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Comcast would reportedly pay over $3 billion for the animation studio.

The post Breaking: Comcast in Talks To Buy Dreamworks Animation appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

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Can Illumination replicate the success it has enjoyed with the Despicable Me franchise?

The post Universal Releases Expanded Look at ‘Secret life of Pets’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

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Buoyed by the success of Minions, Universal is launched a new kids division.

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Today, Universal released a new trailer for the film adaptation of Jem and the Holograms showcasing the song “Youngblood,” which debuted in the movie’s initial trailer. I was but an egg when Jem and the Holograms first aired in the 80s.  I have minimal point of reference for the series beyond the IDW comic and that Taric reference in League […]

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The 'Minions' is a hit with audiences and a miss with critics. Who got it right?

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Illumination has optioned Mofac Alfred's online hit 'Johnny Express' and made a first-look pact with the studio.

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Illumination/Universal's push to make its Minions a household name is reaching into some kooky corners.

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Not one, but two animated features are currently raking in big box office bucks.

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"The Secret Life of Pets" makes no bones about its aim to launch an arsenal of non-stop animal gags.

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The story of Vanth Dreadstar, and his struggle to end the intergalactic war between The Church of Instrumentality and the Monarchy, is coming to television; with Jim Starlin teaming with Universal Cable Productions and Benderspink to do it, per THR.

Dreadstar was a 64 issue series created by Starlin for Marvel’s Epic imprint, its initial trailblazing creator-owned line that published Dreadstar as its very first title. After 26 issues, the title was moved over to First Comics, the home of Howard Chaykin‘s American Flagg!. Starlin left the book with Issue #41, with Peter David and Angel Medina taking over creative duties through its then final installment. A 6 issue mini-series was published by Malibu Comics’ Bravura imprint in the 90’s.

At one point, Starlin’s creation was headed to the big screen with Illuminati Entertainment teaming up with Benderspink. But, in light of the latter’s collaboration with UCP in adapting Frank Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham‘s Five Ghosts for Syfy, the dramatic long-form potential of a weekly series probably proves a better bet.

Here’s Starlin on the big announcement:

I consider Dreadstar to be an extension of my family, so it took me a while to feel comfortable letting anyone else take care of this project. It has taken some time, but I know I’ve put my trust in the right team and I’m excited to collaborate with Universal Cable Productions and Benderspink to bring Dreadstar‘s unique brand of chaos to television.

Starlin is penning the initial script and will executive produce the series along with Ford Gilmore (Catacombs). Starlin and Gilmore were represented by attorney Harris Miller.

No network is currently attached to the project.

This is incredibly exciting news, and it’s fantastic to see one of comics most influential creators getting the Hollywood love he’s long deserved. Between this and the lead-up to Avengers: Infinity War, I can’t wait for the tidal wave of Starlin material and press focus that’s sure to come.

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Seth MacFarlane has been accused of ripping off the foul-mouthed-teddy-bear concept for his 2012 film "Ted" from a California company called Bengal Mangle Productions.

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Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures have moved the release date of the Minions spin-off movie from December 19, 2014 to July 10, 2015. The decision was made to ensure a better film. Just kidding. Variety reports that they’re moving the date to “enable Universal to fully exploit the film as a summer tentpole that lends itself to a vast consumer products program, games and theme park promotions.” In other words, they need more time to make fart guns.

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by Deren Hansen

In a discussion about narrative conflict, someone suggested that there are only three kinds of conflict: inner, personal, and universal, where personal is conflict between persons and universal is conflict with forces larger than your social circle.

As I played with the idea, I hit upon the exercise of characterizing the kinds of stories you get when the protagonist and antagonist come into conflict in terms of the nine combinations of the inner, personal, and universal dimensions.

In the following table, read from the protagonist's row to the antagonist's column. For example, if the protagonist's concerns are primarily internal and the antagonists are personal, you have a coming-of-age story or a story about establishing one's place and identity.

		Antagonist
		Inner	Personal	Universal
P r o t a g o n i s t	Inner	Psychological	Coming-of-age; Establishing one's place and identity	The socio-path or super man
	Personal	Intervention and healing	Romance, mystery, thriller, speculative fiction, etc. (i.e., Most kinds of narrative conflict)	Rebels and underdogs
	Universal	Fatalist and extremists	Order vs. chaos (anti-rebellion)	Epic and political struggles

What I found most interesting about this exercise is that the primary locus of conflict in most stories falls in the center square (personal vs. personal). Many other stories fall on the diagonal (inner vs. inner or universal vs. universal). Asymmetric stories (e.g., personal vs. universal), are rarer.

I suspect this is because as social animals inter-personal conflict is the easiest to understand. Even if your story depends on another kind of conflict, your narrative will generally be most effective if you can put a face on the enemy for your readers. Your band of freedom fighters may be up against an empire, but your readers will identify with the dark lord who makes finding them his personal quest than with the legions of faceless soldiers he deploys. Similarly, readers will find a psychological struggle more accessible if there are other actors who symbolize the inner conflict.

It's also interesting to consider where different genres cluster in the matrix. For example, romance and mystery generally land in the upper left quadrant while speculative fiction and thrillers land in the lower right (with all, of course, overlapping in the middle).

Stories, clearly, aren't limited to one kind of conflict, so this analysis is only useful when we're considering the primary mode of conflict. Still, the moral of this story is that conflict is best when it's personal.

Deren Hansen is the author of the Dunlith Hill Writers Guides. Learn more at dunlithhill.com.

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15. Ypulse Essentials: Viral Tampax Ad Gets Edgy, Brian Graden Exits MTV, Teen Choice Award Nominees

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By: Anastasia Goodstein, on 6/16/2009
Blog: Ypulse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Francesca Lia Block, Virgin, Ypulse Essentials, Vans, surveyu, campus media group, Brian Graden, Calvin Klein, girl rock camps, procter & gamble, Tampax, tobacco regulations, unithrive, universal, Add a tag

Calvin Klein shocks again (with a recent billboard ad featuring teens engaging in a  group makeout session. Plus, a surprisingly edgy viral ad from Tampax) (AP) (Ad Age, reg. required) - Unithrive (an online network for Harvard alumni to sponsor... Read the rest of this post

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