News

"Are you quite sure you're ready for the work-place, Paddington?" Studiocanal UK has unveiled the new full-length trailer for the live-action Paddington bear sequel, titled simply Paddington 2. In this movie, Paddington the bear, now happily settled with the Brown family, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present (a book) for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen. The film's very British cast includes Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Capaldi, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Bonneville, with Ben Whishaw returning as the voice of Paddington, and Imelda Staunton as the voice of Aunt Lucy. I much, much prefer this movie to the other British hybrid-cgi movie Peter Rabbit, which looks terrible. This, on the other hand, looks very adorable and totally fun. Here's the new full-length trailer (+ poster) for Paul King's sequel Paddington 2, direct from...

movies

• Deadline we didn't believe this would ever actually happen but supposedly James Cameron starts shooting today on his Four consecutive Avatar sequels with an estimated budget of over 1 billion dollars

• Cartoon Brew this year continues to be weak for animated features but next year's trailers are already popping up. Peter Rabbit anyone? And, in case you missed it...

• Tfe Isle of Dogs trailer

• Cinematic Corner Sati always keeps us up to date on what Hugh Jackman is doing. Apparently he's making a movie called The Front Runner but, alas, it is Not an adaptation of that famous gay novel that has never managed to get a movie made despite numerous rumors that it would become a movie over the decades. Instead it's a movie about the politician Gary Hart.

• Out how's this for an odd sounding project. Moonlight's writer Tarrell Alvin McCraney is going to script a musical for...

Oh boy, you’re not ready for this one. No sir, no ma’am. Nothing on earth can prepare you for the pure outrageousness that is this new Peter Rabbit trailer. So you better steel yourself, because you’re going to watch it anyway. You know you are, I know you are, so let’s just stop dancing around this and […]

The post Can You Even Handle How Wacky This ‘Peter Rabbit’ Trailer Is? appeared first on /Film.

We Had to Watch the Trailer for Peter Rabbit , And Now You Do, Too...

So Peter Rabbit is an upcoming live-action/animated hybrid kid's film from Sony. Nothing in that sentence sounds good. Anyway, it's based on old children's books from the early 1900s, where Peter is at one point beaten with a switch by his uncle, and his sister marries their cousin. I'm sure these plot points will figure in the new film somehow. Speaking of the new film, it looks... Read More...

The animated comedy opens in theaters on February 9, 2018

The post Sony Pictures Animation Reveals the First Peter Rabbit Trailer appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Michael Fassbender and Carmen Ejogo in 'Alien: Covenant', shot in Sydney.

Australia boasts impressive crews, cast and locations, but at 16.5 per cent the Location Offset .doesn.t stand up. to the other physical production rebates offered around the world, according to the Fox exec responsible for bringing Alien: Covenant Down Under.

In order to lure big budget foreign productions to Aussie soil, the Federal Government has in the past five years awarded a number of blockbusters, such as Aquaman, Alien: Covenant, Thor: Ragnarok and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, one-off cash grants which effectively raise the Location Offset from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent.

However, 20th Century Fox's executive vice president of feature production Fred Baron — the Moulin Rouge! producer who has also brought Alien: Covenant, Aquamarine and The Wolverine to Australia — told If that he wishes 30 per cent was standard, instead of studios...

Filmmakers are ready to let their creativity fly by bringing a number of animated films to the big screen over the next two years. Whether it be sequels to successful franchises (e.g., Despicable Me 3, Cars 3, Incredibles 2) or anticipated adaptations of beloved stories (e.g., Peter Rabbit, Captain Underpants), the big screen is ready to get animated. 

...

Actor boards South African prison break drama.

Sam Neill has boarded prison break drama Escape From Pretoria and will star alongside Daniel Radcliffe.

Jurassic Park actor Neill will play South African social campaigner and activist Denis Goldberg.

Goldberg was imprisoned with other key members of the anti-apartheid movement, including Tim Jenkin (Radcliffe), and was the only white man to be sentenced, alongside Nelson Mandela. He received four life terms in 1964 and was finally released in 1986 having served 22 years in Pretoria’s Maximum Security prison.

The project is being produced by David Barron, Footprint Films and The Works Film & Television Group.

David Barron comments: “I am thrilled Sam Neill has agreed to join the cast of Escape From Pretoria. I cannot imagine another actor portraying Denis Goldberg who was such a hugely important player in the fight against apartheid.”

Neill will next be seen in The Commuter with Liam Neeson; Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok and Sony Picture’s [link...

Is indominus Rex ready to make her triumphant return in Jurassic World 2? That's what a new piece of promo art hints, showing the hybrid dinosaur's shimmering eye as it sizes up its prey. We can also see in the reflection that she's still on the island. And if you look close, it almost looks like she's about to shed a tear. Guess she didn't get the memo that there is no crying at Jurassic World.

This image comes from the latest issue of License Global magazine, which Coming Soon got ahold of. The booklet is full of art from other Universal and Sony movies including The Grinch, Jumanji 2, Peter Rabbit and the horror movie Slenderman. But it's this piece of Jurassic art that has really captured our imaginations.

This is the first real hint that Indominus Rex is coming back. Previously, producer and co-writer Colin Trevorrow confirmed that the...

The feud among parties involved with the Lego Movie sequels is quickly rising to the level of that between the animated Batman and Joker depicted in the film.

Animal Logic Entertainment is countersuing producer Jason Lust for breach of contract and tortious interference. Lust sued the Australian VFX house turned production company in October, claiming he was conned into giving up his intellectual property. He says he worked tirelessly on projects like Peter Rabbit and Astro Boy, and consulted on the Lego Movie sequels under the terms of a 2013 shortform agreement. A longterm agreement never came, and...

Last year, director Shane Black explained that they were making a number of enhancements and improvements to the Predator suit, revealing in an interview that there will be a lot of upgrades to the traditional "Predator technology." The director wouldn't delve into specifics, but there were also early rumors that part of the new suit will be enhanced with CGI. Then news come from a merchandising convention claiming that the alien Predator hunters, known as Yautja or Hish-Qu-Ten, would be all CG with actors performing them via motion capture. But that may not actually be the case. The director took to social media over the weekend to shoot down rumors of an all CGI-enhanced suit, while also addressing the new release date. Here's what he had to say about the suit, which will be practical and feature a man in costume.

"I am standing on set next to a 7-foot...

20th Century Fox made a few changes to its release date schedule, delaying the long-awaited Maze Runner franchise finale The Death Cure, while pushing Red Sparrow back a few months as well. The Maze Runner: The Death Cure has been moved from January 12, 2018 to February 9, 2018, the former release date for the studio's The Predator, which will now be releaed on August 3, 2018. Red Sparrow will be moved from November 10, 2017 to March 2, 2018.

Box Office Mojo broke the news of these release date changes, which makes sense for The Maze Runner sequel since production was significantly delayed. Last March, franchise star Dylan O'Brien suffered a serious injury on set which delayed production for almost an entire year. The actor suffered a concussion, a facial fracture and several lacerations from a motorcycle stunt that went awry. While it was initially believed that the actor could return to the set in just a few weeks,...

Author: Guest

Arguably horror is the most symbolic of film genres, as it relies heavily on senses and imagery to convey suspense and the moral message of the story. The mark of successful horror films as seen in the last few years such as The Babadook, Don’t Breathe, and this year’s sensation Get Out, have managed to balance tone and exposition well – paving the path for more sophisticated endeavours. Sadly, Caradog W. James’ Don’t Knock Twice seems to be taking backward steps down that path, in what can only be described as a juvenile and slapdash piece of cinema.

The film entails American sculptor Jess (Katee Sackhoff), reuniting with her teenage daughter Chloe (Lucy Boynton) who’s living in a foster home. Jess invites Chloe to come live with her but distraught at her mother’s abandonment, the latter refuses. That night Chloe and her boyfriend Danny...

Ryan Gosling, Dwayne Johnson, Edgar Wright, Jon Hamm on stage in Las Vegas.

‘Netflix my ass,’ Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Tom Rothman declared after showing early footage from Blade Runner 2049 to convention attendees on Monday.

It was a typically bold statement in a session on Monday evening that wasted no opportunity to extol the virtue of the theatrical experience and stress Sony’s commitment to globally appealing, diverse content.

Minutes earlier Rothman had introduced the sci-fi sequel’s star Ryan Gosling on stage at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace and revealed part of the film takes place in Las Vegas.

The Canadian leading man told attendees how shooting the sequel with Denis Villeneuve, Harrison Ford and the cast in Budapest had been a “surreal” experience.

Footage was predictably atmospheric and featured plenty of shots of a familiar dystopian skyline. In one chilling sequence Jared Leto’s sinister character intones, “We make angels...

Suicide Squad star to play lead in new twist on British legend. Separately, Tracy Morgan and Luke Wilson will star in comedic road movie The Shitheads.

The studio has acquired a speculative script that will see the Australian star play the lead in a spin-off based on the Robin Hood myth.

Donald De Line and Amy Pascal will produce Marian, in which the eponymous Medieval character Maid Marian takes arms against England’s rulers when her beloved Robin dies. Paradigm represented the script by Pete Barry.

Robbie, who starred in last year’s tentpole Suicide Squad, is also producing via her LuckyChap Entertainment alongside Rock Shaink of Romark Entertainment.

Robbie is currently shooting I, Tonya, in which she plays the controversial Us ice skater Tonya Harding.

Her upcoming slate includes Terminal, which is in post, narration work on Peter Rabbit, and the recently announced Gotham City Sirens, which will see her reprise her role as Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad...

Lauren Brown..

Brisbane-based producer Lauren Brown has been chosen as the recipient of the 2017 Village Roadshow Animal Logic Internship, valued at $20,000.

Brown will head Stateside this week to begin a three-month stint at the La offices of Village Roadshow Pictures and Animal Logic. The internship also covers living and travel expenses, on-the-ground support and networking opportunities with the Us industry, as well as an office space at Australians in Film's workspace The Creative Collective.

Brown has just spent a week at Animal Logic's Sydney office, and on the set of Peter Rabbit (both at Sydney's Fox Studios)..

"The Village Roadshow Animal Logic Internship is such a rare program and I've applied for it three times now because it's an opportunity that just can't be passed up," said Brown.

"For an emerging producer like myself, it's really the best internship there is because it provides such an incredible opportunity to be...

Earlier this week, production got under way on Lionsgate's highly-anticipated Robin Hood: Origins, with the first set photos revealing Taron Egerton as the title character. Today we have even more images from the set in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which offers our first look at Jamie Foxx as Little John. We also have a brief video which shows Jamie Foxx and Taron Egerton taking a stroll together, before they're interrupted by a group riding past on horseback.

These new photos and video comes from The Dubrovnik Times, the local publication where the film is shooting. Their report reveals that last night's shoot took place in the eastern entrance to the Old City section of Dubrovnik, with this scene taking place on the stone bridge that leads into the city from the Ploce Gate. While little context was given for the scene, a brief video shows Little John pulling Robin Hood out of...

Production began today on Lionsgate's highly-anticipated Robin Hood: Origins, with filming taking place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We already have our first look at stars Taron Egerton and Eve Hewson on set. Filming is expected to last in Dubrovnik until March 6, with over 1,000 extras assembled for the shoot, which recreate The Crusades. There is one photo in particular that has captured the attention of fans, which has Taron Egerton's Robin Hood kissing Eve Hewson's Maid Marian.

These first photos surfaced at The Dubrovnik Times, which reports that all of the "main actors" are on location in Dubrovnik, except for Jamie Dornan. The actor plays Will Scarlett, the husband of Maid Marian. It hasn't been announced when he will begin filming on this epic adventure. With filming to continue in Dubrovnik for at least a few more weeks, hopefully we'll get to see even more photos from the set soon.

It's been exactly two weeks since production started on MGM's highly-anticipated Tomb Raider reboot, but surprisingly, we haven't seen any photos from the set since director Roar Uthaug shared an image of the first film slate on the first day of filming. That all changed today, with a slew of new images giving us our first look at Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. While little is known about the scene she is shooting, Alicia Vikander is seen swinging from a long wooden plank, while attached to a stunt harness.

The Daily Mail debuted these photos, which show that Alicia Vikander's hands were tied together during the shoot. It's possible that Lara Croft may be trying to escape from the main villain in this scene, who is played by Walton Goggins. Since Walton Goggins isn't seen in any of these photos, it remains unclear whether or not he's involved in this scene.

In the new horror film “Don’t Knock Twice,” there’s a disturbing urban legend involving a child-stealing witch living in an abandoned house. “Knock once to wake her from her bed, twice to raise her from the dead…” goes the rhyme, but when troubled teen Chloe (Lucy Boynton) raps at the door one night, she has no idea the horror she’s about to unleash. She flees to the country home of her estranged mother (Katee Sackhoff) — a former addict turned famous artist — and must learn to trust her after many years in order to stop the demon stalking them. It co-stars Nick Moran (“Lock, Stock and Two Smocking Barrels”), Richard Mylan (“The Upside of Anger”), Pooneh Hajimohammadi (“Words with Gods”), Jordan Bolger (“Peaky Blinders”) and more. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.

Read More: ‘Don’t Knock Twice’ Trailer: Katee Sackoff and Her Kid Might Have...

Back in November, a few months before production got under way on MGM and Gk Films' Tomb Raider reboot, producer Graham King revealed in an interview that the movie will center on a young Lara Croft who goes out searching for her long-lost father. Today we finally have word on who will play the father, with Dominic West signing on to take this important role of Lord Richard Croft. Lara's father is quite important in the mythology of the video game series, and it's clear he'll have quite the substantial role in this film.

The Hollywood Reporter also reveals that the story centers on Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) embarking on her first ever adventure to "finish her father's research and uncover ancient secrets in order to clear his disgraced name." In the video game series, Lord Richard Croft is both an aristocrat and an archaeologist. In the 2001 video game adaptation starring Angelina Jolie,...

Earlier this month, Tomb Raider star Walton Goggins sent out a photo of the Tomb Raider screenplay, teasing that shooting would start soon. That fell in line with a previous report from December, claiming production would begin in January. Although we still don't have word about any other cast members coming aboard, aside from Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft and Walton Goggins as the villain, today we have word from director Roar Uthaug that filming has in fact started. The filmmaker even shared the first photo from the set.

This first look image doesn't feature Vikander or Goggins. The director shared the photo on Instagram, which features the very first film slate used as production gets under way. While it was never specified where filming will take place, Walton Goggins sent out a number of photos through his Instagram last week, revealing that he has been in Cape Town, South Africa.

A week ago today, we reported that the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot has finally found its villain, with The Hateful Eight and Justified star Walton Goggins coming aboard to star as the antagonist, alongside Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. No details have been confirmed about this character, or if he will be based on one of the villains in the video game series. While promoting his new History Channel series Six, based on the real life exploits of Navy Seal Team Six, Walton Goggins shed some new light on this character. Here's what he had to say, teasing that this villain is much more complex.

"Is he a villain? Sure, that is an easy description. An antagonist, for sure. But [like other characters] I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to play over the course of my career, there are real reasons behind his antagonism, and it's not what you'd expect.

Lionsgate has entered into negotiations with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star Ben Mendelsohn to play the iconic role of the Sheriff of Nottingham in their highly-anticipated Robin Hood: Origins. If a deal is finalized, he will join a cast that includes Taron Egerton as Robin Hood, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, Jamie Foxx as Little John and Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett, the half-brother of the title character. It remains to be seen how many more characters are needed to be cast at this time.

Variety reports that the story centers on Robin Hood as a "war-hardenned crusader," who joins a Moorish commander in an ambitious revolt against the British monarchy. Previous reports have compared this story to The Dark Knight trilogy, with this movie providing an origin story for the title character. These new plot details seem to conflict with previous reports, though.

Earlier reports have...

Jessica Marais in 'Love Child'..

Screen Nsw has announced it will invest in 20 new Australian film and television projects..

These will include seven TV dramas to be funded under the $20 million Made in Nsw Fund, announced by the Nsw Government earlier this year..

Among the Made in Nsw fund projects are Monkey, a family action-adventure series based on the Chinese legend 'Journey to The West', to be produced by See-Saw Films; Fighting Season, about Australian soldiers returning from Afghanistan, from the producers of The Sapphires and Cleverman; and Friday on My Mind, the story of legendary Australian rock band The Easybeats from the producers of Love Child and The Code. Love Child has also been funded for a further season.

Nash Edgerton is set to make his TV debut, directing Jungle.s Mr In Between, the story of a charismatic yet volatile hitman. Michelle Bennett will produce.

Ready for This.

Three Australian productions.—.Doodles, Ready for This and Wild But True.—.are in the running for 2016 International Emmy Kids Awards.

The ABC.s multiplatform comedy Doodles is nominated in the Kids: Digital category. The animated series is produced by Ludo Studios with support from ABC3, Screen Australia and Screen Queensland.

ABC's Ready for This is up for a gong in the Kids: Series category. The Indigneous team drama was produced by Big Chance Films, a joint venture between Blackfella Films and Werner Film Productions, and co-created by Liz Doran, Jo Werner, Darren Dale and Miranda Dear. It was financed by Screen Australia, Screen Nsw, the ABC and the Australian Children.s Television Foundation.

Shot primarily at Australia Zoo, Wild But True.— co-hosted by Robert Irwin, son of the Croc Hunter Steve — has been nominated in the Kids: Factual category. The series, supported by Screen Queensland, is a...

2013's Pacific Rim.

Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, the sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2013 blockbuster Pacific Rim, is set to begin shooting at Sydney's Fox Studios in mid November. The production will also shoot for a short period in Queensland.

Star Wars' John Boyega stars with Suicide Squad's Scott Eastwood, while Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight takes over directorial duties from del Toro, who remains on board as a writer and producer.

Like the first film, Maelstrom is being made by the Wanda-owned Legendary Pictures, with Mary Parent and Thomas Tull joining del Toro as producers.

Kirsty McGregor is assisting on local casting alongside casting director Sarah Finn, whose recent credits include Gold Coast productions Thor: Ragnarok and Kong: Skull Island.

Boyega plays the son of Idris Elba's character in the original film. Returning players include.Hellboy's Ron Perlman, as Hannibal Chau, and Captain Phillips' Max Martini,...

Now that Alicia Vikander has been set to play Lara Croft in MGM and Warner Bros.' long-awaited Tomb Raider reboot, the studios have finally set a release date. Warner Bros. will release Tomb Raider on March 16, 2018, a date the studio had previously set aside for a DC Comics project, which most believed was The Flash. That project recently lost its director, Seth Grahame-Smith, who was quickly replaced by Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), but the superhero movie doesn't have an official release date at this time.

The Hollywood Reporter has news of this release date, which comes just a few months after Warner Bros. made a different release date shift. Back in April, Warner Bros. pushed its Jungle Book sequel into 2018, while setting an October 6, 2017 release date for an untitled event film. There had been speculation that this slot could be used for the Tomb Raider reboot, which, at the time,...

Sony Pictures Animation has announced some changes to its release schedule with a few new dates and one notable delay.

First up, their proposed animated "Spider-Man" movie has been delayed by six months and will now open December 21st 2018. "The Lego Movie" writer/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are behind the new film but will likely only produce due to their commitments to the young Han Solo film at Disney.

Next up, Sony have set two new dates. The previously announced "The Emoji Movie" is set to debut on August 11th 2017, while a new adaptation of "Peter Rabbit" will be released on March 23rd 2018.

Source: Spa...

Though many balked at its announcement, Sony Pictures Animation has reminded us all that its Emoji Movie is still very much in development, and it has a new release date to call its own: August 11, 2017.

It was just one of a number of animated features that the studio dated, with the other notable reshuffling arriving in the form of Chris Lord and Phil Miller’s animated Spider-Man movie, which has shied away from its tentative 2017 window – logical, given that Marvel’s live-action feature is due in 2017 – and taken up residence at December 21, 2018.

Lord and Miller are currently pitching a treatment for the animated film and are set to go on to produce. They’ll stop short of directing, though, with a certain Han Solo spinoff movie looming on the horizon as the creative pair begin to make tracks for the Star Wars universe.

This is by no means the first...

The International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, has announced the nominations for the 43rd Annual Annie Awards and "Inside Out" and "The Good Dinosaur," both Pixar movies, led the pack! "Inside Out" received fourteen nominations while "The Good Dinosaur" got nine.

My pick of the year for best animated feature is "Inside Out" but I love Charlie Kaufman's "Anomalisa" as well which picked five noms.

We'll find out the winners of the Annie Awards on February 6th!

Here is the full list of nominees in all categories of the 43rd Annie Awards:

Best Animated Feature

Anomalisa

Paramount Pictures

Inside Out

Pixar Animation Studios

Shaun the Sheep The Movie

Aardman Animations

The Good Dinosaur

Pixar Animation Studios

The Peanuts Movie

Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation

Best Animated Special Production

Elf: Buddy.s Musical Christmas

Warner Bros. Animation

He Named Me Malala

Parkes-MacDonald / Little Door

I Am A Witness

Moonbot...

Stars: Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Elliot Cowan, Amit Shah, Sam Gittins, Shauna Macdonald, Duncan Preston, Ania Marson, Rosie Day, Calvin Dean, Sean Pertwee, Brett Goldstein | Written by Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler | Directed by Paul Hyett

It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since special effects man Paul Hyett exploded onto the horror landscape with The Seasoning House, a brutal look at the horrors of war that divided audiences with its harrowing depictions of rape, torture and murder. Cut to 2015 and Hyett returns to the directors chair for Howl. A traditional… werewolf movie? And one penned by a writing duo who, until now, have been best known for their work in children’s television, in particular the likes of Thomas & Friends, Tree Fu Tom and Peter Rabbit. It sounds like an odd combination, one that shouldn’t work. But it does.

It works because whilst Howl may...

What happens when two children’s entertainment scribes (boasting credits such as The Tigger Movie, The Penguins Of Madagascar, Peter Rabbit, and Kim Possible) collaborate on their first feature film? Obviously you get a kid friendly movie titled Blood Punch, filled with death, guts, murder, betrayal – wait, what? You heard right. Director Madellaine Paxson and writer Eddie Guzelian are ditching all that warm and fuzzy bullshit to bring you their own twisted fairy tale about three rowdy criminals forced to repeat the same deadly day over and over again. It’s like kind of like Groundhog Day – a vile, wicked, royally f#cked up Groundhog Day your mum certainly wouldn’t approve of.

It all starts when Milton (Milo Cawthorne), a shy chemistry wiz, meets Skyler (Olivia Tennet), a criminal looking for the best meth cook she can find. After meeting in Milton’s rehab clinic (where else would you find the best junkies?...

Yay! One of my favorite animated films of 2014 topped the recently announced 2014 Annie Awards honoring excellence in the field of animation. Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi's "The Boxtrolls" received 12 nominations including Best Animated Feature. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA.s Royce Hall. For more information on the Annie Awards, click here.

Here's the full list of nominees for the 2015 Annie Awards

Production Categories

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6 - Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin' - Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea - Gkids/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life - Reel FX

The Boxtrolls - Focus Features/Laika

The Lego Movie -Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya - Gkids/Studio Ghibli

Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - Voyager Pictures LLC

Dawn of the...

Monday morning, the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards, recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. Leading the pack with 13 nominations, including a nod for Best Animated Feature, is Laika Animation's "The Boxtrolls." Dreamworks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon 2" followed with 10 nominations, joining "Boxtrolls" in the Character Animation, Animation Effects, and Best Feature categories. Rounding out the organization's big prize are "Big Hero 6" (seven nominations), "Cheatin'" (three), "Song of the Sea" (seven), "The Book of Life" (five), "The Lego Movie" (six), and "The Tale of Kaguya" (three). The Annie Awards also announced nominations in TV, video game and short subject categories. “We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked Asifa-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “We added a new category...

Big Hero 6, Cheatin’, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song Of The Sea, The Book Of Life, The Boxtrolls, The Lego Movie and The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya have been nominated in the top category for the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood’s 42nd annual Annie Awards. The Annies cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced January 31 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Here’s the full list of noms:

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin’

Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea

Gkids/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life

Reel FX

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

The Lego Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Gkids/Studio Ghibli

Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Voyager...

If you want to know how Emma Thompson came about writing her new series of authorized Peter Rabbit sequels, based on the Beatrix Potter series, well, it’s simple: The rabbit asked her to do it. “Do you know: I got a little box, and inside it there was a letter ... from Peter Rabbit!" she said, emphatically. The two-time Oscar winner, clad in a billowy white dress printed with black leaves, was standing in front of an audience of squirming children and their rapt parents in the kids section of Barnes & Noble Tribeca, about to read from her latest book, The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit. "And do you know what he sent? I have to show you this ... ”She reached behind the podium and pulled out a tiny, rabbit-size blue felt jacket. “His jacket! He sent me a letter saying, would I write him another story? And I couldn’t resist,...

A preschool whodunit. A hilarious friendship between dirty trucks. An epic quest to defeat darkness. An ousted crowd who navigates middle school cafeteria dynamics. And a trio who discover the power of magic.

These are the five kids’ stories Amazon Studios has ordered to pilot, officially announced today. Early next year, all five will showcase their first episodes for viewer feedback on Amazon Instant Video.

During the last kids’ pilot season, one of the highest-rated pilots was Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, which was created by pre-school teacher David Anaxagoras, a first-time writer who was discovered through Amazon Studios’ open-door submission process. In November, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street will launch as a full series on Amazon Prime.

In a few months, viewers will have the chance to discover the next hit kids show. “We’re very excited to be working with such talented creative minds...

The only characters missing from Prince George's first birthday party today were Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. Kate Middleton and Prince William threw their son a Peter Rabbit-themed bash at their Kensington Palace abode on Tuesday, and many members of the young royal's immediate and extended family made the scene (minus grandpa Prince Charles, who's in Scotland, but will be on his way back with a stuffed squirrel to give to his grandson). Queen Elizabeth II was chauffeured to the party, where she stayed for about 50 minutes, just hours after Kate was seen driving George to Buckingham Palace for an early-afternoon visit with his grand-grandmum and great-grandfather Prince Philip, who couldn't make...

When his father, Prince William, turned 1, his parents weren't even with him on his special day. For Prince George, the world is very different: At his first birthday on Tuesday, he will have the grandest of guests. Although the only thing the palace will say is that "close family and friends" have been invited to the bash, People understands that William and Kate have invited great granny Queen Elizabeth to the bash at their Kensington Palace home, with grandparents Mike and Carole Middleton also expected. George's grandfather, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, on the other hand,...

The Weirding Willows Volume 1 (Titan): The literary-mashup-thing has been done many times, most often with rights-free adventure stories of the 19th century, so you can’t blame me for being wary about Dave Elliott’s Weirding Willows, which puts Alice, Peter Rabbit, Dr. Moreau, Mowgli, Frankenstein’s monster, and a slew of other classic characters into a nebulous fantasy setting. Although the backgrounds of the characters are woven together with an impressive sense of imagination, I kept saying in the back of my head, “Again?” Then there were dinosaurs. Okay, I’ll keep reading. Then there were the main characters from my most beloved novel as a child, The Wind In The Willows. You’re catching me, here. And Then… a werewolf. Sold. Done. I’m in. I never claimed not to be a sucker for certain things, and dinosaurs make everything better. 7/10

Afterlife With Archie Volume 1 (Archie):...

The 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards were handed out Friday night, and thanks in part to its mighty Muppet militia, PBS emerged with more wins than any other network.

Related Daytime Emmy Awards to Stream Online, Forgo Televised Ceremony

Sesame Street‘s hub earned 10 total awards, as CBS followed with eight and The Hub Network nabbed six. Read on for all of this year’s winners:

Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series

Sesame Street (PBS)

Outstanding Children’s Series

R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series (Hub Network)

Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Animated Program

Peg+Cat (PBS...

Author P.L. Travers, whose "Mary Poppins" books were turned into a fanciful Disney film, was a notoriously prickly woman -- and according to Tom Hanks, she wouldn't have cared for "Saving Mr. Banks," the movie that tells the story of her struggle with Walt Disney over the rights to her creation.

Hanks, who plays Disney in "Banks," said that Travers would most likely have applied many of the same criticisms she lobbed at "Poppins" to the new film had she lived to see it.

"She would absolutely hate it," Hanks said during a red carpet interview at the film's premiere at Walt Disney Studios Monday. "She would say, 'Why don't you make a movie about the poetry that I wrote?' She would hate this movie. But that's what's great about it."

Meanwhile, his co-star, Emma Thompson, who plays Travers, had a different take on the author. Thompson thought her...

Nominations for the 41st Annual Annie Awards were announced and "Frozen" and "Monsters University" led the pack with 10 nominations each. "Despicable Me 2" and "The Croods" followed closely with 9 noms each.

I am rooting for "Frozen" to win! It's a return to form to what Disney does best -- affecting fairy tale with memorable musical numbers. "Monsters University," on the other hand, was bland. The film bored me on second viewing.

Steven Spielberg will receive the Winsor McCay Award for career achievement at the awards ceremony happening on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Patrick Warburton will serve as host.

2013 Annie Award Nominations

Production Categories

1 . Best Animated Feature

A Letter to Momo . Gkids

Despicable Me 2 . Universal Pictures

Ernest & Celestine . Gkids

Frozen . Walt Disney Animation Studios

Monsters University . Pixar Animation Studios

The Croods . DreamWorks Animation

The Wind Rises . The Walt Disney Studios

2 . Annie Award for Best Animated...

Nickelodeon has renewed Peter Rabbit, their CGI animated series for a second season. Based on the classic children's book by Beatrix Potter, the cable channel has ordered 26 new episodes and two specials.

Peter Rabbit began airing on Nickelodon last December and is produced in conjunction with Silvergate Media and animated by Brown Bag Films.

No word on when the new episodes will begin airing. The voice cast includes Colin De Paula, Peter Harris, Michaela Dean, Stephanie Sheh, Megan Harvey, Jenna Iacono, Kyle Dean Massey, Mark Huckerby, and Dave Mitchell.

A new episode of Peter Rabbit, “The Tale of the Giant Pumpkin/The Tale of the Fierce Bad Rabbit,” will premiere on Friday, October 25th, at 1:30pm on Nickelodeon.

What do you think? Do you or someone you know like this show?...