Autodesk Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alias for $182 million in cash. This acquisition will grow Autodesk's expertise and offerings for the design of consumer products and automotive, as well as in the media and entertainment markets. The merger brings the chief 3D software applications 3ds Max and Maya under one roof. Autodesk anticipates that the transaction will close within the next four to six months.
The latest Acrobat edition of Animation World Magazine is now available to download.
This week in AWN's Forums, a member has a question about freelance stop-motion animation.
The British Animation Awards (BAA) 2005London, U.K.March 9, 2006Deadline: October 31, 2005
The British Animation Awards (BAA) covers all aspects of the U.K. animation scene, from student work to commercials, childrens entertainment, short and experimental films to music videos, new technologies, scriptwriting and craftsmanship.
Zoom Girl Media Lesbian Shorts Competition World Wide WebFebruary 1, 2006Deadline: November 30, 2005
Zoom Girl Media is accepting entries for its first competition to name outstanding lesbian-themed comedy short films. Filmmakers are invited to submit original comedies, 10 minutes or under in length, dealing with lesbian themes and related cultural and social issues. Films will be judged on originality of subject matter, production values, technical excellence and overall merit.
AAA Screenplay Contest WinterWorld Wide WebJanuary 1, 2006Deadline: December 1, 2005
As with the earlier BAMBI, CINDERELLA (1950) gets the complete digital treatment for its DVD debut on Oct. 4, 2005 as part of the select Disney Special Platinum Edition (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99), including 4K scanning of the original negative. The results are razor-sharp image and 5.1 audio. Voice work included Ilene Woods as Cinderella, Lucille Bliss as Anastasia and June Foray as Lucifer. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske, with standout color and styling contributions from famed illustrator Mary Blair.
Dale Wahl joins LAIKA as ceo in Portland, Oregon. Robert Harold, the longtime Nike financial exec who came out of retirement to serve as interim ceo since March, 2005, will assist in the transition and retains his seat on LAIKAs board of directors.
Spurred by positive industry acceptance of their digital cinema funding plan, Access Integrated Technologies Inc. (AccessIT) and Christie Digital Systems USA Inc. (Christie) strengthened the commitment to their Digital Cinema Framework, removing provisions that had originally allowed either party to terminate their agreement by Sept. 30. The companies viewed the move as an expression of their long-term pledge to the innovative template they designed for funding a nationwide rollout of theater-based digital systems.
IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that HAPPY FEET, the animated musical comedy about a tap-dancing Emperor Penguin and his adventures in the Antarctic, will be released domestically in IMAX 3D simultaneous with the film's 2D premiere in conventional theaters on Nov. 17, 2006. The film is directed by George Miller (the BABE films and the MAD MAX trilogy), with an all-star ensemble cast, featuring the voices of Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman and Brittany Murphy.
NewTek Inc. announced that Zoic Studios relied on the award-winning LightWave 3D as a key tool in producing visual effects shots for Universal Pictures SERENITY, directed by Joss Whedon film. Zoic produced about 220 shots for the film, and for many of these LightWave was used to model, texture, animate, light and render the 3D elements. Of those assets that were created in other 3D applications, many were subsequently rendered in LightWave.
eyeon Software Inc. has started shipping its core compositing application, Fusion 5. Features include: 3D compositions with lights, cameras and primitives, OpenGL acceleration with display views, and an essential change to ASCII files. These, and all of Fusion 5's advanced features, are the result of significant artist feedback.
Volatile Games, a division of Blitz Games and one of the U.Ks leading independent game developers, announced the use of endorphin 2.5 in its next-gen zombie action-thriller POSSESSION.
For the second consecutive week, Buena Vistas FLIGHTPLAN (with vfx Lola Visual Effects and Peerless Camera Co.) led the box office for the weekend ended Oct. 2, 2005, bringing in $14.8M for a total of $45.9M. Debuting in second place was Universals SERENITY (with vfx from Zoic and Rhythm + Hues, among others), with a less than stellar $10.086M. TIM BURTONS CORPSE BRIDE, the stop motion feature with vfx from MPC, fell to third place with $10.033M. The Warner Bros. release now totals $33.1M.
If Nick Park seems slightly dazed, its understandable almost three weeks of non-stop promotion has taken him to Australia, Toronto and recently New York City on behalf of his new movie, WALLACE AND GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, which opens in the U.S. Oct. 7, 2005.
USA has greenlit a third season of its hit series, THE 4400, reports the trades. With a premiere set for summer 2006, the 13 new episodes will go into production the beginning of the new year.
The sci-fiers second season with the #1 summer cable series with adults 18-49, beating out THE CLOSER and THE SHIELD. The five-episode first season received an Emmy nomination for miniseries.
STAR WARS illustrator Matt Busch has signed a deal with Razor Digital Ent. to release his first independent movie, CONJURE, on home video and DVD. In addition to writing, producing and directing the feature, Busch also plays himself along with fellow artist/model Sarah Wilkinson in this supernatural thriller.
Renee Zellweger returns to the horror genre in the English remake of the Hong Kong horror flick, THE EYE, reports the trades. One of Zellwegers early feature film roles was as the female lead in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION, alongside Matthew McConaughey. Paramount is producing the redux via C/W Prods. heads Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner.
The film follows the eerie visions a woman (Zellweger) begins seeing after she regains her sight after a cornea transplant.
A new wrinkle in the hi-def DVD format war has occurred. Paramount Home Ent. has announced that it will support Sonys Blu-ray format as well as its previously announced support for Toshibas HD-DVD.
Rumors are afloat that Warner Bros. with be announcing dual support later this week as well. Previously, Universal was the first studio originally backing HD-DVD to announce that it was going to support both formats. Some say its a move to save face for backing the potential loser in the format wars.
Comicbook hero Lucky Luke will ride onto the bigscreen in TOUS A L'OUEST, which will be produced by Xilam, Dargaud-Marina and Lucky Comics, reports VARIETY. Fall 2007 is set for the films release. With a budget of e12 million ($14.4 million), the flick will be directed by Olivier Jean-Marie from a script by him and Jean-Francois Henry.
Loosely based on the comic THE CARAVAN, the feature will follow cowboy Luke and his talking horse Jolly Jumper as they pit themselves against their long-time enemies the hapless Dalton brothers in 19th century America.
Fox Animation has hired Matthew Weiss to pen an feature script based on the Emily the Strange character created by Rob Reger, reports VARIETY. The live-action feature will contain some animation.
Trivandrum-based Toonz Animation India and California-based First Serve Ent. have announced the formation of a joint venture First Serve Toonz (FST), which will produce and distribute animation programming for the international marketplace as well as operate a consumer products licensing business, reports the trades. FST will announce its first major project in the next few weeks.
Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Europe has shuffled about its organization to support emerging areas in its business mix and grow its entertainment brands starting with naming Dee Forbes vp/gm of TBS UK and Ireland, responsible for all commercial and channel activities plus its operating units: distribution sales, ad sales and S&P, programming and acquisitions, marketing, PR, creative services, presentation, research, strategy and consumer products.
Blue Planet Studio, Inc., a 3D animation and graphic design firm, and Cynosure New Media Inc., a leading training development and multimedia production company, tamed up to produce 3D animation for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Special Projects Office (DARPA SPO). Converting futuristic concepts into high-tech visualization, these animations were used to support SPO and VSO exhibits on display at the 24th DARPA Systems and Technology Symposium (DARPATech 2005) held at the Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, CA, Aug. 9-11, 2005.
Live from New York City its J. J. Sedelmaier doing more TV FUNHOUSE segments for Saturday Night Live, with a new one scheduled to run on the season premiere this weekend, Oct. 1, 2005, on NBC during the late night show that starts at 11:30 pm. Sedelmaiers White Plains animation house JJSP introduced SNL audiences to such animated FUNHOUSE favorites as Fun with Real Audio, The X-Presidents and The Ambiguously Gay Duo.
