Japanese toy giant Bandais got game, acquiring Nippon videogame giant Namco for $1.7 billion in cash and stock, in a huge development for the gaming industry.
Bandai owns the POWER RANGERS and DIGIMON, while Namco owns the classic PAC-MAN and new hit games such as TEKKEN. The financial and trade wires are buzzing about how this combination will create Japans second-biggest maker of toys and videogames.
This week in the Theatrical Release Database, we have more than a half dozen changes including new trailers and date updates.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
This week in AWN's Forums, a member wants to know why more and more Flash animation is being released in mov and mpg format. More tips on animating trees and rustling leaves have some in. A new member wants to know how other members broke into the animation biz. Another blogger is having a problem image plane in Maya 6.0 and needs help. More answers to the question of Indian 2D prices come in. And as always more members are looking for school and course advice.
From September 2005, the Department of Electronics at the University of Kent will complement its BSc in Multimedia Technology and Design with an MSc in Computer Animation. This MSc, which is a direct collaboration between the Department of Electronics and Mike Eames, head of animation at Framestore CFC, will equip students to become highly skilled professionals in the animation and visual effects industry.
New York-based Quiet Man recently created a vibrant young CG elephant that hooves up the classic Gene Kelly SINGIN IN THE RAIN routine from the 1952 film. Quiet Man's CG elephant recreates the footwork from Kelly's famous routine for a General Electric corporate image TV commercial. Headed by ad agency BBDO New York, this light-hearted spot promotes G.E.'s involvement with ecological research and development. The spot began airing April 28, 2005.
Responding to the rapidly increasing performance demands of cinematic quality imagery, Pixar Animation Studios announced the release of version 12.5 of its award-winning RenderMan Pro Server software.
Key features of RenderMan Pro Server v12.5 include accelerated ray tracing, support for hierarchical subdivision surfaces, an API to read and write point cloud files, ray tracing visibility and shading attribute simplification and many other improvements and optimizations.
Autodesk has begun deploying Autodesk 3ds Max 7.5 software to its base of subscription customers. Significant enhancements range from a robust integrated hair and fur system and the most current version of mental ray 3.4 together with eight satellite render node licenses to a new design toolset that combines the feature sets of 3ds Max and Autodesk VIZ software. 3ds Max 7.5 files are completely cross compatible with the current 3ds Max version 7 software.
Emmy Award-winning Los Angeles visual effects and design company A52 has hired Andrew Hall, formerly a feature film animation supervisor for Digital Domain, as CG supervisor.
Hall began his career at London's The Motion Picture Co., earning the title of senior animator and working on numerous TV commercials and features, including THE ENGLISH PATIENT, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, RICHARD III and THE MIRACLE MAKER.
Shinya Yarimizo, formerly of Square USA and the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) at the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, has joined Pipelinefx as a senior software engineer. Yarimizo worked on the Production Software Group that developed the technical infrastructure for creating FINAL FANTASY THE SPIRITS WITHIN, the 3D-animated feature film produced by Square USA in Honolulu. Led by Pipelinefx cto, Troy Brooks, the Production Software Group was also responsible for building the predecessor to qube!
Buena Vistas THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (with vfx by Cinesite) topped the box office chart in its debut for the weekend ended May 1, 2005, collecting $21.1M. Universals THE INTERPRETER, last weekends winner, slipped to second place, with $13.8M for a two-week total of $43.1M. The other big opener, XXX: STATE OF THE UNION (with vfx from ILM), didnt fare so well for Sony Revolution, as Ice Cube stepped in for Vin Diesel. The Lee Tamahori actioner netted a disappointed $12.7M for a third place finish.
Crossing over from small screen to big screen fans, 20th Century Fox has been exercising some synergy, releasing AMERICAN DAD: INSIDE THE CIA, a never-before-seen short, running exclusively before the film FEVER PITCH, starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. The three-minute short, which is a take-off on CIA training films from the 50s, is screening before the Fox film, FEVER PITCH, holding in seventh place at the box office in the U.S. in its fifth week of release while the Fox TV series, AMERICAN DAD, premiered May 1 9:30 pm on FOX.
Animator/director Ed Eddie Friedman passed away on April 29, 2005, at the age of 92 in Los Angeles, due to complications from a stroke he had suffered a stroke about a year ago. From 1933 until 1989, Friedman worked for Iwerks, Mintz/Screen Gems, John Sutherland, Disney, UPA, Format, Bagle Productions, Ed Graham and Filmation.
Forty-five years ago, when Walt Disney had a new animated feature to plug he used his Sunday night TV series to give his audience a look at the film and share some secrets of its making. When DreamWorks Animation SKG wanted to let the world know theyve arrived as a publicly owned company spun off from the original DreamWorks with five films scheduled for release between now and 2007 they went Walt one better.
IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE will be simultaneously released to both IMAX and conventional theatres on November 18, 2005. The film is based on the best-selling J.K. Rowling book and is the fourth installment of the tremendously successful HARRY POTTER film series, which has grossed a total of more than $2.6 billion around the world. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE will be digitally re-mastered into IMAX's format through the company's IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology and released to the worldwide IMAX theatre network.
12th International Film Festival "ETIUDA&ANIMA 2005"Cracow, PolandNovember 18-24, 2005Deadline: October 15, 2005
12th International Film Festival "ETIUDA&ANIMA 2005" will feature an international student and short film competition. The following prizes will be awarded at Anima 2005 competition: Grand Prix Golden Jabberwocky, Silver Jabberwocky, Bronze Jabberwocky, Special Golden Jabberwocky for the Best Animated Student Etude of the Festival. The jury also reserves the right to award Honorary Diplomas.
Cartoons on the Bay handed out its Pulcinella Awards on April 30, 2005, with AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER, FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS and PEPPA PIG all taking home two awards each. The event wrapped on Sunday with the awards shows having to turn away people because it was over capacity.
Draw Yenny Like A Pro ContestWorld Wide WebNovember 14, 2005Deadline: November 14, 2005
Alienware announced the availability of the new Alienware Aurora: Star Wars Edition, the first-ever officially licensed STAR WARS PC. Aurora: Star Wars Edition systems are based on AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 processors and packed with exclusive STAR WARS content such as desktop skins, fan club membership and movie soundtrack samples. The systems are available in two versions, Dark Side and Light Side, which feature breathtaking STAR WARS artwork on the cases.
With the theme of feature films, the latest Acrobat version of Animation World Magazine is now available for download. Karen Raugust tackles the production of indie animated features. Phillipe Moins reports about the European scene. Chris Panzner kicks off his series on commissioned work, while Rick DeMott writes about the early 2004 Oscar buzz.
Gizmondo Europe Ltd, subsidiary of Jacksonville, Florida-based Tiger Telematics Inc., can confirm the new multi-entertainment handheld will be stocked by more than 700 stores across France for launch on May 19, 2005. The retailers confirmed for launch are Antares, Virgin Megastore, PC City, 3 Suisses (VPC), Leclerc, Madison Nuggets, Cora and Surcouf handled by three distributors Innelec, Erbel-Disca 7 and Sodifa, while Darty and Boulanger will be supplied directly by Gizmondo France. Gizmondo France will also be working with leading distributor, DIES, for Belgium and Luxemburg.
The 16th annual Dusty Film Festival showcases more than 100 films by graduating seniors from School of Visual Artss Film, Video and Animation Department and offers them a chance to present their films on the big screen and in front of a large audience. The festival includes a three-day viewing of short films, videos and animations; a Screenwriters Night, where professional actors read excerpts of screenplays by graduating seniors; and an Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception with notable presenters from the film industry.
Rendercore Inc., a leader in remote rendering solutions, announced complete integration and support for the latest version of Alias Maya 6.5 on Rendercore's state-of-the-art render farm, based in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Cartoonist Emil Samuel Zekley (aka Zeke Zekley), 90, died April 28, 2005 at his Beverly Hills home, with his family at his side, after a long illness.
He drew BRINGING UP FATHER/MAGGIE AND JIGGS, PEACHY KEEN, DUD DUDLEY, MCDONALDLAND MAGAZINES, THE SQUIRRELS CLUB MAGAZINE for Glendale Federal Savings and AT EASE magazine for the U.S. Army.
Radiant Media has been selected to create the HypeFest festival's 2005 show open that will run prior to each screening at the event, which takes place in Hollywood, July 29-31, 2005.
"HypeFest links independent ideas with commercial creativity and Radiant's concept and company attitude reflects that idea in a truly complementary fashion," said HypeFest Festival co-director Jessie Nagel. "Choosing the right creative team for our open is always a fun and difficult challenge. Each year we see such great work, and Radiant's concept is no exception."
