studio ghibli – Page 9 – The Animation Commendation

‘WWTBAM-Animation Edition’ Season 5 Contestants Roster

Good news, readers!

I have decided to do a 5th season of my Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-Animation Edition games! It’s set to debut next week and last until the end of the year, so keep a lookout for the forthcoming games!

The expert this season will be Disney and animation lover, swanpride, from the blogs, Honoring the Heroines, The Science of Adaptation, and Movies and Lyrics!

The contestants are listed alphabetically by first name as follows:

Andrew Garrison (The Movie Guy and Friends, @TheMovieGuy14)
Brian Crawford (@disneycave1955)
Chelsea Robson (Chelsea Robson, @ChelseaRobson)
Eli Sanza (Entertainment Junkie Blog, @ejunkie2014)
Jonathan J. North (Jonathan North – Movie Reviews & More!, @jonjnorth)
LCScreentalk (LC Screen Talk, @LCScreenTalk)
Olaf Lesniak (Comic Booger, @greg10gregory)
Paul Astell (Feeling Animated)
Stanford Clark (Movies Past and Present, @StanfordClark)
Wes Troop (The A-List Review, @WesAlist)

Animation Legend, Isao Takahata, Dies at 82!

Animation legend, Isao Takahata, most famous for his work at Studio Ghibli (which he co-founded) has passed away at the age of 82! He shall be missed!

Check out my post on this at Rotoscopers: http://www.rotoscopers.com/2018/04/05/studio-ghibli-icon-isao-takahata-dies-at-82/

Upcoming Animated Films in 2018

Once again, it’s time to take a look at what next year has to offer us in terms of theatrical animation! Many of us felt that 2017 wasn’t a great year for animation (at least, not for mainstream animation), so we’re hoping that 2018 can make up for it!

Check out my list below of the upcoming theatrical animated films set for release next year! Bear in mind that these are only the animated films with verified US/Canada release dates and that any and all dates are subject to change at any time. Enjoy!

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WWTBAM-Animation Edition S3E1: “Because Ben Said So!” w/Milan Harrison

Season 3 of my Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-Animation Edition games has commenced! 10 contestants trying their hand at getting to the million point question and winning a gift card from me! Our first contestant is animation lover and YouTuber, Milan Harrison. Does the first episode end with a winner? Watch to find out!

LINKS:

Milan’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/somedudenamedmilan

Ben’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZEvnPge9Hzm1U_3qzjo4Xw
Ben’s blog: http://www.animatedgalaxy.blogspot.com

My 89th Academy Awards Predictions!

It’s that time of year again: Oscars season! Like usual, I’ll be making my predictions for which 2016 films I think will win which award. The ones that I think SHOULD win will be colored RED and the ones that I think WILL win will be colored BLUE. If they happen to be the same, then I’ll color them BOTH COLORS! Like usual, I’ll leave the top 6 awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Animated Feature) for the end.

Last year, I had my best prediction score: 17 correct out of 24 categories! Can I beat that this year? Let’s see!

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89th Academy Awards Nominations Announced!

Well, the nominations for the 89th Academy Awards have been announced today. And as usual, I’ll list the animated film categories below. If you want to see a list of all the categories and their nominations, then click here.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

-Kubo and the Two Strings

-Moana

-My Life as a Zucchini

-The Red Turtle

-Zootopia

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:

-Blind Vaysha

-Borrowed Time

-Pear Cider and Cigarettes

-Pearl

-Piper

Other related nominations include:

-My Life, Animated (Best Documentary Feature)

-Can’t Stop the Feeling-Trolls (Best Original Song)

-How Far I’ll Go-Moana (Best Original Song)

-The Jungle Book (Best Visual Effects)

-Kubo and the Two Strings (Best Visual Effects)

I’ll post my Oscar winner predictions in the coming weeks, but for now which films do you think will win? Which do you want to win? What do you think of the nominations, in general? Let me know in the comments below!

My Thoughts: THE WIND RISES (2013)

The Wind Rises was a Studio Ghibli film that I’ve wanted to see for a long time, but due to various circumstances, I wasn’t able to see it until last week. I had heard great things about it: It was a Studio Ghibli film inspired by true events rather than something fantastical, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars (with many people thinking it should have won the award instead of Frozen), and it was going to be Hayao Miyazaki’s last film ever as he was retiring!

So, did I end up enjoying this film and thinking it’s amazing as everyone says it is? Well, let’s take a look! (By the way, I watched the English dub of the film.)

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Actor Anton Yelchin Dies at 27!

In sad news, actor Anton Yelchin has passed away at the age of 27 due to a freak car accident. He was found pinned between his car and a security fence. Anton Yelchin (1989-2016) was probably best known for his appearances in the recent Star Trek films as well as in Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett, and Terminator Salvation.

In terms of animation, he provided the voices of Shun in the English dub of From Up on Poppy Hill,

the Albino Pirate in the American version of The Pirates! Band of Misfits,

and Clumsy Smurf in the recent Smurfs films.

He shall be missed!

My Thoughts: PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997)

Ever since I watched (and fell in love with) Spirited Away, I have been constantly told that there is another Studio Ghibli film that if not better than Spirited Away, is of the same caliber. That film was Princess Mononoke. I’ve finally gotten around to seeing it (the English dub) and here are my thoughts.

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My Thoughts: HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004)

I was a guy who up until late 2013/early 2014 never watched anything that had to do with anime. It just never interested me and I couldn’t stand the way anime characters move (I’m weird)! Thankfully, I decided to relent and watch a film from this Studio Ghibli which was apparently the Walt Disney of Japan. And I’m glad I made that decision!

If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been introduced to the great storytelling, colorful animation, and just inventive premises and characters that Studio Ghibli films have to offer. And the film of today’s review provides all of the above! Let’s talk about Howl’s Moving Castle.

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