"9" DVD Details and Sweepstakes

The DVD and Blu-ray of Shane Acker's 9 are currently scheduled to be released in North America on December 29th, 2009 (though it's possible that it may be released earlier to maximize on holiday season sales).

The DVD will contain the following special features:

- Audio Commentary by Director Shane Acker, Animation Director Joe Ksander, Head of Story Ryan O’Loughlin, Editor Nick Kenway
- 9 (the original short)
- 9 – The Long and the Short of It Featurette
- The Look of 9 Featurette
- Acting Out Featurette

The Blu-ray version will include the same bonus materials, as well as:

- On Tour with Shane Acker
- BD-Live
- U-Control
- My Scenes Sharing


As part of the upcoming home video release of 9, there will be a massive sweepstakes competition: Universal Studios Home Entertainment will be offering fans the opportunity to win up to $100,000.

Starting November 18th and until December 29th, the distributor will be giving away numerous prizes, including HDTVs, Netbooks and Blu-ray players (two apiece to winners). Universal will also be distributing a $100,000 check to just one lucky winner. The intent of the prize is for the winner to use that money in some way to better the world, such as a donation to charities.

Willem Dafoe as Batman?

An interesting bit of film history: Willem Dafoe told MTV News that he was approached to play Batman in Burton's 1989 movie.

It's an ancient rumor, but Dafoe was straight up: "Very early, they talked to me about playing Batman," he said. "I hate to spread these things because unless you remember it well, you're stoking the fires of bullshit," he continued, "But I remember. I've had my brush with these things."

Happy Halloween from Tim Burton and Facebook

Have a Facebook account? Then you can send a personalized Happy Halloween greeting card featuring classic or new Tim Burton artwork!:

Pre-Order "The Art of Tim Burton" Book

From TimBurton.com:

Available for pre-order this November - The Art of Tim BurtonStandard and Deluxe Edition books!

The Art of Tim Burton is the definitive compilation of forty years of Tim Burton's artistry, including film concepts and hundreds of illustrations from his personal archives, edited under the creative guidance of Burton himself. This comprehensive 434 page book is grouped into thirteen chapters that examine common themes in Burton's work, from his fascination with clowns to his passion for misunderstood monsters, to his delight in the oddities of people. Many of Burton's friends and collaborators offer their thoughts, insight and anecdotes about Tim Burton's style and artistic approach to life.

Artwork from the following films and projects are included in this book: Alice in Wonderland (2010), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride (both 2005), Big Fish (2003), Planet of the Apes (2001), Sleepy Hollow, (1999), Mars Attacks! (1996), Ed Wood (1994), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Family Dog (1987), Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1988), Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Frankenweenie (1984), Vincent (1982), and Hansel & Gretel (1982). The book also contains additional drawings from his illustrated book of poetry The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories (1997), and from The World of Stainboy web shorts (2000).

Text By: Leah Gallo, Design by: Holly Kempf, Edited by: Derek Frey, Leah Gallo & Holly Kempf

*PLUS*

Personal text contributions by friends and fellow creatives including:

Allison Abbate, Colleen Atwood, John August, Rick Baker, Helena Bonham Carter, Felicity Dahl, Johnny Depp, Danny Devito, Danny Elfman, Carlos Grangel, Ray Harryhausen, Martin Landau, Rick Heinrichs, Christopher Lee, Lindsay Macgowan, Shane Mahan, Ian Mackinnon, Alex Mcdowell, Victoria Price, Ken Ralston, Paul Reubens, Deep Roy, Winona Ryder, and Richard Zanuck.

Pre-orders will be available this November.

For more information please register in the private gallery at TimBurton.com!

MoMA Art Gala with Depp and Bonham Carter

IndieWire reports that New York’s Museum of Modern Art will host a gala dinner November 17th in honor of film director Tim Burton, with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter serving as "co-chairs" of the event along with Disney's Robert Iger, Willow Bay and David & Julia Koch. The evening will highlight Burton's 27-year-long directorial career, including his next feature, Alice in Wonderland. The benefit will support the museum's ability to continue to acquire work for MoMA’s cinema collection.

"Nightmare" Returns in 3D

The annual two-week run of The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D will be returning to theaters this Friday!

Burton's Message to Australians

Tim Burton provided a very brief personal message to Australian fans. It looks like he might be coming down to Melbourne for his retrospective art exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in June 2010. Video from The Age.

This is the same comprehensive exhibition that will show at MoMA in New York City in November this year.

ACMI director Tony Sweeney said the venue was among only three in the world to host the exhibition.

"Burton's amazing catalogue of work, and his inspirational artistry has garnered him an international audience of fans and he has influenced a generation of young artists across the moving image art spectrum," said Sweeney.

Art Exhibition Coming to Melbourne

Good news for you Australian Burton fans who can't make it to New York -- the MoMA exhibition chronicling Tim Burton's career will travel to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne, The Age reports.

It will bring together more than 700 examples of rare drawings, paintings, photographs and puppets.

The exhibition will run from June 24th to October 10th next year.

Producer Abbate Tells Few "Frankenweenie" Secrets

Animation veteran Allison Abbate gave a few bits of information on the stop-motion adaptation of Frankenweenie, which she is producing.

Abbate told HitFix.com that production will commence in early 2010, likely in the spring. The production time frame is "two years", said the producer, and will hopefully be released around or before Halloween 2011.

Previous reports stated that the film would be shot in stereoscopic 3D. But Abbate now says that that idea is actually still up in the air. Executive producer and Disney veteran Don Hahn and others have stated that the film will also be shot in black and white, but Abbate was more hesitant. "Maybe," she said. "That's one of the ideas that is being put up. I think it would be really cool." It might be a hard sell for a Disney animated film. But neither the 3D nor black and white possibilities have been entirely ruled out yet.


A still from the live-action short film Frankenweenie from 1984.

Abbate remained secretive, noting that Tim Burton is working on several films. "He's got to get through 'Alice [in Wonderland' first]," she said, and Burton will also be directing a cinematic version of Dark Shadows.

But the producer did confirm that the film will be entirely stop-motion animated. (Although a few CG or traditional cel animated elements as seen in Corpse Bride are possible, we're guessing.)

Abbate is also a producer on the stop-motion The Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson and based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, as well as Brad Bird's The Iron Giant and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride in the past. She was also an artistic coordinator on The Nightmare Before Christmas, her first assignment on a Tim Burton film.

Frankenweenie will be shot at Three Mills Studio in London, CinemaBlend.com reports, just like The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson's stop-motion film was also made on a similar two-year time frame.

Hathaway Talks Lewis Carroll, "Wonderland"

Anne Hathaway talks about her role in Alice in Wonderland and her fascination with Lewis Carroll's work.

Interview with Caroline Thompson

Viceland has a fascinating interview with writer Caroline Thompson where she discusses her work for Tim Burton and the film she almost made with Michael Jackson. Enjoy!