AWN Headline News

BKN Internationals holiday film RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER AND THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS is coming to MIPCOM. Featuring the voice talent of Rick Moranis and Jamie Lee Curtis and seven new holiday songs, the 3D animated sequel capitalizes on one of the favorite scenes from the classic RUDOLPH animated special. The 90-minute film is already scheduled to air during the 2001 holiday season on CBS in the U.S. and has video and DVD distribution in the U.K., Scandinavia and Spain.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announced that it has revised its fourth quarter publishing schedule as a result of the tragic events that occurred September 11, 2001 in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. Take-Two's corporate headquarters, which are located in downtown Manhattan, reopened for business on Monday, September 17, 2001 after being closed for four business days, although the company continues to experience disruptions in telecommunications and network services.

DreamWorks Consumer Products has named Hasbro's WowWee subsidiary as master toy licensee for the upcoming theatrical animated release SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON. The film tells the story of a wild mustang stallion named Spirit and his journey through the untamed American West. Under the agreement, WowWee will offer a line of products based on the film including basic figures, playsets, deluxe figures, electronic and animatronic figures, accessories and role play items.

Are you sensing a pattern? In what is becoming a more common response in the entertainment industry to the terrorist attacks on the U.S., Digital Leisure executives have put the new game CRIME PATROL on indefinite hold. The game places players in the role of a police officer stopping criminals - including drug dealers, bank robbers, car thieves, and in the final level, terrorists.

Fox Family Channel will air an award-winning episode of KAMPUNG BOY Friday, September 28, 2001 (7:00 AM ET/PT). This will be the U.S. debut of the series, which garnered the Best Animated Television Series award at the 1999 Annecy International Film Festival. From a traditional village tucked away in the lush jungle of Malaysia, KAMPUNG BOY tells about the adventures of Mat, a nine year old boy, his family and his friends as they struggle to maintain traditional family values in an ever-changing technology-obsessed world.

Alias|Wavefront, an SGI company, announced that Maya for Mac OS X has shipped. This much anticipated release of the 3D animation and effects software package on the Macintosh platform will make 3D graphics more accessible to professional graphics artists. With this first release of Maya for Mac OS X, all of Maya Complete becomes native to the Macintosh. Features unique to this version include support for QuickTime, tear off menus in the hot box, and a fully Aqua interface. Alias|Wavefront is offering a special order promotion that will continue until the end of the year.

Microsoft Corp. has delayed the launch of its Xbox video game system by one week and is now planning to have Xbox in North American stores on November 15, 2001. The system will retail for approximately US$299. Microsoft is refusing to say how many units it will ship on that date and will only confirm it will ship 1 million to 1.5 million Xbox consoles to North American retailers this holiday season. Microsoft executives have not explained the delay, saying only that it is not related to the attacks in Washington and New York, or the nations economy.

The annual multi-media and comics convention, Wizard World Chicago 2001, saw over 40,000 consumers attend the three-day event, which featured autograph signings, movie previews, panels and product presentations from exhibitors and guest stars. Wizard World's special guests included filmmaker Kevin Smith (JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK) and numerous comics' artists and writers, along with 2001 guest of honor, painter Alex Ross. This year's attendance was a 12% rise from last year's crowds, filling the 275,000 square-foot hall of the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

After an illustrious career in visual effects spanning more than 30 years, computer graphics pioneer Robert Abel passed away on Sunday, September 23, 2001. A legend in the visual effects community, Robert Abel was responsible for early innovations in computer graphics and special effects. In 1971 he founded Robert Abel and Associates with friend and collaborator Con Pederson. He began his early groundbreaking work in vector graphics and created the first motion-capture system in 1984. Bob later worked extensively in raster graphics that birthed 3D computer graphics as we know them today.

The 3DO Company shipped its new multiplayer online space simulation game JUMPGATE on September 26, 2001. 3DO recently concluded a free preview of the game during which thousands of new players earned their stripes exploring the extensive JUMPGATE universe, where three rival factions coexist in the galaxy and navigate through a network of spatial anomalies known as jumpgates. Players take up roles within the factions, trading goods, completing missions and fighting off enemies and their activities affect the course of the game.

The Europe-Japan Media Exchange (MEX2001) has announced the BANJA-IN-THE-WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP and is accepting submissions for animated shorts (no longer than 5 minutes) featuring characters from BANJA, the free Internet-based game. Submitted works will be posted on the MEX2001 Website, and the champion and second place finalist will win the opportunity to attend the celebration ceremony to be held in Shibuya, Japan on November 23, 2001. The application deadline is October 15, 2001. For more details, visit www.mex2001.com

Midlands, England-based animation production house, PS Creative has moved to new, larger premises -- a building called The Doghouse in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England. With this expansion they soon hope to be recruiting more staff for both freelance and permanent in-house positions. PS Creative is currently furthering their 3D character animation and on-screen typography work developing a Europe-wide marketing campaign for a major pharmaceutical company.