In an effort to further enhance its console development capabilities and game creation for the next-generation consoles, Activision, Inc., has acquired Northern California-based software developer Shaba Games LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, Shaba has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision, with Shaba's equity holders receiving 258,621 shares common stock in connection with the acquisition.
Furthering its efforts to expand its CG capabilities, Portland, Oregon-based Vinton Studios (VS) has hired Al Cubillas as director of digital production. Cubillas will be responsible for overseeing the operations of three departments - CG, editorial and IT. Before joining VS, Cubillas was general manager and director of technology at Colorado FX in Santa Monica. Prior to that he served as the general manager and director of technology at Digital Muse in Santa Monica, California.
With over $100M and counting after three weeks in theaters, Fox Animation and its Blue Sky Studios ICE AGE is a success and the studio has announced development on their next project, entitled ROBOTS, based on a childrens book by William Joyce. According to VARIETY, the studio has completed preliminary storyboarding and extensive visual development on the feature.
Gullane Entertainment has signed a deal with educational products developer LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. to create THOMAS & FRIENDS interactive storybooks. THOMAS THE REALLY USEFUL ENGINE will be created for the "LeapPad" learning system and will include curriculum-based activities that are integrated into each page of the story. This title is part of LeapFrog's pre-reading series of books and is geared toward children in pre-kindergarten through first grade. The second title, THOMAS AND THE SCHOOL TRIP, will be developed for the "My First LeapPad" learning system.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002 6:30 - 9:00 pm The Art Institute of Portland 2000 SW Fifth Avenue, Room 207 6:30 - 7:30 Demo Reels & Networking Anyone who attends is invited to bring demo reels or portfolios and share them with the group. You are highly encouraged to bring your work! This is also a great time to meet others in the industry, make contacts, and find out what's happening in the graphics world outside of your office cubicle. Food & beverages will be provided.
7:30 - 8:30 Guest Presentation and Q & A
HOWARD KAZANJIAN, best known for producing "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Return of the Jedi", will be speaking at Cornerstone's Film Lecture Series on Tuesday, April 2, 2002 (7 pm - 8:30 pm), at Cornerstone Animation
Networking is one of the best skills to have when it comes to finding and keeping a job. Pamela Kleibrink Thompson explains how.
The newly formed alliance of Canadian production company CinéGroupe and animation producer Film Roman Studios has begun production on SCI FI Channel's first-ever animated series TRIPPING THE RIFT. The CG-animated series is based on the short film of the same name, with thirteen half-hour episodes slated to debut in first quarter 2003 as part of SCI FI's regular Friday primetime line-up of original series.
DreamWorks has officially announced the next project for Vicky Jenson, director of the Oscar-winning hit SHREK. Vicky will team with director Eric "Bibo" Bergeron (THE ROAD TO EL DORADO) to helm SHARKSLAYER, an undersea mob comedy. Will Smith (ALI) voices Oscar, a young fish that is found at the scene of the crime when the son of the "Godfather" of all sharks gets killed. Oscar takes advantage of this opportunity to play the hero, but soon finds that there are serious consequences to his posing as the great Sharkslayer. James Gandolfini, Angelina Jolie and Renee Zellweger also star.
The Vancouver Effects and Animation Festival (VEAF) showcases all types of effects work and animation from realistic water effects to traditional cel animation work. The event will feature guest speakers, panels and awards. Some of the categories for the festival competition are: Commercials (animated), Commercials (effects), Feature Film (animated), Feature Film (effects), Music Videos (animated), Music Videos (effect), Short Films, Titles, Idents, PSAs and Stings, Simulations, Education and Training Videos, Student Work, CD-Roms and Websites.
Egmont Imagination's new animated series JUNGO is currently in production at Egmont's sister company A. Film, and will debut this April at MIP-TV 2002. Egmont has recently completed of a raft of pre-sales for JUNGO, including Germany's Super RTL, TV2 in Denmark and Norway and TV4 in Sweden. The 13 x 26-minute series finds jungle creature Jungo and city fox Rita on a quest to find a place where they can live in peace. JUNGO is an Egmont co-production with Denmark's TV2 and Ocean Group in Canada. It is based on the main character in two A.
Electric Rain, Inc. has announced an improved solution for incorporating Swift 3D vector animations into projects created in the newly released Macromedia Flash MX. The Swift 3D Importer, which will be accessed through the Macromedia Flash MX menu system, will recognize a new proprietary Swift 3D file format. Currently, the entire Swift 3D product line exports to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format. As a compiled format, SWF files inherently limit the type of 3D information able to be imported into Macromedia Flash.
AnimAction, Inc. will be presenting their 12th Annual TEAM (Tobacco Education Awareness Message) Awards on April 10, 2002, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. at the Wadsworth Theatre located in Brentwood, California. AnimAction is a production company dedicated to utilizing the art of animation as a way to educate children about issues of global concern. The company teaches kids to produce animated Public Service Announcements as part of their educational program.
Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Thursday, October 24 Sunday, November 3, 2002.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday, May 1, 2002.
With a weekend take of $30M, the newly-released thriller PANIC ROOM, with visual effects by ComputerCafe, took the top box office spot, but ICE AGE stayed in second place and crossed the $100M mark, making it the first 2002 release to reach that milestone. The animated buddy comedy earned $18.1M for a three-week cume of $116.8M. Disneys THE ROOKIE swung into third place with $16M, while last weeks number one film BLADE II, with visual effects by Framestore CFC, fell three spots to fourth, earning $13.2M for a total of $54.9M.
German entertainment company RTV International will introduce the new animated series ROBOROACH at MIPTV 2002. Starring a cockroach superhero named Rube who can morph into almost anything and Reg, Rube's street-smart big brother, the series was inspired by a Japanese newspaper story in which scientists claimed to be able to control cockroaches through implanted computer chips. ROBOROACH is a co-production between RTV Family Entertainment AG, VIDEAL and Portfolio Entertainment. RTV International holds all distribution rights except for North America.
Spend an afternoon with Academy Award-nominated women filmmakers and learn about the different crafts and career opportunities the film industry offers. Many of the women profiled in the recently released book GREAT WOMEN OF FILM will be on hand to give advice to women interested in a career in the film industry. Visual-effects producer Debbie Denise (HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE) and special-effects technician Christy Sumner
Representing their first sale to Japan, TV-Loonland has sold the home video and DVD rights of the animated series LITTLE GHOSTS to Japanese home entertainment corporation TDK. The show has also been sold to Indonesian agent PT-NAINA, who will distribute all rights of the series to buyers in the Asia Pacific region. Australias public broadcaster ABC Australia is currently airing LITTLE GHOSTS and will be launching the series on home video through their subsidiary ABC Video in spring 2002.
Production company Super 78 created a graphics package for the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas on February 28, 2002. Drawing on the inspiration of the early 1980s gaming experience as the aesthetic foundation, Super 78 creative director Brent Young developed the look for the awards presentation. "Our goal was to create a vibe that was both retro and contemporary, TRON meets MATRIX, connecting the fact that this is an industry with a history and a future," Young explained.
ANIMAL HOSPITAL, an irreverent new animated series about an animal psychiatric hospital, has debuted on Icebox.com and the first six episodes may be viewed for free. Described by creator Dan Bell as "R. Crumb meets ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST with a touch of ANIMAL FARM thrown in," ANIMAL HOSPITAL features the voiceover talent of Dana Carvey, Steven Weber, Caroline Rhea, Mo Gaffney and Paul Hipp. Check it out at www.icebox.com.
Loonland Merchandising has signed licensing agreements with several companies to manufacture and distribute merchandise based on the TV-Loonland property CRAMP TWINS. Distribution Network Company (DNC), creator of merchandise for shows like THE SIMPSONS, SOUTH PARK and STAR TREK, will be producing apparel based on the slick look of Lucien and Wayne Cramp, while DNC subsidiary Trademark Toys is creating toys only a Cramp Twin could love including water guns, boxing gloves, artificial slime and artificial snot.
The 9th International Animation Festival In Hiroshima, Japan.
2002 Hiroshima International Animation Festival, Hiroshima, Japan.
Thursday, August 22 - Monday, August 26, 2002.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday, April 10, 2002.
Each week, Animation World Magazine offers new articles, special features and theme-based coverage of the art, craft and industry of animation. New this week:
Don't work in a studio or live next to a school but want to learn Maya? John Edgar Park offers a solution and reviews the best Maya training videotapes around.
Animation Careers is looking for a STORYBOARD ARTIST . . . Salt Lake City, Utah's Beyond Games is looking for a FMV ANIMATOR/MODELER . . . Godalming, Surrey's Designhive is looking for a CHARACTER ANIMATOR AND MEDIA SPECIALIST . . . Vilvoorde, Belgium's Djungo Productions is looking for a 3D CHARACTER ANIMATOR/MODELER . . . Emeryville, California's Ex'pression Center for New Media is looking for a PLACEMENT DIRECTOR . . . Kerala, India's Katuns is looking for a 2D ANIMATOR . . . Los Angeles, California's Krazytoons is looking for an ANIMATOR . . .
John Kricfalusi, Piotr Dumala, R.O. Blechman, Harry Smith and Taku Furukawa. These are some of the names in the spotlight at the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2002 (OIAF). The next edition will take place October 2-6, 2002, at the National Arts Center in Ottawa, Canada. OIAF 2002 will treat both the international animation community and public audiences to a five-day event featuring the best new animated short and feature-length films and videos from around the world.
