Fantastic Fest 2012

New leash on life: Tim Burton's Frankenweenie to premiere at 2012 Fantastic Fest

What's more heart-warming than a story about a boy and his dog... and how that dog dies, so the boy decides to reanimate him and act like nothing ever happened?

Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's lates venture into 3-D stop-motion animation, and Austinites will be able to see it before it hits theatres this October.

The Alamo Drafthouse announced Friday that the re-imagined story of Mary Shelley's favorite zombie doctor will be the opening night premiere of the 2012 Fantastic Fest held at the South Lamar Alamo.

The black and white animated film, which recasts the immortality parable with a wide-eyed, heartbroken boy scientist, is the perfect choice for the Drafthouse's insanely popular horror/sci-fi/action festival.

Burton has always maintained a smart multi-genre appeal with his films, and his dark legion of followers are loyal and loud. But surely everyone can relate to this familiar story of loss and will appreciate Burton's imaginative take on it.

Leave it up to Tim Burton to make the classic Frankenstein horror fresh and somehow... adorable? Filmed completely in black and white, the 3-D movie, based on Burton's 1984 short of the same name, captures the classic horror movie ambiance but provides the tenderness of an animated Disney feature and the black humor of Burton's earlier films.

Fantastic Fest, running Sep 20 - 27 this year, is always finding ways to top itself year after year. Boasting past world premieres of films like There Will Be Blood, Zombieland and The Human Centipede 2, this is one of the most important festivals in the country for fans of the genre.

Remember also that Fantastic Fest is also notorious for its surprise special guests. This is the opening night of the festival, so — scissored fingers crossed — this might be fans' opportunity to hear from the genius macabre director in person.

And what about seeing some of the amazing voice talent like Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, Martin Short and Winona Ryder? Any way you crack it, this premiere has the potential to be epic.

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The world premiere of Frankenweenie happens Sep 20, the opening night of Fantastic Fest, which runs until Sep 27 at the Alamo South Lamar. Tickets can be purchased to individual screenings, but your best bet to guarantee a seat is to splurge on a badge.

Roundup Repertoire

San Antonio rodeo rounds up Nelly, LeAnn Rimes for 2025 lineup

Nelly

Getty Images

Nelly is ready for the rodeo.

Besides the allure of seeing a rodeo in a more traditionally western city, Austinites have a few higher profile reasons to travel an hour-and-a-half to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo each year. Big concerts are a draw to Texas tourists, and the 2025 lineup will bring some major country stars to the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum, according to three rounds of announcements on August 8, September 13, and October 11.

The event spans February 6-23, and the first four performers announced represent four different days of entertainment;

Saturday, February 8, at noon and 7:30 pm: Keith Urban
Sunday, February 16, at noon: Zach Top
Monday, February 17, at 7 pm: Diamond Rio
Saturday, February 22, at 7:30 pm: Dwight Yoakam

A second round of announcements expands the lineup to 10 performers over 5 more days:

Thursday, February 6, at 7 pm: Scotty McCreery
Friday, February 7, at 7 pm: Koe Wetzel
Thursday, February 13, at 7 pm: Muscadine Bloodline
Friday, February 14, at 7 pm: Tyler Hubbard
Thursday, February 20, at 7 pm: Sammy Hagar
Saturday, February 22, at noon: Nate Smith

Finally, a third round adds six more performers:

February 9, 2025, at noon: LeAnn Rimes
February 9, 2025, at 7:30 pm: Bellamy Brothers
February 10, 2025, at 7 pm: Mark Chesnutt
February 11, 2025, at 7 pm: Eli Young Band
February 19, 2025, at 7 pm: Whiskey Myers
February 21, 2025, at 7 pm: Nelly

Announcing the lineup in rounds is customary for the rodeo, which in 2024 featured country and rock acts such as Wynonna Judd, Brad Paisley, The Oak Ridge Boys, Cheap Trick, Styx, and Brooks & Dunn. In addition to the bigger names were local stars like Austin's Charley Crockett (born in San Benito and raised in Dallas-Fort Worth). It's almost guaranteed that Midland, from Dripping Springs, will be on the lineup again in 2025, as they have been every year since at least 2020.

The San Antonio rodeo is a very popular annual occasion, which in 2025 includes 22 events and will likely draw more than 1.5 million visitors. That's been bringing in tourist money since 1949, and a portion of funds raised also go back to young people across Texas in the form of education, vocational training, and agricultural projects.

"We are immensely thankful to the community, sponsors, partners, and our over 6,000 volunteers for their unwavering support in advancing our mission to educate the youth of Texas," said executive director and CEO Cody Davenport in a press release. "Our longstanding traditions will continue to serve the community, showcasing our world-class rodeo and Agriculture Fair. We eagerly anticipate welcoming everyone in 2025."

Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and sarodeo.com. Tickets can be purchased for the season or individually.

This article was originally published with the first announcement August 8, and was updated September 13, and October 11 to add information about the second round of performers.

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