October Animation Tidbits [#4]

Another round of tidbits…

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An adaptation of Captain Underpants has been on DreamWorks' docket for a long while, and given its commercial potential, it's understandably moving forward. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that a director has been attached, and a writer. Rob Letterman, who co-directed Shark Tale and Monsters vs. Aliens - will helm it, Nicholas Stoller (writer of The Muppets and its upcoming sequel) will pen the screenplay. Seems like the right duo for this kind of film.

Of course, when I was young, the books were a staple at my elementary school's annual book fairs and I imagine they were huge with every other school too. While I didn't really bother with the series back then, it'd be interesting to see how it's pulled off in feature-length form. It will be DreamWorks' first potty humor-loaded flick since the Shrek 2 days, which will make it a draw for kids and fans... Anyone else? Maybe not, making it kind of a gamble for DreamWorks.

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Even though this film is not out until next summer, a teaser is already up... Yep, Planes: Fire and Rescue...

I will admit, it's nice that this won't be Cars with airplanes like the first film was (I didn't see Planes and I don't really plan to), plus the animation does look like nice for a roughly $50 million DisneyToon production.



Yeah, surprisingly, it doesn't look half bad. Yes, the Planes films are mostly for kids, they are pretty harmless as a result. I thought the first one looked positively lame, this one just looks... Okay. Not that I plan on seeing it or anything, but please oh pretty please Disney, this stuff shouldn't be theatrical. Keep it out of the cinemas!

Other than that, its existence doesn't really bother me in the slightest. What bothers me, personally, is how furious and enraged some people are getting over this franchise. Listening to some people, you would've thought that the Cars series is the worst thing since cancer or something...

Whoever is angry needs to consider that Pixar isn't making these films, neither is Disney Animation. They've both got cool stuff in the works, these little cash grab flicks aren't really affecting them or animation that much; why worry about this when you can anticipate something like Big Hero 6 or Inside Out?

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Well, whaddaya know? More Frozen stills, straight from Stitch Kingdom...

All fine-looking, and they give you a good idea of what this film is like. That, and the current trailer that's out. That being said, the stills showcase the fine animation and art direction. It does have a bit of a Tangled-esque look, but of course it'll be different in the story department and what not.

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Some reviews for Reel FX's debut film Free Birds are in… And they are unfortunately not so positive… (Though it'll be interesting to see where it lands, I thought the first teaser had some pretty funny bits.)

Rotten Tomatoes holds three rotten reviews, plus recent screening results have been pretty negative. A real shame, because I'm rooting for Reel FX and I do hope this one makes them enough so that they can embrace the risky stuff that they have in their pipeline.

I figured for a while that Free Birds was meant to be a sort of safe film, one that would do well enough and secure them enough financial backing to make The Book of Life, which sounds intriguing from what I've been hearing. Of course, as you all may know, they have two other films in the works: An adaptation of the not-so-family-friendly Beasts of Burden and a rather dark-sounding film called W.I.S.H. Police, the latter appropriately being from the directors of Nocturna.

I have a feeling that Reel FX's future works will be more akin to Rango (especially The Book of Life) and LAIKA's films, rather than stuff from Sony Animation or Illumination. They seem to have that ambition, so we'll see how that all plays out - cute family-friendly turkey movie notwithstanding.

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What's your take on a Captain Underpants movie? What do you think of the Planes: Fire and Rescue teaser? Bad? Evil? Okay? Meh? What do you think of the Frozen stills? Do you think Free Birds will be a dud? Or surprisingly decent? Sound off below!

Animation Box Office Update (October 2013)

We are now in a rather slow month for box office, though this month may be blockbuster month one day thanks to the success of Alfonso Cauron's Gravity - which I finally saw yesterday and greatly admired -  and we'll start seeing bigger films open during this month. Heck, it may be ripe for big animated films! LAIKA and Reel FX could make that month a goldmine, amongst other studios...

Anyways, The Croods and Epic aren't playing anymore. Both distributed by Fox, the former was a big hit and a box office bounce back for DreamWorks, the latter did adequately but was overall an underperformer. The Croods had all of March, April and May to itself before Blue Sky's little forest people flick showed up, thus allowing it to grow very strong legs and gross north of $187 million stateside. It was a real success story worldwide, with a hefty overseas gross (not bad for an original animated film!) making for a grand total of $585 million. Turbo raced into theaters next and sadly, didn't win any races. DreamWorks suffered another loss with this one, as it has taken in $82 million domestically and so far, $224 million worldwide. It recently opened in the UK and other European markets, but it won't help it in the end. Since DreamWorks considered Rise of the Guardians - which actually doubled its $145 million production budget - a bomb, this is an even bigger loss.

Thankfully Epic wasn't as costly, the $93 million film managed to scoop up $259 million worldwide - a decent little hit for Fox and Blue Sky. It did very well in home media sales on its first week out, so that's a plus. I think this one didn't take off for a number of reasons. Opening it against Fast & Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III ensured that no teens would find themselves seeing it, and since the film seemed to appeal more to kids than adults, legs weren't as strong. It didn't help that Monsters University was also right around the corner, along with another big smash. It's also kind of unfortunate because animated films based on William Joyce's books or ideas never seem to gel at the box office. That's mostly marketing's fault, anyway...

Monsters University was expectedly big, being a Pixar film. Its $82 million opening was great, but legs were weaker than usual this time around - probably due to Despicable Me 2's unstoppable Minionmania and possibly underwhelming word of mouth from the adult crowd, either that or it didn't appeal to families as much. It's a bit of a conundrum right now, but Despicable Me 2 may ultimately be the reason why Monsters University didn't grow the typical Pixar legs and gross anywhere near $300 million stateside. Attendance-wise, it's a bit low on the Pixar list, clocking in at #10 out of 14. Still, $267 million is not too shabby and $737 million worldwide is pretty damn big.

But my goodness, Despicable Me 2... In a matter of hours, this thing will have made more than $900 million at the worldwide box office - and its domestic total was no average one. This was the first animated film since Toy Story 3 to make over $300 million at the domestic box office, showing that animation is huge hit material when done and marketed right. All it needs to do is beat Shrek 2 and it's the world's second highest grossing animated feature (not counting re-released films, i.e. The Lion King) behind Toy Story 3... It only makes me wonder how much Minions and the inevitable Despicable Me 3 will make. (Unless the novelty wears off by 2015...)

I bet Illumination, a relative newcomer no less, is very happy. Four consecutive hits, all profitable, and one of which is not only the second highest grossing animated film ever but also the most profitable film ever released by its distributor.

What about the annoying little blue pests? The Smurfs 2 has only taken in $70 million domestically thanks to a very bad opening weekend, and not-so-great word of mouth. Planes got in the way, the first film had the luxury of having all of August, September and October to itself. It only just proves that animation isn't a kiddie thing and kids-only animation isn't surefire box office gold. Despicable Me 2 made $300 million because of adults and teens, not just kids and their parents. But those who are ignorant towards animation won't realize that...

Planes also underwhelmed on opening weekend, being a kids-only film. Adults and animation fans swiftly avoided the cash-grab spin-off of the Cars series, and apparently the bad critical reception did little help to entice anyone with some interest in the film. But Planes had all of August and most of September to itself, the little film has crept up on $88 million domestically and $191 million worldwide - exactly what Disney wanted. I won't be surprised if the second one underperforms next summer, though right now it has little-to-no competition. Kids and families seem to be there when there's nothing else playing, hence something like Escape from Planet Earth having good legs at the box office.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 stayed flat, opening with a little more than what its predecessor pulled in back in 2009. However, the legs aren't as good. Still, it's on track to make more than $110 million domestically. Animation isn't in any slump, hopefully this film's success will teach our seemingly animation-averse press that.

So now that leaves Free Birds and Frozen. One's obviously going to be a hit (now that Disney marketing served up an excellent trailer last week), the other could go either way. The marketing for Free Birds - handled by distributor Relativity Media - is pretty slipshod, resorting to the usual "From the producer of Shrek" devices, touting the cast and putting out posters with lame-o puns next to the character profiles. I enjoyed the teaser trailer, but I felt that the second trailer was pretty bad. I have a feeling the film won't be anything like what it's making it out to be. (Apparently this one has quite a different sense of humor.)

Free Birds will probably open with above $20 million, since the marketing is at least making it look like a treat for family audiences whilst also playing up the Thanksgiving angle. In fact, I'd be curious to know how many people avoid it, thinking it's a 90-minute PETA commercial. The legs will definitely be cut off by Frozen, which by now should open with at least $45 million. (Boxoffice.com seems to think that it'll open with $38 million, their reasoning being the lack of big name voice actors and the "animation slump". Ugh...)

So far, 2013 has had its ups and down. Two films were big, one was a surprise success and the rest... Well I think this year has taught a valuable lesson: It's high time the studios start aiming for unique films, whilst also attempting to get more adults into the theater. Not everything has to be a cutesy family comedy. Rango did it two years ago, now it's time for some exciting originals like The BoxTrolls, The Book of Life and 2015's eclectic batch of animated features to change the mainstream animation field...

August Animation Tidbits

More tidbits for ya...

Planes once again proves that animated films that don't have much adult appeal won't fare too, too well. Planes is unabashedly a children's film, so it didn't set the box office on fire over the weekend unlike something like Monsters University or Despicable Me 2. You know, animation that's both for kids and adults.

But others (such as are ever-so-accurate press) would lead you to believe that Turbo, The Smurfs 2 and Planes underperformed because there's "too much animation", implying that people are getting sick of feature animation... No, they are getting sick of bland animation and animation that's aimed at kids only... Plus, with all these films opening so close to each other, families got super-choosy. I hope this summer teaches distributors a lesson: Don't open so many animated films so close to each other. 2 or 3 is fine, but 5 or more? A big no-no.

Opening with a small $22 million, Planes already made Disney very happy since the film only cost $50 million to produce. Plus, it's bound to make a good amount overseas given some foreign locations they cover in this film. All I can say is... Ehhhhhhhhhh. Why oh why does the sequel have to be a theatrical release?

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DreamWorks, in a rather surprising move, pushed their highly anticipated How To Train Your Dragon 2 a week forward. The film is now set to open on June 13, 2014, but honestly... I can kind of see Kung Fu Panda 2 happening all over again. Sort of.

If you remember, Paramount and DreamWorks for some reason felt that the sequel to their 2008 blockbuster would put up a good fight against The Hangover Part II. But what happened? The teens and adults flocked to The Hangover Part II, leaving Kung Fu Panda 2 to rely on family audiences and those who have no interest in The Hangover franchise... The result was a very disappointing $47 million opening while The Hangover Part II took in $85 million for the weekend. Its opening was certainly no major take off, especially when you consider that its predecessor opened 3 years earlier with $60 million... Without 3D ticket prices!

What opens the same weekend as How To Train Your Dragon 2? 22 Jump Street...

Let's see... A sequel to a sleeper hit R-rated comedy? Need I say more?

How To Train Your Dragon 2's opening may not be spectacular unless Fox plays their cards right. The teaser for this was fabulous, unlike the lazy "staring contest" teaser for Kung Fu Panda 2. Its official trailer better deliver and make audiences want to see it opening weekend, because Kung Fu Panda 2's underwhelming trailers and marketing didn't succeed in doing that. Hopefully Fox's marketing shows audiences why they should definitely see DreamWorks' epic sequel to their very good film and make the audiences think, "Hmmm... Yeah I'll see that instead of 22 Jump Street!"

I mean, this is supposed to be a very big follow-up to the leggy original. The original was lucky to have many weeks all to itself, so that the incredibly strong word-of-mouth was able to help the film climb to $200 million at the domestic box office. This sequel underperforming and making less would be terrible, especially since it's supposed to be like the series' Empire Strikes Back. I wouldn't doubt that, because DreamWorks went the darker route for their sequel to Kung Fu Panda but yet the poor handled of that stalled it from doing better than its predecessor at the box office. Let's hope the same mistakes aren't made again with this sequel, because DreamWorks needs a big hit and I don't quite think Mr. Peabody & Sherman will be a box office bonanza.

But apparently Fox and DreamWorks are confident in this, so it's possible that the dragons may outwit the cops that summer weekend. Personally, I think these poor choices of release dates are what's are partially killing most animated films these days. (Bolt and Winnie the Pooh, anyone?)

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On the home media front, we got word of the postponed Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume 2 set. In case you didn't know, this series was meant to give us - the animation enthusiast - the complete, fully uncensored collection of the entire Tom and Jerry filmography from the Golden Age to the post-Hanna-Barbera films. Volume 1 delivered the goods and then some, everything on there was uncensored and there were even a couple lovely bonus features.

But this upcoming set is a disaster in the making. Warner Bros. legal department will not allow two particular Tom and Jerry cartoons to be released in any form. The problem is, both are supposed to be on Volume Two since the series is going in chronological order. Mouse Cleaning and Casanova Cat are the two shorts in question. The legal department want to avoid a PR nightmare, but they are hypocrites because Warner Bros. has released material that's just as offensive for general consumers, from the uncensored Looney Tunes collections to the uncensored Popeye sets to the first volume of this series... And they all have warnings saying that they're for the "adult collector", and they also give viewers an explanation of the content in these films: Again, some of the certain gags in these shorts are offensive, but censoring them out is just as offensive. They're a part of history. The first set and all their other adult-oriented cartoon collections from Warner make this very, very clear.

However, WB's legal department doesn't want these two particular shorts to see the light of day for some probably stupid reason, not even through the WB Archive, thus contradicting everything the other sets stood for. So we can't have those two shorts on an "adult collector" set, but yet we can have other offensive material. The legal department apparently thinks that we're children or something.

Let that all sink in for a minute...

PR nightmare, alright. They created a new one just by playing this game with us. We're adults, we know why these cartoons are the way are, so stop trying to hide them from us when you've released other equally offensive cartoons to general consumers, general consumers! Anyone who has seen Mouse Cleaning and Casanova Cat will tell you that they are no more offensive than The Milky Waif and The Truce Hurts, or any other Tom and Jerry cartoon with a blackface gag that's readily available uncensored in the US for general consumers. Warner Home Video really wants all of these pieces of history to be released, but no, the legal department has something against those two particular shorts...

Anyways, this pointless and unfair censorship lead to (much-deserved) backlash, and it's made the news, too! The set was then postponed, though a December 17th date somehow got out there. Jerry Beck (in case you don't know, he's a great animation historian and has worked on many of these sets, including this one) appeared on Stu's Show not too long ago. The set was brought up and he outright confirmed that WB's legal department is giving Warner Home Video trouble, and they're not going to let those two cartoons see any form of release in America (note: They're available uncensored in the UK). He says that we shouldn't expect the set until 2014 at the least. I'm not holding my breath for a complete set.

Insert rant here...

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Speaking of home media, on October 15th, the surprisingly very good and well-written Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls will be hitting some form of home media... Unfortunately, it's a DVD-only release with six episodes. "Six Strange Tales"... Yeah, because we can't have our full season just yet. Or ever, maybe... Given Disney's track record when it comes to these things.

If Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network can give us the full seasons of shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show, Disney can damn well do the same for Gravity Falls. Heck, where are the full season sets for Phineas and Ferb?! What they're failing to realize is that like those two Cartoon Network shows, Gravity Falls has a teenaged and adult fanbase that makes it very successful. People would also scoop up a season boxset of Phineas and Ferb, from families to fans to many others. However, it is possible that this is a set geared towards the kids and that they're saving the goods for the fans. (Making this show an exception to their TV shows on home media business model.)

Well, maybe. Here's hoping they do the same for TRON: Uprising, since they did a good job sending that show to the grave. At least Blu-ray sales or the fact that it's on Netflix could gain the series new fans... Though the third TRON film doesn't seem to be a go anytime soon. Director Joseph Kosinski has signed on to direct The Twilight Zone movie. Looks like that franchise is slowing down once again...

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Animated Views recently interviewed Jimmy Hayward and Aron Warner. Hayward, as you may know, is the director of Reel FX Creative Studios' debut theatrical feature-length animated film Free Birds (formerly known as Turkeys), which will hit theaters on November 1st. Warner is a big-time producer, and he's well-known for producing the Shrek films, as Free Birds' fun trailer mentions.

Hayward talked about some of its production history, and also said that the film's plot is "all in good fun" and that they aren't trying to send some PETA-esque "don't eat turkey" message. (Phew!) He also explained the title change, saying that they wanted something that would have international appeal. Then he also explained the release date change, the movie was pretty much in the can last summer and November 2014 was too much of a family film mine (Big Hero 6, Home, Night at the Museum 3, etc.)

Warner talked about Reel FX's plans, things I speculated about months ago. I'm in support of this studio because they've got risky things planned for the future (Hayward himself elaborated on that), and they also plan on spending reasonable budgets on their films. Hmmmm, maybe other studios should follow suit, yes? For the record, Free Birds has pretty good-looking animation if you ask me. See, I like this idea. Lower budgets mean greater risks can be taken, LAIKA and Aardman don't thrive for nothing.

He also mentioned a few things about Jorge Guiterrez's Book of Life...

"The movie is unlike any computer animated film I’ve ever seen. It looks different; it feels different; it sounds different. It’s definitely Jorge’s – it is so much a project from this guy’s heart."

Now see? That's what studios should be doing, making lower budget films that take some major-league creative risks. Book of Life might just change the industry if Free Birds is a hit, and prove that good computer animation can be done for less than $100 million and it doesn't have to come from someone like Disney, Pixar or DreamWorks. Again, Free Birds looks fun despite some formulaic elements, but it's a safer film for a reason. It's the debut, it's the kick-off feature. Safe film first, risks later!

No word on Beasts of Burden, though...

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What do you think of Reel FX? Do you think the studio has a lot of potential? Do you anticipate what they have to offer? Do you think Disney will eventually give us season box sets of shows like Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb and TRON: Uprising? Do you think Warner Home Video will triumph over the legal department? Or will they lose and all we'll end up getting is a censored set? Do you think DreamWorks and Fox moving How To Train Your Dragon 2 up a week was a good idea, or not?

Sound off below!

For Future Reference...

Well, the summer animation battle has pretty much come to a close. Yes, Planes might have been out for ten days, but it's pretty much over... So, what are the results and what can they teach distributors in the far future?

The Hollywood Reporter's click-bait title of an otherwise okay box office article would lead you to believe that there was an animation "curse". The Los Angeles Times also gets it dead wrong with their headline, suggesting that the recent string of duds is the result of the amount of animated features out there rather than the quality. Hollywood cranking out too many? Think again.

When will people realize that animated films that bomb do so for a good reason? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is more than going to make these people eat their words (pun shamelessly intended), as its inevitably going to be a big hit. Why's that? It's a sequel to a film that critics loved, audiences of all ages loved and one that's just well-known. The sequel is being marketed right, and many are excited for it. It's clearing $120 million this autumn, guaranteed.

So with that, let's look at the last 5 animated releases...

Monsters University kicked things off to a good start after Epic quietly walked out of the gate (a film that was saddled with its own problems, its performance doesn't really have too much to do with its scheduling), with a big $82 million, certainly a good-sized debut for a Pixar film. So this film was on its way to $300 million domestically, right? Well, along came the minions. Despicable Me 2 opened with $83 million and got an even bigger boost from its Wednesday opening, and in no time in passed $300 million at the domestic box office - the first animated film to do so since Toy Story 3! It will end up with a sub-$400 million gross, which is great for this sequel. Universal calls it their most profitable release ever...

But did Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 perform well together? Well... Sort of... Monsters University, by the time its out of theaters, will have scored below a 3.3x multiplier. That's one above the lowest for a Pixar film: Cars 2. I think Minionmania really sucked the audiences away from Pixar's prequel, plus it's possible that families gravitated towards the Illumination film because Monsters University certainly was one of Pixar's quieter films, one that didn't have a lot of action or spectacle. Despicable Me 2 on the other hand had the laughs, but also the minions, lots of fun action and everything else. Perhaps Monsters University was released a little too close to Despicable Me 2, which was undeniably going to be a titan.

However, both films did very good and that's all that matters. Both were highly anticipated, both delivered, and both certainly appealed to audiences enough. The next three films... Well, that's a different story.

I will give props to Fox marketing for this...

Turbo was shackled by its concept and the marketing didn't differentiate it from everything else, plus it was opening inside the Despicable Me 2 tidal wave. The Smurfs 2 had little to no adult appeal, plus families already saw three other films before it. Had it opened in August, maybe it would've done a little better. Planes? Obviously that wasn't going to be big to begin with.

You need to give adults and teenagers a reason to go see your animated film, and that also includes parents who might not want to subject themselves to something like The Smurfs 2 in the theater. You not only have to have one that's good for them, but you need to make it look good to them. Monsters University is a prequel to a beloved animated classic that adults and children adore. Despicable Me 2 is a sequel to a recent animated hit that both adults and children loved. No surprise those two did very well, and they are the first animated films to cross the $250 million mark since the original Despicable Me... Three summers ago!

It all boils down to the content of the films, the marketing and timing. Perhaps if these studios spaced their films out a bit more, I think all of them would've done okay business. Why wasn't something like Epic or Turbo an autumn release? Or a Christmas release? What about... Mid-August?

Now, what does this mean for the future?

2015 is crammed. Monster Trucks kicks off a similarly large animation battle that'll end in late July with the Smurfs three-quel. I think this isn't going to be pretty, and many other planned 2015 animation releases haven't even been scheduled yet, such as Aardman's Shaun the Sheep, Rainmaker's Ratchet & Clank and if one is coming, a Planes three-quel. (Going by what Blue Sky Disney's Honor Hunter said recently, there will be definitely be a third one.) That year's holiday season is going to get a bit hairy as well.

Which makes me wonder, how come studios aren't spacing their work out a little more? Shouldn't someone opt for an August release? Or an April one? I don't know, it just seems like a couple of them may underperform because they're being released so close to each other. We also don't know what the quality be like on films like Monster Trucks and B.O.O.. Also, 20th Century Fox's plans to open their own animated releases on the same days/months as some Disney or Pixar films (i.e. Blue Sky's Peanuts vs. Finding Dory in 2015, How To Train Your Dragon 3 vs. Dia De Los Muertos in summer 2016) could possibly backfire, or their plans to release them very close to whatever Disney or Pixar is releasing. People will go see the films that will appeal to them the most.

But aside from the timing, we need better quality films from all the studios and a much more diverse selection of films. I know that's a lot to ask for, but you can't just throw a cute family-friendly animated film out there expecting it to do well just because it's cute and it'll appeal to family audiences. You need to get the adults in the theater too! To do so, you got to make a film that will appeal to them or market it so that it will appeal to them!

Next year might just prove my point, look at what we're getting: The Lego Movie, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Good Dinosaur, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Big Hero 6. To me, those movies are guaranteed hits because they'll appeal to adults and some of them are sequels to beloved films (How To Train Your Dragon 2 might just pull a Despicable Me 2 next summer), and there's potential money to be made in films like Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Rio 2. The Boxtrolls and Book of Life are the risky types, but I've rambled about this before - we need to make these films successful. Things people should get excited about after seeing a trailer or commercial. It's time we really make more kinds of animated films successful with mainstream audiences, in theaters! More adults-only animation! A diverse selection of animated films from the big studios! Family films, adult films, independent films! Animation is more than just family films and silly comedies. That's another story, though...

So yeah, maybe some studios might want to look into the quality of their films and the timing. Some studios might want to try something new and not follow a formula. Not to sound like a broken record here, but look! Rango did it!

In the mean time... Shut up, press. And to the LA Times writer, animation is not genre. How many times does it have to be said?

Critics Watch: "Planes" Is Grounded

Looks like Planes, DisneyToon Studios' spin-off of the Cars franchise, doesn't soar at all...

It's not much of a surprise, though early test screenings did yield some unexpectedly decent results (my comrades over at The Rotoscopers liked what they saw), Planes is a critical dud. It currently sits at 24% on Rotten Tomatoes and 36 on Metacritic, with the most positive reviews (there's very few of them) saying it's just fun. Most of the reviews single out the barebones story, the lame jokes and just the whole plastic, toy commercial feel of it. John Lasseter was supposedly heavily involved in this?

I would assume that Lasseter would've gotten DisneyToon to make a serviceable spin-off (not that I was planning to see it, I wasn't) that wasn't terrible, after all the Tinker Bell films got some praise and we're considered better than the Disney direct-to-video garbage from the Eisner era. Then again, maybe critics were ready to dislike this since it was obviously going to be unspectacular in addition to the fact that most of them already have an aversion to the world of Cars... It also doesn't help that this is a spin-off of a film series from a beloved studio... Well, I don't know if they're beloved anymore given how so many people just turned their backs on them in the recent years. (Don't get me started on this, haha!)

But I see things in the reviews like the international characters being one-dimensional stereotypes, characters such as Mexican racer plane El Chupacabra. (The name alone makes me cringe a bit) I have to ask, why? How much is Lasseter involved? Or is this series truly his weakness? Does Lasseter just let the flaws slide because it's Cars? Or should I say Autos? I don't know, but he doesn't seem to be plugging this film as much as one would expect. That being said, it's bound to at least cover its low production budget easily at the box office. I can't judge, I have not seen it... But the negative reception may speak volumes. I wouldn't be surprised if it did.

... And Disney won't ever do this, but they better opt for releasing Planes: Fire and Rescue straight-to-video and whatever comes next. The Cars spin-offs, as I've said many times before, should not be theatrical by any means. Like we need anymore confusion and not-so-great quality animation in theaters. C'mon Disney.

Disney Slate Update: Marvel, Muppets, Planes & More!

Disney has once again changed their upcoming slate, but this change doesn't affect releases from Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar. The details are here thanks to Box Office Mojo and /Film...

The big news here is that two untitled Marvel productions have been slated for May 6, 2016 and May 5, 2017. Marvel usually takes the first Friday of May for most of their films (the Iron Man films, The Avengers and its sequel, Thor), and I guess Star Wars spin-offs are opening in theaters in both May 2016 and May 2017.

What will be ready? For the May 2016 film, probably Doctor Strange, though in my recent set of predictions, I thought that the film would come a month early since Marvel has locked the early April 2014 spot for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I was thinking that Disney would release Marvel movies in April to distance them from any Lucasfilm productions (i.e the Star Wars spin-offs, since Disney wants at least one Star Wars film a year), but it looks like Disney is okay with releasing both a Marvel film and a Lucasfilm production in the same month. That is, if Lucasfilm follows the mid-May tradition for everything they release.

Oddly enough, no other Marvel production is slated for a 2016 release. This implies that Marvel may produce one film a year after 2015, but maybe we'll hear more in the coming months. I can't see Marvel ditching the 2-film-a-year strategy anytime soon since the momentum is still there. Speaking of Lucasfilm, no date for Star Wars: Episode VII yet! But I think we all know what it will be...

Yep, Ricky Gervais is going to be in this.

Some minor changes were made to one 2013 release and two 2014 releases...

Brad Bird's Tomorrowland has been moved a week forward. The film will now open on December 12, 2014... Good. The only thing that stands in its way is the finale to Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, but something tells me that this Bird-directed sci-fi will overshadow the hobbits since the first one did very well, but didn't perform like a titan. In addition to George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and Raffey Cassiday, Thomas Robinson has now been cast. It'll be fun to track this one, since the marketing will be decidedly enigmatic!

The Muppets... Again! is now Muppets Most Wanted. Not really sure about that title, to be honest. It may fit in with the plot, but I think it sounds a bit awkward. What do you think of it? The release date is still the same: March 21, 2014.

This December's Disney film, Saving Mr. Banks, has also been moved a week forward. The film opens on December 13, 2013.

More films have been scheduled for release in 2014...

The first of which is Planes: Fire and Rescue, which opens on July 18th... I was hoping that this spin-off franchise wouldn't be a theatrical thing. I was already not to thrilled with the fact that Planes was getting a theatrical release, this will only cause more confusion since a lot of people assume that the series was made by Pixar. Like I need to hear any more "Planes? What are you doing, Pixar?!" complaints. Anyways, Disney is apparently very confident in the first film. After all, it probably didn't cost much to make being a DisneyToon Studios production, but I'll be surprised if it makes much more than $100 million at the domestic box office.

Opening on August 8th is a project I've never heard of before: The Hundred-Foot Journey. A Touchstone/DreamWorks production, the film is based on a book by Richard C. Morais. It's about an Indian boy living in Paris who becomes the apprentice for a chef that's a rival to his father.

This one was announced last year: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. An adaptation of the children's book of the same name where a boy's family has a bad day thanks to him wishing they'd experience his daily problems, this might go the way of The Odd Life of Timothy Green... It just screams unspectacular to me. However, The Jim Henson Company is working on it so there might be something interesting about it. Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner will be in it, and Cedar Rapids director Miguel Arteta will direct. The film is set to open on October 10, 2014.

Into The Woods will arrive on Christmas Day. I had initially predicted that it would be Disney's March 2015 release, but apparently it'll be ready by the end of next year. The Rob Marshall-directed production stars quite the cast, too: Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep. This ought to be a big success for Disney, though it's being released a little too close to Tomorrowland.

A total of 13 films from the Mouse House (including Marvel and Touchstone/DreamWorks films) will now be coming to theaters in 2014! I guess Disney really does want to bang 14-15 films out a year! Now I'll have to update my predictions...

What's your on this news? What do you think of Planes' sequel getting a theatrical release? Are you interested in any of the live action films that Disney has planned for 2014? Or not? What do you of think the new title for the Muppets sequel?

Sound off below!

To The Sky?

Looks like the UK got a brand new trailer for Planes, the DisneyToon-produced spin-off of the Cars franchise...



This film is nice to look at, I will admit that. The animation is good for a DisneyToon production and the flight sequences will look like they'll be well-staged and exciting. Like the Cars films, I love the character designs... It must be the car/auto/machine nut in me, really. It's eye candy, that's for sure. The sizzle reel actually impressed me and I actually got a little excited about the film after watching it, but that excitement kind of vanquished after seeing this trailer...

To be honest, I wasn't fond of everything else on display here. I don't have a problem with the story or the characters, that all seems okay. It's the tone and some of the humor, it's too childish for my taste. I am well aware that two of my associates at The Rotoscopers saw the film itself at a test screening and said it was plain good fun, but I didn't really see that in this trailer... All I really saw was a kiddie flick. A lot of the jokes misfired for me (especially the one John Cleese's Bulldog character cracks at the end), but I'm not this film's target audience... Unless Lasseter intended this spin-off to be a genuine family film and not a kids-only flick. It really looks like a children's film to me, and it will thrill the younger set, obviously.

There's nothing wrong with that, really. Like I've said many times here, I'm glad that the franchise is being expanded by others so that Pixar doesn't have to do it. I'm just hoping that this film is the only theatrical installment in this spin-off series, because a sequel is definitely coming. Disney can keep milking it while Pixar can do whatever they want, and the franchise can also pay for bigger things as well. I'll probably skip this when it theaters in August...

What were your thoughts on this trailer? Do you think the film looks like fun? Or disastrous? Sound off below!

Plane Crazy...

I was one of many who had absolutely no interest in Planes. Planes, in case you don't know, is a feature-length spin-off of the Cars franchise that was produced by DisneyToon Studios; the same animation studio who produced the direct-to-video Disney sequels including the Tinker Bell films. Of course, this was commissioned because the Cars franchise is massive. Of course Disney would want to expand on that... What better way to do that than with aircraft?

Early on, I didn't mind that this film was being made. After all, it wasn't being made by Pixar and it was going straight to home media. If Pixar was making it, then I'd be a bit concerned. But then last year, Disney announced that the film was going to get a theatrical release. I wasn't pleased... Direct-to-video product in cinemas? Bad idea. Plus, since a lot of people can't tell what studio made what, people will think it's a Pixar film and if it's a bad film... Then it would only further all the "Pixar is dying" hoopla. Cars 2 being poorly received and Brave's reception was enough...

I was not okay with any of this... That was until Morgan Stradling of The Rotoscopers reviewed the film, as she had seen a test screening of the film... Apparently it's a pretty decent film!

Yes, you heard that right... A decent film...

Now this doesn't completely change my mind about the film. I'll probably skip it, seeing that it's still a cash grab that's more for the kids than us adults. But after reading the review, I'm thinking that John Lasseter really made sure that this film would be no clunker. Remember, Cars is his baby. He's in love with this universe and idea since he's a car nut. There's nothing wrong with that, and again, I'm one of the few who doesn't consider Cars 2 a horrible film, not even a mediocre one. Lasseter gets a lot of flack for this franchise, but I'm actually glad that he's involved with a film like this.

Why's that? Well Lasseter put the kibosh on the direct-to-video sequels, saving us from monstrosities like The Aristocats II and Dumbo II. But the Tinker Bell franchise got a huge start with the first film in the series, so they inevitably had to make more. I have not seen any of the Tinker Bell films nor do I want to, but I hear that they are a significant cut above all of the previous direct-to-video sequels. Apparently he wants them to be good enough, despite the fact that they are direct-to-video products that are aimed at children more than anything.

Also, since this is part of the world of Cars, it would make sense that Lasseter would be heavily involved. Now you may say, "But Cars 2 was bad." Well, as I said in my defense of Pixar, I think that most of Cars 2's problems were there from the beginning before Lasseter came on board... And if you ask me, I think he may have been too late. Lasseter replaced original director Brad Lewis in 2010, when the film was already being animated! I don't think that he had enough time to improve the story... This sort of thing needs to happen before production begins on the film! Ratatouille, anyone? Also, he directed the film from an iPad. So he had very little time to "improve" the film and he could only do it via technology. This is why I think Cars 2 is the problematic film that it is.

Anyways, maybe Lasseter put some passion and effort into this project? Maybe he made sure that it was more than just a cash grab... Who knows, but this review is a good sign... But we don't know how other critics will react to the film.

None of this means that I'm all in support of the film. I'm just glad that it isn't a Pixar production, because the franchise can still make Disney happy without having the Emeryville folks involved. Pixar can continue doing what they want to do, while Disney can have other outlets continue the Cars (or pretty soon, Autos) franchise. But do they need to come to theaters? Personally, I think this should be the only one and all future spin-offs should go straight to home media.

Let's just put it this way... I'm conflicted on all of this. Sure this will come, make money and please fans and children. Pixar didn't work on it, so animation fans need not worry about the studio's future or image... But I just hope that the non-Pixar side of this franchise doesn't become a theatrical thing. It just doesn't sit right with me for some reason. However, after reading this review, I won't be surprised if the film happens to get anything better than the reception that Cars 2 received.

Are you okay with Planes being a theatrical release? Or not? Do you think that it could be a decent film? Or do you think it's going to be a disaster?

Sound off below!

2013's Animated Film Line-Up: What We Know So Far

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!

"Planes" Flies To Theaters

Originally announced as a direct-to-video release, the DisneyToon-produced Cars spin-off Planes is now getting a theatrical release on August 9, 2013. I was initially alright with Disney doing this, without having Pixar's name on it, but why a theatrical release?

Do they really think that this spin-off (that's most likely directed at kids only, like any Disney direct-to-video sequel) will be a box office success? I remember when Disney gave two of their direct-to-video sequels a theatrical release in the domestic market: Return to Neverland in 2002 and The Jungle Book 2 in 2003. Both did poorly at the box office (yes they made their budget, but still didn't make much of a mark), because, who but kids wanted to see a direct-to-video quality sequel in theaters? I feel the same may happen with Planes.

Anyway, the only other possible problem is that people who aren't in the know might mistake this for a Pixar release. A lot of casual moviegoers still refer to most computer animated films as Pixar films, even if they've seen them and saw the logos before them. They may think Planes is Pixar as well. Pixar's name was already blemished by Cars 2 (or more appropriately, the criticism it got), so I'm hoping this doesn't add to that.