From over at the Animation Guild Blog comes word that DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda will open with a traditionally animated, hand-drawn scene, “and the DVD is going to have a bunch more of that older animation style that Jeffrey Katzenberg describes as being similar to a “‘nice, hand-written letter.’” For another example of hand-drawn animation in a recent CG feature check out this clip from Horton Hears A Who on YouTube. Thanks to “Dissapointed” from the Animated News and Views forums.

A new theatrical trailer for DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda has appeared online at Yahoo. For those wishing to experience the preview on the big screen, the trailer will be playing alongside Speed Racer, which opens this Friday. Kung Fu Panda hits theaters on June 6th.

A brand new teaser trailer for the upcoming CGI comedy Igor can be viewed at CanMag. The film focuses on a lab assistant who dreams of one day becoming a successful scientist. Igor opens in theaters on September 19th, 2008. Thanks to “CGIFanatic”: over at the Animated News & Views Forum for the heads up!

ComingSoon has in possession a new poster for the upcoming CGI flick, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The official one-sheet features several characters from the movie, which will serve as a kick-start to a new animated series. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is due out in theaters on the 15th of August.

The fourth video in a series of vignettes for Disney/Pixar’s Wall•E can be viewed on MovieWeb. In the clip, the rusty robot encounters a pair of discarded headphones and curiously tries to discover what their purpose is. Wall•E hits theaters on June 27th.

According to Yahoo, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has just completed a new deal with 20th Century Fox that would make him the highest paid writer-producer currently working in television. The pact will keep MacFarlane at the studio through 2012, and is estimated to be worth over $100 million. “I get a lot of pleasure out of making shows. It’s a bonus to be getting paid well for it, and it’s a double bonus to be getting paid exorbitantly for it,” MacFarlane commented.

According to Screamscape, “The Ultimate Guide to Disney Theme Parks,” a three-foot high Wall•E audioanimatronic may be roaming the streets of Disney theme parks in Anaheim, CA, and Orlando, FL, soon. No word yet on if he will be helping out with park janitorial duties.

Up now at Marvel.com is a trailer for the newupcoming animated series Wolverine and the X-Men, which will debut in 2009 on the Nicktoons Network. Wolverine and the X-Men begins as an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, Professor X. The beaten heroes, including Beast, Storm, Cyclops and Nightcrawler, walk away from it all but then they are given a rare glimpse into the future, where they see a world in utter ruin…ruled by giant destructive robots. They discover the world has spiraled out of control because the X-Men have given up. So now the most legendary of all X-Men, Wolverine, must take the lead on the ultimate mission—to prevent the world’s destruction—while fending off enemies Magneto and The Brotherhood” (via ToonZone).

Over at our sister site Animated Views, we share photos and coverage from the recent Roy Disney Presents event which helped to wind up this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival. Roy, accompanied by Don Hahn and Dave Bossert, presented a wide variety of rare Disney shorts, some of which have seldom seen the light of day…or the glory of a darkened theater.

An in-depth story on Gigaom features nine important lessons on fostering innovation in animation from renowned director Brad Bird, who helmed such hits as The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The article focuses on how Bird managed to encourage his crew on his various films to do their best work, and insists that the better the morale of the animators, the better the film will be. He also strongly advocates taking risks when telling a story. “You don’t play it safe—you do something that scares you, that’s at the edge of your capabilities, where you might fail,” Bird explains. “That’s what gets you up in the morning.”

An article on ComingSoon announces that David Silverman, co-director of Monsters Inc. and director of both The Simpsons Movie and The Road To El Dorado, is set to helm Disney’s live-action comedy The Pet. The science fiction family film centers on a man who is captured by aliens and kept as their pet. The Pet was written by Matt Lieberman, and will have Scott Rudin and Craig Perry producing.

Jeffery Katzenburg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, has been finding that the conversion to 3-D in movie theaters is taking longer than expected, reports IMDB. Commenting on the progress various cinemas have made, Katzenburg notes that the conversion has “dragged along, and it’s been pretty disappointing.” On a positive note for the company, first quarter profits were up from $15.4 million last year to $26.1 million, largely due to the success of Shrek The Third DVDs and Bee Movie oversea ticket sales.

TV Shows On DVD reports that the first season of Justice League will soon be available on Blu-ray. The collection, which includes all 26 episodes of Justice League’s first season, will be hit store shelves on August 19th with a list price of $59.95. Package art for the set can also be viewed on the site.

Prompted by the recent passing of Ollie Johnston, the Disney Insider online has posted a remembrance of Walt Disney’s famous Nine Old Men, with birth dates and passing dates for each. “Each of these men had unique talents and a distinctive style, but the films they created are seamless works of art — a triumph of collaboration and collegiality.” Thanks to Kristin for the heads up.

Jim Hill Media gives a rundown on the rare shorts that will be screened tonight and presented by Roy Disney and Don Hahn at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Some of the presentations include three of the shorts that were to be part of Fantasia 2006, as well as the most recent Goofy How To… short. Tickets may still be available. Animated News & Views will be on hand to cover the event.

A new vignette featuring the title character from Disney/Pixar’s Wall•E can be viewed on SlashFilm. The short clip features the rusty robot playing with an old hula hoop. The video is the third in a series of shorts in which Wall-E interacts with various discarded items he finds. Wall•E hits theaters on June 17th.

Variety reports that Lisa Judson has left WB Animation after 10 months as head of the division. Taking her place will be Peter Roth, president of Warner Brothers Television. A reason for Judson’s departure from the studio is not mentioned in the article.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, the featured child stars of Disney’s original Escape To Witch Mountain and Return From Witch Mountain movies, will cameo, as a waitress and sheriff respectively, in the Studio’s re-imagining of the first adventure, Race To Witch Mountain. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson takes on the Eddie Albert role of an adult who helps two youngsters with paranormal powers (AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig) on the run from those that would exploit their abilities for evil means, in the movie which is currently shooting under director Andy (The Game Plan) Fickman. The new Witch Mountain is set to race into theaters March 13 2009.

A low-quality teaser poster for the upcoming big-screen adaption of the popular animated series Dragonball Z can be viewed at SlashFilm. Also featured on the website is a Japanese version of the same poster. Dragonball hits theaters on April 8th. 2009

A press release for Speed Racer: The Next Generation - The Beginning can be found at Tv Shows On DVD. The article features new cover art and information concerning the direct-to-video project, as well as the new animated television series airing in May on Nicktoons Network. The suggested retail price for Speed Racer: The Next Generation - The Beginning is $19.95 with the DVD hitting shelves on May 6th.