Category: Cartoons

Kid faves/superstars who've notched a spot among the A-list of nominees for coveted Kids' Choice Blimp trophies in Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards -- the kudos/mess-fest to be telecast live from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion Saturday, March 28 (8-9:30 p.m. ET/PT) -- include: Jennifer Aniston, Beyonce, Jack Black, Chris Brown, Jim Carrey, Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus, America Ferrera, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Vanessa Hudgens, The Jonas Brothers, Alicia Keys, George Lopez, Michael Phelps, Adam Sandler, Will Smith, Ben Stiller, Reese Witherspoon, Nat Wolff and Tiger Woods.

marblemedia has acquired the North American format rights to produce a version of the popular Cartoon Network U.K. series SKATOONY. Currently in its third season on Cartoon Network, the successful television program pits real kids against cartoon characters in an animated quiz game show format.

The first season enters production this spring and will shoot 13 half-hour English and 13 half-hour French episodes. The series, aimed at kids aged 8 to 12, has been commissioned for TELETOON Canada and is set to premiere in Spring 2010.

Toothy fiends, giant cats, exploding pigeons, screaming vegetables, and hungry mailboxes -- your television will never be the same. Independent animator Amy Winfrey's popular web series MAKING FIENDS is now also a full length television series on the Nicktoons network. MAKING FIENDS debuted on Nicktoons in October 2008, and is currently the channel's highest rated original program. Episodes air every Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. A special marathon featuring all the television episodes will be airing on February 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.

Lucasfilm Animation's STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS will debut internationally on 23 different feeds of Cartoon Network in 19 languages on Feb. 13.

The show, which is wrapping up its run on the U.S. Cartoon Network before heading over to TNT, will air in Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore) and Taiwan starting Feb. 13.

FEAR(S) OF THE DARK came out Monday, with MADAGASCAR 2 hitting DVD/Blu-ray shelves on Friday. Tuesday releases include a MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER volume, AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION, the 20th anniversary edition of OLIVER & COMPANY, direct-to-DVD SPACE BUDDIES and more.

AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION on DVD and Blu-ray

Priceline.com is partnering with SETH MACFARLANE'S CAVALCADE OF CARTOON COMEDY to exclusively debut the newest collection of CAVALCADE digital shorts featuring new animated characters from FAMILY GUY creator Seth MacFarlane. In the campaign, William Shatner's famous alter ego, "The Priceline Negotiator," is featured in animated intros of the new shorts, which can be seen on www.youtube.com/sethcomedy as well as through targeted sites on the web via Tremor Media's video network.

KUNG FU PANDA co-director John Stevenson told AWN that he intends to follow-up his Oscar-nominated animated feature with a live-action version of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Meanwhile, VARIETY reported that Warner Bros. has made the deal to cinematically reboot the popular Mattel toy line, with Joel Silver producing and Mattel's Barry Waldo serving as exec producer.

Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Paul Winchell was a legendary ventriloquist, he may best be known to the current public for his cartoon voice work. From 1986 through 1999 he provided the voice for one of the more well-known Winnie the Pooh characters for various Disney shorts and features.

China International Cartoon & Animation Festival 2009Hangzhou, ChinaApril 25-May 3, 2009Deadline: February 24, 2009

Sponsored by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television of PRC and Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, organized by Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Radio and Television and Zhejiang Radio and Television Group, the 5th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF) will be held in Hangzhou from April 25 to May 3, 2009.

Online protests hoping to protest the casting of M. Night Shyamalan's live-action take on AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER are continuing.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY reported in December that Shyamalan offered the roles of Aang to karate-trained Texan Noah Ringer; Sokka to Jackson Rathbone (TWILIGHT); Katara to Nicola Peltz (DECK THE HALLS); and Zuko to Jesse McCartney, all Caucasian actors to portray Asian characters.

Nickelodeon has inked a deal with production company O'Malley Creadon to produce the first-ever SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS documentary in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Acclaimed filmmaker Patrick Creadon (WORDPLAY and I.O.U.S.A) will co-produce, direct and write the documentary, along with co-producer Christine O'Malley. The one-hour original television documentary (title TBA) will chronicle the ascent of the absorbing character's journey to pop culture stardom.

Keanu Reeves is attached to star in a live-action adaptation of Japanese anime TV series COWBOY BEBOP for Twentieth Century Fox, according to VARIETY.

Reeves would reunite with THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL producer Erwin Stoff (through his 3 Arts banner) and would play the role of Spike Spiegel, an adventurous bounty hunter traveling through space circa 2071. Spiegel and his fellow bounty hunters travel via spaceship, the Bebop.

Screenplay is being penned by Peter Craig and Joshua Long is exec producing.