Latest news with #DespicableMe
Sinar Daily
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sinar Daily
F&N Magnolia teams up with Minions for fun new drinks and ice cream range
From banana milk to Minion-themed ice cream tubs, this collaboration is set to bring smiles, energy and flavour to fans across all age groups. 16 Jun 2025 03:08pm F&N Magnolia collaborates with Illumination to launch a wide range of Minions-themed products, available at Aeon outlets and 99Speedmart stores nationwide. WELL-KNOWN food and beverage conglomerate Fraser and Neave (F&N) Magnolia under F&N Malaysia has released a freshly Minion-themed drinks and ice cream tubs released in conjunction with the start of the new school term. They have collaborated with American animation studio, visual producer for Despicable Me, Illumination to create a funkier-looking range of mischievously fun dairy treats. From banana milk to Minion-themed ice cream tubs, this collaboration is set to bring smiles, energy and flavour to fans across all age groups. These treats are perfect as after-school snacks, lunchbox items or a cheeky treat between homework or assignment breaks. Leading the range is their Banana Milk UHT, a creamy, wholesome favourite wrapped in bright, playful packaging inspired by Illumination and featuring Minions visuals. The Minions from the famous film franchise Despicable Me are known for their love of bananas, making them the perfect partners for F&N Magnolia in pioneering interesting flavoured drinks. This collaboration brings the treat to life, especially for Minions fans, turning every sip into a joyful, lighthearted moment. The drinks are available nationwide starting June 1 in 1-litre and 200ml (6-pack) formats. They're an ideal companion for lunchboxes, road trips or movie breaks at home, adding a splash of fun and tasty goodness to daily life. Two more additions deemed as family favourites are 100 per cent Fresh Milk and Chocolate Milk in six packs. These will launch on July 1 and be sold exclusively at 99Speedmart and selected Aeon outlets. The playful packaging in three exclusive Minions designs aims to make fans' dreams come true with an extra dose of character and joy in every sip. As for ice cream, fans can enjoy Neapolitan and Vanilla tubs served in Minions-themed packaging. Minions-themed F&N Magnolia vanilla-flavoured ice cream tub. These 1.4L tubs will also be available starting July 1, offering creamy indulgences perfect for sharing sessions with family and friends. Minions-themed F&N Magnolia Neopalitan ice cream tub. According to Chief Brand and Commercial Officer Ronnie Teo, F&N Magnolia has been dedicated for decades to serving wholesome and high-quality dairy products to consumers. He added that the brand continues to innovate with exciting releases from time to time. "We are thrilled to team up with the mischievous Minions this school holiday, blending our authentic goodness with their playful charm. 'Our limited-edition Banana Milk leads the way, together with a delightful range of treats, bringing fun and joyful moments to families everywhere," he said. He added, 'F&N Magnolia fans, brace yourselves for Minions-fuelled excitement this season!' Contestants stand a chance to win over RM69,000 worth of prizes with just a minimum spend of RM10 on F&N Magnolia Minions-themed products. The brand is also offering fans a chance to win rewards through a nationwide contest. For every RM10 spent on their Minions milk products, contestants stand a chance to win over RM69,000 worth of prizes. The contest is running from June 1 until Aug 31, with 46 winners selected weekly to take home limited-edition Minions merchandise. Prizes include a Minions Leather Backpack (worth RM1,200). As a celebration of the launch, F&N Magnolia is also bringing banana-fuelled fun to selected Aeon malls in Klang Valley and Johor Bahru. Shoppers can look forward to larger-than-life Minions experiences at these locations. With a purchase of RM40 worth of F&N Magnolia Fresh Milk UHT, customers stand a chance to win exclusive Minions merchandise through giant blind box vending machines. Fans can try their luck at scoring collectible plush toys, keychains, drink holders and more. Join the fun and win exclusive Minions prizes with just RM20 spent at selected malls. Don't miss the Catch the Banana game and vending machine rewards. The fun continues at selected malls nationwide, where interactive sampling booths invite families to take part in the 'Catch the Banana' game. With just a minimum spend of RM20, participants can test their reflexes in a challenge to win Minions prizes such as kids' bags, lunchboxes, woven bags, water bottles and umbrellas. It promises to be a cheerful and rewarding day out for families. For more information, visit Key participating locations include: Aeon Wangsa Maju (June 13–15) Aeon Taman Maluri (July 25–27) Aeon Cheras Selatan (July 26–28) Aeon Mid Valley (Aug 8–10) Aeon Tebrau City, Johor Bahru (June 13–15)
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Inside Universal's big bet on How To Train Your Dragon, its first foray into live-action adaptations
Mason Thames as Hiccup with Toothless the dragon in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP Inside Universal's big bet on How To Train Your Dragon, its first foray into live-action adaptations NEW YORK – In 2020, Dean DeBlois publicly blasted live-action remakes of animated films as 'lazy' studio endeavours. The Canadian writer-director had, along with American film-maker Chris Sanders, made the 2002 Disney animated Lilo & Stitch and the 2010 DreamWorks Animation release How To Train Your Dragon. DeBlois said he viewed such remakes as 'a missed opportunity to put something original into the world'. Then, two years later, he received a call from Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer asking if he would be interested in directing a live-action version of How To Train Your Dragon. 'At the expense of seeming like a hypocrite, I thought, well, I'm either going to sit here and pout and watch somebody else do it,' the 55-year-old said in a video interview, 'or I could jump in and shoulder the blame or help to change the narrative.' With the reboot – which is showing in Singapore cinemas – earning over US$197 million (S$252 million) worldwide, DeBlois is enthusiastically attached to the type of movie he formerly criticised. Director Dean DeBlois (left) and actor Gerard Butler at the premiere for How To Train Your Dragon in Los Angeles on June 7. PHOTO: REUTERS A lot could have gone wrong. He had never made a live-action feature before Universal put him in charge of the US$150 million remake, and the genre as a whole is facing increased scepticism from audiences and studios alike. Yet, so pleased were the Universal executives after seeing a cut of the new Dragon, Mr Cramer said, that they rushed to greenlight a live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon 2, to be directed and written by DeBlois and released in theatres in 2027. How To Train Your Dragon – a retelling of the story of Hiccup, a pacifist Viking teenager who forms a bond with a once-feared dragon named Toothless on the Isle of Berk – represents the studio's first foray into live-action adaptations of animated films. Executives chose this property over Shrek (2001 to present) or Despicable Me (2010 to present) because of 'the human and creature drama at the centre of it', Mr Cramer said. Surprisingly, the original Dragon was only the fifth most popular animated film of 2010, trailing Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, Tangled and Despicable Me. But in the years since, the Dragon franchise – including two sequels in 2014 and 2019, which DeBlois wrote and directed – has found a large and devoted following. The animated trilogy drew a combined US$1.65 billion at the global box office, and there have been three television spin-off series. At Epic Universe, Universal's new ly opened theme park in Orlando, Florida, there is an entire Isle of Berk land with rides, a live stage show, dragon meet-and-greets and 'Viking-ish' food. Here is how the new movie took flight. Widening the audience When DeBlois worked on the animated How To Train Your Dragon, he recalled Jeffrey Katzenberg, the DreamWorks Animation chief at the time, frequently reminding him: 'Don't forget the five-year-olds' in the audience. That was not the case this time. Universal, whose parent company acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016, was adamant that the new film cater not only to young viewers, but also to adults who had grown up with the original and those who had never heard of it. 'They were saying, 'Embrace the fact that this is an all-audience movie. We want teenagers. We want people in their 20s,'' DeBlois said. 'We were encouraged to think bigger.' So, while still aiming for a PG rating, the crew built large-scale practical sets at Titanic Studios in Belfast, North Ireland, including a 360-degree Viking training arena, to shoot immersive action sequences. English composer John Powell returned to make his sweeping score even more epic. And for those aerial shots and roller-coaster-esque flying sequences, the film-makers took a helicopter over Iceland, the Isle of Skye and the Faeroe Islands to capture expansive footage, including of the craggly islet Tindholmur, which served as the basis for their fictional Berk. Assembling the Vikings Hiccup (Mason Thames, left) and Astrid (Nico Parker, right) in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP To embody the endearingly awkward Hiccup (originally voiced by Canadian actor Jay Baruchel), the film-makers cast Mason Thames, a Texas native who had starred in the Universal horror film The Black Phone (2021). For Astrid, an ambitious Viking girl and Hiccup's love interest, they selected biracial British actress Nico Parker, who had her big break in Disney's 2019 live-action Dumbo remake. Both 17-year-old Thames and 20-year-old Parker grew up as passionate fans of the animated Dragon trilogy. Thames once dressed as Hiccup for Halloween, and Parker – daughter of British actress Thandiwe Newton and British director-screenwriter Ol Parker – recalled going to see the original in theatres with her family four times. When the cast was announced, however, some fans expressed outrage that Astrid would no longer be blonde and blue-eyed, as she had been portrayed in the animated films (though she was voiced by American actress America Ferrera, whose parents are from Honduras). 'It's one thing if people just love the animated movies, and their version of a perfect live-action is a play-by-play with people who look exactly the same,' Parker said. 'But when it comes from a place of real hate towards any kind of inclusivity, it's not an opinion that keeps me up at night.' In a rare move, Universal brought back Gerard Butler, who originally voiced Hiccup's dad, Stoick the Vast, to reprise his role as the imposing chief of Berk. Gerard Butler (left) and Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP The actor 's work on the original had involved simply saying his lines in a recording booth. This time, he spent hours each day getting a bushy chest-length beard applied before suiting up in 3D-printed armour with ancillary weapons. 'It was incredibly heavy,' the 55-year-old Scotsman said of the wardrobe. 'The first time I put it on, I panicked that this whole movie was going to crash because Gerry Butler couldn't handle the 90-pound (40kg) costume.' Unleashing the dragons Before Thames arrived on set in Belfast, he fretted that 'it was just going to be a bunch of blue screens and a tennis ball as Toothless', he said. Instead, the actors often performed opposite giant foam dragon heads and operational puppet bodies. T hen, t o help digitally transform the dragons into believably menacing beasts, DeBlois turned to animation supervisor Glen McIntosh, an expert in paleontology who had animated dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park (1993 to 2001) and Jurassic World (2015 to present) franchises. 'Dean wanted the dragons to have the feeling that they were evolved animals, not creatures of fantasy,' McIntosh said. 'So, even though they are creatures of fantasy, they had to look like they weren't just cobbled together.' Each dragon breed is, therefore, grounded in specific real-life animal traits. A Deadly Nadder like Stormfly, for instance, is influenced by the winged arms of a bat, the head of a parrot, and the legs and talons of a golden eagle. Hiccup (Mason Thames) and the dragon Hideous Zippleback in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP And then there is Toothless. Unlike the fearsome menagerie that surrounds him, Toothless – a Night Fury with traits of a black panther and a salamander – needed to retain an extra layer of cuteness and relatability, while still looking as if he belonged in the same world as the others. The animators spent 2½ years updating their hero creature. Toothless' more cartoonish expressions, like raised eyebrows, were swopped out for head tilts or tail swishes that mimic those of a curious dog or cat. As they added intricacies like textured scales, McIntosh said, their guiding mandate was always, 'Is this something you would still want to pet?' Looking ahead DeBlois had considered opening the film with a new flashback from Stoick's point of view. But the final cut faithfully follows its animated predecessor, including three shot-for-shot scenes. Still, there are some subtle surprises, as when Astrid voices her desire to be chief of Berk one day, something that was never expressed in the animated version. It is a line that leaves open the possibility of future plot deviations. 'There's an opportunity going forward to maybe colour outside of the lines a little bit more,' DeBlois said. In May, the director was still drafting the Dragon sequel script, and he said there had not been any discussions about a third live-action film. Mr Cramer also could not 'definitively answer' if Universal would complete the trilogy. 'We do have ambitions and hopes,' the studio head said. 'But, you know, one movie at a time.' NYTIMES How To Train Your Dragon is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Egypt Independent
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Egypt Independent
Disney and Universal team up to sue AI photo generator Midjourney, claiming copyright infringement
New York CNN — Disney and Universal are suing AI photo generation company Midjourney, marking the first major legal showdown between Hollywood studios and an artificial intelligence company. Midjourney, which enables users to create realistic-looking images from a text prompt in just seconds, is one of the most popular AI image generators. The movie companies allege that Midjourney trained its AI models on their intellectual property and that it generates images featuring their famous characters in violation of copyright law, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in California federal court. In their complaint, the studios call Midjourney a 'virtual vending machine' and 'bottomless pit of plagiarism' that generates 'endless unauthorized copies of Disney's and Universal's copyrighted works.' Most large, publicly available AI models are trained on large repositories of data, including images and video, from across the internet, often without asking permission. Artists, authors, musicians and Hollywood actors have also raised concerns about their work or likeness being used to train generative AI tools, which could then be used to replace them. Midjourney and other AI firms were sued in a separate copyright infringement case by a group of visual artists in 2023, which the companies have sought to dismiss but which is currently in discovery. But Wednesday's lawsuit marks the first time major Hollywood studios have sued an AI company. The lawsuit cites instances where Midjourney could easily be prompted to generate popular Universal and Disney characters, including Star Wars characters, Bart Simpson, Shrek, Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid,' Wall-E, the minions from the film 'Despicable Me' and more. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in response to the 2023 lawsuit, Midjourney argued that any single image created by AI 'comprises an infinitesimal fragment of a model's training, just as each visual (every face, sunset, painting) an artist has ever perceived and every text a writer has ever read comprises a tiny fraction of the content and imagery that inform their imagination.' Disney's legal team says that its suit is over simple copyright infringement, however. 'We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity,' Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's senior executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer said in a statement to CNN. 'But piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing.' The Motion Picture Association also weighed in on the lawsuit on Wednesday, with Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin calling copyright protection 'the backbone of our industry.' 'A balanced approach to AI that both protects intellectual property and embraces responsible, human-centered innovation is critical for maintaining America's global leadership in creative industries,' Rivkin said in a statement. Disney and Universal claim Midjourney has 21 million subscribers and earned $300 million in revenue last year. Disney and Universal previously asked Midjourney to stop any alleged infringement or to implement technology to prevent users from generating images featuring their intellectual property, but the company has 'ignored' their requests, according to the complaint. 'Midjourney already has in place technological measures to prevent its distribution and public display of certain images and artwork such as violence or nudity,' the complaint states. 'And other AI image- and video-generating services have instituted copyright protection measures that recognize and protect the rights of content creators like Disney and Universal.' Disney and Universal are seeking $150,000 per infringed work and an order preventing future copyright infringement by Midjourney, among other damages, their complaint states. An exhibit to the complaint lists more than 150 works that were allegedly infringed — meaning damages from the lawsuit, if Disney and Universal win, could top $20 million.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hollywood studios sue AI company over ‘unauthorised' Darth Vader and Minions copies
New York: Disney and Universal are suing popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have taken legal action against a maker of generative AI technology that could upend the entertainment industry. The copyright lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute 'endless unauthorised copies' of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise and the Minions from Despicable Me. 'Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing,' the companies state in the complaint. The studios also say the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation. Midjourney didn't respond to a request for comment but its CEO David Holz addressed the lawsuit in a weekly conference call with users on Wednesday after someone asked if it would endanger the tiny start-up's future. Loading 'I can't really discuss any ongoing legal things because the world isn't cool like that, but I think Midjourney is going to be around for a very long time,' Holz said. 'I think everybody wants us to be around.' In a 2022 interview with The Associated Press, Holz described his image-making service as 'kind of like a search engine' pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity. 'Can a person look at somebody else's picture and learn from it and make a similar picture?' Holz said. 'Obviously, it's allowed for people and if it wasn't, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the non-professional industry too. To the extent that AIs are learning like people, it's sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like it's fine.'
The Age
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Hollywood studios sue AI company over ‘unauthorised' Darth Vader and Minions copies
New York: Disney and Universal are suing popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have taken legal action against a maker of generative AI technology that could upend the entertainment industry. The copyright lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute 'endless unauthorised copies' of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise and the Minions from Despicable Me. 'Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing,' the companies state in the complaint. The studios also say the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation. Midjourney didn't respond to a request for comment but its CEO David Holz addressed the lawsuit in a weekly conference call with users on Wednesday after someone asked if it would endanger the tiny start-up's future. Loading 'I can't really discuss any ongoing legal things because the world isn't cool like that, but I think Midjourney is going to be around for a very long time,' Holz said. 'I think everybody wants us to be around.' In a 2022 interview with The Associated Press, Holz described his image-making service as 'kind of like a search engine' pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity. 'Can a person look at somebody else's picture and learn from it and make a similar picture?' Holz said. 'Obviously, it's allowed for people and if it wasn't, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the non-professional industry too. To the extent that AIs are learning like people, it's sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like it's fine.'
