The Phoenix Film Critics Society, which I think has been around for 10 years, announced its winners for this year's best films. This page at the society's website list both winners and nominees. As you can see, Phoenix critics put a stop (at least temporarily) to The Social Network express and named The King's Speech as "Best Picture." They also honored Inception with seven awards.
PHOENIX FILM CRITICS SOCIETY WINNERS:
Best Picture: "The King’s Speech"
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth, "The King’s Speech"
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Best Ensemble Acting: "The Social Network"
Best Screenplay – Original: Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
Best Screenplay – Adaptation: Aaron Sorkin,"The Social Network"
Best Live Action Family Film: "Alice in Wonderland"
The Overlooked Film of the Year: "Never Let Me Go"
Best Animated Film: "Toy Story 3"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Biutiful"
Best Documentary Film: "Restrepo"
Best Original Song: “You Haven’t See the Last of Me” from "Burlesque"
Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer, "Inception"
Best Cinematography: "True Grit"
Best Film Editing: "Inception"
Best Production Design: "Inception"
Best Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland"
Best Visual Effects: "Inception"
Best Stunts: "Inception"
Breakthrough Performance on Camera: Chloe Moretz, "Kick-Ass"
Breakthrough Performance behind the Camera: Debra Granik, "Winter’s Bone"
Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Male: Kodi Smit-McPhee, "Let Me In"
Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Female: Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
Top Ten Films
"127 Hours"
"Inception"
"Never Let Me Go"
"Shutter Island"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The King’s Speech"
"The Social Network"
"True Grit"
"Toy Story 3"
"Winter’s Bone"
Showing posts with label Alice in Wonderland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alice in Wonderland. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
41 Songs Compete for "Original Song" Oscar Nominations
Press release:
41 Original Songs Queue for 2010 Oscar®
Beverly Hills, CA (December 15, 2010) – Forty-one songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 83rd Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.
The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film and song title:
"Alice" from "Alice in Wonderland"
"Forever One Love" from "Black Tulip"
"Freedom Song" from "Black Tulip"
"Bound to You" from "Burlesque"
"Welcome to Burlesque" from "Burlesque"
"You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me" from "Burlesque"
"There’s a Place for Us" from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
"Coming Home" from "Country Strong"
"Me and Tennessee" from "Country Strong"
"Despicable Me" from "Despicable Me"
"Prettiest Girls" from "Despicable Me"
"Dear Laughing Doubters" from "Dinner for Schmucks"
"Better Days" from "Eat Pray Love"
"If You Run" from "Going the Distance"
"Darkness before the Dawn" from "Holy Rollers"
"Sticks & Stones" from "How to Train Your Dragon"
"Le Gris" from "Idiots and Angels"
"Chanson Illusionist" from "The Illusionist"
"Never Say Never" from "The Karate Kid"
"To the Sky" from "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole"
"What If" from "Letters to Juliet"
"Life during Wartime" from "Life during Wartime"
"Made in Dagenham" from "Made in Dagenham"
"Little One" from "Mother and Child"
"Be the One" from "The Next Three Days"
"If I Rise" from "127 Hours"
"When You See Forever" from "The Perfect Game"
"I Remain" from "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
"Dream Big" from "Pure Country 2: The Gift"
"How I Love You" from "Ramona and Beezus"
"Darling I Do" from "Shrek Forever After"
"Noka Oi" from "Six Days in Paradise"
"This Is a Low" from "Tamara Drewe"
"I See the Light" from "Tangled"
"Rise" from "3 Billion and Counting"
"We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"
"Eclipse: All Yours" from "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
"Nothing" from "Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too"
"A Better Life" from "Unbeaten"
"Shine" from "Waiting for ‘Superman’"
"The Reasons Why" from "Wretches & Jabberers"
On Thursday, January 6, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in Los Angeles. Following the screenings, members will determine the nominees by an averaged point system vote. If no song receives an average score of 8.25 or more, there will be no nominees in the category. If only one song achieves that score, it and the song receiving the next highest score shall be the two nominees. If two or more songs (up to five) achieve that score, they shall be the nominees. A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing. A mail-in ballot will be provided.
Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film. If more than two songs from a film are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will be the nominees.
To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.
The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
41 Original Songs Queue for 2010 Oscar®
Beverly Hills, CA (December 15, 2010) – Forty-one songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 83rd Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.
The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film and song title:
"Alice" from "Alice in Wonderland"
"Forever One Love" from "Black Tulip"
"Freedom Song" from "Black Tulip"
"Bound to You" from "Burlesque"
"Welcome to Burlesque" from "Burlesque"
"You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me" from "Burlesque"
"There’s a Place for Us" from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
"Coming Home" from "Country Strong"
"Me and Tennessee" from "Country Strong"
"Despicable Me" from "Despicable Me"
"Prettiest Girls" from "Despicable Me"
"Dear Laughing Doubters" from "Dinner for Schmucks"
"Better Days" from "Eat Pray Love"
"If You Run" from "Going the Distance"
"Darkness before the Dawn" from "Holy Rollers"
"Sticks & Stones" from "How to Train Your Dragon"
"Le Gris" from "Idiots and Angels"
"Chanson Illusionist" from "The Illusionist"
"Never Say Never" from "The Karate Kid"
"To the Sky" from "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole"
"What If" from "Letters to Juliet"
"Life during Wartime" from "Life during Wartime"
"Made in Dagenham" from "Made in Dagenham"
"Little One" from "Mother and Child"
"Be the One" from "The Next Three Days"
"If I Rise" from "127 Hours"
"When You See Forever" from "The Perfect Game"
"I Remain" from "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
"Dream Big" from "Pure Country 2: The Gift"
"How I Love You" from "Ramona and Beezus"
"Darling I Do" from "Shrek Forever After"
"Noka Oi" from "Six Days in Paradise"
"This Is a Low" from "Tamara Drewe"
"I See the Light" from "Tangled"
"Rise" from "3 Billion and Counting"
"We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"
"Eclipse: All Yours" from "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
"Nothing" from "Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too"
"A Better Life" from "Unbeaten"
"Shine" from "Waiting for ‘Superman’"
"The Reasons Why" from "Wretches & Jabberers"
On Thursday, January 6, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in Los Angeles. Following the screenings, members will determine the nominees by an averaged point system vote. If no song receives an average score of 8.25 or more, there will be no nominees in the category. If only one song achieves that score, it and the song receiving the next highest score shall be the two nominees. If two or more songs (up to five) achieve that score, they shall be the nominees. A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing. A mail-in ballot will be provided.
Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film. If more than two songs from a film are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will be the nominees.
To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.
The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
"Black Swan" Leads Critics' Choice Movie Awards Nominations
Press release:
"BLACK SWAN" LEADS WITH A RECORD 12 NOMINATIONS FOR THE 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards
"THE KING'S SPEECH" & "TRUE GRIT" EACH SCORE 11 NOMINATIONS; "INCEPTION" AND "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" ALSO STAND OUT
AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON VH1, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 AT 9:00 PM ET/PT
(Los Angeles, CA - December 13, 2010) - The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced the nominees for the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Friday, January 14, 2011 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. This year's event will again take place at the Hollywood Palladium. This is the fourth year in a row that VH1 will broadcast the gala live on the network and the first year the show will also be broadcast internationally.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 16th ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS:
BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – "True Grit"
Robert Duvall – "Get Low"
Jesse Eisenberg – "The Social Network"
Colin Firth – "The King's Speech"
James Franco – "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling – "Blue Valentine"
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman – "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman – "Black Swan"
Noomi Rapace – "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Michelle Williams – "Blue Valentine"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale – "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield – "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner – "The Town"
Sam Rockwell – "Conviction"
Mark Ruffalo – "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush – "The King's Speech"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter – "The King's Speech"
Mila Kunis – "Black Swan"
Melissa Leo – "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld – "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver – "Animal Kingdom"
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – "Somewhere"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone"
Chloe Grace Moretz – "Let Me In"
Chloe Grace Moretz – "Kick-Ass"
Kodi Smit-McPhee – "Let Me In"
Hailee Steinfeld – "True Grit"
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky – "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle – "127 Hours"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – "True Grit"
David Fincher – "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper – "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan – "Inception"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Another Year" – Mike Leigh
"Black Swan" – Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin
"The Fighter" – Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson)
"Inception" – Christopher Nolan
"The Kids Are All Right" – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
"The King's Speech" – David Seidler
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"127 Hours" – Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
"The Social Network" – Aaron Sorkin
"The Town" – Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard
"Toy Story 3" – Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
"True Grit" – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Winter's Bone" – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"127 Hours" – Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak
"Black Swan" – Matthew Libatique
"Inception" – Wally Pfister
"The King's Speech" – Danny Cohen
"True Grit" – Roger Deakins
BEST ART DIRECTION
"Alice in Wonderland" – Robert Stromberg
"Black Swan" – Therese DePrez and Tora Peterson
"Inception" – Guy Hendrix Dyas
"The King's Speech" – Eve Stewart
"True Grit" – Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh
BEST EDITING
"127 Hours" – Jon Harris
"Black Swan" – Andrew Weisblum
"Inception" – Lee Smith
"The Social Network" – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Alice in Wonderland" – Colleen Atwood
"Black Swan" – Amy Westcott
"The King's Speech" – Jenny Beavan
"True Grit" – Mary Zophres
BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
True Grit
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
Tron: Legacy
BEST SOUND
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3
BEST ACTION MOVIE
Inception
Kick-Ass
Red
The Town
Unstoppable
BEST COMEDY
Cyrus
Date Night
Easy A
Get Him to the Greek
I Love You Phillip Morris
The Other Guys
BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
The Pacific
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
I Am Love
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Restrepo
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman
BEST SONG
"I See the Light" – performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi/written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater – Tangled
"If I Rise" – performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong – 127 Hours
"Shine" – performed and written by John Legend – Waiting for Superman
"We Belong Together" – performed and written by Randy Newman – Toy Story 3
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" – performed by Cher/written by Diane Warren – Burlesque
BEST SCORE
"Black Swan" – Clint Mansell
"Inception" – Hans Zimmer
"The King's Speech" – Alexandre Desplat
"The Social Network" – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
"True Grit" – Carter Burwell
About The Broadcast Film Critics Association:
The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing 250 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film going public. The very first opinion a moviegoer hears about new releases at the multiplex or the art house usually comes from one of its members.
http://www.bfca.org/
"BLACK SWAN" LEADS WITH A RECORD 12 NOMINATIONS FOR THE 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards
"THE KING'S SPEECH" & "TRUE GRIT" EACH SCORE 11 NOMINATIONS; "INCEPTION" AND "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" ALSO STAND OUT
AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON VH1, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 AT 9:00 PM ET/PT
(Los Angeles, CA - December 13, 2010) - The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced the nominees for the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Friday, January 14, 2011 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. This year's event will again take place at the Hollywood Palladium. This is the fourth year in a row that VH1 will broadcast the gala live on the network and the first year the show will also be broadcast internationally.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 16th ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS:
BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – "True Grit"
Robert Duvall – "Get Low"
Jesse Eisenberg – "The Social Network"
Colin Firth – "The King's Speech"
James Franco – "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling – "Blue Valentine"
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman – "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman – "Black Swan"
Noomi Rapace – "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Michelle Williams – "Blue Valentine"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale – "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield – "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner – "The Town"
Sam Rockwell – "Conviction"
Mark Ruffalo – "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush – "The King's Speech"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter – "The King's Speech"
Mila Kunis – "Black Swan"
Melissa Leo – "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld – "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver – "Animal Kingdom"
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – "Somewhere"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone"
Chloe Grace Moretz – "Let Me In"
Chloe Grace Moretz – "Kick-Ass"
Kodi Smit-McPhee – "Let Me In"
Hailee Steinfeld – "True Grit"
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky – "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle – "127 Hours"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – "True Grit"
David Fincher – "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper – "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan – "Inception"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Another Year" – Mike Leigh
"Black Swan" – Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin
"The Fighter" – Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson)
"Inception" – Christopher Nolan
"The Kids Are All Right" – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
"The King's Speech" – David Seidler
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"127 Hours" – Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
"The Social Network" – Aaron Sorkin
"The Town" – Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard
"Toy Story 3" – Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
"True Grit" – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Winter's Bone" – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"127 Hours" – Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak
"Black Swan" – Matthew Libatique
"Inception" – Wally Pfister
"The King's Speech" – Danny Cohen
"True Grit" – Roger Deakins
BEST ART DIRECTION
"Alice in Wonderland" – Robert Stromberg
"Black Swan" – Therese DePrez and Tora Peterson
"Inception" – Guy Hendrix Dyas
"The King's Speech" – Eve Stewart
"True Grit" – Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh
BEST EDITING
"127 Hours" – Jon Harris
"Black Swan" – Andrew Weisblum
"Inception" – Lee Smith
"The Social Network" – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Alice in Wonderland" – Colleen Atwood
"Black Swan" – Amy Westcott
"The King's Speech" – Jenny Beavan
"True Grit" – Mary Zophres
BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
True Grit
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
Tron: Legacy
BEST SOUND
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3
BEST ACTION MOVIE
Inception
Kick-Ass
Red
The Town
Unstoppable
BEST COMEDY
Cyrus
Date Night
Easy A
Get Him to the Greek
I Love You Phillip Morris
The Other Guys
BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
The Pacific
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
I Am Love
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Restrepo
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman
BEST SONG
"I See the Light" – performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi/written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater – Tangled
"If I Rise" – performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong – 127 Hours
"Shine" – performed and written by John Legend – Waiting for Superman
"We Belong Together" – performed and written by Randy Newman – Toy Story 3
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" – performed by Cher/written by Diane Warren – Burlesque
BEST SCORE
"Black Swan" – Clint Mansell
"Inception" – Hans Zimmer
"The King's Speech" – Alexandre Desplat
"The Social Network" – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
"True Grit" – Carter Burwell
About The Broadcast Film Critics Association:
The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing 250 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film going public. The very first opinion a moviegoer hears about new releases at the multiplex or the art house usually comes from one of its members.
http://www.bfca.org/
Saturday, December 11, 2010
15 Films Still in Competition for Visual Effects Oscar
Press release:
15 Features in Line for 2010 VFX Oscar®
Beverly Hills, CA (December 10, 2010) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films have been selected as semifinalists for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 83rd Academy Awards®.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
"Alice in Wonderland"
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
"Clash of the Titans"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"
"Hereafter"
"Inception"
"Iron Man 2"
"The Last Airbender"
"Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief"
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
"Scott Pilgrim vs the World"
"Shutter Island"
"The Sorcerer’s Apprentice"
"Tron: Legacy"
"Unstoppable"
In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the semifinalists, will narrow the list to seven.
All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Thursday, January 20. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
15 Features in Line for 2010 VFX Oscar®
Beverly Hills, CA (December 10, 2010) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films have been selected as semifinalists for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 83rd Academy Awards®.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
"Alice in Wonderland"
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
"Clash of the Titans"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"
"Hereafter"
"Inception"
"Iron Man 2"
"The Last Airbender"
"Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief"
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
"Scott Pilgrim vs the World"
"Shutter Island"
"The Sorcerer’s Apprentice"
"Tron: Legacy"
"Unstoppable"
In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the semifinalists, will narrow the list to seven.
All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Thursday, January 20. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Tim Burton Talks "Alice in Wonderland"
TIM BURTON is the DIRECTOR of ALICE IN WONDERLAND
QUESTION: The film almost suggests that you were Lewis Carroll in a former life?
TIM BURTON: I’m like a lot of people, I just responded to what he did. There have been so many movie versions and I hope that somewhere there is a version that might have pleased him.
QUESTION: The film is as though you put a camera into our dreams and recorded them. Was that dream-like quality what you wanted to create?
TIM BURTON: Yeah, that’s why we didn’t follow the literal stories. That seemed to be the problem with the other versions. What I liked about this was that it explored the characters and what I feel that Carroll’s work did for me and other people in exploring your dream state, and using fantasy in your dream state to deal with real issues and problems in your life. People like to separate those things but the fact is that they are things that are intertwined. That is what Carroll did so beautifully and he was so cryptic with what he wrote. You can analyze it to death but it still remains a mystical, kind of unidentifiable thing and yet it is so powerful.
QUESTION: And Lewis Carroll was so ahead of his time?
TIM BURTON: If the books were written today it would be…Woah, what’s this!…That shows you the power of it.
QUESTION: What has happened to your aversion to CGI?
TIM BURTON: In this case it was that we were using so many techniques that it felt like this was the way to go. It is like I am in love with it but at the same time it is just a tool. Whether it is stop motion or cell or CGI, it is still animation; you still deal with animators and do the same thing. You still have fun and the same goal to make the animation work.
QUESTION: Was it always going to be a 3D film?
TIM BURTON: Absolutely! That’s the only reason I did it. Three years ago when they talked to me about it I thought it seemed like the perfect material and mix. I don’t think that a few years ago that I would have been interested. But I just felt that the trippiness of Wonderland and 3D seemed like something I was interested in. Now 3D is no longer a fad but I don’t get all crazy about it and say that everything has got to be in 3D. It is a nice tool, like color or sound or whatever. I was quite intrigued and I learned, 3D opened up a lot of questions about how to use it. I think it is great. It’s like if a movie needs to be in black and white then that’s how I will shoot it. I see color as just another character or black and white as a character.
QUESTION: When Alice gets in a jam she says it’s her dream and she can do what she wants. Would that describe your approach to film making?
TIM BURTON: It is an aspiration. No matter what you go through with the business side or the Hollywood side at the end of it all, when you are there on the set, it is your thing. So it is your own private world and that’s great. That’s where you have that bubble to create something in.
QUESTION: But when a film gets as big as this is it still possible to control it?
TIM BURTON: The time issue meant it was like a backwards process of making a movie. Normally you shot a shot and see it the next day but here you did not see a shot till near the end.
QUESTION: Everyone has their own idea of Alice. Was that extra pressure for you?
TIM BURTON: Just for that reason, I did not feel there was a definitive version, one shining version that everybody loves. If there was then maybe you have trouble. But when there are 20 versions – and all the music and illustrations – the imagery comes up in so many different forms that it is in the culture. So I did not feel that pressure.
QUESTION: How tough was it to drop characters like The Walrus And The Carpenter?
TIM BURTON: There is a picture of the walrus on a wall though. Linda, the writer, and I discussed that. I felt other versions suffered in trying to be literal to the stories. We did not want to try to pack it all in. So we weaved in according to the structure of what Linda had written. Everyone probably has a favorite character but we fed in the ones that felt appropriate.
QUESTION: You made the Mad Hatter a much more focal point?
TIM BURTON: With all of the characters we felt they suffered in other versions because they were just depicted as crazy. Rather than him bouncing around being crazy we tried to layer the characters with some depth. There was a lot of research into them being called Mad Hatters because of the mercury poisoning in hat making. So all the characters in Alice In Wonderland are mad but we tried to make sure that they each have their own particular kind of madness.
QUESTION: Having made so many films with Johnny Depp do you now see him as your avatar as you go into these strange dream worlds?
TIM BURTON: To some degree, we have pretty similar tastes that way. That’s the energy, that’s what keeps it going.
QUESTION: The 3D butterfly at the end of the film is very touching. What was the reason for the last shot?
TIM BURTON: It was the Caterpillar turning into the butterfly…That was what I liked so much about the script. It’s not so much about being literal to the story, it’s about that feeling that you have been here before and you know these characters through exploring your childhood. People like to be literal about everything and that is what is so beautiful about what Carroll did. It’s not literal. It’s absurdist and yet it has cryptic meaning so that everyone will see the meaning in a different way. That’s the power of those stories.
QUESTION: Is Tim Burton now becoming more of the mainstream?
TIM BURTON: One of the things that keeps me semi-sane is not analyzing that stuff. You never want to become a thing, you want to remain a human being. People go…you have worked with Johnny seven times…and I go…really? I’ve not been counting. I try not to go there. I try to remember I like doing this and don’t think about all the trappings.
QUESTION: What about the green screen?
TIM BURTON: Johnny was acting to a tennis ball, which he loved. He was the only one who really liked that. Everyone else hated it.
QUESTION: Was finding Alice a difficult process?
TIM BURTON: We had a big search but Mia was pretty clear pretty soon. There was something about her and I liked the idea that we hadn’t seen much of her. She was a young person with an old person’s soul. That was something I felt no previous Alice had. They came across like bratty, precocious children. In most other versions she was obnoxious. Our key was not to be obnoxious. The studio was supportive in going for an unknown Alice, and at the end of the day they are happy about it.
QUESTION: Is Helena always going to be in your films?
TIM BURTON: No it’s the same way with Johnny. It is not automatic. It is important that it is the right part. If Helena is right for a part then ok. But it’s not because we are together, that would be a real mistake that would only end in tragedy.
TIM BURTON’S ALICE IN WONDERLAND is now available on Blu-ray & DVD.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Shake Your Money Maker for "Alice in Wonderland"
I received the following press release about an Alice in Wonderland-related contest from Walt Disney. It ties into the recently released 3D Alice in Wonderland movie, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. One of the prizes is an iPad:
ATTENTION ALL ALICE FANS: IT’S TIME TO GATHER YOUR MUCHNESS FOR DISNEY’S ALL NEW “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” INSPIRED DANCE-OFF
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS IS ASKING YOU TO “SHOW US YOUR BEST FUTTERWACKEN!”
Prizes Include iPads, Blu-ray™ Players, Autographed Alice Memorabilia and More
FUTTER WHAT??
In celebration of Frabjous Day and the upcoming Blu-ray™ & DVD release of ALICE IN WONDERLAND on June 1st, Walt Disney Studios is asking America to “Show Us Your Best Futterwacken!”
For those who haven’t seen the film, this is the crazy, awesome dance performed by The Mad Hatter. In the world of Alice’s Wonderland, the Futterwacken is a dance of unbridled joy.
The contest challenges ALICE fans to submit their best interpretation of the Futterwacken dance to www.Disney.com/Alicedance and add their own original twists, turns and dance moves. So start gathering your muchness and go completely Gallymoggers as you Futterwacken vigorously! The more creative your dance moves, the better your chance to win!
Oh and one of the coolest parts is being able to put your dance moves to Kerli’s song “Tea Party” featured on the Alice in Wonderland companion album, Almost Alice. Disney's Almost Alice soundtrack features two songs by Kerli that provide the perfect beat to "show us your best Futterwacken!"
KLOTCHYN! (Head’s up!) Judging will be based on Dance Performance, Entertainment Value, Technical Quality, Creativity and Originality.
HOW TO ENTER:
Consumers must visit www.Disney.com/Alicedance to enter. Entries should be no longer than 40 seconds in length and include your first name and the state where you reside. Directions on how to enter are clearly detailed on the website. It only takes three easy steps to enter – record your video, add music and upload to Disney’s website.
The submission period for the contest begins at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 30, 2010 and ends at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Thursday, June 3, 2010.
JUDGING & PRIZING:
There will be two (2) Grand Prize winning submissions and ten (10) First Prize winning submissions. Disney will announce winners on Wednesday, June 16th based on the following equally weighted criteria: Dance Performance, Entertainment Value, Technical Quality, Creativity and Originality.
Prizes include Apple iPads, Panasonic Blu-ray Players, Alice In Wonderland Blu-ray Combo Packs of the film, Mad Hatter Hats, Autographed Alice in Wonderland Nesting Books and iTunes Gift Cards.
My Alice in Wonderland review is here.
ATTENTION ALL ALICE FANS: IT’S TIME TO GATHER YOUR MUCHNESS FOR DISNEY’S ALL NEW “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” INSPIRED DANCE-OFF
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS IS ASKING YOU TO “SHOW US YOUR BEST FUTTERWACKEN!”
Prizes Include iPads, Blu-ray™ Players, Autographed Alice Memorabilia and More
FUTTER WHAT??
In celebration of Frabjous Day and the upcoming Blu-ray™ & DVD release of ALICE IN WONDERLAND on June 1st, Walt Disney Studios is asking America to “Show Us Your Best Futterwacken!”
For those who haven’t seen the film, this is the crazy, awesome dance performed by The Mad Hatter. In the world of Alice’s Wonderland, the Futterwacken is a dance of unbridled joy.
The contest challenges ALICE fans to submit their best interpretation of the Futterwacken dance to www.Disney.com/Alicedance and add their own original twists, turns and dance moves. So start gathering your muchness and go completely Gallymoggers as you Futterwacken vigorously! The more creative your dance moves, the better your chance to win!
Oh and one of the coolest parts is being able to put your dance moves to Kerli’s song “Tea Party” featured on the Alice in Wonderland companion album, Almost Alice. Disney's Almost Alice soundtrack features two songs by Kerli that provide the perfect beat to "show us your best Futterwacken!"
KLOTCHYN! (Head’s up!) Judging will be based on Dance Performance, Entertainment Value, Technical Quality, Creativity and Originality.
HOW TO ENTER:
Consumers must visit www.Disney.com/Alicedance to enter. Entries should be no longer than 40 seconds in length and include your first name and the state where you reside. Directions on how to enter are clearly detailed on the website. It only takes three easy steps to enter – record your video, add music and upload to Disney’s website.
The submission period for the contest begins at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 30, 2010 and ends at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Thursday, June 3, 2010.
JUDGING & PRIZING:
There will be two (2) Grand Prize winning submissions and ten (10) First Prize winning submissions. Disney will announce winners on Wednesday, June 16th based on the following equally weighted criteria: Dance Performance, Entertainment Value, Technical Quality, Creativity and Originality.
Prizes include Apple iPads, Panasonic Blu-ray Players, Alice In Wonderland Blu-ray Combo Packs of the film, Mad Hatter Hats, Autographed Alice in Wonderland Nesting Books and iTunes Gift Cards.
My Alice in Wonderland review is here.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Walt Disney Offers Fun Facts from "Alice in Wonderland"
Walt Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND Fun Facts
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Pictures:
THE BIG PICTURE
DIVINE DIGS – Director Tim Burton’s London office was once owned by Arthur Rackham, a famous English book illustrator who created the iconic color plates for the 1907 edition of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
THE QUESTION IS WHO ARE YOU? – Lewis Carroll is actually a pen name for Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a lecturer in mathematics at Christchurch University in Oxford, England.
WONDERLAND, NO UNDERLAND — Underland is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child, but—according to screenwriter Linda Woolverton—she misheard the word “Underland” and thought they said “Wonderland.” Woolverton says Underland is a part of the Earth, lying somewhere far beneath our world. It’s come upon hard times since the malevolent Red Queen took over the throne, but is a truly wonderful land, which might explain why the girl who mistook it for Wonderland has been called upon to help return it to its glory.
ALMOST ALICE — “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” sparked two music CDs, including the motion-picture soundtrack, featuring an extraordinary score by composer Danny Elfman, and “Almost Alice,” a 16-song companion compilation featuring the film’s end credit track “Alice,” written and performed by Avril Lavigne, plus songs from artists who were inspired by the film, including All American Rejects, 3OH!3, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Shinedown. The album’s title, “Almost Alice,” comes from a line in the film. All of Underland has been awaiting Alice’s return since she first visited as a child, but when she does come back, nobody—including Alice—believes she’s the right Alice, the confident and feisty Alice they once knew. Eventually, the wise caterpillar tells her she’s Almost Alice.
CHARACTER-ISTICS
DEPP’S DESIGNS — Actor Johnny Depp goes through ample preparation for each of his roles and preparing to play the Mad Hatter was no different. Long before production began, the actor began doing watercolor paintings of what the Mad Hatter might look like, discovering later that his vision was quite similar to director Tim Burton’s.
MAD HATTER MOOD RING — The Mad Hatter suffers from mercury poisoning, a common and unfortunate condition of many hatters of the time who used the chemical regularly for their craft. Depp and Burton elevated this Hatter’s madness by literally showcasing the character’s many mad mood swings in his makeup and wardrobe, creating a virtual human mood ring.
CHANGES — Mia Wasikowska, who plays Alice, is five feet four inches in real life but Alice changes size throughout the course of her adventures in Wonderland, ranging from six inches to two feet to eight-and-a-half feet, to a maximum of 20 feet tall. The production worked hard to use practical methods rather than special effects and often it was a case of putting Alice on an apple box to make her taller than everyone else.
DRINK ME — The potion Alice drinks to shrink is called Pishsolver. The cake she eats to grow is called Upelkuchen.
SWEET AND SOUR — Actress Anne Hathaway, who portrays the White Queen in “ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” decided that her representation of the character wouldn’t be completely vanilla. The White Queen comes from the same gene pool as the evil Red Queen, after all, so Hathaway envisioned a “punk rock vegan pacifist” and was inspired by Blondie, Greta Garbo, Dan Flavin and Norma Desmond.
FUTTER-WHAT? — Futterwacken is the term used to describe the Underlanders’ dance of unbridled joy. Composer Danny Elfman was stumped when it came to creating the music for the dance. He wrote four different pieces for the director, each fun, unique and, as Elfman says, “pushing the bounds of what could be acceptable.”
TWO TWEEDLES — Actor Matt Lucas was tapped to play both Tweedles, rotund twin brothers who constantly disagree with each other and whose confusing chatter makes little sense to anyone but themselves. Lucas, however, was unable to play Tweedledee and Tweedledum at the same time (for some reason). Actor Ethan Cohen was called on to portray Dum to Lucas’ Dee (or vice versa) during filming, but will never actually appear on screen.
BANDERSNATCH? — This disgusting, drooling, foul-smelling creature has a big filthy body and the squashed, teeth-baring face of a rabid bulldog. The creature leaves Alice with a rather painful reminder of the Red Queen’s horrible reign.
BEHIND THE SCENES
MEASURING UP — Costume designer Colleen Atwood had her work cut out for her when it came to creating the costumes for Mia Wasikowska’s ever-changing Alice. The character wears a variety of different garments, including one purportedly made from the Red Queen’s curtains and even armor. Atwood had to find fabric in different scales, and construct costumes for Mia that would help illustrate her size changes.
ON WITH HIS HEAD — Crispin Glover portrays Stayne, the Knave of Hearts, in the film, but only his head appears on screen. The body of the character, who’s seven-and-a-half feet tall, is computer generated. On set, Glover wore a green suit and a pair of stilts to make him taller. His face was fully made up for the role (complete with an eye patch and scar). For the final film, Stayne’s entire costume, body and even his cape are CGI. Only his face is real.
ON WITH HER FACE — Helena Bonham Carter endured three hours of makeup each morning to transform into the fiery Red Queen. With the help of makeup pro Vallie O’Reilly, the actress was decked out in white powder, lots of blue eye shadow, painted eyebrows and perfect, heart-shaped bow-mouth lips. The special effects team enlarged Bonham Carter’s head in post production, creating the final look for the big-headed Queen.
SOLE SURPRISE — Costume designer Colleen Atwood added a red heart to the soles of the Red Queen’s shoes, visible when the pampered royal places her feet on a live pig-turned-footrest.
STILT TROUBLE — After Crispin Glover, who spent much of his time on stilts during production, twisted his ankle filming one particular scene, he was often followed on set by stuntmen all dressed in green who were there solely to catch him in case he fell again.
CARROT CAPPERS —Tim Burton wanted the animal characters in Wonderland to appear real rather than cartoony. So before creating the White Rabbit, animators spent a day at a rabbit shelter for abandoned rabbits, observing the animals and shooting photo reference footage to ensure they captured the nuances of rabbits chewing and wriggling their noses.
TECHNICAL TIDBITS
2D to 3D — Director Tim Burton decided to shoot the film in 2D and convert it later to 3D. The director was so impressed with the results of the conversion of his film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to 3D, he opted to go a similar route for “Alice.”
SUPER SFX SUPERVISOR — Tim Burton turned to legendary special effects guru Ken Ralston and Sony Imageworks to create the wondrous world of Wonderland and its inhabitants. Ralston (whose credits include the original “Star Wars,” as well as “Forrest Gump” and “The Polar Express”) and his team completed more than 2,500 visual effects shots in total. While the team used a combination of live action, animation and a host of other effects techniques, motion capture technology was not tapped for the film.
IN THE GREEN — To represent the digital characters on set, the production used either cardboard cut outs, full-size models or else resorted to men in green with eyes stuck to various parts of the anatomy to help the actors with their eyelines and to give them something real to react to.
HAIR-RAISING — When the animators were looking at reference photography of real caterpillars, they noticed they had hair on them. So Absolem the Caterpillar was treated to his very own CG fuzz.
THE REAL STUFF — Very few real sets were built for Wonderland. In fact, only three versions of the Round Hall (where Alice ends up after falling down the rabbit hole) and the Red Queen’s dungeon were practical sets. The rest were created digitally.
EYES HAVE IT — The Mad Hatter’s eyes were slightly enlarged making them between 10 and 15 percent bigger than Johnny Depp’s own.
HIT THE NET — When the animators began to design the Dodo, their first port of call for reference was Google Image Search, followed by London’s Natural History Museum.
BIG HEAD — A special 4K hi-def camera called a Dulsa with 4,000 lines of resolution was used to shoot Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen to enable her head to be blown up to twice its size in post-production without losing any image quality. [END]
-------------------
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Pictures:
THE BIG PICTURE
DIVINE DIGS – Director Tim Burton’s London office was once owned by Arthur Rackham, a famous English book illustrator who created the iconic color plates for the 1907 edition of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
THE QUESTION IS WHO ARE YOU? – Lewis Carroll is actually a pen name for Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a lecturer in mathematics at Christchurch University in Oxford, England.
WONDERLAND, NO UNDERLAND — Underland is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child, but—according to screenwriter Linda Woolverton—she misheard the word “Underland” and thought they said “Wonderland.” Woolverton says Underland is a part of the Earth, lying somewhere far beneath our world. It’s come upon hard times since the malevolent Red Queen took over the throne, but is a truly wonderful land, which might explain why the girl who mistook it for Wonderland has been called upon to help return it to its glory.
ALMOST ALICE — “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” sparked two music CDs, including the motion-picture soundtrack, featuring an extraordinary score by composer Danny Elfman, and “Almost Alice,” a 16-song companion compilation featuring the film’s end credit track “Alice,” written and performed by Avril Lavigne, plus songs from artists who were inspired by the film, including All American Rejects, 3OH!3, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Shinedown. The album’s title, “Almost Alice,” comes from a line in the film. All of Underland has been awaiting Alice’s return since she first visited as a child, but when she does come back, nobody—including Alice—believes she’s the right Alice, the confident and feisty Alice they once knew. Eventually, the wise caterpillar tells her she’s Almost Alice.
CHARACTER-ISTICS
DEPP’S DESIGNS — Actor Johnny Depp goes through ample preparation for each of his roles and preparing to play the Mad Hatter was no different. Long before production began, the actor began doing watercolor paintings of what the Mad Hatter might look like, discovering later that his vision was quite similar to director Tim Burton’s.
MAD HATTER MOOD RING — The Mad Hatter suffers from mercury poisoning, a common and unfortunate condition of many hatters of the time who used the chemical regularly for their craft. Depp and Burton elevated this Hatter’s madness by literally showcasing the character’s many mad mood swings in his makeup and wardrobe, creating a virtual human mood ring.
CHANGES — Mia Wasikowska, who plays Alice, is five feet four inches in real life but Alice changes size throughout the course of her adventures in Wonderland, ranging from six inches to two feet to eight-and-a-half feet, to a maximum of 20 feet tall. The production worked hard to use practical methods rather than special effects and often it was a case of putting Alice on an apple box to make her taller than everyone else.
DRINK ME — The potion Alice drinks to shrink is called Pishsolver. The cake she eats to grow is called Upelkuchen.
SWEET AND SOUR — Actress Anne Hathaway, who portrays the White Queen in “ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” decided that her representation of the character wouldn’t be completely vanilla. The White Queen comes from the same gene pool as the evil Red Queen, after all, so Hathaway envisioned a “punk rock vegan pacifist” and was inspired by Blondie, Greta Garbo, Dan Flavin and Norma Desmond.
FUTTER-WHAT? — Futterwacken is the term used to describe the Underlanders’ dance of unbridled joy. Composer Danny Elfman was stumped when it came to creating the music for the dance. He wrote four different pieces for the director, each fun, unique and, as Elfman says, “pushing the bounds of what could be acceptable.”
TWO TWEEDLES — Actor Matt Lucas was tapped to play both Tweedles, rotund twin brothers who constantly disagree with each other and whose confusing chatter makes little sense to anyone but themselves. Lucas, however, was unable to play Tweedledee and Tweedledum at the same time (for some reason). Actor Ethan Cohen was called on to portray Dum to Lucas’ Dee (or vice versa) during filming, but will never actually appear on screen.
BANDERSNATCH? — This disgusting, drooling, foul-smelling creature has a big filthy body and the squashed, teeth-baring face of a rabid bulldog. The creature leaves Alice with a rather painful reminder of the Red Queen’s horrible reign.
BEHIND THE SCENES
MEASURING UP — Costume designer Colleen Atwood had her work cut out for her when it came to creating the costumes for Mia Wasikowska’s ever-changing Alice. The character wears a variety of different garments, including one purportedly made from the Red Queen’s curtains and even armor. Atwood had to find fabric in different scales, and construct costumes for Mia that would help illustrate her size changes.
ON WITH HIS HEAD — Crispin Glover portrays Stayne, the Knave of Hearts, in the film, but only his head appears on screen. The body of the character, who’s seven-and-a-half feet tall, is computer generated. On set, Glover wore a green suit and a pair of stilts to make him taller. His face was fully made up for the role (complete with an eye patch and scar). For the final film, Stayne’s entire costume, body and even his cape are CGI. Only his face is real.
ON WITH HER FACE — Helena Bonham Carter endured three hours of makeup each morning to transform into the fiery Red Queen. With the help of makeup pro Vallie O’Reilly, the actress was decked out in white powder, lots of blue eye shadow, painted eyebrows and perfect, heart-shaped bow-mouth lips. The special effects team enlarged Bonham Carter’s head in post production, creating the final look for the big-headed Queen.
SOLE SURPRISE — Costume designer Colleen Atwood added a red heart to the soles of the Red Queen’s shoes, visible when the pampered royal places her feet on a live pig-turned-footrest.
STILT TROUBLE — After Crispin Glover, who spent much of his time on stilts during production, twisted his ankle filming one particular scene, he was often followed on set by stuntmen all dressed in green who were there solely to catch him in case he fell again.
CARROT CAPPERS —Tim Burton wanted the animal characters in Wonderland to appear real rather than cartoony. So before creating the White Rabbit, animators spent a day at a rabbit shelter for abandoned rabbits, observing the animals and shooting photo reference footage to ensure they captured the nuances of rabbits chewing and wriggling their noses.
TECHNICAL TIDBITS
2D to 3D — Director Tim Burton decided to shoot the film in 2D and convert it later to 3D. The director was so impressed with the results of the conversion of his film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to 3D, he opted to go a similar route for “Alice.”
SUPER SFX SUPERVISOR — Tim Burton turned to legendary special effects guru Ken Ralston and Sony Imageworks to create the wondrous world of Wonderland and its inhabitants. Ralston (whose credits include the original “Star Wars,” as well as “Forrest Gump” and “The Polar Express”) and his team completed more than 2,500 visual effects shots in total. While the team used a combination of live action, animation and a host of other effects techniques, motion capture technology was not tapped for the film.
IN THE GREEN — To represent the digital characters on set, the production used either cardboard cut outs, full-size models or else resorted to men in green with eyes stuck to various parts of the anatomy to help the actors with their eyelines and to give them something real to react to.
HAIR-RAISING — When the animators were looking at reference photography of real caterpillars, they noticed they had hair on them. So Absolem the Caterpillar was treated to his very own CG fuzz.
THE REAL STUFF — Very few real sets were built for Wonderland. In fact, only three versions of the Round Hall (where Alice ends up after falling down the rabbit hole) and the Red Queen’s dungeon were practical sets. The rest were created digitally.
EYES HAVE IT — The Mad Hatter’s eyes were slightly enlarged making them between 10 and 15 percent bigger than Johnny Depp’s own.
HIT THE NET — When the animators began to design the Dodo, their first port of call for reference was Google Image Search, followed by London’s Natural History Museum.
BIG HEAD — A special 4K hi-def camera called a Dulsa with 4,000 lines of resolution was used to shoot Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen to enable her head to be blown up to twice its size in post-production without losing any image quality. [END]
-------------------
Walt Disney Announces Fan Concert Event to Promote "Alice in Wonderland"
“ALICE IN WONDERLAND” Preps for Great Big Ultimate Fan Event
“How is it you’re being so great big?” ~ Tweedledee to Alice—she’s eaten far too much cake and grown to enormous heights
WALT DISNEY PICTURES AND BUENA VISTA RECORDS JOIN FORCES WITH HOT TOPIC, KIIS-FM, MYSPACE AND MUSICAL ARTISTS FROM “ALMOST ALICE” FOR ULTIMATE FAN EVENT FEB. 19, 2010, AT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND CENTER
Film Stars, Filmmakers and Artists 3OH!3, Metro Station, Family Force 5, Kerli and Never Shout Never on Concert Roster; Entire Event to be Streamed Live on MySpace
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Records join forces with Hot Topic, KIIS-FM, MySpace and musical artists from the upcoming album “Almost Alice” for a great big ultimate fan event celebrating this Spring’s most anticipated 3D motion picture “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” The star-studded concert event kicks off at 5 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2010, at the Hollywood & Highland Center’s Central Courtyard. Featuring five musical acts, a visit from director Tim Burton to introduce select members of the “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” cast, plus opportunities to win prizes, including a sneak peek of actual film footage, the ultimate fan event will be streamed live on MySpace at www.myspace.com/wonderland.
The event’s featured artists will do a short set, including their song from “Almost Alice.” Artists/songs include 3OH!3 (“Follow Me Down”), Metro Station (“Where’s My Angel”), Family Force 5 (“Topsy Turvy”), Kerli (“Tea Party”), and Never Shout Never (“Sea What We Seas”).
Available March 2, 2010, “Almost Alice” is a 16-song compilation featuring the film’s end credit track “Alice,” written and performed by Avril Lavigne, plus songs from artists including All American Rejects, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Shinedown. Hot Topic’s exclusive expanded version includes three bonus tracks. The album is a companion to the film’s soundtrack, which features the score by composer Danny Elfman.
Hot Topic’s Hollywood locale (3rd level of Hollywood & Highland Center) has been transformed to a mad version of Wonderland even the Hatter would enjoy. Hot Topic hosts the event and features exclusive “ALICE IN WONDERLAND”-themed products now available at Hot Topic stores nationwide and online. Beginning Monday, February 8, the first 250 customers who purchase any 3OH!3 t-shirt and preorder the “Almost Alice” CD will receive a wristband that will grant access to a special meet-and-greet with the band 3OH!3, entry into the concert’s preferred viewing pit and admission into the special 3D sneak peek of footage from the film at the El Capitan Theatre after the concert event.
KIIS-FM, 104.3 MyFM and 98.7 FM will give away VIP preferred viewing pit wristbands to listeners between now and event day. Additional VIP tickets will be given away via MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. VIP attendees will be treated to a special 3D sneak peek of footage from the film at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre immediately following the event.
Fans are encouraged to dress up in costumes inspired by characters from “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” Costumes will be judged on site by Academy Award®-winner Colleen Atwood, costume designer for the film. Winners will be invited to attend the special sneak peek at the El Capitan.
KIIS-FM’s Manny on the Streets will be the on-stage host for the event. Quddus from MySpace and theQside.com, Roslynn Cobarrubias from MySpace Music and Philip DeFranco from YouTube will be on hand as backstage hosts, interviewing key players along the way.
MySpace will host the exclusive live stream of the event at www.myspace.com/wonderland, powered by Ustream. Viewers around the world can experience the event first-hand, see exclusive backstage interviews with talent and interact by posting comments and questions to the page. Ustream’s embeddable streaming player will extend the experience to additional sites, including Facebook, HotTopic.com and more.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton.
Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D on March 5, 2010 (U.S. theaters).
Website: Disney.com/wonderland
Mobile: Disney.com/wonderland
Become a friend on MySpace (launching soon!) www.myspace.com/wonderland
Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/AliceInWonderland
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ImportantDate
ABOUT BUENA VISTA RECORDS
Buena Vista Records and Walt Disney Records are part of the Disney Music Group. Disney Music Group encompasses all of the Walt Disney Company’s recorded music and music publishing operations, including Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records (and its imprints Buena Vista Records, Disney Sound and Disney Pearl), Lyric Street Records, Buena Vista Concerts and Walt Disney Music Publishing.
ABOUT HOT TOPIC
Hot Topic, Inc. is a mall and web based specialty retailer operating the Hot Topic concept. Hot Topic offers music/pop culture-licensed and music/pop culture-influenced apparel, accessories, music and gift items for young men and women principally between the ages of 12 and 22. As of January 2, 2010, the company operated 681 Hot Topic stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Internet store www.hottopic.com.
ABOUT KIIS-FM
102.7 KIIS-FM is LA’s #1 Hit Music Station and the home of the “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” morning show weekdays from 5–10 a.m.
ABOUT MYSPACE
MySpace is a technology company connecting people through personal expression, content, and culture. MySpace empowers its global community to experience the Internet through a social lens by integrating personal profiles, photos, videos, mobile, messaging, games, and the world’s largest music community. MySpace is a division of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). For more information please visit http://www.myspace.com/pressroom.
ABOUT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND
Situated in one of the country’s most densely populated markets, Hollywood & Highland Center attracts over 15 million visitors per year. At this one-of-a-kind, high profile destination, the best in retail, fine dining and unique entertainment venues come together with the vibrant world of today’s Hollywood. Featuring the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the world renowned Kodak Theatre, the center is a hot spot for locals as well as a “must see” destination for international visitors. The center features over 60 top retailers, nine of L.A.’s finest restaurants, Grauman’s Chinese 6 Theatres, two popular nightclubs and Lucky Strike Lanes, a high tech and trendy bowling alley/nightclub. Embodying luxury at its finest, Hollywood’s elegantly chic and state-of-the-art Spa Luce is located at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa. Just steps away from Hollywood & Highland Center on Hollywood Boulevard, additional retail and entertainment outlets including Tesco’s Fresh & Easy neighborhood market; Zara; Madame Tussauds Hollywood wax museum; hot fashion retailer, H&M and American Apparel enhance the convenient and enjoyable experience of the world-famous venue. [END]
“How is it you’re being so great big?” ~ Tweedledee to Alice—she’s eaten far too much cake and grown to enormous heights
WALT DISNEY PICTURES AND BUENA VISTA RECORDS JOIN FORCES WITH HOT TOPIC, KIIS-FM, MYSPACE AND MUSICAL ARTISTS FROM “ALMOST ALICE” FOR ULTIMATE FAN EVENT FEB. 19, 2010, AT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND CENTER
Film Stars, Filmmakers and Artists 3OH!3, Metro Station, Family Force 5, Kerli and Never Shout Never on Concert Roster; Entire Event to be Streamed Live on MySpace
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Records join forces with Hot Topic, KIIS-FM, MySpace and musical artists from the upcoming album “Almost Alice” for a great big ultimate fan event celebrating this Spring’s most anticipated 3D motion picture “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” The star-studded concert event kicks off at 5 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2010, at the Hollywood & Highland Center’s Central Courtyard. Featuring five musical acts, a visit from director Tim Burton to introduce select members of the “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” cast, plus opportunities to win prizes, including a sneak peek of actual film footage, the ultimate fan event will be streamed live on MySpace at www.myspace.com/wonderland.
The event’s featured artists will do a short set, including their song from “Almost Alice.” Artists/songs include 3OH!3 (“Follow Me Down”), Metro Station (“Where’s My Angel”), Family Force 5 (“Topsy Turvy”), Kerli (“Tea Party”), and Never Shout Never (“Sea What We Seas”).
Available March 2, 2010, “Almost Alice” is a 16-song compilation featuring the film’s end credit track “Alice,” written and performed by Avril Lavigne, plus songs from artists including All American Rejects, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Shinedown. Hot Topic’s exclusive expanded version includes three bonus tracks. The album is a companion to the film’s soundtrack, which features the score by composer Danny Elfman.
Hot Topic’s Hollywood locale (3rd level of Hollywood & Highland Center) has been transformed to a mad version of Wonderland even the Hatter would enjoy. Hot Topic hosts the event and features exclusive “ALICE IN WONDERLAND”-themed products now available at Hot Topic stores nationwide and online. Beginning Monday, February 8, the first 250 customers who purchase any 3OH!3 t-shirt and preorder the “Almost Alice” CD will receive a wristband that will grant access to a special meet-and-greet with the band 3OH!3, entry into the concert’s preferred viewing pit and admission into the special 3D sneak peek of footage from the film at the El Capitan Theatre after the concert event.
KIIS-FM, 104.3 MyFM and 98.7 FM will give away VIP preferred viewing pit wristbands to listeners between now and event day. Additional VIP tickets will be given away via MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. VIP attendees will be treated to a special 3D sneak peek of footage from the film at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre immediately following the event.
Fans are encouraged to dress up in costumes inspired by characters from “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” Costumes will be judged on site by Academy Award®-winner Colleen Atwood, costume designer for the film. Winners will be invited to attend the special sneak peek at the El Capitan.
KIIS-FM’s Manny on the Streets will be the on-stage host for the event. Quddus from MySpace and theQside.com, Roslynn Cobarrubias from MySpace Music and Philip DeFranco from YouTube will be on hand as backstage hosts, interviewing key players along the way.
MySpace will host the exclusive live stream of the event at www.myspace.com/wonderland, powered by Ustream. Viewers around the world can experience the event first-hand, see exclusive backstage interviews with talent and interact by posting comments and questions to the page. Ustream’s embeddable streaming player will extend the experience to additional sites, including Facebook, HotTopic.com and more.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton.
Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D on March 5, 2010 (U.S. theaters).
Website: Disney.com/wonderland
Mobile: Disney.com/wonderland
Become a friend on MySpace (launching soon!) www.myspace.com/wonderland
Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/AliceInWonderland
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ImportantDate
ABOUT BUENA VISTA RECORDS
Buena Vista Records and Walt Disney Records are part of the Disney Music Group. Disney Music Group encompasses all of the Walt Disney Company’s recorded music and music publishing operations, including Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records (and its imprints Buena Vista Records, Disney Sound and Disney Pearl), Lyric Street Records, Buena Vista Concerts and Walt Disney Music Publishing.
ABOUT HOT TOPIC
Hot Topic, Inc. is a mall and web based specialty retailer operating the Hot Topic concept. Hot Topic offers music/pop culture-licensed and music/pop culture-influenced apparel, accessories, music and gift items for young men and women principally between the ages of 12 and 22. As of January 2, 2010, the company operated 681 Hot Topic stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Internet store www.hottopic.com.
ABOUT KIIS-FM
102.7 KIIS-FM is LA’s #1 Hit Music Station and the home of the “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” morning show weekdays from 5–10 a.m.
ABOUT MYSPACE
MySpace is a technology company connecting people through personal expression, content, and culture. MySpace empowers its global community to experience the Internet through a social lens by integrating personal profiles, photos, videos, mobile, messaging, games, and the world’s largest music community. MySpace is a division of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). For more information please visit http://www.myspace.com/pressroom.
ABOUT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND
Situated in one of the country’s most densely populated markets, Hollywood & Highland Center attracts over 15 million visitors per year. At this one-of-a-kind, high profile destination, the best in retail, fine dining and unique entertainment venues come together with the vibrant world of today’s Hollywood. Featuring the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the world renowned Kodak Theatre, the center is a hot spot for locals as well as a “must see” destination for international visitors. The center features over 60 top retailers, nine of L.A.’s finest restaurants, Grauman’s Chinese 6 Theatres, two popular nightclubs and Lucky Strike Lanes, a high tech and trendy bowling alley/nightclub. Embodying luxury at its finest, Hollywood’s elegantly chic and state-of-the-art Spa Luce is located at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa. Just steps away from Hollywood & Highland Center on Hollywood Boulevard, additional retail and entertainment outlets including Tesco’s Fresh & Easy neighborhood market; Zara; Madame Tussauds Hollywood wax museum; hot fashion retailer, H&M and American Apparel enhance the convenient and enjoyable experience of the world-famous venue. [END]
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Anne Hathaway Talks Walt Disney's "Alice in Wonderland"
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anne Hathaway received a Best Actress Academy Award® nomination for her work in Jonathan Demme’s 2008 drama “Rachel Getting Married
.” Her performance in that film also brought her Golden Globe®, Screen Actors Guild Award® and Independent Spirit Award nominations, as well as a number of critics groups' awards for Best Actress. She will be seen in the Garry Marshall-directed romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day,” in which she joined an all-star ensemble cast. She also stars with Jake Gyllenhaal in Edward Zwick’s drama “Love and Other Drugs,” due out later this year.Hathaway made an auspicious feature film debut in the starring role of Garry Marshall’s hit comedy “The Princess Diaries
,” and reprised her role in “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
.” She has more recently earned widespread acclaim for her work in the hit comedy “Get Smart
,” opposite Steve Carell; “Becoming Jane,” in which she starred as Jane Austen; the smash hit “The Devil Wears Prada
,” with Meryl Streep; and Ang Lee’s award-winning drama “Brokeback Mountain
,” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, for which she shared in a SAG Award® nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Hathaway currently stars as the White Queen in Tim Burton's epic 3D fantasy adventure “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” She recently answered questions about the Tim Burton film:
Q: Is this an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s books?
A: This is “Alice in Wonderland” 10 years later. The story isn’t the same. And in re-reading the book in preparation for the film, I noticed that a lot of it is Alice trying to figure out who she isn’t by process of elimination. She knows that she isn’t all the things that people are saying that she is, and so, by going through all of them, she gets a better idea of what she is. And in the Tim Burton “ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” Alice is trying to name who she is without using the process of elimination in a similar way. There’s a great line in it, where someone says, “You seem like Alice, but you’ve lost your muchness.” That’s my favorite line. So I think if the book is about Alice exploring her imagination, this one is about Alice finding her soul.
Q: Why have his books been enjoyed for generations?
A: In my opinion, what makes a great book is something that is universally specific. I didn’t read the “Alice” books when I was a child. I read them when I was in college. I was really into Nabokov, and apparently, he was really into Lewis Carroll, so I thought it was a good idea. So I read it from the perspective of a young woman becoming a woman—and I really related to it, the idea that you’re never the right size, that you could drink something to make you feel smaller, or eat something to make you feel bigger. I remember that it just appealed to me because I understood it. On the surface, it’s kind of light and fantastical, but it actually does play into a lot of deep, psychological fears we have—inadequacies that we feel we have, insecurities, the way we relate to the world around us. And in Wonderland, the world is hyper-emotional. It doesn’t make sense. People don’t make logical, emotional sense, and people feel things very, very grandly, and it’s just full of contrarians. So then, you have this young girl—who’s quite sensible, especially for a young girl—navigating her way through it. Sometimes, you feel like you’re the supporting cast of characters, the Wonderland crew, and then other times, you feel like you’re Alice. Like I said, when something is that universally specific—universal enough that it’s just a great, entertaining story, but specific enough that you can find yourself in it and relate to it at different points in your life—I think that could possibly explain why people keep going back to it.
Q: Why are Carroll’s characters such great fodder for film?
A: One of the reasons why Lewis Carroll’s characters work so well in cinema is because they’re wildly imaginative and there’s no one way to interpret them. Because Lewis Carroll played around with words and concepts, and because the characters appeal to the imagination, I feel there are as many interpretations as there are imaginations in the world. It depends on what your take is.
Q: And why are the characters also great for a Tim Burton movie?
A: One of the reasons why “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” and Tim are such a great match is because nothing is exactly as it seems in Wonderland. Nothing is entirely good or entirely bad. There’s a mixture of life and texture and intention, and I think that’s something with which Tim is really comfortable. And if you look throughout his filmography, nothing is ever what it appears to be or should be. So, I think in that sense, living in the questions, the ambiguity, but also the specificity of the world—these are things in which Tim excels as filmmaker. I believe the filmmaker and the subject matter complement each other really beautifully in this film.
Q: Describe the character you play.
A: I play the White Queen. When I was trying to work her out, I kept saying to myself, ‘She is a punk-rock, vegan pacifist.’ So I listened to a lot of Blondie, I watched a lot of Greta Garbo movies, and I looked at a lot of the artwork of Dan Flavin. Then a little bit of Norma Desmond got thrown in there, too. And she just kind of emerged. And I really like her. When I first came onboard the project, Tim talked a lot about the relationship between the sisters, and that really opened the character up to me a lot. She comes from the same gene pool as the Red Queen. She really likes the dark side, but she’s so scared of going too far into it that she’s made everything appear very light and happy. But she’s living in that place out of fear that she won’t be able to control herself. There’s a lot to play around in. It was awesome. I had so much fun.
Q: Why did you want to be in this film and play this role?
A: I’m just going to be a gushy fan for a second. I love Tim Burton—he’s one of my all-time favorite filmmakers. For as long as he’s been making films, I’ve been going to them opening weekend. And I watch them again and again on DVD. I love his aesthetic. I love his ability to pace as a filmmaker, his comfort with things that are kind of odd—he also finds a way to ground them. I think it’s very unusual to find a filmmaker who isn’t trying to be different for the sake of being different, to show you something you’ve never seen, but is actually yearning to stretch the limits of his imagination. So everything Tim does comes from a very pure place. And I think that’s why his movies, in spite of the sometimes off-beat subject matter, have such heart. I love that. “Alice” itself is such a classic, amazing story, and it has been told so many times—but when I heard the combination Tim Burton/”ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” I knew it was going to be a very specific, very wonderful adventure. I love my character. I love that she seems to be the voice of reason—you’d think that she would be the good queen. But she didn’t have to be. I really had a lot of fun playing around with this idea, that what’s good in Wonderland is not necessarily good in the real world.
Q: Describe what she does with her hands, and the way that she walks.
A: That was absolutely derivative from the costume because, [costume designer] Colleen Atwood, who’s just such a genius, made this dress that has so much detail to it, that’s so complex, but it doesn’t look at all heavy. It looks like if you didn’t attach a weight to it, that it would float up into the air and spin around. And I noticed the way the dress moved when I was in it. It was never my intention to create a perfect light. I just wanted her to arrive in certain places, and in my head I just thought, the way she walks, she occasionally bumps into things and doesn’t know how she got there. And she’s a little dopey and kind of ditzy, but at the same time, very clued in. And so, the walk just happened. I took very, very fast footsteps, and I noticed the more languid I could make my arms, the more it looked like I was gliding. And that’s when the Norma Desmond thing happened. I remember being really nervous about the first take. And I did it and Tim smiled, so it was nice. That’s the feeling on set. ‘Show me your imagination. Show me how far you can take this.’ And I always had absolute trust that if it went too far, Tim would pull it back. He actually has a story in his head that he wants to tell. So usually what would happen, it would be some kind of combination of straightforward story and imaginary weirdness. And it was just nice the way it all fit together.
Q: What’s going on with the White Queen when we first meet her?
A: The White Queen has had her crown taken from her, and she’s basically powerless to stop her sister’s reign of tyranny. Her sister is the Red Queen. And so, she is waiting. She’s basically taken a vow of non-violence that she cannot break, and she’s waiting for her champion to arrive to help her reclaim her throne—the citizens of Underland would like to see that happen. They want to see her restored to power, because she’s kind.
Q: What is the relationship between the White Queen and the Red Queen?
A: The relationship between the White Queen and the Red Queen is not good. They are sisters, but I don’t think it was ever particularly good. I just think that my character would never admit that she doesn’t like her sister. I think she tries to make excuses for her. She tries to find little things to love about her, but she really doesn’t that much. I think, from her perspective, if the Red Queen were just a bit nicer to her—allow the possibility that they could be friends, allow the room for love—that she would be willing to give over to it. But the Red Queen just rubs her the wrong way. They’re not buddies—they’re just related.
Q: Who plays the Red Queen?
A: Helena Bonham Carter, in addition to being one of the most brilliant women I’ve ever had the pleasure to talk to, is so much fun as the Red Queen. She has so much energy that she gives to it. And her characterization is so lovely and demanding, not child-like but childish, and selfish and impossible to please. Then, at other times, she’s really vulnerable and sad, because this person is going to be lonely forever, because she’s just so darn selfish. She’s endlessly entertaining in the role. Her look and the dedication that it takes—three, four hours to get into that hair and makeup.
Q: Talk about the actor who plays The Mad Hatter.
A: The actor who plays the Mad Hatter, Johnny Depp—I have so much fun watching him in all of his movies as an audience member, so to actually get to watch him perform live is such a treat. He’s so inventive—and he’s kind, just a very kind, warm man. But to actually watch him in his element, in his zone, just acting, it’s a thrill. I want him to do theater so that everyone else can get in on it. He’s very powerful. I just felt very privileged to get to watch him.
Q: What does Mia Wasikowska bring to her role?
A: Mia Wasikowska is an absolute delight of a young woman. She’s so playful and natural and down-to-earth—but she also has this ethereal quality to her, she feels timeless. What she brings to Alice is very, very difficult to pull off. Every time I do a scene with her, I’m just amazed at what she’s doing with it and that a young actress can bring so much gravity to this world. It’s somewhat eerie, the way she’s able to communicate feeling and where Alice is at that moment. It was lovely to work with her, just to get to observe that.
Q: What is your impression about how this film is being made?
A: I took a very Zen approach to filmmaking on this one. It sounds silly, but I had no idea what was going on. I walked in and it was like being in a neon-green terrarium—green on all sides, and tons of empty space. Tim knew what was going on—he was the one that is in control of it. All I needed to do was hit my mark and say my lines, and wait for Tim to tell me that we’re ready to move on. And that was my approach to it. I didn’t put any other pressure on myself. I just showed up and acted.
Q: What are you wearing in this movie?
A: I’m wearing a dress designed by Colleen Atwood. It’s grand and the most fragile dress I’ve ever worn in my life. I love it so much. It’s beautiful. If you ever had a dream of being any kind of fairy princess, this is the dress you would wear. I love the idea that it’s this idealized, fairy-tale Queen, but it is in a Tim Burton movie, so there’s darkness mixed up with it as well.
Q: What do audiences have to look forward to with this film?
A: Because the world of this film begins and ends in the imagination of Tim Burton, you’re not seeing a movie that’s been shot on locations that you’ve seen a million times. Because this world has no rules, you’re seeing so many different and separate brushstrokes and colors and characterizations somehow getting combined through Tim. And what I think you’re getting is an absolute exploration of the imagination. I think that’s the essence of the book, and I think that’s the spirit Tim’s brought to the film. Everybody on the film was so clever, so creative, so imaginative—and I think that’s what the film is about—how can we tell a story that honors the imagination in the most imaginative way humanly possible? And that’s such a fantastic idea. [END]
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland Gets a Week of Sneek Peeks
Press release from Business Wire:
ABC, ESPN and ABC FAMILY Viewers Are Headed Down the Rabbit Hole: Exclusive First Looks of “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” to Hit Three Networks Starting Jan. 31; Cross-Network Stunt Culminates with Huge Super Bowl Spot Feb. 7
60-Second Custom Spots to Reveal Never-Before-Seen Footage of the 3D Motion-Picture Event of the Year; In Theaters Nationwide March 5, 2010
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is teaming up with sister networks ABC, ESPN and ABC FAMILY for a week-long, cross-network extravaganza that will send viewers straight down the rabbit hole with “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” The stunt provides 60-second first-looks customized for each network, all of which will air between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, 2010. Featuring exclusive, never-before-seen footage from visionary director Tim Burton’s 3D theatrical motion-picture event, the first looks will culminate with a spectacular Super Bowl spot on Feb. 7, 2010. Entitled “Tick-Tock,” this action-packed spot features intense imagery and a few surprises from Burton’s Wonderland.
“We wanted to kick off our television campaign for ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in a big way,” says David Singh, executive vice president of worldwide marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. “With Tim Burton at the helm and a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and rising star Mia Wasikowska, the film already has a passionate following. Fans are eager to step into the incredible 3D Wonderland that Burton has created and get a glimpse at what he’s done with these brilliant characters, and we’re ready to give it to them.”
FIRST LOOK SCHEDULE:
ABC
“Desperate Housewives,” Jan. 31, 9/8c
“The Bachelor,” Feb. 1, 8/7c
ESPN
2010 NFL Pro Bowl, Jan. 31, 7:20ET
NBA NUGGETS/LAKERS game, Feb. 5, 10:30ET
ABC FAMILY
“Greek,” Feb. 1, 10/9c
“The Parent Trap,” Feb. 6, 8/7c
Cross-network promo spots for the stunt begin on Jan. 26, 2010. The campaign will be supported, and the creative maximized on the studio’s online/social networking sites including Facebook (Facebook.com/Disney), Twitter (Twitter.com/disneypictures), You Tube (YouTube.com/DisneyMovieTrailers), Disney.com and more.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton.
Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass
” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D on March 5, 2010 (U.S. theaters).
Website: Disney.com/wonderland
Mobile: Disney.com/wonderland
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AliceInWonderland
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ImportantDate
ABC, ESPN and ABC FAMILY Viewers Are Headed Down the Rabbit Hole: Exclusive First Looks of “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” to Hit Three Networks Starting Jan. 31; Cross-Network Stunt Culminates with Huge Super Bowl Spot Feb. 7
60-Second Custom Spots to Reveal Never-Before-Seen Footage of the 3D Motion-Picture Event of the Year; In Theaters Nationwide March 5, 2010
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is teaming up with sister networks ABC, ESPN and ABC FAMILY for a week-long, cross-network extravaganza that will send viewers straight down the rabbit hole with “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” The stunt provides 60-second first-looks customized for each network, all of which will air between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, 2010. Featuring exclusive, never-before-seen footage from visionary director Tim Burton’s 3D theatrical motion-picture event, the first looks will culminate with a spectacular Super Bowl spot on Feb. 7, 2010. Entitled “Tick-Tock,” this action-packed spot features intense imagery and a few surprises from Burton’s Wonderland.
“We wanted to kick off our television campaign for ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in a big way,” says David Singh, executive vice president of worldwide marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. “With Tim Burton at the helm and a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and rising star Mia Wasikowska, the film already has a passionate following. Fans are eager to step into the incredible 3D Wonderland that Burton has created and get a glimpse at what he’s done with these brilliant characters, and we’re ready to give it to them.”
FIRST LOOK SCHEDULE:
ABC
“Desperate Housewives,” Jan. 31, 9/8c
“The Bachelor,” Feb. 1, 8/7c
ESPN
2010 NFL Pro Bowl, Jan. 31, 7:20ET
NBA NUGGETS/LAKERS game, Feb. 5, 10:30ET
ABC FAMILY
“Greek,” Feb. 1, 10/9c
“The Parent Trap,” Feb. 6, 8/7c
Cross-network promo spots for the stunt begin on Jan. 26, 2010. The campaign will be supported, and the creative maximized on the studio’s online/social networking sites including Facebook (Facebook.com/Disney), Twitter (Twitter.com/disneypictures), You Tube (YouTube.com/DisneyMovieTrailers), Disney.com and more.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton.
Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D on March 5, 2010 (U.S. theaters). Website: Disney.com/wonderland
Mobile: Disney.com/wonderland
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