A New Direction For Lucasfilm Animation

The new Star Wars trilogy is going to be more than three more movies. Think about it. They’re going to explore the era after the fall of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. It’s going to be a new era, with new characters and a new story. With that in mind, Lucasfilm has decided to change up their animated series to coincide with the films.

For 5 seasons, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been entertaining audiences with its stories of the years between Episode II and Episode III. We see the Old Republic wage war with the Separatists; huge battles and epic duels between Jedi and Sith masters. Good stuff.

But now, Lucafilm has decided that it’s time to phase out of the Old Republic. Star Wars: The Clone Warswill be winding down in favor of the new trilogy. But, Dave Filoni, supervising director for The Clone Wars, says that the series isn’t going to just abruptly end. Lucasfilm is still going to produce the series and continue the story, promising some very exciting adventures to come. Star Wars fans, rejoice!

Go to http://starwars.com/news/a-new-direction-for-lucasfilm-animation.html for more information and a sneak peek of an upcoming Clone Wars story.

The George Lucas Art Museum?

When you think of the words “art museum”, you aren’t likely to think of George Lucas. But you will soon enough. Lucas, director and producer of the Star Wars films, plans to build an art museum in San Francisco. Probably the biggest question is: why? Lucas states: “There’s a world of young people who need to be inspired.”

This is an interesting move for Lucas, who hasn’t done much since he sold LucasFilm to Disney last year. Lucas is an avid art collector, although you won’t find many Picasso’s or Monet’s in his collection. He’s big fan of Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell though. In fact, Lucas owns one of the largest collections of Rockwell’s work.

The museum will be dedicated in exploring “cultural fantasy”. It will also embrace digital design and animation from Hollywood films. In other words, art that will touch and inspire everyone, not just art critics. Will Star Wars have a place in this museum? Most likely. Lucas has been collecting the art of Star Warsfor decades. And he has more or less stated that his personal collection will be put on display in the museum, which is very exciting.

Currently, no date or exact location has been announced for the museum.

A New Film From The Makers Of “Paranorman” And “Coraline”? Yes, Please.

From the makers of Paranorman and Coraline comes The Boxtrolls. The Boxtrolls is a new 3D stop-motion/CG animated film currently in production by Laika and Focus Features. The story is based off of Alan Snow’s fantasy novel Here Be Monsters.

The basic plot takes place in the city of Cheesebridge. Beneath the city streets live the Boxtrolls, a strange group of people who have raised an orphaned human boy. Like the other Laika films, The Boxtrolls looks to be an entertainingly silly but gripping and overall wholesome adventure about this young boy and his adopted family of oddballs. And, of course, there will also be all the visual flair that Laika is known for. Be excited. The Boxtrolls is coming.

New Museum Exhibition: Illustration 100 Years After Howard Pyle

Being a gallery devoted to animation and illustration art of all kinds, Artinsights is happy to report a new exhibit all about illustration art at the Delaware Art Museum. Titled: State of the Art: Illustration 100 Years After Howard Pyle, it will showcase the artwork of eight acclaimed artists. The exhibition will run from February 9th to June 1st. If you’re in the Delaware area, we highly suggest that you check it out!

Now, you may be asking “Who is Howard Pyle?” And I would reply “This guy.”

ArtinsightsMagazine also has an exclusive interview with the curator of the exhibit, David Apatoff. Read it here!

Abrams To Direct Star Wars: Episode VII

It’s official. JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Star Trek Into Darkness) is going to direct the next Star Wars film. Episode VII, which will be written by Academy Award-winning writer Michael Ardnt, was greenlit when Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. and given a 2015 release.

Abrams says that it “is an absolute honor” to take part in the next generation of Star Wars. And George Lucas himself approves of Abrams as director and has stated that “the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

In addition to his proven track record of successful blockbuster films, Abrams has ties with Lucasfilm, using the company’s legendary postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, for all of his features. Abrams also has worked with veterans of the classic trilogy, Dennis Muren (visual effects) and Ben Burtt (sound designer/editor), who offer nothing but praise for JJ.

So dust off those lightsabers and blasters and let out your best Wookie roar. The future looks bright for the Star Wars franchise.

The First Trailer For “Trance” Will Send Your Brain For A Spin

Trance, a new UK film starring James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson and directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympic Games), has released its first trailer courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film will be a psychological, reality-bending thriller revolving around art thieves and hypnotism.

“Fine art auctioneer Simon (McAvoy), in league with a gang led by underworld boss Franck (Cassel), plots the audacious theft of a masterpiece by Goya from a major public auction. When Simon double-crosses the gang during the robbery, Franck retaliates violently and knocks him unconscious. In the aftermath of the heist, Simon sticks stubbornly – and perhaps shrewdly – to his claim that the violent trauma has left him with no memory of where he stashed the artwork.

“Unable to coerce the painting’s location from Simon, Franck and his associates reluctantly join forces with a charismatic hypnotherapist (Dawson) in a bid to get him to talk. But as they journey deeper into Simon’s jumbled psyche the boundaries between reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur and the stakes rise faster and far more dangerously than any of the players could have anticipated.”

Check out the trailer here:

Trance is set to be released in the UK on March 27th. A US release date has yet to be announced.

Star Trek Into Darkness – To Boldly Go Where No App Has Gone Before

Paramount Pictures and and Qualcomm Incorporated (they design and produce digital wireless telecommunications products and services) have announced a joint undertaking for the next Star Trek film “Star Trek Into Darkness”(which is set to be released May 2013). This joint project is a mobile app that uses “cutting edge technologies” to unveil a variety of surprise movie related materials by having users interact with their environment with the app (audio scans, geo-location recognition, image recognition).

Short story (tldr)? Turn on the app whenever you hear or see Star Trek related media, like a commercial, and see if you unlock some exclusive content based on the audio captured, images (captured on your camera), or just based on your position on the planet. You might unlock some really cool content. That’s pretty awesome.

The app is set to be released at the end of January with the first unlockable content available off the “Star Trek Into Darkness” tv-spot during the Super Bowl. Yet another reason to watch the big game! One final bonus: everyone who downloads the app will be entered into a sweepstakes for a VIP trip to the US premiere of the film.

In case you’re wondering, the technology for this app has been around for quite some time. However, this is the first time that such a broad, digitally-interactive campaign has been placed into a smartphone app. Will it be successful? We’ll see.

Don’t take our word for it, though. Read the release for yourself.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND QUALCOMM ANNOUNCE UNPRECEDENTED “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” APP USING CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES

KICK-OFF WILL BEGIN WITH THE ABILITY TO UNLOCK THE FIRST OF MANY SURPRISES DURING THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE BIG GAME THIS FEBRUARY

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 7, 2013) – Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom Inc., and Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), through its subsidiary Qualcomm Labs, Inc., today announced that Gimbal™ context awareness technologies will be used to deliver exclusive content and advanced real world game experiences for the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” application based on the upcoming movie from J.J. Abrams.

These cutting edge technologies are being showcased in a never before-seen way and will enable users to automatically engage with a wealth of movie related materials by utilizing their real-life surroundings to auto-complete integrated missions by employing audio scan, geo-location recognition, and image recognition functionality powered by Qualcomm Vuforia. The “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” app will launch at the end of January. Qualcomm’s Chairman and CEO Dr. Paul E. Jacobs made the announcement today during his keynote address at the International CES show in Las Vegas.

During the second quarter of the big game, the app will allow users the ability to unlock the first of many surprises during the airing of the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” tv-spot, making this one of the most unique and interactive apps ever created for a movie. As a bonus, users who register for the app will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win a VIP trip to the U.S. premiere. To be the first to get the app and enter the sweepstakes, visit www.StarTrekMovie.com/CES.

“We are excited about collaborating with Paramount on this app as it further brings to life Qualcomm’s vision of the digital sixth sense, where devices intelligently interact with the world around you,” said Dr. Jacobs. “By leveraging the Gimbal platform, this app harnesses the power of the smartphone to bridge the digital and physical world, allowing the studio to market the film in the real world and simultaneously bring users into the film’s story and world.”

Highlights of the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” app include:

• An audio scan function that can be turned on to automatically recognize and reward users for watching “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content on TV and other media;

• An image scan function that enables users to interact with images printed or viewable in the real world;

• A geofencing function for location-based experiences;

• New “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content, such as videos, images and wallpapers delivered directly to users’ mobile devices;

• Exclusive opportunities and special offers only available to app users;

• One lucky sweepstakes winner will be rewarded with the grand prize of attending the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” U.S. premiere.

“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” is written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and directed by J.J. Abrams. Abrams is producing with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman and Orci. Jeffrey Chernov and Skydance Productions’ David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake are the executive producers.

“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” opens in theaters everywhere May 17, 2013.

# # #

No purchase necessary. Open to US and Canadian (excl. Quebec) residents age 13 or older. Enter by 1/11/13. For details and restrictions, see Official Rules at www.StarTrekMovie.com/CES.

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Gimbal and Vuforia are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Qualcomm Incorporated

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm’s licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm’s engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm’s website, OnQ blog,Twitter and Facebook pages.

“Frozen” Looks Like It Will Give Chills

Disney has officially unveiled a bit of concept art for their next big non-sequel film,Frozen, giving people a glimpse of what’s to come. The art is beautiful, showing a frozen, painful looking landscape that is certainly unnatural.

The story of Frozen is based (very loosely) on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. Anna, the protagonist, must go on an epic quest to track down her frostier (pun intended) sister, Elsa, who is known as the Snow Queen and is the reason that the kingdom is in a state of perpetual winter. Accompanying Anna is the daring cliffhanger, Kristoff, and his faithful reindeer, Sven. They must work together to find the Snow Queen and stop her before the entire region is frozen over.

Frozen will be released on the appropriately frosty November 27th, 2013. Look forward to it!