Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'animated'

12-Year-Old Fan Of Jazz's Monk Is New 'Dora'

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:50:00 EST

Dora the Explorer has a new voice: Twelve-year-old Caitlin Sanchez has taken over the title role of Nickelodeon's bilingual animated adventure series. The Fairview, N.J., resident plays jazz piano and likes John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.

Filmmaker Reflects On 'Waltz With Bashir' Reception

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:04:00 EST

Although Ari Folman's father warned him not to create the animated film about Israeli involvement in a massacre during the 1982 Lebanon war, the filmmaker did so anyway, in part to dissuade teenagers from going to war. To Folman's surprise, it was embraced by the Israeli government.

'Waltz With Bashir': A Delicate Dance With Memory

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:30:00 EST

Ari Folman's animated memoir explores the legacy — for a soldier and for his comrades — of Israel's 1982 incursion into Lebanon, which eventually led to the massacre of refugees at the Sabra and Shatila camps.

'Shrek' Leads DreamWorks Into Broadway Battle

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:25:00 EST

Since turning its animated film Beauty and the Beast into a Broadway hit 14 years ago, the Walt Disney Co. has had the stage to itself for large-scale family entertainment. Now DreamWorks is challenging it with Shrek: The Musical. The big green ogre debuts on the Great White Way on Sunday.

'Tis The Season For Hollywood Blockbusters

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:48:00 EST

Between now and the end of the year, more than 50 movies — many hoping for Oscar consideration — will hit movie screens. Moviegoers can look forward to everything from animated French mice to Nazis to visitors from other galaxies. NPR's Bob Mondello previews the offerings such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "Valkyrie" and "Frost/Nixon."

Dogs And Superheroes Hit The Movie Theater

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

What's it going to be this weekend? The animated film Bolt, about a dog who lives his whole life on the set of a TV show, Twilight about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire or superhero spoof Special? We take a tour through the reviews.

What's Better, 'Soul Men' Or 'Role Models'...

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Writer Mark Jorgan Legan takes us through the reviews for the comedy Soul Men, about two singing legends who agree to an on-stage reunion, the animated sequel Madagascar: Return 2 Africa and the Paul Rudd comedy Role Models about two screw-up friends sentenced to mentor kids.

Back To 'Madagascar,' Tamely But With Bounce

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST

Four New York zoo animals tiptoe their way through the wild — this time in East Africa. A herd of celebrity voices powers the computer-animated comedy, but the razzle-dazzle feels a little dated.

'Peanuts' Animator Bill Melendez Dies

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Bill Melendez, the animator who gave life to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and other Peanuts characters on the small and big screens died Tuesday. He was 91. Melendez animated TV specials such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and was the voice of Snoopy.

An Animated Take On The 'Chicago 10'

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:14:00 EDT

Brett Morgan's film, Chicago 10, uses a combination of archival footage, animation and music to tell the story of eight anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Summary Judgement: Is 'Tropic' Worth Cloning...

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Critics don't see eye-to-eye on the Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder, the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona' and the animated Star Wars film Clone Wars. Writer Mark Jordan Legan breaks down the reviews and helps resolve what's worth the price of two gallons of gas this weekend.

'Esquire' To Print Electronic Cover

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Esquire magazine's October cover will feature an animated electronic display using a technology called E-ink. How will it work? Russell Wilcox, the CEO of E-Ink Corp., explains.

Summary Judgment: 'Mamma' Or 'Knight'...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Writer Mark Jordan Legan breaks down reviews of the long-awaited Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Animated feature Space Chimps is up next. And finally, Legan looks at Mama Mia!, starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan. It's as divisive as ABBA itself, he says.

Pixar's Andrew Stanton, Animating From Life

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:22:00 EDT

The man behind Nemo and Wall-E has warmed hearts with his unlikely heroes — a clownfish? A sentient trash compactor? He tells Terry Gross about finding inspiration in unlikely places, and in everyday objects.

Summary Judgment: 'Finding' vs. 'Wall-E'

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Writer Mark Jordan Legan examines the latest movies. Wall-E is an animated feature about a young robot searching for a home in outer space. Wanted is an action movie based on graphic novel about a team of assassins and Finding Amanda, is a comedy about compulsions we can't shake: drugs, booze and gambling, starriong Mathew Broderick and Brittany Snow.

From a Trash-Heap Future, a Romance for the Ages

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Pixar has always focused on loss, decay, and the dark side of materialism. Here that theme extends to the ruination of the planet — and Wall-E ranks among the most sublime feature-length works of animation ever made in this country.

The Slants: Trading in Stereotypes

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:22:00 EDT

After breakthrough shows at anime conventions, The Slants' members have found a devoted audience of media-savvy teenagers. With a mostly Asian lineup, the band challenges and pokes fun at the stereotypes of Asian-American identity.

'Summary Judgment': 'Zohan' Worth Messing With...

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Mark Jordan Legan of Slate.com shares what the critics are saying about the new Adam Sandler comedy You Don't Mess with the Zohan, the John C. Reilly office farce The Promotion and the animated film Kung Fu Panda.

In 'Kung Fu Panda,' a Pudgy Hero Packs a Punch

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EDT

DreamWorks' animated romp proves charming, if studiously formulaic. The simple story is aimed squarely at tots, but the digitizers have referenced Eastern visual styles — from delicate Chinese screens to flashy Japanese anime — to enliven the look for adults.

Summer Film Preview: Heroes and Animation

Mon, 26 May 2008 16:31:00 EDT

As Memorial Day ushers in the unofficial summer season, Hollywood readies its slate of movies for the nation's multiplexes. The offerings include superhero stories, like Will Smith's Hancock, Batman, and Edward Norton in The Hulk. Bob Mondello offers a preview.

'Speed Racer' Film a Far Cry from Its Anime Roots

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The movie Speed Racer opens Thursday. It's based on the Japanese animated series that was a hit with American kids in the late 1960s. The movie is directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, who co-directed The Matrix. The TV show was a big breakthrough for Japanese anime in America.

Killer Penmanship in 'Death Note'

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:20:00 EDT

In the Japanese anime series Death Note, high school student Light Yagami is in possession of a super-powered notebook that allows him to kill anyone, simply by writing down the victim's name. Critic-at-large John Powers offers a commentary.

A-List Comedian Appears in a 'Bee' Movie

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:47:00 EDT

Comic and actor Jerry Seinfeld's latest project is the animated film Bee Movie, which he wrote and starred in. Seinfeld is best known for his work on the self-titled NBC series, which ran for nine seasons, earning the actor a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.

Disney Animator Ollie Johnston Remembered

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Walt Disney animator Ollie Johnston, 95, was the last of the core of Walt Disney's innovative early film animation team, the so-called nine old men. Johnston worked on classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, and Cinderella.

Me Llamo Dora: An Explorer in Modern America

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Animated heroine, beloved of preschoolers throughout the U.S., breaks the cartoon mold: She's Latina, she speaks Spanish, and she knows how to get problems solved. NPR's Rolando Arrieta explores how Nickelodeon's scrappy heroine came to be.