cinematicl Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
It seems like forever ago since the teaser for this one hit, and at long last we've got a new full-length trailer for the animated comedy sequel. All of our prehistoric friends are returning and this time they've discovered a subterranean world populated by dinosaurs. Anachronisms aside, this looks to be a lot of fun and the movie hits theaters on July 1.

Astro Boy
OK, if you're going to build a high tech robot boy why would you give him a permanent cowlick? I hadn't been giving much thought to this new CGI version of the classic anime, but this new trailer got my attention. The action and design look awesome, and this one is out on October 23.

Where the Wild Things Are
Judging by the high level of anticipation for Spike Jonze's Wild Things adaptation, I must be the only person in the U.S. who's never read Maurice Sendak's classic book. That said, I really like the creature costumes, even if they do give me H.R. Pufinstuff flashbacks. Wild things will be everywhere on October 16.

The San Francisco Chronicle's movie critic Mick Lasalle has really raised the ire of the animation community with his review of Monster House, in which he lauds the film's use of motion-capture animation (first used by Monster House producer Robert Zemeckis in Polar Express) as a technological advancement the likes of which the animation world has never seen. The review spawned outrage amid professional animators, who took particular offense to the line " ... There was never any point to a close-up in an animated film -- there was never really anything to see."

Industry professionals have apparently not been shy about letting Lasalle know they think he's an idiot, and that he should have better researched his topic before writing about it. Among the throng responding to the review was Pixar story artist Jeff Pidgeon, who sent a politely-worded response to the SF Chron on the subject. Lasalle, who apparently isn't in any hurry to mend fences with the animators of the world, reportedly responded thusly: "Thank you for a thoughtful message. I appreciate it. (Don't agree with it, any of it, but I appreciate being accurately quoted and not being cursed at.)"