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AWN Headline News

Headline News

New Rugrats in Tales From the Crib DVD

The RUGRATS have been reborn as a straight to DVD fairy tale spinoff, starting with TALES FROM THE CRIB: SNOW WHITE (Nickelodeon Home Ent., $19.99). Released Sept. 27, 2005, This RUGRATS twist finds Angelica Pickles taking on the role of the Evil Queen, as the beautiful princess (Susie Carmichael) and her adorable dwarf-babies (the Rugrats gang) show the entire kingdom that friendship conquers all. Featuring the celebrity voices of Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson and Jeffrey Licon.

Bonus features include:* Two new Bonus specials

Studios Headline News

Tartakovsky Adopts New Orphanage Animation Studios

SAMURAI JACK and DEXTERS LABORATORY creator Genndy Tartakovsky has joined the newly formed Orphanage Animation Studios. He will help the new studios develop a slate of five feature projects each in the $50 million-$75 million budget range. The company launches with a multi-million dollar development fund raised through private equity and is actively developing a slate of soon-to-be-announced CG feature projects. Orphanage, best known for its visual effects work, hopes to have its first animated feature ready by late 2007 or early 2008.

Digital Headline News

Corpse Bride Rises Digitally in Japan

As part of a yearlong test between Warner Bros., Nippon Telegraph & Telephone and Toho Cinemas, CORPSE BRIDE will be the first film to be distributed over fiber-optic lines. The features will be in 4K format, the highest resolution currently available for digital cinema. The movies will be beamed over NTT's fiber-optic lines from WB's Burbank headquarters to three Toho theaters in Osaka and Tokyo.

Headline News

Adult Swim Inspires DANGERDOOM: The Mouse and the Mask Album

Hip hop artists, Danger Mouse and MF DOOM, have come together to produce DANGERDOOM: THE MOUSE AND THE MASK, an album inspired by Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's popular late-night animation network. Epitaph Records released the CD on Oct. 11, 2005, in association with Adult Swim. The album contains character voices and skits from Adult Swim's most popular original shows, including AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE, SEALAB 2021 and HARVEY BIRDMAN, ATTORNEY AT LAW.

Toon Headline News

Toon Boom Part of Québec Trade Mission to China

Toon Boom Animation announced its participation in the China Trade Mission led by Québec Premier Jean Charest. During the trade mission Toon Boom will present three awards to some of its customers and partners, as well as sign a development agreement.

Animation Headline News

Newest Animation World Magazine Acrobat Now Online!

The newest Acrobat edition of Animation World Magazine is now online and ready for you to download. For June, the mag put its focus on independent animation. Kicking off a three-part series, Joe Strike spoke with famed animation historian and filmmaker John Canemaker about his early career and how he got into animation. Marisa Materna peers into a reporters crystal ball to see if the future of animation lies in independent studios. Joe Strike also surveys the animation landscape in New York City to see how independent artists are building business in the Big Apple.

Animation Headline News

This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for October 10, 2005

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.

It's early October 2005, and TIM BURTON'S THE CORPSE BRIDE still remains near the top of the weekly box office totals. This quiz asks questions about the film and Tim in general.

Headline News

Aardman Animation Ravaged by Fire

This past weekend was a bittersweet one for Aardman Animation. WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT finished #1 at the U.S. box office and a fire destroyed Aardman warehouse, which contained its entire history, reports CNN. The blaze broke out at approximately 5:30 am, with flames reaching 100 feet. The roof and three interior walls of the building in Bristol collapsed after the fire ravished the Victorian building. The cause of the blaze was being investigated.

Autodesk Headline News

Autodesk Ships 3ds Max 8 Software

On the heels of last weeks momentous Alias acquisition, Autodesk Inc. has begun shipping 3ds Max 8, the latest version of its award-winning 3D modeling, animation and rendering solution. Created to address growing 3D pipeline complexity with new data management, character animation and speed/performance advancements, 3ds Max software will better help customers realize their creative 3D ideas for game development, film and video production and design visualization.

Free Headline News

NewTek Releases LightWave 3D 8.5

NewTek Inc. announced the release of the fifth free update and the 64-bit port for Emmy award-winning LightWave 3D. Version 8.5 offers hardware support of OpenGL 2.0, the new Multishift tool with editable history, Photoshop-style texture blending modes, improved dynamics and easier integration of third-party file formats.

Headline News

SynthEyes Makes Tracks on Moon for IMAX’s Magnificent Desolation

IMAXs new MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION: WALKING ON THE MOON 3D takes viewers back to the United States lunar landings, using the high res, large-screen 3D format for a compelling lunar experience.

Behind the scenes, the format posed challenges for visual effects providers Digital Dimension and Sassoon Film Design. The large screen necessitated a 4K resolution, and the 3D process required that separate images be processed for left and right eyes.

Headline News

Rhythm + Hues Helps With CGI ‘Fry Fight’

Pencil Neck. Pigtail. Corkscrew! These are just a few of the pleasantries flying around in the new Jack in the Box spot, FRY FIGHT. Director Michael Wright and Rhythm + Hues Commercial Studios created the CGI French fries for the spot, which was directed by Dick Sittig of Secret Weapon Marketing and @radical.media.

Headline News

Rendercore Launches RenMan 2.70

RenderCore announce that RenMan client 2.70 has been launched, which now supports Maya 7.

Integrated Alias MotionBuilder technology, and enhancements to deformers and skinning tools make animating characters faster, easier and more accurate. The industry's leading full-body IK solver makes rigging and posing characters faster and easier, and enables the natural articulation of biped and quadruped models. Deformations are now more flexible.

Headline News

No Box Office Curse for Wallace & Gromit

While Aardman Animation studios in Bristol, England, was tragically engulfed in flames today, destroying its entire history, its latest stop motion feature, WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT debuted at the top of the U.S. box office for the weekend ended Oct. 9, 2005. The DreamWorks release (with vfx from MPC) posted $16M.

Games Headline News

Prominent Neuroscientist To Keynote Serious Games Summit D.C.

Renowned researcher and neuroscientist David Warner will discuss the complex relationship between humans and computers in a keynote address, slated for Nov. 1, 2005, at this year's Serious Games Summit D.C. in Washington D.C. The summit serves as a primary forum for experts within various fields to network, learn and share information about the growing demand for games designed for practical applications.

Music Headline News

mtvU Launches MTV Networks' First Broadband Distributed Channel

mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, today (Oct. 10, 2005) unveiled MTV Networks' first channel distributed entirely over broadband, "mtvU Uber" (www.mtvu.com). "mtvU Uber" is available everywhere, through both non-stop streaming and a unique on-demand capability, enabling viewers to customize their experience.

The channel offers mtvU's on-air programming available to everyone, and will also showcase a powerful lineup of original programming driven by new music, short-form series, as well as student-produced short films, music videos, animation, webisodes and more.

Kids Headline News

Little Einsteins Play Primetime Premiere Oct. 9

Disney's LITTLE EINSTEINS, a new series for preschoolers, premieres with two episodes in a special primetime presentation Oct. 9, 2005, at 7:00 and 7:30 pm, on the Disney Channel.

Beginning Oct. 10, LITTLE EINSTEINS will air in its regular timeslot, daily at 8:00 am during Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney programming block. A second telecast airs weekdays at 12:30 pm.

Disney Headline News

Paul O’Higgins to Market Walt Disney Television, EMEA

Paul OHiggins has been appointed vp, marketing, Walt Disney Television, EMEA, to oversee all aspects of marketing, on and off air, across Europe, Middle East and Africa. He will be responsible for creating major marketing campaigns for Disneys key TV shows and channel launches, plus work with local markets to create the most successful strategies for them.

OHiggins was vp, creative at Nickelodeon, where he led the creative plans for on- and off-air, creating programming stunts, marathons, competitions and short-form interstitials.

Television Headline News

Jim Moloshok New President, Media Ventures, HBO

Web veteran Jim Moloshok joins Media Ventures in the newly created position of president, responsible for exploring new opportunities for HBO, focusing on the point of intersection between innovative content and changing technology.

"Jim has a keen understanding and much valuable experience in the world of cross-media programming, said Chris Albrecht, ceo of HBO, who made the announcement. We are really excited to have him on our team."

Film Headline News

Rogue Pictures Backs Doomsday

Rogue Pictures, Universal's NYC-based genre unit, has teamed with L.A.-based Crystal Sky Pictures to produce DOOMSDAY, the next film from DOG SOLDIERS writer-director Neil Marshall, reports VARIETY. This is the first project greenlit from Rogues new president of production Andrew Rona. The film is a futuristic action thriller with political overtones, set in northern England and Scotland. Rogue will hold worldwide rights to the film, which they hope to get into production next spring in the U.K.

Million Headline News

Eisner Exits Disney Board Early

Set to step down from the Walt Disney board at the next annual meeting, Michael Eisner quietly exited the post early on Sept. 30, the same day he left the company as ceo. Buried in a filing late Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Disney included the statement Eisner "no longer provides any services" for the company.

Effects Headline News

Side Effects Launches Houdini 8 with Road Show

Side Effects Software, developer of the award-winning Houdini family of 3D software, announced the immediate availability of Houdini 8. Developed to provide creative freedom without compromise, Houdini 8 combines innovation with practicality with powerful features such as new dynamics architecture, light linking, Interactive Photorealistic Rendering (IPR), character animation enhancements and more.

Design Headline News

Gnomon Launches First Workshop Weekend

The Gnomon Workshop announced Gnomon Workshop: Live!, its first ever workshop weekend, Nov. 12-13, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, giving artists the opportunity to learn more about cutting edge techniques and processes in the visual arts. The weekend offers classes in concept design, matte painting, 3D modeling, ZBrush, character design, rendering in Photoshop, art direction, production design and more.

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