As expected, the latest installment of the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, finished atop the box office in its first weekend. In fact, earning an estimated $220 million gave the film the second largest opening weekend of all time, just behind its predecessor, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which earned $247.9 million.
Finishing in a very distant second was the animated feature Ferdinand with $13.3 million. But, solid reviews point to a possible increase for the Blue Sky film in the coming weeks. The Top Ten’s second animated feature, Coco, finished in third place adding another $10 million to raise its four-week total to $150.8 million.
Wonder fell from third to fourth bring in $5.4 million to bring its five-week total to $109.3 million. Completing the top five this weekend is the Warner Bros./DC Comics team-up Justice League, which took in $4.2 million to up its five-week take to $219.5 million (and a global...
Finishing in a very distant second was the animated feature Ferdinand with $13.3 million. But, solid reviews point to a possible increase for the Blue Sky film in the coming weeks. The Top Ten’s second animated feature, Coco, finished in third place adding another $10 million to raise its four-week total to $150.8 million.
Wonder fell from third to fourth bring in $5.4 million to bring its five-week total to $109.3 million. Completing the top five this weekend is the Warner Bros./DC Comics team-up Justice League, which took in $4.2 million to up its five-week take to $219.5 million (and a global...
- 12/18/2017
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Star Wars: The Last Jedi delivered on expectations, debuting with the second largest opening weekend of all-time and propelling the box office to the third largest weekend ever based on estimates. In an attempt at counter-programming, Fox's Ferdinand got off to a bit of a slow start against the might of Star Wars as well as the continued strong performance of Pixar's Coco as it fell below Mojo's expectations, though the studio is optimistic when it comes to the film's future. With an estimated $220 million, Star Wars: The Last Jedi delivered the second largest opening weekend ever behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which debuted with $247.9 million back in 2015. Last Jedi got off to a strong start on Thursday night with the second largest preview gross ever of $45 million and became only the second film to ever gross over $100 million on opening day resulting in the second largest opening day ever,...
- 12/17/2017
- by Brad Brevet <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
A flower-sniffing bull goes on a journey of self-discovery in this fun adaptation of a 30s children’s book
Based on Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson’s 1936 children’s book The Story of Ferdinand, this gently subversive Madrid-set feature from animation studio Blue Sky and frequent collaborator Carlos Saldanha (the Ice Age films, Rio) follows an adorable, flower-sniffing bull named Ferdinand. “Is it Ok if that’s not my dream?” the baby bull asks his father of fighting. When he discovers that he has no choice, Ferdinand scarpers, hoofing it to a flower farm, where he befriends a human girl and her shaggy sheepdog. Ferdinand’s passivity (and flower obsession) isn’t explicitly coded as queer, though the film hints that this might be the case.
Either way, Ferdinand celebrates his mild temperament and non-confrontational masculinity, which remain unchanged as his bull’s body grows resplendently large. The adult Ferdinand...
Based on Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson’s 1936 children’s book The Story of Ferdinand, this gently subversive Madrid-set feature from animation studio Blue Sky and frequent collaborator Carlos Saldanha (the Ice Age films, Rio) follows an adorable, flower-sniffing bull named Ferdinand. “Is it Ok if that’s not my dream?” the baby bull asks his father of fighting. When he discovers that he has no choice, Ferdinand scarpers, hoofing it to a flower farm, where he befriends a human girl and her shaggy sheepdog. Ferdinand’s passivity (and flower obsession) isn’t explicitly coded as queer, though the film hints that this might be the case.
Either way, Ferdinand celebrates his mild temperament and non-confrontational masculinity, which remain unchanged as his bull’s body grows resplendently large. The adult Ferdinand...
- 12/17/2017
- by Simran Hans
- The Guardian - Film News
With Thursday's news that the Walt Disney Co. is acquiring 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets for $52.4 billion, the future of Fox's animation business is now in question.
Since Disney already houses Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, arguably the two biggest brands in feature animation, will the new mega-studio have room for Fox Animation and the Fox-owned Blue Sky Studios?
Based in Greenwich, Connecticut, Blue Sky launches its newest animated feature, Ferdinand, on Friday. But Blue Sky's most valuable property is its Ice Age franchise, which has earned more than $6 billion since the original 2002...
Since Disney already houses Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, arguably the two biggest brands in feature animation, will the new mega-studio have room for Fox Animation and the Fox-owned Blue Sky Studios?
Based in Greenwich, Connecticut, Blue Sky launches its newest animated feature, Ferdinand, on Friday. But Blue Sky's most valuable property is its Ice Age franchise, which has earned more than $6 billion since the original 2002...
- 12/14/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the big holiday school break fast approaching, parents may be looking for a way to keep the kiddies entertained. Maybe they can be dropped off at the mall’s multiplex while the folks do some last-minute shopping (or exchanging/returning a few weeks from now). Perhaps the pre-teen action of the Jumanji reboot may be a bit overwhelming, along with the new adventure in that “galaxy far, far away”. Well, hopefully they’ve been dazzled by the wonders of the new Disney/Pixar masterwork Coco (you parents and teens should see it, too). Like that recent flick, this one has a distinct Latin flavor, but it’s fairly mild rather than spicy. And it’s based (inspired really) by a 1938 Oscar-winning cartoon short from the “house of mouse”. However, those doing the “re-imagining” (stretching it from eight minutes to over one hundred) are the upstarts from Blue Sky, the...
- 12/14/2017
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After a strong performance last month, the December box office is currently pacing ahead of 2016 by 3% while the overall year is still pacing just a bit behind 2016, currently by 4.2%. However, now comes what will surely be the highest grossing domestic release of the year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The latest film in the Star Wars franchise is looking to become only the fourth domestic release to ever open over $200 million, sure to assist in closing the year-to-year gap even further. Meanwhile, Fox has chosen to once again offer some counter-programming with the animated release Ferdinand. Two years ago they tried a similar tactic when they debuted the fourth installment of the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise against Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Much like 2015, we're anticipating similar results. When forecasting the opening weekend for Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015 it was a rather monumental task as no...
- 12/14/2017
- by Brad Brevet <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
Louisa Mellor Dec 15, 2017
We chatted to actor and writer Sally Phillips about comedy, European accents, special cuddles, writing films and more...
“I’m quite keen to meet a Finnish shaman, have you seen them?” asks Sally Phillips three minutes into an interview that’s supposed to be about her role in new family animation Ferdinand. Scrolling through her phone, she presents me with a photograph of a fearsome looking woman with Pris from Blade Runner eye make-up, wearing an elaborate headdress and holding a tambourine.
See related Star Wars: The Last Jedi review
“Look at the expression! Very, very miserable, tambourine, excellent eye make-up” says Phillips, delighted. “I play a character who looks a bit like that in Zapped! and I did something else recently where they painted a black chicken on one eye. I thought, well, it’s slowly, slowly happening, I’m turning into a Finnish Shaman.”
Despite not having visited Finland,...
We chatted to actor and writer Sally Phillips about comedy, European accents, special cuddles, writing films and more...
“I’m quite keen to meet a Finnish shaman, have you seen them?” asks Sally Phillips three minutes into an interview that’s supposed to be about her role in new family animation Ferdinand. Scrolling through her phone, she presents me with a photograph of a fearsome looking woman with Pris from Blade Runner eye make-up, wearing an elaborate headdress and holding a tambourine.
See related Star Wars: The Last Jedi review
“Look at the expression! Very, very miserable, tambourine, excellent eye make-up” says Phillips, delighted. “I play a character who looks a bit like that in Zapped! and I did something else recently where they painted a black chicken on one eye. I thought, well, it’s slowly, slowly happening, I’m turning into a Finnish Shaman.”
Despite not having visited Finland,...
- 12/14/2017
- Den of Geek
MaryAnn’s quick take… Goofy, charming, faithful to its sweet source material, and all while advancing the standard “Be yourself” message with fresh challenges to gender expectations. I’m “biast” (pro): love the book
I’m “biast” (con): not a fan of Blue Sky’s movies
I have read the source material (and I love it)
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
When the now-beloved children’s book The Story of Ferdinand was first published in 1936, some grownups were worried that it might have a bad influence on children. Apparently its sweet, simple story — from writer Munro Leaf, with instantly iconic illustrations by Robert Lawson — was seen as promoting (take your pick) pacifism, fascism, communism, and/or anarchism. To be fair, its tale of a bull in Spain who wasn’t interested in bullfighting and only wanted to loll about in fields of flowers could...
I’m “biast” (con): not a fan of Blue Sky’s movies
I have read the source material (and I love it)
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
When the now-beloved children’s book The Story of Ferdinand was first published in 1936, some grownups were worried that it might have a bad influence on children. Apparently its sweet, simple story — from writer Munro Leaf, with instantly iconic illustrations by Robert Lawson — was seen as promoting (take your pick) pacifism, fascism, communism, and/or anarchism. To be fair, its tale of a bull in Spain who wasn’t interested in bullfighting and only wanted to loll about in fields of flowers could...
- 12/11/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Louisa Mellor Dec 11, 2017
To mark this weekend’s release of Ferdinand, from the studio behind the Ice Age films, we chatted to its art director, Thomas Cardone…
When art director Tom Cardone talks about designing the style of a film, he could be talking about music. It’s all a matter of rhythm and counterpoint, contrast and dynamics. For Ferdinand, Blue Sky Studio’s adaptation of Munro Leaf’s 1936 children’s book about a Spanish bull who prefers flowers to fighting, Cardone and his team developed a stylised visual language inspired by the rolling landscapes of Southern Spain.
See related Chad Stahelski interview: John Wick 2, Highlander
The goal was to make things “a little more fun than photorealism”, something achieved by sparing, but bold use of colour, comically stretching proportions, and repeating patterns the team discovered in authentic Spanish ceramics in the film’s paving slabs, wooden table tops and more.
To mark this weekend’s release of Ferdinand, from the studio behind the Ice Age films, we chatted to its art director, Thomas Cardone…
When art director Tom Cardone talks about designing the style of a film, he could be talking about music. It’s all a matter of rhythm and counterpoint, contrast and dynamics. For Ferdinand, Blue Sky Studio’s adaptation of Munro Leaf’s 1936 children’s book about a Spanish bull who prefers flowers to fighting, Cardone and his team developed a stylised visual language inspired by the rolling landscapes of Southern Spain.
See related Chad Stahelski interview: John Wick 2, Highlander
The goal was to make things “a little more fun than photorealism”, something achieved by sparing, but bold use of colour, comically stretching proportions, and repeating patterns the team discovered in authentic Spanish ceramics in the film’s paving slabs, wooden table tops and more.
- 12/8/2017
- Den of Geek
Louisa Mellor Dec 12, 2017
Ferdinand, the new animation from the studio behind the Ice Age films, is out this weekend. We spoke to its director Carlos Saldanha…
Published over eighty years ago, Munro Leaf’s The Story Of Ferdinand is a children’s book which has excited controversy and devotion over the decades. It was banned in Franco’s Spain, burned in Nazi Germany, and lauded elsewhere for its beautiful and endlessly interpretably tale of a Spanish bull who refuses to fight in the bullring, preferring the scent of flowers to that of blood.
See related Why Annihilation going straight to Netflix matters Annihilation: Paramount dropping UK cinema release
For an animation studio which has already adapted the work of two Us children’s fiction greats—Dr Seuss in 2009’s Horton Hears A Who and Charles M. Schulz in 2015’s The Peanuts Movie—Leaf’s story was a natural choice for Blue Sky Studios.
Ferdinand, the new animation from the studio behind the Ice Age films, is out this weekend. We spoke to its director Carlos Saldanha…
Published over eighty years ago, Munro Leaf’s The Story Of Ferdinand is a children’s book which has excited controversy and devotion over the decades. It was banned in Franco’s Spain, burned in Nazi Germany, and lauded elsewhere for its beautiful and endlessly interpretably tale of a Spanish bull who refuses to fight in the bullring, preferring the scent of flowers to that of blood.
See related Why Annihilation going straight to Netflix matters Annihilation: Paramount dropping UK cinema release
For an animation studio which has already adapted the work of two Us children’s fiction greats—Dr Seuss in 2009’s Horton Hears A Who and Charles M. Schulz in 2015’s The Peanuts Movie—Leaf’s story was a natural choice for Blue Sky Studios.
- 12/8/2017
- Den of Geek
From the studio behind the Ice Age films comes Ferdinand, a funny, sensitive film with a good heart. Here’s our review…
Part of the legend surrounding Munro Leaf’s 1936 children’s book The Story of Ferdinand is that it was written, start to finish, in less than 40 minutes. It’s a short story, 30 illustrated pages and maybe 600 words, about a Spanish bull who prefers to smell flowers than to fight.
Blue Sky Studio’s feature-length adaptation has, naturally, taken a great deal longer. The project was first announced in 2011 and originally scheduled for a spring, then summer release this year. (It’s finally opening this month against Star Wars: The Last Jedi, just as its previous non-Ice Age film, The Peanuts Movie, opened against The Force Awakens.)
Why the delay? Story, says Carlos Saldanha, also the director of Rio, who has been with the studio almost from the start.
Part of the legend surrounding Munro Leaf’s 1936 children’s book The Story of Ferdinand is that it was written, start to finish, in less than 40 minutes. It’s a short story, 30 illustrated pages and maybe 600 words, about a Spanish bull who prefers to smell flowers than to fight.
Blue Sky Studio’s feature-length adaptation has, naturally, taken a great deal longer. The project was first announced in 2011 and originally scheduled for a spring, then summer release this year. (It’s finally opening this month against Star Wars: The Last Jedi, just as its previous non-Ice Age film, The Peanuts Movie, opened against The Force Awakens.)
Why the delay? Story, says Carlos Saldanha, also the director of Rio, who has been with the studio almost from the start.
- 12/8/2017
- Den of Geek
Kate McKinnon can play anything, even an animated goat! The Saturday Night Live star opened up to E! News about her busy year of working that included her newest role as a calming goat opposite John Cena in Blue Sky's Ferdinand. The Hollywood stars lent their voices to the classic tale of Ferdinand the bull who only wants to smell the flowers rather than fighting. Kate is mostly famous for her six years as a cast member of the iconic, late night comedy show Saturday Night Live, where she plays everyone from Hillary Clinton to Justin Bieber. This time around, she loved getting to work from a sound booth. "The time saved on not having to put on a full base and mascara...
- 12/7/2017
- E! Online
It’s no Coco, but Ferdinand, a CG-animated adaptation of the classic 1936 Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson book about a flower-loving bull who’d rather sniff than fight, manages to squeak by with enough charming set-pieces and amusing sight gags to compensate for a stalling storyline.
Nimbly choreographed by Carlos Saldanha, marking the seventh Blue Sky feature he has either directed or co-directed, with John Cena agreeably voicing the role of the “peace-a-bull” protagonist, the Fox release should handily hit the bullseye with targeted holiday family audiences when it charges into theaters next weekend.
Although the Leaf book, featuring Lawson’s whimsical...
Nimbly choreographed by Carlos Saldanha, marking the seventh Blue Sky feature he has either directed or co-directed, with John Cena agreeably voicing the role of the “peace-a-bull” protagonist, the Fox release should handily hit the bullseye with targeted holiday family audiences when it charges into theaters next weekend.
Although the Leaf book, featuring Lawson’s whimsical...
- 12/7/2017
- by Michael Rechtshaffen
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As a whole video games based on comic book franchises have met with more critical success than games based on cinematic franchises. Part of the reasoning behind this is that comic books have a natural affinity with the transition to gaming: bold characters, super powers that can empower the player, the rich environments, and story lines that can be drawn on. All these things can help bring exciting and fun gameplay experiences.
Comic book narratives are something I love; the integration between written narrative and illustrative depth has always fascinated me. Every time a video game based on a comic book franchise appears, I buy it. Sometimes I've been stung by that, but most times I have a satisfying and immersive gaming experience.
So here are a few of my favourite games in this genre.
The Punisher
Voliton's The Punisher is a grisly game where you can torture enemies in order to gain information.
Comic book narratives are something I love; the integration between written narrative and illustrative depth has always fascinated me. Every time a video game based on a comic book franchise appears, I buy it. Sometimes I've been stung by that, but most times I have a satisfying and immersive gaming experience.
So here are a few of my favourite games in this genre.
The Punisher
Voliton's The Punisher is a grisly game where you can torture enemies in order to gain information.
- 12/6/2017
- by GameTyrant
- GeekTyrant
You know, I don’t exactly go after him as much as I should, but, yeah, there’s a segment of Hell out there somewhere waiting for Chris Meladandri. For those who aren’t 100% familiar with him, he’s somewhat of an allusive figure, there’s actually not a lot of material out there on him, but I think I’m not gonna disappoint too many people by saying in animation terms at least, he’s probably the biggest hack out there. Well, I should say that he’s most known for animation, but honestly, he doesn’t have much of an animation background; he’s spent his whole career producing in fact, and his career didn’t start in animation. He’s not illustrious as a producer; the pre-Disney movies he made, range from the forgotten to the forgettable, until he had relatively minor hit with ‘Cool Runnings’. He...
- 11/23/2017
- by David Baruffi
- Age of the Nerd
Cate Blanchette is absolutely amazing in the role of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok! That was inspired casting and the villain works perfectly for the story that director Taika Waititi tells in the film, but the villain almost showed up in Thor: The Dark World.
While talking to /Film, Kevin Feige explained:
"Blue sky ideas always started on this film with Hela. We wanted to make Hela the villain. Hela was almost the villain in Thor 2. It didn’t happen for various reasons. And thank God it didn’t because now we have Cate Blanchett and Taika doing it."
As you know, The Dark World ended up casting Christopher Eccleston in the role of the sinister villain Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves. It's hard to imagine what the story would have been like with Hela involved. It would have been a completely different movie.
Everything worked out in the end,...
While talking to /Film, Kevin Feige explained:
"Blue sky ideas always started on this film with Hela. We wanted to make Hela the villain. Hela was almost the villain in Thor 2. It didn’t happen for various reasons. And thank God it didn’t because now we have Cate Blanchett and Taika doing it."
As you know, The Dark World ended up casting Christopher Eccleston in the role of the sinister villain Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves. It's hard to imagine what the story would have been like with Hela involved. It would have been a completely different movie.
Everything worked out in the end,...
- 11/2/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Online digital movie purchasing across multiple devices just got easier for consumers, thanks to a new alliance between major studios Disney, Fox, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. With Thursday’s launch of Movies Anywhere, the free app/website provides access to nearly 7,500 titles from the five studios through digital retailers Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu.
Up until now, online digital movie access has been divided between the former Disney Movies Anywhere and rival studios’ competing cloud-based UltraViolet digital locker. According to Karin Gilford, general manager of Movies Anywhere, they hope to lure other studios and mini-majors while also making movies available from specialty divisions Focus Features (Universal) and Fox Searchlight.
“By setting up Ma and setting up an account, and then linking that account to our participating digital retailers, you’ll be able to sync your whole purchase movie collection across all of those accounts,” said Gilford. “And...
Up until now, online digital movie access has been divided between the former Disney Movies Anywhere and rival studios’ competing cloud-based UltraViolet digital locker. According to Karin Gilford, general manager of Movies Anywhere, they hope to lure other studios and mini-majors while also making movies available from specialty divisions Focus Features (Universal) and Fox Searchlight.
“By setting up Ma and setting up an account, and then linking that account to our participating digital retailers, you’ll be able to sync your whole purchase movie collection across all of those accounts,” said Gilford. “And...
- 10/12/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Will Smith and Tom Holland are set to star in a new animated feature, Spies in Disguise.
The project, based on an original animated short, Pigeon: Impossible, comes from Fox Animation, Blue Sky and Chernin Entertainment and is described as an odd-couple comedy.
In the pic, Smith will voice Lance Sterling, the world’s most awesome spy. Cool, charming and super-skilled, Sterling's occupation is saving the world. Holland will play Walter, a great mind but perhaps not a great socializer. What he lacks in social skills, though, he makes up for in smarts and invention: Walter is the scientific genius who invents the...
The project, based on an original animated short, Pigeon: Impossible, comes from Fox Animation, Blue Sky and Chernin Entertainment and is described as an odd-couple comedy.
In the pic, Smith will voice Lance Sterling, the world’s most awesome spy. Cool, charming and super-skilled, Sterling's occupation is saving the world. Holland will play Walter, a great mind but perhaps not a great socializer. What he lacks in social skills, though, he makes up for in smarts and invention: Walter is the scientific genius who invents the...
- 10/9/2017
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Root, root, root for the home team and join the NY Rangers Blue Crew this season! Actors, dancers, tumblers, and more are needed to hype up the crowds at Garden home games. There are also roles available in a New York love story and a play premiere! NY Rangers - Blue Crew Interactive SQUADLet’s go, Rangers! The team’s Blue Crew Interactive Squad is seeking male and female talent aged 18 and older to interact with and hype up the fans at Rangers home games during the 2017-2018 season. Performers, actors, specialty dancers, tumblers, break dancers, and more are needed for the squad. There is an open casting call on Aug. 23 in NYC. Talent must be able to perform at least 75 percent of home games at Madison Square Garden if booked. Pay is $20 per hour (approximately five hours of work). Apply here! “Blue Sky Blues”“Blue Sky Blues,” a New...
- 8/9/2017
- backstage.com
Today’s casting roundup should have you in a New York state of mind! “Area 718,” a sci-fi comedy, is looking to fill lead and supporting roles, a city-based love story is casting multiple roles, and a bicycle helmet commercial needs cyclists to roam Brooklyn. On the West Coast, there are also opportunities in several plays in the Elysium Conservatory Theatre’s upcoming season! “Area 718”Casting is underway for the feature-length “Area 718,” a low-budget, sci-fi comedy about “a conspiracy theorist [who] wants nothing but his own success and to fall in love, but first he must save Brooklyn from a being that's out of this world.” A male actor ages 25–35 is sought to play the lead role of Billy. There are also several supporting roles available for male and female talent aged 25–50. The film begins shooting in the fall in NYC. Pay is $100 per day, plus meals provided. Apply here! “Blue Sky...
- 7/31/2017
- backstage.com
Captain Underpants is the family movie of the summer. Here's our review...
Unless you have fond memories of Dav Pilkey's series of books, it's entirely possible that Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie has tra-la-laaa'd its way into cinemas under your radar. Hopefully, you'll seek it out, because this is the funniest and most creative film to come out of DreamWorks Animation in a long time.
The imaginations fuelling the story are fourth-grade children George and Harold (voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch), who break up the monotony of their life at the unusually austere Jerome Horwitz Elementary School by drawing comics, playing pranks and generally trying to make each other laugh.
Their principal, Mr. Krupp (Ed Helms) hates them for it and on the brink of banishing them to separate classes, an unexpectedly powerful cereal box gift enables the boys to hypnotise him. He comes to believe...
Unless you have fond memories of Dav Pilkey's series of books, it's entirely possible that Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie has tra-la-laaa'd its way into cinemas under your radar. Hopefully, you'll seek it out, because this is the funniest and most creative film to come out of DreamWorks Animation in a long time.
The imaginations fuelling the story are fourth-grade children George and Harold (voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch), who break up the monotony of their life at the unusually austere Jerome Horwitz Elementary School by drawing comics, playing pranks and generally trying to make each other laugh.
Their principal, Mr. Krupp (Ed Helms) hates them for it and on the brink of banishing them to separate classes, an unexpectedly powerful cereal box gift enables the boys to hypnotise him. He comes to believe...
- 7/26/2017
- Den of Geek
In today’s casting roundup, “Blue Sky Blues,” a NYC-based “socially-aware comedy with heart” is looking for several actors to round out its cast! There are also roles available in a new web series about a difficult workspace environment, an Lgbtq-themed short film about gender identity, and a short film about a woman searching for her estranged father in the wilderness. “Blue Sky Blues”“Blue Sky Blues,” an upcoming feature film from Ancoda Pictures, is looking for union and nonunion actors “with wit, improvisational skills, and gravitas” to fill several lead, supporting, and day player roles. The “socially-aware comedy” will follow the love story of the two lead characters as they navigate NYC’s increasingly harsh landscape. A female actor ages 22–40 is needed to play a lead role. Musical talent is preferred but not necessary. There are also several roles available for male and female talent aged 18–71, as well as day player roles for young male actors aged 15–22 (Connecticut locals only). The production shoots late summer/early fall in NYC and Connecticut. Pay is $125/day, plus meals and transportation (producers plan to apply...
- 6/23/2017
- backstage.com
"Built to fight, born to love." 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios have unveiled a second official trailer for the animated film Ferdinand, about a bull raised by a family in Spain and taken to be a fighter, who really prefers to smell flowers instead of battle against matadors. John Cena voices Ferdinand the bull, which might be one of the best voice choices all year. The rest of the voice cast includes Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias, Bobby Cannavale, David Tennant, Anthony Anderson, Flula Borg, Jerrod Carmichael, Boris Kodjoe, and Raúl Esparza. This looks charming and heartwarming, with a good message about animals/people being more than they seem on the surface. Here's the second official trailer (+ poster) for Carlos Saldanha's Ferdinand, direct from YouTube: You can also still watch the first teaser trailer for Blue Sky's Ferdinand here, to see even more footage.
- 6/14/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably.
A five Friday month means a lot of films will be hitting multiplexes and the fact it’s June means even more. Despite this, however, it’s still insane to see that there are five sequels (six if you consider June 16th’s All Eyez on Me as a continuation of Straight Outta Compton like the trades wanted us to believe when it was green-lit). That’s one a week to ensure talk of creative bankruptcy in Hollywood never evaporates. Then again, it doesn’t deserve to in...
A five Friday month means a lot of films will be hitting multiplexes and the fact it’s June means even more. Despite this, however, it’s still insane to see that there are five sequels (six if you consider June 16th’s All Eyez on Me as a continuation of Straight Outta Compton like the trades wanted us to believe when it was green-lit). That’s one a week to ensure talk of creative bankruptcy in Hollywood never evaporates. Then again, it doesn’t deserve to in...
- 6/2/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
There are a number of reasons fans should be excited to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. For example, there’s more shirtless
For example, there’s more shirtless Chris Pratt aka Star Lord, Kurt Russell makes his Marvel movie debut as Star Lord’s dad/an entire planet called Ego, Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan kicking butt as fierce super-powered females Gamora and Nebula, and Sylvester Stallone also makes his Marvel movie debut in a supporting role that could lead to future standalone films.
However, all of that pales in comparison to the aww-inspiring appeal of the smallest,...
For example, there’s more shirtless Chris Pratt aka Star Lord, Kurt Russell makes his Marvel movie debut as Star Lord’s dad/an entire planet called Ego, Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan kicking butt as fierce super-powered females Gamora and Nebula, and Sylvester Stallone also makes his Marvel movie debut in a supporting role that could lead to future standalone films.
However, all of that pales in comparison to the aww-inspiring appeal of the smallest,...
- 5/6/2017
- by Kara Warner
- PEOPLE.com
While driven along by its wisecracking banter, by the end there’s little to distinguish this from the rest of the superhero stable
Two episodes in and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is already starting to feel like an ironic, pop-cultural reference bingo card. And while I’m as much a sucker for Elo’s Mr Blue Sky on a soundtrack as the next guy, I’m beginning to wonder whether chucking in a namecheck for Pac-Man or Knight Rider whenever there’s a lull in the banter is really enough to distinguish this series from the rest of the Marvel mulch.
That’s not to say that the film isn’t enormous fun. The Usp of the Guardians films remains the deft writing by James Gunn. If the Avengers film scripts are the charismatic Alpha frat heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy represents the wisecracking nerdy outsiders. Which, let’s face it,...
Two episodes in and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is already starting to feel like an ironic, pop-cultural reference bingo card. And while I’m as much a sucker for Elo’s Mr Blue Sky on a soundtrack as the next guy, I’m beginning to wonder whether chucking in a namecheck for Pac-Man or Knight Rider whenever there’s a lull in the banter is really enough to distinguish this series from the rest of the Marvel mulch.
That’s not to say that the film isn’t enormous fun. The Usp of the Guardians films remains the deft writing by James Gunn. If the Avengers film scripts are the charismatic Alpha frat heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy represents the wisecracking nerdy outsiders. Which, let’s face it,...
- 4/30/2017
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
With so many films in the Marvel cinematic universe over the years, it can be easy for particular entries to disappear amongst the repetitive superhero format that seems to be churned out on a regular basis. However, every now and then one of them carves its own unique identity and stands out head and shoulders above the crowd. Guardians of the Galaxy did this in 2014 with its strong emphasis on pop culture references and tongue-in-cheek humour and I’m happy to say Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the trend.
We catch up with the group in the midst of them fighting a giant octopus-like creature initiating another fantastic credit sequence set to Elo’s Mr Blue Sky rivalling that of the first film. This opening sets the tone of the film perfectly, reminding audiences that – again – this is going to be no ordinary Marvel film. With the introduction...
We catch up with the group in the midst of them fighting a giant octopus-like creature initiating another fantastic credit sequence set to Elo’s Mr Blue Sky rivalling that of the first film. This opening sets the tone of the film perfectly, reminding audiences that – again – this is going to be no ordinary Marvel film. With the introduction...
- 4/29/2017
- by Tom Batt
- The Cultural Post
With just a few days until the sequel to the amazing Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) comes out, news has already hit that writer and director James Gunn will indeed be returning to make the third installment.
Anyone who saw the first film will know that its great mix of comic book mayhem, mixed with its incredible soundtrack and hilarity, will be excited about the follow up, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which hits cinemas on April 27.
This time we have the full Guardian line up, set a couple of months after the events of the first, with Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and even Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) on board the rebuilt Milano. We already know that we are bound to meet Ego the Human Planet (Kurt Russell) who it turns out will be Star Lord’s dad?...
Anyone who saw the first film will know that its great mix of comic book mayhem, mixed with its incredible soundtrack and hilarity, will be excited about the follow up, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which hits cinemas on April 27.
This time we have the full Guardian line up, set a couple of months after the events of the first, with Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and even Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) on board the rebuilt Milano. We already know that we are bound to meet Ego the Human Planet (Kurt Russell) who it turns out will be Star Lord’s dad?...
- 4/20/2017
- by Patrick Mclean
- The Cultural Post
When you think of animated films the first studios that come to mind are usually Pixar and Dreamworks. However, companies like Blue Sky and Industrial Film & Magic are certainly no slouches in the animation field. The reality is that there are hundreds of these companies. However, there’s one company that people don’t know quite as well in the United States that rules the animé world. That company is Studio Ghibli. This is the studio that Hayao Miyazaki created and his name is the stuff of legend when it comes to animated feature films. The company was founded in 1985
A Video That Gives Us A Brief History of Studio Ghibli...
A Video That Gives Us A Brief History of Studio Ghibli...
- 4/17/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
20th Century Fox’s Blue Sky Studios has extended its lease at it home facility Greenwich American Center that will keep the animation unit behind Ice Age and the upcoming Ferdinand in Connecticut through 2025. The Fox division employs more than 450 artists, engineers and scientists and has been headquartered there since 2009. In a release announcing the move, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said Blue Sky has doubled its staff during the past eight years, helping the…...
- 4/7/2017
- Deadline
Dante is Miguel’s dog, Miguel being the main hero of Coco. What you’re about to see next is a very un-Pixar like short, one more akin to Blue Sky’s work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, this is great, but it’s also not really Pixar’s style. This sort of physical comedy is something we see a lot more […]
Read Dante Wants to Eat His Lunch in This Short for Pixar’s Coco on Filmonic.
Read Dante Wants to Eat His Lunch in This Short for Pixar’s Coco on Filmonic.
- 3/31/2017
- by Alex
- Filmonic.com
Best In Show for CinemaCon 2017 goes to Twentieth Century Fox, which closed out its presentation with a full-throttle Hugh Jackman seduction in honor of his P.T. Barnum biopic, “The Greatest Showman,” which will be released Christmas Day.
Jackman turned on his Broadway charm for the exhibitors, walking them through the passion-project original musical directed by newcomer Michael Gracey. There was extended footage from the film (complete with music by Oscar-winning “La La Land” lyricists Justin Paul and Benj Pasek), which stars Jackman as Barnum, Michelle Williams as Barnum’s rags-to-riches wife, and Zac Efron as an acrobat who soars through the air with the greatest of ease. And then there were the audience members/Fox employees who brought it home by singing and dancing in the aisles.
It was nice to see that even $4 billion in global box office doesn’t mean resting on your laurels. Commandeering the show — and...
Jackman turned on his Broadway charm for the exhibitors, walking them through the passion-project original musical directed by newcomer Michael Gracey. There was extended footage from the film (complete with music by Oscar-winning “La La Land” lyricists Justin Paul and Benj Pasek), which stars Jackman as Barnum, Michelle Williams as Barnum’s rags-to-riches wife, and Zac Efron as an acrobat who soars through the air with the greatest of ease. And then there were the audience members/Fox employees who brought it home by singing and dancing in the aisles.
It was nice to see that even $4 billion in global box office doesn’t mean resting on your laurels. Commandeering the show — and...
- 3/30/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Best In Show for CinemaCon 2017 goes to Twentieth Century Fox, which closed out its presentation with a full-throttle Hugh Jackman seduction in honor of his P.T. Barnum biopic, “The Greatest Showman,” which will be released Christmas Day.
Jackman turned on his Broadway charm for the exhibitors, walking them through the passion-project original musical directed by newcomer Michael Gracey. There was extended footage from the film (complete with music by Oscar-winning “La La Land” lyricists Justin Paul and Benj Pasek), which stars Jackman as Barnum, Michelle Williams as Barnum’s rags-to-riches wife, and Zac Efron as an acrobat who soars through the air with the greatest of ease. And then there were the audience members/Fox employees who brought it home by singing and dancing in the aisles.
It was nice to see that even $4 billion in global box office doesn’t mean resting on your laurels. Commandeering the show — and...
Jackman turned on his Broadway charm for the exhibitors, walking them through the passion-project original musical directed by newcomer Michael Gracey. There was extended footage from the film (complete with music by Oscar-winning “La La Land” lyricists Justin Paul and Benj Pasek), which stars Jackman as Barnum, Michelle Williams as Barnum’s rags-to-riches wife, and Zac Efron as an acrobat who soars through the air with the greatest of ease. And then there were the audience members/Fox employees who brought it home by singing and dancing in the aisles.
It was nice to see that even $4 billion in global box office doesn’t mean resting on your laurels. Commandeering the show — and...
- 3/30/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Adorable! Disney has revealed another lovely teaser trailer for Pixar's Coco, the first musical from Pixar, arriving in theaters later this year (see the first teaser here). This teaser trailer is a bit unique - it's actually a fun short film titled Dante's Lunch, focusing entirely on the dog from the movie. This reminds me of the Scrat short teaser videos that Blue Sky uses to tease their Ice Age movies. Dante is a breed of dog called the Xoloitzcuintle, or "Xolo", better known as the Mexican hairless dog, and he befriends the boy named Miguel in the movie following him to the land of the dead. I love that we're getting another Pixar movie that has a dog as one of the main characters, so I'm totally into this already, even if this isn't my favorite teaser. Enjoy. Here's the second teaser titled "Dante's Lunch" for Pixar's Coco, direct...
- 3/29/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Cartoons and wrestlers have been going together like peanut-butter and chocolate lately. We've had Surf's Up 2: Wavemania, Scooby-doo Wrestlemania! Mystery, The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age Smackdown!, not to mention The Rock starring in Disney's recent hit Moana. So now we can add John Cena starring in the Blue Sky CG-animated comedy Ferdinand to that list. The film is based on a famous children's... Read More...
- 3/28/2017
- by Damion Damaske
- JoBlo.com
Animated arched eyebrows are a plague on creativity.
“Do you feel the taunting power of my eyebrow?” Megamind asks, turning the Dreamworks aesthetic hallmark/crutch into an in-house referential joke. As you may have seen in your daily rounds of the internet, there’ve been various image mashups of animated Dreamworks characters making the same face. Sometimes contrasted against a narrator expounding upon the nuanced characters and profound stories typically found in competitor Pixar’s animated films, the smarmy smirk with one uplifted eyebrow has been dubbed the “Dreamworks Face.”
Even the Madagascar furry has the eyebrows permanently off-kilter.
The plucky underdog — here to slyly joke their way out of tricky situations — is a kid’s movie mainstay, cartoon or live-action. Kids don’t have any power so obviously they will relate to the cheeky anti-establishment type. This face is the easiest, laziest way to convey that character archetype. It’s a way to tell kids that...
“Do you feel the taunting power of my eyebrow?” Megamind asks, turning the Dreamworks aesthetic hallmark/crutch into an in-house referential joke. As you may have seen in your daily rounds of the internet, there’ve been various image mashups of animated Dreamworks characters making the same face. Sometimes contrasted against a narrator expounding upon the nuanced characters and profound stories typically found in competitor Pixar’s animated films, the smarmy smirk with one uplifted eyebrow has been dubbed the “Dreamworks Face.”
Even the Madagascar furry has the eyebrows permanently off-kilter.
The plucky underdog — here to slyly joke their way out of tricky situations — is a kid’s movie mainstay, cartoon or live-action. Kids don’t have any power so obviously they will relate to the cheeky anti-establishment type. This face is the easiest, laziest way to convey that character archetype. It’s a way to tell kids that...
- 3/27/2017
- by Jacob Oller
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The highlight of the Academy’s 89th Sci-Tech Awards Saturday at the Beverly Wilshire was the pioneering efforts of five digital cinematography cameras that stood out among this year’s 18 recipients, acknowledging the dominance of the craft.
Receiving Academy plaques were Arri for the Super 35 Alexa, Red Digital Cinema for the Red Epic, Sony for the F65 CineAlta (with full 4K output), and Panavision and Sony for the groundbreaking Genesis.
Additionally, the formerly-named Thomson Grass Valley received a certificate for the Viper FilmStream system for importing into digital intermediate workflows.
Oscar-nominated “Arrival” (Bradford Young), “Moonlight” (James Laxton), and the Asc-winning “Lion” (Greig Fraser) were all shot on the Alexa.
In terms of animation and VFX, other areas of innovation emphasized rendering and facial performance capture, including Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital, Blue Sky, Sony Pictures Imageworks, among others.
Disney’s Brian Whited accepted a technical achievement certificate for...
Receiving Academy plaques were Arri for the Super 35 Alexa, Red Digital Cinema for the Red Epic, Sony for the F65 CineAlta (with full 4K output), and Panavision and Sony for the groundbreaking Genesis.
Additionally, the formerly-named Thomson Grass Valley received a certificate for the Viper FilmStream system for importing into digital intermediate workflows.
Oscar-nominated “Arrival” (Bradford Young), “Moonlight” (James Laxton), and the Asc-winning “Lion” (Greig Fraser) were all shot on the Alexa.
In terms of animation and VFX, other areas of innovation emphasized rendering and facial performance capture, including Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital, Blue Sky, Sony Pictures Imageworks, among others.
Disney’s Brian Whited accepted a technical achievement certificate for...
- 2/12/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
After years directing animated movies for Blue Sky Films--the original Ice Age, Robots and Epic were three of his movies--Chris Wedge decided to follow the route of many animation directors before him and do a live action movie.
Along came Monster Trucks, possibly one of the simplest high concept premises ever turned into a film, and Wedge somehow found a way to use that idea to put a twist on the “boy and his car” movie that was done so well in Michael Bay’s original Transformers movie.
It stars Lucas Till (MacGyver) as Tripp, an outsider in his North Dakota town, who spends his time at the garage working on a beat-up pick-up truck that just needs an engine. When an explosion at a nearby oil drilling site unleashes a creature that lives under the earth, its quest for life-sustaining oil leads it to Tripp’s garage and...
Along came Monster Trucks, possibly one of the simplest high concept premises ever turned into a film, and Wedge somehow found a way to use that idea to put a twist on the “boy and his car” movie that was done so well in Michael Bay’s original Transformers movie.
It stars Lucas Till (MacGyver) as Tripp, an outsider in his North Dakota town, who spends his time at the garage working on a beat-up pick-up truck that just needs an engine. When an explosion at a nearby oil drilling site unleashes a creature that lives under the earth, its quest for life-sustaining oil leads it to Tripp’s garage and...
- 1/12/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Disney, Blue Sky and Sony are among the honorees at the Academy’s Science and Technical Achievements ceremony, AMPAS announced on Wednesday. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 11, 2017 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. “This year we are particularly pleased to be able to honor not only a wide range of new technologies, but also the pioneering digital cinema cameras that helped facilitate the widespread conversion to electronic image capture for motion picture production,” said Ray Feeney, Academy Award recipient and chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. “With their outstanding, innovative work, these technologists, engineers.
- 1/4/2017
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Editing animated features is very different from live-action.
Not only does it take several years of iterative fine-tuning, but the major studios (Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Illumination, Blue Sky and Sony) also like to discover the movie and workshop it through story reels. And, with “Zootopia,” “Moana,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” and “Sing,” there were a host of editorial challenges in dealing with prejudice among predators and pray, saving a Polynesian island and restoring its culture, a Japanese boy discovering his samurai heritage and putting on a talent contest and saving a theater.
“Zootopia”
Disney’s zeitgeist-grabbing frontrunner actually hit a narrative snag until the filmmakers flipped protagonists from Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), the hustling fox, to Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), the hopeful cop. “These films are really organic and it gets to a point where the film tells you what it wants to be,” editor Fabienne Rawley told IndieWire.
Not only does it take several years of iterative fine-tuning, but the major studios (Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Illumination, Blue Sky and Sony) also like to discover the movie and workshop it through story reels. And, with “Zootopia,” “Moana,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” and “Sing,” there were a host of editorial challenges in dealing with prejudice among predators and pray, saving a Polynesian island and restoring its culture, a Japanese boy discovering his samurai heritage and putting on a talent contest and saving a theater.
“Zootopia”
Disney’s zeitgeist-grabbing frontrunner actually hit a narrative snag until the filmmakers flipped protagonists from Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), the hustling fox, to Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), the hopeful cop. “These films are really organic and it gets to a point where the film tells you what it wants to be,” editor Fabienne Rawley told IndieWire.
- 12/21/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The 2017 inductees for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced Tuesday morning, and this year’s class includes artists from across the genre and generations. Folk legend Joan Baez, progressive rock prototypes Yes, ’70s classical crossovers Electric Light Orchestra, stadium fillers Journey, grunge gods Pearl Jam and rap poet Tupac Shakur all got tapped the join the prestigious order.
In addition, Chic mastermind and master producer Nile Rodgers will receive the Award for Musical Excellence.
The 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, April 7, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. HBO will broadcast...
In addition, Chic mastermind and master producer Nile Rodgers will receive the Award for Musical Excellence.
The 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, April 7, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. HBO will broadcast...
- 12/20/2016
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
The 2011 Smurfs movie, while financially successful with worldwide box office receipts of $563 million, was panned by critics and audiences alike. That leads us to the soft reboot Smurfs: The Lost Village, which is fully CGI animated. The mystery of why the there is only one female Smurf is the main storyline. The animation and voice work are good, the overall movie is very pretty to look at, but the whole thing is just kind of "meh." Last year's The Peanuts Movie seemed to have more earnest heart and feeling. The Lost Village — from what I've seen in the domestic and international trailer — is very surface level. Sure it's a kids film, but I think we should demand more of them when the bar has been raised so high by Disney, Pixar, Blue Sky, and at times Dreamworks.
Smurfs: The Lost Village sneaks into theaters April 17th, 2017.
Smurfs: The Lost Village sneaks into theaters April 17th, 2017.
- 11/21/2016
- by Free Reyes
- GeekTyrant
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