The Suginami Anime Pavilion will reopen at the Suginami Animation Museum on March 5, 2005, reports Anime Blogzine. The exhibit closed April 2004 for renovation and expansion.
The newly renovated museum will have expanded space for exhibits, a workshop, theater and anime library. Special exhibits will be held four times a year, starting with the special opening exhibit GUNDAM -REKIDAI NO KIDOU SENSHI.
In Part 3, Christopher Panzner focuses on new financing issues as he looks at how independent producers have to be a vertically-integrated individual as well as a little of a cowboy to survive in the industry.
Breakthrough Animation enters the 2005 New York International TOYFAIR with an extensive lineup of international licensing deals in place for the companys animated series, ATOMIC BETTY.
Animal Logic creates a series of interstitials to complement Cartoon Networks international rebranding effort. Includes QuickTime clips!
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
ADV Toys will be making its debut exhibiting appearance at the upcoming American International TOYFAIR happening February 20-23, 2005, in New York City. ADV Toys line of cool anime merchandise from ADV Films extensive library includes EXCEL SAGA, NOIR, KALEIDO STAR, CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL and more. ADV Toys will be located at Booth #2488 at the Jacob Javits Center and will be giving out a free portable DVD player.
This week in AWN's Forums, a new thread talks about the Dove Styling campaign that features famous female toon stars like Marge Simpson and Jane Jetson. Others are debating the merits of Western anime. Moderator Larry L asks: what should Disney/ Eisner do? A student asks working animators what their opinions are of the current work environment on a global and local scale. With the unveiling on the LOONATICS series, some forum members are asking what happened to the Looney Tunes.
Continuing our special event specific Flash Newsletters, we will be publishing special editions for both GDC and MIP-TV. Both events are fast approaching and our editorial and advertising staff is gearing up for the Flash Newsletter series. Here are the dates for the publications. To insure your news gets into the GDC Flash, please send releases to editor@awn.com by Feb. 23, 2005.
GDC Flash NewslettersMarch 1
MIP-TV Flash NewslettersMarch 23March 30April 6
HITCH, the Will Smith romantic comedy, seduced another $36.7M for Sony over the Presidents Day Weekend box office period ended Feb. 21, 2005. That gives it a two-week cume of $95M. Debuting in second with $33.6M was Warner Bros. CONSTANTINE, the supernatural thriller with Keanu Reeves, based on the HELLBLAZER graphic novel (with vfx by ESC Ent., Tippett Studio, Hydraulx and Spectrum Effects). Foxs warm-hearted BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE bowed in third with $13.2M.
NVIDIA Corp. has opened a new design center in Bangalore, India, continuing NVIDIA's expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.
"India is an exciting market and well-positioned for phenomenal growth," said Jen Hsun-Huang, president and ceo, NVIDIA Corp. "We know from experience that India is home to some of the world's brightest engineers, as many of our top employees today are originally from there. India is strategic to NVIDIA and we are delighted to become a member of the Bangalore community."
CUPBOARDS, a commercial honoring 75 years of PG Tips tea in the U.K., was created by Aardman Animations through DDB London and included a series of vignettes through the last three quarters of a century. Animators included Richard Webber, Kim Keukeliere and Martin Davies. Post-production was done at Rushes under the production of Joe West. Rushes had to make sure that in each vignette the room was comped and graded to give it the unique feel of sepia tone, heavy grain and scratches or black-and-white.
SUNDAY, February 27th Celebrate 79 years of Movies at the Balboa Theatre
Birthday Party.
Don't miss the rare opportunity to hear Nik Phelps perform his new original
score for the 1926 Greta Garbo classic TORRENT. Accompanying Nik will be
the incomparable pianist Frederick Hodges. In true 1926 movie fashion there
will be a vaudeville show featuring magician James Hamilton, Ms. Suzanne
(Kitten on the Keys) Ramsey on piano and witty vocals, a newsreel and Nik
and Frederick having musical fun with a cartoon.All this and prizes and
Birthday Cake too!!!!
SUNDAY, February 27 1:00 PM
Balboa Theatre - 3630 Balboa Street (at 37th Avenue) in San Francisco
The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents a limited engagement of Academy Award Nominated Shorts. Films include:
Jeff Fowler's GOPHER BROKE (US, 5 min., Animation). A hungry gopher devises a scheme that he hopes will provide him with a tasty snack.
Sejong Park's BIRTHDAY BOY (Australia, 10mins, Animation). Set during the Korean War, Manuk is dreaming of his father who is at the front. He finds a package on his doorstep and as it is his birthday, he opens it to find contents that change his life.
These monthly 4-hour Workshops are only $25 per class. Each class will teach you everything you need to build a great foundation in film and video production. You'll learn everything from basic script writing to nonlinear editing, distribution, and more.
You'll also be learning from award winning, 12 year production veterain, and CA Credentialed instructor Jarrett Grimes. Jarrett's lectured for Videomaker Magazine, SCROC, El Segundo High School, Palos Verdes Intermediate, and El Camino College.
Sponsored by Comic-Con International, Wonder Con is a comic book and sci-fi/fantasy convention. The event features screenings, game rooms, exhibits, panel discussions and workshops. Fans can meet with celebrities and creators as well as look for the hard-to-find merchandise they have been looking for. More info can be found at http://www.comic-con.org/Pages/WCWhatsNew.html.
Katsucon 11 is an anime convention. This includes providing attendees with the opportunity to meet professional and amateur talent from the anime, manga and related industries, view a wide variety of new and classic anime, play the latest videogames and many, many more activities. Events include karaoke and Cosplay. For more information, visit www.katsucon.com.
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH will open the 58th Cannes Film Festival on May 11, reports Londons DAILY MAIL. The final STAR WARS film, which hits theaters on May 19, will kick off proceedings on the Croisette, joining a long tradition of high-profile launches.
Alias released full details of their updated Maya Platinum and Silver Membership Services Programs. Originally launched at SIGGRAPH 2004, the Membership Services Programs replace the previous Full Annual Maintenance Program. The new features are available immediately and launch in conjunction with the availability of Maya 6.5.
Get ready for ROBOT CHICKEN, an ambitious sketch comedy series done completely in stop-motion, debuting Feb. 20, 2005, at 11:30 pm on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim. Creators actor/producer Seth Green and Matthew Senreich spare no one and run through many toys as they bring slightly mean-spirited pop-culture parodies to life in the 15-minute weekly series.
Nickelodeons new Asian-inspired Nicktoons series, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, premieres with a one-hour special on Feb. 21, 2005 at 7:00 pm, featuring Aang (Zachery Tyler), a fun-loving 12-year-old who must forgo a normal life as the Avatar in order to master his latent powers over the four elements to restore world order. Following the special broadcast, the Avatar series will air in its regular time period, Fridays at 8:00 pm.
JAKKS Pacific Inc. introduces the GAMEKEY expansion pack, the new next-generation innovation for its award-winning plug-it-in and play TV Games product line. GAMEKEY expansion pack offers users the opportunity to add extra games made specifically for their favorite TV Games controllers.
Alain Bielik uncovers the demonic inspirations and digital challenges of bringing Hellblazer to the big screen as Constantine.
Nickelodeon is hosting the free, traveling exhibit "La Casa de Dora," a 10-city mall tour allowing kids to experience first-hand the interactive, bilingual home of DORA THE EXPLORER. "La Casa de Dora" kicks off Feb. 19, 2005, in Denver and will travel to 10 markets around the country, including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Albuquerque and San Francisco.
Karen Raugust looks into how studios are reevaluating licensing strategies in the face of toy industry struggles.
Bandai America Inc. will unveil its new portfolio of brands at the 2005 American International TOYFAIR in New York City on Feb. 20-23, 2005. The company announced that it is expanding its business by growing its current slate of core brands, which includes powerhouses POWER RANGERS and TEEN TITANS for boys, and STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE and TAMAGOTCHI CONNECTION for girls. In addition, Bandai America will unveil a new toy property based on the television series created by sister company Bandai Ent., titled D.I.C.E. (DNA Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises).
