Popular children's brand ACK Media has recently acquired Bangalore-based animation and gaming studio Quietmen Studios, reports ANIMATION XPRESS.The studio has changed its name to Katha Studios and will develop products for a variety of platforms based on new and old properties.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR UNRATED EXTENDED EDITION, arrives in stores today (Dec. 4) from Universal Studios Home Ent. ($26.98).
THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR UNRATED EXTENDED EDITION DVD contains an extended version of the two-hour broadcast event on SCI FI that includes all-new characters and more action and vfx than any previous episode in the popular series, as well as behind-the-scenes interviews with the series' creators.
New Line Cinema has acquired Ilion Animation Studios and Handmade Films Int'l's PLANET 51, launching a new push into animated feature distribution for the 40-year-old studio, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
In a twist on the alien invasion flick, the inhabitants of Planet 51 are paranoid that aliens will invade. When astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker arrives mayhem ensues and the Earthling must befriend a young Planet 51-ian to get back home.
Spike TV's "Video Game Awards" returns this year with a 5th anniversary celebration that will honor the year's greatest achievements in gaming. This year, HALO 3 and BIOSHOCK lead the way, with seven nominations apiece, including Game of the Year.
Spike TV's 2007 "Video Game Awards" tapes Friday, Dec. 7th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will premiere Sunday, Dec. 9th (9:00-11:00 pm, ET/PT).
BOXX Technologies is helping Escape Studios to develop Pixar's RenderMan Certified Courseware, the first official learning tool for Pixar Animation Studio's Academy Award-winning RenderMan software.
Escape Studios selected BOXX Technologies' workstations and render farms to provide the rendering power for this new courseware.
The West Bengal government plans to build an animation park in Kalkotta, ANIMATION EXPRESS reports. The park, which will contain animation studios and IT companies, will be under the Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
Foundation 9 Ent. announced that it will combine its two existing Southern California studios, The Collective and Shiny Ent., into one larger entity. The merge will enable greater capacity to create large-scale games based on big licensed properties. Both studios have already relocated to F9E's new 60,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Irvine, California.
Electronic Arts Inc. announced an agreement with Elevation Partners to acquire VG Holding Corp. -- the owner of both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. This acquisition gives EA a strong competitive position in key genres in interactive entertainment: action, adventure and role-playing games.
Mobility Art Studios, the first professional motion capture studio in India, has purchased a Vicon solution.
Mobility Art Studios is the only fully integrated performance capture studio in India and is among the largest motion capture service studios outside of North America. The studio is one of a handful in the world capable of offering full body, face and hands motion capture.
Sony Computer Ent. has acquired leading game developer Evolution Studios Ltd and its subsidiary Bigbig Studios Ltd to further expand its game development capability as part of Sony Computer Ent.'s Worldwide Studios.
In a strategic move to secure excellence in game development for current and future PlayStation platforms, the acquisition of Evolution and Bigbig formalises the successful and long established exclusive relationship between Sony Computer Ent. and the two studios.
Autodesk Media and Entertainment and Animation World Network have partnered on a new mini-site, bringing professionals in-depth videos and articles on Autodesk software and the brilliant work studios are creating using Autodesk products. Autodesk takes viewers behind the scenes at Sway Studios, a company that makes commercials with an emphasis on photorealism. Get up close with Insomniac Games and how they are leading the way in PS3 games. Go behind the game creation at Neversoft Ent. as they shows off their extreme style. Enter the virtual garage of Armstrong White.
Walt Disney Studios Home Ent. (WDSHE) announced more innovations in the Blu-ray format with the studio's first ever Platinum Blu-ray release, the first BD-Live title and full motion picture-in-picture Blu-ray bonus features coming in 2008.
THE TEN, a feature film directed by David Wain featuring Paul Rudd, Wionan Ryder, and Jessica Alba features a seven-minute animated segment called, THE LYING RHINO, animated by Augenblick Studios. Produced by Wain, Jonathan Stern and Paul Rudd, THE TEN is a THINKFilm release opening Aug. 3, 2007.
Imagi Studios U.S.A. and the Animation Guild, Local 839 IATSE signed a contract on July 20, 2007, covering animation writers, storyboard artists and designers. Imagi Studios U.S.A. also signed onto the Animation Guild's 401(k) Plan, and employees will be covered under the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan.
Making its DVD debut uncut and digitally re-mastered is a Walter Lantz treasure trove: THE WOODY WOODPECKER AND FRIENDS CLASSIC CARTOON COLLECTION (Universal Studios Home Ent., $39.98), which lands on store shelves July 24, 2007. The three-disc collection features 75 zany adventures, including eight Academy Award-nominated shorts, and offers more than an one hour of vintage bonus materials, such as the doc "Walter, Woody and the World of Animation," behind-the-scenes footage and a full episode of THE WOODY WOODPECKER SHOW.
Digital 04 Studios is pleased to announce additional speakers to the //ADAPT 2007 Conference schedule. Presenting in the 3D Masters Program are Shawn Kelly and Carlos Baena, renowned artists and two of the three founders of AnimationMentor.com, the leading online animation school.
Dana Walden and Gary Newman, who have served as presidents of Twentieth Century Fox Television (TCFTV) for nearly a decade, have been promoted to chairmen of the studio.
"Under Gary and Dana's leadership for the past decade, 20th Century Fox Television has achieved unparalleled success in the television marketplace and has been at the forefront of successfully leveraging new technologies to extend its hit franchises," said Peter Charmin, president/coo News Corp., to whom they report. "Their promotion to chairmen is richly deserved."
The $5,000 Prix Special Ingenio for the best interactive multimedia entertainment project, offered for the 7th consecutive year in the Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest, has been awarded to Wendigo Studios. The name of the winning company was announced at the evening Provincial and International Grand Prize Gala on June 19, 2007, at the Capitole de Quebec, where 58 prizes were awarded for a total of $300,000 in grants.
S4 Studios has designed and produced a :45 fully-animated 3D promo for NBC Universal HD's 22-hour broadcast of Al Gore's LIVE EARTH, dubbed "the concert for a climate in crisis."
Created by the S4 team of director Geoffrey Kater, producer Larry Le Francis and creative director Thomas Helmintoller, the promo, titled 7.7.07, takes viewers on a grand tour through seven venues of the worldwide concert event on July 7, 2007.
Thomas Helmintoller joins S4 Studios in the newly created post of creative director. A specialist in graphics production for trailers, music videos, movies and home video packaging, Helmintoller designed air combat sequences of DER ROTE BARON (THE RED BARON), an international co-production being distributed by Warner Bros. in October 2007.
The Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched a new summer internship program designed to provide real-world experience to the selected students interested in careers in computer graphics and animation technology. The Sci-Tech Council will provide a stipend of $4,000 to each student.
Pixar Animation Studios, Rhythm & Hues Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks will each provide an eight-week internship to give students hands-on opportunities in animation, production management, software programming and visual effects.
The Walt Disney Co. confirmed reports yesterday that DisneyToon Studios (DTS) president Sharon Morrill had stepped down from her post with an announcement that DisneyToon Studios (DTS) is being restructured and will now operate as a separate unit under the supervision of Walt Disney Animation Studios. The studio will pursue original DVD productions and has curtailed making sequels to its features.
Sharon Morrill, president of DisneyToon Studios, has stepped down from her post, where she had been responsible for producing direct-to-video sequels of the Disney Co.'s animated features. She will do special projects for Disney.
ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE reported on March 28, 2007, that it was the end of the line for Disney direct-to-video sequels and how the studio was moving forward under the new corporate climate with Ed Catmull and John Lasseter at the helm.
Karen Raugust looks at how animation executives rely on their big-studio experience to launch new indie production houses.
The Walt Disney Studios has entered into an agreement with Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studios, a premier studio in India, to create a series of original and exclusive computer-animated feature films. The collaboration marks the first time for both companies to enter in a co-production to produce films in India.
Walt Disney Studios and YRF will work exclusively to co-produce a series of animation films in the Indian language. Both companies will be equal partners in the venture and will contribute creative, technical and financial support to the project.
