CA – Once Upon A Cloud Launch Party

Join renowned animation artist Claire Keane (Frozen, Tangled) at Vroman’s Books on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 4:00 PM for a reading, discussion and signing of her first children’s book, Once Upon A Cloud. There will be refreshments, artwork and of course, books!

Meet the Author
Claire Keane is known for her past work as a visual development artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where she made significant contributions to recent hits Frozen and Tangled. Her father, Glen Keane, was a renowned Disney artist who oversaw the design and character development on many classic Disney films, and her grandfather, Bil Keane, was the creator of The Family Circus comics. Claire lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and kids. This is her debut picture book.

RSVP on Facebook!

Vroman’s Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 449-5320

CA – Once Upon a Cloud Signing

Claire Keane appears at Barnes & Noble to sign her new book Once Upon a Cloud on Saturday March 7, 2015 at 11:00 AM.

Meet the Author
Claire Keane is known for her past work as a visual development artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where she made significant contributions to recent hits Frozen and Tangled. Her father, Glen Keane, was a renowned Disney artist who oversaw the design and character development on many classic Disney films, and her grandfather, Bil Keane, was the creator of The Family Circus comics. Claire lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and kids. This is her debut picture book.

Barnes & Noble
1201 3rd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-260-9110

UK – Big Hero 6 Signing

Press Release:

Forbidden Planet is,thrilled to offer the rare opportunity to meet Zach Parrish, Head of Animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios, at our London Megastore on Friday 13th February at 6:00pm.

Animation fans will be able to meet and chat to Zach about his work on the BAFTA and Academy-Award® nominated BIG HERO 6. Zach will be signing copies of ‘The Art of Big Hero 6’ and we’ll have free, signed BIG HERO 6 posters to give away!

Zach Parrish oversaw the artists charged with creating the movement, emotion and physical performance of the characters in BIG HERO 6. His team included five animation supervisors and 85 animators. He joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2010 as a character animator for the hit feature “Tangled” before serving as animation supervisor for 2012’s big-screen comedy “Wreck-It Ralph”.

BIG HERO 6 is in UK cinemas now. The film has received widespread audience and critical acclaim with glowing global reviews following its world premiere at the Tokyo Film Festival and #1 US launch.

Forbidden Planet London Megastore
179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR

CA – Talkin’ Toons LIVE

Voice actor Rob Paulsen welcomes Jess Harnell and Kevin Michael Richardson to Talkin’ Toons LIVE on Tuesday March 4, 2014 at 8:00 PM at the Hollywood Improv!

Get tickets at the link!

Press Release:

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.

Hollywood Improv
8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Anime Boston 2014 Announces Five New Guests of Honor

Anime Boston is proud to announce five new Guests of Honor for the 2014 convention! Please join us in welcoming Wendee Lee, Kyle Hebert, Cristina Vee, Patrick Seitz, and Tom Wayland!

 

Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly known in anime. With 240 credits to her name, she is one of the most prolific English voice-over actresses in history.

 

Kyle Hebert is a Los Angeles-based anime and video game voice actor whose credits include Wreck-It Ralph/Street Fighter (Ryu), Naruto (Kiba), Bleach (Aizen, Ganju), League of Legends (Ezreal, Jarvan, and Graves) and Gurren Lagann (Kamina). He is best known as the Narrator and Teen Gohan from the Funimation dub of Dragonball Z. His current roles include Tenkai Knights (Commander Beag) and Digimon Fusion (Dorulumon, Ballistomon). Other fan faves include Blue Exorcist (Bon Suguro), Fire Emblem Awakening (Frederick, Validar), Fullmetal Alchemist (Vato Falman), Tales of Symphonia (Richter Abend) and Star Ocean (Dias, Arumat, Crow).

 

Cristina Vee is a voice actress from Los Angeles, CA. Since getting her first large anime roles in 2007, Cristina has voiced over 100 characters in both animation and video games. Anime fans know her Mio Akiyama in K-ON!, Alisa Bosconovitch in Tekken Blood Vengeance, Homura Akemi in Madoka Magica, Louise in The Familiar of Zero, and Morgiana in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, to name a few.

 

Patrick Seitz’s anime roles include Franky in One Piece, Sky High in Tiger & Bunny, Germany in Hetalia, Agil in Sword Art Online, Senji in Deadman Wonderland, Simon in Durarara, Laxus in Fairy Tail, Sloth in FMA: Brotherhood, JP in Redline, Agni in Black Butler, Motochika Chosokabe in Sengoku Basara, Nekozawa in Ouran High School Host Club, Isshin Kurosaki in Bleach, and Grimmer in Monster.

 

Tom Wayland is proud to have made a long and successful career out of his most favorite things – acting, directing, and making raucous, loud rock and roll music. Tom has produced and/or directed hundreds of anime programs such as Now & Then, Here & There, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Alien Nine, The World of Narue, Ichi the Killer, Mew Mew Power, Magical Do Re Mi, GI Joe, and currently serves as the voice director on the hit series Pokemon.

About Anime Boston:
Anime Boston is an annual three-day Japanese animation convention held in Boston, Mass. Anime Boston 2014 is scheduled for Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23 at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel. More information about Anime Boston can be found at www.animeboston.com.

About New England Anime Society:
The New England Anime Society was founded in 2001. Based in Massachusetts, The New England Anime Society, Inc. is an organization dedicated to furthering public education and understanding of the Japanese language and culture through visual and written media. More information about The New England Anime Society is available at www.neanime.org.

Emerald City Comicon 2014 Updates

Emerald City ComiCon‘s newsletter has some major updates for their 2014 convention with new guests, tickets available for sale, and more!

Tickets Now In Stores!
Tickets to the 2014 Emerald City Comicon are now on sale in stores. And while you’re buying, don’t forget that we’ve expanded Friday into a full day of fun (10am-7pm). More than half of the show’s tickets have already been sold, so stop waiting. Get your ticket for all three days right now! [Tickets Are On Sale Here]

A Reminder from the Committee for Line Reductions
The Committee for Line Reductions would like to note that starting this year, if you buy your ticket online, we’re mailing your badge to you about a month before the show. If you buy your ticket at your local comic book store, you’ll exchange that ticket for a badge at that same store anytime in March. Either way, you won’t need to wait in a line to trade in your ticket at the show! This has been a reminder from the Committee for Line Reductions.

So. Many. GUESTS!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve added more special guests than we can possibly list.

Here’s just a few of our new celebrity guests and voice actors: Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Lance Reddick (Fringe), Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Frozen), Bill Farmer (Voice of Goofy) and Nancy Cartwright (Voice of Bart Simpson). The complete list of celebrities is here: [Celebrity Guests] and the voice actors are here: [Voice Talent]

As for our special guests, recent additions include Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel), Jason Aaron (Thor), Peter David (X-Factor), Don Rosa (Donald Duck), Katie Cook (My Little Pony), Matt Fraction (Fantastic Four), Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows), Ed McGuinness (Nova) and DOZENS more! [Check out the full list of guests here]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out who we’re adding next!

More Hotels!
While we’ve expanded our deals into more hotels, half of them are now sold out! Make sure to hit our hotels page and reserve your room before they’re all booked up! [Find Hotel Deals Here]

More Comics!
Every week, we’re adding more free comics to our website. A new Tales From The Con is posted every Wednesday. You can also read the ongoing adventures of the Emerald City Crusader and Emerald City Crusaderette in our very own webcomic, Emerald City Cusader Chronicles, new pages are posted every Tuesday and Thursday. [Read our comics! Yes, COMICS!!]

CA – Art of Frozen Signing

Brittney Lee, Lisa Keene, and Paul Briggs appear at Gallery Nucleus on Saturday December 7, 2013 at 7:00pm!

Press Release: 

Join us for a very special presentation of the making of the film from the talents behind it as they share rarely seen images and reveal the interesting details about the creative process.

In Walt Disney Animation Studios upcoming film, Frozen, the fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff—to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. “The Art of Frozen” features concept art from the making of the film—including character studies and sculpts, color scripts, storyboards, and more—alongside interviews with the film’s artists about the making of this comedy-adventure.

$5 Admission at the door or FREE w/ purchase of the art of Frozen book (seats are limited, standing room available)

Featured Artists:

Brittney Lee (Visual Development)
Lisa Keene (Visual Development)
Paul Briggs (Story Artist)

more to be announced…

Event Schedule:

4:00pm – 5:00pm (Panel Presentation)
5:30pm – 6:00pm (Q&A)
6:00pm – 7:00pm (Signing)

Outside books will be subject to a $10 fee.

Gallery Nucleus
210 East Main Street, Alhambra, CA 91801

CA – Talkin Toons LIVE

Voice actor Rob Paulsen welcomes Tress MacNeille and Laraine Newman to Talkin’ Toons LIVE on Tuesday November 26, 2013 at 8:00 PM at the Hollywood Improv!

Get tickets at the link!

Press Release:

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

Laraine Newman is a comedienne, actress, writer and was part of the original cast of Saturday Night Live! She’s been in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage and has provided voices in Wreck-It Ralph, Wall-E, Toy Story 3, Ponyo, Surf’s Up, Monsters, Inc. and more!

Tress MacNeille is best known for providing various voices in the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers and more! Her list of video game roles include Kingdom Hearts games, Escape from Monkey Island, The Simpsons Game, and countless others!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.

Hollywood Improv
8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

CA – Ladies of Animation Art Show

Press Release:

Gennie Rim, former artistic manager at Pixar and Disney, picks up her ongoing series centered on the art of animation with a new exhibit, “Ladies of Animation,” underlining the personal work of female artists from major studios including Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks. The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, February 9th from 6 – 10 p.m at GRspace (114 W. 4th St. Los Angeles, CA 90013). The show runs through March 2nd, 2013.

Featured in the show are: Victoria Ying, Sho Murase, Helen Mingjue Chen, Nicole Mitchell, Clio Chiang, Griselda Sastrawinata, Anna Chambers, Lorelay Bove, Claire Keane, Fawn Veerasunthorn, Brittney Lee, Kendelle Hoyer and Lissa Treiman.

The women’s contributions span many disciplines within the world of animation from the design of feature characters to story and visual development in films such as Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Frankenweenie, and Paperman. The reach of their work extends beyond the studios into the arenas of toy design, graphic novels and advertising.

Of these artists, Rim says, “All of these women are world-class talent, and their personal work should be seen and recognized within the community of animation, and also within the world of fine art.”

A portion of proceeds will be used to support GRworks’ free monthly art workshop for kids — Rim’s simultaneous effort to foster interest and support for youth arts in Los Angeles. The next workshop, taught by animation artists, is scheduled for Saturday, February 15th from 1 – 3 p.m. at GRspace. For more information, please email info@GRworks.com.

About GRworks

Founded by animation professional Gennie Rim, GRworks was conceived in 2012 to bridge the gap between the creativity in commercial animation and fine art. Integral to the vision and philosophy of GRworks is the desire to create a space for highly talented production artists to pursue and exhibit personal works to the fine art and contemporary art communities. GRworks-curated shows have showcased many of the animation industry’s top talent. Rim brings more than 15 years of experience in animation and film, working at such industry titans as Disney and Pixar.

RSVP on Facebook!

CA – Art of Wreck-It Ralph Signing

Join Gallery Nucleus on November 9, 2012 from 6:30PM – 8:30PM for an artist panel and see some of their amazing work on the film Wreck-It Ralph along with the work of other Disney artists!

Featured Artists:

Lorelay Bove (Visual Development)
Brittney Lee (Visual Development)
Victoria Ying (Visual Development)
Mike Gabriel (Visual Development)
Ian Gooding (Co-Art Director)
Bill Schwab (Character Designer)

more to be announced…

Event Schedule:

6:30 – 7:30pm (panel presentation)
7:30pm – 8:00pm (Q&A)
8:00pm – 11:00pm (Brittney and Lorelay exhibition opening/book signing)

Gallery Nucleus 
210 East Main Street, Alhambra, CA 91801

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