Visual effects company Cinesite photographed and composited specially bred and trained “roller” pigeons for the Warner Bros. Pictures feature film TRAINING DAY, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. In one scene, Hawke is driving down a street and sees pigeons out the window. The two birds separate and come tumbling down directly toward the camera and then catch themselves. In another scene, the camera angle is above, looking down at a street as the birds tumble down.

Once again, box office totals on are the rise buoyed by three new releases this weekend. Leading the pack is the crime-drama TRAINING DAY, with performing pigeons and other visual effects by Cinesite, which opened with $22.6M. The modeling mayhem of ZOOLANDER kept it high on the charts, dropping just two places to finish fourth with $9.5M and $28.3M total. RUSH HOUR 2, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, is in the top ten for its 10th week pulled in $1.7M, raising its cume to $221.5M total.

Hayao Miyazaki's film PRINCESS MONONOKE was the top grossing film in Japan until TITANIC was released in 1998 and broke box office records, becoming the highest grossing film in that country. This week VARIETY reported that Hayao Miyazaki's latest feature SPIRITED AWAY has set a new audience record in Japan, surpassing the mark held by TITANIC. Since its July 20, 2001 debut, SPIRITED AWAY has been seen by 16.9 million viewers, while TITANIC saw 16.8 million admissions total after its release.

Here is a viewers guide to the notable animation and special effects releases on DVD and VHS for the month of October, 2001:



October 2:

Three new releases helped the weekend box office rebound from the poor performance of the past few weeks. Box office receipts were up 52% this weekend with the three debut films taking the top three spots on the chart. The fashion-world parody ZOOLANDER took second place with $15.7M in its debut weekend. ZOOLANDER is the first film to be released that has digitally removed the World Trade Center from the skyline of downtown New York.

Computercafe has produced more than 30 visual effects shots for the feature film MEGIDDO: OMEGA CODE 2. The visual effects and animation studio provided 3D animation, visual effects production and compositing services, including modeling and animating precise computer graphic models of a variety of modern warplanes and helicopters. The studio created the opening shot of the film's climactic battle sequence, in which a squadron of F-15 fighter jets swoop out of the sky on a bombing run. Many of the shots that Computercafe created involved air combat.

Prolific animation music composer Denis M. Hannigan is currently scoring RECESS CHRISTMAS: MIRACLE ON THIRD STREET, an OAV to be released on VHS/DVD November 6, 2001. This feature follows the adventures of the RECESS fourth graders as they attract fun and trouble during the holiday season. Along with scoring RECESS CHRISTMAS, Hannigan is also arranging parodies of classic Christmas songs that will be featured in the film. Hannigan has written music for animated features and many of today's most popular children's TV series including RECESS, CATDOG and RUGRATS.

Stanley Kubrick's award-winning classic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, will be shown in limited exclusive engagements beginning October 5, 2001, and continuing through the end of the year. Audiences will be able to see the acclaimed science fiction epic in a pristine 70mm print, with a digitally restored and fully remastered soundtrack. The new print premieres October 5 at the Cinerama Theater in Seattle. Subsequent engagements will follow at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and The Uptown in Washington, D.C.

With only one new film in wide release, it was another slow weekend at U.S. movie theaters. Box office totals slumped even lower than last week, making this weekend a 52-week low. However, two limited release films made a good showing at the box office this weekend. Anime thriller VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, debuting in just six theaters, managed to bring in a healthy $4,255 per screen. The Armegeddon-themed MEGIDDO: OMEGA CODE 2, with visual effects by Computercafe and Cinesite, did well in limited release as well, debuting in thirteenth place with $1.6M from 314 theaters.

Twentieth Century Fox's THE SIMPSONS SEASON ONE COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD BOX SET will be available in stores on September 25, 2001, and features all thirteen episodes from the show's first season and outtakes from an un-aired version of the first 22-minute episode. Bonus features include original scripts, audio commentaries by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, writers, producers and animation directors, the original skit from the TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW, early sketches, foreign language clips (mais oui! Homer speaks French!), magazine covers and stills, Easter Eggs and outtakes.

With only two new films in wide release this weekend and in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, North American box office totals fell to their lowest level this year. Last week's number one film THE MUSKETEER, with primary visual effects by Das Werk, slipped two places to land at number three, adding $5.3M for $17.6M total to date. JEEPERS CREEPERS, with primary visual effects by E=MC2 and Max Ink Cafe LLC, continued its downward slide coming in seventh with $3.9M and $29.7M total.

Director James Cameron's production company has signed on to develop a live-action version of Top Cow Prods.' popular comic book FATHOM. Created and illustrated by Michael Turner, FATHOM tells the story of young Aspen Mathews. After being found on an abandoned yacht with no memory of her past, she grows up and becomes an Olympic swimmer and marine biologist. During her research, she discovers a mysterious underwater race and her own aquatic powers. It is unlikely an animated version will ever see light though.

Manga Entertainment Ltd. will release IG Studios’ BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE on DVD and VHS on September 17, 2001. The story revolves around Saya, a teenaged assassin sent to vanquish the blood-sucking fiends that have concealed themselves among humans at an air force base in Japan. This highly touted film was the best feature winner at the 2001 World Animation Celebration and is Japan’s first fully digitally-animated feature. The DVD will feature "The Making of BLOOD" documentary, image gallery, original Japanese theatrical trailers and Web links.

Despite generally poor reviews, the swordplay actioner THE MUSKETEER, with primary visual effects by Das Werk, managed to leap to the front of a rather wan pack during the first weekend of the fall movie season bringing in $10.7M for its debut. JEEPERS CREEPERS, with primary visual effects by E=MC2 and Max Ink Café LLC, fell three spots from last week's number one to come in fourth with a weekend gross of $6.1M, bringing its two week total to $24.3M.

Stockholm-based animation company Filmtecknarna has created four 2-minute long animated treatments of the Venice Biennale logo, projected onstage during the opening and closing events at the 58th International Venice Film Festival, August 29-September 8, 2001. Drawing on such diverse inspiration as the Italian comic La Lineau and shadows cast by people as they walk across the stage, the four spots experiment with organic shapes that shift and change to form the logo.

The new horror film JEEPERS CREEPERS, with primary visual effects by E=MC2 and Max Ink Café LLC, debuted at number one earning $15.8M over the four-day Labor Day weekend. RUSH HOUR 2, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, held the number two spot for the fourth consecutive week with a four-day take of $11.8M bringing its total gross to $198.9M. Holding steady in fifth place is the road comedy RAT RACE, with animated opening titles by Wild Brain, which has grossed $37.8M after 17 days.

In an attempt to keep the MATRIX franchise hot, Warner Bros. has green-lit anime adventures based on the original flick. The film's directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, who were originally inspired by anime to make the MATRIX, are currently looking for anime directors to create episodes for the video. MATRIX ANIME is being planned for a late 2002 or early 2003 release. The live-action sequel, MATRIX RELOADED, is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2003.

Excited about seeing Hayao Miyazaki's new film SPIRITED AWAY? Don't hold your breath. Disney has no plans of releasing the film in the U.S. In an Inside.com article, David Jessen, vice president of acquisitions at Disney's Buena Vista, said he has seen the film and that he likes it, but that other Disney executives have not. Disney currently has no official plans to release any more of Miyazaki's films in America, he said, adding "we are strategizing now worldwide." The reason for the move is the disappointing results of PRINCESS MONONOKE.

In response to the success of the DVD short-film collection "Best of the Web," Multimedia 2000 (M-2K) has announced the release of a follow-up DVD, "Best of the Web, Volume 2." The new installment will highlight the work of CampChaos.com. The 75-minute DVD will feature episodes of NAPSTER BAD and SAFARI KINGDOM as well as the U.S. election parody FLORI-DUH. "Most of these cartoon shorts were originally developed specifically for the Web, using Macromedia's animation software, Flash," said CampChaos' Bob Cesca.

In celebration of Halloween, Walt Disney Home Video will be releasing two holiday themed WINNIE THE POOH videos and one ROLIE POLIE OLIE title. In ROLIE POLIE OLIE: A SPOOKIE OOKIE HALLOWEEN, Olie and Billie decide to make Zowie's first Spookie Ookie Day one full of frights. In BOO TO YOU TOO!, Pooh and friends get their costumes ready, but Piglet is just too scared to join in. In FRANKENPOOH, the Hundred Acre Woods crew has a howling good time in three scary tales. A SPOOKIE OOKIE HALLOWEEN will sell for US$12.99, while the two POOH videos will retail for US$14.99.