Tag: Shout! Factory

Changes are in Store for Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom

Revisions are in store in Arcana Studios next film, Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom.

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Comic book cover

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Revisions are in store in Arcana Studios next film, Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom. The original comic book story had two companions helping the boy travel to this new world to rescue his family. With only his mother and aunts, life may seem easy. But after the events from Frozen Kingdom, he better look out! His father broke out of his asylum prison so both he and Constable Smith (who finds the boy without a home) can help. The gun-touting action and violence in this edition works, but in a product targeting a general audience to enjoy, it has to be changed.

“The guns and grenades being used in Undersea Kingdom were an immediate offside from numerous distributors,” revealed Sean O’Reilly, co-founder of Arcana Studios. “Losing that character [of Smith], and replacing him with a character that H.P. Lovecraft created in Dr. Henry Armitage, put us in a direction towards Miskatonic University. This then leads to building out the world that the author created.”

Both this studio and Shout! Factory announced the voice cast a few days ago, indicating that progress is on track for a Q4 direct-to-video release. Mark Hamill will be playing the role of the prestigious doctor. Best known as The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, this talent can do more than swing a light saber in Star Wars. Also set to play a bigger role is Jeffrey Combs as King Abdul, the primary antagonist for this second film. When he kidnaps his mother and aunts, the young lad has to get Spot to help him travel to the Undersea Kingdom to rescue them. But he can not do it alone, and to see what O’Reilly has to alter in series creator, Bruce Brown’s work, will have followers curious.

Using the original graphic novel as reference, the monsters we will get to see include Shoggoths and Deep Ones. With luck, maybe a Mi-Go or two will help out.

Returning talents include Christopher Plummer and Doug Bradley as Dr. Herbert West and Nyarlathotep.

What’s Next after Arcana Studios’ Howard Lovecraft and The Frozen Kingdom?

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom can make a great holiday gift for fans of Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft’s works. The adult self may well be morbid with his harsh opinions about the people he’s met and the Jazz Age he lived in, but for the youth, his innocence has yet to be tarnished. With snow hitting parts of the Pacific Northwest, I have the print volume, video releaseHoward Lovecraft and compilation hardcover (amazon listing) to cozy up to and the Dreamlands to visit as I lay snuggled up in my blanket. Some comic book stores may not be able to order them in, and thankfully they can be obtained through Arcana Studios’ website or on AmazonHoward Lovecraft.

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I wanted to know more about what’s coming for this trilogy. Reception is great for the animated version, and Arcana Studios is focussing on making Howie one of their flagship products. Michelle O’Reilly (pictured right), co-founder of the company, explained both she and her husband, Sean, wanted to give their production house a bit of rebrand. They want to focus more on kid-friendly content. She said, “Everyone loves H.P. Lovecraft but he’s not very kid-friendly. We made our own version that’s suitable for younger audiences.”

When looking at the two mediums to which this character is developed for, some readers/viewers may well notice a difference in artistic style. “Gary Yuen is our art director and modeler, and I really do love how he went into a much more Tim Burton look especially with Howard. Because there were so many artists on the book series, Howard’s look was never completely locked down,” Sean explained. “One of the greatest things from comic to movie comes from learning what worked and what didn’t work and being able to make those changes.”

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Long Way North finds a Home Video Release Jan 17th, 2017!

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available for pre-order on AmazonHoward Lovecraft

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The French-Danish animation production Long Way North will not take long to arrive in home video in North America. Thanks to Shout! Factory, the release is set for January 17, 2017 (at the height of winter) and many folks can cozy up to this warm tale by the fireplace about Sacha (voiced by Chloé Dunn) seeking more than freedom from the Russian aristocracy she hails from. Her grandfather Oloukine is missing. He’s a renowned explorer seeking to conquer the North pole, and everybody assumes he’s dead. I am pre-ordering this title since it’s a beautiful story to behold not only for its artistic merits but also wonderful but yet sombre tale. A full review can be read here to explain why I loved it.

This two-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack release include a digital copy along with the usual collection of extras. To note, I’m curious in what the conceptual pilot is about . In addition to a physical release, this film will soon be available on Digital HD and iTunes USA.

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Searching for Howard Lovecraft in the Frozen Kingdom instead of “and” …

frozen_kingdom_blue-ray_coverBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

If the movie Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (HPL&FK) has not crawled into your collection, perhaps the wait for all the movies that makes up this trilogy will be more worthwhile. Although I’m not chill with the wait, to see how the story introduced in Frozen Kingdom coalesce is what makes me interested. This computer-animated film is the first act to a grander story and it certainly feels like it. As for where the other two parts will go, Howie has a long journey ahead of him.

Last year, Shout! Factory announced obtaining the North American rights to Arcana Studios‘ upcoming movie. This comic book company has an entertainment subdivision to translate their printed products to cinema and this title is not their first. They produced The Clockwork Girl (2014, still awaiting a proper video release) and Pixies (2015).

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Young Lovecraft’s name is Howard in Shout! Factory’s “Frozen Kingdom” Release

unnamedBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

From José Oliver (Author) and Bartolo Torres (Illustrator) web comic Young Lovecraft to Sean Patrick O’Reilly (Arcana Studio)’s Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, both illustrative products have redefined who this seminal master of the macabre is for people of all ages to enjoy.

While there’s no new material for the Young series and The Frozen Kingdom saw an evolution with a film, thankfully to see the latter product get animated has this fan excited. I enjoy both works, and the teaser offered during Free Comic Book Day made me glad a trade paperback of the Frozen Kingdom is getting reprinted and offered late October at comic book stores near you.

The animated version is being released by Shout! Factory September 27, 2016 just in time for my birthday. I could not be any more thrilled. It will be made available on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and Redbox. The combo pack will include bonus content such as an audio commentary and featurette. More details will be forthcoming as the date nears. As for fans who love O’Reilly’s art style, an exclusive poster will be offered for those who pre-order directly from Shout! Factory’s website.

Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom features the talents of Jane Curtin (3rd Rock from the Sun), Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), Christopher Plummer (Pixar’s Up), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), Kiefer O’Reilly (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Alison Wandzura (CW’s Van Helsing). This film is said to be a veritable love letter to H.P. Lovecraft himself as it entwines new storytelling, actual events of H.P. Lovecraft’s life, iconic elements of his writings and literary characters Cthulhu, Shoggoth and more.

Trailer:

Shout! Factory to release 30th Anniversary Transformers the Movie w/ New Bonus Material!

product_images_modal_TFMovie.BR.Cover.Ocard.72dpi__7B52528534-c5a9-4574-b185-7bc716a691f6_7DBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

  • Updated to include an announcement made June 24, 2016

A new blu-ray release of Transformers the Movie is coming courtesy of Shout! Factory and Hasbro, and if the high definition transfer is not enough to wet fans appetites, a special steel book edition (now available for pre-order on Amazon) is coming! This film will soon be celebrating its 30th anniversary and this company has “The Touch” to churn out quality releases. Stan Bush may well enjoy a bit of a resurgence with his iconic tune when this product arrives on video. His song defined two key moments in this film, namely when Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime.

This film was originally released August 8th, 1986 and when I went to see it on opening day, I remember seeing Starscream giving the finger and hearing a few swear words on the big screen. There was an outcry by parents and the print was quickly changed. My big question is if any of those the moments will get put back in. If this title is being released under this company’s Shout! Kids label, it will not. Those pre-ordering through Shout! Factory’s website will find an offer to receive a mini-poster of this release’s cover art while supplies last.

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This new release is boasting a new transfer from the prints. For collectors wanting to know what the changes are in store, a full announcement as to what the extra material will be made during San Diego Comic Convention 2016. One confirmed detail is that this release is for region 1 (USA and Canada).

Both editions (regular and steel book) will roll out September 13, 2016. It will also be available across other delivery platforms.

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