AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for Aug. 14, 2006
This week in AWN's Forums, members debate the validity of a Web report claiming Walt Disney was a fascist anti-Semite.
This week in AWN's Forums, members debate the validity of a Web report claiming Walt Disney was a fascist anti-Semite.
Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave and Isabella Rossellini will provide voices for the independent animated feature, MY DOG TULIP, based on J.R. Ackerleys 1956 British novel, reports VARIETY.
Brian Murray, Paul Hecht, Peter Gerety and Euan Morton fill out the rest of the voice cast. The story follows a 14-year friendship between Ackerley and his German Shepherd, Tulip, after the scribe rescued the dog.
Chinas State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has issued a new notice stating that no TV stations will be allowed to broadcast foreign cartoons before 8:00 pm, starting from Sept. 1, 2006, reports various news sources. Chinas primetime programming hours are 5:00 to 8:00 pm.
The notice was not published on SARFT's website, but staff at Southwest China's Guizhou Provincial Television Station, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CHINA DAILY that they received it more than two months ago.
L.A.-based Indican Pictures quietly released the 2D animated feature, ROMEO AND JULIET: SEALED BY A KISS in L.A. theaters over the past weekend.
Produced by Phil Nibbelink Prods., the story retells the Shakespeare play casting seals as the star-crossed lovers. When Juliet's father gives her hand in marriage to the monstrous elephant seal named Prince, Juliet, with the help of friends Friar Lawrence and Kissy the kissing fish, must fake her death in order to be reunited with Romeo. Phil Nibbelink (AN AMERICAN TAIL: FIEVEL GOES WEST) wrote and directed the film.
Virgin Comics has set up an animation studio in Bangalore where artists work on themes with a strong eastern influence. Reports NDTVPROFIT.COM.
"Bangalore is the true R&D centre for Virgin animation," said Suresh Seetharaman, president, Virgin Comics & Virgin Animation. "It creates all the content, be it art, content and works with a complete network of people abroad who help us put it all together."
Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of games for mobile phones, has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with Touchstone Television to develop, publish and distribute mobile games based on the award-winning series LOST and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, which air on ABC-TV in the U.S. The games are scheduled for release in early 2007.
Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeons 24-hour animation network, and Frederator Studios announced award winners from Nicktoons Network Animation Festival during the festivals first two-day live event at the Nick Toon Studio lot in Burbank, California. Keith Dawkins, gm, Nicktoons Network, emceed the presentation of the awards plus a sneak peak at the shorts to be broadcast.
The winners and prizes are as follows:Student Award Winner LIBRARYHEAD by David Bazelon, Los Angeles
Bethesda Softwork has secured all five actors who portrayed the STAR TREK series captains William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew to provide voiceovers in the STAR TREK: LEGACY videogame. The collaboration marks the first time the five actors have participated in a single STAR TREK project together.
Raid Projects is looking for an artist to fill the September, October and November Artist In Residency space. Previously approved artists will get priority, but all artists are encouraged to apply.
For periods of three or six months residents are provided with living accommodations, a studio and during the last month of their stay a well-publicized solo exhibition. During the residency Raid facilitates residents to establish working professional links in the L.A. art world and to bring curators, critics and collectors to see the solo show privately.
Alliance Atlantis Intl Content Distribution and Hudson's Bay Co. (Hbc) announced that they are partnering to bring consumers an exclusive meal program and unique meet and greet opportunities, developed around Alliance Atlantis' preschool stop-motion animated property, LUNAR JIM. This two-phased initiative heralds the launch of the LUNAR JIM line of Fisher-Price toys, hitting Canadian shelves beginning August 2006 and marks the first children's property product tie-in at Zellers restaurants.
Designed to appeal to trend-forward parents and discerning gift-givers, the Classic Disney and Walt Disney Signature collections of apparel and infant gifts were unveiled at the ENK Intl Children's Trade Show in New York City. Featuring scenes from Disney's stories, characters and art portrayed in an understated fashion, the collections will offer cashmere blankets, hooded robes and mittens, bibs and burp cloths, organic cotton tees, cardigans and casual separates.
Jennifer Bresnan joins THE CW as svp, alternative programming, to supervise the on-going production of the network's reality franchises, including AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, BEAUTY AND THE GEEK and the midseason series, THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT PUSSYCAT DOLL, as well as the development of all future alternative and reality series.
Sierra Ent. has renamed the multiplayer component from the award-winning PC title, F.E.A.R. (FIRST ENCOUNTER ASSAULT RECON) to F.E.A.R. COMBAT, and will be made available to the public as a free download on Aug. 17, 2006.
F.E.A.R. COMBAT is the complete multiplayer component of F.E.A.R., and includes all the updates, additional official maps and additional official game modes all in one downloadable file. F.E.A.R. COMBAT users may play against the owners of the retail version of F.E.A.R., as well as the other F.E.A.R. COMBAT users.
F.E.A.R. COMBAT features:
The 5th Annual VES Awards, presented by the Visual Effects Society (VES), will be held for the first time at the Kodak Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, on Feb. 11, 2007, with ILMs Dennis Muren receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards ceremony has been previously held at the Hollywood Palladium.
GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS), has added content for its animation channel, featuring an original series entitled, "Computer Lab," and select animation content from the Cartoon Network and the Anime Channel. COMPUTER LAB is the 12th original series to debut only on GameTap.
NaturalMotion Ltd. recently announced morpheme, a powerful new animation engine for next-generation game development. Featuring a flexible and unique 3D authoring tool chain, morpheme is designed to give animators unprecedented creative control over the look of their final in-game animation by allowing them to author and preview blends, transitions and logic in realtime. morpheme will be available in October 2006 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Building upon a successful first term with students from more than 65 countries worldwide, online visual effects training site fxphd announces their course offerings for Term Two 2006. Registration is now open at www.fxphd.com and classes begin the week of Aug. 26, 2006. To celebrate, fxphd is offering a scholarship for the most imaginative pitch for a visual effects shot. The best pitch will be selected and provide the winner with a full term membership to fxphd and a chance to learn Flame, Shake, da Vinci color grading or any of the others courses offered.
Comic lovers are in for a visual treat when they watch the first few minutes of ZOOM. Created by Imaginary Forces (IF), the prologue pays tribute to vintage comic books of the 1970s with illustrations that come to life. The design was led by IF creative director Karin Fong.
Mark Dindal (CHICKEN LITTLE) will make his live-action directorial debut on SHERLOCK'S SECRETARY for Walden Media and Nash Ent., according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Crafted around the fact that Sherlock Holmes fictitious address 221b Baker St. receives real letters seeking Holmes sleuthing skills, the story will follow a resident of the address who decides to take on the real case from one of the letters.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, from Buena Vista Home Ent., was the top winner in the 9th Annual DVD Awards with Leonard Maltin, leading all entries with three awards, including Blockbuster ($200+ million box office), Video Presentation and Authoring.
After two previous screenings, the final cut of THE TOLL will make its world premiere at Rhode Island Film Festival (RIFF) on Friday, Aug. 11, 2006. This completed version of the 3D mockumentary by Portsmouth New Hampshires, Hatchling Studios, has been rendered in High Definition while the film will still screened in standard definition.
The animation industry in Wales will receive a major boost following the announcement that three companies will share S4Cs £500,000 animation development and production fund.
The awards, given as part of a competitive tendering process, are to be split between Calon in Cardiff Bay, Griffilms, with offices in Caernarfon and Cardiff, and a partnership between Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da and Dinamo in Cardiff.
Calon will receive £250,000, while Griffilms receives £150,000. The Cwmni Da/Dinamo partnership will receive £100,000.
Luxologys modo earned Best OS X Graphics at the 11th Annual Apple Design Awards at Apples Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) held this week in San Francisco.
Nickelodeon Movies 3D-animated BARNYARD, made by Omation Animation Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, features complex computer-generated animation that required unique and creative solutions from Sun Microsystems Inc.
Dan May has been hired as president of Blackmagic Design Inc. May joins Blackmagic as the company begins the re-location of its U.S. corporate headquarters to Milpitas, California. All operations currently handled by the Las Vegas, Nevada, office will be transferred to the Milpitas office. Blackmagic Design manufactures the highest quality video cards and converters for the post-production and television broadcast industries.