The tug of war for box office supremacy was intense last weekend between THE RETURN OF THE KING and BIG FISH, with the Tim Burton film appearing to be the winner by a nose. But when all the numbers were officially tabulated, it turned out there was no stopping THE LORD OF THE RINGS finale, which stayed atop the chart for the period ended Jan. 11, 2004.
The same day that Walt Disney Feature Animation officially declared the closing of its Florida unit, saying goodbye for the moment to traditional animation, it strengthened its 3D commitment by announcing the addition of A DAY WITH WILBUR ROBINSON to its production slate.
Turbo Squid, home of the world's largest collection of royalty-free 3D assets for sale, announced the release of rtre from Cubicspace as the newest tool in the Discreet-certified 3ds max plug-in program.
The first Oscars awards of the season have been decided as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced recipients of this years scientific and technical achievement awards to be presented at a gala black tie dinner on the evening of Feb. 14, 2004, at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California.
Digidesign, a leading manufacturer of computer-based digital audio production systems, will receive an Oscar for the creation and development of the Pro Tools digital audio workstation.
Newcomer Noodlesoup Productions has made an impression on Miramax, animating the opening minutes to the distributors latest release, MY BABY'S DADDY, which opened in theaters Jan 9, 2004.
"We're excited that Miramax has such faith in Noodlesoup Prods. and has given us the opportunity to work with them on another film, said Jeff Nodelman, founder and CEO of Noodlesoup. I believe this is just the beginning of a great relationship."
A group of former Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida animators have banded together to open Legacy Animation Studios, a new animation production studio in Winter Garden, Florida, close to Orlando in late January 2004. The studio will offer a full-range of traditional hand-drawn (or 2D) animation services for film, television and commercials. Legacy will also be dedicated to developing original properties for television and film as well as produce its own feature film project.
Toon Disney is giving viewers a chance to do their homework on DISNEYS TEACHERS PET before the feature film hits theaters on Jan. 16, 2004. The Disney cable outlet is presenting a special four-hour marathon on Jan. 11 from 8:00 to noon, featuring eight consecutive episodes of the critically acclaimed animated TV series, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation.
The International 3D Awards returns for its second year, with the ceremony to be held May 5, 2004 at the 3D Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 2nd annual International 3D Awards is now calling for entries.
Awards will be given in the following categories:- Feature Film Visual Effects- Animated Feature Film- Television Visual Effects- Commercials- Music Videos- Short Films- Logos and Idents- 3D Game of the Year- Game Cinematics (non-interactive)- Technological Innovation
In continuing to define a new collaborative design and production strategy with the Rockwell Group, IOMEDIA has produced a series of presentations combining 3D animation, interactive design and video production for the Starhill Shopping and Entertainment Center located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
nPower Software launches v. 2.0 of Power Solids and Power Translators for 3ds Max/ Viz. Power Solids 2.0 supports 3ds max 6 in an effort to enhance 3D modeling. Power Solids introduces a state of the art precise CAD geometric modeling kernel into 3ds max. It performs dynamic tessellation at render time to generate the most precise and efficient representation. Power Solids and Power Translators data is very well suited for export back to CAD systems through nPower's STEP, IGES, SAT, Rhino data translation.
Vancouver Canada-based Global Mechanic has expanded its operations to the United States in order to serve its increased business in commercial, television production, and independent film work.
Mattel Inc. has signed a deal with ShoPro Ent. for the master toy license to MEGAMAN NT WARRIOR. The franchise originated as a Capcom videogame series then became a long-running manga series. The TV series is garnering high ratings for the Kids' WB! Mattel has not yet announced any information regarding when the initial release of the new toy line will begin.
Cartoon Network has added the gothic anime series, WITCH HUNTER ROBIN, to its Adult Swim lineup. Beginning Feb. 16, 2004, the show will air Monday-Thursday at midnight.
Set in present-day Japan where witches abuse their supernatural powers, a special team, lead by the flame conjurer Robin, hunts this new threat with a blend of technology, forensic science and supernatural powers. The series is directed by animé veteran Shukou Murase, who served as character designer for GUNDAM WING and ARGENTOSOMA.
On Jan. 7, 2004, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) announced its 2003 awards, which will be handed out Jan. 26 at the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles. Comic book-inspired indie AMERICAN SPLENDOR received top honors as Best Picture of the Year. As well, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini were awarded Best Screenplay for the film they also directed. In animation, TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE garnered Best Animation, in addition to Best Music/ Score for Benoit Charest and Mathieu Chedid.
Cyma Zarghami, who has been instrumental in making Nickelodeon the highest-rated basic cable network in total day ratings for more than eight straight years, has been promoted to the newly created position of President, Nickelodeon Television. In her new role, Zarghami will oversee all of Nickelodeon's television businesses, adding the digital channel Noggin/The N, which is now in 40 million homes, to her responsibilities, while continuing to oversee Nickelodeon Games & Sports (GAS) and Nicktoons.
Burger King Corp., 4Kids Entertainment Inc. and Mirage Licensing Inc. will be bringing extreme sports themed TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES toys to kids meals. The promotion will run from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1, 2004 at participating Burger King restaurants. In addition, the companies have collaborated on a program to encourage kids to incorporate physical activity into their everyday lives, as part of a partnership with the President's Challenge, a program of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Vfx artist and editor Jay Tilin has joined R!OT Manhattan. Tilin, employing both Quantel's Henry and Discreet Logic's Fire, is known for his award-winning spot work as well as his long-form and music video finishing.
LA SIGGRAPH Hosts Visual Effects of the Lord of the Rings TrilogyNorth Hollywood, California, USAJanuary 13, 2004
Academy Award-winning director James Cameron will present the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the Visual Effects Society (VES) to George Lucas at the 2004 VES Awards ceremony.
Cameron, acclaimed director of such visual effects powerhouses as TITANIC, ALIENS, THE ABYSS and the first two films of the TERMINATOR trilogy, will be a featured presenter at the second annual VES awards event which will be held at the Hollywood Palladium on Feb. 18, 2004.
This week in the Forums a bit of debate has started on the nature of cowardice.
Raider Prods. and Purple Globe Communications (www.purpleglobe.com) have partnered to bring NORTH AMERICA'S BEST INDEPENDENT ANIMATED SHORTS (NABIAS), the first feature film to be screened on Internet in full screen streaming DVD quality using Matrix Stream technology.
HypeFest's early entry deadline has been extended to Feb. 16, 2004. The entry fee for short films, spots or music videos during the early entry is $35 per submission (Student with ID: $20). Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 16, 2004. HypeFest is accepting short films (40 minutes or less), commercials, music videos and promos for competition screening for its 2004 event, which will take place July 23-25, 2004 in Hollywood, California. Only works completed in 2003 or 2004 are eligible for HypeFest 2004.
DIC Ent. is sweeping up some big international sales with its TOTALLY SABRINA package of 90 half-hour episodes to broadcasters in the U.K., Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Canada.
Dancing Diablo is collaborating with 4Kids for a third season of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES television series since its premiere on FOX. It has styled and painted backgrounds for 26 episodes that premiered February 2003, is finishing the last of 26 episodes for the second season and is embarking on 13 more episodes.
THQ Inc. is expanding international operations with two new strategic appointments: Ian Curran, previously md of THQ UK, to the newly created position of vp, European Publishing and Martin Good as vp of Asia-Pacific Publishing.
Curran will oversee the company's expanding European operations including offices in England, Germany and France. Since joining THQ in late 2000, Curran has played a key role in growing the company's international revenues to more than 25% of its global sales.
