We’re continuing on with our weeklong preview of the upcoming 85th Academy Awards, and after running down both acting categories it’s time to take look at some of the other races.  Today we’ll be looking at the Best Animated Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay categories in depth, and I’ll also make some way-too-early quick picks in the technical categories.  The fun begins after the jump.

Believe the hype.  Skyfall, the latest entry in the now 50 year-old James Bond series, is not only as big as everyone said it would be… it’s bigger. Over its first weekend in domestic release, Skyfall took in an estimated $87.8 million from 3,505 locations, or a total of $90 million with Thursday previews included. Not only does that crush Bond’s previous-best opening of $67.5 million, it stands as the fourth-highest debut of the year behind The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and The Hunger Games.

Though much of the East Coast is still a ruin, Hurricane Sandy did not dampen enthusiasm at the weekend box office. Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph was the easy winner with $49.1 million from 3,752 locations. In half as many venues, Paramount’s Flight beat all pre-release projections with its $25 million launch. And while Argo continued to exhibit amazing staying power in third, Universal’s The Man with the Iron Fists was less impressive. The martial arts debut earned an estimated $8.2 million from 1,868 runs for fourth place.

This week on The Collision, we’ll be talking about video games, why they tend to suck when they’re made into movies, if movies based on video games can be better, and if their increasingly cinematic nature prevents them from moving between mediums.  We also get into a surprisingly contentious argument about Wreck-It Ralph.  Finally, in honor of this week’s topic, we recommend some video games instead of movies.

Click here to listen to the new episode of The Collision, click here for the previous episode (“Expectations and Cloud Atlas“), click here to add the podcast to your RSS, and click here to find us on iTunes. To keep up to date with The Collision, you can follow us on Twitter at @MattGoldberg, @AdamChitwood, and @DrClawMD (Dave Trumbore). Hit the jump to check out the trailers for this week’s recommendations.

The black-and-white short Paperman, running with the new Disney animated feature Wreck-It Ralph, follows the story of a lonely young man in New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office, and sets out to get her attention.

At the press day for Wreck-It Ralph, Paperman director John Kahrs (animation supervisor for Tangled, and an animator on Ratatouille, The Incredibles and Monsters Inc.) talked about how the idea for this short came about, why he decided not to include any dialogue, using a blend of 2D and CG to execute his vision, the biggest challenge in doing a short versus a full-length feature, and his favorite short.  He also talked about the difference between Disney and Pixar animation, what he’s working on now, and whether or not Disney is looking to animate any Marvel properties.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

It seems that the effects of Hurricane Sandy will not extend to the box office. In spite of the mess the storm made of the East Coast, November got off to a strong start at the multiplex with two impressive Friday debuts and an overall weekend expected to top 2011 by about 15%. Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph did the most damage: easily capturing first place with an estimated $13.4 million from 3,752 locations. The PG-rated toon is expected to take in $50 million by Sunday, making Wreck-It Ralph Disney’s biggest non-Pixar animated debut ever. Paramount’s Flight landed in second place with an estimated $8.1 million. Considering that the drama was in far fewer locations (1,900), however, Flight looks like the break-out hit of the frame. The Man with the Iron Fists saw a more modest opening. The R-rated action film took in $3 million from 1,868 runs and should end the weekend in the $8 million range.  We’ll have complete details tomorrow.

It’s looking like director Rich Moore’s animated feature Wreck-It Ralph is going to rule the box office this weekend.  If you’re still on the fence about this family-friendly film, we’ve got three new clips to share with you in hopes of convincing you to check it out.  They highlight Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voiced by Jack McBrayer) meeting Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch) for the first time, a deal struck between Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) and a special game character cameo with some helpful information.

Wreck-It Ralph, also featuring the voices of Alan Tudyk, Ed O’Neill, Adam Carolla and Mindy Kaling, is currently playing in theaters.  Hit the jump to see the new clips. 

With the number of Academy screenings picking up and the holiday season fast approaching, we’re starting to get into the thick of awards season.  A full list of the animated films submitted for the Best Animated Feature Oscar consideration has now been unveiled, and it looks like we’ll see 21 films vie for the coveted trophy.  The films include the big studio releases like Brave, Frankenweenie, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, as well as Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill and the adult-oriented A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman.

It’s been a strong year for animated features, and Pixar is in no way a lock to take home the trophy for Brave given the film’s fairly lukewarm reception. It’s probably safe to assume that Brave will be still be nominated, and I’d venture to say ParaNorman and the upcoming Wreck-It Ralph and Rise of the Guardians are also pretty good bets as well.  Hit the jump to check out the full list of animated films under Academy consideration, and be sure to leave your thoughts on the Best Animated Feature race in the comments.  Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced on January 10th.

From director Rich Moore (The Simpsons, Futurama), the animated movie Wreck-It Ralph is an equal parts hilarious and adorable arcade adventure.  For 30 years, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) has been stuck in the role of bad guy while the good-guy star of Fix-It Felix Jr. (voiced by Jack McBrayer) always gets to save the day.  When Ralph leaves his game, he embarks on a hero’s journey that leads him to the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush, where he meets feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman), who not only becomes his first real friend, but who also gives him his chance to finally save the day.  The voice cast also includes Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O’Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Joe Lo Truglio and Adam Carolla.

At the film’s press day, Collider spoke to actor John C. Reilly, in both a 1-on-1 and a roundtable interview, about how he came to voice Ralph, getting to root for the underdog, his reaction when he saw the world of the movie come together, the challenge of setting the right tone for the character, his video game period, the most surprising thing about getting involved with the movie, and how much he’d like to do voice-over work again.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

The last time I saw a bait-and-switch like Wreck-It Ralph was, fittingly, the video game Brütal Legend.  The game was set up like an open-world action-adventure, and instead it was more of a lame real-time strategy game.  ­Wreck-It-Ralph isn’t quite the severe disappointment of Brütal Legend, but the movie takes its best quality—living in a video game world and all the cleverness that entails—and leaves it behind to play in a nice, but forgettable candy land.  There’s enough humor and sweetness (literally and figuratively) to make it worth a few of your quarters, but it doesn’t have much replay value.

Earlier today, the Evil Dead and Carrie reboots got into the holiday spirit with some well-timed Halloween releases.  They weren’t the only ones.  Here’s what other goodies we have:

• Dwayne Johnson in costume (ie green paint) as the Incredible Hulk
• Patton Oswalt as Doc Ock, with a DIY costume video from Adam Savage
• A motion poster for Texas Chainsaw 3D
• A short fan-made Halloween video featuring LEGO Lord of the Rings characters
• A Halloween clip from Axe Cop, featuring the voice of Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)
• A zombie make-up and costume featurette from Warm Bodies
• Images from Wreck-It Ralph, Les Miserables, Hotel Transylvania and more!

Hit the jump to check out our grab bag of Halloween tricks n’ treats!

From director Rich Moore (The Simpsons, Futurama), the animated movie Wreck-It Ralph is an equal parts hilarious and adorable arcade adventure. For 30 years, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) has been stuck in the role of bad guy while the good-guy star of Fix-It Felix Jr. (voiced by Jack McBrayer) always gets to save the day. When Ralph leaves his game, he embarks on a hero’s journey that leads him to the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush, where he meets feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman), who not only becomes his first real friend, but who also gives him his chance to finally save the day. The voice cast also includes Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O’Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Joe Lo Truglio and Adam Carolla.

At the film’s press day, Collider spoke to Rich Moore, in both a 1-on-1 and a roundtable interview, about the biggest challenges in taking the villain and making him the hero, how he ended up voicing a character himself, how Skrillex got involved with the movie and even ended up having an animated cameo, how much harder the 8-bit characters were to animate, that he and screenwriter Phil Johnston are going to make a live-action short for the DVD, about the guy who held the high-score record in Fix-It Felix and how it ruined his life, and that he definitely intends to continue working in animation. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From director Rich Moore (The Simpsons, Futurama), the animated movie Wreck-It Ralph is an equal parts hilarious and adorable arcade adventure.  For 30 years, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) has been stuck in the role of bad guy while the good-guy star of Fix-It Felix Jr. (voiced by Jack McBrayer) always gets to save the day.  When Ralph leaves his game, he embarks on a hero’s journey that leads him to the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush, where he meets feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman), who not only becomes his first real friend, but who also gives him his chance to finally save the day.  The voice cast also includes Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O’Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Joe Lo Truglio and Adam Carolla.

At the film’s press day, Collider spoke to actress/comedienne Sarah Silverman, in both a 1-on-1 and a roundtable interview, about what brought her to the film, what her reaction was when the idea was pitched to her, how into video games she was growing up, actually getting to record with co-star John C. Reilly, what makes her laugh, how she would love to do more voice-over work, and how she’s currently working on a stand-up special.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

You only have to wait a little over a week before you can see Rich Moore’s Wreck-It Ralph in theaters, but if that’s just too long to bear, we have two new behind-the-scenes featurettes to share with you today.  Both of them showcase commentary from the voice cast of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, along with Moore himself.  One even touches on the excellent use of music throughout the film, from such artists as Skrillex and Owl City.  Both also show a bunch of new footage (keep an eye out for Easter eggs and nods to other famous gaming properties).

Wreck-It Ralph, also featuring the vocal talents of Alan Tudyk, debuts November 2nd in 3D.  Hit the jump to see the new featurettes. 

We’ve got a few new posters to share this afternoon.  Briefly:

• Django Unchained – Hot off yesterday’s great international trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s new film is an equally swell international poster.  The film opens on December 25th.
• Wreck-It Ralph – A new international poster for Disney’s gamer-centric animated film focuses on one of the pic’s games: a Mario Kart-esque racing game called Sugar Rush.  The film opens on November 2nd.
• Silent Hill: Revelation 3D – This German poster for the video game adaptation sequel plays up the film’s 3D aspect while promising some terrifying creatures.  The film opens on October 26th.
• The Master – Though Paul Thomas Anderson’s polarizing drama has already been playing in theaters for a few weeks, these Turkish posters were too good to not share.

Hit the jump to check out all the posters.