After it grossed $100M in only 10 days, it's no
surprise that Warner Bros. has announced plans for a second
SCOOBY-DOO feature, with the original starring cast returning under
the anticipated helm of SCOOBY-DOO director Raja Gosnell. The
announcement was made by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, president of
worldwide production for Warner Bros. Pictures. The upcoming film
will be produced by Mosaic Media Group's Charles Roven, and by
Richard Suckle. Stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar,

The final numbers from this weekend's box office have been tallied, and it was a close one! Although Disney officials predicted the traditionally animated duo LILO & STITCH will take the number one spot over the powerful combination of Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg, it was not to be. It was down to the wire, but Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT, with primary visual effects by ILM, prevailed, edging out LILO & STITCH for the number one spot with $35.7M.

The CGI
Scooby isn't the only startling effect in Warner Bros. feature film
SCOOBY DOO. Spooky Island features a host of ghosts and San
Francisco visual effects house Giant Killer Robots (GKR) delivered
120 visual effects shots, most involving the "spirits" of the film's
characters. When the villain Mondavarius and his team of evil-doers
steal the spirits of the Mystery, Inc. gang, the artists at GKR had
to bring those spirits to life. Working with point cloud scans of the

Three new releases took the top three spots at this weekend's box office. Number one was the live-action comedy SCOOBY DOO, featuring an all CGI Scooby courtesy of Rhythm & Hues and Warner Bros. Feature Animation. The Mystery Inc. crew debuted with $56.4M, making SCOOBY DOO the third highest grossing debut this year, after EPISODE II and SPIDER-MAN. In second place was the thriller THE BOURNE IDENTITY with a strong $27.6 debut. In third was the John Woo-helmed World War II pic WINDTALKERS, with visual effects by Cinesite, earning $14.5M for the weekend.

Seen SPIRIT? Looking to get an animation fix before LILO AND STITCH arrives in theaters? Then check your local cineplex for the independent feature THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS, which features nearly 20 minutes of animation by Todd McFarlane. The coming of age drama is set to open in selected U.S. theaters on June 14, 2002. Based on the 1992 debut novel by Chris Fuhrman and directed by Peter Care, the film stars Kieran Culkin and Emile Hirsch as budding comic artists who are constantly at odds with their strict Catholic school teacher, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster).

He's no Michael Jordan, but Brendan Fraser (THE MUMMY, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE) has signed on to be the live-action star in Warner Bros. Pictures new live-action/animation feature film LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION (what… no SPACE JAM II?). Production is scheduled to begin on July 29, 2002, in southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, with animation production at the Warner Bros. Animation facilities in Sherman Oaks, California.

The CIA thriller THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, with visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, came in at number one again this weekend, earning $18.7M for a two-week total of $61.7M. The Ya-Ya's battled the Clones to take second, as chick-flick THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD earned $16.3M in its debut weekend and STAR WARS: EPISODE II, with visual effects by ILM, dropped to third with $13.8M and a four-week cume of $254.9M.

Vinton Studios has created a computer animated short that will screen at the opening of the SIGGRAPH 2002 Animation Theater. WASHED UP stars a scruffy looking beach bum who is shown getting spruced up for his trip to Texas for SIGGRAPH 2002. He puts on his cowboy hat and boots, and even a Texas star embossed pocket protector. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that he is actually stranded on a desert island and in his haste has forgotten the most important part of his outfit -- his pants.

Comic book and outer space heroes lost to a CIA operative in this weekend's box office, with action-thriller THE SUM OF ALL FEARS taking the top box office spot. Based on a novel by Tom Clancy with visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, the film took in $31.2M. SUM's number one debut added up to second place for STAR WARS: EPISODE II, with the attacking clones earning $20.6M this weekend, representing nearly a 60% drop from last weekend's 3-day box office. Ouch. This gives the space saga, with visual effects by ILM, $232M after three weeks in theaters.

Twentieth Century Fox has announced February 14, 2003 as the new release date for DAREDEVIL, the next comics-to-film epic. Moving the debut from January to February to take advantage of opening over the four-day (U.S.) Presidents' Day holiday, the studio can only be hoping to grab the record-breaking box office that other comics-inspired superhero (SPIDER-MAN) has been spinning over the past few weeks. DAREDEVIL stars Ben Affleck in the title role, a blind vigilante with ultra-heightened other senses and incredible acrobatic abilities.