In celebration of Halloween, a new Flash movie CLIMATE MASH (www.climatemash.org/) has hit the Net, exposing the zombies and vampires of global warming denial. This take on the song "Monster Mash" was recorded by original "Monster Mash" artist Bobby "Boris" Pickett. Clear the Air, the sponsors of the CLIMATE MASH, said a much higher than expected 99,704 unique visitors viewed the Flash movie 117,866 times since it first went online on Oct. 18.
Chicken Little ScreeningHollywood, California, USANovember 4, 2005
ASIFA-Hollywood is hosting a free screening of Disney Animations first CG feature, CHICKEN LITTLE. The screening will be followed with a Q&A with Disney CG supervisor Kevin Geiger.
Daniel H. Wilson, a 27-year-old Ph.D. candidate in robotics at Carnegie Mellon, has optioned the film rights to his first book HOW TO SURVIVE A ROBOT UPRISING to Michael DeLuca Prods., reports SCI-FI WIRE. A film treatment based on the book, which hits stores Nov. 7, 2005, has already been written by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant (Comedy Central's RENO 911).
Paramount is in final talks with LAYER CAKE director Matthew Vaughn to direct and produce an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's adult fairy tale STARDUST, according to VARIETY. Vaughn wrote the script with writing partner Jane Goldman.
This week in AWN's Forums, moderator Larry L. talks about Don Bluth and Gary Goldman receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Savannah Film Fest.
Animated Exeter 2006Exeter City, U.K. February 13-25, 2006Deadline: October 28, 2005
Animated Exeter features animation screenings from around the world. The event contains British Animation Awards, workshops, residencies and exhibitions, showcasing both traditional craft techniques and new and developing computer generated imagery from the U.K. and overseas. For more information, visit www.exeter.gov.uk.
ADVA Academy Awards for ExcellenceWorld Wide WebDecember 15, 2005Deadline: November 25, 2005
At Fall Processor Forum in San Jose, California, IBM announced that the custom designed microprocessor built for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is in production at the company's East Fishkill, New York, fab and at Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing in Singapore. Together, IBM and Chartered's common platform offers Microsoft a unique dual-source capability that provides the highest level of manufacturing redundancy and flexibility.
The ultimate TITANIC DVDs were released today (Oct. 25, 2005) in a special edition, a special collectors edition and a deluxe collectors edition, courtesy of Paramount Home Ent. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Ent. International. The three-disc special collectors edition ($29.99) is available in the U.S., Japan and Korea, while the two-disc special edition is available in Europe, Australia and Latin America. The four-disc deluxe collectors edition is also available in Europe, Australia and Latin America.
Alias announced its involvement in three of the gaming industrys leading events this fall: the Austin Games Conference taking place Oct. 27-28; the Serious Games Summit happening in Arlington, Virginia, Oct. 31-Nov. 1; and the Montréal International Games Summit (MIGS) running Nov. 2-3. Alias open and component-based pipeline solution for game development includes: Alias SketchBook Pro, Maya, Alias Motionbuilder, Alias HumanIK Middleware and FBX and FBX SDK (Software Development Kit).
TOM AND JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION VOL. 2 (Warner Home Video., $26.99, Oct. 25, 2005) contains another 38 classic MGM TOM AND JERRY shorts from the 40s and 50s in this two-disc set, including their Academy Award-nominated debut, PUSS GETS THE BOOT, in which they were called Jasper and Jinx. The set offers two other Oscar nominees, THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS and DR. JEKYLL AND MR. MOUSE, plus several rare CinemaScope gems, including TOM AND CHERIE, MUSCLE BEACH TOM, DOWN BEAT BEAR, MUCHO MOUSE and TOT WATCHERS. As with the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION VOL.
Warner Bros. Entertainment has realigned its businesses involved in the digital delivery of entertainment content to consumers to create the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, to be headed by Kevin Tsujihara as president. The new group will oversee home video, online, wireless, games, anti-piracy and emerging technologies operations.
In his new post, Tsujihara reports directly to Barry M. Meyer, chairman/ceo, Warner Bros. and Alan F. Horn, president/coo, Warner Bros.
Comedy Central gets very animated in the coming week with the ninth season of SOUTH PARK, new episode of DRAWN TOGETHER and select broadcast of BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD episodes and movie.
Discovery Kids brings spiders and mummies and ghosts all to life from Oct. 21-31, 2005, with its second annual Halloween Freak Week programming and online event for kids.
Nicktoons Network celebrates Halloween with its second annual Scare-A-Thon, featuring 48-hours of Nicktoons Networks spookiest Halloween-themed programming, commencing Oct. 29, 2005, at 8:00 am through Oct. 31 at 8:00 am. The two-day marathon will be hosted by Edgar and Ellen, the set of mischievous twins featured in the EDGAR & ELLEN book series from Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing.
The long-in-the-works CG feature, FOODFIGHT!, has announced its star-studded voice cast, according to VARIETY. Charlie Sheen (TVs TWO AND A HALF MEN), Eva Longoria (TVs DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), Wayne Brady (TVs THE WAYNE BRADY SHOW), Chris Kattan (FEVER PITCH) and Christopher Lloyd (BACK TO THE FUTURE) will provide the voices for the Threshold Animation Studios and Lions Gate Family Ent. production.
The International Interactive Emmy Awards 2006Cannes, FranceApril 5, 2006Deadline: October 31, 2005
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will be holding the International Interactive Emmy Awards at MIP-TV. The competition is open to interactive television companies located outside of the U.S. in three categories: Interactive Television Program; Interactive Channel; and Interactive Television Service.
The 10th British Academy Childrens Film And Television Awards, hosted by the British Academy in association with Time Warner, has announced its nominations. The event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005, at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Awards presenters of this ceremony will include some of the best known faces from television, music, sports and film.
Animation World Network is proud to announce the launch of the new AWN Showcase.
School of Visual Arts (SVA) honors Heinz Edelmann, one of the leading art directors, illustrators and designers of our time, with its Masters Series Award and retrospective exhibition. Every year, SVA bestows the award to a groundbreaking visual artist, designer, photographer or illustrator who, over the course of his/her career, has been recognized as a great visual communicator. The Masters Series: Heinz Edelmann will be on view through Dec. 3, 2005 at the Visual Arts Museum.
eDward VI is the international film competition of the eDIT 8 Filmmaker's Festival. This year marks the first-ever online component of the annual young filmmakers competition, sponsored and created by AWN and VFXWorld in conjunction with the festival. For the next three weeks, until November 13, 2005, everyone is encouraged to view all 11 short film finalists and vote for their favorite 30-second film! The eDward online audience choice award complements the jury award presented at the festival in Frankfurt, Germany.
Warner Home Video has released LOONEY TUNES: GOLDEN COLLECTION, VOLUME 3 and LOONEY TUNES: MOVIE COLLECTION on DVD.
LOONEY TUNES: GOLDEN COLLECTION, VOLUME 3 features restored, remastered and completely uncut and uncensored classic Looney Tunes shorts. Disc one is dedicated to Bugs Bunny cartoons with special features that include: * 1989 Documentary: CHUCK AMUCK * A-Hunting We Must Go: Chuck Jones Wabbit Season Twilogy Featurette* THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW: The Honey-Mousers* Bull Point Puns Audio Recording Session
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
On Oct. 25, 2005, Manga Ent. will release of the all new anime co-production STREET FIGHTER ALPHA: GENERATIONS. Alongside a host of new action figures, trading cards and games which will be released by a score of different companies in conjunction with national STREET FIGHTER month this October, ALPHA: GENERATIONS brings the untold origin story of STREET FIGHTERs most intriguing and popular characters to DVD.
Perhaps giving JibJab a run for its website political humor money is BECOME A REPUBLICAN (www.thefrown.com/frowners/becomerepublican.swf) on The Frown.com. Written and drawn by Brian Frisk, the animated comic satirically points out the benefits of going from being a blue state voter to a red state voter in the U.S.
With music by Shok, the style and character design seems to be inspired by UPA and THE SIMPSONS.
