AWN Headline News

Warner Bros. Pictures has bought Ron Friedman and Steve Bencichs live-action, coming-of-age adventure THE TREEHOUSE.Wes Ball will make his feature directing debut on the film, with Tapestry Films Robert Levy, Peter Abrams and Andrew Panay producing. Warners' Lionel Wigram and Lauren Craniotes, along with Warner Bros. Animation president Sander Schwartz, are shepherding the film.

The story chronicles the adventures of a lonely boy who uncovers a magical treehouse, which transports him to a fantastical forest ruled children rule and parents dont exist.

Showtime Networks has joined with IDT Ent.s New Arc Ent., Industry Ent. and Nice Guy Prods. to present a new anthology series entitled MASTERS OF HORROR. For the first time, the most prominent directors of the horror film genre have joined forces to produce a series of new original horror films that promises to shock, terrify and captivate even the most discriminating horror film fans.

The Walt Disney Studios and Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein have reached a mutual agreement concluding the Weinsteins current deal with The Walt Disney Co.

The Visual Effects Society (VES) has added Area 51 supervisor Glenn Campbell (CHILDREN OF DUNE, GARDEN STATE) and supervisor/matte artist Rocco Gioffre (THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, BLADE RUNNER) to its VFX Spring Speaker Series devoted to Behind the Scenes: Problem-Solving in Visual Effects.

Topics will be free flowing and interactive, with a focus on problem solving.

After a successful first season, with hundreds of entries received from around the world, Nicktoons joins forces again with Frederator Studios to showcase the diversity of independent animated filmmaking with the renamed Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival. Animators from around the world can submit entries from March 28 through June 17, 2005. Entry forms can be downloaded on www.nicktoons.com. The TV festival is looking for a large selection of short films created in any style of animation which are 10-minutes in length or under.

Discovery Kids on NBC this spring will feature new and old series feature animal encounters that include animated interstitials. The new lineup begins on April 2, 2005.

The new schedule as of April 2 is as follows: CROC FILES 10:00-10:30 am (ET) / 8:00-8:30 am (PT) JEFF CORWIN UNLEASHED - 10:30 11:00 am (ET) / 8:30-9:00 am (PT) SCOUTS SAFARI 11:00-11:30 am (ET) / 9:00-9:30 am (PT) TRADING SPACES: Boys vs Girls 11:30 am - Noon (ET) / 9:30-10:00 am (PT)