Paramount Pictures have released the very first trailer and poster for Dreamworks Animations’ Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, the third instalment in the highly successful Madagascar series.

Directed by Eric Darnell, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Frances McDormand, Sacha Baron Cohen and Cedric the Entertainer.

Alex (Stiller), Marty (Rock), Melman (Schwimmer) and Gloria (Smith) join a traveling circus in an effort to get back home to New York City.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted will be released in the U.K. on October 19, 2012. And, if this trailer is an accurate representation of what’s to come, then we’re in for a hysterical treat.

Watch the trailer below:

DreamWorks Animation have released a new clip for their upcoming summer sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2 (formerly subtitled The Kaboom of Doom).

Although the latest footage (via Coming Soon) recycles the same “my fist hungers for justice” gag seen previously, it also teases what promises to be an exciting action sequence as Po and the Furious Five face off against a company of wolves.

However much praise the studio’s How to Train Your Dragon might have received, DreamWorks’ recent run of successes started with the Jack Black starring original. This time pitting our heroes against albino peacock Lord Shen, an emperor who has threatened to destroy kung fu with a secret weapon, Kung Fu Panda 2 looks set to have much more to offer than Jack Black’s rumbling stomach.

Kung Fu Panda 2 will arrive in cinemas later this month.

Beginning life in 2007 with Arthur and the Invisibles (which at that time, was the most expensive French production in history), the third entry in this children’s animated series (co-created and directed by Luc Besson) comes to DVD. A mixture of live-action and computer animation, this is the tale of a young boy called Arthur (Freddie Highmore) who yet again finds himself teaming up with his mystical friends, The Minimoys. They are little elf-like creatures who live in the woods, and this time around, the two worlds collide as villain Maltazard escapes from his miniature surroundings with a potion which enables him to grow to human size. Arthur calls on the help of his friends Replay and Snow and they too, venture to the outside world in an attempt to stop Maltazard.

With elements of The Borrowers and A Bug’s Life, Arthur and the Great Adventure (which is also, rather confusingly, billed as Arthur 3: the War of the Two Worlds, state-side) will certainly appeal to many kids out there, but unlike the recent critical and commercial hits to stem from both Dreamworks Animation and Disney/Pixar, apart from a witty little homage to Star Wars, there is little here to engage an adult audience. Everything is pitched at a child-like level, and many of the flesh and blood grown-up cast give extremely broad and irritatingly OTT performances, even for a kid’s flick. Once again, it’s left to the computer artists to do their best to create a world of wonder, and for the most part, they do an admirable job.

The CG characters integration into the real world is surprisingly impressive, particularly the now-huge and imposing Maltazard (voiced by a less-than-enthusiastic Lou Reed of all people!) whose interaction with both Arthur’s family and the broader human world is as flawless and believable as the crustacean-like aliens in District 9. Highmore (last seen as a young Nigel Slater in the small-screen adaptation of his biography, Toast) once again plays both the live-action and Minimoy-ied Arthur (a transformation achieved by a magic telescope) and gives a pretty likable performance in each world.

There’s little here to suggest Besson’s directorial imprint on the material (although Maltazard visage resembles a slimmed-down version of Zorg’s canine-looking henchmen in the director’s intergalactic yard, The Fifth Element), but many of the action scenes (both in the digital and real world) have an exciting, cinematic flair to them and the live-action sequences (set in a nondescript, small-town 1960’s America) are imbued with a crisp, nostalgic gleam – a vision palette that appears to be a precursor to Besson’s recent big-screen release, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec.

Although Arthur and the Great Adventure is extremely unlikely to give Lasseter and Co. any sleepless nights, there’s enough imagination on display here to keep kids entertained, although with a running time of over 100 minutes, it may test the patience of a very young audience.

**½~~ (2.5/5)

DreamWorks Animation have announced a very exciting total of nine films to be released in the coming five years.

Three of the nine will be sequels to previous successes (Kung Fu Panda 2, Madagascar 3, and How To Train Your Dragon 2), and the rest will be originals – albeit, with Puss In Boots being a spin-off from the Shrek franchise.

The release schedule looks as follows:

– Kung Fu Panda 2, 26th May, 2011
– Puss In Boots, 4th November, 2011
– Madagascar 3, 8th June, 2012
– Rise Of The Guardians, 21st November, 2012
– The Croods, 1st March, 2013
– Turbo, 7th June, 2013
– My And My Shadow, 8th November, 2013
– Mr. Peabody & Sherman, 21st March, 2014
– How To Train Your Dragon 2, 20th June, 2014

Looking down the list, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched a prediction to expect the studio to have nine very successful films on their hands. The three sequels will naturally attract and build on the original audience, and Puss In Boots will undoubtedly bring in the Shrek fans amongst us.

I personally was a really big fan of the original Kung Fu Panda film, and am very much looking forward to seeing Po and the Furious Five back in action in two and a half months. The original cast will be reprising their roles, now fighting against the evil Lord Shen, peacock emperor, voiced by Gary Oldman, who of course has much experience playing darker, more sinister characters.

The third in the Madagascar series definitely looks promising at the moment. The second in the series, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, didn’t bring in as much as the first did at the box office in the States, but made up for it by bringing in more than the first worldwide, and personally I think both are excellent films. Interestingly, DreamWorks’ statement does not mention director Eric Darnell as being one of the scriptwriters this time around. Instead, that duty has been given to Noah Baumbach, who has proven his dexterity in writing with past films like The Squid And The Whale and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Of all of the nine films, though, the one I am most looking forward to – and sadly, one I will have to wait another two and a half years to see – is Me And My Shadow, which DreamWorks has previously announced as being a combination of CG and traditional animation. Though the cast’s voices are yet to be announced, Mark Dindal is signed on to direct, whose previous experience in both fields with Chicken Little and The Emperor’s New Groove would certainly suggest this is going to be a film worth waiting for. It tells the story of:

“Shadow Stan, an extremely frustrated shadow who yearns for a dynamic life but happens to be stuck with Stanley Grubb, the world’s most boring human.  Finally pushed to the brink, Shadow Stan breaks the singular rule of the Shadow World — “They lead, we follow” — and takes control of Stanley!”

Something about that one rule of the Shadow World, “They lead, we follow,” just makes me really want to see this film.

So it looks to be an incredibly successful few years ahead for DreamWorks Animation. They will be releasing at least two films a year until 2014, with everything kicking off for them in a couple of months’ time with Kung Fu Panda 2. I must confess, I’m a little bit sad that the sequel no longer has the subtitle “The Kaboom Of Doom” but I am nonetheless very much looking forward to its release in May. The first full trailer was released a few days ago, coupled with the few teaser posters that have surfaced in recent months, suggest that the team will be returning with another great movie that almost everyone will enjoy.

For a full run-down of the rest of the films, you can read the descriptions in the following press release:

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) today announced its feature film release slate through 2014.  The Company’s current plan features six original films and is anchored by three sequels based on its hit Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon franchises.

DreamWorks Animation’s theatrical release schedule is currently planned as follows: Kung Fu Panda 2 for May 26, 2011 and Puss In Boots for November 4, 2011; Madagascar 3 for June 8, 2012 and Rise of the Guardians for November 21, 2012; The Croods for March 1, 2013, Turbo for June 7, 2013 and Me and My Shadow for November 8, 2013; Mr. Peabody & Sherman for March 21, 2014 and How to Train Your Dragon 2 for June 20, 2014.

At DreamWorks Animation, our creative ambition has never been greater and the release schedule we’re unveiling today is designed to give our movies the time and resources they need to realize their full potential so each one can become a true event for our audiences,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation.

“Thanks to the extraordinary talent base at DreamWorks Animation today, our feature film slate is full of both original story ideas and exciting new franchise chapters that will form a solid foundation for the studio’s creative output through 2014,” added Bill Damaschke, the Company’s Chief Creative Officer.

Below is additional detail on the feature films that comprise DreamWorks Animation’s theatrical release schedule:

Kung Fu Panda 2 will be released on May 26, 2011.  It is being directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda), produced by Melissa Cobb (Kung Fu Panda) and written by Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger (Kung Fu Panda). It stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong and Michelle Yeoh. In the sequel, Po is living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five.  But Po’s life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu.  Po must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins… only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.

Puss In Boots will be released on November 4, 2011. It is directed by Chris Miller (Shrek the Third) and produced by Joe Aguilar (Merry Madagascar) and Latifa Ouaou (Monsters vs. Aliens).  It is being written by Tom Wheeler (The Cape). Andrew Adamson (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia) and Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) are serving as executive producers on the film, which stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris.  Way before he ever met Shrek, the legendary Puss In Boots goes on a heroic journey, teaming up with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty Softpaws to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.  It’s the adventure of nine lifetimes!

Madagascar 3 will be released on June 8, 2012. It is directed by Eric Darnell (Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa) and produced by Mireille Soria (Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa) and Mark Swift (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa).  It is being written by Noah Baumbach (Fantastic Mr. Fox) and once again stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer and Andy Richter. Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple and of course, King Julien, Maurice and the Penguins are all along for the comedic adventure.  Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent — Madagascar style.

Rise of the Guardians, based on the forthcoming books by William Joyce, will be released on November 21, 2012. It is directed by Peter Ramsey (Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space) and co-directed by Joyce.  The film is being produced by Christina Steinberg (Bee Movie, National Treasure) and Nancy Bernstein, long-time head of Production at DreamWorks Animation. Rise of the Guardians is being written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro and Michael Siegel.  It stars Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law. More than a collection of the well-known childhood legends, Rise of the Guardians is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes — each with extraordinary abilities.  When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.

The Croods will be released on March 1, 2013. It is being written and directed by two-time Academy Award® nominee Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch) and Kirk DeMicco (Space Chimps) and produced by Kristine Belson (How to Train Your Dragon) and Jane Hartwell (Shrek). It stars Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.  The Croods is a comedy adventure that takes us back to a previously undiscovered era in the history of our planet known as the Croodaceous, when nature was still a work-in-progress… full of never-before- seen creatures and landscapes.  Audiences will relate to the hilarious family antics as an imaginative and resourceful newcomer helps the Croods navigate their way through the fantastic world beyond their cave.

Turbo will be released on June 7, 2013. It is being directed by David Soren (Merry Madagascar), who first brought the project to the studio, and produced by Lisa Stewart (Monsters vs. Aliens).  It is being written by Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After) together with Soren.  Turbo tells the story of an ordinary garden snail with an impossible dream: to become the fastest snail in the world.  When a freak accident gives him extraordinary speed, Turbo sets out to try to make this dream come true.

In Me and My Shadow, which will be released on November 8, 2013, the studio will pioneer a groundbreaking combination of both CG and traditional animation techniques seamlessly together throughout the film.  The film is directed by Mark Dindal (Chicken Little, The Emperor’s New Groove) and produced by Melissa Cobb (Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2) and Teresa Cheng (Shr ek Forever After, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron). It is being written by Tom Astle and Matt Ember (Get Smart).  Me and My Shadow tells the story of Shadow Stan, an extremely frustrated shadow who yearns for a dynamic life but happens to be stuck with Stanley Grubb, the world’s most boring human.  Finally pushed to the brink, Shadow Stan breaks the singular rule of the Shadow World — “They lead, we follow” — and takes control of Stanley!

Mr. Peabody & Sherman will be released on March 21, 2014. It is directed by Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, The Lion King) and produced by Jason Clark (Monster House, Stuart Little) and Denise Nolan Cascino (Megamind).  It is being written by Craig Wright (United States of Tara, Six Feet Under).  Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Bullwinkle Studio’s Tiffany Ward and Classic Media’s Eric Ellenbogen are serving as executive producers on the film, which stars two-time Academy Award® nominee Robert Downey Jr.  Based on Jay Ward’s classic cartoon, Mr. Peabody is the world’s smartest person who happens to be a dog.  He and his “pet” boy Sherman discover that someone has stolen their time traveling WABAC machine and is changing moments in history to disastrous and comical results.  It’s up to this most unexpected of father-son teams to somehow put a stop to this villain before his actions destroy the space-time continuum in Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

How to Train Your Dragon 2, the sequel to the Academy Award®-nominated original film from 2010, will be released on June 20, 2014. It is being directed and written by Dean DeBlois (How to Train Your Dragon) and produced by Bonnie Arnold (How to Train Your Dragon). Also based on the book series by Cressida Cowell, the sequel is being executive produced by Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) together with DeBlois. How to Train Your Dragon 2 again stars Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller and Kristen Wiig.

DreamWorks Animation has unveiled another TV spot for upcoming animated sequel Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom.

Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and boasts the voice talents of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Michelle Yeoh, Gary Oldman, Victor Garber and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Po (Black), now a kung fu master, is fighting alongside with Master Shifu (Hoffman) and The Furious Five—Monkey (Chan), Crane (Cross), Tigress (Jolie), Viper (Liu), and Mantis (Rogen). They have to join forces with another group of kung fu masters—Thundering Rhino (Garber), Soothsayer (Yeoh), and Croc (Van Damme)—in order to defeat Lord Shen (Oldman), an evil peacock who has emerged with a deadly new weapon which threatens the very existence of kung fu. Along the way, Po will uncover the secrets of his origins.

Dreamworks will release Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom on May 27.

Watch the Super Bowl TV spot below:

Source: ETOnline

In his first venture into childrens animation (he working within that world on 2006’s A Scanner Darkly), Robert Downey Jr. is lending his vocal talents to Peabody and Sherman for DreamWorks Animation.

The Iron Man star will provide the voice of Mr. Peabody, a genius, talking dog who appeared in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s US television animated series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Peabody (alongside his pet boy, Sherman) appeared in the Peabody’s Improbable History segments of the show, where the duo would travel through time in the WABAC (pronounced “wayback”) machine constructed by Peabody to discover improbable things about history’s greatest figures.

As reported by Entertainment Weekly, this new version (planned for 2014) includes a create team already well-versed in animation, in the form of director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) and scriptwriters Jeffrey Ventimilia and Joshua Sternin. The duo are TV comedy veterans, having written for both The Simpsons and That ’70s Show, and their latest work for the big screen was writing the new computer-generated 3D version of Yogi Bear.

Peabody and Sherman will also be made in that format, although DreamWorks initially toyed with using a mix of animation and live-action.

Dreamworks Animation (Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon) have acquired the adaptation rights to Maintenance.

Maintenance, an Oni Press comic book, “follows the exploits of two janitors who work for TerroMax, Inc., the world’s biggest and best evil science think tank. When they’re not dealing with toxic spill monsters and menial time machine repairs, they have to contend with their boss, a multitude of mad scientists, jetpack-equipped cavemen, alien repomen, and the cute girl who works at reception”.

The comic book was written by Jim Massey and illustrated by Robbi Rodriquez.

Warner Bros. previously held the adaptation rights as a possible vehicle for McG, but the rights were let go during a turnaround from the studio.

THR reported this.

Having finally stopped flogging their twitching Shrek franchise – briefly returning to form with Shrek Forever After (my opinion) – and putting an emphasis on character over caricature, it appears DreamWorks are once again stepping out of their comfort zone for Me and My Shadow. Scheduled for release in 2013, the original 3D tale will seamlessly combine CG with traditional animation, a first for the studio. According to co-president of production Bill Damaschke:

“The way ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ combined hand-drawn and live-action, this does the same, but with CG and hand-drawn. It will be super-challenging but very cool.”

The story will revolve around Shadow Stan, an increasingly frustrated character who laments being tied to the decidedly less ambitious Stanley Grubb. Pushed to breaking point, Shadow Stan breaks ranks and takes control of Stanley, thereby breaking the Shadow World’s prime directive: they lead, we follow.

Despite not having released a hand-drawn feature since 2002′s Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, DreamWorks Animation have estimated that around half of their studio has significant experience with traditional 2D animation, which will be required for creating the Shadow World.

After all, with How to Train Your Dragon and Mastermind showing an affinity for the third dimension not yet matched even by Pixar, the scenes taking place in the human world will prove little challenge.

The most tantalising piece of information, for me at least, is the involvement of Mark Dindal who previously co-directed The Emperor’s New Groove for Disney. Should Me and My Shadow prove at least half as charming, witty or dynamic as its director’s last hand-drawn feature, we really are in for a treat.

The full list of nominations for the 38th Annie Awards were announced today with Dreamworks’s How to Train your Dragon gathering up the majority of nominations including Best Feature, Animation, Character Design and Voice Work for Gerard Butler and Jay Baruchel, as well as Directing nominations for Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

Pixar’s Up took home the Best Animated Feature earlier this year at the 2009 awards and when the awards are announced next February Lee Unkrich and his team are up from a number of awards, along with Disney’s Tangled, but the recent decision of Disney to withdraw support for the awards may go some way to explaining the relatively few number of nods.

It has been a great year for animation as the films on the list below attest, and it’s nice to see Sylvain Chomet’s enchanting film The Illusionist scoring a point against the domination of CG here. The awards will be announced on the 5th of February next year.

Here’s the full list of nominations,

2010 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature
Despicable Me – Illumination Entertainment
How to Train Your Dragon – DreamWorks Animation
Tangled – Disney
The Illusionist – Django Films
Toy Story 3 – Disney/Pixar

Best Animated Short Subject
Coyote Falls – Warner Bros. Animation
Day & Night – Pixar
Enrique Wrecks the World – House of Chai
The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger – Plymptoons Studio
The Renter – Jason Carpenter

Best Animated Television Commercial
Children’s Medical Center – DUCK Studios
Frito Lay Dips “And Then There Was Salsa” – LAIKA/house
‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Winter Olympic Interstitial “Speed Skating” – DreamWorks Animation
McDonald’s “Spaceman Stu” – DUCK Studios
Pop Secret “When Harry Met Sally” – Nathan Love

Best Animated Television Production
Futurama – The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Kung Fu Panda Holiday – DreamWorks Animation
Scared Shrekless – DreamWorks Animation
Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Arc Troopers” – Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
The Simpsons – Gracie Films

Best Animated Television Production for Children
Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios
Cloudbread – GIMC
Fanboy & Chum Chum – Nickelodeon, Frederator
Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
SpongeBob SquarePants – Nickelodeon

Best Animated Video Game
Heavy Rain – Quantic Dream
Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Good-Feel & HAL Laboratory
Limbo – Playdead
Shank – Klei Entertainment Inc.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Andrew Young Kim “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Jason Mayer “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Brett Miller “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Sebastian Quessy “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures
Kryzstof Rost “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production
Nicolas A. Chauvelot “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation
Savelon Forrest “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” – ShadowMachine
Elizabeth Havetine “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” – ShadowMachine
David Pate “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Nideep Varghese “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Mark Donald “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation
Anthony Hodgson “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation
Gabe Hordos “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Jakob Hjort Jensen “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
David Torres “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Quentin Miles – Clash of the Titans
Ryan Page – Alice in Wonderland

Character Design in a Television Production
Andy Bialk “The Ricky Gervais Show” – W!LDBRAIN Entertainment
Stephan DeStefano “Sym-Bionic Titan” – Cartoon Network
Ernie Gilbert “T.U.F.F. Puppy” – Nickelodeon
Gordon Hammond “T.U.F.F. Puppy” – Nickelodeon
Steve Lam “Fanboy & Chum Chum” – Nickelodeon, Frederator

Character Design in a Feature Production
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
Carter Goodrich “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Timothy Lamb “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation
Nico Marlet “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Television Production
Bob Anderson “The Simpsons” – Gracie Films
Peter Chung “Firebreather” – Cartoon Network Studios
Duke Johnson “Frankenhole: Humanitas” – ShadowMachine
Tim Johnson “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Gary Trousdale “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Feature Production
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
Pierre Coffin “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Mamoru Hosoda “Summer Wars” – Madhouse/Funimation
Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Lee Unkrich “Toy Story 3″ – Disney/Pixar

Music in a Television Production
J. Walter Hawkes “The Wonder Pets!” – Nickelodeon Production & Little Airplane Productions
Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer and John Powell “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Tim Long, Alf Clausen, Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement “The Simpsons: Elementary School Musical” – Gracie Films
Shawn Patterson “Robot Chicken’s DP Christmas Special” – ShadowMachine
Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton, Nick Carr, Tuck Tucker “SpongeBob SquarePants” – Nickelodeon

Music in a Feature Production
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
David Hirschfelder “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures
John Powell “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Harry Gregson Williams “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment

Production Design in a Television Production
Alan Bodner “Neighbors From Hell” – 20th Century Fox Television
Barry Jackson “Firebreather” – Cartoon Network Studios
Pete Oswald “Doubtsourcing” – Badmash Animation Studios
Richie Sacilioc “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Scott Wills “Sym-Bionic Titan” – Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
Yarrow Cheney “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Eric Guillon “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Dan Hee Ryu “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures
Pierre Olivier Vincent “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Peter Zaslav “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in a Television Production
Sean Bishop “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation
Fred Gonzales “T.U.F.F. Puppy” – Nickelodeon
Tom Owens “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Dave Thomas “Fairly OddParents” – Nickelodeon

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Alessandro Carloni “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Paul Fisher “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Tom Owens “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Catherine Yuh Rader “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Television Production
Jeff Bennett as The Necronomicon “Fanboy & Chum Chum” – Nickelodeon & Frederator
Corey Burton as Baron Papanoida “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – Cartoon Network
Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – Cartoon Network
Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown “The Cleveland Show” – Fox Television Animation
James Hong as Mr. Ping “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Jay Baruchel as Hiccup “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Gerard Butler as Stoick “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Steve Carrell as Gru “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Cameron Diaz as Fiona “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Geoffrey Rush as Ezylryb “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures

Writing in a Television Production
Daniel Arkin “Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Heroes on Both Sides” – Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.
Jon Colton Barry & Piero Piluso “Phineas & Ferb: Nerds of a Feather” – Disney Channel
Geoff Johns, Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick & Hugh Davidson “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” – ShadowMachine
Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham “The Simpsons: Stealing First Base” – Gracie Films
Michael Rowe “Futurama” – The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Writing in a Feature Production
Michael Arndt “Toy Story 3″ – Disney/Pixar
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders “How to Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Dan Fogelman “Tangled” – Disney
Alan J. Schoolcraft, Brent Simons “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award – Brad Bird, Eric Goldberg, Matt Groening

June Foray – Ross Iwamoto

Ub Iwerks Award – Autodesk

Special Achievement – “Waking Sleeping Beauty”

Variety got all sourcey with this.

Coming six years after Pixar’s tale of those domesticated defenders of good, The Incredibles, DreamWorks Animation pulls on the spandex and attaches the long flowing cape to deliver a superhero spoof with a difference in the form of Megamind.

The twist in the tale here is the story focuses instead on the devious villain, and not the bright-shining, incorruptible hero. Voiced by Will Ferrell (pleasantly restrained), Megamind is an evil genius with a skin tone which would make the Na’vi proud and a bulb-shaped head to cope with his huge, overstimulated brain. He is forever battling for control of Metro City from it’s lantern-jawed defender, Metro Man (Brad Pitt doing Brad Pitt), a muscle-bound do-gooders cut from the same heroic cloth as Superman.

After accidentally disposing of the city’s hero in a cleverly staged trap early on in proceeding, Megamind soon begins to lament the lack of action and competition when he finds himself in the position of ruler. Hitting on the idea of creating another superhero to fill the gap left by Metro Man, he finds himself falling for the Lois Lane-like reporter Roxanne Ritchi (30 Rock’s Tina Fey) who he initially used as bait in trapping Metro Man. Could she be the key to him giving up his evil ways and opting instead for a life as a defender of good, and not a destroyer of it?

No prizes for those who have already guessed the outcome, but there is much pleasure to be had from the film before the conflicted villain finally makes his Megamind up. DreamWorks have upped their game of late, producing a number of slick, well-crafted pieces of family entertainment which more than stand up to the likes of Woody and Buzz, and Megamind is no exception. The plot flies along at a breakneck pace, although never sacrificing astutely-observed character moments or development in the process. Like the Shrek series before it, the film contains the usual fun visual pop culture references which cater for an older, knowing crowd (there’s an amusing Donkey Kong gag for eagle-eyed viewers who grew up in that gaming era) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the film also contains a number of humorous homages to the Man of Steel himself.

In a beautifully-constructed flashback prologue, we see Megamind as a baby (aided by his loving parents) escaping the destruction of his home planet (à la Krypton), only for the well-known myth to be hilariously turned on it’s head when Megamind’s pod ends up crash landing in a concrete prison yard and not in some corn field near Smallville. From there, he’s brought up and educated by the kind of criminals his parents initially envisioned him ridding the world of.

The nods to Superman don’t end there either. Megamind’s construction of a new superhero, achieved by using DNA left over from Metro Man, strongly echoes the plot for the much-maligned forth entry into the Christopher Reeves series of films. Megamind also disguises himself as a mentor for his new creation, whose image and voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Marlon Brando’s character in the first Superman movie, complete with his silver Mr Whippy-style quiff.

It’s also a handsomely animated tale, although its budget is clearly much bigger to that of Despicable Me’s – the recent 3D feature from Fox, and a film which Megamind will no doubt be compared against. Despite both having a central premise which hinges on the transformation of a bad guy who just needs a little love in his heart for him to see the error of his ways, like Antz and A Bug’s Life before them, the two films manage to be thoroughly entertaining in their own right, regardless of the similarities.

Alongside the likes of Ferrell and Fey, strong voice support also comes in the form of Judd Apatow regular Jonah Hill, who plays Ritchi’s infatuated cameraman and eventual subject of Megamind’s superhero replacement. Hill manages to make his character even creepier to that of his recent role in indie comedy Cyrus, and his transformation from puny, overweight wannabe love interest to powerful super being who still can’t get the girl, is genuinely unpleasant and presents something a little more disturbing behind the obvious bad guy boo-hiss theatrics.

Already this year there have been a number of CG-animated films which have resonated deeply with the popcorn crowd as well as appeasing those hard-to-please critics. Megamind is a welcome addition to that list and will hopefully be a continuation in quality for DreamWorks. Although it’s too early to tell if the film will have the longevity of some of its animated predecessors, it’s a welcomed slice of superior Hollywood entertainment and engaging enough for a mainstream adult audience, tired of being let-down by all the below-par live-action product on offer out there.

Rodrigo Blaas is in advanced talks with Dreamworks Animation to adapt his own short animation film Alma into a full-length feature.

Blaas – who has lent his hand to a number of Pixar films, including Finding Nemo and Up – will write and direct the adaptation, while none other than Guillermo Del Toro himself, who recently signed a consultant deal with DWA, will executive produce.

According to THR, Alma “centers on a young girl who gets lured into an enchanted toy store, drawn in by its beautiful collection of dolls, including one that looks just like her. She discovers only too late that the shop is nefariously intent on adding her to its permanent collection.”

If you haven’t yet seen Alma, you can watch it below.

Guillermo del Toro, man of many trades and talents,  with an impressive filmography and growing literary footprint, will soon be able to add consultant to his already remarkable résumé.

THR is reporting that the man behind the Hellboy franchise is not only set to write and direct an animated feature for Dreamworks Animation, but is to consult on a further three projects for the studio.

Soon to enter production is a project tentatively titled Trollhunters, an idea which was first articulated as a young-adult book submitted by Del Toro to Hyperion mere weeks ago. He described the project – which may or may not be tied in some way to the similarly titled Norwegian mockumentary Troll Hunter – in an interview with Heat Vision Blog as:

“I wanted very much to develop a story that could be written for kids but dealt with a genre that was scary. It essentially combines fairy tales with modern times and is about how difficult it is to be kid. Normally, kids are idealized in animated films. But the growing pains, married with the notion that there is a world right next to us that is completely plagued by creatures of ancient lore, it’s thematically fitting with the rest of my stuff.”

In addition to this The Hole-esque horror-for-kids, Del Toro will act as consultant and executive producer for the studio on Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom, Puss in Boots and a third – as yet unannounced  - future project which may or may not turn out to be Boo-U.

While Del Toro has already started writing Trollhunters – and expects to have finished in time for filming on At The Mountains of Madness, don’t expect the movie any time soon. With all the rewrites and lengthy productions that plague any animated feature, Trollhunters is still some way off. Rather than losing patience with his new medium, however, Del Toro is embracing it.

Convinced that film is destined for something he calls ‘transmedia’, the director is convinced of animations draw for all demographics. Transmedia hypothesises a future without boundaries between books, movies, TV and videogames – aspects of the entertainment landscape that Del Toro believes any film-maker will have to embrace in order to stay relevant in this new world.

The director is mindful of the animation studio’s recent successes, saying of Kung-Fu Panda and their – in my eyes – masterpiece How To Train Your Dragon:

“They took risks with [Dragon] with pathos and imagination and structure. It made me pay attention. Those movies went in interesting directions, and I think we will try to steer the projects that I’m involved in into those kinds of directions without making the company lose its identity.”

For those of you concerned that Del Toro might be spreading himself a little thin (just make Hellboy III already!), the director had a few reassurances with which to conclude.

“People say, ‘How does he do it?’ Well, I don’t work on them at the same time. ‘Midnight Delivery,’ I wrote 11 years ago. The fact that they are happening now is flattering and great, but it doesn’t mean I’m writing seven screenplays at one time.”

So, after all the other posters have had their day in the sun Dreamworks Animation have tweeted the final Megamind poster to the world.

The film features a voice cast which includes Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and is directed by Tom McGrath.

Before enjoying the one why not kill a minute or two by reading the synopsis?

From the studio that brought you “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda.” “Megamind” is the most brilliant supervillain the world has ever known. And the least successful.

Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. Each attempt, a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man,” an invincible hero until the day Megamind actually kills him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, Megamind has no purpose. A supervillain without a superhero.

He realizes that achieving his life’s ambition is the worst thing that ever happened to him. Megamind decides that the only way out of his rut is to create a new hero opponent called “Titan”, who promises to be bigger, better and stronger than Metro Man ever was. Pretty quickly Titan starts to think it’s much more fun to be a villain than a good guy . Except Titan doesn’t just want to rule the world, he wants to destroy it. Now, Megamind must decide: can he defeat his own diabolical creation? Can the world’s smartest man make the smart decision for once? Can the evil genius become the unlikely hero of his own story?

Finished? Right then. Poster time.

Dreamworks Animation have unveiled four new UK posters for their upcoming animated film Megamind.

Directed by Tom McGrath, Megamind features an impressive voice-cast, including Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey and David Cross.

Megamind centers on a super-villian (Ferrell) who, after killing his good-guy nemesis, Metro Man (Pitt), becomes bored since there is no one left to fight. He creates a new foe, Titan (Hill), who, instead of using his powers for good, sets out to destroy the world, positioning Megamind to save the day for the first time in his life.

Check out the new posters below, courtesy of Den of Geek:

Megamind will be released nationwide on December 3.

Do the words ‘final instalment’ mean nothing in Hollywood? Is there some kind of breakdown of communication between American English and English English, because over here final tends to means last, finished, no more.

To DreamWorks, however, the concept of last apparently doesn’t include television specials and the obligatory spin-off. Forever after, a place we left many of our favourite characters from childhood, cannot be that happy if, the next Halloween, they are contracted into another half-hour adventure.

As such, Shrek, along with Kung Fu Panda, will go back to work with ‘Scared Shrekless’ and the less imaginatively titled Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special respectively.

THR report that these specials will follow on the backs of past successes Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space and Merry Madagascar – continuing the relationship between the animation studio and NBC, who according to President of Primetime Entertainment Angela Bromstad, will bring the shenanigans to it’s schedule.

“NBC is proud to team with DreamWorks Animation to broadcast such quality holiday programming that includes some of their many popular film characters. These animated specials will provide top-flight family entertainment for fans of all ages.”

Shrekless sees Shrek challenge his fairy tale friends to a full night in Lord Farquaad’s haunted castle to exchange ghost stories and will be aired on October 28th. The Kung Fu Panda Special will follow Po’s attempts to host a formal winter feast at the Jade Palace, during which he must choose between his family obligations and his duties as the Dragon Warrior, it will air on November 24th in the U.S.

And then Shrek can live happily ever after…right?

In their mocking of Jeffrey Katzenberg’s, the CEO of Dreamworks Animation, Deadline overlooked an intriguing snippet of information regarding the studio’s Madagascar 3. In a memo from Katzenberg, who appears to have in turn missed another memo describing the death of txt tlk, he explains

“Met with Mad3 team to review 60pgs of rewrite done by Noah Bombach that are exc!!!”

Noah Baumbach seems a strange choice to oversee rewrites on an animated sequel as he is better known for writing movies about dysfunctional and unwholesome characters. In a world where Being John Malkovich’s Charlie Kaufman can polish the script of Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom, however, anything’s possible.

That said, in terms of a dysfunctional family you can’t get more dysfunctional than a sushi-eating lion, a zebra suffering an identity crisis, a brooding hippo and her paranoid giraffe love interest. With Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa proving a well executed surprise, the appointment of Baumbach to the series can only be a good thing, Madagascar working at its best during its main character’s bonkers interactions.

Also contained within the memo was information pertaining to 2013′s How to Train Your Dragon 2, Katzenberg describing how he had also “Met with Dragons2 team and Dean pitched out next chapter…. very smart /interesting /ambitious.” With Dreamworks’ recent high quality output, we can only hope that such care and attention to detail will extend to their upcoming releases.

Madagascar 3, a part in which was thankfully turned down by Victoria Beckham last year, is due for release in 2012.

Dreamworks Animation have released a couple of new images from the fourth installment of the Shrek franchise, ‘Shrek Forever After’ via USA Today. It’s scheduled for release 9th July and will end the long running series of movies that has been with us since 2001. I can;t believe it was that long ago that the original came out…. a lot has happened since then! The usual cast including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and Cameron Diaz  are back to voice their characters with John Lithgow (who I saw on a London tube a couple of weeks ago!) returns to voice Lord Farquaad. The other character in the image is that of Rumpelstiltskin voiced by Walt Dohrn.

Head of creative production at Dreamworks, Bill Damaschke said: “All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film,”

Click the image above to enlarge or head over to USA Today to view the full story.