Shout Factory has given me another excuse to spend my hard earned cash and make my wife question my sanity. Complete DVD sets of the original Transformers and G. I. Joe TV shows will be available in mid-July. These are the sets I’ve been waiting for! Although a bit pricey, this is a large chunk of my childhood I’ll finally be able to own.
May 09
20090
commentsIn Trailers
Tags2D animation Animation Disney Disney Animation The Princess and the Frog
Here’s the first trailer for Disney’s return to 2D animation with The Princess and the Frog. This looks great and the animation looks beautiful. Looks like we have a fun night with the kids to look forward to!
Plot Synopsis:
Animation Studios presents the musical“The Princess and the Frog, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. [TrailerAddict]
Check out the first 2 episodes for the G.I. Joe microseries, G. I. Joe: Resolute after the jump. These were written by Warren Ellis and will be airing on Cartoon Network’s Adult SWIM. I’m positive the movie won’t be as cool as these. Check them out!
I’m going to start watching He-man on Hulu from time to time. Starting with Season One, Episode One. Follow along with me!
Season 1 : Ep. 1|20:48|
Skeletor uses a magic gem to banish He-Man’s friend to another dimension. He proceeds to Greyskull intending to use it on He-Man and take control of the Castle.
Apr 11
20090
commentsTagsAnimation Bolt Byron Howard Chris Williams Dan Fogelman Disney Disney Animation John Lasseter John Travolta Malcolm McDowell Mark Walton Miley Cyrus Pixar Susie Essman
Rating: 
Directed By:Â Byron Howard and Chris Williams
Written By: Dan Fogelman and Chris Williams
Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell
Plot Synopsis:
Bolt tells the story a dog who plays a heroic pup in a hit TV show and has some trouble recognising that he is in fact not possessed of extraordinary powers beyond the ability to lick his own nether regions. This becomes something of a hindrance when he is accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York City. From there he has to make his way home with only the help of a manky old cat and an overweight hamster in a plastic ball. John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton provide voices. (Trailer Addict)
Review:
Disney Animation has been in a bit of a slump recently. Their last non-Pixar Computer Animated Chicken Little was a turd, and other than direct to DVD sequels to their classics we haven’t seen much. So, much to my surprise, along comes Bolt. This is the first non-Pixar movie that is up to par in quality with The Incredibles; a fun, action packed and funny little movie. Of course, Bolt was executive produced by Pixar’s John Lasseter. So Bolt can be a distant cousin of a Pixar movie.
Mar 26
20090
commentsIn Blu-Ray Reviews, Movie Reviews
TagsAnimation Blu-Ray Gerard Butler Mike Smith Tales of the Black Freighter Watchmen Zack Snyder
Tales of the Black Freighter
Rating: 
Directed By: Mike Smith
Starring:Â Gerard Butler
Plot Synopsis:
A mariner survives an attack from the dreaded pirates of the Black Freighter, but his struggle to return home to warn it has a horrific cost. (IMDB)
Review:
Kudos to Zach Snyder and Warner Brothers for releasing this psuedo-special feature to Watchmen. The fact that tons of care was put into this release is staggaring. Here we have 3 different features. Tales of the Black Freighter (25 minutes), Under the Hood (30 minutes), and Story within a Story: The Books of Watchmen (25 minutes).
First up, Tales of the Black Freighter is a stunningly animated short film. In the Watchmen graphic novel, a character is seen reading a comic book called Tales of the Black Freighter. We also get to read along with the character at certain points. This is an interesting concept in the comic, and will be in the extended cut of Zach Snyder’s Watchmen adaptation on Blu-ray/DVD.
Here we have it as a stand-alone and as a companion piece to Watchmen, it’s pretty amazing. Gerard Butler voices the mariner perfectly and it’s an interesting study on someone attempting to do the right thing while, in fact, bringing destruction on those they love. This is an interesting parallel to the main theme of Watchmen, so it will be interesting to see this in the context of the extended cut.
Next up we have 2 documentaries. Under the Hood is a fictional documentary that parallels the book of the same name in the graphic novel and film. It gives interesting back story to the original Minutemen and is played out in interview form with the original Night Owl, Hollis Mason. Other character interviews appear as well. This is a well done companion to the film Watchmen as well. We’re brought in even further to this world and it showcases Zach Snyder‘s incredible attention to detail of this world.
The final documentary is a “making of” for the two features. It does a great job of tying everything together and helps us understand why these projects were so important for people to immerse themselves in the world of Watchmen.
This MAY be a part of a super boxed set in the future, with Tales of the Black Freighter confirmed to be spliced into an extended cut of Watchmen on Blu-ray. But, for now, it’s good to have these if you were a fan of the film. At only an 90 minutes, you may not like the price. Purchase it as cheaply as possible or rent it if you’re unsure.
Tales of the Black Freighter: Rated R for violent and grisly images.
Under the Hood: Rated PG for thematic material.
This is the newest trailer for Disney/Pixar’s Up. Finally we have a little more of the plot spelled out. So, it’s fair to say I’m much more excited to see this.Â
Dec 23
20080
commentsIn Trailers
Tags9 Animation Danny Elfman Shane Acker Tim Burton Timur Bekmambetov Trailers
Wow. This movie looks pretty sweet.
9 is produced by Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch), directed by former WETA Digital artist Shane Acker, and featuring the music of Danny Elfman. Based on Acker’s Academy Award-nominated 2005 film festival short (watch it on YouTube), 9 is a post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened.
Plot Synopsis:
As released courtesy of Apple, the first trailer for the feature remake of 9:
9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A group of sapient rag dolls, living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9 (Elijah Wood), who displays leadership qualities that may help them to survive. Score heard in latter half of trailer is “Welcome Home” from the band Coheed and Cambria.
(part of this article taken from the post on /Film by Peter Sciretta, view the article here)