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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Upcoming Kid’s 3D Cartoon

CG-animated tales to live-action adventures, kids' movies in 2010 and beyond represent the greatest percentage of films getting the 3-D treatment. Let's take a look at what's coming down the pipeline in future months and years.

"Shrek Forever After" (May 21, 2010): The fourth and final film in the lovable green orge's franchise will be the first to go the 3-D route. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy are all back in a story that thrusts Shrek into an "It's a Wonderful Life"-style alternate universe. In a recent interview, director Mike Mitchell promised us both high-tension action scenes and emotional storytelling that make full use of the visual technology.

"Toy Story 3" (June 18, 2010): After the first two films in the series were re-released last year in 3-D, "Toy Story 3" will be the first to hit theaters as a first-run 3-D feature. Tom Hanks is back as Woody, the cowboy doll with an unbreakable bond to his owner. This is Pixar's second 3-D release following 2009's "Up," and director Lee Unkrich told MTV News that he credits the studio's forward-thinking strategy for putting Pixar at the forefront of the 3-D animated race.

"Despicable Me" (July 9, 2010): It'll be supervillain vs. supervillain in the first feature originating from Illumination Entertainment, a production company focused on animated films. Steve Carell and Jason Segel star. Writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul told MTV News that a roller-coaster scene in the film will take audiences on a wacky 3-D ride.

"Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" (July 30, 2010):
This live-action sequel to the 2001 original features real felines and canines as undercover superspys. This time around, the cats and dogs are forced to join forces against a rogue kitty cat intent on conquering the world.

"Legend of the Guardians" (September 24, 2010): Zack Snyder, the director of "300" and "Watchmen," goes fully CGI with this feature based on the children's book series "Guardians of Ga'Hoole," about an orphaned owl.

"Megamind" (November 5, 2010):
DreamWorks' third 3-D animated feature of the year after "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Shrek," this flick features an all-star voice cast including Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill in a story about a supervillain's existential crisis.
"Tangled" (November 12, 2010): Disney reworks the fairy tale of Rapunzel with Mandy Moore in the title role. Co-directors Bryon Howard and Nathan Greno's credits include "Bolt," "Chicken Little" and "Mulan."

"Yogi Bear" (December 17, 2010): This classic '60-era cartoon gets a new-millennium makeover courtesy of Warner Bros. Dan Aykroyd is the man tasked with channeling the unforgettable voice of picnic-basket-stealing Yogi, who lives in Jellystone Park with his sidekick Boo-Boo (Justin Timberlake).

"Gulliver's Travels" (December 22, 2010): Jack Black steps into the title role of this latest adaptation of Jonathan Swift's 18th-century satire. Shot as a 2-D film, Fox recently announced that the adventure story will be converted to 3-D.

"Gnomeo and Juliet" (February 11, 2011): Garden gnomes meet Shakespeare ... in 3-D. James McAvoy and Emily Blunt are set to voice the reworked versions of the world's most famous star-crossed lovers.

"Mars Needs Moms!" (March 11, 2011): What happens when aliens kidnap your mom? You set off on an adventure to rescue her. The live-action Disney film stars Seth Green and Joan Cusack.

"Rio" (April 8, 2011): Blue Sky Studios, the animation house behind the "Ice Age" franchise, is spearheading this tale of a rare bird in a zoo who absconds to South America to find his soul mate. Voice actors include Anne Hathaway and Neil Patrick Harris.

"Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom" (June 3, 2011): In 2008, the original animated tale about a martial-arts-obsessed panda reeled in $632 million at the worldwide box office. The sequel comes kicking at you in 3-D with Jack Black once again as Po. Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman and Seth Rogen also return.

"Cars 2" (June 24, 2011): Pixar's original automotive escapade grossed $462 million worldwide and billions more in merchandise sales. Now it's only the second of Pixar's films to be granted a sequel. "Ratatouille" producer Brad Lewis is taking over directing duties, and Owen Wilson returns as Lightning McQueen.

"The Smurfs" (August 3, 2011): Best known to American audiences from the '80s cartoon series, the lovable blue Smurfs are getting a 3-D, CG overhaul. The voice cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry and Hank Azaria.

"Puss in Boots" (November 4, 2011): While the "Shrek" series will have ended, this swashbuckling kitty from the stories will live on in a DreamWorks prequel to the green-ogre franchise. Antonio Banderas revisits the role, with a new crew including Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis.

"Arthur Christmas" (November 11, 2011): The writer behind "Borat," Peter Baynham, spins a yarn about how Santa manages to deliver presents around the world in just one night. Co-director Barry Cook got his start as an effects animator on 1982's "Tron" and became the visual-effects supervisor on "Aladdin" and "Beauty and the Beast."

"Happy Feet 2 in 3D" (November 18, 2011): "Mad Max" creator George Miller is headed back to the icy world of toe-tapping penguins in this sequel to the 2006 original. Expect another all-star cast, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Elijah Wood.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D" (December 16, 2011): The first two films in this live-action/CG-animated hybrid have grossed almost three-quarters of a billion dollars. Cue the third 'munk saga this time in three dimensions.

"Frankenweenie": Tim Burton has long had plans to turn his 1984 short, about a boy who brings his dead dog back to life, into a feature film. Now it's going to happen — with the added bonus of a third dimension. An exact release date has not been announced, but it's expected to arrive in late 2011.

"The Bear and the Bow": Set in a mythical Scottish kingdom and starring Reese Witherspoon, this Pixar film should be the studio's second film of 2011 after "Cars 2," opening in theaters around Christmastime.

"Hotel Transylvania" (February 17, 2012): Long in development, the animated comedy will finally arrive in early '12, bringing together Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dracula and Werewolf in a hotel outside Transylvania.

"Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" (March 2, 2012): Co-directors Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, who co-wrote "Horton Hears a Who!," told MTV News they're sticking to Dr. Seuss' iconic aesthetic as they deliver the first 3-D-ified adaptation of the author's work.

"The Croods" (March 30, 2012): Nicolas Cage and Ryan Reynolds have joined together for this animated comedy about cavemen. The co-director of "How to Train Your Dragon," Chris Sanders, will be sharing directing on "Croods" with Kirk De Micco, the director of "Space Chimps."

"Madagascar 3" (May 18, 2012): The first flick in this series about the journey of a zebra, a lion, a giraffe and a hippo sold $533 million in tickets. The sequel bested that sum by over $70 million. Film number three is said to take the chattering animals to Europe as part of a circus.

"Newt": Pixar's 2012 plans include a story about two blue-footed newts living in a university bio lab. Director Gary Rydstrom has won seven Oscars for his sound-effects work and made his Pixar debut with the alien-abduction short "Lifted," which ran in front of "Ratatouille" in 2007. It should hit theaters in the summer of 2012.

"The Guardians" (November 2, 2012): Leonardo DiCaprio makes his animated feature-film debut in this fairy tale in which Jack Frost, Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman join forces to fight evil.

"Popeye": This spinach-eating muscle man started as a cartoon-strip character in 1929 and has since seen many iterations, including a 1980 live-action movie starring Robin Williams. Sony recently announced its intention to revamp "Popeye" for a 3-D animated feature film, though no release date has been announced.

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