How to Train Your Dragon

Seann William Scott and Jay Baruchel Talk Hockey Comedy GOON, THE APOCALYPSE and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

by Christina Radish    Posted: March 26th, 2012 at 12:06 pm

Inspired by the book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey Into a Minor Hockey League, the hockey comedy Goon follows Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a bouncer at a local bar who ends up in a bloody fist fight that catches the eye of the Halifax Highlanders. Hampered by his lack of hockey playing ability, Doug joins the minor league team at the encouragement of his hockey-obsessed best friend (Jay Baruchel) and quickly becomes its mammoth-sized star.

At the film’s press day, actor Seann William Scott talked about being new to the game of hockey, how lucky they were not to get hurt with more than a few bruises, playing the earnest guy and the training he had to go through to bulk up, while producer/writer/actor/lifelong hockey fan Jay Baruchel talked about how terrible he is at hockey even though he’s such a big fan of the sport, getting to meet the real guy that the film was inspired by, the influence of Slap Shot, starting Seth Rogen’s feature directorial debut, The Apocalypse, at the end of April, and voicing Hiccup for both How to Train Your Dragon 2 and the Cartoon Network TV series. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Jay Baruchel Talks JAY AND SETH VS THE APOCALYPSE and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Sequel and TV Series

by Christina Radish    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 10:35 pm

At today’s press day for the hockey comedy Goon, currently available in VOD and arriving in theaters on March 30^th, Collider was able to talk to the film’s producer/co-writer/actor Jay Baruchel after the roundtables and get quick updates on Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse, and the How to Train Your Dragon sequel and Cartoon Network animated series. For his responses about each, check out what he had to say after the jump.

First Trailers for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON TV Series DRAGONS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 27th, 2012 at 11:53 am

DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon was one of my favorite films of 2010, and now the studio is set to unveil a television series based on the film called Dragons. The show has been in the works for a while now, but it’s finally set to air this fall on Cartoon Network and the first trailers for Dragons have gone online. The trailers are actually interspersed with a bit of footage from the movie, but the TV scenes are pretty evident when they pop up (ie. TV animation ≠ film animation). Executive producer Tim Johnson previously talked a bit about their direction for the show early last year:

“We’re actually going a little darker, a little more dramatic, much like the film.  The goal was not to change it or lighten it for a TV series.  The goal is to stay true to it in a TV series and that was actually fairly changing.”

The trailers don’t exactly look “dark,” but it’s nice to hear that they’re not completely switching up the genre for the TV iteration. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is still on the way, but we have to wait until June 2014 for its release. Until then, we’ve got the impending series to tide us over. Hit the jump to watch the trailers.

Storyboarding Underway for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 2nd, 2011 at 9:45 pm

The sequel to How to Train Your Dragon has over three years to plan for its June 20, 2014 release.  To match the heartwarming excellence of the original, DreamWorks Animation is going to enter into production right about… now.  Writer/director Dean DeBlois spoke a the dedication of USC’s new Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Center for Animation recently, and informed the audience that several drafts of the script have been completed and the filmmakers have just begun the storyboarding process.

Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, and Gerard Butler are all set to reprise their roles from the first movie.  Hit the jump for more on How to Train Your Dragon 2, including plot details and its place in a planned trilogy.

Weekend Box Office – RIO Takes Top Perch with $26.8 Million; MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY a Close Second with $25.8 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 24th, 2011 at 9:50 am

On Easter weekend the animated hit Rio managed to hold on to its number one perch for a second weekend in a row with an estimated $26.8 million.  The padding between Fox’s birds and the Tyler Perry’s bawd was pretty slim, however.  In second place Madea’s Big Happy Family was right behind Rio with an estimated $25.8 million.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Rio	$26,800,000	$81.3
2	Madea’s Big Happy Family	$25,800,000	$25.8
3	Water for Elephants	$17,500,000	$17.5
4	Hop	$12,500,000	$100.5
5	Scream 4	$7,100,000	$31.1
6	African Cats	$6,400,000	$6.4
7	Soul Surfer	$5,600,000	$28.6
8	Insidious	$5,380,000	$44.1
9	Hanna	$5,275,000	$31.7
10	Soul Surfer	$5,060,000	$44.6

Weekend Box Office – RIO Breaks 2011′s Box Office Losing Streak with $40 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 17th, 2011 at 9:51 am

Woo-hoo.  Folks, it looks like 2011 has indeed soared to its first big weekend win in months on the wings of Fox’s Rio.  The 3D animated toon rose from the ashes of a lower than expected Friday figure to earn an estimated $40 million for the three day frame.  Unfortunately, there was not a lot of love left over for Wes Craven’s Scream 4 but, no matter!  The weekend should still end up ahead of last year by approximately 12%.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Rio	$40,000,000	$40
2	Scream	$19,300,000	$19.3
3	Hop	$11,160,000	$82.6
4	Soul Surfer	$7,400,000	$19.9
5	Hanna	$7,327,000	$23.3
6	Arthur	$6,940,000	$22.3
7	Insidious	$6,857,000	$35.9
8	Source Code	$6,300,000	$36.9
9	The Conspirator	$3,924,000	$3.9
10	Your Highness	$3,895,000	$15.9

Weekend Box Office – BATTLE: LOS ANGELES Lands in First with $36 Miilion; RED RIDING HOOD in Third; MARS NEEDS MOM Needs Help

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 13th, 2011 at 10:02 am

The weekend played out pretty much as expected after Friday’s estimates, except for one factor (and I know this is a shocker): final weekend tallies ended up on the low end of projections across the board.  We are still dealing with box office totals that are down over 10% from 2010 but, compared to the 45% we were down last weekend, that’s progress!

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Battle: LA	$36,000,000	$36
2	Rango	$23,050,000	$68.6
3	Red Riding Hood	$14,100,000	$14.1
4	The Adjustment Bureau	$11,450,000	$38.4
5	Mars Needs Moms	$6,800,000	$6.8
6	Hall Pass	$5,105,000	$34.9
7	Beastly	$5,090,000	$16.9
8	Just Go With It	$4,000,000	$93.9
9	The King’s Speech	$3,625,000	$129
10	Gnomeo & Juliet	$3,546,000	$89

Gerard Butler Will Return for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Sequel

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 14th, 2011 at 11:16 am

As we reported back in October, Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig will reprise their roles in DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to How to Train Your Dragon.  Empire now reports that Gerard Butler, who played Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast, will return as well.  Dean DeBlois, who co-directed the first film, will go solo on the sequel.  Also, in his recent interview with Steve, cinematographer Roger Deakins (True Grit) revealed that he would be consulting on the picture.

Not much is known about the new film other than it will be “epic” and go far beyond the tiny Viking island of Berk.  The sequel to How to Train Your Dragon is set for release in 2013.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins Interview; Talks TRUE GRIT, Coen Brothers, Digital vs. Film, Says He’s Probably Shooting BOND 23

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 9th, 2011 at 6:37 pm

One of my favorite cinematographers is Roger Deakins.  If you look over his amazing resume, you’ll see he’s shot so many memorable films, you’d be hard pressed to have not seen at least a few of them.  Some of the standouts include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski, The Shawshank Redemption, and True Grit. As you may have noticed by the titles I just listed, Deakins has a very close relationship with the Coen Brothers, as he shoots most of their movies.

The other day I got to do an exclusive phone interview with Deakins and we talked about a wide range of subjects: what kinds of cameras and lenses he likes to use, his relationship with the Coen brothers and how they work together, making True Grit, digital vs. film, his next movie Now which he shot digitally with the Arriflex Alexa (his first time using digital), his relationship with DreamWorks and his involvement on How to Train Your Dragon and the upcoming sequel, 3D, and when I asked him about what’s coming up next, he said, “I’ll probably do a film with Sam Mendes next.”  When I asked him if that meant he was shooting Bond 23, he said, “it might, yeah.”

If you’re interested in cinematography, or just a fan of Deakins work, hit the jump to either read or listen to our conversation:

Director Dean DeBlois Gives Details on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Sequel

by Jason Barr    Posted: February 7th, 2011 at 4:49 pm

Last month executive producer Tim Johnson described DreamWorks’ forthcoming How to Train Your Dragon sequel as a “much bigger movie.”  Today director Dean DeBlois (who co-directed the original alongside Chris Sanders) echoed Johnson’s sentiment by assuring fans of the 2010 hit that the follow-up will be “quite epic.” According to DeBlois, he is currently working on a second-draft of the sequel’s script (which Johnson claims is aiming for a fall 2013 release.)  To check out more of what DeBlois had to say about the sequel and its role in the grand How to Train Your Dragon scheme of things, hit the jump.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Executive Producer Tim Johnson Talks Sequel and TV Series

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 17th, 2011 at 11:07 am

As we’ve previously reported, DreamWorks Animation is not only planning a sequel to their terrific film How to Train Your Dragon, but they’re developing an animated series for Cartoon Network as well.  BadTaste.it recently spoke with executive producer Tim Johnson about their plans for the sequel as well as the animated series.  Johnson says that (unsurprisingly), the sequel (which is due out in 2013) will be massive and they’re in the process of figuring out the new sets and characters.  As for the TV series, while DreamWorks Animation is pushing a Kung Fu Panda series onto Nickelodeon, HTTYD is going to Cartoon Network because DWA want to keep the more dramatic and darker edge of Dragon, and the challenge is in keeping that tone.

Hit the jump for Johnson’s in-depth answers on the sequel and TV series.  How to Train Your Dragon co-director Dean DeBlois is helming the sequel with the original voice cast set to return.

2010 Golden Tomato Awards Announced; TOY STORY 3 Best-Reviewed Wide Release

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 11th, 2011 at 10:31 am

Rotten Tomatoes has announced their 2010 Golden Tomato Awards.  To the surprise of no one, Toy Story 3 was the best-reviewed wide-release film of 2010.  This marks the fourth year in a row that a Pixar film has won the award.  The film scored a 99% on the Tomatometer with only 3 critics out of 248 giving the film a “rotten” review.  Rounding out the Top 5 best-reviewed wide-releases were How to Train Your Dragon (98%), The Social Network (97%), True Grit (95%), and The King’s Speech.  The best-reviewed limited-release film was Last Train Home (100%), the Top UK film was Exit Through the Gift Shop (98%), and the best User-Reviewed film was The King’s Speech (96%).  Taking home the Moldy Tomato for Worst-Reviewed film was Vampires Suck (4%).

Hit the jump for a list of Rotten Tomatoes’ Best and Worst-Reviewed films of 2010.

Quentin Tarantino’s Top 20 Films of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 2nd, 2011 at 8:54 pm

As we enter 2011, Quentin Tarantino has revealed his top ten films of 2010.  The list includes the usual suspects (Toy Story 3, The Social Network) along with some fun surprises like Tangled and, shall we say “peculiar” surprises like Robin Hood.  Tarantino didn’t provide any comment on his choices, but said of his number ten pick, Enter the Void,

“Hands down best credit scene of the year? Maybe best credit scene of the decade. One of the greatest in cinema history.”

Hit the jump for Tarantino’s list along with a look at the opening credits for Enter the Void.

Top 10 Films of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 31st, 2010 at 10:06 am

I won’t deny the vanity of year-end lists.  Most professional critics will sit through over 100 new films per year and the year-end list is a badge of honor that says, “These are the films I appreciated the most.  Behold.”  Despite the vanity, I continue to think that the year-end Top 10 provides a valuable service to the average moviegoer.  Most folks don’t have the time, cash, or inclination to see every movie released in a given year and a Top 10 list says, “Here are the must-see films from the past 365 days.  Netflix them or something.”  I didn’t get to see every film that could have potentially made this list, but I feel confident in my choices.  So forgive my indulgence and hit the jump for my Top 10 films of 2010.

Top Film Scores of 2010

by Jeff Ames    Posted: December 30th, 2010 at 8:36 pm

Top 10 lists are a dime a dozen in the Hollywood circle, but while most writers are busy compiling their “Best of” in terms of films, directors and performances I’m always more curious to explore the less-appreciated categories – particularly Best Motion Picture Score. And so without further ado, here are my picks for the Best Scores of 2010. Hit the jump to see the list.

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