Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox cast, photos revealed
Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd, both veterans of the hit ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy, will head up the cast in the upcoming DC Universe animated feature Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, based on Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s Flashpoint.
Chambers will play Barry Allen (the Flash), the superhero around whom the film centers and who is, to a certain extent, responsible for shaping the world of Flashpoint. McKidd stars as the Batman of the Flashpoint Universe, while Kevin Conroy will return as Bruce Wayne in the sections set in the main DC Universe that reportedly bookend the film.
Source (including image): ComicBook
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Ian McShane, Warwick Davis, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewen Bremner
An ancient war is reignited when a young
farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome
race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries,
the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young
man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them.
Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess,
he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only
existed in legend… and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
Exclusive: Behind the scenes of Pixar's Scottish-set feature Brave
Pixar's John
Lasseter is joined by Scots actors Kelly Macdonald and Kevin McKidd as
they talk about the work involved in bringing Scotland-set animation
Brave to life.
Disney/Pixar shows the character Merida, voiced by Kelly Macdonald, in a scene from "Brave."
From the Daily Record:
Pixar's latest animated feature, Brave, being released on DVD
and Blu-ray this week, we have an exclusive clip from behind the scenes.
In
it we hear from Pixar's very own John Lasseter as well as actors Kevin
McKidd and Kelly Macdonald who provide voice work for two of the main
charcters.
The movie has been made by Billi Productions Ltd. in Glasgow, directed by Sascha Hartmann, who wrote it with his wife Tessa. It was originally announced in 2010; then it was slated to première at the 15th annual Sonoma (Calif.) International Film Festival on April 11 – 15, 2012. It apparently did, according to a killer review, but it has not been seen since. Now no date is promised.
Gerard Butler: 'Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury' voice actor
It was recently announced that Gerard will be lending his voice in the half-hour animated special Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury, based on DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon, airing on December 17 on Fox.
Source: Just Jared
Gerard Butler to star in 'Dynamo' Gerard Butler is to star in a new soccer movie.
The 300 actor - an avid Celtic fan - has signed up to appear in Dynamo, a true-life tale which chronicles an historic game between an
occupied Ukrainian team and their Nazi captors during World War II.
The game - which was dubbed The Death Match - saw the Nazis pit a squad
of well-treated German players against a starving group of Ukrainians
with the expectation of an easy win.However, their opponents, spurred on by goalkeeper Nikolai Trusevich -
who Gerard will play - fought back and ultimately inspired their entire
city.
The film is based on Andy Dougan's book 'Dynamo: Defending The Honour Of Kiev' and has a script by Eli Richbourg.The project does not yet have a director in place, but Riviera
Pictures, Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo., and Jeremy Garelick will
produce. Pathé co-developed and will co-produce and distribute the film worldwide.
'Dynamo' will shoot in Europe some time next year.
Source: The National Ledger
Also reported by NMEIndie Wire and many, many more!
'Olympus Has Fallen' release date revealed
It was recently announced that Gerard Butler‘s upcoming film Olympus Has Fallen has been given a release date for April 5, 2013
Source: Just Jared
An animated movie
starring the voice of Sir Sean Connery is to premiere at a US film festival
next month.
The former James Bond
star came out of retirement to play a kilted, skateboarding pensioner in Billi
the Vet.
Sir Sean, 81, is also an
executive producer on the movie – his first voiceover role – which will debut
at the Sonoma International Film Festival near San Francisco.
He plays a retired
Highland vet racing to save the last beaver in Scotland.
Sir Billi has been more
than six years in the making, starting out as a 20-minute short but now a
full-length feature. The film is the
brainchild of entrepreneur Tessa Hartmann, who wrote the screenplay, and her
husband Sascha, who directed it.
Sir Sean said: “I’m
excited to be a part of this incredible film.
“Sir Billi is truly a
first-class film, with an exceptional cast and is sure to delight audiences of
all ages.
“There’s an incredible
amount of work that goes into animated productions and I am delighted that
Sascha and his team have completed what has been a labour of love.
“I am thrilled with the
final cut.”
Sascha said: “Sir Sean
has been incredible. From day one, we knew he was perfect for the role of Sir
Billi – being a true Scottish hero and also a grandfather himself.
“No matter how many
times I hear his legendary voice on the film, it still gives me a thrill.”
Other stars lending
their voices to the film include Alan Cumming, Alex Norton, Ford Kiernan, Greg
Hemphill and Ruby Wax.
Welsh singer Dame
Shirley Bassey performs the film’s title track Guardian of the Highlands.
The film will be shown
at Sonoma on April 13.
After the red carpet event, there will be VIP dinner
with salmon, haggis, Tunnock’s tea cakes, Walkers shortbread and whisky.
After the surprise success of animated film Gnomeo and
Juliet, a sequel has unsurprisingly been announced Rocket Pictures.
Gnomeo and Juliet : Sherlock Gnomes will be released
sometime in 2013/2014, and stars Emily Blunt and James McAvoy are expected to
reprise their titular roles in the new film.
Sir Elton John will once again write new songs for the
soundtrack, while a director is yet to assigned to the project.
Producer Steve Hamilton said, “Action detective stories
need some gnomes to liven them up, I'm sure Arthur Conan Doyle would agree. It
will be a fun, broad family film building on the popular foundation of the
first. We believe the wide appeal of our world and characters combined with
strong musical elements create a terrific franchise opportunity."
The plot centres on a gnome version of the famous Baker
Street detective investigating a series of gnome disappearances.
Disney's Pixar has released, via iTunes Movie Trailers, an all-new trailer for their upcoming Brave. Check it out in the player below!
Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, the animated adventure features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane.
In the film, opening in 3D and 2D US theatres on June 22, Merida (Macdonald) is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (Coltrane). Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it's too late.
Tree Fu Tom: Sophie Aldred and David Tennant voice new CBeebies series
Interview with David Tennant about his role as Twigs
Twigs is Tom’s best friend and sidekick – he goes everywhere with him
and is the comic heart of the show. This tiny acorn sprite is like the
wide-eyed, fun-loving, free-spirited and seriously silly child in each
of us. Could you tell us who you play?
I play Twigs, who is Tom’s best friend. Twigs lives in Treetopolis and
he’s a tree sprite. He’s very small, he’s sort of based on an acorn and
he can retract himself into an acorn whenever he’s frightened. But he’s a
little anarchic, he’s a little crazy and he’s quite loud. Could you sum up TFT and why parents should encourage their children to watch it?
I think TFT is imaginative, inventive, exciting, really good fun and it
looks beautiful. It looks like no expense has been spared and I can’t
wait to see all the finished episodes as everything I have seen so far
has been a visual feast. It’s an incredible wonderful thing that we have
channels like CBeebies that devote so much time and effort and skill to
telling wonderful stories. Why did you decide to take the role?
Animation is a fascinating area from an acting point of view because
it’s not really like anything else because you are only providing a
portion of the performance. That’s very inspiring and it forces you to
do things in a different way – to tell stories through your voice. As an
acting challenge it was very appealing.
I think you always want to tell good stories and when you are doing
something for children you are always so aware of how formative those
stories will be. I was hugely formed by stories I was told as a child
whether that was in a book, the cinema, theatre or television and
probably television more than any medium is what influenced me as a
child and formed my response to literature, story-telling and,
therefore, the world around me. Can you tell us about Tree Fu and Big World Magic?
There are points in every story where Big World Magic is required and
Tom gets the viewers to go through moves with him and that sends the
magic through to him. The idea being that the real world can influence
the Treetopolis world through the Tree Fu moves. Tree Fu Tom encourages movements designed to help all children
particularly including those with Dyspraxia – can you tell us more about
that?
I would never have imagined that a programme like this could be used in
this way to help combat Dyspraxia. It will be fascinating to see if it
does have a positive effect. The children will certainly have a good
time trying! How did you arrive at Twigs’ voice?
It’s sort of my voice but up an octave really. He’s smaller and lighter
so the voice had to be higher. Also there’s a thought that for
pre-school audiences you want to use higher registers in your voices. I
believe that the young audience hears higher voices better. How do you gauge your performance for the audience?
I feel very un-practiced in performing to an audience this young so I am
very happy to be led by other people working on the show. Like getting
the level of jeopardy right, what is enough to be exciting but not too
much to be alarming. When you’re older you want to be scared because you
understand more where the boundaries between fantasy and reality are
and I suppose they are more blurred the younger you are. It’s
fascinating to work with people who completely understand that audience.
I’ve really enjoyed trying to understand that world.
I don’t think I have ever done anything for this age of children before,
a pre-school audience. Generally speaking we don’t have vivid memories
of that age and what influenced us yet clearly they are hugely formative
years and it’s really important that we can create television of a high
quality for that audience. I think the shows you remember are from when
you were a bit older. But I think the programmes you watch when you are
that young, when you are still learning about how the world works are
really important. It’s very exciting to be involved in something that
speaks to that audience. Sophie Aldred (who plays Tom) has previously played Doctor Who’s
assistant and you have played The Doctor but in this the roles are
reversed, how does that feel?
Sophie and I had never met before so we didn’t have any previous dynamic
but I suppose that you can infer a dynamic from previous roles that we
have played. As an actor you just fit in with whatever the dynamics of
the characters are so she plays the hero and I’m the annoying sidekick. You, Tim, Samantha and Sophie all recorded Tree Fu Tom in a booth together – how was that?
What’s great about the four of us being in a booth together is that you
can work off each other and you can be inspired by something that
someone else does and you can collectively move something in a different
direction. Who’s the most animated in the booth?
Probably me! I do find it hard not to dance around a bit! Twigs is quite
active so it’s hard to contain that. It’s not very helpful in the final
edit if you knock a script off but sometimes you just have to go for
it!
Source: BBC
David Tennant to star in radio drama Love Virtually The former Doctor Who star will feature opposite Emilia Fox in a tale of email romance. A wayward email sparks a case of “online adultery” in a new Radio 4 Afternoon Drama starring David Tennant and Emilia Fox. When Emmi (Fox) mistakenly sends an email to Leo (Tennant), romance quickly blossoms, and the two begin a shared secret life far removed from their day-to-day existences. The problem is, Emmi is married – but does a virtual affair count as cheating? To what extent does the relationship rely on fantasy? And is it even possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met? Tennant fans will no doubt be answering "yes" to that last question as they make a date with David... Afternoon Drama: Love Virtually, by Austrian novelist Daniel Glattauer, airs at 2:15pm on Thursday 8 March on BBC Radio 4. Source: Radio Times
David Tennant - Sport Relief
David Tennant is appearing in a trailer for Sport Relief on BBC television. Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from the team who run Comic Relief. It combines sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries. It started in 2002 and in 2012 Sport Relief is during the weekend Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th March. Since Saturday 11th February David Tennant is being shown in trailers on BBC television for Sport Relief dressed as a large ketchup bottle! Read more and watch the trailer at David Tennant on Twitter
Brilliant new featurette about the making of Aardman Animations’s ‘The Pirates! Band Of Misfits’ A brilliant new featurette for Aardman Animations’ family adventure The Pirates! Band Of Misfits has been released this week, including commentary from writer Gideon Defoe, British actors Hugh Grant and David Tennant, and producer Julie Lockhart about how the film was created and just how long it took to make this beautifully crafted 3D stop-motion animation. Read more and watch the featurette at BritScene
Final call: intimate moments of actors backstage
For the last 25 years, top actors – from Colin Firth to Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett to David Tennant – have allowed theatrical photographer Simon Annand into the private sanctums of their dressing rooms, capturing them as they prepare to go on stage. This series focuses on the final 30 minutes before curtain-up, known behind the scenes as 'the half': a time for sinking into character, touching up makeup – or having a Diet Coke break. • The Half is on show at the Idea Generation gallery in Shoreditch, London, from 24 February Source: The Guardian
Plot outline: When tragedy strikes in the Highlands, there can be only one man for the job - Sir William Sedgewick, aka Sir Billi (Sir Sean Connery)!
This is an adventure story about an inimitable Highland hero - a grandpa. As active senior skateboarding veterinarian he goes above and beyond the call of duty fighting villainous policemen and powerful lairds in a battle to save an illegal fugitive - Bessie Boo
Starring: Sir Sean Connery, Alan Cumming, Alex Norton, Miriam Margolyes, Ruby Wax, Ford Kieran, Greg Hempil, John Amabile, Chris Jai Alex, Jamie Still, Larry Sullivan, Amy Sacco
More information and pictures on the official Facebook page.
Other sources: http://www.sirbilli.com/ http://www.billiproductions.com/home.php https://twitter.com/#!/sirbilli
David Tennant camps it up in ginger wig and yellow jacket for wedding planner role in new TV comedy
He's currently starring as a very camp and flamboyant vampire killer in the remake of the 80s horror Fright Night. And flouncing around in outrageous - and let's face it, tasteless - clothes clearly appeals to David Tennant as he's gone and done it again. The former Doctor Who star sports ginger hair, paisley drainpipe trousers and yellow and gold platform heels for a new TV role in the comedy series This is Jinsy, due to air in the UK next month.
David Tennant joins voice cast for new CBeebies animated series
Former Doctor Who star David Tennant is teaming up with another veteran of the time-travelling show for a new animated children's television programme.
Sophie Aldred, who played Ace alongside Sylvester McCoy as the seventh doctor, is going to be the voice behind Tree Fu Tom in the CBeebies series of the same name.
It follows the adventures of an eight-year-old boy who is transformed into a hero by putting on a magic belt. Tennant will play his sidekick, Twigs, in the show which follows the pair's adventures in a magic world called Treetopolis.
CBeebies controller Kay Benbow said: "We have a fantastic cast on this show who work brilliantly as a team. Their rapport permeates through to the programme reflecting the characters as a group of friends working together.
"We are delighted to have David on board as part of the team. The physical energy in his performance works so well for animation and his sense of fun and cheeky humour will delight the older CBeebies audience.
"We have many incredibly talented actors on CBeebies - in shows and the Bedtime Hour - because the very young deserve the very best. It's about seeking out great performances and offering the best possible quality to our viewers."
David Tennant is about to feel the love.
The man voted as our personal favorite Doctor of all-time will receive this wonderful box set in his honor, containing every episode starring Tennant as the Tenth Doctor -- allons-y! It's truly hard to crack what makes the Tenth Doctor so iconic, but one of the many reasons we loved him is his ability convey all emotions, to go from wise-crackin' and enthusiastic to richly dark and completely sinister on a whim. Now you can experience every adventure the Tenth Doctor had with this box set.
Titled Doctor Who: The David Tennant Years, the box set will contain Series 2, Series 3, Series 4, The Complete Specials and even the two animated endeavors, The Infinite Quest and Dreamland, just to prolong your love affair of Tennant, a true fanboy to the series who brings as much passion to the lore as an actor as he does a viewer to the benefit of everybody.
Warner Home Video and the BBC will be bringing this one out exclusively on DVD come October 11, 2011, leaving those clamoring for a Blu-ray release someday a little sad. The mega set will contain 26 discs that are holstered inside of a spiffy collector's book, and should contain all of the special features from the prior releases. No word was mentioned on our promotional flyer regarding new special features, but the price is set at the MSRP of $199.98.
We hope to have images of the box, the book it comes in, and all sorts of packaging very soon. Stay tuned to IGN DVD for more information about this and other upcoming releases!
Former 'Doctor Who' stars David Tennant and Sophie Aldred are to voice characters in forthcoming children's TV series 'Tree Fu Tom'.
The actor - who played the tenth incarnation of the Time Lord from 2005 to 2010 - will voice lead character Tom, a boy with magical powers, in 'Tree Fu Tom'. Sophie, who played the Seventh Doctor's assistant Ace in the 1980s, is to voice his friend Twigs.
The CBeebies show will see Tom encourage viewers to help with his magical spells with gentle physical movements as it is aimed at helping the movement development of 4-6 year olds. Kay Benbow, controller of CBeebies, said: "We have a fantastic cast on this show, who work brilliantly as a team. Their rapport permeates through to the programme reflecting the characters as a group of friends working together. We are delighted to have David on board as part of the team. The physical energy in his performance works so well for animation and his sense of fun and cheeky humour will delight the older CBeebies audience."
The animated series - comprising 26 episodes - will in air early 2012.
The first trailer for Aardman animation's The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists has been released and already received rave reviews from those who have watched the promo online.
Due to be released in the UK at the end of March next year, the adventure animation features the voice of Hugh Grant as the Pirate Captain, with Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven and Brendan Gleeson all lending their voices to the project as well.
A statement on Aardman official website describes The Pirates as a ‘delicious confection of piracy on the high seas’. Aardman co-founder Peter Lord has returned to directing duties for the first time since Chicken Run, alongside Jeff Newitt.
The comedy adventure is based on two books from the cult 'Pirates!' series by Gideon Defoe who has also penned the screenplay.
On Thursday, two versions of the first trailer for the film were released, one for the US market and a considerably better version for UK audiences.
Check out the all-singing, all-dancing UK trailer below:
Second Teaser Trailer of 'Arthur Christmas' Unleashed
A second teaser trailer from upcoming animated film Arthur Christmas has just hit the web. Just like the first trailer, this sneak peek shows Arthur (James McAvoy) telling people about the secret of Santa's elf soldiers in North Pole. This time, it ends with a scene where Arthur flees from a wild polar bear that chases after him.
Empire have released images of four new promo Fright Night posters, inlcuding the one above of David Tennant. See more at Empire Online
A Wharf press release this week said that David Tennant will attend the UK Fright Night screening at the O2 on Sunday 14 August (this has not been confirmed)
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Final Round of TV Choice Awards
David Tennant is through to the final round of the TV Choice Award. He's been nominated for Best Actor, and Single Father has been nominated for Best New Drama. Voting ends at midnight on Friday 8th July. Winners will be announced on 13th September and there does not appear to be a limit to how many times you can vote but just remember to click the "submit vote" button right at the end for your vote to count. Vote at TV Choice Magazine
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The Purple Land (BBC Radio Four Saturday 16th July)
David Tennant appeared in the Saturday Play on BBC Radio Four on Saturday 16th July from 2.30pm until 4pm. The play is described as "Andrew Davies's rip-roaring adaptation of WH Hudson's epic Uruguayan adventure."
The BBC Radio Four publicity announcement says: "Published in 1885, The Purple Land was the first novel of William Henry Hudson, author of Green Mansions. It is an exuberant, wryly comic account of a young Englishman's imprudent adventures, set against a background of political strife in 19th-century South America. Eloping with an Argentine girl, young Richard Lamb (Tennant) makes an implacable enemy of his teenage bride's father. Leaving her behind, he goes ignorantly forth into the interior of the country to seek his fortune. While doing so he learns to hunt, ride, herd, love and even kill on his way to becoming a man. In Davies's hands this "road novel" becomes a fast-paced romp in the tradition of Tom Jones, with a dash of Don Quixote for good measure. Producer/Clive Brill for Pacificus Productions." Source: BBC
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The Itch Of The Golden Nit premiered in Leicester Square on 29 June and had its television premiere on Saturday (2nd July) morning at 9am on BBC2.
The Itch Of The Golden Nit is an animated short film which was conceived and drawn by children. David Tennant has voiced two cameos roles but details have not been announced about which roles they are. The film includes a number of British stars including David Walliams and Catherine Tate. Following the broadcast there was a special “making of” section about the movie during Blue Peter from 9.30am. The Itch Of The Golden Nit was repeated on CBBC at 5.15pm in Sunday 3rd July.
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Much Ado About Nothing soundtrack CD on sale from 18 July
A soundtrack of David Tennant’s production of Much Ado About Nothing will be released on 18th July. As well as music by Michael Bruce, it will include two tracks sung by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. The soundtrack will be available from the Wyndham Theatre from that date until the play ends on 3rd September. The production also has an online shop which will most likely stock the CD too.
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David Tennant reading The Fir Tree is available from the BBC Learning website Source: BBC
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David Tennant has signed a Tenth Doctor drawing in aid of charity; see the artwork, and find out more at Art for Hearts
Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson).
Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).
Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.
STV also have an article featuring the trailer here.
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Land of the Brave: How new Disney movie will put Scotland right on the map
They are the movie geniuses who took us to the world of scary monsters, the depths of the ocean and the heart of the toy box. And now the animation pioneers of Pixar are getting ready to bring their audiences the most fantastic landscape they have ever encountered - the Highlands in 3D.
The Disney-owned studio are putting the finishing touches to the next computer-animated blockbuster, Brave, the mythical story of a Scottish princess taking on magical forces across the Highlands.
The film is released next summer but the Daily Record has been given an exclusive sneak peek at the eagerly anticipated film.
It features a Who's Who of Scots talent, including Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd, Robbie Coltrane and Craig Ferguson, alongside award-winning actresses Emma Thompson and Julie Walters.
But director Mark Andrews says the biggest star of the movie will be Scotland itself.
He has had teams of researchers scouring the country to make sure they get the scenery, the rain, the Scottish dialects - and even the midges - just right.
And Mark, who has worked on most of the other big Pixar hits but makes his feature directorial debut with Brave, says a lot of the credit for the movie will go to an anonymous Edinburgh cabbie who mapped out a special scenic route of Scotland for him on his honeymoon.
The director fell so much in love with the Scots countryside on that trip that he used the same cabbie-drawn map for his research team when they visited Scotland after Brave began pre-production in 2005.
He said: "The original story was written by Brenda Chapman who, like me, is a huge fan of Scotland. It's that old adage, write what you know and what you love, so she conceived this story and she wanted to set it in the place she loved.
"To set it in Scotland was a no-brainer. It's a place full of stories and full of powerful myths and magic, so what better place to set our story?
"I love the place. My family came over from Scotland about five centuries ago and my wife and I honeymooned in Scotland.
"We flew into Edinburgh and were planning to drive all over the country. This cab driver in Edinburgh asked what we were doing and drew us a new route on our map. We followed it and had just the best time.
"When we started researching Brave, we came to Scotland in 2005 and I told that story to Brenda and the crew.
"When we started researching Brave, we came to Scotland in 2005 and I told that story to Brenda and the crew.
"We followed that same cab driver map once again but went a bit further north and to places like Pitlochry, the Trossachs and then over to Skye and Harris and Lewis to see the stones. It was a two-week trip and we saw everything. It was fantastic."
Shot in the computer animation and 3D Pixar are famous for, the film has got a brand new look, with the bright animation filtered with incredibly lush and almost rain-soaked colours.
Mark said: "We spent a lot of time getting the research right. We have a midge in the film because everybody knows the midges in Scotland and we had to have one in there.
"The accents were also a huge deal for us, and the way your mouth moves when speaking with a Scottish accent is quite unique so we had a linguistics expert come in and work with our team. We also got lots of help from the Scottish cast.
"We realised Scotland is so lush and so textured and everything is weathered and there's a history and a veneer on everything.
" We couldn't downplay that or come up with some simple graphic design that would come even remotely close.
"Pixar are constantly pushing innovation of the medium so we put that to the technical crew that we wanted to get this look.
"We asked, 'Can we do this?', and they said they would give it a try. They have been blowing our minds with the amazing work they have been doing.
"I hope that Scottish audiences will see it and go 'Yep, that's exactly right.'
"While Pixar's next big-screen adventure is Cars 2, anticipation for the ground-breaking Brave is already building a year ahead of its release and a teaser trailer is expected to hit cinemas later this summer.
Originally titled The Bear And The Bow, it's about the adventures of Merida, a feisty archery-loving Scottish princess voiced by Kelly Macdonald.
She is at odds with her controlling but loving parents King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) and gets in trouble with some magic which has consequences for the whole kingdom.
Mark said: "It's all about the relationship between a mother and daughter, and how this young woman has problems with her mother.
"When she has a problem with her mother over marriage, she gets a magic spell to try to stop her mother bothering her with the suitor business.
"But it actually changes her mother into a bear."
Originally, Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon was set to get all Scots for the part (with a creditable accent, if reports are to be believed) but a problem with schedules meant she had to pull out at short notice.
In stepped rising star Kelly for her first Hollywood lead role and her first animated feature role too, hot on the heels of her big-time success in HBO series Boardwalk Empire.
Mark said: "We are very lucky with our cast. It's a great Scottish cast and we're delighted to have them all on board.
"Reese Witherspoon was cast as Merida but we were really saved by Kelly after she had to pull out.
"This was her first animated role and she has done just an incredible job. She is a real hero and has been amazing to work with.
"At first, when she came in, she was a little bit shy but she got going very quickly and was soon a great part of the team.
"It was late in the day that we had to make the change so we are delighted it worked out so well. We were lucky to have her."
Mark is delighted with his strong Scottish cast but is happy to have one American honorary Scot, in the shape of former Cheers star and Pixar ever present John Ratzenberger.
Mark added: "The performances the actors bring to the part will definitely make it into the characters. You will see Billy Connolly in Fergus, Craig Ferguson in Lord Macintosh and Kevin McKidd in Lord MacGuffin. And Kelly is definitely in Merida.
"You will definitely see all their qualities, just not their faces."
The first poster for next summer’s Pixar movie has just been released. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Brave…
Arriving next summer, Pixar's movie, Brave, is set to break up a run of three sequels from the firm. We've already had Toy Story 3, then we've got Cars 2 arriving imminently. And, once Brave is done, the onus will then switch to Monsters University, the Monsters Inc prequel.
Given that the run of non-sequel films that Pixar produced, taking in Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up, offered some of its most special films, we're looking forward to Brave immensely. That's no slight on the sequels, we should point out.
Brave, then, is set in the Scottish Highlands, and centres around the character of Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), the daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). Merida's actions, as you might expect, stir up trouble for the kingdom, and the story goes from there.
Given that we're still a year away from the film's release, we've not seen any footage from it just yet. But Pixar has, through Entertainment Weekly, released the first poster for the movie. And we thought it'd be rude not to bring it to you. So here is it...
More details about the previously confirmed Torchwood online series, Web of Lies, have been revealed today (2 June)
According to Entertainment Weekly, it will be made up of ten three-minute videos and will play out in the form of an animated “motion comic”. It’s written by Jane Espenson and Ryan Scott, and will star Eliza Dushku as its protagonist, with appearances from John Barrowman and Eve Myles as Jack and Gwen. It’s thought that new instalments will be released online after each episode of Miracle Day.
Sony and Aardman Animation have teamed for a new 3D stop-motion animated film, called The Pirates! Band of Misfits, based in part on Gideon Defoe‘s book The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists. (Which is also the film’s title in the UK, I believe.) That isn’t news, but the first still, above, and the announcement of the full cast definitely is. Aardman co-founder and Chicken Run co-director Peter Lord is directing the film, which is animated in the now-classic Aardman clay figure style, and he’s got Hugh Grant making his clay debut as the chap you see above.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits, in addition to Hugh Grant, will feature: Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Brian Blessed, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen. That’s all via a press release, which also gives up this synopsis booty, complete with a rundown of who’s playing whom:
Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It’s a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!
