The Visual Effects Society, the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended community of visual effects professionals, has named producer, special visual effects creator and stop-motion model animator Ray Harryhausen as the recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the 9th Annual VES Awards which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City on Friday, January 28, 2011.

Tim Burton has filled out the FRANKENWEENIE cast with actors he has worked with before, reports Deadline.com.

Aardman Animations have broken a Guinness World Record for Smallest stop-motion animation character in a film, with their new short film: "Dot."

The Rastamouse Company has today announced that British actor, and radio and TV presenter, Reggie Yates, will be the voice behind skateboarding, guitar playing, Rastamouse, in the new CBeebies series of the same name.

For Nanny McPhee Returns, VooDooDog created a stop frame animated end title sequence for Working Title Films' Nanny McPhee Returns (Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang in the UK).

The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival

Official Program

 

Montreal - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 – The second Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival is proud to announce the release of the official program for 2010. This year, the Festival will be taking place on October 29, 30, and 31, in the J.A. de Sève Theater at Concordia University (1453 Mackay Street, Montreal). 

 

“The Stop Motion Film Festival celebrates this unique art form and helps support the already vibrant Stop Motion community,” says Festival Manager Erik H. Goulet. “For years, Stop Motion has been used in television and feature films.  And, we have seen significant box office success for films like Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Corpse Bride.  Despite this, many animators struggle to have their work shown on the big screen.  Now, with the Stop Motion Film Festival, everyone can experience these films as they deserve to be seen.”

 

This year's program has something for everyone. As well as the official film selection, conferences, and guest artists, the festival is also offering family and school programs.

 

Opening Night: A Master Class with BARRY JC PURVES

Friday October 29 – 7:30 p.m.

 

Kihachiro Kawamoto, famed Japanese puppet animator, has died of pneumonia, reports Anime News Network.

Finnish game creator Rovio is working on developing its popular iPhone and iPad game ANGRY BIRDS into other media, such as TV, movies, toys and comics, reports VARIETY.

The Frenzer Foreman Animation Forum hits Hollywood this week as they kick off their exclusive and elusive star-studded six week podcasting tour of the west coast animation dynasty. It's FFAFLA 2010! Join Alan, Joel, Computer, and Sam Olschan as they tinkle and toast their way into the hearts of the industry's most influential celebrataunts and debuties. Special guest and International Manimator of Mystery, Mike Overbeck, gets things going as he discusses his commercial work, personal films, unemployment animation time-fillers, and interrogation spy techniques.

The 2011 Byron Bay International Film Festival  

FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE:  29/10/2010

REGULAR ENTRY DEADLINE: 29/09/2010 

5th Byron Bay International Film Festival March 4th to 13th 2011

The 2011 BBFF will screen for 10 days in beautiful sub-tropical Byron Bay, the first place in Australia to receive the sun, providing filmmakers with the opportunity to present their work at a truly distinctive film festival. Located just a short stroll from one of the world’s finest surf beaches, this Festival attracts International filmmakers, directors, producers, performers, cultural tourists and prominent members of Australia’s film industry, not to mention plenty of appreciative locals.

As animated and experimental films continue to grow in popularity so too does the awareness of these often overlooked genres.  BBFF is no exception to this and is an exciting avenue to showcase animated and experimental films in a world-class environment.  These genres of filmmaking are a major part of our program and always prove greatly popular with judges and audiences alike. 

If your film is 2D, 3D, Flash, Stop motion, Claymation, Traditional or Machinima it could win BBFF’s Best Animation Award.  If it’s quirky or unique, artistic, surreal, invoking, abstract, poetic or just plain strange maybe it’s a contender for the Best Experimental Film Award – or both!

The range of films we screen is diverse and dynamic – we particularly seek films which reflect the values held by our vibrant local community which may include: creativity and the arts; human rights, diversity and multiculturalism; the natural environment and environmental issues; indigenous culture; innovation; spirituality and healing; conscious thinking and positive living; music; humour; and surfing. Our programming, however, is not limited to these themes as our priority is transporting our audience and their imaginations to worlds outside of their own. 

BBFF is passionate about supporting independent filmmakers in all stages of their careers and we believe in creating positive opportunities wherever possible - showcasing the amazing works of talented creatives to an open, intelligent audience as well as some well connected, highly respected Judges. Our judging panels have included representatives from Australia’s top distribution companies including Lionsgate, Dendy Films, Paramount Pictures, the ABC, World Movies Channel, Rialto Distribution, Accent Film, Palace Films and many more.  

Aardman Animations’ Timmy Time is scheduled to air in North America from September 13, 2010 on Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney, following a special sneak preview on the evening of September 7th.

Walt Disney Pictures has set the release dates for FRANKENWEENIE and JOHN CARTER OF MARS.

Two of television’s most beloved animated Christmas classics, The Year Without a Santa Claus and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas will be released in brand new editions by Warner Home Video (WHV) on October 5, 2010.

Henry Selick's children's film is dark in both its tone and look. That is translated over into the new 1080p release from Disney. The color palette is muted, so one doesn't get the pop that animation often brings to Blu-ray. The images don't have the same depth as other animated films on Blu-ray do as well. I believe this is certainly more to do with the source than the transfer. Just looking at the standard definition trailer you can see a huge improvement. The picture is much clearer than the murky DVD transfer. There is noise throughout, especially in the live-action sequences, but no artifacting or banding. I'm not convinced this is the best the film could look, but it's the best available for home viewing to date by far.

Based on the Roald Dahl’s book, director Henry Selick made this project his follow-up to the successful NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Bookended by a live-action opening and closing, this stop-motion feature is generally an episodic adventure following a classic tale of a young boy dreaming beyond his circumstances.

Adult Swim's Robot Chicken returns to that galaxy far, far away for a brand-new Star Wars-themed special premiering December 12 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

The Rastamouse Company, the rights holder for the Rastamouse brand, is pleased to announce it has begun production on the stop motion animated pre-school series Rastamouse (52x11') for CBeebies.

Coinciding with next week's dedication of the new Ray Harryhausen Theater at Sony, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS arrived this week on Blu-ray (Sony Pictures Home Ent.).

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced the nominees for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.

BLU, the creator of viral sensation MUTO, has debuted his latest film, BIG BANG BIG BOOM online.