ComingSoon.net reports that Columbia Pictures' THE SMURFS, a hybrid of live-action and CGI, will be produced in 3-D. The film is set for a December 17, 2010 release.
David Stem and David Weiss wrote the script to be directed by Colin Brady.
The film will be based on characters first created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford in 1958.
It was a stellar evening for "The Dark Knight" as the Christopher Nolan film garnered five Saturn Awards at the 35th Annual Saturn Awards. The film was named Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film. The Warner Bros. release also received awards for Best Writing: Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan, Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, Best Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and Best Special Effects.
This week in AWN's Forums, suggestions are rolling in to a potential animator who needs to learn to draw first. Is it best to dive into classes, or spend some time with a book? Which book is best? Is moving up the production pipeline food chain from Flash a good idea? Be sure to watch (or listen) for a new NPR show coming on the "mad" art of comic Harvey Kurtzman.
As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand-new stuff to check out in show and tell!
ZDF Enterprises and Jonathan M. Shiff Productions (JMSP) have prolonged the agreement they signed in 2002 for further 6 years. The creative collaboration between the companies has already proven its winning partnership in various internationally successful live action series such as "The Elephant Princess", "Wicked Science" and "H2O - Just Add Water". Under the terms of this agreement ZDF Enterprises will co-produce JMSP productions and taking charge of worldwide sales of all associated rights outside Australia and New Zealand.
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN transformed people's paychecks into box office revenue this weekend, pulling in $108.97M over the weekend for a total five-day gross of $200.08M. That's the second-best five day opening ever, just after THE DARK KNIGHT (which made $203.8 million last year).
The Paramount/DreamWorks film (vfx by ILM and Asylum VFX, Digital Domain, Kerner Optical and Proof) has done $390.3 million in global box office since Wednesday.
Escape Studios has moved quickly to offer the industry's first combined Nuke and Maya training course to give any aspiring 3D visual effects artist the "must have" skills to pursue a career in the visual effects industry.
Design Festa Vol.30Tokyo, JapanOctober 24-25, 2009Deadline: September 1, 2009
An international art event with over 8,500 artists attending!
Design Festa is a biannual international art event. Artists who have original work can participate with no restrictions. It is open to all artists from all over the world who want to exhibit their creative talent. For experimentation and an opportunity to take the next step in their artistic lives, this event is the place for artists to express their ideas freely!
Booth Areas
Cinema by the Bay Festival 2009San Francisco, California, USAOctober 23-25, 2009Deadline: July 15, 2009
LONDON -- June 22, 2009 -- It was a trophy bonanza for CINEMA 4D at the Macworld awards held in London on June 18, 2009. MAXON's flagship 3D software -- regarded as the easiest to use all-purpose professional 3D tool -- won 'Macworld Best Animation and 3D Product 2009.'
The win makes CINEMA 4D by far the most awarded 3D app on the Mac in the UK. CINEMA 4D has now rounded up no less than seven of the UK's biggest Mac awards: Macworld Best 3D App in 2003, 2006 and now 2009; and MacUser Best 3D App in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007.
LOS ANGELES -- MySpace today announced its intent to restructure its international operations and refocus personnel around a smaller number of territories, while retaining a robust global consumer presence.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, June 22, 2009 -- BOXX Technologies, an innovator in high-performance computing systems for visual effects (VFX), post production, design professionals, and advanced visualization, today announced that it has added Cinemage monitors to its line of professional motion media workstation accessories. Developed by Cine-tal, the Cinemage product family has revolutionized critical reference monitoring for digital cinema and video applications.
Apple.com has a new trailer up for PONYO.
Choose your size and quality at Apple.com.
Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent, including Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White and Frankie Jonas as Sosuke, a young boy who befriends Ponyo.
John Lasseter, Andreas Deja, Ron Clements and John Musker discuss Disney's return to hand drawn animation in AWNtv's exclusive THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG featurette.
Clements and Musker are directing the film, due in theaters on November 25 in Los Angeles and New York and nationwide on December 11.
Flip Animation Festival 2009Wolverhampton-Birmingham, West Midlands, U.K.November 5-7, 2009Deadline: July 3, 2009
Flip Animation Festival, UK. Established 2004. Animation screenings, seminars, workshops and competitions in the heart of England. Last year we included 6 competition categories:
Best FilmInternational FilmBest NewcomerBest Sound DesignBest Experimental FilmStudent Film
Free Film Submission - Deadline,3 July 2009
Universal Pictures has purchased the film rights to Larry Doyle's novel GO MUTANTS!, per VARIETY. Doyle is set to write the script and Imagine Ent.'s Brian Grazer will produce.
A teen comedy set in a high school, GO MUTANTS! imagines if all the classic 1950s alien invasion movies came true, and years later, the children of the mutant creatures have assimilated into the school's population.
Starz Digital Media, a division of Starz Media, has launched ABE Toons, a new online video site for indie animators and a consumer destination for animated shorts.
Adam Sandler, Cher, Jon Favreau, Sylvester Stallone and Judd Apatow are among those who will provide voices for zoo animals in MGM's THE ZOOKEEPER, per VARIETY.
The live-action comedy stars Kevin James and Rosario Dawson. Sandler's Happy Madison is a producer on the film, which is set to start shooting this summer for an October 8, 2010 release.
Sandler will voice a capuchin monkey, Cher a giraffe, Favreau a bear, Stallone a lion and Apatow an elephant. Jim Breuer, Faizon Love and Bas Rutten also are voicing animals.
Santa Monica, CA and Boston, MA (June 23, 2009) -- Brickyard Filmworks has completed 320 VFX shots on Disney's hit comedy THE PROPOSAL, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, which opened worldwide on June 19. The year-old company, founded by Brian Drewes, Geoff McAuliffe and Dave Waller, (of commercial shop Brickyard VFX) has added a new partner -- film industry veteran Marc Sadeghi (formerly Executive Vice President at The Orphanage).
NEW YORK, NY -- Two recent projects for A&E Network and MTV effectively highlight both the diverse creative skills and love of blending organic and digital art found at Loyalkaspar (www.loyalkaspar.com), the creative design/production company led by directors David Herbruck and Beat Baudenbacher, part of the transmedia branding and design group LORI PATE+ (http://www.loripateplus.com/).
