D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) has sealed a worldwide publishing agreement with DreamWorks Animation SKG for videogames based on the forthcoming computer animated feature film, FLUSHED AWAY, produced by Aardman Animation. The first games are scheduled to be released for console systems and handheld systems in Q4 2006 to coincide with the release of the film on Nov. 3, 2006.
Rick Sands, most recently the president/coo of DreamWorks SKG and the former coo of Miramax Films, has been named coo of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM). In this newly created position, Sands takes on the initial responsibilities of leveraging and managing the world's largest modern film and television library across all platforms, including the new media landscape of internet and mobile as well as the traditional channels of distribution television, video and international.
KING KONG is up four Oscars in the list of nominees just released by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 78th Annual Academy Awards, starting with Best Visual Effects, up against THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE and WAR OF THE WORLDS. In an apparent snubbing of George Lucas, the visual effects branch of the academy rejected his final STAR WARS movie, EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, which received a sole nomination for makeup.
Friday the 13th in January 2006 was far from unlucky for New York Citys animation community. On that date, Too Art for TV, the first gallery show of art created by New York animators opened at the Stay Gold Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
TIM BURTONS CORPSE BRIDE, the critically acclaimed stop-motion feature made at 3 Mills Studios in London, makes its DVD debut Jan. 31, 2006 (Warner Home Video, $28.98) the very day its nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. Co-directed by Burton and Mike Johnson, CORPSE BRIDE boasts groundbreaking puppetry from Mackinnon & Saunders and digital cinematography that enhances the look and feel of the characters and sets. Short featurettes explore the making of the film rather than a long doc.
Buena Vista Home Ent. has set March 21, 2006, for the DVD launch of CHICKEN LITTLE ($29.99), Disneys first full 3D-animated feature, and April 4 for the release of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE in both single and double-disc editions with lots of extras ($29.99). NARNIA picked up three Oscar nominations: vfx (courtesy of Rhythm & Hues, Sony Pictures Imageworks and ILM), makeup and sound mixing.
At the New York Festivals Awards, Animal Logic was awarded a Gold Medal World for Best Special Effects for its work on Fosters Australia Big Ad and VooDooDog won a Silver Award for Best Main Titles for its end credit sequence on NANNY MCPHEE.
In turnaround, Warner Bros. Pictures has snatched up Roland Emmerich's big-budget 10,000 B.C. from Sony, reports VARIETY. Emmerich will start lensing the prehistoric adventure in late April in South Africa with an eye on a summer 2007 release.
The turnaround comes less than five months after Emmerich and producing partner Michael Wimer initiated the project at Columbia Pictures through their Centropolis company.
Konami Digital Ent. Inc. announced new titles and additional details for its 2006 lineup. On the heels of a year that featured the release of all-new versions of blockbuster franchises such as CASTLEVANIA, DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION and KARAOKE REVOLUTION, this years roster will boast the latest versions of franchises METAL GEAR SOLID, WINNING ELEVEN and SUIKODEN as well as the companys first title for Xbox 360 RUMBLE ROSES XX.
fmx/06, the 11th International Conference on Animation, Effects, Realtime and Content, will take place May 3-6, 2006, in Stuttgart, Germany.
Topics include the latest animated movies and vfx features, the convergence of games and movies, new fields of work for animators, the latest use of realtime graphics and current trends from the Far East. There is also new cooperation with the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, with overlapping programs, in addition to the festival award ceremony coinciding with the opening of fmx/06 on the evening of May 2.
NAB and partners ETC-USC (the Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California) and SMPTE (the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) announced that immediate and near future applications will be the focus of the Digital Cinema Summit at NAB2006. Set for April 22 and 23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Summit will feature case studies, expert tutorials, keynotes and panels that examine practical issues arising from the production, postproduction, distribution and presentation of digital cinema.
Business travelers watching the Steelers and Seahawks battle for the coveted Super Bowl title will be inspired to charge the boardroom and challenge corporate foes with United as their ally. The first United Super Bowl ad in more than a decade and its first to use stop motion, DRAGON, will debut during the Feb. 5 Super Bowl XL game, just prior to the start of the much-anticipated halftime event. The television advertisement will appear in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
With the close of Sundance and Slamdance this past weekend, animated shorts snatched up coveted prizes at the Park City, Utah events.
At Sundance, where animated and live-action shorts compete against each other, Adam Parrish King's animated, THE WRATH OF COBBLE HILL, tied with Carter Smith's live-action BUGCRUSH for the animated jury prize for shorts.
New Line has put a FRIDAY THE 13TH prequel on the fast track, reports VARIETY. The studio has greenlit the script development of a story that would chronicle the origins of hockey-mask wearing killer Jason Voorhees. The studio hopes to have the 10th film in the franchise ready for a Friday, Oct. 13, 2006, opening.
CBS has greenlit a pilot for a new live-action TV program based on the comicbook, ULTRA, reports VARIETY. JOAN OF ARCADIA creator Barbara Hall will exec produce the pilot. CBS Paramount Network TV is producing the show.
The comic is a spoof of celebrity magazines and follows a female superhero who must balance saving the world, advancing her career as super model, Pearl Penalosa, and developing a love life.
David Engel and David Alpert are co-exec producers on the project.
After the city of Los Angeles filed suit against Take-Two Software for selling pornographic videogames to children, the game developers stock plummeted on Friday. At the close of Friday, Take-Two share were at $14.69 down 13.7%. Earlier in the day, the stock had hit a three-year low of $13.68.
The game named in the suit is GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS, which had its rating changed from MA "Mature 17+" to AO "Adults Only 18+ after it was discovered that it contained hidden sex scenes.
Taking Back Sunday Flash Video Contest World Wide WebFebruary 18, 2006Deadline: February 18, 2006
Create an original Flash Animation music video for the song Error Operator by rock band Taking Back Sunday and you could win an Xbox 360, music from Warner Bros. Records, and a chance to have your animated music video used by the band. For more information, visit www2.fanscape.com/contests/ifilm/takingbacksunday/contest.html or contact Christy Wise at christyw@fanscape.com.
Foxs BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2 debuted in the top spot at the box office with $27.7M for the weekend ended Jan. 29, 2006. Universals new entry, NANNY MCPHEE (with vfx from Framestore CFC), was a distant second with $14.5M. Screen Gems UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION (with Luma Pictures as the lead vfx house), last weeks winner, slipped to third place with $11.4M for a two-week cume of $44.6M. Buena Vistas ANNAPOLIS bowed in fourth with $7.6M. HOODWINKED, the hot 3D-animated indie from The Weinstein Co., dropped to fifth with $7.4M, good enough for a cume of $37.7M.
MadCat Women's International Film Festival 2006San Francisco & Berkeley, California, USASeptember 2006 Deadline: May 15, 2006.
Tahoe Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) Lake Tahoe & Reno, Nevada, USAAugust 23-27, 2006Deadline: May 31, 2006
Tahoe Reno International Film Festival strives to produce an annual international film festival that brings independent filmmakers exposure, innovative means to gain resources and artful career growth choices. T-RIFF promotes film both as an art form and a catalyst for positive social change. For more information, visit www.t-riff.org.
AWN has massively updated its Theatrical Release Database with new movies and other information changes.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
This week in AWN's Forums, members are abuzz with the news that Disney has acquired Pixar.
The Golden Globe Awards have jumped on the animation bandwagon, announcing next year's Golden Globes will offer a new category when the awards are announced in January 2007.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc. voted last month to establish Best Animated Feature Film commencing with The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2007, it was announced by Philip Berk, president.
John Carey, a 30-year show business veteran, joins CritterPix Studios in northern California as svp of production.
Carey has established and maintained CG pipelines for several animated feature productions and companies. Most recently he was vp of production and technology at Walt Disney Pictures, where he led a team of some 150 professionals that managed both technology and film production. Previously Carey was cto for Toronto-based, C.O.R.E Ent.
