UPDATED: Watch: Hong Kong Phooey and Marvin the Martian Live-Action/CG Hybrid Test Footage

The latest in the stream of awful CG/live-action mashup movies - following in the critically derided but financially successful spirit of The Smurfs and Yogi Bear - are Hong Kong Phooey and Looney Tunes' Marvin the Martian.

Director Alex Zamm (Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2) posted test-footage from the Hong Kong Phooey film, complete with Eddie Murphy soundalike, out of place animation and toilet jokes! Zamm also posted a 3D test short (Yule Be Sorry) for a, subsequently cancelled, Marvin the Martian film.

The Hong Kong Phooey footage is pretty terrible: Penry/Hong Kong Phooey looks like the CG Scooby Doo from 10 years ago and the humour's severely off-kilter. The shame is that the Marvin footage (testicle jokes and product placement aside) was a lot better - funnier, more cartoony and closer to the original character - and that's been cancelled! That said, the fact that Zamm's posted the Hong Kong Phooey test too may indicate that that's also been shelved.

Check both tests out above, thanks to Bleeding Cool. UPDATE: 1/1/2013, 03:10 (GMT) - Ah, it seems Bleeding Cool's video has been removed, so check out the two clips, via Alex Zamm's Vimeo channel, here and here. Oh yeah, and Happy New Year, guys! All the best for 2013!

Via Cartoon Brew.

First Look at DreamWorks' Me and My Shadow

We heard briefly about this from DreamWorks' Comic-Con panel, and today the official DreamWorks Facebook page gives us the first poster from DreamWorks' upcoming CGI/hand-drawn hybrid, Me and My Shadow. The film, in the words of DreamWorks CCO Bill Damaschke is about:

"what would happen if your shadow, that has been following you around and basically just follows what you do your whole life, just stood up and took over."

Whilst the majority of the film will be animated in the normal DreamWorks mould, using CGI, the shadows of the film will be traditionally animated. This promises a great visual style and will surely make Shadow one of DreamWorks' most striking films!

The official plot synopsis for the film, due Spring 2014, is:

Me & My Shadow reveals the once secret world of shadows and their human counterparts. Stan, our hero’s shadow, yearns for a more exciting life but happens to be stuck with Stanley Grubb, a timid guy with an extreme aversion to adventure. When a crime in the shadow world puts both of their lives in danger, Stan is forced to take control of Stanley. They go on a madcap adventure to investigate the crime and stop the shadow villain from leading a rebellion where shadows take over the human world. During this adventure, Stan empowers Stanley to let go of his fears and embrace life. Through their adventure, they both learn that one cannot be whole without a true friend.

Be sure to like the Me and My Shadow Facebook page for updates about the film.

In related news, DreamWorks just acquired Classic Media, home of Casper and He-Man for $155 million! Read more here.

The Future of Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes is one of those shows that we all grew up watching, it's a staple of any childhood if you're old enough; the wacky, extremely violent and beloved shorts graced our screens for several decades and are still replayed today. However, in recent years, their popularity has somewhat diminished due to the fact that they haven't been putting out a lot of new stuff. There was a time that Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the rest of the Looney Tunes characters were more popular and well known than even Walt Disney's best known creations and over the past few years, Warner Bros. have attempted a resurgence of that - to introduce Looney Tunes to a new generation.

Now, I've always been a fan of Looney Tunes - I grew up watching that, Tom and Jerry and Ed, Edd n Eddy more than any other shows - but I'd never obsessed over it in the same way that I have over Disney, Pixar and animated features, however, I've been infatuated with it since seeing Happy Feet Two. As I mentioned in my review of the dancing-penguin sequel, the film was preceded by an all new CGI Looney Tunes short film, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat, starring Sylvester and Tweety.



The short (clip above) was absolutely fantastic and brilliantly encapsulated the genius of Looney Tunes in just a few short minutes. Using the archived song, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat, recorded back in the 50s by the late, great voice of Looney Tunes, Mel Blanc, the short feels wonderfully familiar, quirky and nostalgic and is a very fitting tribute to the animation legend. The short also features Looney Tunes mainstay, June Foray, as the voice of Granny. The characters are far more lively than they could've conceivably been with new voices, and although the CGI animation, in place of the old fashioned traditional animation, took a while to get used to, the wonderful, familiar characters, the charming style, the ridiculously violent comedy, engaging story and Mel Blanc's talented voice work made it an absolute delight.



Puddy Tat was directed by Matthew O'Callaghan - who previously worked at Disney on films like The Great Mouse Detective, as well as directing the feature film adaptation of Curious George. O'Callaghan has been leading the Looney Tunes revival in recent years, after directing three brilliant Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts last year, including the Annie Award nominated Coyote Falls (above). He's also directed Daffy's Rhaspsody (another short, starring Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, featuring the voice of Mel Blanc - clip below) and another, as of yet untitled, Road Runner short, both of which will debut in 2012.



From what I've seen, so far, the future looks bright for Looney Tunes, as the beloved cartoons are being done proud by these all new, fun 3D shorts.

Aardman News 6 - Trailers Galore and More

The stop-motion giants, Aardman, have been hard at work, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation, making their next two feature films, the CGI film, Arthur Christmas, due out this November and the stop-motion film, The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (internationally known as The Pirates! Band of Misfits) due out March next year, and, today, we get to see some new clips and trailers from both.

Firstly, we have the next theatrical trailer for The Pirates (above), from Peter Lord, the director of Chicken Run, and it is looking phenomenal, as is to be expected from Aardman; funny, clever and with an all-star voice cast, look out for The Pirates as a top animation contender next year.



Secondly, we get a couple of clips promoting the ever approaching release of Arthur Christmas, which, likewise, looks phenomenal. Anyone who knows me personally, or indeed has spoke to me a bit, knows how much I love Christmas, Christmas films included, and I can't wait to see Arthur Christmas in all its glory on the big screen. The extended version of the clip is embedded above, the shorter version can be viewed here.

Although, if I was to fault Aardman, I'd say November 11 seems a trifle early for a Christmas film... nonetheless, we also get a couple of tidbits of news from the studio:

• In news that may not please all, Justin Bieber's version of Santa Claus is Comin' To Town is set to play over the end credits of Arthur Christmas - full story here.
• Secondly, James McAvoy, the voice of the eponymous Arthur is set to appear on the Graham Norton show later tonight on BBC One to talk about his role in the upcoming film - full story here.
• The Guardian has a very interesting interview with The Pirates director, Peter Lord, and a visit to Aardman's Bristol home - full article here.
• Finally, watch the below video. I command it. It's Aardman's latest short film, Pythagasaurus, and it's fantastic. It's hilarious, wonderfully animated, beautifully simple and is, simply, Aardman at it's finest (beware, however, of some mild use of adult language if watching with young kids) - full story here.

Hop vs. Rio

So, the animated film battle of the iPod game magnates has begun!

Seemingly in somewhat of a measure to take on Angry Birds and Rio, Illumination Entertainment and their upcoming CGI/Live-Action mash up, Hop, have struck back. In the most recent update for Doodle Jump for iPod Touch and iPhone, the beloved game introduced a new feature; if you change your name to Hop or E.B. (the film's main character) you can play as E.B. in the game.

This is a shrewd move by Illumination Entertainment by associating themselves with arguably one of the most recognisable iOS games out there. Not that the company behind Despicable Me needs any extra advertisement. Saying that, Hop is out on April 1st and Rio on the 15th, so there will be some competition.

You can see screenshots of how to unlock the mode and the actual mode itself above.

Also, I implore you to like our Facebook page (at the top right of the page), promoting Toy Story 3 to win Best Picture. The Oscars are tonight, so Toy Story 3 needs all the support it can get against heavy favourites such as The King's Speech and The Social Network.

Aardman News 3

I've just receieved the latest Aardman e-newsletter, which announced that the first trailer for Aardman and Sony Pictures Animation's upcomuing CGI film, Arthur Christmas, is online now. I've been looking forward to this film for a long time and I have to say it looks FANTASTIC.

You can watch the video (embedded above) and read the article about it on Aardman's website.
The film is set to hit cinemas in November 2011.

Hop Trailer

The trailer for the upcoming 2011 CGI/Live Action mix, Hop, from Illumination Entertainment, the company behind Despicable Me, has made its way online the trailer doesn't reveal much, but it looks very fun.
Another stellar animated film for 2011.