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A Note of Recognition for….the Top 5 Mothers in Animation

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In honor of Mother’s Day, the staff of Toon Zone News decided to put together a list of the top 5 animated mothers. This turned out to be a surprisingly challenging task. Single-parent families and orphans appear with great regularity in animation, and those parental figures that do make it into the final products are lucky to be relegated to comic relief. Additionally, it seems that the great majority of animated parents (or step-parents) are the direct antagonists to their offspring.

Still, there are plenty of great mother figures in animation. For your enjoyment, we present a list of the top 5 animated moms for you to peruse and argue over, along with a smattering of candidates that didn’t quite make the cut. In no particular order:

Betty Rubble

The Flintstones (Hanna-Barbera)
Voiced by Bea Benaderet

Betty RubbleWhy: Hanna-Barbera is one of the most friendly studios for parents, since their works provide a number of potential candidates, including Wilma Flintstone and Jane Jetson. Betty Rubble ends up getting the title from the other H-B animated moms largely because she has to raise Bamm-Bamm. Being a mother is hard enough without having to deal with an inordinately strong kid who likes breaking things for fun. Pebbles Flintstone is a perfectly darling little angel, unlikely to give Wilma and Fred any trouble for anything until she starts dating, and anybody can be a perfect mother with the help of a robot maid. The fact that the Rubble household hasn’t been reduced to, well, rubble by Bamm-Bamm must be due to Betty’s influence.

If it will console the Wilma partisans, I always felt she won the “Hot Mom” contest between the two, but that’s not the only thing we’re looking at here.

Martha Kent

Superman the Animated Series (Warner Bros./DC Comics)
Voiced by Shelley Fabares

Martha KentWhy: If Betty Rubble had it rough with Bamm-Bamm, just consider what Martha Kent had to deal with. With his extra-terrestrial gifts, it would have been so easy for Clark Kent to grow up into Super-Bully, if not Super-Despot. It takes a firm moral grounding and a powerfully rooted sense of Right and Wrong to keep Superman on the side of the angels, and that value system can be credited largely to the Kents. Besides, it’s a very a special kind of lady who can watch a baby literally fall out of the sky and react by saying, “I’m going to raise that kid right.”

Martha Kent is also living proof that being a top mom isn’t all about biology. She may not be Superman’s biological mother, but she passed on plenty to him in the end and the DC Universe was all the better for it. Mother is as Mother does, and no matter how much DNA separates the two, Martha Kent has more than earned the right to call herself Superman’s Mom.

Mrs. Jumbo

Dumbo (Disney)
Voiced by Verna Felton

Why:

I'm misting up now just thinking of this scene. I say 'misting up' in a totally manly way, of course. If you need more reason than this, you totally suck.

Elasti-Girl/Mrs. Incredible

The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar)
Voiced by Holly Hunter

Elasti-Girl/Mrs. IncredibleWhy: She cooks, she cleans, she tends house, she keeps the peace (or at least an uneasy truce) between her 3 kids, and she shuttles them to and from school. She’s every stereotypical suburban stay-at-home mom. She can also fly a plane, infiltrate heavily-defended super-secret villain hideouts mostly undetected, and has one mean and stretchy right cross. Way back in the Stone Ages, superhero women like Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four were mostly eye candy hostage bait making goo-goo eyes at one of the heroes, but not our Mrs. Parr. As as a superhero, she’s at least as good, if not better, than her higher-profile husband, and she still takes on the lion’s share of child-rearing duties, up to and including saving her kids from a surface-to-air missile attack. In her review of Flightplan, Manohla Dargis said, “In my next life, I want Jodie Foster to be my mother,” but Jodie has got nothing on Helen Parr.

Rumor has it that she can only go by Elasti-Girl in the movie, since DC Comics owns a character in the Doom Patrol with the same name, but the alternate name is probably more fitting. Helen Parr is truly Mrs. Incredible.

Mrs. Dr. Possible

Kim Possible (Disney)
Voiced by Jean Smart

Mrs. Dr. Possible
Why: Like Helen Parr, Mrs. Dr. Possible is one of those super-moms that seems to do it all. She’s a brain surgeon (who says science isn’t for girls?) and still manages to feed and clothe her world-saving daughter and her brilliant-but-destructive younger twin boys, along with their brilliant but absent-minded father. She’s also the emotional core of the Possible household, keeping her wits while everybody else is angsting, panicking, or both. OK, so maybe she has a nasty habit of putting her daughter on speakerphone at highly inappropriate times, but what are parents good for if not for embarrassing their kids? With her as a role model, no wonder her daughter Kim grew up believing she could do anything.

On top of all that, if you’re a straight guy past the age when girls are yucky, its OK to admit that you were secretly hoping she’d don the black belly shirt in that episode when she tagged along with Kim on a mission for Mother’s Day.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Marge SimpsonMarge Simpson (The Simpsons): It was a real heartbreaker to drop her from the top 5. On the one hand, she may be one of the most recognizable animated moms ever, and she has an even more challenging household to keep together than any of the winners. On the other hand, she did raise Bart.


Samurai Jack's Mom
Samurai Jack’s Mom (Samurai Jack): There is nothing harder for a mother than letting your kids go. It must be even worse when you have to do it because the ancient evil your husband imprisoned is loose and has just captured Dad. But when the chips were down, that’s when Jack’s Mom cowboys up, grabs the necessary magic goods, and sends her son on the path that will turn him into an unparallelled warrior. She ultimately doesn’t make the top list because she only appears in the one episode and is mostly never seen again. It’s a completely kick-ass appearance, but not enough to build with. The same may be said for Ursa, Prince Zuko’s mother, from Avatar the Last Airbender.


Hana from Tokyo Godfathers
Hana (Tokyo Godfathers): Like Martha Kent, Hana from Tokyo Godfathers is proof that Mother is as Mother does, and biology shouldn’t be an obstacle to being called someone’s mother. The fact that Hana happens to be a transvestite drag queen is less damaging to her position on this list than the fact that she really doesn’t do a very good job as mother to the baby that drives the plot of this movie, even with the help of her homeless friends Gin and Miyuki. Still, she makes up what she may lack in skill with enthusiasm, and that’s got to count for something.

Kiki's MomDelia from PokémonKiki’s Mom/Ash’s Mom Delia (Kiki’s Delivery Service/Pokémon): Both Kiki’s mother and Ash’s mother Delia are wonderfully understanding role models. Both are willing to let their kids go so they to grow up and find their way in the world. Unfortunately, both of them are also notable for their absence. Their major purpose is to not be there when their kids happen to really need them. Delia at least gets some more character development in the earlier Pokémon movies, but she’s still mostly relegated to a minor supporting role.

From all of us to all of you: Happy Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to check out Alex Weitzman’s list of the Worst Sons and Daughters of Animation!

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PR: Nintendo’s Third-Party Partners Rolling Out Wii U Games

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DTR_CastleStrangeDuck02Nintendo Systems Offer Something for Everyone, Highlighted by Splinter Cell Blacklist from Ubisoft and Exclusive Planes Franchise from Disney Interactive

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo’s third-party partners are bringing an impressive array of great games to the Wii U™ home console, including new games and exclusive information from Disney and Ubisoft®.

“Disney, Ubisoft and our other third-party partners have a great lineup of exclusive games and unique experiences for fans of all ages,” said Steve Singer, Nintendo of America’s vice president of Licensing. “Their creativity spans every audience and genre, creating new ways to play that can only be experienced on Nintendo platforms.”

Disney Interactive is bringing Disney’s Planes, a flying adventure video game inspired by the upcoming Disney animated comedy adventure film, exclusively to Nintendo platforms. The game will be available for the Wii U and Wii™ consoles as well as the Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ hand-held systems on Aug. 6, just a few days prior to the film’s Aug. 9 opening in theaters nationwide. The game will expand beyond the storyline of the Disney’s Planes film, offering players the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of flight as one of the popular characters from the film.

Disney is also bringing Disney Infinity to Wii U, Wii and Nintendo 3DS on Aug. 18. Disney Infinity is Disney’s new gaming platform that combines Disney’s most popular franchises with interactive figures that come to life in the game. Players can place real-world toy versions of their favorite Disney characters onto a device called the Infinity Base and transport them into the virtual game worlds of Monsters UniversityThe IncrediblesCars and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as into a giant Toy Box.

“Wii U offers our developers unique tools to showcase our fun franchises,” said Javier Ferriera, Senior Vice President, Publishing at Disney Interactive. “No matter which Nintendo system you own, every member of the family will have fun playing.”

Ubisoft confirms that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Blacklist™ is coming to Wii U on Aug. 20 in North America, Aug. 22 for EMEA territories and Aug. 23 in the UK. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist on Wii U will deliver a unique gaming experience that puts players in the role of special operative and 4th Echelon leader Sam Fisher. Showcasing enhanced game-play features using the Wii U GamePad controller,Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist allows players to operate innovative gadgets, take out enemies and move through the environment, and intuitively switch between weapons, among other features. The GamePad touch screen, along with motion-based inputs, are sure to immerse fans and gamers alike in this thrilling modern-day adventure.

Additionally, Ubisoft brings Rayman Legends online for the first time with a new demo, including the full online challenge mode. The online challenge mode is made up of four levels, including “Murfy’s Dungeon,” exclusive to Wii U. New challenges are added daily and weekly, and each comes with its own individual leaderboards. The demo will be available in late April.

“Wii U gives both games a second-screen experience that fans will enjoy,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing, Ubisoft. “The genres are different, yet both games share fun game play and replayability.”

A partial sampling of other key third-party games available this spring and summer includes:

  • Injustice: Gods Among Us from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment launches April 16 with off-TV game-play functionality and an optional “Quick Moves List” lookup on the GamePad while the game plays on the television.
  • Batman and Robin return in LEGO® Batman™ 2: DC Super Heroes this spring for Wii U from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with off-TV functionality and enhanced interactive map viewable on the GamePad.
  • Resident Evil®: Revelations from Capcom returns on May 21, redefined for Wii U with exclusive Miiverse features, including the ability to post a dying message on the Game Over screen for other players around the world to see, and the “Creatures Voice” function allowing players to personalize the thoughts of enemies in Raid Mode and taunt their friends.
  • Fast & Furious™: Showdown from Activision launches May 21 with adrenaline-packed racing action for Fast & Furious fans.
  • Sniper Elite V2 from 505 Games launches this May with new controls and a level of interactivity only possible with the Wii U GamePad touch screen.
  • Coming soon to Wii U, DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION® – DIRECTOR’S CUT from Square Enix is packed with new features exclusive to the Wii U, including Miiverse integration and multiple game-play improvements leveraging the Wii U GamePad.

Games that will be available exclusively as digital downloads in the Nintendo eShop for Wii U include:

  • DuckTales Remastered from Capcom: Releasing this summer, DuckTales Remastered is a hand-crafted, beautiful HD reimagining of one of the most iconic Disney 8-bit titles that follows the adventures of Scrooge McDuck as he explores differently themed worlds to collect their treasures and become the world’s richest duck.
  • Dungeons & Dragons®: Chronicles of Mystara™ from Capcom brings HD re-workings of two of Capcom’s classic arcade hits – Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara – together in one definitive digital package in June, complete with a wealth of enhancements and game-play options.
  • Mutant Mudds Deluxe from Renegade Kid launches in Q2 with off-TV functionality and 20 new ghostly levels that are exclusive to Wii U.
  • Spin the Bottle from Knapnock Games: Spin the Bottle is a party game where players look at each other rather than the TV, launching in early summer.
  • Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails marks Dakko Dakko’s Nintendo eShop debut. A frenetic action platform game with unique controls and a striking visual style, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Railswill be released for Wii U later in 2013.

Remember that Wii U features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4 billion video games and more than 651 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

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PR: Watch Disney, Pixar, & Marvel Movies with Disney Movies Anywhere

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WATCH DISNEY, PIXAR, AND MARVEL MOVIES
WITH DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE

New Digital Movie Service And App for iPhone, iPad And iPod touch Debuts With iTunes

Free Digital Copy of Disney•Pixar’s “The Incredibles” Available For A Limited Time Through Disney Movies Anywhere

 

BURBANK, Calif. – February 25, 2014 – The Walt Disney Studios today unveiled its exclusive cloud-based digital movie service, Disney Movies Anywhere. This all-new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and Web experience enables consumers to discover, purchase, manage, and watch movies from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel at home and on the go. iTunes is the premier digital movie provider for Disney Movies Anywhere.

The debut of Disney Movies Anywhere coincides with the digital release of Disney’s hit film “Frozen” and features Disney’s library of over 400 active digital titles. In addition, for a limited time, Disney Movies Anywhere users who activate and connect their Disney Movies Anywhere account to their iTunes account will receive a free digital copy of Disney•Pixar’s animated classic “The Incredibles.”

“Disney Movies Anywhere offers an exceptional consumer experience built around some of the most beloved and popular entertainment brands in the world,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “This unique technology underscores Disney’s commitment to meeting our consumers where they are with the content they want, and we’re thrilled to debut with iTunes, the #1 digital media retailer in the world.”

As a trusted creator of premium entertainment experiences for the whole family, Disney is committed to making it easier than ever for consumers to dive in and grow their digital movie libraries. In a seamless and family-friendly experience, Disney Movies Anywhere unlocks digital content across platforms and devices, enabling access to user-owned Disney digital content and movies in the Disney Movies Anywhere ecosystem and through iTunes.


Battle of Vanaheim from Thor: The Dark World – Disney Movies Anywhere – Disney Video

With an easy-to-use interface, consumers can explore live-action and animated films from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel; watch exclusive content and bonus features; preview upcoming offerings; and more. Users can simply connect their iTunes account to their Disney Movies Anywhere account to begin populating their Disney digital movie locker and watch movies online and on their devices. Featuring simultaneous access on multiple devices, Disney Movies Anywhere enables consumers to stream and download Disney movies on their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and Apple TV (through iCloud or using AirPlay). In addition, Disney Movies Anywhere functions as a streaming movie service when users log in to the website on their desktop or laptop computers (Mac or PC).

“Disney Movies Anywhere is an adaptable digital ecosystem designed to help consumers consolidate their Disney movie collections and enjoy them for years to come,” said Jamie Voris, Chief Technology Officer, The Walt Disney Studios. “The beauty of this technology is that it enables us to work with iTunes and future provider partners to ensure movie lovers have streamlined access to all of their favorite Disney titles no matter which device they are on. The intuitive layout of the website and app creates an easy and enjoyable browsing environment for the whole family.”

Since 2008, Disney has included codes in select DVD and Blu-ray products redeemable for digital copies of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel films. Users can now redeemthese codes through Disney Movies Anywhere, and Digital Copy titles previously redeemed in Disney Movie Rewards or via iTunes will automatically be active in both Disney Movies Anywhere and iTunes once a user logs into Disney Movies Anywhere and connects their iTunes account. Additionally, for the first time, consumers can now earn Disney Movie Rewards points for their digital purchases through Disney Movies Anywhere going forward.

Disney Movies Anywhere’s functionality is built upon Disney’s proprietary digital rights locker, KeyChest.

The Disney Movies Anywhere App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.appstore.com/disney. Sign up is also available through the Disney Movies Anywhere website.

About The Walt Disney Studios

For 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music andstage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

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Disney Announces “Incredibles 2,”“Cars 3” On the Way

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At this year’s annual meeting of the Walt Disney Company, Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger announced that sequels were in the works for both 2004’s The Incredibles and the Cars franchise (which produced the original movie in 2006, a sequel in 2011, and the Planes spin-off movie last year, with a second Planes movie coming this year). Unlike the Planes spin-off movies, Cars 3 seems to be in production at Pixar rather than the DisneyToon Studios. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel to The Incredibles almost since its release, but Iger did not seem to indicate how involved the film’s writer and director Brad Bird would be for the sequel.

(via TZ member veemonjosh)

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Elastigirl’s Face Falls Off – Oopsy Daisy

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On a recent trip to Disney World in orlando Florida, British tourist Phil Webster took his family to see a live stage show featuring cast members of the Disney feature film “The Incredibles”, one of whom was Mr. Incredible’s wife, otherwise known as Elastigirl, until something went horribly wrong….

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Elizabeth Peña, Actor, 1959 – 2014

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Elizabeth Peña

Groundbreaking Hispanic actor Elizabeth Peña has passed away at the age of 55 of natural causes after a brief illness in Los Angeles, CA. Born in Elizabeth, NJ, on September 23, 1959, to Cuban immigrant parents, Peña’s career began early on the New York theater scene and graduation from the High School of Performing Arts, before she moved to Los Angeles and landed multiple roles in films such as La Bamba, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, *batteries not included, and Blue Steel. She was also the lead in the TV series I Married Dora, which centered on the evolution of a “green card marriage.” Other prominent roles included the movies Jacob’s Ladder (opposite Tim Robbins), Lone Star (opposite Matthew McConaughey), Rush Hour, and Tortilla Soup; and guest turns in TV series including L.A. Law, Dream On, Resurrection Blvd., and Off the Map. Her most prominent recent role was as Pilar, the mother of Sofia Veraga’s character in the hit sitcom Modern Family, and she had just wrapped production on the first season of the El Rey Network series Matador, playing the mother of the lead character.

As a voiceover actor, Peña was most prominent as Mirage, the assistant to Syndrome, in Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles, playing the role in the original movie and several video game spinoffs (including the original Incredibles game and the currently available Disney Infinity online game). Other roles included the Thanagarian Paran Dul in the Justice League season 2 finale “Starcrossed” and in a follow-up episode of Justice League Unlimited. She also had guest-starring voiceover roles in Minoriteam, American Dad!, and Maya & Miguel.

(additional material via CNN)

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The Incredibles 2 Dated For Release As Pixar Schedule Shuffles Around

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the incredibles 2

Pixar Animation Studios announced today that The Incredibles 2, perhaps the most anticipated of Pixar’s sequels, now has a solid release date. That’s the good news. The bad news is, it’s at least four years out.

The Parrs are coming back to the big screen on June 21, 2019. This will mean a distance of 15 years between the original’s release and the sequel’s, but take heart: these dates can change, especially when they’re forecasted so far out. Case in point: one Pixar film has moved up and one has moved down.

Previously Toy Story 4 was announced to come out on June 16, 2017. As of today, it has now swapped release dates with Cars 3. Now Mater will show his obnoxious grin on that date and it’ll take Woody an extra year to find Bo Peep; the new date for Toy Story 4 is June 15, 2018.

Toonzone’s advice? Just enjoy The Good Dinosaur and try not to get hit by a car in the next four years.

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Bud Luckey, “Sesame Street” and Pixar Animator and Voice Actor, 1934 – 2018

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Bud Luckey

The Hollywood Reporter marks the passing of William “Bud” Luckey at the age of 83 after an extended illness. He was an animator and voice actor whose most enduring works include several classic Sesame Street cartoons along with work for Pixar Animation Studios, where he designed Woody the cowboy for the first Toy Story movie and wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated short film “Boundin’,” about a dancing sheep who is too embarrassed to dance after he is shaved (where Mr. Luckey also provided the voice of the jackalope).

Mr. Luckey’s formal art education began at the Chouinard Art Institute (now the renowned California Institute of the Arts) and USC after serving in the Korean War. His earliest work in the 1960’s included stints on original programming and advertising, including work on the earliest animated Peanuts characters for advertising (where he worked closely with Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez). His work at the ad agencies led him to collaborations with copywriter Don Hadley and puppeteer Jim Henson; Hadley and Luckey collaborated on numerous iconic Sesame Street shorts during the 1970’s, including “The Ladybug’s Picnic,” “That’s About the Size of It,” “The Alligator King,” “Penny Candy Man,” and “The Old Woman Who Lived in a Nine.” In many of these shorts, Mr. Luckey often provided the voiceover and/or banjo accompaniment.

Mr. Luckey joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1990 as a character designer, storyboard artist, and animator for Toy Story. In addition to shifting Woody from a ventriloquist’s dummy to the cowboy doll, his son Andy is often cited as the inspiration for the toys’ owner Andy. His character designs are also in A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, WALL-E, and Up (among others). While Mr. Luckey retired from animation in 2008, he did voice work until 2014, providing the voice for Chuckles the Clown in Toy Story 3 and National Supers Agency agent Rick Dicker in The Incredibles, and Eeyore in the 2011 animated Winnie the Pooh feature.

The family has asked that donations be made to the California Institute of the Arts — Bud Luckey Scholarship Fund, in lieu of flowers.

(Additional sources: Wikipedia, Internet Movie Database)

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LEGO The Incredibles Announce Trailer





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