Franck Le Calvez, a French children's author and aquarium buff, has sued Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, claiming FINDING NEMO bears an uncanny resemblance to his illustrated book, PIERROT LE POISSON CLOWN, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Lost Dreams Studios’ producer/director Jeremy Evans found his dream when he decided to move his small, hometown production company from Iowa to New York City.

Comcast is expected to acquire Paul Allen's computer-info channel TechTV for about $300 million, to merge it with Comcast's fledgling G4 channel, reports VARIETY, in an effort to boost its programming assets and subscriber reach.

The merger of G4 and TechTV, would combine the best original programming of each into a videogame-focused, computer and technology-based network, reaching around 45 million subs, targeted to the highly desirable male 18-34 demo.

Telefilm Canada has made a number of changes to its management structure to reflect its commitment to an asymmetrical approach to the film and television industries, based on the particular characteristics and levels of maturity of the English- and French-language markets; to its efforts to increase the synergy between core programs and international activities to ensure Canada’s competitiveness in the global market; and to offer improved client service through closer ties with the industry.

Global Entertainment Media Group, LLC (GEM Group), has acquired the film library of BMG, the worldwide music division of Bertelsmann AG. This includes all residual rights to the BMG film library that has been in existence since 1995, including free television, DVD, home video and other ancillary rights to the films.

CINAR Corp. has rescheduled a special meeting of shareholders to approve the arrangements for the acquisition of the company by Michael Hirsh, Toper Taylor and TD Capital Canadian Private Equity Partners. The meeting, previously scheduled for Jan. 15, 2004, will now be held on Feb. 5, 2004. It was rescheduled in order to provide time to resolve certain withholding tax issues for CINAR shareholders.

Marvel Enterprises Inc. has acquired the business and certain assets of New York City-based Cover Concepts, a small company specializing in the distribution of free, sponsored materials to public schools across the U.S. Cover Concepts sells advertising space on those materials, which include book covers, bookmarks, locker posters, teaching guides, health & beauty samples, calendars, stickers, notepads, folders, coloring sheets, incentive programs and growth charts. Major advertising customers have included Gatorade, McDonalds and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Durfee Foundation has announced the deadlines for the 2004 ARC grant program. ARC grants are awarded on a quarterly basis to approximately 10 Los Angeles artists. The artists can be working with any medium. Grant requests may be for up to $2,500. Applications must be postmarked on or before the following deadlines:

First Quarter: February 3, 2004
For presentations between March 4 and August 4, 2004

Second Quarter: May 4, 2004
For presentations between June 3 and November 3, 2004

Third Quarter: August 3, 2004

Delivering on its promise to expand in the arena of entertainment distribution, IDT Ent. agreed on Dec. 11, 2003, with NorthStar Entertainment Group, Inc., a subsidiary of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. (CBN) to create a joint venture that will develop, produce and distribute family friendly entertainment programming.

This came on the heels of IDT’s acquisition of DVD, home video distributor, Anchor Bay Ent. on Dec. 3 for $60 million, which became final on Dec. 11.

While NBC awaits final approval of its bid to buy Universal, the studio has promoted Mary Parent and Scott Stuber from production president to vice chairman, worldwide production, for Universal Pictures. In their newly-created positions Parent and Stuber will continue to oversee the worldwide acquisition, creative development and production of all Universal Pictures feature films, and will also oversee Universal's original made-for-video productions as well as the creative development and production of its original animation properties.

Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. announced Dec. 10, 2003 that it is essentially stopping TV and movie production with the departure of entertainment group ceo Peter Sussman and Seaton McLean, the group's president, production. The company will hone its activities down to primarily specialty channel broadcasting and TV/film distribution.

Metal rocker-turned-film director Rob Zombie and author-cartoonist Steve Niles have formed a new production company, Creep Entertainment Intl, reported VARIETY. The firm already has lined-up three comicbook inspired projects -- THE NAIL with Dark Horse Comics, BIGFOOT with IDW Comics and LORDS OF SALEM. Zombie and Niles have co-written the scripts for all three films.

IDT Entertainment plans to wrap up the holidays by acquiring yet another entertainment company, buying home video distributor, Anchor Bay Entertainment Group, from Handleman Co. for about $60 million. With this purchase, expected to clear in late December 2003, IDT adds an important a vital distribution component to its rapidly, escalading entertainment empire.

e frontier and Curious Labs have merged in an effort to "create greater synergy of products and business models." "e frontier has the reputation as one of the top selling 3D tools in Asia," said Curious Labs' ceo Marc Keohane. "Curious Labs has the well established Poser product. Combined, we will now offer a worldwide solution for the creative 3D artist community."

The new company will retain the separate names of each entity making e frontier the parent company of Curious Labs in the U.S.

The same week that ousted Roy Disney mounted his coup, Walt Disney's Buena Vista Film Distribution Group announced a new industry record for global box office in 2003 with its combined domestic and international gross exceeding $3 billion - thanks in no small measure to the record-breaking back-to-back $300 million duo of FINDING NEMO and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.

Three award-winning veterans of the animation industry have joined forces to form a new media company, phuuz entertainment in North, Hollywood, California. Co-founders of this new enterprise are Emmy Award-winning producer/director and former exec creative director at Film Roman, Eric Radomski, former production vp at Warner Bros. Animation, Ken Duer, and former vp/gm for LEVEL13.NET (Film Roman’s Internet entertainment site), Jay Francis.

If the honey jar don’t fit you must… In another twist to the legal battle between WINNIE THE POOH U.S. rights holders the Slesinger family versus Walt Disney Co., the Slesingers have hired O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial lawyer Johnnie Cochrin – their ninth lawyer, reported the Associated Press. In mid October, the law firm Jones Day stepped down from the case after less than five months on the 12-year long case, because the family could no longer afford its services.

Roy E. Disney, vice chairman of Walt Disney Co. stepped down from the board of directors and called on chairman/chief exec Michael Eisner to resign in a scathing letter.

On Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003, he sent a three-page letter to Eisner criticizing the chairman's leadership over the past seven years. Disney has called for Eisner's resignation in the past, but the idea was rejected by the board.

Following is the text of Roy Disney's Letter sent to Michael Eisner, asking him to resign:

Mr. Michael D. Eisner, Chairman
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Dear Michael,

It is with deep sadness and regret that I send you this letter of resignation from the Walt Disney Company, both as Chairman of the Feature Animation Division and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The U.S. Congress, under Republican leadership, and the White House agreed late Nov. 24, 2003 in Washington DC to a new limit on the number of television stations one company can own, a compromise reached to help make way for approval of a massive spending bill that will keep the government running for a year.