Imagi Studios has set up a booth at the Anime Expo 2009 in Los Angeles and “Anime3000” has capture on camera the Gatchaman promo being on display on the floor. Of course, the video quality ain’t so great as typical with any cam-job.  We have to bear with it until a proper version comes along.  Hopefully, more news update on this promising superhero film will emerge soon. 

You’ll find the promo after the break.

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My biggest gripe with animated films in Hollywood today is the lack of mature or edgy content for adults.  Most of the animated films getting produced are driven by slapstick gags and the characters are drawn in cartoony fashion.  Creative studio Nathan Love, in collaboration with Perspective Studios, has completed a three-minute trailer for Blood Trail that utterly go against this convention.  Its a horror piece based on writer Matt Cochran’s screenplay of the same name and its expected to be developed into a feature film, video game and/or graphic novel.  Before you watch this trailer, I must warn you that it contains extreme gore and graphic violence in full CG animated glory.  This is definitely not safe for work so keep your kids away.  What transpire in the last half had me going “oh shit!”.

You’ll find the trailer embedded below after the break.

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If you went to watch Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs at the theaters, chances are you might have caught the second trailer for Ilion Studios’ Planet 51.  Its a sci-fi animated comedy that has been on my radar for so long.  With animation that looks just as good as any other heavyweight studios, Ilion from Spain may prove to be a major contender.

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he’s the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders…like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion “Rover” and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

The release date is on November 20th.  You’ll find both the trailers below after the break

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[UPDATE: More artwork from a year ago at Catsuka.com. Thanks to Tsuka for the tip!]

As an animation buff, I try to keep a lookout for little known gems from around the world and perhaps I have hit the jackpot on a potentially cool thriller from France.  Its called The Prodigies (aka in french: La Nuit des enfants rois), a motion-capture animated film by director Antoine Charreyron and Aton Soumache, the producer of the CG sci-fi noir film Renaissance.  Based on Bernard Lenteric’s bestselling French novel, the budget is estimated at E40 million ($54 million).  Character designer Humberto Ramos has offer the first glimpse of the production art at his blog site. 

NYC, Central Park, 2010. Five young teenagers are violently assaulted. But they’re not your average teenagers… they’re prodigies. The trauma of the assault incites them to lash out against the world in a cold and calculating way. The five chillingly brilliant minds come together to concoct a perfect revenge. The only person aware of the pending doom is Jimbo Farrar, a sixth prodigy, who has gathered them. As long as he fights against his five counterparts with all his might, there’s hope for the world. But should he turn over to their side, it’s only a matter of time before a disaster of apocalyptic proportions ensues…

The theatrical release in France is slated for next year.  More details as we get it. 

Concept artist Alexandre Tuis who worked on Dragonball: Evolution and Frontière(s) has posted some artwork for Blood: The Last Vampire at his official site.  The concept art include transformation effects and various creature designs of the Chiroptera.  Its worth a look for those interested to see what designs could of been used in the film. 

To hold us over while we await the arrival for the trailer to the kiwi fantasy adventure film Under the Mountain from Jonathan King, the director who brought us the horror comedy Black Sheep, take a look at the new poster in our images gallery. 

When teenage twins Rachel and Theo investigate the creepy old house next door, they discover the Wilberforces - shape-shifting creatures that lurk beneath Auckland’s ring of extinct volcanoes.

Guided by the mysterious Mr Jones and with the help of their older cousin Ricky, the twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy this ancient evil - before it destroys them.

The film will have its world premiere during the 13th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in July.

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has announced the winners for the 35th Annual Saturn Awards held yesterday evening.  Not surprisingly, Christopher Nolan’s highly praised The Dark Knight was the toast of the ceremony, garnering five awards including Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film, Best Writing: Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan, Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, Best Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard and Best Special Effects.  Another superhero film that came out on top is Iron Man with three awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor: Robert Downey, Jr. and Best Director: Jon Favreau while Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army wins only Best Horror Film.  Let the Right One In and Pixar’s Wall-E, two films we wholeheartedly endorse around these parts, takes a well-deserved Best International Film and Best Animated Film respectively. 

The full list of the winners after the jump.

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A theatrical poster for the creature feature Chaw has surfaced in ever Korean film sites, giving us a better view of the giant boar.  Hot damn, that is one scary looking pig and it seems very pissed off. 

The release date in Korea is on July 16th.

A sequel to H.G. Wells’ sci-fi classic War of the Worlds with a steampunk edge?  Yes please!  I’ll let the production site do all the talking for this animated film:

In 1900, the Earth was attacked by ruthless invaders from the planet Mars. The Martian’s 80 ft tall, heat-ray spewing, Tripod battle machines laid waste to the planet, but the invaders ultimately fell prey to Earth’s tiny bacteria.

Fourteen years later, Man has rebuilt his shattered world, in large part by utilizing captured Martian technology. Equipped with giant, steam-powered Tripod battle machines, the international rapid reaction force, A.R.E.S., is Mankind’s first line of defense against the return of the rapacious Martian invaders. Based in a massive fortress complex at the south end of Manhattan Island, the young warriors of A.R.E.S. train under the leadership of Secretary of War, Theodore Roosevelt, and the grim General Kushnirov.

And return the Martians do. The rematch finds the multinational squad of the A.R.E.S. battle Tripod “Goliath” on the front-lines of a vicious interplanetary offensive when the Martian invaders launch their second invasion using even more advanced alien technology. In the crucible of combat, this young team helming the mighty Goliath will be tested to the limits of their endurance and courage as they fight for Mankind’s very survival under the onslaught of an implacable enemy.

This is the saga of “War of the Worlds: Goliath”, a 90-minute, animated, steampunk epic of war, comradeship and courage under fire.

Goliath Squad’s fight will take them from the misty woods of upstate New York and their first encounter with the alien invaders, to the open skies and canyon lands of the New Mexican desert and ultimately, to a battle for Manhattan itself as the enemy attempts to destroy A.R.E.S. at its very heart. Combat will rage on the ground as the steam-powered battle Tripods of A.R.E.S. square off against their lethal Martian counterparts. The skies above the battlefields will be filled with the dying as the advanced fighter planes of A.R.E.S., under the command of Manfred Van Richthofen, battle against the agile Martian Flying Wings. Goliath Squad will even find themselves locked in hand-to-hand with the tentacled aliens as they confront the invaders in the steamy depths of a vast power plant turned Martian Hive.

“War of the Worlds: Goliath” will feature selfless heroism, alien cruelty, base betrayal and passionate lovemaking framed by the life and death paradigm of total interstellar war.

Heat rays, steam-powered battle Tripods, souped up biplane and triplane fighters, a 1,500-foot long, armored battle Zeppelin and a re-imagined steampunk New York City are some of the striking visuals that are being brought to life in this epic production.

Produced by Tripod Entertainment, “War of the Worlds: Goliath” is being directed by animation veteran Joe Pearson (Epoch Ink Animation), and written by accomplished wordsmith, David Abramowitz (Highlander). Featuring the voice talents of Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield, Adam Baldwin, Elizabeth Gracen, Jim Byrnes and many others, the movie is being storyboarded and designed by an international team of top artists and designers, and is being animated in a state-of-the art combination of CG and traditional cel animation in Seoul, South Korea. Audio and video post-production including music score, sound design, voice direction, mixing, visual effects and editing will be done by the best studios in Southeast Asia, Imaginex Studios and BaseCamp Films.

The film is currently in mid-production and is scheduled for release to DVD in February of 2010.

Those who’s been around me or familiar with my previous post would know the two type of films I geek over the most is Kung Fu and animation.  Put the two together and I’ll become giddy like a kid on Christmas morning so you can imagine my joy when animator Mike Rodriguez who share my taste in films has given me the heads up of his CG short film/demo reel that contains exactly just that.  The project took him a little less than four months to complete himself, from concept to final product except for the music and the sound samples.  If any of the folks at Dreamworks Animation is reading this, you might wanna hire this guy for the Kung Fu Panda sequel.  As Po would say, its awesomeness.

You’ll find the minute long short film embedded below after the break.  Also check out his blog site to see his work-in-progress diary of the animation.

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Out of the many CG animated short films from students I seen plugged on CG-related sites, I have to say Oceansize is one of the most technically ambitious of the bunch. The sci-fi thriller was created by Romain Jouandeau, Adrien Chartie, Gilles Mazières and Fabien Thareau, four French students from Supinfocom Arles in 2008.  The team took ten months to complete it but it was only till a month ago that they uploaded it on Vimeo for everybody to see.  For a CG short of such grand scope, I find it hard to believe that only four people was involve in the production.  The future of French animation seems very bright with talented students like these. 

Watch the full 8 minute short film after the break and also check out the official site for some cool artwork and the making-of video (English subtitles included).

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In the world of animation, China may not exactly be the first place that enters your mind.  Ask a local over there on their favorite animation and they may give the same response too.  Beijing-based animation studio Magic Dumpling is on a mission to change this snub attitude and show the glory of Chinese animation, not just in its own country but to the world as well. On the forefront of this movement is Kevin Geiger, a former CG supervisor of Walt Disney and co-founder of Magic Dumpling & producer of the studios’ debut animated feature film Road to Home.  Kevin was kind enough to send us the developmental teaser our way and also take part in an interview on Twitch.  From reading his blog site, it became immediately apparent to me that he possess a strong understanding on the business side of animation and with this extensive experience, I’m sure it will prove very handy in guiding the studios’ first film on the right track.  His thorough article entries on marketing and on the current state of Chinese animation are a fascinating read so its evident that we’re instore for some lively insightful discussion.  The topics covered as I pick his brain ranges from his animation background, details on Road to Home, the status of the Chinese animation industry and his future plans.

In a world of conflict between humans and wolves, a young girl named Vivi, desperate for the approval of her village chief father, ultimately earns it through a friendship with the “enemy” – a wolf cub named Dumpling.  Vivi’s ill-conceived mission to return the lost cub to its home of Snow Wolf Mountain places her in the midst of stunning landscapes and dangerous opponents.  Together with a band of fellow misfits including Gugu & Lulu - a delusional pair of kung fu fighting sheep, a shy beast of burden named Yaki, and his hedgehog “girlfriend” Cottonball, Vivi finds something much more important than the approval of others.  Vivi finds herself… on the “Road to Home”.

You’ll find the complete interview and developmental teaser below after the break.

Continue Reading "Producer Kevin Geiger Talks ROAD TO HOME"...

At a Wushu event ceremony, a preview containing a fair amount of actual & behind the scenes footage for the upcoming wuxia film New Legend was shown and its now online at the official site.  The fact its Yuen Woo Ping’s first solo directing gig in over a decade is cause for celebration and with directorial Kung Fu classics including Iron Monkey and Drunken Master under his belt, we can only expect the action choreography to be top notch.  The film features the legendary martial arts folk hero Su Qi-er, also better known as Begger Su and a character frequently portrayed by Ping’s late father Simon Yuen Siu Tin in a few films.  Revisiting this character is Wushu maestro Zhao Wen Zhuo (aka Vincent Chiu, Chiu Man Chuk), a role that marks his return to films after his nine year stint on several martial arts-related TV period dramas in China.  Also in the cast is Michelle Yeoh, Jay Chou, Zhou Xun, Gordon Liu, Andy On, Cung Le, Conan Stevens and the late David Carradine.

Su is a wealthy man living during the Qing Dynasty who loses his fortune and reputation as a result of a conspiracy against him. After being forced onto the streets, Su dedicates his life to martial arts and reemerges as a patriotic hero known as the ‘King of Beggars’.

No release date has been set but its expected to arrive by the end of this year.  You’ll find the preview below after the jump.

Continue Reading "First Footage for Yuen Woo Ping’s NEW LEGEND"...

Are you new to the Astro Boy franchise and your curious to know what all the fuss is about?  Well, a promotional video has been posted on Chinese portal site Sina.com that provide a quick introduction to this popular icon and a rundown of its various form of entertainment.  At the halfway point, the video features a behind the scenes look at the animated film from Imagi Studios with a split screen of the cast-to-character, some actual footage and to cap it off, there is a interview with Nicolas Cage who explain what makes the lovable robot character so endearing with kids.

The animated film hits the theaters on October 23rd.  You’ll find the promo video and two teaser trailer after the jump.

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In the last few years, the Chinese animation industry is growing larger than before with a greater degree of creative freedom and the ever increasing support from the government.  No longer just a hotbed for outsourcing, the output from China has already begun to produce original content to attract the local market while attempting to compete with the dominating import market.  Beijing-based animation studio Magic Dumpling is set to leave its mark not only at home turf but on the international stage with the CG animated film Road to Home and to improve its chances of appealing the worldwide audience,  Magic’s co-founder and former Disney CG supervisor Kevin Geiger will apply his years of experience on production management and creative consultation to good use.  According to the production notes, it features “vividly appealing characters, compelling painterly landscapes, and urgent themes of co-existence and stewardship within a fragile environment”. 

In a world of conflict between humans and wolves, a young girl named Vivi, desperate for the approval of her village chief father, ultimately earns it through a friendship with the “enemy” – a wolf cub named Dumpling.  Vivi’s ill-conceived mission to return the lost cub to its home of Snow Wolf Mountain places her in the midst of stunning landscapes and dangerous opponents.  Together with a band of fellow misfits including Gugu & Lulu - a delusional pair of kung fu fighting sheep, a shy beast of burden named Yaki, and his hedgehog “girlfriend” Cottonball, Vivi finds something much more important than the approval of others.  Vivi finds herself… on the “Road to Home”.

While China is no where near the level of recognition and success as US or Japan on a global scale but anytime they want to promote homegrown production and aspire to climb new heights, I’m all for it.  Time will tell if this will raise some eyebrows in the animation world.  Road to Home is currently in pre-production with production beginning in the fall and post-production finishing in the summer of 2011. The release date is on Chinese National Day (October 1st).  You’ll find the developmental teaser below after the break. 

Continue Reading "Exclusive Developmental Teaser for Chinese Animated film ROAD TO HOME"...