Animating Political Messages in 2008
As the U. S. electoral season heats up (and spirals downward), Karl Cohen takes a look at the past and present of political animation.
As the U. S. electoral season heats up (and spirals downward), Karl Cohen takes a look at the past and present of political animation.
The Telluride Film Festival is one of the premiere independent film festivals in the U.S. The event is open to professional and nonprofessional filmmakers working in all aesthetic disciplines; documentary, narrative, animation, experimental, etc. Features and shorts, of all styles and lengths are eligible for consideration, provided that they are new works and will remain unseen by the public until the event. Selected short films will play either with a feature or as part of specially selected programs. For complete information, visit www.telluridefilmfestival.org/.
Short film distributor Shorts International has released THE ANIMATION COLLECTION OF SHORTS to the iTunes Store in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
The 21 animated shorts are in a variety of styles, from traditional hand-drawn cartoons to state-of-the-art computer graphics, in widely ranging moods, from serious to satirical so that anyone could get animated.
THE ANIMATION COLLECTION OF SHORTS includes, 2008 Oscar Winner PETER & THE WOLF, and 2008 Oscar Nominee EVEN PIGEONS GO TO HEAVEN.
Gnomon School of Visual Effects and the VES are hosting a fun-filled night with a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of this summer's biggest CG animated hit, WALL-E. Special guest David Munier (Sets Supervisor) will share his experience while working on the film and what it took to make this year's most talked about CG animated feature film.
Munier joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2000 as a shading artist on MONSTERS, INC. and has since worked on a number of Pixar feature films including the Academy Award-winning FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES, and CARS.
Thanks to S4 Studios, the nations of the netherworld were well represented at the Beijing Summer Olympics. The studio designed and animated a package of opening and closing IDs for the "Chiller Summer Games," promoting NBC Universal HD cable station Chiller Channel's programming slate during the Olympic Games.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Although X-rated animated films are now commonplace with the importation of over-the-top Japanese anime releases, back in 1972 FRITZ THE CAT was the first ever animated feature that was rated X (it would probably be an R today). This quiz asks questions about that film.
Academy Award nominee Mark Mangini (STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, ALADDIN, THE FIFTH ELEMENT) will host an evening exploring the art and technology of sound and the extraordinary role it plays in shaping animated motion pictures.
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.
Jim Belushi will play the role of the Lion in Alpine Pictures' upcoming DOROTHY OF OZ.
DOROTHY OF OZ is the first in a slated series of animated feature films by Alpine Pictures, in association with Box Office Productions III, based on the writings of children's author Roger S. Baum. Baum's work continues the legacy began by his great-grandfather L. Frank Baum, author of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ.
Belushi has voiced characters on movies and TV shows such as HOODWINKED, THE WILD, RUGRATS, SNOW BUDDIES, and THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS.
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
The work of Brain Zoo Studios will be showcased across the show floor at this year's E3. Fans anticipating the mysterious ALPHA PROTOCOL from Sega for the PC and next-gen consoles will be treated to a cinematic showcase produced by Brain Zoo Studios for the title.
Additionally, the highly anticipated Pandemic titles MERCS 2: WORLD IN FLAMES and the all-new DESTROY ALL HUMANS: PATH OF FURON CINEMATICS are on display in respective publisher booths, all animated by Brain Zoo Studios.
This summer visit New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester, to get an amazing behind-the-scenes insight into the science and magic of animation with W5's exhibition Animated Adventures featuring Wallace & Gromit, running from June 7-October 12, 2008 and it's free.
VIZ Media is bringing some of the hottest anime properties to the Licensing International Expo, taking place June 10-12 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. VIZ Media will be located in Booth # 4505.
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.
Internet users and cubicle dwellers rejoice! Scott Adams' DILBERT, the most photocopied, pinned-up, downloaded, faxed and e-mailed comic strip in the world, is now the first globally recognized comic strip to feature a daily animated version.
Screening more than 100 animated short films in two days in six separate shows. Tickets are $10 per show at the Giggleshorts Theatre in Toronto. Submit animated shorts (less than 15 minutes long) at www.giggleshorts.com.
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.
Israeli-French-German co-production, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, has sold in three additional European territories, reports the trades. Ari Folman's hot property, which is in competition at Cannes, was picked up by Le Pacte in France, Artificial Eye in the U.K. and Pandora in Germany. The animated doc chronicles Folman's experiences during the 1980's Lebanon War.
The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film is one of the largest festivals for animated film in the world. It addresses both an interested audience and industry professionals, and offers an overview of the latest trends in animated film -- from short films to feature films and animated series for TV. Be it puppet or Flash animation, the five competitions all focus on the artistically challenging genre of animated film. For more information, visit www.itfs.de/.
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.
Venice-based vfx studio Digital Domain, which intended to launch its initial public stock offering this week, has apparently run into difficulty closing the deal at its asking price of 6 million shares at $12 to $14 apiece, reports THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. The pricing of the deal is now "day to day," according to Digital Domain's underwriter, San Francisco-based investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners.
The price could be cut or Digital Domain could raise capital through private equity, the newspaper speculates.
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 nominations for the Animation Screenplay Award for Animated Film 2008 at Stuttgart have been announced. Thirty-one screenplays for animated feature-length films were submitted. The jury has nominated the following for the award:
DER GOLEM UND DIE ZWEIFACHE WELT by Dominik & Benjamin RedingProduction: Eye! Warning Film production
DER LETZTE NEANDERTALER by John Chambers
DOCTOR DOBLINGERS GESCHMACKVOLLER KASPERLFILM by Richard Oehmann and Josef ParzefallProduction: Stephan Schesch/AnimationX
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.
Entertainment Rights announced it has secured further significant broadcast agreements for the new TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED series (26x22) plus a 70-minute special episode.
Before MIPTV, the company has secured broadcast agreements in more than 80 territories including: Mediaset (Italy), Turner Broadcasting (Australia, Latin America and India), Jetix (Israel, Netherlands and Belgium), Network 10 (Australia), TV3 (New Zealand), Mediacorp TV12 (Singapore) and TV Globo (Brazil).