Academy Award

Watching the stage play adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning, animated masterpiece Spirited Away is a surreal experience. The Studio Ghibli film gets brought to life (literally!) through bunraku puppetry, incredible sets, and astounding practical effects, creating an incredibly faithful adaptation that’s simultaneously original. Also amazing: it was written and directed by John Caird, one of England’s most acclaimed playwrights. With recorded performances about to hit U.S. theaters beginning this weekend,…

The Yeohnaissance continues! Fresh off her Academy Award win for Everything Everywhere All at Once, the incomparable Michelle Yeoh will return to the Star Trek universe to play Philippa Georgiou once again. But instead of the Section 31 TV series that has been in the works since 2019 or so, Yeoh will now star in Star Trek: Section 31—the movie.Weirdest Thing Star Trek Star LeVar Burton Has SignedIf you’re not up on your Trek lore, Section 31 is the secret, black ops organization that does the dirty work Starfleet is too…

This month, we’ve got tense thrillers set aboard claustrophobic spaceships, a magical sword-maker who gets caught up in a fantastical conflict in Shakespearean London, a sci-fi twist on Pinocchio, and more—including the latest in io9 co-founder Charlie Jane Anders’ hit YA fantasy series. Read on!Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard Nerd Out About Jurassic Park's Returning HeroesImage: 47NorthHouse of Gold by C.T. RwiziOn a planetary colony ruled by “a corporate aristocracy descended from Africa,” a separatist cult works to…

The return of Pixar shorts is something we’ve been waiting for, and Carl’s Date is a fitting choice—not least of all because it’s a wonderful homage to the late, great Ed Asner, the voice of Up’s Carl Fredricksen. What Exactly is the New Movie, Lightyear?io9 was in the audience and not emotionally prepared (so yes, bring tissues) for a surprise screening of Carl’s Date at Pixar during a press day for Elemental. Fans of Pete Doctor’s 2009 Pixar classic—and of Dug Days, the recent Disney+ Up universe shorts—will especially…

Questlove attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. Photo: Emma McIntyre (Getty Images)After winning an Academy Award, you have to assume a person’s career options suddenly become way more vast. No doubt Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson—a hugely successful musician in addition to picking up an Oscarlast year for Summer of Soul—already had quite a bit of freedom in picking his next project, but who could have predicted he’d choose... a remake of Disney’s The Aristocats?Maybe these two…

Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck/Count Orlok in 2000's Shadow of the Vampire.Screenshot: Lions GateWillem Dafoe was born to star in a remake of the classic, 1922 German vampire film Nosferatu, which is why I guess he’s doing it twice. Soon, he’ll reteam with his Northman and The Lighthouse collaborator, director Robert Eggers, in a reimagining of the classic horror movie. But it won’t be the first time Dafoe will star in Nosferatu, more or less.Shadow of the Vampire is a rather obscure movie from 2000 about the making of…

Image: UniversalWhen, oh when, will we simply allow solid animated shows and films to remain animated, perfect in their medium of choice? Anyway, Invincible is likely going to be a live-action movie soon. The Rock is one of Santa’s elves now? Sure, why not. Everything is weird and nothing makes sense, but you know what, something’s gotta stick to the wall. Spoilers, ready your spaghetti! Violent Night 2In conversation with The Wrap, director Tommy Wirkola revealed a sequel to Violent Night set at the North Pole and…

Photo: Steven Henry (Getty Images)Buddy the elf traveled across “the seven levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops, and then ... through the Lincoln Tunnel” to find his dad after the man who raised him, Papa Elf, tells him he was adopted.When he finally finds Walter, his birth father and the editor of a highly successful New York City book publisher, chaos ensues. Although Buddy’s interests are considered widely unpopular, such as living off the elves’ four main food groups, candy,…

Richard Miller, a sculptor at Industrial Light & Magic, died earlier in the week at the age of 80, a handful of days after his birthday. Per the Hollywood Reporter, he passed after an extended stay in hospice care. Fon H. Davis, one of Miller’s colleagues, later confirmed the news on Instagram, writing that he was “ grateful to have had the opportunity to work, laugh, and be grumpy, at times, with him. Hug your friends today.”“With his artistic skill in evidence, an agreeable demeanor and a wry sense of humor,…

Image: Marvel StudiosMarvel movies tend to have big box office openings, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is no exception. With the promise of Letitia Wright’s Shuri taking up the heroic mantle, the film being a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, and seeing Wakanda go to war with the underwater warrior Namor (Tenoch Huerta), expectations for the film were pretty massive. And financially, the superhero sequel has blown those expectations out of the water. Per Variety and at time of writing, Wakanda Forever has made a…