Cartoonist Bill Mauldin died of respiratory failure at a nursing home in Newport Beach where he had lived since mid-2001 while battling Alzheimer's disease. He was awarded in 1944 for his World War II cartoon G.I.s, Willie and Joe, and again in 1959 for providing his visual commentary on Boris Pasternaks treatment by the Soviets.
John Halfpenny has just posted MONOPOLIS, his new flash animation depicting a world with questionable values. Also, check out Gogues recently completed work in the conceptual art gallery on the official Terminator 3 website. New in the Showcase, the flash animation work of Barry Munden bringing a little old-fashioned Sci-Fi to the web.
Click here to visit the Showcase.
Activision, Inc. and DreamWorks SKG have entered into a strategic multi-year, multi-property publishing agreement that grants Activision the exclusive interactive rights to publish games based on DreamWorks' three upcoming CG-animated feature films: SHARKSLAYER, MADAGASCAR and OVER THE HEDGE. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision has acquired the rights to develop and publish games for the console, hand-held and PC platforms.
Prix Ars Electronica 2003.Linz, Austria.Saturday, September 06 - Thursday, September 11, 2003.Entry Deadline: Thursday, March 20, 2003.
Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand, the founders of Twin Sisters Productions, Inc., have repurchased from CINAR Corporation the company they founded. The deal was concluded on January 13, 2003 for US$1.5 million. The sale also settled the outstanding litigation claims against CINAR by Twin Sisters.
On Friday, January 17, 2003 the 2002 Critics' Choice Awards were bestowed by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. This year, the Critics' Choice Awards were notable because the BFCA added a category for Best Digital Acting Performance. While controversial, the award honored the standout digital characters that appeared in some of 2002's biggest blockbusters, with Gollum from LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS winning the award, beating Yoda from STAR WARS: EPISODE II and Dobby from HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS.
Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that FINAL FLIGHT OF THE OSIRIS, directed by Square USA and one of the nine animated episodes that make up THE ANIMATRIX, will have its theatrical premiere with DREAMCATCHER, a new thriller set to debut in theaters March 21, 2003. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, DREAMCATCHER is a supernatural thriller based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. It stars Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane and Jason Lee, and features special effects by ILM.
Artist Al Hirschfeld, one of the best known caricaturists in history, died in his sleep at his home in New York City on January 20, 2003. He was 99. Best known for his witty caricatures of actors and personalities, Hirschfeld's drawings also provided the inspiration for the "Rhapsody in Blue" segment of FANTASIA 2000. Directed by Eric Goldberg, the segment evoked New York in the 1930s. Hirschfeld, whose life was detailed in the 1996 documentary, THE LINE KING, was also well known in the American theater community.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING picked up five awards at the third annual DVD Premiere Awards, including the award for Best Overall New Extra Features in a New Release.
The Associated Press brings us the news that a Thai newspaper is reporting an animated feature will be made out of a novel written by Thailand's king. According to the NATION newspaper, storyboards for the film, which is based on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's novel MAHACHANOK (THE GREAT FATHER), will be submitted to the king for approval in March 2003. The 90-minute film is being produced by the government's National Youth Bureau, and tells the story of a Buddhist ruler who sacrifices himself for his subjects.
Action, adventure and pretty dresses, all in one game! THQ Inc. in association with Disney Interactive is in development on the game DISNEY PRINCESSES for Game Boy Advance. Scheduled for release in spring 2003, the game is based on the princess characters in Disney's animated films, and will feature six different stories that are based on each princess' respective fairytale.
At NATPE, Monster Distributes has acquired the half-hour special HERMIE AND WORMIE from U.S.-based GlueWorks Entertainment. With voice-over talent from Tim Conway, Don Knotts and Melissa Disney, Max Lucados HERMIE AND WORMIE is the 3D-animated story of two caterpillars who long to escape their dull, boring lives and become something great. Post Central Charlottes Demetre Gionis directed the animation team and RAE Creative supervised all post-production for the show.
The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is hosting an evening with Dan Philips, 3d-CG veteran and friend of animation, who has worked on such animated features as THE ROAD TO EL DORADO and JONAH A VEGGIETALES MOVIE. On Monday, January 27, 2003, Philips will present a series of selected still and animated 2D/3D images from his collection of work from 1987 to 2002.
On February 23, 2003, digital media training center Future Media Concepts (FMC), in cooperation with Apple, will kick off its 15-city "FCP to the Max!" tour to bring professional-level Final Cut Pro training seminars to editors across the U.S. and South America. For US$199, the intensive daylong seminars are taught by FMC's team of Apple Certified Instructors, and address the full capabilities of Final Cut Pro for professional production.
SecondSun Entertainment, the animation company created by combining 2D studio Delaney and Friends, 3D company Brainchild Studios, and Interactive Games producer Furious Entertainment, has recently completed two animated commercial projects under the new banner. Both commercials employed a combination of live-action, 2D and 3D animation.
Discreet has released 3ds max 5.1, a maintenance update available to 3ds max 5 customers as a software download from Discreet's Website. The 3ds max 5.1 update offers enhancements in several functional areas such as scripting, animation, modeling, rendering and mapping. Discreet has also initiated the Discreet Subscription Program, a new service giving 3ds max 5 users an online automated method of purchasing, managing and obtaining maintenance software.
Former Nelvana executive Toper Taylor has formed ToperTaylor.com, a Los Angeles-based marketing firm specializing in all areas of kids and family entertainment.
Comedian and writer Steve Marmel will host the 30th Annual Annie Awards. Marmel, who is nominated at this year's Annie's for his work on THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS (Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Program), where he serves as a writer and story editor, has had a 15-year career as a stand-up comedian, including a one man show for HBO and appearances on COMEDY CENTRAL, THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno and POLITICALLY INCORRECT with Bill Maher.
To allow ASIFA members a chance to catch Cartoon Network's Annie nominated short films, THE GROOVENIANS and THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DOO, the network is having a screening on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 at 7:00 pm at their Burbank studios: 300 N. 3rd Street Burbank, CA 91502.
This week, Park City, Utah hosts the Sundance Film Festival, widely acknowledged as the premier independent film festival in the U.S. But less well-known are the host of competing festivals running alongside Sundance, that rarely get as much attention, but often feature just as compelling filmmaking efforts. Walking down Park City's Main Street, the average festival-goer is likely to find advertised screenings for NoDance, Slamdance and TromaDance, just to name a few of the alternative fests.
He wears a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and talks, thanks to special effects by Asylum and The Secret Lab! He's KANGAROO JACK, the down under comedy that hopped to the top of the box office heap this weekend, earning $17.6M in its debut. In second place was another new release, NATIONAL SECURITY, starring Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn, which debuted with $15.7M. Last week's number one film JUST MARRIED fell to third with $12.4M for a total $34M.
Adult animation is certainly making in-roads on the major cable channels. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block is now 5 nights a week, The New TNN announced that it is launching an adult animation block as it transitions the network toward a male audience, and now AMC is replacing its mainstay of classic films with some original programming, including a new prime-time adult animation series called THE WRONG COAST. Debuting Wednesday, April 2, 2003 at 8:00 pm, THE WRONG COAST is a stop-motion comedy that lampoons well known Hollywood films, television shows and celebrities.
Education Comics will showcase a new cartoon series called THE ADVENTURES OF SCOOTER MCDOOGAL at this year's NATPE. Derived from the popular educational comic book series and targeting kids 6-12 years old, the educational series follows quirky hero McDoogal as he visits famous historical figures throughout the ages on his super rocket-powered scooter that defies the laws of physics. The series, which is executive produced by Diane Russomanno, premiered in 2002 at a holiday benefit in Los Angeles for the Danny Thomas St. Jude's Hospital Fund.
At this year's NATPE, Canada's Portfolio Entertainment will offer a sneak peek at its new animated series CARL SQUARED, currently in development for Canadas Family Channel. The half-hour series is a comedic look at cloning and other cutting-edge scientific techniques that are now a part of everyday life. Portfolio will also bring back its hit series ROBOROACH (52 x 30-minutes), which is currently distributed worldwide outside the U.S. by Fox Kids Europe. The series has recently been renewed for a third season of 26 episodes by Canadas Teletoon.
Toronto-based independent animation house Cuppa Coffee recently completed a commercial for Nissan Almera. "A car commercial is always a unique challenge," said executive producer Adam Shaheen. "You really need to demonstrate difference from the other cars out there, and our goal was to show that difference through the class and style in the illustration reference, and building a relationship between the style, the characters and the product." Working with Mexicos OMNI Producciones with a brief from agency C. C.
