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AWN Headline News

Headline News

Gnomon Workshop Offers First Matchmoving Title

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:00am

The Gnomon Workshop has released its first training titles from Stephen McClure titled, MATCHMOVING 101: FUNDAMENTALS. Matchmoving integrates computer-generated visual effects into a live-action plate for film, television, music videos or commercials. Using real-world situations, MATCHMOVING 101 takes the artist from the set-survey process through recreating camera elements in Maya.

Film Headline News

Blur Studio to Develop Gopher Broke into Feature

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:00am

At the Sundance Film Festival, Blur Studio announced that it will develop its 2005 Academy Award-nominated short film GOPHER BROKE into a feature film. The short screened as part of the Animation Spotlight at Sundance. The film went on to win prizes at the Animago Festival in Munich and the Imagina Awards in France.

The film, written and directed by Jeff Fowler, follows an increasingly frustrated gopher as his attempts at snagging a snack from passing vegetable truck ends in what can be described as you get what you wish for.

Series Headline News

Showtime Honors Masters of Horror with Second Season

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:00am

Showtime Networks has ordered a second season of IDT Ent.'s anthology series, MASTERS OF HORROR. Thirteen new, one-hour episodes, to be produced by IDT Ent., will feature the most prominent directors in the horror genre and will premiere in Fall 2006.

Series Headline News

Family Guy Comic Mini-Series Coming

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:00am

Devil's Due has announced a FAMILY GUY comic mini-series, set from release in April, reports ICv2.com. The bi-monthly series will be written by FAMILY GUY TV series writer Matt Fleckenstein, with art by Benjamin Phillips. The comic will be published in a 48-page, full color perfect-bound format. Each of the three volumes of the series will focus on one of the star characters, featuring one-on-one advice on life from the featured character woven throughout the stories.

Wild Headline News

Hellboy Helmer’s Labyrinth Comes to the U.S.

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:00am

Picturehouse has purchased the North American rights to HELLBOY director Guillermo del Toro's dark fairy tale PAN'S LABYRINTH for nearly $6 million, reports the trades. Picturehouse president Bob Berney and Wild Bunch's Carole Baraton netted the long-in-the-works deal at Sundance.

Set in fascist, 1940s Spain, the story follows Ofelia, a lonely, dreamy child who tries to come to terms with an era of postwar repression by creating a world filled with mythical creatures. Maribel Verdu, Sergi Lopez, Ivana Baquero and Doug Jones star.

Cartoon Headline News

Cartoon Network Runs With Marathon’s Team Galaxy

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12:00am

Cartoon Network has pre-bought Marathons forthcoming animated series, TEAM GALAXY. The two-season package (52x26) is budgeted at $16-17 million, making it one of the most expensive productions outside a major studio. Set to start airing in the fall, the series has also been picked up by France 3, Italys RAI, Jetix and Canada's YTV.

"It is a huge sign of confidence in us that Cartoon Network has chosen the project without having seen a single episode," said Marathon president Vincent Chalvon Demersay.

Film Headline News

Lady and the Tramp Celebrates 50th Anniversary on DVD and at El Capitan Theatre

In celebration of Valentine's Day, puppy love and the upcoming 50th anniversary edition DVD of Walt Disney's animated classic, LADY AND THE TRAMP, the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will present a special two-week engagement of the film from Feb. 2-14, debuting a magnificent new digitally restored CinemaScope version of the film.

Animation Headline News

David Stainton Steps Down as Head of Disney Feature Animation

In the wake of yesterdays announcement of Walt Disney Co.s $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios and the elevation of Pixars Ed Catmull and John Lasseter as heads of Disney Feature Animation, BLOOMBERG NEWS confirmed that David Stainton will step down, but will not leave the company. As president of Feature Animation, Stainton helped guide the studio through its difficult transition to all-3D animation, commencing last year with the moderately successful CHICKEN LITTLE and continuing this year with the Dec. 15 release of MEET THE ROBINSONS.

Anima Headline News

Sail Your Films to Brazil for Anima Mundi

Anima Mundi 2006Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo, BrazilJuly 14-30, 2006Deadline: March 27, 2006

Anima Mundi is the International Animation Festival of Brazil, which brings to the Brazilian audience the best selection of films and videos from around the world. It is a variety specially designed for the adults and the children. The event runs in Rio de Janeiro from July 14-23 then moves to São Paulo from July 26-30. For more information, visit www.animamundi.com.br.

Headline News

EA Hosts 'Reveal 06' Computer Animation Competition

Reveal 06Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada May 2, 2006Deadline: April 7, 2006

Electronic Arts is hosting 'Reveal 06' the company's second annual computer animation competition. Building on the success of last year's contest, EA is inviting graduating Canadian art and 3D animation students to submit their best animated short video for a chance to win a $20,000 grand prize and a matching grant to the grand prize winner's alma mater. The four-minute shorts will be reviewed by a panel of award-winning EA art directors.

Digital Headline News

Spontaneous Creates U2’s Latest Music Video with SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT

New York-based design and vfx company Spontaneous used Softimage character animation technology to create the latest music video for the Grammy Award-winning rock band U2. The video for ORIGINAL OF THE SPECIES features a digital version of Bono, the bands lead singer, accompanied by a computer-generated woman. Both characters were created using SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.5.0 and animated with an alpha version of SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT, the new digital acting technology that allows 3D artists to achieve realistic, lifelike facial animation for high-end film, post and games projects.

Disney Headline News

Disney Goes to Infinity and Beyond with $7.4 Billion Pixar Purchase

Its a done deal: The Walt Disney Co. will acquire Pixar Animation Studios for an all-stock transaction to be completed this summer. Under terms of the agreement, 2.3 Disney shares will be issued for each Pixar share. Based on Pixar's fully diluted shares outstanding, the transaction value is $7.4 billion ($6.3 billion net of Pixar's cash of just above $1 billion).

Studio Headline News

AtomFilms Studio to Develop Original Online Video Content

Atom Ent. announced the opening of AtomFilms Studio, a new program which invests in independent producers to create broadband entertainment. AtomFilms Studio announced six development projects and plans to produce dozens more projects during the course of the year. New shorts from AtomFilms Studio will be distributed beginning this spring on the award-winning AtomFilms website (www.atomfilms.com) and its online and mobile entertainment partners.

Animated Headline News

Wallace & Gromit Wins PGA Award

In its inaugural year for award animated feature, The Producers Guild of America has awarded in top animation prize to WALLACE & GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT. The announcement was made at a ceremony on Jan. 22, 2006, at the Century Plaza hotel. The other animated films nominated were CORPSE BRIDE, ROBOTS, CHICKEN LITTLE and MADAGASCAR. For a list of all the winners, visit www.producersguild.org/pg/awards_a/.

Headline News

Digital Video Releases Toonz 5.0 Harlequin

Digital Video has released Toonz 5.0 Harlequin, which steps into paperless animation by integrating vector drawings in its traditional workflow based on raster drawings. This new environment allows to manage drawings, images and animation levels the way one prefers, preserving their nature throughout the workflow, with no unwanted conversion from raster to vector, or vice versa.

Television Headline News

UPN & The WB Merge to Form The CW Network

CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Ent. announced their intent to form a new 5th network, The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. The new broadcasting network will be a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS, with each company owning 50%. In an important strategic move that secures major market distribution for The CW, it was announced that Tribune Broadcasting and the CBS Corp.'s UPN affiliates have agreed separately to sign 10-year affiliation agreements with the new network.

Headline News

Videogame Siren Screams Into Theaters

Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's Ghost House Pictures has netted the film rights to Japanese videogame SIREN from SCE Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Ent.'s worldwide game development studios for the PlayStation platforms, reports VARIETY. Working closely with the games director Keiichiro Toyama, Michael Gordon (forthcoming 300) will pen the script.

Special Headline News

It's Time To Get Involved With AWN's MIP-TV Special Newsletters!

Continuing our special event specific Flash Newsletters, we will be publishing special editions for GDC & MIP-TV. The markets are fast approaching and our editorial and advertising staffs are gearing up for the GDC & MIP-TV-specific Flash Newsletter series. Here are the dates for the publications. Please send your news two weeks prior to the publication date.

Games Developers Conference 2005 Animation Flash NewsletterMarch 7

MIP-TV Flash NewslettersMarch 14March 21March 28

Animation Headline News

This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for January 23, 2006

Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

HOODWINKED, the independent CGI animated feature released in January 2006, opened with better than expected results its first weekend in release. Do you know anything about this film yet? If not, you probably wont know the answer to most of these questions.

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