Mel Blanc’s Voice Back In Theatres

Looney Tunes will be returning to the big screen in November 2011. Warner Bros. is planning to release three shorts of the cartoon which will be shown prior to the studios feature films such as Happy Feet 2.

Beloved characters such as  Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird will be featured -  with the original voice of Mel Blanc! His voice will be heard singing two classic Looney Tunes songs “I Twat I Taw a Puddy Tat” and “Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody.”

The cartoons will be shown in 3-D computer animation rather than the classic hand-drawn style of the original series. The shorts are directed by Matthew O’Callaghan for Warner Bros. Animation.

“This will probably be the last time that Looney Tunes fans will have an opportunity to see an original Mel Blanc short featuring these characters,” said Sam Register, an executive vice president at Warner Bros. Animation.

Blanc died in July 1989 at the age of 81. He is fondly remembered as “The Man With A 1,000 Voices.” In addition to his Warner Bros. characters, he was also the voice of Barney Rubble on “The Flintstones,”  Woody Woodpecker’s laugh and he performed many characters for Jack Benny’s radio and TV shows.

Source: LA Times

Disney’s Reboot Ralph Renamed Wreck-it Ralph

Walt Disney Animation Studios announced this week that the 3D animated CG film Reboot Ralph has been renamed Wreck-it Ralph and is now slated for release on November 2, 2012. The film was originally set for release in 2013 but production of the film has been bumped up.

The film follows Ralph, an 8-bit arcade game bad guy, who longs for the same adoration of the hero in his game and sets out on a video-game hopping journey to prove that bad guys can be good.  The film is directed by Rich Moore (“The Simpsons,” “Futurama”) and features the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch.

Quoted in a press release Moore said, “I love the idea of a very simple 8-bit video game character struggling with the complex question: ‘isn’t there more to life than the role I’ve been assigned?’ In his quest for the answer, we journey with our hero through three visually distinct video game worlds. It’s unlike anything anyone’s seen before, and I’m thrilled to be to creating it here at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

Disney has yet to release a movie trailer or posters for the film.

Source: ComingSoon.net

Set Of Kung Fu Panda 2: Angelina Jolie’s Kids Play Critic To The Star

In an interview with USA Today Angelina Jolie revealed that her six kids – Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 4, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 2 – played critic on the set of Kung Fu Panda 2.

“They know when Mommy’s funny and when Mommy’s not funny,” Jolie reported to Scott Bowles of USA TODAY. She says her children were fixtures on the set and became “part agents, part managers.”

“When they’re there and they hear you making kung fu sounds and jumping around, you can see them giggling through the glass,” said Jolie. “It makes you go that much further.”

In the new 3D animated film set to release May 26, 2011, the title character Po is now living his dream being The Dragon Warrior alongside Master Shifu and the Furious Five. Po is fighting to protect the Valley of Peace when the evil emperor albino peacock Lord Shen emerges to take over China with a weapon so powerful that it threatens the very existence of kung fu itself. Po sets out to vanquish this threat with the Furious Five but he must confront his own mysterious past in order first in order to find the strength to succeed.

Complete Cast of Characters:

Angelina Jolie: Master Tigress
Danny Mann: Mr. Rabid Wolf
Danny McBride: Wolf Boss
David Cross: Master Crane
David Ogden Stiers: Master Boar
Dustin Hoffman: Master Shifu
Dennis Haysbert: Master Storming Ox
Gary Oldman: Lord Shen
Jack Angel: Gorillas
Jack Black: Master Po
Jackie Chan: Master Monkey
James Hong: Mr. Ping
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Master Croc
Lucy Liu: Master Viper
Michelle Yeoh: The Soothsayer
Seth Rogen: Master Mantis
Victor Garber: Master Thundering Rhino

Source: USA Today News/ Wikipedia

Jordin Sparks to Guest Star in Nickelodeon’s “Team UmiZoomi”

Platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, Jive Records recording artist Jordin Sparks makes waves in the brand-new Team Umizoomi special, “The Legend of the Blue Mermaid,” premiering Friday, May 13, at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. Sparks guest stars in her first voiceover role as a blue mermaid trapped in a sand castle by a scheming squid. In addition to voicing the mythical creature, Sparks performs an original Team Umizoomi song entitled, “Song of the Blue Mermaid.”

“This is my first time doing a voiceover role and the fact they asked me to do Team Umizoomi had me bouncing off the walls,” said Jordin Sparks. “I’m so happy to be a part of the show as I love the music on Team Umizoomi and that it gets kids excited about math.”

In the special, Team Umizoomi discovers the statue of the Blue Mermaid (Jordin Sparks) while visiting the beach. According to legend, the mermaid with her sparkly blue scales once lived happily in the water by Umi City. But one day, a scheming squid named Squiddy captured the mermaid so that he could keep her sparkling light all to himself. The team must count, recognize shapes and identify patterns in order to rescue the Blue Mermaid from Squiddy’s secret sand castle. It won’t be an easy task as Squiddy will stop at nothing to keep Team Umizoomi from using their mighty math powers to save the day.

About Team Umizoomi

Team Umizoomi, created by Soo Kim, Michael T. Smith and Jennifer Twomey, is currently in its second season and is one of the top preschool shows on TV. Team Umizoomi features a tiny team of superheroes, Milli, Geo and Bot, who use their mighty math powers to help little kids solve big problems. The series combines action-adventure missions with an interactive math curriculum designed to help kids develop self-confidence in their math abilities and appreciate the many ways in which math shapes their world. The Umi Team is not complete without their Umifriend (home viewer), who helps the team along the way while practicing various math skills.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years.

Source: ToonZone

Celebrity Voice Overs Gaining Popularity

Over the last decade the use of celebrity voice overs for television commercials has grown in leaps and bounds.

During the Oscars program this year there were twenty-four percent more ads featuring celebrity’s compared to last years program which had just four percent. Most of the ads this year featured celebrity voice overs rather than on-camera appearances.

With the jump in celebrity voice overs it seems clear that in the minds of marketing gurus it’s worth every expense. Because celebrity’s are recognizable people tend to have an emotional response to the sound of their voices. They remember them from their favorite movies and from the media. The more distinct the voice the better. People are therefore more likely to gravitate to that product over the competitions because they have an emotional connection to it.

Whether or not celebrity voice overs hurts or helps the industry is still up for debate. Some voice actors feel that celebrity’s are taking jobs away from the hard working talent who make a living doing voice-overs.

“Current day celebrities don’t need the money and are taking jobs away from unknown actors who do voice overs, many of which are just as good and some of them much better.” says veteran actor Paul Dooley. “The funny thing is that the large majority of listeners don’t even recognize the celebrity’s voice out of context.”

Good or bad, the once anonymous industry is getting some Hollywood limelight.

Katy Perry Voices Smurfette In Upcoming 3D Animated Feature Film ‘The Smurfs’

Singer songwriter, Katy Perry, gets her acting debut in the upcoming live-action/CGI-animated 3D film ‘The Smurfs’ set to release August 3, 2011.

Perry plays Smurfette in the film, saying that playing a cartoon character felt somehow natural to her colorful personality. A new trailer for the movie recently hit the internet giving us a taste of Perry’s voice over abilities and a better feel for what the movie has to offer than the original teaser trailer.

The film unfolds as some of the Smufs wander into a forbidden grotto and end up transported to modern day Central Park in New York City. They find shelter with a married couple while they try to figure out how to make their way back to the village before Gargamel can hunt them down.

Full Voice cast:

Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, Katy Perry as Smurfette, Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf, Anton Yelchin as Clumsy Smurf, Fred Armisen as Brainy Smur, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf, Gary Basaraba as Hefty Smurf, John Oliver as Vanity Smurf, Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf, Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurf, B. J. Novak as Baker Smurf, Jeff Foxworthy as Handy Smurf, Wolfgang Puck as Chef Smurf, and narrated by Frank Langella

Starring in the live action sequences:

Neil Patrick Harris as Patrick Winslow, Hank Azaria as Gargamel, Jayma Mays as Grace Winslow, Sofía Vergara as Odile, Tim Gunn as an executive assistant

Watch the new movie trailer at the offical Smurfs Website:
http://www.smurfhappens.com/

Source: Yahoo! News / Wikipedia

Two Voice Actors Named In The New ‘ThunderCats’ Series

According to the MTV Splash Page, renowned voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson (The Cleveland Show, The Super Hero Squad Show, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice) will be voicing the role of Panthro in the new version of the 1980s animated series “Thundercats.”

Richardson made the unofficial announcement while talking to MTV News. He was listing some upcoming gigs during a FOX press conference when he mentioned “Thundercats.” MTV New’s jumped at the chance to ask some questions.

“I love Panthro, so to play him, yeah I’m very very happy,” Richardson told MTV News. “The state of the art animation they have today is… That’s exactly what it is — state of the art.”

Richardson also revealed that actor Will Friedle will be playing Lion-O. “The cast is fantastic,” he said. “Will Friedle as Lion-O and some other people who I want to keep anonymous at the moment. It’s up to the times, it’s a lot cooler, it’s going to move a little faster, and the special effects and the direction and the acting are just superb.”

Will Friedle is best known for his work on “Batman Beyond” where he voiced the hero Terry McGinnis. Friedle also provided the voice of Jaime Reyes, a.k.a. Blue Beetle, on “Batman: The Brave and the Bold.”

While yet to be confirmed by officials, having these two prolific voice actors on the cast could be the start of something wonderful for the “Thundercats” franchise.

Source: MTV Splash Page

All-Star Voice Cast For “Rio”

From the creators of Ice Age comes the family film Rio. This 3D animated feature opens in theatres on April 15, 2011. The comedy chronicles the adventures of an exotic Macaw bird named Blu, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg.

Blu is a rare species residing at a bookstore in Moose Lake, Minnesota. He is thought to be the last of his kind until scientists learn that another Blue macaw was spotted in South America – and this one is female. So they take Blu on an extraordinary journey to meet Jewel (played by Anne Hathaway) in the lush rain forests of Rio de Janeiro.

While there, Blu must learn to fly in order to win Jewel’s heart. Along the way, they encounter poachers and thieves who want to capitalize on their rarity to win ill gotten gains.

Rio is a Brazilian/American computer-animated film from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios.

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha

Produced by: Christopher Jenkins

Screenwriter: Don Rhymer

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, Rodrigo Santoro, George Lopez, Jake T. Austin and Carlos Ponce.

Source: Movie Insider

Oscars: Will They Ever Introduce A Voice Over Performance Category?

The animated feature film “Rango” has enjoyed one of the biggest opening weekends of the year, raking in $38.1 million at box offices throughout Canada and the U.S. There is talk in Hollywood that the film could be a contender for next year’s best animated feature category. Jonny Depp and Bill Nighy have received critically acclaimed reviews for their performances but they won’t be seeing any Oscar love for their work on the film.

That’s because, unlike the Emmys, the Oscars have yet to introduce a category for voice over performances. In 2009 the Emmys changed their voice over award from “juried” to a “category”, with five nominees and one winner for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance.

Animated features are one of the most successful genres in filmmaking. Pixar Animation Studios has made over $6.3 billion worldwide and four of their films have been included in the 50 highest grossing films of all time.

Animated characters are transformed into relatable beings thanks to the outstanding voice over performances of the actors and actresses in these films.

But with just four acting categories out of two dozen, will the Oscars ever embrace a Voice Over Performance category? Time will tell.

Until then, there’s always The Annie Awards.

Source: LA Times Blogs

Johnny Depp Stars in “Rango”

Directed by Gore Verbinski and featuring the voices of Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher, “Rango,” features a domesticated chameleon, voiced by Depp, who finds himself left on the side of the highway during a family vacation.

After escaping danger and receiving some advice from an armadillo hit on the side of the road, aptly named Roadkill (Alfred Molina), Rango finds his way through the desert to a town called Dirt, a town which happens to be held at the mercy of bandits and in need of a sheriff.

Ned Beatty plays Dirt’s intimidating mayor and Bill Nighy shines brilliantly as a vicious rattlesnake named Jake.

While Rango enjoys his newly found prominence, Rango comes to realize that sheriffs don’t last long in Dirt…

The film was released on March 2011 and is now playing at a theatre near you.

Cast List: Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Claudia Black, Harry Dean Stanton, Isla Fisher, Johnny Depp, Ned Beatty, Ray Winstone, Timothy Olyphant.

Source: The Guardian

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