Teri Meyer has been promoted to the newly created position of evp of worldwide publicity for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing. She will be responsible for formulating and executing worldwide publicity campaigns for all live-action and animated features released under The Walt Disney Pictures (live action and animation), Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures banners.
Alan Fine has been appointed to the newly created position of evp/chief marketing officer of Marvel Characters Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marvel Ent., which owns and licenses Marvel's intellectual property library. Fine will be responsible for directing and coordinating Marvel's efforts to support and strengthen its brands.
Fine, who joined Marvel in 1996, will retain his current title of ceo of Marvel's publishing and toy divisions.
AWN and Sony Pictures Animation present a special behind-the-scenes mini-site for Sony's upcoming animated feature, SURF'S UP, which splashes into theaters on June 8, 2007.
The latest Acrobat edition of Animation World Magazine is now online and ready for download. This issue tackles the world of direct-to-video. Despite a recent burst in production of animated shorts, short film compilation discs remain a tiny niche within the DVD market. Karen Raugust reports. John Cawley looks into the business of expanding a franchise in the world of direct-to-video. Janet Hetherington examines how original animated direct-to-DVD animated adventures based on toy brands may extend the play value of popular toys.
Joe Strike reports on how they attained such lush-looks in Shrek the Third, Surfs Up and Ratatouille, thanks to the latest simulation, lighting and rendering advancements.
At long last, our fifth podcast episode is online.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
Warner Bros. Ent. Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort are partnering to create the world's first fully immersive HARRY POTTER themed environment based on the bestselling books by J.K. Rowling and feature films from Warner Bros. Envisioned as a "theme park within a theme park" and titled "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," the new environment will become part of the experience within Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort.
This week in AWN's Forums, a member is looking for a great animation history book that covers all of animation. Another thread is collecting Flash/traditional animation tutorials. Another member has a question on voice acting. There's a thread on animation unions. A member also needs advice of lip syncing. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!
Warner Bros. Pictures is moving ahead with a live-action adaptation of DC Comics' TEEN TITANS, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Weed Road's Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster are producing. SMALLVILLE producer/writer Mark Verheiden will pen the screenplay.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominees for four new Emmy Awards for original entertainment programming -- comedy, drama, children's and variety created specifically for broadband, including computers, mobile phones, PDAs and similar devices. In the variety category, animated series IT'S JERRYTIME! from Jerry and Orrin Zucker, was nominated.
The nominees in the children's category include PBS' CYBERCHASE, WarnerBrothers.com's SCOOBY-DOO: HAUNTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS and Cartoon Network's THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY AND MANDY.
With 300 brining sword-and-sandals flicks back in a big way, Millennium Films has begun development on a new Hercules feature film, VARIETY reports. Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort and Trevor Short will produce. Davidson, Millennium's president of production, and Joe Gatta, the company's evp, developed the property ancient Greek myth. Sean Hood (HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION) will write the screenplay and no director has been hired. The plot details are being kept under wraps.
20th Century Fox has added Zooey Deschanel (THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, ELF) as the female lead in M. Night Shyamalan's THE HAPPENING, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. She will join Mark Wahlberg in the disaster flick, which puts a family on the run from a natural crisis that threatens human life on Earth.
Lensing will start in August in Philadelphia.
Shyamalan, Samuel Mercer and Barry Mendel are the producer with Jose Rodriguez associate producing.
India's UTV Motion Pictures will co-fund the project.
With more than 2,000 exhibits, 500 authors, more than 60 conference sessions as well as a special area for rights business, BookExpo America allows attendees to see all the latest titles across genres, uncover hidden gems, network and meet the industry contacts. For more information, visit www.bookexpoamerica.com.
Mark and Jeanne Simon, founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com, are hosting a free event for anyone who has an idea for a TV show and wants to pitch it to the networks. The free teleseminar/webinar will begin streaming at 9:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm Pacific.
Topics covered will be: * The Seven Biggest Show-Pitching Mistakes * Five Questions You Must be Able to Answer in a Pitch * Attendee Questions
Attendees may call into the conference or listen to it stream live over the Internet.
Filmaka's aim is to encourage and inspire filmmakers from all around the globe with its upcoming May competition. Its new theme is "The Game."
Film entries must run between 1-3 minutes in length and can be in any language (English subtitles are encouraged). Each month the top 15-20 Filmaka's win cash prizes and the chance show their filmmaking talent to its award-winning jury. Jurors include Colin Firth, Werner Herzog, Neil LaBute, John Madden, Paul Shrader and Wim Wenders.
Well, I'm three for three on keeping the This Weekend's Film Festival alive as a weekly segment on this site. Because there wasn't any worthwhile DVD releases this Tuesday to build the lineup around, I had to come up with another theme to tie the films together. It's far from Valentine's Day, so why romance you might be thinking. Well, it's my 5th wedding anniversary on June 1st and in celebration I thought it was as good as time for any to look at five great films for the romantic at heart. Some of the films in the lineup are fairly straight forward… but I know you're gonna want to know how a zombie film, which I referred to in my original review as "the goriest film I've ever seen," works into this week's group of films.
Midnight Pictures, Wes Craven's production company, has in final talks with Dennis Iliadis (HARDCORE) to direct a remake of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, reports VARIETY. Adam Alleca has already signed on to adapt the screenplay. Rogue Pictures will fund and release the picture.
Craven will produce alongside Marianne Maddalena and Sean S. Cunningham.
The remake will keep the core premise of killers coming to stay at the home of the parents of one of their victims, but bring a more realistic tone to the characters.
LAIKA Inc. has appointed Cynthia Barton Rabe to the position of vp/cmo, entertainment division. Rabe is a 20-year marketing veteran who has held management positions with consumer product and technology companies, including Intel and Ralston Purina. She is also a business consultant, author and guest lecturer specializing in innovation and corporate strategy.
Artwork that illuminates the role the digital media plays in shaping, extending and reflecting world views and cosmologies will be showcased throughout the SIGGRAPH 2007 Art Gallery: Global Eyes. Global Eyes will take place during the 34th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques held Aug. 5-9 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.
Aardman Animations announced today (May 30, 2007), that it will launch its own branded channel on Joost, the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service. Aardman began distributing programming on mobile platforms in 2006 and will now broadcast its content online through platforms like Joost.
The Aardman channel will offer classic animated shows from the studio, such as CREATURE COMFORTS and MORPH, surreal comedies REX THE RUNT, PANIC IN THE VILLAGE and The Adventures of Jeffrey, plus some brand-new short films.
Chris and Paul Weitz have gotten a seal of approval from author Michael Moorcock to bring his famed Elric series to the big screen, reports EMPIRE ONLINE. The Weitz brothers would produce the film via their Depth of Field production company. No director has been attached as of yet.
Taylor Jessen delves into some of the inspirations and challenges behind the three shorts recently honored by the SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival.
DreamWorks head Jeffrey Katzenberg said that a fifth installment of the SHREK franchise will be the last, reports THE AGE.
"It's a finite story, has been from the beginning, and I think that's part of its integrity, part of its strength, that we're not thinking this up as we go," Katzenberg said to the Australian newspaper. "Ultimately, we will come back to understand how Shrek arrived in that swamp. We will reveal his story."
In this month's edition of "The Digital Eye," Jenny Fulle explains the strategy behind Imageworks' launch of new satellite facilities in Northern California, India and New Mexico.
