In a statement in response to a Sept. 17th lawsuit filed by Valcom, POW! Ent. Inc. today announced their plans to counter-sue Valcom for more than $10 million. POW! described Valcom's description of its dealings with them as "inaccurate and misleading." The company plans to file its countersuit next week claiming failure to perform and fraud.
TOKYOPOP and The Jim Henson Co. have announced LEGENDS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL: THE GARTHIM WARS, the all-new manga prequel to THE DARK CRYSTAL. The graphic novel was written by Barbara Randall Kesel, with illustrations by Heidi Arnhold & Max Kim and a special cover painted by Jae-Hwan Kim (WARCRAFT, WAR ANGELS, KING OF HELL).
LucasArts revealed that STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED will come to the Wii next spring, giving owners the chance to live out their Jedi fantasies by wielding the Wii Remote as a lightsaber.
FlickerLab has animated the first of eight new Tek Jansen adventures that will be part of THE COLBERT REPORT over the course of the season. Each episode of "Stephen Colbert Presents Stephen Colbert's Alpha Squad 7: The New Tek Jansen Adventures" is each approximately three minutes in length. The first of the new adventures, "Beginning's: First Dawn," aired on THE COLBERT REPORT on Comedy Central, Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Digital-Tutors is now offering INTRODUCTION TO LIGHTING IN MAYA, which provides three hours of practical scenarios demonstrating several creative practices and time-saving workflows to lighting.
Sony Computer Ent. has acquired leading game developer Evolution Studios Ltd and its subsidiary Bigbig Studios Ltd to further expand its game development capability as part of Sony Computer Ent.'s Worldwide Studios.
In a strategic move to secure excellence in game development for current and future PlayStation platforms, the acquisition of Evolution and Bigbig formalises the successful and long established exclusive relationship between Sony Computer Ent. and the two studios.
After months of rumors, Warner Bros. has hired HAPPY FEET helmer George Miller to direct the big screen adaptation of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, reports VARIETY. The studio hopes to get the production going before a potential strike, setting summer 2009 as a release target.
Kieran and Michele Mulroney have penned the top-secret script, which will most likely feature superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Aquaman.
Joe Strike talks with Larry Schwarz about the success of his New York-based animation studio Animation Collective, which produces the international hit Kappa Mikey and the upcoming Speed Racer: The Next Generation.
With the extended edition of Quentin Tarantino's half of GRINDHOUSE racing onto DVD this week, I felt I'd turn This Weekend's Film Festival over to him. His DEATH PROOF is a badass car chase flick. Within it, he has his characters gush over three films that fall into that same category, which are all featured in this week's lineup. I've also included a road movie that doesn't feature cars, but motorcycles. If it weren't for this film, the anti-establishment road movie wouldn't even exist. So gas up your tanks for This Weekend's Film Festival — it's an adrenaline ride for all the cinematic grease monkeys out there.
With the lackluster box office performance of GRINDHOUSE, Miramax has elected to initially release both halves as separate films on DVD. Therefore, Friday night feature is only DEATH PROOF, but don't let that scare you off. Tarantino's slasher/car chase opus puts the grrr is girl power. Almost working as two films of its own, the story sets up its killer than sics him on another group of victims. The tale is full of Tarantino's signature dialogue, which slyly sets up the characters and building sympathy by focusing his camera on key moments. The final car chase filmed without visual effects has a real old school visceral feel to it. Anchored by really believable performances, Tarantino doesn't spoof B-movies, like Robert Rodriguez did with GRINDHOUSE's first half PLANET TERROR; he makes a good one. To find out more about the entire GRINDHOUSE experience, read my original review and be on the lookout for my forthcoming look at the extended cut of DEATH PROOF.
Following the recent successes, SPIDER and A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, director David Cronenberg has quickly turned into a filmmaker whose next film is a cause for excitement. Not quite on the same level as his past two productions, EASTERN PROMISES is still a compelling thriller that peers into the underworld of the Russian mob in London. Cronenberg's HISTORY OF VIOLENCE star Viggo Mortensen deserves an Oscar nomination as the lead in a cast full of excellent performances.
A 14-year-old prostitute dies during childbirth. Midwife Anna (Naomi Watts, KING KONG) finds the girl's diary, which is written in Russian, and makes an effort to get it translated, so that she can find the girl's family. She eventually follows a business card found in the girl's journal for a private Russian restaurant, where she meets the owner Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl, SHINE), who claims he does not know the girl, but offers to translate the diary for her. In meeting Semyon, she meets his drunk and leering son Kirill (Vincent Cassel, IRREVERSIBLE) and the stoic driver Nikolai (Mortensen), who we soon learn are involved in the bloody murder that starts off the picture.
NCM FATHOM, the entertainment division of National CineMedia, takes an unprecedented move in alternative theatre entertainment by announcing a special, four-day anime festival Anime Bento, 4 Nights, 4 Servings -- The Hottest Anime Movies on the Big Screen -- with FUNimation En. and Manga movies never before seen on the big screen with exclusive bonus features each night.
The Catalonian city of Girona is hosting the second annual Cartoon Tributes, the European Association of Animation Film's recognition of companies' contribution to the development of the European animation industry. Created in 2006, the Cartoon Tributes has three categories: Broadcaster of the Year, Investor/Distributor of the Year and Producer of the Year. The winners are voted on by the more than 750 participants in the 18th Cartoon Forum, which will be celebrated this year Sept. 19-22 in Girona.
ANIMA
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF 07) is the premiere animation festival in North America. Independent, commercial, and student animators working in a variety of media submit their work, under eight umbrella categories; including independent short films, feature films, new media, music videos, commercials, TV shows, student films, films for children and the TELETOON Canadian Student Animation Scholarship.
Every year more than 250 potential investors -- all interested in animation -- attend the Cartoon Forum. This includes more than 100 broadcasters and 150 investors/video editors who have the advantage of getting a sneak preview of the latest animation projects for the television from 31 different European countries.
More than 300 projects (for a total budget of more than 1 billion EUR) presented at the Cartoon Forum have secured their financing and are now in production or being broadcasted worldwide.
Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH presents:SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival
Vancity TheatreVancouver International Film Centre1181 Seymour St. (at Davie)
For tickets: http://siggraph.ca/events/coming_event.html
2929 Prods. are preparing a screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel THE ROAD, according to the trades. Marc Butan, Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban are exec producing the film, which Dimension Films is in talks to distribute in North America.
The story follows a father and his son as the wander a post-apocalyptic America, looking for other human beings. Viggo Mortensen is rumored to be the top choice for the lead.
Jennifer Garner is in talks to join Matthew McConaughey in New Line's supernatural romantic comedy GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Mark Waters (MEAN GIRLS) is directing. Jonathan Shestack and Brad Epstein are the producers.
Upon attending his younger brother's wedding, a bachelor (McConaughey) is haunted by the ghosts of old girlfriends who try to lead him toward his true love (Garner).
Cale Boyter and Sam Brown are shepherding for New Line.
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS, DreamWorks Animation's first-ever film produced in stereoscopic 3-D technology, has been pushed up to a March 27, 2009 release. The Paramount Pictures release had been previously slated for May 15 and now avoids splitting the market with James Cameron's 3-D/CG fantasy, AVATAR, which opens May 22. However, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, the next 3D-animated feature from Sony Pictures Animation, is currently scheduled for March 27 as well.
Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee 2008 Kansas City, Kansas, USAApril 16-20, 2008Deadline: Dec. 1, 2007
Buster, a conceptual design studio helmed by Executive Creative Director Jonas Morganstein has announced its latest projects. The company has produced a new main title and graphics package for Bravo's new series starring Tim Gunn titled TIM GUNN'S GUIDE TO STYLE. Buster has also completed new work for FX.
For TIM GUNN'S GUIDE TO STULE, the Buster-produced title combines live footage of Tim Gunn and co-host Veronica Webb, as well as dynamic motion graphics that reflect his classic pinstripe style.
Previs continues to reign supreme this month, as J. Paul Peszko discovers how MoCap is becoming more integral for realtime, onset previs, and Tom McLean surveys some of the top specialists in the field to learn how previs is evolving as a problem solving tool.
Bill DesowitzEditor
Each month, ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE focuses its attention on a different area of the animation industry.
This week in AWN's Forums, several members are sharing their blogs.
Some of the most talented women in animation will take the stage for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 11th Marc Davis Celebration of Animation. "Canadian Women in Animation," presented in cooperation with the National Film Board of Canada, will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Oscar nominees Janet Perlman, Caroline Leaf, Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis and Academy Award winner Torill Kove will introduce their short films, then participate in a group panel discussion moderated by animation critic Charles Solomon.
