The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences handed out the Oscars on Sunday, March 7th. In the world of animation, Pete Docter won the Best Animated Feature Film for Pixar's UP. In addition to Best Animated Feature, Michael Giacchino won the Oscar for UP's original score.

"We're almost there." I don't remember which nominee said it, but it was very fitting, given that Walt Disney Animation Studios was the last stop yesterday on the L.A. leg. Of course, "Almost There," from The Princess and the Frog, summarizes the hopes and dreams of all the nominees. So, it was also very fitting that Princess and the Frog directors Ron Clements and John Musker were on hand to view the shorts and meet with the nominees.

The AWN Showcase tour has a full day at DreamWorks.

The AWN Oscar Showcase tour stops at agency CAA where the filmmakers talk animation with agents and "Napoleon Dynamite" star and fellow animator Jon Heder.

Shane Felux talks about his new web series Trenches.

On the first day of the L.A. leg, the tour swung by agency ICM.

The 2010 Oscar Showcase tour begins its L.A. leg with a trip to Sony and MGM.

The Visual Effects Society announced the winners of the 8th Annual VES Awards tonight at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Who says there are no celebrities in Animation? We arrive at Pixar an hour early, the van is buzzing with excitement. We are about to meet some of the ROCK STARS of animation. To be granted a tour at Pixar is a privilege not extended to everyone!

Pixar is living through a new golden age. The string of hit films, the triumph of Up, the promise of the studio’s ambitious new projects, all fill the space with a glow. I’ve visited Pixar before, and each time I’m aware that someday I’ll be telling people not yet born that, yes, I visited Pixar.

Take a trip to Korea and see a stunning array of 36 clips from animated short films, music videos , tv and film feature clips. These clips showcase the work of the top animated-related production and distribution companies in Korea today.

SF’s Dolby Laboratories in Potrero Hill hosts tonights screening of the Oscar-nominated shorts for SF’s ASIFA chapter. As if I’d had any doubts that I was among serious animation fans, chapter president Karl Cohen’s next announcement, that the Balboa Theater will be screening some Gumby shorts in honor of the recently-deceased Art Clokey earns an audible gasp from the audience. This group loves animation, and lives animation.

Film history is a subject near and dear to the heart of George Lucas, which was evident in every aspect of ILM’s headquarters. The lobby itself can keep a film buff entertained for hours, with an extensive library of Star Wars books and magazines, life-size replicas of Darth Vader and Boba Fett, and an incredibly cool life-size statue of legendary special effects artist Willis O’Brien posing a model King Kong atop the Empire State Building.

The Logorama directing trio explains how it crafted an iconic blockbuster around iconic brands.

Day Two of the 2010 AWN Oscar Tour begins at Skywalker Ranch and continues on to ILM in San Francisco and then to an evening screening with ASIFA-San Francisco.

Veteran animator and director Rudy Larriva passed away on Feb. 19th in Irvine, CA, reports VARIETY.

Day One of the 2010 AWN Oscar Tour begins at PDI/Dreamworks and continues on to ILM's Big Rock Ranch.

Javier Recio Gracia discusses life and death as it applies to his Oscar-nominated short, The Lady and the Reaper.

Tomm Moore discusses being the underdog with his surprising Secret of Kells nomination.

FLORIDA SUPERCON: South Florida's Comic Book, Anime, Animation, Video Game, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Convention returns June 18-20, 2010 to the Doubletree Miami Mart Airport Convention Center in Miami, FL.

Florida Supercon is a 3 day festival dedicated to Comic Books, Anime, Animation, Video Games, Fantasy and Sci-Fi featuring celebrity guests, comic book creators, voice actors, industry guests, cosplayers, artists, writers, panels, Q&A's, films & shorts, costume & cosplay contests, vendors, parties, anime, workshops, video gaming and more! 2010 is the 5th annual Florida Supercon.

 

The Florida Supercon Film Festival is a festival dedicated to films that would be appreciated by our diverse genre audience. We are looking for Animation, Horror, Horror Comedy, Documentary (about genre subjects), Comedies with a genre twist, Fantasy, Magic Realism, Science Fiction and Spoof. American films will be screened side by side with international entries the weekend of June 18-20, 2010 in Miami, FL. at Florida Supercon: South Florida's festival of Comic Books, Anime, Animation, Sci-Fi and Video Games.

Films will be judged in the following specific categories:
1)  Feature Films (over 50 minutes)
2)  Short Films (under 50 minutes)
3) Internet / Web Based Short (Short Made for Internet distribution and exhibition)
4) Documentary Film (Full Length or Short Format Documentary Film)
5)  Student Competition (Films made by students who are either enrolled in a school, or were enrolled during the films’ production.)
 This section will be broken into the following categories
(a)  High School: Films directed by students attending high school, generally stretching from ages 15-18
(b) Undergraduate: Films directed by students enrolled in a college level program
Graduate students may enter in the regular Feature Film or Short Film categories