Warner Home Video and PBS KIDS Home Video are about to release the first two CAILLOU titles in the U.S. In CAILLOU'S FURRY FRIENDS, Caillou takes his cat Gilbert to the vet, receives some help from the fire department to get Gilbert out of a tree, brings home a stray puppy and befriends a seeing-eye dog. In CAILLOU THE EXPLORER, Caillou heads out to sea with Grandpa, rides the train, visits the farm and learns to use chopsticks with his friend Sarah. The Cinar-produced series has already sold more than 1.2 million videos in Canada since its launch in 1998.

With AMERICAN PIE 2 staying a third week in the top spot, RUSH HOUR 2 held tight in second with JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK debuting in third. RUSH HOUR 2, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, took home another US$11.4 million, raising its cume to $183.3 million. JAY & SILENT BOB, with primary visual effects by Digital Research Lab, MetroLight Studios and Tigar Hare Studios, racked in $11.1 million, making it the highest opening for a film from director Kevin Smith.

Riding on the success of SHREK, DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg has announced that two CGI films will go into production simultaneously at PDI/DreamWorks. Three films are currently in pre-production, and once solidified, will go into production. The first project is TUSKER, which has been floating round the studio for years. The action-adventure story is set in Southeast Asia and will follow a herd of elephants.

Believe it or not, but model Fabio has formed an animation company. The yet untitled firm is producing a feature based on the Marvel comic, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER. "To me, the future of TV and movies is going to be 3D animation," said Fabio to PEOPLE magazine. "Sad to say, but I think actors are going to be out of jobs." The 42-year old former romance novel cover model currently works out of his six-room Los Angeles home.

With OSMOSIS JONES slipping out of the top ten, the U.S. box office remained mostly live-action. With AMERICAN PIE 2 claiming the top spot for a second straight week, RUSH HOUR 2 held tight to the #2 slot, grossing US$19.2 million. The kung-fu caper, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, has racked up $164.8 million. RAT RACE, with animated opening titles by Wild Brain, debuted at #3 with a gross of $11.8 million. At #6, CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, with primary visual effects by Double Negative, sung home $7.1 million in its premiere.

Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken has joined the voice cast of Columbia Pictures' STUART LITTLE 2. He joins a voice cast, which includes Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Steve Zahn and Melanie Griffith. Walken will voice the character of Falcon, a sharp-beaked villain who puts Stuart and a new friend in danger. Scheduled to hit theaters July 19, 2002, the sequel follows the continuing adventures of Stuart (voiced by Fox), the beloved mouse who was adopted by the Littles, a human family. Rob Minkoff will return as the director of the film.

Wild Brain has completed production on the animated opening title sequence for Paramount's upcoming film RAT RACE, directed by Jerry Zucker (AIRPLANE!). Wild Brain director Julia Tortolani provided the title design and animation. The opening title sequence features animated Photo Collage Puppets of the movie's characters. The sequence comes to a climax when four of the characters take the director's credit and run across the desert, through a collaged version of Las Vegas and into the front door of the Venetian Hotel.

TriStar Pictures is set to release METROPOLIS, directed by Rintaro (X) and written by anime legend Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA), in the U.S. on November 9. Based on the classic comic by Osamu Tezuka, the film is set in the futuristic city populated by humans and robots. Amidst the chaos created by anti-robot factions, detective Shunsaku Ban and his sidekick Ken-ichi are searching for rebel scientist Dr. Laughton, to arrest him and seize his latest creation, Tima, a beautiful young female android created to succeed the leader of Metropolis. The film is a combination of cel and digital animation.

Los Angeles-based development and production company, Collision Entertainment, has acquired the film and television rights to MAX PAYNE, one of the most highly anticipated video game releases of the last several years, from game producer 3D Realms. Dimension Films will distribute the property in the U.S., with Abandon Entertainment handling international distribution. Max Payne is a DEA operative deep undercover, torn between avenging the mafia murders of his wife and child and being framed for the murder of a fellow agent.

With strictly live-action fare taking the top four spots, PLANET OF THE APES plummeted to fifth with a gross of US$13.32 million. The sixth in the APES series, with primary visual effects by ILM, has drummed up $148.73 million to date. Falling from fourth to finish sixth, JURASSIC PARK III stomped home with another $7.30 million. The living fossil franchise, with primary visual effects by ILM, has gobbled up $160.20 million so far. Debuting in seventh place, Warner Bros.’ OSMOSIS JONES took in a meager $5.75 during its first weekend in release.

According to Sound Scan, a video industry analyst group, Pioneer Entertainment's newly released AKIRA was the number-one selling DVD for the week of July 29, 2001. The classic anime film was first released in 1989, but was recently restored by Pioneer Entertainment at a cost of $1 million. The DVD beat the debut of live-action films FAMILY MAN, starring Nicolas Cage, and SWEET NOVEMBER, starring Keanu Reeves. The film is set is Neo-Tokyo after World War III and follows childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda as they encounter a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject.

Universal has green-lit an animated version of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Adding more intrigue to the project, Disney veterans Eric Golderg and David Reynolds (THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE) have been signed to direct and write the film respectively. Goldberg co-directed POCAHONTAS and was a key animator on such films as ALADDIN, HERCULES and FANTASIA 2000. Due to the fact that Tom Hanks' Playtone Prods. is producing the film, the TOY STORY star will most likely be a member of the voice cast.

With the debut of live-action comedy RUSH HOUR 2, PLANET OF THE APES slipped to second place with a gross of US$27.54 million. The Tim Burton epic, with primary visual effects by ILM, has peeled off $123.7 million thus far. Dropping a spot to finish in fourth, JURASSIC PARK III roared in another $12.27 million. The dinosaur sensation, with primary visual effects by ILM, has gobbled up $147 million to date. In ninth, DR. DOLITTLE drummed up an additional $2.27 million. The animal antics, with primary visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, have grabbed $106.2 million so far.

Warner Home Video has announced the release of the animated LORD OF THE RINGS, THE RETURN OF THE KING and THE HOBBIT on VHS and DVD. Hitting stores of September 11, this is the first time that THE LORD OF THE RINGS has been on video and DVD. The animated version of JRR Tolkien's classic fantasy was produced by Oscar-winner Saul Zaentz. THE RETURN OF THE KING and THE HOBBIT were produced by Rankin and Bass. "WHV is extremely excited to offer families these JRR Tolkien classics, available on both VHS and DVD," said Ewa Martinoff, Warner Home Video VP, Family Entertainment Marketing.

Walt Disney Home Entertainment has announced the release of RECESS: SCHOOL'S OUT on VHS and DVD. Hitting stores on August 7, the theatrical film based on the popular TV series RECESS follows TJ's adventure to stop ex-principal Benedict's evil plan to ruin summer vacation. The voice cast features such stars as Dabney Coleman, James Woods and Melissa Joan Hart. The VHS and DVD will both contain the music videos for "Green Tambourine" by Robert Goulet and "Dancing in the Street" by Myra.

Those damn bloody apes of PLANET OF THE APES ruled the U.S. box office in their debut weekend. The re-envisioned PLANET, with primary visual effects by ILM, lassoed US$69.55 million. Dropping to second, JURASSIC PARK III racked in another $22.5 million. The dino disaster, with primary visual effects by ILM, has feasted on $124.8 million in only two weeks in U.S. theaters. Also dropping a spot to land in sixth, CATS & DOGS brought home an additional $4.52 million. The pet warfare flick, with primary visual effects by Tippett Studios and Rhythm & Hues, has drummed up $81.52 million to date. DR.

People still like dinosaurs. JURASSIC PARK III roared into first place at the weekend box office with an astounding US$50.3 million. The pterodactyl tirade, with primary visual effects by ILM, has rounded up $80.9 million since its Wednesday debut. Family fave CATS & DOGS fell from third to land on its paws in fifth, grossing another $6.77 million. The canine comedy, with primary visual effects by Tippett Studios and Rhythm & Hues, has caterwauled in $72.38 million to date. SCARY MOVIE 2 placed in seventh, grossing out audiences to the tune of $4.4 million.

VARIETY reports that Dreamworks is offering Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz US$5 million apiece to reprise their roles for the SHREK sequel. For the first film the three stars deferred most of their salary to the backend. With SHREK's gross standing at over US$240 million, each has made approximately $3 million on the film so far. Murphy is reportedly the first to negotiate his deal, which will dictate how much the others will receive.

Arriving in stores on September 25, 2001, Fox Home Entertainment will release THE SIMPSONS SEASON ONE COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD BOX SET featuring every episode from the premiere season. The three-disc set will feature 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 and audio commentaries by Matt Groening, James L.

Last week’s #1, Warner Bros.' CATS & DOGS falls to third behind the debut of live-action flicks LEGALLY BLONDE and THE SCORE. CATS & DOGS nipped another US$12 million. The puppy-powered pic, with primary visual effects by Tippett Studios and Rhythm & Hues, has licked up approximately $48 million in two weeks. The much-hyped FINAL FANTASY: SPIRITS WITHIN faltered in its debut, only taking in $11.5 at #4. Produced by Sony and Square Co.