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In an era where CGI animation dominates the market, it is refreshing to see something different, even if it’s not something particularly new. The fans loved what Dreamworks did with The Puss in Boots 2 and The Wild Robot, while the recently released Over the Garden Wall special reminded us how animated movies can be done without a lot of CGI.

In light of this, a group of animators is currently working on a project titled Light of the World, which is set to hit theaters next summer. The project is funded by The Salvation Poem Project, and it involves former Disney employees.

The movie is a 2D animated Biblical story of Jesus told through the eyes of his teenage disciple, John, who is the principal character of the movie. The Salvation Poem Project has recently released the first teaser for the upcoming movie, which shows what it will all look like next summer.

Toonz Media Group has teamed with Evolutionary Films and Mojo Global Arts on “Minibots,” a new animated feature targeting family audiences, with “Mulan” director Tony Bancroft at the helm. The project, set for release in 2026, was unveiled for pre-sales at AFM 2024.

“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” scribe Michael Ferris wrote the screenplay, which follows three young geniuses at a summer robotics camp who create sentient mini robots. The story tracks their efforts to protect their creations from a powerful tech company seeking to acquire the technology.

Toonz Media Group CEO P. Jayakumar said the collaboration with Evolutionary Films and Mojo Global Arts “has been a fantastic experience,” expressing confidence in the film’s potential in the global family entertainment market, describing it as a “lively, fun adventure.”

John Adams of Evolutionary Films emphasized the project’s broad appeal: “‘Minibots’ is a story that connects with the entire family.

Ming-Na Wen, who voiced Mulan in Disney’s animated feature of the same name, is set to narrate a new documentary titled “Pencils Vs Pixels.”

Co-directed by Bay Dariz (“Hypochondriac”) and Phil Earnest, “Pencils Vs Pixels” is a celebration of 2D hand-drawn animation.

The documentary, which will have its world premiere at Annecy International Animation Film Festival next week, will explore the Disney-led 2D animation boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s which was soon eclipsed by the dawn of computer animation. But, as the film shows, a resurgence of 2D animation suggests there is still hope for the medium.

The documentary features interviews with the great and good of the animation world including Pete Docter, John Musker (“The Little Mermaid”), Tony Bancroft (“Mulan”), Jorge R. Gutiérrez (“The Book of Life”), Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy”), Glen Keane (“Beauty and the Beast”), Tina Price (“Hercules”), Lorna Cook (“Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron...

If you’re a new parent, you know that finding quality movies for your toddler can be a challenge. You want something to keep them entertained, but you also wish to be educational and age-appropriate. Luckily, Disney has a wide selection of great movies for toddlers that will please everyone in the family.

Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s “Baymax!” Series

Disney movies are a cherished part of childhood for many young kids. From classic tales like Cinderella and Snow White to modern-day hits like Frozen, these movies capture kids’ imaginations around the world.

For toddlers, many Disney films can be a fascinating way to learn about the world around them. The vibrant colors and catchy songs help to engage young minds, and the stories often teach kids valuable life lessons.

Whether your toddler is fascinated by animals or loves to dance along with the songs, there will...

At the 2020 Academy Awards, “Jojo Rabbit” director Taika Waititi won Best Adapted Screenplay for bringing Christine Leunens novel “Caging Skies” to the big screen. This award, which dates back to the first Oscars in 1928, has gone to the adapters of 47 novels over the year. The most recent of these prior to 2020 was in 2018 when James Ivory won his first Oscar for his adaptation of André Aciman‘s novel “Call Me by Your Name.” (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay and be sure to check out our predictions for Best Original Screenplay.)

In between those two years, “BlacKkKlansman” director Spike Lee shared in the win for Best Adapted Screenplay for his written work on Ron Stallworth‘s memoir of the same name. In the 92-year history of this category, only a dozen adaptations of such books have prevailed. Five of those non-fiction books adaptations were...

Disney’s animated treasure “Mulan” has captured audiences for over 20 years, and this year’s live-action re-imagining of the beloved tale has been hailed as “visually stunning and action-packed”. Just in time for the holidays on Nov. 10, bring home both the animated original – new in 4K Ultra HD – and the live-action film. The films will also be available in a two-movie collection which will include the Blu-ray DVD and digital of both films.

Disney’s Live-Action “Mulan”

Acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro brings the epic tale of China’s legendary warrior to life in Disney’s “Mulan” in which a fearless young woman risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors China has ever known. When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders,...

Industrial Light & Magic’s Dennis Muren will receive the View Conference’s 2020 Visionary Award during this year’s event, which is taking place both in-person in Turin, Italy, and virtually.

The longtime VFX maven is best known for his work on the original “Star Wars,” as well as “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Jurassic Park.” Currently he is creative director and senior visual effects supervisor and Ilm, working on the company’s ground-breaking techniques and technologies. He’s won nine Oscars.

“Dennis Muren is a force of nature and a real living legend,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Throughout his career, he has elevated his craft to the highest levels and inspired young artists to follow him into the stratosphere. He is, without question, a worthy recipient of this year’s Visionary Award.”

Muren will give a keynote address on Friday, Oct. 23, the last day of the conference,...

Over the past 16 years View conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez has been steadily growing the event held in Turin – historically the first Italian city to develop a film industry — into one of Europe’s top international symposiums on computer graphics, animation, and visual effects. It’s regularly attended by top creatives and execs coming to Italy to hobnob and take the pulse of the latest digital developments in film, 2D/3D animation, VR and Ar, gaming, and VFX.

This year of course the effects of Covid-19 posed a major challenge. One that Gutierrez, who was born in Mexico, raised in central California – she has a PhD from Stanford – and has long been living in Turin, managed to turn into an advantage of sorts for the event’s upcoming 21st edition that will be held virtually Oct. 18-23.

Gutierrez spoke to Variety about how she navigated the coronavirus crisis and turned...

The View Conference is offering free streaming access to its 2020 program, which runs from Oct. 18-23 in Turin, Italy.

“There has been so much bad news in 2020, so I’m thrilled to be able to share some great news for a change,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Everyone could use some extra light and joy in their lives, so we have made the unprecedented decision to make this year’s conference completely free.” Those who register will have streaming access to the conference’s 125 online and on-site talks, workshops, master classes and panels.

“Every session will be available online, allowing anyone to attend anywhere in the world,” said Gutierrez. “This is a fantastic chance to grow the View community and to welcome into our family participants who are unable to travel to Torino or buy a full access pass.”

Keynote speakers include Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, Industrial Light & Magic’s Dennis Muren,...

Warning: this post contains spoilers from the 2020 theatrical version of “Mulan”

The live-action version of “Mulan” premiered last Friday on Disney+.

The remake, which stars Liu Yifei as the titular heroine, differs quite a bit from the 1998 animated version. But a special cameo in the 2020 version ties the two films together. Read ahead for spoilers.

Towards the end of the film, after Mulan has rescued the emperor (a bearded Jet Li) from the hands of warlord Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee), there is a grand scene in the palace.

There’s a reverse shot of a woman in elaborate robes making her way to the throne. Viewers are led to believe that the woman is Mulan.

It *is* Mulan, albeit the actress who voiced her in the 1998 animated film: Ming-Na Wen.

Wen, who is billed as the “esteemed guest” in the credits, makes an introduction and then steps aside to reveal Liu’s Mulan.

Disney has seen enormous financial success from their tactic of remaking their animated classics in live-action, but the response from critics and audiences alike has been much more mixed. It’s generally agreed that the new versions can’t top the original films, of course, but the relative creativity and entertainment value of the remakes is not the only controversial element about them. For instance, it’s known that the creators of the old movies don’t receive any fee for having their original works remade.

The latest filmmakers to talk about this are Gary Wise and Kirk Trousdale, the directing duo behind Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. They spoke with Collider and opened up about how they didn’t receive any money from the studio for the 2017 BatB reboot, which earned Disney a whopping $1 billion at the global box office.

It’s been a very long and painful road for Animal Crackers, but it’s finally tasting some success as it’s currently the #2 movie on Netflix and the fifth-most popular piece of content overall on the platform. If you’re not yet aware of it, it’s a 3D animated film about the members of a travelling circus and stars the vocal talents of actors like John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Danny DeVito, Ian McKellen and Sylvester Stallone. But why does this innocuous animated movie have such a tortured history?

Well, it appears to be cursed. Animal Crackers began its studio sessions with the cast way back in 2015, was finished in 2017 and it premiered at the Annecy International Film Festival soon afterwards. The reception was positive but then the company that was set to release the movie in theaters went bankrupt. Following that, Animal Crackers was scooped up by another studio,...

“Animal Crackers” has led a charmed life. In fact, too charmed to be believed. The animated indie, about a family that rescues a rundown circus with magical animal cookies, endured distribution hell after premiering at the Annecy festival in 2017 (thanks to a series of setbacks that began with Harvey Weinstein), before Netflix came to the rescue (streaming begins Friday).

“It’s the little engine that could that was definitely easier to make than to distribute,” said director Tony Bancroft (“Mulan”), who was charmed by its premise, along with everyone else involved, including John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, who paired up to voice the feature before embarking on their horror blockbuster, “A Quiet Place.” They voiced the married couple Owen and Zoe, who are determined to save the circus from Owen’s maniacal uncle, Horatio P. Huntington.

“Animal Crackers” began as a graphic novel from character designer Scott Christian Sava, who...

Well, it’s official: Thanks to the coronavirus — and the kind of real-world disaster-movie mayhem that even Hollywood couldn’t invent — summer movie season is canceled. Now that “Tenet” and “Mulan” have both scrapped their summer U.S. theatrical release plans, there’s nothing even remotely resembling a blockbuster on the horizon.

The good news — and there is good news — is that we’re deep enough into this pandemic that distributors have figured out how to release their films virtually, and in some cases, to drive-ins and those few hardtop venues safe (or stubborn) enough to remain open. That means moviegoers can see thrillers “The Rental” and “Amulet,” as well as Vinnie Jones starrer “The Big Ugly,” in select theaters this week, while movie-stayers — those living under lockdown, or simply too cautious to return to cinemas — can order the same movies on demand.

Meanwhile, the streaming services continue to thrive.

The absurd path of this silly and rather enjoyable animated movie is all the more startling because it turned out kind of…decent. It all started in 2010 when screenwriter and eventual co-director Scott Christian Sava wrote an innocuous family comedy about a man who saves his family’s circus with the help of some magic cookies that can turn people into animals. The journey to get it made was almost as strange: “Animal Crackers” scored investment from Harvey Weinstein three years later, a flotilla of Chinese firms agreed to put up the rest of the money, “Mulan” co-director Tony Bancroft came aboard to help steer the ship, and “Despicable Me” character designer Carter Goodrich was hired to help with the animation. With those pieces in play, a rather astonishing variety of famous voices came aboard to help bring the story to life.

John Krasinski — at that point still two years...

When directors Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft first premiered their 3D animated feature “Animal Crackers” at Annecy in 2017, the film’s prospects could hardly have looked better following incredible audience enthusiasm and a strong review from Variety’s Peter Debruge.

What came next could hardly have gone worse.

“(When) most people talk about making an independent movie, it’s usually the finances or actually making the film that’s the hardest thing,” Bancroft explains in a Making Of presentation at this year’s digital Annecy Intl. Animation Festival.

He goes on to say that, “Those two things that should have been the hardest possible things for us went pretty smoothly. It was actually a third thing, getting distribution, where we hit our biggest snags with ‘Animal Crackers.’”

Sava continues, recalling, “The studio we signed on with, who shall not be named, went bankrupt and we moved over to another studio.

Sometimes finding a distributor can be harder than making the movie. So it was with the charming animated fantasy “Animal Crackers,” which premiered at the Annecy French animation festival in 2017, and returns to Annecy 2020 Online (June 15-30) after being acquired by Netflix. The streamer, which dropped the trailer on Monday, also announced that it will stream the feature July 24 in nearly 200 countries.

Directed by Tony Bancroft (“Mulan”) and Scott Christian Sava (the character designer and owner of Blue Dream Studios), “Animal Crackers” sends a magical box of cookies to rescue a rundown circus. The CG animation conjures a Disney retro vibe, and boasts voice work by John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Danny DeVito, and Ian McKellen. Meanwhile, Carter Goodrich (“Despicable Me”) provided the warmly appealing character design work.

Both the trailer and online making-of presentation with Bancroft, Sava, and Goodrich tout the nostalgic slice of Americana at the heart of “Animal Crackers,...

Annecy 2020 Online’s second wave of special programming for its world-class French animation festival (June 15-30) will include a preview from the highly anticipated “Connected”, the latest feature from “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and a Masterclass from stop-motion director Henry Selick and composer Bruno Coulais, who collaborated on Netflix’s upcoming demon comedy, “Wendell & Wild”, and Laika’s “Coraline.”

Also in the mix will be discussions with director Dean DeBlois (DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy), Disney’s legendary directing duo Ron Clements and John Musker, Disney’s chief creative officer/director Jennifer Lee and director Chris Buck on their upcoming Disney+ doc, “Into the Unknown: Making ‘Frozen 2′” (streaming June 26), the art of storyboarding at Cartoon Network Studios (“Summer Camp Island”), a 20th anniversary remembrance of “Chicken Run” with Aardman’s Nick Park and Peter Lord, and a conversation with the...

Netflix, Disney Sony, Cartoon Network Studios, Dean DeBlois and Aardman are reading presentations at France’s Annecy Film Festival — as 2020’s Annecy, even online, once more proves to be the biggest animation fest in the world and the international event with the largest Hollywood and now global platform presence.

Put together, Annecy’s latest big wave of programming announcement suggests that its move online will mean no world premiere of a potential Hollywood blockbuster – such as, in the past, the “Despicable Me” movie series. With more studio involvement most probably still to be announced, many of the good and great of the English-speaking animation world do look more than willing, however, to roll up their sleeves to update accredited festival viewers on upcoming releases such as, of titles now announced, Netflix’s “Wendell & Wild” and Sony Pictures Animation’s “Connected.”

Netflix

A masterclass between stop-motion luminary Henry Selick and composer...

Annecy 2020 Online’s first wave of special programming for its world-class French animation festival (June 15-30) will include making of sessions, previews, and works-in-progress. The biggest news is that indie feature “Animal Crackers,” which premiered at Annecy in 2017, returns as a making of program, having been acquired by streamer Netflix.

The CG children’s fantasy, directed by Tony Bancroft (“Mulan”) and Scott Christan Sava, concerns a magical box of cookies coming to the rescue of a rundown circus. It contains voice work by John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, and boasts the work of character designer Carter Goodrich (“Ice Age”).

Netflix is also bringing a work-in-progress presentation of “The Cuphead Show!” series for 2021, adapted from retro-style video game by showrunners Dave Wasson (“Mickey Mouse”) and Cosmo Segurson (“SpongeBob Squarepants”). Drawing on the classic ’30s rubber hose animation style of Disney and Fleischer, the comedy follows the misadventures of the impulsive Cuphead and his naive brother,...

Ming-Na Wen, the original voice of Mulan, radiated on the red carpet as she celebrated the premiere of Disney’s live-action remake 22 years after the beloved film’s debut release.

The Chinese-American actress, 56, who voiced Mulan in the 1998 classic, looked nearly identical more than two decades later as she passed the torch over to the new cast of the Disney remake. After celebrating the premiere, Wen posted a side-by-side Instagram of her original look from the 1998 Mulan premiere next to her look from the 2020 red carpet — and fans piled on the praise in the comments section.

“How do you look exactly the same after 22 years?...

Disney is looking to once again bring honor to the story of Mulan. The second trailer for the film, directed by Niki Caro, was released this morning and further teased a significant reimaging of the classic 1998 animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. Disney has been re-exploring its animated properties with increased fervor of late. This year alone saw remakes of Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Lady and the Tramp, and the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which works in context of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. These remakes have by and large proven to be box office hits, but critically they’ve been ...

Disney is looking to once again bring honor to the story of Mulan. The second trailer for the film, directed by Niki Caro, was released this morning and further teased a significant reimaging of the classic 1998 animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. Disney has been re-exploring its animated properties with increased fervor of late. This year alone saw remakes of Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Lady and the Tramp, and the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which works in context of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. These remakes have by and large proven to be box office hits, but critically they’ve been ...

Jon Favreau’s The Lion King may be making a killing at the box office – having already made over $700 million going into its second weekend – but it’s far from a critical hit.

Currently sitting at a splat-worthy 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, the photorealistic majesty of the animation seemed to act as a double-edged sword. Yes, it was revolutionary. But it also took a great deal away from what made the 1994 film a bonafide classic – including any physical display of emotion.

And from the looks of it, critics aren’t the only ones who share this opinion. Another habitant of the House of Mouse has made his disgruntled and disappointed voice heard, and it’s none other than Tony Bancroft, one of the two directors behind the 1998 picture, Mulan.

Taking to Twitter, he made sure his followers knew his blunt opinion of the film: underwhelmed. You can check out what he had to say below.

Lotus Entertainment has unveiled the first teaser-trailer for Kirby Atkins’ “Mosley,” an animated family film from Huhu Studios in New Zealand and China Film Animation, the first co-production between the two countries.

Lotus Entertainment, which is representing “Mosley” in international markets, will be premiering the film at the European Film Market in Berlin on Feb. 7.

Lotus has already pre-sold it to Australia/New Zealand (Rialto), C.I.S. (Top Film Distribution), China (China Film Group), Czech Republic/Slovakia (Fenix Distribution), Bulgaria, Ex-Yugoslavia and Romania (Programs 4 Media Limited), Israel (Five Stars), Middle East (Eagle Films), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), South Africa (Filmfinity) and Vietnam (Ram Indo).

“Mosley” follows the eponymous hero and his family of four-legged “Thoriphants,” intelligent creatures with the ability to speak like humans but that have been cursed to live a life of servitude. In an attempt to free his family, Mosley embarks on a perilous journey to find the mythical land of Kinesareth.

Niki Caro, the director of Disney’s live-action “Mulan,” has shared a first image from set.

“Mulan. Day #1. Reflections,” Caro captioned the photo, which seems to show Liu Yifei, as the titular character, standing near a body of water — the whole picture is a gorgeous shade of green.

The film will also star Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Li Gong and Jason Scott Lee. Jason Reed, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner are producing, and Bill Kong is executive producing.

Also Read: Donnie Yen Joins the Cast of Disney's Live-Action 'Mulan'

The animated “Mulan,” released in 1998, was based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. It grossed $304.3 million worldwide after earning $22.7 million its opening weekend.

Disney’s live-action version of the classic Disney tale comes on the heels of various revival projects like “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast,...

At this point, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ governors election looks more like a round-up than a race; more than 180 members have declared their interest in filling 17 contested spots on the 54-member Board of Governors.

Voting in the run-off round starts on Monday and ends May 18. That will narrow the present field to a maximum of four nominees per branch in the final round, which follows.

For now, there are on average about 11 candidates in the running for each slot. In the casting directors and costume design branches, only three members have declared for each slot. But not so in the actors branch, where 17 members — including Brie Larson, Jacki Weaver and Meg Ryan — are vying for the spot being vacated by termed-out Tom Hanks; or the producers, executives, and public relations branches, all of which have a bumper crop of candidates. Marvin Levy, currently a governor in the public relations branch,...

Action Star Donnie Yen (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action “Mulan,” an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.

Yen will play Commander Tung in remake of 1998 Disney animated film.

Niki Caro is directing the film, which stars Chinese actress Liu Yifei in the title role. Jason Reed, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner are producing, and Bill Kong is executive producing.

Also Read: 'Mulan' Fans Thank Disney for Not Whitewashing Live-Action Movie by Casting of Chinese Star

Disney’s live-action version of the classic Disney tale comes on the heels of various revival projects like “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast,” both of which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. “Beauty and the Beast” grossed $174.8 million its opening weekend alone. A remake of “The Lion King” is one of many upcoming live-action projects.

The animated “Mulan,” released in 1998, was based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. It grossed $304.3 million worldwide after earning $22.7 million its opening weekend.

Yen was the martial arts choreographer for 2000’s “Highlander: Endgame” and 2002’s “Blade II,” appearing in both of those films as an actor, as well. He also starred opposite Jackie Chan in 2003’s “Shanghai Knights.”

Also Read: Ex-Disney Star Joins White House Press Team

Yen made his movie debut in the 1984 Hong Kong film “Drunken Tai Chi” and came to wider attention with his portrayal of Nap-lan Yun-seut in 1992’s “Once Upon a Time in China II.” His international breakthrough came playing the title character in 2008’s “Ip Man,” based on Wing Chun grandmaster — and Bruce Lee’s teacher — Yip Man. He reprised that role in 2010’s “Ip Man 2” and last year’s “Ip Man 3,” where Yen starred opposite boxing legend Mike Tyson – and accidentally broke the champ’s finger during a fight scene.

Yen is repped by CAA, Bullet Films, and Bloom Hergott.

Read original story Donnie Yen Joins the Cast of Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ At TheWrap...

On Sept. 1, Blue Dream Studios brings the animated film Animal Crackers to the big screen.

Directed by Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft, Animal Crackers — which Sava and Dean Lorey adapted from Sava's graphic novel — follows the Huntington family: Owen, Zoe and their daughter MacKenzie.

After discovering his inheritance of an old traveling circus left to him by a distant uncle, Owen is determined to bring the circus back to life. With the help of magical animal crackers that turn whoever consumes them into the animal they've eaten, Owen has the ability to turn the circus back into...

On Sept. 1, Blue Dream Studios brings the animated film Animal Crackers to the big screen.

Directed by Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft, Animal Crackers — which Sava and Dean Lorey adapted from Sava's graphic novel — follows the Huntington family: Owen, Zoe and their daughter MacKenzie.

After discovering his inheritance of an old traveling circus left to him by a distant uncle, Owen is determined to bring the circus back to life. With the help of magical animal crackers that turn whoever consumes them into the animal they've eaten, Owen has the ability to turn the circus ...

When it comes to The Lion King, two words immediately come to mind: Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days while also symbolizing a Disney movie that quickly became a classic after its release back in 1994. As the D23 Expo continues at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim this weekend, event organizers are celebrating the film as excitement only builds for the remake hitting theaters in 2019. The panel appropriately titled "Celebration of an Animated Classic: The Lion King" will feature producer Don Hahn, director Rob Minkoff, animators Tony Bancroft and Mark Henn and many more special guests. Before the party kicks off, we decided to take a look at just how...

A new trailer for Animal Crackers reveals a unique universe filled with wacky circus performers, magical snacks and a long-lost family legacy. 

Directed by Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft, the animated pic follows the Huntington family as their lives are turned upside down by a late distant relative who leaves behind an old traveling circus. With the help of magical animal crackers that turn the consumer into whatever animal they have eaten, Owen (John Krasinski) and Zoe (Emily Blunt) Huntington attempt to bring the circus back to life.

The film's voice cast also includes Ian McKellen, Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone,...

Veteran Hollywood animator Tony Bancroft, director of Disney's Mulan and the recently released Animal Crackers, has signed to direct the Chinese animated musical Songhua.

The announcement was made during a signing ceremony on day two of the Shanghai International Film Festival.

The film, written by Joe Bockol (Akuma), will be co-produced by Astro-Nomical Entertainment in association with Pelagius Entertainment.

Inspired by the famed Harbin ice festival in northern China, Songhua is based on themes from Chinese folklore, the producers say. The film is set in ancient China, in a mythical world of ice, and the story follows a quick-witted spirit who helps a young...

What would happen if you bit into an animal cracker and turned into … an animal?

That’s the main premise of Animal Crackers, a high-concept, low-budget animated feature from directors Scott Christian Sava (Casper the Friendly Ghost) and Tony Bancroft (Mulan), who provide an efficient if rather boilerplate circus-themed storyline to answer what feels like a silly question to begin with.

As a movie that was entirely inspired by a popular junk food — expect sequels starring gummy bears and caramel pecan turtles — Animal Crackers, which premiered in competition at the Annecy Film Festival, could be considered passable enough, though...

Historical drama is one of eight titles announced for Siff’s Golden Goblets competition.

Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come will open this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff, June 17-26), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017.

The historical drama, starring Eddie Peng and Zhou Xun, will also compete in the festival’s main competition section, the Golden Goblet Awards.

At a Cannes reception yesterday (May 18), Siff also announced seven other competition titles: Yasuo Furuhat’s Reminiscence (Japan), Dave McCary’s Brigsby Bear (Us), Cătălin Saizescu’s Fault Condition (Romania), Maciej Pieprzyca’s I’m A Killer (Poland), Ivan Bolotnikov’s Kharms (Russia), Robert Mullan’s Mad To Be Normal (UK) and Markus Goller’s My Brother Simple (Germany).

As previously announced, Romanian director Christian Mungiu will head the Golden Goblet Awards jury, which also includes Chinese director Cao Baoping, Chinese screenwriter Li Qiang, Us/Macedonian filmmaker Milcho Manchevski, Japanese director...

Animated film Animal Crackers is taking a bite out of Cannes, with Arclight Films bringing the film to the market and making sales in key territories.

The adventure comedy features a high-wattage voice cast including Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Danny DeVito, Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone and Raven-Symone.

Directed by Tony Bancroft and Scott Christian Sava, Animal Crackers centers on a family who must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a run-down circus from being taken over by their evil uncle, Horatio P. Huntington.The catch is, once anyone eats an animal cracker, they turn into that animal.

Arclight...

Zombillenium announced as opener; China named as guest country, Guillermo del Toro to return.

French animator and illustrator Arthur de Pin’s child-friendly comedy-horror tale Zombillenium (pictured) - set against the backdrop of an amusement-terror park were the staff are a motley crew of vampires, zombies and werewolves - will open this year’s edition of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, running June 12-17 this year.

It is among nine special event screenings including Pixar’s Cars 3, which will be proceeded by a presentation of footage from Mexico-set, Day of the Dead-inspired drama Coco in the presence of director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla K. Anderson and co-director Adrian Molina; Despicable Me 3 and The Big Bad Fox And Other Animals.

Zombillenium will also compete in the 10-title feature film competition.

Other contenders for Annecy’s Cristal for best feature film include Iranian director Ali Soozandeh’s Tehran Taboo, exploring sexuality...

Kosdaq-listed Signal Entertainment Group is partnering with Batman franchise executive producer Michael Uslan to produce global content, including Asia-themed superhero and animation films.

At a signing ceremony in Seoul today, the group announced it has established Signal Pictures with venture capital firm Gemini Investment.

Signal Pictures has invested in Michael Uslan’s Uslan Entertainment, becoming its largest shareholder, and the partners said they plan to produce global content with a focus on China.

Kathy Kim, former Cj Entertainment CEO and current president of Signal Entertainment Group’s filmed entertainment division, was named CEO. Jonathan Kim, currently CEO of HanMac Culture Group,...

In Andrea Canning's house, it's safe to say the ladies rule! The NBC News and Dateline correspondent recently welcomed her fifth baby girl with husband Major Tony Bancroft. And today, we're getting a first-look at the family of seven! "Whole fam together! #Dateline," Canning shared on Twitter Monday evening as all of her children gathered around the family room. Soon after, she would share a new photo of baby Elle resting comfortably on a bed. "Everyone's doing great. We're just very excited," Canning told Today.com. "The girls are old enough now where they really know what's going on, so it's a little different this time around." She added,...

Baby No. 5 — and another girl! Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning welcomed her fifth daughter on Wednesday, May 27, Us Weekly can exclusively confirm. Canning and husband Major Tony Bancroft’s newest addition, Elle Corbin Bancroft, was born in Greenwich, Conn., weighing in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Little Elle joins big sisters Anna, Charlie, Kiki, and Georgia. “After five girls our family is complete and we're blessed beyond words,” Canning tells Us Weekly in an exclusive statement. “Five is what happens when you keep going for the boy!” And [...]...

Animated circus film features the voices of Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone and Danny DeVito.

International sales agent Odin’s Eye Entertainment (Oee) has sold animation Animal Crackers to Entertainment One (eOne) for distribution in the UK and Canada.

Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow) and John Krasinski (The Office) voice a couple who inherit a rundown circus and a mysterious box of animal shaped cookies, which magically turn anyone who eats them into an animal.

eOne anticipates a release in late Q4 2016 for the film which also features the voice talents of Sir Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone and Danny DeVito.

Co-Directed by Tony Bancroft (Mulan) and creator Scott Christian Sava, Animal Crackers is produced by Sava’s Blue Dream Studios, in cooperation with George Lee and Marcus Englefield of Storyoscopic Films, Jamie Thomason, and Leiming Guan.

The deal was negotiated by Poonam Sahota on behalf of eOne, and [link=nm...

Simon Brew Sep 12, 2016

As Cinderella becomes Disney's latest live action box office hit, the studio is planning a new take on Mulan...

Just a very quick update here. We've heard no more on this version of Mulan since we first reported it in March 2015. But there is now a competing project at Sony...

Right. If we're following this correctly, then Disney is currently working on live action takes on Beauty And The Beast, The Jungle Book, Dumbo (with Tim Burton apparently attached to direct) and a new Alice In Wonderland movie. Throw in the Cruella de Vil film too that's somewhere in development, and that's at least five live action movies it's got on the go, that have a grounding in one of its animated films.

Actually, make that six.

With Cinderella already grossing over $300m in worldwide cinemas (and it's still got some time to go), Disney is pressing...

As Cinderella becomes Disney's latest live action box office hit, the studio is planning a new take on Mulan...

Right. If we're following this correctly, then Disney is currently working on live action takes on Beauty And The Beast, The Jungle Book, Dumbo (with Tim Burton apparently attached to direct) and a new Alice In Wonderland movie. Throw in the Cruella de Vil film too that's somewhere in development, and that's at least five live action movies it's got on the go, that have a grounding in one of its animated films.

Actually, make that six.

With Cinderella already grossing over $300m in worldwide cinemas (and it's still got some time to go), Disney is pressing ahead with a live action take on Mulan as well. Based around the film directed by Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft, the new take on Mulan has been penned by Elizabeth Martin and Laura Hynek.

It's art imitating life! Emily Blunt is the latest star to join the upcoming animated film Animal Crackers, according to Variety. The 32-year-old actress will be playing the wife of real-life husband John Krasinski. The cute couple will voice the parts of Zoe and John, a hubby and wife duo "whose family life is turned upside down when they inherit a rundown circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers, which magically changes the person who eats them into animals." Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft are set to co-direct the Australian-made movie. In addition to Blunt and Krasinski, the Animal Crackers cast already includes Sylvester Stallone, Ian McKellen and Danny DeVito. Animal...

The UK star joins the Blue Dream Studios animation as the voice of Zoe Huntington alongside husband John Krasinksi.

Animal Crackers will also feature the previously attached Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone and Ian McKellen.

Krasinksi will play Blunt’s on-screen husband Owen Huntington, who along with his wife inherits a ramshackle circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers biscuits that turns people who eat them into animals.

Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft co-direct and Sava co-wrote the script with Dean Lorey. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2016.

“When Emily and John came in and performed their first scenes of the movie together… it was magic,” said Sava.

“I can think of no other way of describing what they brought to the film. We had to literally go back and re-storyboard the sequences because they took us to places we never dreamed. Owen and Zoe came to life when Emily and John spoke”

Sava...

Blue Dream Studios confirmed today that Emily Blunt will join the animated feature film Animal Crackers.

She joins previously announced cast members John Krasinksi, Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone, and Sir Ian McKellen. Blunt and Krasinski will play Zoe and Owen Huntington, a couple who inherits a rundown circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers that magically turn anyone who eats them into an animal.

The production team of animation superstars includes co-directors Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft with Sava and Dean Lorey as co-writers, Character Designer Carter Goodrich, and Jamie Thomason as Voice and Casting Director.

“When Emily and John came in and performed their first scenes of the movie together… it was Magic,” comments Creator, Co-Director and Writer Scott Christian Sava “I can think of no other way of describing what they brought to the film. We had to literally go back and re-storyboard the sequences because...

Indie ‘toon Animal Crackers already boasts Ian McKellen and Sylvester Stallone for an unexpected team-up as part of its cast. Now co-directors Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft have announced that real-life married couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are also lending their voices.Animal Crackers follows a family, led by Blunt and Krasinski’s Zoe and Owen Huntington who inherit a ramshackle circus. When they partake of the titular biscuits, they find themselves transformed into animals and other characters, which we feel is a plotline that 1998’s Armageddon sorely missed out on.“When Emily and John came in and performed their first scenes of the movie together... It was magic,” Sava, who also co-wrote the script with Dean Lorey, tells Screen International. “I can think of no other way of describing what they brought to the film. We had to literally go back and re-storyboard the sequences because they...

On the heels of the magical success of Disney's live-action Cinderella, the studio is eyeing another live-action retelling: Mulan. Disney bought a script by writing team Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek that centers on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the female warrior who was the main character in Disney's 1998 animated film. Chris Bender and J.C. Spink (We're the Millers) are producing the new project vie their banner Benderspink with Jake Weiner. Read More From Cinderella to Elsa (and Back to Cinderella): The Evolution of Disney Princesses (Photos) The 1998 film, directed by Tony Bancroft and

read more...

They’ll be a bit of The Big Bang Theory and The Office overheard in the star studded Blue Dream Studios feature. Kaley Cuoco and John Krasinski have joined the voice cast of the Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft co-directed animated pic Animal Crackers, the studio announced today. Odin’s Eye Entertainment is representing international sales of the film in Berlin.

Partnering with China’s Beijing Wenhua Dongrun Investment Co. and China Film Co. Ltd. for financing, the Blue Studio produced pic follows a family who inherited an old circus and a mysterious box of animal crackers – yep, the ones you used to eat. Sava is producing along with George Lee and Marcus Englefield from Storyoscopic Films, Jamie Thomason, and Leiming Guan. Wenhua Dongrun’s Mu Yedong, China Film board chairman La Peikang, and Landmark Asia’s Sam Chi are EPing.

Cuoco and Krasinski are the latest addition to...

Sir Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone and Danny DeVito will lend their voices to Animal Crackers.

Patrick Warburton, Gilbert Gottfried, Raven-Symoné and Harvey Fierstein have also been added to the voice cast of the animated film, Blue Dream Studios has announced.

The movie will centre around a family that inherits a run-down circus and a box of old Animal Crackers.

They discover that the snacks can transform them into different animals.

James Arnold Taylor, Tara Strong and Lydia Taylor will also feature in the movie.

Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft will direct from a script Sava wrote with Dean Lorey.

"When I was writing Animal Crackers I had specific voices in my head," said Sava. "Certain characters I wrote with actors in mind.

"Horatio was always Sir Ian McKellen. Brock was totally Patrick Warburton. Bullet-Man could be no one else but Stallone. To find out that each and every one...