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A four-time Oscar winner best known for the Wallace and Gromit stop-motion series, Nick Park has an abiding affection for his own iconic creations, often contemplating what the next chapter might be, when it comes to the eccentric inventor and his anthropomorphic dog. At the same time, Park is an artist of diverse interests, who knows when it’s time to turn the page. Winning Best Animated Feature with 2005’s The Curse of the Were-Rabbit —which saw the pair digging into a curious mystery involving garden sabotage—Park saw the opportunity to try something new with his next feature, Early Man , introducing a whole new group of characters and a compelling prehistoric world, which stemmed from an idea he’d contemplated for years. Set at the dawn of time, Aardman Animations ’ latest follows Dug, a prehistoric man who unites with his tribe to combat a threat from Lord Nooth, the leader of a Bronze Age city encroaching on his own. Facing the obliteration of life as he … [Read more...] about ‘Early Man’ Director Nick Park On Realizing Longtime Vision For Caveman Sports Comedy

When A League of Their Own hit theaters on July 1, 1992, it was up against a crowded slate of blockbusters, including Batman Returns , Lethal Weapon 3 , Patriot Games , and Universal Soldier , that were expected to linger around multiplexes all summer. But when Labor Day rolled around two months later, all those other movies had faded away, and A League of Their Own was still packing in crowds on its way toward a $107.5 million domestic gross. Love for the Penny Marshall-directed film about the World War II-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, staring Geena Davis , Lori Petty, Tom Hanks , Madonna , and Rosie O’Donnell, has only grown in the three decades that followed thanks to VHS rentals, DVD sales, and endless replays on cable television. It’s a rare movie that appeals to people across all age groups and demographics, and it revived interest in the half-forgotten AAGPBL. In honor of A League of Their Own ‘s 30th anniversary, we spoke with … [Read more...] about ‘There’s No Crying in Baseball!’: ‘A League of Their Own’ Turns 30

This post contains full spoilers for the final two episodes of Stranger Things Season Four, which are streaming now on Netflix. Midway through the super-supersized Stranger Things fourth-season finale, “The Piggyback,” Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery), and Robin (Maya Hawke) are climbing a haunted house’s stairway in the Upside Down as part of a complicated plan to keep the hell dimension from breaking through into their own world. They have avoided attention so far, but suddenly Robin wakes up the demonic tentacles that surround them, and within moments, all three teens are pinned to the walls, having the life choked out of them. The scene cuts to another set of characters, leaving the viewer on edge about how (or if, but not really) Nancy and the others will escape what looks like certain doom. A few scenes later, the season’s main villain, Vecna/One/Henry/Mother of Dragons/Breaker of Chains/Cleaner of Carpets (played under at least some of those names by … [Read more...] about ‘Stranger Things’ Season Four Finale: Runnin’ Up That Hill for Two-Plus Hours Isn’t So Fun

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has been rapidly expanding the membership rolls, may soon add a new executive position: chief operating officer. Several people familiar with the situation said this week that the academy has quietly had a search firm looking for a COO to back up chief executive officer Dawn Hudson . An Academy spokeswoman declined to comment on the search. The group hasn’t had a chief operating officer since 2013, when Ric Robertson, a long-time Academy executive who had held the COO position for about two and a half years, resigned. One person briefed on the search said the growth in membership to roughly 8,000 helped spur the search for an additional top executive. The new COO would likely attend closely to internal departments like human resources, leaving the more visible awards and membership-related functions to Hudson. Hudson took charge of the Academy staff in 2011 after serving as head of Film Independent, a smaller nonprofit. … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s Film Academy Is Hunting For A Chief Operating Officer

As Nikki Finke reported first back in May, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences COO Ric Robertson this summer embarked on a very unusual paid leave from June through August that AMPAS called a “sabbatical”. Robertson has now decided, not surprisingly, that he’s not coming back and today officially stepped down from the post. A 32-year veteran of the Academy, he will transition to a consulting role within the organization. Robertson’s sabbatical prompted AMPAS staff to wonder whether he would be pushed out and/or look for another job. In April 2011, he was passed over for Bruce Davis’ executive directorship and reported to CEO Dawn Hudson, who was brought in over him. Insiders said Robertson was primarily responsible for this year’s online voting debacle, which Hudson dumped in his lap when the Academy finally decided to implement Oscar balloting electronically — something Robertson and Davis resisted for prior years. Sources have been predicting for some time that … [Read more...] about Ric Robertson Exits As Movie Academy COO

EXCLUSIVE: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences COO Ric Robertson is  taking what’s being internally called a “sabbatical” from June through August. I have learned this is an unusual paid leave even though the Academy is complaining about a financial crunch. Normally, its staff are restricted to 30 days of unpaid leave (and then only with approval). “He has worked here for 31 years. Doesn’t he deserve it?” an insider told me. “He didn’t tell us what he’ll do. Maybe work on his golf game.” Robertson’s upcoming sabbatical has prompted AMPAS staff to wonder whether he will be pushed out and/or look for another job. In April 2011, he was passed over for Bruce Davis’ executive directorship and now reports to AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson , who was brought in over him. Insiders tell me that Robertson was primarily responsible for this year’s online voting debacle, which Hudson dumped in his lap when the Academy finally decided to implement Oscar balloting electronically — … [Read more...] about Ric Robertson Taking Paid Summer Hiatus From Movie Academy In Financial Crunch

In the competitive world of feature animation, it takes more than an entertaining yarn and a bit of slapstick comedy to cut through the noise. To make an impact at the box office in 2018—and at the Oscars, heading now into its 91st go-round—filmmakers are called upon to pursue a new standard of excellence, going back to the drawing board with each new effort, and finding exciting ways to break the mold. Leading the charge as regular contenders for Best Animated Feature since the category was created in 2001, Walt Disney Studios , and its Bay area subsidiary Pixar , once again enter the field of 25 films, with two projects that embody the category’s ideals. First, there’s Incredibles 2 , Brad Bird’s return to the groundbreaking superhero world he established in 2004. Sending the Parr family off on new adventures (with Elastigirl out chasing runaway trains, and Mr. Incredible taking a backseat), the film easily achieved hard-to-get hit sequel status, setting a record … [Read more...] about Oscars: Can Anyone Break Disney & Pixar’s Animated Feature Streak In 2019?

After working with screenwriter Mari Okada for a number of years, producer Kenji Horikawa needed to learn to work with the artist in a different way, as she set out to make her directorial debut with Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms . An ambitious anime that conjures up a singular, fantastical world, the Oscar-shortlisted feature centers on Maquia, an immortal girl who takes a newborn baby boy out of dire circumstances, raising him as her own, and watching the relationship blossom into myriad complexities over the years. Certainly, Maquia was an ambitious project for any director to take on, and particularly for a fledgling helmer. “It was such a big project that a lot of people weren’t sure that she could do it, so there was some resistance met there, and that was also a challenge to push through,” Horikawa reflects. “A lot of really amazing talents came together for this film, so my first question was, how do we get them to all recognize her as a director, when she … [Read more...] about With ‘Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms,’ Producer Kenji Horikawa Stands Behind Talent Of Visionary Newcomer

In a robust year for international animation—with a record eight Japanese films on the Oscars shortlist—Mamoru Hosoda brought a most personal project to Cannes, trying for a historic first. The first Japanese anime to premiere at the prestigious French festival—and the Directors’ Fortnight’s sole animated entry this year— Mirai was ambitious, taking as its protagonist a four-year-old boy. Undoubtedly, small children have featured into many an animated film over the years. It’s the way children are handled, though, that sets Mirai apart, in its approach and the level of complexity at hand. As a point of comparison, Hosoda references The Boss Baby , a 2017 film starring Alec Baldwin as a briefcase-carrying tot in professional dress. “Boss Baby is a character. He’s not really a baby, because it’s an old man [playing] the baby,” the director reflects. “I really wanted a realistic four-year-old as the main character, and we really had a challenging time because it’s about the way … [Read more...] about Mourning Loss Of Paint-And-Paper Anime, ‘Mirai’ Director Attempts Animated First With Four-Year-Old Protagonist

With Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , their latest animated outing, producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller took a big swing, experimenting with bold formal choices to meet great power with great responsibility. The big screen debut of Miles Morales—an Afro-Latino teenager who dons the spidey suit, within a Marvel multiverse— Spider-Man would feature an unprecedented visual presentation befitting a truly groundbreaking character. Created in 2011 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli—and soon amassing a major fan following—Morales comes into his own in the fast-paced origin story, swinging through poignant family moments, rampant meta comedy, and various dimensions, coming face to face with a number of Spider-Men and Women, while combatting a dire threat to humanity. An endlessly innovative duo, Lord and Miller have always sought to raise the creative bar, demonstrating that there are few limitations to what is possible, when imagination is in no … [Read more...] about ‘Spider-Man’ Producers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller Bring Miles Morales To Big Screen In Spectacular Style