Pixar directors win big in Venice

Directors of Pixar Animation Studios in the US have been awarded the Venice Film Festival's lifetime achievement award, making them the first team to bag the honour.

Pixar has made 10 films, four of which have won best animation Oscars [ Images ], with chief creative officer John Lasseter, 52, and other directors helming hits like Finding Nemo and Toy Story.

Star Wars [ Images ] creator George Lucas presented the Venice Golden Lion lifetime achievement award to Lasseter and his team.

Pixar began life as the computer graphics division of his company Lucasfilm, and it later became Pixar after Lucas sold it to Apple founder Steve Jobs for 10million dollars in 1986.

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'Kung Fu Panda' live show in the works

Hollywood's DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE:DWA) has announced a live arena show based on its hit film "Kung Fu Panda" is being developed.

"Working with Franco Dragone is an incredibly exciting prospect for us. We expect that the combination of the Franco Dragone Entertainment
Group and DreamWorks Animation will result in a totally new and inventive live entertainment experience for family audiences," DreamWorks Animation Chief Operating Officer Ann Daly said in a statement Tuesday.

The show is targeted to be ready for touring in 2011, timed around the June theatrical release of the sequel to the Oscar-nominated blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," which amassed more than $630 million in worldwide box office receipts, DreamWorks said in a release.

Source : http://www.upi.com/

Animated movies return to old idea with new technology - 3-D

CLEVELAND -- Moviemakers want to put a pair of 3-D glasses on every theatergoer's nose in 2009.

The popularity from the recent surge of animated films -- which bring to life everything from cars to penguins to robots -- is taking the genre to an old but new level.

Movies in 3-D cost more to film, and not all theaters can screen them, but Dreamworks Animation has announced that all of its upcoming animated movies -- "Monsters vs. Aliens," "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Shrek 4" -- will be made in 3-D and traditional versions.

Other films are contributing to the oncoming flood of 3-D animation. "Coraline," a creepy alternate-universe fantasy from Neil Gaiman, will be the first stop-motion animated film produced in 3-D. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," the third in the popular franchise, will offer a 3-D version this summer. So will "Up," the Disney-Pixar comedy about a man who ties thousands of balloons to his house and floats to South America.

Proving what's old can be made new, Disney recently announced it will release the mostly hand-drawn "Beauty and the Beast" in 3-D digital in 2010. Also on the horizon are 3-D versions of "Toy Story 2," "Toy Story 3" and "Rapunzel," according to press reports.

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Movie Review – Transformers Animated – Season Two

I was firmly against an auto bailout of any part of the Big Three. I am a Democrat and certainly have no problem with government owning parts of any business, I simply think that the terrible management of those companies makes them unfit to survive. Detroit is a mess because of bad oversight and bad foresight. But there’s a cartoon where Detroit isn’t a mess and is actually a beautiful and forward thinking city. Now it’s available on DVD.

Starting this January 6th, now available on DVD from Hasbro Entertainment and Paramount Studios Home Entertainment comes the second season of the animated adventures of robots from outer space. Transformers Animated – Season Two is ready to blast into your living room and transform your day into fun. Bring home this fantastically exciting second season today!

As we all know, the last season ended with the resurgence of Megatron and a battle in which the Autobots and Sari lost the Key. Now the Autobots need to clean up the mess the made and help the good people of Detroit believe in them again. Not only that, but the Autobot Elite Guard have arrived to pick up the Allspark, but it’s been destroyed and is in pieces all over the place. Now the race in on to find those pieces. Can the Autobots and Sari get them in time?

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The Good, bad and ugly of Bollywood animation movies in 2008

There were quite a few animation films that released in 2008. However, not even one of them turned out to be successful at the box office. ‘Roadside Romeo’ at least stood out from animation point of view while ‘Jumbo’ made waves due to Akshay Kumar factor. However, rest just fizzled completely hence putting a question mark on the future of animation films in India. Here is a low down on the performance of some of the most notable animation films which were unleashed to the audience in the year gone by.

Roadside Romeo
If not for Yash Raj Films’ practice of promoting their films to the minimal, ‘Roadside Romeo’ could well have been the second Bollywood animation film to have worked with the audience after ‘Hanuman’. While one or two have still been decent attempts at the least, the remaining have been plain shoddy.

Things could have just gone right for ‘Roadside Romeo’ had it been pitched amongst the audience in a better way. It was released sans any fanfare and worse, the two best parts about the film - it’s animation and coming together of Saif and Kareena behind the mike - were not just not highlighted enough for the audience.

‘Roadside Romeo’ may not be quite emotionally charged or howlariously funny like it’s Hollywood counterparts. But still, it is watchable at the least. And for that, most of the credit should go to Tata Elexsi - VCL that has managed to get some stupendous 3D animation in place. Whether it is shot taking, moving frames, transition from one situation to another, lip movements or lighting - everything about ‘Roadside Romeo’ comes across as a fresh experience. In fact for those who haven’t been exposed to the Hollywood animation flicks, this is a truly unique experience.

My Friend Ganesha 2
The most torturous animation film of the year which is so poorly made that one wonders how it’s rough edges, especially when it comes to animation, would seem when seen on the big screen. Those backing the film may have had an argument that it was made for kids under 10 years of age. Well, if they were actually under this false belief, they were seriously underestimating the choice and mindset of children who have definitely warmed up to far more entertaining films over a period of time.

Leave the storyline (which by the way is none at all); just one look at the animation in motion and you are seriously un-amused by the state of affairs. Frankly, the worst of movies can sometime become an engaging experience since they are so bad that they bring some full-on entertainment. However, ‘My Friend Ganesha 2′ crosses all patience limits. Lasting close to 2 hours, there is absolutely no redeeming factor in this film which has just about everything being so un-engaging and uninspiring.

Jumbo
While promoting ‘Jumbo’ as an Akshay Kumar film, the makers chose not to high light the fact that the film was neither an Indian product nor had it been made in collaboration with an International animation house. Instead, Percept Picture Company had claimed the rights of a Thai film that went by the name of ‘Khan Kluay’. Nevertheless, the film boasted of good animation and was a good full fledged musical (’Roadside Romeo’ was a musical as well but the music wasn’t as good) to arrive on the big screen. Add to that actors like Lara Dutta, Dimple Kapadia, Gulshan Grover and Rajpal Yadav joining Akshay behind the mike and it was a Bollywood treat for children. If not for it’s arrival next to ‘Ghajini’, it would have done much better at the box office.

Dashavatar
This was an animation film which actually managed to hold your interest at least at the script level. Otherwise if one looks at the plethora of animation films which have released in the year gone by, majority of them have failed at the story level, let aside animation which by itself has been nothing great shakes. However, the area where ‘Dashavatar’ wins is that it tells a story which has been hitherto untold to majority of viewers in India, at least through the medium of cinema or television. Moreover, with good animation to match (at least by Indian standards), it only makes the experience more engaging.

Ghatothkach
First half of this animation film followed a standard route as adopted by many a mythological animation movies coming out of Bollywood in recent years. The ‘natkhat’ ways of a child, his escapades with all living beings, be it humans, animals or demons, his love for nature - all of this has been explored to the fullest by many a film makers in the recent past. Nothing wrong with this actually. After all it is a genre and the same holds good even for action, comedy, romantic or family tales which are bound to have a similar look and feel.

Still, overall ‘Ghatothkach’ was a very average film which had something going for it by means of visuals that were indeed unheard of (before the release of ‘Roadside Romeo) and surpassed the standards (although not quite high) set by it’s predecessors.

Prithviraj Chauhan
If after watching a film, you are made to log on to internet right away and explore further details about the subject and story line, you can certainly say that the makers have succeeded in telling an interesting tale!

This is what happens the moment you are through with watching 80 minutes of drama that unfolds in animation film ‘Prithviraj Chauhan’. For a change, you no more care about the quality of animation (it is substandard) but are intrigued by the sheer story line and narration. One can question the mediocrity of animation here but certainly not direction which manages to keep a stranglehold on proceedings without letting boredom slip in.

‘Prithviraj Chauhan’ was a ‘direct to DVD’ release rather than coming at theaters. A good move since the animation’s canvas isn’t quite suited for the big screen. However, instead of numerous animation flicks which are arriving at theaters these days and are primarily catered at children, ‘Prithviraj Chauhan’ boasts of a story that has a good appeal for adults as well. Watch it for it’s drama and forget about the animation quality!

Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang
This movie had some interesting voice overs but animation wise, it just remained sub standard. Add to that the characters in the film that hardly appealed and one knew before the release of the film itself that it won’t do well at the theaters. The promotion of the film was patchy and there was no target audience defined. Result? A film that was certainly one of the most ignored and forgotten animation flicks that have been unleashed on the unsuspecting audience. -Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Media

Source : http://www.realbollywood.com/

Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang: Movie Review

Voices of: Anjan Srivastava, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Asrani

Rating: * ½

Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang derives its title from an English flick but nothing else about this film appears international. For how long will we give sympathy votes to Indian films for attempting animation? Agreed that the art is still evolving in India, but if nothing from the form or format appeals, I ain't patriotic enough to approve of the effort only because it's experimental. Moreover with access to advanced animation movies across the globe, one simply can't excuse this muddled endeavour. Rather overlook it in entirety!

The story is about two rival groups of ants and you obviously don't expect the animation to be as enhanced as decade-old Hollywood flicks like Antz or A Bug's Life. But what bugs you off is that the storytelling doesn't show much innovation either. The black ants and red ants are at war and one mediator named Ghunn (seemingly a termite) double-crosses both kingdoms for his personal gains. The river-separated rival setting is as age-old as Subhash Ghai's Saudagar and what's more - the kids of the combating kingdoms are also in love.

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Animax Asia to produce first original animation movie

Filipino amateur writer Carmelo Junio recently won the Animax Awards 2007 pan-Asia scriptwriting contest.

His luck, however, would not simply end there.

His script has become Animax Asia’s first-original animation movie production called "LaMB," a joint venture production under the US-million Singapore Economic Development Board and SPE Networks- Joint Production Fund.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg for this monumental animation project. Animax Asia has also assembled a heavyweight creative team to produce "LaMB."

"LaMB’s" director is Ryosuke Tei who will be working with Yasufumi Soejima as storyboard artist for the original multimedia and multiplatform animation production.

Tei said he's "very excited" to direct Animax Asia’s first original animation production. He vowed to make the animation a "unique entertainment experience" for Animax viewers.

Soejima, who echoed Tei's excitement, is on board to help Tei create his vision for "LaMB" across multiple platforms: On air (two ½ hour shows and one hour finale premiering February 2009 on Animax channels); online (web manga out this Nov. 2008; online games debuting Oct. 2008); mobile (graphic novels available from Nov. 2008 and mobisodes launching Jan. 2009).

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Great animation from Pixar, great action from Jolie

Animated sci-fi movies have traditionally not fared well. Two examples are Titan A.E. and Treasure Planet which were both considered flops.

But if it is made by Pixar, which is batting 1000 for hit animated movies, it is almost guaranteed to be a hit.

Pixar’s success started with computer animated short subjects before making Toy Story, their first feature length film. They went on to make A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles and last year’s Ratatouille.

This year it is WALL-E, the story of a robot cleaning up the mess on an abandoned Earth for 700 years after everyone has left. His name stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class and he did what he was programmed to do for all those years until something happened: He developed a personality.

After a research robot named EVE comes to Earth and discovers that WALL-E may have stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, she races back to space to report her findings to the humans who are eagerly awaiting the chance to return home.

Unbeknownst to her, WALL-E is in hot pursuit, chasing EVE across the galaxy, setting off one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

It is directed by Andrew Stanton, the Oscar winning director of possibly my favourite Pixar movie, Finding Nemo.

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Dashavatar: Movie Review

Director: Bhavik Thakore

Voiceovers: Shreyas Talpade, Shatrughan Sinha, Rupali Ganguly

Rating: **

When filmmaking started in India, for the first couple of decades the genre of films were only confined to mythological movies. That was the prevalent mindset then.

Perhaps history is repeating and restricting itself with the same approach since the advent of animation films in India. It’s only divine deities that we keep seeing in the animated format, today.

Same is the case with Dashavatar that almost qualifies for a comprehensive coverage of the Indian mythology subjecting us to not one or two but ten episodes of religious folklore. Ironically this all-inclusive exposure works, both, in the advantage as well as against the film.

Dashavatar highlights the ten different avatars of Lord Vishnu and in the process incorporates every epic from Ramayan, Mahabharat, Krishna Leela and a lot more in its two hour runtime. But while showcasing so much in so little time, obviously the narration is hurried and if you aren’t attentive enough, you could easily miss out a couple of Vishnu variants.

The film starts in contemporary times with two kids being sermonized by Narad Muni (in the able voiceover of Shreyas Talpade) about the ten forms of Vishnu which includes his avatars as Matsya (Fish), Kurma (Tortoise), Varah (Wild Boar), Narsingh (Lion), Vaman (Brahmin), Parshuram, Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Gautam Buddha (yes, he too was Vishnu’s incarnation) and Kalki (yet to arrive in the 21st Century).

The initial episodes come across as less-heard stories from scriptures and to me it even rekindled memories of those long-forgotten fables narrated to me as a child by my grandparents. The ensuing chapters of Ramayan and Mahabharat lack novelty value due to overexposure but are thankfully concluded quickly in transition songs.

Nevertheless, some editing in the narrative here could have surely helped. The interlinking of the episodes and lineage of the legends is arduous to absorb unless you simultaneously sketch out a genealogy.

In accordance to the theme of the film, the music is passable and there’s even an item number thrown in. Occasionally the storytelling becomes verbose and preachy. Also the switchover in the screenplay to contemporary times could have been avoided since it doesn’t give the film a new dimension. The animation is 2 dimensional throughout and appears quite outdated in current context.

Dashavatar is again one of those films that wins sympathy votes for its attempt.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Attrition may defer animation movies

PUNE: Hit by attrition and manpower crisis in the animation industry, most animation movies may not be able to adhere to earlier announced release dates this year. While only two 2D animation movies have begun promotion campaigns, the release of other movies may be deferred to Diwali or even to next year.

As against the host of 3D animation films announced, only one is likely to be released in 2008, throwing everyone’s calculations to the wind.

Movie buffs this summer will have to settle for Ghatothkach and Dashavatar, both 2D animated mythological movies, scheduled for a release on May 23 and May 30. Ghatothkach, produced by Shemaroo and to be released in seven languages, is a life story of Ghatothkach, the son of Bhim, one of the Pandavas from the mythological epic Mahabharata, while Dashavatar, produced by Pune-based Phoebus Media, speaks about the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu, and will be released in four languages.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Animation sector still hard pressed for skilled manpower in North

With a string of successful animation movies coming out of the Indian closet, the animation sector is poised to tread the growth trajectory. The entry of various global media giants into the arena of media and entertainment in India is also set to give a major thrust to the $10 billion industry. Walt Disney, BBC, JC Decaux, Viacom, Astro, Blackstone, Temasek, Warburg Pincus, Goldman Sachs etc have already made a buzz in the industry.

But animation industry is still hard-pressed for skilled manpower. Talking about the impediments, Navin Gupta, COO of Mumbai-based Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) said, "Right now, about 3,00,000 students are undergoing training in animation technology across India. Most of the professionals are still at the entry level. The way the industry is growing, even these 300,000 professionals will not be enough to handle the workload in the coming years. We have about 25 operational Frameboxx training centres with about 3,000 students enrolled for different programmes. We aim to impart training to 10,000 students within this year by adding 15 new training centres. We need more skilled people than the available pool of 10,000 artistes and 2,000 programmers that we have today."

As per the figures released by KPMG business advisory services recently, the animation sector has attracted investments of $1.5 billion out of which 40% accounts for FDI. The media and entertainment sector in India offers tremendous growth opportunity and is set to touch $21 billion by 2010. The Indian animation and gaming industry is projected to reach the $1 billion mark by 2010 from the current combined revenues of $402 million.

Gupta further added, "The fresh lease of investment, which is to the tune of $8-10 million, will be enthused into new training centres and five incubation centres to help the students prune their skills through live projects. We are planning to add more verticals to our portfolio such as online training and DVDs to diversify our reach. A number of Bollywood production houses like BR Films, Adlabs, Pritish Nandy Communication and UTV, besides Percept Picture Company and Shemaroo, are into making animation movies.

Source : http://www.financialexpress.com/

Going global is the way forward for animation films

MUMBAI: In the emerging global scenario, animation is the new buzzword. The limits of quality and technology are being pushed constantly and workflow is not restricted to geographical boundaries. In fact, people are working in large scale, networked environments.

In studios such as Disney, Pixar, Sony and Warner, the average budget of an animation movie is close to $100 million (Rs 400 crore). The latest Dreamworks animation flick Bee Movie being budgeted at $ 150 million (Rs 600 crore).

With such big monies involved there is a need to spread risks of creativity and finance, increase geographical areas for content exploitation and provide access to media funds available in different countries, even tap global revenues from licensing and merchandising.

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DreamWorks to set up animation studio in Bangalore

BANGALORE: DreamWorks, the producers of the blockbuster animation movies like Shrek, Madagascar, will for the first time source some of its work from outside of US in India. The US-listed animation major has already formed an alliance with France-headquartered media major Thomson to have its dedicated studio in Bangalore.

“We are not looking at outsourcing but we hope that the Bangalore centre would contribute to our existing process,” said, Joe Agulae of DreamWorks. The DreamWorks studio will be set up at Paprikaas, the Bangalore based animation company which was acquired by Thomson’s business division, Technicolor.

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How to Download Anime Movies

Ever wondered how to download anime movies? If you are a great fan of Japanese culture and for that matter, a fanatic of cartoons like Naruto, Genesis Evangelion, Sailor Moon and Bleach, you would love to be able to download anime movies without paying much.
Where can you find cheap movies to download and watch?

We are able to source and find 3 ways to do so. So be prepared to feast your eyes on endless hours of good animation. You can do so on your PC or on your TV as we show you how.

1. Free P2P Networks
   
   Peer to peer networks do host some of these cartoon series. You would be able to download anime movies and videos for free here. Trouble is, there are some problems you got to deal with like threats from adware, spyware and viruses. Downloading can be horribly slow and the picture quality can be rather poor.
   
   
2. Fansubs
   
   Fansubs are actually subtitled versions of original Japanese cartoons. These are as the name explains dubbed by fans. They are normally hosted on their private sites. While you may download anime movies and find some of the latest releases, the trouble is quite a number of them are illegal. These are also privately run which means that they can be low on server resources and bandwidth. So you can expect slow downloading speeds.
   
   
3. Paid Anime Download Services
   
   Recently, there have been a few new sites that were created offering you a chance to download anime movies, both new and old. For less than $30 to $40, you get a lifetime membership offer to transfer as many cartoons as you wish onto your computer. You get videos as well and there are no restrictions if you want to copy them onto CDs or DVDs to watch on your TV.
   
   The choice is pretty clear. These days, many are going to paid download sites to download anime movies as well as videos. Find out how you too can do so at my cartoon blog!
   

About the Author
Join thousands of Anime fans as they download anime videos at the most popular anime downloading site. Also, read another popular article on where to download anime videos instantly for pennies.

Animation companies to release 25 movies in 2 years

NEW DELHI: It's going to rain animation movies on Indian celluloid, with all major studios and animation companies lining up a slew of releases to keep one entertained till 2009. According to industry estimates, more than 25 movies are up for release in 2008 and 2009. According to Nasscom estimates, the animation industry is likely to become a $950-million business in the country by 2010.

While international major Disney Studios will foray into the Indian animation space with co-production tie-ups with Yash Raj Films and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, ADAG’s Adlabs Films, Pritish Nandy Communications, Percept and Shemaroo are others big companies that are producing animation movies for release within the next two years. The Indian Film Company has also firmed up plans in collaboration with Richard Branson & Shekhar Kapoor’s Virgin Comics to make three horror animation movies.

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Animation companies to release 25 movies in 2 years

NEW DELHI: It's going to rain animation movies on Indian celluloid, with all major studios and animation companies lining up a slew of releases to keep one entertained till 2009. According to industry estimates, more than 25 movies are up for release in 2008 and 2009. According to Nasscom estimates, the animation industry is likely to become a $950-million business in the country by 2010.

While international major Disney Studios will foray into the Indian animation space with co-production tie-ups with Yash Raj Films and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, ADAG’s Adlabs Films, Pritish Nandy Communications, Percept and Shemaroo are others big companies that are producing animation movies for release within the next two years. The Indian Film Company has also firmed up plans in collaboration with Richard Branson & Shekhar Kapoor’s Virgin Comics to make three horror animation movies.

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“Return of Hanuman” finally released, throughout India

Triruvananthapuram-based firm has finally released, India’s first 2D animated feature film entitled "Return of Hanuman". The movie has been released throughout India in 370 theatres.

The release is a sequel to the surprise hit of 2005 animation movie 'Hanuman'.

The 90-minute animated movie is a co-production of Toonz Animation and Percept Picture Company. It has been written and directed by Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap.

The animated movie shows return of Hanuman in the current age to save the planet Earth from destruction.

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'The Return of Hanuman' to begin new era of animated movies

New Delhi (PTI): As 'The Return of Hanuman', the first animation sequel, hits theatres on Friday director Anurag Kashyap promises to bring a new phase of animated movies.

'The Return of Hanuman' is set in modern day India and this time Hanuman has returned to the earth in a new avatar 'Maruti', who is a school boy with a mission to save the world from the evil doers.

Hanuman being the original super hero of India, the movie promises an all out fun for the kids who loved the previous 'Hanuman'.

It is full with the funny antics of a kid which involves action, comedy and drama.

Having a reputation for making dark and serious cinema, Kashyap's tryst with his first light hearted children animation movie was not easy, says the director.

"For me it was a great learning experience, I made so many mistakes while working on the movie but fortunately had the chance to correct them," Anurag Kashyap told PTI.

The movie has inspired the director and has opened a all new field of creativity, "Hanuman was a wonderful and enriching experience. I am planning to make another animation movie which will be entertaining for both children and adults," says Kashyap.

The director, who has also written the dialogues of the movie said "my inspiration behind writing and directing the movie was my daughter Aliya. The movie is dedicated to her."

Source : http://www.hindu.com/

India needs 10k animation experts for global play

AHMEDABAD: India needs at least 10,000 professional animators of international standards if it wants to survive the competition from countries such as Philippines, Korea and Taiwan, said director of the animation movie Hanuman VG Samanth.

He was in Ahmedabad to inaugurate a training campus of Digital Asia School of Animation association with Lakhotia Institute of Art & Design, a division of Lakhotia Computer Centre (LCC). Set up at an investment of Rs 50 lakh, the institute claims to churn out around 125 trained animators every year.

Speaking to the media after the inauguration, Mr Samanth said, “Barring one or two films, I am not happy with the quality of animated movies being made in the country. People are entering into the business just to make quick money. They produce low cost, low quality animation movies.”

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Frame by Frame, Animation Moves to India

If you have a date to go to the movies with a child this week, chances are good that part of the movie you'll see was made in India. Both The Golden Compass and Alvin and the Chipmunks used digital animation that was created in Mumbai.

India is rapidly becoming a player in the global cultural marketplace, and animation is no exception. Los Angeles-based animation company Rhythm & Hues worked on the films from their Hollywood offices — and from the offices that they have opened in India. Employees stay in contact through daily video conferencing, bridging 12 time zones and 13,000 miles.

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