animation

THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS: Taste The Thrill In The Official Trailer

“Some search for meaning in life. Climbing is the only way I feel alive.” Netflix is adding to their anime choices with the animated feature The Summit of the Gods. Based on the manga by Jiro Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura, the film will be released in November. As you can tell by the opening line of this article, it is about climbing Everest. But it’s not just a simple story of climbers. Here is the official synopsis: Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8th, 1924? Only the little Kodak camera they took with them might reveal the truth. In Kathmandu, 70 years later, a young Japanese reporter named Fukamachi recognizes the camera in the hands of the mysterious Habu Jôji, an outcast climber believed missing for years. Fukamachi enters a world of obsessive mountaineers hungry for impossible conquests on a […]

COMBAT GODS: Jhanzou’s Stickman Fighters Duke It Out In Death-Match Fashion!

Lee B. Golden III

The Xiao Xiao stickman fighters of the early two-thousandsies were a thing of young, viral video internet glory (I made quite the shameless use of KaZaA back in day). Nowadays you’ll find the legacy has lived on in top-notch form, ever-changing with the times thanks to animators like Jhanzou on YouTube. His latest as of last month is called Combat Gods and I seriously hope this phenomenon continues to stay as fresh as it has been – point in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some producer saw this as an idea for feature film investment. …and there it is. I’ve said it. No taking-it-back now.

THE PEANUTS MOVIE (2016): An Allegory

Lee B. Golden III

The Peanuts Movie opens with a homage to the iconic Vince Guaraldi music of the 60s and 70s (presented by composer Christophe Beck), the classic, whimsical tunes that have been a staple of the gang’s antics given to us by Charles Schulz long ago (in a creative galaxy far away?) before anyone reading this, presumably, was even born. The film itself is a commemoration of the series’ 65th anniversary, bringing back the famous threadbare storytelling style characterized by brevity and minimalism, yet packed with more take away value than some 300+ page novels. All the familiar faces and usual suspects are on board for the ride. The series’ central hero, a Don Quixote archetype, is beset as usual by life, as we find him, Charlie Brown, preparing to engage the world and a brand new day. It bears mention that he is introduces last, a latecomer to his own party. […]

Sega's SHINOBI, STREETS OF RAGE Named Among Others To Be Adapted For Live-Action Production And Animation

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been nearly thirty years since many of us played with a Sega Genesis and spent much of my youth in the late 80’s in front of Altered Beast. I used to get on my mother’s nerves with it back then…fun times! Nowadays, I’ve pretty much distanced myself from gaming culture, but always kept up with movies, and with the successes of films like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat at the time, I often wondered when we would see some of these other properties granted the same treatment. Well, evidently it was only a matter of time following a 2011 press release announcing the launch of Stories International, a joint venture between Sega and advertising Hakuhodo DY Group dedicated to producing various games, comic books and novels for television and film through live action and animation with Hollywood backing. A more recent hint of Sega’s activity came back in June […]

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Get Your Tickets This Week For THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA!

Lee B. Golden III

2014 marks the latest of many milestone successes for Japan’s acclaimed animation studio, Studio Ghibli, in lieu of co-founder and award-winning filmmaker Miyazaki Hayao’s retirement. Its other founding-half, director Isao Takahata is still active with the company since aiding its lauch in 1985, and although the future of the studio appears to be uncertain, his presence still lends credence to an otherwise memorable repetorie of classic innovative and visionary work the studio has long been known for. Such is the case with Takahata‘s newest film in fourteen years, The Tale Of Princess Kaguya, an animated revival of a 10th century folktale about young girl discovered inside a bamboo plant. Following an arduous production period, the film was released theatrically in Japan late last year, and subsequently screened throughout this year’s film festival circuit in U.S. and Canada to a great many accolades and uproaring reviews from many industry sites. From […]

47 Ronin Unleashes Its Origins In The Animated Prequel Short, THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

Lee B. Golden III

Crave hosted a brand new animated prequel shortfilm this week titled 47 Ronin: The Way Of The Warrior. The shortfilm comes as movie goers are less than two weeks away from the premiere of the forthcoming feature length samurai epic, 47 Ronin. The film opened to some less-than-impressive numbers upon its premiere in Japan last week. But with any luck, things will change when it arrives in North America on December 25, 2014. And especially after all the money the studio spent on the film’s two-year production span, the 47 Ronin are going to need all the luck they can get, monsters and sorcery aside. 47 Ronin is directed by Carl Rinsch and stars Keanu Reeves along with Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Rinko Kikuchi and Tadanobu Asano. SYNOPSIS: Keanu Reeves makes an explosive return to an action-adventure in 47 Ronin. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their […]

Five Deadly Fingers Battle An Ink-Drawn Street Fighter In MAKER Vs. MARKER!

Lee B. Golden III

When was the last time you seen an animation take on its animator? If you’re thinking either one of the Tron movies or Cool World, you might be on to something…which probably means you have never seen something like what animator Jonny Lawrence managed to put together this month for Youtube viewers. Prepare yourselves for battle as life imitates art in the ultimate death match in Maker Vs. Marker, a short film that fuses stop motion with hand-drawn animation that characterises an epic battle between the animator’s hand, and a character inspired by Street Fighter resembling “Akuma”. Think of it as a cross between this, this, this and this. You’ll get it. 🙂 If you would like to see more of Jonny’s work, check out his official website. By the way, you may want to read the description and take Jonny’s advice. Watch this in full HD with a good […]