Columbia and Sony Pictures Animation have one request: more Smurfs. As the two work together on the upcoming film, a hybrid of live-action and CG animation, they are scouting around to add cast members as voices for the little blue folks. Already signed on to the movie are Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf, Katy Perry as Smurfette, and Alan Cumming as Gutsy, but with a cast of thousands, you can never have enough! Amongst the live-action portions, Neil Patrick Harris is already slated to join the cast of the film, directed by Raja Gosnell. Smurf here for more (more… )

February 6th saw the 37th Annual Annie Awards ceremony in LA, a celebration of animated talent. We learned of the nominations a few weeks ago, and now the results are in. The big winners of the night: Up was named Best Animated Feature. The holiday special Prep and Landing took the award for Best Animated Television Production. The award for Best Home Entertainment Production went to Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder, and Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 was picked as Best Animated Short Subject. The Nickelodeon and DreamWorks series, Penguins of Madagascar, was named Best Animated Television Production for Children. Check out the full list of winners (more… )

On this Saturday, February 6th, UCLA’s Royce Hall will be the home of the 37th Annual Annie Awards ceremony in LA. During this event, animation is put front and center on everyone’s attention, dubbed “animation’s highest honor”. Disney Animation Studio leads the way with 17 nominations, including eight for the recent box office hit The Princess and the Frog, and nine for the holiday special Prep and Landing. Nickelodeon leads the TV arena with 12 nods, and DreamWorks Animation received 11 nominations, including the holiday special Merry Madagascar. Laika received 10 nominations for its feature film Coraline, and Pixar Animation Studios received 9 for its movie Up. Such a great year for animation!! Check out some more of the categories and nominees (more… )

Sony Pictures Animation is loving these animated films. Sure, they’ve had their level of success, including the recent Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but now they’re potentially digging into some recent classics from the Cartoon Network. Rumor has it, they’re interested in working with Fred Seibert and his Frederator Studios. Might not sound too familiar, but let’s look at a bunch of their credits: The Fairly OddParents, Dexter’s Laboratory, and The Powerpuff Girls. An amazingly impressive lineup! I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t mind going to see a movie based on each!

We’re now being treated to the very first look at a CG Smurf via the teaser image for the upcoming Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures film. Opening in theaters on December 17th, 2010, the Smurfs Movie will be directed by Raja Gosnell, taking the 1958 Peyo creation to the big screen in 3D animated style. The look is similar to the 1980s Hanna-Barbera toon that brought the name to fame, but with noticeable more detail in the design. What do you guys think?