Imax Corp. is in discussions with Sony Pictures to remaster SPIDER-MAN 2 for release in its large-format theaters, reports VARIETY. Imax is anxious to fill the empty spot in their lineup now that Warner Bros.' has pulled CATWOMAN from Imax because the visual effects won't be done in time to remaster the film for a day-and-date release July 23, 2004.
Playmates Toys will toy around with the characters from the upcoming computer animated feature film DELGO. Fathom Studios and its licensing agency Joy Tashjian Marketing Group (JTMG) have scored a bit of a coup awarding the master toy license for the unfinished indie film with a distributor and release date still to be set. The toy line includes dolls and figures at several price points, as well as play sets, action figures, vehicles, play environments, and toy accessories.
Codemasters has shipped its innovative realtime strategy game, SOLDIERS: HEROES OF WORLD WAR II, to North American retail outlets. Developed by Ukrainian company Best Way, SOLDIERS is now available exclusively for PC/CD-ROM.
Twentieth Century Fox and Adobe Systems have teamed to create an interactive, 3D experience for Fox's I, ROBOT Website (www.irobotmovie.com) -- the first motion picture Website to utilize Adobe's Atmosphere technology. The site allows visitors to create and build their own robot, selecting its body parts, color, texture and gender. Visitors can also issue commands that demonstrate the robots mobility and agility. In addition, the site allows visitors to interact with the robots inside the world of I, ROBOT.
Alias recently announced the impending availability of Maya Unlimited for the Mac OS X operating system at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). Responding to increasing customer demand from the Mac community, Alias is porting the entire Maya Unlimited feature set for Mac OS X with all tools that are available to artists with Maya Unlimited 6. Maya 6 is the latest version of the award-winning Maya software. Maya Unlimited 6 for Mac OS X will be available to purchase later this summer.
Sony's SPIDER-MAN 2 shattered the opening day record yesterday by snaring a stunning $40,442,604M in its web. That's better than SPIDER-MAN's $39.4M debut two years ago, which went on to earn $403.7M as the fifth highest grossing movie of all time. SPIDER-MAN 2 also tagged the best Wednesday opening ever, besting THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING's $34.5M.
Hong Kong Disneyland is expected to create 18,000 jobs, including 5,000 before opening of the theme park, it was reported in THE STANDARD in China. The park is expected to open by late 2005 and give a tourism and employment boom to the former British colony.
Warner Independent Pictures has completed production in Austin, Texas on the interpolated rotoscoped feature A SCANNER DARKLY, starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder and Rory Cochrane. Richard Linklater directed the film as well as adapted it from the novel by Philip K. Dick. The film is a Section Eight/Detour Filmproduction. The animation technology was first employed in Linklater's 2001 film WAKING LIFE.
With Chris Sanders moving forward with his animation feature AMERICAN DOG, LILO & STITCH co-director Dean DeBlois will direct a live-action version of his own script titled THE BANSHEE, reports VARIETY. The period film set in Ireland chronicles a young boy who pretends to be a ghost who ends up meeting a real ghost. The film is being produced by Sanders and DeBlois' Stormcoast Pictures with DeBlois producing. Storyline partners Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will also produce with Storyline exec Travis Knox co-producing.
FOX Network and its FX cable channel have paid Sony Pictures TV $50 million for the broadcast/cable rights for SPIDER-MAN 2, reports VARIETY. As part of a 10-year agreement, FOX receives three runs of the movie during the first three years, starting December 2006. In 2010, Sony will have the rights to sell the film to other broadcast networks to share rights with FX for the last seven years of the contract. The original SPIDER-MAN flicks took in $60+ million from FOX and Turner's TBS/TNT.
VFXWorld ends the month and our focus on education and jobs with an informative school survey that covers everything from core philosophies to evolving tools and curricula to meet the digital demands our ever changing 3D industries. Technology vs. technique. It's always a tough balancing act. Plus Steven Mirkin gets a few helpful hints from vfx houses about what they're looking for in new hires.
Spite Your Face Productions Ltd. presents its new film SPIDER-MAN: THE PERIL OF DOC OCK, which will debut exclusively on http://movies.yahoo.com and http://yahooligans.yahoo.com July 2-6, 2004. The short, featuring animated LEGO toys, is an action-packed, comical take on the SPIDER-MAN movies, commissioned by Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios and The LEGO Group to tie in with the feature release of SPIDER-MAN 2.
Director Tim Burton is busy indeed. Simultaneous to production commencing in London on the stop-motion CORPSE BRIDE, he has also started production in the same city on CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Based on the classic Roald Dahl novel and filmed once before in 1971 as WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, CHARLIE is a Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures production.
Danny Dark, the voice of Superman in the SUPERFRIENDS animated series as well as announcer for StarKist Tuna, Budweiser and many other national brands in television and radio commercials, died on June 13, 2004 in Los Angeles at the age of 65.
The cause of death was bleeding in the lungs, said Dark's brother, the Rev. Robert Croskery, according to the NEW YORK TIMES.
In the StarKist commercials, he told Charlie Tuna, "sorry, Charlie." Dark said, "This Bud's for you" in Budweiser spots, and "Raid kills bugs dead," in commercials for Raid Ant & Roach Killer.
DC Comics has promoted Cheryl Rubin from vp to svp, brand management, and will continue supervising the brand, creative and merchandising activities for the library of DC Comics and MAD MAGAZINE properties.
Movielink will now offer STAR BLAZERS and Yamato Films anime classics through a deal with Voyager Ent. STAR BLAZERS' "Quest for Iscandar," episodes 1-17, are available now for download. Additional titles coming soon include THE COMET EMPIRE, THE BOLAR WARS, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO, FAREWELL TO SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: IN THE NAME OF LOVE, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: THE NEW VOYAGE, BE FOREVER YAMATO and FINAL YAMATO. Movielink and Voyager Ent. will launch co-marketing campaigns and promotions to highlight the titles available.
On June 26, 2004, Jonathan Nix's 2D student film HELLO won the best animated short at the 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival. The film tells the story of a man with an old tape deck as a head who tries to woo the woman with a CD-player head.
Warner Home Video (WHV) will release a special edition DVD of THE IRON GIANT on September 7, 2004. The all-new special features include eight "never-before-seen" scenes, including an alternate opening, all with director commentary, 13 mini-documentaries highlighting key sequences and a featurette, "The Voice Of The Giant," hosted Vin Diesel. This version will be available on DVD for $19.97.
Twenty-year veteran television executive Maureen Smith joins Animal Planet as evp/gm as of July 15, 2004. Smith will oversee all programming, development, production and operations and reports to Clark Bunting, evp, Discovery U.S. Networks Group at the channels Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters.
COMDEX Las Vegas 2004 has been postponed in order to reshape the event with the cooperation of information technology (IT) industry leaders, it was announced by organizer MediaLive International Inc. COMDEX 2004 had been scheduled to open November 14, 2004, in Las Vegas. The company has established a COMDEX Advisory Board representing the IT industry's foremost companies to determine how COMDEX can reboot itself to best meet the future needs of the industry.
Winners in the regional awards for excellence in film and television in British Columbia, Canada, The Leo Awards, have been announced. Mainframe Entertainments SCARY GODMOTHER HALLOWEEN SPOOKTAKULAR pretty much swept the animation competition winning for Best Animation Program or Series, as well as Best Musical Score and Best Direction/Storyboarding in an Animation Program or Series.
Three animated primetime specials starring Jim Davis' famously self-centered cat (drolly voiced by Lorenzo Music) appear on the new GARFIELD AS HIMSELF DVD (Fox Home Ent., $14.98) that streets June 29, 2004: HERE COMES GARFIELD (1982, directed by Phil Roman), in which he mounts a rescue of his canine pal, Odie, from the pound; GARFIELD ON THE TOWN (1983, directed by Roman), in which he is movingly reunited with his mom in an alley after escaping a trip to the vet; and GARFIELD GETS A LIFE (1991, directed by John Sparey), in which he provides romantic tips to hapless owner Jon (voiced by Sandy
SPIDER-MAN 2 opens this week, so here comes the complete DVD set of the first animated Spidey series that ran Saturday mornings on ABC from '67-'70. SPIDER-MAN - THE '67 COLLECTION (Buena Vista Home Ent., $59.99) bows on June 29, 2004, with 52 episodes spread across six discs.
ACM SIGGRAPH announced the program for the Computer Animation Festival 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 Computer Animation Festival jury chose 83 selections out of a record 643 entry for exemplary use of computer-generated imagery and compelling storytelling. There are 40 international selections and 27 student pieces in the Festival.
This week the Theatrical Release Database features new pages and two new trailers. Gaining new pages, featuring trailers, are Spike Lee's newest film SHE HATE ME and the sci-fi flick CODE 46. We also have new pages for the live-action SPEED RACER, Frank Miller's 300, Bryan Singer's remake of LOGAN'S RUN and the anime sensational APPLESEED. As well we have updated info on ZATHURA and AEON FLUX.
