UPDATE: Concerned over reports that the remaining content from The Clone Wars would not be made available to fans, a Lucasfilm spokesperson contacted me to assure you that the extra content will absolutely be made available to fans.

The bold was their emphasis, not mine.

So, at least we don’t have that to worry about.

Back to the original story:

Many outlets are reporting that Lucasfilm Animation is in the midst of layoffs, eliminating numerous positions held by the crews of Detours and The Clone Wars. Rumours spread that the creative team itself is going in separate directions.

While many assumed and hoped the crews behind these two shows would be reassigned other duties at Disney and in the Star Wars universe, their removal is not wholly unexpected. Downsizing after a major acquisition is an every day fact of life in the despicable world of corporate maneuvering.

TheForce.Net opines that the layoffs are a direct contradiction to the promise made on StarWars.Com that work would resume on episodes close to completion, but that might not be the case. If the plan for Disney is to work on doing the polish work on the last episodes, then, if their plan is to dismantle Lucasfilm Animation, for what reason would they need to retain all of the employees whose work happens before those final layers of polish?

I agree. It’s completely callous of Disney, but this decision makes perfect sense for a giant corporate conglomerate.

The one thing Disney does well is animation. They purchased Pixar for their animation. They didn’t purchase Lucasfilm for its animation department. They purchased it for Star Wars. They might well believe (in a good case of lying to themselves) that their animation departments produce work vastly superior to what Lucasfilm Animation produces. But let’s be honest, no Disney television show has ever or will ever look as good as The Clone Wars did. And it’s a testament to those who worked on it.

More alarming in the reports, however, is the notion that the “bonus content” promised in the release announcing this different direction for Star Wars might not ever actually see the light of day. This is something I’ve heard as well, but can’t seem to confirm it. Sources in the know claim that attempts to mollify fans with the news and pull the rug from them on this “bonus content” are baseless. But why would anyone in the know confirm it if the whole plan is a distraction?

At this point, I have to believe we’ll see the “bonus content,” but I will not–can not–be surprised if it doesn’t happen.

But renewed calls to panic in this case aren’t justified. This seems wholly consistent with the plan we were upset about a week ago. What’s being done to The Clone Wars is unfair, both to the fans and the artists who create the show, and it will never hurt to voice your support, but being upset at a cat for eating a mouse (or in this case a giant mouse eating a television show) is to deny the nature of the thing.

It can never hurt, though, to show your support of the show with a letter to Disney.

Bob Iger
Disney Studios
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521

If you send a letter, be sure to remain civil and leave it to nothing more than your love of The Clone Wars. Don’t give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.

For more addresses to send letters to, visit Save The Clone Wars.

I’ve been asking since January, the first to raise the specter of this possibility, What if The Clone Wars Doesn’t Come Back? I’ve been bracing for this as a worst case scenario for a while now. I was called out for being an alarmist, but I was being a realist and am being a realist now. And I really hate to say, “I told you so.”

I don’t think we’re going to get The Clone Wars back.

Don’t focus on the possibility of getting it back, if it happens, it will be because we remained civil and showed our love and care. Anger isn’t going to help the situation. Enjoy what we’ve had and don’t dwell on the rest. Show your support and embrace all the Star Wars we have yet to come.

Be sure to listen to the Full of Sith podcast for the latest news and analysis.

Two major reports have come out in the last few days regarding Episode VII. One of them is straight from a direct source (but still unconfirmed!) and the other is a blatant rumour and is to be taken with a grain of salt.

The first, more reliable report, is Harrison Ford.

WGN in Chicago caught up with Ford on a red carpet and asked point blank about his involvement with Episode VII, to which he replied: “It’s not in the bag yet, but I think it’s going to happen.”

Harrison Ford is much more reliable at such things than Carrie Fisher, so this can be taken with a greater degree of certainty, but until it’s announced officially, anything can change. Even Ford in his quote hints at the idea that it’s not a done deal yet, and that’s how we should approach it.

The more unsubstantiated part of this report comes from Cosmic Book News. I’ve never heard of them and have no insight into their reliability, but their report swings from “obvious” to “you’ve been reading too many early 90s Star Wars comics.”

Here are their major points from their report:

Star Wars Episode VII will be set 30 years after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

It will indeed feature the Skywalker/Solo children coming to the peak of their powers

The Jedi Order has been rebuilt with Luke Skywalker as Grand Master

A disciple of Emperor Palpatine aims to rebuild the Sith Armies of the Old Republic and destroy the Jedi where the Skywalker children will be thrust into battle and face their inner demons of their Skywalker lineage.

The first one proves they can count. The second one leads me to believe they read the Internet. And it’s the last two that lead me to believe they’ve been reading too much. I just don’t buy it. The “source” in their report says to take this as a rumour, which says to me their source is pulling things out of thin air. The story has been set and the script has been worked on from an approved treatment. The story is in place. For anyone in the know, they’ll know how to separate fact from fiction in that regard.

This sounds like a licensee or some random person not actually in the know reading tea leaves.

Sure, they could come to fruition, but you’d do well to take each and every one of these with a grain of salt large enough to melt a Hutt.

(via Club Jade)

This first appeared on The Huffington Post.

In honor of the 25th anniversary Blu-ray release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (which is in the running for the best film ever directed by Robert Zemeckis) I was given the extreme pleasure of interviewing the voice of Roger Rabbit himself, Charles Fleischer. In the intervening 25 years, Fleischer has become something of a renaisaince man. In addition to his acting, he’s an accomplished stand-up comic, and has even made scientific discoveries in the field of gamma rays, leading me to believe he might actually be The Hulk.

He was more than happy to talk about this classic film from his past, however.

Bryan Young: Roger Rabbit has a staying power not frequent with movies. It gets played with noir films like the Maltese Falcon. Why do you think it has had the cultural staying power it does.

Charles Fleischer: There are a few reasons. Number one, Robert Zemeckis and in addition to that, Richard Williams who did the aspect of designing Roger and the animation. Both of them are geniuses. When you factor that into the script and the fact it took place in the past, introducing cartoon characters, so it created a sensibility whereby he already existed, it made it easier to accept as something that’s always been as opposed to trying to present a new cartoon character in the world of 2013.

BY: You insisted on being in a Roger Rabbit suit for the duration of filming, and I’m wondering what your thinking was behind that.

Charles Fleischer: Unlike other voice over situations which are done in a recording studio, Roger Rabbit was live action and animation combined, and there was a time factor, so my voice was recorded live on the set. So I’m on the set rehearsing and recording my voice as a performance with the other actors, and they’re all wearing costumes, and it made sense to me. When you do a movie, you go to the location and get into your costume. It’s part of your metamorphosis into your character, and it just made sense to do it. At first, Bob Hoskins thought I was just a crazy American, but later he did thank me for doing that because it helped him visualize a character who wasn’t really there.

Bryan Young: Aside from the gorgeous HD transfer, what should we be excited for on this new Blu-ray release?

Charles Fleischer: What you will find on the Blu-ray that has not been on other releases are the inclusion of the Roger Rabbit shorts, “Tummy Trouble” and “Rollercoaster Rabbit”, those have not been together in one package. That really makes this an extraordinary situation that not only can you get the movie on blu ray and all the features that have previously been there, but you get the inclusion of the three separate shorts which were originally released with other films the way they used to in the other days where you’d have a cartoon short before the feature. In fact, one of them was before Dick Tracy, and I appeared in Dick Tracy, so I had a double billing in that movie.

And then talk quickly turned to the rumoured Roger Rabbit sequel starring Roger and Mickey Mouse.

Bryan Young: Gary K. Wolf, who wrote the book the movie is based on, posted on his web site recently that there was going to be some more Roger Rabbit. Is there anything you can say about that?

Charles Fleischer: Because I am not an executive at Disney Studios, I would say it’s premature to make any comments, however, if there is to be a sequel, I would more than likely consider that Rob Zemeckis would be the man at the helm, and all those other things are premature or authentic and doubtful in my opinion. I do still have hope that Bob Zemeckis will again take the helm and bring Roger back. It’s been 25 years, and that’s a good amount of time to wait.

It’s hard to imagine a sequel happening without Robert Zemeckis, and without him, I’m not sure I’d want to see a sequel to this classic film at all. But anything can materialize, and Disney isn’t in the habit of leaving cash on the floor anymore.

The 25th Anniversary Blu-ray of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is available now.

Bryan Young is an author and the editor of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!

Have you watched seasons (series) one and two of the BBC’sSherlock?

If your answer to that question is anything but “yes”, then stop reading this article, fire up whatever device to watch Netflix on, and get to watching right now. This story will still be here when you are done and you can come back here and thank me.

For those of you that have been watching the series, we all know that early last year we were left with one hell of a cliffhanger with the episode, “The Reichenbach Fall” – a cliffhanger that we are going to have to continue to wait to see the resolution of as no premier date for season three has been announced. Filming on this season’s three episodes is scheduled to wrap around mid-Summer, so I’m guessing a premier at the end of this year or possibly the first part of 2014.

Although we may be waiting several more months before we see Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman back as Sherlock and Watson, the good news is that filming of the first episode of the series began yesterday, March 18! And producer Mark Gatiss was kind enough to give all of us fans a little taste of what’s to come by revealing the title of the first episode.

WARNING: It’s a bit spoilery:

I really don’t want to spoil the first two seasons for everyone, but for those of you who have watched them, you know what this is most likely alluding to – and I don’t know about you, but I am excited as hell.

Also on the “Good News for ‘Sherlock’ Fans” front, Cumberbatch recently announced that he and Freeman have signed on to do a fourth season of the show as well. He also mentioned they would like to continue doing the show beyond a fourth season, but obviously as his and Freeman’s fame grows, their schedules may not always allow for it. Sure, each season is only three episodes long, but at a 90-minute running time, I’m sure it’s like filming three feature-length movies back to back to back.

The wait is going to be long, but luckily we have a lot of great geeky films and tv series coming up to tide us over until then.

You can follow Arse-bot and all the pointless thoughts he puts out into the interwebs on Twitter @Arse_bot

An exceedingly trustworthy, but former, Big Shiny Robot! who must remain nameless passed along this major scoop about the nature of a couple of aspects of The Avengers 2. We will not be referring to names to protect the identities and jobs of those who brought us this report. If anyone traced it back to the actual source, they would most certainly lose their jobs over this. And since we’re not making this up (how could we?) there are people’s jobs at stake here.

Now, first and foremost, bear in mind that these are things going on in the Marvel operation that are still in flux. Perhaps shedding light on them and voicing our enthusiasm will be more likely, but these scenarios have a lot of players at the table, so the stakes are high and the ability for negotiations to fall through are immense, especially considering the size of the players.

Secondly, bear in mind that if these negotiations succeed and turn out to be more than rumours, these are MAJOR spoilers. Turn away if you’re concerned.

Now, this former robot was plying a person of stature in the Marvel operation with adult beverages and learned the following:

• Agent Phil Coulson would be returning to Avengers 2, but not as himself. This cameo would arrive possibly as Vision or Deathlok. The details are sparse, but part of the iffy-ness about this particular bit of decision-making is to see what comes of the SHIELD series and Coulson’s place inside it. Deathlok might be more canon, since he’s traditionally “inhabited” by a deceased individual, but the makers of these films aren’t shy about creating their own film continuity for the good of the franchise and story.

• The Avengers will have cameos. But whose, you ask? We have learned that Marvel is in talks with Fox to get cameos from the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Storm. Wolverine. The Human Torch. Reed Richards.
• More cameos. Those aren’t all. They’re also negotiating separately with Sony to get a Spider-Man cameo.

These are in continuing negotiation and might not happen, but this tells us that Marvel (and Disney) is serious about getting us the Marvel Universe into a cohesive unit. By all rights, Avengers 2 might well be the biggest super-hero movie of all time, and it would behoove Fox and Sony to allow the Marvel characters they have in play to cameo in that filmed universe and film. It’s a win for Marvel to up the visibility of the characters and create something unified (unless the future X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man movies suck), but it would speak volumes to the fans.

And it’s not so unheard of. Disney/Marvel were in negotiations with Sony to get the Oscorp Building in Avengers, but the process was too slow to get it into the film in time. I imagine those same wheels have been turning since then.

Reminder: take these things as rumours or possibilities. There is no guarantee any of this will shake out, but it is being discussed at the higher echelons of Marvel.

You can learn more details on this month’s episode of the Big Shiny Podcast, where Kill-tacular-tron goes into more detail.

KMC-1138 and Kill-tacular-tron contributed to this report.

This Month’s Podcast Features:

Zombietron (Tom), Kill-tacular-tron (Lucas), Arse-Bot (Tyson), Mexicus Prime (Jimmy), Vagatron (Kiley), and guest, Aldo – the pancake master!

If you only listen to one Big Shiny Podcast this year, make it this one! Kill-tacular-tron has got some juicy Marvel spoilers and rumors for you to chew on that will tickle your geek tastebuds like nothing else before (HINT: AVENGERS 2 CAMEOS! SNIKT! THWAP! PEW PEW PEW PEW!)! We also discuss the awesome new Iron Man 3 trailer and all the hints contained in it about what is possibly to come for Mr. Stark, and what this could mean for the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We also discuss the intracacies of the new Spider-Man costume for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – some of us care more than others.

Vagatron has his usual grab-bag of comics to discuss while Arse-bot refills his drink. Damien Wayne is dead, a comic book featuring a pink unicorn iswaydarker than you’d expect, and the Superior Spider-Man is on a slippery road to suck-dom.

To wrap things up, we chat about the PS4 announcement, continue our discussion on the future of console gaming, and some titles that have recently been released.

Thanks for listening and watch for a new episode every month! If you like what you hear, rate the Big Shiny Robot Podcast Family on iTunes!

Listen:

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For reasons I’m not entirely sure of, I somehow managed to miss Wreck-It Ralph’s theatrical run. Seeing it now on Blu-ray, I realize how much of a colossal mistake that was.

Wreck-It Ralph tells the tale of a 1980s video arcade game bad guy who has grown weary of being treated like a bad guy because he’s not really a bad guy. His job just happens to require untold amounts of property destruction. He goes on a quest to win a medal and be a good guy and finds himself in other games, learning about himself, his world, and others around him through a series of exhilarating adventures.

As a kid who grew up playing video games of the 80s and 90s, this movie was nothing short of perfect. From the cameos of various characters of franchises I love (from Zangief and Bowser to Doctor Robotnik and M. Bison) and kept me smiling the whole way through.

I had to check the cover repeatedly to make sure this wasn’t actually a Pixar film. And maybe that’s the best news we’ve had from the entire Disney/Pixar merger. If the boys at Pixar have been able to infuse this much creativity back into Disney’s animation department, we’re all going to benefit. Let’s hope they apply the same vigor to their 2D animation as well.

On Blu-ray, these modern 3D animated films are indeed stunning. The quality is sharp, and the visual motifs between the 8bit games and the stand up arcade machines was nothing short of breathtaking. The way they incorporated the different styles, established the world, and the rules of that world with cinematic storytelling was gleeful. It was apparent the makers of this film were having a fun time and it comes across with every frame of animation.

And I can’t say enough about John C. Reilly. I’ve long been a fan of his work. His turns in P.T. Anderson films and many, many others, have instilled me with a confidence about him that adds a layer of likability to any movie he’s a part of. Hopefully the rest of the world will catch up with that thinking, because I think he’s absolutely charming. He’s not handsome in a Hollywood way, but he is a fantastic actor with a flawless understanding of craft and is incredibly fun to watch (or listen to, in this case.) His voice is so perfect for the role, but you’d never have thought of it before, much the same way I reacted to hearing Craig T. Nelson as Mr. Incredible.

Overall, my only complaint about this Blu-ray disc was the intermission screen. The way it is now, Chris Hardwicke hosts a variety of video game and movie trivia and visual gags. I’d have much preferred something a little more traditional and involving the characters of the movie since it wears thin fast.

Aside from that one complaint, which is minor, I would put this disc in the “MUST OWN” category. It’s available on Amazon and at fine retail stores everywhere.

Croissant de Triomphe on Disney Video

Even though I’m feeling a little upset with Disney, there’s no way I can remain that way. If this short is any indication of the creativity flowing out of that company that we’ll be seeing on a regular basis, consider me a happy camper.

Also, I’m a nerd for shorts like this. I’ve long felt we needed a return to them and this is an amazing leap forward in that direction. Well played, Disney. Well played.

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail I’m sure many of you got as well. Think Geek sent out one of their many product announcements packed full of Doctory goodness. What caught my eye this time around was the blind boxed vinyl figured from Titan. I have been buying Kid Robot blind boxed figures for a while now, Arse-bot has a solid addiction to them as well, so I figured it was my duty to check out these Doctor Who figures.

I ended up getting a variant version of the TARDIS so I’m not sure how the actual figures are. The TARDIS can’t really have articulation or anything of the sort. The painting is a bit sloppy, worse than I’ve seen on any of my Kid Robot figures. The green on the light overlaps and the windows are a bit crooked. It isn’t enough to bother me but in comparison to the other stuff on my desk the quality is much lower and the price is the same.

There are , 2 doctors, 5 Daleks, 2 Cybermen, an Ood, Judon, Silurian, Silence and the TARDIS. There are also 4 limited figures like the variant TARDIS I received. They are $9.99 over at Think Geek so if you love Doctor Who and vinyl give em a shot. I wasn’t overly impressed but I wasn’t disappointed either. My TARDIS fits right in on my desk full of vinyls.

A few days ago, the internet was all fired up over the rumor that Alan Cumming would be reprising the role of Nightcrawler in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Unfortunately, it turns out it was just that, a rumor. One that has since been debunked by Cumming himself in a radio interview:

“No, they haven’t [asked me to return]. Someone asked me that the other day and I said no. I know the one that’s coming up shoots this spring, but I wouldn’t be available anyway,”

[JoBlo]

Well, damnit.

As the roster of characters returning from the original X-Men series grows, this is the one I was most hoping for. For my money, the opening scene in X2 is the best of any superhero movie out there. I really would have loved to see more Nightcrawler on the big screen, but from the sound of it Cumming isn’t terrible interested. That said, I don’t think it would be too hard to recast the character considering the amount of make-up one needs to play him anyhow.

Bryan Singer has a tall order to fill with this go-around in the X-Men franchise, and I am incredibly curious to see how this all turns out. The mere fact that he stated that he is going to “fix shit” continuity wise has me cautiously optimistic, but he has a very large cast to work with now and an infamous story arc that I’m sure will be put under the magnifying glass of geek-critique – but if anyone can do this “right”, it’s Bryan Singer.

We will get to find out if this turns out to be a homerun for the franchise or another X3 on July 18, 2014.