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Animation Headline News

Olympic Website Animation Causes Epilepsy Seizures

Flash animation on the official website of the 2012 London Olympics has to be removed after reports came in that it was causing epileptic seizures, reports THE INDEPENDENT. Charity, Epilepsy Action, contacted the organizers about the problem saying they had received calls from people who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy.

Exaggerating the problem was the broadcast of some of the animation on television, which caused viewers to have seizures. Some are saying the animation of the Olympic logo, which is causing controversy of its own, was part of the problem.

Imax Headline News

Spider-Man 3 Breaks IMAX Opening Record

Columbia Pictures' SPIDER-MAN 3: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE has grossed more than $20 million worldwide since premiering on May 3, 2007. The picture continued its heroic box office performance by reaching the $20 million milestone faster than any other 2-D digitally re-mastered IMAX release, between its opening on May 3 and June 3. SPIDER-MAN 3 is currently playing on 84 domestic IMAX screens and 34 international IMAX screens, the largest opening in IMAX's 40-year history.

Effects Headline News

Anthem Makes VFX Journey for Marco Polo

Anthem Visual Effects recently completed more than 100 visual effects shots for MARCO POLO, a miniseries and feature film produced by RHI Ent.

The epic story was shot entirely on location in China and is a compelling exploration of the trials and triumph of one of history's most famous, yet enigmatic figures. Ian Somerhalder (LOST) plays Marco Polo, the 13th century Venetian trader enlisted to accompany a pair of priests to the court of the fabled Mongol warlord and despot of the mysterious East, Kublai Khan, played by Brian Dennehy (COCOON, OUR FATHERS).

Disney Headline News

Walt Disney Studios Signs Exclusive Deal With Stan Lee

The Walt Disney Studios has entered into an exclusive multi-year first look deal with Spider-Man creator/producer Stan Lee and his production company POW! Ent. The terms cover Lee and his production company developing and producing all forms of entertainment.

Watch Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Following the Russian blockbuster NIGHT WATCH, comes DAY WATCH, which broke the record in its home country and is now playing from Fox Searchlight. VFXWORLD recently spoke with supervisor Vladimir Lechinski about the sci-fi thriller and the maturing vfx industry in Russia.

Meanwhile, there's the latest excerpt from POSER 7 REVEALED, which teaches you how to attach props to elements; Bryan Hoff reviews NVIDIA's new Quadro FX 5600 graphics card; and there's still a certain PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequel with lots of new wrinkles from ILM that is coming very soon.

Animation Headline News

Arena Animation Announces AAASP 2007

Arena Animation, one of India's largest animation and multimedia training institutions, announced the launch of the brand new version of its 2 1/2 year high-end animation-training course, the Arena Animation Academy Specialist Program 2007 (AAASP 2007).

The course is modeled around the needs of the industry with each semester having an integrated project to give the students an exposure to the practical application of tools and software.

Season Headline News

Class of 3000 Up For Second Season June 7

A new season of CLASS OF 3000, the Cartoon Network original series from creators and exec producers Andre "3000" Benjamin (OutKast) and Tom Lynch (Romeo!), starts Thursday, June 7, 2007, at 7:00 pm, following a six-and-a-half-hour marathon of the series' first season. Benjamin stars as the voice of superstar Sunny Bridges, a music teacher at a prestigious performing arts school, and will continue to write a new song for each episode.

Series Headline News

Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes to Premiere on Cartoon Network

The action-packed animated series, FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST HEROES, premieres worldwide as a weekly series on the Cartoon Network on Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 9:30 pm during the Toonami block.

Headline News

Thundercats Roar at Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. has optioned Paul Sopocy's take on THUNDERCATS, reports VARIETY. Paula Weinstein, via her Warner-housed Spring Creek Prods. with Dick Robertson and Lew Korman, will produce the live-action feature.

The animated series/toy line followed the cat-like humanoid survivors of the planet Thundera, who crash onto Third Earth, where the evil Mumm-Ra is determined on killing them. The live-action feature will be a coming of age tale following Lion-O's maturing role as the leader of the group.

Headline News

Warner Bros. Snags The Shannara

Warner Bros., who has found gold with the HARRY POTTER franchise, has landed the film rights to THE SHANNARA from Terry Brooks, the second bestselling fantasy book writer after J.K. Rowling, reports the trades.

Dan Farah brought the property to the studio and is in talks to produce via his Farah Films. Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media is in negotiations to fund the project.

Series Headline News

Entara Acquires U.K. Licensing Rights to Magic Roundabout With 3D Series Coming

Entara Ltd. has just acquired the U.K. licensing rights to the cult classic, THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT. Entara will be developing a comprehensive U.K. licensing program to rollout for immediate effect, now that the property is being reborn as a new animated TV series.

Ellipsanime, Film Action, M6 and Disney Channel France have joined forces to produce a brand new 3D pre-school series (52x11) based on the property. The new MAGIC ROUNDABOUT series will premiere in the U.K. on Nick Jr., while ZDF has acquired the German-speaking rights.

Animation Headline News

ohm:tv goes Loko on YouTube

ohm:tv has launched Loko, a purpose created channel for YouTube, the first dedicated to edgy animation series geared towards teenagers and young adults.

Loko is defined as a comedy lab featuring cult series and the newest of animation brands from independent animation studios from around the world. Programming highlights include: PETEY & JAYDEE, TOYMATTERS, CRASH TEST DUMMIES OFF WORK, THE ADVENTURES OF WANKBOY and MY TEDDY BEAR IS TRYING TO KILL ME.

Production Headline News

Dressed to Kill Remake Part of MGM Home Entertainment Expansion

Furthering the recently announced consumer direct exclusive strategy for its newly forged home entertainment production unit, MGM has entered into an association with Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Ent., which has also formed a unit for the production of consumer direct movies. Targeting specific demographic sectors of the home entertainment audience, the first project is the remake of the controversial 1980 thriller DRESSED TO KILL with Rick Alexander signed to write the script for the new version.

Online Headline News

Storm Hawks Sails Onto TV & Internet

Nerd Corps Ent.'s first original property, STORM HAWKS, is making both its online and on-air worldwide launch this week.

Following a successful Friday night sneak peek of a one-hour special episode, STORM HAWKS began airing Mondays, as part of Cartoon Network's new summer programming lineup at 7:00 pm (ET, PT). Other broadcasters that will be debuting the series this summer or fall include YTV in Canada; Cartoon Network in the U.K., France and Latin America; terrestrial broadcaster France 3 and Canadian French-language broadcaster VRAK.

Shows Events

LACDA 2007 International Juried Competition

By Guest (not verified) | Tuesday, June 5, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: June 5, 2007

LACDA is holding its annual juried competition for digital art and photography. Entrants submit three JPEG files of original work. All styles of 2D artwork and photography where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images are acceptable. The competition is international, open to all geographic locations.

Headline News

Pixar Team Speaks at Annecy

At the 2007 Annecy Animation Festival, speakers from Pixar will reveal some of the magic behind Pixar's feature films, with a focus on rendering techniques. These presentations are open to everyone. These talks are sponsored by RenderMan, Pixar's award-winning rendering software. Additionally, for those who attend these special presentations, Pixar will be giving away a collectable poster of the upcoming Disney/Pixar animated feature film, RATATOUILLE. Seating for the presentations is limited. First come, first seated. Talks are located at the Imperial Palace - 5th floor, Ravel B.

Headline News

TELETOON Salutes Dads This June

On June 15, 2007, TELETOON's The Spin Cycle is dedicated to dads with four father-themed cartoons. In WHAT'S WITH ANDY?, Andy goes on a camping trip with his dad and grandpa and tries his best to get grandpa back into his old pranking ways. Unwilling to mow the lawn for his dad, Johnny Test decides to duplicate a robot version of himself but things get out of hand when he forgets to switch the duplicator off in JOHNNY TEST.

Animation Headline News

Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow Wins Leo

The ninth annual Leo Awards took place on June 1-2, 2007, at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver, celebrating the best in film and television programs in British Columbia.

BARBIE FAIRYTOPIA: MAGIC OF THE RAINBOW was awarded in the category, Best Animation Program or Series. The program also won for Best Overall Sound in an Animation Program or Series. Peter Eliuk, Pat Haskill, Christine McLeod, Maureen Murphy and Gordon Sproule received the award.

Million Headline News

Marathon Purchase Race Heating Up

A sale of France-based TV production and distribution firm Marathon is in the works, insiders told VARIETY. Valued at 300 million euros, Marathon has several suitors, including Endemol France head Stephane Courbit, who is backed by Italian industrial group de Agostini.

An insider at Bridgepoint, which purchased Marathon and combined it with Tele Images two years ago, said that the deal will probably be sealed by July.

The annual revenue of Marathon Group is approximately 120 million euros ($162 million).

Production Headline News

Atlantyca Ent. Makes Key Exec Appointments

Italian-based production company Atlantyca Ent. has appointed Claudia Mazzucco ceo and Caterina Vacchi as senior manager/exec producer of the company.

Mazzucco will oversee all of the company's initiatives and reports to chairman Pietro Marietti, who established Atlantyca Ent. in September 2006 to create new business opportunities for the company's library of entertainment book properties.

Series Headline News

YTV Orders Amberwood Ent.'s 3D Animated RollBots

Amberwood Ent. announced today (June 5, 2007) that YTV, a division of Corus Ent., has ordered ROLLBOTS, a 3D animated action-comedy series for kids 6-11.

The 26x30 series rolls into full production this month and has been partially funded by YTV and the Canadian Television Fund.

ROLLBOTS is based on an original idea by Michael Milligan about perfectly round robots that roll at extreme speeds on rollercoaster type tracks through Flip City, a community that contains 11 different tribes of rollbots.

Home Headline News

HBO Elevates Four Corp. Officers With Albrecht Departure

HBO has a new lineup of four top corporate officers today (June 5, 2007) to replace Chris Albrecht, the ceo who resigned last month. Bill Nelson heads the group as chairman/ceo. Richard Plepler, Eric Kessler and Hal Akselrad have been elevated to the new title of co-presidents, all with specific duties at the pay cable channel and all report to Nelson. Time Warner chairman/ceo Dick Parsons and president/coo Jeff Bewkes made the announcement.

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