The black and white, stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie, from director Tim Burton and based on the ideas in his 1984 live-action short, is a tale about a boy and his beloved dog. After unexpectedly losing Sparky, young Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan) sews him back together and harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life, but quickly faces unintended and sometimes monstrous consequences for his actions. The voice cast also includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer and Winona Ryder.  Here’s the recent trailer.  Frankenweenie hits theaters October 5, 2012.

Last week I got to sit down with producer Don Hahn at Comic-Con.  During our wide ranging interview we talked about making Frankenweenie, if it was tough to get the studio on board, if the current popularity of The Nightmare Before Christmas helped get the film made, and more.  In addition, with Hahn producing Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie, we talked about how that’s been going, what Easter Eggs people should look for at Disneyland and Disney World, what he collects, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Ever since word first broke that Disney was looking to acquire Marvel Studios, fans started speculating about which Marvel property would inevitably be turned into an animated film by the Mouse House. With Pixar also under Disney’s distribution banner, the excitement over a possible Pixar-led Marvel film was almost palpable.  Just a few weeks ago, Pixar and Disney Animation head John Lasseter went so far as to say he “wouldn’t be opposed” to Pixar and Marvel teaming up on a property, but now it looks like the first animated Marvel film to come out of the Mouse House may be from Disney Animation.  The studio is apparently in development on an animated iteration of the comic series Big Hero 6.  Hit the jump for more.

The black and white, stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie, from director Tim Burton and based on the ideas in his 1984 live-action short, is a heart-warming tale about a boy and his beloved dog. After unexpectedly losing Sparky, young Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan) sews him back together and harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life, but quickly faces unintended and sometimes monstrous consequences for his actions. The voice cast also includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer and Winona Ryder.

During an early press day for the film, in which we got the chance to preview nearly 30 minutes of footage from the October 5^th release, executive producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) and producer Allison Abbate (Iron Giant, Corpse Bride) talked about collaborating with Tim Burton, the audience that they’re hoping for with the film, the decision to do this in black and white, converting it to 3D, what makes stop-motion so endearing to people, what happens to all the dolls once they’re finished shooting, the opportunity to get to see some of the sets at Comic-Con, and how the heart of the film is truly a love story about a boy and his dog. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

At today’s D23, Walt Disney released the logo for Tom Burton’s stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie.  If you’re not aware, Burton came up with the idea for Frankenweenie in the early 80′s, but due to budget constraints and never having directed a feature, he decided to make it as a short film.  Which, at the time, proved to be a great calling card, as the short led him to directing features.  And now it’s come full circle, as Burton has been hard at work bringing Frankenweenie to life as a feature film, and it’s getting released October 5, 2012.

Shortly after showing the packed D23 audience a sizzle reel, I was able to speak with producers Allison Abbate and Don Hahn backstage.  They talked about what they showed today, the visual look of the film (it’s both in 3D and black and white) and what year it takes place, the music and score, and when will we see our first look at the film (October).  Hit the jump to watch the interview and you can also get a high resolution version of the logo.

If you were around in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, you likely saw the re-emergence of Disney animated films. From 1984 to 1994, there was a string of instant classic films, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. However, that success was built on the base of one of the roughest times in Disney Animation Studios history. Waking Sleeping Beauty documents the power struggles and infighting that occurred during this golden era of creativity and passion that left us with some of the greatest animated films ever made. Remarkably, no stone seems left unturned in the illuminating and emotional documentary that utilizes archival footage, interviews, and photos to piece together this look behind the scenes of Disney at the time. So hit the jump for my full review of Waking Sleeping Beauty.

If you’re a fan of Walt Disney animated movies – specifically the ones made from 1984 to 1994 – you’re going to love the new documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty.  Directed by Don Hahn and produced by Peter Schneider, both key players at Walt Disney Studios Feature Animation department during the mid1980s, the film offers an amazing behind the scenes look at what was really going on at Disney during that era.

What many forget is back in 1984, animated movies were a dying art form. They were expensive.  They were creatively bankrupt.  And they weren’t making nearly enough money to justify the costs.  It wasn’t until a girl named Ariel came along (The Little Mermaid) that Disney remembered what great animated movies can do for the studio.  After Little Mermaid, the studio produced three of the biggest animated hits of all time: Aladdin, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

More after the jump: