John Goodman and Billy Crystal are back in the studio recording voice-over for "Mike's New Car," an all-new animated short that will be available exclusively on the DVD release of MONSTERS, INC. in stores September 17, 2002. The story of a little girl who invades the monsters' realm and then teaches them a thing or two, is given the grand treatment in a double-DVD set.
Interactive entertainment developer THQ Inc. has gained interactive publishing rights to HEY ARNOLD! THE MOVIE, Nickelodeon's animated feature film based on the TV show, HEY ARNOLD! In HEY ARNOLD! THE MOVIE for Game Boy Advance, players assume the role of Arnold as he rallies his friends and relatives to stop an unsavory businessman from tearing down their neighborhood to build a Super Beeper Emporium. Players must help Arnold find and organize his friends so that they can complete certain tasks on different levels.
Cartoon Creativity, a Cartoon Master organized with the support of the MEDIA Plus Programme of the European Union, will be held in Halle, Germany on April 25-27, 2002. The seminar will take a hard look at the process of creation, from the very first spark of the original idea to the production of a film or a TV series. TV channel representatives Theresa Plummer-Andrews, Suzanne Müller and Sebastian Debertin, producers Stephan Schesch, Dominique Boischot, Guillaume Hellouin and Robin Lyons and legal expert Stéphane Lieser, will also consider the link between economy and creativity.
The Krok International Animated Film Festival, St. Petersburg to Moscow, Russian Federation.
Wednesday, August 14 - Friday, August 23, 2002
Entry Deadline: Wednesday, May 15, 2002
ICE AGE, 20th Century Foxs first foray into CG animated features, topped the charts this weekend and had the third largest opening for an animated feature ever, behind TOY STORY 2 and MONSTERS, INC. and the largest March opening in U.S. box office history. Debuting with $47.8M, the prehistoric beasts crushed the competition, with second place RESIDENT EVIL scaring up just $18.2M. Based on the video game of the same name, RESIDENT EVIL features visual effects by AMX Studios Ltd. and MagicMove. Third place was held by the DeNiro/Murphy buddy comedy SHOWTIME with $15.4M.
The Cartoon Movie Tributes were awarded during the closing evening of Cartoon Movie, the forum dedicated to European animation feature films, that took place in the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam, Germany from March 14-16, 2002. Three European companies were selected from seven nominees who have made a significant mark on the animation feature film industry. The Cartoon Movie Tributes reward European strategies, outstanding facts, companies or personalities that have had a positive and dynamic influence on the European animation feature film industry.And the winners are
Alias|Wavefront's "Completely Unlimited" promotion is in effect throughout the month of March 2002 and entitles anyone acquiring a license of Maya Complete to automatically receive an upgrade to Maya Unlimited. Features found only in Maya Unlimited include Maya Fur, Maya Live, Maya Cloth, subdivision surfaces and other advanced modeling functionality. In addition, annual full maintenance packages for Maya Unlimited licenses acquired through the promotion may also be purchased at the cost of Maya Complete full maintenance.
Following the record-breaking Season One DVD released last fall, SIMPSONS fans can continue to build their collections with the release of THE SIMPSONS: SEASON TWO DVD Collection on July 9, 2002. In addition to the entire second season of twenty two episodes (1990-1991), the special DVD features include interviews with series creator Matt Groening and producer James L. Brooks, early sketches, the very first Butterfinger commercials featuring Bart as the spokesperson, music videos and more. Suggested retail price: DVD US$49.98.
Canadian-based animation company Bardel Animation has a new digital production division comprised of two core departments utilizing Flash and 3D Maya. "Traditional animation is by no means dead," said Bardel's president Barry Ward. "It's alive and well and living digitally.
Independent animation company Happy Hour Entertainment has hired Denis Burger Jr. as its president, games division. Burger will drive all game creation and content for next generation platforms and PC, and also manage all of Happy Hours business operations. Previously Burger was president and co-founder of Mudpuppy Studios, an independent game developer that has created titles for Disney, LEGO and Mattel. Happy Hour is currently developing ROCK STAR (working title), an original game that combines music creation with the story of a garage bands rise to super-stardom.
Toronto-based animation company Red Rover Studios has completed a new animated spot for AOL/Moviefone via agency Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Airing in theaters and on TV, "Lil Red" is a twisted take on the Little Red Riding Hood fable, featuring "Grandma" wolf with curlers in her hair and large balloons standing in for her bosoms. Mad Dogs creative team and Red Rovers Andy Knight, who directed the spot, wanted to define the characters in a whole new way, giving them a more modern and up-to-date approach.
Big Idea Productions, creators of the direct-to-video children's series VEGGIETALES, has teamed with interactive entertainment publisher ValuSoft, to create and distribute three new interactive PC CD-ROM games. Based on the VEGGIETALES series, each interactive game allows players to join their favorite VEGGIETALES characters including Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, to play games and complete projects. The first title, THE MYSTERY OF VEGGIE ISLAND, will be available on September 15, 2002.
The British Animation Awards (BAA) were presented Friday, March 15, 2002 at a gala ceremony at the National Film Theater in London. Created in 1996, BAA is a bi-annual event, and since its inception has covered all aspects of the UK animation scene, from student work to commercials, children's entertainment, short and experimental art films, and new technologies, scenario and craft.
Kids' WB!, has unveiled their 2002-2003 schedule and the network is introducing a "year-round" slate offering new programming beginning in summer 2002 and leading into the 2002-2003 television season. Debuting this summer is the new, entirely Flash-animated series ¡MUCHA LUCHA!, an over-the-top comedy-adventure set in the world of Mexican masked wrestling.
Voting members of the Academy, your ballots are almost due! Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must return their completed final Oscar ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2002. Ballots received after the 5:00 pm deadline are ineligible. If you havent had a chance to see all the nominated animated films, check out clips from the animated short films and find out information on all the animated feature nominees at AWNs Oscar Showcase.
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...
The February Acrobat issue of Animation World Magazine is now online! In the featured articles...
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania's A.C.Coy is looking for a SENIOR MULTIMEDIA DEVELOPER . . . Hollywood, California's Acme Filmworks is looking for a CG ARTIST . . . B1 Media is looking for a PRODUCER and a PRODUCTION MANAGER . . . New Paltz, New York's BASSARTS is looking for an AGENT . . . blackSHEEP is looking for a 2D/3D ANIMATOR & DIGITAL PRODUCTION TEAM . . . Classic Black is looking for a PROGRAM DEVELOPER . . . Toronto, Ontario's Cuppa Coffee Animation is looking for a STOP MOTION ANIMATOR . . . London, England's Datascope Recruitment is
Bill Plympton's fourth animated feature, was an Official Selection of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and the Grand Prize winner at the 2001 Annecy Animation Festival.
AWNs Discussion Forums give you direct access to an unparalleled group of animation industry experts. Don't be shy! Visit the Forums!
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events include:
Live Chat with Victor Navone: Wednesday, March 13, 2002, World Wide Web.
Combustion 2 Launch Party: Tuesday, March 19, 2002, San Francisco,California USA.
Earth Day Art Contest and Event Hosted By The Art Institute of LosAngeles: Saturday, April 20, 2002, Santa Monica, California USA.
Manchester Film Festival: Thursday, June 27 - Sunday, June 30, 2002,Manchester, Vermont USA.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. This week...
Thursday, April 18 - Monday, April 22, 2002. Positano, Italy. Cartoons on the Bay, the International Festival and Conference of Television Animation is opening this year's festival on the evening of April 18th with the Italian premiere of Disney's highly-anticipated animated feature film "Lilo & Stitch." Promoted by Rai and conceived and organized by Rai Trade, the festival is an international event with awards, workshops, lectures and events centering on the ever-changing world of television animation. Actor Rowan Atkinson will be on hand to present his animated alter-ego "Mr.
Two young boys with rich fantasy lives are featured characters in Decode Entertainments new animated series. Decode has picked up the international rights to BEING IAN, a 26-episode series produced by Studio B for Canadian broadcaster YTV, and OLLIVERS ADVENTURES, produced by Collideascope Digital Productions for Teletoon Canada. BEING IAN stars Ian Kelly, a young boy obsessed with films who lives out his fantasies by imagining himself in a movie. The series is created by Ian James Corlette and directed by Marv Newland.
Side Effects Software has released Houdini 5, the newest version of the companys 3D animation and visual effects software and Houdini Select, a lesser-priced selection of the same tools. In conjunction with the launch, Side Effects Software has also made available a free non-commercial, 4-month license of Houdini Select to be offered to individuals attending the launch events. Side Effects Software will be hosting Houdini launch events in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and London featuring guest presenters from effects studios Digital Domain and Rhythm & Hues.
