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AWN Headline News

Headline News

Polhemus Offers Totally Wireless Tracking System

Polhemus, the industry leader in 6 Degree-of-Freedom (6DOF) motion capture, tracking and digitizing technologies, announced the LIBERTY LATUS (Large Area Tracking Untethered System). This system represents a whole new dimension in tracking technology, one that offers a totally wireless, full 6DOF solution. The system has speed, ease-of-use via an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI), and is capable of tracking up to 12 independent markers over large areas at a rate of 94 or 188 updates per second.

Dark Headline News

Spirit of Will Eisner Lives on at 2005 Eisner Awards

The 17th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were bestowed on Friday, July 15, 2005, in a gala ceremony in the ballroom at the San Diego Convention Center. The awards event was dedicated to Eisner, who died in January. His presence was felt throughout the evening, as presenter after presenter shared thoughts about the late comics giant. The ceremony was preceded by a slide show of Eisners career and a video with taped tributes from many creators who couldnt attend, including Frank Miller, Mike Mignola and Dave Sim.

Film Headline News

Buscemi & Cleese Join Monstrous Cast For Exodus' CG Igor

Steve Buscemi, John Cleese and Jay Leno have joined the cast of Exodus Film Groups CG-animated short film IGOR: UNHOLY FRIJOLES. Buscemi will voice the part of "Scamper," a super intelligent, yet sarcastic lab rabbit, while Cleese will lend his voice to the character of "Dr. Glickenstein," Igors evil master. Buscemi and Cleese join Christian Slater, who stars in the title role of "Igor" as well as Jay Leno. The film, which is in production, precedes the feature-length theatrical version IGOR, due out in 2007.

Headline News

Nick & Paramount Get Blue With CG Smurfs

Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures have confirmed that they will be developing a 3D CGI feature version of THE SMURFS. Jordan Kerner will produce. The project is envisioned as a trilogy with the first film hopefully coinciding with the 50th anniversary of THE SMURFS in 2008. The unwraps story will be written by Herb Ratner.

Kerner Ent. production head Paul Neesan, who helped acquire the rights, will exec produce along with Nick svp Julia Pistor. Paramount vp Matt Jackson will shepherd the project.

Film Headline News

Vinton Studios Absorbed Into Feature Film and Media Venture LAIKA

Businessman/entrepreneur Phil Knight announced today (July 19, 2005) that he has absorbed animation company Vinton Studios, which Knight acquired in September 2003, into a new entertainment and media venture called LAIKA.

LAIKAs first film offering is CG animated short film, MOONGIRL, director Henry Selicks (NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH) a charming fable which re-imagines lunar mythology. Footage of MOONGIRL is available now for viewing at www.laika.com.

Home Headline News

Young Scooby Strikes First Paw on DVD

Warner Home Video is releasing, for the first ime on DVD, A PUP NAMED SCOOBY-DOO, VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 2. Geared toward preschoolers, both DVD titles follow the adventures of Scooby-Doo as puppy, along with pint-sized versions of Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred as they solve mysteries. The volumes street on July 19, 2005, and retail for $14.98 SRP each.

The series, produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally aired on ABC and is currently airing on Cartoon Network/Boomerang.

Headline News

4Kids Ent. Fashions Bratz CGI Series for Fall TV Wardrobe

The BRATZ CGI animated television series, featuring the incredibly popular BRATZ characters from MGA Entertainment, will air this fall on 4Kids TV(TM), 4Kids Entertainment's Saturday morning children's programming block, beginning Sept. 10, 2005, on FOX.

BRATZ joins the 4Kids TV girls block, which includes the popular WINX CLUB and MEW MEW POWER. Japanese animated hit MAGICAL DOREMI also will join the girls block for girls 6-12 when the fourth season of 4Kids TV launches on September 10.

Company Headline News

Marisa Fiechter to Produce for Trollbäck + Co.

Marisa Fiechter has rejoined bicoastal creative studio Trollbäck + Company as a producer and is producing projects for HBO as well as the comprehensive redesign of a TV network.

The combination of Marisas nine years of agency experience and her sense of taste and style make her a perfect match for Trollbäck + Co., said exec producer Elizabeth Kiehner.

Headline News

Neeson Confirmed as Voice of Narnia’s Lion King

Walt Disney Pictures confirmed at San Diegos Comic-Con on Sunday that Liam Neeson will be voicing Aslan the Lion in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, opening Dec. 9. Aslan, the noble ruler of the magical world of Narnia, is mostly a CG character, except for a crucial scene involving animatronics from K.N.B. EFX under the supervision of Howard Berger.

Artists Headline News

Leading Visual Artists Invited to Interpret The Fountain

Director Darren Aronofsky (PI, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM), Regency Enterprises and Warner Bros. Pictures have invited 15 artists, including top graphic artists from the comic book world, to create original works of art interpreting Aronofskys forthcoming sci-fi fantasy film, THE FOUNTAIN, which will be released this fall (tentatively in December).

Beginning in mid-August, these images will be released on the films official website at www.thefountainmovie.com. A new interpretation will appear approximately once per week leading up to the films release.

Headline News

Sony to Launch Monster House in Digital 3D

Columbia Pictures' all-CG feature, MONSTER HOUSE, the second production to utilize the new performance capture technique developed by Sony Pictures Imageworks, will be released in more than 100 theaters in REAL D's digital 3D format day-and-date with its regular national release on July 21, 2006.

The imagery for the ImageMovers/Amblin production of MONSTER HOUSE is being overseen by Imageworks, which also oversaw the first performance capture feature, THE POLAR EXPRESS, which was a phenomenal success in IMAX 3D with the help of Imageworks.

Headline News

EA Announces Sims 2 Machnima Winners

In April, Electronic Arts and USC teamed up to hold a machinima contest, using the filmmaking feature in THE SIMS 2 and now the winners are in. The contest allowed game players and aspiring filmmakers to submit their 3-minute movie shorts. EA received more than 1,000 entries that were then judged by a panel of USC professors and film experts.

Digital Headline News

Charlie Has Sweetest July Opening for Warner Bros.

Tim Burtons CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (with delightful vfx from MPC, Framestore CFC, Cinesite and Digital Domain), which opened with a very sweet $56.1M for the weekend ended July 17, 2005, proved to be the best July opening ever for Warner Bros. It was also the best opening ever for a PG-rated movie in July as well as Johnny Depps best bow.

Film Headline News

Michael Mintz Onboard iO Film as Digital Intermediate Colorist

Michael Mintz joins iO Film, a technologically advanced, full-service digital film finishing facility specializing in film and video projects from every sector of the entertainment industry, in the new position of digital intermediate colorist. Mintz will work with clients in the digital grading of feature films.

Headline News

4KIDS Ent. Names Steven M. Grossman EVP/CEO

Steven M. Grossman will become evp/coo of 4Kids Entertainment Inc. starting Sept. 1, 2005 and will report directly to Alfred R. Kahn, 4Kids chairman/ceo.

Grossman has been a director of 4Kids since 2001 and chairman of the Audit Committee since 2003. He has resigned from 4Kids Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, but will continue as a director of the company.

Animation Headline News

Stefan Nadelman Joins Curious Pictures

Curious Pictures newest addition to its roster of award-winning directors is Stefan Nadelman. Nadelmans recent animation work for VH1, HBO, ESPN, Panasonic and Nike has established his reputation in the industry, as well as winning a Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival for his short TERMINAL BAR, which also won RESFESTs Audience choice award.

Film Headline News

Comic-Con Highlights Feature Big Surprises

Comic-Con is more than half over and the masses of comic, sci-fi and genre fans have been treated to a cornocopia of delights. On Thursday, horror master David Cronenberg gave the attendees a sneak peek at his new film, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, which was adapted from a graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. Josh Olson wrote the screenplay, which he said is loosely based on the graphic novel.

Production Headline News

2004-2005 Primetime Emmy Award Nominations

Nominations for the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on July 14, 2005 and FOX and Cartoon Network won the most primetime Emmy nominations for animated shows with four each, but SCI FI Network had six noms in the visual effects arena. FAMILY GUY edges into the primetime Emmy race along with SOUTH PARK, THE SIMPSONS, SAMURAI JACK and SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, which are nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour).

Dreamworks Headline News

Transformers Feature to Open July 4, 2007

The TRANSFORMERS live-action feature, based on the globally popular franchise will open July 4, 2004, announced DreamWorks, Hasbro Inc. and Paramount Pictures.

The movie will be directed by Michael Bay (THE ISLAND and ARMAGEDDON) from a screenplay being written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (THE ISLAND). Steven Spielberg is exec producing with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto (the first two X-MEN) and Don Murphy (THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN) serving as co-exec producers.

Studios Headline News

U.K. ‘VFX|Production Grade’ Course to Launch in October

CG training facility Escape Studios offered new details about the new VFX|Production Grade initiative previously announced last spring. Launching in October 2005, this new course, which is funded by the Skillset Film Skills Fund, offers the most intensive and focused production training available for the aspiring CG artist. The free program consists of five months of full-time training at Escape Studios working on production projects followed by a two-month work placement at a top U.K. post-house.

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