Finally, the wait is over for the original STAR WARS trilogy on DVD, as the impressive four-disc set arrives in stores Sept. 21 (Fox Home Ent., $69.98). Purists, of course, have been up in arms for two years after George Lucas revealed that he had no intention of making the theatrical versions of A NEW HOPE, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI available on DVD.
2005 Santa Barbara International Film FestivalSanta Barbara, California, USAJanuary 28 February 6, 2005Deadline: November 19, 2004
Andy Lewis has been promoted from svp/gm to evp/gm,Warner Bros. Animation. Lewis, who joined Warner Bros. Animation in 1997 in his previous position, will continue to oversee general management of the animation studio, including the day-to-day studio operations, business affairs, finance and administrative matters, as well as his involvement in business planning.
Animac, the International Animated Cinema Exhibition 2005Lleida, Spain February 14 27, 2004Deadline: November 30, 2004
The Walt Disney Co. board of directors met Sept. 19-21, 2004, on the 20th anniversary of Michael Eisner's service as ceo, and voted to reaffirm support for its management team, redesigned the management incentive bonus program and started its search for its next ceo to be chosen by June 2005.
TYRO screenwriter Ali Russell has launched feature production banner Elysium Ent. with a pair of comicbook-based projects -- THE 10TH MUSE and an untitled Rob Liefeld film, reports VARIETY. Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Ent. will sheperd the new company. Weaver discovered 21-year-old Russell at the UCLA screenwriting program.
Weaver optioned MUSE for low-six figures and Russell is set to write and produce the film. Based on the comic by Darren Davis, the story follows the adventures of modern-day daughter of the Greek God Zeus.
Rhino Films has joined forces with MOTHER JONES magazine and Alligator Planet to form Rhino Animated Features, which is designed to produce a series of activism docs for theatrical release, reports VARIETY. The first film will be MOTHER SEES RED, which will take a look at America's current culture wars. An animated version of labor leader Mary Harris "Mother" Jones will host the films.
MOTHER JONES will give editorial direction for the projects. Rhino Films head Stephen Nemeth brought the idea to Alligator Planet, where Tim Boxell will head the company.
Bob Scarabelli, Rainmaker Income Fund president/ceo, has passed away from natural causes. Scarabelli worked for Rainmaker for the past 25 years, growing it into one of North America's leading post-production facilities.
TV-Loonland will join with ZDF tivi to produce the series RUDI AND TRUDI. TV-Loonland and ZDF Enterprises will start marketing the worldwide TV and subsidiary rights at MIPCOM. Production of the series is slated to begin in the fall. Broadcast launch in Germany is planned for spring 2006.
Peter Völkle, ceo of TV-Loonland said, "We are very pleased about the new co-production with ZDF. It is the continuation of many years of successful collaboration.
Entertainment Rights has acquired the production company Tell-Tale. Creative talent Iain Lauchlan and Will Brenton with fellow directors Karl Woolley and Helen Cadwallader will join ER to lead the creative division, which will immediately begin work on an extensive production and development slate.
INDIGO has signed a deal with Nickelodeon Asia for its Indian animated series THE ADVENTURES OF TENALI RAMAN. The series will air on Nickelodeons Philippine and Asia feed reaching out to viewers in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore. It is due to air in November 2004.
LucasArts announced the release of the highly anticipated STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT, an open-ended single-player and multiplayer action game that lets players re-live all of the epic battles from the classic and prequel STAR WARS film trilogies. Shipping September 21 with the classic STAR WARS Trilogy DVD, STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT will be available for PlayStation 2, Xbox and the PC.
Mainframe Ent. and Protocol Ent. have announced that Protocol will create a new half-hour live-action series based on the classic HARRIET THE SPY children's novels. Protocol will produce 22 half-hour episodes, with HARRIET rights owner 2 Friends Ent. acting as exec. producers and U.S. sales agent and Mainframe retaining international distribution rights. Rick Mischel, ceo of Mainframe, will be engaged by Protocol as an exec producer on the project.
A group of Korean researchers from a local university have developed a new kind of high-quality MoCap technology that is so simple to use that they believe this will allow Koreans to compete internationally in vfx, reported THE CHOSUN ILBO.
Side Effects Software announced the release of Houdini 7, the formal launch of Houdini Escape, third party rendering support for Houdini Escape, a scripting product for rendering and free access to the Houdini Developers Kit for all Houdini customers, including Houdini Apprentice users.
HarperDesign Intl is set to release a comprehensive world history of animation titled, ANIMATION ART. The 382-page book will hit shelves on Oct. 26, 2004 and sell for $45. Originally commissioned by Flame Tree Publishing in the U.K., the book was edited by animation historian Jerry Beck, serving as the general editor with animation veteran Will Ryan serving as consulting editor.
Electronic Arts via its EA SPORTS brand has launched the two-player Web game, ALL-STAR FOOTBALL CHALLENGE. This free Web football game brings a two-player mode and four new teams to the already popular ALL-STAR FOOTBALL series. Players can gear up for the competition at www.easports.com/free/home.jsp.
Disney Online has unleashed pets called Doodles in Toontown (www.toontown.com), the award-winning, massively multiplayer 3D online game for families. With this latest extension of the game, members of Toontown can adopt a variety of outrageous creatures to play with and raise as pets.
Doodles are available now for adoption in exchange for jellybeans, the currency of Toontown online. They can be found at newly unveiled Pet Shops located in each of the Toontown neighborhood playgrounds.
THQ Inc. has released WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR, a realtime strategy game for PC is based on the world of Warhammer 40,000 - the dark, futuristic, fantasy universe from Games Workshop traveled by millions worldwide. Developed by Relic Entertainment Inc., WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR offers some of the most visceral frontline combat ever depicted in a videogame for a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Veteran advertising and production exec Stephen Axthelm joins ANIMAX as director of marketing, the digital animation, interactive and brand entertainment studio based in Los Angeles.
As exec producer of hundreds of advertising and promotional campaigns and author of strategic, creative and integrated marketing plans for many more, he brings a broad skill set to ANIMAXs work in a range of categories and genres.
Paramounts groundbreaking CGI adventure, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, managed to capture the box office for the weekend ended Sept. 19, 2004, ringing in $15.5M in its debut, but well below expectations.
Rushes was called upon by AMVBBDO to illustrate the search for "Sheba," the ultimate luxury food for cats. Produced by Lindsay Hughes and directed by Graham Fink, MAZE is a fantasy quest through a beautiful world, with a cat leading its owner to its favorite food.
For the first time, the Visual Effects Society (VES) will be offering online voting in preparation of its third annual VES Awards ceremony, to be held in Los Angeles at the Palladium on Feb. 16, 2005.
Meanwhile, the VES has offered several tips and reminders:
Avid Technology Inc. announced the worldwide availability of Avid Studio Tools, a fully integrated software package designed exclusively for customers using Media Composer Adrenaline, NewsCutter Adrenaline FX, and NewsCutter XP systems.
The Video Lab Johannesburg has two announcements: not only has renowned international colorist Catherine Pantazopoulos joined the group, but they have secured the latest in grading wizardry: Discreets lustre 2.5, the only one in South Africa.
Joining luminaries such as Pixar Animation Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks, The Video Lab plans to have the lustre up and running by mid-October in a custom, designed, world-class grading room.
