ROBOTS, 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studio's eagerly awaited follow-up to ICE AGE, will be powered by the celebrity voice- over work of Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry and Mel Brooks. The computer-animated movie, under the helm of director Chris Wedge, has been in production for two months, and is set for release March 11, 2005.

Young males got their movie thrills last weekend with the opening of Universal's FAST AND FURIOUS sequel, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, which revved up the box office chart with $50.5M. Crystal Dowd served as VFX producer and Collin Fowler was VFX coordinator for Illusion Arts.

FINDING NEMO, meanwhile, slipped to second place after its record-breaking opening with a very impressive $46.6M, giving the Disney/Pixar hit $144M in less than two weeks.

In its continuing effort to embrace more commercial event films (with the cooperation of the CAA talent agency), IMAX will release Warner Bros.' THE MATRIX RELOADED in select theaters on Friday, June 6, 2003, and, for the first time, in various international venues through early July (including the U.K., Germany, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Japan). The timing couldn't be better, as the second mind-bending film in the Wachowski Brothers' trilogy recently set a new international box office record in its opening weekend (more than $113M).

They're at it again. Disney announced yesterday that it's releasing the next Pixar film, Brad Bird's THE INCREDIBLES, on November 5, 2004, the same date that DreamWorks had already positioned for the launch of SHARKSLAYER, its very own computer-animated underwater answer to Pixar's FINDING NEMO. So rather than going head-to-head, DreamWorks has decided to find another slot, though the family film traffic is already heavy in November, with POLAR EXPRESS, the CGI reteaming of Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis, bowing on November 19 along with the first SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS theatrical feature.

It's only fitting that Monster Distributes has picked up all rights outside of the U.K. for a monstrous property called DOMINATOR, an 80-minute adult CGI feature from Rengamedia, which it is showcasing at Annecy. Rengamedia specializes in the development and production of animation and Manga-based projects for broadcast on TV and the Web.

It was destiny after all that the curious, unfinished 1946 animated collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali be completed. Long considered a lost cause, DESTINO was recently produced by the Disney Co. and given a surprise world premiere June 2, 2003 at the opening of this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The five-minute short will also screen June 3 on the lake at 10:00 pm, with free access to all Annecians.

FINDING NEMO, the computer-animated underwater comedy/adventure from Disney/Pixar, exceeded all expectations with a record-breaking bow of $70.3M last weekend. That's the best opening ever for an animated feature, topping the $62.6M grabbed by MONSTERS, INC., the fourth Pixar/Disney movie from 2001. It's also the best three-day gross for any Buena Vista feature, live action or animated.

FINDING NEMO, the latest computer-animated feature from pioneering Pixar Animation Studios, opened nationwide May 30, 2003 armed with blockbuster intentions and Oscar ambitions. The well-reviewed underwater comedy/adventure about father and son clown fish, boasts the voice talents of stars Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres and Willem Dafoe. It marks the fifth collaboration between Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures, who, as everyone knows, may part ways in 2005, and the first time they've dived into the summer fray.

ADV Films has acquired the rights to produce a live-action feature version of the hugely popular anime TV series NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. Adding to the appeal of the project, Weta Workshop, Ltd., the effects studios behind the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, will also be on board for the production as well as anime and game studio Gainax Network Systems, one of the original production studios responsible for the show.

310 Studios and Hacienda Post have recently wrapped all post production work on the upcoming direct-to-video 3D feature, BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT, produced by the LEGO Company, Create TV and Film, and Creative Capers Entertainment. Debuting on DVD and home video September 16, 2003, the feature film is based on the successful BIONICLE brand and will be distributed under the Miramax Home Entertainment label via Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Atlanta-based Fathom Studios has added two more top Hollywood names to its list of voices for its 3D feature film, DELGO, with the addition of Jennifer Love Hewitt (HEARTBREAKERS) and Chris Kattan (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE). They join a cast which already includes Val Kilmer (TOMBSTONE), Michael Clarke Duncan (GREEN MILE), Eric Idle (MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL), and Lou Gossett, Jr. (DIGGSTOWN). Hewitt will bring to life Princess Kyla, a spitfire princess with a big heart, while Kattan will voice Filo, a fast-talking, wisecracking smart aleck.

Based on the popular comic strip, ASTERIX AND THE VIKINGS will boast a $25 million budget, making it the most expensive European animated feature in history, reported THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The film is an adaptation of a 1967 album, which has Vikings kidnapping little warrior Asterix, so they can learn fear, thus gaining the power to fly. The film will be completely financed by French firm M6 and Denmark's Stefan Fjeldmark (HELP, I'M A FISH) will helm the 75-minute film. Fjeldmark also co-wrote the script with Belgian Jean-Luc Goossens.

A year into its making, Sony Pictures Animation (SPA) has unveiled a busy slate of five new projects with major animation directors and writers to create diverse, unbranded entertainment for a broad audience, as envisioned by co-chiefs, Sandra Rabins and Penny Finkelman Cox. The new stable hails from such blockbusters as THE LION KING, MONSTERS, INC., SHREK, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT and TOY STORY.

THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE, the theatrical version of the popular TV series LIZZIE MCGUIRE that debuted in second place at the U.S. box office, has been given the Disney greenlight for a sequel. The Walt Disney Co. struck a deal with writer Melissa Gould to write it, even though she did not pen the first film, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. TV series exec producer Susan Estelle Janson, Ed Decter and John Strauss wrote the first movie while Gould has served as a writer on the series.

Twentieth Century Fox's X2: X-MEN UNITED generated the second-highest international gross ever for a day-and-date rollout, taking in $85.8 in the U.S. and another $69.4M internationally from 93 markets. Reviewers like this version of the Marvel Comics mutants better than the first movie. Contributing VFX to the blockbuster reigning in first place in the U.S. were Cinesite, EYETECH Optics, Frantic Films, Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co. and Rhythm & Hues. Disney's THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE launched in second place with a $17M take.