The most flexible prom dresses ever to be designed

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Rainbow Brite, Smurfs and Other Cartoon Characters Take Over Facebook

NEW YORK (CBS) Popular characters from the animated world are invading Facebook.

Like the last celebrity doppelganger craze, members of the massive social networking site are replacing their profile pictures with images from their favorite childhood cartoons.

Change your profile picture to your favorite cartoon from when you were a kid," it says on the note that is being passed around between friends. "The goal of this game is not to see a human picture on Facebook, but an invasion of childhood memories . PLAY AND PASS ALONG!

Based on trending Google searches , the new practice is picking up ground. Popular search terms include "cartoon characters from the 80s," "Rainbow Brite," "Smurfs," "Ren and Stimpy," "Rugrats, " and "Doug".

According to the note, the new Facebook meme has a charitable purpose.From now until December 7, change your profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood. The objective of this is not to see any human faces on Facebook but an invasion of memories for the fight against Violence to Children. Remember we were kids too.

Annoying Orange to star in Cartoon Network series

Cartoon Network announced Thursday that it's bringing The Annoying Orange, an Internet hit, to its 2012 lineup as a half-hour series.

The Annoying Orange, in which a nasal-voiced, mouthy orange pesters an apple and other objects with puns and jokes, has drawn more than 850 million views on YouTube, according to Cartoon Network.

The TV series will follow Orange and his produce buddies as they travel through time in a magical fruit car, finding adventures along the way, the network said.

A debut date was not announced.The above  image released by Cartoon Network, a scene is shown from the web series, "The Annoying Orange." The popular Internet hit is coming to TV as a Cartoon Network series.

Coloring cartoon is a wise act for kid

  

Children love Cartoon characters and they love to watch cartoons. Animated cartoon varies from movie to movie. Some kids like drawing cartoons then coloring them. Some kids are very much fond of cartoon posters. These posters show the imagination power of kids. Cartoon color pages could be a gift in child birthday. There are many cartoon coloring books in stores, but some kids watch action oriented cartoons like power ranger, captain planet, and pokemon. Some kids like funny cartoon movies like tail spin or duck tales. Carton coloring sheet could be downloaded to print out. For a young boy spiderman coloring pages will be ideal. For girls like Barbie, Cinderella or winx club coloring pages. These cartoon coloring pages may bring a huge smile on your kids face. 

For preschool teacher, Scooby doo coloring pages, precious moment’s pages or Disney coloring pages would be ideal. If you want to learn their favorite cartoon. Just ask. Cat coloring pages will be ideal for boys and girls. Some cartoons are not just for kids. There are some political coloring pages that often showed real politicians or other famous people. One way to make these characters easy to recognize was to make some of their features bigger or smaller. So, if a politician had a round nose and a big chin, then the artist would make the nose rounder and the chin bigger. There are many modern cartoon artists who do “portrait cartoons” or “caricatures”.

Villa Vacation in Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio is the country's well-known national park. It can be described as one equal half of the beachfront and other equal parts of the rainforest, and that’s the reason why people choose a Manuel Antonio Villa for their trip to this gorgeous country.

Costa Rica Villa is the most popular formats in terms of accommodation and supple style. Vacation renters offers you large and opulent homes that sit straight on the beaches, come with private bungalows or beach front services, and which give you everything from daily housekeeping to a private chef. You can also find the right differing situation and find a cozy villa situated up in the hills with a breathtaking view of the sea and yet the calm of the forest at night. There are also a small private house or villas that are maintained by locals who live in the building too.

This is particularly right when heading to some place as amazing as Manuel Antonio. This is the kind of place where you might enjoy a tour of the "canopy" in order to spot rare birds and rainforest mortals. You could also head down to shady riverfront locations put into the forests as well and see the various kinds of mangrove trees and the many unusual plants and animals that live in this environment too. You can also find some accommodations that give you direct right of entry to the incredibly beautiful land and waters of the Manuel Antonio park as well. The primary thing to keep in mind about any Costa Rica vacation is the easy fact that it is one of the supplest and diverse chances available and it all begins with choosing your perfect villa for your getaway.

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Cartoon Festival to Open in July

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that the 15th Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF2011), Asia's largest particular cartoon festival, will be held at COEX in Samseong-dong, CGV Myeong-dong Station, and the Seoul Animation Center for five days from July 20.

The event splits into four categories, counting an exhibition of cartoons and animations, an international animated film festival, a digital cartoon competition and the Seoul Promotion Plan (SPP), a kind of industry fair.
The animation competition, which is aimed at finding out talented cartoonists as well as energizing the Korean digital cartoon market, will feature a series of exhibitions, including one dedicated to the work of Won Su-yeon. There will also be a particular exhibition of Korean digital cartoons, a 3-D video show and a display of award-winning works.

The nation's largest cartoon fair will take place at the COEX Conference Center from July 20 to 22.

Vintage cartoons to be exposed on the big screen at the County Theatre in Doylestown

Bucks County resident Lou DiCrescenzo, local film historian and film preservationist, will present a collection of rare, vintage cartoons at the County and Ambler Theaters. The occasion will take place at the County Theater on Wednesday, June 15 and the Ambler Theater on Thursday, June 23. Both shows will start at 7 p.m.

The program will feature a variety of cartoon classics diversity in age from 1936 to 1960. Cartoon icons such as The Pink Panther, Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner, Yosemite Sam will once again be seen on the silver screen. In addition, these comic gems all predate “computer animation” and are an outstanding instance of customary, hand drawn animation. All cartoon shorts will be shown on 35mm film. They are in immaculate condition.

The evening will comprise a mix of zany antics with characters being crushed by huge boulders or going over the rim of a precipice. For those with more complicated tastes there will be selections such as The Cat Concerto, Rabbit Romeo and War and Pieces.

Many of these 35mm films are the only obtainable copies and can’t be seen anywhere else. The program promises to be an entertaining evening for both young and old alike and will run approximately 2 hours.

Lou DiCrescenzo, a resident of Langhorne and a associate of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, will be on hand at both theaters to impart stories and tales about his treasures of animated film. He has been collecting out of print 35mm films and equipment for over thirty years and has many of his finds in museum collections.

The County Theater and the Ambler Theater are community possessed organizations which present a full program of art and independent films daily. ”Classic Cartoons from the Vaults of Lou D” is part of the Theaters Hollywood Summer Nights Series. The series runs through August 2011.

General admission to the County and Ambler Theaters is $9.75. Admission for seniors and students at both theaters is $7.25. Brochures of all programs are obtainable at the theaters.

‘The Lion of Judah’ is a plain cartoon | 1 star

 
A faith-based cartoon aimed at the very youngest Sunday school students, “The Lion of Judah” is the story of Easter as observer by farm animals.

There’s assure in the idea that farm animals might band together to put sideways a spunky lamb (voiced by Georgina Cordova) who doesn’t understand he’s about to become a give up. Landing Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine as the voice of a heroic rat and Michael Madsen (an “unclean” raven) counts as a coup.

But the script is drab and nearly grave. It’s as if the writers never saw a secular cartoon and couldn’t find anything funny to do with a cowardly horse, an irked human-hating donkey and a lamb who calls himself “The Lion of Judah.” The 2-D and 3-D animation tends toward the unrefined — in the clunky style of direct-to-video fare. What, the VeggieTales folks weren’t available for a discussion?

No sooner have the animals met Judah than a human has quick him and sent him off to Jerusalem. The other critters suck up the bravery to go after him. Along the way, they hear of a new “King” among the humans, a king born in their steady years before. He is the only person who can set the lamb free, they consider.

The dialogue is banal, the jokes weak and the sight gags, like all else animated here, leave a lot to be desired. The meek may come into the Earth, but they won’t do well at the cinema complex if they can’t do better than this.

The Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art Fest 2011

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art -- MoCCA is pleased to announce that PETER KUPER has designed the image for the 2011 MoCCA Festival poster and t-shirt in honor of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art -- MoCCA's 10th anniversary. PETER KUPER is the co-founder of World War 3 Illustrated. His illustrations and comics have appeared in magazines running the gamut from Time to MAD.He has published over twenty books including an adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. His latest book is Diario de Oaxaca a journal of two years he spent living in Mexico.

Special guests at MoCCA Fest 2011 include Johnnie Arnold, Peter Bagge, Nick Bertozzi, Ken Dahl, Jules Feiffer, Pascal Girard,Tom Hart, Dean Haspiel, Ben Katchor, Chip Kidd, Michael Kupperman, Robert Mankoff, Joe Ollmann, Bill Plympton, Alex Robinson, R. Sikoryak, Eric Skillman, Ted Stearn, Adrian Tomine, Gahan Wilson, Julia Wertz, Sarah Glidden, Jessica Abel, Lisa Hanawalt, Leslie Stein, Domitille Collardey, Meredith Gran, and Kate Beaton.

Featured exhibitors include Abrams Books, Danish Consulate, Drawn & Quarterly, Evil Twin Comics, Fantagraphics, First Second Books, Kirby Museum, Mammal Magazine, NBM, New York University, Pantheon Books, Papercutz, Parsons Illustration, Picturebox, Random House Publishing Group, Royal Norwegian Consulate General, Sparkplug Comic Books, School of Visual Arts, The Center for Cartoon Studies, The Daily Show, Top Shelf Productions, Will Eisner Studios, World War 3, and Zip Comics
The 2011 Klein Award will be given to Al Jaffee by Peter Kuper!!
The MoCCA Festival will take place over April 9-10, 2011 at the Lexington Avenue Armory located at 68 Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets. The annual two-day event attracts thousands of comic art lovers and creators from around the globe to celebrate the world’s most popular art form in the heart of New York City.

Since 2002 the MoCCA Festival offers a unique venue to experience comics, mini-comics, web comics, graphic novels, animation, posters, prints, original artwork and more. Each year, the Festival invites dozens of established and emerging creators, scholars, and other experts to participate in two days of lecture/discussion panels on a variety of comics and cartoon topics. For 2011, the panels and programs are being organized by Brian Heater (The Daily Crosshatch)

Big visuals, big adventure put kick in 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

When you're the take on son of a noodle-making goose, you've got to wonder where you come from. That question takes DreamWorks' kung fu-loving panda, Po, on a new escapade in "Kung Fu Panda 2." It's the starting point for a slick 3D sequel packed with dramatic visuals, great slapstick humor and the return of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie.

Po's quest for individuality and his mission to destroy Lord Shen, a megalomaniac peacock out to rule China work jointly well and propel this tale along at a pleasant clip. The film's dramatic opening, which includes cut-out shadow puppet and 2D flashbacks to Po's childhood, sets the stage for many arresting visuals to come in this animated treat.
From fog-laced trees rank in secluded glens to the individual hairs in Po's fur, "Kung Fu Panda 2" comes alive with hard to consider realism thanks to its vibrant use of CGI colour and 3D technology. The movie's chases and martial arts showdowns are also a hoot.

One of the film's funniest scenes comes when Po and his warrior buddies disguise themselves in a dragon puppet to bypass Lord Shen's soldiers. One by one the racing puppet ingests the guards and poops them out the back end. Here and somewhere else, Po's klutzy, likeable personality shines through thanks to Black's playful voice work.

Yet Gary Oldman comes close to theft Black's thunder. As the voice of Lord Shen, Oldman's villain is so scrumptiously insane and vain that it rates right up there with Hollywood's all-time best bad guys. This sequel's only flaw is that it gives very few lines to its heavyweight costars like Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and others.

Frankly, moviegoers will hardly even notice they're there. Audiences, however, will likely forgive DreamWorks this one mistake.

In "Kung Fu Panda 2" these animation maestros have created a warm, funny, action-packed crowd-pleaser that's no matter which but an assembly line franchise entry. Cute, cuddly Po doesn't merely save the day here. He finds out who is really is. That's always a victory.

All of us need to reward ourselves over a time for the stress toll taken both physically and mentally by us. One of the best ways to chill out is to take a vacation and here are some amazing worldwide vacation rentals you can consider booking for your vacations.

Flintstones set for yabba-dabba-do-over

 
Cartoon classic The Flintstones is set to return in a new account planned by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, Fox Television has long-established.

The new series, likely to air in 2013, will give a "21st Century spin" to the 1960s Hanna-Barbera lively series.
The popular show followed the fortunes of Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma and their neighbors Barney and Betty.

"The very first cartoon character I drew at age two was Fred Flintstone," said MacFarlane said in a statement.

"So it's suitable that events have come full circle, allowing me to create the newest incarnation of this great permit."

According to Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly, it is hoped the new series - to begin production later this year - will bring in the prehistoric characters to a "whole new generation."

"Fox has long been home to iconic families like the Simpsons and the Griffins, so I have no doubt that the Flintstones and the Rubbles are going to fit right in," he said.

MacFarlane, 37, is best known for Family Guy, which centre’s on the dysfunctional family of awkward patriarch Peter Griffin.

The Flintstones first came into view on US television in the 1960s, going on to inspire three Hollywood films.
The new show will be a co-production between 20th Century Fox Television and Warners Bros Television, owners of the Hanna-Barbera stable of animated possessions.

Other new programmes proclaimed by Fox this week include Touch, a drama about a father-to-be played by Keifer Sutherland of 24 fame - with special mental abilities.

The network has also plans to make a cartoon version of cult comedy Napoleon Dynamite and a show about ghosts on Alcatraz - the brainchild of Lost and Alias creator JJ Abrams.

Roger Hargreaves' 76th birthday – Google Doodle

Google has put up at least 16 diverse doodles on its home page to rejoice the 76th birth anniversary of English author and illustrator Charles Roger Hargreaves. Hargreaves is best known for his series of Mr Men and Little Miss books for children.

Born on May 9, 1935, in Cleckheaton, England, Hargreaves worked in his father's dry onslaught business, then moved to the world of advertising and lastly came back to his original goal, cartooning. In 1971, he wrote his first Mr. Men book, Mr Tickle, which was a runaway victory and later led to the animated series Mr. Men Show, on BBC. A decade later, the Little Miss series of books began to come into view. His books have sold millions of copies around the world and have been translated into many languages. Hargreaves died of a stroke on September 11, 1988.

While Google has recently been doing a number of animated doodles, the last few have been static descriptions. The different Roger Hargreaves doodles that appear on every enliven of the Google home page feature popular Mr. Men and Little Miss characters including:

Little Miss Magic, Little Miss Tiny, Little Miss Naughty, Little Miss Shy, Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Chatterbox, Little Miss Curious, Mr. Messy, Mr. Rush, Mr. Happy, Mr. Dizzy, Mr. Forgetful, Mr. Tickle, Mr. Bump, Mr. Slow and Mr. Funny.

For a dozen years, Google has been infrequently swapping its everyday logo for a doodle. The Google doodles, an artistic take on the Google logo, have gained huge popularity over the past few years and the Google doodle team has put out remembrance doodles on numerous events of international or national significance, ranging from news events, civic milestones, birthdays, death anniversaries and important dates in history. Google estimates it has created more than 900 doodles since 1998, with 270 of them running in 2010. Some appear globally, and others are tailored for local markets.

On May 8, Google celebrated Mother's Day with a greeting-card-like doodle on its home page.

My Dog Tulip – review

Beware of the dog: this ain't no Marley and Me. Nor, in spite of the cartoon pooches, is it a top ticket for canine-mad kids. Paul and Sandra Fierlinger's version of the JR Ackerley memoir about the redemptive powers of a rescue Alsatian called Queenie (renamed for the film) is a good fit for those who like their New Yorker funnies, and like them good and sour. Christopher Plummer does a nice job voicing our misanthropic yet smitten narrator, and there's irrefutable beauty to the understated animation (hand-drawn plates, in a variety of sketchiness). But such a graphic and unrelenting interest in the contents of Tulip's tum, and in Ackerley's attempts to pimp her out ("The application of a little Vaseline to the bitch...") smacks first of obfuscation, then of extreme anxiety.

Warner Releases “Young Justice Season 1″ on DVD July 19th

The newest Warner Bros. Animation–produced hit series on Cartoon Network finally turns up on DVD as Warner Home Video (WHV) let loose its secret weapon with Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1.

These DC Universe teenage super heroes have quickly proven to be a hit as the preferred show among boys 9-14. With non-stop action, Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 comes to DVD for the first time on July 19, 2011.

In Young Justice, being a teenager income proving physically over and over — to peers, parents, teachers, advisers and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of way? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice association? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice — Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis — will find out: whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero.

These teenage heroes together become the Justice League’s secret weapon against the forces of evil. The young protégés must put their super hero education to the test and band together to covertly fight the evildoers that exist on Earth-16. Utilizing The Cave as their home base, the teen heroes will take on under-the-radar missions that would be impossible for the league’s famous and particular elders to grip clandestinely.

“We are thrilled to bring the latest and youngest members of the DC Universe to houses with the release of Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director of Family and Animation Marketing. “As a brand new series, Young Justice is by now a favorite and will carry on exciting fans with its group of crime-fighting teenage super heroes.”

Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 is executive produced by Sam Register and produced by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. The voice cast includes Jesse McCartney as Robin, Khary Payton as Aqualad, Jason Spisak as Kid Flash, Nolan North as Superboy, Danica McKellar as Miss Martian, Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis and Bruce Greenwood as Batman.

New 'Looney Tunes' entered to longer tales

In the old "Looney Tunes" cartoons of the 1940s and '50s, Bugs often was seen itinerant outside. In this new show, Bugs and Daffy are roommates in what appears to be a housing house.

In Tuesday's opening, they go on a TV game show, "Besties," to see how well they be acquainted with one more, competing against a pair of jovial gophers. In another episode, Bugs goes on a date with a female bunny voiced by "Saturday Night Live" mainstay Kristen Wiig.

Different past "Looney Tunes" shorts, the new episodes tell a single story -- with a "Merrie Melodies" intermission that plays like a music video -- over a half-hour.

"We knew we had to tell bigger stories and longer stories to get more characters involved," said Warner Bros. executive vice president of animation Sam Register at a press conference on the Warner Bros. lot last July. "We also wanted to make the characters look a little bit diverse and try something a little bit new since the world was going to be new."

Jessica Borutski, who re-designed the font for "The Looney Tunes Show," said she was initially wary of Warner Bros. intentions.

"I was worried that they might want to revamp them, maybe looking really cool in cool kid clothes or amazing," she said, acknowledging she was relieved when that proved not to be the case. "I took elements of the character designs all through all of the ages of 'Looney Tunes,' things from different directors that I really, really liked. ... I made their heads a bit better because I didn't like that near the end [of the original era] in the '60s, '70s, Bugs Bunny's head in progress to get really small and his body really long, and he started to look like a weird guy in a bunny suit."

Mr. Register said the need to update the characters came out of a desire to make them plea to children today.

"As the studio, we have a lot of asset in making these characters stay relevant," he said. "The interest is waning, and I think we want to share all of the great new stuff and with any luck bring in interest in the classic as well."

He described "The Looney Tunes Show" as the studio's greatest confront in recent memory with many re-takes when the dialogue and visual elements don't turn out funny sufficient on the first attempt.

"We spend, I think, one-third of our time on 'Looney Tunes' arguing about the past," he said. "When you are doing a unique show, you just move forward. And on 'The Looney Tunes Show,' they were so huge that we spend a lot of time just thinking about how to make them as good as they were at one time and being reverential to them while still trying to do something “

International animation festival opens in east China

The Seventh International Animation and Cartoon Festival opened Thursday evening in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang region.

The six-day festival for animaters and fans cosponsored by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and Zhejiang's provincial government, aims to allow cooperation, competition and development flanked by cartoon organizations from home and abroad.

A number of activities, such as a peak forum, an animation exhibition, and an animation contest, will take place throughout the event.

As well, an sale of cartoons by famous Chinese cartoonists will occur as part of the festival.

Animation companies and organizations from 54 countries and areas will attend the festival, as will the world's animation giant, Disney.

The International Animation and Cartoon Festival have been held annually in Hangzhou City since 2005.

Between 2005 to 2010, the event has paying attention more than 1,400 companies and organizations from 47 countries and regions, and has recorded a business transaction volume of 33.6 billion yuan (about 5.17 billion U.S. dollars).

New Children's TV Show - The Bosco and Zoe Show

Bosco and Zoe are rapidly moving from the toy fair to the TV: Pacific Dragon Holdings, Inc. has recently acquired the rights to the animated characters, and is raising a children’s show in both English and Spanish.

Pacific Dragon Holdings will enter into a joint undertaking with Brothers Victory Cartoon Animation Fabrication Co., Ltd., the company that shaped the characters, to manage global licensing for the show. There are at present 130 completed episodes of “The Bosco and Zoe Show,” with 40 more in production.

The company plans to air the show for two years, at which time they will begin work on a film. Jeff Myers, president of Pacific Dragon Holdings, said he is already writing an draw round for the script.

The complicated animation has been done by four studios in the Huai’an City area, part of mainland China. Myers is in talks with larger animation houses about working together on the Bosco and Zoe project.

“Bosco and Zoe are intended to become main characters in the preschool market,” Myers said. “The sweet, innocent wisdom that each of these characters possess is amazing that is not very often seen.”

Myers first met the characters while at the International Hong Kong Toy Fair in January 2011, where he found a small booth that was displaying a poster of a character called Alafa. The company representative’s organization the booth explained that Alafa was accepted in one province in China, and they wanted to bring in the show to the Western market.

Myers was conspiracy, and in February began meeting with Brothers Victory Cartoon Animation Fabrication Company. Despite significant language barriers, the two companies agreed on a agreement. Pacific Dragon Holdings obtained the North American, South American and Japanese rights to the character. The company had the rights to re-name the characters, redub the show and produce new western version of the television show.

“It all started with a casual fleeting look, a change meeting in a foreign country and two foreign groups coming together in agreement, creating a new international joint venture,” he said. So get ready to welcome this wonderful new children’s animation, “The Bosco and Zoe Show” as it gains contact worldwide.

Sumo Mouse, Today (Apr 21)

This Japanese-flavored rich animation is made by a Victorian production company and this first episode is penned by Melbourne-based comedian Tania Lacy. Yet the characters speak with American accents - except for the baddies, who are upper-class English.

Puzzling ethnic origins aside, it's a colourful, comic-book cartoon with brave little being that appear to be half-mouse/half-raver fighting the good fight against the leading species, smarmy little beings that appear to be half-cat/half-raver. Our unlikely sumo-wrestling hero makes his debut by harnessing the power within an ancient wrestler's top-knot in his quest to save his uncle and beat the evil top cat/raver figure. Nice bloodless violence.ut the genuineness of the ''sex addict'' diagnosis.

Bugs and Daffy Go Back in "The Looney Tunes Show"

The Looney Tunes Show openings Tuesday, May 3, at 8 p.m. (ET, PT) on Cartoon Network
Animation's most much-loved characters are back in an all-new series, The Looney Tunes Show, premiering Tuesday, May 3, at 8 p.m. (ET, PT) on Cartoon Network. Bugs and Daffy haven't changed - but their living state of relationships has. Bugs are as brazen, ironic and ahead-of-the-game as ever, and Daffy, despite his vain, sociopathic and suspicious tendencies, is Bugs' best friend and seemingly enduring houseguest. No longer restricted to seven-minute shorts, their larger-than-life character (and egos) offer a rude, comical take on our modern world and introduce a whole new realm of potential. Now Bugs and Daffy can wreak as much havoc at the grocery store or the DMV as they once did in the forest.

The premiere episode, "Best Friends," sets the scene for this improbable pair's lively. Daffy make a decisions the duo can make a quick buck by going on the game show "Besties," where best friends answer questions about one another. However, it becomes fairly clear that self-absorbed Daffy knows absolutely nothing about Bugs. Daffy wants to make it up to him with a wonderful cruise, but cannot even do that right.
Throughout the series, familiar faces from the Looney Tunes cosmos join Bugs and Daffy. Rounding out the cast are the everlastingly hopeful Porky Pig, the quick and quick-witted Speedy Gonzales, the insane but lovable Lola, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, Pepe Le Pew, Tweety, Sylvester, Granny, the Witch, Gossamer, Tosh and Mac Gopher, and the newest nature of the bunch, Daffy's no-nonsense girlfriend, Tina.

The series also skin Merrie Melodies - animated music videos of original songs spotlight everyone from Elmer Fudd to Pepe Le Pew, plus all-new adventures with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote in dramatic CG. All this jointly in one half-hour comedy, The Looney Tunes Show deliver fresh, sophisticated humor, heartwarming instants and something Looney for everyone.

The Looney Tunes Show will join fellow cartoon icons from the hit animated series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated on Tuesday nights. Scooby and the gang are back solving mysteries in the spooky town of Crystal Cove - including the overarching mystery of Mister E. and their Mystery Incorporated predecessors - when season two of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated premieres on Tuesday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. (ET, PT).

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Punky, a cartoon brave woman for the Saorview age

Punky, a new series shaped by Irish animation company Monster

Meet Punky. She has Down syndrome, and she’s the eponymous star of a new animated series that will be broadcast weekdays on RTÉjr from May 3rd. The producers, Monster Animation & Design, say Punky - on the edge of becoming the latest success story for Irish animation – is the first ever animated TV series where the lead character has Down syndrome.

The nature of Punky, created by the writer Lindsay Jane Sedgwick, is voiced by Aimee Richardson, who herself has Down syndrome and Down Syndrome Ireland reviewed fabric during manufacture of the series. “It’s on the whole a look at everyday life from Punky’s perspective. It’s her daily custom,” says Monster’s Gerard O’Rourke. “She lives in the moment.”

Monster, which has a track record in lively kids’ TV shows through Ballybraddan and Fluffy Gardens, was move toward to produce the series by the Irish Film Board, which had granted development money to Sedgwick. RTÉ was keen on the project and custom-built it, while Monster also secured licence fee funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound & Vision Fund.

After several phases of development, it was decided that Punky would be aimed at the discerning preschool audience. The 20 episodes, each seven minutes long, will be broadcast twice a day on the RTÉjr programming block of RTÉ 2, before finding another home later in the summer on the dedicated RTÉjr channel on Saorview, RTÉ’s free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) service.

“To have a dedicated children’s channel is an amazing thing,” says O’Rourke, as RTÉ 2 pushes RTÉjr off the air whenever the Olympics or the European Championships or the World Cup is on – “anything that is more important than children’s programmes basically and the children’s programmes get bumped.”

RTÉ 2 also attempts the tricky task of catering for kids ranging in age from two to 15, which means that during school holidays, the preschool programmes often give way. The RTÉjr Saorview channel will mean there is a home purely for younger kids’ programming, while the older kids’ shows (styled TRTÉ) remain on RTÉ 2.

Much of this optimism depends, however, on the frequency with which RTÉjr chooses to repeat programming blocks. Early reports about the channel suggested it would run the kids’ shows on a tight loop rather than making a major extension to its schedule of new programming. But if the broadcaster does find the resources to avoid a parent-torturing level of repeats, it will find a home animation industry with the talent to produce low-cost original content – content that can become cultural exports via industry sales events like Mipcom Junior at Cannes and New York’s Kidscreen Summit.

Punky is described as a happy girl who loves music, dancing, playing with her big brother, Con, and jumping around with her dog, Rufus. She enjoys helping around the house and trying to make Cranky, her grandmother, a little less cranky.

“We don’t overly emphasise that she has Down syndrome. She tells you at the start of each episode that she has it and as she’s voiced by Aimee, she sounds like she has Down syndrome,” O’Rourke says. Her family sometimes has to stop everything and pull together to help her cope with unanticipated disruptions to her daily routine. “But she gets things done as well,” he explains.

Though the series deals with themes of difference, diversity and the problem-solving issues specific to people with Down syndrome, O’Rourke says he hopes Punky doesn’t “get pigeonholed” as an educational programme. “We hope that it will be as mainstream as Peppa Pig or Dora.”

'Hop' still tops at box office, 'Arthur' staggers

Moviegoers would rather hear Russell Brand than see him.

The hasty English comic claimed the top two spots at the North American box office -- as the voice in the live-action/animated family film "Hop," which led the field for a second weekend, and as the star of the "Arthur" remake, which opened poorly at No. 2, according to studio approximate issued on Sunday.

"Hop" earned USD 21.7 million during the three days beginning Friday, taking its 10-day total to $68.2 million. The Easter-themed family picture was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the animation firm behind last year's hit "Appalling Me."

"Arthur," in whom Brand takes over the title role created by Dudley Moore 30 years ago, earned just USD 12.6 million during its first three days.

The film's distributor, Warner Bros., said it had hoped for an opening in the mid-teen millions. The film cost in the mid-USD 60 million ranges to make.

Three other films enter theaters on Friday. "Hanna," an action movie starring 16-year-old Saoirse Ronan as an killer, was No. 3 with USD 12.3 million; "Soul Surfer," the true-life story of a young girl who lost her arm to a shark, followed with USD 11.1 million; and "Your Highness," a medieval comedy starring newly minted Oscar winner Natalie Portman, bombed at No. 6 with just $9.5 million.

"Hop" and "Your Highness" were released by Universal Pictures, and "Hanna" by Focus Features. Both are units of NBC Universal, which is forbidden by Comcast Corp.

Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

"Soul Surfer" was released by TriStar Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.

‘ThunderCats’ Wondercon Trailer Hits the Web, New Plot Details Exposed

The WB disclose the first footage for its future ThunderCats TV series revival, which is set to air this summer.

The weekend’s WonderCon fan meeting in San Francisco, Calif. brought attendees — among many other things — their first look at the future ThunderCats TV series revitalization, which is coming to Cartoon Network this summer from Warner Bros. Animation. Luckily for those of us who couldn’t make the hike out west, WB has been kind sufficient to post that entrance footage online.

It was first revealed during a weekend panel characteristic producers Michael Jelenic (Batman: The Brave and the Bold) and Ethan Spaulding (Avatar: The Last Airbender), art director Dan Norton and Larry Kenney, the voice of the original Lion-O as well as the same character’s father in the upcoming series. In addition to the recording, the panel also brought some information on the story’s basic layout.

There are 26 episodes of the show ready to go now, but the creators have twice that number intended should it be well-received. The trailer, which you can check out below or on The WB’s website feels like an equivalent mix of old and new. The character designs look mainly faithful, albeit with a Japanese anime taste, but there are mechs and missiles and lasers that give everything more of a sci-fi feel.

Schwarzenegger says owe success to U.S. and people's feel

To hear Arnold Schwarzenegger explain the improbable course of his life as an actor and politician, achievement boils down to two factors: living in the United States and being a man of the people.

The Austrian-born Schwarzenegger, who came to the United States at the age of 21, started his career as a expert bodybuilder before graduating to Hollywood and starring in runaway success like "Terminator 2" and "True Lies."

After winning a vote to the governorship of California and serving a seven-year term -- where he earned the nickname "The Gubernator" -- he is back on the activity circuit promoting an animated series of the same name about the adventures of a comic book alter ego.

Always a showman, he had assured to return to show business, but had kept his next move under wraps.

"That's what I wanted to do: shock people and amuse the world," he told Reuters television in an interview.

"Am I going to be an action guy in front of the camera and making all kinds of action? Or is it going to be something else? No-one knew ... This is going to be a big surprise."

Even so, the transition from politics back to activity would not be difficult for Schwarzenegger, who said the two worlds were close cousins, based on an intelligence of people.

"In both cases you have to form a very good partnership with the people," he said. "In politics you are working for the people... The same is true for activity... You've got to be in touch with what it is your audience wants."

Asked how he had attained so much, Schwarzenegger gave all the credit to his adoptive country. "I call it an American success story because I don't think that anywhere in the world would I have been able to do what I did in my life if it wouldn't have been for America."

Japan disaster flashes Simpsons nuclear disaster ban

Broadcasters in Germany, Australia and Switzerland have strong-willed to ban or censor episodes of The Simpsons that poke fun at nuclear tragedy in light of Japan's atomic crisis.

"We are examination all the episodes and we won't show any suspect ones, but we won't cut any scenes," Stella Rodger, a spokesman for German private broadcaster Pro7, said. "We haven't late any yet."

Austria's ORF network has so far banned a total of eight episodes, counting one that features scientists Marie and Pierre Curie dying of emission fatal. Switzerland's SF network has done the same.

The nuclear plant in the Simpsons' hometown of Springfield is a key element in the long-running satirical cartoon, with the hapless Homer in charge of safety despite a slapdash comes near evident from the opening credits beyond.

Previous episodes have shown nuclear waste deserted in a children's playground, plutonium used as a paperweight, cracked cooling towers, glowing rats and three-eyed mutant fish, as well as near-meltdowns.

"Of course we can't totally change the entire content," Ms Rodger acknowledged.

Cartoon Network declares 'DC Nation' Programming For 2012 Season

Television will be getting an additional dosage of the DC Universe next year, thanks to Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation.

During today's Cartoon Network upfront presentation, the network announced plans for on-air and online "DC Nation" programming in 2012, described as a mix of "event indoctrination, interstitials, exclusive behind-the-scenes of dramatic production and an insider look into the world of all things DC."

Produced by "ThunderCats" and "Green Lantern: The Animated Series" producers Warner Bros. Animation, the programming will premiere in 2012. 

Here's the official outline of "DC Nation," as well as the outline for "ThunderCats" and "Green Lantern: The Animated Series" 

DC Nation: A multi-platform, branded block of unique programming and exclusive content based on the DC Comics library of legendary character properties, DC Nation is developed in partnership with Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. The all-new business enterprise will harness the publishing, theatrical and television assets together for one powerful on-air block on Cartoon Network with elite online happy.

ThunderCats: The re-imagined animated series based on the beloved 80s classic tells the tale of a hero’s epic journey to fulfill his final fate. On Third Earth, the kingdom of Thundera is being in danger by the evil sorcerer Mumm-Ra and young heir to the throne Lion-O embarks on a great quest to take his rightful place as king. The improbable champion, joined by his faithful comrades Tygra, Cheetara, Panthro, WilyKit, WilyKat and his loyal pet Snarf, must work together to save their world from darkness.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series: Based upon the DC Comics super hero, the series is an all-new CG animated action series from Warner Bros. As Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal Jordan is used to being in dangerous situations but he’s never faced anything like this! Set at the furthest reaches of deep space, Hal must face down an attack from the Red Lantern Corps. Hal is soon joined by an all-new group of heroes on a mission to protect Guardian Space and the Green Lantern group itself!

US: Lego Ninjago series heads up new Cartoon Network list

Broadcaster confirms 13 new animated series' and 19 returning shows.

In a presentation at the New York Lincoln Centre, Cartoon Network revealed its new programming schedule - with Lego Ninjago and How to Train Your Dragon topping the list.

The CG-animated Ninjago series will air towards the end of 2011 and is yet more proof of Lego’s intention to grow the Ninjago brand.

Earlier this year Cartoon Network aired Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, a movie on January 24th. The story followed Kai, a young Lego man on a journey to become a ninja, and gives a basis for the forthcoming Nintendo DS game called Lego Battles: Ninjago, due for let go in April.

A TV series of Dreamworks’ Oscar nominated How to Train Your Dragon had previously been proclaimed, but with it scheduled in, the brand now looks set to soar, with sequels to the film in already the works.

Turner Broadcasting's animation president and chief operating officer, Stuart Snyder, said: "Our commitment last year to build on the volume of broad content for our audience has paid off in solid ratings growth and rehabilitated strength among our core six to 11 audience.

"We now have successful new shows that we can grow into the next big permits. By partnering with premier entertainment companies like Warner Bros, DreamWorks Animation SKG and DC Entertainment, we are laying the groundwork for even further growth and growth opportunities across the coming year."

Also on the way this year is The Amazing World of Gumball, predicted to be a top brand. Turner has already commissioned a new season of the show, before the first has even aired.

Turner gives Gumball second period order

Turner has ordered a second period of The Amazing World of Gumball, the first sequence to come out of its European Development Studio.

The show was efficiently Cartoon Network Europe's first full-length animated series commission. Cartoon Network said that after imposing testing in the US that it has greenlit another 40x11mins series ahead of the first one airing. It will debut on Cartoon Network in the UK on May 2 before undulating out on its US channel a week later and then internationally from the fourth quarter.

The 2D and 3D comedy show is produced by Cartoon and Irish studio Boulder Media with the 3D elements handled by Studio Soi in Germany.

"There is a unbelievable hunger for high-quality, narrative driven comedy animation amongst children's audiences around the world, and with The Amazing World of Gumball, we are helping fill that gap," said Michael Carrington, Turner Broadcasting's chief content officer, who joined from the BBC last year.

Japanese cartoon uses potty humor to explain nuclear calamity to kids

As officials raced to reinstate power to tsunami-damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant today, one artist is attempting to explain Japan’s nuclear crisis to kids with some potty humour.

“Nuclear Boy” follows a square-headed lad pain from a tummy ache. After Nuclear Boy expels a few troublesome clouds of gas, doctors work around the clock to medicate him with seawater and boron, this so he won’t defecate all over the country.

“Nuclear Boy is infamous for his stinky poo. It would surely ruin everyone’s day if he pooped,” reads the translation.

Set to a banjo soundtrack, the cartoon also skin characters shaped like the stricken Chernobyl and Three Mile Island plants.

The cartoon has gathered more than a million views since it was posted on YouTube last week.

Disney staffs Two Scottish Legends For New Cartoon Short “The Balled Of Nessie”

Disney is grouping up with two Scottish legends for a new cartoon that will be in cinemas after this month. The Loch Ness Monster stars in the short, “The Ballad of Nessie”, which is related by Billy Connolly and sees a go back to classic Disney hand-drawn animation. The animation short will be shown previous to Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, which is in UK cinemas April 15.

Set in the “bonny blue highlands” of Scotland, “The Ballad of Nessie” is a fanciful and colorful high tale about the welcoming Loch Ness monster, Nessie, and how she and her best friend MacQuack the rubber duck came to live in the moor they now call home. Setting the escapade into motion is a gluttonous land developer named MacFroogle, who make a decision to build a mini-golf empire on top of Nessie’s home.

Directed by the Emmy® Award-winning team of Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters (“Prep & Landing,” and the 2007 Goofy short “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater”), “The Ballad of Nessie” is lively in classic Disney hand-drawn style. Written by Wermers-Skelton, Deters and Regina Conroy, the film is produced by Dorothy McKim and Tamara Boutcher, and features a musical score by Oscar(R)-winning composer Michael Giacchino (“Ratatouille,” “Up”). Animation on “Nessie” was supervised by five of Disney’s top talents: Andreas Deja, Mark Henn, Randy Haycock, Dale Baer and Ruben A. Aquino. Scottish comedian Billy Connolly narrates the film.

Cartoon Saloon associates on 'Song'

Moore's 'Kells' follow-up bordered as Euro co-prod

Ireland's Cartoon Saloon has joined down European partners on "Song of the Sea," Tomm Moore's follow-up to "The Secret of Kells."

In "Sea's" first sharing deal, Optimum Releasing has nabbed U.K. and Irish rights.
Cartoon Saloon will lead produce "Sea" out of its animation studio in Kilkenny, Ireland. Viborg-based Noerlum Studios will co-produce out of Denmark, as long as close to half the animation.

Big Farm co-produces from Belgium. A joint venture of brothers Serge and Marc Ume's Digital Graphics Studios and Stephan Roelant's Melusine in Luxembourg, Big Farm's involvement opens the manufacture up to both Digital Graphics and Melusine sister company Studio 352.

Digital Graphics will give CG animation, SFX, compositing and ink and paint and stereoscopic work. Paris' Super Prods., the new company of ex-Alphanim head Clement Calvet, will also co-produce, associating on post-production and music.
Pre-production is intended for September on "Sea," which is budgeted at €5.3 million ($7.4 million).

Moore will direct "Sea" from a screenplay co-penned with Will Collins, who wrote Tribeca Fest player "My Brothers," the managerial debut of Shane Meadow's scribe Paul Fraser.

"Song of the Sea" turns on Saoirse, a child who is the last of the selkies, women in Irish and Scottish legends who change from seals into people. She escapes from her grandmother's home to journey to the sea and free fairy being trapped in the contemporary world.

Rango – review

Kids and their parents will get more than a few laughs out of "Rango," a enormously bright animated western that looks like it's in 3-D, even though it isn't. A pet chameleon gets estranged from his owners in a desert highway accident. He meanders to a town called Dirt, populated by a amazement of desert beings. Rango becomes the dried hamlet's new sheriff. He has fun live the role until he discovers that the mayor, a wily turtle, may be part of a wicked water-stealing plot that is killing the town.

Then Rango must find the real bravery to save Dirt and win over a girl lizard named Beans. "Rango" comes close to being incessantly pleasant - full of visual humor to amuse kids and references to classic westerns to tickle adults. But near the end there is a big battle that goes on too long and becomes a little too aggressive for under-8s and perhaps for 8-to-10-year-olds.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The PG score is tested a bit in the battle, when bad guys of an undefined species fly into the fray on huge bats. Creepy. The dialogue creates repeated use of the word "hell," along with at least one "damn."

John Lasseter wins lifetime achievement award

John Lasseter's pair of Oscars has a new friend: a lifetime achievement trophy. The Pixar and Disney animation chief received the award Friday night for his devotion to the 40-minutes-or-less average from Shorts International, an entertainment organization which endorses, distributes, broadcasts and creates short films.

"It feels incredible because I love short films," said Lasseter. "I love the art form and what it did for me as a filmmaker. I learnt so much from making short films. They're these little gems, these unbelievable little ideas that are not meant to be a feature film. They're ideal unto themselves. A great short film leaves you smiling and thinking about it."

Lasseter won the animated short film Oscar in 1988 for "Tin Toy," as well as a particular achievement award in 1995 for "Toy Story," the primary feature-length computer-generated film. The lifetime achievement award from Shorts International may not be his only prize this weekend. He's nominated with the other "Toy Story 3" filmmakers for best modified script.

"Toy Story 3" is also rivaling in the sound editing, original song, animated feature and best picture categories. Lasseter is hopeful about its chances for the top prize, even though the motion picture academy has never gave an animated film with the best picture honor. "Toy Story 3" is only the third animated film to be nominated in that category.

"I do consider we will one day see an animated film win the best picture Oscar, and I hope it's on Sunday," said Lasseter. "I think that over time, more and more of Hollywood and the Academy have gotten to know animation. It's precisely the same as live action filmmaking. We tell great stories. We use great actors. We just use a dissimilar camera."

'Let's Pollute' proves that small budget is no Oscar obstruction

Not all Oscar-nominated films cost big bucks. Geefwee Boedoe made one for less than $15,000 in his home studio and a friend's garage, writing his own tinkles and asking his wife to sing.

"I didn't really have a budget, so I didn't pay myself," says Boedoe, maker of the six-minute animated film Let's Pollute, a social send-up about U.S. consumption and its environmental destruction. He started working on the film more than three years ago, taking breaks only so he could do self-employed work to pay the bills.

A former Pixar animator, Boedoe wrote, directed and animated the film himself. He teamed up with a tiny post-production crew, including co-producer Joel Bloom, to edit the final version in Bloom's garage.

"This is all new," he says about the pre-Oscar buzz and Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. He has never been to the Oscars, so for the occasion, he bought a 1960s black-tie-like outfit at a era shop in San Francisco, where he lives.

"Hopefully, they'll let me in," he says with a chuckle.

He sees his proposal as a sort of David and Goliath battle waged with pencils and computers. He says his four competitors in the best-animated-short category had much bigger budgets.

Pixar's nominee, Day & Night, available for purchase on iTunes, was shown to many audiences before the Disney-Pixar box office hit Toy Story 3. Two of the three foreign productions, The Gruffalo and The Lost Thing, are based on popular children's books, and the French offering, Madagascar, carnet de voyage, was backed by a production company.

He says his satire, animated in the style of 1950s educational films, has won awards at several regional film festivals, but not many Americans have seen it. He says those who have seem to either love or hate it.

"Pollution is our heritage and keeps our economy going strong," the narrator says, tongue-in-cheek, as he follows an American family doing its unhelpful best to keep up with the Joneses.

Boedoe says the best part of an Oscar nomination is having more people see his film. Since every academy member who votes for a winner in the group has to watch each candidate, he says: "I think I have a shot at winning."

Ottawa animation fest's best delivers diverse cartoon party

IT'S not a good sign when an animator fails to close a film festival entry, desperately submits a roughly cobbled-together one-minute doo-dad titled Sorry Film Not Ready, and it still manages to get included on the annual best-of collection.

Auspiciously, the program of a dozen animated shorts culled from the 2010 Ottawa International Animation Festival does contain films of more work-intensive value. None of the films are on the list of this year's Oscar candidates either, but one film from last year's festival Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage is a 2010 Oscar nominee, so most probably some of the films on this year's program may be chosen for 2011.

My individual picks from the 14:

-- Little Deaths, an erotic doc-toon by Ruth Lingford, offers up some sumptuous, occasionally abstract images over the voices of various people effecting to explain what orgasm feels like.

-- Midtown Twist is a deftly satiric, jazzy representation of Manhattan commerce from animator Gary Leib.

-- Angry Man, from Norway, is a moving but frightening short employing storybook-like cut-outs to depict a little boy's fear and confusion at the spectacle of his father's violent rages. A dog and a flock of strange birds compel him to reveal shameful family secrets, and free his family from the oppression of bad temper.

-- Love & Theft, a German work by Andreas Hykade, is an elegant vision (if such a thing is possible) in which one cartoon face morphs into another. The "theft" in the title may refer to faces that look something like copyright-protected figures such as Micky Mouse, Donald Duck, Betty Boop, Spider-Man and Spongebob Squarepants morphing into Karl Marx and Hitler, among many, many others. This is simple (but subversive) animation at its best.

-- The External World from David O'Reilly is a grand prize-winning, retro-computer animation featuring a assortment of pretty hilarious sight gags incorporating prehistoric video-game imagery, bloody slapstick and just plain rude behavior.

The Best of the Ottawa International Animation Festival plays at Cinematheque until Thursday, Feb. 24.

Gnomeo & Juliet – review

This animated movie, produced by Elton John and David Furnish, retells the tale of Romeo and Juliet through the rising clash between the blue and red gnomes in the gardens of next-door houses busy by the Montague and Capulet families in a London suburban terrace. The voices are provided by leading British actors ranging from Jason Statham as Tybalt to Patrick Stewart as Shakespeare. A lot of consideration, love and hard work has gone into this picture, and it even has a happy ending, though what Shakespeare himself sees, to his obvious pleasure, is an atomic mushroom in the far coldness.

How To Train Your Dragon leads Annie awards

Oscar-nominated cartoon How To Train Your Dragon has won 10 prizes at the Annie awards for animation in the US. The Dreamworks movie won best animated characteristic, animated effects and best direction awards in the middle of its haul at the Los Angeles ceremony.

Other winners at the gala built-in SpongeBob Square pants for best children's animation. Toy Story 3 and The Illusionist are also in the running for best animated characteristic at the Academy Awards.

At Saturday night's awards, Despicable Me and Tangled were also built-in in the five-strong shortlist for best animated feature. How To Train Your Dragon also triumphed in the writing groups. Jay Baruchel took a voice acting award for his role of Hiccup in the animation, beating Cameron Diaz, Geoffrey Rush, Gerard Butler and Steve Carrell in the groups.

Butler was also nominated for his work in the film, voicing the character Stoick. Last year's Annie award winner for best animated feature was Up, which went on to secure the Oscar.

Disney has lastly made Tangled, a film about Rapunzel!

Having taken Disney almost 70 years to get there, Tangled realizes the studio’s long-held ambition to fetch the legend of Rapunzel to the big screen. THIS is the movie you will be advising to friends by saying, "You have got to go see it for the horse!".

The horse in question is called Max, one of the funniest characters Disney have ever created, up there with Robin Williams' genie in Aladdin - and he doesn't even speak.

THE CHARACTERS

• Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore)
• Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi)
• Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy)
• THE BIG 5-0
• THE LASSETER EFFECT
• THE HAIR

It's just one of the reasons to watch this retelling of the Rapunzel story. At £160million it is the most luxurious animated film ever made. But more highly, Disney's 50th animated characteristic marks the dawn of a new era for the studio. One in which they have effectively married their traditional storytelling with modern comedy and the latest animation techniques.

You know the classic story: Rapunzel is a princess with a huge barnet who is kidnapped as a baby and locked in a tower. Then a handsome thief rescues her after she whacks him over the head with a frying pan. There are some singing thugs, a chameleon called Pascal and of course there's the aforementioned angry horse.

The classic Rapunzel story. Contrast to the likes of Toy Story 3, the themes here of boy and girl falling in love feel old-fashioned.

It's the top songs, stunning 3D visuals including an astonishing dam-bursting sequence, funny script and laugh-out-loud physical comedy that make this a hugely pleasant experience for kids and adults alike.

Robert Downey Jr in "Peabody and Sherman" Movie

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that DreamWorks Animation is operational on "Peabody and Sherman," a movie base on the old "Rocky and Bullwinkle" show about a genius dog Mr Peabody and a boy named Sherman.

Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man) has signed on to voice Mr. Peabody, who travels from side to side time to find out implausibly things about history's greatest figures. A script has already been written by Jeffrey Ventimilia and Joshua Sternin (Yogi Bear), who bare that the movie will focus not only on the time-traveling, but also on the origins of the characters.

"Mr. Peabody is this genetic irregularity," said director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King). "He does have brothers and sisters, all of them non-speaking, no super-smart dogs. He's an outcast, but has overcome it by being so great at so many things."

Minkoff added that the movie will be fully computer animated (not a mix of live-action/animation) and in 3D.

The voices of Peabody and Sherman were provided by Bill Scott and Walter Tetley, respectively.

Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales – DVD Review

A Charlie Brown Christmas became an instant holiday clip when it first aired in 1965 as the Peanuts animated tale reminds people that it’s time to move furnishings around to make space for the tree. Over the decades the special that rails against the commercialization of Christmas has become a fatality of networks adding more commercials to its half hour slot.

The suits originally carved out seconds until they butchered the gang singing, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Fans weren’t happy at this shortened tradition. A solution was found in 2002 when they created Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales to pad out an hour slot.

The new special compiles five cartoons based on original newspaper flooring done by Charles Schulz. “Happy Holidays From Snoopy” has the dog get a gig as a sidewalk Santa. He doesn’t put up with bad-tempered from the kids who didn’t get their gifts. Instead of ringing a bell, he plays the accordion. “Yuletide Greetings from Linus” comprises his letter to Santa Claus that attempts to avoid absolute asking for presents.

“Season’s Greetings from Sally” takes off with her giving everyone paper airplanes as their present. Later she messes up by writing to Samantha Claus. “Peace on Earth from Lucy” lets her unload on Linus when he writes her letter to Santa. She doesn’t take his submissions kindly. “Christmas from Charlie Brown” wraps up with Sally and Charlie getting ready for the big day. Sally wants to leave frozen broccoli under the tree for Santa. She does see Santa.

Ironically Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales became a victim of network slashing this holiday season. ABC halved the show in order to cram in their “Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa” short. Thus in a strange twist, the only way to view the complete special is to buy the DVD. Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales was originally a bonus feature on the I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown DVD, but was left off the recent Deluxe Edition release. This is the best place to get the complete special. Nobody wants to make it easy to enjoy Snoopy as Santa.

Fox Orders Animated ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Show

Fox has picked up 6 episodes of the animated version of 2004′s most quoted movie, Napoleon Dynamite. Deadline has the deets.

The original cast of Napoleon Dynamite led by Jon Heder is back to voice the animated series, which goes after the misadventures of an awkward high school teenager and his quirky friends as they move violently to navigate life in rural Idaho. The film’s writers Jared Hess, who also directed it, and Jerusha Hess wrote the adaptation with The Simpsons veteran Mike Scully.

Seems like the perfect movie to turn animated bearing in mind the film itself is insanely over the top. I always understood the llama for a pet and awkward teenage boy very much in need of psychological counseling, but side ponytails? C’mon, no one wears those anymore!

SpongeBob SquarePants Changed for Ninth Season

SpongeBob SquarePants has been rehabilitated for a ninth season, Nickelodeon proclaimed Monday.

Nick ordered a 26-episode season, which will shove the hit children's cartoon over the 200-episode mark.

"SpongeBob's success in reaching over 200 episodes is a evidence to creator Stephen Hillenburg's vision, comedic deep feeling and his dynamic, lovable characters," Brown Johnson, Nickelodeon's animation president, said in a statement. "The series now joins the club of modern classic Nicktoons that have hit this benchmark, so we're very proud."

SpongeBob has been the No.1 animated series with kids aged 2-to-11 for the last 10 years. The Nov. 11 special, Mystery with a Twistery, drew 6.6 million viewers, and was the 2010's top animated telecast in that similar demographic. The show's next special, Legends of Bikini Bottom, will open Jan. 28.

The ninth season is lined up to begin airing in 2012.