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The DVD battles are on! It's a little over two weeks since SPIDER-MAN claimed the one day sales victory (with 7 million units), and now Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced that STAR WARS: EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES is the "fastest selling" home video release of the year. "Our tracking shows that the sales velocity for EPISODE II is faster than any other major title released this year -- and possibly ever," noted Mike Dunn, executive VP of sales and marketing, Fox Home Entertainment. Fox stated that more than 25% of initial shipments were purchased at traditional retail outlets throughout North America on the first day of release (November 12, 2002), with sales at retail topping $75 million for that first day alone. Although the studio declined to give actual numbers, it is estimated that after one week in stores, EPISODE II has sold about 7 million units. SPIDER-MAN has been available since November 1, 2002, and is estimated to have sold double that amount. Considering EPISODE II is still in many theaters, including the recently released big screen version ATTACK OF THE CLONES THE IMAX EXPERIENCE, it's unlikely that this installment of the STAR WARS saga will outsell the web-slinger, which took in a home video record of $190 million in three days.

The 2002 Cartoon dOr has been awarded to Robert Bradbrook for his short film HOME ROAD MOVIES. Also the winner of the Spcial Jury Prize at Annecy 2002, HOME ROAD MOVIES is the real-life story of a shy and awkward father who uses road trips in the family car to help him be a better parent. The film is a mix of 3D animation and live-action. The Cartoon d'Or winner receives 25,000 Euro from MEDIA as a pre-production aid to begin a more ambitious project like a feature film or a TV special. The prize was awarded on September 21, 2002, the closing night of the 13th Cartoon Forum.

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.

Rhino Home Video has acquired the home video rights to the entire collection of the GUMBY animated series. The deal encompasses 214 total episodes of THE GUMBY SHOW and THE ALL-NEW GUMBY created from 1956 to 1988 and marks the first time the full library will be available to the public. Rhino Home Video plans to release DVD boxed sets of the complete library as well as individual DVDs and VHS cassettes of the shorts. This marks the DVD debut of the early episodes and the home video premiere of the 1980s stop-motion animation cartoons. The GUMBY series will be a part of the Kid Rhino brand.