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Kaena: The Prophecy
Release Date: June 4th, 2004 (LA/NY); expands to other cities at later dates
Type of Animation: 3D CGI (Computer Generated Imagery); this project claims to be the first European CGI feature; close on its heels will be Water Warriors.
Cast: (voices) Kirsten Dunst (Kaena), Richard Harris (Opaz), Anjelica Huston (Queen of the Selenites), Keith David, Michael McShane, Greg Proops; other cast not announced yet.
Premise: Set on a world where a giant tree called Kaena rises 100 miles above the surface, this is a tale of adventure that occurs when a young woman, Kaena (Dunst), leaves her village hoping to discover why the tree's sap is disappearing. Coming down past the clouds, she meets the Selenites, a race (led by a Queen voiced by Huston) that is also trying to keep the tree from dying, although by enslaving another race. Can Kaena discover why the tree that gives them all life is imperiled? (Harris is a village sage; David voices the Selenites' second in command; Proops and McShane provide comic relief as the "worms")
Here's the official premise:
"Axis (the tree world)'s life is in danger. Its sap has almost all run out and its people's efforts to implore the gods are in vain. Kaena has strange visions and she is convinced that Axis is calling her for help. Kaena, a young girl with the heart of a rebel, will defy her tribe's taboos and the Grand-Priest's supreme authority. And so begins her dangerous journey to Axis's deepest roots. She is helped by a mysterious creature from another world. The frightening truth that Kaena will discover at the end of her quest will profoundly change her forever."
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Release Date: August 13th, 2004
Type of Animation: Traditional Japanese Anime
Cast: Dan Green (Yugi Moto), Wayne Grayson (Joey Wheeler), Amy Birnbaum (Tea Garnder); other voice cast not announced yet.
Based Upon: This is the first feature length animated movie based upon the popular TV series that has aired on the "Kids WB" programming block of the WB since 2001 (in Japan, the series actually dates back to 1998). Warner Bros. is most likely hoping this can be the first of a franchise of 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' movies, similar to their Pokemon series (though they eventually gave up on that series, letting Miramax release the last two films). The TV series (and this movie) is heavily tied into a collectible card game that is the core of the storyline. The Anime TV series was originally based upon a manga (Japanese comic book) called 'Yu-Gi-Oh' which translates into English as something like 'Master of Games.'
Premise: The ancient Egyptians played dangerous "Shadow Games" using cards that could summon forth all varieties of mythological monsters and magical forces to become manifested as pawns in the game. The Shadow Games eventually led to a war that nearly destroyed the entire world until the secrets of the game were locked away in artifacts called the Millennium Items. 5,000 years later, Yugi is a teenager with spiky blonde hair who has unlocked the secrets of the Shadow Game as part of a game called Duel Monsters. Now, Yugi becomes engaged in a new sort of card game challenge... (which is my way of saying that as of 9/19/03, I have no idea what the exact premise of this movie actually is).
The Polar Express
Release Date: November 19th, 2004
Type of Animation: CGI (Computer Generated Images)
Cast: Tom Hanks (The Conductor), Chris Coppola (Toothless), Eddie Deezen (Know it All), Ed Gale (Elf Lieutenant), Nona Gaye (Holly), Josh Hutcherson (Hero Boy), Michael Jeter (Smokey and Steamer), Hayden McFarland (Lonely Boy, Billy), Connor Matheus (Toothless), Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak (Know-it-All), Julene Renee, Peter Scolari (Lonely Boy), Chantel Valdivieso (Holly)
Based Upon: The children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg, who also authored the book that inspired Jumanji. The book won the 1986 Caldecott Medal. Premise: Believing in Santa Claus isn't easy when all of your friends and family insist he's just make-believe. A boy's faith is rewarded one Christmas Eve when he's awakened by a steam train that pulls up in front of his house and takes him and other children to the North Pole to meet Santa. (Tom Hanks plays the train's conductor).
SpongeBob SquarePants The Movie
Release Date: November 19th, 2004
Type of Animation: Traditional
Cast: Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants, others), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward Tentacles), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy Cheeks), Clancy Brown (Mr. Eugene H. Krabs), J.D. Crew, Sirena Irwin, Jasmine Martin (Pizza Fishie), Martin Raven, Tom Wilson (voices)
Based Upon: The popular animated TV series which aired 65 new episodes on Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2003 (with the show ceasing production so the creative team can concentrate on this movie instead). It's quite possible this might be the first of a series of 'SpongeBob SquarePants' movies. The series was the #1 rated TV show (broadcast and cable combined) among viewers aged 2 to 11 during the 2001-2002 season. Nickelodeon plans on continuing to air reruns of the show into perpetuity.
Premise: SpongeBob SquarePants is an optimistic, free-spirited sponge that was born in a rectangular shape, much like a kitchen sponge (ie, not tubular and twisty like most natural sponges). Living at the bottom of the sea in a pineapple (no, it doesn't make sense to me either) in the community of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab diner, where his friends include a squid and a starfish. That, at least, is the premise of the TV show. What the movie will be about exactly hasn't yet (12/6/02) been announced or confirmed.
Premise Notes: (12/6/02) Earlier this week, a report was sent to Dark Horizons that claims the story follows a Finding Nemo-ish plot in which Patrick the Starfish is caught by a fisherman and taken to a Florida aquarium, so that SpongeBob and friends have to travel there to rescue him. Time should prove whether or not this story is legitimate or just a fan-concocted rumor.
Lil' Pimp
Release Date: TBA 2004 (possibly direct-to-video in the USA; skipping a theatrical release)
Type of Animation: This will be the first feature film created entirely by Macromedia Flash animation, a format most commonly seen on the Internet.
Cast (Voice): Mark Brooks, Peter Gilstrap (they do the voices of all the characters in the Internet animated series, and will do them in the film too), Carmen Electra, Bernie Mac, William Shatner, Jennifer Tilly
Based Upon: The animated made-for-Internet comedy series at MediaTrip.com.
Premise: This is the story of a 9-year-old boy, Lil' Pimp, who hustles his ho's around the neighborhood. MediaTrip.com describes the animated series this way: "He's a cute little whiteboy, he's got freckles, and he's a pimp-Lil' Pimp, to be exact! Share the laughs, the magic and the seductive, brutal honesty each week as Mom, Dad, Lil' Pimp and his pimpin' pals Fruitjuice and Nagchampa-plus superfine 'hos Yam Basket and Honeysack-fill your heart with warmth and your computer screen with memories. And don't forget Weathers, Lil' Pimp's loveable pet gerbil who has Tourette's Syndrome. It's animated, it's free, and it's in color!" The exact details of this movie's plot aren't yet (12/9/00) known.
Robots
Release Date: March 11th, 2005
Type of Animation: CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery)
Cast: (voices) Ewan McGregor (Rodney the Robot), Halle Berry (Cappy), Mel Brooks (Big Weld), Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Giamatti, Dan Hedaya, D.L. Hughley, Jamie Kennedy, Stanley Tucci (Mr. Copperbottom), Sofia Vergara, Dianne Wiest (Mrs. Copperbottom), Harland Williams
Premise: Set on a world populated entirely by robots, this is the story of a young genius, Rodney (McGregor), who wants to make robots capable of making the world a better place, but he finds his dream challenged by a corporate tyrant and a master inventor, Big Weld (Brooks), while also being seduced by a sexy corporate robot, Cappy (Berry) (Tucci and Wiest play Rodney's parents; Carey and Bynes play members of a gang of obsolete robots called the Rusties).
The Water Warriors
Release Date: Spring, 2005 (tentative)
Type of Animation: CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)
Cast (Voice): Patrick Stewart, Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes; other cast not announced yet
Premise: A mighty alien empire sends their greatest, most fearsome warship on a mission to conquer the planet Earth... with one hitch. Misjudging the dimensions of the planet, when the (tiny) aliens land in and English pond, they take the frogs (and other amphibians) that live there to be indicative of life on the planet, and our only hope at that. Soon, the two sides are engaged in a solid alien-vs-amphibian battle for the sake of Earth, or at least, someone's backyard in England. It sounds a bit like a cross between Wind in the Willows and Micronauts.
The Wallace & Gromit Movie
Release Date: September 30th, 2005
Type of Animation: Stop-motion clay figures.
Cast: (voices) Peter Sallis (Wallace), Helena Bonham Carter (Lady Tottington), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Victor Quatermaine); other cast not announced yet.
Based Upon: This is of course the first feature film starring Wallace (a man) and Gromit (his dog), who have previously "starred" in three shorts: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave.
Premise: (10/21/02) Talking to USA Today readers, Nick Park revealed that this is a "vegetarian horror movie." From that, we can probably get that he means there will be horrible things done to vegetables, like maybe cutting them, slicing them, etc... just like people are sometimes cut in horror films (just my guess). (10/31/03) More specifically, Wallace and his dog Gromit are recruited to investigate a case that appears to involve a mysterious creature that is attacking a village's gardens of potatoes and other vegetables, even as the locals are getting ready for a giant vegetable contest (source: AICN).
The Corpse Bride
Release Date: October, 2005
Type of Animation: Stop-Motion (like The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach)
Cast: No voice cast announced yet.
Based Upon: This movie is based upon a 19th century Russian folk tale. According to that source, this folk tale has its roots in historical facts, as anti-Semitic gangs would often attack Jewish wedding parties, killing and burying the bride in her wedding gown.
Premise: (9/21/03) The core gist of the fairy tale this movie is based upon is that a young man accidentally marries the corpse of a murdered bride, who is then resurrected, expecting her new (living) husband to love her. It's possible that there will be a good deal of embellishment to that basic idea... but as of right now, I don't know what that might be. (11/15/03) This movie may be set in London's East End.
Jimmy Neutron 2
Release Date: TBA 2005 (tentative)
Type of Animation: CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)
Cast: Debi Derryberry (James Isaac "Jimmy" Neutron), Rob Paulsen (Carl Wheezer), Frank Welker (Goddard), Megan Cavanagh (Judy Neutron), Mark DeCarlo (Hugh Beaumont Neutron), Jeffrey Garcia (Sheen), Carolyn Lawrence (Cindy Vortex), Andrea Martin (Ms. Fowl), Candi Milo (Nick Dean), Crystal Scales (Libby) (voices)
Based Upon: This is the sequel to the December, 2001 CGI animated hit (relative to cost), Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. At the time of its release, that film's $30 million budget was the lowest ever for an all-CGI release, so its $80 million take in the U.S. meant a big profit for Paramount and Nickelodeon. That film took an unusual route, with the eventual Nickelodeon TV show, "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius", being spun off from the movie, rather than the movie being based on the show (which launched a year later in the fall of 2002).
Premise: These are the continuing adventures of Jimmy Neutron, a boy genius inventor who lives a relatively unassuming and normal boy's life in the town of Retroville... if normal boys had robot dogs and regularly were responsible for massive explosions and rocket rides. The exact details of this movie's plot aren't yet known, except that whereas the first movie took Jimmy into outer space, Jimmy's expected to journey into other strange areas in this sequel (possibly getting shrunk down, going underwater, or digging into the depths of the earth?). No one knows yet.
Thru the Moebius Strip
Release Date: TBA 2005
Type of Animation: Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)
Cast: (voices) Mark Hamill, Christ Marquette, Michael Dorn, Kellie Martin, Jean Simmons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas; other cast not announced yet.
Premise: Described as an intergalactic take on Jack and the Beanstalk, this is the story of physicist Simon Weir, who becomes lost and trapped in a space-time portal he created. Eight years later, his son, Jac Weir, must search for him through a myriad number of planets, filled with wondrous sights and often gigantic beings. Once finding his father, Jac discovers that part of the "rescue" process is going to involve helping his father's giant alien friend regain his throne.
Bionicle
Release Date: TBA 2005/2006 (either late 2005 or early 2006)
Type of Animation: CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery)
Cast: None announced yet.
Based Upon: This movie is inspired by the "Bionicle" line of robot toys produced by LEGO. This will be the first theatrically-released movie based on the toys, but it will actually be preceded by the direct-to-video DVD title, 'Bionicle: Mask of Light', which was produced by Creative Capers Entertainment on a budget of $5.2 million. There have already been comic books, video games, trading cards and more based on these toys.
Premise: The exact details of this movie's plot aren't yet known, except that it depicts the adventures of a group of six robotic heroes collectively called the Toa who join forces to collect ancient artifacts called the Masks of Power in an effort to defeat Makuta, an evil ruler who has taken over the island of Mata Nui.
Foodfight!
Release Date: TBA 2005/2006
Type of Animation: Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)
Cast: (voices) None announced yet.
Premise: This is the adventure of what happens in one grocery store at night when the humans are all gone, and the mascots of the various products come alive, gathering at a wild place called the Copabanana. The arrival of the mysterious Brand X brings tumult and intrigue... luckily, the brand name mascots have the great Dex Detective on the case.
Ratatouille
Release Date: November, 2006 (estimated)
Type of Animation: Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)
Cast: None announced yet.
Premise: This movie follows the adventures of a rat named Ratatouille who lives in an extremely fancy restaurant in Paris overseen by an eccentric, world-famous chef.
The Simpsons Movie
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon production of this project eventually gets started.
Release Date Note: There's still no firm word about when production might start, but Fox admitted/announced in a "Variety" article this week that they are indeed working on coming up with an idea for a movie. At this point, there's no way the movie could possibly come out before 2006, and 2007 or 2008 are probably more likely. Ambitious animated movies take a while.
Type of Animation: Traditional
Cast (Voice): Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson), Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson), Hank Azaria (many characters), Harry Shearer (many characters) (note: each of these actors, except Yeardley Smith, voice several other characters as well; see IMDb listing for more); expect plenty of celebrity guest voices as well; but, heck, some of them might not even be celebrities yet...! (as of 7/3/01)
Based Upon: The long-running (since 1989), award-winning animated comedy series on FOX, created by Matt Groening (of the Life is Hell comic strips), which have spawned music albums, cereal, parade balloons, t-shirts, you-name-it.
Sequel Note: The cast's new contracts include not just this film, and the next few seasons, but a second film as well. Premise: 7/03/01 - Absolutely no details have been revealed about what this film could be about.
Bone
Release Date: Unknown; it will depend upon when (and if) principle animation production begins.
Type of Animation: Traditional animation in the same style as the original comics.
Cast: No voice actors announced yet.
Based Upon: The acclaimed graphic novels and comic books of the same title by Jeff Smith, published by Cartoon Books.
Sequel Note: If the first film is a success, it could be the first of a trilogy that brings most of the epic story from the comics to the big screen. Smith's plan is for this first first film to end where the "Dragonslayer" epic ended in the comics.
Premise: Three cousins from Boneville (Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone) end up in an uncharted land filled with strange creatures. Now, they have to figure out to get back home to Boneville... one thing to worry about first? Dragons. Second things? Rat Creatures. This is an animated fantasy epic that the production company compares to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
Tortoise Vs Hare
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when/if filming eventually gets started.
Type of Animation: Stop-motion clay figures.
Cast: None announced as confirmed yet.
Based Upon: The fable, The Tortoise and the Hare , by Aesop about an inter-species marathon. Walt Disney made a nine-minute short version of this story in 1935.
Premise: This is the story of a race between a tortoise and a hare (Whitehouse). One kept a good steady pace, even though it was quite slow, while the other was sure of himself and fooled around instead of concentrating on the task at hand... (7/1/00) During a BBC Chat, Nick Park revealed that this film is comparable to This is Spinal Tap and Rocky. What can we get from that? One is a pseudo-documentary; and the other is an underdog sports movie. Combine the two, add some clay, a racing story, a tortoise, and a hare, and I guess you get this film. (Hoskins voices a Welsh hamster that is the Tortoise's fitness trainer)
Tusker
Release Date: Unknown; this project is currently on hold at PDI/DreamWorks
Type of Animation: 3-D CGI (Computer Generated Images).
Cast: (voices) Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, Dana Carvey, Garry Shandling; other cast not announced yet.
Premise (quoted from PDI): "Tusker follows a herd of elephants on a perilous trek across Southeast Asia. In their travels, they encounter a wide variety of dangers, including a group of marauding poachers who (sic) the elephants must elude if they are to complete their journey." (Freeman voices the leader of the herd; Foster voices a young female) (6/11/01) USA Today quoted Jeffrey Katzenberg this weekend as comparing it to WWII movies like the The Dirty Dozen and The Guns of Navarone, in that it's about "a band of screw-ups [that] have to go on an impossible mission in order to save the rest of the herd."
Enchanted
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when (if) filming actually does get started.
Animation Note: This film will be a combination of animation (the fairy tale world) and live-action.
Cast: None announced as confirmed yet.
Premise: A peasant girl in a fairy tale world falls in love with her Prince Charming only to be banished to the New York City of our real world by an Evil Queen. There, she falls in love with a married man. The Prince (and the Queen) follows her to the real world, forcing her to choose between a fairy tale happy ending and real-life love... (the fairy world will be animated; the "real" world, not)
Other Animated Movies:
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