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In May of 2023, Warner Bros. released a collection of classic cartoons on Blu-ray through their boutique Warner Archive label that was directly aimed at serious enthusiasts. That set, “Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice: Volume 1,” was pure gold for animation fans, featuring 25 cartoons that had never been released on DVD or Blu-ray in remastered form.

The positive response from lovers of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig led to three more volumes, each collecting 25 new shorts that were meticulously restored and presented in exquisite transfers.

Now, Warner Archive is continuing their mission with “Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault: Volume 1,” a set that continues the label’s previous work and expands on it. “I decided that instead of releasing a Volume 5 with the same curation criteria we would expand to 2-disc collections,” film historian George Feltenstein, who oversees the Warner Archive label, told IndieWire.

“The idea was to expand the variety...

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John Howley's 1989 animated film "Happily Ever After" was conceived as a sequel to the "Snow White" fairy tale. Its story extrapolated partly from the earliest published version by the Brothers Grimm but also partly from the 1937 Disney-produced film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." "Happily Ever After" didn't re-use any of Disney's designs, voices, characters, or concepts (at least none that weren't already in the Public Domain), but one can see how Howley's film relied on vague cultural echoes that Disney originally yawped into the mass consciousness. Snow White (Irene Cara), for example, had almost identical hair and wore a similar dress to the version of the character designed by Walt Disney.

"Happily Ever After" staggered during its brief theatrical run, making only $3.3 million at the box office on a modest $6.8 million budget (although it was later heavily rented...

When Warner Bros. Discovery pulled its catalog of original “Looney Tunes” cartoons from Max on March 16 in a reported effort to make the streaming service more “adult,” cinephiles were understandably upset. By removing all of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that were produced between 1930 and 1969, Warners made hundreds of the funniest and most influential cartoons in the history of animation — the work of masters like Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, and Frank Tashlin — vanish from streaming in an instant.

Yet the Looney Tunes classics are still available and hiding in plain sight, thanks to Warner Archive, a boutique physical media label nestled inside Warner Bros. that has been quietly preserving, restoring, and celebrating the studio’s artistic legacy for over 16 years.

A few months ago, Warner Archive released the 4-disc, 642-minute “Looney Tunes: Collector’s Choice – Vol. 1-4” collection on Blu-ray, and it’s only the latest example of...

While it looks like there may yet be some justice in the case of “Coyote Vs. Acme” — if it indeed finds a new home and a theatrical release with Ketchup Entertainment — fans of the “Looney Tunes” still find themselves at the mercy of far greater forces than Bugs Bunny behind an animator’s desk.

Warner Bros. Discovery pulled its catalog of the original “Looney Tunes” cartoons, a collection of animated shorts that stretch from 1930 to 1969, beginning on March 16 as part of a wider effort to rebrand the streaming platform as a place much more for adult and family content as opposed to children’s programming. One consolation is that there are some iterations of “Looney Tunes” made between 1995 and 2022 that are still available. Another is that this isn’t the first time Warner Brothers has decided to vanish “Looney Tunes” content.

Back in the early 2000s, Warner Bros. pulled “Looney Tunes” off of Cartoon Network.

David Steven Cohen, the Emmy-nominated writer and producer who helped turn Courage the Cowardly Dog into a beloved hit, has passed away. He was 58 years old.

Cohen's passing was announced by Cartoon Network in a post on Instagram. Including an image of Cohen, the caption noted, "The things we do for love. Thank you, David, for your work on the strangely beautiful world of Courage, lovingly adding to our childhood trauma while teaching poignant life lessons. How you've brought to life a scared but courageous little dog reminds us that we can do anything, even if we're afraid. Rest well."

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Cartoon Network (@cartoonnetworkofficial)

Cartoon Network also added a comment to the post that reads, "There's no such thing as perfect, you're beautiful as you are, Courage. With all of your imperfections, you can do anything you want to do!"

Cohen's passing...

DC Studios is doing as much as it can to get you all hyped up about the new Superman movie. In just one day, we had the co-ceo of DC Studios (and his rescue dog) in the Puppy Bowl talking about Krypto as well as Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardener comparing his bowl cut to the 2025 Super Bowl in a short but special advertisement. Along with the official trailer, these promos can be watched again and again — every comic book fan’s dream. But the actual movie is still four months away! It becomes hard waiting around when we all know the number of familiar faces that are going to be in this retelling — Metamorpho, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Jimmy Olsen — the list goes on. The story possibilities are just about endless. But for a long time, it wasn’t this way.

Whether you look at Henry Cavill’s 2013 depiction, Brandon Routh...

MeTV Toons has a treat to drop into everyone’s pic-a-nic basket.

MeTV’s seven-month-old offshoot dedicated exclusively to classic animation is getting read to launch “The House of Hanna-Barbera,” a weekday and Sunday-afternoon programming block showcasing characters sired by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Secret Squirrel, Snagglepuss, Pixie and Dixie, Wally Gator, Touché Turtle, Magilla Gorilla, Atom Ant, Squiddly Diddly and others.

More from TVLineSuper Bowl Sunday: Here's Everything Airing Before and After the Big GameTVLine Items: Denise Richards Reality Series Premiere, Muhammad Ali's Parents Cast and MoreLove It or List It Renewed...

On Saturday June 15 2024, Discovery broadcasts The Bassquatch Hunter: Fish Out of Water!

Kayak Fishing vs. Monster Trucks! Season 2 Episode 4 Episode Summary

In this episode of “The Bassquatch Hunter: Fish Out of Water” on Discovery, viewers are in for an adrenaline-pumping adventure as Mike embarks on an unconventional fishing expedition in Indiana. Teaming up with Jerry Beck from Dct Powersports, Mike dives headfirst into the world of monster trucks as they explore the thrilling realm of kayak fishing versus monster trucks.

As the episode unfolds, audiences can expect to witness the dynamic duo as they navigate the rugged terrain of Indiana in pursuit of the ultimate fishing experience. Jerry, an expert in driving several monstrous trucks, introduces Mike to the awe-inspiring Maximus monster truck, setting the stage for an exhilarating journey filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Amidst the roar of engines and the splash of water, Mike receives a crash...

Don’t miss the adrenaline-packed episode of “The Bassquatch Hunter: Fish Out of Water” airing this Saturday at 5:30 Am on Discovery. In Season 2 Episode 4 titled “Kayak Fishing vs. Monster Trucks,” viewers are in for an exhilarating adventure as Mike ventures to Indiana to meet up with Jerry Beck from Dct Powersports.

Jerry, a seasoned truck driver with a fleet of impressive vehicles, introduces Mike to the awe-inspiring Maximus monster truck. As Mike gears up for an unforgettable experience, he gets a firsthand look at the power and capability of these colossal machines.

But the excitement doesn’t end there! Viewers will be on the edge of their seats as Mike dives into a crash course in driving a real-life monster truck. With Jerry’s guidance, Mike navigates the rugged terrain and takes on thrilling challenges behind the wheel of this larger-than-life vehicle.

From heart-pounding action to jaw-dropping stunts, “The Bassquatch Hunter: Fish Out of Water...

Disney's 1929 short film, The Skeleton Dance, is considered one of the world's greatest cartoons, even surpassing the classic Superman animation in a 1994 poll. The Skeleton Dance showcases a creative and eerie atmosphere with its playful yet unsettling themes, incorporating elements from the Danse Macabre trope. This revolutionary film not only introduced synchronized audio and animation but also paved the way for music and animation to collaborate, exploring more unconventional and subversive themes in cartoons.

Disney played an instrumental role in the history of animation, and one often overlooked horror movie was among its most influential cartoons ― even beating the classic 1941 Superman animation in a 1994 poll. At a time when Disney was associated with the cheerfully whistling Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie, it was surprising the studio took a chance on a spooky subject. Its willingness to do so resulted in one short movie being counted among its greatest cartoons nearly 100 years later.

Eh, what’s up, doc? How about five days of wisecracking, anvil-dropping mayhem to celebrate Bugs Bunny’s birthday? The Looney Tunes icon hopped onscreen 82 years ago this week. Here’s what MeTV has in store starting the morning of July 25—25 toons total! Monday Bugs’ Firsts In 1940’s “A Wild Hare,” Bugs rains down slapstick vengeance on hapless hunter Elmer Fudd; this Oscar-nominated Tex Avery short marks the official birth of the carrot-chomping prankster with the Brooklyn accent. His irreverent personality was inspired by Groucho Marx and also by Clark Gable’s fast-talking It Happened One Night character, who snacks on a carrot while hitchhiking. Plus: See an early Bb prototype in “Porky’s Hare Hunt” from 1938. Animation historian Jerry Beck is a guest. Tuesday Bugs & Sports Bugs scores with classic installments about boxing, golf, high-diving, bullfighting and baseball. Wednesday Bugs’ Birthday Watch the Warner Bros. mascot evolve through the decades,...

There may still be people unaware of the anarchic joy of Tex Avery, so we’re making it our business to enlighten them. This third Volume of Tex’s MGM cartoons has both variety and some top favorites, plus his first, the intense Blitz Wolf and his last, the surreal Cellbound. Plus the insane King Size Canary, the most endearing Droopy cartoon and the minimalist wonder Billy Boy. You won’t believe they showed Avery the door, and let him lend his talents to TV commercials! The disc came out last October but it’s still worth crowing about now.

Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1942-1955 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 150 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 5, 2021 / 21.99

Produced by Fred Quimby

Directed by Tex Avery

Yes, the review is half a year old but we make no excuses; Warners was a little disorganized last year as well.

Those who enjoy physical media may be suffering quite the blow next year. According to animation historian Jerry Beck, Warner Bros. will begin to phase out DVD and Blu-ray releases beginning in 2022. This means that future movies and TV shows will likely not be released physically, with the focus shifting to streaming. Specifically, HBO Max.

The news began circulating on Twitter recently. While Jerry Beck hasn't tweeted from his personal account in some time, some screenshots from what appear to be a Facebook group recently made the rounds. In the screencaps, Beck says that Warner Bros. has no plans to commemorate some landmark anniversaries in the world of animation next year. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"As of now, there are no plans to commemorate Daffy or Tweety's anniversaries next year, or ever. The company is slowly transitioning away from physical media. There are no plans for...

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Wbhe) brings three entertaining panels to showcase at Comic-Con@Home, the all-virtual 2020 edition of the world’s largest comic and pop culture festival. The Wbhe presentations coming this weekend – July 23-26 – will feature stars, filmmakers and animation experts celebrating the 80th anniversary of the legendary Bugs Bunny, exploring the secret origins of iconic Saturday morning cartoons, and giving fans a preview of the upcoming original film, Deep Blue Sea 3. Here’s a description of each of the panels, including the participants: Bugs Bunny’s 80th Anniversary Extravaganza — Take a trip through eight decades of laughs and carrots when Wbhe presents an all-encompassing look at one of the world’s most beloved and recognizable stars. Three current voices of Bugs Bunny — Billy West, Jeff Bergman and Eric Bauza — join Looney Tunes Cartoons executive producer Pete Browngardt, movie historian/author/TV personality Leonard Maltin (Entertainment Tonight), animation...

Without Spike & Mike, two hippie friends from Riverside, California, who pioneered the animation festival in the late ’70s, the indie short wouldn’t have become the cultural phenomenon that has helped shaped the industry today. That’s the takeaway of the celebratory documentary, “Animation Outlaws,” directed by stop-motion animator Kat Alioshin (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”), available now on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu, Fandango Now, PlayStation, and Vimeo.

“Beyond anybody in the world, we stepped up and did it first, and premiered it first, and made it first — and that’s why the documentary is so important to me,” said Spike Decker, who first promoted rock bands and classic horror movies with the late Mike Gribble (who passed away from cancer in ’94) before segueing into animation festivals. Their “Spike & Mike’s Animation Festival” and the “Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation” (launched in ’90) made the art form “something more dangerous...

Bill Field, who played a vintage Wurlitzer organ nearly every weekend for 52 years at Old Town Music Hall, the L.A. area’s longest running film revival house, has died at age 80.

Field, who had suffered from strokes and prostrate cancer, died June 28 of what was described as natural causes. Although his performing pace had slowed in recent months, he was still playing host for each program at the venue until it was forced to close due to the pandemic in March.

Old Town Music Hall was — and in Field’s absence, may continue to be — a sort of out-of-body experience for lovers of early 20th century film and music in southern California, offering a portal into another world from behind an unassuming facade in sleepy downtown El Segundo. What Field created was an experience you couldn’t really have anywhere else in the nation, much less elsewhere in greater Los Angeles.

At long last a beautifully restored and mastered selection of a number of cartoon king Tex Avery’s brilliant, innovative and (most of all) hilarious MGM shorts comes to Blu-ray via the Warner Archive, with the implied promise of more volumes to come. Some of his greatest cartoons are included, and many of these shorts have likely not looked and sounded so good since their original theatrical release. This is a virtual godsend for the director’s legion of fans, and a worthwhile introduction for those yet unfamiliar with Avery’s uniquely zany oeuvre.

Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 1

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1943-1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 138 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Voice characterizations: Not credited onscreen, but voices include Bill Thompson, Frank Graham, Kent Rogers, Sara Berner, Daws Butler, John Brown, Wally Maher, John Wald, Patrick McGeehan, Dick Nelson, Don Messick, Billy Bletcher, Connie Russell, Tex...

When Jerry Evans was hired to choreograph the blockbuster superhero comedy “The Mask,” which celebrates its 25th anniversary Monday, he was surprised when director Chuck Russell informed him he was secretly making a musical.

“I said, ‘Secretly?” recalled Evans, adding that Russell admitted that “I haven’t told anybody other than you and my producer. We’ll just tell everybody when it’s time, I guess.’ He had a plan. I said ‘Sounds good to me. I love it.”’

And so did audiences and critics in the summer of 1994.

Variety‘s review called the showcase for Jim Carrey’s talents “adroitly directed, viscerally and visually dynamic and just plain fun.”

Based on the popular Dark Horse comic book series of the same name, “The Mask” turned Carrey into a superstar as the sweet, nebbish, cartoon-loving loan officer Stanley Ipkiss who turns into a green-faced human cartoon when he dons a magical mask he found.

Burbank, CA – One of the biggest animated stars in American history returns to prominence in a specially remastered Blu-ray & DVD presentation with the Warner Archive Collection (Wac) release of Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1, a 14-cartoon set that includes many shorts unseen in their original form for more than 60 years. In stunning 1080p high definition created from 4K scans of the original nitrate Technicolor negatives, and never before officially released for home entertainment, the single-disc Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1 will be available December 11, 2018 through wb.com/warnerarchive and your favorite online retailer.

Produced especially for the adult animation collector, Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1 features the first two Technicolor® seasons of Popeye’s animated theatrical shorts (1943-44 and 1944-45) produced by Famous Studios, Paramount’s revered New York-based cartoon studio.

Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1, the first authorized Blu-ray release of the color cartoons,...

Memorabilia from the private collection of late voice actress June Foray will be up for auction beginning at 1 p.m. at Heritage Auctions.

Foray is best known as the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel in the various “Rocky and Bullwinkle” series, Cindy Lou Who in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and Granny in the “Sylvester & Tweety” cartoons. But she voiced hundreds of other roles beyond those, working late into her life. She died on July 26, 2017, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

In addition to her prolific voice acting career, Foray was also a key figure in the animation industry as a whole.

“June was not only the preeminent voice actress for decades during her astounding 80-plus-year career, she was also a founding member of Asifa-Hollywood and the creative force behind the Annie Awards,” says Asifa-Hollywood executive director Frank Gladstone. “A fearless and influential advocate for animation,...

On June 5, Disney hosted a lavish premiere bash for “Incredibles 2” at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. There were jugglers and acrobats, balloon-making stations, performers on stilts and waiters circulating with snow cones and candy apples. Disney chief Bob Iger was there, as were director Brad Bird and voice stars Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter. But one powerhouse figure was conspicuously missing in action — John Lasseter, the creative guru credited with making Pixar a household name and reinvigorating Disney’s animation division.

Three days later, in a classic Friday-afternoon news dump, Disney announced that Lasseter would be leaving the company at the end of the year. He had been exiled for months in the wake of complaints of sexual harassment, including claims of kissing female employees on the lips and drunkenly pursuing them at wrap parties.

Lasseter’s forced departure had a feeling of inevitability. In the #MeToo/Time’s Up era,...

Gavin Jasper Oct 14, 2018

Like many horror icons, the dead-eyed Michael Myers of Halloween fame has also dabbled in stabbing people on the comic book page.

Michael Myers is the understated horror icon, for better or worse. He’s the architect of the whole slasher genre and while John Carpenter's Halloween is an undisputed classic, he doesn’t stand out as much as his fellow supernatural murderers. He’s the less-exciting Jason Voorhees, even if he came first and had his shit figured out by the first movie (as opposed to Jason’s three).

I guess Michael stands out less because he was never part of anything excessively dumb. Oh yeah, he had a bunch of lesser sequels that culminated in being beat up by Busta Rhymes and there’s that Halloween III fiasco, but he never fell into the pop culture trap of other '80s and '90s boogeymen.

“Sausage Party” may be a film about a hotdog that wants to have sex with a bun, but it still represents a watershed moment for Hollywood. The raunchy comedy that’s grossed $65 million after two weeks in theaters is the first R-rated CG animated movie. Co-written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, “Sausage Party” has sex, violence and curse words in a format that has always been reserved for family-friendly fare.

Read More: Seth Rogen’s R-Rated ‘Sausage Party’ Tries to Break Through the Family-Friendly Animation Glass Ceiling

The movie features the voices of comedic stars like Rogen, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, James Franco and Paul Rudd playing anthropomorphized food items who discover their only reason for existing is to be eaten by humans. Directors Conrad Vernon (“Monsters vs. Aliens”) and Greg Tiernan (TV’s “Thomas & Friends”) have backgrounds in traditional animation aimed at children, but there’s nothing traditional about this deranged dark comedy.

Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2004, they’ve now reached 675 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.

Today they’ve unveiled their 2015 list, which includes classics such as Douglas Sirk‘s melodrama Imitation of Life, Hal Ashby‘s Being There, and John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds. Perhaps the most popular picks, The Shawshank Redemption, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, and L.A. Confidential were also added. Check out the full list below.

Being There (1979)

Chance, a simple-minded gardener (Peter Sellers) whose only contact with the outside world is through television, becomes the toast of the town following a series of misunderstandings. Forced outside his protected environment by the death of his wealthy boss, Chance subsumes his late employer’s persona,...

The International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 43rd Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent (new this year), Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Anomalisa (Paramount Pictures), Inside Out (Pixar Animation Studios), Shaun the Sheep The Movie (Aardman Animations), The Good Dinosaur (Pixar Animation Studios), and The Peanuts Movie (Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation).

“This year we introduced an important new category – Best Feature-Independent,” says Asifa-Hollywood President, Jerry Beck. “We will now recognize not only features in wide release, but also the independent animators, international studios, anime and special productions that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve. Adds Frank Gladstone, Asifa-Hollywood’s Executive Director,...

DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon 2 took Best Animated Feature top honors at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards held Saturday, January 31 at UCLA's Royce Hall. The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey (Voyager Pictures LLC); Best Animated Short Subject Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial Flight of the Stories (Aardman Animations); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children Tumble Leaf (Amazon Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children's Audience Gravity Falls (Disney Television Animation); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production The Simpsons (Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television); Best Animated Video Game Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Ubisoft); and Best Student Film My Big Brother (Savannah College of Art and Design, Jason Rayner).

The Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 36 categories from best feature,...

From screenings of retro favorites to anticipated new releases, from live radio horror play performance to a Gremlins 30th anniversary Q&A, the 2nd SpectreFest is looking to celebrate the Halloween season in Hollywood on an even bigger scale than it did last year. Fright fans will have the chance to attend events spanning two months at this L.A.-based festival, including an appearance by Clive Barker.

From SpectreVision, the company founded by Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller, the 2nd SpectreFest has events scheduled beginning September 4th and ending on October 31st at the Cinefamily movie theatre in Los Angeles.

Highlighting SpectreFest is the world premiere of Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut, with writer/director Clive Barker in attendance to give a special “Show and Tell” presentation. A double feature of Dead Snow and Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is also on the calendar,...

Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller’s SpectreVision will host its second annual SpectreFest, expanding the neophyte L.A. horror festival’s run from two weeks in 2013 to two months starting this September. The first annual SpectreFest was inaugurated last year as an offshoot of the then-newly launched film and music label. This year, partnered again with L.A.’s specialty theater Cinefamily, SpectreFest will screen anticipated genre titles including opening film The Guest, closing pic The Babadook, Open Windows, Tusk, and Housebound along with special events anchored by horror icons Cliver Barker presenting his Nightbreed director’s cut, Larry Fessenden, Glenn McQuaid, and Joe Dante presenting the 30th anniversary of Gremlins. Here’s the full lineup of film and music events, which start September 4 and run through October:

9/4 Opening Night Event – The Guest (dir. Adam Wingard) Scheduled to attend: Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett

9/16 Tusk (dir. Kevin Smith...

Tim here. In case you’re just tuning in, it’s been a brutal week for celebrity deaths (and in the world at large, but let’s not start getting into that or I’ll be too depressed to function). Nathaniel has already written lovely pieces remembering both Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall, so I hope you’ll permit me to go much smaller, to share with you a couple of animated curios paying tribute to those stars’ respective gifts.

Befitting a great vocal contortionist, Williams played several parts in animated films over the years, most famously Aladdin in 1992, though that wasn’t his first (he was in FernGully: The Last Rainforest earlier the same year, as I expect readers born within a very narrow window of years know well, while everyone else is wondering “FernWhat?”). And even that wasn’t his very first brush with animation, which I believe...

“Guess who?! Ha ha ha hah hah! Ha ha ha hah hah! Hahahahah!” Looks like another iconic cartoon character from Hollywood’s Golden Age is finally returning to the silver screen! He joins the ranks of Mickey Mouse in the theatrical short subject “Get a Horse’ that will be paired with Disney’s Frozen, the Loony Tunes Warner Brothers gang recently seen in the “I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat” short preceeding Happy Feet 2, and Popeye the Sailor Man (technically a comic strip star) in his very own CGI feature from director Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania) in production at Sony Pictures. Why it’s that fine feathered frantic fury, Woody Woodpecker! Animation reporter and historian Jerry Beck reported over at the website Indiewire that animator Bill Kopp (TV’s “Eek the Cat” and “Dan Vs.” amongst many credits) has been signed to bring that red-headed rascal back to theatres...

This is my second year in a row reviewing The TCM Classic Film Festival, which is quickly becoming one of the largest, most important, and most fun fests in Los Angeles. Like last year, I ran from screening to screening, giddy with excitement and wired from the constant stream of images.

The festival ran from Thursday through Sunday. I was only able to attend the last two days, but over the course of the weekend I managed to watch ten feature films and a 90-minute program of Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Usually, when I go to things like this I try to watch as many film noir and pre-code movies as I can. On Saturday, I was determined to make variety my theme of the day, and TCM made this easy for me. At any given time, there were five or six movies playing — everything from silent films and early classics to musicals,...

The top stories of the week from Toh! Reviews: Weekend Preview: Critics Divided on Luminous "To The Wonder," "42" Neither Home-Run Nor Strike-Out, "Disconnect" Connects Can Cruise and Universal Make Kosinski's Sci-Fi "Oblivion" a Global Hit? Review and Roundup Malick Stumbles with "To The Wonder" Now and Then: Cary Grant, The Man from Dream City, Revisited (Clips) News: Robert Redford to Star in David Lowery's Next Movie Indiewire Adds Two Stars to to Blog Network: Jerry Beck and Jon Friedman Ebert Memorial: Saying Goodbye to Roger Television: Aereo's Barry Diller Disrupts the TV Establishment -- Yet Again "Top of the Lake" Episode 5 Recap: The Body Knows What To Do Five Striking Similarities Between Elisabeth Moss' Roles on "Mad Men" and "Top of the Lake" "Game of Thrones" Recap 3.2: "Dark Wings, Dark Worlds" Interviews: Immersed in Movies: Recreating Ebbets Field for '42' Sebastian Junger Grieves for Fallen Comrade...

Welcome to two members of the Indiewire Blog Network, who will add more depth and breadth to our offerings. Animation expert Jerry Beck, co-founder of Cartoon Brew, will keep us posted on daily doings in the animation world via Animation Scoop, while Media Web columnist Jon Friedman, who recently left Marketwatch after 14 years, brings his inside look at players and trends in the media industry to Media Matrix. Beck, an animation historian, filmmaker, film distributor, book author ("The Animated Movie Guide," "Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide," "The 50 Greatest Cartoons") and former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies & Disney, will dig into his industry know-how to showcase new aspects of the animation industry unknown to the general public. Beck has programmed animation retrospectives for the Annecy and Ottawa Animation Festivals, The Museum of Modern Art and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has taught animation history at Nyu,...

The 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival continues to expand, with newly added appearances by legendary stars at screenings of some of their most memorable films, including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Marvin Kaplan, Barrie Chase, Polly Bergen,Coleen Gray, Theodore Bikel and Norman Lloyd, as well as producer Stanley Rubin, Clara Bow biographer David Stenn, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) film collections manager Katie Trainor and director Nicholas Ray’s widow, Susan Ray. In addition, TCM’s Essentials Jr. host and Saturday Night Live star Bill Hader will present screenings of Shane (1953) and The Ladykillers(1955).

And The Film Forum’s Bruce Goldstein will present a special screening of Frank Capra’s The Donovan Affair (1929), complete with live voice actors and sound effects to replace the film’s long-lost soundtrack.Mel Brooks is slated to talk about his comedy The Twelve Chairs (1970). Carl Reiner, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Marvin Kaplan...

Did you know there was a furor over two strikingly similar cartoons—one from MGM with Tom and Jerry, one from Warner Bros. with Bugs Bunny—back in 1946? If not, you need to check in to Jerry Beck’s wonderful new website, Cartoon Research (cartoonresearch.com). You may already know that Jerry has left Cartoon Brew and is rebuilding his own site, drawing not only on his vast knowledge of animation, past and present, but his collection of rare artwork and ephemera, and a network of fellow cartoon mavens. The new “2.0” version of Cartoon Research is still young, but Jerry has already posted a number of first-rate pieces and illustrations, including a link to the newly-issued trailer...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...

Edouard Waintrop, Artistic Director of Directors' Fortnight, has presented the lineup for this year's edition, running from May 17 through 27.

Features

Merzak Allouache's El Taaib. Evene claims it's an angry film aimed at the malaise of Algerian society.

Rodney Ascher's Room 237. A documentary about the plethora of theories that have sprung up over the years regarding just what Stanley Kubrick was up to when he made The Shining (1980). More here. IFC Midnight picked up North American rights just yesterday.

Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner's Ernest et Célestine. From the makers of A Town Called Panic, this is an animated adaptation of a series of books about a little mouse who doesn't want to become a dentist and a big bear who doesn't want to become a notary. Site.

Benjamin Ávila's Infancia clandestina. From the San Sebastian Film Festival: "Juan lives in clandestinity. Just like his mum,...

"British cartoonist Ronald Searle, best known for his spiky drawings of the tearaway pupils of the fictional girls school St Trinian's, has died in southern France aged 91," reports Tim Castle for Reuters. Searle passed away on Friday, but the family waited a few days to make their announcement. "His spindly schoolgirl creations, which first appeared in 1941, hit the big screen in 1954 as The Belles of St Trinian's, with Alastair Sim starring in drag as headmistress Millicent Fritton. The film franchise was revived in 2007, with Rupert Everett taking over the headmistress role, with a follow-up, St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, appearing in 2009…. His work was recognized internationally, and he won a number of awards from America's National Cartoonists Society. In France, where he lived since 1961, he was awarded the country's prestigious Legion d'Honneur."

In March 2010, Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell wrote about organizing an exhibition "focusing on his reportage...

Big one today. Let's begin with Movieline's St VanAirsdale introducing his interview with Wim Wenders: "Until the End of the World was conceived over most of the 80s, filmed on four continents (including video smuggled out of China), and foresaw a future abetted by such diversions as mobile viewing devices, proto-gps and a highly sought-after contraption that records images for the blind. Starring William Hurt, Sam Neill, Solveig Dommartin, Jeanne Moreau and Max von Sydow among an international ensemble of actors, the film also skyrocketed to a $23 million budget and found its distributors — including Warner Bros in the United States — requiring cuts that reduced it to barely a quarter of Wenders's original vision. Later locked in at just under five hours, it's the type of material that today would be a shoo-in for a cable miniseries that could probably win Emmys for everyone involved. Twenty years on, however, it's relatively lost to the mainstream,...

For many years one of the pleasures of going to a screening of the different traveling animation festivals ( Spike and Mike, the Animation Tournee ) was seeing a new film from one of the medium’s wildest , most outrageous artists, Bill Plympton. Well this year St. Louis Film Festival attendees get a double treat. The recipient of a Sliff lifetime achievement award will be here to present a program of works on Friday night and debut a new documentary directed by Alexa Anastasio on his life and films, Adventures In Plymptoons, the next day ( Oh, and a master class earlier that day ). The documentary serves as a great introduction for Plympton newbies while giving some great insight into the films that we long-time fans have so adored.

The film includes much biographical info on the artist. There are lots of great family photos and home movie footage. Siblings, relatives, and class...

Each year, San Diego's Comic-Con is a feast for those who want to find out about the latest and greatest comics, movies and television. There's also lots for fans of classic and cancelled TV shows as well. If you're attending this year's festivities, here are some events you might want to check out:

Thursday, July 21

11:45-12:45 Battlestar: So Say We All -- Richard Hatch hosts a panel and fan discussion of the Battlestar Galactica universe, politics, and philosophy. Richard (Tom Zarek, Capt Apollo), Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Blood and Chrome), Dr Kevin Grazier (Bg science consultant), and surprise guests for this exciting round table and Q&A session. Room 6Bcf

3:00-4:00 Classic Warner Bros./Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Going Blu-ray -- Animation historian Jerry Beck and Warner Archives' George Feltenstein lead a panel of renowned animation and restoration experts, including Spike Brandt (The Looney Tunes...

The Gold Box spotlight deal of the day over at Amazon today is The Pink Panther Ultimate Collection DVD box set for only $34.99 (that's 83% off the list price of $199.98).

This DVD box set contains 8 Pink Panther films starring Peter Sellers as bumbling French detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau, as well as the 2006 reboot The Pink Panther with Steve Martin in the lead role. There's also nine cartoon classics and the Pink Panther encyclopedia Pink Panther, The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town! by Jerry Beck, along with over 60 minutes of never-before-seen footage [...]...

It feels like it was just yesterday I was pouring over this year's Thursday schedule at San Diego Comic-Con to put together The Discerning Film Nerd's Guide to the best programming.

Wait, that wasn't yesterday, that was like three hours ago. Boy, time sure doesn't fly when you're missing out on Comic-Con.

Anyway, Comic-Con's Friday schedule is now up as well and once again I've poured over it to bring you the most intriguing looking panels. Remember that I don't include anything from Hall H, which is a whole other beast, although I were ever going to wait in line for three hours in the hot San Diego sun behind a dude in a Chewbacca mask who smells like feet, Friday would be the day I did it. First glimpses of the "Spider-Man" reboot, Soderbergh's "Haywire," and Nicolas Cage and Neveldine/Taylor's "Ghost Rider?" I'm ready to startin hitchhiking...

He’s one of the most enduringly popular superheroes of our time and to celebrate this fact, an incredible Bluray release has been compiled by Warner Bros. Consisting of all five films from Superman: The Movie (1978) to Superman Returns (2006), each one has been transferred into 1080p high definition and is accompanied by a plethora of additional material. For Superman fans this is an impressive release that is sure to please the majority, however it’s not free from its own kryptonite…

As fans eagerly await the release of Superman: Man of Steel next year, this collection will still suffice to relieve the boredom of the wait. Released on 13th June, follow the jump to read our review.

The collection spans 28 years and develops the character of Superman (Christopher Reeve) over five films. Superman: The Movie (1978) deals with his arrival on Earth and his first encounter with evil mastermind Lex Luthor...

Who all loves them some Popeye! I do too and Idw Publishing does too and has released something really cool this week fr all of us fans!

           A Compilation Of The Best of Bud Sagendorf's Comic Book Genius

San Diego, CA (March 17, 2011) - Idw Publishing and famed comics historian CraigYoe are pleased to announce the release ofPOPEYE: The Great Comic Book Stories Of Bud Sagendorf, a beautiful hardcover collection offering the very best of creator Bud Sagendorg's hilarious tales.

In Popeye: The Great Comic Book Stories Of Bud Sagendorf, the world's most famous One-Eyed Sailor is joined by the Sea Hag, Bluto, Olive Oyl and many other fan-favorite characters for some of his most thrilling and funny adventures. These reproduced stories from the 1940s and '50s are beautifully edited, designed, and packaged by creator Yoe, who provides a profusely illustrated biography of Sagendorf with many rare photos and art,...

The Looney Tunes Show will bring back such classic animated characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote on a new Cartoon Network show which will debut later this year. A brand new YouTube channel and Twitter page have also been launched and we're celebrating this new influx of animation with a new contest. We're giving away a fantastic coffee table book entitled The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons to our readers, which delves through the lengthy history of this animated franchise. You know this book will go fast, so be sure to enter this contest today.

Winners Receive:

The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons coffee table book

Here's How To Win!

Just "Like" (fan) the MovieWeb Facebook page (below) and then leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

If you already "Like" MovieWeb, just leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

It’s that time of year again, when sites the web-over compile helpful holiday shopping lists to guide you into the deepest, darkest pits of retail with a map that will hopefully get you out alive. Here now, without further ado, is the 2010 Fred Holiday Shopping Guide.

(If you see anything you like, please support Fred by using the links below to make your holiday purchases - it’s appreciated!)

It’s been over 10 years since cultural icon Stephen Fry released his first memoir, Moab Is My Washpot, which left leaders with only a portion of the story, ending as it did in his teenage years, just released from a prison sentence for credit card fraud, with college - the legendary Cambridge - and fame still before him. Well, he picks it all right back up in the same warm, witty, candid style with The Fry Chronicles (Penguin, £20.00 Srp), a must-read volume that,...

Hey Gang! Comic-Con International has released the full schedule for Friday July 23rd and its another full day crazy awesomeness!

Friday is traditionally known as Star Wars day at the convention. This year feature 6 Special Programs featuring official news, announcements and more from the Star Wars universe. There is also the classic march of the Stormtroopers which is always cool.

I honestly don't know how were going to cover everything we want to, but we will find away! We did it last year! I've hilighted all of the events and panels that we are looking forward to seeing. So check out the full schedule below and start planning out your epic Friday at Comic-Con!

Friday, July 23

Last changed: Fri, Jul 9, 11:26am

10:00-11:00 DC Talent Search 2— DC's editorial art director Mark Chiarello presents an informative orientation session that will explain how DC's Talent Search works and discuss the different needs of DC Universe,...

The schedule for Friday, July 23 at San Diego Comic Con 2010 was just released and coming off the heels of a stellar Thursday, it’s a little underwhelming. However, it leaves plenty of room for fans to be wowed by new material and that’s always a good thing. Friday is traditionally the second biggest day of the convention, and this year it seems to be the day studios plan to start the hype machines on a some of their upcoming films that are currently flying below the radar. For example, Hall H will feature Drive Angry 3D, Piranha 3D, Skyline, Super, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and finish up with Sony’s The Other Guys and The Green Hornet. Friday is also Star Wars Day at Comic Con which means there are panels on every aspect of that franchise.

There’s also screenings of Batman: Under the Red Hood,...

No one works harder at celebrating the history of the animated short film than Jerry Beck. His 1989 reference guide Looney Tunes And Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide To The Warner Bros. Cartoons, co-authored with Will Friedwald, is one of the books every film or television fan should always have handy on the shelf. His blog Cartoon Brew (shared with historian Amid Amidi) brings together current work and the medium’s rich past in a frequently updated news format with a strong critical point of view. So in theory, a list of the hundred best Looney Tunes should combine ...

Carl Macek was a pioneer in the field of anime, serving as producer and story editor for the popular Robotech series from the mid-1980s.

Macek was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 21, 1951. He worked at California State University Fullerton as a librarian of popular culture, and co-editor of 1979’s McGill’s Survey of the Cinema and Film Noir-An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (1979). He also wrote the book The Art of Heavy Metal: Animation for the Eighties. He became involved with anime in 1985 when he revised and edited three separate Japanese anime series, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada, into a three-generation Robotech Wars storyline. The popular series was produced in 1985 by Harmony Gold in association with Tatsunoko Prod. Co., Ltd. Macek also produced Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years (which combined Space Pirate...