Check out the teaser trailer and poster from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new feature film “Strange World.”
Jake Gyllenhaal (“The Guilty,” “Spider-Man: Far from Home”) lends his voice to Searcher Clade, the son of a steadfast explorer. The original action-adventure journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest—and by far— most crucial mission.
Helmed by Don Hall (Oscar®-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer “Raya and the Last Dragon”), and produced by Roy Conli (Oscar®-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”), “Strange World” releases November 23, 2022.
Actress Michelle Rodriguez, actor Jason Mitchell and Oscar-winning director John Lasseter, along with Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, the producing and directing team behind the Animated Feature Film Oscar winner “Big Hero 6,” will be presenters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 42nd Student Academy Awards on Thursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The awards ceremony caps a week of industry activities for the 15 winning student filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad.
Rodriguez is a versatile actress whose breakout performance in “Girlfight” (2000) garnered her numerous awards, including an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance as well as a National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance-Female. She went on to star in the multi-billion dollar “Fast and Furious” franchise. In addition, Rodriguez has starred in such film and television projects as “Avatar” for director James Cameron, “Machete” and the sequel, “Machete Kills” for director Robert Rodriguez, “Lost,” “Blue Crush,” “S.W.A.T” “Resident Evil,” “Battle Los Angeles,” and has voiced a character in the DreamWorks animated film, “Turbo.”
Newcomer Mitchell can currently be seen playing the iconic rapper “Eazy E” in “Straight Outta Compton” (2015). He recently shot the independent feature “Vincent & Roxxy” (2015), and his upcoming projects include New Line’s comedy “Keanu” (2016) and Warner Brother’s “Skull Island” (2017).
Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, made his feature directing debut in 1995 with “Toy Story,” the world’s first feature-length computer-animated film and the first animated film to be nominated for an Original Screenplay Oscar. In addition to sharing that nomination, he received an Academy Special Achievement Award recognizing his inspired leadership of the filmmaking team. Lasseter also directed the features “A Bug’s Life” (1998), “Toy Story 2” (1999), “Cars” (2006) and “Cars 2” (2011). He won an Oscar in 1988 for the animated short “Tin Toy” and is the only two-time Student Academy Award winner for Animation, for “Lady and the Lamp” (1979) and “Nitemare” (1980), both of which he made while studying at CalArts. He is currently directing “Toy Story 4.”
Conli, Hall and Williams took home Oscars as the producer and directors, respectively, of the 2014 Animated Feature Film winner “Big Hero 6.” All three have been with the Walt Disney Animation Studios since the 1990s. Conli has served as producer or co-producer on “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), “Treasure Planet” (2002) and “Tangled” (2010). Hall started as a story apprentice on “Tarzan” (1999), rose to head of story on “Meet the Robinsons” (2007) and “The Princess and the Frog” (2009), and directed his first animated feature, “Winnie the Pooh,” in 2011. Williams was an integral member of the story team on “Mulan” (1998) and “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000). He received his first Oscar nomination for Animated Feature Film for “Bolt” (2008), his feature directing debut with Byron Howard.
Animated Feature Film nominees Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, “Big Hero 6” prior to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: Animated Features event on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
A complete list of this year’s Student Academy Award winners can be found here.
Medal placements for each of the five award categories – Alternative, Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Foreign Film – will be announced at the September 17 ceremony. Gold Medal award winners receive cash grants of $5,000, Silver Medal award winners receive $3,000 and Bronze Medal award winners receive $2,000.
The 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at oscars.org. Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award-winning BIG HERO 6 has become the #1 animated title of 2014 with more than $620 million globally. The film, which has earned $221 million domestically, also surpasses $400 million at the international box office this weekend.
BIG HERO 6 continues to perform strongly in China, where it opened Feb. 28 and has brought in over $51 million, surpassing FROZEN to become the highest grossing animated release ever from Disney or Pixar. In Japan, it has earned more than $75 million and is the second highest grossing Disney animated release ever. It’s the second biggest Disney or Pixar animated movie ever released in Korea and Russia, and it’s the biggest animated release of all time in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Last weekend, BIG HERO 6 surpassed TANGLED to become the third biggest Walt Disney Animation Studios release ever globally, behind only FROZEN and THE LION KING. It is also Walt Disney Animation Studios’ third biggest domestic release of all time.
BIG HERO 6 debuted in the U.S. on November 7, 2014. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams and produced by Roy Conli, this action-packed comedy-adventure, inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, centers on the special bond that develops between Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada as they team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Read our interview with the filmmakers during Oscar Week HERE.
Animated Feature Film nominees Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, “Big Hero 6” prior to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: Animated Features event on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
BIG HERO 6, Disney’s all new animated film based off of the comic book series published by Marvel Comics, is set to release on November 7, 2014 but WAMG was lucky enough to get a sneak peek. A few weeks ago, I attended an early press day for the film where a small group of journalists were shown scenes from the film. While there, we also talked with Chris Williams (Director), Don Hall (Director), Jin Kim (Character Design Supervisor), Kyle Odermatt (Visual Effects Supervisor), Lorelay Bove (Visual Development Artist), Mark Henn (Lead 2D Animator), Michael Franceschi (Animation Supervisor), Michael Kaschalk (Head of Effects), Nathan Curtis (Effects Production Supervisor), Nathan Engelhardt (Animation Supervisor), Paul Briggs (Head of Story), Paul Felix (Production Designer), Robert L Baird (Screenplay By), Roy Conli (Producer), Shiyoon Kim (Lead Character Designer) and Zach Parrish (Head of Animation) about their role in bringing the story, characters and world of BIG HERO 6 to life.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios, the team behind “Frozen” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” comes “Big Hero 6,” an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter). When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago (voice of Jamie Chung), neatnik Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans Jr.), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriguez) and fanboy Fred (voice of T.J. Miller). Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called “Big Hero 6.
Producer Roy Conli says that family—the kind that you’re born with and the kind you find—is at the core of the movie. “It’s a powerful theme that audiences relate to,” says Conli. “The nuances of the relationships in deeply emotional films like ‘Bambi’ or ‘The Lion King’ are so interesting. There’s something about these stories that can really touch people.”
BIG HERO 6 is based off of the comic book series published by Marvel Comics. When I asked Directors Chris Williams and Don Hall about Marvel’s involvement in the film, Hall said “We call them friends of the court, you know. We got to be pretty good friend with Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb. Joe is sort of their Chief Creative Officer. And, you know, they came to screenings and they became part of our story trust and after the screenings they would give notes, just like any other story trust. They’d meet with the other directors, and they just kind of came into that group and again, as friends of the court. Nothing was ever directed. Every note, just like all of the notes given here, were given with the best intent.”
BIG HERO 6 focuses around Hiro, a brilliant young inventor with a bit of a slacking problem, and the friendship he develops with Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot initially designed as a Personal Healthcare Companion. Hiro stumbles upon Baymax by mistake, and when he discovers that he cannot shake the oversized caregiver, he decides to use him to his advantage. Somewhere along the way the two forge a friendship. (It wouldn’t be a Disney movie without friends!) One thing is for sure… Baymax is certain to steal the hearts of audiences.
To create this lovable, air filled sidekick the team looked at soft robotics. Fun fact: The simplistic design of Baymax’s face was inspired by the bottom of a bell the team saw on a trip to Japan. (You can’t stop staring at his head, can you?)
Disney has always been adamant on doing their homework. While talking to Kyle Odermatt, Michael Kaschalk, and Nathan Curtis about the film’s visual effects, they explained that the microbots in the film were grounded on research as well as the behavior of insects. Curtis explains “There were four components that the director had – that the microbots had to be, and one of those was that they are a robot. We always try to ground everything that we do in research so that it fits into the world that we are creating. So, we did a lot of microbot research – I mean robotic research. We talked to specialists. We also looked at cooperative behavior among insects, and here you see ants that are crawling over other ants that are making themselves into a bridge. We knew that that was a type of behavior that the microbots had to do, and so this was really inspirational footage.”
The movie is set in SanFransokyo, which is a combination of two very popular cities. “I thought about San Francisco,” says Hall, “which is cool, but I thought ‘What if it was San Francisco mashed up with Tokyo.’ It felt more interesting as a setting—more playful and exotic. It was something we could create. And the visual possibilities of those two cities—which are pretty different aesthetically—mashed together felt like a really cool place to set the story.”
Speaking of story, one thing that most people would never guess is that the first screenings of every Disney and/or Pixar movie are a bit painful for those involved. While speaking with Robert Baird and Paul Briggs, the two joked about watching some of our favorite films for the first time during production. Briggs began, “FROZEN was a terrible first screening. I was on it on the first screening, and I was like ‘I do not want to work on that movie. That is such a mess.’ Baird continued, “Trust me. Every movie in Pixar/Disney… disaster first screenings!” Of the 4-5 years spent making BIG HERO 6, 2-3 of those years were devoted entirely to story. “This is a dream come true, working on a comic book / action movie,” Briggs said “but this is so much more than that. This is about family, and this is about the people in your life. I’m proud of it. Honestly, I am.”
The footage screening left me excited for the final film. From the clips I saw, this film is going to be an emotional, funny, action-packed ride. I need more Baymax!
In the 54th feature film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, here’s the first teaser for BIG HERO 6. It’s super cute too.
Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name and featuring comic-book style action, BIG HERO 6 is directed by Don Hall (WINNIE THE POOH) and Chris Williams (BOLT), and produced by Roy Conli (TANGLED, TARZAN, HERCULES).
The voice cast includes Josh Hutcherson, Freddie Highmore, Maya Rudolph and Samuel L. Jackson.
(Yahoo Movies)
BIG HERO 6 is a heartfelt comedy adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius – thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, clean freak Wasabi No-Ginger, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred.
When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a cutting-edge robot named Baymax – and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery.
Have a look at the latest poster for Walt Disney Pictures upcoming animated feature WINNIE THE POOH. Pooh, and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore are sailing on the SS Honeypot through a sea of honey in a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit.
Some fun facts about the movie:
Veteran Disney animator/storyman/director Burny Mattinson (a key animator on the 1974 featurette “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!”) serves as senior story artist, with a dynamic young directing duo—Stephen Anderson and Don Hall—at the helm.
Director Stephen Anderson helmed animated films “Meet the Robinsons” and “Journey Beneath the Sea,” among others; he worked as a story supervisor on “Brother Bear” and “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and as an additional story artist on 2008’s award-winning “Bolt.” Director Don Hall is a veteran story artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios with credits including “The Princess and the Frog,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Brother Bear,” “Home on the Range,” “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Tarzan.”
“Winnie the Pooh” welcomes a few new voices to the Hundred Acre Wood: Craig Ferguson (“The Late Show with Craig Ferguson”), Tom Kenny (“SpongeBob SquarePants”) and Bud Luckey (director of the Pixar short “Boundin’”).
Actress/musician/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel (Indie folk band, “She & Him”) provides the vocals for a special rendition of the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” theme song.
London-born A.A. Milne (1882-1956), a noted writer and playwright, penned two books and several poems about the beloved Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin (named after Milne’s son). His books are actually collections of stories, three of which inspired the film.
A.A. Milne’s son’s teddy bear inspired the beloved character. The child named his bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear from London Zoo. Pooh was the name of a swan they encountered together.
Filmmakers visited Ashdown Forest where Milne wrote the books and the real Christopher Robin spent his summer vacations.
Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez, and his wife Kristen, wrote the six spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals, including “The Tummy Song,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey,” “The Winner Song,” “The Backson Song” and “It’s Gonna Be Great.” Lopez is composer on several episodes of “The Wonder Pets,” which earned a Daytime Emmy® in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
Synopsis:
Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with WINNIE THE POOH. Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Ever have one of those days where you just can’t win, Eeyore?” asks Pooh. Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey.
Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, WINNIE THE POOH hits theaters in Europe and Latin America in Spring 2011; the U.S. release date is July 15, 2011.
Check out the film’s official site here and like it on Facebook here.
Check out these 12 newly released photos from WINNIE THE POOH – Look at all that honey! My niece will absolutely love this film. Have a peek at Pooh in his latest adventure, coming to theaters later this year!
Some fun POOH facts:
WINNIE THE POOH welcomes a few new voices to the Hundred Acre Wood: Craig Ferguson (The Late Show with Craig Ferguson), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Bud Luckey (director of the Pixar short “Boundin”).
Actress/musician/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel (Indie folk band, “She & Him”) provides the vocals for a special rendition of the beloved WINNIE THE POOH theme song.
Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez, and his wife Kristen, wrote the seven spirited new songs for Pooh and his pals, including “Pooh Bear Takes Care of His Tummy,” “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “Everything Is Honey” and “The Winner Song.” Lopez is composer on several episodes of “The Wonder Pets,” which earned a Daytime Emmy® in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
Synopsis:
WINNIE THE POOH is Walt Disney Animation Studios first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Well a tail is either there or it isn’t there,” said Pooh. “And yours isn’t… there.” Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some hunny.
Inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, WINNIE THE POOH hits theaters July 15, 2011.
Check out the film’s official site here and like it on Facebook here.
Here’s a first look at 2 photos for the upcoming WINNIE THE POOH from Walt Disney Pictures. Way too cute!
Synopsis:
Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh,” the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Well a tail is either there or it isn’t there,” said Pooh. “And yours isn’t… there.” Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some hunny.
Inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, WINNIE THE POOH hits theaters July 15, 2011.
Here’s a little old-school Pooh for those with fond memories of the silly, old bear.
