Calabash Animation completes a new spot, “Chocolate Island,” for Cocoa Puffs cereal.

In the case of Celebrity Deathmatch, I knew I had a solid concept – two celebrities with a score to settle face off in a clay animated wrestling ring…and fight to the death! The pitch could not have been any simpler and yet it had all of the components of great entertainment – pop culture, biting satire, cartoony violence and an animation style that was beloved but seldom seen. And yet it would take MTV over a year to greenlight a pilot!

It’s critical that an international team be formed to lead your project right from the beginning. As the story and characters are developed you must have folks who are knowledgeable about what will and what will not work in the West.

The VIEW Conference announces new competitions and deadlines for 2012.

I’ve never been very good at math but there is one equation that I do understand: creativity + ambition + timing + a little luck = success.

Tom Bancroft’s new book shows animators how to bring their characters to life.

Disney Animation has released a first look at Paperman, the short film by John Kahrs and Kristina Reed that fuses CG and hand-drawn animation techniques.

Japanese motion picture production company Digital Frontier worked on CG production and compositing for director Mamoru Hosoda’s latest animated film, “Wolf Children.”

Can one predict an animated film’s success in advance? Dr. Toon makes a case for the upcoming DreamWorks feature, Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Summer blues bring on a softer mood. This week: "Bubble" (Elliot Dear), "TELEPHONEME" (MK12), "Cherry Blossom Elephant in Forest" (Young-jun Kim/Earth Design Works), "Blue Whale" (Sivan Kidron), "Kali le petit Vampire" (Regina Pessoa)

Eric Fogel, creator of MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch, starts blogging on AWN with a little background on a youth spent at his drafting table creating comic books.

Though there was just too much for anyone to see or do, if you can only attend one festival next year I highly recommend that you come to the TrickFilm Animation Festival.

International animation collage film “Driving Inspiration” honors the message of the Paralympics, bringing contributing students' hard work to an international stage.

Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival

July 18th-22cnd

Seoul, South Korea

The Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF), which is now firmly established as the biggest cartoon and animation festival in Korea, marks its 16th anniversary this year. Based on its main theme, "Paradise Filled with Heart-Throbbing Happiness," the SICAF 2012 offers visitors opportunities to enjoy a joyful journey while escaping the mundane routine of everyday life.

This year, in addition to COEX exhibition halls, the SICAF 2012 promotional pavilion will be set up in Palkak-Square at Namsan Park on Mt. Namsan where the Seoul Animation Center is located. The Mt. Namsan Pavilion will stage an animated film festival as well as providing information on SICAF events and also staging exciting accompanying events such as caricatures for visitors. The SICAF 2012 Exhibition will offer visitors an opportunity for rediscovery where one can experience cartoonist imagination, enjoyment, education and inspiration all at once through various cartoon and animation contents, educational and first-hand experience programs.

SICAF2012 Official Competition, one of the best Asian animated film festivals, had total entries of 1,362 outstanding films from 45 countries. Selected after the pre-selection held from 16 to 20 April, 152 films from 30 countries ― 5 feature films, 48 professional shorts, 42 student shorts, 28 TV films, 29 commissioned films ― will be presented to the International Jury and the audience at CGV(Myung Dong Yeok) & Seoul Ani-Cinema(Seoul Animation Center) from 18 to 22 July, along with the films invited to the Special Programs.

Imira Entertainment has appointed CLPG as licensing agent for its internationally distributed series “Lucky Fred.”

International Animation Festival Hiroshima

August 23rd-27th

Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima International Animation Festival was established in 1985, as a project commemorating the 40th anniversary of the atomic bombing. From the beginning, Hiroshima City and ASIFA shared a same idea, that is, to promote the international mutual understanding and to pursue eternal world peace through the development of animation art, which is a medium common to all human beings beyond nations and languages.

Hiroshima Festival is a comprehensive animation festival, featuring competition programs to choose the Grand Prix, Hiroshima Prize and other prizes out of many latest animation shorts submitted from around the world. The festival also offers many special programs including retrospectives of masters and talented filmmakers, feature animations, high quality student works, animations for peace, for children, as well as seminars, symposiums, workshops, exhibitions, and educational film market, etc. With its outstanding international programs and administration, the festival is highly recognized not only within animation field but also throughout the media art society.

The Friday Five returns with falls, surreal trips, and strange transformations. This week: "Metamorphosis" (BUCK), "38-39°C" (Kangmin Kim), "The Fox" (WINTR), "Black Sun" (Kagemu), "Junkyard" (Hisko Hulsing)

React Entertainment’s new interactive game, “The Act,” uses stunning 2D animation, fun touch controls, and top-notch storytelling to tell the tale of an everyday guy trying to find love.

Ace & Son Moving Picture Company, led by Richard O’Connor’s animation direction, recently finished a poignant and thoughtful animated documentary short on the horrors of honor killings.

Premiering at The Los Angeles Film Festival last Sunday June 17th, Disney’s "Paperman," directed by John Kahrs and produced by Kristina Reed, is a very sweet short film that embodies Disney’s optimism and romanticism.