Category: Flash

FEAR(S) OF THE DARK came out Monday, with MADAGASCAR 2 hitting DVD/Blu-ray shelves on Friday. Tuesday releases include a MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER volume, AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION, the 20th anniversary edition of OLIVER & COMPANY, direct-to-DVD SPACE BUDDIES and more.

AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION on DVD and Blu-ray

Kevin James comedy PAUL BLART: MALL COP won the box office with $39.2M for Sony in its opening holiday weekend. The box office as a whole was up 31 percent over last year's Martin Luther King, Jr. four-day weekend (per VARIETY).

GRAN TORINO (Warner Bros.) moved down one spot to second with $25.6M and in six weeks has a cume of $76.6M. Third went to opener MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D, the widest 3-D opening yet in 2,534 screens, making $24.1M for Lionsgate.

MARLEY & ME (Fox, vfx by At The Post, LOOK! Effects and Lola Visual Effects) won the weekend box office, earning $24.26M between Jan. 2-4, 2009 and earning a total two-week holiday gross of $106.66M.

Disney's Adam Sandler family comedy BEDTIME STORIES earned $20.5M, staying in second place. With vfx by RotoFactory, Cinesite, Gentle Giant Studios, LOOK! Effects, Lola Visual Effects, Mark Rappaport Creature Effects, Proof and Tinsley Transfers, the film has earned $85.54M since debuting Christmas Day.

Animacam, the Spain-based online international animation festival, closed its first edition on December 21 and announced the 11 winners for 2008.

This week in AWN's Forums, animators working through Christmas are wishing holiday greetings to each other. A member has written two scripts for any interested producers or studios to take a look at. Know what Los Angeles-based studios are hiring interns? A recent grad is looking for entry-level work. The discussion on transitioning After Effects to Final Cut Pro continues, as does the discussion on how to effectively create thick outlines in Flash.

Thanks in part to several new creatively challenging assignments -- including a comprehensive campaign for General Mills that includes both on-air and online components -- Calabash Animation, the animation studio led by Creative Director Wayne Brejcha and Executive Producer Sean Henry, has made several significant investments in new animation talent and technology.

This week in AWN's Forums, a newbie to animation wants to know the best 2D animation programs. Discussion continues on the aspect ratio on animation software. A member wants to know the best way to set up a Flash movie for eventual broadcast or screening. Have some advice on becoming a voiceover actor? A member is looking for advice. Help out a member choosing which 3D software to use for a feature film. A junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design is looking for a summer internship. Got some cool links to Christmas animation? Post them now!

Animation is not just kids' stuff anymore, and Nexus Productions Ltd. is in the thick of the changing creative and business market for animated films of all kinds. The London-based company, founded 10 years ago to create creative, family animation for commercials, music videos and shorts, has recently doubled its size, secured new avenues of funding, and positioned itself to take advantage of a revolution in the field. In addition, two recent short films produced by Nexus, THIS WAY UP and DAMAGED GOODS, have qualified for the 2008 Academy Award for animated short.

PEANUTS has become the first fully animated series in the Warner Premiere Motion Comics digital content category.

This week in AWN's Forums, members are discussing how the upcoming presidential election will affect the economy as it relates to the animation industry. A member wants input on whether to include comic pages in an animation portfolio, and the discussion continues over whether one can be too old for cartoons. A user would like some help on animating in Flash CS4. Members are still updating each other on their current projects. A thread has been started for tips and advice on buying and selling outside animated feature scripts.

Super U Animation ContestDeadline: October 30, 2008

Stop-motion, 3D, claymation, Flash or flip book. If it's animated, you could win $2,500.

Beginning in September 2008, Super U and TAC.tv (a.k.a Tetes a claques) will be presenting quarterly animation contests. A jury, including TAC.tv creator Michel Beaudet will be awarding a prize for the best of the best at the end of August 2009.

BIOSHOCK for the PlayStation 3 needed a promotional site that did justice to its intense graphics and compelling storyline. The team of designers, motion/3D artists, and developers at ROKKAN, a bicoastal, full-service interactive agency, created an online experience as gripping and immersive as the critically acclaimed game itself.