Tagged: Disney

2010 Hugo Nominees Announced

2010 Hugo Nominees Announced

  • News
  • April 5, 2010

Science fiction followers take note: The 2010 Hugo nominee list is out. For those not so in-the-know, the Hugo awards (named for Amazing Stories’ creator Hugo Gernsback) have been recognizing great work in Science Fiction or Fantasy since 1955, and have recently added comic books to their categories under consideration. This year’s nominees are an amazing bunch; Allow us to share some highlights.

In the fight for comic book supremacy this year, fan favorite Neil Gaiman leads off in the “Best Graphic Story” category with his Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Going toe-to-toe with Neil though comes a bevvy of other hot comic talent including Bill Willingham (with, among other folks, Simone & Ajax‘s Andrew Pepoy) for Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages, as well as Paul Cornell for Captain Britain And MI13 Volume 3: Vampire State, and Kaja and Phil Foglio for their Girl Genius Volume 9. Rounding out the nominees comes Howard Taylor for Schlock Mercenary.

Also interesting this year will be the fight for “Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form”. Where Peter Jackson’s Oscar winning Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King was once crowned with this Hugo, 2010 pits James Cameron’s 3D epic Avatar against District 9, the Star Trek reboot, Pixar’s Up, as well as Moon by Duncan Jones. Without his ex to steal his thunder, will Cameron walk away with the award? Only attending and supporting members of the AussieCon could tell you. The awards will be given September 5th.

For a complete listing of nominees, simply check it out after the jump.

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Review: ‘Lord of the Rings Original Animated Classic’

Review: ‘Lord of the Rings Original Animated Classic’

Ralph Bakshi has been a visionary filmmaker and animator, whose ambitions always seemed larger than his talent. After cutting his teeth at Terry Toons, he talked his way into running Paramount’s dying animation arm before moving on to work such as the ABC Saturday morning [[[Spider-Man]]] series. He finally gained recognition when he set out to make feature-length films, beginning with the X-rated [[[Fritz the Cat]]].

Bakshi’s tastes have always run towards edgy fare and he’s produced animated film son subjects Walt Disney or Don Bluth would never have approached, such as [[[American Pop]]] and [[[Hey Good Lookin]]]’ and for that he deserves credit. Unfortunately, in just about every case, the projects have been flawed, largely because not enough money was spent on the animation or the story so they never felt finished.

In the 1970s Bakshi was in the right place at the right time when he managed to get the rights to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s [[[Lord of the Rings]]], a project that had previously stymied filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick and John Boorman. He set about to create a new look for Middle-earth by using the rotoscope technique, to shoot large portions of the film as live-action and then provide the footage to his animators to essentially trace.

The results arrive Tuesday as Warner Home Video releases a combo pack edition containing Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy discs, the same day it also debuts the Peter Jackson trilogy on Blu-ray.

Tolkien fan Chris Conkling was first hired to do research then was given a shot at writing the first screenplay which oddly decided to tell most of the story in flashback from Merry’s point of view. Bakshi wisely shelved it and brought in fantasy master Peter S. Beagle to rewrite the script. Beagle, of [[[The Last Unicorn]]] fame, followed Bakshi’s instructions to preserve as much of Tolkien as was possible.

What’s interesting is how Beagle and Jackson made many of the same decisions regarding what to drop or change. While there was a huge cry about the absence of Tom Bombadil in the live-action film, he’s also gone in Bakshi’s film and no one screamed in those pre-Internet days. They also both chose to have the Ringwraiths themselves seen attacking the seemingly slumbering hobbits at Bree.

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iPad launches, comics will never be the same, blah blah blah

iPad launches, comics will never be the same, blah blah blah

  • News
  • April 3, 2010

Lorem ipsum dolor sit iPad, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec
sollicitudin mattis dui, in Apple dui tempor ut. Vestibulum augue
nisi, Disney in tincidunt vitae, Marvel et elit. Vivamus ultrices
tempus mollis. Quisque rutrum libero comiXology risus blandit sed porta enim
ultrices. Pellentesque congue ipsum id neque battery life ultrices. Duis nec
sapien massa. Sed eu ornare massa. Morbi suscipit iVerse velit in
molestie. Andy Ihnakto vel felis ac dolor varius pellentesque vitae tincidunt
ligula. In aliquet, odio app mollis vehicula, felis metus congue mauris,
et molestie ligula leo iTunes purus. Aliquam posuere turpis et quam pinch and zoom condimentum. Vestibulum ComicBookLover tempus urna ut posuere.

Quisque vel @AgentM vel risus consequat scelerisque. Nunc venenatis Gary Groth  Dirk Deppey sapien sed condimentum. IDW non ante quis enim sagittis
pellentesque. Nulla vel mattis too expensive. Ut ut dui semper risus Zuda no Flash faucibus
in at ipsum. Aenean WonderCon ut turpis augue. Proin convallis odio et urna
fermentum id accumsan lectus manga tentacles.

Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet,
consectetur, adipisci velit…

(Complelety ripped off from Jason Kottke. Hat tip: Making Light.)

Ghost Rider Rides To Broadway!

Ghost Rider Rides To Broadway!

  • News
  • April 1, 2010

In a move some consider surprising, Disney announced their first musical to hit Broadway since acquiring Marvel Comics will be Ghost Rider, complete with motorcycle, flames, and song and dance.

Moreover, teevee’s Craig Ferguson will be cast in the lead. Ferguson, a former punk rock musician, has long professed his love for the character. “I’m only disappointed that Nic Cage wasn’t able to take the role. Nic’s an even bigger Ghost Rider fan than I am, and I would have been thrilled to play the villain. That would have been ooh-la-la-ing awesome.”

It isn’t known if Ferguson will be moving his show out to New York during his run, or if he’ll simply leave CBS and Dave Letterman for the Great White Way. “I don’t have a clue; I just know I can’t pass this aye-carumbaing opportunity up!” Ferguson noted.

As one would expect, Sir Elton John will be writing the original music and Randy Newman will be orchestrating the less important bits. The show is expected to open on Times Square sometime shortly after Labor Day.

Merchandising deals are in progress.

iPad preview has Marvel app, but what does it do?

iPad preview has Marvel app, but what does it do?

  • News
  • April 1, 2010

This picture by Stephen Fry, who got his hands on an iPad before the rest of us (he does that sort of thing; he got the second ever Macintosh in England, Douglas Adams got the first) shows an icon for a Marvel application, which may or may not come standard with every iPad install.

If so, it means the long-surmised Marvel-Disney-Apple synergy is about to bear fruit in a BIG way.

No word on whether this will be instead of or in addition to any display space Marvel may get in the iBookstore.

Review: ‘Toy Story’ & ‘Toy Story 2’ on Blu-ray

Review: ‘Toy Story’ & ‘Toy Story 2’ on Blu-ray

I think it’s fairly safe to begin talking about Toy Story and Toy Story 2 by stipulating that they’re amazing. Most, if not all, of  you have no doubt seen these Pixar films in the movie theaters if not on cable or DVD.

Pixar burst into the public consciousness with [[[Toy Story]]], which was fresh, charming and original. It was the first family friendly film to entertain all generations with character-based humor and sly winks to the Baby Boomers who were in attendance with their children or grandchildren. It spoke to everyone and coupled with fabulous CGI animation and a memorable Randy Newman soundtrack, the film put Disney and its competitors to shame.

Wisely, they proved they were not a one-trick pony by rushing out a sequel but instead offered up other originals first. But Buzz Lightyear and Woody were too good to let go and they returned for the sequel. At one point, when it looked like Pixar and Disney were headed for a messy divorce, the House of the Mouse put a third film into development without John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton’s involvement.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the two entities became one. Out of that notion, though, a third visit to Andy and his toys seemed inevitable. In June, the 3-D third and final film in the series (we presume) will arrive. To celebrate and promote that fact, Walt Disney Home Entertainment is releasing this week Blu-ray special editions of the first two films.

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Review: ‘The Princess and the Frog’ on DVD

Review: ‘The Princess and the Frog’ on DVD

There’s a documentary about to open, [[[Waking Sleeping Beauty]]], focusing on the decade that saw Walt Disney Studios regain their mojo and produce a new generation of wonderful animated films beginning with [[[The Little Mermaid]]].  I’m really looking forward to seeing how that happened but we all know how it ends. Pixar’s CGI efforts arrived with [[[Toy Story]]] and suddenly 2-D movies looked like something from a fairy tale, old and tired. Disney shuttered the animation department.

When Pixar and Disney merged, the best thing to come from that was John Lasseter coming home and declaring that hand-drawn animation was far from dead. That statement became a fact last November when The Princess and The Frog
was released. Now on home video from Walt Disney Home Entertainment, it is a worthy addition to the family library.

John Musker and Ron Clement, who will get their due in the documentary, return as co-directors and it feels like they have not missed a beat. The movie follows what has become a standard template for a Disney film but they wisely spice things up much like the gumbo seen in the movie itself. Rather than adapt the tale and setting it in Europe, they felt a new venue was in order. New Orleans in the 1920s was an inspired choice, allowing them to feature people of color, along with the attendant dialects and influences.

The latest princess is not the first of color, a designation that more properly belongs to Princess Jasmine from Aladdin but having a largely African-American cast was long overdue. Fortunately, New Orleans has always been a real gumbo, mixing a little bit of everything and everyone so it’s the first truly multi-racial cast.

The story is entertaining with lessons learned and laughs to be enjoyed. The power of love proves more magical than anything conjured up by the malevolent Doctor Facilier. Also magical is the music from Randy Newman. While none of the numbers seem to be breakout hits, they do serve storytelling purposes and does give a number of performers, including the great Doctor John a chance to reach a wider audience.

Disney also uses a nice diverse vocal cast and the standout is Anika Noni Rose as Tiana. Everyone else is fine and well cast.

The movie is available in the now-standard combo pack so you get the Blu-ray, standard and digital disc in one nice package. Visually, the animation is bold and bright and eve more colorful on Blu-ray. The look and sound are ideal in this format.

The extras are a mixed bunch with solid commentary from co-directors Musker and Clement, along with producer Peter Del Vecho. For interested fans, there are a series of deleted scenes that never got beyond the pencil test and there’s interesting discussion as to why each moment wound up excised. Magic in the Bayou: The Making of a Princess is a nice 22 minute making of featurette.  After that, though, the others are shorter and far less engaging, including The Return to Hand Drawn Animation, The Disney Legacy (which references the Nine Old Men but doesn’t name them all), Disney’s Newest Princess, The Princess and the Animator, Conjuring the Villain, and A Return to the Animated Musical. The exception being Bringing Animation to Life, where Clements and Musker delve deeper into the process.

The Blu-ray is rounded out with Art Galleries and an interactive game, What do you See? for the younger crowd. 

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Stan’s Here! ComicMix Talks With Stan Lee About His New Project for BOOM!

Stan’s Here! ComicMix Talks With Stan Lee About His New Project for BOOM!

  • News
  • March 3, 2010

BOOM! finally made their teased-out Stan Lee announcement yesterday morning. And despite calls from 1000+ reporters, my 87-years-young friend stopped by to answer a few questions. Briefly.

Cliff: Were the characters and back stories for the new POW-BOOM joint venture actually created by you?

Stan: Yep!

Cliff: Do you still think it’s important for a hero’s alter ego to have an Achilles heel?

Stan: Yep… Usually.

Cliff: At what stage are you at with the projects that you’re doing with Walt Disney Studios?

Stan: All different stages. Script. Development. Production.

Cliff: When I was with IDT Entertainment, you shared a letter with us that you received from Paul McCartney pitching you a character. How often do you get pitches from fellow celebs?

Stan: Occassionally. An average of three or four a year.

Cliff: Now that you’re hitting middle age, do you have any intention of slowing down?

Stan: Not if I can help it! Excelsior!

Visit author Clifford Meth at thecliffordmethod.blogspot.com.

DC Hauls Out Its Big (Legal) Gun Over Superman

DC Hauls Out Its Big (Legal) Gun Over Superman

  • News
  • March 2, 2010

In the never-ending battle with the Jerry Siegel estate over the rights and ownership of Superman, DC has fired its old law firm and replaced him with a big, scary guy.

Well, Warner Bros. did the hiring. DC no longer has any distance from their parent company and therefore no longer steers the ship.

The new guy is Daniel Petrocelli. With respect to the current Superman situation, this is the guy who hammered the estate of literary
agent Stephen Slesinger on behalf of the Disney empire. Slesinger was the man who initially propelled Winnie the Pooh into the hearts and souls of Americans. Petrocelli got the suit tossed not on its merits but because the Slesingers’ lawyers illegally obtained documents by
trespassing on Disney property. Hey, a win’s a win.

Petrocelli is defending Jeffrey Skilling, the Enron CEO who was convicted of the massive swindle that cost so many Americans their life savings, their jobs, and/or their retirement. And by “convicted,” I mean the case is presently before the Supreme Court in an attempt to free the convict instead of letting him roast in a well-deserved living hell. But that’s just my opinion, and I like the guy’s brother.

This is not to say the Siegel estate doesn’t have its own heavy-hitter. Marc Toberoff, who already won some major innings in this particular dispute, is well-known in media circles and is also representing the Jack Kirby estate in a similar action against Marvel and their parent company, Marvel Comics. Toberoff’s involvement mitigates against the philosophy that Petrocelli was hired simply to intimidate the Siegel estate.

The people out of a job are the firm of Weissmann Wolff Bergman, who successfully defended DC Comics and our pals Timothy Truman and Joe R. Lansdale when the faded rock stars Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter gracelessly sued the bunch over a tribute in a Jonah Hex miniseries.

SFWA announces 2009 Nebula, Bradbury, and Norton Award nominees

  • News
  • February 19, 2010

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2009 Nebula Awards.

The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA. The awards will be announced at the Nebula Awards Banquet
the evening of May 15 at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, just 20
minutes from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Other awards to be
presented are the Andre Norton Award for
Excellence in Science Fiction or Fantasy for Young Adults, the Bradbury
Award for excellence in screenwriting and the Solstice Award for
outstanding contribution to the field.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Short Story

Novelette

Novella

Novel

  • The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Nightshade, Sep09)
  • The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak (Bantam, Nov08)
  • Flesh and Fire, Laura Anne Gilman (Pocket, Oct09)
  • The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey, May09)
  • Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor, Sep09)
  • Finch, Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press, Oct09)

Bradbury Award

  • Star Trek, JJ Abrams (Paramount, May09)
  • District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (Tri-Star, Aug09)
  • Avatar, James Cameron (Fox, Dec 09)
  • Moon, Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker (Sony, Jun09)
  • Up, Bob Peterson and Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar, May09)
  • Coraline, Henry Selick (Laika/Focus Feb09)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

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