Legendary Animator & Oscar-Nominee Glen Keane on his Kobe Bryant Collaboration Dear Basketball

In light of the tragic news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, 13 (the second oldest of Bryant’s four daughters with his wife, Vanessa), and seven other people in a helicopter crash in California, we are re-posting this interview with animator Glen Keane, who worked with Kobe on their film Dear Basketball, which ultimately earned them an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

In this second of a two-part interview with veteran Disney animator Glen Keane,

Legendary Animator & Oscar-Nominee Glen Keane on Teaming up With Kobe Bryant, his Disney Past & More—Part I

In light of the tragic news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, 13 (the second oldest of Bryant’s four daughters with his wife, Vanessa), and seven other people in a helicopter crash in California, we are re-posting this interview with animator Glen Keane, who worked with Kobe on their film Dear Basketball, which ultimately earned them an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

Glen Keane is not just a living legend.

Joker Nabs 11 Oscar Nominations as 2020 Oscar Nominees are Revealed

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 2020 Academy Awards nominees. There are some surprises, some snubs, and some predictable nominees. The Best Picture category includes 9 films this year. Todd Phillips’ Joker leads the pack with 11 nominations, while Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is close behind with 10.

This year’s host-less telecast, the 92nds Academy Awards, will air live on ABC on February 9th,

Oscars 2019: Four of Our Favorite Sequences

This week we’ve been taking a trip down recent memory lane. We’ve been sharing some of our favorite interviews with Oscar-nominees, which has reminded us of the sequences that made the year a special one in film. You know the way certain sequences walk out of the theater with you? Here are four scenes that did just that for us, playing in our minds long after the credits rolled.

The Casino Fight in Black Panther

Ryan Coogler’s groundbreaking Black Panther had so much going for there were any number of sequences that fit the bill.

Roma‘s Oscar-Nominated Production Designer on Recreating Mexico City in the 1970s

*In the run-up to this Sunday’s Oscars telecast, we’re sharing some of our favorite interviews with nominees. 

Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is one of the most astonishing film experiences of the year. The word experience fits, as Cuaron and his team created a lush soundscape that’s nearly as captivating as the shimmering black-and-white cinematography. Then there’s Roma‘s exquisite design, which recreates Cuaron’s hometown of Mexico City,

Here are Your 2019 Oscar Nominees

Here’s your full list of this year’s Oscar nominees. A few reminders on what folks have been talking about in the lead up to Sunday’s telecast.

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther has made the list for Best Picture (one of 7 nominations the film received). This is historic; Black Panther is the first superhero film to ever earn the honor. Coogler’s Marvel epic joins BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite,

How Free Solo‘s Oscar-Nominated Directors get it Done

Jimmy Chin is a professional climber and filmmaker who specializes in nail-biting documentaries that take place on ludicrously sheer mountain faces. His work demands a supernatural degree of calm. Today, however, Chin sounds like just another irrepressibly stoked dude. He’s fresh from the annual luncheon for Academy Award nominees. Alfonso Cuarón, it turns out, had seen Chin’s latest film, Free Solo, which is nominated for Best Documentary Feature.

Oscar Watch: Black Panther Co-Editor Michael Shawver on the key to Cutting Fight Scenes

Editor Michael Shawver goes way back with writer/director Ryan Coogler. In fact, he edited Coogler’s first two films, his 2013 breakout film Fruitvale Station, and his deft resurrection of the Rocky franchise with 2015’s Creed. His work on Creed turned out to be the perfect training for his next Coogler project; the epic, game-changing Black Panther. 

Shawver’s gut—and keen eye—led him to feel very connected to the hand-to-hand combat scenes that took place at Warrior Falls.

Are the Avengers Reassembling for the Oscars?

What will it take to bring back our beloved, fallen Avengers after the now infamous Thanos snap? If you’re thinking it’s Captain Marvel, you might be right about how things shake out in Avengers: Endgame, but it looks like we’ll be seeing them a whole lot sooner—at the Oscars. The Hollywood Reporter has it that the Oscars producers are looking to bring back the Avengers for the telecast (there will be no host this year),

Oscar Watch: Roma‘s Production Designer on Recreating Mexico City in the 1970s

Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is one of the most astonishing film experiences of the year. The word experience fits, as Cuaron and his team created a lush soundscape that’s nearly as captivating as the shimmering black-and-white cinematography. Then there’s Roma‘s exquisite design, which recreates Cuaron’s hometown of Mexico City, specifically the neighborhood of Roma where he grew up. The focus is on a middle-class family and their live-in servants,

Watch Pixar’s Oscar-Shortlisted Bao in its Entirety

Bao director Domee Shi is the first woman to direct a Pixar short, and now you can see her phenomenal, Oscar-shortlisted work in its entirety. Pixar has released the short online (it will be available for one week only), which hits the legendary animation studio’s sweet spot—adorable, bittersweet, offbeat, complex—while also introducing a serious talent in Shi. Many called it the best Pixar short in years.

Shi, who also worked as a storyboard artist for this year’s Incredibles 2 and the upcoming Toy Story 4, 

Black Panther, A Quiet Place & More Make Oscars VFX Shortlist

Awards season has officially begun, and it’s already looking quite good for Black Panther. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed their shortlist for the visual effects category today, which includes more or less all the films you’d expect to see, with a few pleasant surprises. A few of these movies you haven’t seen yet, like Bumblebee and Welcome to Marwen, 

The Shape of Water, Jordan Peele & Frances McDormand: Your 2018 Oscar Highlights

The Shape of Water turns out to be that of an Oscar statue, Jordan Peele nabs an Academy Award for his Get Out original script, Frances McDormand wins Best Actress and ignites the industry with two choice words, and legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins has finally won the big award for his stellar work on Blade Runner 2049. And let’s not overlook Phantom Thread costume designer Mark Bridges,

Oscar-Nominated SFX Makeup Artist Arjen Tuiten on the Immense Responsibility of Working on Wonder

As part of our Oscars week coverage, we’re re-posting our conversations with some of this year’s Oscar-nominees, while publishing new interviews throughout the week. Wonder makeup SFX artist Arjen Tuiten is nominated for Makeup & Hairstyling. Also nomianted are Kazuhiro Tsjuji, David Malinowski & Lucy Sibbick (Darkest Hour) and Daniel Phillips & Lou Sheppard (Victoria Abdul). 

The last time we spoke to special effects makeup artist Arjen Tuiten,

How The Shape of Water‘s VFX Producer Turned a Monster Into a Romantic Lead

In the final part of this two-part interview, visual effects coordinator and frequent Guillermo del Toro collaborator Luke Groves reveals how he worked with the filmmaker to craft some of The Shape of Water’s most awe-inspiring sequences and reveals how he and the visual effects team at Mr. X walked the line between CG magic and practical effects to create movie magic that looks impressively real.

I want to talk about the opening sequence because I know it was shot wet-to-dry which is absolutely incredible.

The Shape of Water‘s VFX Producer on Creating the Year’s Most Unique Leading Man

For all its ambitious underwater sequences and that stunning central creature, it’s oddly easy to forget the technical majesty at work in Guillermo del Toro’s meticulous, Oscar-nominated The Shape of Water. Not for its lack of quality, in fact, quite the opposite. The work, which makes every inch of del Toro’s beguiling fantasy possible, is so seamless as to give the impression that even the film’s most outlandish design elements are through some mysterious magic,

Love & Other Illusions: How Blade Runner 2049‘s Oscar-Nominated Sound Designer Played With our Heart Strings

As part of our Oscars week coverage, we’re re-posting our conversations with some of this year’s Oscar-nominees, as well as publishing new interviews with those vying for Oscar gold this Sunday. Sound editor Theo Green is nominated alongside his Blade Runner 2049 collaborator Mark Mangini. The Sound Editing category includes Julian Slater (Baby Driver), Richard King & Alex Gibson (Dunkirk), Nathan Robitaille & Nelson Ferreira (The Shape of Water),

How Blade Runner 2049’s Oscar-Nominated Sound Designer Pulled no Punches

As part of our Oscars week coverage, we’re re-posting our conversations with some of this year’s Oscar-nominees, as well as publishing new interviews with those vying for Oscar gold this Sunday. Sound editor Theo Green is nominated alongside his Blade Runner 2049 collaborator Mark Mangini. The Sound Editing category includes Julian Slater (Baby Driver), Richard King & Alex Gibson (Dunkirk), Nathan Robitaille & Nelson Ferreira (The Shape of Water),

Replicant vs. Replicant: How Blade Runner 2049’s Oscar-Nominated Sound Designer Pulled no Punches

K. vs. Sapper

It’s a mismatch. One replicant is 6’0” and slender. The other is a goliath, standing at 6’3” and weighing 290lbs. They’re all alone in a creaky cabin on a distant, desolate protein farm, and they know they are about to have at it. The slender replicant, Officer K (Ryan Gosling), is there to “retire” Sapper (Dave Bautista, most well known as the lovable brute Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise),

Chatting With Call Me By Your Name‘s Legendary Screenwriter James Ivory

As part of our Oscars week coverage, we’re re-posting our conversations with some of this year’s Oscar-nominees, as well as publishing brand new interviews with nominees. James Ivory is nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), alongside The Disaster Artist’s Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Logan’s Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green; Molly’s Game Aaron Sorkin; and Mudbound’s Virgil Williams and Dee Rees.