Apr 19

‘Toy Story 4’ new trailer and poster unveiled

Posted in: Animation

Disney dropped a new trailer for the long-awaited Toy Story 4, offering a fresh look the latest sequel, featuring Woody, Buzz and the rest of the beloved Toy Story gang.

The film also features the voices of Joan Cusack, Keanu Reeves, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin and Laurie Metcalf.

The synopsis for the upcoming sequel reads as under:

Woody has always been confident about his place in the world, and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. So, when Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (Tony Hale), declares himself as trash and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. But when Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family’s road trip excursion, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep. After years of being on her own, Bo’s adventurous spirit and life on the road belie her delicate porcelain exterior. As Woody and Bo realize they’re worlds apart when it comes to life as a toy, they soon come to find that’s the least of their worries.

Directed by Josh Cooley and produced by Jonas Rivera and Mark Nielsen, Toy Story 4 releases on 21 June.

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Apr 19

Robert Downey Jr. aka Iron Man is the only Avenger to read the entire script of ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Posted in: Animation

As we all know, the Russo brothers went to all lengths to keep the script of the upcoming superhero movie, Avengers: Endgame a secret from all the members of team Avengers.

However there was only one person to read the entire script of the film and that is none other than Iron Man aka Robert Downey Jr.

But, in a new interview, the Russo brothers revealed that Tom wasn’t the only one who didn’t end up reading the entire Endgame script. In fact, all of the Avengers but one were left in the dark!

Talking to Rotten Tomatoes, Joe said: “Robert Downey, Jr. was probably the only one to actually read the entire script. I think Benedict Cumberbatch got the script that included his scenes only.”

After a year long wait, the film is all set to hit the theaters next week and the excitement of the fans is at the peak. Millions of fans are waiting to witness what happened after Thanos snapped his fingers and if the remaining Avengers can bring the ones that vanished back.

Avengers: Endgame releases on 26 April in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

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Apr 19

Sony to release ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ earlier on 2 July

Posted in: Animation

Sony Pictures has announced to be releasing Spider-Man: Far from Home, on 2 July instead of 5 July. With this film, MCU’s Phase Four will kick-off from a Tuesday and not Friday.

Sony has moved Spider-Man: Far from Home up a bit earlier, to put the film’s two days before Netflix’s Stranger Things season 3 and gives the similar kind of launching pad that of The Amazing Spider-Man back in 2012.

The Marc Webb-directed reboot opened with a $35 million Tuesday gross (still the second-biggest Tuesday behind The Force Awakens’ fifth day of release) and earned $64 million over the weekend frame of a $137 million Tues-Sun holiday weekend.

Sony has been inclined in trading off Spider-Man movies around Fri-Sun debuts and long holiday launches. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 3, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming opened over a conventional Friday-Sunday frame ($114 million in 2002, $151 million in 2007, $93 million in 2014 and $117 million in 2017) while Spider-Man 2 ($88 million over a $180 million Wed-Mon launch in 2004), Amazing Spider-Man and the upcoming, Spider-Man: Far from Home will go the long 4 July weekend route.

The reason behind this strategy might be- Sony feels that the film is good enough to garner positive word-of-mouth over the long holiday frame.

Also, Spider-Man: Far from Home might lose traction with big releases right after it. From, The Lion King opens on 19 July, and that will be followed by Dora and the Lost City of Gold (31 July), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (9 August), Artemis Fowl (9 August), Angry Birds Movie 2 (14 August) and Playmobil (16 August).

Till then we hope to see Spidey getting resurrected in Avengers: Endgame.

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Apr 19

#FeatureFriday: How Sci-fi movies depicted Black Holes over the years

Posted in: Animation

The recent unveiling of the first image of a black hole — found in the Messier 87 galaxy, roughly 55 million light-years away took the world by storm. Of all the profound and humbling celestial occurrences to be found in intergalactic space, what makes black holes particularly intriguing?

Let’s take a look at how sci-fi movies depicted these enigmatic bodies; black holes, wormholes and singularities.

Event Horizon

The Event Horizon

A team of astronauts is sent to investigate a lost spacecraft which disappeared on its maiden voyage and has now returned.  The drive generates an artificial black hole and uses it to bridge two points in spacetime, reducing travel time over astronomical distances.

Zathura a space adventure

Zathura a Space Adventure

Two young brothers find themselves transported into the depths of space while playing a board game. They try their best to find their way back to Earth. According to Pete Travers, Visual Effects Supervisor on the film for Sony Pictures Imageworks, retaining the stylized “1950s sci-fi look” from Van Allsburg’s book was a very important aspect of the effects.

Star Trek

Star Trek

Nero (Eric Bana), the Romulan villain of the film, uses the principles of the black hole for dastardly ends, creating an artificial black hole out of “red matter” to destroy the planet Vulcan. But then a real black hole creates a time warp that sends Mr Spock back in time to help Captain Kirk and his own younger self try to stop Nero.

The Black Hole

The Black Hole

When a research vessel containing scientist Kate McCrae discovers the previously missing USS Cygnus, captained by Kate’s father, near a black hole, they decide to find out the mystery behind it.

Interstellar

Interstellar

 The wormhole’s proximity to a black hole causes gravitational time dilation; in the brief time Cooper and another crew member spend exploring one of the planets, 23 years of earth’s time elapse, causing duress for the scientists. Christopher Nolan, known for his meticulousness, took great pains to try to ensure that the science of the film checked out, and its rendering of the black hole was considered by many to be the most realistic yet in a fiction film.

We hope to see more movies that enlarge upon the mysteries of space that pique humanity’s collective curiosity.

 

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Apr 19

Maxon Buys Redshift and the Chaos of Making Everydays with Beeple | GSG Show 106

Posted in: Animation

The team talks about the big news from NAB 2019, including Maxon’s acquisition of Redshift, making everydays with Beeple, MoGraph Meetups, and a big sale.

In this episode, Nick, Chad, and Michael talk about the exciting news and events at NAB 2019. Catch up on all the big news, and learn about a limited edition 50% off Greyscalegorilla Redshift bundle.

Follow Us: iTunes | Android | RSS | Google Play | Spotify

Show Notes:

Section 1: Maxon Acquires Redshift

Section 2: Beeple Everydays and NAB Presentations

Beeple + Chad

 

View this post on Instagram

 

SQUID SYRUP #everyday #smh

A post shared by beeple (@beeple_crap) on Apr 8, 2019 at 6:02pm PDT

Beeple + Nick

 

View this post on Instagram

 

NICK CAMPBELL’S FANCY GORILLA MUSEUM #everyday special thanks @greyscalegorilla ❤❤❤

A post shared by beeple (@beeple_crap) on Apr 9, 2019 at 4:55pm PDT

Section 3: NAB News and Updates

Section 4: MoGraph Community and Meetups

Section 5: Redshift Starter Kit + Tutorials

The post Maxon Buys Redshift and the Chaos of Making Everydays with Beeple | GSG Show 106 appeared first on Greyscalegorilla.

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Apr 19

Truba x Game of Thrones

Posted in: Animation
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Apr 18

‘Minecraft’ movie to release in 2022

Posted in: Animation

Warner Bros. will be bringing the super-successful sandbox game brand Minecraft to the big screen on 4 March 2022.

The synopsis of the feature goes as follows:

Minecraft the movie tells the story of a teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers. After the malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, they must save their beautiful, blocky Overworld.

Directed by Peter Sollet (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and co-creator Rob McElhenney, Minecraft is based on the addictive, lo-fi, boxy world-building game created by Swedish developer Mojang (which Microsoft bought for $2.5 billion in 2014).

Alongside the game franchise, Minecraft has inspired toys, accessories and, appropriately, LEGO construction sets and minifigs. The audiences have also seen episodes of South Park, The Simpsons and Adventure Time inspired by Minecraft.

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Apr 18

Universal Pictures shifts the release dates for ‘Sing 2’ and ‘Croods 2’

Posted in: Animation

Illumination Entertainment’s Sing 2 is now scheduled to open theatrically on 2 July 2021, six months later than its original release date of 23 December 2020, while pushing DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods 2 into the vacated 23 December date from its originally scheduled release on 18 September 2020, according to a Deadline report. It will now compete against Disney/Fox’s Avatar 2, scheduled to open 18 December.

Written and directed by Garth Jenning, Sing which released in 2016 and starred Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Hudson and Nick Kroll, generated more than $634 million worldwide.

Story artist Joel Crawford is helming the sequel for The Croods which was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, starring Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Catherine Keener. The movie collected more than $587 million globally during its 2013 run.

The Croods’ sequel was reported to be shelved in 2016, but now with Dreamworks settled in at Universal, the follow-up appears to be moving forward again. Croods 2 will feature the voices of original cast members Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, and Clark Duke, as well as add Leslie Mann and Peter Dinklage to its cast. The story takes place around the Croods family’s encounter with a new family.

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Apr 18

Big Ant and e-xpress Interactive announce international edition of ‘Cricket 19’

Posted in: Animation

Big Ant Studios, the world’s leading developer of cricket games, is pleased to announce a partnership with e-xpress Interactive to bring Cricket 19 to India. Cricket 19 will launch on 28 May.

Cricket 19 offers fans a truly international take on the sport. It features a full suite of gameplay modes, including the ever-popular career mode, now deeper and more narrative-driven, a world championship tournament, and the scenario mode that allows you to recreate classic matches, and then share them online to challenge people to change history.

You’ll be able to play any format of the game in Cricket 19. Whether you’re a fan of the speed and intensity of T20 competition, the excitement of ODIs, or the endurance, tactics and skills of test matches (including the Ashes, held between Australia and England), you’ll be able to play against the AI or friends, locally or online. There’s even a range of fantasy forms of cricket to enjoy – in the mood to quickly bash some balls around. Players can play a five-over per side match.

Additionally, Cricket 19 features Big Ant’s famous in-depth creator tools, allowing fans around the world to recreate their local clubs, play fields, and favourite matches from history. All of this can be shared across the community, giving you access to an ever-expanding database of content to play with.

“One of the things that have always set Big Ant sports titles apart is the sense of community around them. Cricket 19 will take that to the next level, allowing you to customise absolutely everything you can see in the game. We are incredibly pleased to be able to work with e-xpress Games to bring Cricket 19 to India. This is one of the most exciting years for international cricket in living memory, and we can’t wait to see fans get stuck into the game,” said Big Ant Studios CEO, Ross Symons.

Speaking on the partnership, e-xpress Interactive founder Amit Khemani said, “Cricket is a religion in India. Our people love watching cricket and playing the sport outdoors, and with Cricket 19, they will be able to take their favourite sport to their living room as well. The fans will truly enjoy all the exciting new features that Cricket 19 will bring. We’re very proud to partner with Big Ant Studios to bring Cricket 19 to our Indian gamers and cricket fans.”

Pre-orders for Cricket 19 are open now. The game will be available at all retailers from 28 May for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch for Rs 3,999.

 

 

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Apr 18

Game of Thrones’ final season opens with a striking proliferation of VFX-rich imagery

Posted in: Animation

Spoiler Alert!

The final season’s first episode of Game of Thrones marked a warm convergence of pivotal characters at Winterfell while the other side of the now-fallen wall is festering with Whitewalkers progressively marching on and inching closer. Over the soft rhythm of the signature refrain, we see some changes in the digital map too.

Game of Thrones

The first scene itself opens with the disciplined army of unsullied and others marching in droves with Danny and Jonno leading the battalion on their horses while dragons glide forth overhead.  Something that implies a great deal of crowd simulation and set extensions from the VFX vantage point.

Army March

The storytelling principle of not telling but showing is impeccably executed through the perspective of the boy as he curiously strolls up to get a wider view of the march. Against the backdrop of the chroma screen used to track his steps.

Boy looking at the army

Not all confrontations are pleasant as you can already see Sansa’s discontent with the Dragon Queen taking over her throne in Winterfell. As the Winterfell seek justification for Jon Snow bending the knee, we see him explaining his priorities of survival over titles.

Dragon Flight

Danny has no plans of giving up her throne either and she asserts her stance clearly. One can half appreciate the trouble of the man trying to shuttle between mitigating the ire of the two ruffled queens.

Samwell Tarly’s meeting with the Dragon queen turns sour as she reveals the fate of his family after their refusal to bend the knee

Winter fell Orange Lead Red

VFX-wise and from the cinematography point of view, the most poignant and heartwarming reunion is of Arya meeting her Brother. The orange tree itself is tremendously intricate and goes well with the scene.

Jon and Arya Embrace

Although a bit redundant, dragon rides are indeed gratifying serving as a brilliant display of VFX scope.
Actors can be seen saddled on a machine to give a sense of the mount and Chroma screen and plate work allows for a seamless depiction of dragon rides.

Dragon Riding GS

The dragon’s piercing stares upon looking at their mother sharing a romantic moment with Jon Snow is another spectacle worth admiring.

Jon and Danaeres’ Green Screen

We hope to cover the following episodes with a deeper VFX analysis and breakdowns. Stay tuned!

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