Transformers: Age of Extinction

'Transformers: Age of Extinction.' Image © 2014 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. HASBRO, TRANSFORMERS, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. © 2014 Hasbro.Rights Reserved. 

Transformers: Age of Extinction – June 27^th

Buckle up for more of Michael Bay’s brawlin’ bots.  This fourth Transformers flick reunites him with Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon writer Ehren Kruger for another round of slow-mo explosions and conversions.  Gone, however, is franchise star Shia LaBeouf, with Marky Mark taking top billing…after Optimus Prime, of course, voiced by fan-favorite Peter Cullen.  ILM, Gentle Giant Studios, Method Studios and Prime Focus are handling the VFX, which will also include some ferocious-looking Dinobots.  Wahlberg seems confident it’ll be the highest-grossing movie of the year, and Rob Moore of Paramount Pictures says plans for a fifth and sixth film hinge on its success.  If history is any indication, it’ll certainly give the other pictures this spring a run for their money at the box office.

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How To Train Your Dragon 2

'How To Train Your Dragon 2.' Image © DreamWorks Animation LLC.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 – June 13th

They say it’s hard to miss someone who’s never left, and in that sense it feels like Hiccup and Toothless have been around for quite a while.  After first debuting on the silver screen in 2010, they’ve starred in a traveling arena show and spin-off animated series on Cartoon Network.  With How to Train Your Dragon 2, we see them move into the next chapter of their story, set five years after the original film, where they’ll discover new species of dragons and run afoul of the fiendish-sounding Drago Bludvist.  All the original voice actors are back, along with writer/director Dean Deblois, who will also helm the eventual third installment in this lucrative DreamWorks franchise.

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Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return – May 9th

After numerous delays, Prana Studios’ animated sequel to the classic Wizard of Oz story is finally hitting theatres.  And while it features what seems to be a dream cast of vocal talent – including Bernadette Peters as Glinda, Jim Belushi as the Lion and Lea Michelle as Dorothy Gale – the animation and character designs glimpsed in the trailers are leaving many in the industry scratching their heads.  Here’s hoping at the very least the songs by Bryan Adams will leave moviegoers with a happy tune in their heads.

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return Official Trailer – May 9th

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CBeebies to Air Nelvana’s ‘Sidekick’ This Summer

Nelvana Enterprises has signed a broadcast deal with the BBC for its animated series Sidekick to air on its kids channel CBBC beginning in summer 2014.

The license includes seasons 1 and 2, with a total of 104 11-minute episodes.

Produced by Nelvana, the series follows Eric Needles, a superhero sidekick who goes from second fiddle to first string when his boss, Maxum Man, goes missing. But Eric has zero interest in fulfilling his sidekick duties. Instead, he and his best friend Trevor prefer less stressful activities like hanging out. Now it’s up to these two benchwarmers to step up and defend the planet until Maxum Man comes back.

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Imran Khan: I have always Admired Animation Films

Rio 2

Actor Imran Khan, who had a great experience dubbing for an upcoming Hollywood film Rio 2, says he has always admired animation films.

Rio 2, the sequel to 2011's hit animation film, Rio will see two Bollywood actors voice the main characters for the dubbed Hindi version. Imran had watched Rio and he found it fantastic when it released couple of years ago.

"The macaw Blu is a complete delight on-screen and when I was approached to voice Blu in Rio 2 I readily agreed to be a part of the film. Though I have always admired animations from a viewer's point of view, this time with Rio 2 I learnt about many fascinating elements that combine to make the final stellar film."

"There are so many nuances that synergize beautifully and it's a completely different world when we compare to other movies. I had fun while dubbing as I had complete freedom of giving various reactions, expressions through my voice, which is different from Bollywood, where we re-enact our dialogues shot previously," Imran said.

"I also got a chance to sing a few lines of Blu in the movie for a party sequence that was an awesome moment," he said.

Sonakshi Sinha and Imran have lent their voices as macaws Jewel and Blu respectively, for Rio 2 releasing on April 11.

The English version of the movie will have voices of Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg.

Rio 2 is an adventure comedy set in the Brazilian city of Rio De Janeiro. The movie will feature the return of Blu, Jewel and their three kids who leave their domesticated life for a journey to the Amazon rainforest.

Rio 2 Official Trailer #2 (2014) [HD]

Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan have voiced the macaws Jewel and Blu respectively in the Hindi version of Rio 2

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Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiyaan Animation

Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiyaan is expected to redefine the rules of filmmaking and movie trade, given the huge curiosity surrounding every element of the film.

The film's background score and soundtrack are composed by Oscar winner A R Rahman with sound effects by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty. The epic entertainer will hit screens on April 11 across the globe. Shot with a mix of animation techniques and motion capture in 3D, the cinematography is by Rajiv Menon.

Directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin, the film also stars Deepika Padukone. There are nine tracks in the film sung by prominent singers including S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sadhana Sargam.

Rajinikanth and his wife Latha have also lent their voice for two different songs. In a first for the country, the music label has launched eleven physical format variants of the music for Kochadaiiyaan both in Tamil and Telugu: The variants include compilations of other hits and special packs dedicated to the music of AR Rahman.

 A Gold disc Special Kochadaiiyaan pack has been exclusively created to celebrate the music release of the Golden Superstar Rajinikanth’s much awaited – Kochadaiiyaan.

The gold disc is a playable audio CD mounted on a black velvet background - packed in a box designed to be a display piece on its own.

The unit contains a plaque at the bottom, which has a message from the legendary A R Rahman, and is embossed with his autograph. Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Rajat Kakar, Business Head, Home Entertainment Services by Sony DADC said, “When it comes to physical format music, innovation has always been key. We recognized the grandeur & scale of this film, and came up with the concept. We have received a phenomenal response from the fans so far, with requests coming in from countries as far as the USA and Japan.”

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“Gravity” Visual Effects Oscar Award

 

Visual Effects

• “Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould
• “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
• “Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
• “The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
• “Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

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