Animation

Erik Davis snapped the above photo of our own Jen Yamato interviewing Elektra Luxx actresses Malin Ackerman, Carla Gugino and Emmanuelle Chriqui outside the Paramount Theater. And while not in-person, Erik also spotted Emma Roberts in the most random billboard ever. Our Coverage: Jen Yamato talked to the Kick-Ass cast and creators about Kick-Ass 2 , in which co-star Clark Duke may take the War Machine role: "I've already gotten multiple promises from all of them -- Matthew and Mark and John, all the apostles -- that I get a costume."

a little bit anodyne. But watching it was the sort of prototypical festival-going experience that makes these trips worthwhile; a communal outpouring of enthusiasm and admiration.   -Eugene Novikov

 

NEW YORK--( BUSINESS WIRE )--She sang "Almost There" in the hit holiday film The Princess and the Frog – but today, Princess Tiana has officially arrived – and she's here to stay. At a star-studded event highlighted by a rare gathering of all eight Disney Princess characters, Princess Tiana was warmly and regally welcomed as the ninth member of the beloved Disney Princess Royal Court today during a magical crowning ceremony at the historic New York Palace in Manhattan. As Disney's newest Disney ...  

Marvel is going through something of a tentative renaissance at the moment. They burst onto the film scene with Iron Man , their first ever self-produced movie, in 2008. It seemed almost a revelation at the time – people who make great comic books will make great comic book movies.  

Westporters took to the streets to preview the Project Return Birdhouses up for auction. Even my 5- and 8-year-olds were enthralled by the EighthAnnual Birdhouse Stroll Thursday night, and that should tell you something. I think when I first mentioned the word "birdhouse," they pictured a few brown, wood, boxy contraptions with a little post out front for an avian visitor.  

post wondering how much 3D has affected film piracy. The question as Hollywood appears to be turning to 3D for more and more of their blockbuster releases, many of which are being converted from 2D to 3D such as the recently released Alice in Wonderland and the upcoming Clash of the Titans . However, to this point very few of these films were actually shot in 3D, which means the experience will likely differ from one film to the next, or at least that is the assumed logic from one to the next.  

In "Up in the Air" (2009, Paramount, PG-13, $30), George Clooney stars as a smooth-talking downsizing expert who jets around the country firing people. Along the way he meets up with a fellow frequent flier (Vera Farmiga) and falls ever so slowly in love. But when a young whippersnapper (Anna Kendrick) at his company comes up with the notion of firing people via computer, Clooney faces being grounded for good.  

The Walt Disney Co plans to close director Robert Zemeckis' Image Movers Digital (IMD) facility in northern California, laying off 450 workers there, or more than 5 per cent of its movie studio division. Disney will shut down IMD and lay off those workers as it wraps up production on Mars Needs Moms, an animated film that will hit theaters a year from now. The plan to close IMD comes as Rich Ross, recently appointed chairman of Walt Disney Studios, shakes up the company's movie division to focus on films that can be leveraged across other platforms, including toys and video games.

Given today’s economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences and IMD no longer fits into our business model   -Alan Bergman

 

CHATSHOW king Craig Ferguson is becoming one of Hollywood's cartoon kings. The Scot's success as an American late night TV host has put him in great demand in Tinseltown. Craig, who recently learned how to pilot a plane, has seen his screen career really take off since he became the darling of night time telly in the States by hosting The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.  

When The Princess and the Frog premiered late last year, it was a breakthrough: the first Disney animated film with an African-American princess. But just about any time such a change occurs, controversy is handy. New Orleans, a city that has a terrifying resonance for many African-Americans because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the suffering in its aftermath.