Veteran producer Mark Gordon, music producer Pharrell Williams, World Events Prods. and producers Mark Costa and Ford Oelman will team to bring VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE to the big screen, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The film will be produced by Gordon (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SPEED). Williams, Costa and Oelman will exec produce.
Making Nov. 1, 2005, STAR WARS day around the globe, Fox Home Ent. and LucasArts have announced that STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH will be released day-and-date with videogame STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II. The SITH DVD will be released in most major markets either on the first or around it. The double-disc movie DVD will include a feature-length documentary on the making of the film.
Mitch Feinman has been appointed Feinman to the newly created position of vp to lead Fox Mobile Ent., the new unit of 20th Century Fox Television devoted to creating and distributing unique content and marketing to the worldwide wireless market. Feinman will oversee Fox Filmed Ent.s strategic relationship with Glu Mobile for domestic distribution of film content, as well as wireless content creation and marketing across Fox TV business units. Additionally, Feinman handles U.S.
Major theater chains in Germany have threatened to not carry Buena Vista Internationals release of HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, because the company intends to release the DVD in December, reports VARIETY. Greater Union Filmpalast and Cinemaxx have both said they will not screen the film, because the Aug. 4 theatrical debut is only four not the typical six months away from the home entertainment release.
Daniel Battsek, a veteran film exec in the Buena Vista International Organization, has been named president, Miramax Films, reporting directly to Dick Cook, chairman The Walt Disney Studios. Battsek, has been serving as evp/md of distribution and production for BVI UK.
Leslie Jones has been tapped by NBC Universal Television Distribution to lead its just launched new original content unit that will partner with local media companies to develop and create local programming in territories spanning the globe, it was announced by Frederick Huntsberry, evp, NBC Universal TV Dist.. The new international production unit will report in to Jerry Petry, evp, business operations and sales strategy, NBC Universal TV Dist.
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. has given chairman Roger Enrico more control over finances and legal matters for the company as the Securities and Exchange Commission conducts an informal probe into financial disclosures and trading of DreamWorks shares, according to BLOOMBERG NEWS.
CFO Kristina Leslie and general counsel Katherine Kendrick will report to Enrico and chief exec Jeffrey Katzenberg. They previously reported to Katzenberg and coo Ann Daly, who will primarily focus now on film production and home video sales, the company said.
Sundance Channel has acquired U.S. television rights to the BBC animated series, I AM NOT AN ANIMAL, a satirical, animated comedy that follows the adventures of a group of talking animals suddenly forced to fend for themselves in the outside world. The series will premiere on Oct. 5, 2005, at 11:00 pm and air Wednesday nights at 11:00 pm through November 9. It will also repeat on Thursdays at 6:00 pm, Fridays at 11:00 pm, Saturdays at 8:30 pm and Tuesdays at 8:30 pm.
Celador International is developing and will launch at MIPCOM Junior a brand new pre-school animated comedy, (NOT SO) SCARY MONSTERS. Targeted at kids 2-5, this new 39x7 series will be licensed and distributed globally by Celador Intl. The company is working in partnership with the brand creators, The Monster Factory, to license (NOT SO) SCARY MONSTERS consumer products and interactive media worldwide.
Aaron McGruders THE BOONDOCKS will premiere on Oct. 2, 2005, at 11:00 pm on Adult Swim, Cartoon Networks late-night sister network showcasing animation for adults. Regina King (MISS CONGENIALITY 2, RAY) and John Witherspoon (FRIDAY AFTER NEXT) are among the actors who have signed on to voice characters on the highly anticipated animated television comedy based on McGruders award-winning and politically charged comic strip of the same name.
Monster Distributes has picked up international distribution rights to another big Annecy winner, THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO, and will be launching the short feature film at MIPCOM Junior.
Funded by the AFC, Film Vic and SBS Independent, animator Anthony Lucas JASPER MORELLO won the top honor at the festival, the Grand Prix award le Cristal DAnnecy, out of the 1,709 films that were entered.
4th Nueva Mirada Film FestivalBuenos Aires, Argentina.October 27 - November 2, 2005Deadline: August 15, 2005
Flip Animation Festival Wolverhampton, U.K.October 27-29, 2005Deadline: October 7, 2005
Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton hosts the Flip Animation Festival, the regions only animation festival. Flip celebrates animation in all its guises with showcases of work, industry talks and events, workshops and film screenings and aims to raise the profile of animation in the Midlands.
49th San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco, California, USAApril 20 - May 4, 2006Deadline: December 1, 2005
Capcom announced that renowned film title designer Kyle Cooper has created the opening sequence for their upcoming videogame, DARKWATCH. The flagship title from development house High Moon Studios Inc., DARKWATCH is an immersive first person shooter (FPS) for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, that blends the Western and vampire-horror genres. Darkwatch will be released on Aug. 16, 2005.
Electronic Arts announced that it has been granted the rights to develop games based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic literary fiction, THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Since 2001, EA has developed games based exclusively on New Line's Academy Award winning theatrical productions of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, as depicted by Peter Jackson. The expansion of the rights allows EA to introduce players to depths of the fiction never before explored in an EA game.
LAIKA Ent. (recently doing business as Vinton Studios) has greenlit a second feature film project in less than a week. JACK & BENS ANIMATED ADVENTURE is an original idea from LAIKA Ent.s director of story Jorgen Klubien, a veteran writer, director, storyboard artist, and designer, who joined the company earlier this year.
Long John Baldry, a British blues-rock singer who helped start the careers of the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Elton John and other British stars, died of a severe chest infection on July 21, 2005, in Vancouver, British Columbia, reports THE NEW YORK TIMES. He was 64.
After producing an ambitious slate of direct-to-video movies, The Walt Disney Co. has decided to close its animation studio in Sydney, Australia and notified its 250 employees there this will take effect next year.
Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures jointly announced that the upcoming film being directed by three-time Academy Award-winning director-producer Steven Spielberg will be titled MUNICH.
Out of Our Minds Animation Studios lands nearly $2 million in funding from private investors for production of its first feature-length animated film.
This week in the Theatrical Release Database, we have more than three dozen changes.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
This week in AWN's Forums, a junior member pitches to the members to work on his new project for free and gets some interesting responses. Another blogger wants know more about exposure sheets. A member wants to know how good people were at animation when they were 15 years old. Theres also a request for advise on doing stop-motion animation. A new thread has popped up talking about the Sick & Twisted Festival. Theres another post asking whether taking a course or using online tutorials is a better learning option.
Join AWN and RES Magazine on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005, at the historic Egyptian Theater in Hollywood to celebrate the best in animated short films and music videos. The screening will focus on the years best animation and coincides with the 32nd annual SIGGRAPH computer graphics and interactive festival. See great new films, hear from special guests in attendance. Check out www.res.com for the programming lineup and where to buy tickets. As well, join us for a reception after the show. Buy your tickets today!
