Here’s another film to look out for.

The winner of the public prize at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival was a stop motion puppet film called Max & Co. Produced by a relatively new studio called cinemagination with puppets constructed by mackinnon and saunders (responsible for the Corpse Bride models), it’s the first feature film by brothers Fred and Sam Guillaume. Currently playing on the festival circuit, Max & Co is now scheduled for a theatrical release in Europe next February. Here’s a link to the trailer.

(Thanks, Russell Peet)

Mark Webster of Motion Design blog offers a preview of a fascinating film which I hadn’t heard of: a full-length animated documentary about legendary film title designer Pablo Ferro (Dr. Strangelove). The film which is scheduled for release in ‘08 is based on interviews with dozens of Ferro’s friends and colleagues including Angelica Huston, Andy Garcia, Beau Bridges, Stan Lee and Norman Lear. Before becoming involved in film titles, Ferro worked in animation at NY studios like Elektra and Academy, as well as co-owning his own commercial studio in the early-60s called Ferro, Mogubgub and Schwartz.

Not as exciting as the new Lucky Luke film, but the Argentinean feature, The Ark (el Arca), certainly looks ambitious - and should have the furry fans salivating. Here’s the trailer. Interesting that it is distributed by Buena Vista International (aka Disney). The Ark will screen in Los Angeles, one time only, on Saturday November 17th at 5pm, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. (I’ll be at the Raggedy Ann reunion at the AFI that day myself).

Once again, another Euro 2D animated feature that looks intriguing - and with no U.S. release planned whatsoever. This is the latest Lucky Luke animated feature (Tous à l’Ouest : une aventure de Lucky Luke) opening in France on December 5th and the trailer looks great.

(Thanks, Tristan Rogers)

Cartoonist Kent Butterworth (Tiny Toons, Sonic, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures) has done what other animators only dream of, he’s written and directed his own animated feature.

Independently financed, and with total creative freedom, Butterworth made Attila and the Great Blue Bean, and has even secured distribution. And tomorrow, Sunday October 21st at 3pm, the film will have its first public screening - at the Hollywood Film Festival, at the ArcLight Cinemas on Sunset and Vine. Good luck, Kent, I’m rooting for you.

Everybody knows what Lilo and Stitch co-director Chris Sanders is up to nowadays, but what about the film’s other director, Dean DeBlois? Apparently, DeBlois has just directed a live-action documentary about the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. The film Heima (Homeland) has been quite well received by critics. Here is a recent New Yorker audio interview with DeBlois and the band.

(Thanks, Jakob Schuh)

For those who thought Happily N’Ever After was the weakest CG film of the year, or for you who think the upcoming Beowulf or Alvin and the Chipmunks are a desecration of the originals, I give you: The Ten Commandments.

It opens in movie theatres on October 19th from Promenade Pictures and it’s begining to get some publicity coverage. Check out the trailer (and be sure to check the “sizzle reel”). I know the people behind this film mean well, and their intentions are pure, but honestly, Elliot Gould as the voice of God?

There’s some money behind this. They got Ed Naha (Honey I Shrunk The Kids) to write the screenplay, Frank Yablans (former president of Paramount Pictures) to excutive produce, and a voice cast including Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina — and Christian Slater as Moses. I just wish they had put some of that money into the visuals.

These are the people who did that horrendous CG animated Ben Hur on TBN (narrated by Charlton Heston) a few years back. Unlike that film, this one is getting a big-deal theatrical release. And it doesn’t stop here. The production company, Epic Stories From The Bible, is currently in production on Noah’s Ark. I have no doubt these films make a ton of money, but I sincerely wish they looked better. A lot better.

If the Hollywood establishment isn’t producing the kind of animation you want to see, it may be time to take matters into your own hands. Case in point: this work-in-progress trailer (below) for a locally produced“hip-hop meets anime” feature called Blokhedz. Production designer and VFX supervisor Joshua Geisler sent me some information on the project:

We are a small independent company in L.A. attempting to create this film with a limited budget. The film is based on a comic book mini-series of the same title, and follows roughly the same story line. Earlier this year we produced a short animation test / proof-of-concept piece using 2D character animation and 3D backgrounds. I am the background artist on the piece, and I supervised the compositing of the project. It’s a little rough around the edges, but we learned a lot from the process and we are feverishly working on our design pack to refine character construction and effects development.

I really like the graffitti-styled effects animation. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but its creators are passionate, ambitious and serious about making it work. Good luck to them.