FIVEs Milkshake has ordered a second season of FUNKY VALLEY from British award-winning animation studio Honeycomb Animation.
The successful preschool show was first aired in May 2004 on FIVEs preschool strand Milkshake!, and has been sold to more than 30 territories worldwide, including Italy, South Africa, Canada and Australia. (A spin-off series, FUNKY TOWN, is currently in production.)
Electronic Arts Inc. announced today (June 20, 2006) it has entered into an agreement to acquire Mythic Ent. Upon completion of the acquisition, Mythic Ent. will become EA Mythic, a wholly-owned studio dedicated to developing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Mythic has revolutionized the online gaming space with the award-winning DARK AGE OF CAMELOT and is currently developing WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING, under license agreement with Games Workshop.
The 8th Festival of Visual Effects presented by the Visual Effects Society (VES), to be held July 6-8, 2006, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, will include presentations of SUPERMAN RETURNS, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, CARS and SMALLVILLE. Workshops and panels dealing with the future dimensions of digital film processing will be lead by eight-times Oscar winner and VFX legend Dennis Muren and other celebrities, such as Robert Skotak, John Myhre and Mark Stetson.
Kathaa Animations is one of the leading content provider for the animation industry in India. With a shortfall of talent in the animation industry, it is taking the initiative to teach wannabe animators and animation directors, the steps that will take you through the process of animation. From basic conceptualization to converting the concept into an animation film, the animation module will take you through the grass root basics of animation and bring you to a threshold wherein you can develop yourself into a creative professional par excellence in the field of animation.
Impact! Mobile addresses the issues of the growing field of mobile marketing and advertising. This sector is the newest method of one on one marketing and advertising for one-on-one entertainment companies and brands. The event gather leading experts to show attendees how to deliver their message to consumers using mobile marketing with a focus on Hollywood and home entertainment industry. For more information, visit www.iHollywoodForum.
BroadcastAsia2006, organized by Singapore Exhibition Services (SES), will address the theme,
Future TV Show 2006 is a conference where broadcasters and network operators meet the production companies and channels to discuss new opportunities in the world of media convergence. Conference topics include:
* Who is the viewer of the future and on what platforms will they be watching TV?* Securing content for new platforms* VOD & PVR
The latest Animation World Magazine Acrobat edition is now online and free for a limited time. This edition covers the ever-expanding world of gaming. Joe Strike uncovers the voice over actors finding lucrative work in the videogame industry. Janet Hetherington takes a look at how videogame art is jumping off the screen and into the gallery. Christopher Harz looks into the field of educational videogames, moving games from the home into the classroom and office.
Disney/Pixars CARS had plenty in the tank to outpace the competition in its second weekend at the box office. For the period ended June 18, CARS grabbed $33.7M, down 44%, for a cume of $117M. Following in the second through fourth spots were newcomers NACHO LIBRE, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT and THE LAKE HOUSE.
The Animation Guild celebrates the sixty-fifth anniversary of the 1941 Disney strike in the June issue of its newsletter, The Peg-Board...
Autodesk Inc. announced that its technology was used to create high-definition television (HDTV) content for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Autodesk solutions provide digital artists with the creative tools and processing power necessary to quickly and efficiently produce content containing the level of detail required for HDTV programming. Post-production facilities that relied on Autodesk technology include: Deep Blue Sea, Locomotion, METAphrenie, Method Studios and The Mill.
Each month, ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE focuses its attention on a particular theme.
Adult Swims first season of THE VENTURE BROS., a spoof of JONNY QUEST, from Noodlesoup Prods., is currently available on DVD (Warner Home Video, $29.98). All 13 episodes from Cartoon Network plus the pilot and Christmas are contained in this two-disc collectors edition featuring the adventures of dim-witted twins, Hank and Dean, who tag along with their scientist father and unsuccessfully try to combat oddball villains. The series offers the voice work of Patrick Warburton, who plays Brock Sampson, the family bodyguard.
Other extras include:
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
Steve Martin steps into the role of bumbling Inspector Clouseau made famous by the late Peter Sellers in this family-friendly remake of THE PINK PANTHER, which recently bowed on DVD (Sony Home Ent., $28.95). Say what you will about the success or failure of Martins wild and crazy interpretation, but the title sequence from Kurtz and Friends Animation is true to form. Judge for yourself, as the Animated Trip featurette covers the animated opening credits with interviews with director Bob Kurz, animator Eric Goldberg and editor Ken Smith.
This week in AWN's Forums, a debate has begun over why animators up and quit jobs. Theres a continuing thread on character animation in Flash. Others are talking about the continued string of Pixar success. Another member needs advice on ways to improve their drawing skills. A junior member wants some suggestions on building a portable animation studio. Theres also a thread over the poor treatment of the CHIPMUNK ADVENTURE DVD cover.
FUNimation Ent., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corp. and the market share leader for home video sales of Japanese animation in the U.S., announced today (June 16, 2006) that the FUNimation Channel is now live in Los Angeles via digital broadcast on LA 18.3. The FUNimation Channel provides 24-hour digital programming featuring top anime brands in the U.S. to more than five million households in the Los Angeles area.
Wrapping up its run on June 17, 2006, the 17th Zagreb, World Festival of Animated Films, awarded its Grand Prix to Joanna Quinn's multiple-Annecy winner, DREAMS AND DESIRES FAMILY TIES. Her short was a two-time winner, also taking home the Jury International Film Critics prize. The top audience award went to PRO IVANA DURAKA, (IVAN THE FOOL) by Mikhail Aldashin and Oleg Uzhinov.
Below is a complete list of winners:
GRAND COMPETIONGrand Prix DREAMS AND DESIRES FAMILY TIES, by Joanna Quinn, U.K.
Golden Zagreb Award
Nick Jr.'s will "sneak peek" its newest preschool show, WOW! WOW! WUBBZY!, across several media platforms, beginning Tuesday, June 20, 2006. The 26-episode series premieres on Nick Jr. on Aug. 28.
Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE, Cartoon Networks worldwide consumer products division) struck a long-term global partnership with the worlds leading toy company, Mattel Inc. for a multi-year, multi-property deal. The master toy license agreement covers original Cartoon Network properties for the 6-11 age group and also carries a first-look option on all newly created original series and programming.
Comicbook and animation maverick Alex Toth died May 27 at his drawing table at home in Burbank, reported THE L.A. TIMES. He was 77.
"For 50 years he did what he wanted to do smoke cigarettes, sit on the couch and draw," his daughter Dana Palmer said. "But in his final year there was such a great spirit in him, and he had made peace with everybody on Earth that he needed to make peace with."
Toth is best known for his character designs for such Hanna-Barbera productions as SUPERFRIENDS, SPACE GHOST and HERCULOIDS.
As part of the Queens 80th birthday celebration, Aardman Animations founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton have been made Commanders of the British Empire, or CBEs.
Commander of the British Empire is the third ranking title of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire the British order of chivalry established on June 4, 1917, by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions. Commander class does not accord the recipient the title of sir or dame.
In this months Animated Scene, Joseph Gilland contemplates whether the animation industrys relationship with animation education facilities is a marriage made in heaven, or an unholy matrimony.
After conquering the digital music business, Apple is now in talks with the movie studios to make feature films available through its iTunes Music Store, reports various news outlets.
However, the main issue is price. Apple ceo Steve Jobs, who is personally involved in the talks, proposed selling all films at a flat price of $9.99, which the studios flatly rejected.
Speaking at an Independent Film & Television Alliance production conference in Beverly Hills, Netflix vp of original programming Eric Besner said on Friday his company plans to launch a proprietary set-top box with an Internet connection that can download movies overnight.
Besner said the business model is still being worked out, but the download service would work much like the monthly subscription fee for its conventional DVD rentals. Service could launch as early as this year.
