WonderCon 2009 Schedule Announced – Check Out The Movie Stuff

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 12, 2009

As was the case last year, we will be sending our intrepid (and cynical) Rob Hunter to the San Francisco WonderCon to stake things out, make decisive analysis about upcoming movies and, if he’s lucky, offend someone very famous and end up on the evening news. Today the folks at WonderCon announced the official line-up of panels and presentations via the event’s official website. And as expected, there are plenty of movie-related presentations.

Our man Rob will be on the scene Saturday to take in the sights and be amongst the people, so if you are planning on attending the Con, be on the lookout for him. Note: He looks like our own version of Steve Buscemi.

Check out all of the movie-related presentations below:

Friday, February 27th:

2:30-3:30 Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Art of 2D Visual Effects — Craig Sost and Marlon West talk about the challenges that blending characters and EFX in a hand-drawn, 2D animation medium presents in creating drama. Featuring a key scene from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ next release Princess and the Frog, which the moderators will take apart to illustrate the magic of the production process. Room 220

3:30-4:30 The Once & Future Trek! — Our regular panel of expert Treksperts reconvenes to hold court on the new Star Trek film from J. J. Abrams as well as share their candid and uncensored thoughts on the state of the franchise and the upcoming releases of the original classic feature films on Blu-Ray. Boldly go to Room 104 with such luminaries as Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise), Daren Dochterman (ST: TMP Special Edition, visual effects producer), Steve Melching (The Clone Wars), comedian Mary Forest, and Anthony Pascale (Trek Movie, webmaster). Room 104

Saturday, February 28th:

11:30-12:30 Warner Bros.: Watchmen — Warner Bros. and WonderCon present a panel devoted to the most eagerly awaited movie of 2009: Watchmen!

Visionary director Zack Snyder brings the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons to vivid life on the big screen, opening March 6. Join Zack Snyder and members of the film’s cast LIVE on the WonderCon big stage for this exclusive panel presentation! Esplanade

12:30-1:00 Summit Entertainment — Summit Entertainment brings exclusive footage from its exciting 2009 lineup:

• Astro Boy — A thrilling tale of a true hero, Astro Boy is an all-new feature film full of action, adventure, humor and heart. Based on the beloved manga, Astro Boy will be brought to life on the big screen in breathtaking CGI animation.
• Knowing — From visionary director Alex Proyas (I, Robot; Dark City) comes a gripping action-thriller of global proportions, about a professor (Nicolas Cage) who stumbles onto terrifying predictions about the future—and sets out to prevent them from coming true.
• The Hurt Locker — Kathryn Bigelow directs this acclaimed explosive thriller about an elite bomb squad engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse amidst the chaos of war. Esplanade

1:00-1:30 Pandorum — From the producers of the Resident Evil film franchise comes Pandorum, a terrifying thriller in which two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they’ve been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they’re actually not alone—and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined. Appearing in person: stars Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), Antje Traue, and Cung Le. Esplanade

1:30-2:00 Alien Trespass — Directed by legendary X-Files veteran R. W. Goodwin, this recently discovered sci-fi film, circa 1957, is finally being released. If you love such vintage sci-fi epics as It Came From Outer Space and This Island Earth, you’ll want to learn more about this unseen tale of an interstellar lawman whose deadly prisoner, the grotesque Goata, escapes when their flying saucer crashes near a small desert town in 1950s California. Appearing in person: R. W. Goodwin, Robert Patrick (T-2, The Unit), Eric McCormack (Free Enterprise, Will & Grace, Trust Me), Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years, The Spirit), and Jenni Baird (The 4400). Esplanade

2:00-2:45 Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment: Star Trek — A vision by J. J. Abrams, featuring a young, new crew venturing boldly where no one has gone before. The film stars John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, and Anton Yelchin, with Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy. Be among the first to see exclusive sneak peak footage from this exciting adventure before its May 8 release. Plus a special guest you won’t want to miss, appearing live on the WonderCon stage. Esplanade

3:30-4:30 Disney/Pixar: UP — From Disney/Pixar comes UP, a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. From the Academy Award-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), Disney/Pixar’s UP invites you on a hilarious journey into a lost world, with the least likely duo on Earth. Join director Pete Docter as he presents a look at UP, which opens on May 29 and will be available in select theaters in Disney Digital 3D. Esplanade

3:30-4:30 It Came from 1979 — Get ready to geek out as we party like it’s 1979. Re-appreciate the camp classics of 1979, including The Black Hole, Buck Rogers and, of course, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, among others. See some rare footage, reminisce and get insider insight on the films that didn’t change a nation. (We promise the panel will only be slightly longer than the Enterprise flyby in drydock.) Starring Robert Meyer Burnett (Enterprise, The Hills Run Red), Steve Melching (The Clone Wars), Daren Dochterman (Iron Man 2, Riddick, conceptual artist), comedian Mary Forest, and Ashely E. Miller (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Room 236/238

4:30-5:30 Warner Bros: Terminator Salvation — It’s a brand-new start for one of the most explosive movie franchises ever! Terminator Salvation introduces the adult John Connor (played by Christian Bale) in the future, fighting to save humanity from Skynet and the machines. In theaters on May 22, here’s a special WonderCon panel with director McG and cast members LIVE on the big stage! Esplanade

Sunday, March 1st:

2:00-3:00 IDW Summer Movie Preview: G.I. Joe, Star Trek, and Transformers — IDW editor Denton J. Tipton hosts writers Chris Mowry (Transformers Movie Prequel) and Mike Johnson (Star Trek: Countdown), and artist Andrew Griffith (Transformers Movie Prequel) for a discussion about their books that lead in to this summer’s biggest blockbusters. Room 104

To keep track of our updates, just stay tuned to our WonderCon 2009 homepage. For more of the WonderCon schedule, check out their official site.

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