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Animal Logic explains how they created expressive, cartoony animation for their short without squash and stretch and other animation principles.

The post Animal Logic Does Kung Fu Fighting, In LEGO appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

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Keep your Master Chiefs, bearded Kratos, fancy flux capacitor powered hardware. E3 2016 had one of the best line ups for those of us who love big comic book experiences in gaming. Batman, Spider-Man, Walking Dead just to name a few. Here’s the games based on comic book characters we’re most excited for from E3 2016: Spider-Man […]

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Since its release in January, Lego Marvel’s Avengers has been entertaining kids and adults alike. The game has managed to expand on its MCU confines with content based on Captain Marvel, The Masters of Evil, and Civil War. Today the MCU’s surprise hit Ant-Man will join the game in the new downloadable content pack exclusive […]

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By Nicholas Eskey During the tail end of last year’s Wonder Con, it was announced that the convention which had spent the last three years in Anaheim would instead next be hosted by the city of Los Angeles. The change was for a simple reason; the Anaheim convention center already had another event booked for […]

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Posted by Amy

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With Marvel Studios Civil War just around the corner, Lego Marvel’s Avengers game released their own versions of the characters we’ll see in the film. This add on content is free for fans who own the game. Included in the pack are new versions of Captain America, Iron Man, War Machine, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, […]

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Ah Toy Fair, a riot of plastic, wood, metal, resin and MAGIC! As usual, The Beat pounded the halls of the JAvits Center and beyodnd to bring you only the FRESHEST toys and playthings. The day started at 7 am with the Lego event. As that time of day there isn’t much to remember but […]

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I have known Jonathan a number of years as he is married to one of my best friends (author, Marcie Colleen.) I had the joy of attending their wedding just over twelve months ago in Gowanus (Brooklyn.) When I first … Continue reading →

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By Nick Eskey

“Lego” is the toy that let’s allows kids and adult to build from premade manuals, or to create out of their imaginations. Complete miniature sized cities, even worlds, can be made. But what about a something larger than life?

 

Nathan Sawaya is the artist behind the nationwide touring exhibit “The Art of the Brick.” Instead of tabletop pieces, Nathan has created life sized sculptures that defy everything people think of when they hear “Lego.” One of his best pieces is a scale sized T-Rex skeleton. His exhibition has been touring city after city. Soon we’ll be treated to his newest work, a collaborative effort with Jim Lee and DC Comics.

Yesterday at San Diego Comic-Con, Nathan Sawaya and Jim Lee were present to talk about the upcoming exhibit and more. Nathan first explained how he always had a love for Legos as a kid. When his parents refused to get him a dog, he took his sets apart and made one instead. Later in life, he kept his love of the toy alive as a hobby, building after work on his free time. Eventually his few statues turned into over a hundred, and later a touring exhibit.

Jim Lee and DC Comics came into the picture when Nathan wanted to build a particular piece for the exhibit: the Batmobile. However Nathan wasn’t comfortable with designing it. He asked Jim for help, and after the comic artist checked out the sculptures and spoke of bigger things with the Lego artist, they approached DC with an idea. And so, the “DC Comics Meets Lego Arts” exhibit began.

Nathan and his team spent the last year putting together this exhibit, using much of DC’s well loved franchises. He said only one thing is still needed to finish it up. Yup, the very Batmobile it started with. This is where Jim Lee took to the sheets of paper taped to the wall. “We’re going to design it here today with your guy’s help.”

The first thing he asked of the crowd was what shoe we wanted to use. “One of my tips is that cars all start as shoes.” Jim showed the room by taking suggestions such as slippers to high-heels, and then transforming them into Batmobiles. The panel’s moderator gave the suggestion of a “Dr. Martin” boot, and Jim “kicked” into gear. As Jim Lee sketched, Nathan quipped “I hope he doesn’t decide to change the color to something like chartreuse, cause I bought maybe a million black Lego bricks.”

As one would imagine, the process of building one of these sculptures isn’t always easy. “I have to glue the bricks together. If I make a mistake or if things don’t look right, I have to chisel it apart. And I hate capes by the way.” One of the hardest pieces he had to make for the project he said was the “Superman #1” cover when DC was Detective Comics. The background was in 2D, with Superman and the car he’s holding in 3D. “And of course that cover has a cape,” he said.

One of the greatest things though about the project said Nathan and his team was the ability to bring such icons to life in such a new way. “Warner Brothers and DC gave us such leeway so that we can show these characters and give them new life.”

What does it take to be a Lego artist? An engineering degree perhaps? Sometimes it just takes imagination and hard work. “I started life as an attorney,” said Nathan. I would come home and work on my Lego sculptures. I had a website that exhibited my work. When my website broke because it got too many hits, I knew I had to make a life change. So I quit my job, and started making art.” As for his scales, the reason why he does life sized sculptures is because he feels he expresses himself better that way. “The larger the sculpture, I might have to use support beams made of Legos. But because I glue the pieces, that tends to be enough.”

When the DC Lego art exhibit launches this November, it will start in Sydney, Australia. From there it will go on its worldwide city tour. As an extra treat for the audience, Nathan revealed a piece that will be a part of the tour: A two faced Batman and Joker.

Never before has art, Lego, and DC been merged into a cohesive medium. I sure can’t wait till it eventually makes its way here to San Diego.

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We’re halfway through both the actual calendar, and the Summer blockbuster season (which started in May).  Even though it feels like a Friday night at the video store circa 1990, there have been some amazing movies released so far. Dinosaurs are battling robots for box office supremacy, and Pixar is once again at the front of Best Animated Feature Oscar speculation with “Inside Out”.

Here’s the latest movie schedule, culled from various sources… Not much to update, except for the Smurfs getting an actual title.  There will probably be more after San Diego and D23.

NOTE:  My colleagues have noted the confusion over Warner Brothers’ superhero schedule.

To be clear: past Suicide Squad, Warners Brothers/DC Entertainment has not matched announced movies with opening dates.

So, you will see a listing like:

Unknown 2018

Flash

and

3/23/2018

Untitled DC

That does not mean that there are two movies scheduled, only that DCE is planning movies, and has claimed dates. Other news sites have linked titles to dates. This has not been officially announced or confirmed by Warner Brothers, and until I see official confirmation, will continue to list the names and dates separately. When do I expect to see that confirmation? Either at a shareholder’s meeting, or sometime in July or August, just like last year. Like last year, I expect Marvel, via D23, to make a bigger splash than DC, although DC could try to win Comic-Con this year, given Marvel Studio’s suspected absence.

Updates are in bold.  I have included links back to Box Office Mojo, which is the source of this data.

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Date	Title	Studio
7/10/2015	Minions	Universal
7/17/2015	Ant-Man	Marvel
7/24/2015	Pixels	Sony/Columbia
8/7/2015	Fantastic Four	Fox
8/14/2015	Underdogs (2014) (Metegol)	Weinstein
10/23/2015	Jem and the Holograms	Universal
11/6/2015	The Peanuts Movie	Fox
11/25/2015	The Good Dinosaur	Pixar
12/18/2015	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Disney
2/12/2016	Deadpool	Fox
3/4/2016	Zootopia	Disney
3/25/2016	Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice	DCE
5/6/2016	Captain America: Civil War	Marvel
5/27/2016	X-Men: Apocalypse	Fox
6/3/2016	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2	Paramount
6/17/2016	Finding Dory	Pixar
7/8/2016	??? (Was Doctor Strange)	Marvel
7/8/2016	Star Trek 3	Paramount
8/5/2016	Suicide Squad	DCE
8/19/2016	Kubo and the Two Strings	Focus/Laika
9/23/2016	Storks	Warners
10/7/2016	Gambit	Fox
10/7/2016	Monster High	Universal
11/4/2016	Doctor Strange	Marvel
11/18/2016	Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them	Warners
11/23/2016	Moana	Disney
12/16/2016	Rogue One	Disney
12/25/2016	Nation Awakes	Aamir Sajjad Ventures
1/13/2017	Power Rangers	Lionsgate
2/10/2017	Untitled LEGO Batman Film	Warners
3/3/2017	Untitled Wolverine	Fox
3/10/2017	Captain Underpants	Dreamworks
3/31/2017	Get Smurfy in 3D	Sony
3/31/2017	Ghost in the Shell	Disney
5/5/2017	Guardians of the Galaxy 2	Marvel
5/26/2017	Untitled LEGO Movie ?	Warners
5/26/2017	Star Wars: Episode VIII	Disney
6/9/2017	The Fantastic Four 2	Fox
6/16/2017	Toy Story 4	Pixar
6/23/2017	Untitled DC	DCE
6/30/2017	Despicable Me 3	Universal
7/7/2017	Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales	Disney
7/28/2017	Unititled Spider-Man	Sony/Marvel
9/22/2017	Ninjago	Warners
11/3/2017	Thor: Ragnarok	Marvel
11/17/2017	Untitled DC	DCE
11/22/2017	Untitled Pixar Animation	Pixar
2/9/2018	Untitled Warner Animation Group Project	Warners
3/9/2018	Untitled Disney Animation	Disney
3/23/2018	Untitled DC	DCE
5/4/2018	Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1	Marvel
5/18/2018	The LEGO Movie Sequel	Warners
6/15/2018	Untitled Pixar Animation	Pixar
7/6/2018	Black Panther	Marvel
7/13/2018	Untitled Fox / Marvel	Fox / Marvel
7/20/2018	Spider-Man (animated film)	Sony
7/27/2018	Untitled DC	DCE
11/2/2018	Captain Marvel	Marvel
11/16/2018	Untitled WB Event Film	Warners
11/21/2018	Untitled Disney Animation	Disney
4/5/2019	Untitled DC	DCE
5/3/2019	Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2	Marvel
5/24/2019	Untitled Warner Animated Film	Warners
6/14/2019	Untitled DC	DCE
7/12/2019	Inhumans	Marvel
4/3/2020	Untitled DC	DCE
6/19/2020	Untitled DC	DCE
11/20/2020	Untitled WB Event Film	Warners
Unknown 2016	Popeye	Sony
Unknown 2016	Untitled Lego Movie	Warners
Unknown 2017	Wonder Woman	DCE
Unknown 2017	Justice League, Part One	DCE
Unknown 2017	Lego Batman	Warners
Unknown 2018	Flash	DCE
Unknown 2018	Aquaman	DCE
Unknown 2018	Lego Movie 2	Warners
Unknown 2018	HP: Fantastic Beasts	Warners
Unknown 2019	Shazam	DCE
Unknown 2019	Justice League Part Two	DCE
Unknown 2020	Cyborg	DCE
Unknown 2020	Green Lantern	DCE
Unknown 2020	HP: Fantastic Beasts	Warners
UNKNOWN	The Amazing Spider-Man 3	Sony
UNKNOWN	The Amazing Spider-Man 4	Sony
UNKNOWN	Untitled Frozen sequel	Disney
UNKNOWN	Incredibles 2	Disney
UNKNOWN	Cars 3	Disney
UNKNOWN	Sinister Six	Sony

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If you have a kid between three and seven and don’t have an utterly screenless existence, you probably know that the current rage is Paw Patrol, a TV show/toy franchise about a team of rescue pups who… well… let’s just say that whenever there is trouble around Adventure Bay, Ryder and his team of pups are there to save the day.

Our boy’s favorite non-Lego toys over the past few months have been Paw Patrol pups that come with badges and backpacks that open up and do stuff. One is Skye, the only girl in the original pup line-up of six (they’ve since added another to the show). We found that while the other pups weren’t too hard to find, Skye was nearly impossible to find. And the reason was obvious: Girls love Paw Patrol as much as boys. Girls want Skye.

But Byron also loves Skye. And he wanted use to round out the set. So for months we were regularly and fruitlessly checking the ransacked shelves at Target and Toys R Us, where, for reasons that can only be explained by recent news and public opinion, we would find only piles of unpurchased Chase toys (Chase is the police dog).

Byron also noted that most of the merchandise featuring all the pups never had Skye. She wasn’t on the shirts, or the party plates. He was confused, and the message must have started sinking in: Skye isn’t on my shirts because as a boy I’m not supposed to want her on my shirt. Skye isn’t on the paper plates because she is less important than the boy pups. And that’s where we have to intervene, affirming for Byron that it’s OK to like Skye and the companies are dumb for leaving her off.

Byron also likes Lego Friends and Lego Elves. He likes the unicorn girl minifigure almost as much as the alien trooper. He likes Shannon Hale’s Princess in Black and Bratz and some show about a fairy tale high school with mostly girl characters. But he isn’t a feminist superkid just yet. I can see the culture taking his toll, his occasional grimness when offered a book about a girl, especially if she’s not an animal. He will opt for the space robot action figure over the big-eyed kitty every time at McDonald’s, and the fact that eyes are on him and one is described by the cashier as a ‘boy toy’ certainly influences him. And he’s not even in school yet, where other boys will surely coach him on despising girls and things for girls.

The gender splitting I’ve complained about in books is extreme in toys and television, so appalling I really can’t believe how passively parents accept it. Why must any mixed-gender franchise be 5/6 boys? Why did all the superheroes from my childhood go on steroids? Why do all of the Lego girls come in slimmed down from the classic, sturdy, Lego minifig body? For that matter, why do you have to paint a six pack on the male figures, on top of their uniforms? I don’t mind that the girls in that fairy tale show talk about dating and dresses, but why can’t boy characters ever show a little vulnerability, be a little smitten, be a little concerned about how others perceive them?

There’s lots more I want to say here, so I’ll have to come back to it. Suffice to say that kids are sufficiently assaulted with gender role expectations before they reach Kindergarten, and it’s maddening. Books are the least of the problem. The bigger part of the problem is everything else: clothes, toys, movies, TV, even breakfast cereal boxes.

Incidentally, Byron did not want to be photographed with Skye, and seen playing with a girl toy, but his mother told him that it’s important for the world to see that boys can play with girl toys. That’s what convinced him. Good work, B.

Filed under: Miscellaneous Tagged: boy toys, girl toys, lego, paw patrol, skye

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Happy Mortal Kombat Week everyone! No, it’s not 1993 but a brand new Mortal Kombat game is out this week and the early reviews are predominantly positive. We’ll have some totally irreverent impressions of the game this weekend. This week; Lego’s giving us their version of a crisis, Marvel’s updated several of their games, and last week’s Convergence #1 may have dropped some hints at the future of the Injustice universe.

 

 

Colorful toys used in video game platforms is a trend on the rise, what started with the success of Skylanders was quickly followed by both Disney and Nintendo. Now, Lego is set to jump into the fray. The company is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Traveller’s Tales, the publisher and studio responsible for most of the existing Lego games, to create a new series called Lego Dimensions.

A $99.99 “Starter Pack” will launch on September 27th in the US (September 29th in the UK) for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and Wii U. Much like Disney’s Infinity, Lego’s starter pack will include a copy of the game, a Lego “Toy Pad” and three special minifigures: Gandalf, Batman and Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie. So far the universes tapped for this game include Back to the Future, Lord of The Rings, Ninjago, and DC Comics. Future expansions are planned for this year and level expansions will come in 2016.

Because of its connection to so many loved franchises, Lego is a perfect company to jump into this latest gaming trend. Could this also be a place for DC and Marvel to crossover?

 

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Last week’s Convergence #1 from DC Comics continued the momentum of its Battle Royal themed event where almost every part of the publisher’s multiverse is pitted against one another in a fight for their very survival. The issue  also had a few tidbits about the Injustice universe created by Netherrealm (Mortal Kombat).

In the issue, dictator Superman’s powers were restored right before their Gotham is plucked into dome world as Batman and the rest of the remaining heroes from the battle fled right before destruction.  It’s obvious the Injustice universe is going to be a big part of this war, right? Would DC really just use it as canon fodder even though fans seem to really love it? It begs the question, where could future sequels of the game go? Could Batman and Superman ever reconcile to face a threat greater than themselves?

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With the release of Daredevil on Netflix, Marvel’s game division didn’t waste time on adding to the wave of popularity surrounding ol horn head. The MMO Marvel Heroes 2015 released a classic costume based on Frank Miller and John Romita Jr’s classic The Man Without Fear. Fans of the Netflix show will also recognize his signature black mask covering the top of his head. All of the character’s regular skill trees and attributes remain. This new look is purely cosmetic, but definitely a cool throw back to Miller’s work.

Players can log in right now and pick up the new character skin.

The Infinity series continues over in the Marvel Mighty Heroes mobile game. This week players will defend the planet in the new chapter titled “Target : Earth” during an interview with developer DeNA‘s Bert-Jan De Weerd talked to Marvel about what players can expect:

After the battle in space the heroes back on Earth have to face of the unleashed hordes of the Mad Titan, Thanos! Black Panther has to defend his city of Wakanda, while Starbrand joins the fight using the powers bestowed upon him by the Builders against them. After suffering defeat at the hands of the Avengers last week, Ex Nihilo realizes he was fighting them for the wrong reasons. He joins the Avengers and as a new Avenger, Ex Nihilo joins the fight against his kin and against Thanos.

Marvel Mighty Heroes is available now for iOS and Android, plus it’s free to download.

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A new audio portion of Halo 5’s “Hunt The Truth” campaign recently dropped on its Tumblr page.

It’s titled “Critical Condition,” and centers around the mystery of John 117 (Master Chief) and his home planet. The log explores a different side of the character through the testimony of retired military veterans. There’s been no word on if we’ll see more of the live action Nightfall series, but Microsoft is firmly committed to Halo 5: Guardians, October 27th release date.

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Gaming/Comics Releasing 4-15-15:

Mega Man #48 (Archie Comics) $3.99

The epic conclusion to this Mega Man 3 game adaptation storyline, featuring new cover art from fan-favorite Brent McCarthy and a special Capcom art variant!

Art of the Uncharted Trilogy HC (Dark Horse Comics) $39.99

A detailed look at the art of one of the most exciting game series of this generation, with insightful commentary from the games’ creators!

Halo: Escalation TP Vol 2 (Dark Horse Comics) $19.99

The fall of New Phoenix, Master Chief’s return to action, and a dark plot by the Office of Naval Intelligence-all in this volume collecting Halo: Escalation issues #7-#12

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Two TP Vol 1 (DC Comics) $14.99

As Superman’s iron grip on the world tightens, at the edge of the galaxy another grave threat approaches. Collects INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US YEAR TWO #1-6.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Two HC Vol 2 (DC Comics) $22.99

The Corps has a fight on their hands that will surely shake them to the core. Collects issues #7-12 and ANNUAL #1 of the hit series!

 

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!

Do you think these Amibos and Infinity figures are this generation’s plastic guitars and drums? What do you think would make an awesome follow up to INJUSTICE? What are you going to do to avoid Age of Ultron spoilers?

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Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has teamed up with LEGO for a new series of graphic novels aimed at young readers and writers.

The two companies signed a multi-book, multi-year agreement to produce numerous LEGO-themed books aimed at readers ages 6 – 11. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will launch a LEGO line with graphic novels based on three different bestselling LEGO properties: LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends and LEGO BIONICLE. Rex Ogle, Senior Editor at Little, Brown, will edit the books.

The first titles will come out in time for the holidays this year and will cost $7.99.

 

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Well, I had hoped to wait until May before updating my movie calendar, but then Bob Iger had to go and hold an annual shareholder’s meeting for Disney.

…which means that all sorts of stuff got announced, so here’s the latest.

NOTE:  My colleagues have noted the confusion over Warner Brothers’ superhero schedule.

To be clear: past Suicide Squad, WB/DC Entertainment has not matched announced movies with opening dates.

So, you will see a listing like:

Unknown 2018

Flash

and

3/23/2018

Untitled DC

That does not mean that there are two movies scheduled, only that DCE is planning movies, and has claimed dates.  Other news sites have linked titles to dates.  This has not been officially announced or confirmed by Warner Brothers, and until I see official confirmation, will continue to list the names and dates separately.  When do I expect to see that confirmation?  Either at a shareholder’s meeting, or sometime in July or August, just like last year.  Like last year, I expect Marvel, via D23, to make a bigger splash than DC, although DC could try to win Comic-Con this year, given Marvel Studio’s suspected absence.

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Updates in BOLD.

5/1/2015	The Avengers: Age of Ultron	Marvel
6/19/2015	Inside Out	Pixar
7/10/2015	Mininons	Universal
7/17/2015	Ant-Man	Marvel
7/24/2015	Pixels	Sony/Columbia
8/7/2015	The Fantastic Four	Fox
8/14/2015	Underdogs (Metegol)	Weinstein
10/23/2015	Jem and the Holograms	Universal
11/6/2015	The Peanuts Movie	Fox
11/25/2015	The Good Dinosaur	Pixar
12/18/2015	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Disney
Unknown 2015	Popeye	Sony
	—
Unknown 2016	Untitled Lego Movie	Warners
2/12/2016	Deadpool	Fox
3/4/2016	Zootopia	Disney
3/25/2016	Batman v Superman	DCE
5/6/2016	Captain America: Civil War	Marvel
5/27/2016	X-Men: Apocalypse	Fox
6/3/2016	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2	Paramount
6/17/2016	Finding Dory	Pixar
7/8/2016	??? (Was Doctor Strange)	Marvel
7/8/2016	Star Trek 3	Paramount
7/22/2016	Power Rangers	Lionsgate
8/5/2016	Suicide Squad	DCE
8/5/2016	Untitled Smurfs Movie	Sony
8/19/2016	Kubo and the Two Strings	Focus/Laika
9/23/2016	Ninjago	Warners
10/7/2016	Gambit	Fox
10/7/2016	Monster High	Universal
11/4/2016	Doctor Strange	Marvel
11/18/2016	HP: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Warners
11/23/2016	Moana	Disney
12/16/2016	Star Wars: Rogue One	Disney
	—
Unknown 2017	Wonder Woman	DCE
Unknown 2017	Justice League, Part One	DCE
Unknown 2017	Lego Batman	Warners
2/10/2017	Untitled Warner Animation Group Project	Warners
3/3/2017	Untitled Wolverine	Fox
3/10/2017	Captain Underpants	Dreamworks
4/14/2017	Ghost in the Shell	Disney
5/5/2017	Guardians of the Galaxy 2	Marvel
5/26/2017	Untitled LEGO Movie	Warners
5/26/2017	Star Wars: Episode VIII	Disney
6/2/2017	The Fantastic Four 2	Fox
6/16/2017	Toy Story 4	Pixar
6/23/2017	Untitled DC	DCE
7/7/2017	Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales	Disney
7/28/2017	Unititled Spider-Man	Sony/Marvel
11/3/2017	Thor: Ragnarok	Marvel
11/17/2017	Untitled DC	DCE
11/22/2017	Untitled Pixar Animation	Pixar
	—
Unknown 2018	Flash	DCE
Unknown 2018	Aquaman	DCE
Unknown 2018	Lego Movie 2	Warners
Unknown 2018	HP: Fantastic Beasts	Warners
2/9/2018	Untitled Warner Animation Group Project	Warners
3/9/2018	Untitled Disney Animation	Disney
3/23/2018	Untitled DC	DCE
5/4/2018	Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1	Marvel
5/25/2018	Untitled Warner Animated Film	Warners
6/15/2018	Untitled Pixar Animation	Pixar
7/6/2018	Black Panther	Marvel
7/13/2018	Untitled Fox / Marvel	Fox / Marvel
7/27/2018	Untitled DC	DCE
11/2/2018	Captain Marvel	Marvel
11/16/2018	Untitled WB Event Film	Warners
11/21/2018	Untitled Disney Animation	Disney
	—
Unknown 2019	Shazam	DCE
Unknown 2019	Justice League Part Two	DCE
4/5/2019	Untitled DC	DCE
5/3/2019	Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2	Marvel
5/24/2019	Untitled Warner Animated Film	Warners
6/14/2019	Untitled DC	DCE
7/12/2019	Inhumans	Marvel
	—
Unknown 2020	Cyborg	DCE
Unknown 2020	Green Lantern	DCE
Unknown 2020	HP: Fantastic Beasts	Warners
4/3/2020	Untitled DC	DCE
6/19/2020	Untitled DC	DCE
11/20/2020	Untitled WB Event Film	Warners
	—
UNKNOWN	Untitled Frozen sequel	Disney
UNKNOWN	Sinister Six	Sony

 

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Announced today via press release, Rob Schrab will be making his feature film directorial debut on the much-anticipated sequel to last year’s smash hit The Lego Movie.

The new film will be written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who are stepping out of their directing duties for The Lego Movie Sequel, but they will be staying on as producers along with Roy Lee and Dan Lin.

Lord and Miller released a joint-statement on Schrab signing aboard:

We are so excited to collaborate with Rob. He is a comedy genius, a visual savant, and we have been stalking him for years. No one works harder than Rob, and his aesthetic, combined with his sense of humor, bring a strong, unique, thoughtful, and passionately nerdy voice to this project. People who know him are slapping their foreheads today and saying, ‘Of course!’

The sequel is one of three feature films that will be spinning out of The Lego Movie along with Ninjago, which hits September 23, 2016 and and an untitled Lego Batman film due out in May 2017. Animation Supervisor for The Lego Movie, Chris McKay, was originally supposed to helm The Lego Movie Sequel, but he instead will be directing the Lego Batman feature.

No date for The Lego Movie Sequel has been announced.

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…I think this Barnes & Noble has the right idea:

Attack! Boss! Cheat Code! + LEGO + Minecraft? Sure — I’m OK with that.

Oh, and + Frozen? That looks pretty good, too.

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By David Nieves

Even though Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, ten years ago, you’d be remiss to find comic conventions, toy shows, or most other forms of pop culture gatherings. The monthly mini show at the Shrine Expo was at times more a flea market than a convention and Frank and Son’s collectibles is always basically a swap meet. Today, there’s an overabundance of conventions and expos in L.A. for every facet of fandom. Seems like very weekend, fans of the popular arts have a place to gather somewhere in Southern California and that’s far from a bad thing.

This weekend in Pasadena CA; artists, toy makers, and vinyl sculptors of all kinds gathered at the convention center for DesignerCon or Dcon as it’s commonly known. If you’re an art connoisseur or a collector of unique toys this show is for you. Dcon smashes together collectible toys and designer goods with urban, underground and pop art. The show is over 70,000 square feet and features over 300 vendors, art & custom live demonstrations, and much more. Attendees can get prints by quirky artist Michelliezoid, the barbwire covered bat from Skybound Ent, or something from Prints On Wood by Tara McPherson and Greg “Craola” Simkins.

Dcon also host a limited number of informative and fan panels covering topics such as crowdfunding, character design, and building a style all your own.

However the real star of the show is the floor. Traversing the straightforward rows of aisles is simplicity. A person could walk the entire floor to get the lay of the land and easily find the booths they want to get back to. One of the most interesting parts of Dcon is that no two booths are even remotely alike. First you see the adorable art of Unicorn Crafts and then turn around to look at the zealously detailed horror dioramas of Jackorama. One of our favorite exhibits was the Lego recreations of some iconic comic book covers by ComicBricks. The Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle cover was exquisite right down to its tiny bottle of hooch.

The show has a very niche appeal. If you’re looking for comics, or figures from Mattel you won’t find them here. But if you enjoy innovatively designed toys like Giant Robot or gallery quality art by masters like Jeff Soto then this show is well worth the low low price of $7 for entrance.

Dcon continues Sunday from 10am-5pm at the Pasadena Convention Center. Find out more info at DesignerCon.com. Check out a few pics from the show below.

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From the Toy Box, Ltd Gallery 

I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be participating in Ltd Art Gallery Seattle’s show “From the Toy Box”. It’s my first piece in a gallery and I was lucky enough for Ltd to choose my illustration for the poster representing some really, really, REALLY awesome talent! I’m so honoured to be in this show amongst these fantastic artists. You can see the event here:http://www.facebook.com/events/769836919741028 and if you’re in Seattle and happen to go, I’d love to hear about it!

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I first learned about Block Parties at ALA Annual 2013. The idea was to have kids come the library for a block building party. I knew I had to try this at my library, so I started our Block Parties during this year’s Summer Reading Program. They have become a huge hit and I am continuing the program after we had such a great success.

The Block Parties are easy to set up and run. The library has a large set of Legos already, but to add to the block collection, we purchased a set of wooden blocks and several sets of Duplos. I also have a large collection of styrofoam packing blocks from our computer packing (make friends with your IT staff!) that I use for block building. I also included other wooden blocks we had in our storyhour collection, shape sorters, foam blocks and any other block toys I had in our toy collection.

I put out all the blocks around the room and opened the doors for the kids to come build. Before we started, I read a book about building and talked about the types of things the kids could make with blocks. And then they were set free to build and use their imaginations to create whatever their hearts desired. I also put out a display of books on building and construction to give them ideas and hopefully keep the conversation about building and creating continuing at home.

The block parties run for an hour, but the kids would stay and build all afternoon if I let them! I’ve had success hosting them on Saturday mornings at 11am as well as Friday afternoons at 2pm. I roam the room talking to the kids about what they are creating and they are excited to show off their creations.

Our block parties are a fun, simple program that encourages creativity, imagination, and are a great way to get started in STEM programming. And with the partnership with LEGO DUPLO and ALSC with Read! Play! Build! this is the perfect time to start a block party of your own!

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I bought one of these on eBay a few weeks ago:

I paid a premium, quite a bit higher than retail. The set, rather small and originally retailing for just $19.95, has made quite a few Lego resellers fat stacks of profit as they scooped them by the cart load and flipped on eBay, Amazon, and other you-sell-it sites. I'll admit I do a little Lego "investing," too, but not on the scale as major resellers. I've held onto a few Star Wars sets and made a few bucks. Kim can tell you about the Monster Fighters Haunted House on a shelf out in the garage. (Or maybe she can't... it's packed neatly in an inconspicuous brown box.)

One of the big rules of Lego investing is one should enter at a low price. It's frighteningly like the stock market, at at web sites like Brickpicker.com, it's treated as such. Buy low and sell high. Hold for the long term or occasionally find one of those glorious penny stocks which appreciates rapidly and can be sold short term for huge profits. The cheapest Research Institute available on eBay US as of this writing will cost you $70.04 including shipping. Yes, more than triple the MSRP.

So why break such a cardinal rule to get my hands on this set? Do I see the price rising even higher?

Sure, maybe. But this one isn't for sale. I wanted to grab a RI for my granddaughter. (This is where the audience gasps, thinking something like, "Isn't your oldest kid like a freshmen in high school?")

Look, this isn't a family blog, per se, but no one here is pregnant.

I'm looking down the road here. Waaaaay down the road.  Lego's Research Institute made a huge splash largely because... look closely at the box... it features three female scientists. It garnered a lot of media attention last month, including this article from the New York Times, this op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, and an online petition to resurrect the set after its too-short life.

So I mentioned I'm looking down the road. Waaaaay down the road, but the RI isn't about "investing" in the traditional sense. I want to gift this to my future granddaughter because her world (hopefully) will be different than the one in which we live. I want to give it to her and let her know how happy I am she is able to do whatever she wants. I want her to know how happy I am she lives in a world in which a toy set featuring female scientists is no longer a big deal because everyone knows women can kick ass at anything they do.

That's the best investment I can imagine and a world in which I want everyone to live.

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Whenever I play lego with Elijah, I sometimes feel that I have more fun than him, but that might be just my perception.  Mecha Suit built with lego.

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Posted by Amy

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By Ian Anstice

English public librarians don’t get out much. Sure, we’re often dealing with the public every open hour or talking with our teams but, well, we normally just don’t meet librarians from neighbouring authorities, let alone from around the country. Most branch staff stay in their own building and may never talk to anyone from another authority other than on the phone arranging for a book for a customer. So, it was a delight for me to be invited by Oxford University Press (OUP) to an afternoon to meet with nineteen other library professionals, ranging from part-time library staff to at least one head of service. It was also wonderful that the session was in the publishers’ beautiful headquarters in the famous historic town of Oxford, which has to be one of my favourite places in world and, not coincidentally, one of the most book-friendly too.

So why the nice day out? Well, the meeting was the first one for public librarians in the UK of the OUP Library Advisory Council. The clever purpose of this impressive sounding group is to get together library staff who use and promote online resources so that we can share ideas and learn more about how the publisher can help libraries and their users. I am delighted to say that from the start – and to the great credit of our hosts – it was clear that this was not just going to be a thinly veiled sales day but rather a real chance for us all to hear about what best practice was going on and how we could adapt it for our own purposes.

The importance of online services to public libraries was clear in every presentation and in every conversation. People are more and more using their computer as their source of knowledge for factual information and for what is going on locally and libraries, used for so long to fulfilling that function, need to get with the programme. Further to this, social media is being used by many as a primary way of getting answers. People get their news about what is going on from Facebook and Twitter and will often ask questions online that are then answered by their friends or followers. I recently came across an example of this myself when I tweeted asking for anyone’s experience of using lego in libraries: I got ten replies including from practitioners who have won awards for their work in the United States and Australia. The challenge for public librarians is therefore about how to meet this challenge and how best to serve the public in a world where answers are obtainable without even opening up a new window on the computer. It’s also important for us to provide a professionally-resourced, factually-based, and entirely neutral service to counteract what can often be the biased (and sometimes inaccurate) views expressed by others in social media.

How librarians are meeting this challenge is truly inspiring. One city mayor realised early on that libraries are instrumental in improving literacy and sense of community and invested in a special website where e-books, online services, reviews and events all came together. Another library service goes out to schools to let them know about how useful their website (including a fair number of OUP resources) can be for their students, with the visits being such a success that they’re being invited back to deliver classes. Yet another city’s library twitter account is now really embedded in the local community, sharing information on local events, linking to old photographs of the town and chatting to users who need never leave their mobile phone to access their library. It’s even be used as some sort of instant messaging service with the library being tweeted about the wifi having just stopped working elsewhere in the building.

Lots of great ideas then, which got me thinking (perhaps counterintuitively) during the day about how important surrounding and buildings still are in this digital age. The OUP offices in Great Clarendon Street are beautiful and spacious, mixing the old and the new with some skill. In this environment, all of us felt comfortable and happy to talk about our and each other’s experiences. The building had all of the facilities — space, light, refreshments, wifi — that we needed. The same can also of course be equally said of a good public library for our users. Such a library provides the space for people to meet, read, and study with no need to worry about anything else that is going on and with no need to pay. Even for the digital elite, such meeting spaces are not without importance and for those with no online presence, with little money, or even just for those who downright love the printed word the public library building can be absolutely essential. The online resources are an extension of this, promote it and enhance it, but do not totally replace it. This is why the OUP has a headquarters and why there will always be public library buildings.

My thanks therefore to OUP for putting on such a good day, and to all of my highly skilled and motivated colleagues who made the day so useful. I travelled back on the train thinking about how to share what I had learned with my colleagues and how to use the examples and resources to improve the service that I provided. In such ways, the library gets more value for the money it pays for online resources but also, more to the point, the public gets served better and the library continues to be so well-used by everyone, including by those who use Facebook and Twitter.

Ian Anstice is a full-time public librarian working in the North West of England. He also finds the time to run the Public Libraries News website which provides a free summary of international and national coverage of the sector.

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The post Discovering digital libraries appeared first on OUPblog.

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by Arree Chung

published June 2014 by Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan.

Friends, I’m so excited to have Arree Chung in this corner of the internet today. I met Arree last summer at SCBWI in Los Angeles, and am humbled every time I think about how we share an agent and a friendship. He’s an expert storyteller with a bright, animated style and a fresh perspective. Ninja! is his debut picture book, and it will be far from his last.

First, you should watch this short film. And here’s my confession. Arree sent this to me a number of weeks ago with the caveat that it was unreleased and not to share. Except: it was too awesome not to. So I showed it to my students, because single-digit-aged kids are pretty good at secrets and don’t have Twitter accounts anyway.

They loved it. And I mean L O V E D  I T. Each class, without fail, asked to watch it many, many times in a row. So we did.

Meet Maxwell, and then meet Arree.

What has been the most surprising thing about this whole debut picture book thing?

The most surprising thing about the publishing process is how long it takes to actually bring a book to market (1.5 – 2 years).  My background is in games, where companies can publish with the click of a button and make updates via the internet.  The process gives me appreciation for the care that goes into the publishing process.  It also helps to have a great team of people to work with.  Everyone from your agent, publisher, editor and art director in making the book and then there’s publicity, marketing and sales folks that help in getting the book out.An early cover design.revision notes.

I’m fortunate to have a supportive publisher in Macmillan.  They have a great team of experts.  Each one helps you with a specific aspect of the publishing process.  I’ve learned so much.  I’m so grateful I’ve been in good hands.  I’ve worked hard to hold up my end of the deal and make something special.  With Ninja it was easy, because I loved it so much.

Who are your creative and/or literary heroes?

Oh, so many!

Authors:
Roald Dahl
E.B. White
Jack Gantos
Judy Blume
Jeff Kinney

Illustrators:
Russell Patterson
Chris Ware
Yuko Shimitzo

Author/Illustrators:
Shel Silverstien
Wolf Erlbruch
William Steig
Mo Willems
Peter Brown
Leo Lionni
Maurice Sendak
Ian Falconer
Jon Klassen
David Shannon
Bill Peet
Calef Brown

Comics:
Jim Lee
Scott McFarlane
Jeffrey Brown
Bill Watterson
Jim Davis
Charles Schulz

Animation/Film:
Brad Bird
John Lassetter
Guillermo Del Toro
Chris Sanders
Danny Boyle
Tim Burton
Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit)
Steven Spielberg
Hayao Miyazaki

Can you talk about the similarities and differences in animation and the picture book form?

I love both mediums for different reasons.  Both mediums can transport the reader into new worlds.  I love it when a book or movie captures my imagination and I am completely immersed in a world that has been built.  The world is invented but it feels familiar and the story resonates with honesty.  I hate it when a story is force feeding me a message and it feels like an infomercial or when a story rambles without a focus.  Storytelling is magical when it has both the imagination and heart and speaks to you directly and honestly.  A great story is so exhilarating.  There’s nothing in the world that feels like it.  I love both animation and picture books because they have the ability to create magic.

How they are different?  Well, I think the main difference is that film tends to be a passive experience.  The viewer is in a dream like state that watches the story unfold.  It’s like being suspended in a time capsule and you watch everything that happens.  You take the story in a more subliminal kind of way.Books on the other hand I think are active experiences.  You as the reader actively interact with the words and pictures.  It’s like your brain is the film projector and is working to play the story.  Because of this, I think books are much more intimate experiences.  You go at your own pace.  You stop, question and wonder.  Sometimes you’re so engaged, you speed all the way through and sometimes you like to read slowly just because.  Readers engage books with their imaginations and a lot of the story is told in-between the words, the page turns and the illustrations whereas films are full experiences that use all the arts of composition, acting, music and visuals to put you in a state of suspension.

Both are magical and I love doing both so much.

Can you give us any behind-the-scenes information on how you created the short film? Did you get to know Maxwell differently in that format?

Yeah!  It was so thrilling to bring Maxwell to life.  I had a pretty good idea of who he is as a character after creating the book but actually seeing him move and casting Taylor Wong as Maxwell brought another whole dimension.

As for production, here’s a quick behind the scenes look of what it took to make the short film.  I plan on doing a much more in-depth look in a separate blog post.

We used 4 software tools: Photoshop, Flash, After Effects and Final Cut Pro.  The process was a highly collaborative effort between folks at MacMillan, myself and David Shovlin, the animator.  It was a ton of work to do but a ton of fun as well.

In all, it took about 5 weeks of work.  David and I worked really hard on it and I’m really proud of what we created in a relatively short period of time.Where did Ninja! come from?

It’s been my dream to make my own picture books for a long time.  The first conception of Ninja came when I was in art school.  I jotted down “A boy goes creeping around the house dressed as a Ninja and causes trouble.”  That was probably in 2007 or so.

        Early Ninja! thumbnails and character sketches.

In 2012, I decided to do the Illustrator Intensive at the SCBWI Summer Conference.  We were given an assignment to submit a story along with a manuscript, thumbnails, character sketches, and a finished illustration.  Up to that point, I had been writing stories for years but was stuck on many of them.  For the workshop we had to write down answers to the following questions:

WHO
WHAT is the dilemma?
WHERE does it take place?
HOW is the problem solved?

This really helped me a lot.  Previous to this, many of my stories didn’t have focus and wandered a lot.  Ninja was a big break through for me as a storyteller and I had lots of people who helped guide me through it.   I’m so thankful for Rubin, my agent, and Kate, my editor.  The more I worked on it, the more the world and character took shape and gained depth.  It was so much fun to make.

Do you remember any art you made as a kid? What was it?!

Yeah, I made a lot of ninja stars and origami.  I was also obsessed with Legos.  I loved to build cruiser space ships and large fortresses armed to the teeth.  Whenever my uncle bought us Legos, we would make the thing we were supposed to make and then tear it apart and then make what we wanted to make.  Making your own thing was much more fun.

I was a huge comic book reader and collector as well.  I bought all of the X-men, Spiderman, Spider-ham, Batman and Spawn comics.  I still buy comics.

I also really love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I used to record all of the episodes.  In fact, I used to press pause on the VCR and trace drawings of the Ninja Turtles by overlaying paper onto the TV.  At school, everyone thought I was the best drawer, but I never told anyone my technique til now!  Eventually I copied so many drawings I could draw it out of memory.  I tried to do the same technique with Transformers but that wasn’t nearly as successful because I didn’t understand perspective as at 12 year old.

And now what’s next for you?I’ve got a lot of things I’m working on.  I have lots of Ninja stories to tell with Maxwell. (I’m so excited about all of them!)  One of them involves an old Chinese folktale involving ghosts!

I’m also illustrating two Potty Training books for kids that are hilarious.illustrations from How to Pee

I have lots of picture book stories I’m developing and I’m also writing a middle grade novel titled Ming Lee, All American.  Ming Lee chronicles my experiences growing up as an ABC (American Born Chinese).  It’s deeply personal and is funny in that Louis CK, embarrassing but honest kind of way.  I would describe it as Judy Blume meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Of course, it is its own thing that I am figuring out.  I have a sense of what I want it to be but you never know what it will be until you get there.

A huge thanks to Arree for this peek into the mind of a master craftsman. Be sure to get your hands on Ninja! this week!

Tagged: arree chung, character sketch, design, illustration, lego, ninja!, picture book, rubin pfeffer, scbwi, teenage mutant ninja turtles, thumbnails, typography

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Star Wars books were a hot commodity this month on The Children’s Book Review—even more than usual. LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary was our best selling middle grade book this month. Returning to our hand selected titles from the nationwide best selling middle grade books, as listed by The New York Times, is Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind.

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