Category: Stop-Motion

Headline News

Adult Swim Sends Seth Green on Robot Chicken Roller Skating Tour

Press Release from Adult Swim

Adult Swim and ROBOT CHICKEN creators and executive producers Seth Green and Matt Senreich are celebrating the release of the ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II DVD this summer by strapping on a pair of roller skates and living on a tour bus for two weeks just to bring ROBOT CHICKEN-style fun to the masses.

Time Headline News

Aardman's First Venture Into Pre-School Programming Proves a Hit

Press Release from Aardman Rights

Bristol, 17 June 2009. Leading independent distributor Aardman Rights is delighted to announce the hugely successful debut of its preschool property TIMMY TIME on CBeebies.

Time Headline News

Aardman Secures Timmy Time Licensing Deals

Press Release from Aardman Rights

Bristol, 20 May 2009. Leading independent distributor Aardman Rights has concluded a number of new licensing deals for its brand new preschool series TIMMY TIME, which has made a hugely successful debut on CBeebies in the UK.

In Central and Eastern Europe, Regio is on board as toy partner for TIMMY TIME in Hungary where Minimax has the broadcast rights. Also One 2 Play is managing all rights to the property in ex-Yugoslavia.

Series Headline News

Robot Chicken Crew Readying Titan Maximum

Adult Swim announced its newest series, TITAN MAXIMUM, from the creators of ROBOT CHICKEN. Created by ROBOT CHICKEN producer/co-head writer/director Tom Root and ROBOT CHICKEN exec producer/co-creator/writer/director Matthew Senreich, TITAN MAXIMUM uses stop-motion animation to spoof '80s action cartoons. The series will premiere this September.

Headline News

Aardman Partners with Sony for Christmas, Pirates

Stop-motion animation studio Aardman has begun production on their next two animated feature length motion-pictures, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS and PIRATES!. Both films are to be released worldwide by Sony Pictures.

PIRATES! will be produced in Aardman's house style of hand-crafted modeling clay, while ARTHUR CHRISTMAS will be co-produced with Sony Pictures Imageworks in CGI.

Animation Headline News

Aardman Launches Morph Competition

Firebox.com has teamed up with Aardman Animations -- the creators of Morph -- to launch an animation competition entitled Morphmation. Inspired by the popular Make your Own Morph product that the gift e-tailer sells, Firebox will be encouraging Morph lovers to send in their two-minute stop-motion animations starring the lovable clay figure.

Film Headline News

Travis Knight Upped to President, CEO of LAIKA

LAIKA, the Portland-based animation studio whose first feature film, CORALINE, was released by Focus Features on February 6, has announced that Travis Knight has been named President and CEO of the company. Knight, the son of LAIKA's owner Philip H. Knight, succeeds Dale Wahl, who has held the position since 2005. Travis Knight, who sits on the LAIKA Board and has been Head of Animation since 2007, was one of the lead animators on CORALINE, the first stop-motion animated feature film to be produced in 3-D.

Universal Headline News

Costumes, Props From Hellboy II, Coraline on Display at Universal Hollywood

The costumes from Universal Pictures' FROST/NIXON and Focus Features' MILK are now on display along with props from Universal Pictures' HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY at Universal Studios Hollywood's "The Universal Experience: Behind the Scenes of Universal Pictures."

Fans of Guillermo del Toro's HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, Oscar nominated for Best Makeup - Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz, can preview an eclectic display of the original prosthetic masks and props and costumes featured in the film.

Headline News

Plasticine Superstar Morph Becomes Fashion Icon with Esquire's Help

In a timely salute to the talent of the late, great Tony Hart, ESQUIRE magazine celebrates the 30th anniversary of Morph, the character Hart made famous, by making him a first-time wardrobe of custom-made clothes and turning him into a magazine cover star. Kitted out in his specially-made designer clothes by labels such as Burberry, Gucci and Prada, Morph graces ESQUIRE's fashion pages as well as a special limited-edition front cover of the upmarket men's magazine. Each of Morph's outfits is a miniature recreation of the original.

Time Headline News

Aardman Secures Licensing Deals for Timmy Time

Aardman Rights has secured a number of key new licensing partners for its new preschool property TIMMY TIME. Currently in production, the 52x10 stop-motion animated series has been pre-bought by CBeebies in the U.K. for debut in 2009 and it has been picked up by Disney Channels worldwide, including the U.S.

Blogs

Labour Pains and the Birth of Mary and Max

By Dan Sarto | Friday, January 16, 2009 at 3:49pm

The opening night selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Mary and Max is a clayograph (a claymation biography hybrid) feature film from Academy Award winning writer/director Adam Elliot featuring the voice talents of Toni Collette, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Humphries and Eric Bana.

Series Headline News

Robot Chicken Creators at NY Comic Con

Seth Green and Matthew Senreich are set to appear as special guests at New York Comic Con (NYCC) where they will be joined by Breckin Meyer, Geoff Johns and Kevin Shinick on a panel discussing all aspects of the popular Adult Swim series ROBOT CHICKEN. Now in its fourth season, the network's Emmy-and-Annie-winning series uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. The panelists will be available to sign ROBOT CHICKEN material in the VIP Lounge after the session and signing cards will be provided.

Headline News

Laika Lays Off 65, Pulls Jack and Ben

Portland-based animation studio Laika has laid off 65 people and shelved its second CG film JACK AND BEN'S ANIMATED ADVENTURE, according to THE OREGONIAN.

Laika is owned by Nike founder Phil Knight, and is releasing their first film, 3-D stop-motion feature CORALINE on February 6.

JACK AND BEN was slated to come out after CORALINE, but the film's writer, former Pixar animator Jorgen Klubien left the studio over "creative differences" last year. Laika hired MULAN director Barry Cook to direct JACK AND BEN, and was moving forward with the project.

Henson Headline News

Stop-Motion Pinocchio Pairs Del Toro, Jim Henson Co.

Guillermo del Toro and the Jim Henson Co. are working to develop a PINOCCHIO stop-motion feature with a darker tone, per VARIETY.

Henson Co. co-presidents Brian Henson and Lisa Henson will produce with SVP Jason Lust. Del Toro will exec produce. Del Toro revealed his involvement with the project on BLOODYDISGUSTING.com; saying he was working on the screenplay with Gris Grimly, who was the illustrator on 2002's PINOCCHIO. Grimly and Adam Parrish King will co-direct.

Headline News

Peter & The Wolf Comes To U.S. DVD In December

The 2007 Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Short PETER & THE WOLF arrives on DVD December 9 from Magnolia Home Ent.

Based on the classic musical composition PETER AND THE WOLF by Sergei Prokofiev, this spellbinding new interpretation combines stop-frame model animation and state-of-the-art digital technology, along with a new orchestra recording to create a magical world in which little boys can find the strength and courage to overcome their fears.

Headline News

Aardman Rights Takes Wallace & Gromit, Timmy On International Adventure

Aardman Rights, the newly created division of award-winning Aardman Animations has concluded a number of pre-sales for its two new animated series WALLACE & GROMIT IN A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH and TIMMY TIME.

Wallace & Gromit’s new half hour adventure is currently in production for BBC One at Aardman’s Bristol studios with delivery expected this autumn. Aardman has secured pre-sale deals at MIPCOM with broadcasters around the globe including: ABC TV Australia, M6 France, Super RTL Germany, YLE Finland, NRK Norway, Zapp Netherlands and SVT Sweden.

Headline News

Cuppa Coffee Celebrates Nerds At MIPCOM

Do you know how many sun swords a wizard with only seven charisma points needs to slay a wandering armored Tharg troll? Likely, you don't have a clue, but this is common knowledge in NERDLAND, a new stop-motion animated pilot debuting at MIPCOM in October from Cuppa Coffee Studios and set to air this fall on TELETOON.

Films Headline News

Academy To Visit The Fantastic World Of George Pal

Invading Martians will hit the screen at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "George Pal: Discovering the Fantastic" event on Wednesday, August 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The centennial celebration, hosted by director Joe Dante (GREMLINS), will feature a panel discussion with several Pal collaborators as well as a screening of two Pal "Puppetoons" and THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) in its entirety.

Wars Headline News

Episode II For Robot Chicken: Star Wars A Go

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS, the sequel, has been greenlit, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Just days after earning an Emmy nomination for Best Animated Series, the Adult Swim show is moving forward with Episode II, to air November 16.

"It doesn't even seem real -- getting to make STAR WARS twice!" said ROBOT CHICKEN co-creator Seth Green. Green won an Annie Award for directing the first one, and will helm the sequel. The first ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS special was released to DVD on Tuesday.

Stop-Motion Headline News

Laika Reveals Development Slate

Nike co-founder and billionaire Phil Knight is making some noise with Laika, the Portland, Oregon-based animation studio he bought six years ago, according to VARIETY.

Laika, which does both CG and stop-motion, is scheduled to release their first feature, CORALINE on February 6, 2009 from Focus Features.

The stop-motion film follows a girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who stumbles upon a dark fantasy alternate universe. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS director Henry Selick helmed the picture, with Knight's son Travis the lead animator.

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