So movie press, is there an "animation curse"? Are audiences getting tired of animated feature films? Nope... Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 did well - as expected - over the weekend... Taking in an estimated $35 million, this start was $2 million higher than the adjusted opening weekend total of the first film. It didn't decrease from the original like some animated sequels tend to do, but it didn't make a whole lot more either (I had predicted somewhere around $45 million).
It has all of October to itself to grow legs and gross over $100 million domestically - the first animated film since Despicable Me 2 to do so. Of course, we all know that Turbo, The Smurfs 2 and Planes missed that threshold for multiple reasons. Of course, our press bends over backwards and just assumes that there's a glut of animated features, or that audiences are tired of animation and that it's becoming box office poison. Of course, they probably never really considered animation to be anything more than kids stuff so they wouldn't know...
Anyways, it's a decent opening and the film will make back that $78 million budget in no time. Win-win for Sony, win-win for the American animation industry at the box office and win-win for those who saw it and enjoyed it.
I just find it surprising that it couldn't outgross non-sequel Hotel Transylvania's opening weekend take. That film keeps the crown for biggest September opening, I was thinking that this would easily beat that. Regardless, $35 million is still a solid start for this film.
Update: The actual gross is $34 million. Still solid...
That's right... Two new posters for two animated films coming out this year. Both of them are lovely.
I love the Monsters University one already. From time to time, we'll often get posters for Pixar's films which contain almost all of the main cast plus minor characters on them. Finding Nemo had an excellent one, ditto Cars and Toy Story 3. Also, ComingSoon.net confirmed that a new trailer for the film has been classified!
The question is, when will we get that said trailer? I think we'll get it sometime next month, not before Disney's own Oz the Great and Powerful, but maybe before DreamWorks' The Croods. Here's hoping it's a decent trailer that gets audiences fired up for the film, and maybe even win over the skeptics who keep telling themselves that Pixar is no longer good.
The Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 poster is also unexpectedly nice, but at the same time, we knew it was going to look good because the concept art was pretty and the few images we got and this poster do boast some very nice work.
The tagline reminds me of the film's working title: Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers. I don't know why they changed the title, because the tagline implies that the film will be about these "leftovers" getting their revenge. Anyways, the food creatures look great and the color work is nice, so I have no doubt that this will be a colorful bonanza like its predecessor.
Some quick bits of animation new from this past week and then some... Stuff I didn't go over and such...
Relativity Media's first animated release, Turkeys, is apparently very far into production. Far enough that the release date moved up a year. Originally slated for a November 14, 2014 release, the Reel FX production will hit theaters on November 1, 2013. In its original spot, it was scrunched between Disney's untitled animated film and DreamWorks' Happy Smekday!; here it has room to breathe. That being said, I was never looking forward to this long-in-development picture. A story about two turkeys going back in time to stop the Thanksgiving tradition of eating turkey does not appeal to me at all... Though it may just play with that idea and make for a fun comedy. After all, director Jimmy Hayward co-directed Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, so it has potential.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2's trailer is coming on the 27th. It's about time we see a little something pertaining to that film. It seemed like it didn't even exist until some very pretty concept art showed up not too long ago. Will it be a good follow-up to the original? Or a mediocre cash-grab sequel?
Rio 2, though we knew it was coming, is officially on track for an April 11 release in 2014. Some other countries get it first a few weeks earlier. The cast has been announced and new plot details have emerged. In the sequel, Blu and Jewel have settled down with three kids. But when it's time for them to fly, they take them on a trip to the Amazon. However, Blu must fit in with the new neighbors, as he fears that he'll lose his wife and children to the "call of the wild". It certainly sounds like it'll be harmless fun, just like the first one. I expect nothing more, plus we'll probably get a trailer before Epic this spring.
Illumination is going forward with their planned re-imagining of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A release date has not been set, but I think it'll probably show up for the holidays of 2015 or 2016. How it will compare the 2000 Ron Howard film is up in the air, but the Chuck Jones classic will never be touched. Expect it to be sugary-sweet, packed with hit-or-miss humor and loaded with lots of padding. Illumination also announced an untitled, original project for July 3, 2015. What a shocker... Between Despicable Me and Dr. Seuss, it'll be nice to see what the original concept is. Maybe it's that untitled cryptozoology project they mentioned a while back... Or maybe something new.
DreamWorks seems to see a lot of potential in their upcoming summer release Turbo, that questionable story about a snail becoming a racing champion after a freak accident. A series based on the film called Turbo F.A.S.T. (which stands for Fast Action Stunt Team) will debut as a Netflix exclusive series this autumn. It'll be a new addition to Netflix's recent original programming plan. It'll also be the first family-friendly original show for them. This is no different from DreamWorks' TV spin-offs of Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon (the latter of which has gotten a lot of praise), so it seems reasonable that they'd create a TV series based on this film, but perhaps a bit premature.
The best news concerns Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen. Christophe Beck, the man who composed Disney's beautiful Paperman, will be providing the score for the upcoming fairy tale adaptation. Color me excited once more, and hopefully we'll get some real posters and promo artwork that'll wash those horrid fake ones away.
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Out of all these of announcements, which one excites you the most? What are your thoughts on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Turkeys? Do you think DreamWorks is counting their chickens before they hatch with their planned Turbo Netflix series? Or do you think it'll pay off? Are you anticipating Illumination's Grinch? Or not?
Now that 2012 is almost over, let's take a look at next year's offerings. What do we know so far about the animated films opening in twenty thirteen? What do you think of the results so far?
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Escape from Planet Earth Distributed by The Weinstein Company Studio: Rainmaker Entertainment Opening February 24, 2013
I’ll be completely honest here, the trailer didn’t make my eyes burn. That says a lot coming from an animated film from a distributor who is notoriously bad when it comes to animation. That doesn’t mean, however, that I liked it. Escape from Planet Earth looks so generic in every way, and the animation is nothing special. Also, is it just me, or does this film look like a giant commercial for 7-Eleven?
The Croods Distributed by 20th Century Fox Studio: DreamWorks Animation SKG Opening March 22, 2013
With the two trailers we have gotten alongside numerous images, The Croods looks like it’ll be another beautifully-made animated film that goes the safe route. It’s got that written all over it from the seemingly phoned-in story to the hit-or-miss gags. That being said, the trailers for this might be totally misleading and the film will turn out to be a smart, heartfelt animated adventure for the whole family. It’s what I’m personally hoping for, especially since this was directed by Chris Sanders and the fact that DreamWorks’ recent films are impressive. Please prove me wrong again!
Epic Distributed by 20th Century Fox Studio: Blue Sky Studios Opening May 24, 2013
So both trailers have a generally moody tone, grand-scale visuals, lots of action and pretty animation. But... There’s still an annoying, wisecracking slug that’ll induce more frustration than laughs. Also, our lead seems rather cardboard and the motives of the villains are unclear. However, this film is not out until May, so maybe another trailer will clear things up. Or, the film itself will be better than what the trailers suggest. For now, it just seems like Fox is trying to tell audiences, “This is no Ice Age” though the irritating slug contradicts that.
Monsters University Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Opening June 21, 2013
Only a teaser and a promo of sorts (haven't seen what they attached to the Monsters, Inc. 3D yet), but the viral marketing is good and the stills we have gotten shows that this will probably be a more comedic film from Pixar, but with the same doses of heart and sincerity that define their films. When will we get a good, full trailer? I'm guessing somewhere around the release of Oz: The Great and Powerful. Disney better start marketing this one if they want another Toy Story 3-sized success.
Despicable Me 2 Distributed by Universal Pictures Studio: Illumination Entertainment Opening July 3, 2013
The recent trailer shows that it’ll be about aliens. You can either say it’s cheap and desperate, or an attempt to do what the first film didn’t. Either way, it looks like cute fun much like its predecessor. I’m not expecting anything more out of it, I’m just hoping it isn’t as shallow as The Lorax. Fun brainless animated comedies aren't always a bad thing, but a lot of animation fans probably dislike them because there's too many of them and a lot of them are forgettable. Despicable Me wasn't to these eyes, so hopefully this one will deliver.
Turbo
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Studio: DreamWorks Animation SKG
Opening July 19, 2013
The teaser was cute, I'll admit that. How the story will play out is beyond me. Again, this could take its crazy premise and do good with it. I trust DreamWorks with it, so I'm hoping the next trailer delivers. Not much we can say about this at the moment, but a new trailer will probably be out in February or March. I'm thinking March more than anything, since DreamWorks' The Croods opens the 22nd.
The Smurfs 2
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Studio: Sony Pictures Animation / The Kerner Entertainment Company
Opening July 31, 2013
What do we know? It'll be just like the first one. Egh.
Planes Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures Studio: DisneyToon Studios Opening August 9, 2013
All we know is what the story will be, and that John Lasseter is involved with the project. (Lasseter, I admire you, but this is your weakness!) There's a teaser as well, that does have competent animation, but that's about it. That being said, I don't expect anything good out of this. Yes, I do have a thing against the direct-to-video Disney sequels. Planes can be okay fun for all I care, but like I said, is a theatrical release really necessary?
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Studio: Sony Pictures Animation
Opening September 27, 2013
Very little has been announced about this sequel to Sony Animation's 2009 hit, and now that it's on track for an earlier release (it was originally penciled in for February 7, 2014), we should be getting some details by now. The original directors aren't returning so I'm not getting my hopes up. The same applies to Hotel Transylvania 2.
Ignore the "Spring 2014" at the bottom. This is an older image.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Studio: DreamWorks Animation SKG
Opening November 1, 2013
Just some story details and an image of the two leads themselves. A teaser should arrive by March, following DreamWorks' 2010 film pattern. Until then, we don't know much.
Frozen
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Opening November 27, 2013
Aside from some lovely concept art and other cast and crew details, there's no teaser or anything. Here's hoping one comes soon. I don't want to have to wait until June to see a teaser.
Walking with Dinosaurs 3D
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Studio: Animal Logic / BBC Earth / BBC Worldwide
Evergreen Films / Reliance Big Entertainment
No word on this one. Not for a while. Will it still be distributed by Fox? Is it still on track for a December 20th release? We haven't heard anything for a long time. Interestingly enough, this will be co-directed by Barry Cook (who directed Mulan, co-directed Arthur Christmas and worked at Disney as an effects animator).
Unscheduled 2013 Releases
Currently, the three Weinstein Company animated releases scheduled to be released this year are up in the air. Leo the Lion, The Trick or Treaters and Santapprentice originally had release dates set but have disappeared. It's possible that the Weinstein Company may jump ship on these films and give them to another distributor, if not, maybe these said films aren't even in production yet. We saw a teaser poster and got some information on Escape from Planet Earth many months in advance, but nothing for the planned August release of Leo the Lion. No cast details or anything else. Methinks these will go direct-to-video.
Another odd case is Dino Time, a 2010 South Korean animated feature that was supposed to be released here in the states earlier this month. The dreadful, vomit-inducing trailer showed up before every (exaggeration) family-friendly film. It was being distributed by Clarius Entertainment, a company that only has two film listings on IMDb (this one being the first of which). Commercials were released as well, but sites like Box Office Mojo had no mention of the movie. Apparently it's been quietly pushed back to 2013, but this one may end up going straight to video. It was going to be a very limited release anyway.
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What do you think of 2013's animated output so far? What films are looking forward to? Which ones will you skip? Sound off!
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