New "Wonderland" Concept Art?

Is this more concept art from Alice in Wonderland? The Russian film website filmz.ru has posted up these images, mostly of a fungal forest.

The initials "JM" appear at the bottom of these illustrations. If it is for Wonderland, then these might have been drawn by either lead model maker Jason Mahakian or set designer Jeff Markwith, as slashfilm suggests.

However, this is just a guess. We can't confirm if these images are actually official concept art for the 2010 film. Still, they're intriguing.

2nd "9" Trailer Online

A second trailer for the animated film 9 is online. It offers a lot of details to the origin story, and we get to hear some of the voiceover work, which includes Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, and Christopher Plummer. Oh, and it has that epic Coheed and Cambria song, too.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

"Batman" on Blu-ray

The 1989 motion picture Batman is now available on Blu-ray.

Animation Galore in "Wonderland"

Jim Hill Media was said that Alice in Wonderland "will feature a spectacular sequence of Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole that mixes live action, CG, stop motion as well as hand-drawn animation."

That's all the news for now. More to come in the future!

Official Debut of Wasikowska as "Alice" Pic

Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

An old image, but now officially released, courtesy of Empire.

"Alice in Wonderland" Story and Glossary

/film has provided some interesting information about Alice in Wonderland, based on the screenplay by Linda Woolverton:

"The big surprise for most people, I think, will be that this is at once an adaptation of and sequel to the Lewis Carroll books. This is thanks to a plot wrangle at least as clever as that in Abrams’ Star Trek. Essentially, Wonderland is both a real place and a recurring dream of Alice’s. In this film she’s dreaming of it at a somewhat later part of her life than in the books, so certain things are different. This is just one clever element of a truly charming and surprising screenplay that I’m now really very sure will become a true humdinger of a movie."

The article went on to say that to fully understand the script, you need to know a bit of Wonderland terminology. Thankfully, Woolverton provided a glossary. The glossary may contain some SPOILERS, so if you want to read it, click on this link.

"9" Rated PG-13

The MPAA has given 9 a PG-13 rating in the U.S. Looks like the film will be able to stick to its dark vision after all.

9 will be released in theaters on September 9th, 2009.

New "Alice" Pic

A new bit of concept art from Alice in Wonderland -- in 3D!!

"The Art of Tim Burton" Image Preview

No hint of the book's cover yet, but here are a few small samples of the art that will be featured in The Art of Tim Burton. The book will be released in the fall of this year.


Looks like the book will include plenty of never-before-seen illustrations.

Tim Burton Art Book Coming...

An intriguing bit of news came to me from Tim Burton's official website via email:

Coming Soon...

"The Art of Tim Burton"

Hardcover and Limited Edition books - Over 400 pages & 1000 illustrations!

For more information please register at TimBurton.com

More details in the future!

Fry on "Wonderland," Burton

RexFeatures

Stephen Fry announced on his official Twitter page that he feels "honoured" to be a part of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Fry will be playing the part of the Chesire Cat.

Fry spoke with Digital Spy and gave a few more details in a video interview.

"I have to say I didn't know the project was happening," he said. "My agent rang up and said, 'Can you see Tim Burton and lay down some Cheshire Cat action.' I said I'd be honoured to do so." He then explained that he was very excited to meet Burton, a filmmaker he greatly admires and calls "original and extraordinary." He said he was "blown away" by the first film of Burton's that he saw, Edward Scissorhands, which he calls one of his favorite films because of the visual design and performances.

On lending his voice to his animated role, Fry said: "You're alone in a little glass booth with Tim on the other side making suggestions as to how he wants the voice to be, you're not all gathered together as a cast.

"My friend Michael Sheen is playing the White Rabbit, I know him jolly well. We don't have a 'scene' together. We do have dialogue together but he'll probably do his in America, in London or wherever he is, and they'll get mixed together in the end."

More is discussed in the video interview.

"9" Preview Clip

There's a preview clip of the upcoming animated feature 9, directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton, online now. Check it out! (You can watch it in HD in this link.)

Burton Exhibition Coming to MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City will be featuring a major exhibition on the art of Tim Burton. The gallery will be at MoMA from November 22nd, 2009 until April 26th, 2010, in the Special Exhibtions Gallery on the third floor.

The following is from the official website of MoMA:

This major career retrospective on Tim Burton (American, b. 1958), consisting of a gallery exhibition and a film series, considers Burton's career as a director, producer, writer, and concept artist for live-action and animated films, along with his work as a fiction writer, photographer and illustrator. Following the current of his visual imagination from his earliest childhood drawing through his mature work, the exhibition presents artwork generated during the conception and production of his films, and highlights a number of unrealized projects and never-before-seen pieces, as well as student art, his earliest non-professional films, and examples of his work as a storyteller and graphic artist for non-film projects. The opposing themes of adolescence and adulthood, and the elements of sentiment, cynicism, and humor inform his work in a variety of mediums—drawings, paintings, storyboards, digital and moving-image formats, puppets and maquettes, props, costumes, ephemera, sketchbooks, and cartoons. Taking inspiration from sources in pop culture, Burton has reinvented Hollywood genre filmmaking as a spiritual experience, influencing a generation of young artists working in film, video, and graphics.

The exhibition is organized by Ron Magliozzi, Assistant Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film.

"9" Score Update

Collaborators Danny Elfman and Deborah Lurie
during a recording session for Deep Sea 3D IMAX (2006)

Previously, it was announced by Apple that Danny Elfman would do the score for the upcoming post-apocalyptic, Tim Burton-produced animated feature 9 on his own. It turns out that that information was partly accurate.

Deborah Lurie, a frequent collaborator of Elfman, just finished scoring and recording the music for the upcoming animated film. Elfman supplied some main themes for Lurie to expand upon.

Lurie and Elfman both composed the music for the nature documentary Deep Sea 3D IMAX in 2006. She also supplied additional music for 2008's Wanted, which was directed by 9-producer Timur Bekmambatov. Lurie has also worked on Elfman's orchestrations for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlotte's Web, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Elfman is currently working on the scores for Terminator IV, The Wolfman, and, in the near future, Alice in Wonderland.

9, directed by Shane Acker, will be released on September 9th, 2009.

"Alice in Wonderland" Logo Revealed

Disney has unveiled the logo to the upcoming Alice in Wonderland while annoucing future 3D releases.

There is also a logo for Frankenweenie (the animated version set for release in 2011). But it looks very similar to the original font from the 1984 live-action short, and so may change in the future.

Photos courtesy of timburton.jp.

"Alice" in IMAX

Alice in Wonderland will officially be released in standard theaters as well as on IMAX in 3D on March 5th, 2010, Disney confirms. This is the third film confirmed out of the five-film agreement between IMAX and Disney, which was announced on November 19, 2008.

Mark Zoradi, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, said, "If ever there was a film that cried out to be presented in Disney Digital 3D and the premium IMAX 3D format, Tim Burton's fantastic interpretation of Alice in Wonderland is that film. This is going to be an eye-popping cinematic experience as Tim takes moviegoers down the rabbit hole and into the dimensional world filled with incredible characters, sly humor, and wild adventures. Disney's partnership with IMAX is taking shape with two amazing films already on the schedule. We look forward to working with them in bringing exciting new experiences and quality entertainment to IMAX screens around the world."

"We think that Disney's new Alice in Wonderland is exactly the type of 3D story telling that will resonate with IMAX audiences," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "We believe our worldwide commercial theatre network will be approximately 50 percent larger by the time this film is released, giving more and more people a chance to experience the magic of Disney in IMAX."

"Alice in Wonderland is a fantastic addition to our 2010 film slate," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "Combining a beloved Disney classic re-designed through the imagination of Tim Burton's creative vision with these incredibly outrageous characters and world class actors certainly makes for an event-status film, and we're pleased to add another level of excitement to this highly-anticipated movie."

Bonham Carter Wins Award, Burton Discusses "Alice"

The 2009 Jameson Empire Awards show was hosted this past Sunday in London's Grosvenor House. Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attended.

Their film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was nominated for five awards: Best Horror, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Soundtrack. The musical-thriller didn't take most of its potential awards home (including Johnny Depp's nomination for Best Actor), except for Helena Bonham Carter, who was honored for her portrayal as Mrs. Lovett.


Here is Bonham Carter's acceptance speech (watch the video of her speech in this link):

"Thanks so much. This is a real compliment, I'm very chuffed. I did work actually incredibly hard for that role, but I loved every bit of it, and it was so many dreams come true. Because I always wanted to be in a musical, to sing, to be in something written by Steven Sondheim - he's a genius - and I always wanted a baby girl. I actually got all that, thanks to Tim Burton. And I know he always wanted to be Best Actress, so this is as much his as mine. Thank you!"



At the show, the actress mentioned how she would love to do more musicals in the future: "I'd love to do it but no-one's asked, I would be really up for it though."

She also talked about the singing abilities of her co-star, Johnny Depp, versus her own skills: "To be absolutely honest, people are born to sing, I wasn't born to sing but I could just do it and I only did it after about six months of training. If I'd known I was going to play that part I should have started training years ago, it's a muscle that needs to be exercised."

She added: "I would love to do more, given the chance, and I loved every second of doing it."

And she continued to say how thankful she has been to be a part of Tim Burton's world. "I feel really lucky to still feature in Tim's imagination. I know I've borne his illegitimate children and we're very happily together but it's really fantastic that I still seem to occur in his imagination," she said.

Helena Bonham Carter will be playing the role of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland.

Michael Sheen and Helena Bonham Carter

While on the subject, Burton talked a bit about Alice in Wonderland:

"Way down the rabbit hole" was Burton's status report. "There's a long way to go."

Empire asked Burton how much CGI would be involved in the film: "I'm not quite sure yet - doing a big budget movie is an organic process and gives the opportunity to experiment. It’s something that was presented to me and I’d never seen really a movie version of [the story] that I like, so I thought I’d just give it a shot."



The director also gave his feelings about working with 3D: "I like the 3-D aspect of it, I think it fits the material very well, and it doesn’t give me a headache like it used to."

"I think it’s good for anything. There are other uses than having spears stuck into your face - I think there are more visceral, emotional uses, especially if you use lots of textures."


Michael Sheen, who will be in Alice in Wonderland, also attended the awards show. The British actor presented Helena Bonham Carter her award.



You can see more photos from the celebration in this link:

Michael Sheen with Gerard Butler


Tim Burton with fellow director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93)



Photo credits: Gareth Gay, Jeff Spicer / Alpha

"Dark Shadows" Update

The big-screen adaptation of Dark Shadows might be a bit delayed -- but that might be a good indication that Johnny Depp and possibly Tim Burton, who are both quite busy right now with several projects, will be making the movie.

Sam Sarkar, Infinitum’s director of development, confirmed that Depp would star in the movie. And Burton directing?: "I can neither confirm nor deny that,” he said. “But I know it’s out there in the ether."

Another (albeit anonymous) insider in Hollywood had this to say: "It is our intention to still start the movie in the fall. We're trying to work it out, and Tim Burton is Johnny's first and only choice to direct."

So while the shoot might be postponed, the project is very active in pre-production currently.

More information to come in the future!

20th Anniversary "Batman" Blu-ray Due May 19

On May 19th, Warner Bros. will release a twentieth anniversary Blu-ray of Batman. In the special edition will be a special Digibook, which will feature "50 pages of collectible essays, trivia, photos, original script pages, and the DC Comics comic book adaptation of the film," says dvdtown.com.

The bonus features will include:

• Commentary by director Tim Burton
• On the Set with Bob Kane
• Legends of the DARK KNIGHT: The History of BATMAN: The Comic Book Saga as Reinvented and Reinterpreted over Seven Decades
Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the DARK KNIGHT Parts 1-3:
• The Road to GOTHAM CITY
• The Gathering Storm
• The Legend Reborn
Beyond Batman Documentary Gallery
— Six Featurettes:
• Visualizing Gotham: The Production Design of BATMAN
• Building the BATMOBILE
• Those Wonderful Toys: The Props and Gadgets of BATMAN
• Designing the BAT-SUIT
• From Jack to THE JOKER
• Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of BATMAN
• Three Prince Music Videos: "Batdance", "Partyman", "Scandalous"
• The Heroes and The Villains Profile Galleries
• BATMAN: The Complete ROBIN Storyboard Sequence
• Theatrical trailer
• Digital Copy capability includes a single non-transferable download of the full-length film (compatible with iTunes® and Windows Media devices)

Disney Twenty-Three Magazine Scans

Here are some scans from the March 10th issue of the new quarterly Disney magazine, Disney Twenty-Three! Mark Salisbury (editor of the book Burton on Burton) wrote the article on Alice in Wonderland. Pictures include images from the film (like Mia Wasikowska in her Alice outfit), concept art, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, and a Burton/Disney timeline. Click on the images below for larger versions!

Thanks to SunakoLoli for the images!