Teletoon is taking to the highway this summer to deliver a truly animated experience to families across Canada with the Teletoon 2008 Tour. Last year’s successful tour was attended by almost one million individuals and this year’s edition, beginning June 27, is set to reach even more cartoon fans as Teletoon travels coast to coast, taking part in some of the most well attended festivals and events of the summer.
Universal Studios Home Ent. Family Productions has acquired distribution rights from independent production shingle Toonz Animation to R.L. Stine's MOSTLY GHOSTLY, the latest spookfest from the renowned Goosebumps author.
The international selection committee of the 21st Biennial of Industrial Design met May 8-9, 2008 at the Architecture Museum of Ljubljana at Fuzine Castle in Ljubljana. For the first time in the history of the Biennial, the selection of works for the exhibition was made by an independent international selection committee.
Imira Ent. is heading to next month's Licensing International Show with further deals signed for international hit property LOLA & VIRGINIA. Following hot on the heels of partnerships with Italy's RAI Trade, Panini and Virgin Play (Nintendo DS game), Imira has scored additional broadcast, home entertainment, licensing and interactive deals in territories worldwide.
Entity FX, an award-winning film, television and commercial visual effects company in Santa Monica, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia, announced today that it is completing many of the visual effects for the upcoming feature THE SPIRIT from producers Odd Lot Ent. and Lionsgate.
Based on Will Eisner's comic and representing Frank Miller's directorial debut, THE SPIRIT was recently teed up for release this December.
John Cusack has signed on to star in Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic thriller 2012 for Columbia Pictures, according to VARIETY.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks to join him in the big-budget epic, whose title refers to the end days of human civilization as predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar.
The story starts with a global apocalypse, then chronicles the heroic struggle of the survivors. Emmerich and Harald Kloser wrote the script, which Sony bought in February. Barring a Screen Actors Guild strike, shooting will begin in July in Los Angeles.
Harvey Weinstein will produce Paulo Coelho's international best-selling novel THE ALCHEMIST, they announced at Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
The Weinstein Company will hold exclusive world-wide motion picture and television rights for the film. Glen Basner, President of The Weinstein Company International, will handle global sales.
BKN will deliver two new films later this spring entitled ZORRO AND SCARLET WHIP: REVEALED! and DORK HUNTERS AND THE PIRATES OF TORTUGA ISLAND based on its successful properties ZORRO: GENERATION Z and DORK HUNTERS FROM OUTER SPACE.
Both films will be 80 minutes in length and be available for television license and for DVD release later in 2008.
Columbia Pictures has acquired from Scholastic Media the right to adapt Scholastic's bestselling GOOSEBUMPS book series into a theatrical feature. The film will be produced by Deborah Forte and Neal Moritz.
GOOSEBUMPS is one of the most popular series of books for children ever -- in fact, only the HARRY POTTER novels have surpassed GOOSEBUMPS in total sales.
Goosebumps has been published in 32 languages and sold more than 300 million copies worldwide.
Eleven students from eight colleges and universities have been named winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 35th Annual Student Academy Awards competition.
They will participate in a week of industry-related activities and social events, culminating in the awards ceremony on June 7 at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. One film student from Germany has also been selected to receive this year's Honorary Foreign Film award.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title within category):
Alternative:
Helen Round has been named to the position of International Marketing and Communications Manager at 4Kids Ent. International. Round will report to Senior International Marketing and Communications Manager Charlotte Hill.
Round will manage 4Kids' brands and agents in a number of EMEA territories including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Benelux, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, the Middle East, and Africa. She will work alongside Hill, who focuses on France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Greece and Eastern Europe at the company's European office.
A Bollywood musical extravaganza, a SPEED RACER treat and an old "twist" arrive on DVD today.
The 1996 summer blockbuster TWISTER arrives back on home video, on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray (Warner Home Video), with vfx by ILM under the supervision of Stefen Fangmeier.
Thirty-two students from 20 colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 35th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Their films will now be screened for and judged by Academy members, who will vote to select the winners.
Moving one step further to crowning the favorite movie trailers of the year, the nominees for the Ninth Annual Golden Trailer Awards are in, selected for the first time ever by a public jury.
Actor and comedian Sinbad will host the live award ceremony on May 8, 2008 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. This double announcement was made today by Golden Trailer event co-founders and producers Evelyn Brady-Watters and Monica Brady.
Turner Broadcasting has commissioned a local version of popular television series HI-5. Set to air on Turner's preschool channel Cartoonito, Hi-5 will be produced by BAFTA award-winning production company Darrall Macqueen.
Forty half-hour episodes of the U.K. local version will be produced, with casting to commence next month. Also partnering on the U.K. series is free-to-air broadcaster GMTV who will begin showing the series in 2009 following Cartoonito's premier in 2008.
VARIETY reports Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer will portray Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra in Columbia Pictures' DA VINCI CODE prequel ANGELS & DEMONS.
Tom Hanks will reprise his role as religious art scholar Robert Langdon. Vetra becomes entangled with Langdon as they attempt to sort through a mystery surrounding two groups with powerful and ancient roots: the Illuminati, the most powerful underground organization in history, and the Catholic Church.
Ron Howard will be back to direct the prequel from an Akiva Goldsman script.
Marvel Ent. has appointed Ira Rubenstein to the position of Executive Vice President of Marvel's newly launched Global Digital Media Group. In this newly created position, Rubenstein will oversee Marvel's digital distribution strategy across all media and platforms. Rubenstein will relocate to Marvel's New York headquarters and report to John Turitzin, Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive.
BKN announced that several additional broadcasters have acquired the TV rights to its ZORRO: GENERATION Z property.
Telecinco and Clan TV/TVE in Spain, POP Channel in the U.K., ATV in Hong Kong, Star TV in Greece, SABC in South Africa, Solimac in Malaysia and TV7 in Bulgaria, have all signed up for this animated series (26x22) aimed at boys and girls ages 6 to 12.
Imira Ent., a Spanish production and distribution company specializing in youth programming, has signed a major Italian deal for LOLA & VIRGINIA with RAI Trade (the commercial arm of RAI) acquiring merchandising rights to the hit international property for the territory.
In further deals, Panini is set to launch a LOLA & VIRGINIA sticker stack book, story albums, puzzle and coloring books in Italy as well as Spain, Portugal and Brazil. Imira has also signed an agreement with Nintendo DS for the development of a videogame to launch in selected territories worldwide.
The regional awards for excellence in film and television in British Columbia, Canada, The Leo Awards, announced their nominees on Wednesday. The awards will be given out at two ceremonies on May 23 and May 24 in Vancouver.
BARBIE MARIPOSA: FAIRYTOPIA 4 (Luke Carroll, Tiffany J. Shuttleworth - Producers)BEING IAN (Blair Peters, Chris Bartleman - Producers)GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (Chris Bartleman - Producer)JIBBER JABBER (David Bowes, Jim Corbett - Producers)
Massive, the premier Artificial Intelligence -driven 3D animation software, was used by CIS Hollywood to fill football stadiums with virtual crowds for Universal Pictures' LEATHERHEADS.
Directed by George Clooney, and starring Clooney, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski, the romantic comedy launched in the U.S. on April 4, 2008.
Jeff Blake has signed a long-term contract with Sony Pictures in which the respected industry veteran will continue to serve as chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group through 2012.
In addition to his role overseeing the studio's worldwide marketing and distribution division, Blake continues to serve as vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
What has words, but isn't a book; encourages kids to eat healthy and exercise, but isn't a doctor; and invites you to celebrate its 35th anniversary this April? It's PLAZA SESAMO!
Duiker Research Corp., creator of the Color Symmetry plug-in suite, has announced Color Symmetry Version 1.5 with Universal Look Authoring. Color Symmetry is a complete solution for emulating film looks and handling color consistently within industry-standard animation, graphics, effects and post-production packages.
Version 1.5 supports a growing number of post workflows and formats as well as today's increasingly creative look development demands.
Key new features include:
Gary Bonilla has been hired to the new position of SVP of Creative Strategy for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.
The announcement was made by Leigh Anne Brodsky, President of Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products; and Russell Hicks, Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, both to whom Bonilla will report.
