Japanese publisher Kadokawa Holdings Inc. announced it will sell its 2.91% stake in DreamWorks SKG to Paramount Pictures for about $21 million by the end of February, according to VARIETY.
This week, Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc., finalized its purchased of the previously privately held DreamWorks in a $1.6 billion cash-and-debt deal.
CBS has ordered from Aardman Animations Ltd. an American version of the hit British television series CREATURE COMFORTS.
Based on the original Academy Award-winning short film created by Nick Park and Aardman, Aardman Animations will produce the half hour stop-motion animated series in Los Angeles and at its Bristol, England studios.
Animated movies lead the nominees for the 2006 DVD Exclusive Awards, with Lilo & STITCH 2: STITCH HAS A GLITCH and TARZAN II receiving the most nods, at 12 and 11, respectively.
Including its nominees for Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, Buena Vista scored 44 nods, far from the runner-up, Warner Home Video with 23, including 12 for sister company New Line Home Ent.
20th Century Fox Home Ent. garnered 16 nominees, Universal Studios Home Ent. nine and Paramount Home Ent. eight.
YTV and Treehouse are focusing their February lineups around themes of love and snow as well as premiering new series.
On Feb. 17, 2006, CAPTAIN FLAMINGO will premiere in The Zone at 4:30 pm.
At last nights 50th anniversary tribute to LADY AND THE TRAMP at Hollywoods El Capitan Theatre, long-time Disney animator Andreas Deja explained that it was the last of the Walt Disney features to have round, sculpted animation. The studio launched a whole different aesthetic style with SLEEPING BEAUTY.
BFG Technologies Inc., a leading U.S.-based NVIDIA supplier of advanced 3D graphics cards and other PC enthusiast products, announced that their new BFG GeForce 7800 GS OC 256MB AGP graphics cards are immediately available through leading retailers and retailers.
Scott Rowe has been promoted from to svp, corporate communications, Warner Bros. Ent. and will assume greater responsibility for the company's internal and external positioning in the business, trade and consumer press.
On the eve of Cosgrove Hall Films 30 years in the industry new md, Anthony Utley, has announced a major management restructure. Utley recently disbanded the management team of senior producers, which had been set up temporarily as owners ITV Granada, searched for a new md.
Two senior producer posts have been eliminated while two new roles of exec producer and creative director have been created.
Bardel Ent. heads to the upcoming Kidscreen Summit (Feb. 8-10, 2006, in New York City) with an animation series in development with TV Ontario featuring the colorful characters of ANTONS WORLD; a new sitcom for kids based on Bardels award-winning Christmas special, THE CHRISTMAS ORANGE.
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the North American distribution rights to Exodus Film Groups CG-animated feature comedy IGOR. Chris McKenna (TVs AMERICAN DAD) wrote the screenplay and John D. Eraklis is set to produce. Seasoned animation exec Max Howard, who has collaborated on such animated blockbusters as THE LION KING, ALADDIN, SPACE JAM and THE IRON GIANT, will exec produce.
Principal photography will commence Feb. 6, 2006, at Leavesden Studios on HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, the fifth film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's beloved HARRY POTTER novel series.
Directed by award winning British filmmaker David Yates (THE GIRL IN THE CAFÉ, SEX TRAFFIC, STATE OF PLAY), THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is produced by series producer David Heyman and David Barron, from a screenplay by Michael Goldenberg (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, PETER PAN, CONTACT).
Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, in collaboration with Academy Award-nominated director Andrew Adamson, have begun pre-production on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, the follow-up to the international blockbuster, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE.
SLG Publishing and Disney are teaming on TRON: THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE, a comic book written by Landry Walker and Eric Jones (LITTLE GLOOMY, X-RAY COMICS) and drawn by Louie De Martinis. The comic picks up where the critically-acclaimed videogame TRON 2.0 leaves off.
The Weinstein Co. has announced that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguezs double-feature horror flick, GRINDHOUSE, will begin filming in Austin, Texas, in the next few weeks, according to the trades.
BOXX Technologies Inc. announced that its new APEXX 4 personal workstation is setting new speed and performance records with SOFTIMAGE|XSI. APEXX 4 was released in January, and is a top-of-the-line four-processor, eight-core personal workstation specifically engineered to maximize productivity for todays visual effects professionals.
onedotzero_10 London, U.K.June 211, 2006February 24, 2006
2006 is onedotzero's 10th anniversary, and will be marked with very special events, projects and programming. The 10th annual festival will celebrate and consolidate the achievements of the last decade with a clear focus on the future. onedotzero_10 will explore new ideas and fresh innovation through curated compilation screenings, features, exhibitions, live av performances, club nights, presentations and panel discussions from internationally acclaimed artists and creatives.
da Vincis Third-Annual Master Colorist Awards CompetitionLas Vegas, Nevada, USAApril 25, 2006Deadline: March 22, 2006
Writers On The Storm ContestWorld Wide WebApril 30, 2006Deadline: April 15, 2006
Coverage Ink is hosting it Writers on the Storm script contest where each entry receives a mini-analysis. Top prize for the competition is $2,500. Winner will be read by 75+ companies and have their script developed with Coverage, Ink. Entry fee is $35 or free with any Coverage, Ink analysis. Visit www.writerstorm.com for more info.
First the theme park attraction inspired the movie now the movie is inspiring the attraction.
Pirates of the Caribbean, the classic Disney theme park adventure brought to the big screen in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, is adding new characters and features from the blockbuster entertainment franchise and debuting when the next adventure begins in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST.
Members of the Visual Effects Society around the globe have until Feb. 10 to vote online for the 4th Annual VES Awards, to be held Feb. 15, 2006, at the Hollywood Paladium.
The online voting system was launched last year, and the new site went live at the end of January with the help of consultant and VFXWORLD contributor Marty Shindler. Some 1,350 members from 16 countries can screen nominated clips along with before-and-after sequences and written material.
Spike TV has greenlit a television series based on Marvel superhero BLADE for the network's first original scripted series to premiere in June 2006. The network has ordered 11 hour-long episodes, in addition to the previously announced two-hour kickoff episode, to be produced by New Line Television, set to commence production in Vancouver this spring.
Talk about surprises. With yesterdays dismissal of George Lucas final STARY WARS entry, REVENGE OF THE SITH, from the visual effects Oscar derby, it now looks to be a wide open race between KING KONG, WAR OF THE WORLDS and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Why the snubbing of SITH from the visual effects branch of the academy? One rationale being offered is that it didnt raise the bar technically, while WAR OF THE WORLDS took people by surprise with its less is more approach.
As part of Warner Home Videos aggressive catalog title launch in 2006 more than 200 movies will be released for the first time or reissued in special editions in standard and hi-def formats look for a 14-disc SUPERMAN: ULTIMATE COLLECTORS EDITION box set late in the year. Along with all four of the original movies will be a SUPERMAN II: SPECIAL EDITION with the DONNER CUT. Editor Michael Thaw is reassembling director Richard Donners original cut (he shot both SUPERMAN and SUPERMAN II simultaneously and was replaced by Richard Lester near the end of the shoot).
Despite the surprising omission of STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, Industrial Light & Magic received two of the three nominations in the Best Visual Effects category yesterday for the 78th Annual Academy Awards.
ILM was nominated for its contributions to WAR OF THE WORLDS and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. To date, ILM has received 35 Oscar nominations since its founding in 1975, an industry record for visual effects companies. For its work, ILM has received 13 Academy Awards.
Digital Dimension Canada, a division of Los Angeles-based Digital Dimension, has selected SOFTIMAGE|XSI software as the main 3D production for the upcoming 3D-animated feature, THE LEGEND OF SECRET PASS.
