Anifest 2006 closed its 5th year in Trebon, Czech Republic on May 10, 2006, with its presentation of awards. The Anifest Grand Prix goes to KARNEVAL ZVÍAT (THE CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS) by the Czech director Michaela Pavlátová. The film had its world premiere at AniFest. The Prize for the Best Feature-Length Film stays in the Czech Republic as well, going to FIMFÁRUM 2 by the directors Jan Balej, Vlasta Pospíilová, Betislav Pojar and Aurel Klimt.
MGA Ent. Inc., Avi Arad Prods. and Crystal Sky Pictures will team to bring MGA's famous BRATZ dolls to the big screen. A screenplay, tentatively entitled BRATZ, is in the process of being written with a targeted production start of late fall 2006 in Los Angeles.
Under the deal, Crystal Sky Pictures will finance a live-action feature film based on the popular BRATZ characters. MGA's founder/ceo Isaac Larian, Avi Arad and Crystal Sky's chairman Steven Paul will produce the picture, and Crystal Sky Pictures president Benedict Carver will exec produce.
The Weinstein Co. (TWC) has acquired all theatrical and video rights in the U.S. to the martial arts epic, SEVEN SWORDS, directed by the master of kung-fu action films, Tsui Hark (ZU WARRIORS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA). Cheung ChiSing and Chun TinNam adapted the screenplay based on the original novel, SEVEN SWORDSMEN FROM MT. TIAN, and it was produced by Lee JooIck, Ma Zhongjun and Pan Zhizhong. Richard Wong, Hong BongChul and Zhang Yong serve as exec producers.
Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Co., announced its largest and most diverse lineup ever of console, computer and handheld videogame titles at E3 last week.
Vivendi Games (VG) rolled out its top tier lineup at E3 last week. Among the companys highly anticipated titles shown during E3 was Blizzard Ent.s WORLD OF WARCRAFT: THE BURNING CRUSADE, the expansion pack to the worlds most popular massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG). Sierra Ent.
Corus Ent. has announced its launch plans for a new direct-to-family digital download service TreehouseDirect. The storefront will allow for the purchase of single episodes, bundles or full seasons of popular preschool programs.
Juries for the 47th international Clio Awards announced Grand Clio winners for best-in-show. On May 15, 2006, juries awarded a total of 29 Gold Clio winners for the evening at the Clio Content & Contact, Print, Internet, Design, Innovative and Integrated Media Awards Gala at the Jackie Gleason Theater in South Beach, Miami, part of the annual Clio Festival, May 13-16, 2006. Clios in the Television/Cinema and Radio categories were announced May 16.
Digital Domain, the Oscar-winning vfx studio and production company based in Venice, California, has been acquired for a reported $35 million by South Florida-based Wyndcrest Holdings Llc., a group led by director Michael Bay, former NFL quarterback Dan Marino and investor John Textor.
Liberty Media Corp. is buying IDT Ent. from parent company IDT Corp. it was announced today, May 16, 2006. Liberty will give up its holdings in IDT Corp. to add this diversified production/distribution group of companies to its holdings, which includes Starz Ent. Group that will have the capability to create a wide array of CG-animated and live-action programming for domestic and international distribution in all major channels, including broadcast syndication, premium television, theatrical and home video/DVD.
In this months Animated Scene, Joseph Gilland addresses the reality of paperless animation production, which used to make his blood curdle.
A Scanner Darkly Remix ContestWorld Wide WebJune 15, 2006Deadline: June 7, 2006
Rick DeMott reviews the second version of the previsualization software FrameForge 3D, and reports that Innoventive Software is giving users what they want.
The SCI FI network has launched its new content-rich online broadband channel, SCI FI Pulse. The launch lineup includes full episodes of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and GHOST HUNTERS, deleted scenes from those shows, as well as from Stargate SG-1. The channel offers the popular BATTLESTAR videoblogs by exec producer David Eick, audition tapes for the new reality show, WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO, behind-the-scenes featurettes from BATTLESTAR and DR. WHO, a full complement of channel ID spots, brand films and more.
WALT DISNEYS ITS A SMALL WORLD OF FUN VOLUME 1 &2 (Walt Disney Home Ent., $14.99) is a new collection of Disney shorts released on DVD May 16, 2006. Starring Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and friends, each volume features entertaining adventures that are themed to different countries from around the world.
DreamWorks Animation and ASIFA are hosting a screening of OVER THE HEDGE. A Q&A with directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirpatrick as well as supervising animator David Burgess will take place at the L.A. screening. Both screenings will begin at 7:30 pm.
Los Angeles screening will take place at the WGA Theater, 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Snacks and drinks will be offered before the screening.
Brian Offutt, the former head of Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products' Los Angeles office, has relocated to New York City as svp, entertainment products, to oversee the NVCP home entertainment, publishing and record business for Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Noggin and The N, as well as the home video/DVD, book publishing and videogame businesses for Comedy Central, Spike TV and TV Land and the book publishing business for Paramount. These are all networks and the movie studio within the Viacom family that are handled for licensing and merchandising by NVCP.
On May 15, 2006, CartoonNetwork.com launched BIG FAT AWESOME HOUSE PARTY, a free yearlong interactive game that allows players to immerse themselves in the hit series, FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS, by creating their very own imaginary friend. Players will be encouraged to explore the ever-changing adventures with their new imaginary friend, play mini-games, collect upgrades and take part in every aspect of life at Madame Fosters famous house.
The Gnomon Workshop now offers two new DVDs by CG supervisor Tim Jones. The creation of digital environments for the highest caliber game cinematics and short films has been Jones area of expertise at Blur Studios. In these DVDs, he shares his techniques for modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering and compositing highly realistic digital sets in 3ds Max.
ENVIRONMENT CREATION FOR PRODUCTION: 3DS MAX MODELING AND TEXTURING WITH TIM JONES.
Wish Films, a brand new production company based at Elstree Film Studios, has enlisted the help of eyeon Software to make Fusion an integral part of its pipeline.
Mark Ford and Stephen Charles are the driving force behind their new Wish Films studio. Recently at Lynx Video, a facility based in Denham, West of London, Ford and Charles operated the Flame/Smoke/Maya and Avid/Online suites, respectively. Successfully breaking into Wish Films, they have been commissioned to build a new post-production facility using Fusion 5.
The Orphanage recently completed six months of vfx work on THE HOST, South Koreas most ambitious movie to date, which will have its world premiere on May 21 in the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival (which runs May 18-21).
Paramounts MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III sunk Warner Bros. POSEIDON at the box office for the weekend period ended May 14, 2006. Despite a second-week drop of nearly 48%, M:I:III (with vfx from ILM) posted $25M for a cume of $85.1M. POSEIDON (with vfx from ILM and MPC) debuted with a disappointing $22.1M. Dropping to third place was Sonys RV, with $9.9M and a three-week cume of $43.2M. Foxs romantic comedy, JUST MY LUCK debuted in the fourth spot with $5.6M. Freestyles AN AMERICAN HAUNTING followed in fifth with $3.56M and $10.8M.
The 8th annual Leo Awards took place on May 12-13, 2006, at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver. The Leo Awards are where the best film and television talent and programs in British Columbia are honored for their work.
In animation, the top winner was Studio Bs BEING IAN, which took home the prize for Best Animation Program or Series. Additionally, Mark Shirra of the Vancouver Film School won Best Student Production for his animated short, A GREAT BIG ROBOT FROM OUTER SPACE ATE MY HOMEWORK.
Last week at E3, THQ Inc. unveiled the company's portfolio internally developed next-generation console and Windows PC titles, mass-market licensed products and all new content for handheld and gaming system wireless devices.
Rob Cohen has been tapped the helm ARROW, a martial arts flick being produced by Basil Iwanyks Thunder Road at Warner Bros. Pictures, reports the trades. Details of Brandon Noonans script are being kept secret. Thunder Road's Mary Viola is shepherding the project, along with Marc Pitre for Cohen. Dan Lin and Jess Rosenthal are overseeing for the studio.
For the first time, Cannes Classics will feature an animator, and the honor goes to Norman McLaren, who won the Short Film Palme dor in 1955 with BLINKITY BLANK. A selection of 13 McLaren films has been put together in homage to the great filmmaker and to celebrate 65 years of animation at the National Film Board of Canada.
