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Disney's head animation writer in 1977 was cartoon veteran Larry Clemmons, who had first been hired at the studio in 1930. At the time of his hiring, he was a Yale graduate with a degree in architecture, but an Ivy League education was of little value in 1930 when the economy was collapsing...and few buildings were being erected.
A look at animation history via Cartoon Brew's archives.
The first chapter of Steve Hulett's memoir about working as a writer at Disney in the late-Seventies and Eighties.
Although Greg Centineo, the producer of "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return," had hoped for a big second weekend, the film plummeted 48% this weekend and ended up with a sophomore frame of $1.9 million. The movie has struggled to find a fan following, except for the film's Facebook page which is filled with a curiously large number of middle-aged and elderly people who absolutely adore the film.
Last weekend, "The Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return" recorded the worst opening ever for an animated film in more than 2,500 theaters. The film's exec producer, Greg Centineo, a former Florida coffee shop owner who raised over $100 million from investors to produce this film and its followups, thinks he knows what went wrong.
After three years of tryouts and short runs in a total of four different cities, Disney Theatrical’s version of "Aladdin" finally opened on Broadway March 20th at the New Amsterdam Theatre. So now that it's here, how does it compare to the animated "Aladdin" we all know and love? After seeing the musical a few days ago, here are my observations.
This weekend, Disney’s "Frozen" became the highest grossing animated film of all time. Its $1.072 billion worldwide gross has surpassed the $1.063 billion of "Toy Story 3," which was the previous record-holder for biggest animated feature.
"Frozen" is beautiful to see, fun to sing along with and is a modern day marketing marvel, but the script has structural and performance issues that are worth examining because they impact directly on acting.
Besides today's bonanza of Genndy Tartakovsky projects, Sony Pictures Animation also made it official that Kelly Asbury ("Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," "Shrek 2," "Gnomeo & Juliet") will direct the upcoming, as-yet-untitled "Smurfs" movie.
The DreamWorks feature "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," directed by Rob Minkoff, opened in the United States this weekend with an estimated $32.5 million. The film settled for second place behind "300: Rise of An Empire."
Seth MacFarlane can do anything: create animation, make live-action features, sing, act, produce live-action sitcoms and science documentaries, host the Oscars, and add to that list now, write novels. Of course, whether he does any of it well is another question.
Richard Linklater, currently nominated for an Oscar for "Before Midnight"'s screenplay, is making strides on the Warner Bros. remake of "Incredible Mr. Limpet," a project with which he has been involved since 2011.
If you're still wondering why DreamWorks Animation spent $33 million last spring to buy the YouTube channel AwesomenessTV, an article about Netflix in the latest issue of the "New Yorker" offers an explanation that I found to be succinct and worth sharing.
Beginning next Thursday and continuing through January 25, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles will present the film series "Animation for Adults."
From mainstream releases to independent foreign productions, we've got a guide to the animated feature releases that you can look forward to in 2014.
IN THE EARLY 1980S, CARDON WALKER JR. AND I produced the "Disney Family Album" series for The Disney Channel. It was one of the very first series funded by the Channel, and the first to get any kind of critical acclaim thanks to our nomination for a Cable Ace Award for Best Documentary Series. But we had an even bigger ambition, and that was to land the Great White Whale of Disney myths, the life story of Walt himself.
Earlier this month, Dallas-headquartered Reel FX released their first animated feature Free Birds. Over its first three weekends in …
The top three grossing films at the Argentine box office this year are all animated: Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, and Metegol. …
Author Phil Phillips spent the 1980s warning parents about the occult forces in children's TV animation. While his notoriety has passed, fear of the messages in cartoons still exists today.
Steve Hickner's "Animating Your Career" promises practical advice for artists entering the animation field. Does the book deliver?