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It wasn't a phone call that Roger Deakins had ever expected to receive. This acclaimed English cinematographer -- best known for his Oscar-nominated work for the Coen brothers and Sam Mendes -- had strictly been working the live-action side of the street. But when Pixar Animation Studios reached...

Huffington Post -- "The Croods" directors reveal how DreamWorks Animation's caveman comic-adventure evolved You'd think given the sophisticated sorts of folks who annually attend the Berlin Film Festival that this wouldn't be the sort of crowd which would enthusiastically embrace...

Huffington Post -- The online premiere of Disney's "Paperman" So what do you know about " Paperman ," that new Walt Disney Animation Studios production which was recently nominated for a Best Animated Short Oscar ? Well, you may have heard that this mostly black-and-white film...

What was the toughest part of riding herd on all of the CG artists at Rhythm & Hues who worked on " Yogi Bear " ? According to Alex Orrelle , the Animation Supervisor on this new Warner Bros ' live-action/computer animated 3D adventure, it was actually when he had to persuade his crew...

I’ve often been asked this goofy question. “How would you run an animation studio if you were in charge?” Questions like this come from young people who assume I have answers. The truth is, I’m not in that position, and I don’t expect to be. However, I once ran my own business...

For several generations, Disney’s “ Sorcerer’s Apprentice ” has been best known as one of the most famous sequences in animation and for its iconic image of Mickey Mouse . But Nicolas Cage , director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer may soon change all that, especially among younger movie...

For 35 years now, “ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ” has been leading the way. At least when it comes to Christmas specials. Ever since this Rankin/Bass production first premiered on NBC in December of 1964, year after year, “Rudolph” has consistently occupied the top spot. Ratings-wise, that is. But...

Last week, the International Animated Film Society revealed who was in the running for this year’s Annies (which are the animation industry’s equivalent of the Academy Awards). And among those singled out for recognition this time around were writer, teacher, animator, historian and all-around-nice-guy...

If you keep an eye on DisneyAuditions.com , you’ll see that Casting is constantly looking for people to play the Characters . New hirers who’d be willing to climb inside one of those often hot walk-around suits and then go out & entertain Guests on a Disney cruise ship and/or in one of the theme...

You’re going to read a lot of stories this morning about how Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” had a bad opening weekend. How – because this new Robert Zemeckis movie didn’t make $35 - $40 million during its first three days in domestic release – this rather expensive ImageMovers Digital production is now...

He’s ba-a-ack. After taking a six month sabbatical from the Mouse House, master animator Glen Keane is back. Keane – who stepped down from his directorial position on “ Rapunzel ” last October due to health-related reasons – is now back supervising animation on that project. Master animator Glen Keane...

You all remember Lightning McQueen and Mater from " Cars ," right ? Copyright 2008 Disney - Pixar. All Rights Reserved Well, the folks at Disney - Pixar certainly hope that you remember these two animated autos. Given that -- come the Summer of 2011 -- they're going to be starring in " Cars 2 " ... Copyright...

Are you confused about where animation is going these days? If so, join the club. What with the rise of performance capture, the revival of hand-drawn animation over at Disney, not to mention CG going 3D, animation students aren't sure what they should be doing these days in order to properly prepare...

There's a popular television show called " Survivor ." I've never been able to watch this show or even take it seriously. It's difficult to consider the consequences of surviving on a desert island when craft services is located nearby. However, I did see some real survivors a few weeks ago as I walked...

"It was 20 years ago today ..." Well, it was tomorrow actually. August 2, 1988 to be precise. That was the date when an incomplete version of " Tin Toy " first screened at SIGGRAPH and truly wowed the crowd in Atlanta. Given the overwhelmingly positive response that this John Lasseter film received ...

With its lush visuals and eye-popping fight scenes, " Kung Fu Panda " may be one of the best looking action film ever produced. Which -- I know -- sounds like a really weird thing to say about a new animated feature. But as Brad Bird once said: "Animation isn't a genre. It's a type of film-making that...

As I was reading through the most recent issue of " Tales from the Laughing Place " magazine (Which -- FYI -- features a spectacular selection of articles on Epcot & its history. If you aren't yet a subscriber of this high quality quarterly, this is one issue that you should probably go out of your...

Next Friday night, Toontown's top talents will put on their Sunday best and then motor on over to UCLA 's Royce Hall for the 35th annual Annie Awards . Copyright 2008 ASIFA-Hollywood. All Rights Reserved This is the night that the animation industry honors its own. When the very best work from 2007 in...

It's going to seem like "Old Home Week" at Hollywood's Egyptian Theater tonight. What with acclaimed filmmaker Leslie Iwerks sharing the stage with industry legend Roy E. Disney during the Q & A portion of tonight's screening of " The Pixar Story " at the American Cinematheque . You see, if it hadn...

Bernie W. writes in to say: Jim -- Can you please help me win a bet at work? A co-worker of mine says that WALL-E makes a brief cameo appearance in " Ratatouille ." More importantly, this guy has bet me $100 that I'll never ever be able to find that robot in this movie. Copyright 2007 Disney...