Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch chose a Rorke Data Storage Area Network (SAN) containing 1.2 terabytes of Seagate disc drives for post-production editing on Anthony Minghellas Golden Globe nominated film, COLD MOUNTAIN. Reliability was the main concern for the system that was first built and configured by DigitalFilm Tree before being shipped to the film set outside of Bucharest, Romania.
yU + co explores the elusiveness and transience of memory in its absorbing main title sequence for the new John Woo thriller PAYCHECK, which opened Christmas Day through Paramount Pictures. The design studio's mercurial graphics, where words and names form out of random characters on a computer screen before being quickly erased, serve as a subtle metaphor for the conflict that besets the film's protagonist, who is engaged in a desperate struggle to reconstruct his past.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING continued to rule the box office, grabbing $50.6M domestically over the weekend ended Dec. 28, 2003, and $222.2M for its first dozen days. Overseas brings the total RINGS take to $492M so far. KING also saw the biggest Christmas-day haul ever of $14.6M, a nice holiday present for New Line, director Peter Jackson and his crew and Weta Digital, which did most of the vfx.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING continued its record-breaking assault on the box office, grabbing $72.6M domestically over the weekend ended Dec. 21, 2003, and $125.1M for its first five days. Overseas, the final RINGS movie took in $125M in 28 territories, breaking all-time opening records in the U.K., Austria, Germany, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland and New Zealand. That's more than $250M on more than 14,000 screens worldwide (7,205 domestically), shattering the previous five-day record of THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS ($202.8M) and eclipsing THE TWO TOWERS ($201.8M). Domestically, the five-day opener puts RETURN OF THE KING in third place behind THE MATRIX RELOADED ($144.4M) and SPIDER-MAN ($135.8M). Still, it ranks as the best December weekend opening ever, beating THE TWO TOWERS ($62M). Overall, it stands as the seventh best opening ever, and the third best of the year, behind MATRIX RELOADED ($91.8M) and X2 ($85.6M). It appears to be a triumph in every way for New Line, director Peter Jackson and his crew and Weta Digital, which did most of the vfx and improved upon its previous work.
Disney has hired Grant Calof and Greg Lee to adapt David Wiesner's award-winning illustrated children's book THE THREE PIGS into an animated feature combining CG and traditional techniques, VARIETY reports. Like SHREK, PIGS is a postmodern take on classic fairy tales (this one was made famous by Disney, of course, in a 1933 Silly Symphony short).
After successfully IMAXing THE MATRIX trilogy, IMAX and Warner Bros. Pictures will release the third installment of the HARRY POTTER film series, THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, in IMAX theaters in June 2004. The highly anticipated Alfonso Cuaron-directed feature is scheduled to open June 4 in conventional theaters. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN will be digitally re-mastered through proprietary IMAX DMR technology.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING came out swinging like Gollum for that box office brass ring on Wednesday, Dec. 17, taking in a glorious $57.6M in theaters around the globe, according to New Line, including a record-breaking domestic gross of $34.1M and $23.5M in 19 territories overseas.
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, based on the popular book of the same name by C.S. Lewis, will begin production in New Zealand in early 2004, industry development minister Jim Anderton said in a statement. New Zealand-native Andrew Adamson, co-director of the Oscar-winning SHREK, will be directing the live-action film. The production will use stage space and personnel in Auckland.
Whats next for IDT Ent., the Newark, New Jersey-based company thats been on quite an animation buying spree of late? Engage Christopher Reeve (star of four SUPERMAN films, THE BOSTONIANS, SOMEWHERE IN TIME AND THE REMAINS OF THE DAY) to direct an original feature length animated film. The untitled film is described as an urban fable set in the 1930s, and is expected to be completed in early 2005.
Counter-programming struck back at the box office, with the middle-aged romantic comedy SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE knocking THE LAST SAMURAI into second place for the weekend ended Dec. 14, 2003. The Sony film pairing Jack Nicholson with Diane Keaton scored $16M compared to the $14M collected by the Warner Bros. epic starring Tom Cruise (with vfx from Flash Film Works, Rising Sun and Matte World).
When the Visual Information Technology laboratory at the Canadian National Research Council started developing its high resolution 3D scanners in the early 1980s, it probably had no idea that 20 years later one of its spin-offs, XYZ RGB Inc., would be contracted to help bring the characters of THE LORD OF THE RINGS to life on the big screen.
Walt Disney has confirmed members of the voice cast of its next 3D feature, CHICKEN LITTLE. TV series SCRUBS star Zac Braff will voice the lead character, which changes the original gender of the chick from female to male. Oscar nominee Joan Cusack (IN & OUT) will voice the ugly duckling with Steve Zahn (HAPPY, TEXAS) as a fat pig named Runt, Amy Sedaris (ELF) as Foxy Loxy, Katie Finneran (YOUVE GOT MAIL) as Foxy's sidekick Goosey Lucy, Don Knotts (ANY GRIFFITH SHOW) as Turkey Mayor and Garry Marshall (ORANG COUNTY) as Father.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has resurfaced with a computer-animated feature project set in the anthropomorphized world of bees, BEE MOVIE, to be made at DreamWorks. Imagine a Manhattan-like setting buzzing with bees. That's what hooked DreamWorks principal Steven Spielberg when the two recently huddled at the Hamptons and started discussing animated movie ideas.
LORD OF THE RINGS helmer Peter Jackson has been quoted in various trade publications saying that he would love to make J.R.R. Tolkens prequel to the RINGS series, THE HOBBIT into a feature. Jackson said if he were presented the chance, he would work with some of the same actors he worked with on the RINGS trilogy. If Jackson gets his wish, it would come after his remake of KING KONG, which is next on the directors plate as well as his visual effects house, Weta in New Zealand.
KIM POSSIBLE exec producers Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle have been signed by Walt Disney to rewrite live-action/CG feature ENCHANTED. Adam Shankman has already signed on to direct the film.
The story starts out in an animated fairy tale where a poor girl gets banished from the kingdom by the evil queen for falling in love with the prince. Her banishment lands her in live-action New York City, which the young girl quickly falls in love with. However, things get difficult when the prince and the queen come to the real world looking for her.
Warner Bros.' THE LAST SAMURAI (with vfx from Flash Film Works, Rising Sun and Matte World) didn't quite meet expectations in its box office bow for the weekend ended Dec. 7, 2003, what with snow storms and heavy competition from family films, but the Tom Cruise epic still conquered the box office with an impressive $24.2M. Debuting at number two was the Universal romancer, HONEY, which drew $12.8M.
Digital Dimension created complex realistic 3D effects for THE LAST SAMURAI using 3ds max, Discreet's award-winning 3D modeling, animation and rendering solution.
Miramax has acquired a trio of classic animated stories produced by former Beatle legend Sir Paul McCartney. TROPIC ISLAND HUM, TUESDAY and RUPERT & THE FROG SONG are scheduled to be released on DVD and video in spring 2004 as part of Miramax's Family Home Entertainment. McCartney and Miramax co-chair Harvey Weinstein most recently collaborated on THE CONCERT FOR NEW YORK CITY, which raised $35 million for the victims of 9/11.
Ewan McGregor, Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, is busy doing lots of voice work these days. In addition to Blue Sky's ROBOTS and Disney's upcoming GNOMEO AND JULIET, the Scottish actor has just been signed to voice the title character in Vanguard Animation's CG-animated feature, VALIANT. The animated comedy tells the story of a lowly wood pigeon named Valiant, who overcomes his small size to become a hero in Great Britain's Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during World War II.
Encore Hollywood provided animation and visual effects services for Fox Home Entertainment on ALIEN 3 for the Alien Quadrilogy, the nine disc boxed set, which arrives on December 2. Computer animator Greg Tsadilas created a 3D version of a baby alien for the birth sequence, which is part of 30 minutes of added material. The birth sequence shows the newborn alien creature emerging from the carcass of an ox then fleeing down a corridor. The new creature is in a form not seen in any of the ALIEN films.
After typical studio jockeying back and forth during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, THE CAT IN THE HAT remained on top of the box office chart when all the dust settled. That is, if you count the three-day weekend and not the five-day tally. The Universal movie produced by Imagine Entertainment (with vfx by Rhythm & Hues) hauled in $24.4M for the three-day period (and $32.9M for the five days ended Nov. 30).
Rhythm & Hues used Side Effects Softwares Houdini to create the surreal visuals for THE CAT IN THE HAT.
THE WAINSCOTT WEASEL, the popular children's book written by Tor Seidler and illustrated by the late Fred Marcelliano, is the latest property to be snatched up by Fox Studios Animation and Blue Sky Studios. Just one look at that eye patch-sporting weasel, who's in love with a beautiful silver fish, and you just know he belongs in the 3D company of Scrat.
Cinesite (Europe) Ltd announced that it has moved into production on visual effects for several major feature films, which will complete throughout 2004. These include TROY (Warner Bros.), HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Warner Bros.), ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (Fox), AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (Walden Media), SAHARA (Paramount), KING ARTHUR (Buena Vista) and ALFIE (Paramount).
Though well short of the opening gross for the live-action HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, Universal's THE CAT IN THE HAT still attracted enough tikes and their families to pull in a sizable $38.3M in its debut. The Imagine Entertainment production, with vfx by Rhythm & Hues, ruled the box office for the weekend ended Nov. 23, 2003.
