Producers Tyra Hanshaw and Cara Buckley have joined the production department at Click 3x. Both Hanshaw, who arrives from Berwyn Editorial, and Buckley, formerly with Spontaneous, have broad experience in producing visual effects, animation and other post work. At Click 3x, they will produce both commercial and broadcast design projects.
Platinum Studios, the comic book entertainment company headed by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, has announced an exclusive deal to acquire and develop Marc Silvestris Top Cow Prods' library of characters and upcoming future projects for film and television.
The deal was crafted and negotiated by Top Cow president Matt Hawkins, who said, I woke up one morning and it just dawned on me that we do this. I spoke with Scott and Marc, and they were both immediately into it.
At Comic-Con, Dark Horse Comics announced that it will publish a four-issue comic book adaptation of the Pixar film THE INCREDIBLES. Dark Horse's adaptation will feature art by Ricardo Curtis, one of the storyboard artists on the film.
In addition, Dark Horse announced a new manga series, Katsuya Terada's THE MONKEY KING, a manga adaptation of the popular Chinese legend. It will feature the toughest monkey in the East, who is on a mission to retrieve the legendary scrolls of Buddha. The first volume will hit stores in March 2005.
DreamWorks has set up three unprecedented premieres, spanning two continents, three countries and two major film festivals for its CG feature, SHARK TALE. In addition, members of the film's all-star voice cast and soundtrack talent will be attending all of the premieres.
National Cartoonists Society's 2002 Newspaper Illustrator of the Year and international syndicated cartoonist and illustrator Steve McGarry will speak to animation, videogame, art and design students at The Art Institute of California-Orange County, July 28, 2004 at 11:30 am.
Nexus directors Smith & Foulkes have created an animated title sequence for Working Title's feature film, THE THUNDERBIRDS, based on the British cult puppet series of the 1960s. Working closely with THUNDERBIRD's director Jonathan Frakes and producer Tim Bevan, Nexus was asked to craft a sequence that captured the light-hearted tone of the movie, but also gave context and background information to a U.S. audience not familiar with the TV series.
Richard Kilgarriff has been promoted from consultant to svp/gm for all of Turner Broadcasting's U.K. Entertainment channels Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Toonami and TCM with the managers of each channel now reporting directly to him. He will also continue as a consultant to Turner's news network, CNN International.
The Global Kids International Film & Television Festival for Children 2004Mulhouse, FranceOctober 11 16, 2004Deadline: August 30, 2004
John Geoghegan joins LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of entertainment software for videogame consoles, computers and the Internet, as vp marketing.
Geoghegan is a veteran marketing exec with nearly 20 years of experience creating and managing marketing, communications and advertising campaigns and brand-building programs for such globally known companies as Sun Microsystems, Procter & Gamble, Sprint, Nestle, British Airways, Dupont and Chevron.
SNAP TO GRID: The UN-Juried ShowLos Angeles, California, USASeptember 9-October 1, 2004Deadline: September 5, 2004
Wachtenheim/Marianetti LLC., current animators behind the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVES TV FUNHOUSE with Robert Smigel, is putting the finishing touches on a pilot, STROKER AND HOOP, set to premiere Aug. 1, 2004 at 11:30 pm during Cartoon Networks Adult Swim.
Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2005Sydney, Australia January 7-15, 2005Deadline: September 24, 2004
Those who would like to play with the pretty Halle Berry version of CATWOMAN from Warner Bros. Pictures theatrical can get their paws on the new videogame from Electronic Arts available in stores now for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC CD-ROM.
Friday, July 30, 2004, is the deadline to submit scientific and technical achievements to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 77th Academy Awards consideration.
In late May, application forms were sent to more than 850 companies and individuals within the sci-tech community both in the United States and abroad.
DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures have teamed up to bring THE TRANSFORMERS to the big screen. Angry Films heads Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, who exec produced the X-MEN films, will produce the live-action feature, along with Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The film will be based on a story by DeSanto. Steven Spielberg will exec produce. As part of the agreement, DreamWorks will handle domestic distribution with Paramount handling the film internationally.
Paramount has confirmed that REQUIEM FOR A DREAM helmer Darren Aronofsky will direct the much-anticipated film version of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel THE WATCHMEN, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The long in-development project was originally set to be X-MEN writer David Hayter's first directing job, but he will step aside to let Aronofsky direct the film from his script.
Anima Mundi, the international animation festival of Brazil, wrapped up on July 25 with the announcements of the São Paulo winners. The event is like two festivals in one running in Rio de Janeiro (July 9 18) then moves to São Paulo (July 21 25). Taking the Rio short prize was Oscar winning film HARVIE KRUMPET.
John Kricfalusi will appear in person September 7 8, 2004 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood to introduce two days of cartoon screenings. On Sept. 7, Kricfalusi will present a retrospective of classic Spumco -- including "director's cuts" of REN & STIMPY and MIGHTY MOUSE. He will explain the process of working with network executives, explain in-jokes and answer audience questions.
Writer-director Brad Bird wowed the Comic-Con audience Friday afternoon with two scenes from Disney/Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES (opening Nov. 5) and some lively and revealing comments on his transition from 2D to 3D animation.
Universal's spy sequel, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (with vfx by ILM), ruled the box office for the weekend ended July 25, 2004, capturing $52.5M. That was far better than I, ROBOT's second place finish of $21.7M (with vfx by Digital Domain and Patrick Tatopoulos Design). In two weeks, the Will Smith sci-fi thriller from Fox has gathered $95.1M.
MTV Networks' new digital gay-themed cable network LOGO unveiled its premiere development slate, which includes an animated series, CHELSEA BOYS, during the recent the TV critics summer press tour.
Comedy Centrals DRAWN TOGETHER, television's first animated reality series, is set to premiere on Oct. 27, 2004, at 10:30 pm with the first of eight episodes.
DRAWN TOGETHER presents a world where cartoon characters from various genres of animation are brought together to live under one roof. The eight characters leave their animated "reality" and enter a new world where their cartoon universes collide, combining different styles of animation and different personalities all "drawn together."
Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Online have started the Round One showdown for the second season of Cartoon Monsoon www.cartoonmonsoon.com, an online development tool that brings together seasoned animation experts, emerging talent and fans. The site pits creative animators against each other in an online competition.
This animation showcase was created to expose undiscovered talent to top development execs at Warner Bros. Animation, to hopefully lead to their first big break in the business.
Anime Network moves from a strictly video-on-demand (VOD) format to a 24/7 national network beginning July 27, 2004, securing deals with major national advertisers in preparation for its launch, including interactive entertainment powerhouses Atari, Nintendo and Capcom.
If you dont have email, watch TV or read a newspaper, then you probably havent encountered by now the hilarious animated political parody at JibJab.com, thats equally insulting to President George W. Bush and the Democratic challenger, Sen. John F. Kerry. You can catch the creators, brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis interviewed about it on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, tonight, July 26 at 11:30 pm on NBC.
