Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Animex Makes First Feature with ToonBoom

    Animex, one of Mexico’s top animation studios, has adopted paperless animation solution Toon Boom Harmony to produce its first feature-length film, La Leyenda de la Nahuala. With a team of forty animators located in Puebla, Leon and Mexico City, the studio has become the largest Harmony installation in Latin America as it works to complete the movie in time for its Oct. 31 release date.

    La Leyenda de la Nahuala is set in 1807 in the town of Puebla de los ‘ngeles, New Spain, and revolves around a young, fearful boy named Leo San Juan. On the night of Nov. 2, Day of the Dead, Leo’s brother is kidnapped by La Nahuala, an ancient and mean spirit. Overcoming his fears, Leo embarks on a great adventure filled with strange creatures to save his brother and bring him back home. With the film, Animex aims to honor Mexico’s the rich culture, especially its art, literature and folk customs.

    “Toon Boom is very pleased to be involved in such an important project for Mexico and be the technology provider to cover all aspects of this high-profile production, done completely paperless,” says Joan Vogelesang, president and CEO of Toon Boom Animation.

    Toon Boom won a primetime Emmy for engineering in 2005. The company’s client base includes both independent animators and major studios such as Nelvana, Klasky Csupo, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal, Mercury Filmworks, Alphanim, LuxAnimation, Cosgrove Hall and Lanterna Magica. High-profile productions created with Toon Boom products include Sylvain Chomet’s Les Triplettes de Belleville, Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Nickelodeon’s Rugrats, Paramount’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and Universal’s Curious George feature. For more information, go to www.toonboom.com.

  • BOXX Supports Windows Vista

    BOXX Technologies Inc. today announced a plan to help visual effects and design professionals make a smooth transition to Microsoft Windows Vista by fully testing and certifying all BOXX Workstations and renderBOXX products for use with the new operating system. BOXX Labs has established a certification and optimization program specifically for Vista and is completing testing on a long list of professional applications for the 3DBOXX 8300 Performance Series workstation.

    ‘We believe Vista has many features that will positively impact both creativity and workflow for digital artists who work in sophisticated creative environments,’ says Francois Wolf, director of marketing for BOXX Technologies. As always, our primary concern is to deliver reliable professional computing tools designed to run advanced applications. Professionals can come to BOXX to get dependable advice during technology transitions so as to fully leverage innovations for their business.’

    Only the Ultimate version of Microsoft Windows Vista is currently available on BOXX Workstations. This version includes all the features found in the other Vista versions, but also provides protection against data loss with Windows BitLocker Drive encryption.

    Headquartered in Austin, Texas, BOXX Technologies Inc. develops and manufactures high-performance workstations and render nodes specifically designed to meet the requirements of digital content creators working in the 3D, animation, visual effects, digital film, architecture, game development and broadcast markets. For more information go to www.boxxtech.com.

  • Underdog Teased Online

    Those curious to see how Disney is handling its live-action feature based on the classic cartoon series Underdog can catch the new teaser trailer, which features the photorealistic, CG-animated canine superhero soaring above skyscrapers in a blatant spoof of the ads for last summer’s Superman Returns. Produced by Spyglass Ent. and Walt Disney Pictures, Underdog is scheduled to fly intp theaters this summer.

    The voice of Underdog is quite recognizable as that of actor Jason Lee, star of NBC’s hit comedy My Name is Earl. He takes over the role from actor/comedian Wally Cox, who provided the voice in the animated series from 1974 to 1973. Back then, Underdog always spoke in rhyme while rushing to the rescue of Sweet Polly Purebred and foiling the fiendish plots of mad scientist Simon Bar Sinister. Lee’s previous voice-over experience includes the role of bad guy Syndrome in Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles.

    Directed by Frederik Du Chau (Racing Stripes), the movie will have the powerful pooch adopted by a 12-year-old boy, who helps him protect Polly and the good citizens of Capitol City from Sinister, who will be played by Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent). For most shots, our hero will be played by a real dog who talks with the aid of visual effects, but other shots will require the aid of a digital double. Visual effects for the film are being provided by Framestore CFC, Cinesite and Hatch FX.

    To view the teaser trailer, go to http://home.disney.go.com/index. But see it quick before it goes back into the shop for retooling when the religious right starts complaining about the tagline ‘One Nation Underdog.’

  • Cartoon Network Reveals New Shows

    Cartoon Network today announced its programming line-up for 2007 at its annual Upfront event in New York City. The slate will offer five new original series, including Re-Animated, an extension of the network’s first movie featuring live-action and animation. The network also announced a second season of Class of 3000 starring Andre Benjamin and unveiled multi-media events, a new mobile phone initiative and a new after-school franchise. In addition, the presentation featured a sneak peek at its massively multi-player game for 2008 and announced a live-action Ben 10 movie in production.

    The new series Santo (working title) is described as comic-book-style action- adventure series based on the legend of real-life Mexican wrestling hero Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata (the silver masked man). Popular wrestler El Hijo del Santo (Son of Santo), will work with creator and exec producer Carlo Olivares Paganoni to develop the show, which is set in Mexico City where Santo proudly upholds the honor that was passed down by his father. Along with inheriting the silver mask, the ultimate sign of purity and goodness, a brave, young Santo must also learn how to manage a vast array of mystical powers with the guidance of Coatl, an ancient feathered serpent.

    Chowder is a new comedy series that chronicles the magical misadventures of a young chef’s apprentice as he enters the fantastic city of Marzipan. In learning to become a master chef like his mentor, Mung Dahl, Chowder is tasked with such surreal chores as baking a flying pie and stewing up a pot of singing string beans. Unfortunately, however, he is inclined to eat everything in sight and his days are filled trying to avoid one disaster after another. The series is created by Carl Greenblatt, a veteran animator at Cartoon Network Studios and the voice of Fred Fredburger on The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.

    Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday are a family of world-saving adventure scientists in The Secret Saturdays, a new comedy-action series created by Jay Stephens. The Saturdays live in a hidden base and are part of a network of scientists who protect people from all the hidden and terrifying things in this world. Traveling the hot globe, they explore ancient temples and bottomless caves and tangle with twisted villains, including the masked madman V.V. Argost and his half-human/half-giant spider.

    In The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, a peaceful fellow raised by a talking whale has his life turned upside-down when he rescues a shipwrecked old pirate named Captain K’Nuckles. The crusty mariner to charms Flapjack into following along on a journey to find the greatest treasure imaginable, Candied Island, a magical place filled with lollipop flowers and lemonade springs. The new series is created by Thurop Van Ormon.

    The Re-Animated movie premiered in December of 2006 as the network’s top original movie ever with kids 6-11. Now Jimmy and his animated pals will keep the fun going with a full series order. Having received an emergency brain transplant after an amusement park accident, seventh-grader Jimmy Roberts begins to see cartoon characters and learns that he has the frozen brain of famous cartoonist Milt Appleday. Golly Gopher, Dolly Gopher, Crocco the Alligator and the rest of the Appleday cartoon gang come to life in Jimmy’s mind and make his life crazy in this show from creators Adam Pava and Tim McKeon. Episodes are scheduled to begin airing this summer.

    Among the special programming events is “Cartoon Network Invaded,” which will see aliens set loose on Earth after Bloo from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends sends a message to deep space. Every Friday in May, an alien will arrive in a new episode of a popular Cartoon Network original series such as Ed, Edd, n Eddy, My Gym Partner’s a Monkey, Camp Lazlo and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. All this will lead up to a big alien invasion marathon on Memorial Day. Also in the works is ‘Props,’ a multi-media event celebrating inspirational, real-life kids who demonstrate exceptional talent, commitment and accomplishment in a single area of expertise.

    CallToons from Cartoon Network New Media is a new mobile application that integrates smart technology with entertainment, essentially allowing the network’s characters to take over a mobile phone. Using patent pending technology, CallToons replaces ordinary mobile phone functions such as ringtones with entertaining voice and sound provided by the users’ favorite character.

    Also on the way is a live-action movie based on the Cartoon Network original animated series Ben 10. Directed by Alex Winter, who played Bill in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the movie will use CG animation to transform young Ben Tennyson into 10 different alien beings with the aid of a special device he found in a meteorite. Fans can expect the film to debut in the fall.

  • TELETOON Previews Four Shows

    Canadian animation network TELETOON will offer an exclusive sneak preview of four new series this Friday, March 16, during its Spin Cycle block (4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET/PT). The lineup additions include the Canadian series Wayside, as well as the Cartoon Network hit My Gym Partner’s a Monkey, Aardman Animations’ and Decode’s CG-animated Chop Socky Chooks, and Chaotic, the multi-platform interactive card game series from the promoters of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!. All four series will premiere in their regular timeslots this weekend.

    Viewers can catch the sneak peek at Wayside at 4 p.m. on Friday.

    Based on Louis Sachar’s best-selling book series, the animated show tells the comically absurd tales from the top floor of the towering Wayside grammar school, which was accidentally built 30 stories high. Mark Rendall (Childstar, ReGenisis) lends his voice to the series and Canadian singer Skye Sweetnam performs the theme song. Co-produced by Nelvana, the show will air regularly on Saturdays at 8 a.m. beginning March 17.

    Following at 4:30 is a first look at the Canadian premiere of My Gym Partner’s a Monkey. In this series, an administrative mix-up has 12-year-old Adam Lyon enrolled in Charles Darwin Middle School, where the animals of the local zoo and aquarium send their kids. The show’s cast features Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob and countless other cartoon characters. It will slide into its regular 8:30 a.m. timeslot on Saturday.

    Chop Socky Chooks will also have its Canadian premiere on Sunday, March 18 at 8 a.m. The 5 p.m. sneak preview on March 16 will introduce TELETOON viewers to a crack team of Kung Fu Chickens who work undercover to combat their arch-enemy, Dr Wasabi, and his monstrous schemes for world domination. The trio of super-cool heroes dedicate their lives to defending the citizens of Wasabi World, the planet’s biggest shopping mall. Produced in association with Aardman Animations and Decode Ent., the original TELETOON production will air regurlarly on Sundays at 8 a.m.

    Finally, Chaotic will be introduced to Canadian audiences with a preview on Friday at 5:30 p.m. From 4Kids Ent., the multi-platform television series features trading cards and an online game that compliment the cartoon adventures of two teenage boys who discover that the Chaotic trading card game they have been playing opens a secret portal that transports them to a parallel universe where the game comes to life. Fans can then catch it each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. beginning March 18.

  • Lionsgate Sweet On MGA’s Yummi-Land

    Lionsgate has extended its relationship with MGA Ent., the consumer entertainment products company behind the hugely successful Bratz brand, by acquiring exclusive North American home entertainment distribution rights to the Yummi-Land line of sweet-scented dolls. As with Bratz, Lionsgate plans release direct-to-DVD movies based on the doll characters.

    The first DVD release under this new deal, Betsy Bubblegum’s Journey Through Yummi-Land, will premiere this fall and will be supported by an entire series of new toys featured in the movie. It’s not clear yet whether the film will be animated or live-action. Bratz: The Movie, which Lionsgate acquired from Crystal Sky Pictures last November, will be live-action, but the studio also has exclusive North American home entertainment distribution rights to future Bratz animated DVD features. The first title to be released under the deal will be Bratz Fashion Pixiez, which is scheduled for release on Feb. 27.

    “Expanding our relationship with MGA for their other properties was a priority for us when we signed the Bratz deal,” says Beeks. “The phenomenal success they have had in such a short period of time with Bratz and Yummi-Land proves that there is no company better attuned to what today’s girl is looking for than MGA.

    Yummi-Land is populated by the Candy Pop Girls, a cast of sweet-smelling dolls and pets that includes Ruby Red Licorice, Lucy Lollipop, Katie Cotton Candy, Taryn Taffy and Cara Caramel. Kids can visit the property’s official website, www.yummi-land.com, to play games, take quizzes, get yummi downloads and learn more about the characters.

  • F**K, Bobobo On Disc

    There’s a little something for grown-ups and tykes in this week’s batch of home video releases. Most notable is the very adult F**K, a documentary on the origin and power of the ‘F’ word that features animated segments by indie animation guru Bill Plympton. Also on shelves is the first volume of episodes from Toei Animation’s hit Cartoon Network series Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo.

    Directed and Produced by Steve Anderson (The Big Empty), F**K explores everyone’s favorite or most feared expletive through film and television clips, music and interviews with scholars, linguists, comedians and actors. Those chipping in their two cents on the one-syllable bomb include controversial TV host Bill Maher, conservative entertainer Pat Boone, actress Janeane Garofalo, actor Ice-T, recording artist Alanis Morissette, filmmaker Kevin Smith, news anchor Sam Donaldson, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and porn stars Ron Jeremy and Tera Patrick. DVD bonus features include commentary by director Steve Anderson and extended interviews. The ThinkFilm release carries a suggested retail price of $19.99.

    Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo Volume 1: Bo-Nafide Protector offers four unedited episodes of the action-comedy anime series based on Shueisha Inc.’s manga comic. The offbeat saga follows the adventures of a hero who defends people’s right to hair, using his golden afro and five-foot-long nose hairs as weapons. Alsong with sidekicks Beauty and Captain Don Patch, Bobobo-bo struggles to defend the citizens in the kingdom of Margarita from authoritarian tyrant Czar Boldy Bold IV, who has initiated a ‘hair hunt” to crack down on individuals who insist on holding on to their curly locks.

    North American distribution of Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo is being handled by Illumitoon Ent. and Westlake Ent. The first disc of episodes is available for the list price of $19.98 and includes the original Japanese soundtrack.

  • FUNimation Toons Hit iTunes

    Navarre Corp.’s FUNimation Ent. today announced that it has signed a deal with Apple to make popular anime series available for download in the iTunes Store at www.itunes.com. Starting today, fans of such Japanese animated shoes as Desert Punk, Speed Grapher and Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai 7 can download episodes to the computers and iPods for $1.99 a pop.

    ‘Our anime series will be the first offered on the iTunes Store and will expose a wider audience to the unique storytelling style and graceful animation inherent in this Japanese style of entertainment,’ says FUNimation president and CEO Gen Fukunaga. “This is a great opportunity to offer our top-rated anime series through the world’s most popular online music and video store.”

    Desert Punk is described as a stark and darkly comedic series that employs strikingly realistic weaponry and gritty character design to offer a bold new direction for anime in terms of both story and style.

    Speed Grapher is a stylish action series set in the near-future full of intensity, forbidden lust and conspiracy. Using a fast-moving, high stakes plotline, the series breaks new ground with its realistic, fashionable character design and acrobatic fight choreography. Speed Grapher creates an experience that is founded on great story and real-world trendsetter style, but is also laced with exactly the kind of cool tech and sci-fi elements that make anime so unique! This combination is geared specifically to attract fans outside of anime circles as well as satisfy the core anime audience.

    An animated retelling of the classic film Seven Samurai from legendary director Akira Kurosawa, Samurai 7 is set in a futuristic world that has just seen the end of a massive war. Many villages are being terrorized by Nobuseri bandits, who were once men but modified themselves with machinery during the war to become living weapons. To protect themselves, a group of villagers decide to hire a rag-tag team of samurai.

    FUNimation Ent. acquires hit anime series from Japan and tailors it for North American audiences. The company manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet and home video sales and distribution. The entity’s most recent initiative is the FUNimation Channel, a 24/7 digital cable channel that is now available to more than 34 million households throughout the United States.

  • Sony Sees Future in Afterworld

    It’s the end of the world as we know it and Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) wants to profit from it. The studio unit has acquired exclusive international television, Internet, digital sell-through, gaming and mobile rights to Afterworld, a futuristic animated property from Emmy-nominated producer Stan Rogow (Lizzie McGuire) and TV and video-game writer Brent Friedman (Dark Skies). Afterworld consists of 130 two-minute episodes that were originally picked up by Anheuser-Busch’s new broadband network, Bud.TV.

    In Afterworld, a technology salesman named Russell Shoemaker wakes up one day to find technology dead and most of the human race missing. Learning to survive in this brave, new world, Russell sets out on foot across the country in search of family members who may or may not have survived. Along the way, Russell pieces together the complex mystery behind the global event while encountering survivors rebuilding society in strange and surprising ways.

    Afterworld marks SPTI’s first acquisition to be exploited across TV, web and mobile outlets, and involves SPTI’s distribution, international networks and digital business lines. The installments will be made available as two-minute episodes for digital platforms and 13 half-hours for broadcasters. Dedicated web content will be housed on Afterworld.tv, where visitors will also find back episodes, daily journal entries, community blogs, interactive content applications and online games.

    ‘Afterworld is just the property SPTI is actively seeking out to propel our mobile and digital content efforts around the world,’ says Marie Jacobson, senior VP of programming and production, international networks, SPTI. ‘Stan and Brent have brought us a concept tailor-made for today’s digital consumer. This is an excellent opportunity for SPTI to cross-stream content across our international mobile, digital and cable outlets and an ideal multi-platform offering for global and regional sponsors.’

  • Love Stinks! On Boomerang

    Love is in the air as Boomerang, Turner Broadcasting’s classic cartoon network, celebrates Valentine’s Day with a 24-hour marathon of romantic romps starring love-obsessed characters including Pepe Le Pew, Tom, Jerry, Popeye, Yogi Bear, Magilla Gorilla, Dexter, Top Cat, Speed Buggy, The Smurfs, The Flintstones, Droopy Dog and The Jetsons. The Love Stinks! marathon will kick off on Feb. 14 at 6 a.m.

    Each hand-selected cartoon short presented during the holiday event will feature a beloved classic character shot in the heart by Cupid’s arrow. Viewers can expect to see Pepe Le Pew in Odor-able Kitty, Daffy Duck in The Stupid Cupid, Porky Pig in The Swooner Crooner, Popeye in Anvil Chorus Girl, Droopy in Wild and Woolfy, Yogi Bear in Love Bugged Bear and Top Cat in Top Cat Falls in Love, to name a few.

    Boomerang is the 24-hour, commercial-free offshoot of Cartoon Network dedicated to vintage favorites from the vaults of Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., MGM and other top animation producers. For more details on the network’s programming, go to the official web site at http://Boomerang.CartoonNetwork.com.

  • RichCrest Expands, Changes Name

    RichCrest Animation, the U.S.-based production arm of Indian CG animation studio Crest Animation Studios Ltd., is now known as Crest Animation Prods. Inc. In addition to changing its nomenclature, the operation is expanding to become a full-service animation studio specializing in the development and production of CG-animated properties for theatrical, television, home entertainment and interactive distribution.

    Noah Fogelson has been appointed CEO of the newly named entity, which is growing with a multi-million dollar boost from the D. E. Shaw group, a global investment firm with approximately $25 billion in aggregate investment capital. Fogelson most recently served as exec VP and general manager of DIC Ent., where he facilitated the company’s public offering on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market in 2005. Prior to joining DIC, he practiced corporate and entertainment law at Greenberg Glusker in Los Angeles.

    ‘Noah’s background and extensive experience in this field are integral to the growth of Crest Animation Productions,’ comments Seemha Ramanna, managing director of Crest Animation Studios. ‘We are thrilled to have an executive of Noah’s caliber onboard who can maintain and develop our existing relationships with key U.S. producers and distributors, and at the same time propel the company forward with our new agenda.’

    ‘Our studio facilities in India enable us to produce the highest quality CG-animated projects at a fraction of the cost of most major studio CG features to date,’ adds Fogelson. ‘Couple this with the substantial commitment from the D. E. Shaw group to finance a slate of new properties, and we are now in a position to work with partners to create a catalog of innovative intellectual properties for the global entertainment marketplace.’

    RichCrest Animation began in 1986 as Rich Animation. The company was founded by Richard Rich, who began his career in feature animation at Disney and will continue to serve as president of production at Crest Animation Prods. The company’s credits include six 2D-animated features including The Trumpet of the Swan for Columbia TriStar and The King and I for Warner Bros., as well as 60 half-hours of animation for television and home video. Crest Animation Prods. is currently in development on a slate of animated features under its strategic partnership with Lionsgate Family Entertainment.

    Parent company Crest Animation Studios has delivered more than 150 half hours of CG television and home video titles for such clients as Mike Young Prods. (MYP), Mark Brown, Classic Media, Nelvana, American Greetings, Marathon and Nickelodeon. Shows to its credit include MYP’s Emmy-winning Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Lionsgate’s Bratz, Classic Media’s Casper and Mark Brown/Lionsgate’s Arthur.

  • Tinker Bell to Sparkle in ’08

    After some delay, Peter Pan’s fairy friend will finally get to shine in her own movie next year. Walt Disney Pictures announced that Tinker Bell, an all-new, CG-animated feature, will be available on home video in the fall 2008. The Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment title is being produced by DisneyToon Studios and will feature Brittany Murphy (King of the Hill) as the title sprite first introduced in James M. Barrie’s classic children’s tale, Peter Pan.

    Originally slated for release this year, Tinker Bell was to be a centerpiece for the new Disney Fairies franchise, which will have to continue to grow through publishing and various consumer products before the animated movie is released. Rumor has it that the project was one of several that went back into the woodshed for retooling when Pixar’s John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took over Disney’s toon unit.

    Disney Consumer Products introduced Disney Fairies in 2005 with the release of the New York Times best-seller Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg from Disney Publishing Worldwide. The book was followed by an apparel line, toys, a global magazine launch and a series of award-wining chapter books released in 2006. The product line is set to launch into new categories such as role play, youth electronics, stationery, home decor and personal care.

    Murphy, best known to animation fans as the voice of Luanne on Fox’s King of the Hill, will be the first voice ever given to Tinker Bell, who was a silent character in Disney’s 1953 animated classic, Peter Pan. As the star of her own movie, the sassy sprite will introduce kids to her secret, magical world of Pixie Hollow and a new circle of enchanting fairy friends voiced by other Hollywood talents.

  • Pirates Sweeps VES Awards

    As expected, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest plundered a lot of gold at the Visual Effects Society’s 5th annual VES Awards. Held Sunday night at the Kodak Theater Ballroom in Hollywood, the event saw George Lucas present the lifetime achievement award to pioneering effects genius Dennis Muren, whose credits with ILM include the Star Wars movies, Dragonslayer, Jurassic Park, The Hulk and War of the Worlds.

    VES exec director Eric Roth started the festivities with an address that underscored the importance of the visual effects industry. He noted that 16 of the 20 top-grossing movies in cinema history have been effects films, but remarked, ‘Business is not the big story tonight. Artistry is the big story.’ He said vfx artists were once regarded at ‘technological mercenaries,’ but are taking their rightful place as the modern-day equivalent of Leonardo DaVinci.

    VES Chair Jeff Okun echoed Roth’s remarks, noting that he often asks himself, ‘Why are we getting this respect?’ He explains, ‘We have magic, we have power and a lot of people love us because we have this power, and a lot of people hate us because of it.’ He went on to ask,’ Why have we become the Jules Vernes of our day? Because something in society only happens because somebody imagines it. We are stretching what is possible and creating the future for not only our children but our kids, but our kids’ kids.’

    The second installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise won in every category in which it was nominated, taking a total of six awards. Wins include Outstanding Animated Character in a Live-Action Motion Picture (Davy Jones), Best Single Visual Effect of the Year (Flying Dutchman sequence), and Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Motion Picture ILM’s John Knoll, Jill Brooks, Hal Hickel and Charlie Gibson accepted the evening’s top award.

    Pirates also took the award for Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picuture, a category presented by Pixar’s Andrew Stanton, who directed A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo, and is currently attached to direct the studio’s adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars. Stanton remarked on how ironic it was that he was presenting the award since they don’t do much compositing at Pixar, but noted that the effects industry won’t find bigger fans than the 900 ‘geeks’ he works with at Pixar. ‘For all the time you spend trying to figure out how to do it, we spend even more time trying to figure out how you did it,’ he commented.

    In introducing Dennis Muren, George Lucas referred to him as ‘the heart and soul of our organization,’ adding, ‘Dennis is a really great human being. I have never once seen him yell at anybody in an industry that is prone to yelling.’ Muren returned the compliment, asking, ‘Without George, where would we all be?’ He went on to encourage the effects artists in the audience to never rest on their laurels. ‘Take what you think you can do and top that,’ he said. ‘Keep thinking about it and try to come up with interesting new combinations. As soon as we finish a show, I assume [what we’ve done] is obsolete.’

    Muren, who has received 15 Oscar nominations to date, said real-time effects technology is the future of the industry and that he and ILM are busy working on bringing that immediacy to the creative process so that film directors can be more involved in the effects stage of production. He also revealed that he is working with Pixar on some sort of project aimed at creating synthesis between animation and visual effects, but wouldn’t comment further on the matter. Muren is also finishing a book he’s writing for vfx artists, and he tells us it will encourage up-and-coming talents to draw knowledge and inspiration from the world around them rather than just studying films. ‘People today are copying Jurassic Park, but we were copying elephants,’ he remarks.

    We asked Muren why 1995’s Jurassic Park has held up so well even though CG technology has advanced so much in the 12 years since the ground-breaking film came out. ‘I think we took more time on shots,’ he said. ‘We didn’t take shortcuts and the schedules are much tighter these days.’ He also remarked on the fact that the number of effects shots in the original Jurassic Park is conservative by today’s standards. ‘There’s no economy anymore. There’s this feeling that if you throw more effects into it, it’s going to be better film. I don’t think so.’ Outside of the work done by ILM, Muren tells us he has really been impressed with the effects in the recent releases Children of Men and Charlotte’s Web.

    We cornered George Lucas to ask him how the CG-animated Star Wars: Clone Wars television series was coming along but he would only offer, ‘It looks Fantastic.’ He had a bit more to say about the role of the visual effects artist in creating something new for audiences that are bombarded with pixel trickery on a daily basis. ‘Effects artists are hired to do a job,’ he said. ‘A writer doesn’t set out to top everything he’s ever done. The only ones who have the power to say, ‘lets create something new’ are the studios, and that’s not a high priority for them. Special effects are simply used in telling a story.’

    Lending some much-needed irreverence to the affair was film director John Landis, who recalled running into Dennis Muren once at the BAFTAs, the U.K’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. ‘I was presenting an award with Princess Anne and she didn’t look at me once,’ he recalled. ‘I just wanted to grab her ass.’ He went on to note that schlock producer Jack H. Harris put up money to help him finish his first film, Schlock, as well as Muren’s first feature, Equinox, and John Carpenter’s debut flick, Dark Star. ‘We all got screwed by the same guy!,’ he said later.

    Backstage, Landis recalled presenting an animation award to a young Cal Arts student by the name of John Lasseter. He says the film was a hand-drawn predecessor to the short Luxo Jr., and that he was so taken by the film that he asked Lasseter for an animation cel, which he has to this day. When asked if he would ever make an animated film himself, the director of Animal House and The Blues Brothers said he actually directed 26 minutes of an animated feature in the early 1990s. The name of the film was The 8th Voyage of Sinbad and it was being made by a Finnish producer who ended up disappearing with the money the Finish government put up for the production. ‘We had 38 Mexican and Brazilian animators working in North Hollywood and we had spent about a half a million dollars when the Sheriff came and padlocked the studio,’ he recalled. ‘Then when Disney’s Aladdin came out a few years later, the main villain had the same name as ours, Jaffar, and there were so many other similarities.’

    A big award winner on the television side was SCI FI Channel’s Battlestar Galactica, which took the prize for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series and was also recognized for its models and miniatures. Meanwhile, Weta Digital’s work on the ‘Snowball’ ad for the Travelers insurance company garnered a win for compositing, as well as the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial. That Geico gecko also got some love as the spot titled ‘Chat’ won for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live-Action Broadcast Program, Commercial or Music Video.

    The award for Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture was presented to comedian Larry the Cable Guy and the folks at Pixar who worked on the character ‘Mater’ in Cars. Mike Krummhoefener, Tom Sanocki and Nancy Kato worked together to bring the popular character to the screen.

    Winners of the 2007 VES Awards:

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture

    Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Chest

    John Knoll, Jill Brooks, Hal Hickel, Charlie Gibson

    Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture

    Flags of Our Fathers

    Michael Owens, Matthew Butler, Bryan Grill, Julian Levi

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special

    Nightmares and Dreamscapes ‘ ‘Battleground’

    Eric Grenaudier, Sam Nicholson, Mark Spatny, Adalberto Lopez

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series

    Battlestar Galactica – Episode 303b ‘Exodus’

    Gary Hutzel, Michael Gibson, Alec McClymont, Brenda Campbell

    Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program

    ER ‘ ‘Scoop and Run’

    Sam Nicholson, Scott Ramsey, Adam Ealovega, Anthony Ocampo

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial

    Travelers ‘ ‘Snowball’

    Dan Lemmon, Eileen Moran, R. Christopher White, Paul Story

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video

    U2 and Green Day ‘ ‘The Saints are Coming’

    Matt Winkel, Ben Looram, Wayne England, Graham Fyffe

    Best Single Visual Effect of the Year

    Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Chest‘ Flying Dutchman Sequence

    John Knoll, Ned Gorman, Jakub Pistecky, Tom Fejes

    Outstanding Real-Time Visuals in a Video Game

    Fight Night Round 3 for PS3

    Christopher Sjoholm, Kat Kelly Hayduk, Rob Hilson, Celia Jepson

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project

    Roving Mars

    Alan Markowitz, Dan Maas, Jeremy Nicolaides, Johnathan Banta

    Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture

    Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Chest ‘ Davy Jones

    Steve Walton, Jung-Seung Hong, Marc Chu, James Tooley

    Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture

    Cars – Mater

    Larry The Cable Guy, Mike Krummhoefener, Tom Sanocki, Nancy Kat0

    Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial or Music Video

    Geico ‘ ‘Chat’

    David Hulin, Seth Gollub, Andy Walker, Jenny Bichsel

    Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Motion Picture

    Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Chest

    Chris Stoski, Susumu Yukuhiro, Jack Mongovan, Greg Salter

    Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial or Music Video

    Elisabeth – Episode 1

    Dave Bowman, Jimmy Kidell, Russell Horth, Gurel Mehmet

    Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Motion Picture

    Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Chest

    Bruce Holcomb, Ron Woodall, Charlie Bailey, Carl Miller

    Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Broadcast Program

    Battlestar Galactica – Season 2, Episode 218 “Resurrection Ship, Part 2

    Steve Graves, Jose Perez, Mark Shimer, Chris Zapara

    Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture

    Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Chest

    Eddie Pasquarello, Francois Lambert, Jeff Sutherland, Tory Mercer

    Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program, Commercial or Music Video

    Travelers ‘ ‘Snowball’

    Laure Lacroix, Lyse Beck, Steve McGillen, Matt Holland

    Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture

    Casino Royale

    Chris Corbould, Peter Notley, Ian Lowe, Roy Quinn

  • Happy Feet Wins BAFTA

    While Disney/Pixar’s Cars was cleaning up at the Annies in Los Angeles, Warner Bros.’ and Village Roadshow’s Happy Feet was making out famously across the pond at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). The penguin movie beat Cars and fellow nominee Flushed Away from DreamWorks and local heroes Aardman Animations, who managed to trump all live-action contenders last year by winning the award for Outstanding British Film of the Year with Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This year’s awards ceremony was held on Sunday at the Royal Opera House in London.

    Critics and awards voters have been pretty split between Cars and Happy Feet, which makes things interesting going into next month’s Academy Awards. Both films are up for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, along with Sony’s Monster House. With Golden Globes and Annies wins, however, Cars has taken the inside track.

    The team of John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall picked up the BAFTA for Achievement in Special Visual Effects for Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which also swept the Visual Effects Society Awards on Sunday in Hollywood. The swashbuckler beat out fellow BAFTA nominees Casino Royale, Children of Men, Pan’s Labyrinth and Superman Returns. Pan’s Labyrinth didn’t go home empty-hooved, however. The film from Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro won for costume design and make-up & hair, and took the award for a film not in the English language. Meanwhile, Children of Men picked up BAFTAs for cinematography and production design, while Casino Royale gave the competition a sound beating in the Sound category.

    The Short Animation Film award was presented to Guy 101 from Royal College of Art grad Ian Gouldstone. In the film, the narrator relates a twisted tale of sex and hitchhiking as told to him in an Internet chatroom. The short previously won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Postgraduate Animation and can be viewed in its entirety at www.iwgouldstone.com/port_film.html (adult content). Also nominated in the category were Dreams and Desires’Family Ties by Les Millsand Joanna Quinn, and Peter and the Wolf from Hugh Welchman, Alan Dewhurst and Suzie Templeton.

    The Film of the Year BAFTA went to The Queen, which presided over a court that included Babel, The Departed, The Last King of Scotland and Little Miss Sunshine. The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year went to The Last King of Scotland. A full list of 2007 BAFTA film award winners can be found at www.bafta.org/site/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/287.

  • Azureus Grabs Starz Media Anime

    Anime, horror, comedy and sci-fi titles from the Starz Media catalog will soon be available online through Azureus, a company that has created an application which allows large files to be distributed over the Internet. The content partnership, Azureus’ third since launching in December, will see the company handling web-based distribution of such animated series as Street Fighter Alpha, Ghost in the Shell, Astro Boy, Ninja Scroll and Tripping the Rift, as well as the first season Showtime’s Masters of Horror.

    High resolution, long-form content from Starz Media will be available to users on Azureus’ digital media platform, currently code named Zudeo, at www.zudeo.com. The company aims to provide an alternative distribution platform that enables content providers to publish, showcase and distribute DVD quality entertainment and video-game content easily, securely and at minimal cost. In December, the company announced its first content partnership with BBC Worldwide.

    “Through this partnership with Azureus, we hope to reach the millions of genre fans online and build upon the avid audience interested in our video titles and series,” says Marc DeBevoise, senior VP of business development and strategy for Starz Media. “We’re excited about Azureus’ high resolution format and its potential.”

    Azureus says it has seen its application downloaded more than 130 million times as users seek to connect with one another from more than 100 countries. In addition, leading companies including Sun Microsystems employ Azureus servers to distribute applications or other content to their customers. The Azureus client is also included in Red Hat’s Fedora Linux Operating System. Go to www.zudeo.com for more information.

  • Sony Animation VP Cox Steps Down

    Penney Finkelman Cox, who started Sony Pictures Animation with business partner Sandra Rabins, is exiting the post of exec VP for the burgeoning toon unit, according to Daily Variety. She will reportedly continue to work with the studio as a producer on films she shepherded into development, including Disenchanted Forest and Big Nasty.

    Cox and Rabins have worked together for more than 14 years. Before joining Sony in 2002 to set up its animation unit, they were instrumental in launching DreamWorks’ toon buisness, and count The Prince of Egypt, Antz and Shrek among their credits as producers and exec producers.

    Cox’s resignation leaves Rabins to oversee the day-to-day operations at Sony Pictures Animation, and raises the profile of Sony Pictures Digital president Yair Landau. “We value the enormous contributions Penney made to launch this new division and look forward to her creative voice in the area where she has distinguished herself,” Landau says in a statement.

    Open Season, the very first feature from Sony Pictures Animation, debuted in the top spot at the box office in September of 2006 and went on to earn $83 million domestically and $187 million worldwide. The unit’s second pic, Surf’s Up!, is slated to hang ten in theaters this June and will be followed by works-in-progress Hotel Transylvania and an adaptation of Judi and Ron Barrett’s children’s book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Transylvania will be directed by Open Season co-director Anthony Stacchi and head of story David Feiss, while Cloudy will be helmed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the creators of the short-lived MTV animated series Clone High.

  • Ubisoft Builds CG Movie Studio

    Video game publisher Ubisoft plans to construct a new production center focused on the creation of CG-animated movies. Based in Montreal, Canada, the studio will initially produce short films that draw inspiration from the company’s game franchises, the first being an eight-minute movie based on the highly anticipated title Assassin’s Creed. Ubisoft hopes to have the new facility staffed with 500 artists by 2013.

    The CG animation unit is part of a new phase of development for Ubisoft’s operations in Quebec. The company, which employs more than 1,600 people in the province, could invest as much as $383.9 million over the next six years in building up a team of 3,000 game and animation employees. Both the Quebec and Canadian governments will continue to strongly support the company in its expansion efforts, which include creating 500 new video game positions by 2013

    “Video game production has progressively moved closer and closer to film and television production and this convergence will only intensify in the coming years,’ says Ubisoft chief exec officer and co-founder Yves Guillemot. ‘This natural evolution is accompanied by revolutionary changes in online distribution channels via the explosion of free and paid-for digital content. Today’s launch of a studio specializing in digital film creation will allow Ubisoft to be a pioneer in the domain for the years to come.’

    Yannis Mallat, chief exec officer of Ubisoft’s Montreal studio, adds, “With this announcement, we are one step closer to reaching our goal of making Ubsisoft’s Montreal studio the most important center for video game development in the world, and especially to reinforce Quebec’s position as a reference in the creation of digital entertainment.’

    Ubisoft, which has offices in 21 countries, expanded its operations to Montreal in 1997, establishing a development studio for console and PC video games. The company hoped to create 800 jobs over the following ten years, but has instead doubled that number. Ubisoft products are sold in more than 50 countries around the world, generating sales of more than $711 million for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

  • Speed Racer to Take On Indy

    Warner Bros.’ live-action adaptation of the classic anime series Speed Racer is set to skid into theaters over the 2008 Memorial Day weekend, facing off against the highly anticipated fourth installment in Paramount’s Indiana Jones saga. Directed by Matrix creators Larry and Andy Wachowski, Speed Racer will bow just one day after the May 22 release of the tentatively titled Indiana Jones 4, which reunites Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

    Speed Racer puts the Wachowski brothers back in the director’s chair for the first time since they wrapped The Matrix: Revolutions. The duo last produced the critically acclaimed cult hit V for Vendetta, which is based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. Their credits also include the 2003 direct-to-video feature The Animatrix, which showed them to be big fans of anime. Other fans of the Speed Racer series and Japanese animation in general are anxious to see how they translate Tatsuo Yoshida’s beloved cartoon creation to the big screen.

    Like, the 1960s TV show, the live-action Speed Racer will focus on a young man’s efforts to drive his high-tech Mach 5 to victory over the mysterious Racer X. The project sees the Wachowskis reteaming with producer Joel Silver, Oscar-winning vfx supervisor John Gaeta and exec producer Grant Hill. Shooting is scheduled to begin this year.

    Speed and his pit crew will have their work cut out for them as they go up against Professor Jones, who has been out of the adventure game for early 20 years. Few film projects have sparked more fan interest and speculation than this LucasFilms production. The closely guarded script was penned by Spider-Man scribe David Koepp, whose credits include Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds (2005) and Zathura: A Space Adventure. Principal photography is slated to begin in June.

  • Howard Named President of Exodus Film Group

    Having served as president of Warner Bros. Feature Animation and senior VP of Disney Feature Animation, Max Howard is championing independent animation by signing on as president of Venice, Calif.-based Exodus Film Group. He has been working with the company on the upcoming CG-animated feature Igor, and will continue to develop films in his new role.

    Howard came from the theater to help create such Disney favorites as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Lion King. He spent 12 years at the Mouse House before moving on to Warner Bros., where he oversaw the award-winning animated feature The Iron Giant and the international hit Space Jam. More recently he served as exec producer on DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

    ‘The time has come in feature animation where independently financing and producing films is a viable business with burdensome and expensive technology no longer being an obstacle,’ says Howard. ‘I am thrilled to be joining a terrific company whose focus is on bringing fun and compelling stories to the screen.’

    ‘Max is one of the most talented and experienced animation executives in the business today,’ says Exodus chief executive officer John D. Eraklis. ‘His track record of building outstanding animation teams worldwide is unparalleled. We couldn’t be more pleased that he’s joined our team.’

    Currently in production for a fall 2008 release, Igor will tell the tale of a hunchbacked lab assistant who dreams of becoming a scientist and winning the annual Evil Science fair. Tony Leondis (The Prince of Egypt, Lilo & Stitch 2) is directing from a script by Chris McKenna (American Dad) and Exodus has lined up a voice cast that includes Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Jay Leno, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Molly Shannon and Jennifer Coolidge. The Weinstein Company will distribute the pic in North America and a number of foreign territories.

    Other features on Exodus’ CG-animation slate include The Hero of Color City, which Magnolia Pictures will distribute in North America, and an adaptation of the Paul Bunyan tall tale titled Bunyan & Babe.

  • Cartoon Network GM Samples Resigns

    Cartoon Network head Jim Samples tendered his resignation today, citing the controversial Aqua Teen Hunger Force marketing campaign that caused a terrorism scare in Boston. Turner Broadcasting ended up paying the city $2 million to cover costs incurred when bomb squads were called out to remove suspicious-looking light-panel devices featuring one of the characters from the [adult swim] series.

    ‘I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign,’ Samples says in a prepared statement. ‘As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch. It’s my hope that my decision allows us to put this chapter behind us and get back to our mission of delivering unrivaled original animated entertainment for consumers of all ages.’

    Samples goes on to say that he has new professional challenges ahead and offers his appreciation of the talented artists and business people he has worked with over the past 13 years with the network. ‘As a friend and a fan, I also look forward to seeing your best and most personally fulfilling work yet,’ he adds. ‘Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang and each of you deserve nothing less.’

    Under Samples’ leadership, Cartoon Network made strides in producing a branded slate of popular animated series, new media development and saw [adult swim] grow from a programming block to its own Nielsen-recognized network. As the company seeks a new general manager, the senior animation team members will report directly to Mark Lazarus, president of Turner Entertainment Group.

    ‘Jim’s decision to leave his post is a reflection of his regard for the business he helped build and the people he trusts to move it forward,’ Lazarus remarks. ‘He has our respect, appreciation and sincere best wishes.’

    Boston officials arrested two men for placing the Aqua Teen marketing devices on bridges, transit stops and other random sites around the city. The campaign was launched in a total of 10 cities across the country but only caused panic in Bean Town. The $2 million Turner shelled out is considered by many to be a small price to pay for all the media attention focused on its animated series, especially with a feature film, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters, slated to hit theaters on March 23.