Archive for the ‘Avatar’ Category

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Cartoon Network kickin’ butt and taking Emmys

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

I always thought that the Emmys weren’t announced until all the famous people put on their slinky dresses and got made fun of by Joan Rivers, but it turns out that some awards are announced prior to the televised event. Imagine! I mean, it’s almost like how many thousands of dollars of jewelry people can borrow is not actually the point. I was surprised, too.

Anyway, I am a bit behind, but last week the winners of the individual achievement in animation Emmys were announced, and Cartoon Network took plenty of the honors.

(Oh, by the way, the article also enlightened me as to the timing: “Because the awards are juried categories, there are no nominations; the categories might have one, more than one or no winners each year. There were no Emmys awarded in the voice-over performance juried area this year.”)

Check out the list of Cartoon Network honorees:

– Sue Mondt, art director for Cartoon Network’s “Camp Lazlo,” episode “Squirrel Secrets,” from Cartoon Network Studios;

– Dave Dunnet, background key designer for Cartoon Network’s “Good Wilt Hunting” (”Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”), from Cartoon Network Studios;

– Narina Sokolova, background painter for Cartoon Network’s “My Gym Partner’s A Monkey,” episode “The Big Field Trip,” from Cartoon Network Studios;

– David Colman, character designer for Cartoon Network’s “Class of 3000,” episode “Eddie’s Money,” from Cartoon Network Studios;

– Phil Rynda, character designer for Cartoon Network’s “Billy & Mandy’s Big Boogey Adventure” (”The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy”), from Cartoon Network Studios

Other notables include Sang-Jin Kim, an animator on Avatar: The Last Airbender (okay, that one’s with Nickelodeon, but you can’t fault a gal for being pleased at Avatar getting some recognition), and Cartoon Network animators Sihanouk Mariona and Thomas Smith pulling down awards for projects with ShadowMachine films.

On a related-but-not-really note, I keep forgetting to mention that Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix (the recent hour-long animated movie) dominated the ratings for boys ages 6-11 on its premiere night (Friday, August 10th). I wasn’t all that surprised, but the press release I received about it used lots of exclamation points and a large font, so I guess it’s even more exciting than I thought.

Clearly, Cartoon Network is on a roll. Congrats to the Emmy winners, and let’s see what you come up with next!

Posted in Avatar, Awards, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Random acts of television | No Comments »

More on animation gone live action

Tuesday, August 14th, 2007

(Pictured to the side, there: He-Man. If it goes live action, can you really picture him being played by anyone other than Arnold Schwarzenegger??)

It’s been said that there’s a finite number of plots, and all stories are merely different retellings of those basic premises. Wait a minute; I’m getting the feeling I’ve talked about this before. Oh, that’s right, I have! But we’re going to talk about it again, because shockingly, Hollywood continues to insist upon recycling material.

What? Erm, I mean, Hollywood continues to innovate the movie industry with its daring use of, um, storyline recycling. Yes, that’s it.

From IGN we have a decent rundown of upcoming cartoons-turned-live-action movie projects currently underway, and to say that even they have mixed feelings would be an understatement:

Hollywood has been busy mining TV animation for more potential live-action feature film adaptations. This trend of turning cartoons into live-action films is nothing new, of course, but it’s been a crapshoot so far. For every hit like Scooby-Doo or The Flintstones there’s been a Josie and the Pussycats, Fat Albert or Aeon Flux. Remember Dudley Do-Right, Mr. Magoo, George of the Jungle, Casper and Inspector Gadget? Did you want to?! No, you did not!

(Awwww, come on. I sort of enjoyed Matthew Broderick as Inspector Gadget.)

Their list starts out with Alvin and the Chipmunks and Avatar: The Last Airbender, both of which we’ve discussed before. (In fact, I was hoping for some new Avatar news, but no such luck.)

Then they veer off into (to me) unknown territory. A project based on G.I. Joe?

The largest roadblock (no pun intended) facing the project is the challenge of bringing the characters and premise to the screen without seeming ridiculous, as well as the fact that America’s wars overseas might make a movie about the U.S. military unappealing to international audiences.

Gee… ya think?

Other titles include He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Jetsons, Johnny Bravo (really?? isn’t the cartoon annoying enough?), Jonny Quest, Neon Genesis Evangelion (who?), Speed Racer, Star Blazers, Thundercats, Voltron, and—of course—Transformers 2.

That seems like plenty to keep Hollywood busy, no? They shouldn’t have to come up with an original storyline until well into 2017 or so, at this rate….

Posted in Avatar, Movies, Of Industry Note, Transformers | No Comments »

2007 prime-time Emmy nominations announced

Friday, July 20th, 2007

Yesterday marked the announcement of this year’s prime-time Emmy nominees, and so this seems like a good time to confess that I’m a total awards show junkie. Can’t get enough of ‘em. I mean, there are always shows I love which are overlooked by the awards committee(s), but sometimes the right show is recognized and there’s nothing quite like seeing something you really enjoy being recognized for the hard work that goes into it.

(The fact that you can also see a bunch of expensive dresses, outrageous hairdos, and funny commercials doesn’t hurt, either.)

Anyway, Animated News was on the scene immediately with the list of animation nominees.

Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour)
•Avatar: The Last Airbender – “City Of Walls And Secrets” (Nickelodeon Animation Studio)
•Robot Chicken – “Lust For Puppets” (ShadowMachine Films)
•South Park – “Make Love, Not Warcraft” (Central Productions)
•SpongeBob SquarePants – “Bummer Vacation / Wig Struck” (Nickelodeon Animation Studio with United Plankton Pictures, Inc.)
•The Simpsons – “The Haw-Hawed Couple” (Gracie Films with 20th Century Fox)

My take: I think Avatar deserves to win, but I don’t know that it will. There’s been a lot of buzz about Robot Chicken, and with the Simpsons movie about to come out—despite the series having been around forever—people are sort of rediscovering it. So I just don’t know.

Outstanding Animated Program (Programming One Hour Or More)
•Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends – “Good Wilt Hunting” (Cartoon Network Studios)
•Hellboy Animated: Sword Of Storms (Starz Media with Revolution Studios)
•Secrets Of The Deep (Impossible Pictures with Discovery Channel)
•Camp Lazlo – “Where’s Lazlo?” (Cartoon Network Studios)

My take: If Foster’s doesn’t win this one, my faith in a just deity will be shaken. I know I went into that one already loving Foster’s, but Good Wilt Hunting was even better than I expected it to be. To me, it’s the clear front-runner. But I don’t get to vote. (Which is a travesty in and of itself. Clearly.)

The 2007 Emmy Awards Show will air this year on Sunday, September 16th at 8:00 PM. Mark your calendars and get ready to make fun of famous people. (Oops. Did I say that last part out loud? My bad.)

Posted in Avatar, Awards, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Random acts of television, Spongebob Squarepants | 1 Comment »

Avatar, Avatar everywhere

Monday, March 26th, 2007

If you’re a fan of Avatar, you’re probably already following the Avatar Spirit site for all of the latest news. But just in case you forgot to check it out recently, I’m here to help. Because I care. (And because it makes my obsession with all things Avatar seem like something work-related instead of just me being overly invested in a cartoon.)

Anyway. There’s a few things I want to draw your attention to.

First of all, Avatar Spirit is holding their Spring Avatar Haiku Contest. Who doesn’t like to ‘ku? No one fun, that’s who. 17 measly syllables can get you one of two fabulous prizes, so check it out.

Second, seems like folks have a lot to say about the upcoming Avatar live-action movie, and opinions vary, but now we have it from the horse’s mouth: The creators of Avatar couldn’t be more excited about the film. Though Bryan Konietzko’s comment about getting to hang out with Momo for real did worry me just a little.

Last—but not least—there’s bit of news about season 3 that might pique your interest. In addition to specific plot hints, I loved this bit:

The creators intended Avatar to be both whimsical and edgy. “Bryan and I wanted to create a show that had a lot of heart and integrity, and we wanted to create a show that we would like to watch,” DiMartino said. “Like Aang trying to balance the four elements, we try to balance comedy, action, drama and spirituality in every episode so there is something for everyone. Also, there is a message of balance that is pervasive throughout the series: characters trying to balance their lives.”

See? That sounds very much like entertainment intended for grown-ups like me, rather than just kids. My infatuation is totally justifiable. Stop looking at me like that.

Posted in Avatar | No Comments »

Snoopy has left the mall

Thursday, March 8th, 2007

Have you ever been to the Mall of America? I suppose folks living in the greater Minneapolis area go there as a matter of course. Me, I visited for the first time just a few years ago and thanked my lucky stars that the kids weren’t with me at the time—I doubt they ever would’ve wanted to leave. (Not that I would blame them. When I got to the Lego area I didn’t much want to leave, myself.)

Anyway, I guess it was bound to happen: MOA is going to be Nick-ified.

The Mall of America has signed a branding-rights deal with the cable television network Nickelodeon for the megamall’s indoor amusement park, according to the Star Tribune.

The park used to be called Camp Snoopy, but the mall’s 13-year partnership with the “Peanuts” gang ended last year. Since then, the amusement park has been simply named, “The Park at MOA.”

Hmmmm. I wonder what they’ll call it now. Nickelodeon at MOA? Major Network Branding at MOA (MNB at MOA!)? Don’t Be Scared Of This Here Giant SpongeBob at MOA? The possibilities are endless, really.

And should you be taking the time to mourn the loss of the “Peanuts” characters, you might be interested to know that Avatar is moving in along with SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron, and Dora:

A new roller coaster is planned based on the animated series, “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Construction on the upside-down roller coaster will begin this year.

I… don’t really understand how you make a rollercoaster themed. It’s based on the Avatar? Do people come shoot fire at you while you’re riding it? Do the cars resemble flying bison? Does the track get bent right before your eyes? (I am a wealth of fabulous ideas, no?)

My guess is that some of these more “modern” characters will increase the appeal of the place, sure. Though I can’t help wondering if anyone will miss Snoopy and Woodstock. And also if I’m the only person who thinks that the SpongeBob in the photo above looks more like a hunk of cheese than a sponge.

Posted in Avatar, Kid Stuff, Random acts of television, Spongebob Squarepants | 3 Comments »

Many incarnations of Avatar

Wednesday, February 21st, 2007

First, the game: We have recently discovered the Avatar Escape from the Spirit World Game. (You need a login nickname, and also the secret passwords—refer to Avatar Spirit for the list—but it’s worth it, I promise.)

My son even lets me play, occasionally. He’s so good to me.

Next: even better was finding the new Avatar Cartoon Short (use KOH as the password to acces it), “School Time Shipping.” Avatar Spirit told me it’s done in the “chibi animation style,” and because I’m not an animation buff so much as I’m just a sucker for a good story, I had no idea what that meant. It turns out that chibi is that super-cutesy bigheaded thing.

Can you think of anything more incongruous for a series like Avatar? Because I can’t. But you have to watch the short, because it’s as hilarious as it is just plain weird.

Of course, Nicktoons Network is showing Escape from the Spirit World episodes all this week at 6:30 p.m. eastern, and it all culminates in a little Spirit World marathon this Saturday, February 25th, from 4-7. I guess I know what I’ll be doing this Saturday….

Need more things Avatar-related to keep you going this week? (Geez, you’re a little greedy, you know.) Remember when I told you that Avatar will be a live-action movie? I was wandering around the internet wondering if anyone had any additional information on the project, and discovered that when I post about it, nobody says anything… but when they post about it over at TV.com, they end up with 19 pages of comments. I tried to decide if this makes me feel neglected and unloved, but then decided that people who have 19 pages of opinions on a cartoon scare me just a little, so it’s all fine.

Posted in Avatar | No Comments »

Avatar to be live-action movie

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

I can’t decide how I feel about this; on the one hand, I love the animation style of the cartoon Avatar, and would love to see feature-length animated movies. On the other, how awesome might the live-action version be? If it’s done properly, one might argue it could be Very Awesome Indeed.

(Full disclaimer: I say this as a woman who read and loved the Harry Potter books, and fully intended to hate the movies. I don’t hate them. They’re different than the books, sure, but quite marvelous in their own right.)

And—most importantly, because I am nothing if not self-serving—I suspect live-action films may have a larger draw than animated ones, which means the goodness that is Avatar can just spread further. And that would be a Very Good Thing Indeed.

Regardless, the first of three planned movies is in the works, and with an impressive director at the helm:

M. Night Shyamalan is making a rare foray into family films with a feature based on a popular animated series on the Nickelodeon kids cable channel.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender,” a series influenced by Asian art, mythology and fighting styles, has attracted an audience beyond Nickelodeon’s usual 6-11 demographic.

Shyamalan will write, direct and produce the live-action adaptation for Paramount Pictures’ MTV Films and Nick Movies. They hope it will turn into a three-picture series with Shyamalan’s continuing involvement.

The project marks the first time that Shyamalan, who is known for crafting original screenplays, will direct material he didn’t create. His last children’s film was 1999’s “Stuart Little,” which he co-wrote.

Shyamalan co-wrote Stuart Little? How did I not know that? And here I was thinking he was the perfect choice because he’ll keep it dark and creepy, but apparently he can keep it dark and creepy and silly and kid-friendly, if needed. Bonus!

Is it wrong of me to hope that an Avatar movie brings us some additional Avatar merchandise? My son wants all manner of obscure items he’s seen on the TV show, most of which don’t actually exist as toys. (I don’t dare show him that Lego is now making Avatar sets….)

Sorry, I got off on my own little tangent there. Ahem. Anyway! The course of the true Avatar ne’er did run smooth, it appears:

Because James Cameron also is about to film a new project titled “Avatar,” the films could end up in a showdown over their titles. Cameron’s camp said he began his “Avatar” screenplay 12 years ago. Both camps say they have registered the title with the Motion Picture Assn. of America.

How does something like that get resolved, anyway? Is there some approved method of film association smackdown where the creative teams go head-to-head to determine who gets to own the title? What else could you call this movie, anyway? Aang: The Last Airbender could work, maybe, but rabid fans everywhere would complain, I’m sure. Me, I don’t care what they call it.

I just want to see what sort of effects they’ll use to make a realistic, live-action Appa. (And maybe a small part of me wants to see some bald kid tattooed with a glowing arrow on his head, too. Don’t judge me.)

Be sure to visit the Avatar Store for cool Avatar gear!

Posted in Avatar, Movies | 65 Comments »

Avatar DVDs to include bonus comics

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006

Decisions, decisions. Don’t you hate it when you have to decide between two equally-tempting options, or—worse yet—you have to try to figure out which choice to go with when you don’t have all the information? I hate it when that happens.

Especially with important things like cartoons and comic books.

What?

Anyway, we have a dilemma on our hands, people.

TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting good, but slightly tension-filled, news for fans of Avatar:

It appears Nickelodeon is giving fans a reason to buy the Avatar volumes being released next year; they’re packaging an exclusive comic in each set. Here’s a quote from a Video Business article about their plans:

Each of the four releases in season two will be packaged with an exclusive collectible comic book, culminating with a boxed set toward the end of the year, similar to what the company did this year with the first season.

So now fans will have to decide whether to buy the volumes and get the comics, or wait and get the season set which could have a bonus disc, but may not include the comics. “Book 2: Earth, Volume 1″ comes out on January 23, 2007.

I suppose the Powers That Be are hoping that folks will buy the volumes as they become available—both to get the comics and to have the show in-hand as soon as possible—and then they’ll whip up some super-fantastic bonus disc that none of us can live without in the hopes that we’ll buy the boxed set, as well.

Well I, for one, am not going to fall for it! I want the comics. I mean, er, my son wants the comics. And how good could that bonus disc really be, anyway? I will simply avert my eyes once it’s available. Ahem.

By the way, did you know that Avatar storyboard artist Justin Ridge has a blog? (Of course he does, you’re saying. Everyone has a blog.) (Just be careful over there, because not all of his artwork is kid-safe. Don’t go calling the kids over to the computer only to scream and clamp your hands over their eyes.) Somehow I missed it back in November when he gave us a sneak peak of a panel from one of those upcoming bonus comics. It looks great!

Posted in Avatar | No Comments »

You really can find everyone on MySpace

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

Hello! I’m the Toy Box Mommy, and I… I… well, I am old.

Oh, I’m not that old by most standards. And I believe age is one of those mental things—you’re only as old as you feel! Age is just a number! Well let me tell you: When I go to MySpace I feel incredibly old. I feel that my age is just a number… that should be closer to 99 than 30.

See that logo up there? The one that declares MySpace to be “a place for friends” and sounds so lovely? I think that is because “a place for blaring music, seizure-causing backgrounds, and many blinking graphics” was deemed a bit too verbose.

But the kids today, they’re all into MySpace. Or so I hear. (One of them said something about it, while I was hollering for them to get off my lawn.) And people of all ages are using MySpace to stay in touch or reconnect with long-lost pals.

I finally braved MySpace for a while because I discovered that many of the hot licensed characters available at Ty’s Toy Box have their own MySpace pages. Some are created by enthusiastic fans, some are backed by the productions themselves; all of them are another avenue to explore the shows you and your kids love.

Here’s a sampling of the pages I came across:

  • Lazy Town has 801 friends at last check. For some reason I find it hilarious that Mighty Mouse is amongst them.
  • Together Forever is associated with a popular Doodlebops fan site, and boasts 1005 friends. This is one of the more complete pages; there’s tons of information about the Doodlebops, pictures, videos, etc.
  • Avatar, the last Airbender has plenty of Avatar artwork and lists most of the show’s characters amongst its 714 friends. (That’s a rabbit hole of links to fall down, but what a fun way to pass some time.)
  • Strawberry Shortcake’s page says she’d like to meet: “Any berry happy, berry fun, berry special, berry sweet, berry sporty, berry artistic, berry musical, & just plain berry berry friends.” I am berry, berry scared. (But my daughter loved it.) One of her 465 friends is Rainbow Brite, of course.
  • Backyardigans is a newer page, with only 22 friends so far, but who knows how it will evolve. Or if they’ll decide against the neon hearts background (hope springs eternal).

So, you know, this new-fangled MySpace thing… I guess it’s alright. Even though back in my day we had to just draw pictures of important things on the cave walls.

Posted in Avatar, Lazytown, Strawberry Shortcake, The Backyardigans, The Doodlebops | 10 Comments »

Avatar and Pokémon: More, more, more!

Thursday, September 7th, 2006

It’s a little odd for me to be writing about these two shows together, given that I really enjoy Avatar and really… ummmm… don’t enjoy Pokémon. But my son suffers from a slavish devotion to both shows, and it turns out that there happens to be news to share on both of them, today.

Were you feeling Avatar-deprived? Perhaps a tad Pokémon-deficient? Help is on the way, in the form of new episodes for both shows. Newsarama has the whole scoop and I have the highlights.

Are you sick of listening to me talk about the upcoming Avatar movie yet? Yes? Too bad. Newsarama’s Steve Fritz has only made me more anxious to see it:

Well, the next two-chapter installment is subtitled: “The Secret of the Fire Nation.” It will air on Friday, September 15 at 8:00 p.m. with repeats on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. I have to admit I was totally blown away. It’s some of the best work DeMartino and Konietzko has done.

But the truly wonderful news is this:

As for the future of the series, inside sources at Nickelodeon assured me that Avatar will start going back to its more regular Friday night, 8:00 p.m. schedule in the very near future. There will be times when the show is pre-empted because of other specials, but it did sound like this once-a-month fix is nearing the end of its reign. About time if you asked me.

Because it seems Nickelodeon is truly pleased with the results it’s getting, not only has the network given the series a greenlight for a third season of an additional 20 episodes, but is also talking to the creators about a fourth and maybe more. According to www.TV.com. if that does happen, the war with the Fire nation will be over and a new arc will begin.

Awesome. Is it wrong for a grown woman to be daydreaming about what the next major conflict would be after the war with the Fire nation is resolved…?

Ahem.

And in begrudging “I wish it weren’t so but I guess it’s an item of note” news, not only is there a new season of Pokémon for Saturday mornings, there’s also a new “limited series” called Mystery Dungeon set to run on Friday night:

As for Mystery Dungeon, this series goes in an entirely new direction. It starts with a young boy being turned into a Pokemon himself. Now a Squirtle, he joins a Chikorita and a Charmander as part of a new rescue team. The big thing is in this series the little critters actually talk to each other, using the English language no less.

It will air this Friday, September 8, at 8:00 p.m.

I can’t believe I’m going to say this—and I’ll probably deny it later—but I actually think Mystery Dungeon sounds palatable, even if only because the Pokémon can converse instead of squeaking their names at each other ad nauseam. I’ll have to check it out and report back.

Posted in Avatar, Pokemon | 2 Comments »

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