TV Review: Justice League Is Finally Here
Bruce Timm and the Warner crew are back doing what they do bestsuperhero adventures. Jerry Beck reviews the long-awaited Justice League.
Bruce Timm and the Warner crew are back doing what they do bestsuperhero adventures. Jerry Beck reviews the long-awaited Justice League.
Renowned drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu continues with his ninth "sketching on location" teaching installment. This month we learn about creating a silhouette and the importance of positive and negative shapes.
Women in Animation-LA Chapter is hosting a workout with Cynthia Mclean from Sutton, Barth & Vennari. A fee of $8 for WIA members and $10 for non-members is charged to cover the cost of the engineer for the workout session. The group will meet in a space donated by Earthsalt, formerly Horta. The studio is located at 724 S. Victory Blvd., Burbank, California. Enter studio B, through
The 44th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film helps shed light on two overlooked areas of film production -- animation and documentaries. The festival has become known for featuring many hybrid films called "animadocs." Besides the competition, the event holds special programs and retrospectives. Gold and Silver Dove prizes, with cash awards, will be handed out.
Canadian independent production-distribution outfit Portfolio Entertainment has sold all 210 interstitials of the animated series KLOOTZ to Australian pay-TV operator Foxtel. The dialogue-free series follows the adventures of two pears and was created by Canadian 3D animation studio Klik Animation. Canadian network The Family Channel has already picked up English Canada broadcast rights.
C21 MEDIA reported that Varga Holdings and Australian producer Screentime are co-producing ANIMATED POPSTARS with the U.K.'s Target as the distribution partner. The series follows the adventures of a pop group on tour. It is based on the popular live-action show POPSTARS, where a group of unknowns is groomed to be the next big thing. Varga has also recently signed a co-development agreement with Happy Life (Sweden), which has already spawned three new pre-school projects MUFFIN, DARTANGYANG and PIGGY WIGGY, BJORN THE BEAR AND LORANGE.
PDI/DreamWorks created a CGI fairy tale for the Latin American market with the new Life Takes Visa spot for New York agency BBDO. The spot will be aired in Latin America in English, Spanish and Portuguese. In this modern take on the Three Little Pigs, the pigs get wiser and wiser as they successively build houses out straw, sticks and finally, after the wolf has huffed and puffed and blown the houses down, brick, bought with a Visa card at the local hardware store. The end shot shows the wolf using his Visa to buy a bulldozer at the same store.
With three major animation series currently in production and one more scheduled to start production next month, the U.K.-based animation house Telemagination has expanded its digital ink and paint studio. John McManus joins the company as senior compositor and Alistair Beckett and Neil Harris have been contracted as compositors, all to begin working immediately on the in-house production, PONGWIFFY.
Cartoon Network Latin America turned two lucky viewers into heroes for their schools by choosing them as winners of the POWERPUFF GIRLS Super Power Contest, which ran from June 6 through July 6, 2001. Diego Armando Ojeda Jimenez of Mexico, age 11, and Caique Tony de Andrade of Brazil, age 7, were each awarded the Grand Prize - a computer for themselves and ten more for their schools. In addition to the grand prizes, 20 first-prize winners received Nintendo 64s, 80 second-prize winners took home Nintendo Gameboys, and 200 third-prize winners each won a POWERPUFF GIRLS Gameboy game.
3D and multimedia software company Electric Rain, Inc. has released Swift 3D version 2.0, a stand alone application allowing users to design and render 3D scenes to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format, as well as Adobe Illustrator EPS and the latest XML-based SVG. Swift 3D V2 includes many new modeling tools that empower designers of all levels of 3D experience to quickly build and animate complex 3D scenes.
Mainframe Entertainment, Inc., a creator of computer animation for television, has entered into a co-venture with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk to develop an animated series. Hawk will serve as executive producer for the new series, which is in the early stages of development. The lead character will be based on the famous skateboarder, who will team with a group of kids who look up to him and become involved in various capers. The teen CGI comedy will feature many of the impressive stunts that have made Hawk a top player in the world of extreme sports.
After battling a lengthy illness, the legendary Polish animator and artist, Jan Lenica died on October 5, 2001 in Berlin. He was 73 years old. Jan Lenica was born in 1928 in Poznan, Poland. He studied architecture at the Technical University of Warsaw. After leaving Poland, he moved to Paris and later to the U.S., where in 1974 he became a professor at Harvard University in Cambridge. In 1979 Lenica became the head of the animated films department at the University of Kassel in Germany.
The Hong Kong action flick IRON MONKEY, with primary visual effects by MetroLight, debuted in sixth place this weekend bringing in just over $6 million. Made in 1993 but picked up for distribution by Miramax in 2001, the film did well, topping teen thriller JOY RIDE, with primary visual effects by Spectrum Effects Inc., which finished its second week in eighth place with $4.9M and $14.7M total. Still in front is TRAINING DAY, with primary visual effects by Cinesite.
Activision, Inc. has acquired Treyarch Invention, LLC., a leading console software developer with a focus on action and action-sports video games. The acquisition further enables Activision to implement its multi-platform development strategy by bolstering its internal product development capabilities for the next-generation console systems, strengthening Activision's position in the action and action-sports genres.
Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing) and Interplay Entertainment Corp. have entered into a North American distribution agreement which grants VU Publishing the exclusive rights to distribute Interplay's PC and video game console products through 2003 with the exception of NEVERWINTER NIGHTS. The first titles expected to be released under the distribution agreement will be BALDUR'S GATE: DARK ALLIANCE and GIANTS: CITIZEN KABUTO for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. These titles are scheduled for release in fall 2001.
So! Animation, a creative, cross-platform design shop, has joined forces with John Lovelace, So!'s new partner and executive producer/director of new business development. Former executive producer and director of new business development for the New York division of Click 3X, Lovelace brings the skills and knowledge gained at Click 3x to So! and will lead the company in their commitment to target commercial spots as well as long-form. Coinciding with the addition of Lovelace, So!
In its KIDS' WB! debut, the new Japanese anime series YU-GI-OH! ranked No. 1 among the broadcast competition in its time period in Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11, Boys 2-11 and Boys 6-11. The Japanese anime series follows the adventures of a young boy named Yugi, who morphs into a monster-fighting hero after piecing together the "millennium puzzle" given to him by his grandfather. YU-GI-OH! is represented world-wide outside of Asia, by 4Kids Entertainment.
As part of a growing package for Showtime Network's recently launched ShoNext Channel, design boutique EyeballNYC created three new interstitial series of "Disc Jockey," a mixed-media exploration of emerging American DJs. Each two-minute segment combines a documentary style with a tongue-in-cheek animated superhero sequence to create a light-hearted, satirical look at the world of the disc jockey. The animated, comic book styled section, merging video and stills, is framed around an interview segment, while the animation transforms each DJ into a superhero alter ego.
Activision, Inc. has released SPIDER-MAN for the PC and SPIDER-MAN: MYSTERIO'S MENACE and X-MEN: REIGN OF APOCALYPSE, both for the Game Boy Advance. These releases mark the super heroes' debut on Nintendo's new handheld video game system. SPIDER-MAN: MYSTERIO'S MENACE lets pocket gamers live the fantasy of Marvel's legendary webslinger with the enhanced, side-scrolling gameplay and powerful graphics of the Game Boy Advance. When Mysterio unleashes his illusory schemes, Spider-Man must stop his evil plan and restore life to normal.
Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment has launched an interactive PDA-based game to promote Revolution Studios & Columbia Pictures' new feature film THE ONE. This is first time that a studio has created a PDA-based game on behalf of a major motion picture release. "The thematic elements of THE ONE fit perfectly with the idea of a PDA-based game," said Geoffrey Ammer, President of Marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust: Friday, October 05 - Thursday, October 11, 2001, Los Angeles, San Francisco, California USA. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is currently playing in theaters in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Theaters and showtimes: The Showcase, Los Angeles, 323.934.2944. Showtimes: 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. The Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena, 626.844.6500. Showtimes: Noon, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. Edwards University 6, Irvine. 949.854.8811. Showtimes: 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. Encino Town Center, Encino, 818.940.1136. Showtimes: 10:15pm.
Animindia is looking for an ANIMATION DIRECTOR and KEY ANIMATORS for its Hyderabad, India-based studio . . . Detroit, Michigan's BIG GAME PRODUCTIONS is looking for a WRITER . . . Portland, Oregon's cartoonmonkey studio is looking for a ANIMATION AGENT . . . Melbourne, Australia's Glen Art Productions, a stop-motion animation studio, is looking for an AGENT / REPRESENTATIVE . . . Detroit, Michigan's KPC ANIMATION STUDIO is looking for a 2D/3D ANIMATOR and a STORYBOARD/ILLUSTRATOR . . . The Ninjai Gang, an online & offline content creation group is looking for a KEY ANIMATOR . . .
Durango Film Festival: Friday, March 01 - Sunday, March 10, 2002, Durango, Colorado USA. Entry Deadline: Saturday, December 01, 2001. The Durango Film Festival, after its successful 2001 premiere, is in the works for 2002. This juried 10-day festival will present independent feature films, documentaries, animated films, shorts, experimental, and new media works. In addition, the festival will offer educational salons, VIP panels, filmmaker discussions and host a variety of parties and receptions. On Saturday, March 9, 2002, the winners of the Golden Quakie Awards will be announced.
Affiliate animator Jean Detheux will be hosting "Animated Abstract Expressionism: A Digital Jam Session" at the 2001 International Student Festival Ottawa...