Glen Keane, Rapunzel, Dean Wellins, film, movie, 2008, animated feature, Disney Feature Animation, The Fox and the Hound, The Emperor's New Groove, Kingdom of the Sun, American Dog, Chris Sanders, Jan Pinkava, Roger Allers, animated features, Disney Publicity , webmasters, webmaster, 2010, PR team , storyline , co-director, films, Byron Howard, Nathan Greno, Dean DeBlois, Crood Awakening, 2002, Woolie Reitherman, Wolfgang Reitherman, How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch, story, head of story, story problems, plot, plotline, reporter, reporters, entertainment writer, entertainment writers, marketing staff, PR Department, Lilo and Stitch, jewelry, Lilo, Stitch

• "Defying Gravity" details Stephen Schwartz's sometimes difficult dealings with the Walt Disney Company

  Jim Hill reviews Carol de Gieve's career biography of this Academy Award-winning songwriter, which features some great behind-the-scenes stories about the five Disney projects that Schwartz worked on Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, DreamWorks, Broadway, musical, Michael Eisner, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, DreamWorks Animation, Stephen Schwartz, Los Angeles, Walt Disney Studios, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Broadway musical, September, animated feature, 2007, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney Feature Animation, Peter Schneider, London, TV movie, show business , 1996 , 1986, Tony, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Academy Award-winning, world premiere, Walt Disney Company, musical theater, musical theater fan, Broadway credits, trio, long running hits, long running hit, hit, Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, Disneyana fan, resume, lyricist, 1990s, 1978, Working, Radiator Springs, Children of Eden, 1991, graduate school, NYU, therapist, Sir Tim Rice, A Whole New World, Kevin Bannerman, Carol de Giere, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from Godspell to Wicked, Applause Books, softcover, songwriter, career, lyrics, 1992, Shirley Jones, Colors of the Wind, John Smith, Native Americans, Romeo, Romeo & Juliet, Juliet, West Side Story, Something's Coming, creative process, 1994, The Prince of Egypt, China, Matthew Wilder, David Zippel, Written in Stone, Destiny, Geppetto, Academy Award-nominee, Enchanted, Gregory Maguire, middling reviews, rhyme, reviews

• "Kung Fu Panda" 's opening weekend grosses really kicked butt ... but here comes "WALL-E"

  Jim Hill shares what he's heard about this new Andrew Stanton film. Which looks ready to reverse the domestic box office trends that tripped up Pixar's last three pictures Read More... Posted Monday, June 09, 2008 12:00 AM | 21 Comments Filed under: Disney, DreamWorks, CG, Walt Disney Pictures, Cars, Ratatouille, Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Labor Day, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Shrek 2, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, box office, 2008, Disney / Pixar, animated feature, opening weekend grosses, opening weekend, TV show, franchise, Andrew Stanton, Cloverfield, animated features, animated series , CG feature, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both World Concert, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Kung Fu Panda, John Stevenson , Mark Osborne , WALL-E, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda TV series, Kung Fu Panda animated series, Sex and the City, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Ice Age: The Meltdown , Ice Age , box office projections, box office estimates, research, Camp Rock 2: Final Jam, 2004, Summer

• Toon Thursday: "Kung Fu Panda" is one fun summer flick

  Jim Hill reviews this new DreamWorks Animation release, which opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow Read More... Posted Thursday, June 05, 2008 12:00 AM | 22 Comments Filed under: animation, DreamWorks, CG, DreamWorks Animation, Brad Bird, James Baxter, James Baxter Animation, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, animated feature, screenplay, lush visuals, fight scenes, Kung Fu Panda, action film , genre, PDI, Pacific Data Image, visually stunning , chopsocky , John Stevenson , Mark Osborne , traditionally animated , stylized opening , Po , panda, Kung Fu, Kung Fu master, martial arts, warrior , Furious Five, Valley of Peace, noodle shop, throwing stars , breakfast soup, Jade Palace , Oogway, turtle, Tai Lung, student, lust for power, Anhora, Dragon Warrior, Shifu, master , Kung Fu students, Kung Fu student, townspeople, Viper, Mantis, Tigress, Monkey, Crane, There are no accidents, plot description , serious, mystical, Jonathan Aibel , Glenn Berger, balance , character-driven , rope bridge, Pool of Sacred Tears, snow leopard , drawing classes, action sequence, Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom , transcends, plane of existence , flurry , cherry blossoms, fortune cookie , message, secret ingredient, third act , run-for-the-curtain, mis-step , Jack Black , Dustin Hoffman , Ian McShane , Speed Racer , WALL-E, Curly Sue, summer flick

• Toon Tuesday : Was John Lasseter stung by that mean caricature of him that appears in "Bee Movie" ?

  Did an awkward conversation between Jerry Seinfeld & John Lasseter at Vanity Fair's 2006 Oscar party actually lead to an unflattering joke being inserted into this DreamWorks Animation release ? Jim Hill shares the story that's making the rounds in Hollywood Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:00 AM | 32 Comments Filed under: Disney, John Lasseter, DreamWorks Animation, A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Bee Movie, Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Disney / Pixar, animated feature, 2007, Disney Feature Animation, animated short, Tin Toy, 2006

• DreamWorks Animation bets big on digital 3-D

  Jim Hill shares the latest news from ShoWest 2008. Where Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed that, as of March 2010, DA will only be produced digital 3-D films Read More... Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2008 12:00 AM | 15 Comments Filed under: animation, DreamWorks, CG, Michael Eisner, Dick Cook, Epcot, Robert Zemeckis, Disney's California Adventure, DreamWorks Animation, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Marty Sklar, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Frank Wells, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, DCA, digital projection, 2008, Shrek Goes Fourth, animation industry, CG feature, 3D, Chairman, Tales from the Laughing Place, 1984, 3D film , Warner Bros. , Paramount , TRON: Legacy, Comin' at Ya! , Jaws 3-D, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, 3D film format , red-and-blue lenses, digital 3-D , Ultimate 3-D, Montagues & Capulets, Monsters vs. Aliens, 2010, alien, alien spacecraft, digital 3-D production, big figure, Chicken Little , Malibu Hills, 2D CG film, 3-D releases , Disney Studios , 3D digital motion pictures, 2D movie , Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D , digital 3-D conversion, Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich, digital 3-D project, Disney Pixar , CG studio , digital 3-D format, Robert Coltrin, Kevin Rafferty, Toy Story characters

• Jerry Beck to be honored at this year's Annie Awards

  Jim Hill pays tribute to this noted author & historian, who will receive the June Foray Award next week for the positive impact that he's had on the animation industry Read More... Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2008 12:00 AM | 5 Comments Filed under: animation, book, DreamWorks, CG, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, television, Jerry Seinfeld, ASIFA-Hollywood, animated character, Jerry Beck, The Hanna-Barbera Treasury, October, comedian , animated feature, 2007, feature film , Chronicle Books, cartoons, coffee table book, hardcover, animated short, short, animated features, animators , books, article, articles, magazine article, magazine articles , Cartoon Brew , Amid Amidi , writer , historian , animation community, animation industry, June Foray award, June Foray, spotlight , November, Insight Editions, Saturday morning cartoons , Saturday morning cartoon, HB, Hanna-Barbera, William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, model sheets, model sheet, comic book, comic books , tchotchke , high profile project, movers , shakers , jaded, animation fan, Viacom International, Viacom, DK Adult, DK, Nickelodeon Studios, animated series , SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!, process , production phases, ironic , detail , character , show business , household name, Hollywood history, library, James Brown, the hardest working man in show business, hardest working man in show business , store shelves, 20th, 25th , The Art of Bee Movie , production history , CG feature, feature films, shorts, gaming, UCLA, Royce Hall , 35th , Annie Awards

• Tune Thursday: Big Green Ogre heads for Great White Way

  Jim Hill shares the latest news about "Shrek the Musical," which should open on Broadway just in time for the holidays. He also talks up a special promotional appearance that John Tartaglia will be making at NYC's World of Disney this Saturday & Sunday Read More... Posted Thursday, January 17, 2008 12:00 AM | 10 Comments Filed under: theater, DreamWorks, Broadway, musical, promotion, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation, Playhouse Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Shrek 2, television, Tony Award winner, NYC, 5th Avenue, World of Disney, Broadway musical, 2008, television program, Disneyana fans, Shrek Goes Fourth, holiday special, ogre, Shrek, Shrek the Halls, Pinocchio, Tony Award, Broadway production, theme park attraction, animated features, Big Green Ogre , Great White Way, Jeanine Tesori , Tony-nominated , Thoroughly Modern Millie , Caroline or Change , Mulan II , Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch, The Little Mermaid -- Ariel's Beginning, William Steig , Oscar-winning , playwright , David Lindsay-Abaire , Jason Moore , Avenue Q , Seattle, 5th Avenue Theater , Palace Theater, Tony Award-winner , Tony nominee, Christopher Sieber , Lord Farquaad , Johnny and the Sprites , John Tartaglia , puppet pal, Root, Saturday , Sunday, Johnny and The Sprites Live – A Spofulous Broadway Concert, Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids , fundraiser, Town Hall , family-friendly event , meet-n-greet , concert , autographs, pictures, www.broadwaycares.org

• Animation fans prematurely shoot off their mouths about "Bolt"

  Jim Hill points out the parallels between what WDAS's next release is now going through and "Beauty & the Beast" & "The Lion King" 's troubled productions Read More... Posted Wednesday, January 02, 2008 12:00 AM | 18 Comments Filed under: animation, Disney, movies, Pixar, DreamWorks, computer animation, John Lasseter, Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast, John Musker, Ratatouille, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, DreamWorks Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Toy Story, WDAS, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, WDI, Ed Catmull, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney Studios, Bolt, Academy Award, film, movie, 2008, animated feature, Richard Purdum , Cranium Command, Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, award, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney Feature Animation, The Emperor's New Groove, Kingdom of the Sun, Kiskaloo, blind men and the elephant, Indian fable, pre-release image, teaser poster, November 2008, gadget tray, Mittens the cat, Rhino the hamster, Chris Williams, American Dog, Chris Sanders, quirkiness, Jan Pinkava, George Scribner, Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers, S Gross, lemons into lemonade, November 28

• "Shrek the Halls" puts the fun back into dysfunctional family gatherings

  Jim Hill reviews this new holiday special from DreamWorks Animation, which debuts tonight on ABC at 8:00 p.m. EST Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:00 AM | 14 Comments Filed under: animation, TV, DreamWorks, ABC, Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation, television, Christmas, television program, TV show, Tis the season, holiday season , gingerbread man, Twas The Night Before Christmas, Gingy, holiday perennial, TV special, holiday special, Christmas special, Puss in Boots, Donkey, ogre, Shrek, Shrek the Halls, Fiona, George Bailey, Zuzu's petals, Kleenex, The Island of Misfit Toys, Christmas present, Grinch, subversive, marshmallows, sweet potatoes, White Christmas, holiday guide, Christmas for Village Idiots, family Christmas, Pinocchio, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Blind Mice, The Big Bad Wolf, dragon, Doug Smith, triplets, holiday classic, waffle, Waffle Santa, jolly old elf, butter, syrup, Santa Claws, Christmas ain't Christmas 'til someone cries, fart, fart joke, kazoo, Ogre Claus, Clement C Moore, Christmas goose, black lace, sheer black lace, chocolate kiss, harried holiday season, harried holiday, palate cleansed, dysfunctional family gathering, dysfunctional family, family gathering, The Gingerbread Man

• Tube Tuesday: Gary Trousdale tries to "Shrek the Halls" without first wrecking DreamWorks Animation's most important franchise

  Jim Hill chats with this WDAS vet about many of the ogre-sized challenges he faced while directing this new holiday special. Which airs tomorrow night on ABC Read More... Posted Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: animation, Disney, DreamWorks, ABC, CG, Epcot, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios, television, WDAS, Future World , Christmas, film, gags , film franchise, Happy Holidays, Tis the season, feature film , Shrek Goes Fourth, ratings, color coordinated , Godzilla, midnight snack, chimney, Disney Mix, cookie, It's the most wonderful time of the year, holiday season , gingerbread man, Twas The Night Before Christmas, Gingy, holiday perennial, dated , timeless , film parody, in-joke, Disney in-joke, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers , recording session, DreamWorks campus, character bits , TV special, holiday story , How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Best Picture nominee, Richard Purdum , 1980s, Cranium Command, Kirk Wise, holiday special, Christmas special, Gary Trousdale, fairytale, Santa's workshop, The North Pole, Puss in Boots, Donkey, Saint Nick, Saint Nicholas, naughty list, Santa Claus, ogre, Shrek, Shrek's First Christmas, Shrek the Halls

• Why For were there so few stories on JHM this week?

  This time around, Jim explains why JHM has been somewhat erratic over the past seven days, how he blew the Disney Hawaii story as well as why this website is going to continue to post articles about non-Disney films & theme parks Read More... Posted Friday, October 05, 2007 12:00 AM | 19 Comments Filed under: Why For, DreamWorks, attraction, Disney Vacation Club, NBC, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Fox, DreamWorks Animation, Marty Sklar, The Walt Disney Company, The Magic Kingdom, Bee Movie, The Haunted Mansion, Kevin Lima, Jerry Seinfeld, Disney Hawaii project, Oahu, Hawaii, Honolulu, DCL, DVC, Disney Cruise Line, E.T., 2719 Hyperion, Blue Sky Disney, Elvis Presley, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Simpsons simulator attraction, Shelly Smith, The Fabulous Disney Babe, Epcot's 25th anniversary celebration, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Texas

• Jerry Seinfeld and the Boston "Bee" Party

  As part of the publicity tour for this upcoming DreamWorks Animation release, this sitcom star and the two directors of "Bee Movie" buzzed into Beantown yesterday. Jim Hill brings you the details Read More... Posted Thursday, September 27, 2007 12:00 AM | 21 Comments Filed under: animation, movies, DreamWorks, CG, NBC, promotion, DreamWorks Animation, marketing, Bee Movie, Jerry Seinfeld, Matthew Broderick, Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner, Renee Zellweger, Loews Boston Common, AMC Theatres, Boston Celtics, U.S. Customs, Logan International Airport, YouTube, AintItCool, Doc Rivers, Boston, Toronto

• Monday Mouse Watch : Why all the dough that "The Simpsons Movie" is earning is making Disney & Pixar executives say "D'oh !"

  Jim Hill shares some interesting comments from this past Wednesday's quarterly earnings conference call. Which suggest that Mouse House officials have finally accepted the fact that "Ratatouille" won't actually do as well domestically as "Cars" did last year Read More... Posted Monday, August 06, 2007 12:00 AM | 68 Comments Filed under: DVD / Video, Pixar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney Consumer Products, traditional animation, computer animation, Harry Potter, Bob Iger, Walt Disney Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Ratatouille, The Simpsons Movie, Tom Staggs, Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation, Brad Bird, David Silverman