Eric Fogel, creator of MTV's CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH and producing partner John Lynn have opened AniMotion Unlimited, a full service animation studio located in Midtown Manhattan. The studio's mission is to keep animation production alive and well on the East Coast, according to Fogel. Fogel was creator/director/co-exec producer of CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH, MTV's first clay-animated series that had a four-season run, starting in 1998.
Toronto-based CCI Entertainment, which just recently formed a cross-Atlantic partnership with Collingwood OHare in the U.K., now has a co-production deal with Australian production outfit Ambience Entertainment to produce ERKY PERKY, a (26x11) 3D animated series. The show was developed in-house by Ambience, a Sydney-based animation and broadcast design firm.
Papers are now be accepting on both artistic and scientific themes relating to 3D Animation, Computer Graphics and Digital Art for the LEAF 2003 (London Effects and Animation Festival), to be held in conjunction with Digital Arts World 2003 at London's Earls Court Oct. 28-30, 2003. The event caters to anyone involved in special effects, games, web design, digital video, graphic design and computer music. The deadline is May 16, 2003. For presentation submittal information email strainor@advanstar.com.
Nick at Nite will produce its first ever original animated series, FATHERHOOD. David Alan Grier (LIFE WITH BONNIE, DAG) has been signed to star in the series, which is based on Bill Cosby's bestselling book, FATHERHOOD. Cosby will executive produce the primetime series for Nick at Nite along with Charles Kipps (LITTLE BILL, COSBY MYSTERIES, LAW & ORDER) and David Brokaw (LITTLE BILL). Sal Maniaci, VP, development & production, TV Land and Nick at Nite, is overseeing the project, which is scheduled to premiere December 2003. "We are thrilled and honored to join forces with America's most beloved and creative funnyman for the network's first original project," said Jones. "We've been looking for an original property much like THE COSBY SHOW, that truly fits the Nick at Nite family viewing brand," according to by Larry W. Jones, EVP/GM, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "What better way to launch our first original series than with an original Cosby gem." This project marks the third installment of Cosby's animation "trilogy" which includes LITTLE BILL for Nickelodeon, FAT ALBERT and now FATHERHOOD for Nick at Nite. Each installment of the animated series will be a comedic/insightful look at the challenges, life lessons and comical confusions of family life. David Alan Grier will star as the voice of Dr. Bindlebeep, a high school teacher, loving husband and father of three. "I hope the audience will enjoy the art of New Yorker cartoonist George Booth that inspired the look of these characters," said Cosby. Bill Cosby was represented by William Morris Agency chairman Norman Brokaw and Mark Itkin, exec VP. Nick at Nite, the evening and overnight programming arm of Nickelodeon, offers new and timeless TV shows restored to their original graphic quality such as THE COSBY SHOW, CHEERS, THREE'S COMPANY and ALL IN THE FAMILY.
Seth Green will join the original SCOOBY-DOO cast of Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini, for a live-action/CGI feature sequel to last summers live-action blockbuster comedy hit in a new mystery adventure set for release on March 26, 2004, according to Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. Production begins April 14 with director Raja Gosnell, screenwriter James Gunn and producers Charles Roven and Richard Suckle of Mosaic Media Group.
Vancouver-based Mainframe Entertainment, Inc., a leading creator of computer animation, has digitized the last pixel on it's first one-hour primetime special, SCARY GODMOTHER HALLOWEEN SPOOKTAKULAR, scheduled to air on Canada's YTV network this coming Halloween, October 31, 2003. Mainframe CEO, Rick Mischel, said this is the first time an animation company has made a television special using feature-film quality SOFTIMAGEXSI software. The show is based on the popular comics and children's books by the award-winning artist and writer, Jill Thompson, who also served as the art director.
Vancouver-based animation company SecondSun Entertainment and Minds Eye Entertainment, will produce CREEPSHOW, a new half-hour animated series in development with YTV for an older 12-17 audience. "It will be a suspense thriller series with all kinds of bizarre characters and unique plot twists and turns to keep kids on the edge of their seats," series producer Chris Delaney. "We are confident that the series edgy and stylish content will appeal to teenage viewers in Canada and around the world," Minds Eye Entertainments executive producer Kevin DeWalt. SecondSun designer John Delaney (BATMAN, SUPERMAN, FUTURAMA) has created a stylish, hybrid look for the series that combines an anime style with North American design sensibilities. Delaney (CHRISTOPHER THE CHRISTMAS TREE, THE LITTLEST ANGEL) is developing the creative concept with consultants Ivan Cohen and Barney Cohen (FOREVER NIGHT, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH). A teen character in each episode will encounter a seemingly normal, everyday situation that quickly turns into a variety of terrifying, suspense filled situations. It may be that a babysitter is attacked by 'monster' children or a robot comes to life and does battle with its owner. Aaron L. Gilbert brought the parties together who will executive produce the series with DeWalt. CREEPSHOW is licensed from Jim Dudleson's Taurus Entertainment (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD). Minds Eye International, a division of Minds Eye Entertainment, will distribute the series worldwide. Production is expected to begin in Vancouver in the fall of 2003. Established in 1986, Minds Eye Entertainment (formerly Minds Eye Pictures) is a fully integrated production, post-production and distribution entity with offices across western Canada. Check out the company's Website at www.mindseyepictures.com. SecondSun Entertainment (secondsunentertainment.com) is a "transmedia" company specializing in the creation of animation based content for various media platforms, formed in May 2002 by the amalgamation of Brainchild Studios Inc. a 3D company, its interactive game division Furious Entertainment, and Delaney & Friends Cartoon Productions Ltd., a 2D animation company.
Blanche Frankel has been promoted from exec director to VP at SAA Public Relations. Based in the companys New York office, Frankel will continue to oversee the Latin American division, in addition to seeking expansion opportunities and developing new business for SSA and manage its New York office operations. Frankel joined SSA in 2000 as director, and in 2002 she was named to head SSAs newly-formed Latin American division representing Latin American entertainment companies Globo TV and Comarex S.A. de C.V., as well as provide media relations and marketing representation for U.S.
Twentieth Century Fox's thriller PHONE BOOTH, with VFX by Asylum, connected with U.S. moviegoers over the weekend to debut in first place with $15M. PHONE BOOTH had been pulled from its Nov. 15 slot during the Washington D.C. sniper crisis because of the scene in the film in which Colin Farrell's character is pinned down in a Manhattan phone booty by a sniper. Audiences needed WHAT A GIRL WANTS from Warner Bros., VFX work done by Cinesite, enough to give the newcomer second place at $12M.
Bolstered by the success of it's first Oscar-winning CGI short, THE CHUBBCHUBBS!, Sony Pictures Imageworks is releasing another computer animated short, EARLY BLOOMER, on May 9, 2003. Kevin Johnson created and directed the coming-of-age tale about a tadpole as he tries to fit in with his mischievous pond pals. The short began as an in-house training exercise at SPI under the guidance of exec director of training and artist development, Sande Scoredos, for its animators and effects artists to work on the latest methods and new tools to explore visual storytelling.
Celebrate the 15th anniversary of the groundbreaking live-action/animated classic WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? by picking up the deluxe Vista Series 2-disc DVD set and an exclusive VHS bonus edition of the film available from Touchstone Home Ent. for the suggested retail price of $29.99 DVD and $19.99 VHS. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg, the landmark comedy mystery starred
Abbe Daniel has joined Click 3x in New York City as executive producer for broadcast to oversee the studios broadcast department which provides brand development, design and production services for broadcast and cable entities. Daniel had been working with Click 3x on a freelance basis for several months, producing projects for iN DEMAND, Nickelodeon, Lifetime and Discovery. She worked for several years as coordinating producer for award-winning television journalist Bill Moyers on a series of acclaimed documentaries for PBS and helped launch NOW WITH BILL MOYERS.
Vee Pee Cartoons, the broadcast design and animation division of Virtual Persuasion located in Fairfield, Connecticut recently completed a series of "Quickie Nickies" interstitials for Nickelodeon. THE GREGORY AND PECK shorts feature a dim-witted bear, Gregory, and a wise-cracking rooster, Peck, airing in April as part of Nickelodeons Nick Toons line-up. These spots allow Nick to experiment with new and original characters, according to animation director John Siciliano.
Animated 3D graphics continues to be an important part of how news organizations are explaining events of the war in Iraq. Recently AWN offered a look at how CNN uses animation (Animation Goes To War, March 27, 2003) and the tools its graphics team uses. Fox News Channel also extensively uses 3D animation with a different toolset. Animator Michael Galbavy said they create terrain starting with Curious Software. This data is outputted in two ways:1) as a polygonal mesh with a high resolution texture map.
VARIETY reports that BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE director Adam Shankman has been brought on board to direct another Disney picture, ENCHANTED, a live-action/animated romantic fable about a fairytale princess banished from the cartoon kingdom who finds herself loving her live-action life as a real flesh-and-blood person in New York City. The cartoon prince who loves her and the evil queen who banished her follow the princess to the Big Apple to mix things up. Barry Josephson and Barry Sonnenfeld will serve as producers while Sunil Perkash will exec produce the script by Bill Kelly and rewritten by Rita Hsiao (TOY STORY 2) and Todd Alcott (ANTZ). Shankman is also attached to direct the live-action version of THE JETSONS for Warner Bros., produce Denise Di Novi and Hanna-Barbera Prods. Start date has not been set yet for the film about the futuristic family, which has been attached to many top producers and directors in Hollywood for more than 20 years.
Boris FX, a leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film production, will be showing the next version of its award-winning application, Boris RED at the NAB 2003 convention in Las Vegas. Boris RED 3GL, an integrated 3D compositing, titling and effects application now implements OpenGL, delivering unprecedented performance at an affordable price to more than 20 nonlinear editing applications, according to Boris Yamnitsky, founder/president of Boris FX. The new compositing software also features more than 30 dynamic new filters, tools and technologies.
Feeling nostalgic for FUTURAMA, Matt Groening's fractured futuristic family that starting airing regularly in primetime on FOX April 6, 1999? Now you can buy the first year of episodes on FUTURAMA VOLUME ONE DVD COLLECTION from Fox Home Entertainment. The collectable three-disc set features lively commentaries from Groening and the rest of the crew, deleted scenes, a featurette, animatics, a script/storyboard and an interactive still gallery for the suggested retail price of $39.98. FUTURAMA chronicles the adventures of Philip J.
Hong Kong-based animation studio STVDIO Media has produced an animated spot for Coca-Colas Slurpee "Brainfreeze" product in Singapore and its agency M&C Saatchi. DR. BRAINFREEZE'S LABORATORY features the creator of the ice-cold Slurpee drink, Dr. Brainfreeze, who loves his drink even though he has to go to great lengths to thaw out his head after each sip. He employs various gadgets such as hairdryer and a blowtorch-wielding robot to thaw out. The animators used a DEXTER'S LABORATORY inspired style for the mad doctor.
PostWar Japanese Anime/Manga is an exciting exhibition running April 6-June 1, 2003 at The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the creation of anime's most seminal character, Astro Boy, the exhibition connects the roots of anime with current works of particular international popularity including DRAGON BALL Z, DIGIMON, POKÉMON, and SAILOR MOON.
Charlie Breakiron has signed on as lead animator at Serious Robots, a cutting-edge 3D broadcast animation and visual effects shop in Raleigh, North Carolina. In his new role, Breakiron will be heading up all 3D computer graphics at Serious Robots (www.seriousrobots.com). The 14-year veteran has served at leading graphics houses such as Fox Animation Studios (TITAN AE); Quiet Man in New York (AT&T, Disney); Janimation in Dallas (new Barney show, K-Mart); Metropolitan Audio-Visual (Diamondback logo effects) and more. Pixel Liberation Front (PLF) hired Breakiron for a cinematic promoting the 3D action/adventure game MEDAL OF HONOR. "Charlie is nationally ranked talent," stated Tom Waring, CEO of Trailblazer Studios, the parent company of Serious Robots. "When he first came in, his outstanding capabilities were obvious immediately. He also generated great chemistry with our team. After only several days it was clear Charlie was the caliber of artist we need. Were hoping to put together a dream team at Serious Robots, and Charlie will be an integral part of that."
