Tagged With: Animated

Lionsgate has acquired the home entertainment distribution rights to WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN, a new animated series from Marvel Ent, extending the current relationship between the two companies.

Lionsgate will retain the United States home distribution rights to all 26 half-hour episodes of WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN,(a co-production with Toonz Ent., Singapore and First Serve International), scheduled to air on Nicktoons Network beginning in January 2009.

Toei Animation Co. Ltd. and Toei Animation Inc. will debut their two most popular animated series, DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02 and PRETTY CURE online this July. Each series will be available for download on IGN.com's Direct2Drive section.

SLAM DUNK and FIST OF THE NORTH STAR were the first titles to premiere online last month as a result of this new initiative. Other animated titles from Toei's extensive catalogue will roll out later this year.

DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02

Global brand management company DIC Ent. has concluded a slate of broadcast deals throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa for properties, including STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE and DINO SQUAD as well as key titles from DIC's catalog of programming.

The hit evergreen girls' brand, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, continues to evolve as a multi-dimensional entertainment franchise with $2.5 billion dollars in worldwide retail sales since its 2003 re-launch, and over 500 licensees around the globe.

THE SIMPSONS executive producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein will be the executive producers on Fox's new animated comedy SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, per VARIETY.

The duo have also secured a blind script commitment at Sony Pictures Television, which is the studio behind the show.

The hires indicate Fox is close to ordering a series pick-up, something they didn't do after a table read earlier in April.

More than 125 hand-drawn artwork pieces from such classics as ALICE IN WONDERLAND, 101 DALMATIANS, and THE LION KING, will be showcased in "Ink & Paint: The Art of Hand-Drawn Animation," a new exhibition opening on Friday, May 16, in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Grand Lobby Gallery in Beverly Hills. Admission is free.

The magic of an animated film depends on the ability to bring to life not only animated characters, but the worlds they inhabit.

The Writers Guild of America, West's Animation Writers Caucus has awarded its 10th annual Animation Writing Award for lifetime achievement to acclaimed Pixar writer-director Brad Bird, whose most recent film, Disney/Pixar's RATATOUILLE, won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

Bird's two-decade career and craft will be feted at the WGA West's 2008 Honorary Awards Luncheon on April 23 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.

Attention animators! San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008 will once again be showcasing animated short films produced by animators of Asian ethnicities in a 90-minute all-animation program. All forms of animation (traditional, claymation, stop-motion, flash, CGI, etc) will be accepted for consideration into this competitive festival. Films by all animators pertaining to Asian issues and themes will also be considered. Only VHS and DVD (preferred) formats are accepted for consideration. A Best Animated Short Film Award will be awarded with prizes to be determined.