Former Disney director Stanley Gold said he and fellow dissident investor Roy Disney chairman will nominate an alternate slate of directors next year if the current board does not "face up to the issues," he told REUTERS NEWS.
Anime Network, the first cable channel in North America dedicated to anime, is expanding from a Video-On-Demand service to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week network with multisystem cable operator Insight Communications, which expects to roll out the Anime Network on its digital tier in several markets.
Betsy McGowen, a senior exec at Kids WB! since the inception of the network in 1995, has been promoted to svp/gm of Kids WB! to oversee series development, current programming and scheduling for the network.
Ending a month long work stoppage, the voice cast of THE SIMPSONS and 20th Century Fox Television have reached an agreement, reported VARIETY. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
"We couldn't be happier to have reached a multiyear deal with the enormously talented cast of THE SIMPSONS," series producer 20th Century Fox Television said Friday in a statement.
Hearst Corp., King Features Syndicate and Fleischer Studios have filed a federal suit against 43 defendants for copyright infringement on the BETTY BOOP AND HER GANG characters. Hollywood attorney Gary Hecker, who specializes in copyright protection, is heading the case for Betty's owners. The defendants in the case include makers of electronics, underwear, t-shirts, jeans, baby clothes, jewelry and more.
Warner Bros. Animation BATMAN show producer/director/writers Alan Burnett, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm will be on hand for an exclusive authorized signing event at the Wonderful World of Animation At Gallery booth # 508 at WonderCon, one of the largest collectors venues for comic book and animation related art in the world. The signing will be from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm May 1, 2004 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
MGA Ent., which owns those hugely successful Bratz fashion doll line, is more aggressively translating its intellectual properties into entertainment with the launch of its new production unit, MGA Ent. Films. MGA has recruited animation vets Jay Fukuto as vp of the entertainment division and Ellen Levy-Sarnoff as senior director of creative for Bratz Ent.
Cartoon Network will deliver 22 animated features during its May Movie Month. Each night in May, Cartoon Network will showcase animated movies in primetime, including cartoon classics as well as premieres of SCOOBY-DOO AND THE MONSTER OF MEXICO, THE KING AND I, BATMAN: MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN, THE SCARECROW and UNDER THE BLACK FLAG.
The schedule for Cartoon Network's May Movie Month is as follows:
May 1: 7:30 pm - SAMURAI JACK: THE LEGEND BEGINS
Kids' WB! Call this month MegaMay with the return of the futuristic-adventure series MEGAMAN NT WARRIOR to its Saturday morning lineup as of May 1, 2004 (10:30 am ET/9:30 am PT), teaming up with anime smash-hits POKÉMON: ADVANCED and YU-GI-OH!: ENTER THE SHADOW REALM. The second season of the cyber-saga has 26 energetically charged original episodes from ShoPro Ent. In conjunction with its Saturday morning premiere, the series also will highlight Kids' WB!'s weekday lineup with original episodes from May 3 through Friday May 7 at 3:30 pm.
This week in the Theatrical Release Database, we some more release date changes as well as the trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE.
The 40th Chicago International Film FestivalChicago, Illinois, USAOctober 7 21, 2004Deadline: July 30, 2004
EM.TV AG has signed a comprehensive pay-TV deal with Frontage Satellite TV, the Nigerian satellite distributor, to broadcast an English-language children's channel under the Junior brand on cable and satellite.
Toon Boom Animation has launched Concerto, an animation software for paperless, digital, re-use or cutout animation production. Concerto offers studios increased productivity, raises animation quality and eliminates file management issues so common to the normal Flash pipeline.
Comcast Corp. announced April 28, 2004 that it has withdrawn its proposal to merge with The Walt Disney Co., right after the Disney board of directors concluded its annual retreat where it reiterated its confidence in ceo Michael Eisner, which, in turn, angered Roy E. Disney and Stanley P. Gold, who have been trying to oust the chief executive.
Brian L. Roberts, president/ceo of Comcast said, "It has become clear that there is no interest on the part of Disney's management and board in putting Comcast and Disney together. As a result, we have withdrawn our offer."
Although THE LADYKILLERS didn't work out as a fit for LORENZO, Disney has apparently found one that will stick with the comedy RAISING HELEN, the Kate Hudson-starrer opening May 28 in theaters nationwide.
Twentieth Century Fox has lined up a host of national, regional, retail and in-theater promotional partners for the studio's GARFIELD feature. National promotional partners include Pepperidge Farm, Wendy's, Ashley Furniture, Valpak and Dole.
Entertainment Rights (ER) has signed up GE Publishing to produce a 4-weekly BASIL BRUSH comic. The magazine is targeted toward the CBBC TV's popular THE BASIL BRUSH SHOW's loyal fan base of boys and girls ages 6-10.
After two years in production and more than 40,000 drawings later, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh has completed a 12-minute animation, titled TIMMY'S JOURNEY TO UNDERSTAND MS, for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Allegheny District Chapter. The children's short was developed and animated by a group of Media Arts & Animation students to help kids across the U.S. whose parents have MS better understand the disease.
I Castelli Animati Festival 2004Rome, ItalyDecember 1 5, 2004Deadline: July 15, 2004
Bitfilm Festival 2004Hamburg, GermanyNovember 3 - 7, 2004Deadline: July 15, 2004
The Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are six categories:
* 3D Space: Computer generated 3D animations.* FX Mix: Digitally composed hybrids, mixing live-action, effects and animation.* 64K Demos: Audiovisual programs that work with a PC's processor and videocard.* Flash: Linear films and interactive works made with Macromedia Flash.
As a result of the wonderful response to our new MIPCOM, MIP-TV and NATPE-specific Flash Newsletters, we will be publishing a special edition for E3, which is fast approaching and our editorial and advertising staff is gearing up for the new Flash Newsletter series. Here are the dates for the publications.
E3 Flash Newsletter May 6May 27 (Follow-Up issue)
If you didnt receive your copies of AWNs Special MIPCOM 2003, NATPE 2004 or MIP-TV 2004 Animation Flash Newsletters, here are the links to all four issues:
Animation World Magazine is looking for school recruiters who help their schools find jobs in the animation industry and studio people who work with schools to recruit new talent...
As you may already know, AWN's Forums were maliciously hacked last week...
For 10 days, starting May 6, 2004, The El Capitan Theatre will screen an archival 70 mm print of Walt Disney Pictures' 1982 landmark computer animated feature, TRON, featuring six-track Dolby SR Stereo. As part of the salute, original costumes and memorabilia will be on display.
