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Washington Irving‘s 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” heralded an enduring Halloween icon with the Headless Horseman, an unforgettable, imposing character that practically begged to be translated into a visual medium. While Disney’s classic feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad wasn’t the first to adapt Irving’s short, the more family-friendly approach and distinct Halloween setting to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment ensures that it’s a holiday staple that still holds up well 75 years later.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was released in theaters on October 5, 1949, but the road getting there was tough and winding thanks to World War II. The film pairs two unlikely tales together: The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Both were intended as separate feature-length animated films, but the company was dealing with financial strife at the time and was forced to pivot.

You know Mickey Mouse. I know Mickey Mouse. Everyone knows Mickey Mouse, and that he was created by Walt Disney… right? While that statement isn’t categorically wrong, it’s also not the whole truth. There’s no arguing that Walt Disney was a visionary, but he was not a one man show. Meet Ub Iwerks, the son of a German immigrant, a talented animator, an incredible artist, and a pivotal inventor who altered the course of Hollywood history. Without his contributions to the industry, some of your favorite movies, cartoons, and even theme park attractions may have never been made. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood...

One of the greatest visionaries of the 20th Century; Walt Disney ushered his empire to heights that no other entity has been able to reach. His accomplishments exceed that of any normal man and while he had his dated flaws, he was always looking at ways to be different and to exceed. As an animator, film producer, and entrepreneur, Disney created some of the most memorable films and characters in existence. The world knows his name and he is responsible for developing the medium that we all use to grow up watching on Saturday mornings. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment,...

Rod Serling's anthology series "The Twilight Zone" may not have had a perfect run all the way through (you can check out our ranking of the original classic seasons right here), but it sure kicked off with a bang. Its second episode, "One For The Angels," was tonally much different than the show's unconventional pilot, and fairly quickly, audiences learned that they were going to be seeing many familiar faces pop up across the show's delightfully twisted and thought-provoking episodes. One such face belonged to Ed Wynn, who audiences would have known at that time for his many stage, film, and TV roles, including leading the Peabody- and Emmy-winning variety series "The Ed Wynn Show." Wynn carried this "Twilight Zone" episode on his shoulders, playing a pitchman who is visited by the personification of Death and trying to outsmart him, only to eventually have to give the pitch of his...

Once upon a time, Walt Disney was just a regular American struggling to succeed. He goes from little guy to big cheese with the help of a mouse in How Disney Built America, six-part History Channel docuseries featuring original dramatic re-creations, expert interviews and archival material. Here, we sketch out each hourlong episode ahead of the April 28 series premiere. Episode 1: The Birth of Mickey (April 28) In 1920s Hollywood, a young Walt loses creative control over his first successful cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, to a powerful middleman. Walt and animator Ub Iwerks create Mickey Mouse and make the first synchronized sound animated short, Steamboat Willie. It’s a hit. Episode 2: Animation Expansion (May 5) At his studio, Walt still faces soaring costs, mounting criticism and tight deadlines. He pushes the limits of technology to create the first full-length animated feature with sound and color, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,...

The History Channel’s How Disney Built America dives into the history of the Disney brand and its impact on generations of fans. The six-episode nonfiction series is set to premiere April 28, 2024 at 10pm Et/Pt, with new episodes arriving on Sundays.

Produced by A+E Factual Studios group, the new addition to the network’s That Built franchise is executive produced by Sharon Scott, Steve Ascher, Matthew Pearl, Kristy Sabat, and Andy Seestedt. The History Channel’s Mary E. Donahue, Jim Pasquarella, and Alex Hicks also serve as executive producers.

The network released this lengthy description of the six-part series:

“How Disney Built America is a nostalgia-filled ride that paints a vivid picture of the world of Walt Disney and the history-making empire he and his brother Roy Disney built. Each hour-long episode focuses on a different example of game-changing brilliance in Disney’s history including creating the world’s most recognizable characters,...

As of January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain. Then director Jamie Bailey and writer/producer Simon Phillips revealed they’re already taking advantage of Mickey’s new public domain status by using a version of the character in their slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap. A trailer for that movie made its way online, but it doesn’t have a release date yet. So technically, the first horror project to use Mickey Mouse is actually the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, which was released through the Night Signal Entertainment YouTube channel yesterday. You can check it out in the embed above.

Here’s the info on The Vanishing of S.S. Willie: A lost 1928 documentary about a missing ship is discovered, and its dark secrets unearthed. A...

Mickey Mouse has got a knife. With those simple words, and the corresponding horror movie trailer which goes with them, it’s become clear that the 21st century is about to get weird. Well, weirder, at any rate.

Nearly a hundred years after Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks animated the short film “Steamboat Willie,” which introduced a rodent who helped Walt build an empire, the same short cartoon has entered the public domain as of Jan. 1, 2024. And already there have been as many new Mickey Mouse slasher projects announced as there’ve been days in the New Year.

The first and clearly most advanced is Mickey’s Mouse Trap, a film set in a fictional amusement park where teenagers are picked off one at a time by a man with uncomfortably familiar-looking mouse ears. The logline promises (or warns?): “It’s Alex’s 21st Birthday, but she’s stuck...

The fraudulent Michelangelo who performed at Mar-a-Lago isn't the only imposter version of an iconic animated anthropomorphic animal on the loose at the dawn of 2024.

As of January 1 this year, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks's "Steamboat Willie" -- the benchmark 1928 black-and-white cartoon short featuring Mickey Mouse in his earliest form -- has officially entered the public domain. That means it's open season for anyone and everyone who wants to use that iteration of the Walt Disney Company's mascot. So, naturally, there's already an influx of horror-themed films and even video games aiming to parody the rodent's family-friendly image. (Nobody tell them that Kevin Smith basically already did that 25 years ago with the Mickey-inspired Mooby the Golden Calf in "Dogma.")

Up first? "Mickey's Mouse Trap." Directed by Jamie Bailey, the slasher film centers on Alex, a young woman who's stuck spending her 21st birthday working a late shift at...

M-i-c-k-e-y will soon belong to you and me.

With several asterisks, qualifications and caveats, Mickey Mouse in his earliest form will be the leader of the band of characters, films and books that will become public domain as the year turns to 2024.

In a moment many close observers thought might never come, at least one version of the quintessential piece of intellectual property and perhaps the most iconic character in American pop culture will be free from Disney’s copyright as his first screen release, the 1928 short Steamboat Willie, featuring both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, becomes available for public use.

“This is it. This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it’s kind of symbolic,” said Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law and director of Duke’s Center for the Study of Public Domain, who writes an annual Jan. 1 column for “Public Domain Day.” ”I kind of feel like the pipe on the steamboat,...

All Jack Frost Films Ever Made(Photo Credit –IMDb)

Santa Claus is and will always be the face of Yuletide. He’s an old, polite, white-bearded man who gives everyone gifts; what’s not to love there? So, it is safe to say no one can replace the good old Santa Claus. However, there are some Christmas figures that do not nearly get as much love from the world as Santa, despite being as interesting, if not more, than Father Christmas. One such character is Jack Frost.

While technically not a ‘Christmas figure,’ Jack Frost has always been associated with the festival. He’s essentially the face of winter, the personification of cold, and the guy who gives everyone the frosty fingers and snowed-in days. The first recorded mention of Jack Frost in literature was in 1734 in a book called “Round About Our Coal Fire, or Christmas Entertainments.”

Jack Frost...

As Disney has been enthusiastically reminding us all year, 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by Walt and Roy Disney. Walt was an animator whose previous company, Laugh-o-Gram Studio, which he founded with Ub Iwerks, had just gone bankrupt. Meanwhile Roy was still suffering from tuberculosis. Yet the studio they founded would come to be ranked number 53 on the Fortune 500 list of the biggest companies in the United States in 2022. More impressive still, the company has achieved the ever elusive mystique of being a brand adored and respected around the world.

The Walt Disney Company (as it has been known since 1986) has expanded into all sorts of areas over the years, from theme parks to superhero movies to streaming documentaries, but the heart and soul of the endeavour is still, at the end of things, Walt Disney Animation Studios, which was put into...

October 16, 2023 marks the official 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. While many enterprises now make up the conglomerate — from theme parks to sports broadcasting — animation has been at its core since the beginning.

The legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios continues strongly today. 2023 also sees the theatrical debut of "Wish" — the studio's first original fairytale — from the co-director of "Frozen" and starring Ariana DeBose as Asha, the story's protagonist. "Wish" is accompanied in theaters by a new short film, "Once Upon a Studio," starring Mickey Mouse and featuring characters from every feature-length film in the Disney Animation canon.

Even for a studio with such a rich, beloved filmography as Disney's, the past 100 years have been an ebb and flow of highs and lows, hits and bombs, artistic phenomena and creative scarcity. With each generation, Disney Animation must redefine itself for its audience while retaining the signatures that make it iconic.

The latest episode of "Futurama," titled "The Prince and the Product," is the show's seventh anthology episode, and it's the weirdest one to date.

The "Futurama" anthology episodes began back in the series' second season with "Anthology of Interest I", and featured stories that were too outlandish, even for the already-bizarre show. The conceit behind the anthology format, at least at first, was merely to sensationalize the drama in a 1950s style, complete with an over-the-top announcer (Maurice Lamarche) yelling things like "You've seen it! Now you can't unsee it!" As the show progressed, however -- and the showrunners wanted to get even wilder -- the conceit fell away, and anthology shows would be presented just for fun.

The episode "Reincarnation", for instance, merely featured a trio of segments in different animation formats. One was a black-and-white Ub Iwerks-style cartoon, another appeared to have been animated on an Atari...

Updated with full schedule: Disney has revealed the full schedule for what it terms “the Biggest Disney Fan Event of the year,” Destination D23, which will take place from Friday, September 8 through Sunday, September 10, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

The event, tied to the company’s 100th anniversary this year and put on for members of its D23 fan club, promises a “journey through every era of Disney, as we venture back through the last century of storytelling and look forward to a limitless future for the company.”

Below is a simplified graphic followed by the detailed full schedule revealed today:

Friday, September 8

7 a.m. – 8 p.m. :

Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up Open

East Registration

Shopping Check-In Open

8 a.m. – 8 p.m. :

Gift Pick-Up Open

Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2

Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping Open

Ballroom of the Americas, 2nd Floor...

After watching the Disney+ docuseries “The Imagineering Story” in 2019, Warner Bros. executives approached Leslie Iwerks about documenting their studio’s history.

“They said, ‘We’d like you to tell honest stories about us,” recalls the Oscar-nominated director, granddaughter of Mickey Mouse designer Ub Iwerks.

Three years later, Iwerks has two docs out about Warner Bros.: The first, “100 Years of Warner Bros.,” which pays homage to the output of the studio over the past century, debuted on Max in May, the same month that the series premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The director’s sophomore documentary for Warner Bros. Discovery, “Superpowered: The DC Story,” arrives July 20 on Max. The three-part series, which Iwerks co-directed with Mark A. Catalena, is a deep dive into the history and legacy of DC Comics, home to superheroes including Batman and Superman. The series also details the rivalry between DC and Marvel.

Narrated by Rosario Dawson,...

“You know, it’s funny, I went to the other side of the tracks, didn’t I?” admits Leslie Iwerks as she begins talking about the four-part docuseries “100 Years of Warner Bros.: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of” that she directed for Max. Why the other side? Because the Oscar and Emmy nominee grew up as the daughter of longtime Disney executive Don Iwerks and granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, the Disney animation legend who worked side-by-side with Walt Disney and co-created Mickey Mouse. Yet here Leslie was tasked with putting together the ultimate history of a studio (Warner Bros.) that has long been a chief competitor of Disney. How did that happen? Her 2019 documentary “The Imagineering Story” that told the tale of Disney Imagineering came to the attention of the Warner Bros. folks. “They really liked it and asked if I could do something similar for them (to celebrate their 100th),” Iwerks says.

Clockwise from top left: A Trip To The Moon (Flicker Alley), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.), King Kong (Warner Bros.), Avatar (Disney), The Matrix (Warner Bros.)Graphic: AVClub

Though they may seem a recent phenomenon, special-effects driven movies have been with us since the dawn of cinema. From the...

With HBO Max transitioning to Max on May 23, the studio is unveiling new content to entice people to check out the new combined HBO Max/Discovery+ streaming service. One such piece is “100 Years of Warner Bros.,” a four-part documentary that honors the centennial of the studio that gave us the entire Max universe.

Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks (“The Imagineering Story”), granddaughter of Disney legend Ub Iwerks, the documentary series looks at the founding of the iconic Warner Bros. studio, founded in 1923, all the way to present-day. Talking heads include a cavalcade of stars from George Clooney and Keanu Reeves, to directors Baz Luhrmann and Martin Scorsese.

The first trailer certainly whets the appetite, showcasing nearly every major Warner Bros. movie, from “The Jazz Singer” to “Elvis,” with an eye towards showing why the studio was considered an outlier in the game. The fractious relationship between the four Warner brothers themselves is discussed,...

For years, Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net has been about two things only – awesome art and the artists that create it. With that in mind, we thought why not take the first week of the month to showcase these awesome artists even more? Welcome to “Awesome Artist We’ve Found Around The Net.” In this column, we are focusing on one artist and the awesome art that they create, whether they be amateur, up and coming, or well established. The goal is to uncover these artists so even more people become familiar with them. We ask these artists a few questions to see their origins, influences, and more. If you are an awesome artist or know someone that should be featured, feel free to contact me at any time at [email protected] month we are very pleased to bring you the awesome art of…

Chogrin...

(Welcome to 100 Years of Disney Magic, a series examining the history, achievements, and legacy of The Walt Disney Company over the last century. Part 4, "Disney's Steamboat Willie Didn't Just Revolutionize Mickey Mouse — It Revolutionized Cartoons," examined the history of one of the most globally recognized icons ever created. In Part 5, we look at the next stage in Disney's history: the Silly Symphonies.)

As someone who is more interested in the history of the Walt Disney Company than its recent offerings, I've noticed some interesting gaps in terms of popular coverage. When people do talk about the company itself and its early contributions to the world of animation, the conversation is usually focused on the Mickey Mouse shorts and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." If a nerd film historian is really showing off their deep understanding of Disney lore, they may also bring up Oswald the Lucky Rabbit or even...

(Welcome to 100 Years of Disney Magic, a series examining the history, achievements, and legacy of The Walt Disney Company over the last century. Part 2, "The Dream Comes True: The Birth Of Disney Brothers Studio," investigated the animator arriving in Hollywood and founding the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. In Part 3, we explore the rise and fall of Walt's first breakout hit, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.)

When we think "Walt Disney," one iconic cartoon character comes to mind -- the shrill-voiced optimist, Mickey Mouse. Much like Kermit the Frog is to Jim Henson, the squeaky lil' anthropomorphized rodent is a reflection of his creator. Mickey Mouse is humble, yet bold. He works hard. He loves his friends and family. He's distinctly American. Heck, Mickey was even voicedby Walt Disney initially. It's no wonder that mouse ears became a trademark icon for the Disney brand as a whole, appearing on T-shirts,...

Harry Houdini in Haldane Of The Secret Service Image: Harry Houdini Pictures While a lot of people are looking ahead to the movies that are coming in 2023 (we’ve done it too), The A.V. Club thought this would also be a good moment to take a look back. Way, way back.

Walt Disney Co. Archives director Becky Cline has spent the past several months shuttling between the studio’s Burbank lot and Philadelphia, where a sprawling exhibit is debuting in February as part of the conglomerate’s yearlong 100th anniversary celebration in 2023. After Philly’s famed Franklin Institute, Disney100: The Exhibition will embark on a global five-year tour. The 15,000-square-foot spectacle will showcase more than 250 items, including Mickey Mouse sketches through the years, the storybook seen in 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the snow globe from 1964’s Mary Poppins, not to mention Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and Pixar paraphernalia.

None is more important than the contract signed by Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney on Oct. 16, 1923, to make a series of six Alice in Wonderland-themed cartoons for distributor M.J. Winkler, who booked animated shorts to play before silent movies. The pact marked the founding of the Disney Brothers Studio,...

Disney has gone back to the inkwell many times before but this is ridiculous! Walt Disney Animation Studios has released a brand new short starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, nearly a century after his debut.

The film, titled Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, runs just over one minute but is an utterly charming short. You can watch at the end of this article.

The short is part of the studio’s 100 Years of Wonder celebration/campaign. It is directed by Annie Award winner Eric Goldberg, who worked on such Disney movies as Aladdin, Pocahontas (director) and The Princess and the Frog. On the character and creation of the short, Goldberg said, “Oswald is such a plucky scamp. We wanted to bring Oswald back, and in the short, he literally returns to his original home: the movie screen. We wanted to have Oswald do all of the ‘squash-and-stretch,’ ‘rubber hose’-animation style,...

This review originally ran March 19, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at SXSW.

It is easy, perhaps, to take Mickey Mouse for granted, both as an icon and a character. His image, as Disney parks fans will tell you, is everywhere: on the sides of buildings, in nooks and crannies, on t-shirts, in flower beds, up in the clouds.

Though omnipresent, Mickey has had a rich, tumultuous journey, on and off screen, and Jeff Malmberg’s new documentary “Mickey: The Story of a Mouse” takes viewers on a winding road through Mickey’s almost 100-year-old journey.

In 1928, a pioneering little critter manned a river steamboat in a charming little animated musical titled “Steamboat Willie” — the first of its kind to be set to sound. He was industrious, charming and whimsical, without being conniving, precocious or silly. This was Mickey Mouse, who’d been previously introduced in a short called “Plane Crazy,...

Disney fans young and old love a great adventure with Mickey Mouse and the gang. Over the years, Mickey and pals have headlined a variety of shows, each taking viewers on fun and fantastical adventures. The gang’s latest television hit is the Disney Junior animated series, “Mickey Mouse Funhouse.”

Mickey and the gang find the magic funhouse, Funny, in the woods. When Funny calls to them, they each hop in a car to race to their old clubhouse from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.” From there the gang attaches their cars together to create the “Floaty Coaster” to fly to the funhouse. Funny then lets the gang choose between three themed doors for their adventure. The gang is then transported to a new destination and ready to solve any problem they might face. They come across friends, old and new, and Funny comes along too, morphing into different shapes to fit in.

Angela Bassett is headed to Disney+.

The Black Panther star will narrate the original documentary series The Imagineering Story for Disney's upcoming streaming service.

Created by director and producer Leslie Iwerks — whose grandfather, Ub Iwerks, co-created Mickey Mouse — the series will chronicle the 65-plus-year history of Walt Disney Imagineering, with exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage from Disney's parks around the world. Iwerks is poised to announce Bassett's involvement on Sunday at Disney's D23 Expo.

Bassett, who currently stars in Fox's 911 and HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show, makes her return to Disney after ...

Hidden behind the membership-only barrier of The Disney Movie Club is a long-delayed, long-missed key feature from The Mouse, Walt’s masterful super-production of the timeless Jules Verne classic. Despite the funny songs and an annoyingly ‘ork-ork’-ing sea lion, the lavishly filmed show embraces the dark side of Verne’s vision — Captain Nemo is nothing less than an anti-Colonial terrorist, waging a one-submarine war against international warmongers. With the commanding James Mason in the role, the film’s furious politics are as impressive as the to-die-for art direction: this Disney family attraction has us rooting for the terrorist and against the Imperialist European powers.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Blu-ray

The Disney Movie Club

1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 127 min. / Anniversary Edition / Street Date June 18, 2019 / Disney Movie Club exclusive.

Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke, Ted de Corsia, Carleton Young.

Cinematography: Franz Planer

Film Editor: Elmo Williams...

Pixar’s Día de los Muertos saga, “Coco,” the Oscar frontrunner, led the pack with 13 nominations for the 45th Annie Awards, followed by GKid’s powerful indie fave, “The Breadwinner,” with 10. Both are expected to win the top categories for feature and indie feature at the February 3rd Asifa-Hollywood ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

“Coco” also picked up nominations for directing (Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina), character design, two each for character animation and storyboarding, writing (Molina and Matthew Aldrich), Michael Giacchino’s music, production design, effects, editing, and voice acting for newcomer Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel.

“The Breadwinner,” about a young girl forced to become a boy in Afghanistan, also collected nominations for directing (Cartoon Saloon’s Nora Twomey), Mychael and Jeff Danna’s music, two voice acting bids for Saara Chaudry and Laara Sadiq, character design, production design, storyboarding, writing (Anita Doron), and editing.

Overall, GKids grabbed 16 nominations — for “The Breadwinner,...

The Visual Effects Society is marking its 20th anniversary by naming the inaugural inductees into the Ves Hall of Fame. As would be expected, it’s a who’s-who of VFX legends spanning more than a decade of filmmaking — from George Méliès and Ub Iwerks to Jim Henson and Disney/Pixar’s Ed Catmull. Read the full list below. The guild said it HoF was created to honor a select group of professionals and pioneers who have played a significant role in advancing the field of…...

The Visual Effects Society is marking its 20th anniversary by naming the inaugural inductees into the Ves Hall of Fame. As would be expected, it’s a who’s-who of VFX legends spanning more than a decade of filmmaking — from George Méliès and Ub Iwerks to Jim Henson and Disney/Pixar’s Ed Catmull. Read the full list below. The guild said it HoF was created to honor a select group of professionals and pioneers who have played a significant role in advancing the field of…...

Get behind these lessons from the man behind the mouse.

What would Walt Disney have thought of the new live-action Beauty and the Beast? What would he have thought of the 1991 animated version? While there are so many questions we’d love to have answered about the man’s take on the modern world, it’s best to look at what we can still learn from such an iconic figure 50 years after his death.

Disney remains an inspiration for students of business in particular, but a lot of his words of wisdom originated with and still speak to the art of filmmaking and creators in general. We highlight six such tips for writers, directors, animators, and more below.

Set Your Goals Early

Disney was still just a child when he figured out what he was good at and what he wanted to do with his life. At 14, he was already in art school. At...

“Zootopia,” Disney’s zeitgeist-grabbing, Oscar frontrunner, took best animated feature honors Saturday at Asifa-Hollywood’s 44th Annie Awards, at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The Studio Ghibli co-production, “The Red Turtle,” meanwhile, won best indie feature.

Overall, “Zootopia” grabbed six Annies, which also included directing (Byron Howard & Rich Moore), writing (Jared Bush & Phil Johnston), storyboarding, character design, and voice acting (Jason Bateman).

Laika’s stop-motion “Kubo and the Two Strings” earned three awards (character animation, production design, and editorial), along with Guillermo del Toro’s “Trollhunters,” the DreamWorks/Netflix series (character design, character animation, and storyboarding), and the “Pearl” Vr short from Google Spotlight. Within TV/Broadcasting, the Oscar contender took direction (Oscar winner Patrick Osborne), production design, and music.

Disney’s “Moana” was the other big feature winner, collecting two Annies for animated effects and voice acting (Auli’i Cravalho, who tied with Bateman).

Other honors went to Pixar’s lovely,...

Disney’s zeitgeist-grabbing Oscar-frontrunner, “Zootopia,” racked up 11 nominations in Asifa-Hollywood’s 44th Annie Awards race (including best feature and every other category except music), while Laika’s Japanese stop-motion fantasy, “Kubo and the Two Strings,” boasted 10 (including best feature and direction for president/CEO Travis Knight).

The Annie Awards will be held February 4th at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Overall, Disney/Pixar dominated with 21 movie noms, with “Moana” nabbing six and “Finding Dory” getting three (including best feature for both) and Pixar’s lovely “Piper” leading the shorts category.

DreamWorks, meanwhile, scored eight noms: four each for “Kung Fu Panda 3” (including best feature) and “Trolls” (including character and production design).

In the new indie category for best feature, Michael Dudok de Witt’s “The Red Turtle” (co-produced by Studio Ghibli) was joined by Gkids’ “Miss Hokusai” and the stop-motion “My Life as a Zucchini,” “Long Way North” (from Shout Factory) and the Japanese blockbuster,...

How do you adapt an epic 17th century novel for the modern day? Written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote has proven to be an incredibly influential work of art over the past 500 years and has been adapted for the big screen numerous times. Ub Iwerks, who created Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney, directed an animated version in 1934 (below). Peter O'Toole starred in Man of La Mancha (top), a 1971 film version. Director Terry Gilliam has been struggling to make his adaptation, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, since 1998; the project may soon be in production. Now Disney plans its own version, according to The Hollywood Reporter. What sort of approach will be taken with the classic source material? Reportedly, "the plan is to adapt the work in a tone that...

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How do you adapt an epic 17th-century novel for the modern day? Written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote has proven to be an incredibly influential work of art over the past 500 years and has been adapted for the big screen numerous times. Ub Iwerks, who created Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney, directed an animated version in 1934 (below). Peter O'Toole starred in Man of La Mancha (top), a 1971 film version. Director Terry Gilliam has been struggling to make his adaptation, The...

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Disneyland is auctioning off an estimated $1 million worth of rare and vintage memorabilia from the park's early days.

From the first-ever Mickey Mouse wristwatch to Annette Funicello's bronzed Mickey Mouse Club ears, superfans from all over the world will bid to own a piece of Disney's beginnings at Collecting Disney, hosted by Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California.

One of the auction items literally outlines the beginning of the amusement park. Discovered by the widow of the man who helped build the Disneyland railroad, one of the first blueprints of Disneyland is now up for auction. The blueprint...

Disneyland is gearing up for its 60th anniversary celebrations by auctioning off an estimated $1 million worth of rare and vintage memorabilia from the park's early days. From the first-ever Mickey Mouse wristwatch to Annette Funicello's bronzed Mickey Mouse Club ears, superfans from all over the world will bid to own a piece of Disney's beginnings at Collecting Disney, hosted by Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California. One of the auction items literally outlines the beginning of the amusement park. Discovered by the widow of the man who helped build the Disneyland railroad, one of the first blueprints of...

Disneyland is gearing up for its 60th anniversary celebrations by auctioning off an estimated $1 million worth of rare and vintage memorabilia from the park's early days. From the first-ever Mickey Mouse wristwatch to Annette Funicello's bronzed Mickey Mouse Club ears, superfans from all over the world will bid to own a piece of Disney's beginnings at Collecting Disney, hosted by Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California. One of the auction items literally outlines the beginning of the amusement park. Discovered by the widow of the man who helped build the Disneyland railroad, one of the first blueprints of...

A rare and long-lost Walt Disney film, titled “Sleigh Bells” from 1928, featuring the first ever Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, has been rediscovered, the British Film Institute National Archive and Walt Disney Animation Studios announced Tuesday. The character is a precursor to Mickey Mouse and was invented by Walt Disney in 1927. Until now, the film had been lost and unseen since its original release. According to BFI, the animation was completed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, who went on to create Mickey Mouse. The print of “Sleigh Bells” was preserved in the National Archives, and a research...

It.s amazing the things you can find when you go digging in the right place. A researcher was digging through the archives of the British Film Institute and what they found was the rarest of gems, especially for a fan of Disney animation. A long lost short film that was, in fact, so old that until fairly recently Disney wouldn.t even have owned it. The film is called Sleigh Bells. It.s about six minutes long and its star is Disney.s pre- Mickey Mouse mascot, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. According to Deadline, the BFI has now worked with Walt Disney Animation Studios to restore the print and the short will now be screened at BFI Southbank on December 12 as part of a collection of Disney holiday shorts. Oswald was one of the first character creations between Walt Disney and his frequent collaborator, Ub Iwerks. The two created...

The BFI National Archive and Walt Disney Animation Studios have announced the rediscovery of a rare, long-lost, Walt Disney animated film Sleigh Bells (1928) featuring the first ever Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a long-eared precursor to Mickey Mouse.

The world premiere of the new restoration of the film by Walt Disney Animation Studios will take place at BFI Southbank on December 12, 2015 as part of a programme It’s A Disney Christmas: Seasonal Shorts, screening other festive Disney gems from the 1930’s to the present day.

Sleigh Bells from We Are Movie Geeks on Vimeo.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was invented by Walt Disney in 1927 and was loved for his mischievous and rebellious personality. A number of other films do survive but Sleigh Bells has been, until now, a lost film, unseen since its original release. The animation in the film was accomplished by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, both...

The BFI National Archive and Walt Disney Animation Studios have announced the rediscovery of a Walt Disney film that was thought to be long lost now found in the BFI National Archive.

Sleigh Bells, a six-minute short made in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, features the first Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Sleigh Bells has now been restored by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the film will be unveiled at BFI Southbank on Dec 12 as part of the programme It’s A Disney Christmas: Seasonal Shorts.

Sleigh Bells had been assumed lost and unseen since its original release. The print found by a researcher browsing the online catalogue of the BFI National Archive’s holdings. Walt Disney Animation Studios have taken this print and created both a new preservation print and digital copies.

Robin Baker, Head Curator, BFI National Archive, said, “What a joyful treat to discover a long-lost Walt Disney film in the [link...

I’m delighted to be hosting another night of “Treasures from the Disney Vault” on Turner Classic Movies this coming Sunday, beginning at 8pm Est. It seemed appropriate—if not inevitable—that with St. Patrick’s Day upon us we should begin with Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959). It’s a delightful, often dark Irish fantasy that also serves a magnificent showcase for the ingenuity of the Disney team, including matte painter Peter Ellenshaw and jack-of-all-trades Ub Iwerks, who created startling visual effects that hold their own alongside any of today’s CGI marvels. Darby also features a young Sean Connery, just four years before he became internationally...

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These days, it’s all about the Disney princesses, but Perdita is merely a dog without high pedigree. As a result, she and her mate Pongo, are often overlooked. They’re certainly overshadowed by their antagonist, the Dalmatian loving Cruella De Vil, about the chew every scene in Once Upon a Time. Thank goodness, then, that Walt Disney reminds us about the utter charm contained within their 1961 release 101 Dalmatians. Out Tuesday in a handsome Diamond Combo Pack, their 17th film holds up remarkably well.

The film arrived at a precarious time for the studio as rising costs made their animated fare very expensive. Tastes were changing and they were now competing with television for the younger eyeballs so a different approach was called for. From a technological standpoint, the arrival of Xerography allowed them to streamline the filmmaking process, reducing costs. Ub Iwerks, one of the grand animators in Walt Disney’s employ,...

DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon 2 took Best Animated Feature top honors at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards held Saturday, January 31 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

The film, produced by Bonnie Arnold, also won Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production – Fabio Lignini, Outstanding Achievement, Directing – Dean DeBlois, Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature – John Powell, Jónsi, Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding – Truong “Tron” Son Mai, Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Film – John K. Carr.

Read my interview with John Powell Here.

The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ (Voyager Pictures LLC); Best Animated Short Subject Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial ‘Flight of the Stories’ (Aardman Animations); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children ‘Tumble Leaf’ (Amazon Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children’s Audience ‘Gravity Falls’ (Disney Television Animation...

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...

The International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Award recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.

Best Animated Features nominations include: Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Cheatin’ (Plymptoons Studio), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation Skg), Song of the Sea (Gkids/Cartoon Saloon), The Book of Life (Reel FX), The Boxtrolls (Focus Features/Laika), The Lego Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Gkids/Studio Ghibli).

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

“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,...

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...