Just a small note to introduce you to the third teaser from movie Despicable me. Only this time, it doesn’t focus on unpleasant heroes but rather on the so called “Minions”. Well I wouldn’t totally say the trailer is entirely to their favour as one minute seems enough to find out how stupid they are, but let’s say the introduction with Gru’s little protégés (supposed to help him in his evil plans) has now been done. Let’s recall that Despicable me is a 3D animated feature due in summer 2010. An animation where the bad guys are the heroes, well now we’ve seen it all!

After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws’ kingdom, what’s an ogre to do? Well, if you’re Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What’s happened to this ogre’s roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a “real ogre,” Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it’s up to Shrek to undo all he’s done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.

The subject’s been on for several months already… and the Chipmunks have been steadfastly waiting all this time… After getting ready to be the most beautiful ones to sing, the Chipettes are finally there to give a hard time to Alvin, Simon and Theodore. Since last Wednesday December 23rd, the 3 furry misses are determined to steal the show to the most unbearable singers on animation’s earth, in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Realised by Betty Thomas, the well-known Chipmunk’s adventures are for the second time released on movie screens. To their great despair, our 3 budding singers have to rehearse in order to win a musical contest. At first convinced of their future victory, they will soon become disenchanted once they find out about Ian Hawke and his Chipettes trio… Competition promises to be rough and sexy!

Ghibli studio’s next feature announcement (Ponyo, Chihiro, Mononoké and so many others!) was recently formalized by the producer Toshio Suzuki: it will concentrate on an animated adaptation of The Borrowers, a children book written by Mary Norton. The task has been entrusted to young draftsman Hiromasa Yonebayashi, under Hayao Miyazaki’s control, and the outcome is expected to be coming out some time in summer 2010. Originally English, the story has been slightly changed: it will now be happening nowadays into Tokyo Koganei’s area, where Arriety Clok, a (very) little “thief” will strike up a friendship with a human being. For more information, no other choice than to visit the official website : http://www.karigurashi.jp

Already father of Anikuri and Genius Party, the Japanese director Shinji Kimura this time focuses on realising an animated adaptation of the famous children book Hipira The little Vampire. Initially written by Katsuhiro Otomo (also responsible of Akira and Steamboy), the tale of this cheeky little vampire will be 3D animated by Sunrise studio. The feature is expected to be broadcasted on December 21st on NHK BS2, as a Christmas gift to younger ones.

For additional information, take a look at the official website regarding the project : http://www.hipira.net/

Released 6 months ago (precisely last July), cinema’s most adventurous guinea-pigs are bound to operate once more tomorrow December 15th, on DVD and Blu-ray. These short-haired Indiana Jones -style goofballs from G-Force had captivated last summer’s audience by offering in 3D a pleasant comedy full of action scenes. Hoyt Yeatman’s first feature mixes animation and real pictures to relate the adventures of Darwin and his mates. Though sadly watching it at home won’t be in 3D, I bet Christmas is the best time for the whole family to enjoy this opportunity to discover or rediscover these tiny James Bond’s.

A group of guinea pigs trained by the government to work in espionage, armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, soon discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster, an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles, the computer and information specialist. Along the way, the G-Force encounters myriad other members of the animal kingdom, including pet shop layabout Hurley and the rabidly territorial hamster Bucky.

December with all its Christmas spirit is always a magical month. Well for movie fans, this year’s December should seem even more magical thanks to the return of Disney studios on December 11th with something they are really good at: traditional 2D animation. Disney’s director and artistic director Lasseter once said that the quality of a movie is did not just depend on technique but more importantly on the storyline. With all this in mind, here comes therefore The Princess and The Frog, realised by Ron Clement and John Musker. The Musical fairytale takes place in 1920 in New Orleans and introduces us to an Afro-American princess, who has unfortunately turned up into a frog after she kissed a cursed prince. For indeed dear ladies, you should know this: princes charming aren’t what they used to be…

The many fans of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 saga will be delighted to find out that a movie is expected to conclude season 2 at some point in 2010. For those who don’t know yet, this animated series produced by Sunrise and Bandai studios since 2007 is focused on mecha. The feature, which was unveiled to us through this very first video is actually being realised by Seiji Mizushima. We will come back on it as soon as we get more info concerning this exciting project!

Click here to view the embedded video.

While all our European neighbours have already been given the opportunity to discover this animated long feature in last October, it won’t be before December 4th that A Town called Panic will be coming out on North America’s screens. Realised by Belgians Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar from a 20 episode long animated series of the same name, A Town called Panic was actually part of Cannes Festival official selection in 2009, where the team was aloud to appear on the famous red carpet… driving the same tractor as the one you see on the posters! Well guess what… it was then Panic in Cannes!

Animated plastic toys like Cowboy, Indian and Horse have problems, too. Cowboy and Indian’s plan to surprise Horse with a homemade birthday gift backfires when they destroy his house instead. Surreal adventures take over as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe where pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures live. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier mâché town, will Horse and his girlfriend ever be alone?

It was impossible for me not to bring in the subject of this short animated feature made by Pixar! During 4 little minutes, George and AJ takes us back to the magical world from the studio’s latest release: Up. Though we also meet again with Carl Fredricksen, Russel and Dug, the small video -with very basic animation (might seem a little strange at first)- focuses very humorously on the story of these two nursing home employees, who initially came to fetch the oldman. Just so you know, Carl’s will to travel may have made others a little envious…Enjoy!