The Spectre makes his animated debut as the title character in the inaugural entry within the DC Showcase series of animation shorts. Gary Cole (Entourage) provides the voice of The Spectre.

Hot damn! This is what I like to wake up to – the first official images from Warner and DC Comics‘ new animated short, The Spectre! While the pics and the accompanying info in the press release don’t contain much new information (outside of the fact that we’re eventually going to get a Jonah Hex cartoon written by Joe R. Lansdale!!!), it is nice to finally sneak a peak at the short. I’m really digging the character designs, from what little we can see here, in the three images provided and I have high hopes for the Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) script. The Spectre will be distributed February 23 by Warner Home Video as part of the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Blu-ray/DVD (read details and watch the trailer here.) Here’s what Warner Home Video has to say about the short film:

A bit of romantic history flows between Detective Corrigan and Aimee Brenner in The Spectre, the inaugural entry within the DC Showcase series of animation shorts. Gary Cole (Entourage) and Alyssa Milano (Charmed) provide the voices of Detective Corrigan and Aimee Brenner, respectively.

From the creative forces behind the DC Universe animated original
PG-13 movies, DC Showcase puts the spotlight on favorite characters
from throughout the annals of DC Comics in fascinating, short-form
tales sure to entertain longtime and new fans alike.

The Spectre focuses on a detective story with an ethereal twist,
featuring the otherworldly character originally introduced by DC
Comics in 1940. The short is written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night)
and directed by Joaquim Dos Santos (G.I Joe: Resolute). The voice cast
is led by Gary Cole (Entourage) as the title character and Alyssa
Milano (Charmed) as Aimee Brenner.

DC Showcase is a co-production from Warner Premiere, Warner Bros.
Animation, Warner Home Video and DC Comics. Bruce Timm is Executive
Producer. Future DC Showcase titles include Jonah Hex (written by Joe
Lansdale).

Special effects wizard Drew Flynn gets spooked inside his own personal house of horrors in The Spectre, the first entry within the DC Showcase series of animation shorts.

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I love waking up to a good press release!

Warner Home Entertainment has forwarded details of their upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies film, coming to Blu-ray and DVD on September 29. Too bad they left out the package art. Weird. They had it plastered all over the Warner press event a couple of weeks ago. Maybe that was just a temporary tease. Dunno.

Sigh

I’ll post it up here when they get their act together.

In good news: KEVIN CONROY AS BATMAN! TIM DALY AS SUPERMAN! CLANCY BROWN AS LEX LUTHOR!

For more excitement check out this exclusive “Making-of” interview over at Voices From Krypton: Exclusive: The Making of “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies”

SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES

(September 29, 2009 – MSRP $29.99)
Video: 1.78:1 (1080p)
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

◦ The Blackest Night: Inside the DC Comics Event: Behind-the-scenes of BLACKEST NIGHT, the epic DC Super Hero event in which the dead shall rise.

◦ A Test of Minds: Superman and Batman featurette with Jeph Loeb, giving viewers a fresh and revitalized look at the team-up of Superman and Batman working together despite their often competitive and challenging relationship. 

◦ “Dinner with DC: With Special Guest Kevin Conroy”: Reprising his role from Batman: The Animated Series, Kevin Conroy joins the crew for dinner to discuss their creative approach and what the Superman/Batman team-up means.  The evening will be hosted by Voice Director Andrea Romano, Producer Bruce Timm and DC’s Gregory Noveck

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BRUCE TIMM!

A lot of my pals have gotten tired of (grown out of?) Timm’s vision of the DC universe. I, for one, still get excited by every new project he’s involved with. My only wish is that we’d see more releases from the Warner/DC Animated back catalogue on Blu-ray. They gave us a full-frame version of Justice League: Season One on Blu-ray with no new high-def or exclusive content at a high price point. Wonder why that one didn’t fly off the shelves as well as it should have?

Until they get that straightened out, we’ll have to satisfy our Blu-ray nerding with Timm’s newer projects. And from the hints he drops in the interview below, there will be a lot of them coming in the near future!

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BRUCE TIMM PRAISES CHARACTER DESIGNER JOSE LOPEZ AND SCREENWRITER ALAN BURNETT FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO “GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT”

Animation legend Bruce Timm puts the spotlight on character designer
Jose Lopez and screenwriter Alan Burnett for their other-worldly
creations on Green Lantern: First Flight, the next entry in the
popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies from
Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation.

Warner Home Video will distribute the all-new film – as a special
edition 2-disc DVD, a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def edition, as well as single disc
DVD – on July 28, 2009. The action-packed movie will also be available
OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and
date, July 28, 2009.

Timm, the executive producer on Green Lantern: First Flight, has been
the driving creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animation’s
modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics’ canon of super heroes to
new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new
fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD
films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of
DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical
acclaim and further whetted the public’s appetite for comic book
entertainment with the release of Superman Doomsday, Justice League:
The New Frontier, Batman Gotham Knight and Wonder Woman.

In the midst of producing several more films for the DC Universe
series, Timm paused briefly to offer praise for two of the key players
in the production of Green Lantern: First Flight – character designer
Jose Lopez and screenwriter Alan Burnett.

…

Bruce Timm is the executive producer on Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie slated for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video. (Photo courtesy of Gary Miereanu)

QUESTION:
There was no downtime for you and director Lauren Montgomery between
Wonder Woman and Green Lantern: First Flight. How did you two make
that quick transition, and what kept it fresh for you?

BRUCE TIMM:
Lauren did such a great job on Wonder Woman, she was immediately my
first choice for Green Lantern. I thought she might be a little
burned out after the massive Wonder Woman project, but to my immense
relief and gratefulness, she was eager to do it.

All that said, Lauren definitely needed to take a little bit of a
break in terms of character design and I wasn’t about to step up to
that role, either. The tricky thing about Green Lantern is that we
wanted to have a unique style sensibility. We’ve done quite a bit
with the Green Lantern and characters on the Justice League, including
the entire Green Lantern Corps, and we certainly didn’t want to go
back and reuse any of those designs. Another really talented young
artist named Jose Lopez, who had worked with Mike Goguen and Jeff
Matsuda on the recent The Batman series, was brought to our attention.
I looked at his portfolio and I thought, “Wow, this guy is really
cool.”

Jose has a completely different design sensibility than I’m accustomed
to working with. He’s a little bit anime-flavored, but not
specifically anime. We brought him in to do some designs on Green
Lantern, and he ended up being pretty much our entire character design
department. He designed not just Green Lantern and most of the major
characters but zillions of background aliens. Jose brought a really
unique visual sensibility to the movie.

The Green Lantern Corps is an equal opportunity employer – as evidenced by the diverse species representing the 3,600 precincts across the universe. Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie, is set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

QUESTION:
Did you need to restrain Jose Lopez in any way, or did you just let
him run wild with the character design?

BRUCE TIMM
This is a total science fiction film – we spend maybe 10 minutes on
Earth at the beginning of the movie and then the rest of it all takes
place in outer space and in several different alien environments. So
while we did base the initial, broad strokes design on pre-existing
comics characters, we still needed armies of Green Lanterns and tons
of aliens. Jose designed virtually all of them – literally hundreds of
unique alien species for all of these different polyglot worlds. And
they are all really cool. I mean, some of the designs are really out
there. Sometimes they’d hand me his designs and I’d say, “Wow, what
am I even looking at? That’s a sentient being? You’ve got to be
kidding me.” It’s funny because both Lauren and I encouraged him to
think way outside the box. And he did – maybe further than we even
imagined. Jose came up with some really weird, bizarre life forms and
they’re all good.

QUESTION:
You’ve always been the driving, controlling influence on your projects
in terms of all aspects of the production, and especially design. Are
you enjoying letting go of the reins slightly and allowing other
artists to explore new directions with these films?

BRUCE TIMM
The nature of these projects, and the sheer volume of films we’re
working on now, means that my involvement must be in an overseeing
capacity – guiding and supervising, but not leading the way
design-wise. That’s both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it’s
really great to let somebody else come in and drive the boat. On the
other hand, my instincts are to step in and say, “No, do it this way.”
So it’s tough to just limit myself to giving notes purely on a
technical level, to only say “Okay, I know that’s not going to animate
that well.” Otherwise, whether it’s Lauren or Jose, other artists will
do things in a way that’s completely different from what my natural
instinct would be. It may be valid in its own right to say “No, let’s
do it the Bruce Timm way,” but I literally have to stop and think
“Okay, forget about the way I would do it. Does this work on its own?”
I just have to be practical about it and not aesthetic. It’s
ultimately really rewarding and fun for me to look at these movies
because it’s interesting to see other people’s design approach. I’ve
been working with these familiar characters for so many years – it’s
nice to see them interpreted differently.

Green Lanterns come in all shapes and sizes – from Arisia (center-left) and Ch’p (center-right) to the unique species flanking the key characters. Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie, is set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

QUESTION:
You and Alan Burnett have been working together for a long, long time.
What’s that relationship like, and what does he bring that makes
these projects so special?

BRUCE TIMM
Alan is the quiet man of Warner Brothers Animation and, to a degree, I
feel bad because he doesn’t really get enough credit for all that he
has done over the years – going all the way to Batman: The Animated
Series and all these shows he’s worked on since. He actually kind of
prefers to stay in the background and just do his job and not get in
front of the cameras and go to conventions and speak in front of
crowds. He doesn’t enjoy that aspect of it. He’s never been about
tooting his own horn, but he’s always been the rock on our projects.
Alan is the stabilizer. I think it was Glen Murakami who referred to
Alan as the glue that binds everything together. And it’s true. He’s a
really solid professional. He knows all the ins and outs of story
construction and character dynamics and then all of the extras that a
good writer knows to plus out a story. At the same time, he likes to
push himself to do things that he hasn’t done before and explore
different avenues of story lines. He’s got a sense of humor that
sometimes comes out in really odd, unique ways. On BTAS, he would go
down story lines and even I would be saying, “Wow, you really want to
do THAT in a children’s cartoon?” He’s funny that way – he likes to
upset the apple cart and take chances. So Alan is really solid and
dependable and at the same time he’s also very experimental. It’s
like the best of both worlds. That makes him the perfect collaborator
on these films.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s
official website at www.greenlanternmovie.com

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BUFFY, ANGEL STAR JULIET LANDAU GOES SULTRY ALIEN IN GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, THE NEXT DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGINAL FILM COMING TO DVD JULY 28, 2009

Actress Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) conjures a Cajun sultriness to her voice for the character of Labella in Green Lantern: First Flight. The all-new DC Universe animated original movie will be distributed July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

Actress Juliet Landau, a fanboy favorite from her devious appearances
on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, easily glides into the voice of
sultry alien Labella in Green Lantern: First Flight, the next DC
Universe animated original PG-13 movie coming to DVD on July 28, 2009.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to
release the all-new Green Lantern: First Flight in a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def
edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD. Warner
Home Video will distribute the action-packed movie, which will also be
available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download
day and date, July 28, 2009.

Landau is best known for her portrayal of vampire Drusilla in Buffy
the Vampire Slayer and Angel. She initially turned heads with standout
performances in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood and opposite Whoopi Goldberg in
Theodore Rex; she has done oodles of voiceover work, including
recurring roles on Justice League Unlimited and Ben 10: Alien Force;
and she has three upcoming films in various stages of production.

Turning her attention behind the camera, Landau has received notable
praise for her initial pair of directing gigs. She helmed Take Flight,
a documentary centering on the creative process of actor/director Gary
Oldman, which drew rave reviews at a recent advance screening. Her
co-direction of the Godhead music video, Hero, is garnering widespread
Internet acclaim. She also has been busy at the keyboard, co-writing
the Drusilla story line for the Angel comic books as well as scripting
It’s Raining Cats and Cats, a short film in which she intends to play
seven different roles.

Christopher Meloni provides the voice of Hal Jordan, the alter ego of
the title character in Green Lantern: First Flight. The cast includes
Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer and Michael Madsen. Landau offers a
Cajun-style vocal performance for Labella, a mistress of the seedier
side of the universe in which the Green Lantern Corps patrol.

Landau and Meloni have worked closely together in the past, starring
as brother and sister in the 1999 award-winning independent film
Carlo’s Wake. Landau is also another member of the growing legion of
Whedonverse actors to figure prominently in a DC Universe film. Among
Whedon/DCU alums are Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, James Marsters and
David Boreanaz, with a few more on the DCU horizon.

Fortunately for the masses, Landau carved a few minutes out of her
busy schedule to chat about voiceover work, the development of her
Green Lantern: First Flight character, and the ability to grow and
create in the entertainment business. So sit back and enjoy an
intriguing Q&A with Juliet Landau …

Labella (left) attempts to dissuade Sinestro from pursuing additional, potentially harmful interrogation during Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video. Actress Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) performs the voice of Labella.

QUESTION:
What is the enticement of voiceover for animation?

JULIET LANDAU:
It is so much fun! You get to sit with a bunch of actors and play.
Really play! There’s no hair and make-up, no primping – just absolute,
uninhibited creativity. That’s the real joy of acting. And it doesn’t
get any better than working with Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano.

QUESTION:
Do you have a preference for the type of characters you play?

JULIET LANDAU:
I like playing all different kinds of characters. Each one is it’s own
little puzzle. Aliens are fun because you have a lot of freedom. The
voice of Labella just came to me when I read the pages in a kind of
organic in a way. I immediately felt like she had to sound the way I
played her. When I came in for looping (pick up sound work) Andrea
Romano described my Labella sound as “honey-voiced.” I think that
really captures it.

QUESTION:
Tell us about Labella?

JULIET LANDAU:
There was a lot of room for invention in this character, especially
with the device they use with her. I don’t want to give it away, but
she does go through a bit of torture and it causes a rift between
Sinestro and Hal. I really liked the sexuality and the flirtatiousness
of the character. She’s very different from any of the characters I’ve
voiced on Justice League Unlimited or Ben 10: Alien Force – she’s a
completely unique character.

QUESTION: You spent some time acting alongside Christopher Meloni as
brother and sister in Carlo’s Wake. Do you have any good tales to tell
about our Hal Jordan?

JULIET LANDAU:
Carlo’s Wake revolved around a big Italian family gathering together
at the patriarch’s funeral. The immediate “Torello” family rehearsed
at my house prior to shooting. I remember working on this funny scene
where (Chris Meloni’s character) Benny tells me about his existential
crisis while out on the fishing boats catching tuna. With despondency,
he asks something like, “What is it all for?” And my character Anna,
who was not the sharpest tool in the shed, says something akin to .”I
thought it was so’s we could have tuna salad sandwiches …”

Chris was flown to New York while we were shooting to meet with Garry
Marshall about Runaway Bride. Upon returning, he came into the make-up
room and told us about the meeting and we were all saying, “It sounds
like you’re gonna get this!” And indeed, he did.

QUESTION:
When did you start comics writing, and what’s the attraction of the
written word?

JULIET LANDAU:
My first foray into comics is a two-issue arc about Drusilla for
Angel: After the Fall.
I am co-writing with Brian Lynch and enjoying it immensely. The first
issue will be out in July, the second in August. I have been working
with 3 different artists on some of the imagery and cover art as well.
I also wrote a short film called, It’s Raining Cats and Cats, which I
will co-direct. Exploring these different facets of creativity has
been truly inspiring. As an actor, you’re a component; but when you’re
writing and directing, it is your vision of the whole project, which
is very appealing. Take Flight has been an amazing experience. Gary
Oldman directed a music video shot entirely on Nokia cell phones.
Initially he asked me to direct the “Making Of.” But what started out
solely as a behind-the-scenes “Making Of,” bloomed into a short
documentary film about Gary’s creative process. He loves the movie
because it shows him in a light he’s never been seen.

EMMY AWARD WINNER ALAN BURNETT OFFERS INSIGHT TO THE WORDS BEHIND GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, THE NEXT DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGINAL FILM COMING TO DVD JULY 28, 2009

Four-time Emmy Award winner Alan Burnett has crafted an action-packed screenplay for Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

Four-time Emmy Award winner Alan Burnett departs from a 17-year stint
in the Batcave to establish intergalactic justice as the screenwriter
for Green Lantern: First Flight, the next DC Universe animated
original PG-13 movie coming to DVD on July 28, 2009.

Burnett, who began his animation career at Hanna-Barbera Studios with
Super Friends in 1981, has been the single most consistent active
figure in bringing the Batman’s legacy to animation since 1991 – when
he began scripting episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, the
Emmy®-winning production widely considered a pivotal moment in
American animation.

Burnett’s stellar talents have merited four Emmy Awards, three Annie
Awards and two Humanitas Prizes. His work within the Batman realm
includes as a series producer on Batman and Superman and Batman
Beyond, and most recently as supervising producer and story editor for
Warner Bros. Animation’s award-winning series The Batman. He has
remained active in crafting the words behind numerous DC Comics
projects, both animated and in comic book form. In the direct-to-DVD
arena, Burnett co-produced and co-wrote the animated feature film
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, was supervising producer and writer for
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, and served as producer on the
feature-length Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker. He also served as
movie story editor and the writer of the anchoring segment of the DC
Universe animated original movie, Batman Gotham Knight.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to
release the all-new Green Lantern: First Flight in a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def
edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD. Warner
Home Video will distribute the action-packed movie, which will also be
available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download
day and date, July 28, 2009.

Burnett, the primary story editor for Warner Bros. Animation, took a
little time to offer his views on his humbling beginnings in comics,
the influences of Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen, and the simple
one-line pitch behind the screenplay for the first-ever feature length
Green Lantern film. Without further ado, here’s a Q&A with Alan
Burnett

Hal Jordan gets his first illuminating taste of the power of the lantern in Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

QUESTION:
What made Alan Burnett the perfect choice to write Green Lantern: First Flight?

ALAN BURNETT:
They had been going through some ideas for Green Lantern stories and
none of them were quite working out and I came up with this notion
that I thought would be interesting. So, I just pitched it to them in
one line. “Have you ever done Green Lantern as Training Day?” with the
idea of the Denzel Washington role being Sinestro. They said, “That
sounds pretty good – start writing.” And that’s how it began.

QUESTION:
So this is a police story?

ALAN BURNETT:
We’re treating all the sectors of the universe as precincts and
there’s, I believe, about 3,600 Green Lanterns – one for every
precinct. Hal Jordan covers our section. The story is essentially Hal
Jordan’s first day on the beat as a cop and he’s partnered with
Sinestro. He’s seeing the universe for the first time, and we get to
look at the universe through his eyes. It’s a bizarre place, but it’s
also pretty recognizable.

QUESTION:
Is there a message within this film?

ALAN BURNETT:
Well, one of the messages is that I like lots of fights (he laughs). I
suppose it’s the old “Don’t judge a book” thing. Appearances are
deceiving. Those who you think might be your greatest friend can be
your greatest enemy, and those you might think are of no use to you
could be the most important person in your life.

QUESTION:
Did the origin story development of Hal Jordan in Justice League: The
New Frontier influence your approach to this first Green Lantern film?

ALAN BURNETT:
I’d originally treated the origin story by going back to the very
first Hal Jordan/Green Lantern comic book. But ultimately, my script
was about 20 minutes longer than it should’ve been. Bruce Timm came up
with the idea of getting the origin done as quickly as possible, so
that’s where some cuts were made. Now we get the origin story done
before the opening credits, and we leap right into the adventure from
there.

QUESTION:
Was there much research involved in writing this script?

ALAN BURNETT:
I’ve been keeping up with the comics, so I didn’t have all that much
research to do. There has been a lot written on Green Lantern. I
actually think he’s very complicated. Hal Jordan has gone through
changes in the comic books in the last 35 years or so that are just
shocking. But I didn’t have to deal with his recent history because I
was going back to a story from his beginning. However, I am dealing
with Green Lantern characters who didn’t exist when I started reading
the book, so there was a little bit of research on that. I’ve written
Green Lantern in the comic books on a few occasions, so I had some
notion of most of the characters I was dealing with in this film.

QUESTION;
What makes Green Lantern a great super hero?

ALAN BURNETT:
Green Lantern is sort of a unique super hero. When you’re writing his
powers, they do seem a bit odd – at times, they’re very sci-fi and at
other times very magical. It’s like that old saying about the
technology being so advanced that it looks like magic. He has a ring
that allows him to construct anything he can imagine. One of the
tricks to writing about those powers is that, when you come up with
something he does with the ring, the audience is expecting to be
amazed, but also – and this is odd to say about a comics/science
fiction story – they need it to be in context, and it needs to be
believable.

Hal is also a very colorful character and he’s in the middle of this
big soap opera in space. It’s a very involving backdrop that opens the
door to telling a million stories with him. He also has one of the
great costumes – that great Silver Age suit from the 1950s. He was one
of the few, and maybe he was the first flying character, who didn’t
have a cape. So he has this sleek outfit and it’s very striking.

QUESTION:
What makes Sinestro a great villain?

ALAN BURNETT:
We play Sinestro as sort of the bad half of Hal Jordan. As I was
writing them, I figured they were pretty close. They both have
distaste for authority. But Sinestro is the dark side of the Green
Lanterns – he wants absolute control, while Hal Jordan is more about
serving the people. The other thing about Sinestro is that he doesn’t
think of himself as a villain. He has a plan which he thinks is going
to benefit everyone, but unfortunately what this plan does is give him
absolute power. And, of course, absolute power corrupts absolutely –
and you can see that it’s corrupting him even as he tries to wield it.

The Guardians begin to understand Sinestro’s nefarious plans to overthrow their reign in Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

QUESTION:
When did you first fall in love with comic books?

ALAN BURNETT:
I had read comic books like “Little Lulu” when I was young, but when I
was nine years old we took a vacation – and I always saved up comic
books for the vacation because it was a long trip from Ohio to
Florida. Into my stack that year I got the super hero comics and I
particularly remember bringing Batman. Somewhere around Kentucky, I
started reading my first super hero comic and it was like I lost my
virginity. It was just the most amazing thing. I was suddenly in an
adult world that I sort of understood and it was sort of made for me.
And I was hooked. I’ve been hooked ever since.

QUESTION:
As you exited Kentucky during that eye-opening trip, did you ever
imagine you’d be writing those comics and cartoons as an adult?

ALAN BURNETT:
When I was a kid reading this stuff, I never thought that I’d be
writing it. But you know, it’s because I did read this stuff then that
I write it now. When I started working at Hanna Barbara in 1981, they
were looking for someone to take over the Super Friends show and they
knew that I was a big comic book fan. Before that, I don’t think the
story editors or the writers cared about super heroes. So I have two
degrees from college, and they don’t mean as much to my career as
those four or five really intense comic book reading years between the
ages of 9 and 14.

QUESTION:
Who are your greatest writing influences?

ALAN BURNETT:
I have two major influences and it’s kind of strange to say them
together, but those would be Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen.
Hitchcock wasn’t a writer, of course, but in a way he was because he
sat down with his writers and worked his way through the script with
them. I think there’s a lot of Hitchcock influence in some of the
action-adventure things I’ve done. It’s just little things, certain
scenes or actions, that remind me of something he would’ve put in a
film. I think Woody Allen has influenced the way I interject comedy
into the action adventure. That’s my favorite genre: action-adventure
comedy. Like North By Northwest. That’s just a beautiful, beautiful
movie, and it’s as funny as it is thrilling. That’s my favorite type
of entertainment.

GREEN LANTERN © Warner Bros. Ent Inc. “GREEN LANTERN” and all
related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. ©
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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The Story:

Pretty good. Exactly what I was expecting. Not as focussed, structurally sound or iconic as i’d hoped but completely serviceable. To be fair, nearly every single criticism I can throw at producer Bruce Timm, director Lauren Montgomery and crew’s animated Wonder Woman film can be explained away by it’s two most villainous foes – budget and running time.

Scribe Michael Jelenic by way of Gail Simone‘s story makes a grand effort of attempting to tell the definitive origin of DC Comics‘ Amazonian princess by amalgamating and slightly reshaping the best and most iconic elements found in the comic book series and on television. This Wonder Woman can’t fly like the comics or Justice League cartoon incarnations and won’t fight in heels like Linda Carter but is steeped in the Greek mythological background stuff that makes the modern DC version of the character feel timeless. In fact, the film skews heavily toward the sword and sandal tone, only allowing a hint of what Princess Diana’s adventures in “Man’s World” might feel like. And I think that’s where it fails for me.

This fable feels most at home when exploring the lives, characters and mythology of the Amazonian world. It spends a glorious amount of its brief seventy-odd minute run-time focused on the toga/sandal crew and reasonably little on our protagonist’s fish-out-of-water, island girl in NYC arc. A grave mistake, if you ask me, as that’s where the character really shines, where she becomes the Wonder Woman that we all know and love. That version, the ideal status quo for the character is what the whole narrative leads us to in a denouement which really pays off. But along the way, the rush to explore every nook and cranny of the Amazonian plight leads to a juxtaposition of tone and style that doesn’t always work, as if the climax of of Frank Miller‘s 300 was randomly staged in downtown Washington DC without much explanation. In fact, a lot of things get glossed over or unexplained in this story. Like the Invisible Jet that suddenly appears on the primitive Amazon island, for instance.

And, if the production team’s comments are to be believed that sloppiness comes as necessitated by restricted budget and time. Sadly, it seems this vision for Wonder Woman was simply too epic to be contained in a short DTV feature. This is meant to be storytelling writ large and long. The music cues, riffing heavily on Shore’s Lord of the Rings (with a little of Kilar’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula thrown in for good measure) tell us as much right off the top. But you can feel the edits, the glossed over details, the deleted dialogue and scenes, the moments you were meant to love that ended up on the cutting room floor or the directors storyboard pages, as it were. I mean, this thing works well and looks good for a short, modestly budgeted video project. But ultimately, it serves best as a blueprint for Hollywood to follow and expand upon as they bring Wonder Woman to life, live-action on the big screen.

The Disc:

Wonder Woman hits Blu-ray on a BD-25 with a VC-1, 1080p encode that averages 17mbps. Audio is encoded as Dolby True HD 5.1 48 kHz 1641 kbps. The movie, featured on disc one of the two disc set, looks and sounds quite average. Video is softer than it should be, most likely as a result of the diffusion filters used by Moi Animation Studio – a stylistic choice – and exhibits some occasional mild compression artifacting. On the plus side, the film appears vibrant with deep blacks and an over-all pleasing visual experience.

Extras on disc one include a stellar commentary track from Bruce Timm, Lauren Montgomery and crew where they speak candidly and in depth about the production. Also, two featurettes provide insight into the history and social relevance of the character. Four hand-picked episodes of Justice League featuring Wonder Woman heavily in the plot round out the extras of interest. The remaining features are all promos for other DC and Warner discs. What’s missing, in this reviewer’s opinion, is a doc outlining the creation of the film. I would love to see some production art and meet more of the team responsible for the film, outside of what little is shown in the old promo.

Disc two provides a digital copy of the film, compatible with mac and PC. That’s all folks!

The Final Word:

I really love that Warner is putting it’s muscle behind these DTV releases. Despite any criticisms that I might have, i really enjoy the DC heroes in their various animated incarnations. And I can count this Wonder Woman film among my favourites. With a decent transfer and a handful of compelling features I can’t help but give this disc a recommendation. As a PG-13 film, it’s clearly focussed at fans and certainly not made for children but most viewers who enjoy animated adventure films will get a kick out of it.

Learn more about the animation of Wonder Woman in my review over at Frames Per Second Animation Magazine.

Buy the Wonder Woman Blu-ray Disc on Amazon.com
MSR List Price: $29.99
Amazon Price: $21.99
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At long last, Warner Home Video and DC Comics have unleashed the details of their next direct to video animated spectacular, Green Lantern: First Flight. Following hot on the heels of the Wonder Woman animated DTV, Green Lantern is set to hit shelves far earlier than I’d expected with a July 28th street date. Details below:

Green Lantern: First Flight – Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def
Street Date: July 28, 2009
Order Due Date: June 23, 2009
Languages: English and Spanish
Video: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Dolby Surround Stereo
Rating: PG-13
Runtimes: Disc 1 – Estimated 75 min.
Disc 2 – Estimated 210+ minutes
Price: $34.99 SRP

Extras:
• Over three hours of extra content
• Two Featurettes
• Digital Copy Download
• Four Episodes of Justice League hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm (Two Episodes Exclusive to Blu-ray edition)

The image above is from the 2 disc DVD release.

Don’t be surprised to find a commentary track and preview of the next DC Comics animated adventure on the disc when it ships.

See also – Green Lantern: First Flight Official Web Site

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The Invisible Jet Touches Down March 3rd

Warner Home Video brings us DC Comics‘ famed Amazon Princess, in her premiere animated adventure, Wonder Woman on Blu-ray and DVD on March 3rd, 2009. Since Joel Silver can’t seem to get his act together with his live action adaptation, anyone interested in the adventures of Princess Diana of Themyscira would be well advised to pick up this origin story upon release. Details from the press release:

Wonder Woman – Blu Ray
Street Date: March 3, 2009
Order Due Date: January, 20 2009
Languages: English and Spanish
Audio: Dolby Surround Stereo
Rating: PG-13
Runtimes: Disc 1 – 75 mins.
Special Features 185 mins (Total runtime 260)
Price: $34.99 SRP / No MAP
UPC: 883929020775

Produced by the multiple Emmy® Award winning animation legend Bruce Timm, Wonder Woman is an origin– story and features a stellar celebrity voice cast including Keri Russell (Waitress, Felicity), Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Oliver Platt (The West Wing) and David McCallum (NCIS).

Wonder Woman: Blu-Ray will feature collectible packaging as well as 185 minutes of incredible bonus features such as:

-Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream – She is one of the pillars of DC Comics. We examine why Wonder Woman is important in the grand scheme of the DC Super Heroes and how her raw strength and power helped define a new generation of empowered women, who realized that their gifts of intellect and strength were just as powerful as their male counterparts.
-Wonder Woman The Daughters of Myth – The riveting documentary historically defines the meaning of the Amazons and how this links in with the evolution of the Wonder Woman character from comics to screen.
-Audio Commentary: featuring commentary by Gregory Noveck (Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs, DC Comics), Bruce Timm (Producer), Lauren Montgomery (Director) and Michael Jelenic (Screenplay).
- Bruce Timm’s Top Picks: Popular episodes from the Warner Bros. archive of Justice League/Justice League Unlimited animation featuring Wonder Woman; all personally selected by Bruce Timm, producer of this Wonder Woman feature film. All formats include “To Another Shore” and “Hawk and Dove,” exclusive additions for Blu-Ray: “Paradise Lost, Parts 1 & 2.”
-Digital Copy Download– Warner Bros. is including a Digital Copy of Wonder Woman on the DVD which will provide fans a legitimate means to enjoy their favorite action hero anywhere they want on their portable video device. Formats supported include: iTunes, Windows Media Player. Restrictions apply. Consult product packaging for details.
-Sneak Peak: The next DCU Animated Original Movie.
-Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess – This featurette includes both a thumbnail history of the character of Wonder Woman featuring interviews with DC Comics creators and artists (Paul Levitz, Dan DiDio), and behind the scenes footage of the upcoming made-for-DVD release punctuated with interviews from the production staff and voice talent behind the film (Keri Russell, Alfred Molina, etc.)
-Widescreen (1.78:1)

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