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Geographical Region: Asia

Animated Headline News

MIP-TV News: PorchLight Unreels Record Number Of Films, Specials For MIP-TV

PorchLight Entertainment will be offering eight new feature length live-action movies for MIP-TV along with four animated movies and a collection of classic childrens stories to its booth Ri34.03.

"This sets a record in terms of quality and number of movies and specials introduced by us at a major sales market," said PorchLight president Bruce Johnson.

Animation Headline News

Toonz Animation India Lands $4.5M Deal with Korea’s ANI21

Toonz Animation India Pvt. Ltd. has inked $4.5 million contract with ANI21 to produce the animated television series TWIN PRINCES, according to Toonz ceo P. Jayakumar. The 52x23 series, which includes a six-minute trailer, will be a blend of 2D and 3D animation.

Festival Headline News

Seoul Net & Film Festival Puts Out Call

Seoul Net & Film Festival 2004 Seoul, South KoreaSeptember 15 22, 2004Deadline: April 5, 2004

The Seoul Net & Film Festival (SeNef) is the leading On/Offline film festival in Korea open to international and domestic film and moving image works. From this year on, SeNef is officially and financially supported by Korean Government (The Ministry of Culture & Tourism), which will make SeNef extend, rebourn and support more artists all over the world.

Directors Headline News

Shuffle USA Launched to Build Roster of Commercial Directors

Shuffle Inc., an international television commercial production company with offices in Venice, California, and Tokyo, Japan, has launched Shuffle USA as a new operating unit.

Square Headline News

Square Enix Acquires UIEvolution

Square Enix Co. Ltd. has acquired UIEvolution, Inc., a leading wireless software company, through its subsidiary, Square Enix U.S.A. Inc. This move is in hopes to capitalize on the growing mobile market in the U.S. Square Enix invested approximately $4 million in UIEvolution in December 2003. UIEvolution will function as the research and development center for core technologies that will help Square Enix produce a new type of network-based entertainment.

Story Headline News

Kantana Group Lands US Talent for Thai Toon Feature

Thailand-based The Kantana Group has hired U.S. animation vets Tod Polson and Aaron Sorenson to direct its feature animated film, KHUAN KLUAY, reports VARIETY. The studio hopes to make the film the first from Thailand to be released simultaneously throughout Asia in April 2005. A third of the project's $2.5 million budget is being funded by The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, which is providing tax breaks for imported software and ponying up the cash for the film's marketing. The story follows an abandoned elephant that saves his homeland from its enemies.

Headline News

Orphanage Adopts Stray Toasters Graphic Novel Adaptation

The Orphanage has announced that it will produce a film adaptation of Bill Sienkiewicz's graphic novel, STRAY TOASTERS, reported VARIETY. The pic will be directed by Jeff Renfroe and Marteinn Thorsson, whose ONE POINT O feature competed at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Sienkiewicz, Renfroe and Thorsson have all contributed on the screenplay. Orphanage head of production Amy Israel will produce with R.D. Robb, Renfroe, Thorsson and Sienkiewicz.

Headline News

Peak Ent. Announces Licensing Agreement With Radica UK

Peak Entertainment Holdings Inc. has announced a licensing agreement with Radica Games Ltd. for Peak's MONSTER IN MY POCKET characters for Radica's Skannerz handheld products. Launched in 2001, Skannerz handheld device scans the UPC code of consumer products, allowing users to download monsters, magic potions and weapons to use in battle.

Production Headline News

IDT Gets in 3D Game, Again, Buys DKP

DKP Effects Inc., a 3D animation and special effects production company, based in Toronto, is the latest acquisition for IDT Ent., joining Canadian 3D producer Mainframe in the rapidly-growing holdings of the subsidiary of IDT Corp., a multinational carrier, telephone and technology company.

India Headline News

Frames Conference Focuses on Game & Toons

The 4th annual Frame (Films, Radio, Audio-visual, Music, Events, Shows) Conference in India is highlighting videogames and animation, reports VARIETY. Running until March 17, 2004, the event is taking place in Mumbai at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. Frames discussions have covered broadcasting, animation, international co-productions and pioneering film marketing.

Headline News

Miyazaki's Nausicaa & Neon Genesis Manga To Be Reprint

VIZ LLC has announced the release of second editions of several of its manga series, including NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, Rumiko Takahashi's MAISON IKKOKU and Hayao Miyazaki's NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND. Other second edition titles from VIZ's Action catalog include INUYASHA, RANMA 1/2, BASTARD!!, BATTLE ANGEL ALITA and VIDEO GIRL AI.

Headline News

MIP-TV News: INSPIDEA Will Experiment With Young Scientist Series At MIP-TV

Malaysian animation studio INSPIDEA (combining inspiring and ideas) will participate in MIP-TV at stand 13.24 and is bringing JOHAN, THE YOUNG SCIENTIST, a new 26x12 animated series about a child whose inquisitive nature leads him to a great deal of scientific adventures and discoveries.

JOHAN, THE YOUNG SCIENTIST is designed to boost a childs awareness about simple scientific ideas in our everyday life, said Andrew KH, head of production & distribution at INSPIDEA.

Entertainment Headline News

MIP-TV News: Alliance Atlantis Rolls To MIP-TV with 3 Toons

Alliance Atlantis rolls into MIP-TV 2004 with three animated series. The company will be located at Stand G3.14 and can be contacted by calling 33-4-92-99-8348.

POKO (32x30) is a stop-motion animation series. The light-hearted, pre-school series follows a fun-loving three-year-old, who is just beginning to discover the world around him with his dog, Minus, and his stuffed toy, Mr. Murphy.

Series Headline News

MIP-TV News: Colorland Brings New Series & Special to MIP-TV

Colorland Animation will bring a new series and special to MIP-TV at booth 14.29. Executives attending include company founder Louis Sek.

IN SEARCH OF SANTA is an 80-minute CGI special. Colorland co-produced the project with Tundra Prods. Inc. The story follows pure-hearted penguin princess Crystal and her skeptical sister Princess Lucinda as they embark on a daring pole-to-pole search to find Santa Claus. Scheduled for completion in 2004, the film is produced by Bill Kowalchuk and Sek with Kowalchuk directing. TV and video rights, excluding North America, are available.

Animation Headline News

MIP-TV News: Oscar-Winning Harvie Sales Brisk For Monster! Distributes

Oscar-winning HARVIE KRUMPET is attracting a raft of sales and tops the slate of projects Monster! Distributes is bringing to MIP-TV 2004. Monster has just closed sales with RTP Portugal, Kartunz Poland, Cartoon Network Spain and Yes Israel. HARVIE is also going to be seen on airlines, with Virgin and Continental snapping it up following the WAEA airline market last week.

Disney Headline News

Disney Artist David Willardson's Pop Art Exhibit Opens

Disney artist David Willardson has opened his pop art exhibit, "Still Laughing" The showing opened on March 4, 2004 at SoHo's Animazing Gallery, located at 461 Broome Street (between Greene and Mercer Streets). The show will be in the gallery for a few months.

"I dont believe that my work should be considered Pop Art," said Willardson. "Its not just about bringing mass media into the art world in this case. Its about evoking memories of your childhood and bringing joy back to life in which we often forget as a society that is always on the move."

Film Headline News

Legendary Animation Educator Moritz Passes Away

AWN is saddened to report that legendary animation educator and historian Bill Moritz passed away on March 12, 2004 after suffering a long illness.

Dr. William Moritz is a world-renowned expert on animation, experimental film and visual music, and has authored more than 100 articles, chapters and program notes. His forthcoming book OPTICAL POETRY is the culmination of his 34 years of research and work with the Fischinger Archive. OPTICAL POETRY reveals fully his passion for the Fischinger legacy, and fully details his decades of archival work on the films.

Show Headline News

Israel Gets South Park-Like Spoof of Al Qaeda

Producer/broadcaster Keshet Formats and will be producing the animated series MILITARY BASE 22 for its Israeli network Bip Comedy Channel, reports C21 Media. The company greenlit 10 episodes of the adult toon with a budget of $2 million. Beginning its run on March 21, 2004, the show is set in a secret nuclear missile base, run by a bunch of "stupid, almost criminal soldiers." Illi Edry, vp of business development at Keshet Formats, said, "It's very dark comedy, very edgy, very SOUTH PARK." Israeli CGI animation and post-production house Short Cuts will be handling the animation.

Animation Headline News

MIP-TV News: Antefilms & France Animation Dist. Arms Become Moonscoop

The merger of the distribution arms of Antefilms Production and France Animation has resulted in the launch of Moonscoop at MIP-TV, a new joint distribution brand. It will combine the respective sales slates of the two companies to create a catalog of more than 1,600 half hours of programming including popular titles such as FUNKY COPS and TITEUF.

Series Headline News

MIP-TV News: 4Kids Ent. Brings 7 New Properties to MIP-TV

4Kids Entertainment, Inc. has announced that it will be bring seven properties to MIP-TV 2004 for the first time. These programs include TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, YU-GI-OH!, POKÉMON, KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!, ULTIMATE MUSCLE, THE WINX CLUB and SHAMAN KING.

Series Headline News

MIP-TV News: TV-Loonland Hypes Heidi Movie For MIP-TV

At this year's MIP-TV, TV-Loonland will show new developments such as WEREKIDS and JOHNNY MUTTON and will also bring a host other shows such as HEIDI, a 75-minute feature version of the classic children's tale.

Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

TV's first CG-animated primetime series, GAME OVER, premieres tonight at 8:00 pm on UPN, and VFXWorld explores Toronto-based DKP Effects' cutting edge work on this video-game satire from Carsey-Werner-Mandabach. Read how DKP is meeting delivery challenges with artful technology that flows through their proprietary "GRID." Very topical, considering that we're highlighting new digital/3D frontiers in March.

Duel Headline News

Entertainment Rights Secures Pan-European Deal For Duel Masters

Entertainment Rights has sold its hot property for boys, DUEL MASTERS, to Turner Broadcasting System Europe, which will see the cartoon airing on screens in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, reaching 30+ million households via Cartoon Network and Toonami in the U.K.

DUEL MASTERS started life as a Manga comic, which gained a huge following in Japan. The television series is a combination of 2D animation with CGI effects done by Shogakukan's famous production arm, Shopro, who also produced the hit shows POKÉMON and HAMTARO.

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