The lovely Disney/Pixar film “Up” hits DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 10, 2009 (read my review here), and I had an opportunity to catch up with writer-director Pete Docter (pictured), who talked about the challenges of making an animated movie.
Q: “Up” became the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival. Do you believe animated features are becoming accepted as a more serious artistic platform?
Pete Docter: We were very honored to be the first animated film to open the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Walking around there, I kept picturing Hitchcock, Coppola, Truffaut; these big time directors … …read more

Movie: Astro Boy * Official Site * Film Gecko links * Trailer
In Theaters: Oct. 23, 2009

Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: David Bowers

MPAA Rating: PG for some action and peril, and brief mild language
Gecko Rating:

 
“Astro Boy” is one of those movies that’s cute, but that you’ll probably forget about a day or two after you see it. It’s also a little violent and sad for a kids’ movie. Not as sad as “Up” or “Marley and Me,” but still sad in its own way.
The concept began as a Japanese manga series and TV show first broadcast in Japan from …read more

Movie: Where the Wild Things Are * Official Site
In Theaters: Oct. 16, 2009

Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: Spike Jonze

MPAA Rating: PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language
Gecko Rating:

I may be one of the few people who hasn’t read the book by Maurice Sendak on which this movie is based. Or if I did, it was so long ago, I don’t remember it. At any rate, I liked the movie, not so much for the storyline, but for the incredible cinematography and CG animation of the wild things. They’re so expressive, and your eyes are just affixed …read more

The video game “Spore” passed briefly through our household, but others like “World of Warcraft” took hold and stayed. Still, I can see the appeal of the cute little amoebic creatures, and apparently, so does Twentieth Century Fox.
The studio is pairing up with Electronic Arts to turn “Spore” into an animated feature film, with “Ice Age” director Chris Wedge attached to helm. Greg Erb and Jason Oremland, who also penned the upcoming “The Princess and the Frog” and “The Return of King Doug” are writing the screenplay.
Released in September 2008, “Spore” the video game lets players create their …read more

Movie: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs * Trailer * Official Site
In Theaters: Sept. 18, 2009

Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Phil Lord

MPAA Rating: PG for brief mild language
Gecko Rating:

 
 
Based on the popular children’s book by Ron and Judy Barrett, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is a cute movie, but rather forgettable in the big scheme of things.  The graphics and animation are interesting, not to mention the idea of being able to order up whatever food you want and have giant amounts of it fall from the sky. So there’s that. But truth be told, it was more boring …read more

That fabulously fun food film (like that alliteration?) “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” cooks into theaters this Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, and the stars hit the red carpet to talk up the movie.
The big screen version of Ron and Judi Barrett’s classic children’s book features the voices of Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Tracy Morgan, and Mr. T. Looks like good fun! Check out the trailer here, and watch the stars on the red carpet. 

In “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” George Clooney lends his voice to the title character. It’s a big screen, stop-motion adaptation of the classic children’s tale by Roald Dahl.
In the movie, Mr. Fox earns the hatred of three wealthy farmers when he steals their poultry to feed his family. The farmers decide to lay in wait for him at the opening of his foxhole, which only makes him more sly – you know, like a fox.
The voice cast also includes Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman. Watch the trailer here, and check out this new poster. …read more

Don’t you just want to run away with Max and become part of his fantasy world? That’s what I think every time I see a new image or trailer for “Where the Wild Things Are,” in theaters Oct. 16, 2009.
Based on the classic children’s book by Maurice Sendak, it follows the fantastical adventures of Max, a disobedient boy who’s sent to bed without his supper and retaliates by creating a fantasy world inhabited by wild beasts who crown Max (Max Records) as their leader.
The movie is directed by Spike Jonze and also stars Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren …read more

An adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s tale, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” is coming to the big screen Nov. 25, 2009.
It’s a stop-motion film directed by Wes Anderson, and his first foray into animation. His other films have ventured towards the indie-quirky type, like “The Darjeeling Limited” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” so it will be interesting to see what he does with a children’s story.
The plot centers on a clever fox (voiced by George Clooney) who must outwit three mean, dimwitted farmers who try to hurt him and his family. Ok, having grown up on …read more

Movie: Shorts * Official Site
In Theaters: Aug. 21, 2009

Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez

MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and some rude humor
Gecko Rating:

 
I became a major fan of Robert Rodriguez after seeing one of his first films, “El Mariachi,” a violent, funny, uh, violent movie about a guitar player who finds a world of trouble while passing through a Mexican town. The movie gained notoriety for being extremely low-budget (he funded it by subjecting himself to experimental drug studies), and Rodriguez went on to become a great filmmaker with films like “Sin City” and “Grindhouse.”
Intermixed among …read more