Comic Riffs - From cartoons to comics, Michael Cavna gets his geek on.

Posted at 07:00 PM ET, 01/27/2011

SpongeBob SquarePants: New episode debuts tonight on Facebook

By Michael Cavna

(Image: courtesy of Nickelodeon / Viacom) One of the brightest faces on TV tonight debuts on Facebook. The beloved and absorbent marine creature that is SpongeBob SquarePants will premiere a new episode Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on the...

By Michael Cavna | 07:00 PM ET, 01/27/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg. Tom Kenny

Posted at 08:04 PM ET, 01/26/2011

QUICK POST: DreamWorks Animation's 'Rise of the Guardians' gets all-star cast

By Michael Cavna

Not only is "Rise of the Guardians" risen again, but it's got an all-star cast to help give it elevation. DreamWorks Animation has just announced that Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Isla Fisher and Alec Baldwin will voice...

By Michael Cavna | 08:04 PM ET, 01/26/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: If superheroes were hipsters

By Michael Cavna

HIPSTER SUPERHEROES: See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor. Wonder Woman piloting an invisible Prius? Thor as a manbagging art major? And Hulk wreaking havoc only ironically? Hipsters routinely come in for cartoon mockery -- from the...

By Michael Cavna | 11:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: College Humor, Hipster Hitler, Hipster superheroes

Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 01/12/2011

O PIONEERS: On John Lasseter's birthday, a look back at Pixar's origin story

By Michael Cavna

Updated: 3:03 p.m. ET It was the late-'80s and I had caught "Luxo Jr." at the touring Spike & Mike Animation Festival. The CGI short, in short, visually rocked my world. Eager to discuss it, to dissect this brief vision...

By Michael Cavna | 12:45 PM ET, 01/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Alvy Ray Smith, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, Luxo Jr., Pixar Studios, Tin Toy

Posted at 02:00 PM ET, 01/05/2011

HAYAO MIYAZAKI's 70th birthday: Fans honor the legendary animator

By Michael Cavna

The great Hayao Miyazaki-san & the men of Disney/Pixar in 2009. Immediately to the right of Miyazaki is Pixar founder John Lasseter. (Photo: Michael Cavna/The Washington Post) The hall sat hushed just moments after a thunderous ovation. Fans didn't...

By Michael Cavna | 02:00 PM ET, 01/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, John Lasseter

Posted at 04:41 PM ET, 12/18/2010

'YOGI BEAR' makes only $4.6M Friday; 'TRON LEGACY' rakes in $18M

By Michael Cavna

More people have viewed a darkly parodic online video of Yogi Bear this week than have seen the new feature film, based on Friday's box office. Warner Bros.'s CGI/live-action hybrid "Yogi Bear" grossed $4.6-million domestically Friday, according to estimates...

By Michael Cavna | 04:41 PM ET, 12/18/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Edmund Earle, Tron Legacy, Yogi Bear

Posted at 01:15 PM ET, 12/17/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Taiwan takes on Larry King, Eliot Spitzer & CNN

By Michael Cavna

With blazing speed, Taiwan's Next Media Animation has already pixelated Larry King's farewell. The true target of its digital darts, however, is a flailing CNN. The celebrities and ex-wives parade past as The Suspendered One says his news-network goodbyes....

By Michael Cavna | 01:15 PM ET, 12/17/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: CNN, Larry King, NMA TV

Posted at 09:15 AM ET, 12/14/2010

FOX NEWS JABS: Is 'The Simpsons' guilty of overkill?

By Michael Cavna

From the Banksy intro to the Vatican's adoption of Homer to Katy Perry's puppet canoodling, "The Simpsons" has managed to make headlines often this season -- yet nothing on the show has proved to be a more consistent attention-getter...

By Michael Cavna | 09:15 AM ET, 12/14/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Fox News, The Simpsons

Posted at 01:45 PM ET, 12/06/2010

THE ANNIES: DreamWorks, Disney/Parker lead animation nominations

By Michael Cavna

In what could be a bellwether for the Oscars race, the Best Animated Feature contenders have just been announced for the 38th annual Annie Awards. In announcing all its nominations Monday, the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood said the...

By Michael Cavna | 01:45 PM ET, 12/06/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Annie Awards, Brad Bird, Disney Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Eric Goldberg, Matt Groening

Posted at 09:00 PM ET, 12/05/2010

ANIMATION OF THE WEEKEND: The "Simpsons"/FOX News brouhaha

By Michael Cavna

If Comedy Central won't hire the Taiwanese artists at Next Media Animation, then former "Simpsons" writer Conan O'Brien -- himself a recent target of their overseas spoofage -- certainly should bring them to TBS. For consecutive weekends, of course,...

By Michael Cavna | 09:00 PM ET, 12/05/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Fox News, NMA tv, Next Media Animation, The Simpsons

Posted at 02:30 PM ET, 12/04/2010

THE OSCARS: Here are the 10 shortlisted animated shorts

By Michael Cavna

From the traditional Termite Terrace storytelling of a Road Runner cartoon to abstract images scored by two Canadian musicians, a tremendously eclectic range of short films has been shortlisted for next year's 83rd Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion...

By Michael Cavna | 02:30 PM ET, 12/04/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Animated short films, The Oscars

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 11/28/2010

When 'Harry' Met Rapunzel: 'TANGLED' debut edged by Potter at box office

By Michael Cavna

As lustrous as it was at the box office, the hair couldn't quite beat Harry. Disney's Rapunzel tale, "Tangled," trailed the seventh Harry Potter film by a whisker at the top of the weekend's domestic box office -- $49.1-million...

By Michael Cavna | 01:30 PM ET, 11/28/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Disney Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Megamind, Tangled

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 11/24/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: 'Black Friday' brings out the smashmouth shoppers

By Michael Cavna

John Madden meets "The Matrix" in the latest comedic video from the Taiwanese studio Next Media Animation. In "World Pins Hopes on Black Friday," the bull-rushing shoppers are quick to engage in hand-to-hand combat over a cheesy tchotchke. One...

By Michael Cavna | 11:45 AM ET, 11/24/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 11/16/2010

The Riff: 'SOUTH PARK' is sued over video -- but what-what does this mean for parody?

By Michael Cavna

(Comedy Central / Viacom) Comic Riffs speaks not at all as a legal eagle and entirely as an occasional fine-feathered parodist when we say: How in the name of Butters does Brownmark Films -- aka the makers of 2007's...

By Michael Cavna | 01:30 PM ET, 11/16/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Brownmark Films, Matt Stone, South Park, Trey Parker

Posted at 04:45 PM ET, 11/15/2010

THIS JUST IN: Only 3 Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature

By Michael Cavna

"Toy Story 3," it turns out, will have to top only two other nominees to win the Oscar next year for Best Animated Feature Film. The Academy has accepted 15 animated features for consideration, Oscars organizers announced Monday --...

By Michael Cavna | 04:45 PM ET, 11/15/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Oscars animation, The Academy Awards

Posted at 12:05 PM ET, 11/12/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Does new 2-D Winnie-the-Pooh beat a 3-D Yogi Bear?

By Michael Cavna

Who knew Milne and Keane could sound so right for each other? The new trailer is out for next year's release of "Winnie the Pooh," and something about the warm 2-D rendering of Hundred Acre Wood and the lyrics...

By Michael Cavna | 12:05 PM ET, 11/12/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: A.A. Milne, Keane, Winnie the Pooh, Yogi Bear

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/09/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Robert Downey Jr. voices new MR. PEANUT ad

By Michael Cavna

Robert Downey Jr. has played his share of nut jobs, but this is likely the first time he's ever taken a nut job. In an ad that has just debuted on a Mr. Peanut Facebook page prior to spreading...

By Michael Cavna | 06:00 AM ET, 11/09/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Mr. Peanut, Robert Downey Jr.

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 11/05/2010

BEHIND THE ART: Watch two top Washington cartoonists at work

By Michael Cavna

When Comic Riffs speaks to groups -- be they excitable second-graders, jaundiced journalists or pancake-baiting Rotarians -- nothing gets a reaction quite like the sheer and simple act of drawing. It peels back the curtain a bit on process,...

By Michael Cavna | 01:30 PM ET, 11/05/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Ann Telnaes, Nate Beeler

Posted at 12:05 AM ET, 10/31/2010

Cartoon of the Day: Google unveils five SCOOBY-DOO doodles for Halloween

By Michael Cavna

To celebrate Halloween, the fun-lovin' folks at Google have just unveiled, well, a Scooby-Doodle. As that greatest of Great Danes Scooby-Doo once said: "Rimage ris everything." And to mark the day of sugar-fueled masquerade, Google gives us five images...

By Michael Cavna | 12:05 AM ET, 10/31/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Google Doodles, Hanna-Barbera, Scooby-Doo

Posted at 10:15 AM ET, 10/25/2010

Hokey Smoke! Our Top-15 'Rocky & Bullwinkle' Quotes (*RIP, Alex Anderson)

By Michael Cavna

ALEX ANDERSON's cartooning career made for one fractured fairy tale. It's a story as old as Aesop: An idea is created, and the share of credit or commerce overly goes to one person instead of another. And in the...

By Michael Cavna | 10:15 AM ET, 10/25/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Alex Anderson, Jay Ward, Rocky and Bullwinkle

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 10/22/2010

Casting 'PEARLS BEFORE SWINE': Stephan Pastis & RingTales take aim at screens big and small

By Michael Cavna

A talking Larry the Croc has just come to computer screens -- and hopes are heightened that the grammatically challenged carnivore might also hit the big screen. "Pearls Before Swine" has just "soft-launched" 29 short animations on Babelgum.com --...

By Michael Cavna | 09:00 AM ET, 10/22/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Babelgum, Michael Fry, Over the Hedge, Pearls Before Swine, RingTales, Stephan Pastis

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 10/15/2010

From HULK to 'ZITS': 4 Things We Learned This Week About Hollywood's Comics Projects

By Michael Cavna

1. Now that he has his driver's license, Jeremy Duncan is in for one heckuva car chase. Word comes this week that "Zits" has been signed to a TV deal -- with no less than that mega-budget action master...

By Michael Cavna | 01:30 PM ET, 10/15/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Bil Keane, Jeff Keane, Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Marmaduke, Marvel, Napoleon Dynamite, The Family Circus, The Incredible Hulk, Zits

Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 10/11/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Banksy delivers the quasi-dark satire on 'THE SIMPSONS' (Updated)

By Michael Cavna

(20th Century Fox) In terms of grabbing headlines, "The Simpsons" continues to be on a cultural roll this season. The show announced last month that Katy Perry -- deemed too steamy for "Sesame Street" -- would be featured on...

By Michael Cavna | 01:00 PM ET, 10/11/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Al Jean, Banksy, Matt Groening, The Simpsons, Tom Gammill

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 10/08/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Google's doodle honors John Lennon's 70th birthday

By Michael Cavna

John Lennon always had a way with a line. And today, with its latest featured "doodle," Google pays tribute to the late rock legend, who would have turned 70 tomorrow. Like the search-page static artwork, Google's 32-second animation --...

By Michael Cavna | 01:30 PM ET, 10/08/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Google Doodles, John Lennon

Posted at 02:30 PM ET, 10/06/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: When Star Wars gets a new director's cut

By Michael Cavna

How To Get Picked as Comic Riffs's Animation of the Day (perhaps applicable to today only): Step 1: Work in charmingly lo-tech paper-cut animation (a la early-season "South Park"). Step 2: Indulge your whimsical fandom of the Star Wars...

By Michael Cavna | 02:30 PM ET, 10/06/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Eric Power, Jeremy Messersmith, Paper animation, Star Wars

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 09/30/2010

At 50, THE FLINTSTONES stand up as the bedrock of prime-time animated comedy

By Michael Cavna

It can be startling to recognize, let alone admit, how many decades of children were babysat by two men: Hanna and Barbera. It's accepted to acknowledge the cultural influence of such powerful forces of animation as the "Termite Terrace"...

By Michael Cavna | 10:00 AM ET, 09/30/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, The Flintstones

Posted at 07:58 PM ET, 09/29/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: We asked for it: Taiwanese talent takes on 'Obama's Wars' [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

Well, I suppose we all but asked for such treatment. Several weeks back, Comic Riffs wrote of the Taiwanese talent that is Next Media Animation: "We're on high alert: Now, apparently, no American newspaper is safe from these animators'...

By Michael Cavna | 07:58 PM ET, 09/29/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Bob Woodward, Next Media Animation, Obama's Wars

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 09/14/2010

THE FUTURE OF SPORTS CARTOONING? Drew Litton debuts his 'Monday Night Football' animations on ESPN.com

By Michael Cavna

You so rarely see sports cartoonists in the wild. They are nearly a vanished breed, though given their once-glorious perch, I prefer to think of them as more condor than dodo. Given the opportunity, they can still soar. Which...

By Michael Cavna | 12:30 PM ET, 09/14/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Drew Litton, ESPN.com, Rich Moyer

Posted at 06:30 PM ET, 09/08/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Stop the presses -- Taiwan TV takes on American newspapers

By Michael Cavna

Well now they've gone and done it. Last month, Comic Riffs suggested that Comedy Central hire the artists who work for Taiwan's Next Media Animation television, whose celebrity-driven, scandal-happy CGI animations make for great campy fun. Well, this week,...

By Michael Cavna | 06:30 PM ET, 09/08/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Next Media Animation World Edition

Posted at 01:00 AM ET, 09/08/2010

ANIMATION OF THE DAY: Color us intrigued by newest 'Google Doodle' Mystery (and our Fave SIX theories about What It Means)

By Michael Cavna

UPDATE: 'Round about midnight (ET), Google posted a new telling tweet as it also unveiled a new logo "doodle." The latest tweet read: "Our doodle is dressing up in its brightest colors for something exciting coming very soon..." And...

By Michael Cavna | 01:00 AM ET, 09/08/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Google Doodles

Posted at 02:45 PM ET, 09/06/2010

QUICK HIT: Tantalizing pix from Pixar's canceled film 'NEWT'

By Michael Cavna

(images courtesy of Disney Pixar) Here's the newt we'll now never see in motion. For two years, of course, we heard word of Disney/Pixar's "Newt," the tale of two blue-footed amphibians that was due in 2012. Then the announcement...

By Michael Cavna | 02:45 PM ET, 09/06/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Brave, Cars 2, Disney Pixar, Gary Rydstrom, Newt

Posted at 02:00 PM ET, 08/22/2010

Disney's animated 'Prep and Landing' wins 4 creative Emmy Awards

By Michael Cavna

Disney's "Prep and Landing" was animation's big winner at Saturday's Creative Arts Emmys. The ABC holiday special was named Outstanding Animated Program and also won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievements in Animation: background key designer William M....

By Michael Cavna | 02:00 PM ET, 08/22/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Prep and Landing, Robot Chicken, Star Wars, The Simpsons

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 08/06/2010

Ten Things We Already Hate About 'Yogi Bear': The Movie

By Michael Cavna

TEN THINGS WE ALREADY HATE ABOUT DECEMBER'S "YOGI BEAR" THE MOVIE: 10. The new, winking double-entendre tagline (above) from veteran "That '70s Show" writers who have made millions out of crafting winking double-entendre "one-liners." 9. The continued crass and...

By Michael Cavna | 10:30 AM ET, 08/06/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Yogi Bear: The Movie

Posted at 09:25 AM ET, 08/05/2010

An Open Note to COMEDY CENTRAL: Here's your next surefire cartoon hit:

By Michael Cavna

MEMO TO: The biggest suits, cheeses and kahunas at Comedy Central. And Sumner Redstone. FROM: A longtime constituent. RE: Your next big thing. Trust me. Can't miss, babe. Comedy Central, we have your next animated hit. It's got everything:...

By Michael Cavna | 09:25 AM ET, 08/05/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Animation, Comedy Central

Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 08/04/2010

If you can't get enough 'SCOTT PILGRIM': Animated short comes to TV next week

By Michael Cavna

When it comes to "Pilgrim's" progress, Bryan O'Malley's boyfriend fighter is punching his way onto yet another platform. The highly anticipated Edgar Wright film starring Michael Cera opens Aug. 13, as if you didn't know. And the marketing assault...

By Michael Cavna | 12:45 PM ET, 08/04/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation, The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Adult Swim, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Cartoon Network, Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Posted at 04:15 PM ET, 06/27/2010

'TOY STORY 3' repeats as the weekend's box office champ [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

UPDATE: The CGI toys who watch their boy owner grow up beat the grownups who act like boys this weekend at the domestic box office. "Toy Story 3" grossed $59-million to stay No.-1, one week after it debuted with...

By Michael Cavna | 04:15 PM ET, 06/27/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Disney Pixar, Michael Arndt, Night & Day, Toy Story 3

Posted at 05:01 PM ET, 06/21/2010

BOX OFFICE: Pixar's 'Toy Story 3' dominates weekend with $110M debut [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

MONDAY UPDATE: "Toy Story 3" got a million-dollar boost from Monday's final weekend box-office numbers. The third film in the Pixar trilogy grossed $110.3-million domestically, holding its spot as the second biggest animated debut ever and the biggest June...

By Michael Cavna | 05:01 PM ET, 06/21/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Disney Pixar, Iron Man 2, Jonah Hex, Shrek, Toy Story 3, Transformers

Posted at 04:05 PM ET, 06/19/2010

Seven Best Tangential Reasons to See 'Toy Story 3' this weekend [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

Sure, you could catch "Toy Story 3" this weekend because it will be one of the best films you'll see this year. You could go because it offers Pixar's requisite heart and soul and humor. Or you could head...

By Michael Cavna | 04:05 PM ET, 06/19/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Box Office, Pixar Disney, Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story 3

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 06/17/2010

'Riffs Interview: How Michael Arndt went from celebrity assistant to 'TOY STORY 3' screenwriter in two moves

By Michael Cavna

Michael Arndt is a skilled enough screenwriter to have already won an Oscar, but still you've got to wonder: Could he, for all this talent, write his own success story? Were he to script his real-life rise to Hollywood's...

By Michael Cavna | 10:00 AM ET, 06/17/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Disney Pixar, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Little Miss Sunshine, Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3

Posted at 02:30 PM ET, 06/02/2010

Steve Jobs challenges Pulitzer cartoonist's handling of app 'rejection' [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

When it comes to Apple's response to cartoon-app submissions, Steve Jobs may or may not have just called newly minted Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Fiore a liar. At the least, Jobs questions Fiore's handling of his app submission. How...

By Michael Cavna | 02:30 PM ET, 06/02/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Mark Fiore, NewsToons, Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, Steve Jobs, iPhone application, political satire

Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 05/31/2010

THE JOY OF SHREK'S: Ogre tops 'Sex' at the box office [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

MONDAY UPDATE: "Shrek Forever After" won the entire holiday weeekend with $55.7-million domestically, according to Variety. "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" and "Sex and the City 2" were neck and neck, each grossing $37-million. (Final studio numbers are...

By Michael Cavna | 03:00 PM ET, 05/31/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation

Posted at 02:01 PM ET, 05/21/2010

The 'Riffs Interview: 'SHREK' animator Walt Dohrn steps into the oh-so-green limelight

By Michael Cavna

Rumpelstiltskin and Shrek (DreamWorks Animation) A young aspiring animator -- let's call him "Walt D." -- comes to Hollywood with big dreams in tow. He wants to write animated films. He wants to create cartoon characters -- talking animals,...

By Michael Cavna | 02:01 PM ET, 05/21/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: CalArts, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Eddie Murphy, Mike Mitchell, Mike Myers, Rumpelstiltskin, Shrek Forever After, Walt Disney, Walt Dohrn

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 04/02/2010

The 'Riffs Interview: 'Secret of Kells' filmmaker TOMM MOORE

By Michael Cavna

(GKIDS) The sod that TOMM MOORE calls home is Kilkenny, city of twin historic cathedrals. Now, though, the gifted Irish filmmaker is calling from a world away and apart -- Sunset Boulevard -- where he's set to celebrate one...

By Michael Cavna | 08:30 AM ET, 04/02/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: The Secret of Kells, Tomm Moore

Posted at 02:01 PM ET, 03/07/2010

OSCARS 2010: Will Wallace & Gromit win the big cheese? We pick the Best Animated Shorts

By Michael Cavna

Death becomes Oscar. Well, death and coffee. In each Best Animated Short nominee for tonight's Academy Awards, either mortality or caffeine proves to be the fixation of many pixels. And in the case of France's "Logorama," both do. Even...

By Michael Cavna | 02:01 PM ET, 03/07/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: A Matter of Loaf and Death, Academy Awards, Best Animated Shorts, French Roast, Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, Logorama, The, The Lady and the Reaper

Posted at 05:45 AM ET, 02/20/2010

VIDEO UPDATE: 'Family Guy' actress makes appeal to Palin

By Michael Cavna

[Note: This Friday post has been updated Saturday with video of the "Family Guy" voice actress.] This week, Comic Riffs asked you whether you sided with ex-guv Sarah Palin or "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane -- or neither -- in...

By Michael Cavna | 05:45 AM ET, 02/20/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Family Guy, Sarah Palin, Seth MacFarlane

Posted at 07:25 AM ET, 02/17/2010

Sarah Palin slams TV's 'Family Guy' for mocking her family [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna

[Note: This Tuesday-night post was updated Wednesday at 7:25 a.m.] Sarah Palin may contribute to Fox these days, but that doesn't mean others at Fox won't satirize, spoof, mock or parody her -- or her family. Now, though, Palin is...

By Michael Cavna | 07:25 AM ET, 02/17/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Bristol Palin, Family Guy, Fox Network, Sarah Palin, Seth MacFarlane

Posted at 12:10 PM ET, 02/14/2010

OSCAR BUZZ: 'Up's' Annie Award bodes well for Oscars

By Michael Cavna

Disney/Pixar's "Up" continues its sure-footed march toward Oscar gold. On Saturday night, "Up" won for best animated feature at the 37th annual Annie Awards on the UCLA campus, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Since the Academy Awards began its...

By Michael Cavna | 05:30 AM ET, 02/07/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Coraline, Pixar, The Princess and the Frog, Up

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 01/20/2010

Who will wear SPIDER-MAN's suit? Seven names might make Marc Webb's senses tingle

By Michael Cavna

Thanks a lot, Sony and Marvel. By confirming Tuesday that Marc Webb has gotten the call to direct "Spider-Man 4," you've sentenced the Peter Parker populace to at least 18 months of dreadful, painful punning. That said, by your...

By Michael Cavna | 11:45 AM ET, 01/20/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: David Henrie, Emile Hirsch, Jim Sturgess, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, Marc Webb, Nick Jonas, Reeve Carney, Tobey Maguire, Zac Efron

Posted at 08:50 PM ET, 01/17/2010

Golden Globes go to Pixar's 'Up'

By Michael Cavna

Pixar wins the gold early at the 67th Golden Globes, as 6-foot-5 "Up" director Pete Docter bounds to the Beverly Hilton stage to accept the award for a film about a man who has his head in the clouds....

By Michael Cavna | 08:50 PM ET, 01/17/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 01/17/2010

GOLDEN GLOBES: Here's who will win Best Animated Film...

By Michael Cavna

Note: At our most humble, we can freely admit: Despite our blinding insights and a general sense of cinematic omniscience, this blogpost contains absolutely NO spoilers. Nada. Zilch. ... Rats. Oh, this will be good: The showdown that doubles as...

By Michael Cavna | 09:30 AM ET, 01/17/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, Up'

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 01/10/2010

Anniversary special: The 20 best things HOMER SIMPSON ever said

By Michael Cavna

Even though many viewers have drifted away from regularly tuning in to the once-mighty "The Simpsons" (D'oh!), the Show That Helped Build a Network (with a nod to Tracey "Mama" Ullman) itself still stands as one of TV's great...

By Michael Cavna | 09:30 AM ET, 01/10/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Homer Simpson, The Simpsons 20th-anniversary special

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 01/09/2010

Remembering 'GUMBY' creator Art Clokey

By Michael Cavna

Before there were Wallace and Gromit, before "SNL's" Mr. Bill (or Eddie Murphy, for that matter), even before an entire island of misfit Christmas toys, there was Gumby, the green-slabbed godfather of Claymation. And, of course, Pokey. "Pokey" fittingly...

By Michael Cavna | 07:00 AM ET, 01/09/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: Art Clokey, Gumby and Pokey

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 01/06/2010

Awards season: Handicapping the Best Animated Films of 2009

By Michael Cavna

The Producers Guild of America, that somewhat vague trade-org cluster of TV, film and new-media producers in Hollywood, on Tuesday did what it -- as a cast of thousands -- perhaps does best: Act as a trusty bellwether for...

By Michael Cavna | 01:30 PM ET, 01/06/2010 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Bob Peterson, John Musker, Neil Gaiman, Ron Clements, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 12/25/2009

'Don't Be a Jerk -- It's Christmas!': SpongeBob talks

By Christian Hettinger

Need a cure for Grinchitude? Listening to TOM KENNY -- best known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants -- is as good a panacea as any. For this holiday season, Kenny, 47, has written, recorded and released his new...

By Christian Hettinger | 01:30 PM ET, 12/25/2009 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation | Tags: SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom Kenny

Posted at 12:20 PM ET, 12/16/2009

Michael Chabon & Wes Anderson pick 'em: Their favorite Christmas animation

By Michael Cavna

Michael Chabon is mulling the favorite holiday TV specials of his childhood -- as a man in his mid-40s, he was weaned on some of pop culture's "classics" -- but there is no hesitation when the Pulitzer-winning author has...

By Michael Cavna | 12:20 PM ET, 12/16/2009 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation | Tags: Charlie Brown Christmas, Michael Chabon, Rankin-Bass, Wes Anderson

Posted at 03:05 PM ET, 09/27/2009

Tonight's 'Cleveland Show' Debut Marks McFarlane's Domination

By Michael Cavna

"THE CLEVELAND SHOW" TRAILER: Fox TV bills its new Sunday night lineup as Animation Domination, but tonight's debut of "The Cleveland Show" more truly marks a new phase: McFarlane Domination. And tonight's premiere (update: to view the full episode,...

By Michael Cavna | 03:05 PM ET, 09/27/2009 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 08/14/2009

Lasseter Celebrates 'Ponyo' Creator Hayao Miyazaki

By Michael Cavna

The Great Hayao Miyazaki-san & the men of Disney/Pixar. Immediately to the right of Miyazaki is Pixar founder John Lasseter. (Michael Cavna/The Washington Post) When the legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki took the stage last month at cavernous "Fanboy...

By Michael Cavna | 08:30 AM ET, 08/14/2009 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation, The Animation, The Animation

Posted at 02:05 PM ET, 07/14/2009

The Top Five 'SpongeBob' Episodes: We Pick 'Em

By Michael Cavna

As "SpongeBob SquarePants" celebrates its 10th anniversary this month -- marked partly by tonight's VH1 documentary "Square Roots" -- Comic Riffs discussed some of its favorite episodes with creator Stephen Hillenburg and Tom Kenny, the voice behind the sponge....

By Michael Cavna | 02:05 PM ET, 07/14/2009 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 06/02/2009

The Buzz Is Back: 'Toy Story 3' Trailer Toys With Our Expectations

By Michael Cavna

With "Up" ruling the box office over the weekend, Pixar/Disney has been savvy enough to begin ratcheting up awareness of its next film, "Toy Story 3," which is still a full 12 months away from landing at your local...

By Michael Cavna | 08:30 AM ET, 06/02/2009 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: The Animation

Comic Riffs: The Animation