Hot on the heels of THE INCREDIBLES comes THE POLAR EXPRESS in theaters today in both conventional and incredibly immersive IMAX 3D. Talk about polar opposites in human CGI. Yet after all the preliminary debate about POLAR EXPRESS so-called creep factor, now we can finally judge the total experience. The hard part is defining what it is. Is it animation? Or is it a new hybrid?
Klasky Csupo Cooltoons LabWorld Wide WebJanuary 31, 2004Deadline: November 30, 2004
Klasky Csupo is conducting its Cooltoons Lab, looking for scripts and/or storyboards with dialogue to animate a seven-minute pilot episode of an original show. Should your project be chosen, the studio will produce and record it. You will be credited as a creator, with the possibility of being engaged on a potential series based on the pilot. For more information, entry submission form and animation storyboard, visit www.cooltoons.com/lab.
Spike TV and Artemis Records has announced VIDEO GAME AWARDS HITS VOLUME 1 - BEST OF VIDEO GAME MUSIC. The new compilation CD, which is Spike TV's first ever commercial music deal, contains the music taken from today's hottest videogames. The CD, with music ranging from hip-hop to hard rock, will be released on Nov. 30, 2004, just two weeks in advance of Spike TV's VIDEO GAME AWARDS 2004 on Dec. 14 at 9:00 pm.
Marc Buhaj has been named vp, programming and scheduling for Cartoon Network and Boomerang, based in Atlanta. Buhaj moves from his previous Turner post in Hong Kong to direct all aspects of programming for the two networks, including scheduling, on-air event planning and program operations.
ASIFA-Hollywood, The International Animated Film Society, announced today (Nov. 10, 2004) this years Winsor McCay award recipients, Don Bluth, Virginia Davis and Arnold Stang. These are juried awards recognizing lifetime achievement or exceptional contributions to the art of animation.
Digital-Tutors announced the worldwide availability of INTRODUCTION TO 3D: ZBRUSH BASICS training kit -- the latest release in a series of industry leading training resources for digital artists.
ShoPro Ent. has signed a comprehensive licensing deal with Bandai America for a line of ZATCH BELL! video and trading card games that will be sold throughout the mass market. The news follows the recent announcement that ZATCH BELL!, an action adventure series aimed at boys 8-14, will make its television debut on Cartoon Network in spring 2005. The videogames will be available on all major platforms: PS, PS2, X-Box, GameCube, and Gameboy Advance.
Childrens entertainment producer/distributor Nelvana Limited in Toronto has partnered with entertainment and lifestyle brand company Zoup-ah!, based in Napa, California, to co-produce GASPERGOO and manage television distribution, merchandising and home video rights worldwide.
Amberwood Entertainment has licensed 26 half-hour episodes of its new animated series, THE SECRET WORLD OF BENJAMIN BEAR, to YLE for broadcast in Finland and TSR for broadcast in Switzerland.
This series, commissioned by Canada's Family Channel, was co-produced with Scotland's Red Kite Productions and has been licensed in numerous territories worldwide.
A new creative talent network for 2D and 3D artists has hung its shingle on the worldwide Web, The Creative Talent Network (CTN), the first online portfolio community for the film, game and video industries.
With large film studios downsizing in 2001, combined with the increasing amount of outsourcing in the film industry, it became obvious to the founders of The Creative Talent Network that an online community was the next environment where these and other professionals could work and stay connected, said Tina Price, one of the founders.
Earlier this year, VFXWORLD was the first to cover the transition from 2D to 3D for Mickey Mouse and his Disney pals on the TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99). Well, the DisneyToon Studios DVD-premiere, with CG animation split between Blur Studio in Venice, California, and Sparx in Paris, France, arrives in stores Nov. 9, 2004.
DUPUIS, publisher of the cartoon strips LARGO WINCH, and Overloaded | Fun Everywhere have signed a deal for the development and exploitation of the cartoon strip and TV character on mobile phones. The first mobile game will be available for download to mobile phones before February 2005 and available at operators and mobile portals around the world.
Cingular Wireless is teaming with Disney Mobile to allow Cingular customers to access the Disney and Pixar characters from their mobile phones. Disney Mobile content, including ringtones, graphics, games, multimedia messaging and more, is now available directly from Cingular handsets and via the Web at www.cingular.com/media. Downloads range in price from $1.99 for ringtones and wallpapers to $5.99 for games.
Beginning in November 2004, Nickelodeon Asia will air KAMPUNG BOY, which won the Best Animated Television Series award at the Annecy International Film Festival. Broadcast arrangements were negotiated by Syahrizan Mansor, director of programming and acquisitions for Nickelodeon Asia with Frank Saperstein, exec producer/creative director of pasi and Ira Tuffile, manager of media sales for the ASTRO Group.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has announced its lineup, which includes 12 new elements including eight floats, three giant helium character balloons and a set of Macy's newest invention -- the Balloonicle, a balloon and self-propelled vehicle. From classic characters to timeless toys, the 78th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will arrive in New York City on Nov. 25, 2004 at 9:00 am.
Passion Pictures directors Pete Candeland and Dan Sumich recently produced two :20 animated commercials for the U.K.s newest mobile network, 3 with an anime style, using characters created by Japanese designer, Mari Chan.
The commercials show how 3 enables customers to watch moving images on their 3G mobile phones. This content includes music videos, news and sports coverage, and personal video messages (mini movies) that customers make and send themselves.
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.
One of the many new features in Maxons BodyPaint 3D Release 2 is the direct link to Maya for Windows and Macintosh. Maya users can now benefit from the attractive features of BodyPaint 3D, such as the RayBrush mode, which enables the user to paint in the rendered image. So you're able to see the final result in realtime. Or the MultiBrush, which can paint in up to 10 textures simultaneously with a single stroke, so a brush can define an entire material rather than a single color.
Virtools, a leading provider of interactive 3D authoring tools, announced a technology alliance with Softimage. Thus, anyone developing interactive content with Virtools for industrial, Web or game development use can now export characters, scenes, objects and animations created with SOFTIMAGE|XSI software directly into the Virtools Dev 3 environment, using the new Virtools exporter (public beta stage) for XSI software.
Alexandra Tholance, press attaché for CARTOON, passed away Nov.7, 2004, after a long battle with breast cancer.
Alexandra Tholance, press attaché for CARTOON during the past decade, passed away Nov.7, 2004, after a long battle with breast cancer.
Her family has organized a religious ceremony Nov. 10 at 3:00 pm at the Notre Dame Church in Villerupt, the little village east of France near the Belgium/Luxembourg border where she lived with her companion Alain Berberi.
AniFest 2005Trebon, Czech RepublicMay 5 11, 2005Deadline: January 14, 2005
