AWN Headline News

This week in AWN's Forums, members are discussing their thoughts of Disneys release of THE WILD. Theres a thread discussing animation rates in India. A junior member wants to know when one is ready to go to an animation institution. Theres a new thread trying to work out the conflicts between Animation Nation and the AWN Forums. A member has questions about by a scanner. A junior member has questions for all the CalArts members out there.

AGEIA Technologies Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, has signed pacts with a number of Russian game developers at the recent Russian Developers Conference (KRI). Gaijin Ent., is implementing PhysX SDK into its Dagor game engine, a popular middleware solution for Russian game developers. Gaijin will also provide first-line support for the AGEIA PhysX SDK, an important benefit in the region where English is not widely used.

Disney has moved Mel Gibson's Mayan epic APOCALYPTO from late summer to Dec. 8., reports various media outlets. Some say the chief reason is that extensive rain at the South American locations have created production delays that make a summer release unattainable.

The pushback also gives Disney an opportunity to push the film is a clearer field and for award recognition.

Frederator Studios has launched ReFrederator (www.refrederator.com), the worlds first daily vintage cartoon video podcast.

ReFrederator will feature classic cartoons from the public domain such as Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Daffy Duck, Betty Boop, Little Lulu, Porky Pig, Donald Duck and Felix the Cat, as well as fairy tales and musicals. Every 7-9 minute podcast will feature a short-form classic cartoon and promotional packaging and branding from ReFrederator. New episodes will appear daily Monday through Friday, grouped into weekly themes.

Mumbai-based film firm Celluloid Dreams announced its involvement the CG feature tentatively titled LIFE AFTER DEATH, reports ANIMATION 'XPRESS.

The project is an outsourced assignment, for which Celluloid Dreams will provide the pre-production, including story, script, storyboards, dialogue, voices, background score and character design. The animation will be done by Chennai-based Red Octane.

Celluloid Dreams is set to complete its part by end of July.

New York Television Festival 2006New York, New York, USASeptember 12-17, 2006Deadline: July 7, 2006

The New York Television Festival is the first creative festival for the medium, pioneering the movement of Independent Television and constructing a new path for program development. Writers, directors, and producers will be selected from a national and international grassroots search and given the unprecedented opportunity to showcase their originally produced pilots directly to network and cable executives in a festival competition.

After finding an empty garden at Walt Disney Feature Animation under John Lasseters new leadership, GNOMEO AND JULIET, the pet animated project of Sir Elton John, will restart as a co-production between Disney owned Miramax Films and the musical superstars Rocket Pictures.

4Kids Ent. announced that Steven M. Grossman, evp/coo and member of the board of directors, has stepped down from the company and from the board. Grossman's responsibilities will be shared among the current members of the senior management team, led by chairman/ceo Alfred R. Kahn, cfo Bruce R. Foster and general counsel Samuel R. Newborn.

Animator/director Brad Case died March 19, 2006. He was 93.

His career spanned from 1934 until his retirement in 1999, having worked for Iwerks, Disney, MGM, Lantz, Raphael Wolff, Sutherland, Paul Fennell, Tempo, Calvin Co., Academy, ERA Prods., Hanna-Barbera, Larry Harmon, UPA, Warner Bros., Nicholson, Sanrio, DePatie-Freleng, Marvel, Graz Ent. and New World.

Following the tremendous success of courses offered at its Dubai hub, SAE Institute, the largest film, audio engineering and animation training provider in the world, is looking at expanding to other countries in the region.

Marco Bettelli, SAE's Dubai gm, said that the SAE Institute's regional campus at Dubai Knowledge Village (KV) has captured the imagination of aspiring filmmakers, animators and music professionals from around the region and is considering opening branches in Middle Eastern countries like Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.