Tagged With: Animated

ASIFA-Hollywood announced nominations today for the 35th Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year's best animation across film, television, commercials, videogames and short subjects.

New Zealand-based Weta Prods. and U.K.-based Chapman Ent. are forming a partnership to develop a range of children's television properties. The first venture will be an animated comedy targeted at boys 6-9.

The development project will be jointly led by Martin Baynton and Richard Taylor of Weta and Chapmans Creative Director Keith Chapman. They are working on a selection of 2D and CG animated properties, which will be presented to broadcasters and the licensing community in the near future, with preproduction expected to commence in 2008.

Animated Exeter Festival 2008Exeter, U.K. Feb. 11-23, 2008Deadline: Nov. 5, 2007

Now in it's ninth year, Animated Exeter Festival is the longest dedicated animation festival in the U.K. With international shorts and features, regional competitions, exhibitions, masterclasses, interactive events and workshops. Includes Exeter Comic Expo. Competitive submissions from South West of England only, all formats, free to enter.

20th Century Fox TV is in development on three new animated series, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The first is a retooled version of the 2003 live-action comedy THE PITTS, created by SIMPSONS vet Mike Scully. The second, RELATIVE INSANITY, will be exec produced by Jack Black. The third, MOTHBALLS, is from DRAWN TOGETHER creators Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser.

The Chinese government announced today that it would use animated beat cops to patrol 13 of China's top Web portals in an effort to steer users away from illegal content, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Starting Sept. 1, 2007, the cartoon cops will walk, bike and drive across Web surfers' screens every half hour, warning them to stay clear of material "the Communist Party finds politically or morally threatening." By the end of the year, the animated warning will appear on all websites registered with Beijing servers.

American Animation Studios is set to debut their first film, PATRICK HENRY: QUEST FOR FREEDOM, at a private screening on June 28, 2007, at the Princess Theatre in Prosser, Washington, reports the YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC. A public screening, which includes a making of featurette and barbershop quartet performance, will take place on July 4, at 3:30 pm.