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Universal Headline News

Fox & Universal Hang Hat on Halo

20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures have taken the bid from Microsoft to produce a feature film adaptation of videogame HALO, reports VARIETY. The final details are still being hammered out, but for certain Universal will handle domestic rights with Fox taking international.

Toon Headline News

Toon Boom Concerto Reaches its Finale

Toon Boom Animation announced that Toon Boom Concerto is phased out of the market due to the superior toolset offered by Toon Boom Harmony. Building on Opus and Concertos capabilities, Toon Boom Harmony comes with more advanced features such as morphing, inverse kinematics and glue that enhance the animation production process, whether it is traditional or digital. Harmony also includes a global template library that facilitates the reuse of assets, all set up in an integrated pipeline.

Animation Headline News

New Faces, Places at MIFA 2005

Heeding complaints about space and hot air of previous MIFAs, this years international market, in conjunction with the Annecy Festival in France, opened with more space, an improved air system, more areas to gather, a screening area for buyers, even better food and beverage services for those attending.

Headline News

Sega Animanium Releases Lite Version of Its Animation Software

Sega Animanium, a 3D character animation software that has been used by leading animation studios and videogame developers in Japan, is now available in both a full version and a newly released lite version.

USA Index Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Index Corp. and licensee of Animanium, has released Animanium Express for $99. Animanium Express offers most of the features of the full version of Sega Animanium, however is limited to no more than 180 frames and does not offer the automatic clean-up function.

Headline News

TV-Loonland Strengthens Sales Team With Ignatiew

TV-Loonland has appointed Irina Ignatiew as sales manager for TV and home entertainment in the German-speaking territories (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) in order to grow its internationally successful distribution activities. In her new position, Irina Ignatiew will report directly to the TV-Loonland managing board in Munich. Ignatiews responsibilities include the sales and distribution of TV-Loonland programs throughout the German-speaking world.

Million Headline News

Atari President and CEO Steps Down

Videogame maker Atari Inc. announced that president/ceo James Caparro resigned, and the board appointed chairman/cco Bruno Bonnell to take his place on a temporary basis while it searches for a permanent replacement.

Shares of Atari Inc. dropped 54 cents, or about 18%, to $2.40 in after-hours activity.

Caparro is leaving Atari after fewer than eight months on the job to become president/ceo of Entertainment Distribution Corp., a division of Glenayre Technologies Inc.

Headline News

Williams Phreex Out for Next Animated Feature

John H. Williams is set to produce PHREEX, an animated feature following a group of rejected lab animals, reports the trades. The screenplay was written by Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Williams will begin shopping the project to partners soon.

Williams will produce alongside Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, who have worked with Williams writing his Vanguard houses VALIANT, which the Walt Disney Co. will release August 19.

Headline News

Actors Flinch to Gamers’ Strong Stand

Stopping the potential for a strike, SAG and AFTRA have comes too terms with the videogame publishers, backing down from their demand for residuals from the $7 billion videogame industry, reports VARIETY. Yet, the actors will be a hefty 36% increase in the base rate of $556.20 per session for voiceover work.

Game Headline News

DreamWorks to Provide Flicks for GameBoy

DreamWorks Animation has signed a deal with videogame publisher Majesco to become the first studio to release films for Nintendo's Game Boy, reports VARIETY. The first title will include SHREK, SHREK 2 and SHARK TALE in Majescos proprietary Game Boy Video format. Price tag for the films will be about $20.

Previously, the publisher released TV shows from Nickelodeon, Disney and Cartoon Network. The run has always been that the Game Boy format can only hold animated content up to 90 minutes.

Story Headline News

Inspired Corp. Opens Animated Story Store

Inspired Corp. announced the release of STORY STORE, a new 13-episode children's animation series. There are five DVDs, each containing three episodes and a free children's book. There is also a holiday special that includes one bonus episode. The release is under Inspired Corp.'s Peter Pan label.

Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Its the proverbial calm before the storm this week as we await the highly anticipated June 15 release of BATMAN BEGINS. Although its vfx are not intended to be as flashy as REVENGE OF THE SITHs, youll soon see how it raises the bar in crafting invisible effects. You can read all about it and much more next Wednesday, when Danny Fingeroth explores the significance of director Chris Nolans back to basics approach to the Dark Knight.

Animation Headline News

Indie TV Fest Wants Your Pilots!

By Guest (not verified) | Wednesday, June 8, 2005 at 12:00am

The FIRST EVER INDEPENDENT TELEVISION FESTIVAL is seeking submissions for its Independent Pilot Competition and is currently accepting entries in its ANIMATION category.

Launching in fall of 2005, the NYTVF will pioneer the movement of "Independent Television." Writers, directors and producers will be given the unprecedented opportunity to screen Pilot Programs directly for network and cable executives in a festival competition. What festivals such as Sundance did for film, the NYTVF will do for television.

Headline News

Time To Send In SIGGRAPH News for Special Flash Newsletters!

Continuing our special event specific Flash Newsletters, AWN will again be publishing newsletters for SIGGRAPH. This important event is fast approaching and our editorial and advertising staff is gearing up for the Flash Newsletter series. The news deadline for the first edition is July 13 and for the second edition the deadline is July 20. Please send releases and images to editor@awn.com. Here are the dates for the publications.

SIGGRAPH 2005July 19, 2005July 26, 2005

Disney Headline News

Walt Disney Internet Group Acquires Minds Eye

The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) has acquired of Minds Eye Prods., one of the leading interactive TV game developers in Europe. The agreement demonstrates WDIG's commitment to the iTV games market and to developing new growth businesses for The Walt Disney Co.

Disney entered the interactive TV games market in the U.K. in August 2004, with the launch of Disney Channel Play on Sky. This service provides games featuring some of Disney's most popular TV programs, movies and characters, including those from THE LION KING and KIM POSSIBLE.

Time Headline News

SIGGRAPH 2005 Announces ‘Threading Time’ Art Gallery

The SIGGRAPH 2005 Art Gallery: Threading Time will showcase digital artwork that maps or traces threads through time and space. Six world-renowned artists were invited to exhibit their works in the SIGGRAPH 2005 Art Gallery in addition to the featured juried works. A record number of 1,100 pieces were submitted from which 53 artists were chosen. Works include 11 Art animations, six Art Papers, three Art Symposia discussions, six Art Installations (to be shown in the adjoining Emerging Technologies area) and three distributed performances on Access Grid.

Software Headline News

Pipelinefx Becomes IBM ServerProven

Pipelinefx, a leading provider of enterprise server farm management software for 3D animation and interactive entertainment companies, has achieved optimized status in IBMs PartnerWorld Industry Networks program. As a result, Pipelinefx can help customers achieve higher productivity in the production of 3D content and game development for next generation platforms.

Design Headline News

Gnomon Workshop Releases Design Development DVDs

The Gnomon Workshop, in conjunction with Design Studio Press, introduced two new DVDs from returning artist Harald Belker, whose titles cover car and prop design for films and games. In addition, Nick Pugh joins the library this month, offering three noteworthy DVDs on design originality, creature design and environment rendering.

Work Headline News

25,000 3D Artists Download SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation

Avid Technology Inc. announced the 25,000th download of the trial version of SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation, the $495 version of the companys high-end XSI modeling and animation package. At SIGGRAPH 2004, XSI Foundation was a key element of the company's 3-Democracy strategy, making the industrys advanced 3D content creation software accessible to all levels of CG professionals.

Headline News

Justin Lin Signed for Fast and the Furious 3

Justin Lin, director of the Sundance hit BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, has been signed to direct THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 3. The Universal Pictures release will be produced by Neal H. Moritz, who served in the same capacity on the other films in the series. The third film was written by Chris Morgan (CELLULAR), who places the third entry in Tokyo: in the underground world of Japanese drift racing. Plans call for the film to begin production in the fall 2005.

Headline News

Mission: Impossible 3 to Start July 18

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, starring Tom Cruise, will commence principal photography on July 18 in Italy. The film, to be directed by J. J. Abrams and filmed on locations across Europe, the U.S. and Asia, is scheduled to be released May 5, 2006. Cruise and his partner, Paula Wagner, will produce for Cruise/Wagner Prods.

Iger Headline News

Iger Talks About Pixar, Next-Gen DVDs

Walt Disney Co. ceo-elect Bob Iger on Tuesday (June 7, 2005) said he had "really good" talks with Pixar Animation Studios Inc., reports RUETERS. He told investors at a Deutsche Bank conference that it was too early to tell if a new agreement would be reached.

"I'm not sure I really want to give you odds. We've had really good discussions," Iger said.

Film Headline News

Piranha Gets Chiller Remake

Joe Dante's PIRANHA will get an update care of new production firm Chiller Films, reports VARIETY. Chuck Russell (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3) is set to rewrite the script, using elements from spec script KILLER FISH by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger plus the original's script by John Sayles, which was based on a story by Richard Robertson. Chiller will co-produce the film with Intellectual Properties Worldwide.

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