AWN Headline News

Digital Dimension continues to help set the pace for seamlessly believable Hollywood visual effects as the lead visual effects studio on the new NASCAR-themed movie TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. Following on such collaborations as ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE and BLADE: TRINITY, visual effects supervisor Joe Conmy entrusted the award-winning company with the movies three large NASCAR race sequences, as well as other select scenes, for a total of 267 shots.

Acclaimed commercial and shorts director Neill Blomkamp will make his feature debut with HALO, to be produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh under their WingNut Films banner for Universal Pictures (domestically) and Twentieth Century Fox (internationally). Visual effects, miniatures and creature design and creation will all be handled by Weta Digital Ltd. and Weta Workshop Ltd.

Gradient Effects, a new visual effects studio with international expertise specializing in feature work, has set up shop in Venice, California, founded by vfx supervisor/producer Thomas Tannenberger. He will be joined by Olcun Tan as head of R&D, a former lead effects developer at DreamWorks.

After receiving Best of Show honors, ONE RAT SHORT by Alex Weil of Charlex was the winner of the SIGGRAPH 2006 People's Choice Award. This short film follows a New York City rat from his own gritty world to the interior of a futuristic laboratory. Along his journey, the main character experiences love, danger and his fate.

For the second year, attendees were able to vote for their favorite selection from the Electronic and Animation Theaters within the Computer Animation Festival.

Disney/Pixars CARS, the summers second biggest hit thus far at $237.5M, debuts Nov. 7 on DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99). Unlike the fully loaded two-disc extravaganzas for past Pixar animated features, though, CARS will be a single-disc release available in both anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen versions.

Fox Filmed Ent. and Walden Media have joined forces with the mandate of marketing and releasing family films.

Walden Media, whose recent success includes the worldwide blockbuster THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, is bringing its future feature development slate to the joint venture. Fox will also contribute a number of current and newly developed projects. Walden Media's previously announced films at other studios would remain in place.