CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY receives Oscar nomination for Costume Design!

Gabriella Pescucci, who created the distinctive and memorable costumes for CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, was honored with an Oscar nomination for her work. Other films nominated for their costume design include MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, and WALK THE LINE. Ms. Pescucci is no stranger to Academy laurels: she won an Oscar in 1993 for her designs for THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, and was nominated in 1989 for THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN. The Zone thanks tocnavforjd for breaking the news, and extends our warmest best wishes to Gabriella Pescucci. Congratulations!

TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE gets Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film!

Congratulations to Tim Burton, Mike Johnson, and the talented animators and vocal cast of TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE, which was one of three films honored with an Oscar nomination as Best Animated Film. CORPSE BRIDE’s Oscar competition includes HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE and WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT. Thanks to Gilbert’s Girl for breaking the happy news!

Coincidentally, CORPSE BRIDE’s nomination was announced on the same day it was released on DVD in region 1; we hope that’s a good omen. Amazon.com’s Jeff Shannon calls CORPSE BRIDE “a necrophiliac’s delight that’s fun for the whole family [….] Burton’s graveyard whimsy […] never wears out its welcome.” The DVD is packed with extras, including features on Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, the animators, and the voice cast … including Johnny Depp’s charming comment that the Victor Van Dort puppet is “a better actor” than he is. Amazon.com is offering widescreen and full-screen editions of CORPSE BRIDE for $16.98; Best Buy’s website lists $16.99, but this price is only good for the first week of release. Itsnotmytree777 reports that Walmart has an exclusive package for $20 that includes an illustrated book with the widescreen DVD; this is a great value, but (alas) copies are very hard to find.