For months now, JHM has been talking up Walt Disney Feature Animation’s March 2007 release, “Meet the Robinsons,” a CG time travel tale.
But “Meet the Robinsons” isn’t the only new CG feature that’s coming out next year. There’s a veritable flood of animated features headed our way in 2007. Everything from an eagerily awaited “Shrek” sequel …
… (Which hits theaters on May 18, 2007) to Pixar’s next production …
… (Which bows at your local multiplex on June 29, 2007).
But today, we’re going to focus on some animated films that are a little further out. CG features that won’t be ” … coming to a theater near you ” ’til the latter half of 2007 and beyond. Starting with DreamWorks Animation’s “Bee Movie.”
This CG feature (Which is tentatively slated to hit theaters on November 2, 2007) has been creating a lot of buzz lately (Sorry. That’ll be the only bee-related pun I use in this piece. I promise). Mostly because “Bee Movie” is Jerry Seinfeld’s first real project of size that this acclaimed comic has taken on since he shut down production of his Emmy-Award-winning sitcom back in the Spring of 1998.
Of course, the other reason that this upcoming DreamWorks Animation release has been getting a lot of attention is because of the number of hats that Seinfeld is wearing on this project. You see, Jerry isn’t just doing voice work on “Bee Movie.” He also wrote the original screenplay for this film. In addition to serving as this new animated feature’s producer.
So obviously we’re talking about a pretty personal project here. One that will (hopefully) reflect Seinfeld’s distinct comic voice.
As for the film’s storyline … “Bee Movie” chronicles the adventures of Barry B. Benson (Voiced by Seinfeld), a bee who has just graduated from college. Barry — who had hoped for a life filled with excitement & adventure — is somewhat disconcerted to learn that the only career choice that’s currently open to him is the one that every bee must eventually embrace. And that’s making honey.
But Barry’s life takes an interesting turn one day when he’s rescued by Vanessa (Voiced by Renee Zellweger), a human florist who lives in New York City. While he’s in Vanessa’s care, Barry learns humanity’s dark secret. That they actually eat most of the honey that bees produce.
Seeing as humans haven’t ever paid bees for their labors, Barry …
… sees this arrangement as a real travesty of justice. Which is why — with the help of his best friend, Adam …
… (Who will be voiced by Matthew Broderick), Barry decides to sue humanity to recover all of that lost income.
Speaking of lost income … There are those in the entertainment industry who are wondering if it’s really wise for DreamWorks Animation to release “Bee Movie” on November 2, 2007. Given that this is the very same day that Disney Feature Animation’s highly anticipated “Enchanted” is expected to hit theaters.
Given this Kevin Lima film is the very first Walt Disney Pictures production to feature traditional animation since “Home on the Range” was released to theaters back in 2004, one wonders if this would really be the very best time to release a CG film. Particularly given all the talk lately about a computer animation glut.
Okay. Enough about “Bee Movie.” Let’s move a little further down into the alphabet now, as we turn our attention to the letter …
… As in “Horton Hears a Who.” Blue Sky Studios’ next big release. Which 20th Century Fox will be sending out into theaters sometime in March of 2008.
Jim Carrey has just been signed to provide the voice for the film’s title character, while “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” ‘s Steve Carrell has agreed to do vocals for the mayor of Whoville.
The folks at Blue Sky are already working over-time to make sure that the CG characters that you’ll see in this big screen adaption of this classic Dr. Seuss tale really do justice to Theodore Geisel’s original illustrations. And as you can see by this sculpture of Vlad Vladikoff (I.E. The black-bottomed buzzard who flies off with the clover that Horton the elephant is trying so hard to protect) …
… They’ve been able to get pretty-darn close to replicating the look that Seuss achieved in his original 1954 children’s book.
Jumping ahead now to May of 2008 … Well, judging by this poster, it looks like virtually every character in DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda” …
… will eventually be leaping through the air in this new CG feature. Reportedly inspired by recent chop-socky films like “Kung Fu Hustle,” this comic adventure tells the story of Po …
… (Voiced by Jack Black), a lazy panda who has been prophesized to be the great protector of the Valley of Peace. Will master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) as well as Monkey (Jackie Chan) be able to get Po in shape in time to do battle with Tai Lung (Ian McShane), an evil snow leopard?
Mind you, Tai Lung isn’t the only serious competition that “Kung Fu Panda” will be facing in the late Spring / early Summer of 2008. Come back tomorrow and we’ll talk about Disney’s “American Dog” and “Rapunzel” as well as Pixar’s “Toy Story 3.”
Your thoughts?