Tag "Bill Melendez"

Fox Offers More Details on CG ‘Peanuts’ Feature

April 21, 2013 by Ramin Zahed 3 Comments divider image

Good grief, Charlie Brown! One of the hot items announced at last week’s CinemaCon event in Las Vegas was that Fox’s upcoming Peanuts feature will definitely be CG-animated and in stereoscopic 3-D. The studio also confirmed that the film will be released in November 2015 to mark the 65th anniversary [...]

Disney Painter Edward Levitt Has Died

April 9, 2013 by Mercedes Milligan No Comments divider image

Edward Levitt, a background painter for Walt Disney Animation Studios during animation’s Golden Age and a key influence on the Cartoon Modern movement of the 1950s, died April 2 in Palmdale, California. He was 96 years old, Cartoon Brew reports. Born in New York City April 17, 1916, Levitt grew [...]

A Bill Melendez Christmas

December 27, 2012 by Michael Mallory 1 Comment divider image

What would the holidays be without A Charlie Brown Christmas, which, believe it or not, premiered 47 years ago? And what would any Charlie Brown special be without the late, great Bill Melendez, who produced and directed countless Peanuts-related television specials? Bill enjoyed one of the longest continuous careers in [...]

Good Grief, It’s a CG-Animated Peanuts Pic!

October 9, 2012 by Ramin Zahed 6 Comments divider image

Here’s a piece of news that 2D animation purists may have a tough time to swallow. Deadline.com reports that 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Rio) will be developing the popular Peanuts comic-strip into a CG-animated feature film franchise. Fox is ready to turn the hugely [...]

TV Animation Veteran Jim Duffy Dies from Cancer

March 25, 2012 by Ramin Zahed 1 Comment divider image

We are sad to report the passing of TV animation veteran Jim Duffy this weekend after a long battle with cancer. He passed peacefully at home in his sleep surrounded by his family at the age of 75. Duffy was born in the U.S., but spent his career between London [...]

Ralph Bakshi and the Canadian Caper, Part 1

November 3, 2011 by Michael Mallory No Comments divider image

For most people, working in animation is a job. If you’re anywhere around Ralph Bakshi, however, it’s probably an adventure. Bakshi, of course, is the producer/director of Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, and the real film version of Lord of the Rings, as well as the man who revitalized Terrytoons in [...]

The Best Interview in Animation

October 14, 2011 by Michael Mallory No Comments divider image

There are good interviews and bad interviews. Some interviewees stick to the marketing playbook at all costs while others tell stories they’ve told so many times that they actually believe them. Some people are afraid to talk, and others are afraid not to. I’ve experienced them all. For my money, though, [...]