Tag: DreamWorks

How to Train Your Dragon 3 Updates

how_to_train_your_dragon_3_posterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

While How to Train Your Dragon 3 is a year away from release, the past ten days have been exciting for fans keeping tabs on reveals. This work has been finished for some time, and it’s supposed to get a preview at Annecy International Animation Festival next week. A teaser trailer may well be released during or afterwards.

For now, the release of the poster shows Toothless meeting the female of the species, a Light Fury, and all hearts will be aflutter for this pairing. Adorable as she is, one big question many will ask is where has she been? The world is large enough for any serpentine species to find places to hide in, hence the title.

The reason is that the new villain, Grimmel (voiced by F. Murray Abraham), has an agenda. He’s wiped out nearly all of the male of the species, and Toothless is next!

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The Vintage Tempest’s 2018 Emerald City Comic Con Journal – News & Views


By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Emerald City Comic Con never fails to impress. I have attended over six and have always enjoyed being here. Twisted Toonz‘s zany shows featuring voice over talents playing iconic roles are always the highlight. With a floor dedicated to comic book talents and fiction writers, this area is the place to hang out. Those with a lot of merchandise to sell are located on the show floor. Here is where the shopping happens. At the Washington State Convention Center, a complete level for all things gaming related (from Pathfinder to Magic the Gathering) will keep the mainstream fan happy, and in another building altogether, LEGO!

It’s possible to take in this four-day show in two; to make the most of any event requires planning. I did the Friday/Saturday combo. For my first day, I got my essentials done. This meant getting autographs from a handful of comic book creators and hitting the Sheridan Hotel where all the celebrity opportunities happen; the people managing the lines are tops. The wait was minimal. I met David Tennant. My introduction to him was in BBC‘s Casanova and he does “crazy” very well, especially as Barty Jr., in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. My appreciation only grew upon hearing him lend his voice in works with side characters like Spitelout in How to Train Your Dragon and taking on the lead as Scrooge McDuck in the rebooted Ducktales. He is more than just Doctor Who, and I got my moment to ask him how did he like his stay in Victoria, BC. He said he loved it. Had Gracepoint been renewed, the chance of meeting him outside of a convention might be better. I like candid photos, but I did not want to miss this opportunity when this convention announced his appearance!

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What’s Next for DreamWorks Trollhunters After Season Two?

Many watches are required to understand everything that has gone on in DreamWorks Animation Trollhunters. This season debuted Dec 15th on Netflix and with only one more to go to air in 2018, most viewers may become disappointed no further adventures are planned.

trollhunters_posterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Spoiler Alert

Many watches are required to understand everything that has gone on in DreamWorks Animation Trollhunters. This season debuted Dec 15th on Netflix and with only one more to go to air in 2018, most viewers may become disappointed no further adventures are planned. Thankfully, Variety magazine announced Guillermo del Toro’s intention to develop an interconnected world that will not only expand the mythos but see heroes from one series appear in another. Jim Lake Jr., the Trollhunter, will not be gone.

Approximately half of this new season is spent with Claire and Tobey covering up for Jim’s disappearance in the everyday life around the town of Arcadia. The other deals with the threat of Gunmar (voiced by Clancy Brown), this series resident bad guy, making his way back to Troll Market. Once back in the mortal realm, his plans to expand the Troll lands means invasion.

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The Dragon’s Eye is No Longer Needed to Race to the Edge

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

New episodes of Dragons: Race to the Edge are now available on Netflix and months have passed since Hiccup and the Dragon Riders dealt with Viggo Grimborn. This new antagonist has all the makings to be a classic James Bond style of villain and his patience in how to deal with threats to his trade of selling dragons suggests he will be around for most of the saga. I’m curious if he knows Drago from the films, because one episode suggests he is more aware of what’s out there, beyond the Archipelago.

Very little added exploration is taking place in this new season when a threat is nearby. The crew have to fortify their defenses and plan for the eventuality that either Grimborn or a greater threat will attack. But first, and old adversary, Dagur, emerges out of the woodwork and he’s apparently turned over a new leaf. Hopefully the fate given unto him at the mid-season cliffhanger is not certain. This character has received more development than the others in this series, and I’ve grown to like him.

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This Modernizing of Voltron for a New Generation Has This Otaku Giddy with Delight!

maxresdefaultBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Voltron: Defender of the Universe was one of those animated series from the 80’s I absolutely adored along with Robotech. The American producers took the Japanese animated material and successfully adapted them for a North American audience. In both, the heroes have to battle against alien invaders. While Voltron is getting one seriously massive update by DreamWorks to become Voltron: Legendary Defender, which is now on Netflix. This animation company took approximately five years since acquiring Classic Media’s catalogue of titles (which includes Casper and Where’s Waldo?, to name a few) to pump this reboot out. And this amount of time waiting is reasonable to fans in bringing back a love which clearly calls back to other shows like Mobile Suit Gundam.

Any development of the rumoured Robotech live-action movie is languishing. Talks began in 2008 with no word on commitments. According to Harmony Gold’s Kevin McKeever, the Sony Films deal is not finalized.

Voltron certainly saved the day. This reboot is executive produced Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos (better known for their work on Avatar: The Legend of Korra), and they used the same production team to create the style in this series. I am quite enjoying it and binge watched it at least three times since its debut. To improve on what the original series did not do, the producers had a series bible properly developed to outline the development for each of the characters.Pidge gets the most love out. Very rarely do I find myself cheering and I felt like a kid again watching Voltron duke it out with its flaming sword! Lightsaber ho! (yeah, I know, wrong series).

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The Adventures of Puss in Boots Continues. A Season Two Review

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A new season featuring The Adventures of Puss in Boots premiered Dec 11 and there’s an equal amount of episodes to enjoy. Puss has to face new threats in his quest to restore the protective barrier that once kept the town of San Lorenzo safe. He encounters new enemies and befriends the oddest of fairy tale creatures along the way. The humour that makes this series fun is intact and the cat has new dangers to face. A few of the new threats seem misplaced when considering the desert setting but this world is that of the weird west instead of ocean adventures. If Shrek is somewhere, he’s simply a marshland away.

Not all the episodes are worth checking out. Like the first season, the criticisms I made remains the same for this latest instalment. After a strong first episode (“Dragon”), the next two are not as strong. Mole men and mermaids do not belong in this oddball animation that’s trying to carve a niche in DreamWorks fairy tale universe. After a mixed start, the narrative does get better, and some much-needed character development takes place for the supporting roles.

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