Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Paperman - Full Animated Short Film



Originally found at Stitch Kingdom.

UPDATE: Just found this 3D version that actually works if you have any of those old 3D glasses laying around where one lens is red and the other is blue. I happen to have a pair so I can vouch that it works.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Peter Lord Reaction to Oscar Nomination

"This is amazing! We tried to do something a little different with THE PIRATES, in terms of tone and comedy, and it’s just brilliant that the Academy has responded to it in such a wonderful way."

For more information on this Aardman film presented by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, please visit http://sonywonder.com/thepirates/ and see below a biography for Peter Lord:

PETER LORD BIOGRAPHY
PETER LORD (Director/Producer) is co-owner and Creative Director of Aardman, which he co-founded with his long-time collaborator David Sproxton in 1972. As a director, Lord has been honoured with two Academy Award® nominations for Best Animated Short, the first in 1992 for Adam, and again in 1996 for Wat’s Pig. He has also earned BAFTA nominations for Adam, The Amazing Adventures of Morph, and War Story.

In 2000, Lord teamed up with Nick Park to co-direct Aardman’s first full-length feature Chicken Run, starring the voice of Mel Gibson, which was a commercial and critical smash. Lord also produced the Oscar®-winning first feature length film starring Wallace and his faithful canine sidekick Gromit. Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was released in 2005.  He most recently produced Aardman’s CG-animated Arthur Christmas, which was released November 2011.  The film was nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

Lord first met David Sproxton in the late 1960s at school, where they started experimenting with animation techniques on their kitchen table. They tried a range of methods before settling on plasticine/clay model animation. While they were still in their teens, a BBC children’s television producer offered them the chance to make short animated films for his program Vision On. Their first character as professionals was Morph, who later starred in his own series, The Amazing Adventures of Morph. As a testament to Morph’s enduring appeal, he still appears in new productions today.

Moving to Bristol in 1976, Lord and Sproxton built Aardman into one of the world’s leading model animation studios. In 1978, Aardman was commissioned by BBC Bristol to make two short films entitled Animated Conversations. The resulting Down and Out and Confessions of a Foyer Girl, both co-directed by Lord and Sproxton, broke new ground in animation by using recordings of real-life conversations. That led to a series of five Conversation Pieces for the UK’s Channel 4, all of which were co-directed by Lord and Sproxton, including Early Bird and On Probation. Expanding into music videos, Aardman collaborated with director Stephen Johnson and the Brothers Quay to create Peter Gabriel’s award-winning video “Sledgehammer.” In 1987, Lord created the video for Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares for Me.” Two years later, Channel 4 again commissioned Aardman to create the five-picture Lip Synch series, which included Lord’s War Story. Lord’s other directing credits include Going Equipped and Babylon. Together with Sproxton, Lord has also played a major role in encouraging and promoting new directors. His executive producer credits with Aardman include Creature Comforts, Rex The Runt, HumDrum, Stage Fright, and more recently, A Matter of Loaf and Death.

Aardman’s special brand of animation has also been seen in TV commercials in various countries for such products as far ranging as Lurpack, Mita Copiers, Chevron, Hersheys, and Polo.

Lord was involved in the production of Aardman’s first CGI feature film Flushed Away which was produced in collaboration with DreamWorks. It was Aardman’s first foray into CGI and was released worldwide at the end of 2006.

Peter Lord is a visiting professor at UWE and also attends numerous animation and film festivals to give talks and sit on juries.

In 2006 Peter Lord and David Sproxton celebrated 30 years of Aardman and were awarded CBEs in the Queen’s Birthday honours list.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Wreck-It Ralph Home Video Release Details





WRECK- IT RALPH  -  Walt Disney Animation Studios announces the debut of the hit arcade-game-hopping adventure “Wreck-It Ralph” marking a Disney first with the early release of the HD Digital and HD Digital 3D on February 12, 2013, followed by the 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, SD Digital and On-Demand release on March 5, 2013.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Wreck-It Ralph” takes viewers on a hilarious journey.  For decades, Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move, he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman). The film is directed by Emmy®-winner Rich Moore.

Featuring an all-star voice cast including Jack McBrayer as the voice of Fix It Felix, Jr. and Jane Lynch as the voice of Sgt. Calhoun, plus breakthrough bonus features that take viewers even deeper into the world of video games, Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph” has something for every player. Over an hour of all-new bonus material is featured on the Digital and Blu-ray Combo Pack, including deleted and alternate scenes, the theatrical short “Paperman,” plus much more. 

The home entertainment debut of “Wreck-It Ralph” will be available in multiple ways, containing exciting all-new bonus features that extend the fun-filled movie experience

Bonus Materials Overview for These Products:

HD Digital
SD Digital
4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray +DVD + Digital Copy)
2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack  (Blu-ray +DVD)

Includes:
* Bit by Bit: Creating the Worlds of “Wreck-It Ralph” – Fans of the film will get a look at five new worlds created for “Wreck-It Ralph.” The short takes viewers into Game Central Station with the artists who brought Sugar Rush, Hero’s Duty and Fix It Felix Jr. to life.
* Alternate & Deleted Scenes – Four separate scenes are highlighted with an introduction and optional audio commentary from director Rich Moore.
* Video Game Commercials – Viewers can check out the commercials created for the video games featured in the film - Fix It Felix Jr., Sugar Rush, Hero’s Duty and Fix It Felix Hammer.
* “Paperman” – This animated short film played in theaters before “Wreck It Ralph.” It tells the story of a young man in an office who sees the girl of his dreams in a skyscraper window across the street. But how can he get her attention?

Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Materials

Includes:
* Disney Intermission: The Gamer’s Guide to “Wreck-It-Ralph” – When the film is paused, host Chris Hardwick appears on screen to guide viewers through a series of 10 video segments offering an inside look at the many video game references, Disney references and other hidden surprises featured in the film.

Suggested Retail Prices:                                                               
4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack = (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray +DVD + Digital Copy)
$49.99 US and $56.99 Canada                                                     
2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack = (Blu-ray +DVD)
$39.99 US and $46.99 Canada
                                               
DVD = $29.99 US and $35.99 Canada
                                               
Digital and On-Demand = Consumers should check with their television provider or preferred digital retailer for pricing and additional information.