Famed Russian animator and director, Yuri Norstein, has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government, reports the NewsRu.com. An official release said the animator received the award for remarkable services to Japan.
Norstein is best known for his films THE HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG and THE TALE OF TALES. Due to production and funding problems, the filmmakers adaptation of Gogols THE OVERCOAT has been in production for years.
BLADE: TRINITY writer/director David Goyer has announced that his proposed remake and update of the 1973 sci-fi flick, SOYLENT GREEN will begin where the original film left off, reports SCI FI WIRE. Goyer also said he will not write or directed the film, but will produce it through his first-look deal with Warner Bros.
"I will say that the reveal at the end of the first movie happened at the end of our first act," Goyer said in an interview. "So the first movie is kind of the first act of our film, and then it's about what happens afterwards."
With a domestic gross of $75 million in two weeks, it was pretty inevitable that THE GRUDGE would get a sequel. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER reports that Senator International and Ghost House Pictures have hired scribe Stephen Susco to return the cursed-themed film and write a part two. Ghost House Pictures' Sam Raimi and Rob Tappert, Roy Lee and Doug Davidson will return as producers. Star Sarah Michelle Gellar nor director Takashi Shimizu have signed on for THE GRUDGE 2.
BFC Berliner Film Companie GmbH has entered into a software license and custom development and support agreement with mental images GmbH to use its rendering and 3D modeling software on BFC's upcoming major 3D feature film, HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER. Michael Hefferon, head of production for BFCs in-house production service arm, is supervising the feature-length 3D CG-animated motion picture planned for delivery in the third quarter of 2005.
Barcelona-based D'Ocon Films Prods. have teamed with Belgian animation company Pixanime to co-produce the TV series, HANBAGUI, reports VARIETY. D'Ocon will run pre-production and post with the animation outsourced to China. HANBAGUI is a 3D series, which follows a shape-shifting blue-colored alien who becomes marooned on Earth. The show is targeted to kids 3-10.
D'Ocon has two other 3D series LEONARD and MALIKA -- in production with France's Ellipse Anime.
G4techTV celebrates one of the biggest days of the year for videogame fans and viewers alike with HALO 2 Day, in honor of the release of HALO 2, the sequel to the best-selling Xbox game of all time from 9:00 am Nov. 9 to 4:30 pm, Nov. 10, 2004 on the only 24-hour television network plugged into games, gear, gadgets and gigabytes,
The entire day dedicated to this blockbuster release includes shows such as X-PLAY, CINEMATECH, G4TV.COM, THE SCREEN SAVERS and UNSCREWED WITH MARTIN SARGENT devoting programming entirely to HALO 2.
IDT Entertainments New Arc Films and POW! Ent. have signed acclaimed comic book, film and television writer-creators Marv Wolfman and Scott Lobdell to write the screenplays for two animated features under the six-project New Arc-Pow! Deal. The films will be produced by DPS Film Roman.
DreamWorks has reeled in the domestic distribution rights to the Japanese sci fi/action hit, CASSHERN a blend of live action and various animation techniques, to be released under the banner of its specialty film division, Go Fish Pictures.
The PGA New Media Council is hosting a panel discussion on animation production, featuring players from Sony Imageworks, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks Feature Animation, Disney Feature Animation, Universal Cartoon Studios, TOKYOPOP and JibJab Media. The focus will be on key issues of animation production including the state of the business, pitching and deal making, domestic and foreign production studios, skill sets vital to animation producers, technology used to create new animation styles and distribution venues, and designing animation projects to draw the right audience.
Walt Disney Television Animation (WDTVA) has named Meredith Metz, svp, creative affairs, and has promoted Lisa Salamone Smith to svp, production.
"Being able to bring Meredith to WDTVA to lead our development efforts is especially meaningful," said Barry Blumberg, WDTVA president, to whom they both will report. "Her vast experience and exceptional eye for creative, innovative projects are a winning combination that will make her a valuable addition to our team."
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sold 4.9 million of his DreamWorks Animation shares for $28 apiece, earning him $137.3 million, reports BLOOMBERG NEWS. Allen sold the shares under the over-allotment clause of the studio's IPO. After the sale, Allen holds 7.73 million DreamWorks class A shares.
DreamWorks spokesman Andrew Spahn declined to comment Thursday.
Atlanta-based Mindjaz, one of the worlds fastest growing media companies, announced it is developing an animation division that will produce full length animated features and short films, as well as develop animated characters and features for advertisers and others. This announcement comes on the heels of the studio announcing that it will release its first feature in 2005.
The Mill has purchased endorphin, a stand-alone application from NaturalMotion Ltd. that uses AI and dynamics simulation to create 3D character animation in realtime, to create high-end visual effects in its commercials and promo departments at its studio in Soho, London.
While it is no surprise that Disney/Pixars THE INCREDIBLES led the box office for the weekend ended Nov. 7, 2004, the fact that Brad Birds first 3D-animated feature captured as much as $70.4M in its opening weekend raised a few eyebrows. Indeed, THE INCREDIBLES marks the biggest opening in Disney and Pixar history, edging out last years FINDING NEMO by $100,000.
Not only did the animation world celebrate the opening of THE INCREDIBLES, which captured a record $70.4M last weekend for Disney and Pixar, but also DreamWorks Animation SKG reported that SHREK 2 generated an estimated $185M in retail revenue when it bowed over the same three-day period, including a record 11 million units in DVD sales.
Held at the Egyptian Theater, Filmforum will host the talented and inspirational animator Christine Panushka. Teaching animation at USC, Panushka creates work that is known internationally. Her guidance and skills has served as key elements in the success of the Cal Arts and USC animation programs in recent years. Films to be screened include NIGHT
Nickelodeon, into its third week of presenting a festival of shorts to viewers, sees Comedy Central has jumped in on the action with its new shorts compilation show called, JUMP CUTS, that premieres Nov. 7, 2004, at 12:00 am, midnight. This half-hour for the next four Sundays is for late night, adult comedy viewing with an interesting mix of animation and live action with an encore presentation on Wednesdays at 2:00 am.
2004 Machinima Film Festival Date: Saturday, November 6th, 2004 Time: Festival- 11am - 6pm, Awards - 8pm-9pm Location: The American Museum of the Moving Image, NY
The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences (AMAS), an organization that provides advocacy, education and community building awareness for the entertainment medium known as Machinima: animated film making using real-time 3D virtual environments, announced today a call for entries for the 2004 Machinima Film Festival.
The Swiss American Film Festival (SwissAm) features screenings, seminars and parties, bringing together American and Swiss independent filmmakers with a selection of 30 Swiss and 24 U.S. films. The festival opens on Nov. 5 with a free all-day co-production seminar, followed by a kick-off party on Nov. 6 at the newly renovated Tribeca Cinema, and a week of screenings through Thursday, Nov. 11 at Quad Cinema and Anthology Film Archives. For more information call (212) 528 3801 or log onto www.swisscinema.org.
The country
In 2003, AWN launched its newest resource site, the AWN Book Corner. Looking for books related to animation, then the Book Corner is the best place for you to visit. Readers can search through tomes dealing with 2D & 3D graphics, animation, applications, cinematography, digital video, entertainment, gaming, history & theory, post-production, programming & scripting and Web & multimedia. You can also browse books by title, author or publisher.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This weeks quiz looks at the history of Casper (a.k.a. the Friendly Ghost).
This week in AWN's Forums, moderator Larry L. reports the results of Ty B. Bears run for president.
Animator-turned director Daniel Robichaud tells Tulay Tetiker about the challenges of making the 3D-animated Pinocchio 3000 as a co-production of Canada, France and Spain.
Bill Desowitz interviews Incredibles director Brad Bird, supervising technical director Rick Sayre and effects supervisor Sandra Karpman about bringing human CG superheroes to the big screen.
