The Secret Millionaire's Club

This is a long video but the animated part is at the beginning. Warren Buffett, "the most famous investor of all time," is now starring in his own animated series called The Secret Millionaire's Club. I don't have a financially-oriented brain and I don't bid every year on the chance to have lunch with Mr. Buffett but I do read some of his financial and investing advice from time to time and it all seems quite sound. If he can help the kids of 2009 learn sound money management principles then that is a good thing.

Rats!

It's a heavy news day when we have three stories here. Variety and Yahoo! Movies are reporting that a new version of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH will be made by Paramount, almost three decades after Don Bluth and MGM made a film version called The Secret of NIMH. "The new NIMH likely will combine live action and animation in the manner of Alvin and the Chipmunks and other kiddie hybrids."

Lorax film coming

Just found out that a CGI adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax will be made Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment (see story at Variety). After the fiascos of the live action versions of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat and the general improvement that was the CGI feature length adaptation of Horton Hears a Who what I'd really like to see is How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat done in CGI but as TV specials with the same storylines as the original specials. Of course, they should also do The Sneetches like that too and Green Eggs and Ham. Yes, The Sneetches has already been done in live action, sort of . . . :

Green Lantern: First DVD

Just picked up the Green Lantern: First Flight DVD and am starting to watch it.



It looks like it'll be pretty good but for some reason they really messed up the character design of Abin Sur. In all his incarnations Abin Sur always looked basically the same, a Yul Brynner-esque humanoid with pink-lavender skin, but on this one he has a highly stylized alien head. My only consolation is that Abin Sur will look correct in the upcoming live action feature film.



Some other minor quibbles as I watch this:

• Everyone's character design seems slightly off; they seem to be using the slightly-too-angular look of the last decade rather than the more rounded look from the Silver Age that they should've used
• Is it just me or does Sinestro's skin color keep changing?
• Ch'p is portrayed as a nervous wimp; I'm sorry but Ch'p from the comic books would never cower before Sinestro
• I'm not too familiar with the Boodikka character but I don't think she ever went bad in the comic books

The Beatles: Rock Band

Here's two commercials for the Beatles: Rock Band video game coming out soon:

Somebody's Pixar Tribute

Watch this:



Then this:



And then this:



And finally this one:



The last one might be the best one because it has Panchito in it and Panchito pretty much trumps everything.

Bart Interviews Edna

Animation World Network has an interview up with Nancy Cartwright interviewing her longtime animation friend Brad Bird. That's pretty much like Bart Simpson interviewing Edna Mode.

Remy at Epcot

Rapunzel ramping up

This just in from Disney animator Clay Kaytis' (lead on Rhino from Bolt) Twitter feed:

Disney is hiring cg animators for Rapunzel. We want to see your reels! http://bit.ly/eRzc3

Good to hear this project is still alive and it'll be fun following it. And if you're an up and coming animator then send your reel in.

President Obama added to Hall of Presidents

It's Independence Day today (in America anyway) and I actually had somebody e-mail me some news that's perfect for the occasion. Now, this might not be animation whose imagery has been hand-drawn or created on a computer but it is animation nonetheless. These videos show that our current President, Barack Obama, is being added, in audio-animatronic form, to the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.





Interesting that one of these videos comes from the White House YouTube channel and one comes from the Orlando Attractions YouTube channel.

In related news, the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction is slated to re-open at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on December 17th this year after having been closed down for about four to five years.