Geographical Region: Australia

4Kids Ent. Inc. and Subway Restaurants have joined forces to launch a national promotion featuring the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. The seven-week promotion began Feb. 7, 2005 and continues through March 27, 2005, at participating Subway locations in the U.S. and Canada, while supplies last.

MTV Networks announced its first-ever global program acquisition, securing the worldwide broadcast rights to Animation Collective's property KAPPA MIKEY, for Nicktoons in the U.S. and Nickelodeon's international channels. The deal comprises 26 half-hour episodes of the animated action comedy that will premiere on the channels in 2006. Also part of the agreement, MTV Networks International secures international distribution rights for third-party broadcast sales.

IDT Ent. Sales (IDTeS) and Imagine Ent. announced that Imagine will distribute several high profile IDTeS properties to the Australia/New Zealand markets on DVD and VHS. Titles will include a 3D animated INSPECTOR GADGET feature, two feature-length movies based on the popular REBOOT animated franchise and POPEYES VOYAGE: THE QUEST FOR PAPPY, (Australia only). All films were produced by Vancouvers Mainframe Ent.

Kerner Ent. has announced that Academy Award-winner Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Cedric The Entertainer, Reba McEntire, Kathy Bates, Thomas Haden Church and Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) have joined the voice cast of the upcoming live-action/photo real CG animated feature adaptation of E.B. White's CHARLOTTE'S WEB. Jordan Kerner is producing with Gary Winick directing. The film is co-production with Paramount Pictures, Walden Media and Nickelodeon Movies. The feature is scheduled to begin production on Jan. 31, 2005 in Melbourne, Australia.

Stan Lees POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment and Vidiator Technology (U.S.) Inc., a leading mobile multimedia solutions provider of mobile streaming and delivery of 3D rich-media applications, have team to develop and license exclusive live-action animated content for mobile devices using Vidiator's realtime streaming solution. The alliance will help shape the emerging business of content distribution and M-commerce on wireless platforms. Vidiator will have an exclusive relationship with POW!

Animation and creative solutions company, Synergy Images, has announced that it would be partnering with Australia's Edith Cowan University, to offer its employees a masters degree in interactive multimedia technologies, reports CYBERMEDIA NEWS.

Synergy president/ceo, Malini Subrahmaniam said, "This master's degree would enable us to have a world class animation team in our company."

The winners of the prestigious Australian Effects and Animation Festival (AEAF) Awards were announced during the AEAF Awards ceremony on Dec. 5, 2004, at 7:00 pm. Featured as part of the Australian Effects and Animation Festival (AEAF) at the Sydney Convention Centre, the AEAF Award is Australias top industry award recognizing and rewarding excellence in 12 categories of competition.

The winners are:

Feature Film AnimationPOLAR EXPRESS, Sony Pictures Imageworks