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AWN Headline News

Game Headline News

Maxmedia Morphs Kameo Game Into Feature Toon

Production and distribution company Maxmedia has optioned the film rights to the forthing Microsoft videogame KAMEO: ELEMENTS OF POWER, reports VARIETY. Maxmedia plans to team with SKY BLUE production house Sunmin Park, to adapt the animated feature. She and Jungmin Ethan Park are producing the film, which is set to being production next year.

Wednesday Headline News

UK Showcase Set for This Week

Top professionals from the U.K.s movie service industry will convene at the second UK Showcase, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, V FOR VENDETTA and MATCH POINT will be just a few of the movies discussed as collaborative efforts between the U.S. and U.K.

Industry speakers at UK Showcase 2005 will present seminars and Q&A sessions on finance, production and shooting, post-production, digital distribution and interactive budgeting.

Headline News

Chicken Little Rules the Box Office

Exceeding all expectations, CHICKEN LITTLE, Disneys first full 3D-animated feature, debuted with an impressive $40M for the weekend ended Nov. 6, 2005. It marks the best opening for a Disney animated feature since LILO & STITCHS $35.3M back in 2002. Apparently even adults flocked to the movie. In addition, the launch of CHICKEN LITTLE in digital 3D proved very promising as well, turning in an estimated $2.1M in 85 U.S. locations.

Headline News

Softimage, Pixologic, CG Soup present ‘TD Love’ Training Tour

Softimage Co. announced the TD Love Training Tour, the first in a new series of technical seminars (free for a limited time) designed by and for CG professionals on how to use SOFTIMAGE technology for improving character creation and visual effects production processes. During the events, experts from CG Soup, Pixologic and the Softimage Special Projects teams will be on-hand to demonstrate how using SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.5.0, ZBrush 2 and SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT software gives studios an advantage for producing high-quality 3D art in a realistic timeframe.

Headline News

Alias Unites With 3December 2005

Alias announced its plans for 3December 2005, the 7th annual global celebration of 3D computer graphics, including the first-ever online component. With festivities spanning the globe in over 20 host cities, 3December is expected to draw thousands of entertainment and design experts, enthusiasts and students to cities including: Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, London, New York, Los Angeles and many other major North American cities. Global 3December events are free for participants. The event is made possible in part by sponsors Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp. and ATI Technologies Inc.

Film Headline News

Animation Vet Derek Lamb Passes Away

Director/animator/producer/composer Derek Lamb passed away Nov. 5, 2005, in Washington after a long battle with cancer. His wife Tracie Smart was at his side.

Lamb started his animation career with the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s. He worked extensively as a writer, director and producer in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, both in commercial and experimental film.

Cartoon Headline News

Cartoon Producers Vie For Chinese Cell Phone Animation Market

International animation producers are tying to gain a foothold in the world's largest cell phone market reports CHINAVIEW.COM.

"One exciting venue which holds great potential for animation in China and around the world is the cell phone," said Sander K. Johnson, president of International Television for Asia (ITA), during the Fourth China Cartoon Industry Forum, being held in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province.

Headline News

Dargaud’s Ellipsanime Producing Film & Season 2 Of Little King Macius

Leading French producer Ellipsanime, part of the Dargaud Group, is producing an additional 26 13-minute episodes of its hit television series, LITTLE KING MACIUS, following production on the much-anticipated feature film version of the popular show. Co-production partners are Saxonia Media and Studio 88 in Germany, Araneo in Belgium, Spains Docon Film, and Orange in Poland in association with Ki.Ka and France 5.

Game Headline News

Serious Games Conference Features First Responder Training

One of the most powerful sessions at the recent Serious GamesSummit held Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 29005, in Arlington, Virginia, was for an edugame for firefighters, Hazmat HotZone. Ten New York City firefighters showed up in front of the Standing Room Only room to demonstrate the game, including two chiefs, two captains and a lieutenant (an instructor) from the NYFD Training Academy, all of them in full uniform that was really dramatic.

Television Headline News

AFM Attendance Up & Better Armed for Digital Distribution

The 26th American Film Market (AFM), which opened on Nov. 2, 2005, reports record attendance with an all-time high of 8,014, a 13% increase over last years 7,064. They are also better armed to deal with digital distribution issues thanks to new Model International Licensing Agreements containing clauses to deal specifically with the emerging world of digital distribution, drawn up by AFM parent organization the Independent Film & Television Alliance.

Show Headline News

Boondocks Moves Onto Cartoon Network Neighborhood Nov. 6

The highly anticipated and publicized series, THE BOONDOCKS, Adult Swims new animated comedy series based on Aaron McGruders award-winning comic strip of the same name, premieres Nov. 6, 2005, at 11:00 pm on Cartoon Network.

BOONDOCKS fans should find the series a good transition from comic strip to a provocative family-based comedy in your face with social relevance and satire. It has an arresting, anime look that is true to the color and graphic line style of the comic and stands out with a somewhat different, appealing look for animation and comics fans.

Entertainment Headline News

Paramount Home Ent. Greenlights Queer Duck—The Movie

Paramount Home Ent. has greenlit the first feature length production of QUEER DUCK THE MOVIE from four-time Emmy award-winning creator and writer Mike Reiss (THE SIMPSONS, THE CRITIC). The original shorts were broadcast on the Net on Icebox.com and later aired on Showtime.

Animation Headline News

Politicians Turning to Web Animation

Though its not new for politicians to us animation in their campaigns, more and more politicians are turning to Web animation to get their message out, according to an AP report.

The often-satirical ads are cheap to produce and have the potential to be spread to many voters quickly over the Net.

Headline News

Digital Domain Gains Instant Karma By Helping Louisiana-Based Studio

With lucrative state tax incentives in play, Digital Domains long-in-the-works project INSTANT KARMA is aptly named. The Louisiana Capital Area Economic Development Allies (LaCAEDA) announced that Emerald Bayou Studios has played a critical role in obtaining state certification for the feature film. This partnership was announced during a press conference at AFM.

Headline News

YTV November Highlighted By New SpongeBob

YTV has announces its November 2005 lineup, which features the debut of an all-new episode of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, Have You Seen This Snail?

Leading up to the premiere, YTV celebrates with two SPONGEBOB programming events, starting on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 8:00 am to 11:00 am, with back-to-back non-stop episodes of viewer favorites. Followed by The Zone on Monday, Nov. 14 where co-hosts Sugar and Carlos introduce back-to-back episodes dedicated to SpongeBobs special pet, Gary the Snail, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

Headline News

Hanna-Barbera Reunion Re-Set Feb. 3

The third Hanna-Barbera studio reunion dinner has been postponed until Feb. 3, 2006, at the Sportsman's Lodge, 12833 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. No-host cocktails will at 6:00 pm, dinner is at 7:30 pm. The dinner was originally scheduled for Nov. 4.

Cost is $30 per person with an entrée choice of prime rib, chicken, salmon or vegetarian. Checks, payable to The Animation Guild, may be sent to the Guild office, 4729 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood, California, 91602-1864 and mark the envelope, Hanna-Barbera Reunion.

Cartoon Headline News

IGPX Original Anime Series to Debut During Cartoon Network’s Toonami Nov. 5

IGPX, a co-production between Cartoon Network, Japanese animation studio Production I.G and Bandai Entertainment, debuts on Nov. 5, 2005, at 10:00 pm. IGPX is the first original series produced for Toonami, Cartoon Networks action programming block that first brought anime to wide television audiences in the U.S.

Digital Headline News

Turner Creating Boomerang Channel for Germany

Following the success of the Cartoon Network block on kabel eins, which launched in September 2005, Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) is now creating Boomerang for Germany. It will launch on Kabel Deutschland in the second quarter of 2006 and will be broadcast on Kabel Digital HOME. Further platforms are planned.

Headline News

SPE Creates Corporate Alliances Department To Unite Sony Groups

Sony Pictures Ent. (SPE) has created a new department, Corporate Alliances, to maximize collaboration with other Sony groups.

Toshino Yuhaku has been named vp, Corporate Alliances. Yuhaku is an 11-year Sony vet with experience in Sony offices in Japan and America. Yuhaku will report to Beth Berke, evp/cao for SPE, who announced the departments creation.

The move reflects SPEs support of the initiative recently presented by Sir Howard Stringer, Sony Corp. chairman/ceo, called Sony United.

Game Headline News

THQ Ships The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer Game

THQ Inc. has shipped globally THE INCREDIBLES: RISE OF THE UNDERMINER videogame for play on PlayStation2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS and Windows PC/Mac. This is the followup to the hit videogame, THE INCREDIBLES, inspired by a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animations Studios film, THE INCREDIBLES.

Film Headline News

Initial To Ship Revolution’s Next Overseas

Graham King's Initial Ent. Group has obtained international distribution rights for Revolution Studios' Philip K. Dick adaptation, NEXT, according to VARIETY. As part of the deal, King will gain a producer credit on the film along with star Nicolas Cage, Norm Golightly, Todd Garner and Arne Schmidt.

Entertainment Headline News

IDT Ent. Shops Down Under to Acquire Imagine Ent.

IDT Ent. today (Nov. 3, 2005) agreed to acquire a major Australian-based independent distributor of theatrical, video and DVD product, Imagine Ent. This increases Imagines offerings with the assets of IDT Ent.s home entertainment subsidiary, Anchor Bay, an established leader in the field that boasts an expansive selection of theatrical films, television series and childrens and fitness titles.

Animation Headline News

Don Bluth and Gary Goldman Gift Savannah College

Producer/director/animator Don Bluth and his artistic partner, Gary Goldman, signed a major gift agreement to give Savannah College of Art and Design a collection of more than one million pieces of art including animation cels, drawings and by these animation legends.

SCAD will honor Bluth and Goldman at the Savannah Film Festival with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation on Nov. 5 at 7:00 pm.

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