Next Club Meeting:October 17, 2026,at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.
This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires in today's pop culture, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.
Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary with the Faith & Freedom. Honor the Founding Fathers to the presidents who shaped our nation, their stories highlight the miracle of Providence, the enduring American Spirit, and the Faith that helped build this country.
Mark Hamill said it was dumb that Luke Skywalker died from an overdose of the Force, and doesn't seem real happy about his role in Disney Star Wars. Disney didn't exactly celebrate the Sequel Trilogy for the 10th anniversary of The Force Awakens. It's as if they know it sucked, too.
Thunderbirds Returns to Cinemas in Spectacular 4K!
60 years after its TV debut, Thunderbirds is back on the big screen. This September, experience Trapped in the Sky and Terror in New York City as you’ve never seen them before — beautifully restored in 4K and showing in 150+ UK cinemas.
Relive the action, share the magic, and be part of a
landmark celebration of Gerry Anderson’s timeless classic.
Absolutely stunning Transformers 40th Anniversary video from Studio Trigger and Bump of Chicken. There's a lot of history in here, can you spot your favorite series?
Childhood’s End andThe Lights in the Sky Are Stars are headed to theaters for the first time in 4K & 4D in January 2024!
Don't miss out on the one-of-a-kind immersive cinematic experience when - Childhood’s End - returns to theaters on January 16 & 17, followed by - The Lights in the Sky Are Stars - on January 23 & 24.
Tickets go on sale December 8 at FathomEvents.com.
GURREN LAGANN (aired from April to September 2007) was Director Hiroyuki Imaishi’s (known for PROMARE, KILL la KILL, and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt) first TV anime series. The series won the 11th Japan Media Arts Festival Animation Division Excellence Award; with a striking style of direction and unforgettable dialogue, the series captivated and charmed audiences in Japan and abroad. The first film premiered in 2008, with all the lines re-recorded and new scenes added to release as GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE Childhood’s End and later in 2009 with GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE -The Lights in the Sky Are Stars-.
Kazuki Nakashima, known for his work on PROMARE, KILL la KILL, and Batman Ninja, worked on the screenplay while Atsushi Nishigori was responsible for character design. The mecha designs were brought to audiences by genius You Yoshinari.
In addition to bringing back GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE - Childhood’s End - and GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE - The Lights in the Sky Are Stars - to theaters again, this project will, for the first time ever, see the movies come to audiences in 4D.
This is the tale of a man who has yet to realize what his destiny is. Far in the future, a young boy named Simon digs holes in an underground settlement called Giha Village. With his older brother figure Kamina and a young woman named Yoko who’s fallen underground from the surface, the three set out to pursue their dreams of the surface world. As the group makes new friends, they are joined by a mecha in the shape of a face called Lagann. Together, they set out for Teppelin—the headquarters of the Spiral King, the king of the beastmen and ruler of the surface world.
After overcoming intense battles with the Spiral King, humans, now having regained control of the surface world, are faced yet again with another unknown enemy. To save humanity from this predicament of absolute despair and hopelessness, Simon and Team Dai-Gurren push their way through the galaxies for a heroic fight.
As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family.
Thank you for the men who stormed those beaches on June 6th 1944.
We are forever in your debt.
"A Mighty Endeavor"
As dawn broke on June 6, 1944, German soldiers defending the French coast at Normandy beheld an awe-inspiring sight—the largest amphibious invasion force in history massed in the waters of the English Channel. The long-awaited invasion of northwest Europe was underway...
To celebrate Alien's 40th anniversary and in partnership with Tongal, 20th Century Fox is releasing new Alien-universe fan-made short films leading up to Alien Day on April 26th. Written and directed by Chris Reading, the synopsis for "Containment" reads: "Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship's destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected."
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking sci-fi horror film Alien (1979), six visionary filmmakers were selected to bring their Alien-inspired stories to life. From terrifying escapes, to Facehuggers and Xenomorphs, these captivating shorts brings forth an exciting new narrative for fans while paying homage to the original film.
[Source: ToonZone] Did you know anime is now 100 years old? Don’t you think that sounds like a good excuse to throw as many landmark anime films on the big screen at the same time?
Then you’re way ahead of the Los Angeles Anime Film Festival (LA-AFF), which features a blockbuster lineup of anime hits, one after another, starting tomorrow. The LA-AFF takes place September 15th through the 17th and all programs will be showcased at the Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
The festival begins with the North American debut of No Game No Life Zero and wraps up with Akira, and is sandwiched in the middle with My Neighbor Totoro, Summer Wars, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and more. Here’s the full schedule and lineup:
Opening Gala Screening – Friday, September 15 No Game No Life Zero, dir. Atsuko Ishizuka, Japan, 2017
*North American Premiere
Namakura Gatana (Special Presentation)
Closing Film – Sunday, September 17Akira, dir. Katsuhiro Otomo, Japan, 1988
Festival Lineup009 Re:Cyborg 3D, dir. Kenji Kamiyama, Japan, 2012Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, dir. Tatsuyuki Nagai, Japan 2013Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, dir. Shinichirō Watanabe, Hiroyuki Okiura, Yoshiyuki Takei, Japan, 2001Ghost in the Shell, dir. Mamoru Oshii, Japan, 1995Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, dir. Mamoru Oshii, Japan, 2004 (35mm)Kiki’s Delivery Service, dir. Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1989King of Prism by PrettyRhythm dir. Masakazu Hishida, Japan, 2016
*North American PremiereLove Live! The School Idol Movie, dir. Takahiko Kyogoku, Japan, 2015Metropolis, dir. Rintaro, Japan, 2001Miss Hokusai, dir. Keiichi Hara, Japan, 2015My Neighbor Totoro, dir. Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1988Paprika, dir. Satoshi Kon, Japan, 2006 (35mm)Pigtails, dir. Yoshimi Itazu, Japan, 2015Porco Rosso, dir. Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1992Red Turtle, dir. Michaël Dudok de Wit, France/Belgium/Japan, 2016Summer Wars, dir. Mamoru Hosoda, Japan, 2009
On May 25, 1977 “Star Wars” opened in 32 US screens including the legendary Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. Director George Lucas built a brand based off a story of triumph over evil and of a hero’s tragic fall and eventual redemption. The movie soon became a phenomenon and an important part of pop culture. Four decades later it continues to enthrall audiences all over the world.
Next up is ”Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”The sequel begins where “The Force Awakens” left off, with Rey (Ridley) meeting Luke on a remote island, filmed off the coast of Ireland. Some shots in the trailer also suggested Skywalker training Rey on the island. In “The Force Awakens,” Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren has turned to the dark side after being tutored by Luke.
Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the “Star Wars” sequel will follow J.J. Abrams’ box-office smash “The Force Awakens.”
It will be Carrie Fisher’s last appearance in the core “Star Wars” films that follow the saga of the Skywalker family.
Cast members from all five “Star Trek” shows celebrated the franchise’s milestone anniversary on social media Thursday. Fifty years ago today, the very first episode of the original “Star Trek” series — “The Man Trap” — debuted on TV. The 1996 Variety review predicted the show’s demise, “The opener won’t open up many new frequencies after this sampler.” How wrong the reviewer was. Five decades after the debut, the franchise is still going strong, with a sixth show coming in 2017 and a 14th movie planned (following this summer’s “Star Trek Beyond”).
[Source: Yahoo!TV] You’ve got to hand it to Bugs Bunny — he looks pretty good for 75. (Then again, he has been gray from the very beginning.)
Monday marks the iconic Looney Tunes wisecracker’s animated debut — opposite Elmer Fudd, no less — in the 1940 Warner Bros. short “The Wild Hare.”
The 7-minute cartoon features so many monumental firsts: the first time Bugs locked lips with an adversary, the first time he faked his own death and, of course, the first time he uttered those immortal words: “What’s up, doc?”
Original production layout drawing by Chuck Jones for his 1943 short cartoon, "Super Rabbit"
Original lobby card for the 1943 Chuck Jones directed "Super Rabbit"
Photostat of a Tex Avery model sheet of Bugs Bunny.
"The Evolution of Bugs Bunny" a hand-painted cel art edition by Chuck Jones
[Source: Time.com] Here’s how the world’s favorite cartoon rabbit came to be. Animator Chuck Jones gave credit to Tex Avery for the character, but Warner Bros. had made several rabbit cartoons in the studio’s earlier years. There were cutesy rabbits and wacky rabbits, but those rabbits aren’t Bugs. (One distinction, Jones explained, was that Bugs’ craziness always serves a purpose–in contrast to the unhinged Daffy Duck.)
The Wild Hare bunny is uncredited, though that changed before the year was up. Bugs was an instant star. By 1954, TIME noted that he was more popular than Mickey Mouse. (Mel Blanc, who voiced the character, later claimed that the name was his idea, saying that they were going to call the character Happy Rabbit, but that Blanc suggested naming him after animator Ben “Bugs” Hardaway. Alternatively, the name is sometimes traced to a sketch that designer Charles Thorson did on Hardaways’ request, with the caption “Bugs’ bunny”—as in, it was the bunny that Bugs had asked him to draw.)
Though Virgil Ross was the animator on A Wild Hare, Chuck Jones became one of the more famous hands behind the Bugs Bunny magic. In 1979, when The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie came out, TIME critic Richard Schickel noted that “it is possible that some day Animator Chuck Jones may come to be regarded as the American Bunuel” for the fact that Jones and the groundbreaking surrealist filmmaker so well understood the psychological underpinnings of comedy.
As these images from the late artist’s archives show, Bugs Bunny may have taken a long time to be born—but he sure has aged well.
Original production layout drawing by Chuck Jones for his 1943 short cartoon, "Super Rabbit"
When she came to life in 1974, she was a kitty without a name, sitting sideways in blue overalls and a big red bow, on a coin purse for Japanese girls. On Saturday, fans around the world celebrate the 40th anniversary of this global icon of "cute-cool." That is, Hello Kitty.
Only a handful of characters last so long, especially in Japan, where thousands come and go in a highly competitive market. Hello Kitty has the looks, and more.
"Characters must have certain qualities, like an oversized round face, short limbs and plump body," said economist Takuro Morinaga, an expert on popular culture. "Kitty follows the basics, yet she has a strong personality."
Innovative design and clever marketing also helped expand her fan base around the world, said Christine Yano, anthropologist and author of "Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific."
Hello Kitty's company, Sanrio Co., which specializes in designing and making a wide range of products in the booming "cute" business, created her as a character 40 years ago.
According to Sanrio, her real name is Kitty White, born Nov. 1 — no year is given — in the London suburbs. The birthday date was chosen because it is the birthday of her original designer, Yuko Shimizu.
Sanrio strives to keep Hello Kitty ahead of the curve, factoring in social and fashion trends and collaborating with other popular characters and fashion brands. Her basic appearance hasn't changed much, but just about everything else constantly is. Yano said the philosophy of not resting is part of the character's success.
Oct. 30, 2014. A model dressing as Japanese character Hello Kitty greets a guest arriving to take a souvenir photo with her at Sanrio Puroland, a theme park featuring Hello Kitty in Tokyo. (The Associated Press)
"That makes things very fresh, very new," she said in a telephone interview from Boston. "She is always the same but always different."
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THE 70s: A SCHOOLGIRL STAPLE
Made up of just a few simple strokes — two dots for eyes, a tiny circle for a nose and no mouth — Hello Kitty was largely for little girls at the start. Her stationery became a staple gift for schoolgirls. Hello Kitty made her overseas debut in the United States in 1976 before heading to Europe and the rest of Asia. She posed piloting an airplane in 1978 for the opening of Tokyo's Narita International Airport, symbolizing her dream of going global.
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THE 80s: KIDS STUFF NO MORE
Hello Kitty began shaking off her purely childish image and attracting adults. Her outfits and background shifted from bold red, blue and yellow to hues of pink and blue. A black and white Hello Kitty reflected a monotone boom led by Japanese fashion brand Comme des Garcons. Kitty's third and current designer Yuko Yamaguchi took the bold step of removing the black outline around the character. Hello Kitty decorated the popular items of the day, including pagers and hand-held game machines.
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THE 90s: LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
Some of her original fans started having children, a potential second generation of fans. Sanrio Puroland, a theme park targeting families, opened in the Tokyo suburbs. Designer Yamaguchi created a baby Kitty in 1999 at the request of young mothers. "Kitty-lers," a new breed of grown-ups devoted to the character, became a national phenomenon. A Hello Kitty laptop went on sale, as did a portable karaoke machine amid a karaoke boom. "I'm her peer, and I've been her fan since kindergarten," said 40-year-old Yuko Ishikawa, who gave a big hug Thursday to Hello Kitty at Sanrio Puroland on a visit with her 3-year-old daughter, Hina. "Happy birthday!"
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THE 2000s: THE COOL FACTOR
The growing worldwide popularity of Japanese animation and comics helped Hello Kitty become cool, not just cute — or "cute-cool" as Yano puts it. A new wink gave her greater semantic presence, she said. "It can be taken straight, or ironically, or it can be taken humorously." Sanrio reached out to fans of different fashion tastes, from girly to street and designer brands. In 2008 Hello Kitty donned a Dior collection in Vogue magazine. She also co-branded with Diesel, A Bathing Ape, Undercover, Reebok and Vans, as well as cosmetics makers Crabtree and Evelyn and MAC.
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THE FUTURE: LADY GAGA, SWAROVSKI, WHAT'S NEXT?
Hello Kitty is featured on about 50,000 items in some 130 countries. Lady Gaga has performed in Hello Kitty costumes, and rock band Kiss produced T-shirts last year featuring Hello Kitty in its trademark-Kiss makeup and costumes. A sitting Kitty decorated with 14,000 Swarovski stones sells for 476,280 yen ($470) in Japan. Taiwan's EVA Air launched a Kitty-inspired Airbus A330-300 flight between Taipei and Sapporo in 2011, and Kitty-themed luxury spas have opened in Bangkok and Dubai.
Her future? There will be some ups and downs ahead, Yano says, but "I think it has a presence, a long-lasting presence."
"Characters must have certain qualities, like an oversized round face, short limbs and plump body," said economist Takuro Morinaga, an expert on popular culture. "Kitty follows the basics, yet she has a strong personality."
