Search form

AWN Headline News

Headline News

Saw II Powers Past Zorro

Lions Gates SAW II (with vfx from C.O.R.E.) carved up a surprising $31.7M at the box office for its Halloween weekend bow ended Oct. 30, 2005. Sonys THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (with vfx from Peerless Camera Co. and Digiscope) debuted in a distant second with $16.3M. Universals PRIME followed in third, as another newcomer, with $6.2M. Slipping to fourth was DreamWorks DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY (with vfx by Hammerhead), which brought in $6.1M for a two-week cume of $17.3M.

Kids Headline News

Ken Olshansky to Tap U.S. for Granada Kids

Ken Olshansky joins Granada Kids as vp, creative affairs: kids, responsible for developing pre-school and animation programming with a specific focus on the U.S. market.

He will be based in New York and travel frequently to London to work with the teams based there.

Olshanskys extensive experience includes serving as svp at Scholastic, overseeing CLIFFORDS PUPPY DAYS (PBS) and the Emmy Award-winning I SPY (HBO). Previously he was vp, creative affairs, at Sunbow Ent., and was the creative force behind THE CRAMP TWINS (Cartoon Network, BBC).

Animation Headline News

Asian Ministers Meet To Promote Films, Animation

Leaders from Asian countries gathered for a high-level seminar which opened Oct. 28, 2005, in Tokyo to enhance Asia-wide cooperation to produce animated movies, games and other cultural products, reports KYODO NEWS. Ministers from Japan, China, South Korea, India and the 10 members of the Assoc. of Southeast Asian Nations are gathered to recognize the importance of movies and animation produced and widely circulated in the region.

Game Headline News

Spike TV’s Video Game Awards Announces Nominees

Spike TV has announced the nominees for the Video Game Awards 2005 (VGA), hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, who was a winner at last year's show for GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Carmen Electra, Xzibit and Ozzy Osbourne are also set to appear at the third annual awards event.

The Spike TV "Video Game Awards 2005" takes place on Nov. 18 at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles with the two-hour "games vs. games" extravaganza premiering on Spike TV Saturday, Dec. 10 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

Animation Headline News

Get the New Animation World Magazine Acrobat Online Now!

Animation World Magazine readers can now download the latest Acrobat edition of the publication. For July AWM focused its attention on comics, comic strips and illustration. With the digital comics world continuing to grow, Janet Hetherington explores the exciting new breed of digital comics creators and publishers. Also Hetherington takes a look at why graphic novels are leaping from comic shops and bookstore shelves to big screens across North America and beyond.

Headline News

Comcast Buys Susquehanna Communications

Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co. and Comcast Corp. announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to sell Susquehanna Communications (SusCom), the cable television and broadband services division of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, to Comcast. Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff announced earlier this year that it would sell the business, citing changes in corporate and family circumstances.

Frederator Headline News

Frederator Studios Launches Channel Frederator for Cartoon Podcasts

Frederator Studios founder Fred Seibert has launched Channel Frederator, the world's first cartoon video podcast created expressly for distribution of world-class content on portable video devices, such as the Apple iPod and the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Episodes released weekly will contain several shorts from original and vintage cartoons submitted by producers from around the world, packaged into 10- to 15-minute episodes by the Channel Frederator programming team.

Home Headline News

Bionicle 3 Now on DVD

BIONICLE 3: WEB OF SHADOWS is the third in the series of CG-animated features made for DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99). With one final duty to fulfill before they can build their new home on the island of Mata Nui, six great Toa heroes return to Metru Nui and find their once-glorious city shrouded in shadows and overrun by a sinister army of spidery, web-slinging Visorak.

Digital Headline News

Disney Hatches Chicken Little in Digital 3D

Inspired by last years enormously successful THE POLAR EXPRESS: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE and encouraged by a flurry of interest in three-dimensional digital cinema, Walt Disney Pictures will unveil its first all CG-animated feature, CHICKEN LITTLE, in a new Disney Digital 3D process when it bows Nov. 4. This event marks the first digital 3D theatrical presentation.

Headline News

Imaginary Forces Goes Iconic for Zorro’s Main Titles

Building upon the legacy of the swashbuckling hero, Zorro, Imaginary Forces (IF) designed the main title sequence for Sony Pictures THE LEGEND OF ZORRO. IF's Michelle Dougherty acted as director and art director on the film's teaser and main titles, working closely with IF founder/creative director Peter Frankfurt, as well as supervising Antonio Banderas during the shoot for the main titles.

Work Headline News

KromA Hires Producer Jen Lahotski

Continuing to grow, visual effects, animation and finishing studio KromA has added producer/sales representative Jen Lahotski to its staff. Lahotski will work to support the companys current expansion into visual effects work for television and feature films. Her responsibilities will include new business development and client relations. She will also help to facilitate in-house production.

Series Headline News

RAI Wins Italian Broadcast Deal For Wide Eye

Abbey Home Media has secured yet another international deal for its hit animated pre-school series WIDE EYE, co-produced with the BBC.

The Rome-based distribution company Dall'Angelo Pictures has just signed an agreement with RAI (Italian State Television) for the broadcast of WIDE EYE in Italy and the series is due to start broadcasting next year on RAI 3.

Headline News

Artbeats Releases Code Rush and Code Storm

The cyber worlds dark side, distorted figures and high frequency waves are only a few of the CG backgrounds featured in Artbeats' new Code Rush and Code Storm royalty-free stock footage collections. Code Rush is a grunge-filled title that traverses virtual wastelands, moves through cities ravaged by mysterious debris and travels through time warps riddled with fantastic geometric shapes. Code Storm is a bizarre collection of frenzied display screens and digital chaos that is sure to evoke creativity.

Headline News

REALVIZ MatchMover Pro 4.0 Now Available

MatchMover Pro 4.0 is currently shipping and offers a powerful new central automatic tracking engine, based on the power of SMART. In addition to providing radical new performance levels, MatchMover Pro 4.0 boasts a brand new look, with redesigned icons, colors and a slick, minimalist feel. A complete re-writing of export formats allows a perfectly smooth import of results, as well as additional features such as direct non-linear distortion management within Maya, 3ds Max, XSI and LightWave 3D.

Headline News

Rendercore Releases Remote Rendering Solutions for Turtle

Rendercore Inc., a worldwide leader in remote rendering solutions, announced complete integration and support lluminate Labs Turtle 1.1.5.3 on Rendercore's state-of-the-art render farm, based in downtown Los Angeles.

Show Headline News

Aaron McGruder Tele-Stomping for Boondocks

By Joe Strike | Friday, October 28, 2005 at 12:00am

Cartoonist Aaron McGruder recently met with reporters around the country to discuss the upcoming Adult Swim premiere of the cartoon version of his in-your-face BOONDOCKS comic strip, which debuts Nov. 6, 2005, at 11:00 pm. That it was a virtual meeting via a telephone conference call gave the event the feel of an electronic séance, with an unseen moderator/medium directing unseen participants to pose their questions to the unseen subject whom for all we knew couldve been a ringer filling in for McGruder.

Digital Headline News

Jason Hirschhorn Named MTV Networks 1st Chief Digital Officer

Jason Hirschhorn has been appointed MTV Networks inaugural chief digital officer (cdo). cross-company strategies for growing MTV Networks' existing and future brands -- including the music, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Spike channels -- across all existing and emerging digital platforms. He will also coordinate the business, product development and technical operations of MTV Networks' expanding portfolio of digital media businesses while overseeing new acquisitions in the interactive space, including recently-acquired IFILM.

Movie Headline News

SCI FI Saturday Action Movie Cerberus Premieres Oct. 29

SCI FI�s Saturday Action Movie continues in October with the premiere of CERBERUS, an original movie produced to air on the SCI FI Channel Oct. 29, 2005, at 9:00 pm and encore Nov. 3 at 9:00 pm.

Effects Headline News

Autodesk Technology Goes Primetime

Autodesk Inc. announced that its media and entertainment systems and software are shaping more than 40 television shows for the 2005-2006 TV season. From returning favorites such as LOST and NIP/TUCK to provocative new shows such as PRISON BREAK and ROME, Autodesks technology is relied upon by broadcasters and post-production facilities.

Shows Headline News

LACDA Juried Competition Calls for Entries

LACDA Juried CompetitionLos Angeles, California, USADecember 8-31, 2005Deadline: November 27, 2005

Los Angeles Center for Digital Art announces its juried competition for digital art and photography. Entrants submit three JPEG files of original work. All styles of 2D artwork and photography where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images are acceptable.

Pages