The current state of the "business of animation," wage levels and areas of opportunity were just some of the topics discussed at the fifth annual Animation Nation meeting held April 1, 2003 at the Pickwick Center in Burbank, California. Organized by Animation Nations founder and inspirational leader Charles Zembillas, the annual meeting provides a forum for discussion on a wide range of topics concerning the animation community.
TOKYOPOP, the leading manga publisher in the North America, is expanding in the U.K., establishing offices in London via a partnership with Red Route Distribution Ltd., the leading supplier of graphic novels to the British book trade and specialized retail market. TOKYOPOP and Red Route hope to tap into Britain's budding market of manga enthusiasts. The companies solidified the arrangement while sharing a joint exhibit at the London Book Fair. Over the past year, TOKYOPOP has more than doubled its revenue and increased its book trade penetration by some 300%. In a daring move for a manga publisher, TOKYOPOP introduced a line of 100% Authentic Manga, graphic novels printed right-to-left, breaking with the Japanese tradition of reading left-to-right, which was a big hit with consumers. Founded in 1996, TOKYOPOP publishes several hit properties based on popular Cartoon Network and Kids' WB! programs. TOKYOPOP titles include SAILOR MOON, GUNDAM WING, INITIAL D, REAL BOUT HIGH SCHOOL and COWBOY BEBOP. It is also publishing novels based upon Disney TV series KIM POSSIBLE and LIZZIE MCGUIRE. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
Radium, with studios in San Francisco and Santa Monica, California, has hired three new people to bolster various areas of the growing visual effects company. Julie Luehrman is on board as VP marketing & sales, based in the companys San Francisco location. Executive producer Matthew McManus and technical operations manager Michael Chizzo have joined the Los Angeles office.
TELETOON, Canada's all-animation channel, is holding its TELETOON Animation Scholarship Award Competition 2003, recognizing the efforts and financial needs of young Canadian art students. A total of C$30,000 will be divided between 12 talented students with the prize amounts ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. The scholarship is separated into four categories: Entrance Scholarship (for high school students moving on to an animation program), Continuing Education Scholarship (for students pursuing their animation studies), Most Promising Student Scholarship (for students graduating from an animation program) and Mature Student (for an arts graduate pursuing further studies or career development in animation). The three finalists in each category will be announced at the closing ceremonies of the Student Animation Festival of Ottawa in October. The winners' work will also be showcased on TELETOON'S Website, and on both English and French networks. The submitted portfolios and reels will be judged by an advisory committee comprised of Canadian animation educators and industry professionals. The submission deadline is 5 p.m., Friday, May 16, 2003. For additional information or to obtain an entry form and regulations go to www.teletoon.com/corp or e-mail scholarship@teletoon.com. Since the launch of the scholarship five years ago, almost C$150,000 has been awarded to students in Canada.
As SOUTH PARK approaches it's 100th episode on April 9, 2003, the demented duo who create and exec produce the Comedy Central hit animated series for adults have re-upped with the cable channel through the end of 2005 with an option for an additional year. The deal has Trey Parker and Matt Stone making 15 episodes of SOUTH PARK each year, giving them time to work on other projects during a summer hiatus. If they exercise their option in 2006, that would stretch SOUTH PARK to a 10th season, making it the longest-running primetime comedy series in basic cable history. A pretty long stretch for two guys who claim they never wanted to do animation and don't particularly like it. But it pays the bills and given them a certain cache to go after live-action dreams in their quest to become the next Monty Python. Anne Garefino, exec producer of the series since the beginning, renewed her deal with the network as well. Comedy Central president/CEO Larry Divney claims SOUTH PARK is a huge part of Comedy Central's current and future success. He said, "I really love working with Matt and Trey. They are brilliantly creative producers and I'm just thrilled to have them commit to continuing our relationship well into the future. It's great for our viewers, our affiliates and our advertisers." Parker and Stone's deal was negotiated by their attorney Kevin Morris of Barnes, Morris, Klein & Yorn and agents Mike Simpson and Gaby Morgerman of the William Morris Agency. Garefino's deal was also negotiated by WMA and she is represented by Chris Silbermann of the Broder, Webb, Chervin, Silbermann firm. Comedy Central is the only all-comedy network seen in more than 82 million homes in the U.S. The cabler is owned by Comedy Partners, 50-50 joint venture of Time Warner Entertainment Co. and Viacom, visit www.comedycentral.com.
IBM will manufacture next-generation graphics chips for NVIDIA, winning business away from NVIDIA's long-time partner, Taiwan's TSMC. IBM Corp. and NVIDIA have formed a multi-year strategic alliance, giving NVIDIA access to IBM's comprehensive suite of foundry services and manufacturing technologies, all the tools to help advance its graphics processor units. IBM will begin producing the next generation GeForce graphics processor this summer at IB in at its plant in East Fishkill, New York. The $2.5 billion chip-making facility combines IBM breakthroughs such as copper interconnects, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) transistors and low-k dielectric insulation 300mm wafers. Some industry observers suggest that IBM may be using in-house know-how to edge out subcontractors that do not design products of their own. For more on IBM go to www.ibm.com/chips and for info. On NVIDIA's visit www.nvidia.com.
German children's TV firm EM.TV & Merchandising again reported a major year-end net loss of $335M on March 31, 2003. EM.TV's revenues reached $272M, down 5% from 2001's adjusted sales. EM.TV cites the major write-off connected to its stake in the Formula One racing circuit and it is still reeling from the aftereffects of the bankruptcy of the KirchGroup. EM.TV CEO Werner Klatten said he expects to improve his company's position significantly soon by the sale of the Jim Henson Co. and acquisition of former Kirch broadcaster DSF, both anticipated to be completed by the end of this month. Klatten said restructuring of EM.TV should be completed in 2003 while the operating board continues to focus on new genres and target groups, especially sports.
Cambium Catalyst International Entertainment (CCI) in Toronto, Canada has reacquired the majority of the Gullane Entertainment library from HIT Entertainment. CCI was associated with Gullane through the merger of Cambium and Catalyst in February 2002. The combined new entity had been operating alongside its U.K. affiliate Gullane when it was acquired by HIT and HIT became the minority shareholder of CCI. A year later, CCI amicably has ended its relationship with HIT, re-acquired HIT's share of CCI and hundreds of hours of the Gullane library. "We have a company that is larger than either Cambium or Catalyst was before. As a result, our distribution division, CCI Releasing, has grown. Its current library includes childrens (live action and animation), documentaries, family movies and lifestyle programming," said Arnie Zipursky, chairman/CEO of CCI. CCI recently formed a partnership with Collingwood OHare in the U.K. to produce HARRY AND HIS BUCKETFUL OF DINOSAURS. For more on CCI, check out www.ccientertainment.com.
Create TV & Film Ltd., the newly-established independent production company formed earlier this year out of LEGO Media Internationals TV and film division, has defined its new management team and structure. Vanessa Chapman has become managing director of Create, as well as global controller, TV, film & strategy. Michael Carrington is now head of television and new media, responsible for providing creative, editorial and managerial leadership across the company's television and new media activities.
New York City-based DMA Animation has produced two minutes of character animation based SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S (SNL) CHURCH LADY to be used in casino games for Bally Gaming and Systems (Las Vegas), a division of Alliance Gaming. Licensed from NBC and Broadway Video, Bally will install CHURCH LADY in casinos nationwide, and internationally, in June. Slot players can expect to spin the reels and be treated to animations of the character, complete with all of her trademark mannerisms and saying such as "Well, isn't that special?" and "Could it be Satan?"
While most of Nelvana's computer animated programs have been done with the assistance of outside studios, the Toronto-based production house, which is part of Corus Entertainment, turned out an entire 3D CGI one-hour special, ç, completely in-house, now airing on Nickelodeon. It premiered in primetime March 31 with rebroadcasts on April 1 and 14 at noon. The studio is becoming increasingly more self-contained, under the direction CGI pioneer and production chief Scott Dwyer. Based upon the best-selling book series by acclaimed children's author, David Kirk, MISS SPIDER stars Brooke Shields as the voice of a full-grown spider who discovers she doesn't know everything there is to know about being a terrific mom. Having been adopted herself when she was young, Miss Spider's lessons multiply when she and her young ones try to reunite an abandoned chicken egg with its mother. Nelvana used primarily Maya and combustion to create the rich, colorful natural environments and soft characters. The Nelvana production in association with Callaway & Kirk was exec. produced by Michael Hirsh, Dyer, Kirk, Nicholas Callaway and Nadine va der Velde. Pam Lehn served as supervising producer and Susie Grondin was producer. Mike Fallows directed the script by van der Velde while Mike Shiell was animation director. While animation remained at Nelvana, voice recording was done in Canada and the U.S. Tony Jay as the voice of the evil Spiderus was recorded at Voice Trax West in Los Angeles. Shields and Rick Moranis (the voice of her husband Holley) were recorded at Magno Sound in New York City. The majority of the voices were recorded at Studio 306 in Toronto under the direction of Jessie Thomson. Nelvana also produced in-house the ROLIE POLIE OLIE: GREAT DEFENDER OF FUN special last year that aired on Disney in the U.S. and CBC in Canada. MISS SPIDER'S SUNNY PATCH KIDS will air later this year on TELETOON in Canada. The special is sponsored by U.S. retailer Target, which just launched a lifestyle brand for children called Sunny Patch, in stores across America featuring images of Miss Spider and friends on clothing, garden tools and home décor.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced its nominations for the 2002 British Academy Television Craft Awards. Framestore CFC is competing against itself for the Visual Effects Award for its work on DINOTOPIA with Beechmoon Prods. for Sky One and THE GIANT CLAW A WALKING WITH DINOSAURS SPECIAL, with Impossible Pictures for BBC1. Mike McGee, Michael Eames, Alec Knox are the nominated team for DINOTOPIA while Max Tyrie, Tim Greenwood, Jez Gibson Harris have been singled out for THE GIANT CLAW.
Joseph Gilland, who headed up Walt Disney Feature Animation EFX department in Florida for LILO AND STITCH and TARZAN, has joined Bardel Entertainment in Vancouver, Canada to be special effects supervisor on the SILVERWING animated series. "SILVERWING is just such a fantastic story. It is one of my son's favorite books and I absolutely jumped at the chance to be part of bringing SILVERWING'S story to life!" said Gilland.
Consultant William B. Doeren has been named VP of the Kodak Entertainment Imaging division and GM of Kodak Digital Cinema Group, based in Culver City, California. He replaces Robert J. Mayson, who becomes VP/GM of Image Origination Products in the same Kodak division. Doeren worked closely with the team marketing the Kodak Digital Cinema Operating System, which includes a networked solution with unique Kodak software running on a Linux platform, supported by the 4,000-member Kodak global service organization. Doeren emphasizes that the system will be used initially for pre-show applications. "The pre-show business is evolving and growing rapidly and we foresee that continuing," he said. "That's why we are taking the long-term view, providing a Kodak solution that supports the growth of pre-show revenues today, and also protects our customers' investments by providing the 'backbone' for them to digitally project movies tomorrow." A 30-year vet in the exhibition business, Doeren has served in a broad range of senior management positions, including COO/director of AMC Entertainment, Inc., chairman/CEO of MGM International Cinema Group and CEO/vice chairman of General Cinema Theatres, Inc.
When Spanish newcomer Zinkia Entertainment attended MIPCOM, the Madrid-based company received more interest in its older-skewed series, SHURIKEN SCHOOL (6-10-years-old). But at the conclusion of MIP-TV, Maria Doolan, director of int'l co-productions at Zinkia, reports a mood change with buyers showing interest in her pre-school show POCOYÓ. "The pre-school market appeared to be more buoyant again," said Doolan. Zinkia is close to signing int'l pre-sales on both series. POCOYÓ is a 52-part, 3D animated series starring Pocoyó, an inquisitive toddler who wants to reach out and touch everything, as well as a plastic yellow duck, a magic clown, an athletic elephant and a friendly narrator. The series is created in short stimulating blocks for infant learning and development, using vibrant sound, music, movement and images. Zinkia has developed its own technology to give a clay-like quality to the characters. The comedy action series SHURIKEN SCHOOL (52x13), aimed at kids 6-10, features a manga style student, Eizan Kaburagi, attending the oldest and most respected ninja academy in the world, a weird and wild place where anything can and does happen. Produced entirely in Flash animation, the series is due to start production in spring 2003. Both series, which have been developed and created in English, have been created as multimedia concepts and are fully compatible with all kinds of multi-platform applications. Zinkia Entertainment (www.zinkia.com), is a multi-platform production company, creating quality entertainment, animation, commercials, IDs, graphics and music.
When the earth stops rotating in Paramount's sci-fi drama THE CORE, it sets off a chain of disastrous events that kept visual effects houses like ComputerCafé busy creating digital mayhem. The Santa Maria, California-based VFX house (www.computercafe.com), had to burn up the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge loaded with commuters locked in gridlock, complete with melting automobile tires, exploding gasoline tanks, cracking the roadbed, snapping suspension cables and ultimately bring down the bridge itself.
Peter Jackson will start work on KING KONG for Universal Pictures immediately following the release of LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, the third and final installment in the director's blockbuster trilogy based upon the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson will direct and write the screenplay with his partner Fran Walsh and Rings co-writer Philippa Boyens. Their screenplay will be based on the original story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace. Jackson plans to employ extensive use of visual effects by his Weta, Ltd. in New Zealand, where the film will be shot. "No film has captivated my imagination more than KING KONG. I'm making movies today because I saw this film when I was nine years old. It has been my sustained dream to reinterpret this classic story for a new age," Jackson stated. "The story of Kong offers everything that any storyteller could hope for: an archetypal narrative, thrilling action, resonating emotion and memorable characters. It has endured for precisely these reasons and I am honored to be a part of its continuing legacy." Jackson and Walsh will produce KING KONG under their WingNut films banner, and Universal Pictures will release the film worldwide in 2005. Jackson, Walsh and Boyens are all repped by ICM.
Some critics say that a monkey can make better decisions than a TV programming executive, while others, especially in the Animation Nation chatroom, say monkeys run production and broadcasting companies. To prove a point, Cartoon Network brought an actual chimpanzee (technically an ape, not a monkey), named Jimbo in to select the cartoons from CN's programming library during its April Fools' Day Monkey Marathon April 1, 2003 from 8:00 a.m.-11:00 pm (ET/PT). Jimbo picked a lineup of toons starring monkeys and apes in prominent roles.
Dreamworks' HEAD OF STATE debuted in first place, taking in $14M. The Chris Rock comedy features VFX work by Toy Box, Pacific Title and Art, Moving Pictures and Big Film Design, which did the Mt. Rushmore effect. BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE was brought down to second place, earning $12.5M for a $100M cume. Paramount's sci-fi thriller THE CORE debuted in third place with $12.4M, with effects from Cinesite, ComputerCafé, CREO, Rising Sun Pictures, Frantic films, Hammerhead Prods., New Deal Studios, Image Savant and 3D Site. Sony/Intermedia's military-themed thriller, BASIC, opened in fourth with $12.1M, with VFX done by Pixel Magic. CHICAGO, with visual effects by Toy Box and Film Effects Inc., moved into its 14th week of release and up to fifth place, taking in $7.4M to bring its total to $144.8M. Warner Bros.' DREAMCATCHER dropped to sixth place with $6.3M and a $25.3 cume. ILM did primary effects with additional work done by XFX Inc. and Pacific Title. AGENT CODY BANKS, with VFX by Pixel Magic and Eyetronics, came in at seventh with $6.1M for a total of $34.8M. Disney's PIGLET'S BIG MOVIE edged down to eighth place in its second week of release for $4.6M and a $12.4M cume. VIEW FROM THE TOP, with VFX from MetroLight Studios, came in at ninth with $3.8M for a total of $12.5M, closely followed by THE HUNTED (VFX supervisor was Eric Brevig, ILM did primary effects), in tenth place with $3.7M and a total of $29.2M. Disney re-released the Oscar-winning SPRITED AWAY to 707 theaters to bring in $1.6M for a total of $7.2M in limited release in the U.S. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Newly formed Alligator Planet, based in San Francisco, has formed a joint venture with tv-animation, the Copenhagen creator of animated and interactive characters. Alligator AP will market to North America programs made with tv-animation's revolutionary Cartoon Broadcast System (CBS) technology and develop new products to utilize this real-time animation broadcast tool. Ralph Guggenheim, AP's exec. producer (former Pixar VP and producer of TOY STORY), told AWN he encountered the tv-animation people at MIPCOM in October 2002. Guggenheim formed his own company in January 2003 with former Colossal Pictures execs and creatives Eli Noyes, Tim Boxell and Alan Buder. "We've been talking with TV cabler channels and the like. We constantly hear, 'How can you do it cheap?' The CBS system is a great opportunity to produce content fairly cheaply and still be fun and compelling." The technology is used now on the NELLY NUT show airing on the BBC, as well as shows airing on many other European channels, including a two-hour talk show. Guggenheim said he's seen how other types of shows, popular in Europe are making their way to the U.S., and sees this is a good opportunity. Guggenheim firmly believes this technology is the new scale of animated TV to come.The Danish firm will market any shows AP comes up with to the European market. Guggenheim said they named the new enterprise Alligator Planet (www.alliagtorplanet.com) because the founding partners like alligators and it's helpful to have a company name near the top of the alphabet while the planet in its name signifies AP's global approach to entertainment and business. The goal of AP is tap into the creative and production capacities of emerging animation studios around the world to produce and distribute stories and characters across a variety of media and ancillary markets.
