Street Fighter Alpha Anthology & Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition Announced
Capcom announced the release of STREET FIGHTER ALPHA ANTHOLOGY and DEVIL MAY CRY 3: DANTES AWAKENING Special Edition for PlayStation 2.
AWN Headline News
Miami 85 Toon Wins MoTV Award at NATPE Mobile ++
iHollywood Forum, Fun Little Movies and NeTV announced the winners of the first MoTV Awards. Comedian Eddie Griffin (DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO) congratulated the winners in person last night in a gala ceremony at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Dance Dance Revolution Added To School Curriculum in West Virginia
Konami Digital Ent. Inc. announced a three-year partnership with the state of West Virginia that will help the states public school students get in shape while also having fun. Through the program, all 765 West Virginia public schools will be adding DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION (DDR) to their physical education or health related curriculum based program within the next two years. In the first phase of the program, all of the states 103 middle/junior high schools will incorporate DDR into their curriculum in the coming months.
VIZ Media Serves Up U.S. & Int'l Menus at NATPE
VIZ Media Llc., one of the entertainment industrys most innovative and comprehensive manga and animation licensing and publishing companies, has brought an array of new shows for both U.S. and international broadcasters. VIZS is located at booth 1344 in the Kids Town grouping the anime specialist has sponsored during NATPE at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
For U.S. broadcasters, VIZ is offering MÄR, ZOIDS GENESIS, HIKARU NO GO, THE PRINCE OF TENNIS, FULL MOON, GRANDPA DANGER and CROKET.
For International broadcasters, VIZ is offering:
In Anime, Television, Anime, Television | Headline News | Special Events: NATPE | Geographic Region: All, Asia, North America, South America
New Disney Toon Committee Features Three From Pixar
More details of the Walt Disney-Pixar merger have become public via the companys SEC filing on Jan. 26, 2006. Pixars Steve Jobs, John Lasseter and Ed Catmull will sit on a committee with Disneys ceo Bob Iger, Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook and Disney cfo Tom Staggs to oversee all the feature animation at the company. Lasseter, who will report to Iger directly, will have greenlight power, subject to the approval of the committee, which will work out R&D and budget issues. The committee will meet once a month at Pixars headquarters in Emeryville, California.
NewTek LIVE! 2006 Tour Announced
NewTek Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading video and 3D animation products, has launched a 50-city tour demonstrating how to work faster and lower costs using NewTek tools. The tour, spanning January through April, highlights TriCaster, VT[4], LightWave 3D and 3D Arsenal Creation Theater.
THQ Scores Worldwide Videogame Rights to Stormbreaker Movie
THQ Inc. has the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and publish videogames based on the forthcoming teen spy movie, STORMBREAKER. The movie follows the award-winning author Anthony Horowitz's series of best-selling Alex Rider books. The videogames, developed by Altron for Nintendo DS and Razorback Developments for Game Boy Advance, are scheduled for a simultaneous worldwide launch with the movie in summer 2006.
Disney's The Emperor's New School Premieres on Four Platforms
Disney's animated comedy series, THE EMPEROR'S NEW SCHOOL, premieres on four platforms Disney Channel, Disney Channel on Demand, Toon Disney and the ABC Television Network's ABC Kids, beginning Jan. 20-30, 2006. Based on the 2000 theatrical movie, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, the comedy/action series is the first to premiere across the four kids' TV platforms.
Daniel Taylor to Resign President's Post at MGM
Daniel Taylor is stepping down from his post as president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM), as of Jan. 31, 2006, having completed the first phase of MGM's transition to its new business model as well as restructuring MGM's operations.
Students: It’s Time to Enter VisionFest
VisionFest 2006Indianapolis, Indiana, USAJune 1-4, 2006Deadline: February 10, 2006
VisionFest 2006 is the nations largest juried digital arts festival for high school and college students. Entries must be postmarked no later than midnight, Friday, Feb. 10, 2006, to qualify for competitive judging and critique.
Oxford International Fest Wants Your Films
Oxford International Festival Of FilmsOxford, U.K.May 2-12, 2006Deadline: February 15, 2006
Oxford International Festival Of Films promises white-hot films and stars from around the world. The film festival celebrates cinema from around the world both professional and student. This years event will feature workshops and seminars, highlight the work done on the LORD OF THE RINGS, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and HARRY POTTER films. For more information, visit www.oxfordfestivalfilms.com.
Send Your Films to the Zoie Films Online Festival
Zoie Films Online FestivalWorld Wide WebFebruary 15, 2006Deadline: February 15, 2006
The Zoie Films Online Festival celebrates 10 years of independent cinema and showcases the best works from around the globe. This unique forum utilizes the best technology for presentation and allows filmmakers to be seen by an international audience. ZoieFest offers viewers a non-stop film festival from your desktop for anyone seeking an independent film, animation or documentary quick fix. For more information, visit www.zoiefilms.com.
McDonald’s Happy Meals Deals For Strawberry Shortcake & Dragon Booster
The characters from STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE and the animated series DRAGON BOOSTER will find their way into McDonalds Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals nationwide. Running Jan. 27 through Feb. 23, 2006, guests will receive one of eight berry fun Strawberry Shortcake characters or one of eight DRAGON BOOSTER action figures with the purchase of a Happy Meal or Mighty Kids Meal, at participating McDonalds restaurants, while supplies last.
Digital Ribbon Signs Partnership for On-Demand Rendering Service
Orlando-based Digital Ribbon has signed a cross-marketing agreement with Maxwell Render, a digital animation firm based in Spain, who will provide use of its digital animation software to Digital Ribbon clients. Both firms will earn commissions on software licensing agreements.
Nick, MTV & Comedy Central Programs Available on iTunes
MTV Networks and Apple announced Jan. 26, 2006, that hit television programming from MTV, MTV2, COMEDY CENTRAL, Nickelodeon and The N is now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com). The new content features favorites, such as PUNK'D, SOUTH PARK, DORA THE EXPLORER, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and LAGUNA BEACH.
Cinamour Sells Forbidden Warrior at NATPE
Producer and distributor Cinamour Ent. announced at NATPE that it signed fours deals for its martial arts film, FORBIDDEN WARRIOR. Cinamour sold the 90-minute film to Rainbow Media's VOOM HD Channels, Eurocine (Spain and Andorra), Brand View Media (China Home Video) and DAAR Communications (Nigeria). The fantasy-adventure film follows the adventures of a female Asian mythical hero.
In Television, Visual Effects, Television, Visual Effects | Headline News | Special Events: NATPE | Geographic Region: All, Asia, Europe
Warcraft Manga Second Volume Released
TOKYOPOP and game producer Blizzard Ent. announced the release of WARCRAFT: SHADOWS OF ICE, the second volume of the successful manga series, based on Blizzard's popular WARCRAFT game universe. WARCRAFT: DRAGON HUNT, the first volume of the trilogy, has gone back to print four times in less than one year. The manga is written by NEW YORK TIMES best-selling fantasy author Richard Knaak who has also written four WARCRAFT text novels and is illustrated by Jae-Hwan Kim, artist of TOKYOPOP's KING OF HELL series.
Screen Gems Blesses TOKYOPOP Manga
Screen Gems has hired AMITYVILLE HORROR director Andrew Douglas to turn Min-Woo Hyungs manga PRIEST, published by TOKYOPOP, into a feature film, reports VARIETY. Mitchell Peck, Mike De Luca, Sam Raimi and Josh Donen will produce the film, which is set to start production this summer. Cory Goodman wrote the screenplay.
The tale is a vampire Western that follows a warrior priest who disobeys church law by partnering with a young sheriff and a priestess to hunt down a band of renegade vampires who have kidnapped his niece.
Toy Story 3 Recalled
One of the first signs that things will change at Disney under Pixars Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, Lasseter informed Walt Disney Feature Animation employees that TOY STORY 3 would cease production immediately, reports the ASSOCIATED PRESS.
Digital Musings From the Editor:
Reaction within the industry to Disneys $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar has been very positive so far, and was even was the talk of last nights VFX Bake-Off at the Academy. Two very dynamic companies getting stronger, was echoed by many, with the hope that Pixar can remain Pixar while helping to reinvigorate Disney animation.
Carrie Holecek Joins Post Logic Studios L.A.
Leading longform post-production company Post Logic Studios has hired marketing exec and digital intermediate producer Carrie Holecek for the newly created position of vp of business development. In her new role, Holecek will have oversight of the companys sales and marketing activities; her responsibilities will also extend to the studios digital production workflow and client relationships and services.
NVIDIA Takes the Power of GeForce 7 Series GPUs Mainstream
NVIDIA Corp. launched the new NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS graphics processing unit (GPU). The latest addition to the Companys award-winning GeForce 7 Series line up, the GeForce 7300 GS boasts the video and gaming features of todays most advanced GPUs to deliver stunning, high-def video up to 1080i resolution and cutting edge gaming effects. In addition, the GeForce 7300 GS GPU is primed for the upcoming Microsoft Vista operating system (OS).
V for Vendetta Goes IMAX
IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures will release V FOR VENDETTA, the action-adventure from the creators of THE MATRIX trilogy, simultaneously to IMAX and conventional theaters on March 17, 2006. Produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski Brothers, directed by James McTeigue and starring Natalie Portman, V FOR VENDETTA will be digitally re-mastered through IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. Warner Bros. Pictures will be the exclusive distributor of the film to IMAX theaters worldwide. It features vfx from Cinesite (Europe) and Double Negative.
New England Quarterback Tom Brady Scores Guest Position on Family Guy
New England quarterback Tom Brady joins the animated lineup of on FOX Jan. 29, 2006, doing a guest voice appearance on a special football-themed episode of FAMILY GUY at 9:00 pm.
MTV Networks Latin America Offers Sneak Looks at NATPE
MTV Networks Latin America announced a slate of new acquisitions from Paramount, Sony Studios, Warner Bros. and NBC Universal, among others, to further bolster its 2006 program schedule as the network prepared for this weeks National Association of Programming Executives Conference, NATPE, in Las Vegas. The new acquisitions span a variety of genres and styles and will air in the region on Nickelodeon, VH1 and LOGO.
In Television, Television | Headline News | Special Events: NATPE | Geographic Region: All, North America, South America
