Eyes on the Prize

DreamWorks has quite a lot of confidence in their upcoming Netflix series Turbo F.A.S.T., which is based on their unfortunate underperformer from this past summer, Turbo. The traditionally-animated series - a DreamWorks and Titmouse co-production - is set to arrive on Christmas Eve; now DreamWorks has a Netflix-based Croods series in the works as well, according to a Variety report on DreamWorks' latest ventures into television animation. It makes sense that this would be the next one in line, since the film was a huge hit for the studio. It's the second highest grossing non-sequel animated film behind Kung Fu Panda, with an impressive $587 million.

Teaming up with Netflix was a very smart move, because those 300 hours of programming will function as something of a little safety net for the studio since the high costs of their films proved to be quite detrimental to them recently. Again, the $145 million Rise of the Guardians lead to a schedule reshuffling and massive layoffs, Turbo created some more trouble after it failed to recoup its $135 million budget. Also, the company felt that making a show for Netflix was a good idea because it wouldn't impose the limitations that cable networks bring, thus the creators have some room to breathe - plus they want to have more ownership of their franchises.

This is very vital for their expansion. DreamWorks is trying to become something of an empire, looking into a television channel, theme parks and other things. Roughly $130 million films can't just keep them afloat, the aftermath of Rise of the Guardians certainly proved this. What they do, business-wise, is truly a big risk, and they're the only non-Disney animation studio making films that cost more than $120 million to produce. Blue Sky, Illumination, Sony Animation and Reel FX are wisely conservative with their budgets because they don't have a mega-corporation like Disney to back them up if a film fails.

Anyways, DreamWorks intends to build franchises with these shows and help sell more merchandise from apps to toys, which - in addition to video sales - could end up fueling theatrical sequels. Jeffrey Katzenberg also stated that home media sales and other things are factored in and that Turbo will be profitable, so it's possible that Turbo could become a full-fledged franchise thanks to the television show. Now the bigger question: Is Rise of the Guardians profitable now? I heard Blu-ray and DVD sales were pretty good, not sure about merchandise sales though. If they can make Rise of the Guardians a part of this new franchise extension strategy, that would be great. The film actually outgrossed Turbo both domestically and worldwide, plus it begs for a theatrical sequel more so than The Croods or Turbo, methinks.

The trailer for Turbo F.A.S.T. shows that it has potential, perhaps it'll do something really cool with the film's bizarre premise. The film shackled such a weird idea to the same underdog story we've seen before, perhaps the show will go all out with the idea of racing snails. That would be nice, plus the animation doesn't look too bad. After all, Titmouse produced it. Maybe this is what Turbo should've been to begin with, a TV series with a strange premise. It seems like you have more creativity with television animation these days, hence fare like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Wander Over Yander and other off-the-wall and surreal shows.


I don't know, I think it looks impressive for what it is. Perhaps DreamWorks can add more to the worlds they have created with these new shows.

Maybe this kind of thing will open up new doors for television animation.

What do you think?

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...

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?

Animation Box Office Update (July 2013)

Well July is almost over, and the big summer animation showdown is halfway done! The results so far?

Despicable Me 2 became the first animated film since Toy Story 3 - which came out three summers ago, let that sink in - to cross $300 million at the domestic box office. Man, what a wait! With $354 million in the tank overseas, the sequel has now crossed $660 million at the worldwide box office. It should end up with an even bigger total by the end of the summer. Minionmania is a force to be reckoned with!

The only downside is that this film really take quite a bite out of Monsters University. That film is looking to finish up with less than $265 million. Now that's a great total for any animated film, especially a Pixar film, but... This is a prequel to a beloved film whose adjusted domestic gross is nearly $370 million! This had the potential to make around $300 million with that great opening weekend behind it, but those Minions really wooed audiences left and right.

With that, Monsters University will have the second-to-lowest multiplier for a Pixar, even worse than Brave's. Again, competition did a lot of damage. Had it opened a month in advance (with Epic being an autumn release or something), do you think it would've made it to $300 million? Or somewhere close to that?

On the bright side, it has made $321 million overseas and now the film sits at $576 million. Considering how the big the first one was, this could've grossed even more. But it's still good, considering that it came nearly 12 years after its predecessor. The film should end up with around $650 million by the end of its run, making it Pixar's biggest since Toy Story 3.

Turbo seems to be picking up some steam, as it's actually quite a few millions ahead of Rise of the Guardians, which ended up taking in a little over $100 million domestically. Still, The Smurfs 2 and Planes are in the way, though it could still do okay enough through the next few weeks in order to pass $100 million. Or maybe not. I just don't want to know what DreamWorks will do in response. Wall Street is already pounding them, which is no surprise. Hopefully a solid overseas gross saves this film.

Epic has now grossed $106 million domestically as it should end up getting below $110 million by the end of its rather weak run, which is just a little bit more than what Guardians took in. Poor William Joyce... His recent film adaptations just can't do that well, can they? Oh well, at least he got an Oscar for one of his short films. Worldwide, it's made a decent $243 million. With Spain being the only market left to open in, it should settle for under $270 million for a final worldwide total. For a film that cost $93 million to make, that's not too, too bad. It's not great, either.

What's your on take on this? Will Turbo at least break even? Or will it be another money-loser for DreamWorks? How much more do you think Despicable Me 2 will make? Sound off below!

"Turbo" Loses the Race

Sadly, our little snail friend couldn't reach the top spot at the domestic box office nor could it muster up enough to make for a good opening weekend total. DreamWorks' Turbo, after taking in a decent $10 million on Wednesday and Thursday, only opened with a paltry $21 million for the weekend.

This is one of the lowest openings for a DreamWorks film in the last 10 years, with Flushed Away ($18 million) and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ($6 million) below it. It's also more shocking because Flushed Away came out seven years ago and wasn't in 3D. That's not too good for this new DreamWorks release. The opening was even lower than Rise of the Guardians, which is what lead to the layoffs and schedule changes... I fear what this film may do to the studio.

Chalk it up to the fact that it's a film that's not based on anything, opening in a sea of sequels, prequels and spin-offs that families are likely to save their money for. Adult appeal wasn't there either, as the concept was downright kiddie on the surface. People just couldn't seem to get behind the idea, which I will admit, I thought was ridiculous at first. Fox gave it their all in the marketing, trying to make the concept and film appeal to moviegoers. The reviews are overall positive, but mostly mixed. It's got a good "A" CinemaScore, but who knows how far it will go since a sequel to big hit and a spin-off of a massive franchise are next in line. Turbo's going to have to gain Rise of the Guardians' excellent legs in order to make it to $100 million, but that'll still be disappointing.

Unless it's saved worldwide, this film is in trouble and I fear that it'll lead to more layoffs at DreamWorks... And more changes to the schedule. What's more troubling is the fact that DreamWorks already has the series ready (Turbo F.A.S.T.)... Maybe they jumped the gun a bit?

Hopefully the film is an underdog, much like the titular character. Maybe DreamWorks should've saved this for an autumn release. Who knows...

Underdog or Underperformer?

DreamWorks' Turbo unexpectedly hit #1 on its opening day yesterday, but with a rather modest $5 million. If anything, I thought that this new DreamWorks film would have a hard time doing well let alone taking the #1 spot in an arena where Despicable Me 2 is dominating. Anyways, the great thing about Turbo hitting #1 is that animation could possibly dominate once again this coming weekend. Since Monsters University debuted towards the end of last month, animation has taken the spot for each following weekend.

But two live action pics stand in the snail's way: RED 2 and The Conjuring, the latter of which has gotten great reviews for a horror film and it shall clear $30 million. Maybe the brief domination streak will end, but at least animation did break a record for most weeks at #1 in a row!

Turbo might not even muster up an amount near $30 million for the weekend, unless its "A" CinemaScore grade and word of mouth help it. If the film is that satisfying (despite the mixed-to-positive critical reception), then the weekend gross should be good. I just hope this won't be another Rise of the Guardians-sized underperformer.

Turbo cost $135 million to make, and probably another $100 million to market, so this film will have to do well because remember... DreamWorks' reaction to Rise of the Guardians' box office performance wasn't pretty. 350+ people were laid off and the schedule being altered a bit, resulting in one film being pushed back and another being removed from the slate completely. If this film is another money-loser, then I fear for DreamWorks. What will they do with another flop? Especially one that was already positioned to start a franchise? Maybe it'll do better worldwide than Guardians, so if it falters here, it can at least make it back overseas.

I don't want to jump the gun. At all, but I feared that this film would have a hard time at the box office, and this start isn't giving me much confidence. Perhaps Turbo will perform like an underdog in the end, like its titular character, but that opening is just okay. I hope for the best for this new DreamWorks production. Do you think it'll do better over the weekend and garner good word of mouth? Or will it have a very hard time at the box office? How do you think DreamWorks will react if it doesn't do very well? Sound off below!

May Animation News Roundup

Alrighty, here are a few things that slipped through the cracks a.k.a. animation news that I did not cover yet...

The UK recently got a new trailer for Turbo that is very similar to the last one we got, but it does show off some new footage.



Anyways, I still think this film looks like fun. It's just surreal that this concept was actually pulled off well, because I'll admit, long before the teaser showed up, I kind of trashed it. I didn't think that this crazy cartoonish idea would work for a feature-length film... But it seems like it will, and the titular snail is likable enough. Yes the Ratatouille vibe is there, but I don't think DreamWorks was aiming for a very original story here... Just a sit-back-and-relax one. Some of the jokes are pretty funny, some are not. Overall, it looks enjoyable.

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A teaser for Rio 2 has finally arrived. Just in time too, since Blue Sky's Epic opens this coming weekend...



It's your typical teaser: Nothing on the plot, but we do get to see Blu and Jewel's children and we get a nice little scene with Nigel at the end. To me, he was one of the best things about the film so it'll be fun to see him return. Also, the new Blue Sky Studios logo is pretty cool!

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The next bit of news is a bit... Interesting. Al Pacino had provided the voice for a villain named Eduardo in Despicable Me 2, but he's left the project over creative differences (!) and the film opens in less than two (!!) months, so the studio already got a replacement... Benjamin Bratt. First of all, what "differences" did Mr. Pacino have with the studio? And wasn't all of his work recorded already? I guess he didn't want his voice in the finished film since he left over such differences... I don't know, it all sounds silly to me.

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The other day, Disney released a sizzle reel for DisneyToon Studios' Planes, a sizzle reel that's actually kind of impressive... Well, visually...

It's surprising that Disney would dedicate a whole reel to a film that was really meant to be a cash cow from the start, and a direct-to-video one at that! Yes I did admit that it could be good after hearing what The Rotoscopers had said about it (they saw a test screening of the film last month), and the animation is surprisingly not too bad for a DisneyToon production. I will say one thing, it looks much better than the Tinker Bell movies! What the dialogue and writing will be like, I have no idea. The teaser only has a few lines along with the first clip, which is cheesy, but not horrible. It could be a bit of harmless fun.

That doesn't mean I'm looking forward to it, though. I can simply take it or leave it at this rate...

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For a while I didn't think this film was going to arrive this year since we've heard very, very little about it... It looks like we're actually getting Walking with Dinosaurs 3D (well according to the trailers, it's now Walking with Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie) in theaters this holiday season... The film, based on the BBC series of the same name, has been listed for quite some time but yet we didn't hear too much about it. Here's the international trailer that first appeared at the beginning of the month...



There's also a domestic trailer that just debuted recently, but it's really nothing special. It's loaded with cheesy first-person narration, making the film seem like Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron's poorly-written cousin. If anything, this film better not have any dialogue whatsoever. If it doesn't, then it will be the film that The Land Before Time and Disney's Dinosaur should have been. That, and the first excellent animated film that's about prehistoric beasts... Unless Pixar's The Good Dinosaur claims that title. (Your mileage may vary on Land and Dinosaur.)

Like Dinosaur, the beasts are animated but everything else is live action. The CGI is questionable, considering that $65 million was spent on this production. The movements are a bit wonky and they kind of clash with the backgrounds, not to mention, there doesn't seem to be much exaggeration or caricature like there was in Dinosaur. The animation of the dinos just seems restrained. Other than that, the adventure itself seems cool. It was said that it'll be more of a film for movie-goers than an accurate representation of dinosaurs, and this trailer pretty much seals the deal.

Disney veteran Barry Cook is the director of this film along with documentary veteran Neil Nightingale, and it comes out on December 20th. This will be an interesting one to track.

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What are your thoughts on the different trailers? What do think of the whole Al Pacino fiasco with Despicable Me 2? Did the Planes sizzle reel impress you? Or do you think the film looks deplorable? What is your take on Walking with Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie? Sound off below!

March Animation News Roundup

The month isn't over yet, but I thought I'd cover a few things I missed over the last few weeks. It's a been rather slow month for the blog, so I apologize. Been toying around with a new one that's not necessarily meant to be like this. This one is what I call the "extra rambly" blog, where stuff I deem not so suitable for this blog goes...

Anyways, what's my take on a few new things?

First up, the official trailer for DreamWorks' Turbo! Just in time for The Croods too, which is getting positive reception. The Chris Sanders-Kirk DeMicco film looks like another winner for the studio.

Since it's not on YouTube yet (DreamWorks is removing trailers that anyone is posting on copyright grounds for some reason), you can watch it on iTunes Movie Trailers.

What do I think of this trailer? I can buy the silly premise. Some have said that this film is essentially Cars and Ratatouille combined... Yeah, maybe the film has similar plot elements to Pixar's rat tale but it seems a little simpler. The snail just wants to go fast and race with cars, unless the movie reveals that there is more to that. Nice animation, good color scheme and some surprisingly funny parts. Yes, this film actually looks decent! I'll gladly take back any skepticism I had towards it.

The release date of the film was also changed. Originally set to open on July 19th, it's been moved two days forward, so you can catch this new DreamWorks film on a Wednesday!

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Next up... A new trailer for Despicable Me 2!

I will be honest, I enjoyed this trailer as well. Sure it looks a bit generic and it will be harmless at best, but it looks funny and cute like its predecessor. I'm also glad that it has a decent plot too. This ought to be an enjoyable flick at best.

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Who is scoring Pixar's The Good Dinosaur? Looks like John Powell is no longer onboard, this time it's none other than Thomas Newman!

Newman also provided the scores for Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Both scores are pure excellence. I have no doubt that his Good Dinosaur score will also be fabulous. I was really excited to see what John Powell would bring to the table for a Pixar film, but I'm fine with Newman assuming the job.

And of course, The Good Dinosaur opens on May 30, 2014.

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Last but not least... The piece de resistance of recent animation news... A new hand-drawn Mickey Mouse short!

I could probably ramble about this for paragraphs and paragraphs... Let's just put it this way: I'm glad to see that Disney is bringing Mickey and friends back in a proper fashion. They haven't gotten such treatment since House of Mouse, and that was over a decade ago. If you ask me, this is the best Mickey short since 1995's Runaway Brain. The design... The design is great.

It mixes the look of the original shorts (down to the title cards, too!) with a minimalist new style. This style has already gotten praise, but it's also gotten a lot of detractors. It certainly is a lot more modern, but I think it does its job. It's modern enough for today's audiences while still having a classic feel to it.

The short was designed by Paul Rudish, who worked with Genndy Tartakovsky on his three animated shows: Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. He is also the co-creator of Tartakovsky's unfairly canceled Sym-Bionic Titan. I always admired Tartakovsky's style, so it was nice to see Disney Animation try it on for a Mickey short. This is actually the first in a series of 19 new shorts which will air on television.

If anything, Disney should attach one of the shorts to their upcoming Frozen or maybe another film on their slate. People need to see good hand-drawn animation like this, and I could care less what Bob Iger said at the shareholder meeting concerning traditional animation... It's coming back. It may take some time, but it is coming.

Aside from the design, the short itself is funny. The lack of dialogue made it work for me, proving that you can still entertain without exposition. Everything else works well... The Cinderella bit was also priceless.

The series starts on June 28th on the Disney Channel. Definitely looking forward to this...

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What's your take on this news? Did you like the trailers for Despicable Me 2 and Turbo? Or not? Do you think the new Mickey Mouse short is genius? Or is it the opposite? How do you feel about Thomas Newman providing the score for Pixar's upcoming film?

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!

DreamWorks Goes "Turbo"

No, not that kind of Turbo... In case you did not know, DreamWorks Animation has a film called Turbo coming out next summer. The teaser for that said film is finally here! Yes, the very film that had a lot of us animation fans asking, "How the heck is this thing going to play out?"



Anyways, this teaser only gives us a few things. First off, I like the title character. He seems like he'll be a cool lead, but he's not very interesting. A snail with the dreams to race in actual human races... However, I believe DreamWorks will add some interesting backstory to the character. One can only hope, right?

I got a good chuckle out of his attempt to beat his own record, which just shows how dedicated he is to winning. That's it, though. We don't get any footage of him after that crazy accident happens. I still can't really buy that premise, but from this teaser, the film will probably bask in its ridiculous story and be what it should be. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted was proof that DreamWorks could do a fun film with a story that resorted to improbable antics and cartoon action, but it pulled it off with style.

So yes, is it bad that I am looking forward to this? Or will a new trailer come and lower my expectations (a la The Croods)? Who knows, but this could very well be a hilarious ride from DreamWorks. Or it might crash and burn.

What did you think of the teaser?