Sony Releases "Popeye" Animation Test

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Sadly, Robin Williams passed away before being able to provide his spot on Popeye voice for the film.

Well, blow me down. This is how you modernize a classic. I've been a huge fan of Genndy Tartakovsky with his amazing work on Dexter's Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and of course Samurai Jack. And I was really pleasantly surprised by his most recent film Hotel Transylvania, even though I shouldn't have doubted him in the first place considering his track record. 

Just recently I learned that he's been working on a new Popeye film. While most updates and reboots leave you feeling cold and alone, facing the harsh realities that kids are more into the modernization done in the recent Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunk incarnations, Tartakovsky's looks absolutely amazing.

To convey that the new incarnation of Popeye won't lose any of the original's heart, humor, and frantic motion, Sony Pictures Animation released a test clip today that is fittingly introduced by Tartakovsky who explains that he's been destined to work on Popeye since he was a young boy.

Just try and watch this video without at least a giggle of childhood nostalgia and genuine entertainment.

Seven Minutes of Star Wars: Rebels Released

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"You! The Empire is looking for editors to cut marketing clips. Don't give me that, 'I'm just a farmer selling fruit' nonsense. Man up for the Emperor!"

While many are reporting it as "the first seven minutes" of Star Wars: Rebels, what feels like an excerpt from the show has been released giving us our first extended look at the show in context. Or at least, I'm hoping it's not a direct lift of the first seven minutes. It still feels a little rough around the edges. What's with that strange title treatment placement/Rebel theme to the hard cut to black? Will this be the formula of every show, with a short 30-second cold open? Seems strange and hoping that's just result of it being a marketing clip.

The segment acts as a great introduction to Ezra and the planet of Lothal - where we're led to believe most of Star Wars: Rebels will be taking place. You definitely get a strong feeling of how the Empire will be portrayed as an imposing force on the people of the city, and how Ezra channels his inner Aladdin to find food to eat.

But the clip is a strange introduction to the rest of the cast who are limited to a few incidental pieces of dialog within the action sequence... "He's on your left!" "You better hope the big guy doesn't catch up to you!" "Look out!" It's great to see and hear the speeder bikes, which inherently make it feel like Star Wars, but it still feels a little sleepy. Hopefully it's a result of pilot syndrome and the series will pick up steam as it goes along (much as the Clone Wars did).

I might also be jaded having just watched the final episodes of Clone Wars Season Six on Netflix, and especially "Voices" and "Destiny" feel so much like integral parts of the Star Wars world that it's strange to be back in a weird grey area.

We'll see how this fits into the entirety of the episode in context when the show debuts in October (and hopefully Disney XD will finally be in high-definition on Dish Network by that time).

Take a look at the "first" (?) seven minutes of the pilot episode and let us know what you think?