How to Train Your Dragon

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.

Best Performances, Directors, and Other Miscellany of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 29th, 2010 at 3:33 pm

In my profession, there are two very important things you must do: watch movies and keep notes.  I did an alright job with the first one, but admittedly fell short on the latter.  While last year I was able to confidently provide what I thought were the best kills and quotes, this year I didn’t do a good job with record keeping and so I’ve omitted those categories.  Next year I’ll be more meticulous and make it a point to see movie where people get destroyed while saying witty things.

However, I did see enough movies to confidently make a list of the folks I thought were the best actors, directors, and other miscellaneous greats.  Hit the jump to check out my picks.

Nominations for the 2010 Annie Awards Announced

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2010 at 10:00 am

Award season is in full-swing, and today the nominations for the 38^th Annual Annie Awards were announced. Headed by the International Animated Film Society, the Annies’s recognize the best in the field of animation including best animated feature, television production, commercials, short subjects, video games and outstanding individual achievements. “This has been an unprecedented year for animation, as the high quality of work represented by our nominees will attest,” says ASIFA-Hollywood President Antran Manoogian. “On behalf of ASIFA-Hollywood, we congratulate all of the nominees and their respective studios.” The Annie’s are usually a fairly good predictor of Oscar gold, with the winner of the Annie for Best Animated Feature matching the winner of the Oscar for the same category 6 of the 9 years the Annie’s have been in existence.  Winners will be announced at the 38th Annual Annie Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 5, 2011. Hit the jump for the list of nominees, as well as the special honorees for this year’s ceremony.

Jeffrey Katzenberg Talks DreamWorks Animation Sequels: Four MADAGASCARS, Three HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGONS and Six KUNG FU PANDAS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 3rd, 2010 at 11:43 am

One of the year’s best animated films wasn’t a sequel.  It was DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon.  So naturally they’re making lots of sequels.  We already knew that Dragon 2 was greenlit with the original cast returning, but Jeffrey Katzenberg has now explained how far his studio’s sequel-mania extends.  Katzenberg tells Empire that the studio is planning for a total of four Madagascar movies, at least three How to Train Your Dragon films, and six installments in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

Hit the jump for Katzenberg giving minor details on how these franchises are going to keep their stories going.

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