Entity FX seamlessly leverages digital vfx to support a young man's journey away from civilization in search of himself in INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage), directed by Sean Penn.

Los Angeles-based studio Motion Theory just unveiled the new commercial THIS IS NYC, produced for New York City's first-ever global marketing campaign, spearheaded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The broadcast spot (cut in both :60 and :30 versions) serves as the centerpiece of the international tourism outreach, designed to share the experience of the city and to help attract 50 million visitors by 2015.

Disney Channel has begun production on a new Playhouse Disney preschool series entitled SPECIAL AGENT OSO, starring Academy Award-nominated actor Sean Astin as the voice of Oso, an endearing, bumbling teddy bear who enlists the help of viewers at home to complete his missions.

This week in AWN's Forums, a wannabe animation writer needs some advice. There's a thread collecting members' favorite children's book artists. RATATOUILLE is still a hot topic on the forums. A member needs some Flash vectoring help. Another member wonders if it is possible to teach themselves 2D. A senior member has started a thread to talk about the forthcoming animated SPACEBALLS TV series. Moderator Larry L wants to know if members would be interested in workshops conducted in the forums.

Studio Arts has announced it will be offering a full suite of training classes using Toon Boom Animation's Digital Pro and Storyboard Pro software. The intent of the beginning-to-advanced training courses is to provide 2D animators and other artists a thorough grounding in Toon Boom's "paperless" animation system. Toon Boom courses are due to start Oct. 6, 2007 and, along with CSATTF and ETP funding, there will be "scholarship seats" for each class that are fully-funded by Studio Arts.

This week in AWN's Forums, members are chatting about TAK AND THE POWER OF JUJU and KIM POSSIBLE. The thread grows on how to make Flash look like cel animation. The book THE ILLUSION OF LIFE spurs debate. Another continues to discuss Blu-ray versus HDDVD. A popular thread asks -- Did you think you led a good life? As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!

This week in AWN's Forums, members have entered the Bu-ray versus HDDVD debate. A junior member is looking for good script writing resources. There's a hot thread on making Flash look like cel animation. Lots of people are posting the places they go for inspiration. Others are debating the school rankings in 3D WORLD. Others need help with Maya modeling and Cintiq. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!

This week in AWN's Forums, senior member ponders how short life is with the recently deaths of Mike Weiringo and Paul Boyd. Another member needs some Maya modeling help. A junior member begins a discussion about Disney Life Drawing. There's a member who is looking for inspiration for title sequence they are working on. Another thread talks about making Flash look like cel animation. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!

The winner of the 2007 Webby People's Voice Award for Animation, 18-year-old Alan Becker, presents the ANIMATOR VS. ANIMATION GAME, exclusively available at AtomFilms. In this Flash game, a player can choose the role of "Animator" to impose his or her will and make the "Animation" a helpless victim, or play "Animator" to defend against and attack the ruthless aggressor.

Bejuba! Ent. has licensed the award-winning animated series THE AMAZING ADRENALINI BROTHERS to Voom's HDTV Networks in the U.S. THE AMAZING ADRENALINI BROTHERS is a Pesky/StudioB co-production in association with Bejuba! Ent.

Team MoCap from Bowling Green State University (Tomas Jech, W. Jacob Gardner and Jim Levasseur) took first place in the 32-hour FJORG! ''Viking Animator'' Competition for their animation SWITCH at SIGGRAPH 2007 in San Diego. Sixteen teams of three people each competed to create the most impressive character-driven animation of at least 15 seconds in length adhering to a strict set of rules and using only the resources provided at the conference.

Luxology LLC has launched Luxology TV, a new online hub that allows the 3D community to exchange and view high-resolution video clips on Luxology's website. Luxology TV enables anyone to enhance their 3D learning experience by searching, selecting and immediately watching videos on a variety of subjects, such as modeling, rendering, painting and sculpting.

The wait for Popeye is over, as Warner Home Video (WHV), Hearst Ent. and King Features Syndicate release POPEYE THE SAILOR 1933-1938 VOLUME 1 on July 31, 2007, for $64.92.

These classic POPEYE animated shorts made Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto national pop icons and the four-disc authorized edition DVD collection includes 60 original remastered and unedited theatrical shorts created by the legendary Max Fleischer.

Mark Farquhar joins Calif. State Univ. Northridge (CSUN) as full-time faculty of 3D Computer Animation in the Art Dept.

The 17-year vet has been a 3D CG character animator on films: SURF'S UP, OPEN SEASON, BEOWULF, MONSTER HOUSE, CHICKEN LITTLE, SHARK TALE, SINBAD LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS, TOY STORY 2, OSMOSIS JONES, IRON GIANT, MARVIN THE MARTIAN 3RD DIMENSION and MARS ATTACKS. He has done animation development to feature production for studios, such as DreamWorks, Disney Feature Animation, Sony Imageworks, Pixar Animation and Warner Bros.

New York City-based Animation Collective and Canadian-based Fatkat Studios will co-produce a new, 26 half-hour episode action/comedy, animated series, THREE DELIVERY, in association with; Nicktoons Network, YTV and the BBC.

THREE DELIVERY, created by Animation Collective’s founder/ceo Larry Schwarz, is about a group of teenage delivery kids/superheroes, set in a Chinatown, animated in a highly graphic comicbook style. Produced with Fatkat as a U.S./Canadian co-venture. Animation Collective will handle worldwide television and consumer products sales.

VH1 has teamed with San Francisco-based design and animation house Gunshop to create a series of animated tales from Scott Baio's past to set the stage for each episode of SCOTT BAIO IS 45 & SINGLE, in which he finds himself having a mid-life crisis of mythic proportions.

Beginning with the show's first episode on VH1, which premiered July 15, 2007, each animated short reveals another chapter from Scott's past, ranging from naked twins to pooping bums. Creative director Stacy Nimmo achieved a quick turnaround for a tight deadline by using Flash for the eight episodes.

As autumn approaches, new original cartoons from Rai Fiction hit Rai's national networks, as well as those of the two satellite kids channels Rai Sat Yoyo and Smash (with around 20% of these channels' offer consisting of cartoons produced by Rai Fiction). In addition, Rai Cartoon, a daily half-hour slot devoted to cartoons produced or co-produced by Rai Fiction, takes to the air on Rai Gulp, the new public service channel for youngsters that began experimental broadcasts on June 1, 2007, using terrestrial digital technology.

SIGGRAPH officials, along with AMD, DreamWorks Animation and HP, offered details for the world's first international FJORG! competition: an "iron animator" event in which 15 competing teams from around the world will have 32 hours to create the world's best character-driven animation in front of a live, "Gladiator-style" audience and judging panel at the San Diego Convention Center.

Feature film visual effects facility CafeFX arguably created a scene-stealing school of CG tropical fish for Universal Pictures' EVAN ALMIGHTY.

In the film, Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), newly elected to Congress, leaves Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life is turned upside-down when he is summoned by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark.

Adobe Systems Inc. announced the immediate availability of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection software. Adobe Production Premium CS3 is the comprehensive collection of integrated cross-platform post-production software tools, helping video professionals deliver stunning results for film, broadcast, DVD, web and mobile devices. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection combines 12 of Adobe's new design and development products in a single box.