Cartoon Network has acquired 26 episodes of the brand new animated adventure series, D.I.C.E., created by Bandai and animated by renowned animation studio, Xebec (a subsidiary of Production I.G.), to premiere in January 2005. The series features cutting-edge CG/cel animation for boys 6-11.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ and SCi have secured key stars for the talent lineup for the CONSTANTINE videogame, based on the upcoming film from Warner Bros. Pictures, set for release in February 2005, and the DC Comics/Vertigo HELLBLAZER graphic novels.
POW! Entertainment and Stan Lee, the legendary creator of superheroes, has created a new superhero who, unlike all the others, is actually based on a living, breathing human being, performing his fantastic deeds in the real world. Its based on Jay J. Armes, possibly the world's most successful and colorful crimefighter, who possesses steel-clawed prosthetic hands and a lie-detecting tiger.
Santa may be wearing a red suit but hes got anything but a red attitude in the latest animation Bent Image Lab did for a TV Funhouse segment on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (Dec. 18, 2004). The studio did an incredible looking stop-motion five-minute 'Rudolph'-type bit (written by Robert Smigel) poking fun at racial and political bias and intolerance.
The amazingly rich production took the studio just two weeks to complete.You may view the short at www.bentimagelab.com/video/qt/SNL-04smaller.mov and find it relevant for before and after Christmas sentiments.
THE SIMPSONS -- THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON came to DVD this week just in time for Christmas (Fox Home Ent., $49.98). The four-disc set includes all 22 episodes from '93 (when the series was firmly established as a cultural icon) along with the usual stellar commentaries and other mandatory extras: "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," "Cape Feare," "Homer Goes to College," "Rosebud," "Treehouse of Horror IV," "Marge on the Lam," "Bart's Inner Child," "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood," "The Last Temptation of Homer," "Springfield," "Homer the Vigilante," "Bart Gets Famous," "Homer and Apu," "Lisa vs.
Avid Technology announced the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool -- a free version of its award-winning 3D animation software designed for gamers who are interested in modifying the content of popular video games.
As part of the company's 3-Democracy plan -- to make the most advanced 3D content creation software accessible to all levels of CG professionals -- the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool is available immediately from the Softimage Website (www.softimage.com), and enables users to generate material for HALF-LIFE 2, the recently released action video game by Valve.
On Jan. 13, 2005, Sony Pictures will present the first-ever showing of a major studio movie using Sony's new 4K digital projection system at a screening of Columbia Pictures' blockbuster SPIDER-MAN 2. The uncompressed 4K digital cinema content for the projection system will be powered by advanced visualization and shared storage systems from Silicon Graphics.
Its moving day at VFXWorld and AWN. To celebrate, we have some great articles for you to check out. Ellen Wolff explores how ILMs Stefen Fangmeier mixed cutting edge technology with a bit of old cinema magic to help conjure the retro look of LEMONY SNICKETS A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. Youll be amazed by the big steps forward ILM has made in photoreal human characters. Mary Ann Skweres takes a look at the f/x that went into bringing the mega-hit stage play THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to the silver screen.
Warner Bros. Pictures' THE POLAR EXPRESS: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE surpassed $20 million in total box office receipts in only six weeks to continue its record-setting pace for a commercial IMAX release.
Left Lane Cartoons Holiday Art ContestWorld Wide WebJanuary 31, 2004Deadline: December 23, 2004
Left Lane Cartoons is sponsoring a Holiday Art Contest. All children, ages 5 to 13, are invited to submit an illustrated book report of their favorite novel. Six winners will receive art books. Entries may be sent to: Left Lane Cartoons, Box 53074 - 10 Royal Orchard Blvd., Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 7R4. For more information, visit www.leftlanecartoons.com.
AsoloArtFilmFestival 2005Asolo, Treviso, Italy November 1-6, 2005Deadline: May 20, 2005
Nickelodeon has ordered two new animated series, THE XS, a stylish series about a crime-fighting family who must thwart the forces of evil while still functioning as an average suburban family, and CATSCRATCH, featuring three fumbling felines who carry on in a world of humans. In addition, hit Nicktoon DANNY PHANTOM has been picked up for a second season of 20 episodes, bringing the total episode order to 40 and tween favorite MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT has been picked up for an additional 14 episodes, bringing its total number of episodes picked up to 40.
ATI Technologies and Avid Technology/Softimage Co. unveiled a complete graphics hardware and software solution for 3D artists and students. Both companies are now offering SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation software with the FireGL T2-128 AGP 8X workstation graphics accelerator in a single cost-effective package for $599.
KING ARTHUR: THE EXTENDED UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT bowed on DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $24.99) Dec. 21, 2005. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Antoine Fuqua, KING ARTHUR has been called BRAVEHEART light, with reluctant Roman leader (Clive Owen) having to go against the invading Saxons in England before he can peacefully return to Rome. A red-hot Guinevere (Keira Knightley), stripped down to S&M leather garb, adds to the revisionist fun. VFX were done by Cinesite (Europe).
Blur Studio has produced two new 3D-animated shorts, IN THE ROUGH and GOPHER BROKE, that are currently short-listed for Academy Award consideration as Best Animated Short Film and are being submitted to leading international film and animation festivals.
Vinton Studios has named Mike Cachuela director of story for feature films, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Cachuela has been a longtime collaborator with Vintons stop-motion master Henry Selick. Cachuela was storyboard artist on Wes Anderson's THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU for which Selick did the stop-motion animation.
"Having someone of Mike's caliber join our feature film division is testimony to our commitment to make Vinton Studios a major producer of full-length animated feature films for the global market," Vinton Studios ceo Jeff Farnath said.
Intuition and S2 Intl. have struck a project-by-project production alliance, reports VARIETY. The duo will first team on KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS director Michel Ocelots new animated feature, AZUR ET ASMAR.
Spurred by the box office success of the first animated PATORUZITO film, Jorge Rodriguez of Red Lojo Ent. has announced plans to exploit the franchise in features, television and merchandising, reports VARIETY. The story follows a boy who fights to claim the title of cacique (chief) of his tribe in Patagonia. A new studio will launch in April to handle the animation on the property.
Need last minute holiday gift shopping ideas? Then check out Warner Bros. Home Videos recent releases, TOP CAT: THE COMPLETE SERIES; THE FLINTSTONES: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON, as well as THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE, THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH TUNE-FULL ADVENTURE, now available in stores.
America Online's kids KOL service, in partnership with Animation Collective, has launched an original online comicbook series and game based on its PRINCESS NATASHA animated Webisode series. Each full-length comicbook, posted each week exclusively at AOL Keyword: Princess Natasha, will follow storylines from the first PRINCESS NATASHA season and the upcoming new season featuring 10 Webisodes. The game sends Natasha on yet another secret mission as she fights for justice against the evil Lubek.
The Independent Games Festival has announced the finalists in the seventh annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) competition. Selected by a panel of industry professionals, game development teams will compete for more than $40,000 in cash prizes. Finalists will exhibit their titles at the Game Developers Conference, March 7-11, 2005 in San Francisco and winners will be announced at the Game Developers Choice Awards Ceremony March 9.
The 10 games selected for the "Open" category are (in alphabetical order):* ALIEN HOMINID by The Behemoth (San Diego, California)
Exent has launched TumbleBooks, a collection of animated, talking picture books that teach kids the joy of reading in an easy-to-use format, through its Games-on-Demand services. The books are created by taking existing picture books licensed from leading children's book publishers, and then adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book.
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television handed out its Gemini awards for television on Dec. 13, 2004. DOODLEZ took home the Best Animated Series prize. Producer Gretha Rose was present the award,
MTV International and is making the holidays merrier by airing a HAPPY TREE FRIENDS half-hour holiday special produced by Mondo Media Productions. HAPPY TREE FRIENDS WINTER BREAK is running exclusively on 15 participating MTV Intl channels from Dec. 10-30, 2004. MTV 2 (U.S.) just came on board to air the holiday special six times, commencing Dec. 24.
