DILBERT - THE COMPLETE SERIES from '99 comes to DVD (Columbia TriStar, $49.95) Jan. 27, 2004. Check out all 30 episodes on this four-disc set from the first and second seasons and discover why the most popular comic strip of the decade made a smooth transition to animated series, thanks to irreverent writer/producer Larry Charles (SEINFELD and MAD ABOUT YOU).
Strengthening its Latin American management team in Miami, Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has appointed Angel Orengo to vp, distribution, Latin America and the Caribbean. Orengo will oversee all SPTI program distribution to free, basic and pay TV services and platforms in Latin America and the Caribbean, working closely with SPTI's worldwide distribution, sales planning and finance teams in Los Angeles. He will also be responsible for continuing to develop SPTI's new media opportunities in the region with cable and satellite operators and new entrants in the digital space.
Marvel Enterprises Inc. has hired David Maisel as president and coo of Marvel Studios. He will work on expanding Marvel's success into new entertainment arenas as well as maximizing the commercial success of Marvel Studios' future feature film releases. Four feature films based on Marvel characters will be released in 2004: THE PUNISHER (Lions Gate, April 16), SPIDER-MAN 2 (Columbia, July 2), BLADE: TRINITY (New Line, Aug. 13) and MAN-THING (Artisan, October).
Robert F. Enrietto, Jr., former production manager, assistant director, producer and, most recently, administrator of Columbia College Chicagos Semester in L.A. program, died of a heart attack during the holiday break (Dec. 27, 2003) while vacationing in Chicago. He was 62.
SPIDER-MAN THE ANIMATED SERIES may have been dropped by MTV last year, but the good news is that all 13 episodes of season one have arrived in a terrific DVD set with plenty of extras (Columbia TriStar Home Ent., $29.95). Mainframe Ent.s computer-animated series (written and exec produced by Michael Bendis, who was responsible for the ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN comic) puts a new spin on Peter Parkers plight, putting him in college opposite Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson. Voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, the animated SPIDER-MAN had its fans and foes.
Following its very successful BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT release ($25M), Miramax Home Ent. has acquired the North American distribution rights to IN SEARCH OF SANTA, a new 3D-animated feature co-produced by Tundra Prods. and Colorland Animation Prods.
DIC Entertainment (DIC) will be bringing four new STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE specials, two SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH series and a sneak peek at the new TV series STAN LEE'S SUPER 7 to NATPE at booth 1246.
Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) big animated series, ASTRO BOY, premieres on the Kids WB! in the U.S. Jan. 17, 2004, the day before the NATPE exhibit floor opens. ASTRO BOY and CYBORG 009 are amongst a diverse slate from SPTI, which includes STEPHEN KING'S KINGDOM HOSPITAL, JOAN OF ARCADIA, MISSING and THE RESIDENTS, MACHOS and POOR ANASTASIA. SPTI will be located off the floor in the Venetian Hotel, Casanova Room 504.
Vampires and werewolves wage war in UNDERWORLD, which comes to DVD Jan. 6 (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, $28.95), boasting VFX from Framestore CFC and Luma Pictures. Think ROMEO AND JULIET meets THE MATRIX, starring Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, and you get the gist of this indie sensation directed and co-scripted by Len Wiseman, which will spawn both a prequel and sequel from Lakeshore Ent. and Screen Gems.
DIC Ent. is sweeping up some big international sales with its TOTALLY SABRINA package of 90 half-hour episodes to broadcasters in the U.K., Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Canada.
Toon Boom Technologies designed and installed a new pipeline at Mercury Filmworks, one of Canada's large scale studios producing Flash style series, to increase productivity, raise the level of quality and do away with the issues common to a traditional Flash pipeline.
The big-screen version of S.W.A.T., starring Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell and Michelle Rodriguez, comes to DVD on Dec. 30, 2003 (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, $28.95) with enough gunfire and other explosions (with vfx help from Pixel Magic) to satisfy action-movie junkies as well as fans of the '70s TV series.
Boomerang, Cartoon Network's 24-hour commercial-free classic animation network, will greet the new year with a full-day marathon on New Year's Eve (Dec. 31, starting at 8:00 am) to spotlight THE ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST. Entitled, A Hadji New Year, the holiday stunt will feature 26 original half-hour episodes from the 1964 series, as well as two made-for-television feature films JONNY'S GOLDEN QUEST (1993) and JONNY QUEST VS. THE CYBER INSECTS (1995) produced by the Hanna-Barbera Animation Studios.
Kaydara and Mexico's EuNoia Animation School announced the successful completion of the facility's first 10-month course specifically dedicated to teaching professional animation software. Driven by MOTIONBUILDER, Kaydara's award-winning character animation software, EuNoia is Mexico's only certified training center to offer artistic and technical courses on the industry's leading animation and effects software.
Softimage launched its Student Animation Contest 2004, which seeks to recognize the leading talent from up-and-coming animators worldwide. "Be The Hero" invites both full and part-time students to submit a piece of animation, which could win them one of three two-part prizes. Top prizes include a production license of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, with one year's maintenance for the winner, plus Academic versions of the industry's leading nonlinear software system for the winner's home institution.
Leo Awards 2004Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaMay 9 10, 2004Deadline: January 16, 2004
SplutterFish's Brazil Rendering System v. 1.2, the advanced, fully-integrated rendering suite for Discreet's 3ds max software, is now available for 3ds max .6.
"As a strategic partner with Discreet, SplutterFish is committed to ensuring that Brazil r/s meets the demanding standards of quality and compatibility for this latest version of 3ds max that the renderer is already known for," said SplutterFish ceo Scott Kirvan.
Michael Lynton was named chairman/ceo of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), filling the coveted position vacated by the retiring John Calley. In addition, vice chairman Amy Pascal was promoted to chairman of the Motion Picture Group at SPE in a further integration of global businesses and digital media, according to Howard Stringer, chairman/ceo of Sony Corp. of America and vice chairman of Sony Corp. Lynton, who had been president, Time Warner International; president, AOL International, and ceo, AOL Europe, since 2000, will be headquartered in Culver City, California.
Metal rocker-turned-film director Rob Zombie and author-cartoonist Steve Niles have formed a new production company, Creep Entertainment Intl, reported VARIETY. The firm already has lined-up three comicbook inspired projects -- THE NAIL with Dark Horse Comics, BIGFOOT with IDW Comics and LORDS OF SALEM. Zombie and Niles have co-written the scripts for all three films.
BAD BOYS II, which reunites director Michael Bay with stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence for more stylized action and violence, hits DVD Dec. 9, 2003 (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, $28.96). Bolstered by vfx supplied by Sony Pictures Imageworks, the two-disc set contains lots of extras, including seven deleted scenes, featurettes devoted to vfx and stunts, six sequence breakdowns (with on-set footage, storyboards and scripts), 19 production diary featurettes and Jay-Z "La-La-La" music video.
DIC Home Entertainment (DIC) and KOCH Entertainment, in partnership with American Greetings, has announced that the STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE Christmas music CD, BERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS, has sold more than 100,000 units in one month in release. For the week of Dec. 1, 2003, the CD finished #7 in the Billboard childrens record charts. The CD also broke into the Top 20 of all Independent Label releases landing at #12.
Starz Encore Group launched its new premium all movie channel, STARZ! Kids, dedicated to kids ages 2-11 on Dec. 2, 2003. The new kids channel is available to affiliates at no additional license fee, and increases the number of unique channels in the Starz Super Pak to 13.
8th Hollywood Film FestivalHollywood, California, USAOctober 12 - 18, 2004Deadline: March 31, 2004
DIC Entertainment (DIC), Bandai America Inc. (Bandai) and ADV Films (ADV) navigating a course for the 2004 U.S. retail launch of the anime property, KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC, across all platforms with a comprehensive marketing and promotional campaign supporting the rollout.
ROCKFISH, the second computer-animated short from Blur Studio, currently on the short-list for Oscar consideration, was screened publicly for the first time, Nov. 21, 2003 for a confab of journalists and animators at the Charles Aidikoff Screening Room in Beverly Hills, California.
