Canada's first full-length 3D animated feature film P3K, PINOCCHIO 3000, is currently in production in Montréal, and has recently added Malcolm McDowell, Howie Mandel and Whoopi Goldberg to its cast of voices. McDowell plays Mayor Scamboli, a technocratic megalomaniac who rules the megapolis of Scamboville with an iron fist. Mandel plays Spencer, Gepetto’s trusted cyborg-penguin assistant who helps him create Pinocchio, a very special robot equipped with a one-of-a-kind P3K processor that endows him with the lively imagination of a youngster.

Moviegoers opted for comedy at this weekend's U.S. box office, with HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS, visual effects by Pixel Magic, debuting at number one with $23.7M. Cinesite and Effects Assoc. in the U.K. did visual effects for SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, which debuted at No. 2 with $19.6M. CHICAGO, with visual effects from Toybox and Film Effects Inc., moved up to third place, taking in $10.7 to bring its total to $63.8M, while THE RECRUIT, featuring effects by Pacific Title, dropped to fourth place with $9.2M and a cume of $29.8.

Richard Bazley, a lead animator on the animated features HERCULES, POCOHONTAS, OSMOSIS JONES and IRON GIANT, among others, has come on board as director of BA20's 78 x 7-minute Flash animation series RIP, THE ANGRIEST PIG IN THE WORLD. Created by cyberpunk author Steve Aylett, and produced by BA20 Entertainment, the series is described as "Tex Avery doing Beavis & Butthead." Bazley's company Bazley Films will produce the show in the U.K.

French animation studio Action Synthèse is currently in production on the upcoming CG feature THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT, using SOFTIMAGE|XSI to animate this remake of the '60s children's cult television series. THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT will star Australian pop star Kylie Minogue as Florence and fellow singer Robbie Williams as the world-weary dog Dougal, along with ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS star Joanna Lumley as Ermintrude the cow.

Warner Bros. Pictures has subcontracted Cinesite Europe with all the model unit construction and miniature photography for the third HARRY POTTER film: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN. Construction work will begin immediately on the models of Hogwarts, Privet Drive, a huge marble staircase and other significant structures within the film. The model building will continue until May 2003 at the Shepperton Studios workshops, with photography scheduled to begin in early June.

Abi Feijó, former ASIFA International president and founder of animation studio Filmógrafo, is appealing for the animation community's help. Casa de Animação, a 1500 square meter facility located in the Portuguese city of Porto, that encompasses a theatre, a space for exhibitions, a library/video library, an archive, a production studio, a training studio, a cafeteria and a small gift shop, is currently facing some adversities due to a breach of agreements by Portuguese officials.

Three new films took the top three spots at this weekend's U.S. box office, with the action film THE RECRUIT debuting at number one with $16.5M. Right on THE RECRUIT's heels is FINAL DESTINATION 2, with visual effects by Pixel Magic. The thriller sequel arrived in second place on its debut with $16.2M. In third place was DreamWorks' motorcycle racing flick BIKER BOYZ, with primary visual effects by R!OT, earning $10.1M. KANGAROO JACK is still proving popular at the box office, slipping just two spots to fourth place.

USA TODAY brings us the news that Robert De Niro has come on board DreamWorks' upcoming animated feature SHARKSLAYER to voice Don Lino, the "Godfather" of all sharks, replacing THE SOPRANOS' James Gandolfini. De Niro joins Will Smith (ALI, MEN IN BLACK) who voices Oscar, a young fish that is found at the scene of the crime when the son of Don Lino gets killed. Oscar takes advantage of this opportunity to play the hero, but soon finds that there are serious consequences to his posing as the great Sharkslayer.

Attention Academy Members! Completed Oscar nomination ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, January 29, 2003. Ballots received after the 5:00 pm deadline are ineligible. All eligible members of the Academy may cast their vote in the Best Picture category, while Academy members in 12 branches will nominate achievements in up to 22 categories. Films submitted in the Animated Feature and Foreign Language Film categories are screened and selected by special voting groups of Academy members.

Brooklyn, New York-based animation company Charged Productions has teamed with Nickelodeon to produce a studio ID to introduce Nickelodeon's latest feature film, THE WILD THORNBERRYS MOVIE. The 15-second ID, "Dog Nose," features the antics of a 3-foot tall puppy puppet filmed in stop-motion. The seeking snout of the animated pup sniffs the camera, until the Nickelodeon Movies logo is revealed. The ID ends with the playful pooch licking the lens. The spot is also being used as a channel identification logo on-air.