Ralph Eggleston Dies: Longtime Disney & Pixar Animator, ‘For The Birds’ Oscar Winner Was 56

is paved with aspirations, but the much-vaunted label could actually become a reality for one Ms. Taylor Swift (provided she gets cast in a Broadway show in order to nab that Tony, which, by the way, is something I'd be very interested in seeing).The singer screened her romantic drama—don't call it a music video!— this summer at the Tribeca Film Festival and today, September 9, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Myriad Pictures has acquired the international rights to “Zátopek,” Czech Republic’s 94th Academy Award Best International Feature Film submission. Gravitas Ventures has North American rights to the feature. The deal was negotiated between John McGrath of UTA, on behalf of the producers, and Scott Bedno, senior vice president of sales and acquisitions at Myriad Pictures. “Zátopek” is about the greatest Czech athlete of all time, four-time Olympic champion Emil Zátopek. It is the seventh film by prolific Czech director David Ondříček. His film “In the Shadow” was the Czech Oscar submission in 2012.

thing for a woman to have, but in the cult classic film The Witches of Eastwick, award-winning actress Susan Sarandon dares to do it anyway—gossip be damned.Loosely based on John Updike’s novel of the same name, the 1987 film adaptation starring , Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson is basically Practical Magic, but kinky and subversive. Bored of their personal and professional lives, three single women—Jane, Alex, and Sukie respectively—accidentally summon their ideal man: a devilishly handsome stranger named Daryl.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Production, finance and sales company Film Constellation has boarded sales on the upcoming romantic thriller “Haunted Heart” by Academy Award winning director Fernando Trueba (“La Belle Époque,” “The Queen of Spain”). The film stars Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon (“The House That Jack Built”), Goya-nominated Aida Folch (“The Artist and the Model”), and Juan Pablo Urrego (“Memoria”). The English-language film is set to start shooting in Greece in September. The film is set on a beautiful remote island in Greece, where young and spirited Alex joins the team of a boutique seaside restaurant as their new waitress. Despite her femme-fatale charm quickly winning the heart of the charismatic Enrico, she instead falls for the enigmatic restaurant manager Max, a reclusive American, who settled on the island decades ago.

In a few days Kenan Thompson will host his first Primetime Emmys show, but he’s not afraid of an ‘Oscar slap’, he says.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor The Telluride Film Festival wrapped on Labor Day, with many of the season’s mystery films getting a first look from critics, journalists and festivalgoers. But what did we learn from the four-day fest? Do we have an Oscar frontrunner? Four narrative films world premiered in the Colorado mountains – “Women Talking” from MGM/UAR, “Empire of Light” from Searchlight Pictures and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and “The Wonder” from Netflix. Other Venice titles also made their North American debuts such as Netflix’s “Bardo” and Focus Features’ “Tar.” Here are five things we learned at Telluride.

Super has taken North American rights to Colm Bairéad’s award-winning drama The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin), which was recently announced as Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards and selected for the 2022 European Film Awards.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Alexander Rodnyansky, the producer of Oscar nominated films “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” has boarded the next project from Kazakh director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (pictured), whose film “Goliath” has its world premiere at Venice Film Festival on Thursday in the Horizons Extra section. The new project, “Nosorog,” tells a contemporary story of Tamara, a distraught woman on a desperate search for her missing son in a small town consumed by violent riots. To help get her son back, she hires a shady detective, Brayuk, with unexpected consequences. Rodnyansky joins producers Aliya Mendygozhina and Olga Khlasheva on the project, which is a co-production between the State Center of Support of the National Cinema of Kazakhstan and Kazakh film company Golden Man Media.

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of Oscar-winner Phil Tippett’s directorial debut Mad God, the film’s producers Tippett Studio and Ultra 8 Pictures are teaming up on Tippett Productions, a new Canadian-based venture.

HBO Documentary Films has acquired U.S. television and streaming rights to Oscar winner Laura Poitras’s film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, fresh from its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and sneak preview at Telluride.

Zack Sharf Tom Hanks revealed on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast (via The Independent) that a sequel to “Forrest Gump” was a serious possibility for only 40 minutes. The Oscar-winning drama was based on the 1986 novel, which led to the 1995 book sequel “Gump and Co.” The film adaptation of the first book was a box office powerhouse, earning $678 million worldwide and becoming the top-grossing film in the U.S. in 1994. Hanks won the Oscar for best actor, while the film took home the prize for best picture and four more Academy Awards. “I will say that, with a long time in between, we did take a stab at talking about another ‘Forrest Gump’ that lasted all of 40 minutes,” Hanks said. “And then we never…we said, ‘Guys, come on.’”

FOOTBALL hero Ian Wright has scored his first role in a major movie — a cameo playing himself. The ex-Arsenal striker, 56, was approached directly by Oscar-winning Brit Daniel Kaluuya to appear in futuristic Netflix flick The Kitchen. And the Match of the Day pundit, who was Arsenal’s record goalscorer, was quick to seize the chance.

Writer/Director Florian Zeller had such great success with his 2020 film adaptation of his stage play, The Father which won six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, winning for his and co-writer Christopher Hampton’s screenplay, as well as Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, that he was able to move very quickly in getting a film version going for his next play, 2018’s Le Fils. The result, The Son, premiering today at the Venice Film Festival in competition, is the second of a three part stage and film series on stories dealing with mental health, in this case a troubled 17 year old boy who has been deeply affected by the divorce of his parents and is suffering severe problems. Of course The Father dealt with one elderly man’s devastating descent into dimentia and the effect that had on his family, and it was an intimate film production for Zeller, largely taking place in the man’s apartment, yet still managed to be cinematic despite its stage origins.

Tilda Swinton takes over the red carpet in a dazzling lavender gown at the premiere of The Eternal Daughter during the 2022 Venice International Film Festival on Tuesday (September 6) in Venice, Italy.

Naman Ramachandran Vice has signed a worldwide license deal for director and producer Jason Loftus’ “Eternal Spring: The Heist of China’s Airwaves,” Canada’s entry in the Oscars’ international feature film category. Sales agent Sideways Film, which represents the production on behalf of Lofty Sky Entertainment, has also scored domestic deals on the film with Arte for France and Germany, RTS for Switzerland, VG for Norway, Current Time for Russian language European territories and Al Jazeera Doc for the Middle East and North Africa. Through the lens of celebrated comic book artist Daxiong (“Justice League”), the documentary explores a plot by Falun Gong adherents in China to hack state television and expose repression.

Clayton Davis There’s no denying Olivia Wilde can direct the hell out of a movie. And with her latest behind-the-camera effort, “Don’t Worry Darling,” the actress turned filmmaker constructs a sexy and suspenseful thriller. It’s a film that should resonate with moviegoers, who may show up to check out an easy-on-the-eyes ensemble that includes Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine. At the very least, it’s a film that will continue to generate plenty of chatter (there’s already a ton of pre-release headlines being made, some of them even about the movie itself). However, like most popcorn thrillers, the chances of the Academy checking the film off on their ballots is as farfetched as the movie’s attempt to make Harry Styles look unattractive in one critical scene. Nice try but I don’t buy it.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning star Mark Rylance and his wife Claire van Kampen, a playwright, composer and director, have teamed with Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment on a TV project, the actor revealed to Deadline.

Clayton Davis Roughly a year ago, Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” launched out of Telluride, and there was something about that film’s emotional expansiveness and the irresistible pull of its unapologetic nostalgia that made it clear it was going to be a force to be reckoned with at the Oscars. I got the same sense watching Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light” at its Telluride premiere this past weekend. It has a similar open heartedness even if the setting for the movie is an English seaside town and not the war-torn streets of Northern Ireland. Cinema seeps through “Empire of Light.” Mendes’ latest doesn’t just swoon for the images that flicker across screens; it also pays tribute to the physical buildings that house our most cherished artform and the sense of escapism that gets triggered every time you sit down in one of those palaces. If you are a movie lover, it’s hard to resist “Empire of Light’s” charm and stylized beauty.

As the 49th Annual Telluride Film Festival comes to a close on this Labor Day holiday, it once again could be a fest that ignites the Oscar chances of a number of films that have either had their World Premieres or North American Premieres this weekend. As part of the so-called Fall Festival Trifecta of Venice/Telluride/Toronto (the latter beginning this Thursday), this is where the six month+ awards season officially starts, even if the even longer Emmy season doesn’t conclude until a week from today.

Clayton Davis “Tár” is a musical, but not in the way you might think. Set to a rhythmic beat of classical orchestration, writer and director Todd Field triumphantly returns to the director’s chair some 16 years after “Little Children” (2006) and 21 years after his debut “In the Bedroom” (2001). In the process, Field proves the third time is the charm and “Tár,” which screened at Venice and Telluride, has emerged as a major Oscar contender. At the forefront of this epic drama is another fiery and near perfect turn from Cate Blanchett, who is poised to earn her eighth acting Oscar nomination and could even nab a potential third statuette.

Clayton Davis If Colin Farrell doesn’t get an Oscar nom this year for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” he never will. That was all I could think after watching his work in Martin McDonagh’s latest dark comedy. And who would have thought that Farrell and Brendan Gleeson would become the perfect comedic duo of our day? I thought the pair’s magic in “In Bruges” (2008) was a one-hit wonder, but with “The Banshees of Inisherin,” the two men have recaptured their old alchemy. The latest pitch black romp from “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” director and scribe McDonagh harnesses the simplest premise in recent memory: a man tries to understand why his best friend doesn’t want to talk to him anymore. What unfolds within that premise are moral complexities and refreshing takes on love and forgiveness.

Colman Domingo has won his first Emmy for his guest role in Euphoria. 

Chadwick Boseman’s final role has won him another award.

Call it third time lucky.

Clayton Davis Could Sarah Polley join the ranks of Jane Campion, Chloe Zhao and Kathryn Bigelow by becoming only the fourth female filmmaker to win an Oscar for directing? Based on the rapturous reception that “Women Talking” received at the Telluride Film Festival on Friday, it certainly seems possible. Even if that doesn’t happen, the ambitious film, a drama about a group of women in a tight-knit religious community grappling with a legacy of abuse, has put a stake in the ground as the festival’s first slam dunk best picture candidate. In fact, I think it’s going to be a contender across the board. In a Telluride lineup that is heavy on documentaries and Cannes titles, Polley’s film is one of only four World Premieres for narrative features. But what a launching pad Telluride is shaping up to be for the film and its director, a critical favorite for her work in front of the camera in “The Sweet Hereafter” and behind with the likes of “Away From Her.” The premiere for “Women Talking” kicked off with a tribute to Polley, who was presented with the Silver Medallion by Frances McDormand, who produced and stars in “Women Talking.”

infamous Oscar slap, and he did not hold back.“Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us,” Rock said during his set in Liverpool’s M&S Arenon on Thursday. However, Rock found that Smith’s Oscar-night act of violence made him more relatable. “Whatever the consequences are… I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe.

EXCLUSIVE: We are hearing from sources that Cattywumpus, the Gore Verbinski-directed animated movie about outer space felines, will be getting shopped around town to other studios.

Cate Blanchett steps out in two chic looks at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.

Venice Film Festival officially kicked off the fall Oscar race on Thursday afternoon with Todd Field’s “Tár,” a drama starring Cate Blanchett as a famous composer embroiled in a public scandal. The film was showered with an ecstatic six-minute standing ovation as the crowds at the Sala Grande Theatre kept chanting “Bravo!“ even surprising Blanchett at times.As Venice chief Alberto Barbera took her hand, Blanchett bowed — but the clapping went on. When the applause finally ended, a misty-eyed Blanchett turned to someone on her team and said: “Let’s get a drink.”Surely, Blanchett’s work in “Tár” will be one of the most toasted performances of Oscar season. The rave reviews for the film all but guarantee the actor, who has two Academy Awards acting wins, will land her eight Oscar acting nomination this winter.

Causeway” (A24/Apple Original Films) Though Jennifer Lawrence had a juicy supporting role in Adam McKay’s disaster comedy “Don’t Look Up” last year, we have not seen the former Katniss Everdeen in the driver’s seat of a film since the one-two punch of “Mother!” and “Red Sparrow” (released in 2017 and 2018, respectively). She returns in earnest at TIFF with “Causeway,” about a soldier with a traumatic brain injury trying to readjust to normal life. 

Clayton Davis Jennifer Fox, the Oscar nominated producer of “Michael Clayton” (2007), has been tapped to produce the 13th Governors Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Marking her fourth time producing the event, Fox will assemble the annual ceremony where Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren and Peter Weir will receive Honorary Oscars and Michael J. Fox will accept the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. “We’re thrilled to have Jennifer back at the helm to help us kick off Oscar season with a tribute fitting to these four extraordinary individuals,” says Janet Yang, Academy President. “Her contribution in past years has only elevated this truly special and joyous event.”

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media After Warner Bros. executives signed off on the risky decision to bankroll their $90 million look at the life of Elvis Presley with a little-known actor portraying the hip-swinging rocker, producer Gail Berman reached for her phone. She wanted to immortalize the moment for Austin Butler, the man who reportedly beat out the likes of Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller to land the kind of role that can make a career. “I needed to take a photo of all these people sitting around after they made a decision that was going to mark a major change in Austin’s life,” says Berman. “It was wonderful that they saw from his screen test just how good he was, and that they were ready to support him on this journey.”

Poland has selected Jerzy Skolimowski’s Cannes-winning title EO as its official submission to the International Oscar race this year.

Carson Burton Ralph Eggleston, an Academy Award-winning animator, art director and production designer at Pixar Animation Studios, died on Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56 years old. Eggleston won the animated short film Oscar for writing and directing the 2001 Pixar film “For the Birds.” Pixar tweeted a tribute to him, saying, “Pixar and the world will be forever grateful.”In memory of Ralph Eggleston—animator, director, art director, storyboard artist, writer, production designer, and our dear friend. Pixar and the world will be forever grateful. ❤ pic.twitter.com/YzZACENcZw The animator also served as art director on the original “Toy Story,” and his work as an artist has been seen on numerous Pixar films including “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “Wall-E,” “Cars,” “The Incredibles” and “Inside Out.” His final credited work was in 2020’s “Soul,” where he served as a development artist within the art department.

Ralph Eggleston, an animation whiz who was hired by Pixar in the lead-up to the release of “Toy Story,” has died following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.Over the course of his storied career, Eggleston went on to serve in a variety of roles at Pixar, memorably contributing to everything from “Monsters, Inc.” to both “Incredibles” movies to “Inside Out” and “Soul.” (The animation studio didn’t release an official statement but sent an email to staff confirming the news this morning.)Eggleston started his career with former Disney animator Bill Kroyer, working on things like the title sequence for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and eventually Kroyer’s directorial debut “Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest.” Eggleston then left to join Disney, working on some of the most celebrated movies in the company’s filmography ( “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas”) before joining Pixar in 1992 as the studio was transforming from a company that did software and commercials (the short films were basically used to showcase whatever technology Pixar was hawking at the time) to a full-fledged movie studio.He would serve as an art director for “Toy Story.” The moving van company that Andy’s family uses in the final chase is even named after his nickname: Eggman Movers.