While it didn’t win the award for Best Picture (losing out to “The Hurt Locker”) Disney and Pixar’s summer blockbuster of 2009, UP, did get to take home the night’s most prestigious animated award, Best Animated Feature Film. The flick appeared in a group of some really amazing nominees; Coraline, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells, and the Fantastic Mr. Fox each represented toons in an amazing fashion. But, at the end of the night, it was Up that took the Oscar – and not just for the animation! Composer Michael Giacchino also grabbed the trophy for providing UP with a phenomenal musical score. Absolutely well deserved awards, we think Oscar was spot-on this time around And for kicks, check out this behind-the-scenes clip of the film, starring Ed Asner, aka Carl Fredricksen (more… )

Epic Mickey, the upcoming game for the Nintendo Wii, has some large expectations. Not only does the game promise to be, well, “epic”, but Disney executives have stated that they want to make sure the game is majorly successful; bringing it to “Nintendo levels” of success, according to Graham Hopper, VP and GM of Disney Interactive Studios. Since first hearing about the game, fans have been intrigued with the new style of Mickey Mouse, which Disney (working with help from Pixar) hopes to return the icon to his more mischievous routes, making for a more robust and heroic representative. Take a look at some of the early game-in-progress (more… )

The history of beautiful animated films is no perfect fairytale. Sure, now we have Finding Nemo, Coraline, Kung Fu Panda, and The Princess and the Frog. And yeah, it all stems from the rich heritage of golden age classics, like early Mickey Mouse reels, Snow White, Looney Tunes, and Sleeping Beauty. But the late 1970s brought a “dark age,” when animation studios were shut down, artists fired, projects canceled, and the medium itself was thought to be dead. That’s where the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty steps in, telling the true story of how animation, and the love for the art, was brought back to life by a group including Roy Disney (of Disney family fame), John Lasseter (Pixar, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Up, Wall-E, etc.) Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Alice in Wonderland, etc.), and Don Bluth (An American Tail, The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH, etc.) and dozens of others. Together, they brought us the Disney Renaissance, revived the entire industry with new classics like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. On March 26th, in select theaters, you’ll get to see the story for yourself. But for now, check out the trailer! (more… )

As the year goes on, Hit Entertainment plans to unleash a fury of new animated projects on the world, sharing their love of cartoons with the rest of us, and we couldn’t be happier! One such new toon is For the Birds, a series produced by the creators behind Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Batman. Not to be confused with the Disney and Pixar animated short of the same name (pictured above), For the Birds is a story that follows Earl E. Bird (hah!) on his adventures and misadventures. Not many other details are known yet about the series, still early in development, but stay TOONed right here for updates, and we’ll post them ASAP! (more… )

Disney and Pixar have a great thing on their hands. They’ve been teaming together for 15 years or so on the Toy Story franchise, producing a movie about toys, then selling toys based on the movie. A self-fulfilling prophecy. There’s a Mr. Potato Head, a cowboy, a cowgirl, an intergalactic hero, slinky dog, piggy bank, dinosaur… and in this third movie, Toy Story 3, there’s an all-new group of toys to add to the mix! The film is set to hit theaters June 18th, and the actual toys will be in that same range. Check out the full list (more… )

With Toy Story 3’s fast approaching release date, set to hit theaters June 18th, we’re getting set to ride on the hype train! It’s been about four months since the release of the original trailer for Toy Story 3, and while that was awesome, we’re ecstatic to see a new one! The latest adventure from Disney and Pixar starts with Andy, now all grown up, moving off to college. His old toys have been sent off to a day care center, mingling with newer toys and crazy kids. But, there’s just such a strong bond between the boy and his toys, and vice versa, that they’ll do anything to reunite. Check out the second trailer right here, and let us know what you think. (more… )

This might be the most perfect compilation we have ever seen. Mr. Potato Head, clad in metallic superhero armor, ready to do battle and fight evil as Tony Starch, the Iron Spud. Taking cues from Marvel’s upcoming Iron Man sequel, Iron Man 2, and Disney and Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story sequel, Toy Story 3, this latest Mr. Potato Head toy is the ultimate collaboration. We’ve been waiting to get some signs of the Marvel / Disney deal, and this could very well be the best, if not just the first. The item made its appearance at Toy Fair 2010, and will make another on our ToonBarn office shelf the very second it becomes available to the public. You want one, too? (more… )

We’ve talked about the Golden Globes. We’ve talked about the Annie Awards. Now, it’s time to talk about animation’s presence at the 82nd Academy Awards. Five animated films were selected for consideration in the Best Animated Feature category, including; Pixar and Disney’s Up, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, the Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline, and The Secret of Kells. Of special notice is the fact that Up was also included in the Best Picture category, becoming the second animated feature film to appear in that grouping, after Disney’s Beauty and the Beast did the same in 1991. Be sure to TOON in to see who wins on Sunday, March 7th, at 8PM on ABC. (more… )