Laika's New Missing Link Trailer LOADED with Laughs

HOLY DAMN. I didn't know what to expect from Laika's new film "Missing Link"..well..other than mind blowing stop motion animation that constantly has people going "that was CGI, right?" Now their newest trailer shows the tremendous heart we've come to expect and LOADS of laughs I didn't see coming. This just went on my MUST SEE list!

This April, meet Mr. Link: 8 feet tall, 630 lbs, and covered in fur, but don't let his appearance fool you... he is funny, sweet, and adorably literal, making him the world's most lovable legend at the heart of Missing Link, the globe-trotting family adventure from LAIKA. Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Link recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, our fearless trio of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world to help their new friend. Through it all, the three learn that sometimes you can find a family in the places you least expect.

Laika's Missing Link

Stop motion animation is one of the few film mediums that continually confounds the viewer. You don't know how many times I was in a press interview with the fine folks from LAIKA who had to explain that just about 99% of what you are seeing is NOT CGI. The hair blowing in the wind...the eye and mouth movement...all stop motion. Now LAIKA returns to bring more magic into our lives with their new feature film, Missing Link!

This April, meet Mr. Link: 8 feet tall, 630 lbs, and covered in fur, but don't let his appearance fool you... he is funny, sweet, and adorably literal, making him the world's most lovable legend at the heart of Missing Link, the globe-trotting family adventure from LAIKA. Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Link recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, our fearless trio of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world to help their new friend. Through it all, the three learn that sometimes you can find a family in the places you least expect.

The Isle of Dogs Movie Poster is a Work of Art

In a world of massive Hollywood movies, it's surprising how many marketing departments leave their key poster art in the hands of crazed, would-be photoshop artists who think cutting and pasting a series of images with ridiculous proportion disparity = MEGA EXCITEMENT for prospective movie goers. For all of us raised with beautiful, hand painted posters, there have been many tears. Leave it to Wes Anderson to demand something more.

Spongebob Squarepants Halloween Stop-Motion Special: The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom!

Nickelodeon will take viewers on a spooky Halloween adventure throughout Bikini Bottom with the brand-new, stop-motion special, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom.  In the visual style of classic stop-motion animation TV specials, The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom tells the story of the Flying Dutchman (Brian Doyle Murray) who wants to make sure everyone in town is scared, especially SpongeBob, who thinks scary things are funny.  The special will premiere in October 2017 on Nickelodeon.

Anomalisa Presents Raw Humanity... With Puppets

Often, when we write about stop-motion animated feature films, we are chatting up our friends at LAIKA about quirky titles like Paranorman (with zombies) or Coraline (with the terrifying "Other Mother") or Box Trolls (with..you know..Trolls!) I don't wish to take anything away from the artistry Laika brings to this medium, but when the subject matter is about monsters, we are pretty sure we'll like it in the end. For this reason, i'm fairly intrigued by Anomalisa, which utilizes modern stop motion puppets to tell a story we would likely have overlooked if it was merely actors in an indie film. Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) & Duke Johnson (Mary Shelly's Frankenhole) team up for the story of a man and a woman and a meeting that may have been destiny.

SDCC 2015: What's All This SUPERMANSION Business??

Seriously, you had me at "The Creators of Robot Chicken" and cemented the deal with mention of Matt Senreich executive producing. THIS MAN DOES NOT MAKE CRAP!! Sadly, the crew is being super-teasey and only offer this short outline on the show...

“SuperMansion”  follows Titanium Rex who leads a “seen-better-days” group of super heroes, “The League of Freedom,” in their increasingly difficult struggle to remain relevant."

Voiced by Emmy®-Award winner Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Seth Green (“Family Guy”), Tucker Gilmore (“Frozen”), Heidi Gardner, Tom Root and Matthew Senreich and Zeb Wells (“Robot Chicken”)

Crackle, the television streaming network, announced a series of San Diego Comic-Con activities in support of the upcoming stop-motion animated comedy series from the award-winning Stoopid Buddy Stoodios – including the Comic-Con exclusive debut of the show’s comic book.

Creating the World of The Boxtrolls

My favorite thing about Laika is how open they are about their creative process. Before a film is released, we get these fantastic little featurettes which show how they build environments, animate characters and sometimes even showing how every stitch of clothing needs to be just so. Often, i'll be talking to journalists before an interview with these folks and most of the room is insistent that there are many CGI elements in a current releasing film. It's fun to watch their eyes bug out when the Laika crew set them straight and reveal all the tricks behind the magic. Today, Laika reveals some awesome bits about creating the fully realized world of the Boxtrolls, all of which is sure to have some of you taking notes!

SDCC 2014: Boxtrolls Animate the Show Floor

Focus Features, LAIKA and The Boxtrolls at headed to Comic-Con for a highly anticipated Hall H Panel, “Eat Like THE BOXTROLLS” food truck experience and more.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LIFE-SIZED BOXTROLLS ROAMING COMIC CON. SNAP YOUR PIC AND TWEET USING #THEBOXTROLLS

FRIDAY, JULY 25
#EatLikeTheBoxtrolls
Bug Chef David George Gordon will dare you to EAT LIKE THE BOXTROLLS as he cooks up some of his famous bug and insect edible creations
2:00PM- 4:00PM
Location: Petco Park
2:00PM-3:00PM Univision Radio will be hosting the experience. Stop by for a limited edition signed Fish poster by Isaac Hempstead Wright.
3:00PM-4:00PM Nerdist will be hosting the experience. Stop by for a limited edition signed Shoe poster by Isaac Hempstead Wright.

A New Boxtrolls Trailer!

A family event movie from the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnie (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.

Rankin Bass's The Thing

Friendship All Stars: Batman Sleepover

From those wacky psychos who bring you endless fart jokes on "Robot Chicken" every week comes the instant stop motion classic "Friendship All-Stars"!

Friendship All-Stars  is a stop-motion animated series following the gloriously mundane lives of celebrity roommates who all happen to live in the same apartment building.

See Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman share an apartment and shout about being the best fucking friends in the world! Thrill as subversive street artist Banksy and David Bowie add their own magical touches to the world around them. For the super geeks in the house, we've selected a vid with Batmans of movies past having a slumber party. It's...ridiculous..and awesome. Enjoy.

Stop Motion HALO and WOW Mega Bloks

Two things we love here at Idle Hands...animation and construction toys! Apparently Mega Bloks has been exploiting these loves for some time now, right under our noses, and we never knew it. Ahh..the geek universe...she is too vast to see the end of it. At any rate, when we discovered these stop motion epics, we had to share. The HALO bit is pretty lengthy as it is multiple parts spliced together, so be prepared. The World of Warcraft bit is the last episode in a series, but it has a recap at the beginning, so we figured you'd get the gist. If you want to see the WHOOOOLE thing, I'm sure there are plenty of links at the tail end of the vids. 

Heroes in a Half Shell...

and as a bonus...

Celebrate Frankenweenie's Birth with New Clips

HAPPY TIM BURTON DAY!!! Friends are saying Frankenweenie is the best movie Burton has done in year. Better than the somewhat depressing Alice in Wonderland. More fun than The Corpse Bride. High praise all around! To celebrate, we've got new clips to put you in a stop-motiony mood!

First up is a little featurette on bringing the puppets of Frankenweenie to life...

Two New Clips from Frankenweenie

Does the awesome of this year's geekiness ever cease? I say thee NAY!! ..and I said it like Thor..making it extra geeky. Top that. Just when we thought the year's dorkiness was wrapping up we are reminded of everything hitting Blu-ray and DVD (like They Live & The Avengers), the killer TV dropping soon (like Arrow and Walking Dead) and do I even have to mention the never ending parade of movies? Tim Burton wont let the year end without a little extra stop motion magic as his latest spooky tale "Frankenweenie" swoops in for an October 5th release. Here are two new clips to get your undead green goo flowing...

NEW Frankenweenie Eye Candy

Holy DAMN it was a great year for movies and there is still more to come. We've already seen stop motion mastery from the fine folks at Laika with Paranorman..and now Tim Burton steps back up to the plate to show those lame computer generated shows how it's done.

From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous. Have a look...

A Brief (very brief) History of ParaNorman Figures

I finally got a chance to see Laika's latest stop motion masterpiece "ParaNorman" yesterday, in 3D, and I have to say I was not disappointed! I do have one observation though...did I just watch a stop motion Silent Hill?! We've got the cursed, overly religious towns folk...the burned alive, innocent child who goes all "Grudge" in the afterlife...the white screens...the burn-aways (in place of the rotting landscape as the sirens sound)...the similarities are glaring! Of course, Laika have cut back on their pissed off specter's bloody vengeance, as this needs to be at least a little safe for the kiddies, even though that is not the main concern of the film makers. Never the less, you won't find any razor wire sodomy in ParaNorman, but the 3D stop motion is unmatched! So...you know...it's a trade off.

Robot Chicken DC Comics Special Trailer

Oh Robot Chickens...How I have missed you. In the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, in partnership with DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, brings you the awesomeness of the DC Comics universe of characters as only Robot Chicken can, with amazing guest stars and the stop-motion sketch comedy you've come to love after five seasons of the popular Adult Swim series. The all-star cast includes Seth Green as Batman, Robin and the put-upon Aquaman, Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face, Alfred Molina as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern, Megan Fox as Lois Lane, Breckin Meyer as Superman, plus Abe Benrubi, Alex Borstein, Clare Grant, Tara Strong, Matt Senreich, Tom Root, Zeb Wells, and Kevin Shinick as co-producer and narrator.

ParaNorman Crew Talk Undead Details

While running the gambit we call San Diego Comic Con, I took full advantage of moments where I could sit, enjoy functioning air conditioning, and chat with film makers and the actors that bring their creations to life. This weekend, we get to take in one such project. Paranorman, the instant stop motion masterpiece from the mad geniuses at Laika, promises to elevate the art of stop motion animation to new heights and, on a simpler level, make you smile like crazy. Here's the skinny...

Meet the Folks in Frankenweenie

When Tim Burton makes a stop motion animation (future) masterpiece, it isn't JUST about the main characters. Burton's canvas is filled with amusing sidekicks and rumple faced sour-pusses and all those individuals you'd meet on the street on any given day...Burtonized of course. Now Disney gives us a closer look at the cast of characters in Frankenweenie...


EDGAR “E” GORE (voiced by Atticus Shaffer)

Edgar “E” Gore is a needy misfit who doesn’t have friends but is desperate to be Victor’s partner for the science fair. In his attempts to be accepted ‘E’ tends to mess things up and often fails to think before he speaks. Even though ‘E’ promises not to tell Victor’s secret, he accidentally spills the beans.