FUNimation Productions, Ltd., one of the leading independent home video entertainment and brand management companies in the U.S., has created Our Time Family Entertainment, a new division developed to provide high quality entertainment properties to the burgeoning preschool and children's market.
Paramount Pictures has confirmed that director Joe Carnahan has left the director's chair for its MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, reports VARIETY. The reason given was the Hollywood cliché of creative differences. However, Paramount is still determined to starting filming next month at Berlin's Babelsberg Studios.
There is a Superman! Warner Bros. has announced that its next film in the SUPERMAN franchise will be directed by X-MEN helmer Bryan Singer, reports VARIETY. Previously rumored directors include BATMAN's Tim Burton, RUSH HOUR's Brett Ratner, CHARLIE'S ANGELS' McG and BAD BOYS' Michael Bay. In addition, Bryan Singer will work from a new script from X2 writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. Warner hopes to start filming by the end of the year.
The National Center of Animation and Computer Games will open on July 27, 2004 at East China Normal University in the city, reports SHANGHAI DAILY. The Cultural Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Shanghai Broadband Television Corp. invested 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) in the center to encourage more domestic production.
"As the birthplace of the Chinese film and cartoon industry, Shanghai won the right to have the center over cities like Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu," said Tong Zuguang, vp of East China Normal.
Website Renderosity has launched its new Animation Outlet, a new area where animators can post their work. In support of this new area, Renderosity has designed three new hosting packages and a larger File Locker designed to fit animators bandwidth needs. The new services can be found on the Member's Options drop down menu by clicking on "My Services." Members may host their own animations, or have Renderosity do it for you.
Nicktoons, Nickelodeon's digital channel for animation, has teamed with Frederator Studios and ANIMATION MAGAZINE to present The Nicktoons Film Festival. The first on-air festival of its kind, The Nicktoons Film Festival, will showcase independent cartoon filmmaking by animators from around the globe.
Filmtecknarna's Jonas Odell has directed three commercials for the launch of the BMW 1 series. Animation and post-production were provided by Filmtecknarna.
Fox's debut of I, ROBOT (with vfx by Digital Domain and Patrick Tatopoulos Design) gathered $52.1M over the weekend ended July 18, 2004, halting the record-setting two-week reign of Sony's SPIDER-MAN 2, which came in second.
Framestore CFC has appointed Andy Boyd as the company's new head of 3D, commercials. Boyd came to the company from Glassworks last September, and has already amassed an impressive list of credits at Framestore, including work on Goodyear HALFPIPE, Lynx TOUCH, Daewoo SHEET and the Post Office ANT spots. His most recent project has been the forthcoming Johnnie Walker TREE, which features noteworthy 3D arboreal action.
Digital-Tutors (DT), an award-winning service of PL Studios Inc., announced the release of its mental ray training kit for Maya. This highly requested training kit provides core data needed to learn the extremely powerful mental ray rendering system. The mental ray kit features step-by-step instructions on sub-surface scattering, hdri, global illumination, final gathering, displacement mapping, light baking and more.
Toronto-based Soho has teamed up for its third year with Leo Burnett Ltd./Toronto to complete two computer-animated commercial spots for the latest Coca Cola Ltd. Fruitopia campaign. The spots include COLOR BLIND, a :30 spot, and WANDER, a :60 theatrical spot that Soho is presently working on for a July 30 release. Writer Cam Boyd, Leo Burnett Ltd./Toronto, says, "Working with Soho is something to look forward to.
This week the Theatrical Release Database sees a lot of new pages.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
This week in AWN's Forums, a junior member is wondering if the animation industry has sunk to a new all-time low.
34th Roshd International Film FestivalRoshd, IranNovember 20-26, 2004Deadline: September 22, 2004
48th San Francisco International Film Festival San Francisco, California, USAApril 21- May 5, 2005Deadline: December 2004
Keyframe Digital Prods., a digital animation and visual effects studio based in Ontario, Canada, has completed all vfx work for the feature CRAZY CANUCKS, produced by Alberta Film Works. Keyframe was the exclusive effects house for the movie that will air on CTV this fall.
The Panels program has returned for SIGGRAPH 2004, the 31st international conference on Computer Graphics & Interactive Techniques, to be held Aug. 8-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The Panels program is a blend of debate, argument and discussion on important topics in computer graphics and related fields. Experts and skeptics deliver opinions, insights, speculation and summaries of recent work. The audience follows up with questions, comments and criticism.
* 3D Animation: Difficult or Impossible to Teach and Learn?
After years of trying to get the project off the ground, George Romero has found financing for the fourth installment in this DEAD franchise, which includes NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DAY and DAY OF THE DEAD, reports VARIETY. LAND OF THE DEAD will be co-funded by Atmosphere Ent. and Paris-based Wild Bunch. The film will go before cameras in October in Winnipeg or Pittsburgh. Atmosphere chairman/ceo Mark Canton and president Bernie Goldmann will produce, along with Romero's partner Peter Grunwald of Romero Grunwald Prods. Atmosphere's Steve Barnett is exec producer.
Marvel Enterprises has sued the Walt Disney Co. and ABC Family (formerly Fox Family) for at least $16 million, which it claims it is owed on the cartoons it licensed to Fox Family, which Disney acquired in 2001, reports VARIETY. As part of the suit filed July 15, 2004 in L.A. Superior Court, Marvel argues that Disney improperly accounted for profits on animated series THE INCREDIBLE HULK, X-MEN AND SPIDER-MAN and failed to promote the shows. In the complaint, Disney claims the toons lose money, but will not provide proper accounting.
Warner Bros. Pictures is developing a cinematic rendition of the Old English, 8th Century poem, BEOWULF, reports VARIETY. Matthew Sand will write the film, which will be produced by Ed McDonnell's Maple Shade Films. Maple Shade director of development exec Dan Stone brought the script to the company. Lynn Harris and David Ortiz will oversee the film for Warner.
Stone said, "Matthew has a unique take on the source material, incorporating elements of the art and mythology of the time period."
Walt Disney has promoted Bob Lambert to svp for worldwide media technology and development, reports VARIETY. In his new expanded role, he will oversee several new digital media projects, Disney's relationships with technology companies, regulatory matters and piracy protection. He will continue overseeing the New Technology and New Media group and providing corporate guidance for the Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development unit.
Adela JPs (Adela Josue Polin) book, THE CORPORATE CIRCUS, will be pitched as an animated series at the NATPE TV Producers Boot Camp, July 29-30, 2004, as both an adult animation show and as an animated interstitial in an office live-action sitcom. In addition to the book, the properties product line includes 15 office humor plush toys and an illustrated comical corporate Org Chart poster, which premiered at the New York Licensing International Show, London Brand Show and PPAI/ASI Shows in Las Vegas.
New Line Cinema has obtained the feature film rights for the role-playing game VAMPIRE: THE REQUIEM from White Wolf Publishing, reports VARIETY. Adam Fields is set to produce the film, which the studio hopes will launch a franchise. Luke Ryan and Magnus Kim will shepherd the film for the studio.
The game's world follows the night-to-night life of modern vampires. The game will be published Aug. 30 and is a follow-up to 1991's VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE, which was turned into an Activision videogame and the 1996 FOX TV series KINDRED: THE EMBRACED.
Nominations for the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on July 15, 2004 and FOX won the most primetime Emmy nominations for animated shows with five, narrowly edging out Cartoon Network, UPN and Sci Fi Channel with three each. SOUTH PARK is back in the running along with THE SIMPSONS and FUTURAMA, which again nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) along with Cartoon Networks SAMURAI JACK and Nicks SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.
