Turbo Squid announced the launch of a new series of 3D mobile content in conjunction with face2face animation. face2face animation has launched its AniTones Mobile Character Player through the Turbo Squid Mobile Content Portal, which enables users to experience high-quality streaming animation on mobile phones.
Cartoon Network presented the U.S. television debut of D.I.C.E. on Jan. 22, 2005 at 7:30 pm. The anime series was created by Bandai Ent. and animated by renowned animation studio, Xebec (subsidiary of Production I.G.), and showcases cutting-edge CG/cel animation for TV animation from Japan.
Curious Pictures has tapped DreamWorks/PDI alum Lewis Kofsky to head its newly expanded visual effects department in New York. Kofsky recently completed the visual effects for SHREK 2 and the soon-to-be released MADAGASCAR.
Thanks to the long-awaited GHOST IN THE SHELL 2 INNOCENCE, which continues Mamoru Oshiis acclaimed anime cyber-tech thriller, we can now view and analyze both movies on DVD, including a brand new GHOST IN THE SHELL Special Edition.
For January 18, 2005, ADV Films will release SAIYUKI: REQUIEM, THE MOTION PICTURE and FARSCAPE: STARBURST EDITION, COLLECTION TWO.
Five new films debuted during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday period ended Jan. 17, 2004, and the result appears to be the second best gross ever for the holiday.
Taking animation and design to the next level, creative collective Psyops team of artists wrote, directed, designed and animated SHOXPLOITATION, a new commercial trailer and a collection of four short films for Nikes Shox Neo sneaker that crosses the look and feel of blaxploitation movie posters of the 1970s with high-end Japanese style animé.
Seth Rosenthal has joined Tweak as a partner and director of business development. Rosenthal wrapped up six years at Industrial Light & Magic in order to make the jump. He will contribute to Tweak's efforts to expand its visual effects business for feature films and commercials and will help launch a new division to distribute Tweak's proprietary software applications for visual effects and media production.
Cartoon Network announced it was adding two new series, THE BOONDOCKS and ROBOT CHICKEN, to its 2005 lineup during the annual Television Critics Assoc. meeting in Los Angeles. ROBOT CHICKEN is the previously untitled stop-motion comedy from Seth Green due to start airing in the Adult Swim block Feb. 20 while THE BOONDOCKS is a 2D show based on the syndicated comicstrip by the same name from Aaron McGruder, which make its splash in Adult Swim during the fall.
Navarre Corp., a leading publisher and distributor of a broad range of home entertainment and multimedia software products, is in the process of acquiring 100% of the general and limited partnership interests in FUNimation Productions Ltd. and The FUNimation Store Ltd., a transaction anticipated to close before May 15, 2005.
On January 11, 2005, Central Park Media will release TIME BOKAN and BLACK JACK: MUTATION on DVD each priced at $19.99. Both DVDs will have audio tracks in both English and Japanese with English subtitles.
TIME BOKAN pits teams of bad guys against each other to be crowned the meanest villains ever. To be a cartoon super villain, it takes a ruthless heart, a cunning mind and the most ridiculous mecha on the planet.
Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has promoted Christoph Pachler from exec director to vp, business development, in charge of strategic planning and new business initiatives for SPTI's three business lines: distribution, international networks and international production. His primary focus is on identifying new opportunities to expand SPTI's international networks portfolio, including the launches of new networks and acquisition of existing channels, as well as the acquisition of local production companies worldwide.
ADV Films announced the American theatrical premiere of A TREE OF PALME, which will take place at Houstons Rice Cinema starting Jan. 14, 2005. A TREE OF PALME is a modern retelling of the classic PINOCCHIO story with a sci-fi/fantasy twist. The cinematic Japanese animated feature was written and directed by animator Takashi Nakamura, who served as a chief animator on AKIRA.
ADV Films announced the release of NOIR, RAHXEPHON and FULL METAL PANIC! in high definition throughout 2005. Through the use of Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD), movies can now be viewed on computers with DVD drives, as well as on many new set-top DVD and digital media players, with amazing quality and resolution up to six times higher than that of today's standard DVDs.
Marvel Comics has brought Mark Paniccia on board as a senior editor to significantly bolster the publishers presence and success in the hot teen graphic novel category. He will also recruit a new generation of comicbook writers and artists.
Square Enix Inc., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in North America, will ship FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST AND THE BROKEN ANGEL to retailers in the U.S. on Jan. 18, 2005 for PlayStation2.
Based on the wildly popular anime and manga series in Japan, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST has made its way to America, beginning with a TV series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and a DVD release is set for 2005.
Mike Hackett is on board as a staff editor at Crush Editorial, a leading post-production editorial company specializing in TV commercials, motion picture trailers, promotional content for videogames and other video programming, according to Cindy Carey, Crush Editorials exec producer.
Mike Hackett has edited more than 200 TV commercials and music videos, and assistant edited some 600 TV spots, as well as assistant edited 22 episodes of fifth season of the TV series BABYLON 5 and two related TV movies.
ADV Films has announced the release of its titles for Dec. 28, 2004. Titles include: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PLATINUM: 04, ROBOTECH REMASTERED: NEW GENERATION COLLECTION 2 VOLUME 7, BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040: ESSENTIAL ANIME COLLECTION, VOLUME 2 and WEDDING PEACH: BLACK HEART.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PLATINUM: 04 is the popular series -- directed by Hideaki Anno (NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES); produced by GAINAX (FLCL), NAS (YU-GI-OH!) and TV Tokyo (SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN); and animated by Production I.G. (GHOST IN THE SHELL) and GAINAX.
InterActual has supplied an embedded virtual key that unlocks a special Website filled with exclusive online features THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING Special Extended DVD Edition (New Line Home Ent., $39.99). Called DVDKey, the technology from InterActual grants viewers access to content online when the DVD is placed in a PC and played back using an InterActual-compatible DVD player.
The online bonus features include:
Cartoon Network has acquired 26 episodes of the brand new animated adventure series, D.I.C.E., created by Bandai and animated by renowned animation studio, Xebec (a subsidiary of Production I.G.), to premiere in January 2005. The series features cutting-edge CG/cel animation for boys 6-11.
Avid Technology announced the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool -- a free version of its award-winning 3D animation software designed for gamers who are interested in modifying the content of popular video games.
As part of the company's 3-Democracy plan -- to make the most advanced 3D content creation software accessible to all levels of CG professionals -- the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool is available immediately from the Softimage Website (www.softimage.com), and enables users to generate material for HALF-LIFE 2, the recently released action video game by Valve.
The Pixel Farm released PFHoe, an extremely cost effective DV tracking application, for the Mac and Windows platform, aimed at DV hobbyists and budding CG artists. For the first time it is possible for those wanting to learn about match moving or experiment with matching computer graphics to video footage, to use cutting edge tools without the price tag to match.
DAZ Prods. has launched the most versatile 3D anime/manga product available -- AIKO 3.0. To mark the debut, users can download AIKO 3 base package for free. The 3D technology used in Aiko allows users to change character poses, shape morphs such as the character's eyes and add clothing and accessories. Users can utilize Aiko to create characters for anything from comicbooks to animation.
Leading motion capture studio House of Moves, a division of Vicon Motion Systems, has hired Scott Gagain (SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW) as exec producer.
Leading game developer Ubisoft has purchased several licenses of Alias MotionBuilder 6 Pro. With more than 45 animators already trained on the software, Alias MotionBuilder 6 will be an integral component of Ubisofts production pipeline for animating characters in several of its upcoming games.
