Feature Film

Kirby Atkins is Making Progress On His Feature ‘Beast of Burden’

While working on his short film “Mutt” in 1999, television writer/animation director Kirby Atkins (“3-2-1 Penguins,” “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”) conceived of a new idea about anthropomorphized cartoon animals. Over time, that idea evolved into the concept for his new feature “Beast of Burden,” which is currently in development at Huhu Studios in New Zealand.

CGI

First Look: “The Absence of Eddy Table” by Dave Cooper and Rune Spaans

No, these are not snapshots from the latest window display at Kidrobot, they are advance images from the upcoming CG short “The Absence of Eddy Table.” The superbly lowbrow PVC collectible aesthetic that you see is the result of an artistic collaboration between Canadian comic artist and illustrator Dave Cooper and Norwegian animation director Rune Spaans.

Books

DreamWorks Animation Launches Children’s Publishing Unit

DreamWorks Animation has announced the launch of DreamWorks Press, an in-house publishing operation that will produce digital and print books based on their popular properties like “Kung Fu Panda,” “Madagascar,” and “Shrek,” as well as upcoming films like “B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations.”

Disney

Two Indie Walt Disney Biopics Due in 2014

Did Tom Hanks’ performance as Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks wet your whistle for another depiction of Mr. Disney on the big screen? Then 2014 just might be your year, because two independent biopics are scheduled to be released later this year.

DVD

The Ultimate Guide to Animated Mockbusters

Disney’s recent trademark lawsuit against Phase 4 Films and their movie “Frozen Land” has reignited discussion about ‘mockbusters,’ the portmanteau used to describe a genre of home video that is dedicated to tricking customers into mistakenly purchasing a low-budget imitation of a popular movie.

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