Just one month after slashing Xbox prices in Europe and Australia, Microsoft has followed suit in the U.S., marking down its Xbox game console to $199, $100 less than it was originally priced. Sony and Nintendo have also announced discounts to their next-generation consoles. Sony's PlayStation2 will be available for $199 (down from $299), while Nintendo's GameCube, always the lowest priced of the three, will now be priced at $149, $50 less than before.
Artist Syd Mead, the concept designer of the original 1982 cult-classic TRON, will make a special guest appearance at E3 on Wednesday, May 22 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm to promote Disney Interactive's TRON 2.0 game, slated for release in spring 2003. Mead is working as an artistic consultant for the game. E3 attendees can meet Mead first-hand and receive a limited edition print of original TRON art designed and autographed by the artist. (E3 Booth No. 846, South Hall)
Representatives from Sony, Black Ops Entertainment and face2face animation will be at E3 this Wednesday, demonstrating new methods of character animation for game platforms. The American Film Institute (AFI) Enhanced Television (eTV) Workshop's "Anatomy of Animation" will highlight the latest developments in face and body animation for game developers.
The Leo Awards 2002 ceremony took place at the Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina in Vancouver, BC on May 11, 2002. Honoring the best in British Columbia's film and television industry, the big winner in the animation and children's category was Studio B's YVON OF THE YUKON (Producer: Kathy Antonson Rocchio, Executive Producers: Blair Peters and Chris Bartleman), which took home Leo's for Best Youth or Children's Program or Series, Best Animation Program or Series and Best Director, Youth or Children's Program or Series (Greg Sullivan for the episode "Chariots of Fire").
Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. is previewing two distinct new properties this June at the Licensing Show 2002. The preschool series WUBBIES was developed by John Martin Mokrenko and Christine Usvaltas, and Mainframe Entertainment will bring the cast of furry Wubbies to life. Joy Tashjian, president of Joy Tashjian Marketing Group, Mainframe's agency of record for property representation will be promoting the product line potential of this property at this year's Licensing Show in New York.
Kaydara Inc. has announced the upcoming release of Motionbuilder 4.0, a new generation of its real-time 3D character animation software previously named FiLMBOX animation. Featuring a new drag-and-drop workflow, Motionbuilder 4.0 builds on the FiLMBOX foundation by enhancing various tools as well as introducing new character animation features for increased productivity. New feature highlights in Motionbuilder include automatic character rigging, a powerful real-time lip-sync tool, real-time display and native support for Kaydara's FBX file interchange.
Seoul Net Festival 2002.
Seoul, South Korea.
Wednesday, July 03 - Saturday, August 03, 2002.
Entry Deadline: Saturday, May 25, 2002.
4Kids Entertainment is jumping into the home video market with the creation of 4Kids Entertainment Home Video. 4Kids has appointed FUNimation Productions, Ltd. as the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of videos and DVDs for the 4Kids' properties YU-GI-OH!, CUBIX - ROBOTS FOR EVERYONE, CABBAGE PATCH KIDS and TAMA AND FRIENDS. "The home video product today has become an important driver for children's properties and a necessary element in the retail merchandise mix," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment.
Interactive entertainment software publisher Majesco has signed a licensing agreement with Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to develop and publish a line-up of Game Boy Advance games based on several of Cartoon Network's television properties. Under the terms of the agreement, Majesco will publish three titles for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance system using select characters from the series' COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG, COW AND CHICKEN, ED, EDD N EDDY, I AM WEASEL, JOHNNY BRAVO, MIKE, LU & OG and SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY.
Classic Disney characters meet FINAL FANTASY in Square Co., Ltd. and Disney Interactive's new project KINGDOM HEARTS for Playstation2. KINGDOM HEARTS follows the story of 14-year old Sora, who meets Donald Duck and Goofy, the protectors of the Disney Castle. Sora, Donald and Goofy join forces to find Sora's friends and King Mickey and save the universe from evil. More than 100 Disney characters appear in the game including characters from ALADDIN, TARZAN, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, THE LION KING and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
After debuting on Thursday, May 16th with the highest weekday box office ever, STAR WARS: EPISODE TWO "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" has already grossed $110.1M, becoming the second fastest film, behind SPIDER-MAN, to cross the $100M mark.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. has signed a worldwide licensing agreement with Nickelodeon to create a Nickelodeon-branded TV Games product line. TV Games is a new plug and play 8-bit gaming system utilizing a television set, and will be developed and marketed through JAKKS' subsidiary Toymax International. Players plug the hand-held TV Games system into any standard television and then have 10 video games in one compact, portable controller. No game console, or other software or hardware, is required. JAKKS intends to develop Nickelodeon TV Games and launch the products in mid-2003.
The eagerly anticipated second act of George Lucas' space drama, STAR WARS: EPISODE II "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" has debuted with the highest weekday box office ever. Posting better opening day receipts than its predecessor EPISODE I, which debuted with $28.5M, EPISODE II opened in theaters at midnight on Thursday, May 16 and racked up a record-breaking $30.1M for the day. Although SPIDER-MAN still holds the one-day opening record with $39.3M, it opened on a Friday, which is considered a weekend day.
Canadian-based media company Corus Entertainment Inc. has acquired a 50% interest in pay television network Locomotion, an animation channel available in over 7 million homes throughout Latin America and Iberia. Corus announced it purchased the interest in Locomotion from the Claxson Interactive Group, Inc., for a maximum consideration of US$10.5 million and a holdback in the event of certain economic changes that may impact revenue projections. The remaining 50% interest in Locomotion is held by U.S.-based communications giant the Hearst Corporation.
Director Marco Bertoldo has joined San Francisco-based animation production company Mondo Media. In his new position, Bertoldo will assume creative responsibilities for Mondo Medias 3D animation division. Bertoldo is best known for his 3D short GONE BAD, which was featured at the Sundance Online Film Festival 2001 and 2002, and recently won the animation category for the Alice Radio 3-Minute Film Festival. Previously, Marco Bertoldo worked as a freelance animation director for Mondo Media, supervising projects for clients such as Fox Interactive, Activision, Crystal Dynamics and 3DO.
Spider-Man is getting the 3D treatment on the page as well as the big screen. A series of comic books from Marvel Comics entitled SPIDER-MAN: QUALITY OF LIFE, with artwork created in 3D CGI, have recently hit the shelves. For Spidey's transformation from 2D to 3D character, animators at Blue Dream Studios used 3D Studio Max on a 3DBOXX S3 dual 2.2GHz Intel Xeon workstation with an NVIDIA 900 XGL graphics card.
New this week: Dr. Toon looks at some of today's leading comic strips to make the leap to motion. Gregory Singer sits down with industry veteran Frank Gladstone and learns that it isn't all gloom and doom when facing a career in today's market...
The April Acrobat issue of Animation World Magazine is now online! In this issue Paul Feldman meets the people behind the animated band Gorillaz, Sylvia Edwards finds out what it takes to cross over from animation to gaming, Greg Singer offers perspective for revitalizing animation through virtual studios and Justin Leach gives an insider's view of animation production at one of Japan's hottest studios. Is it a new age for American independent studios? Mike Young Productions, Curious Pictures and Film Roman respond.
Job Opportunities for...
AWN Affiliates Alison Snowden and David Fine's series BOB AND MARGARET will be airing in the U.S. this summer on the cable network Showtime. All 52 episodes will appear, with the most recent 26 episodes scheduled to air first. These episodes feature Bob and Margaret living in Toronto instead of South London, and have yet to be screened in the United States. Faithful viewers may also notice a change in Bob's voice, which is now done by Canadian actor Brian George. Co-creator Alison still features as Margaret.
Visit all of AWN's Discussion Forums to stay in touch with the animation community! This week, hot forum discussions include how to work digitally with scanned line animation, 3DS Max tutorials and music for animation. Tony White has posted the second of his introductory, weekly lessons on the fundamental principles of 2D animation, entitled "Making Things Move Well." Over in Show and Tell, check out "Willy the Fox" and "Karate Cat" plus demo reels and portfolios posted by Forum users.
This week, we're asking questions about early silent films.
Film Roman, Inc. has acquired the television rights to the comic book series, DEITY, by creators Karl Altstaetter and Robert Napton, from LA-based media company Hyperwerks Entertainment. Film Roman plans to develop DIETY into an animated primetime television series. Set in the Los Angeles of the future, a seemingly normal teenage girl named Jamie discovers she is to become a "Deity," or ruler of the universe. Jamie joins with three adventurers to fight her nemesis, Ma'Shiva. The comic book debuted in 1998 and is currently distributed by Image Comics.
Walt Disney's original animation studio is in the process of being restored, and you can get in on the action. A live Webcast documenting the restoration of the Kansas City, Missouri building where the Laugh-O-Gram Studios, Walt Disney's original animation studio, was housed is now online. The not-for-profit organization Thank You, Walt Disney, Inc. is spearheading the renovation in an attempt to return the building to its 1920s condition, including animation equipment present when Laugh-O-Gram films operated out of the second floor.
