Over 70 different actors have portrayed Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes character over the years, so while reinventing Sherlock is not a new game, it’s recently become an extremely popular one, with both the BBC’s revival of the series as well as the upcoming CBS show Elementary. Now Disney is cashing in on the revival of Sherlock mania as well by tying in the famous detective with their new 3D animated movie Sherlock Gnomes, which Kung Fu Panda director John Stevenson is now set to direct.

As we reported earlier this year, the film is a sequel to last year’s Gnomeo & Juliet, and that movie’s production company (Elton John’s Rocket Pictures) as well as its co-writers (Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil) will all be back for the follow-up film. Elton John is also writing music for the production as well as co-producing it.  For the plot details and more, hit the jump.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced today that 39 eligible songs will contend for the Best Original Song Oscar this year. Important to note is that a relatively recent rule change states that songs must be judged in the capacity that they appear in each film. In early January the voting body will get together and watch clips from each eligible movie in which the 39 songs are featured, after which they will determine the nominees. The list of eligible songs include three tracks from The Muppets, Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi’s song “Gathering Stories” (which director Cameron Crowe co-wrote) from We Bought a Zoo, and composer/songwriter/eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken’s “Star Spangled Man” from Captain America: The First Avenger. I’m partial to Jonsi’s work or “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, but we’ll see how the Academy’s taste stacks up towards the end of January.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of eligible songs. The 84th Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 24th.

Under consideration for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature will be 18 contenders, some of which have yet to have their qualifying runs on screen. Major features include The Adventures of Tintin, Rango and Cars 2. Disney/Pixar has won 6 out of 10 years, while winning the last four in a row, but with DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots in the running, it could very well be their turn. Though there are some dark horses in the mix.

Submitted films must satisfy the category’s qualifying rules, including their theatrical release, in order to continue the submission process. In order to activate the award category at all, no fewer than 8 animated features must be released in theaters in Los Angeles County within the calendar year. If these films meet requirements for other categories, including Best Picture, they may be eligible for those awards as well. Hit the jump to see the full list.

We have five clips from the upcoming animated family film Gnomeo & Juliet. The film is based on Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. [Correction—I'm being told it's actually based on Romeo & Juliet].  The movie features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Patrick Stewart, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, and Ozzy Osbourne.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  Gnomeo & Juliet opens in 3D on February 11th.

A trio of posters just hit the internet for The Mechanic, True Grit, and Gnomeo & Juliet. Up first is the awesome new poster for The Mechanic, which is directed by Simon West (Con Air) and is a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film of the same name. Jason Statham, Ben Foster, and Donald Sutherland star. The second poster is for True Grit, the Coen Brothers’ upcoming remake of the western that won John Wayne an Oscar. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld and I completely dig the poster. Third on the list is a reimagining (can you tell there is a trend in Hollywood?) called Gnomeo & Juliet, which is an animated film that features the familiar story or Romeo & Juliet—but with garden gnomes. Directed by Kelly Asbury (Shrek 2), the Touchstone Pictures film will utilize old and new songs by Elton John along with voice work by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as the two main characters. So hit the jump for all three posters.