DreamWorks Animation today released the first poster from its Christmas 2012 feature Rise of the Guardians. Based on William Joyce’s The Guardians of Childhood books, the feature follows Santa, Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost as they join forces to put a stop to Pitch the Boogeyman before he destroys the world. Set for release on November 21st, 2012, the film is directed by Peter Ramsey and William Joyce.

Bethesda, MD, Dec. 19, 2011 – Pixeldust Studios, a multi-award winning digital animation and visual design studio, has brought Academy Award-nominated producer and business/marketing executive Dianna Costello onboard as its Executive Producer. Ricardo Andrade, President/Executive Creative Director for Pixeldust Studios made the announcement.

The addition of Costello will further extend Pixeldust Studios’ efforts to develop creative and business partnerships in the production of non-fiction entertainment for broadcast and cable TV networks, museums, corporations, government agencies and educational institutions. She will oversee marketing and development efforts and will work to expand Pixeldust’s core business of providing award-winning graphics packages, show opens, animations, and visual effects for a variety of broadcast television and cable network programs, television specials and series.

Mr. Andrade said, “The opportunity for us to work with Dianna is very exciting. In this new position, she’ll be able to combine her creative talents for project development with her many years of experience as a business development and marketing executive, tapping into her extensive film and television industry contacts. She is a major new asset to our company.”

Adds Ms. Costello, “I’m thrilled to be coming onboard with Pixeldust at this stage in their development.  Pixeldust Studios has taken their company to a whole new level, as evidenced by their stunning work on the highly acclaimed NOVA/PBS television series, The Fabric of the Cosmos. Ricardo’s desire to create original product is a logical next step in the evolution of his company. Given his well-respected reputation in the industry, and his large body of work for so many TV networks, the future for Pixeldust is full of exciting possibilities.”

New York, NY – Dec 16, 2011— Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and the rest of the gang lead readers to infinity and beyond as Marvel and Disney Publishing debut Toy Story #1 #1 (of 4). Featuring Toy Story characters from the Disney-Pixar films, Toy Story #1 delivers entirely new content and stories to comic fans.

“Everyone loves Toy Story, so we’re excited to team with our friends at Disney-Pixar to bring readers all new stories of our favorite characters from these blockbuster films,” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “Toy Story allows us to bring great new material to the market that’s not only perfect for kids, but also a great read for fans of all ages. What’s next for Woody and Buzz in these stories? We can’t wait for you to find out!”

Andy’s new puppy, Buster, loves to play with toys — but if Woody, Buzz and the gang can’t control the playful pooch, all that chewing and shaking will leave them in a world of hurt! Will our heroes make it through in one piece with batteries intact? Find out this March in Toy Story #1!

Toy Story #1
Written by TEA ORSI
Penciled by ANTONELLO DALENA & TERESA QUEZADA-GEER
Cover by MARCO GHIGLIONE & SILVANO SCOLARI
All Ages…$2.99
ON-SALE IN MARCH 2012

BURBANK, CA (December 16, 2011) Warner Home Video (WHV) has a brand-new animated film consumers will want to sink their teeth into with the upcoming release of Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire, available in stores March 13, 2012. Get set for monstrous mayhem as Scooby-Doo and the gang hit the road to attend a vampire fair in this must-see, full-length musical adventure. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Premiere, Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire will be available in both Blu-ray™ for $24.98 SRP and standard DVD $19.98 SRP. The Blu-ray™ edition will be sold in a combo pack which includes both the Blu-ray™ and DVD editions of the film, plus, for the first time ever on a Scooby-Doo movie, an Ultraviolet digital copy. An Ultraviolet copy is also available on the DVD edition.

This title will be available for an exclusive early VOD window starting December 22, 2011 and then available on EST for download day and date with the DVD on March 13, 2012.

Get set for big laughs, good times and cool tunes with the Scooby-Doo gang as they travel to the super spooky parts of the Deep South for the Vampire-Palooza Festival. The event kicks off with good fun and lots of tasty Southern snacks, but it’s not long before the festivities are interrupted by a real vampire who threatens the townsfolk and tries to take Daphne for his vampire bride!

Good thing our intrepid heroes don’t believe in the bloodsuckers — or do they? Packing a little garlic never hurt anyone, except a vampire, and so the gang sets out to investigate. Could the culprit be the descendant of a famous vampire hunter who is trying to sell his book? Or is it the festival’s owner, who is trying to use vampire lore to promote the fair? Maybe it’s the festival’s traveling musical troupe, whose very handsome lead singer is taking his vampire role just a little too seriously?

Things get more complicated when Shaggy, believing he’s been bit by a vampire, decides to hide from his friends in the swamp, but his loyal friend Scooby-Doo will not abandon him. And when Daphne goes missing, can Fred and Velma bring everyone together to prevent her from becoming the vampire queen? Everything culminates in a not-to-be-missed song-filled showdown in the swamp!

“Vampire stories are a hugely popular genre with consumers and now Scooby-Doo has his very own modern-day vampire encounter in this exciting new film,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Marketing Director of Family & Animation Franchise. She added, “This is Scooby-Doo’s first ever musical, which we think is a fun concept that goes well with the premise of the film. It actually takes us back to Scooby-Doo’s early television series, which incorporated a lot of musical elements. We think viewers of all ages will enjoy this DVD release.”

Bill Plympton, Legendary Oscar-nominated Animator, announced today: The short film, The Flying House‘ (1921 / 2011) was screened, at the Second Annual Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, on Sunday, November 18, 2011 and won the Best Animated Film Award, 90 years after its original creation!

Bill Plympton stated:
”Using Winsor McCay’s beautiful artwork, I took it upon myself to resurrect his last animated short, Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House (1921), using contemporary digital technology. This landmark re-mastering of McCay’s beautiful film is attracting a great deal of attention and controversy. I hope that my updating of this obscure short film, will bring the genius of Winsor McCay, to the attention of a new generation of animation fans. This brilliant piece of animation was McCay’s last film; because he was forbidden to make any more films by press baron William Randolph Hearst. This demand quickly ended his passion for cartoons, and he died soon after.”

In August 2011, Bill Plympton’s studio completed the work of modernizing the film. The original black and white prints were in bad condition, deteriorating, scratched and dirty, there were no voices, sound effects, or music, and the word balloons and inter-titles made it hard to watch. Painstakingly, his studio digitally cleaned each frame of damaged footage, added full color, the voices of Patricia Clarkson and Matthew Modine, and a new score. Please save the date for the Film Premiere at the Society of Illustrators on February 8, 2012.

Synopsis: The Flying House’
A woman’s escapist dream, of discovering her husband about to fly their house away from their problems, could well be something that might happen today. This film has current overtones and themes, of a landlord threaten-ing impending mortgage foreclosure, people gathering in protest rallies who won’t take it anymore and the search for new worlds to live in.

Production Information:
The restoration and re-imagineering of the Winsor McCay, classic animated short film, Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House (1921)
Length: 8:28. Format: DVD Digital File; Dimension: 1920×1080, pillar box;

Cast and Crew:
Winsor McCay, Director, Original film.
Bill Plympton, Producer, modernization.

Associate Producer: Serge Bromberg (Lobster Films)
Co-Producer: Society of Illustrators
Executive Producers: Adam Rackoff And Matthew Modine (Cinco Dedos Peliculas)
Production Supervisor/Editor: Desiree Stavracos
Restoration Supervisor: Kerri Allegretta
Art Director/Color: Lindsay Woods
Digital Compositing: Celeste Lai, Judy Lee, Desiree Stavracos And Lindsay Woods
Voice Actors: Matthew Modine; Patricia Clarkson; John Holderreid; Bill Plympton
Music Composer: Thomas Vanoosting
Music Editor: Biljana Labovic
Sound Mix Designer: Weston Fonger
Clean-Up & Coloring: Julia Altabef, Rene Chandler, Che Min Hsiao (Pegasus), Emily Garrett, Yoomi Kim, Celeste Lai, Judy Lee, Bora Nah, Mina Sanwald, Ying Zhang.

Film Festival 2011 screenings as a Work In Progress:
Annecy Animation Festival, Annecy, France,June 6-11

Burbank Film Festival, Burbank, CA.

Sept. 15-18

Film Festival 2011 Screenings after August restoration completion date
Hamptons International FF, Easthampton/Montauk NY HD Cam Oct. 13-17
The Second Annual Williamsburg Independent FF, Brooklyn NY, Nov. 17-20,

Film Festivals Entered: Florida Sonoma; SXSW; Anifest; Stuttgart Trickfilm IFF, Interfilm Berlin; Martha’s Vineyard; New York Film Festival; Telluride.

December 15, 2011 – BERKELEY, CA – MutantLand, the award-winning short film produced by Tippett Studio, will get its official public release Friday, December 16th on the website Ain’t It Cool News.

MutantLand is a dark glimpse into an ominous civilization, populated by monsters of all shapes and sizes. Directed by legendary animator and visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett, the three-minute animated short tells a dark tale where hunters are lured into a forbidden zone in their quest for food only to find themselves candidates for the main course.

“The far-flung future is not what we imagine but what we estimate,” says creator and two-time Academy Award winner Phil Tippett. MutantLand uses cutting edge computer generated animation drawing from the well of dramatic, sci-fi, fantasy, and action/adventure movies, crosspollinated with anime and Tex Avery. Tippett Studio is very pleased to be partnering with Harry Knowles in releasing the short on such an amazing platform as Ain’t It Cool News.

“Phil Tippett’s MutantLand is a stunning phantasmagorical short film that you’ll long to see as a feature! It conjures atmosphere and a fascination with every alien critter that’s a part of this very mutated land! You’ll just love it!” says Harry Knowles, Head Geek at Ain’t It Cool News.

The short is one small adventure that is part of a larger composition. Phil Tippett is currently finishing a script based on the ideas behind MutantLand, but with more characters, worlds, and adventures. To date, the short has played at 16 film festivals around the world, winning honors for “Best Short Film” at the British Horror Film Festival and A Night of Horror International Film Festival in Australia. Ain’t It Cool will be its debut online for the world to see.

An all-new exclusive Angry Birds holiday short film, Angry Birds – Wreck the Halls comes to Nickelodeon, Saturday, December 17 during the 11 a.m. airing of Kung Fu Panda: Legend of Awesomeness in Nick’s Saturday morning animation block.

Angry Birds – Wreck the Halls is a global exclusive to Nickelodeon and will air on Nick channels around the world starting Saturday, December 17.

In Angry Birds – Wreck the Halls, the Pigs try to get away with the Angry Birds’ Christmas presents.  After bickering with each other, Red and Bomb bird mount a bold gift rescue down the steep mountain slopes. Following a wild chase, Bomb finally catches up and is able to salvage the presents, wrecking the Pig’s halls in the process. Seeing what has happened, the Birds feel pity for the Pigs and let them have one of the presents.  It’s Christmas after all!

Following the exclusive world premiere of the short, viewers can catch the birds again at nick.com/watch.

Angry Birds are the most downloaded games ever, with over 600M downloads in the two years since they launched. The Angry Birds Seasons app with the Wreck the Halls holiday update is currently available in app stores worldwide.

Nickelodeon’s Saturday morning block (8a.m.-12p.m.) has been the number one destination for kids for 17 consecutive years averaging 3.0 million total viewers.

The Adventures of TinTin – Paramount/Columbia/Hemisphere Capital/Amblin/Wingnut Films/Kennedy/Marshall Production
Arthur Christmas – Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing International
Cars 2 – Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures

Puss In Boots – DreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures

Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, A Blind Wink/GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures

For the full list of nominations, visit GoldenGlobes.org.