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The inaugural Children’s & Family Emmys got underway at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles for a two-night gala to award the best in kid-friendly programming. JoJo Siwa hosted the Creative Arts ceremony on Night 1 and Jack McBrayer took over hosting duties on Night 2 with the rest of the categories.

On Night 1, it was Maya and the Three, Sneakerella and The Quest that took the most accolades with three trophies each.

Some of the first night’s highlights included a special performance by Xomg Pop!, the all-girl group created by Jess and Siwa. There was also an appearance from Martin P. Robinson, the legendary puppeteer who has been with Sesame Street since 1980, providing voices and puppeteering for Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Martians and more. He also built, designed and performed the Audrey II puppets for Little Shop of Horrors.

Night 2 of the...

Following last year's pattern, the last day of San Diego Comic Con 2011 is all about kids. With the 8th annual San Diego International Children's Film Festival being kicked off on Sunday, July 24, about 60 short films from around the world are brought to the convention in a presentation that runs from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.

"Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz", which will be available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD on August 23, will be premiered in a screening taking place at Room 6A. Eleven-year-old animator and child film critic Perry Chen will participate in "The Holocaust Through the Eyes of a Child, Animated by a Child" panel which will bring forward his work "Ingrid Pitt: Beyond The Forest" as a topic of discussion.

The final day of this year's Comic Con is also filled with education programs such as the fourth day of comprehensive course on...

Comic-Con International has released the full schedule for Sunday July 24th for San Diego Comic-Con 2011. This is the final day of the convention. Sunday is known as Kids day and is usually the slowest of all the days, there are a few surprises though. In all my years of going to Comic-Con I've never been to a panel in Hal H. Usually nothing is happening in Hall H on Sunday, this year there are a few TV programs going on in Hall H such a as Glee, Supernatural, Doctor Who, The Cleveland Show, Sons of Anarchy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and this year Buffy the Musical will be in the great Hall as well. I've never been to the Buffy Musical event, and I think I finally want to go this year. A couple of other things worth noting are a one on one panel with Nathan Fillion, and Max Brooks talks about zombies.

Genre: Animated | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Director: Sam Liu

Writers: Greg Johnson, Craig Kyle

Cast: Matthew Wolf, Rick Gomez, Christopher Britton, Clancy Brown, Grey DeLisle, Paul Dobson, Jonathan Holmes, Jay Brazeau

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 77 min..

Synopsis:

Before he ever lifted his mighty hammer…Fantastic journeys beckon from the mysterious nine realms. Places of dark mists and fiery voids. Of winged creatures and giants in the ice. And of the most alluring quest of all – the search for the legendary Lost Sword of Surtur. Hungry for adventure, Thor secretly embarks on the journey of a lifetime, joined by his loyal brother Loki, whose budding sorcery equips him with just enough magic to conjure up trouble, along with the Warriors Three – a band of boastful travelers reluctant to set sail on any adventure that might actually be dangerous. But what starts out as a harmless treasure hunt quickly turns deadly, and Thor...

The Film:

Marvel might be dominating the movie world, but their animated films, which started back a few years ago, are only little whimpers when compared to DC’s animated films. In the last few films, this has changed for Marvel, as they began crafting original, brave productions like in Next Avengers and Planet Hulk, as well as the incredibly fun Hulk Vs. Delayed to be timed with his big screen debut (review here), Thor: Tales of Asgard isn’t as great as those I’ve mentioned, but even on cruise control, it’s better than Marvel/Lgf’s earlier efforts.

Essentially, Thor: Tales of Asgard acts like a prequel to Thor, telling the story of when a younger Thor was developing his courage and hero status. It’s young Thor, before the Hammer, and while that doesn’t sound promising, the writing is pretty above par for the idea,...

Chicago – Animated Marvel Features and Lionsgate very purposefully released a straight-to-dvd Thor movie this month to try and cash in a bit on the success of the summer blockbuster “Thor” with Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. With some of the same characters, enemies, and locations, the animated version plays not unlike a Saturday morning cartoon version of what you just saw in theaters. Potential viewers under twelve should find enough action here to not consider their time wasted, but anyone older will surely be a a bit bored.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” is about to crest $400 million worldwide and so it makes sense that toys, games, and other peripheral merchandise would hit the market to try and cash in on the film’s success. “Tales of Asgard” could have been a clever expansion of the Marvel comic and hit film but it plays too much like an afterthought,...

Produced in 2009 but held until this week to capitalize on the live-action adaptation of Marvel’s Thor, Lionsgate releases Thor: Tales of Asgard, a 77-minute animated feature that harkens back to the Thunder God’s youth. The title harkens back to the beloved back-up feature that ran behind the main story in Journey Into Mystery for several years as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby explored the earlier days of the Asgardians or told stories adapted from the Norse myths. This approach is a clever one for an animated feature and certainly freed the writers and designers from aping whatever the current look of the hero was.

Still, watching this largely entertaining film still feels like it was inspired by some other universe’s Thor comic. Everything is familiar but just off a shade from personality to the look. It’s certainly not an Asgard Jack designed nor does it really...

Blu-ray Review

Thor: Tales of Asgard

Directed by: Sam Liu

Cast: Matthew Wolf, Chris Britton, Grey DeLisle, Tara Strong, Rick Gomez (voices)

Running Time: 1 hr 17 mins

Rating: Nr

Due Out: May 17, 2011

Plot: A prequel to the live action blockbuster Thor, this animated feature follows Thor the teenager as he ventures to the Frost Giants’ realm in search of a sacred and powerful sword.

Who’S It For? Younger viewers who may not even be old enough to see Thor will likely enjoy this simple story, though they might be bored by the movie’s lack of action and focus on drama. Fans of Thor might enjoy the way it captures the Asgardian background of Thor’s character.

Movie:

It’s unclear as to whether the creators of this animated feature prequel had access to a viewing of Thor while this project was in the development. For one, the writers might...

Last year, we got a glimpse of Thor: Tales of Asgard, which looked incredibly promising as an animated feature film. Lionsgate is released the film, at long last, direct-to-dvd on Tuesday, while everyone has Norse gods on the mind. For those less familiar with the comic, they have provided a slideshow to introduce audiences to the cast of characters, ranging from Thor, his foster brother Loki, Allfather Odin, the fierce Sif, the valiant Warriors Three, Amora the Enchantress and the legendary Frost Giants, among others.

Here are the product details:

He’s waged battles in Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, Next Avengers and Hulk Vs., and now one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe is ready to strike out on his own this May. See the young “God of Thunder” as Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment team up to release Thor: Tales of Asgard! Hitting Blu-ray Combo Pack,...

The Movie Pool lowers the hammer on the new Thor animated movie, Tales of Asgard!

Blu-ray Specs

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 enhanced for widescreen TVs (1080p High Definition)

Running Time: 77 minutes

Rating: Not rated

Audio: English DTS-hd 7.1 Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English, English for the Hearing Impaired, Spanish  

Special Features: "Worthy: The Making of Thor: Tales of Asgard" Documentary, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Bonus Episode, Trailer Gallery.

Commentary: Two commentaries, one featuring Supervising Producer Craig Kyle and screenwriter Greg Johnson, the second featuring Supervising Director Gary Hartle, Director Sam Liu, and Character Designer Phil Bourassa

DVD Specs (non-high definition)

Identical to the Blu-ray version, with the following exceptions:

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0

Special Features: Trailer Gallery not included on the standard DVD

The Set-up

The animated tale follows a young Thor as he defies his father and sets out on a quest for a mythical but dangerous sword.

"Thor" premieres in theaters this weekend, but for those who want even more of Marvel's god of thunder, you're in luck. Just a few weeks from now, "Thor: Tales Of Asgard" arrives on shelves.

The latest film from Marvel Animated Features, "Thor: Tales Of Asgard" offers an adventure from Thor's early years, and serves as a great primer for anyone looking to get the back story on Thor, Loki, and the rest of the key players in and around Asgard. And as a special treat for MTV Splash Page readers, we have a gallery of exclusive images from the film for you to check out.

Click on the image below to see the "Thor: Tales Of Asgard" gallery!

"Thor: Tales Of Asgard" hits shelves May 17. You can check out the full list of DVD and Blu-Ray specs below.

Thor: Tales Of Asgard

New Marvel Animated Feature Stars Fan-Favorite The Mighty Thor...

The .God of Thunder. is back!

He.s waged battles in Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, Next Avengers and Hulk Vs., and now one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe is ready to strike out on his own when Thor: Tales Of Asgard arrives on Blu-ray, DVD andGame Consoles on May 17, 2011.

The newest Marvel Animated Feature is the perfect companion to the May 6th release of the live-action theatrical film Thor.

New Marvel Animated Feature Stars Fan-Favorite The Mighty Thor and

Hits Stores Just Weeks After Theatrical Film Debuts!

Street Date: 5/17/11

Blu-ray Combo Pack Srp: $29.99

DVD Srp: $19.98

Program Description

He.s waged battles in Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, Next Avengers and Hulk Vs., and now one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe is ready to strike out on his own this May. See the young .God of Thunder. as Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment...

Just in time for the live action big screen debut of the God of Thunder himself, comes the new animated film from Marvel Animation & Lionsgate, Thor: Tales of Asgard. Lionsgate has sent over a clip from the film as well as the official press release, check it out.

Thor: Tales Of Asgard

New Marvel Animated Feature Stars Fan-Favorite The Mighty Thor and

Hits Stores Just Weeks After Theatrical Film Debuts!

Program Description

He’s waged battles in Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, Next Avengers and Hulk Vs., and now one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe is ready to strike out on his own this May. See the young “God of Thunder” as Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment team up to release Thor: Tales of Asgard! Hitting Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on May 17, 2011, the newest Marvel Animated Feature is the perfect companion...

Check out this brand new clip from Marvel Animation‘s upcoming release, Thor: Tales Of Asgard. In the clip, Loki (God of Lies and Mischief) plays a prank on the wolf Fenris in the Port Hole Pub while Thor and the Warriors Three look on. Check it our below, along with the synopsis, the trailer and links to pre-order your copy on DVD or Blu-ray today!

Clip: Thor: Tales of Asgard – “Loki — God of Mischief”

Click Here To View The Video

Synopsis:

Before he ever lifted his mighty hammer, there was the sword. Fantastic journeys beckon from the mysterious nine realms. Places of dark mists and fiery voids. Of winged creatures and giants in the ice. And the most alluring quest of all – the search for the legendary Lost Sword of Surtur. Hungry for adventure, Thor secretly embarks on the journey of a lifetime, joined by his loyal brother Loki,...

The next film from Marvel Animation, which has been a long-time coming, is Thor: Tales of Asgard from Lionsgate. The film will street on Blu-ray and DVD May 17th, a week after the big screen debut of the God of Thunder. The story will go back to Thor’s earlier years, before he ever lifted his mighty hammer. It follows the upstart god’s quest for the legendary Lost Sword of Surtur. To help in the search, Thor teams up with his loyal brother Loki, a budding sorcerer with a knack for conjuring up trouble, and the fabled Warriors Three, a band of boastful travelers. But what starts out as a harmless treasure hunt quickly turns deadly, and Thor must now prove himself worthy of his destiny by saving Asgard itself.

Here’s the disc’s extras:

* Audio commentary with Supervising Producer Craig Kyle and Screenwriter Greg Johnson

* Audio commentary with Supervising Director Gary Hartle,...

Marvel Animation has finally released details on their new animated movie Thor: Tales of Asgard. This film has been completed for almost a year now, but Marvel has been sitting on it to release it around the same time as the live-action Thor movie. As far as I know, this is the final animated movie from Marvel that's been developed, and they currently have no other animated film projects in the pipline, giving DC Entertainment all the glory in the comic book animated DVD movie market, which is a shame, because I thought Marvel had a good thing going.

I've actually already seen the movie, and I thought it was pretty cool. It's definitely worth watching. This Thor animated adventure is set to be released in a Blu-ray combo pack DVD, digital download and on demand from Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment on May 17th 2011 after the live-action film has been released.