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The following contains spoilers for Rumours, now playing in theatersRumours' ending is a surprisingly silly but deeply satirical conclusion that underscores the message of the film. Directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, the film focuses on the G7 summit which brings together the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Rumours' characters quickly dispel any notion that this gather will be productive, however, with the movie embracing an almost dreamlike visual style and goofy approach.

The fact that the world leaders are soon running through an abandoned forest in search of help, surviving off pocket meat and taking turns pushing the President of France in a wheelbarrow, gives the film an overtly goofy element. However, just beneath the jokes are some surprising critiques about romance, aging, and the failures of those in power in the face of a potential end of the world.

Train to the End of the World (known as Shumatsu Train Doko e Iku? in Japan), an upcoming original TV anime, has revealed a new trailer, two new cast members, and the ending theme song performer. The series will broadcast in Japan beginning on April 1, 2024, and it will also stream on Crunchyroll as part of the spring 2024 anime simulcast lineup. The new cast members include: Yoka Nakatomi voiced by Nao Toyama (Celestine in I Shall Survive Using Potions! ) Yoka Nakatomi character visual Zenjiro voiced by Kazuyuki Okitsu (Eden Vallock in Metallic Rouge ) Zenjiro character visual Rokudenashi performs the ending theme for the series, which is entitled “Eureka”. Tsutomu Mizushima directs Train to the End of the World at animation studio Emt Squared. The series also features series composition by Michiko Yokote ( Heaven's Design Team ), original character designs by namo, character designs and chief animation direction by Asako Nishida, and music by Miho Tsujibayashi.

Illumination Entertainment is an animation studio that sort of came out of nowhere. Led by founder and producer Chris Meledandri, the studio jumped at the scene with "Despicable Me," which remains a rather fun family movie with a cool concept (created by "Klaus" director Sergio Pablos). It also gave the world the phenomenon that is the Minions — whether that's good or bad is up to the reader to decide.

In just 17 years, the studio has found a formula that it's honed to produce some of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time, with quite the high batting average thanks to their focus on hit songs and broad humor. After the enormous success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," Illumination took a hard left turn and gave us a movie that's unlike any it had done before — "Migration."

Featuring a script by "The White Lotus" creator Mike White and directed by...

“Nimona,” Netflix’s sci-fi fantasy about a disgraced knight and a shape-shifting teenager, led the features category of the 51st Annie Awards nominations with nine, including best feature, director, character animation, character design, production design, storyboarding, voice acting, writing and editorial.

In the feature race, “Nimona,” produced by Annapurna Animation for Netflix, will go up against critical darling “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” from Sony Pictures Animation, Japanese fantasy-adventure “Suzume” from CoMix Wave Films and Story and distributed by Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures, Paramount and Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and newly minted Golden Globe winner “The Boy and the Heron,” the first feature from auteur Hayao Miyazaki in a decade, out of Studio Ghibli and distributed by Gkids.

“Blue Eye Samurai,” also a Netflix project, topped the field in the TV/media categories, picking up seven noms. It was followed closely by Disney TV Animation’s “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur...

Migration is a new direction for Illumination, focusing more on character-driven comedy and emotional storytelling. The film features an ensemble cast including Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key. The story follows a family of mallards who mistakenly migrate to New York City and must find a way to reach the Caribbean.

Migration, the latest film from Illumination, the studio behind Despicable Me and The Super Mario Bros Movie, follows an unlikely flock of birds on a pilgrimage from New England to Jamaica. Along the way, the group, led by mallard ducks played by Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks, encounter a variety of characters, including a pigeon played by Awkwafina and a parrot with the voice of Keegan-Michael Key

Written by Mike White and directed by Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine), Migration feels like the start of a new direction for Illumination, with less reliance on pop culture gags and...

Illumination's latest film, Migration, showcases a more developed and fully realized set of characters, unlike their previous works featuring the beloved Minions. The humor in Migration stems from the characterization of the Mallard family rather than relying on pop culture references or lowbrow antics, providing a refreshing throwback to the Disney Renaissance era. Screen Rant's interview with Elizabeth Banks and Kumail Nanjiani reveals their experiences in voice acting for Migration, discussing the unique process and challenges they faced, such as working independently in a booth during the pandemic.

Illumination, the studio behind Despicable Me and one of 2023's highest-grossing films, The Super Mario Bros Movie, are back with their latest surefire hit, Migration. Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks star as a pair of mallard ducks who decide to leave their small pond and take their family on a seasonal migration from New England to Jamaica. Along the way, they...

Prequel story ‘Wonka’ leads the box office in 32 out of 37 first-wave territories.

Worldwide box office Dec 8-10 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wonka (Warner Bros)

$43.2m $43.2m $43.2m $43.2m 37 2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate)

$20.4m $279m $11m $143.3m 88 3. Napolean (Sony) $20.3m $170.8m $16.1m $117.7m 65 4. Animal (various) $18.4m $84.6m $16.1m $73m 35 5. Wish (Disney) $17.4m $105.5m $12.1m $56.1m 38 6. The Boy And The Heron (various) $15.3m $114.2m $2.5m $101.4m 22 7. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $12.6m $47m $12.6m $46.4m 4 8. The Invisible Guest (various) $12.5m $12.7m $12.5m $12.7m 1 9. Godzilla Minus One...

A broad range of titles, animation styles and plenty of music define this season’s animated feature race, with some expected contenders still to debut.

For instance, as the studio celebrates its centennial, Walt Disney Animation Studios hopes to grab one of the five nomination slots with its Nov. 22 musical Wish, which tells the story of how Disney’s wishing star came to be. Its voice cast is led by Ariana DeBose as young protagonist Asha and Chris Pine as villainous King Magnifico. The cast performs a collection of original songs from Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, including “This Wish,” “I’m a Star” and “This Is the Thanks I Get.” Oscar winner Chris Buck (Frozen) and Fawn Veerasunthorn direct, and Disney Animation chief creative officer and Oscar winner Jennifer Lee is a writer and executive producer.

This title joins an already crowded field. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — the bold...

Elizabeth Banks and Kumail Nanjiani lend their voices to Illumination’s latest animated comedy Migration, the story of a duck family who break out of their everyday lives and take off to Jamaica. The new trailer shows the Mallard family setting out on an incredible adventure and encountering a steady stream of wacky problems.

The voice cast also includes Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell, Carol Kane, and Danny DeVito. Emmy winner Mike White (The White Lotus) wrote the screenplay, with Oscar nominee Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine) directing and Guylo Homsy (Head of Layout and Cinematography for Sing and Sing 2) co-directing.

A scene from ‘Migration’ (Photo © 2023 Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios)

Illumination offered this plot description:

“This holiday season, Illumination, creators of the blockbuster Minions, Despicable Me, Sing, and The Secret Life of Pets comedies, invites you to take flight into the thrill of the unknown with a funny,...

Fall is in full swing, and before you know it, winter will arrive and flocks of birds will embark on their journey south for their migration. Illumination Studios is following up their Minions series and the new video game adaptation smash hit, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with the particular story of a mallard flock who get side-tracked on their venture to Jamaica and find themselves fish out of water, so to speak, in the big city amongst a bunch of strange birds. The new trailer has just been released and gives audiences more of a peek at the plot.

The official synopsis from Illumination reads,

The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on a 3-Station Broadcast … Star 96.7 Joliet (Il), Star 102.3 Waukegan and Star 105.5 McHenry on September 1st, reviewing the animated French film “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia.” In theaters since September 1st.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

This is a sequel to the Oscar nominated 2012 “Ernest & Celestine,” and again features the bear Ernest (voice of Lambert Wilson) and the mouse Celestine (Pauline Brunner as charming besties. In this new animated adventure Celestine breaks the prize violin of musician Ernest, and feeling guilty goes to the bear’s hometown of Gibberitia to get it fixed. With Ernest in pursuit they find out that the town, and Ernest’s father who is an authoritarian judge, has banned music. The friend duo may be there to save the day.

“Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” in limited theaters since September 1st.

MGM’s raunchy high school comedy Bottoms by Emma Seligman, a surprising teen girl version of Fight Club, is punching into a lot more theaters this week, expanding from 10 to 715 nationwide. The numbers so far look solid and MGM might be hoping for anything in the $2.5 million-plus range over the three days.

It had an good start with last weekend’s limited 10-theater opening in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin bringing in more than $500,000, one of the best per-theater openings of that size post Covid (even with $4 tickets Sunday). Cume to date tops $724K for the Rachel Sennott- and Ayo Edebiri-starring film that’s got major traction with younger and LGBTQ+ moviegoers.

The duo play queer high-school seniors and longtime best friends Pj and Josie, who start a self-defense club for girls hoping to attract cheerleaders, and to have sex with them. The group...

Jean-Christophe Roger and Julien Chheng’s animated film Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia begins with Celestine the mouse (Pauline Brunner) excitedly waking Ernest the bear (Lambert Wilson) from a long hibernation. Their simple domestic ritual—she clambers up to the stove to prepare bowls of hot chocolate while he lumbers groggily downstairs to join her—is quietly enchanting thanks to the film’s expressive, elegant hand-drawn aesthetic.

The fact that the film’s two protagonists are such different sizes also allows A Trip to Gibberitia to explore each part of its lovingly crafted world from two distinct perspectives. Throughout, the filmmakers continually find creative ways for Celestine to traverse Ernest’s mountainous furniture while he blunders over everything in his path like a one-man slapstick show.

Ernest and Celestine’s happy domesticity is interrupted when the mouse accidently smashes the bear’s prized violin, leading them on an...

The French animated film "Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia" executes a music gag you wouldn't expect to be both world-building and silly. With the stoic seriousness of a concert professional, an anthropomorphic bear musician flexes his knuckles over a piano, as if prepping for Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor." But instead, he proceeds to plink the C-note repeatedly. There is no variation in the tune except a change in tempo. Then the editing expands the gag by revealing a payoff: the piano really only has one piano key. The crowd lauds his music. The lead bear and mouse, the eponymous Ernest and Celestine, are gobsmacked by this display of "music." At once, they learn the hard way that this country banned multi-note instruments. This gag best represents the family-friendly politics within the "Ernest & Celestine" sequel.

Dare I say the sequel might sing a better tune than the first?...

Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia is a heartwarming sequel to the 2012 animated movie, following the unlikely best friends on an adventure to repair Ernest's fractured relationship with his family and bring music back to Gibberitia while inspiring others to follow their passion. Directors Jean-Christophe Roger and Julien Chheng discuss the timelessness of 2D animation and how music plays a central role in propelling the plot and emotional core of the story forward. The animation style of the film is hand-drawn 2D, which allows for a unique emotional connection with the characters and a sense of authenticity and artistic expression, making it a standout feature of the movie.

Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia follows the unlikely best friends as they travel to Ernest's hometown. Ernest hasn't been home in years, but when his violin breaks and the only one who can fix it is in Gibberitia,...

Gkids has unveiled the U.S. release date, first trailer and English-language voice cast for Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, the sequel to the Oscar-nominated animated feature Ernest & Celestine, which it likewise released stateside.

Slated for a September 1 release at the Village East in New York, as well as at L.A.’s Laemmle Santa Monica and Laemmle Glendale and additional markets nationwide (view the full list here), the film based on the children’s books by Gabrielle Vincent has Andrew Kishino playing Ernest the bear, with Ashley Boettcher as his unlikely mouse friend Celestine. Others in this cast of the film, which is also coming to U.S. theaters in its original French-language form, include David Lodge, Anne Yatco, Lena Josephine Marano, Bill Lobley and Daniel Hagan. Check out its trailer above.

The new Ernest & Celestine flick nabbed a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the...

After visiting the Mushroom Kingdom for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination is taking to the sky for Migration, an animated adventure of the avian variety that finds the Mallard family throwing caution to the wind for a chance at the vacation of a lifetime. Today, Illumination’s Migration trailer invites audiences of all ages on an unforgettable odyssey into the big blue, with infinite possibilities waiting behind every cloud.

Here’s the official synopsis for Migration, courtesy of Illumination:

The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip,...

Even as Chris Meledandri prepares to launch Mario onto movie screens, the Illumination founder and CEO is simultaneously juggling several new movies and sequels in his ever-expanding animation empire. These range from follow-ups to his “Sing,” “Despicable Me” and “Secret Life of Pets” franchises, as well as original movies like this fall’s “Migration,” the story of a family of ducks who live in a pond in New England and no longer have to migrate because the winters are milder. But before all that, there’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which is expected to achieve box office domination when it opens on April 5.

Beyond running Illumination, Meledandri, who sat down with Variety with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto for this week’s cover story on the making of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” also serves as a creative partner to DreamWorks Animation as it looks to reboot the “Shrek” franchise.

Gkids has snapped up U.S. rights to Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia — the sequel to the acclaimed Ernest & Celestine, which landed a Best Animated Feature Oscar nom in 2014. The decorated producer and distributor of animation, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will put both the original French-language version of Gibberitia and a new English dub in theaters this year.

Related Story Laura Linney Comedy ‘The Miracle Club’ Acquired By Sony Pictures Classics Related Story 'Inu-Oh' Director Masaaki Yuasa On Exploring Undocumented Possibilities For A "Modern Interpretation Of Old Tales" Related Story As The Best Animated Feature Competition Heats Up, Can Netflix Or Another Newcomer Bring Home The Oscar?

Both Ernest & Celestine films are based on the children’s book series by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The original helmed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner examines the unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson...

’Saint Omer’, ‘Other People’s Children’ and ’Pacifiction’ also receive multiple nods.

Dominik Moll’s police procedural The Night Of The 12th tops the nominations for the 28th annual Lumière Awards.

France’s version of The Golden Globes, the Lumière Awards are voted on by international correspondents from 36 countries.

The Night Of The 12th leads with six nominations, just ahead of Albert Serra’s political thriller Pacifiction with five. Rebecca Zlotowski’s Other People’s Children and Alice Diop’s Saint Omer tie on four nods each. The films will vie for the Best Film prize alongside Alice Winocour’s Paris Memories.

Channel 4 Welcomes Wonderhood Studios’ ‘Fur Babies’

Channel 4 has commissioned David Abraham’s Wonderhood Studios to produce a four-part doc series following Britain’s pet owners through the pregnancy and birth of their pets. In Fur Babies (working title), vet practices across the UK have been rigged to capture the initial ultrasounds and pregnancy checks, labors, complications, and the final heart-warming moments when the offspring are rehomed. Wonderhood, whose founder Abraham was once Channel 4 CEO, is producing in association with All3Media International.

France’s 440Hz Launches Music Supervision Arm (Exclusive)

French music rights management platform 44oHz has launched a music supervision branch aimed at aiding producers and directors. Among its focuses, it will recruit composers or bands to facilitate rights clearance or executive production. Initial projects include assisting on, Une zone à défendre which is Disney+’s first feature film produced in France, directed by Romain Cogitore with a cast...

A cheering crowd at France’s Annecy Festival got a sneak peek at the hugely anticipated sequel to French family hit “Ernest and Célestine” on Thursday.

It was not disappointed-

“Ernest and Célestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” is slated for release in France in December, nearly a decade after the multi-prized original, which scored an Academy Award nomination alongside 2014 winner “Frozen.”

The 22-minute long preview screening in Annecy was followed by a short concert by the film’s composer, Vincent Courtois, playing the cello, and one of his band members on the clarinet.

“The story revolves a lot around music,” co-director Julien Chheng told Variety. “While making the film, we would wait for his demo to animate our characters. We wanted to be true to the Ernest and Celestine style which is very subtle: We didn’t want to use music to enhance emotions but rather allow the characters and...

Aiming to make an impact this Oscar season, the inaugural Animation Is Film Festival from GKids, the Annecy International Animation Festival, Variety, and Acifa-Hollywood launches October 20-22 at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theater.

The festival will present a selection of new animated feature films from Asia, Europe, South America, and North America, with juried and audience prizes and filmmakers attending most screenings. Additionally, the festival will feature studio events, special screenings, short film programs, and a Vr lounge.

Aif seems well timed: The Academy now allows all members to vote for animated features, using preferential voting. However, it remains to be seen what the dynamic will be in terms of mainstream versus indie nominees.

GKids, which has nine Oscar nominations (including this year’s “My Life as a Zucchini”), has seven movies in contention this season; four showcase in competition at Aif. The highlight is “The Breadwinner” (October 20), a coproduction of Ireland,...

Remember when we were growing up? We were Lucky if we got a decent animated film once a year in the ’80s and we spent most of our Saturday mornings watching total junk that now passes as nostalgia. We can say that music, film, or even literature was better when we younger. Animation? No way. Just take a look at four recent releases of the animated form that perfectly show the breadth and remarkable quality of the medium (and, yes, animation is a “form,” not a “genre.”)

The two best animated films of 2014 happen to come out on the same day on Blu-ray, tomorrow, June 17, 2014. One was even nominated for the Oscar this year (but not released domestically) and the other is likely to Win the Oscar next year (unless “The Box Trolls” lives up to my sky-high expectations). One has already been seen by millions of people around the...

Alright, we'll admit it. Our attempts to predict the outcomes of this week's Voice battles by testing the duos on their knowledge of their mentors hasn't really worked so far - Team Tom's Mairead and Celestine tied, as did Team Will's Callum and Tom. Well, we will not be deterred, so this time it's the turn of Team Kylie - Nomakhosi Nkosi and Jai McConnell - to show off their knowledge of Ms Minogue. Could this predict the winner of tonight's face-off? Read on to find out who won the all-important Digital Spy clash, and also to see what they had to say about their singing head-to-head...

Fighting Talk - we're going to test you on your knowledge of Kylie.

Nomakhosi: "Oh, no!

Jai: "Oh, no! Right - go."

How many UK number ones that she's released herself or been featured on has Kylie had? (Answer: 8)

Nomakhosi: "Oh my gosh.

Photo: AMPAS Polls Are Closed, Click Here For The Complete Results And Comparison To My Predictions It seems like the Oscars take forever to arrive, but when they do it's almost as if you aren't prepared. I offered up my first Best Picture predictions almost a year ago exactly, and by the looks of it predicting that early doesn't result in very accurate results as I only had three of the eventual nominees on the list and two films didn't even end up released in 2013. Oh well, it's all part of the fun. We watch, we scrutinize, we judge, and sooner or later it all becomes quite clear which films and performances will be rising to the top in each category. We discuss the last two nomination slots and we bicker over the #1 line, not because we necessarily feel one film or performance is better than another in its respective category,...