A113Animation

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Coming to Blu-ray 27th August

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:46:07 PDT

In very exciting news, Disney's 1977 classic, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, is being released on Blu-ray on 27th August. The studio hasn't give official confirmation yet, but the title is now available for pre-order at Amazon.

The film consists of three previously released shorts: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974). Additional animation was produced to link the the three shorts and make the story advance more fluidly.

The film was previously announced for a Spring 2013 release date (see the trailer below), but was delayed with no explanation. Technical specs and official artwork are yet to be revealed, but expect more details in the near future.

You can pre-order the title on Amazon.com here.

Byron Howard Directing Top-Secret New Disney Film; To Star Jason Bateman

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:33:26 PDT

The Hollywood Reporter claims that Byron Howard (Bolt, Tangled) is hard at work on a brand new, top-secret animated film for Disney. No details about the film are known at the time, other than the fact that, according to THR's sources, it's an "untitled animal comedy that does not yet have a release date," which Jason Bateman is in talks to lend his voice to.

Bateman, who has starred in films such as Juno and will next appear on Netflix's resurgence of Arrested Development, hasn't voiced a character in a feature animated film before - but certainly has the comic chops and inherent likeability to pull it off. Howard, likewise, would be facing firsts on the project, having not directed a feature solo before.

It's certainly an exciting prospect, and this - when slotted in with Frozen this winter, Big Hero 6 next year, a new Ron & John film on the horizon and a desired Wreck-It Ralph sequel - means Disney have got a hell of an exciting upcoming slate.

Interview: Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, Directors of The Croods

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:11:29 PDT

Last month, DreamWorks released their first film under Fox, the prehistoric family comedy, The Croods. We here at A113Animation really rather liked it: it's warm, it's funny and it's visually stunning. So I was very pleased to get the opportunity to talk to its two directors, Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, late last week.

I'd like to pass on my sincerest thanks to Chloe Adams at 20th Century Fox for setting up the interview, and to Chris and Kirk for taking the time out of their very hectic schedules to fit in an eager fanboy - and for putting up with my God-awful connection.

Kirk has been involved in the production for nine years now, whereas Chris worked on the project both before and after his enormous success with How to Train Your Dragon. In our 20 minute interview, Chris, Kirk and I discuss The Croods, its lengthy production, its recently announced sequel, working with Roger Deakins, Chris's involvement with How to Train Your Dragon 2, and more! Check the transcription of our chat out below.

A113Animation: First of all, I saw the film a few weeks ago now and I loved it: great stuff; it's really, really funny, but more than that, it's a really touching story, and the visuals - as I'm sure you have heard parroted back to you a thousand different times - are absolutely stunning. So, congrats to both of you on that!
Kirk DeMicco: Wow, thank you!

A113: Okay, so, I'm going to start with Kirk first: The Croods has been in development for quite a while now hasn't it? As far back as, I think I read, 2005. And undergone some pretty drastic story changes since then. It was originally called Crood Awakening and in production at Aardman - well, with Aardman - and has changed a lot since then to become the final film that we all see. So, Kirk, can you talk about your early experiences on the film, working with John Cleese, Aardman's input and that sort of thing, please?
KD: Yeah, sure. So, we actually started more like 2004. One thing I think you see is that - since then - we moved to a larger theme, which is the fear of change. So that was something that carried throughout the entire movie, because that was something we felt had a certain universal relatability - not just around international countries, but also across ages, because everyone fears change whether they're a kid or an adult. That being said, at the beginning, when we were working with John [Cleese] and Aardman, the movie was a little bit more about the fear of change and how it affects society. And it was about these villages, right - it was about this guy, who was kind of like the patriarch of this village, the leader of the village. And a new guy turns up in the town and kind of upsets the balance. Much like Grug, as a father, being a very strong figure within his own family. But in the earlier one there was more of a village, there were some neighbours... then when Chris and I started working on it together, and talking about it, one thing that we kept on finding as we were writing together was that the scenes that we liked the most, the scenes that we related to the most, were the ones where we felt things emotionally for him, and that change - he (Grug) actually had an emotional motive, and that was for his family. So, we made the decision to just focus on one family rather than an entire village.

A113: Okay, and then, Chris, you joined the fold after leaving Disney. It's kind of an interesting story really: you joined DreamWorks, you started working on The Croods, you stopped working on The Croods, you started working on How to Train Your Dragon, you finished working on How to Train Your Dragon, you came back aboard The Croods, you finished The Croods, and now here we are. So can you talk us a bit through your early days on the film?
Chris Sanders: Oh, yeah. When I came onto the film, I wasn't aware that it had as much history as it really did. Kirk pitched me the story and I thought it was fantastic, so I jumped right onto it. I did a couple of movies for DreamWorks prior to development, and Croods was one I thought was amazing. I guess I was so enthusiastic about the caveman aspect of the whole thing, because I love caveman movies, so we dove in. That first year was spent trying to get that original version, which I loved, get that one off the ground, and it was just really, really rough. We had really run the course on that story about the village and it just wasn't getting off the ground... So I left to do How to Train Your Dragon, that was a moment for Kirk to be left alone with this puzzle. Kirk called me up one day, he wanted to talk, he'd had a new idea, so I came down, and he said "Okay, here it is, a stable caveman family loses their cave, so they go on the world's first family road-trip to find another one. No more village, just one family." And I thought 'Oh my God, that's it. Why was it this hard? [Laughs] Y'know, why did it take this long?' It was a clear theme, a clear central theme, and that was the story we made - that was the movie. And Kirk really found that story that we made; he was such a natural leader and the movie is so much stronger now.

A113: But what was it like coming onto the project part-way through? Because that is something that happens quite a lot in animation; you've directorial switch-over, directors joining, directors leaving... And there was a bit of a kerfuffle last year around Brave, and Brenda Chapman leaving the project. So, was there any animosity when you joined? Or did you fit in well with the crew and Kirk and with the story and was it kind of a quick thing?
KD: Actually, when Chris came on, he really was the one who revived it, because the project had actually fell pretty dormant. The crew who were working on it before, most people had kind of gone in separate directions. So the project kind of laid there. When Chris came on, he actually revived it. So Chris, you were really important, you actually got the production going, to get the movie to where it was.
CS: Yeah, I wasn't even aware until at least a month into that Aardman were on it before I got to it. [Laughs] But yeah, it's not like we were starting from scratch when I came on.

A113: Well, like you say, it has been a massively long production. I mean, if it's 2004, it's 9 years then, isn't it? That's two years longer than Bambi took, so that's quite a long production. [Laughs]
KD: Yeah, although it was quite for about a two years. I think between 2005 and 2007 (when Chris came on), there wasn't much going on; it was kind of on a hiatus pause.

A113: Yeah. Like you said, it did used to be in production at Aardman - I presume, then, it was going to be stop-motion originally?
KD: The story that we were working on at the Aardman level, was right for an Aardman-type stop-motion movie, because of the fact that it really revolved around one very large set - there were sort of adventures off of that, but there was one large piece kind of set, one we covered very well, that we would always come back to, and that was the village. And that makes a lot of sense in stop-motion. But in our film though, we started looking at CG and creating visual developments on top of that you've got the artists coming up with all these amazing, detailed visual developments to help you. Then when Chris came on he started pushing to really figure out what this world looks likes in CG and embracing the caveman element of it all, and that's where it kind of opened up and became more of an adventure - a family adventure thing.

A113: Yeah. And you had Roger Deakins as visual consultant on the film as well, so obviously that lends a lot to how beautiful your film is going to look - clearly this was going to be a beautiful film anyway - but did he, did Roger Deakins, have a large effect on the end result?
CS: Oh absolutely, yes; Roger's amazing. The world that we were going to be going into as the movie builds, we needed that to be a very fantastic world, but it has to be believed in - you have to believe in this place. So the way that it's shot and the way that it's lit, we took that world, which is fantastic, but we treated it very seriously. The way that you light a set can mean the difference between making it look like a toy, or looking like it's absolutely real - and that's one of the things that Roger brought to the party. He is all about removing light from a scene, if you over-light a scene, that's when it starts to look a little bit like a toy. But our scenes look fantastically real. So he had a hugely tremendous effect on the way that the audience responded to the film.

A113: To the both of you: if you had to sum up in one thing, one sentence, what the other director most brought to the film, what would it be.
KD: When Chris came on, he was the director and I was the writer, so I came at it in a different way, you know? The thing that I really found pretty great about the way Chris structured things was that he had an incredible... kind of a nose - more of an instinct than the analytical part of figuring out or script-writing or stuff. He just had this instinct for special moments that make a movie - cinematic moments. I think that's something that I really watch in all his movies, and I'm really happy that that was something that... yeah, just instinctive, let's stick to that. I know that's more than one line, but I'm the writer, so... [Laughs]
A113: [Laughs]
CS: I think that, for me, if I had to boil it down, it's that Kirk always kept us on target. There's the mundane, everyday writing scenes for CG animation - which is all very important - but if you lose track, you lose focus on the big picture and what you're really trying to achieve, then you can lose the entire film. And the thing with Kirk, that was so great about him, - from the very beginning and all the way through - he knew that this was for a family audience, anybody should be able to see this movie and have a great time, whether they're young, they're old, single, married... whatever, but the primary feeling, the primary target, was families and the families that exist inside of everybody. And Kirk kept us on that target all the time. We never lost track of that, we never tried going 'Hey, let's do this amazing, amazing sequence! It'll be so beautiful and it'll be all about this stuff that didn't even exist then!', we never spun off into this abstract film, because we always stayed on target with what we trying to say, and who we were entertaining.

A113: Right, now DreamWorks, whether or not they really deserve it, have acquired this reputation as being a studio that makes a sequel to everything. [Laughs] Rise of the Guardians last year, because of the disappointment over the box-office results, isn't getting a sequel. But, as we found out last week, The Croods is. So can either of you talk at all about what that's going to consist of? What stories are there left to tell with this family?
CS: That was an excellent question. We have just begun to talk about that! There was a lot of material that we generated for the first film that we didn't use, and one of the things we're going to do is go through that material, because there were animals that were built that were never used, there were sequences that we came up with that were never used; we've already found a couple of sequences and tagged those as being some of our favourites. But it's the big idea that we're looking for; like what is the actual story? The actual story we have yet to concoct. This just happened last week, so we're just now beginning to figure that out. We're in very early days.
KD: Yeah, I mean, one thing we've always looked at it is that they're a very unique set of characters; because they're cavemen and they're so innocent and they have no ulterior motives, they have childlike minds. That's the really believable thing about them: they learn. There are so many other characters who've got their land, their gold... [Laughs] But that's not the way the Croods operate, there's something eminently warm about them. We thought, especially what Nic [Cage] and Emma [Stone] brought to those characters and their voices, they're such warm characters that we like seeing them out there, so we hope that people would want to see more of that. They're just warm-hearted, good, good characters.

Sanders with the voice of Grug, Nicolas Cage.

A113: Okay. And I've actually got a couple of questions from readers from Twitter on that subject: @nadineshambrook says "Hi Chris & Kirk, congrats on the sequel... What is the process you go through when choosing voice actors for parts? Do you have an idea of who you want to a voice character before the film, or is that something you look at after production?"
CS: You mean when we originally cast the characters?
A113: Yeah. Like, when you're making a film, do you think right from the start 'Oh, Grug. I want Nic Cage to voice Grug.'? Or does that come later?
CS: Oh it comes right away. Because the first thing we did when we actually got into production is record the voices. Because everything has to follow the soundtrack; it's a common misconception that we finish the film and then we record the voices. It's actually the very first thing we do. Now, casting the film... You can't really cast it too soon... You want to do the big spots, where you've been lighting it and boarding it, while casting, so you know what kind of characters they're going to be. You want to get the voices in as soon as possible, because it's not just their voice that you want, it's also the personality of the actor that's going to start to inform and then help develop the character. So we approached Nicolas Cage, for example, pretty early, and he was the only actor that we approached, because he said yes. He was the one that we were thinking off; we started writing the character for him long before we actually asked him if he would do the part, so we actually approached him first. If he had said no, then we would have to go back and try to figure out who would be the next right choice. But we were very lucky in that every actor that we asked said yes; we got all of our first choices. So I guess the other answer is: as you write, and as you storyboard, voices begin to come to you, inevitably those are going to be celebrity voices, because they're the ones that you know. But Grug started sounding a lot like Nicolas Cage, so we went to him, and etc, etc.

A113: Chris, if I was to ask you about How to Train Your Dragon 2... How involved have you been with that?
CS: I have not been super involved, because the entire time that thing was being developed, I was very, very hard at work on Croods. However, I have been able to participate in every story meeting, I have talked a lot with Dean [DeBlois, Dragon 2 director] during the writing. So I would say I've been as involved as I could be up to this point - having been full-time on Croods. But I'll say that we had a terrific story meeting just a couple of weeks ago, which was just fantastic - that involved a sequence in the film.

A113: Okay, awesome! If I can just quickly tag onto the very end of that, the question I ask to everyone: What is your favourite animated film? And that goes to both of you.
CS: Kirk?
KD: Charlie Brown Christmas.
CS: Of all time? This is a tough one, there are so many... Oh man, I think I would choose somewhere between My Neighbour Totoro or Dumbo.

Edgar Wright's Ant-Man To Undergo Rewrites

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:06:11 PDT

Now that Phase 2 has officially begun, it's no surprise that Marvel are starting to knuckle down in preparation for the rest of their MCU films. Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright's Ant-Man is going to get a rewrite, but it's for a good reason.

Even though Ant-Man is going to be the first film in Phase 3, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is keen to get serious about making it fit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige said to Entertainment Weekly:

“Frankly, now we have to re-write it to put it a little bit more into the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] because it was written before it existed.”

The script is being written by pals Edgar Wright (whose latest film, The World's End opens in the UK in July, and the US in August) and Joe Cornish (Attack The Block), who co-wrote 2011's The Adventures of Tintin with Doctor Who's Steven Moffat.

“[Edgar Wright] has done a great job being incredibly true to the comics but is putting his own spin on it, so we’ll be drawing on multiple mythologies for this one,” says Feige.

The Ant-Man suit from the test footage showed at last summer's Comic-Con.

It sure sounds exciting and it's nice to know the makers of the film are taking the Marvel Cinematic Universe seriously, especially as it's so unique. The Marvel head honcho also briefly discussed how and when casting for the film will be done:

“We've talked about various names over the past eight years, but as you can imagine, they keep changing as time goes by. But toward the end of this year, we’ll buckle down and start casting and start refining the script.”

Ant-Man has a US release date for 6th November, 2015.

Striking New Concept Art from The Blue Umbrella

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:26:27 PDT

Monsters University is sure to be a hit when it opens this summer: it's a follow-up to one of Pixar's most beloved films and is getting strongly positive reviews thus far. What's making the whole idea even more tantalising, though, is Saschka Unseld's visually arresting, thematically sweet short film, The Blue Umbrella.

The short, which tells the story of two coincidentally-brought-together, love-struck umbrellas on a rainy New York day, certainly brings to mind Disney's Oscar-winning Paperman a bit (although that, also, is purely coincidental), as well as quite a lot of Pixar's own Red's Dream. That's where the similarities to previous stock ends though, as the artists at Pixar have crafted a beautifully breathtaking photorealistic film.

The project looks equally stunning as drawn art though, as indicated by three striking new pieces of concept art for the film released by Indiewire (the site also got a few words from Unseld about the film). Putting the icing on a pretty delicious cake is the fact that the short is scored by the brilliant Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, ParaNorman).

The Blue Umbrella will see a wide release in front of Monsters University this summer: 21st June (US) and 12th July (UK).

A113Animation Assemble: Iron Man 3 Group Review

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:04:38 PDT

I've already offered up my extensive thoughts on Marvel's first entry into Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (check out the review here), but I'm not Lotso and this isn't a dictatorship, so it's time the full A113Animation team weighed in on Iron Man 3.

The Shane Black-directed film is in UK cinemas now and opens Stateside on Friday, so now seems as good a time as any for the Avengers of the animation world to assemble to offer up our collaborate, spoiler-free-ish, thoughts on the steel-clad threequel. Obviously, although we agree on some aspects of the film, we disagree on others, so please do enjoy the range of opinions!

The reviews are split into four sections: Story, Direction/Acting, Comparison to Phase 1 films, and Phase 2 thoughts. For your reading pleasure, reviewers are identified by Iron Man-themed colours, Munir is Iron Man red, Damien is Iron Patriot blue, Nadine is Pepper Potts orange and I'm Mandarin green.

Story

So, after The Avengers became a wild success and closed out the first phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here comes Iron Man 3 to kick off Phase Two. After tepid reactions to Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 needed to be both a better sequel to that film and also a successful successor to The Avengers. After watching the film, I can say that, despite some gripes, the film manages to accomplish both fates while also being a very entertaining movie in its own right.
I won’t go into many story details, but I can tell you that this Iron Man is darker than previous outings. That’s not to say it’s Dark Knight levels of dark, but within Marvel’s films universe, it is. Here we don’t have the overconfident, egoistical Tony Stark from previous movies, but rather a more grounded and scared man. After the events of The Avengers and his brush with death, Tony is suffering panic attacks and insomnia, causing him to dedicate all his time to perfecting his various Iron Man suits. His relationship with Pepper isn't at its best either, and he's spending a lot of time alone. But, when a new terrorist called “The Mandarin” is threatening the country and the world, he has to return to action to save the world and what he cares about most.

It's easy to see what screenwriters Shane Black and Drew Pearce went for in the Iron Man 3 script. They wanted to do something different, to get Tony Stark out of his comfort zone, to have something fresh, despite the fact that it's the third film of the franchise, and the fourth apparition of Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man (following The Avengers). They probably knew they couldn't do something as big - or as good - as Joss Whedon's blockbuster, so they tried to take another route - and it's a half-success.
Indeed, it feels different. Although it deals with the aftermath of The Avengers events in Tony Stark's life, the film as a whole is full of funny, sarcastic bits and turns. Maybe too much. I think Iron Man 3 would have been a better film if they went for a darker tone, and stuck to it. That would have still been different from The Avengers (and from the two other Iron Man films, for that matter) and the impact of certain dramatic sequences would have been greater. Whereas here, at its climax, Iron Man 3 still wants to be funny, while tragic events are a strong possibility.
Sometimes the idea of being different works, on the other hand: when Tony Stark ends up in a place that you would not expect in an Iron Man movie - the story takes more time to explore the character. I also found the ending very clever, and that what they were doing with the suits was truly creative.

Pearce and Black have done absolute wonders with this story: comedy, action, a red herring and - it’s a great transition from The Avengers to the first film of Phase 2. I think Pearce has very much got the atmosphere of a Shane Black film spot on, from the cold open being narrated by Tony to the quick bouncing-off-each-other dialogue from at least four of the characters, if not more. Iron Man 3 is very witty, well-structured and full of incredible pieces of dialogue. The path the film took was very different to the assumptions I made from the trailer, which is always a good thing as it made the film, as whole, entertaining at all times.

As I detailed in my full review, I am very much a fan of Iron Man 3's story; for all its other faults and tone-inconsistencies, it is a well plotted, thoroughly entertaining and interestingly mixed film. Where the previous two films have been stereotypical superhero fare, Iron Man 3 has more tropes of an espionage film or a buddy comedy. Rhodey and Stark's quick back-and-forths are hilarious and indicative of the prowess of the well-crafted script. That's not to say there's no emotion to be found in the film though - in fact, the first half hour of the film is wrought with emotion, including our hero's very telling line "I'm just a man in a can." And the climactic house assault seen in the trailers is absolutely stunning - that's just as far as the film goes dramatically, though.

Shane Black directs Robert Downey, Jr. on the set of Iron Man 3.

Direction/Acting

Robert Downey, Jr. is always a great Tony Stark, but I felt that in the second outing he was just an extension of what was presented in the first film. Here, we have a more complex and humane character and that makes him much more investable. The rest of the cast is also great with Don Cheadle deserving praise, as I felt he made Rhodey his own in this film (something I didn't felt in the second outing). Guy Pearce is also commendable as Aldrich Killian, but I think Ben Kingsley stole the show with The Mandarin. It's obvious he was having lots of fun with the character and that translates well to the screen. Although the character's role in the film will certainly bring some controversy (especially from comic geeks). Rebecca Hall is the sole weak link in the cast, not because she isn't a good actress, but because she doesn't do anything interesting with the character.
Director Shane Black's hand is steady throughout the film as the movie moves comfortably from one action piece to the next. As all Marvel films, this one offers plenty of eye candy action-packed scenes but I have to say that some of them were truly spectacular and very exciting to watch (particularly one in the final battle). As with previous outings, humour and cynicism run rampant in the movie. Despite being darker, humour is always present in the film - sometimes overbearingly, so that takes some of the “seriousness” out of the proceedings.

A good job from director Shane Black. The pace of the film is really good, and I was never bored while watching it. The action scenes are quite exciting and don't feel chaotic. One criticism that I found was the over-reliance on big explosions - but there're still enough ideas to keep you entertained. The most bad-ass moment of the movie for me was a James Rhodes scene, interestingly enough without his Iron Patriot suit on. Oh, and bold music choice to open the movie! It should make you smile.
Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, plain and simple. He sells one liners like nobody else, and it's veru hard to imagine what this franchise would be without him as the title character. A pretty solid performance by the whole cast, but I do have a problem with the villain. The Mandarin feels flat, and will not go down as a very good Marvel foe. It may actually be the worst villain in this cinematic universe. When you compare him to Loki, Red Skull, or even Iron Man 2's Whiplash, the Mandarin is very much a let down.

After three very worthy performances by Gwyneth Paltrow in the Iron Mans and The Avengers, Iron Man 3 features her as the best Pepper Potts yet. Paltrow really takes control of Pepper this time round, given her much larger role, making her much more likeable and providing her a lot more action. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as always, but that’s not surprising considering the role of Tony Stark is pretty much RDJ behind the camera.
There was never any doubt that Shane Black would be able to make a great Iron Man film, but I think the direction this time round feels more personal and passionate. The thing about Shane Black films is that they feel very realistic, and despite Iron Man taking place in a world where aliens have been known to attack, this film is very believable as a character story.

Something that has always been agreed upon with the Iron Man films is the quality of Robert Downey, Jr.'s acting. He's a very strong actor, and his rather publicised playboy-past clearly gives him plenty to draw on for the role. At this point, Downey, Jr. is to Iron Man what Sean Connery is to James Bond; it's going to be very difficult for Marvel to ever recast him. He and director Shane Black mesh well (evidenced by their previous collaboration, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and the shared dry, sardonic wit of both is rip-roaringly funny in Iron Man 3. Gwyneth Paltrow actually has something to do this time round, and she handles it well. Cheadle was good as Iron Patriot, and erstwhile-Iron Man director Jon Favreau was amusing as Happy Hogan. Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley were both reliably slimy, too.
Black paces Iron Man 3 better than either of the previous two films, having it zip along at a frantic, exciting pace - this fits well with the aforementioned espionage feel the film has. It also well suits the film's big action scenes and its frequent comedy.

Phase 1 Comparisons:

So, how does it compare to the Phase 1 films? I think this one is better than most offerings from the previous phase; just a tad below the first Iron Man and head-to-head with Captain America. It's definitely an improvement over the second Iron Man and it's better than Thor and The Incredible Hulk. Of course the best is still The Avengers, and that film's going to be mighty difficult to surpass.

In the Iron Man movies hierarchy, I would rank Iron Man 3 higher than the 2, but lower than the original. It's far from being the best Marvel film - that spot is still The Avengers' for me, and it's going to be hard to top it - and is not even at the same level as Thor or Captain America. But it's still enjoyable, fun, and something you should see if you're a fan of superheroes and/or explosions.

Iron Man 3 seems to have a lot more heart than the first two Iron Man films. This is in no way a criticism of Jon Favreau’s direction, but Iron Man 3 feels very much like an actual adventure film because of Tony’s struggle with coping with what happened in New York. Iron Man is from earth, so the threats he has faced have been clever business rivals and terrorism, but The Avengers saw him faced with unexplained, extra-terrestrial beings. It’s no surprise Tony has been a bit shaken up after that. That's what I liked most about Iron Man 3, seeing someone who has always appeared so confident and clever actually feel nervous and frightened. Of course, it’s not long until Mr Stark is feeling better again, saving the world, etc…

Iron Man 3's better than 2, but worse than 1. Despite looking as though it was going to be part of a new, darker direction for Marvel, this is instead the most frivolous of their films. But, for what it is, it's damned fun. For the record, I'd still rather watch this than overly self-important superhero pomp like Superman Returns; Iron Man 3 is a fun, gag-filled, action-brimming blockbuster, and on that level it's an absolute triumph. Sure, it's no Avengers, but that's a film that's going to take a long time to beat; nor is it better than Captain America (my favourite non-Avengers MCU film), but it's about on par with Thor and The Incredible Hulk, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still yet to produce a clunker.

Promotional image for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which hits
cinemas April 2014. Check out recent set photos from the film here.

Phase 2 Musings:

Phase 2 has began with a strong film and all the upcoming Marvel films will have to strive for this level of quality. I'm confident that Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are going to be great films because it's clear that Marvel knows what they’re doing with those properties.

The ending is pretty open. Phase 2 could go anywhere from here, and at this point it can only be speculation. There's no big clue to what will happen next; but it will be interesting to see with Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or even with Guardians of the Galaxy (less likely with the later) if what's happening in the final scenes of Iron Man 3 finds an echo; if there's a common theme going on through all of Phase 2... As I said, pure speculation.

Now Phase 2 has officially begun, I am looking forward to seeing everything link up again. It will be interesting to see how Thor feels after ‘New York’, especially as there is a hint in the trailer that Thor and the person behind the New York incident will be teaming up in some way. My only prediction from Iron Man 3 is that War Machine... I mean Iron Patriot, is going to have a bigger role as Tony's sidekick in the future. I'm also hoping that future post-credit scenes begin to tie in with The Avengers 2, like previous Phase 1 post-credit scenes did.

Where Phase 2 goes from here is going to be very interesting; I'm not going to spoil anything, but suffices to say that the end of Iron Man 3 raises big questions about what's going to go down in The Avengers 2. Before we get there though, we still have Thor: The Dark World to come this summer, which certainly looks more brooding and epic than the first film (although, we've seen first hand with this how misleading Marvel's advertising can be). Captain America: The Winter Soldier is my most anticipated Phase 2 films, mainly because I love Cap, but also because it's the one most linked to The Avengers. Guardians of the Galaxy is a bit of a wild card: its cosmic super-team is an intriguing prospect, and it's assembled an intriguing cast including Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt, The Walking Dead's Michael Rooker, Pushing Daisies's Lee Pace and former WWE-star Batista. However any of these turn out, it's going to be a hell of a ride.

Ratings:

8.5/10

6.5/10

8/10

8.5/10

The A113Animation team can be found on Twitter @WilliamKJardine, @Archibald_H, @maac027 and @nadineshambrook.

Moon Bear: Fully Funded and on The Pixar Podcast

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:30:35 PDT

Over the past month, we've been telling you about Moon Bear, an independent animated short film being animated, directed and written by our friend Scott Nicholson. The film's Kickstarter campaign has been quickly crawling towards its $3500 goal, and we're pleased to report that that goal has now been reached, and in fact surpassed!

What definitely helped the campaign reach its goal was Scott's appearance on The Pixar Podcast yesterday, talking his exciting, inspiring journey to animation, and the genesis of Moon Bear. Check out the episode here!

That said, please do still feel free to donate, because any money raised passed the goal will only help make the end product even more awesome.

Major congrats to Scott and Moon Bear; we hope to have lots more to share about the pair of them in the future.

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #16: Sleeping Beauty (1959)

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:01:50 PDT

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #15: Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Arguably the most ambitious film Walt created in his entire career, Sleeping Beauty is truly a sight to behold. Spending the entire 1950s in development, innovating new techniques (Super Technirama) and pushing the envelope in every aspect of its production, the film ended being the most expensive endeavour in Walt’s career. It nearly bankrupted the studio when it premiered, and it signalled the end of the ink & paint era for the studio (they would instead go on to use the newly created Xerox technology, a less expensive tool, in future films), but Walt had truly created a unique movie. From its lavish and opulent backgrounds to its spectacularly designed characters, the film’s ambitiousness is limitless. The gorgeous animation and the breathtaking colours envelop the viewer throughout the movie and never let go. Also, accompanying the perfect technical achievement is a wonderful fairy tale full of magic, romance, evil and a wondrous Tchaikovsky score that holds everything together. The unforgettable characters make an impression on you and even if many have criticized the title heroine as ‘passive’, I think it serves the story right and advances the plot in a wonderful way. No film, before or after, has matched the sheer marvelousness of this one. Rating: 5/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #17 Review: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

Star Wars Episode VII Composer Confirmed?

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:23:40 PDT

Star Wars: Episode VII director, J.J. Abrams.

Has Star Wars 7 got it's composer? Its director seems to think so.

Despite attending press conferences for his new film Star Trek Into Darkness, J.J. Abrams can't help but talk about his new gig as Star Wars-director. Addressing the rumours that John Williams will be returning to score Episode VII, Abrams said:

“[Michael Giacchino] is truly one of the most influential members of our crew, and I think this score [for Into Darkness], he really outdid himself. Again, for Star Wars, it’s very early days, but I believe that, going forward, John Williams will be doing that film, because he was there long before I was.”

Williams (right) with Star Wars creator George Lucas (left).

If this is the case, then the idea of Episode VII has just got a lot more real. Fans of the series will be overjoyed at the news; I can't quite imagine a Star Wars film that isn't scored by the legendary Williams. Though it isn't confirmed yet, I'm sure it won't be long before an official announcement is made.

Star Wars: Episode VII is currently pencilled in for a 2015 release.

Via Hypable.

Set Pictures from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:42:19 PDT

Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans have been spotted filming Captain America: The Winter Soldier in LA. Filming began a few days ago for the Captain America sequel, with the press release last month revealing that Black Widow will be teaming up with Steve Rogers to help her fellow Avenger adjust to life in the 21st century.

Set pictures appear to show some sort of business meeting gone wrong, as Natasha Romanoff demonstrates her deadly training on SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier will see Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role alongside Evans and Johansson, while Sebastian Stan is also back for the sequel. New cast members includes Frank Grillo, Anthony Mackie, Emily VanCamp and Robert Redford. It's directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (You, Me and Dupree) and is due out April 2014.

For more set pictures, head over to Hypable.

Jon Hamm Joins Minions Voice Cast

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:08:37 PDT

I've dreamt of the day I'd be able to somehow fit Jon Hamm into an A113Animation post, and now Illumination have answered my prayers. The Universal-owned studio have announced that the Mad Men actor will be lending his voice to the Despicable Me spin-off, alongside Sandra Bullock.

We heard back in February that Bullock was set to voice the film's leader, Scarlett Overkill; we now know (thanks to Deadline) that Hamm will be voicing her inventor husband, Herb. The updated synopsis for Minions is:

This spinoff establishes that Minions have existed since the beginning of time, in service of history’s most ambitiously evil villains. Through their lovable ineptitude, Minions have managed to thwart and ultimately destroy all of those bad guys. This story picks up in the 1960s, before they hench-ed for Gru. With no more super-villains to serve, the Minions fall into a collective depression and three of them set out to seek a new evil master. They wind up at a villain convention, where they compete for the right to be henchmen for Scarlet Overkill, whose Audrey Hepburn-like high style appearance belies her world domination ambition and her aspirations to become the world’s first female super-villain.

Directed by Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me) and Kyle Balda (The Lorax), Minions is currently set for a 19th December, 2014 release. Before then, Despicable Me 2 is on screens in the UK from 28th June, and in the US from 3rd July.

The Fearsome Beastie Animated Short Film Now in Production

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:09:35 PDT

Briefly: A CG short film adaptation of Giles Paley-Phillips' award winning book, The Fearsome Beastie, is currently underway, with an aim for a 2014 release. Check out the official press release below:

April 19th 2013 sees the announcement of a CGI animation Short film of 'The Fearsome Beastie' by award winning author Giles Paley-Phillips.

The Book published by Maverick Arts Publishing will be adapted by Slurpy Studios and Co-Directed by Katie Steed and Jon Hunt, in collaboration with UCA

UCA has a prestigious track record in animation having produced four Oscar winners to date.

The Film will be completed during the summer of 2014 and will be launched on the festival circuit soon after.

'The Fearsome Beastie' has had much success since it's release in May 2011, having won the People's Book Prize in 2012 it has also been shortlisted for many other awards including The Rotherham children's Book award 2012 and The Heart of Hawick Children's Book Prize in 2013.

Merida Becomes Eleventh Disney Princess

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:47:00 PDT

Pixar's first fairytale didn't receive all the acclaim we expect from a Pixar release - sure, it won the Oscar, and we here at A113Animation were very high on it, but general consensus is that it was merely quite good. Nonetheless, Pixar seem to have found a lot of love within their parent company for the film's feisty fire-haired lead: Merida will officially become the eleventh Disney Princess on 11th May, Inside the Magic reports.

A "royal coronation" will take place at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom at 9:30 am on 11th of next month. Merida joins classic Disney heroines like Snow White and Belle, as well as more recent additions Tiana and Rapunzel. Of note, she's the first Disney Princess without a Prince.

Inside the Magic also shared a few images of Merida's moderate Princess redesign. Congrats to everyone at Pixar on the achievement, particularly co-director Brenda Chapman, for whom Brave, and Merida, was a very personal passion project.

Via Hypable.

Exclusive: Concept Art from The Art of Epic

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:44:00 PDT

Next month, Blue Sky Studios will release their eighth feature film, the Chris Wedge-directed Epic. To prelude that release, Titan Books will release The Art of Epic, featuring a collection of gorgeous (and very green) concept art from the production of the film, on 3rd May. The kind PR folks over at Titan were nice enough to send us some over to share with you all.

Epic © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All
Rights Reserved.
Credit: The Art of Epic, by Tara Bennett. 3rd May 2013,
£24.99, Titan Books.

Epic © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: The Art of Epic, by Tara Bennett. 3rd May
2013, £24.99, Titan Books.

Epic © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: The Art of Epic, by Tara Bennett. 3rd May 2013, £24.99, Titan Books.

Epic © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.
Credit: The Art of Epic, by Tara Bennett. 3rd May 2013, £24.99, Titan
Books.

We'll have a review of The Art of Epic up some time this week, but rest assured, it's very good.

Epic is based on the book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce (The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, Rise of the Guardians) and certainly resembles a mash-up of Avatar, A Bug's Life and FernGully. It opens in the US on 24th May and in the UK two days earlier on 22nd.

You can pre-order The Art of Epic through our Amazon.co.uk and .com links above. For more A113Animation Amazon Associate links, see here.

Introducing the A113Animation YouTube Channel!

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:00:26 PDT

As part of our ongoing expansion, we're pleased to officially unveil the A113Animation YouTube channel! Videos will be posted covering everything from news, to reviews, to opinions and everything in between. The first proper video from the channel, covering my updated thoughts on the A113Animation Award winning Best Animated Feature Film of 2012, Wreck-It Ralph, is live now - check it out above!

Also up on the channel is an introductory video, letting you know what to look forward to in the next few weeks, addressing some blog business and more. Keep your eyes on the channel for future videos.

In other news, I also put in another appearance on the Scotty Jo Podcast, this time talking The Croods, Finding Dory, Monsters University and more - check that out here.

Iron Man 3 Review - Avengers Disassemble

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:37:15 PDT

*This review is largely spoiler free, and most plot-details mentioned are evident in the trailers, but read cautiously if you haven’t seen the film yet*

Marvel Studios are absolutely golden right now. Iron Man was big, Iron Man 2 was bigger (The Incredible Hulk, not so much), Captain America and Thor were no slouches either; but I don't think even Marvel knew how huge The Avengers was going to be. So coming on the back of that is a pretty unenviable task, yet one Iron Man 3 manages to accomplish with vigour, by fully addressing the events of last year's blockbuster smash and pondering "what next?". Although Iron Man 3 very loosely resembles its trailers - beyond a few key set pieces - it is nonetheless a fully enjoyable film.

Where Iron Man got Tony Stark into the suit, and Iron Man 2 had him wandering around in it for the whole film, Iron Man 3 yanks him out, and has him use his real superpower - his brain. I'll stay only mildly spoiler-y, but if you haven't seen the film yet and want to go into it completely fresh, a) why are you reading reviews?, and b) stop reading this one now.

As you can see in the trailers, Stark is suffering tremendously after the battle of New York that took place in The Avengers, having terrifying flashbacks that bring him out in an anxious sweat; he can't sleep, and he's throwing himself into creating suit after suit after suit (at the end of Iron Man 2, he was up to Mark 7. At the start of 3, he's just finished Mark 42). That sense of fear, a sense of incomprehension, is the emotional anchor for the film.

After a series of terrorist attacks, for which Ben Kingsley's The Mandarin is taking credit, our shiny-suited hero issues a challenge to the iconic supervillain: here's my address, come and fight me. Unfortunately, The Mandarin decides to do just that, launching the full-on beach house assault seen in the trailers - and that's certainly the most awe-inspiring and gripping scene in the movie. That though, and Tony's underlying anxiety and fear, are as dark as the film goes.

The trailers seem to make Iron Man 3 seem a much darker film, provoking cries of "Marvel are trying to piggy-back The Dark Knight", with many citing the film as reactionary to the success of the Bourne films, Casino Royale, et al. But the reality, what we see unfold for two and a half hours, is very, very far away from that. There are certainly dark aspects to the film, but, overall, Iron Man 3 is actually funny, bitingly sarcastic and rather light-hearted.

The film is, if anything, the least serious of the three Iron Man films and is packed to the brim with hilarious self-satire, cutting one-liners and some just plain goofy humour. There is natural, character-driven comedy, - including Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan, Stark Industries's new head of security, terrifying all the staff by launching a crusade against anyone not wearing their security badge - there are a lot of pun-tastic one-liners from Stark (although some questionable language choices: "pussy" and "spaz", in particular) and one crown jewel of comedy that is sure to make comic book fans everywhere yearn for the dismembered head of Shane Black.

And while the comedy is great, it underwhelms the drama of the film. There are a lot of big, climactic battles and tense, dramatic moments, but the comedy undercuts the dramatic potential of the film; it felt as though Iron Man 3 was going into Joker/The Dark Knight territory, but it soon becomes evident that that's not the plan at all - if you've not seen the film, I shan't give the game away; if you have, then you'll know what I'm referring to when I say 'Trevor'. Funny though 'Trevor' was, it took something away from the film. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, but it takes itself so un-seriously at times, that it's hard for anyone else to take it seriously either.

On the plus side though, Iron Man 3 does have a very interesting story; it had more of an espionage feel to it than the previous fully-suited-up films - several times it seemed as though Daniel Craig was about to waltz on screen wielding a Walther. It also dipped into buddy comedy/cop-movie territory in places with some of Tony and Rhodey's interactions and teamwork, involving them running around, in - rather than metal mechs - light-coloured polo shirts, waving guns around. In fact, the coolest parts of Iron Man 3 take place outside of any mechanical suits. Part and parcel with that is the film's aforementioned inherent sense of comedy; director Shane Black's knack for delivering witty, sarcastic one-liners mid-scene is in full force, and it's very evident that this is a film by the guy who wrote Lethal Weapon. A very good description of the film is part-Bond, part-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

On the subject of Shane Black, whether or not people think the film's constant zany, sardonic humour is a pro or a con, you simply can't argue with his direction. The film moves along at a brisk, entertaining pace, never dawdling or stammering, yet still managing to drive great character development more than either of the previous Iron Man films. It's devilishly funny and the story is well told. The cinematography, the camera shots and the editing are all top-notch, recalling an 80s B-movie - in the best possible way. Black also co-wrote the film with Drew Pearce, and the two have concocted arguably the most sharp and entertaining superhero script to date.

What Black also does very well is direct Robert Downey, Jr.. The actor hardly needed help playing the tin-suited superhero - Downey, Jr. is Iron Man, he has the sardonic humour, the idiosyncratic confidence and underlying morality down to an absolute tee - but Black is only happy to shine things up even more, with a seemingly tailor-made film. If this is, as he seems to be indicating in interviews, Downey, Jr.'s last Iron Man film, then it's certainly a high note to go out on, as Tony Stark - the man, not the superhero - is at his most human, and his most impressive, in Iron Man 3.

Guy Pearce plays Alrdich Killian, pioneer/weaponiser of the Extremis virus and is suitably creepy and menacing, yet exuding charisma (highlighting once again that he would play The Riddler to perfection). Extremis, though, is also the most annoying problem with the film: mainly, it makes everyone exposed to it ridiculously overpowered. I mean, it's nice to finally have villains who can go toe-to-toe with Stark without having to either possess an army or don a modified Iron Man suit themselves, but there are only so many times you can tolerate someone getting blown up, shot in the face and beaten down on, only to watch them heal, bounce back up and continue the fight.

The last half hour got a little Transformers-esque and explosion-y. And that would have derailed a lesser film (Iron Man 2, for example), but the storm of Iron Man suits that you see in the trailer are far more compelling to watch than their evil, Rourke-controlled counterparts in 2. That, and the intercut one-liners keep the adrenaline-packed finale well balanced and on target.

The follow-up to the climactic finale - that is to say, the end of the film - was immensely well handled leaving the audience with a lot of questions, as the first part of the stage is set for The Avengers 2. Despite how baggy the last half hour does get, it certainly looks impressive, thanks to the hard work of the hundreds upon hundreds of VFX artists (hence why the credits go on for so bloody long), without whom, Marvel wouldn't have much of a leg to stand on. The 3D, however, was largely ineffectual.

What follows the end of the film is very impressive too, as there are some nifty and inherently comic-y credits, showcasing moments from the trilogy and highlights from the film. Following that, there's a fun post-credits scene; it's more of a gag than previous Marvel post-credit sequences, not particularly exciting or teasery, but it nicely bookends the film - and indeed the trilogy.

So, Iron Man 3 is thrilling, stylishly directed, well acted, well paced and very funny - too funny, in fact. While it isn't the powerful series re-definer that people were perhaps hoping for, it is an entirely enjoyable blockbuster and a seemingly nice end to to the trilogy.

8.5/10

Aardman News 13 - Shaun the Sheep Movie Details

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:17:21 PDT

Aardman have announced a partnership with producer-financer StudioCanal to craft the feature film debut of Shaun the Sheep. Shaun first appeared in the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit short, A Close Shave, and has since starred in his own, very popular, kids' TV series.

The good news for Aardman fans is that, much like their most recent hit, The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists, Shaun the Sheep will be animated in Aardman's trademark claymation style. It's being written and directed by Aardman veterans Mark Burton and Richard "Golly" Stazark. Golly directed two series of Creature Comforts, as well developing and co-directing the Shaun the Sheep TV series; Burton worked on Chicken Run.

The synopsis given for the film is:

When Shaun’s mischief inadvertently leads to the Farmer being taken away from the farm, Shaun, Bitzer and the flock have to go into the big city to rescue him, setting the stage for an epic adventure.

Worth noting is that this deal would seem to signal an end to Aardman's distribution deal with Sony Pictures Animation. Aardman's films always do very well at the UK box office, but struggle to make a dent in the States, so teaming with StudioCanal would appear to be a savvy move, focusing their attention on dominating Europe - SC is financing and will distribute in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Aardman co-founder and Executive Chairman, David Sproxton, commented:

"Shaun and his friends have a massive global following and we are very excited about being able to put them into a bigger adventure for the big screen. We are naturally also very excited about partnering with STUDIOCANAL for this project, their track record and expertise in international film financing and distribution seems a perfect fit."

No word on a release date yet though. Also on the horizon is Steve Box's (Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) The Cat Burglars, written by Life on Mars (the good one, that is) writers Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah - the film's described as “family-friendly Tarantino.” Nick Park is also developing a new, non-Wallace and Gromit, film.

French Animation, Chapitre 1 - The Triplets of Belleville

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:16:26 PDT

Foreword
This is the first in a series of French animated film reviews I will be doing in the near future. This won't be an exhaustive list, as I'll only be talking about films that deserve to be reviewed; there are a few that I think are not as renowned as they should be, and I'll using this column to help resolve this. Spoiler alert: all reviews will therefore be favorable to the movie they discuss.
And here it goes...

The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville - 2003)
A deceptive title, as the triplets are hardly the main characters of the film, you only see them singing in a black and white television broadcast at the beginning, and then have to wait a long time to meet them again. If this extremely bizarre film is someone's story, it would actually be that of Madame Souza, a woman who would do anything for her grandson, Champion.

What I think stands out about this film - and what makes it so great - is that it's like no other film I've ever seen. Everything about it feels different, is different. There's nothing wrong with the dozen of animation blockbusters that get released every year. I love most of them. But I find movies much easier to love when they're driven by art first. And with The Triplets of Belleville, you can sense that the director Sylvain Chomet didn't try to do what others were doing, or even just a little differently. He made this film entirely his own; he went all the way with his crazy ideas. And boy does it work!

The story is not complicated at all - in fact it's very easy to follow - but told in such a way, unique to this film, that you never know what's going to happen next. You're looking at a Tour de France stage in one scene, and on the next you're witnessing a kidnapping. Next thing you know, you're at sea with an elderly woman and her obese dog. The tone can shift from hilarious to dramatic in a matter of seconds, and it's never overly weird.

Add to that a crazy chase scene not unlike some Wallace & Gromit sequences, and a truly moving ending; you certainly go through a lot of emotions while watching The Triplets of Belleville.

The animation feels special for at least two separate reasons.

1: as the characters in this movie almost never speak in an understandable manner, their body language is very important to get who they are. And in The Triplets of Belleville, there is a various range of characters, each one animated in a drastically different way from the others. Each one designed in a totally specific way. For instance, the French Mafia henchmen have square-shaped shoulders that barely move when they walk; whereas a Belleville waiter can be seen walking with his head parallel to the ground, and cyclists look and sound like horses sometimes.

2: The Triplets of Belleville is a traditional animated film from 2003, and yet the animation doesn't look clean (except for the occasional use of CGI for vehicles or special props) - on purpose, according to Sylvain Chomet, who stated he's a fan of the Xerox look Disney animated films used to have. In the sixties, production cuts were made in the Disney Animation Studios, which resulted in a more crude, scratchy look in the drawings. Well, that's what the director was aiming for here, not for budgetary reasons, but by artistic choice. And indeed, that look is quite nice.

Another thing that's striking is the nostalgia that irradiates from the whole film. A lot of known faces from the early 20th century appear - mostly France-related, but not only. The backgrounds are packed with visual jokes and designed with colours that make them look like worn-out photographs.

Even the beautiful music, written by Canadian film composer Benoît Charest, has that nostalgic feel about it; when it's not an epic orchestral composition similar to some Star Wars score. Again, only with The Triplets of Belleville...

In conclusion, I would say that the strange, funny and moving story, and the one-of-a-kind animation and strong artistic choices, make The Triplets of Belleville a very powerful mix that deserves to be seen. I'm not afraid of calling it a masterpiece, since it is in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest animated film from France.

Next : Le Roi et L'Oiseau

Watch: New Monsters University Trailer

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:45:32 PDT

While Disney are floundering about failing to promote their 53rd animated feature, they're doing a bang-up job hyping Pixar's fourteenth feature, (and, by the sounds of it, fourteenth hit) Monsters University. Today, that includes rolling out another hilarious new trailer for the Dan Scanlon-directed Monsters, Inc. prequel!

Yahoo! Movie Trailers unveiled the new trailer, which elucidates a lot more of the film's plot and should be considered mildly spoilery. What it should also be considered is freaking brilliant: I already care about the new characters, the comic timing is absolutely immaculate, the animation's superb and stunning, and it has a rocking soundtrack. Pixar certainly look to have another winner on their hands.

In related news, Billy Crystal recently spoke to USA Today about Pixar, working with John Goodman, and the possibility of a third Monsters film, saying, if they do make one, he'd like it to be made a little more quickly than MU: "I know they wanted to get the story right, and that's what makes the movie special. But I can't wait another 12 years." (Via Hypable)

Classes start at Monsters University on 21st June (US) and 12th July (UK).

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #15: Lady and the Tramp (1955)

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:14:51 PDT

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #14: Peter Pan (1953)

For his next feature film, Walt Disney departed fairy tales and magical lands, instead focusing on a more down-to earth story about two dogs that fall in love. Set against a lovely turn of the century town, Lady and the Tramp is the quintessential love story. Two dogs from different classes fall for each other, but have to overcome a lot of obstacles in order to be together. That may not sound all too great, but the truth is that Lady and the Tramp is one of the most compelling stories ever created by the studio (and the first one created in the CinemaScope format allowing for a wider aspect ratio). The romanticism in the movie is brilliantly executed without becoming obnoxious, and the ‘Bella Notte’ scene is one of the best ever created for film. It's hard not to fall in love with this movie when every aspect of it is a labour of love. Rating: 5/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #16 Review: Sleeping Beauty (1959)

First Animated Look at Frozen 'Leaked'

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:09:17 PDT

Disney's non-existent Frozen ad campaign may be starting to finally to ramp up; the first animation from the Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee-directed film, complete with an intro from the former, has just made its way online.

Disney are trying to pass the footage off as 'leaked', complete with watermarks and technical details on the video and the catchy title "ETERNITY_BuckIntro_072512_055_NR_dds_high". The fact that it was uploaded by the official Disney Greece YouTube channel, though, rather gives the game away... So it seems Disney are trying to make up for their lacklustre promotion heretofore with some intriguing viral marketing. And if it means we actually get to see some more footage from the film, then more power to them!

Marketing strategies aside, this is a pretty exciting little video: we get to see the animation for the first time, we get our first little taste of the film's score, it confirms the designs of Anna and Elsa we saw a couple of months ago, and it gives us our first look at Olaf the Snowman, the film's comic relief sidekick, in action. The Tangled-influence is quite evident, but that's in no way a bad thing.

Frozen is slowly shaping up to be another solid winner from a studio that's been on a major roll as of late. It opens in the US on 27th November, and in the UK just over a week later, on 6th December - hey, that's improvement!

UPDATE - 24/04/2013, 21:28 (BST): Much like they did with the actually-quite-good trailer for Planes a couple of months ago, Disney are trying to pull the trailer from the web. But once it's out there, you ain't getting rid of it for good; the video is re-embedded above.

UPDATE #2 - 24/04/2013, 22:08 (BST): Disney continue to shoot themselves in the foot, on their warpath of pulling all the buzz-generating videos from the web; the re-embedded video is now down too. We'll update with the video if and when a new one crops up.

Futurama Cancelled... Again.

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:48:27 PDT

Comedy Central has officially announced that it will not be ordering more episodes of the futuristic animated series. According to Entertainment Weekly, the last 13 episodes of the series (now in its seventh season) will begin airing from 19th June, finishing on 4th September.

Futurama has had an interesting history, first airing on Fox from 1999 to 2003, before being cancelled after a 4-season run. When syndicated re-runs became very popular on Adult Swim, the show was relaunched with four straight-to-DVD movies, which Comedy Central aired as half hour episodes, becoming an unofficial fifth season. After this, Comedy Central commissioned a 26-episode sixth season followed by another one, with the same amount of episodes.

While this is disappointing news, executive producer David X. Cohen and creator Matt Groening are cautiously optimistic about the future and haven't discarded a potential return for the series, in another form, on another channel. With Groening adding, about the currently-final episode, "It’s a really satisfying ending. It’s an epic ending. If indeed it’s the ending."

Personally, I was a huge fan of the first four seasons of Futurama. After its return, I only managed to catch up with a few episodes, but I still enjoyed it it. It's sad to see it gone again, when other lesser shows like Family Guy are still airing.

Are you sad that Futurama got cancelled again?

Rainmaker Will Release a Ratchet & Clank Animated Film in 2015!

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:29:03 PDT

Variety reports that Rainmaker Entertainment, who most recently released the critically panned Escape from Planet Earth, are making a feature length animated film out of the popular PlayStation sci-fi platformer game series, Ratchet & Clank!

Rainmaker are making the film with Blockade Entertainment, and are bringing in a lot of the games' cast and crew - key voice actors James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward have all signed on. Also, the film's story comes from TJ Fixman, who came up with the narrative for the original 2002 game. Jericca Cleland (cinematographer, Arthur Christmas) is set to direct, and the film's currently aiming for a 2015 release.

Rainmaker, whatever you think of their storytelling, are capable of some truly visually beautiful stuff - for instance, they animated the visually striking trailer for Wet, the 2009 video game. With that talent, there is a lot that they can do with a trippy, interstellar, sci-fi phantasmagoria like Ratchet and Clank.

On the project, Blockade CEO Brad Foxhoven said:

"‘Ratchet & Clank’ is a world-renowned video game franchise that appeals to a broad audience. By working closely with SCEA [Sony Computer Entertainment America] and Insomniac, we will remain true to the game’s expansive mythology while also creating a story that will capture the imagination of those who will be new to this incredible world. It’s meant for a mass audience and not just those who know the franchise,” Foxhoven said, with the film serving “almost like an origin story of sorts,” revolving around “how (the characters) came together."

The film's synopsis is:

Ratchet and Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind - a foolhardy "lombax" who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way they'll learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one's own identity.

An announcement teaser - which is kind of just a CG Duck Amuck - showing off the designs, which are very faithful to those of the game, was unveiled too. On the faithful designs, Rainmaker president Michael Hefferon said:

"We’re now translating the visuals of what worked and making them now work for the bigscreen and stereoscopic."

As a mahoosive fan of the game series, the teaser gave me a fit of fanboy giggles. I defy any fan not to get excited when the backdrop's inserted in the last few seconds. Rainmaker, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 [Blu-ray] Review

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:51:43 PDT

Overview

After a great introduction in The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, the highly anticipated conclusion has arrived to end Batman’s epic journey. Does it meet the high expectations fans had? I have to answer that with a resounding yes. TDKR, Part 2 is a fantastic, action-packed adventure that concludes Batman’s epic quest on a very high note.

After the Mutant gang is disbanded and its leader dead, Batman rises as the absolute ruler of Gotham. However, a new menace resurfaces from obscurity to wreak havoc in the city: The Joker. Confined in Arkham Asylum after Batman’s retirement, he comes back to challenge the Dark Knight again and a chaotic battle ensures between the eternal enemies. Meanwhile, the White House isn't happy about Batman’s return and sends their top weapon to stop it. That’s right, Superman arrives in Gotham to stop Bruce, but he won’t be so easily dissuaded and a clash of titans follows in an ultimate battle that will decide the fate for everyone.

The Dark Knight Returns comes whole with this second part and director Jay Oliva and producer Bruce Timm had saved the best for last. While Part 1 was all set-up and introductions, Part 2 is completely action packed and provides exciting closure for the classic story. There’s not a single scene wasted and everything builds up to a spectacular and unexpected finale.

As in Part 1, the animators took inspiration from Miller’s drawings and the movie emulates the look of the graphic novel. The animation is fantastic and fluid and maybe the best for any DC animated film to date. As with any adaptation, not everything from the novel got translated to the screen but Oliva & Co. successfully translate the important elements and the feel and environment of the novel. Better still, many questions that the graphic novel asks (media control, government policy) are prevalent in the movie as well making it not only entertaining but also profound and relevant.

The cast is excellent all round. Those who were disappointed with Peter Weller’s voice in Part 1, are going to be more happy here, since he commands the screen with a more confident tone. Ariel Winter is still excellent as Robin, and newcomer Michael Emerson is wonderful as the maniacal Joker. I know that Mark Hamill will always be The Joker, but Emerson is an inspired choice and brings lots of fun and craziness to the role. Mark Valley is also good as Superman and his encounters with Weller’s Batman are very memorable.

As with Part 1, this might be an animated feature, but it’s certainly not for children. If Part 1 was intense, Part 2 is even more so, with gruesome battles and very visceral moments. This is a welcome relief, because the novel is dark and I’m glad that the filmmakers didn’t tone it down at all. The real standouts are the battles between Batman and The Joker, and Batman and Superman. Not only they are action packed but what they say in each battle is very memorable and important for the characters. This elevates the movie to new heights of grandeur and everyone should be satisfied with the result.

Even if the movie succeeds on nearly every level, its main success is that it presents a complex Batman that we don’t usually see in other incarnations (except perhaps in Nolan’s trilogy). Both Part 1 and 2 portrayed a much more complex superhero who isn't perfect and is not a “role model” like Superman is. He’s a man with traumas, disappointments and, above all, a commitment to clean the streets of his city of injustice. His main power isn't the ability to fly or indestructibility, it's his firm conviction that he has to do what is right, no matter what, and that’s what makes Batman the greatest superhero ever, and what makes this movie an undisputed triumph.

Video & Audio

Part 2 presents the same competent transfer that graced the first part. The picture is clear, the colours are bold and detail is very strong. As with Part 1, some minor banding appears here and there but it’s otherwise an excellent transfer.

Audio is also strong with a 5.1 lossless track that will envelop you in the ruthless world of Gotham. Directionality is effective and dialogues are clear without any disturbances; it's a nice and powerful sonic experience that will transport you into the story.

Bonus Material

While Part 1 was surprisingly lacking in this department, Part 2 offers a more substantial amount of bonus features - although I suspect a much more comprehensive edition including both films will be released further down the line. Here’s what is included:

From Sketch to Screen: Exploring the Adaptation Process is a PIP commentary featuring director Jay Oliva. He discusses the challenges of adapting the novel and the differences between the last two books from Miller’s novel and this film. He uses sketches and visual aids making for an engrossing and interactive experience. Can’t be missed. (HD, 44 minutes).
Superman vs. Batman: When Heroes Collide is a fascinating look at these two superheroes and their roles in Miller’s novel. Many participants shade light on this discussion and is a must watch for any fan. (HD, 9 minutes).
The Joker: Laughing in the Face of Death is similar to the Heroes Collide featurette but this one features the Joker, from its inception to his role in Miller’s novel and his importance in Batman’s life. (HD, 14 minutes).
Additional Episodes: From the DC Comics Vault offers two classic episodes from Batman: The Animated Series – The Last Laugh and The Man Who Killed Batman – and an episode from Batman: The Brave and the Bold – Battle of the Superheroes!. (SD, 68 minutes)
Sneak Peek: Superman Unbound offers an exciting extended promo to the next DCU animated movie. (HD, 10 minutes).
Sneak Peek: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 offers and extended promo for the already released movie (HD, 10 minutes).

A DVD copy and an Ultraviolet Digital Copy are also included.

Closing Thoughts

The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 is hands down, the best DCU animated film to date. Offering bombastic action, asking hard questions and featuring an array of beloved characters, this movie is top-notch entertainment from beginning to end. The Blu Ray offers great picture and audio quality and a nice assortment of bonus features so don’t wait any longer and buy this movie, alongside Part 1, and enjoy them as one superb film. Highly recommended!

Technical Specs:

Video:
Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:
English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish, German SDH

Discs:
50GB Blu-ray Disc
DVD copy
UV Digital Copy

Region Free

You can order Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 from Amazon US and pre-order it from Amazon UK (Available on June 3rd):

Watch: Teaser Trailer for Thor: The Dark World

william@a113animation,com (A113Animation) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:51:21 PDT

Just ahead of the release of their Shane Black-directed Iron Man threequel (3rd May in the US, this Thursday in the UK), Disney and Marvel have rolled out the teaser trailer for the second film in Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: The Dark World.

The teaser - which is the latest in the line of big-budget sci-fi flicks that seem to enjoy destroying London - comes via iTunes Movie Trailers, and is embedded above via YouTube. Much as Iron Man 3 seems a lot darker than its predecessors, so too does Thor 2 look a bit more adult - I'm certainly getting a Lord of the Rings vibe from it. That said, it does look freaking great - visually, thematically, it just works.

Thor: The Dark World is directed by Games of Thrones' Alan Taylor, and smashes its way into US cinemas on 8th November, while it hits the UK a week earlier on 30th October.

I'm posting about this right now, but I won't be doing in the near future; A113Animation has a vacancy for a live-action Disney writer, covering, amongst other things, Disney's Marvel releases. If you're interested in the position, see here for details.