Press Release from Toei Animation

LOS ANGELES -- July 7, 2009 -- Toei Animation has secured a number of Latin America-based licensees for DRAGON BALL Z, ONE PIECE and SAINT SEIYA, it was announced today by Eduardo Lucio, sales manager, Latin America.

Kunio Kato's 2009 Academy Award-winning animated short film, LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES, as well as his earlier work, THE DIARY OF TORTOV RODDLE are streaming today on Crunchyroll. More information can be found at:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/La_Maison_en_Petits_Cubes and http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/The_Diary_of_Tortov_Roddle.

Press Release from MK12 and Cut + Run

Flying -- or modern day travel via air -- evokes a variety of images but certainly rarely as beautiful or sublime as what unfolds in the new Swiss Air film directed by Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace," "Finding Neverland," "Monster's Ball"). To help orchestrate and unite the myriad of elements involved, Forster turned to Cut + Run Editor Jay Nelson who worked hand-in-hand with the director and the effects production company MK12 on the project.

Dr. Ed Catmull, President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, has been selected by the VES Board of Directors as the recipient of the "2010 Georges Melies Award." The award will be presented at the 8th Annual VES Awards, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on February 28, 2010.

Press Release from NVIDIA

Starz Digital Media, a division of Starz Media, has launched ABE Toons, a new online video site for indie animators and a consumer destination for animated shorts.

Press Release from NANDO@BENT

International award-winning Creative/Director Nando Costa, founder of top industry leading design and animation studio Nervo, has teamed with Portland-based Bent Image Lab to form, NANDO@BENT. Costa brings his entire Nervo shop to BENT, including creative partner Linn Olofsdotter. Costa, age 30, will become the fourth partner of BENT which includes: Co-Founder/EP Ray Di Carlo, Co-Founder/Director Chel White, and Co-Founder/Director David Daniels.

Press Release from Anime Network

HOUSTON, TX -- June 22, 2009 -- Today Anime Network, America's #1 Anime Channel, formally launched its new online player at www.theanimenetwork.com. Anime Network's new online service includes over 40 hours of free content as well as a premium package that gives users unlimited access to more than 300 hours of anime, live action films, and J-rock videos.

Press Release from Nice Shoes

NEW YORK (June 15 2009): Nice Shoes' new Creative Director Aron Baxter has come full circle. The London-born Baxter joined Nice Shoes as a senior VFX artist in January 2003 then moved over to Guava, the company's sister VFX Company. Now, with the merger of Nice Shoes and Guava, he has returned to the parent company to assume the new role of Creative Director.

Additionally, Jack Fahey has been appointed Head of Sales for the Nice Shoes family of companies which includes Nice Shoes, Nice Spots and Freestyle Collective.

The new episode of SCIENCE OF THE MOVIES features the work of Zoic Studios and Gentle Giant Studios:

Crafting an Action Figure: Episode Airs Thursday, June 18 at 10 PM

Japanese manga publisher Futabasha is suing Korean film production house Show East over the rights to turn OLD BOY into a feature film in the U.S., reports ANIME NEWS NETWORK.

Show East produced a popular 2003 Korean version directed by Chan-wook Park. The suit was filed on Monday.

Futabasha is suing to confirm the lack of a binding contract between the two parties, due to an alleged breach. They allege that Show East violated the agreement, nullifying it, when Show East got Universal Pictures to sign on for a remake.

Press Release from eyeon Software Inc.

Animation, comics, graphic novels, and anime will take center stage at Film Independent's 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival. This year's festival, held June 18-28, will feature a wide variety of options for graphic arts fans, highlighted by the U.S. debut of the award winning animated feature PONYO, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Press Release from Strata

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will expand its three-month celebration of anime with a screening of the 2002 Oscar-winning animated feature "Spirited Away" on Friday, July 17, at 7:30 p.m., and "A Tribute to Animation Master Hayao Miyazaki" on Tuesday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m. Both events will take place at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater and will include extended gallery hours for the Academy's ongoing exhibition "ANIME! High Art -- Pop Culture."

Press Release from e-on software

June 15, 2009. Beaverton, Oregon: e-on software, maker of the leading solutions for natural 3D environments, in association with Maxon, Pixologic, 3D Total, 3Dconnexion, Cornucopia3D and 3D World Magazine, today announced the fourth edition of the "Vue 3D Environment Competition", designed to showcase the capabilities of 3D technology for CG environments.

Press Release from Crawford Post Productions

Jim Bowhall returns to Crawford Post Production as creative director. Leading a team of artists, he collaborates with clients to develop storyboards and cultivate ideas while working on agency, corporate and broadcast projects. Jim is an award-winning editor, compositor, motion graphics designer and 3D animator. High-profile work includes The Coca-Cola Company, The Weather Channel, Krystal, GA Lottery, Yamaha, The National Geographic Channel and many others.

Press Release from Smith Micro Software, Inc.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI) Productivity and Graphics Group today announced the availability of Anime Studio Debut 6. Anime Studio Debut 6 offers a comprehensive set of easy-to-use animation tools that help hobbyists, artists, and students create animations and cartoons for home videos, school projects, or their websites, and even share them via popular social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

Press Release from VIZ Media, LLC

Press Release from Storek Studio

The founders of Storek Studio have entered the visual effects and motion graphics design market with the launch of an innovative new plug in for digital artists and the Apple Final Cut Studio community -- nVeil (www.nveil.com).

Leveraging a sophisticated new SVG file filtering engine, nVeil enables the creation of an entirely new digital art form in which video clips - with full motion and color - are filtered through SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) 'veils' to create visually immersive and stunning imagery.