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Geographical Region: Asia

Headline News

Cookie Jar Makes Foray Into Asian Pacific Market

Cookie Jar Entertainment, the programming and licensing arm of The Cookie Jar Group, continues its management team growth with the appointment of former Nelvana executive Jim Weatherford as head of Asian Operations, and Michael Wrenn to the newly created post of creative executive. Based in Tokyo, the two new appointments mark Cookie Jars foray into the Asian Pacific market.

Films Headline News

Dygra Films Sells CG Dream to Medusa

Dygra Films (THE LIVING FOREST) has announced that it has sold the Italian rights to its 3D animated feature, MIDSUMMER DREAM to Medusa, reports VARIETY. This deal adds to deal with ABC-Cinemien for Benelux, Front Row for the Middle East, Noah for Israel, Media Source for China, Summerstorm for Hong Kong and Taiwan and Box Office for Thailand. Spanish international sales company Lumina Films acquired overseas sales rights outside Spain and Portugal last fall.

Animation Headline News

U.K. Producers Group Fears UK Toon Collapse

U.K. producers group Pact fears the U.K. animation industry teeters on the edge of collapse unless the government invests £50 million ($90 million) over eight years into a rights fund. An initial $10 million is needed to set up the fund, which would eventually sustain itself.

Education Headline News

Corus Provides Programming For New Chinese ESL Training Project

Corus Ent. announced a new partnership with Shanghai Distance Education Group (SDEG), one of the largest developers of educational programming and content in Asia. As part of the agreement, the two companies will develop and exchange programming and will extend Corus' reach into the burgeoning Chinese marketplace.

Headline News

Int’l Broadcasters Renew New Teenage Mutant Turtles for Third Season

4Kids Entertainment, Inc. will continue the new TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES animated series, produced by Mike Young Prods., for a third season of new episodes (26) with TF1 (France), Media Set (Italy), and Fox Kids Europe and Latin America.

In addition, NINJA TURTLES already have renewals with GMTV (U.K.), VTM (Belgium), SIC TV (Portugal), Alter TV (Greece), Childrens Channel (Israel) and DTV (Turkey).

Digital Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

For TROY, MPC developed its own crowd simulation software for the battle scenes along with creating a CGI version of Troy, while Framestore CFC conjured a digital Greek armada. After reading Alain Bielik's comprehensive account, you realize just how crucial CGI was to the Wolfgang Petersen epic, as we continue our focus on films this month.

Universal Headline News

NBC Universal Restructures Organization

NBC Universal, recently formed through the combination of NBC and Vivendi Universal Ent. puts Bob Wright at the top of the organizational structure as chairman/ceo, while retaining his position of vice chairman/exec officer of General Electric, NBC Universal's parent company.

Company Headline News

Grand Clio Goes to Honda Cog

Wieden & Kennedys Honda COG, a unique 120-second TV commercial, has walked off with this years Grand Clio for TV at this years International Clio Festival, held from May 15 - 18, 2004. In addition, DDB Chicago has, again, been named Clios Agency of the Year, and DDB Worldwide, Agency Network of the Year for the fourth year in a row.

Software Headline News

Richard New Eovia CEO

Eovia Corp., developer and publisher of leading 3D software, today announced that Philippe Richard has joined Eovia Corp., developer and publisher of leading 3D software, as ceo. Richard replaces Antoine Clappier, a founder of the company, who chose to step down to pursue other opportunities.

Digital Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Continuing our focus on films this month, we look internationally, as Alain Bielik examines the gorgeous hallucinatory work done by Mac Guff Ligne for the French western BLUEBERRY, Chris Harz sizes up the London vfx scene, where a flurry of big budget American productions have recently migrated; and on Thursday I take a glimpse of the emerging presence of Shanghai SFS Digital Media as a vfx/3D-animated force to be reckoned with in China.

Game Headline News

Activision Gets Spider-Man 3 Game Deal

Activision Inc. has announced that, through a licensing agreement with Spider-Man Merchandising (a 50/50 limited partnership comprised of Marvel Enterprises Inc. and Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc.), the company will develop and publish videogames based on the 2007 feature film SPIDER-MAN 3. Activision is currently developing console and PC games based on SPIDER-MAN 2 that are scheduled for release in North America timed to the film's launch on June 30, 2004.

Headline News

Indian Actress Nagma to Direct English 3D Film

Aashish Chananas Media Factor has teamed up with Indian actress Nagma to produce a 3D animated children's feature. Nagma will direct and create the story for the film, which will be in English. Nagma is multi-dashed celeb in India dabbling in fashion, the Art of Living spiritual movement as well as politics.

Headline News

NAB Announces AIM Editors' Choice Award Winners

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the winners of the 2004 Editors' Choice Awards, an extension of its annual NAB Awards for Innovation in Media (AIM) program. The winners are Apple's Motion in the Content Creation category, Fast Forward Video's Covert DVR in the Content Management grouping, and VBrick Systems, Inc.'s EtherneTV within the Content Delivery class.

Film Headline News

Sony Pictures Classics To Bring Flying Daggers to States

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American rights to Zhang Yimou's HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, which is screening out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Yimou's last film the highly anticipated Academy-Award nominated HERO will be released by Miramax in the U.S. August 20, 2004.

Sony Pictures Classics in a statement said, "This is our sixth film from a filmmaker regarded as one of the very best in the world. It is an honor and thrill for us to be working once again both with Zhang Yimou and our good friend, his producer, Bill Kong."

Disney Headline News

Miller To Head Walt Disney Int’l (Asia-Pacific)

Doug Miller has been appointed evp/md of Walt Disney International (Asia-Pacific), as well as svp/md of Walt Disney Television International (Asia Pacific), overseeing all Disney television activities in the region. Miller will continue to lead television development for the company in Asia and is based in Hong Kong.

Animation Headline News

IDT Acquiring Anime Giant Manga Ent.

IDT Ent. is going Japanaese, signing an agreement to acquire Manga Entertainment, a film company specializing in the production, distribution and worldwide marketing of anime for home video releases, theatrical and television broadcast. IDT Ent. is a subsidiary of IDT Corp. (www.idt.net) a multinational carrier, telephone and technology company based in Newark, New Jersey which has been on an amazing buying spree of animation companies and establishing creative asset partnerships.

Animated Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Just how difficult is it to produce, distribute and market an independent animated feature? J. Paul Peszko provides a few answers with the promising Hoodwinked: The True Story of Red Riding Hood, the first independently produced 3D animated feature from the Philippines that screens at Cannes this weekend as a work-in-progress.

Games Headline News

E3 News: Digital Art Elevated In Exhibition and Interactive Museum

Explore the art of gaming as it makes its way in art history at E3Expo via an art exhibition and a multimedia, interactive museum called "The History of Video Games."

There are 16 pieces of artwork selected from more than 120 submissions by a jury of interactive entertainment industry art veterans and experts from the traditional art field to be featured in "Into the Pixel," a juried exhibition of computer and videogame art on display at this year's E3Expo.

Animation Headline News

Van Helsing Prequel Sheds Animated Light on DVD

Taking THE ANIMATRIX a step further, Universal Home Ent Prods. has created an original animated DVD prequel, VAN HELSING: LONDON ASSIGNMENT, which seques right into the just released VAN HELSING feature. The unrated, 33-minute LONDON ASSIGNMENT (Universal Studios Home Video, $14.98), which streets May 11, 2004, boasts the participation of Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay (the exec producers who directed and produced the feature), and cast members Hugh Jackman (Van Helsing), David Wenham (Friar Carl), Robbie Coltrane (Mr. Hyde) and Alun Armstrong (the cardinal).

Headline News

E3 News: Infinium Labs Unveils Phantom Gaming Service

Infinium Labs Inc. will debut its Phantom Gaming Service -- the first end-to-end, on-demand game distribution service -- at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), in Los Angeles, May 12-14, 2004, at Booth 746 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The new service will offer subscribers a library of titles and make them available any time, day or night. The company plans to provide the service hardware free of charge to consumers who sign a two-year contract for a basic subscription to its flagship online gaming service at $29.95 per month.

India Headline News

SPE Launches Animax Channel in India

SPE Networks Asia will launch the highly successful anime channel, Animax, in India on July 5, 2004, on the heels of a successful Animax Asia rollout three months ago. Animax South Asia will be the first and only 24-hour-a-day network in India dedicated to popular animation from Japan.

Customized for India and dubbed in Hindi and English, Animax will target Indias youth and young adults with animation programming. The One Alliance will distribute Animax across India, and SET India will represent Animax in advertising sales.

Series Headline News

ADV Announces May Releases

ADV Films has announced its slate of May anime releases. The titles include BASTOF SYNDROME: FEAR AND LEMONS, ANGELIC LAYER: INHERIT THE LAYER, LEGEND OF THE MYSTICAL NINJA: LOVE IS A POWERFUL WEAPON, WELCOME TO THE KALEIDO STAGE, SAIYUKI: TROUBLE IN PARADISE and SLAYERS: PREMIUM.

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