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Shondaland Audio, the podcast arm of Shonda Rhimes’ production company, has set its debut podcast slate with a slew of scripted and non-scripted series.

This comes after the Grey’s Anatomy creator partnered with iHeartMedia on a tranche of original podcasts.

Dylan Brown, a writer and producer on Power prequel Raising Kanan, is writing, producing and directing #Matter, a series told through the lens of a reporter looking back at a case of police brutality, as a father intervenes in his teenage son’s beating and later finds himself, his badly hurt son and a wounded cop barricaded in a nearby restaurant as they all struggle to stay alive. It will launch in the fall.

American Coup is a series from Law and Order: Svu writer Aaron Tracy and Royal Pains co-creator Andrew Lenchewski. It explores the untold story of Edith Wilson, the woman who hijacked the Oval Office and will launch this winter.

Even on one of the quietest weekends of the year, new U.S. animated release “Wonder Park” failed to inspire Chinese audiences as much as Hong Kong and Indian movies already in their third weekend in theaters.

Starring the voice talents of Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Garner, Mila Kunis, and Ken Jeong, among many others, the film tells the story of a young girl who has adventures when the amusement park she thought only existed in her imagination comes to life. It is the directorial debut of Dylan Brown, an animator who had worked on films like “Monsters Inc.,” but who was fired by Paramount in January 2018 due to allegations of inappropriate conduct with women and is thus uncredited.

“Wonder Park” came in third with just a $3.3 million debut weekend, according to figures from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The film opened March 15 in the U.S.

With movie choices made up of holdovers and weak new releases,...

Familiar tropes are reheated in this diverting kids’ film whose occasional charm belies a troubled production

This middling half-term time-killer arrives trailing an unusually troubled production history. It may be destined to crop up in film quizzes as the first major studio release to bear no directorial credit whatsoever, the result of Pixar alumnus Dylan Brown being fired from the project after allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Brown disputed the allegations. An anonymous committee of animation pros was subsequently assembled to complete a salvage job that we can, with some generosity, describe as semi-successful. You and your children will have sat through many worse films that took far easier routes to the screen – which is not to say that Wonder Park is not immediately forgettable.

One key issue is familiarity. The film takes two elements that have always tested well among the under-tens – talking animals and theme parks – and snapped them...

’Wonder Park’, ’Wild Rose’ among other new openers.

Lionsgate’s superhero title Hellboy will look to overcome predominantly negative reviews for the film in its first weekend at the UK box office.

After a reviews embargo that lifted at 10pm UK time on Wednesday 10, the film opened wide around the country yesterday (Thursday 11).

Directed by Neil Marshall, the film is based on the Dark Horse Comics character, who battles an undead sorceress trying to destroy the world. Stranger Things star David Harbour plays the title role, alongside Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim and Thomas Haden Church.

‘Shazam!

New Line/DC Entertainment’s family superhero adventure Shazam! was the dominant title in Australia last weekend without matching the heights of its Us launch while Paramount’s horror remake Pet Sematary underperformed.

Despite the new entrants the national box office trailed the previous frame, weighed down by a lousy debut for Paramount’s animated fantasy adventure Wonder Park and steep second weekend drops by Disney’s Dumbo and Universal’s Us.

Among the specialty releases, Icelandic environmental comedy drama Woman at War had a decent start and Us coming-of-age film Mid90s opened impressively.

The top 20 titles’ takings dropped by 10 per cent to $13.5 million, according to Numero. Directed by David F. Sandberg (best known for horror films Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation), Shazam! conjured up $4.4 million on 507 screens and $4.7 million including previews for Warner Bros.

In the Us the movie starring Asher Angel as a teenager who transforms...

Chicago – Most animated films depicting the “family” often includes a parallel lesson about togetherness or some such domestic symbolism. In “Wonder Park,” the lesson is how the spark of imagination can keep a childhood alive. When that spark is temporarily dosed, the destination of the title also suffers.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The hero is a little girl, who has an interest in building things, which lights up her life through a made-up amusement park. Because the park is depicted in actuality as a parallel form, the conduit to its creation comes from the girl (and her Mom) and becomes spectacular as it is built. This is a nice bit of multi-universe, existing in the child’s mind, and an understandable way for kids to experience how thoughts become action. Although this type of “come to life” world has been done in films like the Toy Story series and “Inside Out,” the different...

Hollywood is still dealing with revelations of sexual misconduct happening behind the scenes, and today brings news of another incident, this time involving a filmmaker working on an animated film. Paramount Pictures has fired director Dylan Brown from their animated feature Amusement Park after an investigation into complaints from the production found evidence of “inappropriate […]

The post Paramount Fires ‘Amusement Park’ Director Dylan Brown for Inappropriate Conduct appeared first on /Film.

Updated with Dylan Brown statement, 7:55 Pm: The attorney for the fired director of Paramount’s Amusement Park tonight responded to the claims of misconduct made by multiple women. Said Andrew B. Brettler of Lavely & Singer in Los Angeles: "Mr. Brown disputes these allegations. They are defamatory, and he is considering his legal options." Previously, 3:47 Pm: Director Dylan Brown has been fired from Paramount’s animated film Amusement Park after multiple women made…...

Update: We have been contacted by an attorney who claims to represent Dylan Brown. That attorney provided the following statement, "Mr. Brown disputes these allegations. They are defamatory, and he is considering his legal options." The rest of the story is presented as reported yesterday.

More news from inside Hollywood as director Dylan Brown gets fired for alleged 'inappropriate and unwanted conduct'. Brown was working on the animated feature film Amusement Park, which was slated for release in 2019. It isn't quite clear if this will delay the release date, or how Paramount intends to move forward.

Multiple women have come out against Dylan Brown for a variety of reasons, and this doesn't appear to be an isolated incident. The word 'sexual misconduct' was not used in the initial report. About Brown's firing, Paramount issued this statement.

"We are committed to fostering a safe and professional workplace that is free of harassment or inappropriate conduct,...

Paramount announced on Tuesday that it has fired Dylan Brown, former Pixar animator and director of the studio’s upcoming animated film “Amusement Park,” after receiving claims of “inappropriate and unwanted conduct,” though specifics on Brown’s alleged behavior were not divulged. “We are committed to fostering a safe and professional workplace that is free of harassment or inappropriate conduct, so we take allegations of misconduct and impropriety very seriously,” Paramount said in a statement. ‘We received allegations of inappropriate and unwanted conduct by Dylan Brown in the workplace and we conducted a thorough investigation, and he is no longer employed by the...

Dylan Brown has been fired as director of the Paramount animated film Amusement Park due to complaints of "inappropriate and unwanted conduct," The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Paramount launched an investigation following complaints that were corroborated by multiple women, a source with ties to the project said. The alleged conduct included touching and caressing, according to a source.

“We are committed to fostering a safe and professional workplace that is free of harassment or inappropriate conduct, so we take allegations of misconduct and impropriety very seriously," a studio rep said Tuesday in a statement. "We received allegations of inappropriate and unwanted...

Paramount is preparing Amusement Park for a summer opening.

The studio, led by CEO Brad Grey, on Thursday announced that the animated feature, previously scheduled for a wide release on March 22, 2019, will now hit theaters on July 13, 2018.

Additionally, Paramount also has removed an untitled Imax horror event, initially due out April 28, from its release schedule.

Amusement Park features a voice cast of Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Garner, Jeffrey Tambor, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, Mila Kunis and John Oliver, among others. The feature marks the directorial debut of Pixar animator Dylan Brown. Now set to open nine months...

The end of this decade is going to be wrecked by monsters. At least that's Warner Bros. new plan. They have decided to delay Godzilla 2 by 9 months. While that is almost a full year, fans won't have to wait so long for the next installment in this battle of the giant beasts. The follow-up crossover Godzilla Vs Kong will arrive just a mere 14 months later.

Godzilla 2 was originally set to be unleashed June 8, 2018. It has now staked out prime pre-summer real-estate in 2019, taking Batman V Superman's old Easter slot of March 22. The sequel to 2014's American Godzilla from director Gareth Edwards had the June 8 weekend completely to itself, though it was positioned to open just one week after Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, the second spinoff in that franchise. And it would have come one week before Pixar's hugely anticipated sequel Toy Story 4, with Jurassic World 2 arriving...

Paramount Animation revealed release dates for several of the studio’s upcoming films, including The Little Prince, Monster Trucks and SpongeBob SquarePants 3.

Opening March 18, 2016, The Little Prince is directed by Academy Award nominee Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda) and features the voices of Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridge, Riley Osborne, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Paul Rudd, Benicio del Toro, Paul Giamatti, Ricky Gervais, Albert Brooks, and Bud Cort. The film is the first-ever animated feature adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s iconic masterpiece, The Little Prince.

Monster Trucks opens January 13, 2017. The live action/CGI animation is directed by Chris Wedge (Epic, Robots, Ice Age). The cast includes Jane Levy, Lucas Till, Tom Lennon, Barry Pepper, Amy Ryan, Danny Glover, Holt McCallany and Frank Whaley.

SpongeBob SquarePants 3 lands in theaters on February 8, 2019. The follow-up film will again be directed by Paul Tibbitt and will feature the voices of Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown,...

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Paramount Animation has confirmed its next five films - including SpongeBob Squarepants 3...

Set up in the aftermath of the release of the wonderful Rango, Paramount Animation has been busily working away on a slate of projects for some time now. SpongeBob Squarepants: Sponge Out Of Water has already given the fledgling studio a sizeable hit earlier this year (and it remains the most joyously bonkers film of 2015). But now, we know what its next five films are going to be.

Here's what's coming up.

March 18th 2016

The Little Prince, based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s book, is first. It's directed by Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda), with the likes of Mackenzie Foy, Ricky Gervais, Benicio del Toro, James Franco, Marion Cotillard and Paul Giamatti on voicing duties.

January 13th 2017

Monsters Trucks, the CG/live action hybrid from Ice Age director Chris Wedge, has been put back again.

Who said Marvel and DC (read: Disney and Warner Bros.) had to have all the fun when it comes to mapping out film slates? In laying out plans for its animation division, Paramount has nailed down release dates for a number of in-development features, including The Little Prince, SpongeBob Squarepants 3, Monster Trucks and Amusement Park.

Launching first will be The Little Prince, which is now pegged for a theatrical release on March 18, 2016. Directed by Kung Fu Panda helmer Mark Osborne, the animated picture is an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic book, and it’s spent the past few months or so assembling a star-studded line-up. An international voice cast through and through, Osborne’s feature will encompass Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridges, Riley Osborne, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Paul Rudd, Benicio del Toro, Paul Giamatti, Ricky Gervais, Albert Brooks, and Bud Cort.

Collaborating once again with Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount...

Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa are reuniting for one more take (or is it toke) of the stoner comedy - this time in a feature film titled "Dispensary," which hails from The Yard Entertainment. To be shot in La this fall, the film's writer & director is Dylan Brown, and will be produced by Lucy Brown, and will follow the highs and lows (although likely mostly the highs) of Devin Overstreet (played by Wiz), a college student with a dream - to open The Dispensary (or what he deems the McDonald's of the weed industry). After getting himself expelled from college, he teams with Mac (played by Snoop Dogg), a guy who knows a thing or 2 about marijuana, and together they...

Jim Carrey, Louis C.K., Conan O’Brien and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Bill Westenhofer were among nine people honored last night by the Producers Guild of America for their contributions to the advancement of digital entertainment and storytelling in the past year. John Lasseter, Morgan Freeman, and PGA President Mark Gordon were among those who attended the inaugural Digital V.I.P. Awards (Visionaries, Innovators and Producers) at the Bel Air home of entrepreneur Elon Musk. Click over for a complete list: Innovators – those who have developed new methods or technology that enables the production of storytelling. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Co-Founders of Instagram Bill Westenhofer, Academy Award winning VFX supervisor for Rhythm & Hues Studios for “Life of Pi” Philip Atwell and Dylan Brown of Digital Domain for Virtual 2Pac Visionaries – those who have brought forth new ideas about the creative application of technology to advance storytelling across all media.

The Producers Guild of America announced today the honorees for the inaugural Digital V.I.P. initiative and awards gala. Nine Visionaries, Innovators, and Producers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of digital entertainment and storytelling during the past year will be honored on April 11 in Los Angeles. Honorees for the first-ever Digital V.I.P. are: Visionaries – those who have brought forth new ideas about the creative application of technology to advance storytelling across all media. Ø John Raatz (Founder, Board Chairman, CEO), Eckhart Tolle (Honorary Founder) and Jim Carrey (Honorary Founder) of The Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (Gate) Ø Bruce Sterling, multi award-winning science fiction author for his influence upon technology as it relates to storytelling and in co-founding the cyberpunk movement Innovators – those who have developed new methods or technology that enables the production of storytelling. Ø Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Co-Founders of Instagram Ø Bill Westenhofer,...

Los Angeles — When Tupac Shakur rose from the stage in the California desert earlier this year, it was not only a jaw-dropping resurrection, but also the beginning of a new form of live entertainment.

"Come with me," the digital Shakur called out, not just to tens of thousands of screaming fans but seemingly to other artists.

Follow, they will. Elvis Presley's estate announced it has authorized holograms of the King of Rock, Marilyn Monroe's estate has expressed interest and there's no shortage of other beloved stars whose fans would die to see them perform again.

Advances in digital artistry make it all possible, presenting celebrity estates with new commercial and creative opportunities, but also some ethical quandaries.

"I think we've scratched the surface with Tupac," said Dylan Brown, a filmmaker who along with director Philip Atwell and effects studio Digital Domain helped bring the Shakur hologram to life.

This week: Fans of the golden age of the World Wrestling Federation -- now known as the WWE -- will rejoice at the long-awaited DVD arrival of 1989's "No Holds Barred" starring Hulk Hogan in his leading-man debut.

Also new this week is the Snoop Dogg stoner comedy "Mac & Devin Go to High School," the man-vs.-nature drama "The Hunter," the Blu-ray debut of "Barbarella" with Jane Fonda, and a Blu-ray anniversary edition of Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."

'No Holds Barred'

Box Office: $16 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 0% Rotten

Storyline: Hulk Hogan stars as -- what else? -- a world wrestling champ named Rip who refuses to join a competing network, so an enterprising executive creates a program called "Battle of the Tough Guys" in which wrestlers compete in a no-rules brawl for cash. When a convicted murderer named Zeus comes out on top, Rip refuses to take...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: July 3, 2012

Price: DVD $19.98, Blu-ray $24.99

Studio: Anchor Bay

Snoop Dogg (r.) and Wiz Khalifa get the rap as Mac & Devin.

Rappers Snoop Dogg (Arthur and The Invisibles 2) and Wiz Khalifa star in the music-filled independent comedy film Mac & Devin Go to High School, which follows the release of the soundtrack of the same name.

Valedictorian hopeful Devin Overstreet (Wiz Khalifa) struggles to pen his graduation speech when it becomes clear that all his academic over-achievements left him with little to no life experiences. He finds an unlikely inspiration in Mac Johnson (Snoop Dogg), the least achieving student on campus. Mac – a 15-year senior and consummate ladies man – is smitten by the school’s new substitute chemistry teacher. He soon realizes that the only way he’ll truly have a chance with her is if he finally graduates high school. In three weeks time, Mac must cram four years of high school academics,...

'It was [Dr.] Dre's vision to bring this back to life,' says Nick Smith president of the company that projected the Tupac hologram at Coachella.

By Gil Kaufman

2Pac hologram at Coachella

Photo: Getty Images

The Coachella festival is a place where minds routinely get blown, usually due to an awesome set or a killer reunion from one of your favorite bands. But on Sunday night it was thanks to the ghostly re-appearance of West Coast rap legend Tupac Shakur. He materialized on stage alongside his old friend Snoop Dogg during a crowd-pleasing set by the Doggfather and Dr. Dre, which also featured appearances from Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa and Warren G.

The resurrection of 'Pac, who was murdered in 1996, would have been a face-melting surprise had word about the stunt not leaked out just a few days before the set. But the 100,000 or so fans who were on hand...

Beginning with “Half Baked” in 1998, and moving on to supporting roles in “The Wash," "Starsky & Hutch" and “Training Day,” hip-hop mogul/herb enthusiast Snoop Dogg has made a second name for himself in film and TV, and news comes today that rapper Wiz Khalifa has joined forces with Snoop on a new comedy.

“Mac And Devin Go To High School,” directed by music video helmer Dylan Brown, has been acquired by Anchor Bay Films for release. The film stars Dogg and Khalifa as the titular characters, and follows Devin (Khalifa) as a high-school whiz-kid turned anxious over the thought of his valedictorian speech, and his lack of real-life experience to justify it. Enter Mac (Dogg), a senior entering his 15th school year, who sets out to show Devin what he's been missing. Just a guess, but weed might possibly factor in as one of those life lessons.

The soundtrack details...

Anchor Bay Films has picked up the rights to Mac and Devin Go to High School, a comedy featuring hip-hop maestros Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. The deal includes rights for U.S., Australia and New Zealand and excludes subscription VOD. The movie, directed by Dylan Brown, sees Khalifa as an academic overachiever struggling to write his valedictorian speech because he realizes he has little life experience. Snoop, meanwhile, is a senior now going on his 15th year of high school who has a thing for the new substitute teacher. The two find inspiration in each other and team

read more...

Hey kids! Melissa here with another exciting tale for you. A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to visit Pixar Canada located in the lovely Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver. The studio will be focusing on shorts, such as the Toy Story shorts and Cars shorts that we all love. They were debuting Air Mater while I was there, which is included as a bonus feature on Cars 2.

Check out this video about Pixar Canada.

While there, I was lucky enough to speak with Rob Gibbs (director of Air Mater), Dylan Brown (Creative Director, Pixar Canada), Amir Nasrabadi (General Manager, Pixar Canada) and Darwyn Peachy (Cto, Pixar Canada). You will find the video clips below.

Vancouver is absolutely stunning! I was only there for the day, but the landscape is gorgeous. Pixar Canada’s offices are layed out in a way to compliment their surroundings and showcase the beautiful...

Pixar's "Cars 2" hits DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 1, and attentive Radiator Springs fans will notice a special bonus feature, "Air Mater." The new short in the "Mater's Tall Tales" direct-to-dvd franchise is the inaugural production from the creative team at Pixar Canada, the legendary animation studio's two-year-old outpost up north.

Unlike the expansive campus in Emeryville, California, the Vancouver-based Pixar studio is a boutique annex that will focus on projects involving the studio's most famous legacy characters. NextMovie was able to tour Pixar Canada and speak to various Pixar geniuses about what inspires them to continue making critically beloved blockbusters that all audiences -- kids, parents, child-free adults -- want to watch again and again.

If you don't get the new "Cars 2" DVD, you'll be able to see Pixar Canada's second short, "Small Fry," starring Buzz Lightyear, premiering before "The Muppets" on Nov. 23.

Also Check Out: 7 Famous Movie...

'I'm a fan of it, separate myself from making it. ... Can't wait,' Wiz tells Mixtape Daily.

By Rob Markman

Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa

Photo: MTV News

The O.D.: A Mixtape Exclusive

Sure, Wiz Khalifa was only 5 years old when Snoop Dogg first stepped onto the scene as a guest on Dr. Dre's 1992 classic "Deep Cover," but the two cannabis-loving MCs won't let their respective ages get in the way of collaboration. Wiz and Snoop will star alongside each other in the upcoming Dylan Brown-directed stoner comedy "Mac and Devin Go to High School" as well as on its smoked-out soundtrack.

Mixtape Daily caught up with the Doggfather and Khalifa on the set for "Young, Wild and Free," the soundtrack's official first single, and got the scoop on the rest of the LP.

"We got the homey Juicy J on the soundtrack, we got Curren$y on the soundtrack,...

Where the Disney-owned studio leads, the rest of Hollywood follows. And its latest film, Toy Story 3, is already a hit

In the notoriously precarious film industry, where nothing is certain and no one knows anything, there is one word that functions simultaneously as talisman, balm and kitemark. That word is Pixar, and you don't have to be a shareholder in Disney, which bought the computer animation studio in 2006, to feel reassured when you hear it.

With the imminent UK release of Toy Story 3, the apparently final instalment of the groundbreaking series that began Pixar's reign in 1995, the question of how one studio has maintained such incomparably high quality control remains intriguing. Among Pixar's contemporaries, only Japan's Studio Ghibli (much beloved of the Pixar crowd, who even pay tribute to the Ghibli classic My Neighbour Totoro in Toy Story 3) has been more consistently groundbreaking in animation, and even...

Disney and Pixar plan to open doors to a new animation studio this fall in Vancouver, per The Hollywood Reporter. The new studio will focus on non-feature film projects in order to accommodate the increasing slate of projects featuring Disney/Pixar characters and properties. "The operation will be small in size and dedicated to producing short-form quality computer animation for theme parks, DVDs, television and theatrical exhibition ... for several different divisions of the Walt Disney Co.," Disney/Pixar president Ed Catmull said. Amir Nasrabadi, VP/Operations and Finance, DisneyToon Studio, will serve as the Gm for the new facility. Additionally, serving as Creative Director will be, Dylan Brown, who had been a supervising animation director for Pixar (Ratatouille, Finding Nemo), with Darwyn Peachey, currently technical lead on the Ed versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, takes on the role of Chief Technology Officer at the new Vancouver facility.

Woody and Buzz are heading north.

To accommodate a growing slate of nonfeature projects, Disney and Pixar will launch an animation studio in the fall in Vancouver.

The focus will be on Pixar's legacy characters, including Buzz and Woody from the "Toy Story" films and Lightning McQueen and Mater from "Cars."

"The operation will be small in size and dedicated to producing short-form quality computer animation for theme parks, DVDs, television and theatrical exhibition ... for several different divisions of the Walt Disney Co.," Disney/Pixar president Ed Catmull said.

Amir Nasrabadi, vp operations and finance at DisneyToon Studio, has been tapped as Gm of the new facility, and Dylan Brown -- previously a supervising animation director at Pixar, with credits including "Ratatouille" and "Finding Nemo" -- will serve as creative director. Darwyn Peachey moves from technical lead on the 3-D versions of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" to chief...