Sure the Oscars have come and gone, but a sweet tooth is never irrelevant. Bakerella — a site dedicated to fun and easy baking ideas — has showcased a line of goodies centering around the movie award season. The collection includes tributes to Coraline, The Princess and the Frog and Up.

Click through for full baking instructions.

Coraline Cookies

These bite-size peanut butter buttons are super easy to make and fun to eat. Keep your eyes on them, though. They’ll disappear quickly.

Ribbits & Royalty

Frog cake pops! Cute enough to kiss and sweet to eat.

Upcakes

These upcakes will put a smile on the young and old alike. They use miniature multicolored confetti sprinkles to represent balloons and buttercream frosting for clouds.

The new character poster for Toy Story 3 is filling up quite nicely. The latest character to be introduced to the public is a squishy purple octopus named “Stretch.”

Stretch is a fun-loving under-the-sea octopus friend that shines in glittery purple. Kids can count her eight rubbery legs and dozens of sticky suckers that are sure to stand up to rough-and-tumble play and extreme stretching. Toss her high on the wall and watch her climb her way down! Clean in mild soap solution to remove dust and lint.

Source(s):
Disney Pixar facebook page

Samsung Redefines Home Entertainment with Global Availability of World’s First Full HD 3D LED TV and First-Time Offering of DreamWorks Animation’s Beloved Shrek Film Collection in 3D

First available offerings include LED TVs, Blu-ray Players and 3D Active Glasses

First-Ever Release of Most Successful Animated Film Series of All Time in 3D From DreamWorks Animation

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today made another stride toward redefining the home entertainment experience by officially announcing the world’s first-available Full HD 3D LED TV and full lineup of 3D home entertainment products to consumers worldwide. Samsung also announced today the expansion of its strategic alliance with DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) to feature an exclusive offering of the Company’s beloved Shrek film series – which to date has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide box office – in its entirety in 3D for the first time ever.

To make 3D TV more accessible for consumers globally, Samsung unveiled a promotional program where everyone who purchases a 2010 Samsung 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray Player or Home Theater System will receive a 3D starter kit that includes two pairs of Samsung 3D active glasses and a first time, feature-length 3D Blu-ray version of DreamWorks Animation’s 2009 release, Monsters vs. Aliens (exclusive to Samsung products). Additionally, during the second half of 2010, the most successful animated film franchise of all time – DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek film series – will be available in 3D Blu-ray for Samsung home solutions.

“Samsung has been the number one company in the global TV market for four straight years, and we remain committed to leading the market by deploying new categories of entertainment like Full HD 3D LED TVs, on which consumers around the world will be able to enjoy their favorite content, including DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek franchise, in their homes,” said Boo-Keun Yoon, President of Visual Display Business Unit at Samsung Electronics. “With the widest range of options for 3D home solutions ever, Samsung continues to lead the home entertainment industry by liberating 2D content to 3D, and creating new, immersive experiences for consumers.”

“It is an incredibly exciting time for the industry at large, as we continue to see the proliferation of 3D in theaters globally at unprecedented rates and now – thanks to Samsung’s innovation leading the charge – the capability to deliver a truly premium 3D experience for consumers in their homes. We are thrilled to be able to offer audiences the exciting opportunity to bring the world and characters of all of our Shrek movies home with them this year in 3D,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation.

The news was delivered at Samsung’s Full HD 3D LED TV global launch press conference held in New York City today, one of several global events this week created by the company to invite influencers and consumers to enjoy all the capabilities of Samsung’s 3D technology leadership.

Global Product Availability

Samsung will launch the broadest line of 3D home entertainment products in 2010. Its 3D TV lineup includes the LED 7000/8000/9000 Series, LCD 750 Series, and the Plasma 7000/8000 Series. Available this month are the 3D capable 46″ and 55″ LED C7000, with the remaining 3D TVs rolling out over the next several months. Samsung is delivering 3D the way it was meant to be watched, combining the Samsung BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player or the Samsung HT-C6930W 3D Blu-ray integrated home theater system, stylish 3D active glasses and movie in Blu-ray 3D. The result: Full HD with lifelike depth and color clarity at home.

First to Market Full HD 3D LED TV Raises Bar for TV Excellence

This year’s premium LED TV models, the C7000, C8000 and C9000, feature Samsung’s Real240Hz™ refresh rate technology and Samsung’s proprietary built-in 3D processor that is compatible with major 3D format standards. Samsung’s 3D technology and a faster panel optimized for 3D work together to deliver an immersive viewing experience. When not in the 3D mode, you’re back to watching one of the best performing HDTVs on the market with the push of a button.

The LED TVs come with Internet@TV connectivity which includes the world’s first HDTV app store, Samsung Apps, allowing users to download and view applications on their TV screens. The 3D LED TVs are also the highest performing and most eco-conscious HDTV products Samsung has ever released, all exceeding the more stringent EnergyStar 4.0 guidelines.

Taking the Wonder of 3D to people’s home

In the US, Samsung is launching a holistic marketing campaign under the name “Dedicated to Wonder,” a high-profile marketing effort that includes television advertising and the first 3D Cinema advertising (Spot?) for a consumer electronics brand. Samsung assembled an elite production crew, including the Oscar-winning director of photography, Mauro Fiore, and is bringing the wonder of the 3D experience to life with this new marketing campaign. New commercials will begin hitting the air this week, highlighting Samsung’s 3D technology and the wonder it brings to the home entertainment experience.

Samsung’s in-store display plan is also key to exposing consumers to the technology and educating them on the value of 3D. Samsung’s internal research shows that while awareness of 3D technology is high, less than a third of consumers have had any experience with it. For this reason, Samsung is strengthening marketing activities in an effort to make it easier for consumers to experience 3D. In 2010, consumers can expect to experience this immersive experience in more than 5,000 stores across the nation. Displays will start being deployed later in the month.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation creates high-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, television specials and series, live entertainment properties and online virtual worlds, meant for audiences around the world. The Company has world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced filmmaking technology and techniques. DreamWorks Animation has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE® Magazine for two consecutive years. In 2010, DreamWorks Animation ranks #6 on the list. All of DreamWorks Animation’s feature films are now being produced in 3D. The Company has theatrically released a total of 18 animated feature films, including the franchise properties, Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. DreamWorks Animation’s three feature film releases in 2010 are How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek Forever After and Megamind.

I remember sitting in the theater in November thinking Planet 51 would look amazing in Blu-Ray. Sure enough, it does and because of the intense detail in this film’s animation, it’s especially fun to watch at home.

The Blu-Ray isn’t exactly loaded with special features, but what they do have is done well. The deleted/extended scenes (2:50) are all brief moments cut from when Lem hides Chuck in his house. While all of it is pretty minor, it’s nice to at least see these bits in completely finished form. Most of the time, deleted scenes from animated films end up being just animated hand-drawn rough storyboards. Here, they’re finished in great detail. Because these bits are so brief, it would have been nice to have the option to watch them within the finished film. There’s also the Target 51 Game, which utilizes your player’s remote for directing your spaceship out of harm’s way. There are several gameplay modes once you start, the easiest being shooting alien ships out of your way, the hardest being a small pod needing to avoid and fire upon debri and alien ships coming at you. It’s not especially exciting, but kids might enjoy it.

The World of Planet 51 (2:54) – is merely a panning of the different backdrops and scenery from the film. It feels a bit thrown together / lifeless since there’s no narrative, but it does give fans of the film a chance to look a little closer at what’s going on behind the action: the detailed alien designs of the houses, the clever play on the 1951 stylizing, etc.

Life On Planet 51 (12:04) – This is the first real featurette. It opens with part of the trailer for the film, and then features Dwayne Johnson, the voice of Chuck, explaining the story. From there, the real meat of the featurette showcases the voice talent in the film, and gives a look at each central character and their performers. We then get a fun look into the animation process, storyboarding, and learn that this project has been seven years in the making!

Dwayne Johnson voicing astronaut Chuck Baker

Planetarium – The Voice Stars of Planet 51 (3:18) – This little featurette features a little more of Justin Long, Jessica Biel, and Dwayne talking about their individual characters, interwoven with actual footage from the movie. Oddly enough, some of the footage and interviews repeat slightly, but it’s still a fun bonus. It probably could have been made part of the “Life On…” featurette or expanded on more, but is still a nice little addition.

Planet 51 Music Video Montage (2:11) – This is kind of a pointless featurette, utilizing clips from the movie set to song clips.

Animation Progression Reels (15:53) – The final major bonus feature is a pretty cool look at the progression of animation for several scenes — from the drawn storyboards to two levels of groundwork animation, to the final film animation…. four full panels playing simultaneously on the sceen. Animation buffs will especially find this fascinating. It’s also really neat to see how the initial idea changed over time and the variations in details in the background, foreground, and characters.

All in all, Planet 51 makes a great Blu-Ray package. For Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs, Sony only allowed the digital download of the movie available for people with PS3 systems. Thankfully, the Planet 51 DVD/Blu-Ray/Digital Copy package fixes this by allowing it for iTunes as well as Windows Media Player. You can easily port this sucker to your iPod if you want to! And if you don’t have a blu-ray player just yet, a DVD combo like this one is a smart buy as you look to the future. Your family will be happy you have both versions if you ever make the hyperjump to HD.

Disney/Pixar’s heartfelt tale of adventure proved to be the class of the animated feature film category during last night’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards show. The presenters for Best Animated Feature Film were no strangers to the genre, as Cameron Diaz (voice of Shrek’s Princess Fiona) and Steve Carell (voice of Horton Hears a Who’s Mayor of Whoville) introduced an animated short featuring characters from each nominated film comically discussing the Oscars (see video below).

After running down the list of nominees, Diaz opened the envelope and promptly announced Up as the winner. Director Pete Docter accepted the award — which was his first — and gratefully stated “Boy! Never did I dream that making a flip-book out of my 3rd grade math book would lead to this.”

We would like to congratulate Disney/Pixar on their well-deserved win in a field comprised of some of the best quality animated films to date.

The success did not stop there, however. Michael Giacchino secured another Oscar for Up by winning for Best Original Score.

Apparently we need to hire a large staff of dedicated Toy Story 3 contributors just to keep up with the flood of new goodies continually being released by Disney/Pixar leading up to the highly anticipated summer sequel. The latest bit of media making its rounds is the oh-so-crowded final Toy Story 3 poster. The new image showcases the slew of new characters in Toy Story 3 — many of which have not been officially introduced yet — packed in tight with Toy Story mainstays such as Buzz and Woody.

Source(s):
Disney Pixar facebook page

Hat tip to reader, Ian, for the heads-up

Coinciding with the release of DreamWorks’ latest animated adventure, How to Train Your Dragon, is the cross-platform video game which continues the story that unfolds on the big screen. The gameplay centers around customizing your fleet of dragons and pitting them against other players in battle.

Below is a new teaser trailer showcasing in-game action.

You can pre-order your copy of the game now for the March 23 ship date.

Reporter Banks Lee from WDWNewsToday (part of the WDWNT Network) went snap-happy at a recent tour of the Walt Disney World theme parks and has compiled quite an impressive photographic collection of Toy Story 3 related material ranging from early character concept drawings to new posters. Some of the more noteworthy images have been posted and discussed over at /Film, but do yourself a favor and be sure to peep Lee’s complete gallery to see all of the interesting displays.

Concept art of Andy all grownz up

The announcement of new characters for Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 continue to pour in. This latest reveal is the one I have personally been waiting for since seeing the most recent trailer. I would’ve preferred a more macho-sounding moniker, but oh well…

Get a load of Twitch!

Meet Twitch, the insectaloid warrior, where MAN + INSECT = AWESOME! This sturdy action figure stands over five inches tall, with more than 15 points of articulation, including ferocious chomping mandibles. Use his powerful wings and impenetrable exoskeleton to evade capture! Twitch is meticulously detailed and includes his signature magical battle staff and removable chest armor. For children ages 4 and up. Other insectaloid figures sold separately.

Source(s):
Exclusive: Meet the New Toy Story 3 Character – Twitch [/Film]

Those familiar with the ‘Upular‘ mix by DJ Pogo for Disney/Pixar’s Up — an effort I love so much that it almost made my regular iPod rotation — will be happy to lend their ears to a new Toy Story project mixed by DJ Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean).

Beyond Infinity!