MOVIE POSTER OF THE DAY: Berkeley Breathed talks 'Mars Needs Moms'

The new poster for the Disney film "Mars Needs Moms" has that certain Berkeley Breathed charm. The "Opus" cartoonist, however, tells Comic Riffs that the movie art is entirely the handiwork of Disney -- complete with spaceship designed by Doug Chiang.

So what's it like for the Pulitzer-winning "Bloom County" creator to turn over his children's book to be reimagineered by the Mouse House and Robert Zemeckis?

"This is like throwing my daughter into a pit of tattoo artists and hoping I'll still recognize her after pulling her out," Breathed tells us. "I just hope that they don't draw flaming skulls all over her forehead.

"On the other hand, it's Disney and Zemeckis running the place. I can't wait."

The 3-D film, directed by Simon Wells (great grandson of H.G. Wells), will employ performance-capture animation, which Zemeckis and his studio (ImageMovers Digital) have used with such films as "The Polar Express" and "A Christmas Carol."

The story centers on a boy named Milo (performed by Seth Green) whose Mom (Joan Cusack) is kidnapped by Martians.

"Mars Needs Moms" -- a title that spoofs the '60s film "Mars Needs Women" -- is scheduled to be released next March.

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