Hong Kong toon house STVDIO Media Animation will develop original animated content and images for the burgeoning market of cellular telephones via an agreement with Crown Greetings. The animated content for MMS networks across the will be beamed to 3G mobile handsets in the Asia-Pacific region in fall 2003.

Buena Vista Pay Television has signed a pact with Movielink to allow viewers to download Walt Disney Co new releases and selected library titles. This landmark distribution deal encompasses films from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone, Miramax and Dimension. The first titles to be available at Movielink include the Academy Award Best Picture winner CHICAGO, GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE RECRUIT, 25TH HOUR, FRIDA and THE JUNGLE BOOK 2, MONSTERS, INC., THE ROOKIE and IN THE BEDROOM, among others.

Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts-based Pileated Pictures announced the release of GUS AND INKY’S UNDERWATER ADVENTURES, a set of Flash games based on a character in PBS’ hit show, BETWEEN THE LIONS. The series of online educational tools was developed for the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ (NCLD) “Get Ready to Read!” program, promoting literacy and assessing skills among preschool children.

ARC THE LAD: TWILIGHT OF THE SPIRITS expands onto PlayStation 2 in this Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. release with a new storyline, captivating motion capture cut scenes, an innovative battle system and more than 14 playable characters each with their own unique abilities and special combination attacks. With 60+ hours of role-playing gameplay, gamers can join brothers Darc and Kharg on their quest to capture the Spirit Stones and restore tranquility to an unstable world, that takes place thousands of years after the last installment in the series.

The association representing U.S. computer and video game software publishers, formerly the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), announced it has changed its name to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), effective immediately. The organization’s Website has been changed from www.idsa.com to www.theesa.com.

Infinium Labs will unveil new gaming console, Phantom, for the first time publicly at the first annual Ultimate Gamers Expo in August 15-17, 2003 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

"This show is the perfect venue and gives us the unique opportunity to show the system firsthand to over 100,000 gamers and industry insiders, said Tim Roberts, ceo of Infinium Labs.

The new official Daws Butler Website is online at www.Dawsbutler.com. Dedicated to the career of the late voice actor/teacher/writer, the site was completely redesigned by graphic artist Lorie Kellogg. Daws Butler was the voice behind some of the most beloved cartoon characters ever as well as a teacher and friend to a few generations of voice actors. He was the voice of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw and many more. Butler and Don Messick were the primary voice actors at Hanna-Barbera Studios from 1957 until Butler's death in 1988.

The BBC has announced that British thespian Richard E Grant (WITHNAIL & I, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA) has signed on to voice the role of Dr. Who in a new BBCi animated Web short. The DR. WHO Webisode is scheduled to be released in November in connection with the 40th anniversary of the 1960s cult TV series. Paul Cornell, a television writer on the British hospital drama CASUALTY, has penned the script.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the trade group that rates videogames, has added four new content descriptions to the existing 26,with new bolder labels, to provide parents and other consumers with a new and unprecedented level of detail about game content. The rating system changes were developed in consultation with experts from both inside and outside the interactive entertainment software industry, including child development experts and family advocates.

The world's greatest secret agent returns in his fifth interactive adventure, JAMES BOND 007: EVERYTHING OR NOTHING, with Pierce Brosnan providing the voice of 007 under the EA GAMES brand. Joining Brosnan are Bond regulars John Cleese as "Q," Dame Judi Dench as "M" and Richard Kiel as the henchman Jaws. Willem Dafoe will voice Bond's new nemesis Nikolai Diavolo. Shannon Elizabeth joins the cast as new cyber Bond girl Serena St. Germaine and Heidi Klum is the malevolent Katya Nadanova.

Veteran feature animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (THE SECRET OF NIMH, TITAN, A.E.) have teamed up to create and direct the in-game cinematics for Namco's upcoming videogame, I-NINJA, a comic adventure starring a hero fully loaded with the most up to date weaponry. The game will be released by the end of 2003 on Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube consoles.

Digital artist/freelance writer Marian Rudnyk has completed a Website for the L.A. Conservancy (www.hannabarbera.org) to help save the old original 1963 Hanna-Barbera Studio buildings located at 3400 Cahuenga Blvd. in Los Angeles. The site features a history of the studio, photos of the buildings, art gallery, chat room, links to preservation and animation Websites and an online petition, encouraging interested fans and supporters to sign up as well as distribute petitions for more signatures.

The new Internet has gotten a lot of press in Europe and Asia, but is still relatively unknown in the United States. It was therefore a real stunner when John Osterholz, the director of architecture and interoperability for the Department of Defense (DoD), announced last week that the Pentagon would only buy networked products that conform to the new specification, starting in October of this year, and DoD hopes to be totally transitioned by 2008 – that more than $30 billion of product and services per year.

Casino of Doom's Flash-animated CRAZY PETE'S has been licensed for use as interstitial programming by the Fuse network. The cartoon started airing in May 2003 on the cable channel and is also featured on the Fuse's Website (www.fuse.tv) as part of its WTF series of "viral video" clips.

Atomic Cartoons has retooled its original all Flash Website, www.atomiccartoons.com. "We figured it was time to update our already extremely successful Website, so we went for a total redo. I think it is a cleaner, easier to navigate site now," said Atomic ceo Trevor Bentley.

Kids' WB! launched its new gaming site, Ribbit Arena, located at www.KidsWB.com on June 10, 2003. When kids log onto the site, they will be assigned to one of four teams where they can play a variety of exciting games and accumulate points for prizes they may download.

Illustrating the increasing convergence of Hollywood and interactive entertainment, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. has signed the cast members of ABC television's critically-acclaimed series, ALIAS, to lend their voices in the series-based video game to launch in fall 2003. The cast members include Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, Carl Lumbly, Kevin Weisman and David Anders. The show's producer, J.J. Abrams, and writing team have been collaborating with Buena Vista Interactive and Acclaim's Cheltenham studio on the development of the ALIAS video game.

Days after announcing a turnaround plan and $10.5 million in new financial support, 3DO Company, the game developer/publisher STREET RACING SYNDICATE, filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Chapter 11 on May 28, 2003. The Redwood City, California company will mange its properties and conduct business as "debtors-in-possession" subject to the supervision and orders of the Bankruptcy Court pursuant to the Bankruptcy Code.