AWN Headline News

In a groundbreaking long-term agreement, Electronic Arts Inc. announced that Academy Award-winner Steven Spielberg will be collaborating with the game makers at EA's Los Angeles studio (EALA) to create three new original franchise properties. Beginning this year, with offices located on site at EALA, Spielberg will work directly with EA's development teams to offer his signature style of storytelling to the concept, design, story and artistic visualization of the new games.

Finishing at the top of the home entertainment sales charts, Buena Vista Home Ent.'s special edition of CINDERELLA sold 3.2 million units in its first week. The 55-year-old animated classic sold twice the amount units the other top new releases Universal's THE INTERPRETER and Sony/MGM's AMITYVILLE HORROR combined. The enchanted release garnered approximately $60 million in one week. ROBOTS, last weeks top seller, slipped to #2.

On New Year's Eve 2005, CLASS OF THE TITANS, an original animated series produced by Studio B, will launch on the Canadian specialty network, TELETOON. Studio B is in post-production on 26x22 episodes of the action-adventure series with distribution partner Nelvana. Studio B and Nelvana will launch this new series at MIPCOM Jr. in France.

New York-based Lavinias World has announced that THE OOSHES has been chosen as one of five finalists in the 2005 MIPCOM Jr. Licensing Challenge. The finalists will be pitching their projects live to a jury that will select one as the winner. The final round of this competition, organized by MIPCOM Jr. and LICENSE! MAGAZINE will take place on Oct. 16, in Cannes, France.

Jewish Animation CelebrationToronto, Ontario, CanadaJanuary 2006Deadline: November 11, 2005

The Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) is hosting its Jewish Animation Celebration. The short film and video show is entering its third year and celebrates Jewish culture, tradition, art and community. Its open to all kinds of animation, classical cels, paint, cutouts, Flash, 3D, puppets, etc. Entries total running time must not exceed 10 minutes. For more information, visit www.awn.com/tais.

This November, Toonami in the U.K. will begin airing a new 40-episode KONG animated series and a 74-minute animated movie from BKN New Media.

Turner Broadcastings boys action animation channel will air the U.K. premiere of KONG THE ANIMATED SERIES on Nov. 1, at 6:00 pm. The movie, KONG: KING OF ATLANTIS, will have its U.K. premiere during Toonamis popular Destination: Friday block on Nov. 11, at 5.30 pm. It will have its network premiere on Cartoon Network on Nov. 19.

Perky Pickle Studios has wrapped on the development and design for Vivendi-Universal Interactives CRASH BANDICOOT: TAG TEAM RACING. Due out Oct. 18, on Xbox, Game Cube, PlayStation 2 and PSP, this latest outing finds the bandicoot in a pedal to the metal racing brawl. Perky Pickle Studios previously worked on the hit game, CRASH: TWINSANITY. This time around, Perky Pickle partnered with Vancouver-based developer Radical Ent. to produce the expansion of the franchise.

B Wooding Media (BWM), acting as agent for Bardel Distribution, has sold three animated features, DRAGONS: FIRE & ICE, DRAGONS: THE METAL AGES and SILVERWING: THE MOVIE TRILOGY, to Toon Disney in the U.S. for a fall 2005 debut.

The DRAGONS movies will be featured in the popular Jetix block at 7:00 pm, and will be supported with cross promotions in fall 2005 and fall 2006 through retail partners Megabloks and Lions Gate Ent.