animated
Latest
Shigeru Miyamoto will co-produce a 'Mario' animated movie
Nintendo's third big announcement of the evening (after Switch Online and Mario Kart Tour) comes right back to its main star, Mario, and the news that he will star in an animated movie. Confirming earlier rumors, Shigeru Miyamoto is listed as co-producer along with Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, Minions, Ice Age) head Chris Meledandri, but the announcement didn't mention other details like a title or release date. The press release notes that Universal Pictures is co-financing the project and will handle worldwide distribution, and it seems ripe for a tie-in with theme park plans both companies are working on. The big question now is if it will live up/down (depending on how you feel about it) to the reputation of 1993's Super Mario Bros. movie.
Harley Quinn animated series slated for DC's streaming service
If you've been hankering for some more animation from comics juggernaut DC, or if you simply love Harley Quinn (originally created for Batman: The Animated Series herself), then you'll dig the news from Warner Bros. According to Deadline, the villainess will be heading up her own animated show for DC's upcoming streaming service.
New episodes of 'BoJack Horseman' arrive on Netflix September 8th
Netflix is keeping Will Arnett pretty busy between Flaked and Arrested Development. Now comes news that he'll return to the service September 8th in Bojack Horseman's fourth season. The introspective animated series' third season was widely lauded by critics, specifically for its near-silent episode "Fish out of Water." Each series has surpassed the one that came before it, so hopefully that trend continues here as well.
Spotify's new animated series takes you inside music history
Spotify has big plans for original content as part of its video push, including a Metallica documentary and an animated series that explains genres. The streaming service debuted its latest project today. "Drawn & Recorded" is another animated series that takes a look at important moments in music history. Those illustrated visuals are accompanied by narration from Grammy-Award winning producer, artist and songwriter T Bone Burnett.
'Wreck-It Ralph 2' is officially set to wreck the internet in 2018
Everyone's favorite game-related Disney movie (no, not Tron) Wreck-It Ralph is set for a sequel that's hitting the scene on March 9, 2018. This news probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone given the original's massive success back in 2012, but it's definitely a reason to get excited.
Instead of dislike, Facebook is testing 'Reactions' animated emoji
Last night Engadget brought you a sneak peek at Facebook's new "Reactions" feature, and today the social network confirmed it's now in testing. Instead of the often-requested "dislike" to counter the existing Like button, founder Mark Zuckerberg explains (in a video embedded after the break) that this idea is just about giving more options to express yourself. Whether or not the feelings of love, sadness and empathy are what you're trying to project, the test is currently limited to users in Ireland and Spain. If you are there (or use a browser proxy service like Hola to fake it) you'll see something like the picture above, after long pressing the Like button on the website or mobile apps. Depending on how things go, this could roll out to the rest of the billion or so Facebook users soon, but it looks like any official support for dislike is never going to be in the plans.
World of Warcraft gives behind-the-scenes tour of animated series
Blizzard has been paving the way for World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor with its recent animated miniseries, Lords of War. If you found that series particularly, erm, enThralling, then the devs have a treat for you. The team posted two behind-the-scenes videos talking about the story and art of the series, respectively, which you can watch after the jump!
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor releasing November 13th
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor will be coming to players this November 13th. "The age of the whimsical panda is over!" Chris Metzen proclaimed to a crowd of cheering fans at the Ace Theatre in Los Angeles. During the street date announcement, Blizzard talked about the lore of the expansion and showed the first episode of a new five-part animated lore mini-series called Lords of War. The studio also showed the opening cinematic for Warlords of Draenor, after which the release date was mentioned for the first time. We've got the first episode of Lords of War, the animated series teaser, and the cinematic for you after the break!
Rob Zombie's Assassin's Creed short is ultra-violent - surprised?
Betcha didn't see that coming, did you? Who in the world could have guessed that a digital short about the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, directed by Rob Zombie (House of 1,000 Corpses) and illustrated by Tony Moore (The Walking Dead comic), would be so violent and horrifying? Thanks for sharing, UbiBlog! Okay, we kid. Right from the announcement that Zombie and Moore would debut an animated short at Comic-Con this year, anyone could have guessed that the flick would be anything but puppies and rainbows. Still, things get seriously M for Mature here, as the short features plenty of decapitations, grisly injuries and a close-up eye stabbing. Maybe don't watch if you've just eaten. [Image: Ubisoft]
Batman animated film based on Arkham series gets suicidal trailer
The DC Animated film based on the Batman: Arkham series of video games, which we initially reported on back in February, has been given its first trailer. The film will feature appearances from several Arkham series mainstays such as Joker and Harley Quinn, as well as the first Arkham universe appearance of the Suicide Squad, a supergroup of villains who team up for the greater bad. If you know nothing of the Suicide Squad, here's all you need to know: one of the villains in the film calls himself Captain Boomerang. Say no more, we're onboard. While the Suicide Squad was teased and hinted at during both Arkham Origins and Arkham Origins Blackgate, it looks like this will be the first time we see the group as a cohesive whole in the Arkham universe. Kevin Conroy will reprise his role as Batman, while Troy Baker will once again voice Joker. The film is not yet rated, nor does it have a release date. [Image: DC Animated]
The animated GIF as art: Google puts six loopy images on display
It's easy to sneer at the idea of artists piggybacking on the GIF craze, but Google is taking the whole thing pretty seriously, especially now that Google+ supports the animated file format. The search giant is collaborating with the Saatchi Gallery in West London to host a number of looped moving images, displayed on giant TV screens, which it feels are worthy of public recognition. There's a hint of competitiveness, as a panel of judges (including His Artiness, Baz Luhrmann) will select a single winning GIF tonight. In the meantime, we've embedded the finalists from six different image categories after the break, ranked according to how much we like them and whether any of the artists are mates of ours.
DC Animated to tap Batman: Arkham franchise for 2014 film
Warner Bros. Entertainment will be adapting the Batman: Arkham series of games into an animated film for release sometime later this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Details, much like Riddler trophies and Chronicles of Arkham, are rare, scattered and a bit confusing. For example, we know the name - Batman: Assault on Arkham - and what the adaptation isn't. According to Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is remodeling its DC Animated Movies line so that they share a single continuity - think of how Marvel Studios built up to The Avengers and you've got an idea of how this will work. WB plans to release two movies per year that will fall into this new continuity, as well as a third film that does not tie into the DC Animated Movies continuity. Batman: Assault on Arkham is slated as that third film for 2014. Jay Olivia, director of Justice League: War is set to direct. According to the film's IMDB page, Mark Hamill will not reprise his role as Joker, though Kevin Conroy will once again take up the cowl as Batman. [Image: Warner Bros.]
Etrian Odyssey Untold launch trailer tells all
The launch trailer for Etrian Odyssey Untold is a rapid-fire look at the game's new features, though more accurately it serves as a showcase for the new animated sequences created by famed studio Madhouse to nudge along the Etrian Odyssey plotline.
Engadget Animated: Mary Roach discusses the impact of space travel on the human body
"I feel a little uncomfortable with the title," Mary Roach explains. The term "science writer" has never quite fit. "I think of myself as more of a gateway drug to science for people who don't think science is interesting." It's a point well taken. After all, in spite of having penned several best-selling titles on the subject, the author doesn't really have much in the way of a background, entering the book writing game with a BA and assorted magazine articles to her name. But while Roach lacks any sort of formal training, what the writer does possess is an uncanny talent making complex scientific concepts accessible to the layreader, distilling them to their most basic -- and often disgusting -- core. It's a skill that has made for a good deal of required reading, including 2010's Packing For Mars, which ought be on the list anyone with even the remotest interest in space travel. Even with that in mind, however, the book's not likely to win NASA any new recruits in the near future, focused largely on the sorts of impact manned space travel has on the human body. It's an impact that, naturally, involves its share of bodily fluids. "Any machine or piece of equipment that works here on Earth in Earth gravity doesn't necessarily work in zero gravity," explains Roach. "It has to be rethought, re-tinkered, completely redesigned, and that includes the toilet." We'll leave some of that to your imagination -- and to Roach's book -- but let's just say that Packing for Mars uses the word "popcorn" in ways you'd likely never imagined. After the break, watch as a particularly animated Roach gets deep and dirty with the oft-unexamined impacts of going into outer space.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time animated prequel steals our hearts
This animated prequel for Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time brings players up to speed on the mishaps of Sly and the gang. The game is coming to PS3 and Vita February 5, and a demo is available now for PS Plus members.
Pocket Planes coming to Mac, getting animated shorts
Here's an interesting pair of announcements from NimbleBit, the makers of the hit freemium games Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes. First up, Pocket Planes is coming to the Mac App Store. Starting this Thursday (at this link, which doesn't work yet but will when the game is live), players will be able to grab Pocket Planes on the Mac, featuring the same excellent freemium plane simulation gameplay on your desktop computer. The app will sync with the iOS version and feature an exclusive plane, the "X10 Mapple Pro." Pocket Planes is also available through Google Play on Android. Secondly, NimbleBit has commissioned several animated shorts from Loading Ready Run, the first of which is available to watch right now (below). The shorts bring some voices to the plane-riding Bitizens, and a pretty absurd (but chuckle-worthy) premise. There will be a series of these things to come, and Loading Ready Run is also working on some shorts from the Tiny Tower universe. Kind of a different addition to NimbleBit's series, but they're free too, so sure, why not?
Penny Arcade's 'New Kid' strip to be adapted to film by Paramount
We knew it would only be a matter of time before one of Penny Arcade's imaginative one-offs got noticed by the cinematic powers that be. We might have placed our bets on The Lookouts or Automata -- as it so happens, though, the gaming comic's strip which caught the eye of Paramount Studios was "The New Kid," a one-page tale about a boy who's settling into his adolescent life on an orbiting starcraft. Paramount, which was met with success with its utterly wonderful animated film Rango, has enlisted the help of Book of Eli writer Gary Whitta to adapt the strip to a full-length animated feature. We're excited to see what he comes up with -- and ever-hopeful that somebody somewhere gives some similar attention to Automata. (Please?)
Disney's The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast show up for preorders in Blu-ray, 3D boxed sets
Disney hasn't officially revealed details of The Lion King on Blu-ray beyond saying it would launch later this year, but now two boxed sets have shown up at various retailers. That includes an 8-disc collection pictured above with The Lion King on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy, The Lion King 1.5 on Blu-ray and DVD and The Lion King 2 on Blu-ray and DVD for $74.99, as well as a standard two disc set with just The Lion King on Blu-ray and DVD for $29.99. Also of note is a listing for Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray 3D for $34.99. Check The Lion King's announce trailer again after the break, we'll let you know when special features, specs and release dates are available. [Thanks, Mitchell]
Disney to release Tangled on Blu-ray and 3D March 29th
As promised, Disney has scheduled the release of Tangled in Blu-ray (two disc) and Blu-ray 3D (four disc) combo forms with a $40 and $50 MSRP (currently available for $24.99 and $29.99, respectively, on Amazon) on the same day, March 29th. It's the first animated flick from Disney to come home day-and-date on 3D with 7.1 audio, behind the scenes featurette, deleted scenes, extended songs two alternate versions of the opening and a montage celebrating it as the 50th animated classic from Disney. Trailer and more details are after the break.
The Incredibles Blu-ray release date revealed as April 12th
One of the most anticipated Blu-ray releases left finally has a release date, as Blu-ray.com points out an early announcement to retailers from Disney pegs The Incredibles to arrive on Blu-ray April 12th. We'll wait for an official release to find out more, but so far the only details are that it's a four-disc combo set with a $45.99 MSRP, current preorder price on Amazon is $31.99.
