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Shaun The Sheep: a full length movie feature. Peppa Pig: 15 minutes of new material, and some old episodes. Let battle commence...

Let's start with some history. The first episode of Peppa Pig screened back in 2004. It seems odd, given its proliferation on television and in the children's sections of bookshops, that it's only a decade old (and even then, it doesn't celebrate that birthday until the end of May). Yet ask any parent of a child under 10, and they'll likely know lots about the show. Not least how wonderfully useless Daddy Pig seems to be.

If you need any proof of how seriously we take Peppa around these parts, let this article be exhibit A. 

In truth, I really like Peppa Pig. I think it's charming, the characters are fun, and it's a show that's got one of my kids in particular very interested in books from an early age.

The final guild/industry group to declare nominees did so this afternoon as the Motion Picture Sound Editors (Mpse) spoke up with a roll call of players for the 62nd Golden Reel Awards. On the film side of things, "Birdman" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" had the best showing with three nominations each. I've been wondering if the latter could slide into Oscar play this year, but it's hard to gauge here, as "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" had a nice Mpse showing, too. In the effects/foley category, "Fury" is featured as well, also a strong possibility to pop up. All other expected players ("American Sniper," "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Unbroken," etc.) are featured. We'll see how the sound branch shakes it all out tomorrow but I'm a little more confused by where they'll end up going than usual, I must say. Check out...

Hollywood’s sound pros nominated Birdman and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for three awards apiece as the Motion Picture Sound Editors unveiled nods for its 62nd Mpse Golden Reel Awards, honoring the best feature film, television, animation and computer entertainment work of the year.

“2014 was a fantastic year for sound,” said Mpse president Frank Morrone. “The advent of new distribution channels, streaming services and gaming platforms is creating additional opportunities for sound artists to practice their craft beyond the traditional venues of film and television. This year’s nominations reflect that change, spanning an amazing diversity of mediums and genres, all executed at the highest level of creativity. We are truly inspired and impressed by the work of our colleagues.”

This year’s Golden Reels will additionally honor Noah director Darren Aronofsky with the Mpse’s annual Filmmaker Award. Oscar winner Skip Lievsay, known for his work...

It's always a good time to revisit our favorite children's movies, whether you're introducing your kids to them for the first time or enjoying a Disney classic yet again. If kids' movies like "Dumbo" and "The Rescuers" aren't already in your library, they're available right now to stream on Netflix, along with a lot of newer movies that will appeal to your kids (and to the kid in you).

(Availability subject to change.)

1. "Anastasia" (1997) G

This winning tale of a girl who might be the lost Romanov princess features the voice talents of Meg Ryan, Christopher Lloyd, John Cusack, and Hank Azaria.

2. "Antz" (1998) PG

Woody Allen voices a neurotic ant who falls in love with a princess (Sharon Stone) and must foil the plans of the power-mad General Mandible (Gene Hackman).

3. "Born Free" (1966) PG

A still-moving classic about the couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, then...

Though the Academy Awards won’t take place until next February, us critics are already all abuzz about which movies from this past year stand a fighting chance of earning Oscar gold. And though the jury is still out on some major categories, especially Best Actress and Best Picture, we now have a pretty solid idea of which films might be contending for a smaller but still extremely competitive category – Best Animated Feature.

2014 has been a great year for animation, from The Lego Movie way back in February right up to Big Hero 6, which opens this Friday, so it should be interesting to watch so many accomplished titles duke it out for that coveted golden statuette. Personally, I’m still rooting for The Lego Movie, which may have faded from voters’ minds considering its early release date but still stands (in my opinion) as one of the most visually engaging,...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed that twenty films are set to compete for the Oscars this year in the animated feature film category. The list, in alphabetical order, is:

"Big Hero 6," "The Book Of Life," "The Boxtrolls," "Cheatin’," "Giovanni’s Island," "Henry & Me," "The Hero Of Color City," "How To Train Your Dragon 2," "Jack And The Cuckoo-Clock Heart," "Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return," "The Lego Movie," "Minuscule - Valley Of The Lost Ants," "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," "Penguins Of Madagascar," "The Pirate Fairy," "Planes: Fire & Rescue," "Rio 2," "Rocks In My Pockets," "Song Of The Sea," and "The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya".

Several of the films mentioned have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfil the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

There are still six movies I need to add to the database, but today the Academy announced 20 movies that will compete for up to at least five nominations for Best Animated Feature at the 2015 Oscars. I've been tracking these for some time now and currently have Big Hero 6 at the top of the charts, but I'm beginning to think this may be The Lego Movie's award to lose. It's a difficult category to predict right now considering my personal opinion of those two top contenders and having not yet seen the likes of Studio Ghibli's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya or Song of the Sea, both of which could be top contenders, or Laika's The Boxtrolls, which has done modest business at the box office, hoping to crack $100 million worldwide by next weekend. Anyway, here's the complete list and I'll get the six I don't have in...

The Academy has received 20 submissions for the 87th Academy Awards’ animated feature film category.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Big Hero 6

The Book Of Life

The Boxtrolls

Cheatin’

Giovanni’s Island

Henry & Me

The Hero Of Color City

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Jack And The Cuckoo-Clock Heart

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

The Lego Movie

Minuscule - Valley Of The Lost Ants

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Penguins Of Madagascar

The Pirate Fairy

Planes: Fire & Rescue

Rio 2

Rocks In My Pockets

Song Of The Sea

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya.

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run.

Submitted features must fulfil the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for...

The Academy has received 20 submissions for the 87th Academy Awards’ animated feature film category.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Big Hero 6

The Book Of Life

The Boxtrolls

Cheatin’

Giovanni’s Island

Henry & Me

The Hero Of Color City

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Jack And The Cuckoo-Clock Heart

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

The Lego Movie

Minuscule - Valley Of The Lost Ants

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Penguins Of Madagascar

The Pirate Fairy

Planes: Fire & Rescue

Rio 2

Rocks In My Pockets

Song Of The Sea

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya.

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run.

Submitted features must fulfil the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for...

Twenty features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 87th Academy Awards.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

“Big Hero 6”

“The Book of Life”

“The Boxtrolls”

“Cheatin’”

“Giovanni’s Island”

“Henry & Me”

“The Hero of Color City”

“How to Train Your Dragon 2”

“Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart”

“Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return”

“The Lego Movie”

“Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants”

“Mr. Peabody & Sherman”

“Penguins of Madagascar”

“The Pirate Fairy”

“Planes: Fire & Rescue”

“Rio 2”

“Rocks in My Pockets”

“Song of the Sea”

“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the 20 films that have submitted for this season's best animated picture Oscar. The films in contention, if they qualify, include: “Big Hero 6” “The Book of Life” “The Boxtrolls” “Cheatin’” “Giovanni’s Island” “Henry & Me” “The Hero of Color City” “How to Train Your Dragon 2” “Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart” “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return” “The Lego Movie” “Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants” “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” “Penguins of Madagascar” “The Pirate Fairy” “Planes: Fire & Rescue” “Rio 2” “Rocks in My Pockets” “Song of the Sea” “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” As noted by the Academy in an official press release, several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Unless those films fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules they cannot be part of the voting process.

Several of the films still need a qualifying one-week run in Los Angeles. Which are our picks for the frontrunners? Not having seen all the films, they are Disney's "Big Hero 6," DreamWorks/Fox's "How to Train Your Dragon 2," Warner Bros.' "The Lego Movie," and Fox's "The Book of Life." The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:“Big Hero 6”“The Book of Life”“The Boxtrolls”“Cheatin’”“Giovanni’s Island”“Henry & Me”“The Hero of Color City”“How to Train Your Dragon 2”“Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart”“Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return”“The Lego Movie”“Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants”“Mr. Peabody & Sherman”“Penguins of Madagascar”“The Pirate Fairy”“Planes: Fire & Rescue”“Rio 2”“Rocks in My Pockets”“Song of the Sea”“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”...

Earlier this year, Walt Disney Home Entertainment and the talented folks at DisneyToon Studios unleashed "The Pirate Fairy," a terrific direct-to-video tale that featured Tom Hiddleston as the voice of a young Captain Hook (and Christina Hendricks as Zarina, the titular fairy). It was cute and fun and magical and cemented the "Tinker Bell" spin-off movies as not just mild curiosities, but essential entertainments for children and grown fans of Disney animation. So it's with some pride that we're able to introduce the new character from the next "Tinker Bell" installment, "Legend of the NeverBeast."

Everyone meet Gruff, the NeverBeast, via these exclusive images and a brand-new clip!

In the clip (above), Fawn (Ginnifer Goodwin) introduces the rest of the fairies, including Tinker Bell (Mae Whitman), to the NeverBeast, a scary-ish monster that looks like it could fit right at home alongside Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are...

Rolf de Heer.s Charlie.s Country got glowing reviews from most Australian film critics, not least for David Gulpilil.s performance for which he was named best actor at the Certain Regard sidebar in Cannes.

Given those plaudits plus eOne.s extensive publicity campaign built around de Heer and the enthusiastic support of exhibitors, the opening weekend of $129,000 at 29 screens, for a per-screen average of less than $4,500, plus $22,300 from previews, isn't great.

However the film may well build on word-of-mouth as audiences respond to the tale of blackfella Charlie, who finds life increasingly tough in his remote community due to the government.s intervention, and resolves to live the old way.

Also, the B.O. figures should be seen in the context of how the director.s films have fared historically in Australia. Tracker, his first collaboration with Gulpilil, grossed $818,000 in 2002. Ten Canoes, the second of the .trilogy,. is...

The latest Planet of the Apes ruled the Australian B.O. last weekend while Aussie documentary All This Mayhem had an impressive debut at just two cinemas.

The Matt Reeves-directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes grabbed $6.1 million from Thursday to Sunday and $7.1 million including its opening day last Wednesday.

That eclipsed Rupert Wyatt.s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which clocked up $4.7 million in its first four days in 2011, and finished with $14.7 million.

Fox's action drama starring Aussie Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman and Andy Serkis as Caesar, king of the forest, raked in $US72.6 million in the Us, and looks capable of surpassing $200 million.

In Australia, the apes propelled weekend takings by 8% to $20.3 million as six titles each earned more than $1 million, according to Rentrak.s estimates.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Transformers: Age of Extinction both grossed about $2.7 million, boosting...

It’s official: Tom Hiddleston’s musical talent will no longer be confined to soundstages or the passenger seat of a car. His voice is going to be heard by all when he takes on the role of country star Hank Williams in Marc Abraham’s I Saw The Light.

In honor of his new venture and also because it’s Friday, we’ve rounded up some of Hiddleston’s best musical moments (with a little dancing bonus — because if this movie doesn’t take advantage of his rhythm, it might as well be a crime):

Hiddleston’s first...

Usually June is associated with the first real month of summer -- a time to go out and frolic through the wilderness like a snowman that doesn't know any better. But it also gets really, really hot, which has people retreating to their local multiplex or, even better, their luxuriously air-conditioned living rooms. With that in mind, take a look at the television shows and movies that will be available on Netflix's steaming service come June (via Vulture).

Thought the snail-who-dreamed-of-being-a-racecar saga ended with last summer's DreamWorks Animated joint "Turbo?" Think again. Apparently there's a television spin-off. And you can watch it on Netflix. We also have to give it up for a pair of wonderful sequels that are going to be on in June: the obviously-shot-in-Canada-even-though-it's-set-in-New York robo-epic "Short Circuit 2" (a favorite since childhood) and the far darker and more sinister "Wolf Creek 2," a sequel to the...

The Pirate Fairy is the fifth and most recent installment in Disney’s successful series of computer-animated movies chronicling the pre-Peter Pan adventures of Tinker Bell (voiced by Arrested Development’s own Ann Veal, Mae Whitman) and her fairy friends friends in Pixie Hollow. At first, the idea of Tinker Bell not only having a voice, but using it to giggle with a bunch of CG fairies voiced by the likes of Lucy Liu, Raven-Symone, Megan Hilty and others seems like little more than a cheap cash grab, with Disney banking on little girls’ love of anything cutesy, colorful and magical. However, while I can’t speak for the other installments the series, I can say that The Pirate Fairy is a pleasantly surprising and entertaining movie that features plenty of positive messages combined with a great deal of fun.

Read more...

We thought Kim Kardashian was the only celeb brave enough to wear a full-on metal fabric, but looks like Christina Hendricks is throwing her tough skin into the game. Our sources confirm that the Mad Men star's Wes Gordon skirt is exactly same as the future Mrs. Kanye West's cropped top combo. The lace effect and metallic sheen are as identical as it gets. So who rocks it best? The sexy skin reveal or the business suit with a major twist? This may seem odd, but we think there's something hotter about Joan Holloway's sleek black button-down versus the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's see-through cropped top. There isn't an inch of cleavage showing on The Pirate Fairy voicer, and yet she...

Tinker Bell is having a moment. Not the red-faced huff of a moment we're used to seeing the feisty tinker fairy have, but a very A-list celeb kind of moment. "Mad Men's" Christina Hendricks and "Thor" star Tom Hiddleston have joined the fun in "Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy" as rogue fairy Zarina and a future Captain Hook, respectively. The result is getting touted as the best direct-to-video sequel Disney has made yet -- quite an endorsement for the littlest member of the mouse house.

Maybe what makes Tinker Bell such an awesome character for families with young children is how her imperfection is embraced (that angry red face!) and not something to be corrected. It's Tinkerbell's jealousy over Wendy that establishes a bond between the tiny fairy and the revenge-driven Captain James Hook. In "Pirate Fairy," Tinker Bell and James -- the future Captain Hook -- meet...

Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week

"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"

What's It About? Can Ron Burgundy and his team up their game to take on the 24-hour news cycle? Will they take a bite out of the Big Apple or choke? Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Christina Applegate return for more unclassy antics.

Why We're In: Anyone who's watched a Will Ferrell/Adam McKay film knows that the alternate and extended scenes are endlessly watchable. That goes double for "Anchorman 2," which was initially released as a PG-13 film and later upgraded to a "super-sized R."

Exclusive: Watch a scene from "Super-Sized R-Rated" Version of "Anchorman 2" (Video)

Rt 2 win #Anchorman2 on BluRay + NewsTeam mustache & autographed Sex Panther cologne! Rules: http://t.co/9EW8jlbjZe pic.twitter.com/N2YxpZygZT

- moviefone (@moviefone) March 31, 2014

Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week

"Once"

What's It About? A...

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues I still plan on watching this, but I don't think I'll be watching all three versions that come on the Blu-ray release, which means I'm torn between the PG-13 theatrical version or the R-rated, super extended version. Considering people don't seem to be over the moon for the R-rated version and seemed, at least, accepting of the PG-13 version, that just might be the way I go. Do you have a suggestionc

47 Ronin I actually think I'll check this one out too. It deserves a look at least... rightc I mean, how bad can it really bec

The Invisible Woman Of today's releases this is the only one I've seen and The Invisible Woman isn't bad at all. In fact, I'd say it's quite good, with a great performance from Felicity Jones and a much better directorial effort for Ralph Fiennes, whose Coriolanus didn't impress me.

The Pirate Fairy

Directed by Peggy Holmes

USA, 2014

I’m not typically fond of reviews in which the writer says, in effect, “This movie wasn’t made for me,” mostly because it seems like a way in which to award something a potentially undeserved free pass. This claim frequently crops up in reviews of family films or animation that’s targeted at kids before adults. Really, the problem stems from an attitude at places like the Walt Disney Company, where executives presume that appealing to everyone matters less if you can focus entirely on a subset of people. The best that Disney animation has to offer (though this applies to animation and family films from any studio) aims to please everyone, not just little boys or little girls. I don’t mean to suggest that saying Movie X wasn’t made for you (the general “you”) is always false or inaccurate,...

Taking his talents into an entirely new realm, Christian Siriano designed the costumes for Disney's new animated feature "The Pirate Fairy" and celebrated his creations during the film's New York City screening last week.

During his red carpet chasse, the "Project Runway" star chatted exclusively with GossipCenter about designing costumes for cartoon characters and revealed which Disney persona he relates to the most.

While discussing the dynamics of creating animated ensembles, Christian explained that one of the best parts of the job was the lack of moody models, hilariously adding, “She can’t talk back to you.”

Fellow fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff chipped in her expert point-of-view and told us that there are no limits designing cartoon costumes because “The rules of fabric don’t apply.”

As for Siriano's favorite Disney characters, he said that he relates to all of the brand's personalities. The 28-year-old continued, "Every Halloween, my fiancé and I are Disney characters.

You have every right to be skeptical.

Starting in 1994, with the release of "The Return of Jafar" -- a direct-to-video sequel to "Aladdin" that auspiciously did not feature the vocal talents of Robin Williams -- Disney, under the increasingly pushy leadership of Michael Eisner, put out a steady stream of direct-to-video sequels, spin-offs, and alternate versions that did nothing to actually strengthen their respective brands. Instead, the endless sequels wore down consumers who were used to quality productions from Disney and not, say, "Cinderella III: A Stitch in Time." Because, of course, the one thing missing from the original "Cinderella" was "Back to the Future II"-style time travel.

When Disney absorbed Pixar and put Pixar executive John Lasseter and Ed Catmull in charge of the creative side of the company, that meant that the company's approach to the direct-to-home video product also changed. Planned sequels to "The Aristocats" and...

From the world of “Peter Pan” comes The Pirate Fairy, a swashbuckling new adventure about Zarina (voice of Christina Hendricks), a smart and ambitious dust-keeper fairy who’s captivated by Blue Pixie Dust and its endless possibilities.

When Zarina’s wild ideas get her into trouble, she flees Pixie Hollow and joins forces with the scheming pirates of Skull Rock, who make her captain of their ship.

Tinker Bell (voice of Mae Whitman) and her friends must embark on an epic adventure to find Zarina, and together they go sword-to-sword with the band of pirates led by a cabin boy named James (voice of Tom Hiddleston), who’ll soon be known as Captain Hook himself.

With laughter, heart, magic and thrills, The Pirate Fairy sets sail April 1, 2014.

Pre-order: http://di.sn/pQE

Ready to win a Family Four-pack of passes and be the first to see The Pirate Fairy in St Louis?...

The Pirate Fairy is Disney's newest animated adventure that's heading home on April 1. Tinkerbell fans have been waiting months for this magic-filled tale, and now it's almost here!

This past weekend at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Disney held a very special pre-screening that was hosted by Mae Whitman, the voice of Tinkerbell herself, along with producer Jenni Magee Cook. The audience got a sneak peek of the upcoming pirate adventure, and we have to admit, an advanced screening of a movie at a Disney resort is our idea of the perfect vacation.

If you can't wait two more weeks for The Pirate Fairy to land on DVD and Blu-ray (and hey, we can't blame you...) then you'll want to check out this brand new featurette. Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers) talks about his character Captain Hook, and discusses why it sometimes feels so good to be bad.

Okay, so maybe...

Here's a behind the scenes video for Disney's upcoming fairy adventure, The Pirate Fairy, and it features footage of Tom Hiddleston gleefully singing as a young Captain Hook. With Christina Hendricks also on board playing a hardcore fairy named Zarina, this straight-to-dvd Disney animated fairy movie has an impressive cast that the kids and Disney fans are sure to enjoy. I'm sure this won't be the last time we see Hiddleston voice an animated character.

When a misunderstood dust-keeper fairy named Zarina steals Pixie Hollow’s all-important Blue Pixie Dust, and flies away to join forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to return it to its rightful place. However, in the midst of their pursuit of Zarina, Tink’s world is turned upside down. She and her friends find that their respective talents have been...

Judith Light returns to TV, Chris Brown is staying in jail, Almost Home has voices of Rihanna, Jim Parsons and Steve Martin

As Glee prepares for their 100th episode, they’re saying goodbye to Lima – for now. And the creative team is looking forward to telling more grownup stories for the adults of the cast, especially Kurt and Blaine. Executive Producer Brad Falchuk says he likes “seeing that relationship get tested and strengthened and sort of the adult version of those characters having real conversations about stuff and really making adult choices. They’re really having fun together.”

For someone like me, who really doesn’t like people, Cloak is the perfect app. It keeps track of your friends’ locations via Foursquare and Instagram so you can avoid running into them. Now if my friends were just more connected.

Game of Thrones actress Sibel Kekilli has joined her costar Carice van Houten...

Tom Hiddleston is an all-around entertainer and don't you forget it. He dances, he does impresisons, he's good with kids, and he can apparently also sing! At least, Disney's putting him in a new animated film called The Pirate Fairy (playing a young Captain Hook), with the hopes that he can. And from the clip below, it sounds like he can pull it off. Keep up the good work, Tom.

We've seen him pull devious tricks as pissy little brother/god Loki in Marvel's "Thor" franchise, and he's popped up in numerous roles from "War Horse" to the upcoming "Muppets Most Wanted," but we've never seen Tom Hiddleston as a jolly, singing pirate before. That's just what he voices in "The Pirate Fairy," Disney's new straight to DVD/Blu-ray animated creation tracking the misadventures of a fairy, voiced by "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks, who steals some ...

By Kase Wickman...

Disney has released a new video clip from their upcoming DisneyToon Studios animated film The Pirate Fairy. The musical animated film is a Tinkerbell spinoff, described as “Hook before the hook” featuring Tom Hiddleston (Loki from the Marvel movies) as James, a cabin boy who ends up becoming Captain Hook. Christina Hendricks plays the main character Zarina (above), a red-haired bad-ass fairy […]

The post Watch Tom Hiddleston Sing as Young Captain Hook in ‘The Pirate Fairy’ appeared first on /Film.

While direct to home video Disney animated films are not exactly aimed at the JoBlo.com audience, I would be remiss if I didn't share this with all of you since it focuses on Tom Hiddleston's involvement with The Pirate Fairy. Yes, Loki himself is lending his voice talents to the latest Tinkerbell animated movie as none other than Captain Hook himself. Plus, he sings! That's right, not only is Hiddleston doing a little voice acting but he is letting his pipes belt out the latest Disney...

Togas-to-go and abs to die for atop the UK box office, while Grand Budapest Hotel books in a surprise third

• More from UK box office

The winner

Seven years after the original 300 film, and with Gerard Butler's slain character missing this time around, it was by no means certain that audiences had an appetite for second helpings. But backers Warners and Legendary Pictures will be plenty happy with the opening numbers for 300: Rise of an Empire in the Us and internationally. In the UK, the film, from director Noam Murro (Smart People) and starring Australian actor Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom), achieved a robust £2.76m debut. While that's well down on 300's opening salvo – £4.75m including previews of £784,000 – it's not bad for a film that seemed short of marketable elements other than the 300 brand name.

Rise of an Empire knocked The Lego Movie off the top spot after a three-week run.

300: Rise of an Empire has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The action blockbuster, a sequel to 2007's Zack Snyder hit 300, earned £2.7 million to end The Lego Movie's three-week reign at the chart summit.

Rise of an Empire's opening haul represents a significant drop from its predecessor, which debuted to £9 million in April 2007. The film eventually went on to make $450 million (£270 million) at the worldwide box office.

Back in this week's chart, Wes Anderson's latest The Grand Budapest Hotel debuted at number three with £1.5 million, up significantly from the £250,000 earned by Moonrise Kingdom in 2012.

Non-Stop, the latest Liam Neeson action-thriller, and comedy Ride Along complete the top five.

Elsewhere, the only other new release to make it into the top ten is animated film Escape from Planet Earth, landing at number seven with £395,392.

The UK box office figures in full from Friday,...

Oscars buzz boosts UK box office and whether growling on a plane or voicing an animation, it's Liam Neeson's moment

• Review of The Lego Movie

• Review of Non-Stop

• More on the UK box office

The winner

Adding another £4.79m in the past seven days, The Lego Movie now stands at a sturdy £26.67m after three weeks of play. That puts it level with the lifetime tallies of blockbusters including Spider-Man 2 (£26.72m) and Ocean's Eleven (£26.47m), and ahead of fellow animations including Ratatouille (£24.80m) and Wall-e (£22.91m). The Lego Movie will pretty soon overtake the likes of Shrek (£29m) and A Bug's Life (£29.45m) and is clearly headed into the mid-30s (£m).

Although box office for The Lego Movie is certainly skewed to the weekend, its decent performance in the Monday-to-Thursday period suggests that it is picking up a true adult audience, rather than merely adult chaperones of children.

The Lego Movie has spent its third weekend at the top of the UK box office, holding off competition from new releases Non-Stop and Ride Along.

The 3D animated movie earned £3.2 million to secure first place, easily beating out Liam Neeson's airborne thriller - which took £2.6 million, significantly less than his last action outing Taken 2 (£7.3 million in 2012).

The Book Thief, Brian Percival's adaptation of Markus Zusak's acclaimed novel, debuted at number four with animation Mr Peabody & Sherman completing the top five.

Elsewhere, Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy is still performing well post-half-term, earning £658,312 on its third week on release.

This Friday sees high-profile releases in the form of 300: Rise of an Empire and The Grand Budapest Hotel - both are expected to make a dent in the chart.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (1) The Lego Movie - £3,266,594

2. (-) Non-Stop - £2,652,364

3. (-...

A second weekend adds to The Lego Movie's impressive tally as it retains its top slot above Mr Peabody & Sherman and Disney's Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy

• The Lego Movie – review

• Mr Peabody & Sherman – review

• More on the UK box office

The winner

Our compact half-term school holidays always concentrate the minds of UK families, offering rich potential for bonanza box-office over a highly compressed time period. And so it has proved with the half-term just ended: from Friday 14 February to Sunday 23 February, The Lego Movie has taken an astonishing £19.72m in just 10 days of play, an average of nearly £2m per day. Add in the previews from the previous weekend, and the film's tally to date rises to a stonking £21.88m. That's more than the lifetime totals of the two lowest-grossing Pixar films – Cars and Cars 2 – and is also ahead of both Kung Fu Panda pictures from DreamWorks Animation.

The Lego Movie has topped the UK box office for the second consecutive weekend.

Warner Bros' 3D animated adventure took home £5.9 million to hold off competition from Mr Peabody & Sherman to retain first place.

The half-term holidays resulted in a bumper weekend for animated movies, with Tinker Bell and The Pirate Fairy moving up into third spot and Frozen re-entering the chart at number ten.

Disney's Oscar-nominated musical has now earned £38.5 million after three months on release in the UK.

Elsewhere in the chart, George Clooney's Monuments Men fell down to number four and RoboCop completes the top five.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (1) The Lego Movie - £5,978,904

2. (4) Mr Peabody & Sherman - £1,698,483

3. (6) Tinker Bell and The Pirate Fairy - £1,207,245

4. (2) The Monuments Men - £1,110,264

5. (3) RoboCop - £891,443

6. (5) The Wolf of Wall Street - £725,047

7. (10) 12 Years a Slave - £557,041

8. (9) Dallas Buyers Club - £454,319

9. (7) Cuban Fury - £422,303

10. (-) Frozen - £422,129

Source:...

Half-term brought Warners' Lego film a strong opening weekend, well ahead of George Clooney's men-on-a-mission movie and the Valentine's Day releases

• The Lego Movie – review

• The Monuments Men – review

The winner

Animation is the one film genre that regularly supplies big hits without the benefit of character familiarity, with successes from studios such as Fox/Blue Sky (Ice Age), Universal/Illumination (Despicable Me) and Pixar (everything bar the sequels). Even recent Disney successes such as Tangled and Frozen barely traded on audience affection for their fairytale origins. However, the explosive opening numbers for The Lego Movie suggest brand familiarity can be an asset in animation, just as it invariably is in live action.

Opening with £8.05m including £2.16m in previews, The Lego Movie has achieved the strongest start for a non-sequel animation since The Simpsons Movie in July 2007 – although excluding preview figures, it was beaten by the opening weekend of 2009's Up,...

The Lego Movie has topped the UK box office on its first weekend on release.

Warner Bros animated adventure, based on the Danish-produced toy line, posted the highest box office debut of 2014 so far to see off competition from George Clooney's The Monuments Men.

Lego Movie cast get nostalgic about childhood toys: Nes, Super Soakers

The Lego Movie's £8 million opening haul easily outpaces that of The Wolf of Wall Street, which earned £4.6 million in January.

RoboCop slips down to number three, while last week's number one movie Mr Peabody & Sherman is at number four. The Wolf of Wall Street rounds out the top five.

Elsewhere, new releases Tinker Bell and The Pirate Fairy, Cuban Fury and Endless Love debuts at numbers six, seven and eight respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (-) The Lego Movie - £8,051,140

2. (-) The Monuments Men - £1,616,625

3. (2) RoboCop - £1,509,810

4. (1) Mr Peabody...

Her | The Lego Movie | Bastards | The Monuments Men | Cuban Fury | 8 Minutes Idle | Love Is In The Air | Endless Love | Bette Bourne: It Goes With The Shoes

Her (15)

(Spike Jonze, 2013, Us) Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara. 126 mins

Technophilia will only get you so far, Jonze's near-future parable suggests, as it engineers a blind date between a lonely man and a sentient operating system with no concept of privacy settings – and finds both partners wanting. More successful is the marriage of sci-fi and romantic drama: the focus is more on the heart than the hardware in this soulful, often sorrowful movie.

The Lego Movie (U)

(Phil Lord, 2014, Us) Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett. 100 mins

Using pop-culture humour and star voices to overcome blatant product placement, this canny, rapid-fire comedy adventure is like a Matrix parody rendered in CGI plastic bricks.

Bastards (18)

(Claire Denis, 2013, Fra/Ger) Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni.

Los Angeles, Feb 14: Actress Christina Hendricks says it has been "a dream come true" working on "Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy".

The 38-year-old did the voiceover for pirate fairy, Zarina, in the animated adventure and had a great time working with Disney.

"It is so exciting to get a phone call saying you're going to be working on a Disney film. And then, to find out it's a Tinker Bell movie is every girl's dream.

"I also love the fact that the movie is about the introduction of a new fairy that we get to create from scratch. Its been a dream come true. It's been really, really fun," contcatmusic.com.

Peter Pan found himself back in the headlines this week with the news that Warner Bros is launching a nationwide casting search to find a new boy who'll never grow up. The Joe Wright-directed film will explore the origins of Jm Barrie's character with Hugh Jackman as pirate Blackbeard and Garrett Hedlund playing a young James Hook.

Digital Spy takes a look at five other movies that have used Barrie as inspiration to create some movie magic.

Peter Pan (1953)

There had been a Pan movie before (a silent film released in 1924), but this Disney-produced offering proved to be a big hit in the early '50s. Turning Barrie's acclaimed play into an animated musical, the Disney version even spawned a sequel (2002's Return to Neverland) and a spinoff series revolving around pixie Tinker Bell (more on that later).

Hook (1991)

A continuation of Barrie's story, Steven Spielberg took the helm...

Its main characters were barely known in the UK, but that hasn't stopped this spin-off from the 1960s Us cartoon Rocky & Bullwinkle rocketing to the top spot

• More on the UK box office

The winner

Despite competition from paid previews on The Lego Movie, DreamWorks Animation's Mr Peabody & Sherman posted a decent debut of £3.92m. Mind you, it's worth noting that Mr Peabody & Sherman likewise pursued a previews strategy – likely a knock-on effect of the Lego tactic – and these contributed a considerable £1.39m of the total. The figure compares favourably with previous DreamWorks Animation release Turbo, which landed with £3.89m, including £1.77m in previews, last October.

While Turbo, the story of a motor-racing snail, was one of DreamWorks Animation's lesser appealing titles, Mr Peabody & Sherman might still have struggled to match it. Conceptually, it's not an obvious easy sell – the story of an erudite beagle who adopts a...

Tinker Bell is one of Disney’s great mascots, a symbol of the enchantment that has illuminated the studio for decades. However, having been involved in a number of unmemorable spin-off’s, sadly we have another one to add to the list, as Peggy Holmes presents The Pirate Fairy. Though managing to comprise a voice cast consisting of Christina Hendricks and Tom Hiddleston, we spend too much time referencing its originator, Peter Pan, feeling too contrived in the process. If there is one thing you should try and avoid, is to draw too many comparisons to one of the greatest animations ever created, as it seeks only in highlighting this very film’s shortcomings.

Hendricks voices Zarina, an enthusiastic and inventive fairy, who is determined to discover the true power and potential of pixie dust, and create new colours and formulas to see what the magical powder is truly capable of.

Tom Hiddleston is a talented, talented man. This won't come as a shock to many – the British actor is currently winning raves for his Coriolanus in the West End, has made himself indispensable to the Marvel Universe despite originally being conceived as a one-shot villain, and is gearing up to star in Guillermo del Toro and Ben Wheatley's next projects.

But Hiddleston's talents go far beyond the normal bounds of the stage and screen. Forget a triple threat – he's closer to an octuple threat.

As everybody's favourite trickster god turns 33, Digital Spy takes a look back at just a few of his key skills.

Singing

One thing you're going to learn from this list is that Hiddleston knows how to work a crowd. While promoting upcoming animated adventure The Pirate Fairy at Disney's D23 Expo, Hiddleston took a moment to serenade the rapt audience with a rendition of Jungle Book classic 'The Bare Necessities',...

Dallas Buyers Club | The Invisible Woman | RoboCop | Mr Peabody & Sherman | The Patrol | Lift To The Scaffold

Dallas Buyers Club (15)

(Jean-Marc Vallée, 2013, Us) Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Denis O'Hare, Steve Zahn. 117 mins

What McConaughey loses in body mass he gains in compassion in this drawn-from-real-life drama, which cleverly disguises its awards-friendliness beneath thespian commitment and non-issue-movie storytelling. Diagnosed with Aids in 1980s Texas, McConaughey's rodeo-loving electrician takes matters into his own hands and devises his own grey-market treatment programme for the ravaged gay community (in partnership with Leto's lovable transgender cohort, Rayon). The authorities don't approve; the Academy probably will.

The Invisible Woman (12A)

(Ralph Fiennes, 2013, UK) Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott-Thomas. 111 mins

Working to Claire Tomalin's biography, Fiennes gives us a tale of two Dickenses: the charismatic literary celebrity and the self-absorbed love rat. But the passion of his secret affair with Jones's teenage actor is smothered by repression,...

Little bit of a light update today with only two notable films and a Disney title on today's bulletin, which we'll begin with David Michod's new film The Rover starring Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce, which scored a to-be-expected R rating for language and some bloody violence. After that we have the Kevin Costner retired-hitman-with-a-terminal-illness action thriller 3 Days To Kill, which did you know it was directed by McGc The film earned a PG-13 rating and comes out later this month. Finally, Disney's latest Tinkerbell movie, The Pirate Fairy, which will be heading direct-to-video on April 1, earned an obvious G rating. Check out the full bulletin directly below. Bad Asses Rated R For violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use. Beyond Justice Rated R For language, violence and brief drug use. Cavemen Rated R For sexual content, nudity and language. Falcon Song Rated PG For mild language and some action.

What girl hasn't sketched out a few hundred fairies in fairy dresses in her life? Fashion designer Christian Siriano got to do it for real. The "Project Runway" winner designed the clothes for new character Zarina in the new Tinkerbell movie The Pirate Fairy.  Zarina (voiced by "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks) is a dust-keeper

fairy who falls in with a shipful of pirates, including a cabin boy named James (voiced by Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston). Seriano is pretty excited, saying Zarina "is a

unique and character and I wanted to make her memorable and iconic." Did he do it? Does Zarina's pirate fairy outfit make you want to clap or say aaarggh? Tell us on Twitter @KidsPickFlicks !

The Pirate Fairy sets sail on April 1, 2014. 

 

 

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