SURVIVOR producer Mark Burnett has purchased the feature-film rights to the children's fantasy book series THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL, according to VARIETY.
THE ALCHEMYST, Michael Scotts first volume in the six-part series, will be published by Random House Children's Books in May. Burnett hopes to produce the project, which he will start shopping to studios in the next few weeks.
Steven Billing, writer and co-creator of the Broadway-bound musical TUSK, says the production is headed for animation. TUSK is the award-winning musical, which was part of the 2005 New York Musical Theater Festival in Manhattan. Billing is in negotiations with a Florida-based animation company that is interested in developing it into a feature film. TUSK premiered on stage in Albany, New York at The EGG Theater and on Broadway the following year in New York City. Billing is in negotiations with three theaters to have TUSK on stage again in the early part of 2007.
VFX ASIA2006 is a visual effects, animatronics and animation exhibition and conference. The conference hopes to bring together leaders through Asia and the world in the fields of special effects, visual effects, animation, animatronics, robotics, motion pictures, television, video production, post-production, games, theme parks and pyrotehnics. The event will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. For more information, contact Ms. Irene Liong at e-mail: six@streamyx.com or visit www.vfxasia.com.
Lagos Comics & Cartoons Carnival or LC3 is a unique event initiated and coordinated by Evolution Media and is geared towards raising the awareness and sensitivity of the public (especially the youths) towards the vast field of cartoons and comics publishing while adding a boost to the nation
The Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (CAEAA) will showcase the best in Canadian videogame development and animation. The first annual Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (CAEAA 2006) will take place at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver. This year
The DC Short Film Festival showcases short films from around the world, followed by moderated discussions with filmmakers. The annual festival seeks films 20 minutes or less, with special cash awards for first-time, women and local (Washington D.C. area) filmmakers. It also screens specially selected films at the Canadian Embassy as part of a community arts event. Filmmakers attending DC Shorts enjoy relaxed parties, city tours, free housing, meals and transportation. It also offers opportunity to meet and learn from other filmmakers
Havok 4.0, the leading gameplay physics and animation solution from Havok, has been licensed to Blizzard Ent.
Havok 4.0 will add power and flexibility to our development process, said Mike Morhaime, president/co-founder of Blizzard Ent. Were looking forward to utilizing this technology with our upcoming games.
Imagi Animation Studios has optioned rights from Tezuka Prods. Co. Ltd. of Japan to produce a new CG-animated feature-length motion picture based on the renowned anime franchise ASTRO BOY for theatrical release in 2009.
The new feature will be based on an original story developed by Imagis U.S. studio. Physical production will take place at Imagis Hong Kong animation studio.
Sydney, Australia writer/director Anny Slater's comedy animation BARNEY THE WHITE HOUSE TERRIER has been selected to screen at the Oscars qualifying Chicago International Children's Film Festival. Films that win at the festival are automatically short listed for nomination at the 2008 Oscars. The same film is one of only nine short films screened at the Boston Comedy Festival, where comedians Denis Leary and Lewis Black will be performing.
The film is an imagined conversation between President Bush's dog Barney and his secret service agent.
InfoSpace Inc. has signed deals with Classic Media and Bagdasarian Prods. to bring some of the worlds most famous classic movie and TV stars to mobile, including Alvin & the Chipmunks, Rocky & Bullwinkle and a host of others.
New Zealand-based La Luna Studios has signed Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall to lend his voice to its upcoming 3D animated feature, THE MAGIC SHOES.
The comedy adventure takes place in Buenos Aires in the Latin district of La Boca. In addition to lending their voices to the lead characters, Duvall and his Argentinean wife, Luciana Pedraza, will serve as exec producers and advisors.
"It's a huge honor to have the Duvalls involved. They loved the story. It's a perfect fit," creative director Cris Casares said.
Jonathan Mostow (TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES) has boarded Universal Pictures long-in-development comicbook adaptation of Marvels SUB-MARINER, reports VARIETY. Mostow will rewrite the script and direct.
Created by Bill Everett in April 1939, the comic told the tale of a young man who learns that he's a descendant of Atlantis, eventually becoming a key player in a war between the underwater world and the land dwelling world, which is all he has known.
Deanna Morse traveled to Japan and discovered a lot of love and peace at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival.
Kids may now direct, produce and screen their own action movies with the MARVEL HEROES ANI-MOVIE, THE ANIMATED MOVIE MAKER from Jazwares Inc. The ANI-MOVIE lets young filmmakers create and edit action-packed movies, using the latest stop-motion, digital technology, and view them on their own television.
Director Terry Gilliam and actor Andy Serkis will be honored at the eDIT 9. Filmmakers Festival in Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 24-26. Gilliam enjoys cult-status amongst generations of film-lovers. The writer, director and lead cartoonist shaped the style of the Monty Python group and their time. Films such as BRAZIL and 12 MONKEYS further cemented his reputation as an uncompromising filmmaker of extraordinary visionary power and humor.
Animal Logic has created a stylized world for Australian band Telemetry Orchestras latest music video, UNDER THE CHERRY TREE. The video clip is a four-minute allegory that explores the obstacles of love. Two characters travel on two different trains in parallel worlds; the boy from a dirty city, and the girl from a beautiful cherry tree orchard. They end up crossing into each others worlds and desperately try to stop their trains so they can be together, but end where the other began.
A52 visual effects supervisor Andy Hall has directed the HD broadcast spots, and overseen development of print/online elements, for advertising agency RPA's $20 million national cross-media advertising campaign for Pioneer Electronics.
Zoic Studios announced the addition of Barbara Genicoff, as visual effects producer for commercials. The company, known for its outstanding visual effects in advertising, TV and feature film, has experienced significant growth in all areas and approached Genicoff as a complement to the burgeoning commercial team.
THE WILD, the 3D-animated feature from C.O.R.E. Feature Animation and distributed by Disney, comes to DVD on Sept. 12, 2006 (Walt Disney Home Ent., $29.99). Very similar to MADAGASCAR, with its New York Zoo to Africa premise, these zoo pals are nonetheless more photoreal-looking than the ones that inhabit the DreamWorks feature.
THE TICK, featuring the big blue, somewhat confused animated superhero and his accountant sidekick, based on Ben Edlunds comic, debuted on DVD in late August in THE TICK VS. SEASON ONE collection (Buena Vista Home Ent., $34.99). However, the two-disc set contains only 12 out of 13 episodes from 94. According to the studio, Due to creative considerations episode 11 ("The Tick vs. The Mole Men") is not included. However, we hope to include it in future Tick releases."
The Valley Film Festival has a selection of 60 short films
In accordance with the Philippines growing Cyber Services Corridor, Filipino president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during a roundtable discussion, applauded the Filipino animators for their talents and creativity, which, she said has made the animation industry in the country boom.
Arroyo cited THE INCREDIBLES as her favorite film, because it was partly made in the Philippines and one of its main characters Violet was designed by Filipina 3D animator Virginia "Gini" Cruz.
In the latest excerpt from THE MAGIC OF HOUDINI, Will Cunningham delves into a number of contexts, including SOPs, DOPs, POPs and OBJs. As Cunningham explains, these contexts have different capabilities and you move back and forth between them to achieve different objectives. Meanwhile, later in the week, Fred Galpern provides a sneak peek of the upcoming ADAPT 2006 Conference in Montreal (Sept. 23-24 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel), offering advanced digital art production techniques.
Bill DesowitzEditor
ASIFA-Hollywood has issued its official call for entries for the 34th Annual Annie Awards honoring outstanding achievement in animation across film, television, commercials and short subjects. All rules, category information and entry forms are available online at www.annieawards.org or by contacting ASIFA-Hollywood at (818) 842-8330. The deadline to receive entry forms is Friday, Oct. 6 2006. All nomination judging material is due by Oct. 27, 2006. Final nominations will be announced by ASIFA-Hollywood on Dec. 5, 2006.
Nokia and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution announced an agreement for content based on popular Warner Bros. Ent. brands to be made available for consumer downloads through the Nokia Content Discoverer client, embedded in millions of Nokia devices available in markets around the globe.
