Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • 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.

  • WB Animation Starts New Seasons

    Warner Bros. Animation announced that it has begun production on new seasons of Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, Tom and Jerry Tales, Legion of Super Heroes and The Batman. The all-new episodes are slated to begin airing this fall on Kids’ WB! on The CW, which boasts six of the top-10 rated Saturday morning kids’ shows.

    Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! debuted last year and has remained a top choice among kids 2-11. The show finds Scooby and Shaggy living in the mansion of Shaggy’s mysteriously missing Uncle Albert. Within the mansion, the pair discover a secret lab filled with gadgets, including a transforming Mystery Machine and Scooby Snacks that give the Great Dane super powers. All of this secret technology is put to use as Shaggy and Scooby set out to find Uncle Albert and keep his inventions out of the hands of the evil Dr. Phineus Phibes.

    A big hit with boys 6-11, Tom and Jerry Tales has the classic slapstick characters traveling the globe and creating mischief as the each try to get the upper hand on the other. pummeling each other with their ongoing slapstick gags in new geographic locales and culturally diverse settings. Combining a faintly modern spin with a nod to the retro, this cat and mouse comedy team scrambles, slides and slams onto the screen, creating over-the-top, laugh-out-loud mayhem and memories.

    Based on characters from D.C. Comics, Legion of Super Heroes has a group of futuristic caped crusaders going back in time to recruit the greatest hero of all, Superman, and enlisting him in their fight against evil in the 31st Century. The show introduces Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, Bouncing Boy and Timber Wolf, who end up going too far back into the past and meeting up with young Superboy instead of the mature Man of Steel. Together, the heroes defend the rights of all free worlds and uphold the laws of the newly formed United Planets. The second season will find each member taking his or her skills to new levels in order to face even greater challenges, including a destroyer of galaxies from the annals of DC Comics. Superman returns from the 21st century with greater control of his powers, and a new ally emerges from across the space-time continuum.

    The Batman, which has just been nominated for a 2006-2007 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Animation Program, will focus its new season on the introduction of Batman’s Justice League peers. Superman, Aquaman, The Flash and several other superheroes come to help Batman defend Gotham from various super villains.

    All four returning series are produced by Warner Bros. Animation with Sander Schwartz as exec producer. Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! sees the creative team of producer Eric Radomski, associate producer Michelle Pniewski and story editor Ray De Laurentis back on the case. Frank Molieri is producer, Bobbie Page is line producer and Richard Pursel and Christopher Painter are story editors of Tom and Jerry Tales. In his second season as producer of Legion of Super Heroes, James Tucker is joined by associate producer Amy McKenna and story editor Michael Jelenic. Alan Burnett and Michael Goguen serve as supervising producers and Kim Smith is the producer of The Batman.

  • Henson Co. To Adapt Fantasy Books

    The Jim Henson Co. is building a slate of fantasy family films by acquiring rights to the popular books The Boggart by Susan Cooper, The Doubtful Guest by Edward Gorey and the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy by D.M. Cornish. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the company’s visual/special effects division, will bring each story’s characters and creatures to life using a blend of CG and animatronics. Co-CEOs Lisa Henson and Brian Henson will handle producing duties, along with Jason Lust, senior VP of feature films.

    First published in 1993, The Boggart tells the story of a family from Toronto who inherits a Scottish castle and all its contents, including the gleeful spirit who has been playing tricks on the castle residents for generations. Brian Henson, whose directorial credits include Muppet Treasure Island, Muppet Christmas Carol, and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, will helm the project.

    Gorey’s classic 1957 tale The Doubtful Guest has an inexplicable creature show up unannounced and unwelcome at a family-owned bed & breakfast. Brad Peyton (Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl) is attached to direct and Matthew Huffman will write the screenplay.

    The Monster Blood Tattoo series is comprised of the books Foundling, Lamplighter and a third yet-to-be-named novel. The saga is set in the world of the Half Continent, a magical Victorian realm where an orphaned boy embarks on a perilous quest to become an apprentice to an esteemed line of monster bounty hunters. Writing and directing duties for this project have not yet been assigned.

    The Jim Henson Co.’s most notable trip into fantasy literature in recent years was MirrorMask, its theatrically released adaptation of the Neil Gaiman work. The company has also optioned rights to SF Said’s fantasy novel, Varjak Paw. Currently in the works is The Power of the Dark Crystal, a sequel to the 1982 cult-favorite puppet feature, which Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky is directing. Henson plans to further expand the property with an animated television series, a manga series from TokyoPop and a variety of licensed products. Also on the horizon is Fraggle Rock: The Movie, a feature based on the children’s puppet series from the 1980s, and an animated television series basd on the collectible toy and storybook property The Skrumps.

  • ’38 Disney Tryout Book Online

    The good folks at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive have digitized the Disney Studios Artist’s Tryout Book from 1938 and have posted the entire manual online. The piece, which provides an overview of the production process and describes various job categories, is from the collection of Clair Weeks, who served as Marc Davis’ assistant on the classic Disney features Bambi and Peter Pan.

    Disney Studios Artist’s Tryout Book was a required read for all artists hoping to land a job with the studio. The tome explains that the tryout process involved four weeks of training involving an intense study of the basic principles of animation, action analysis and drawing. After qualifying of employment in the animation department, an artist was given a salary of $13 to $18 a week.

    The book stands as a reminder of how the animation business has changed over the years. It was published shortly after the historic release of Snow White, the studio’s first animated feature, and speaks of television as an emerging technology that will offer another outlet for the studio’s cartoons and create more employment opportunities. At that time, being able to draw well was a prerequisite for employment in all departments, even story, since stories were all drawn out rather than written. One notable line reads, ‘All inking and painting of celluloids, and all tracing done in the Studio is performed exclusively by a large staff of girls known as Inkers and Painters… This is the only department in the Disney Studio open to women artists.’

    Photoshop was used to digitally restore the original brochure, which was torn and water-stained throughout. There is one page missing at the very end, and ASIFA is asking anyone with a complete copy to scan the lost page and send it in so the archive can be posted in its entirety.

    The full text is available for viewing online by visiting the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog at http://www.animationarchive.org. The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is located at 2114 W. Burbank Blvd in Burbank, Calif. and is open every Tuesday and Thursday between 1pm and 9pm.

  • Cookie Jar Taps Austen as Development Exec

    Cookie Jar Ent. has named Ann Austen senior VP of development and television/video sales. Working out of the Los Angeles office, Austen will be responsible for developing Cookie Jar’s original properties and overseeing sales of television and home video titles within the United States. She will report to Cookie Jar Ent. president and COO Toper Taylor.

    Austen is a seasoned children’s program development exec with more than 15 years of experience. She began her career at Fox Broadcasting Company before moving to Fox Kids Network, where she served as director of programming for the preschool programming block Fox Clubhouse. She also oversaw the development and production of Might Morphin’ Power Rangers, Animaniacs and Tom & Jerry’s Kids.

    Following her tenure at Fox Kids Network, Austen co-produced Power Rangers, VR Troopers and Masked Rider for Saban Ent. She went on to serve as the co-exec producer of the critically acclaimed NBC teen series SK8, and has written and produced numerous Disney Channel movies of the week, including Johnny Tsunami and its sequel, which is currently in production. Most recently, Austen developed series for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and The N.

  • YTV Gets Dragged In by Studio B

    Studio B Prods. Inc. has signed a deal with YTV, a division of Corus Ent., to produce a new animated series titled Look What My Sister Dragged In. Aimed at kids 6-11, the show will consist of 52 11-minute episodes and will be marketed internationally.

    Created by Rob Boutillier (Aaargh! It’s the Mr. Hell Show), Look What My Sister Dragged In chronicles the adventures of Coop, an all-around nice kid whose life is turned upside down when his sister, Millie, brings home a tiny, hairless Kat, a creature of mysterious origins that is determined to destroy him. The pilot premiered at MIPCOM Jr. last October and was among the 15 most requested screenings.

    Headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Studio B Prods. produces such award-winning series such as Being Ian, Class of the Titans, The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers! and Yvon of the Yukon. The studio is currently in production on George of the Jungle and Ricky Sprocket’Showbiz Boy, set to launch in 2007 on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon Networks respectively.

  • Trump Toon Moves Forward

    Back in October, we reported that Premiere Publishing Group Inc., publisher of Trump Magazine, had drafted a letter of intent to produce an animated series featuring business tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump. Now the company announces that Trump has extended the letter to March 31, and has hired Animation Dimensions to handle animation production.

    Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Animation Dimensions is a full-service animation outfit with major studios in India. The company specializes in Flash animation and counts Mike Young Prods., Outside Line and 6ph among its clients. Credits include the British series Empire Square, which aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. and was picked up by music-centric cable TV network fuse in the U.S.

    “Right from the start, we felt great synergy with Animation Dimensions’ CEO Elizabeth Koshy,’ says Michael Jacobson, CEO of Premiere Publishing Group. ‘We are confident she and her team will be an asset in the completion of all presentation materials and animation shorts for approval by The Trump Organization within the extended timeline.”

    Animation Dimensions will produce a pilot for the yet untitled Trump toon which, upon approval, will be presented by Premiere Publishing to major networks for series consideration.

  • Toon Disney Snaps Bionicle Pics Together

    Cable outlet Toon Disney will air the feature films Bionicle 2: Legend of Metru Nui and Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows on Monday, Feb. 26. The second and third installments in the successful series of direct-to-DVD movies will air back-to-back starting at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The pics are co-produced by Miramax, Creative Capers Ent. and LEGO Media, the production arm of the toymaker which introduced the property with a highly successful line of toys.

    In Bionicle 2 Legends of Metru Nui, six Matoran from the city of Metru Nui are chosen by Toa Lhikan to become mighty Toa Metru. The plot thickens when Matorans start to vanish, Turaga Dume starts to act strangely and Toa Lhikan is captured. Toa Vakama and five other courageous souls set out to free their comrade and set things right.

    Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows sees an old enemy has tak over Metru Nui with robotic spiders that can quickly encase anything or anybody in their path of destruction. It’s up to the Toa to save the city, granted they can learn to harness their newfound powers in time.

  • PBS Leads Children’s Emmy Nominations

    Public broadcaster PBS came out on top with a total of 18 nominations as the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences today announced the nominees for the very first Children’s Programming Emmy Awards. Discovery Kids also made out well with 15 noms, far outpacing other leading kid nets including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. The kudos will be handed out as part of the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on June 15.

    Among PBS shows, Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow lead with five and three nominations respectively. Also are the newtork’s Arthur and Curious George, which are nominated for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program, along with NBC’s Time Warp Trio and Discovery Kids’ Peep and the Big Wide World and Toddworld.

    The Nominees are:

    Outstanding Children’s Animated Program

    Arthur‘PBS

    Curious George‘PBS

    Peep And The Big Wide World‘Discovery Kids

    Time Warp Trio‘NBC

    Toddworld‘Discovery Kids

    Outstanding Special Class Animated Program

    The Batman‘Kids Wb!

    Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks‘Discovery Kids?

    Growing Up Creepie‘Discovery Kids

    Tutenstein‘Discovery Kids

    Outstanding Directing In a Children’s Series

    It’s A Big Big World‘PBS

    Lazy Town’Nickelodeon

    Original Song-Children’s/Animated

    ‘Shine’ from Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses‘Nickelodeon

    ‘Q Without U’ from Between The Lions‘PBS

    ‘So Good’ from Bratz‘Fox ?Theme Song from Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman‘PBS

    ‘Take A Look Inside’ from Toddworld‘Discovery Kids

    Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series

    Reading Rainbow‘PBS’Levar Burton, as Levar Burton

    Sesame Street‘PBS’Caroll Spinney, as Oscar The Grouch

    Sesame Street‘PBS’Kevin Clash, as Elmo

    Outstanding Performer In A Children/Youth/Family Special

    Christmas and the Civil War‘Discovery’Kera O’bryon, as Louisa May Alcott

    Life of the Party‘ Lifetime’Eion Bailey, as Michael Elgin

    Saving A Species: The Great Penguin Rescue‘Discovery Kids’Elijah Wood, as Host

    Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program

    Disney’s The Emperor’s New School‘Disney Channel’Eartha Kitt, as Yzma

    Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman‘PBS’Jim Conroy, as Ruff Ruffman

    Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks‘PBS’Maile Flanagan, as Piggley Winks

    Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks‘Russi Taylor, as Ferny

    The Wonder Pets‘Nickelodeon’Danica Lee, as Ming-Ming Duckling

    Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series

    Hi-5‘Discovery Kids

    Hip Hop Harry‘Discovery Kids

    It’s A Big Big World‘PBS

    Paz‘Discovery Kids Sesame Street‘PBS

    Outstanding Children’s Series

    Assignment Discovery‘Discovery

    Endurance: High Sierras‘Discovery Kids

    Reading Rainbow‘PBS

    Strange Days At Blake Holsey High‘Discovery Kids

    Outstanding Children/Youth/Family Special

    A Year On Earth‘Discovery Kids

    The Great Polar Bear Adventure‘Discovery Kids

    Saving A Species: The Great Penguin Rescue‘Discovery Kids

    Outstanding Writing In A Children’s Series

    Reading Rainbow‘PBSSesame Street‘PBS

    Broadband Children’s

    Cyberchase‘PBS

    Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy‘Cartoon Network

    Scooby-Doo: Haunts For The Holidays‘Warnerbros.com

  • Arthur Gets Boost in U.K.

    Eurocorp’s largely animated feature film Arthur and the Invisibles benefited from a U.K. box office boycott, according to Daily Variety. The pic from writer/director/producer Luc Besson took in $2.3 million from just 391 screens over the weekend after top exhibition chains yanked 20th Century Fox’s Night at the Museum in protest of the studio’s short DVD release window.

    Distributed in the U.K. by Momentum Pictures, Arthur debuted in the No. 3 spot, just barely beating Oscar contender Notes on a Scandal, which earned $2.2 million in its debut outside of North America. The drama starring Brit thespians Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi Dench opened at No. 4, while the DreamWorks musical Dreamgirls captured the top spot with $2.6 million. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ Blood Diamond continues to do well in its second week, hanging at No. 2 with its worldwide take crossing the $100 million mark.

    With a budget of around $86 million, Arthur is Europe’s most expensive CG-animated flick to date. Though MGM and the Weinstein Co. only managed to get $12.8 million out if its U.S. release, the pic has done fairly well overseas. Currently at $80 million worldwide, it should at least break even on its production costs before it goes to home video.

  • Csupo Says Terabithia Ads Mislead

    Those going into the upcoming Disney movie Bridge to Terabithia expecting a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter experience are in for something very different, according to the filmmakers. Director Gabor Csupo, co-founder of Los Angeles-based toon studio Klasky-Csupo, told SCI FI Channel’s SCI FI Wire that he had nothing to do with the film’s marketing, which he claims are misleading.

    The ads for the film depict a boy and girl entering an enchanted fantasy world populated by magical creatures, but most of those shots come from a scene that appears only at the end of the film. “I believe it’s a stretch, and it’s a very difficult decision on Disney’s part, but we the filmmakers had nothing to do with that promotion,” Csupo says in the interview. “We don’t really think that it’s an appropriate way of selling the movie, but they’re convinced that that’s the way to get kids interested, and hopefully they will be positively surprised.’

    Anyone who has read Katherine Paterson’s book on which the film is based knows that Terabithia is a kingdom that exists only in the imagination of its two young protagonists, who need to escape troubles at home and at school. Csupo says Paterson has been pleased with his treatment of the material, mainly because he didn’t try to turn it into the kind of film being advertised in the trailers.

    Csupo, who has produced such cartoon franchises as Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, directed Terabithia from a script co-written by Paterson’s son, David Patterson, who serves a producer on the pic. Paterson also admits that the trailer does not represent what the story is about, but acknowledges that the bait-and-switch approach is necessary to get people into the theater so they can discover it’s real magic. “Although there is a generation that is very familiar with book, if you are over 40, then you probably haven’t, and we need to reach them,’ he told SCI FI Wire.

    Despite being dismayed by the trailer, both Pattersons are reportedly happy with the film itself, which features visual effects by Weta Digital. Bridge to Terabithia opens in North America on Feb. 16.

  • Stuttgart Adds Animation Production Day

    Organizers of the 14th annual Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film and the 12th fmx International Conference on Animation, Effects, Realtime and Content have com up with Animation Production Dayas a way of bringing together feature film producers, distribution companies, marketing experts, banks and equity investors, Taking place April 30 through May 1, this year’s inaugural event will aim to enhance financing and marketing of animated feature films by focusing on gap financing and the potential for international distribution.

    Producers and potential partners for financing, sales and co-production will meet in intensive one-to-one-meeting sessions. The total number of participants is limited to 50, with a strict selection criteria for the projects and companies ensuring quality interactions. Feature film projects with international commercial appeal can be admitted at their concept, development or production stage. In general, producers should have a record of having successfully produced a number of feature films already.

    The Animation Production Day takes place during and within the framework of the the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, in cooperation with fmx/07. For more information, go to www.animationproductionday.de.

  • Jenny McCarthy is Tripping The Rift

    Playmate-turned-actress Jenny McCarthy (Scary Movie 3, John Tucker Must Die) has joined the cast of Cin’Groupe’s CG-animated series Tripping the Rift. She’ll assume the role of sexy cyborg Six for the new season of 13 episodes slated to air on TELETOON in September.

    Produced in association with TELETOON Canada and SPACE: the Imagination Station, Tripping the Rift started as an award-winning short film by creators Chris Moeller and Chuck Austen. The series follows the intergalactic adventures of the crew of a smuggling vessel captained by a stumpy purple alien named Chode, voiced by Stephen Root (King of the Hill, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story). John Melendez (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Howard Stern Show) provides the voice of the ship’s computer and Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain) voices Gus, Chode’s sexually confused and verbally abused robot slave. Other retruning cast members include Gayle Garfinkle (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) as T’Nuk, the ship’s aesthetically-challenged pilot, and Rick Jones (Anastasia) as Whip, Chode’s teenaged slacker nephew.

    As Six, Chode’s science officer and personal love bot, McCarthy takes over a role originally voiced by Gina Gershon (Showgirls), and later Carman Electra (Monster Island).

    Headquartered in Montr’al, Canada, Cin’Groupe produces both animated and live-action programming. The company’s productions, which include the toon series What’s With Andy? and the CG-laden action show GALIDOR, are seen in more than 100 countries worldwide.

  • Nick Kicks Off Int’l Productions

    Nickelodeon today announced its first-ever international development slate, a raft of five new animated projects being co-developed in partnership with some of the world’s leading animation producers and co-creators. Several of the titles represent Nickelodeon International’s new creative process, which involves delivering a number of shorts with a long-form series bible and pilot script.

    The first properties in development are Hiro, Oasis, Bacon and Bunk, Super Charlie and Super Lauren and Noodles! When completed, the shorts will be made available to Nickelodeon’s channels and broadcast partners around the world.

    Inspired by Japanese themes, Hiro is created by Italy’s Alessandro Ferrari and consists of five one-minute shorts following the comical adventures of a naughty snowboarder desperate to get to the bottom of the run without getting caught by the Ranger.

    Oasis is described as ‘a non-verbal animated romp following the endless attempt of five squash-and-stretch characters as they tirelessly search for their dream oasis in the dust and expanse of a great desert.’ Fennic the Ferret, Hacithe Hyena, Voo the vulture and his offspring, Boogie and Woogie, all co-exist in a delicate love-hate balance as they compete to reach utopia. The seven one-minute shorts are created by Tuba Ent. in Korea and co-produced by Nickelodeon, France’s TF1 and TeamTo.

    Bacon and Bunk was initially piloted out of Nickelodeon in the U.S. and will be further developed by Nickelodeon International with new concepts and storylines that follow two billy goats who share an apartment in a flop house shaped like a sardine can. The property is created by Luke Brookshier and Debbie Cone, and co-developed with long-time partners Nickelodeon, YTV and TFI.

    Sibling rivalry is at the centre of Super Charlie and Super Lauren, which is also being expanded from an existing pilot. Developed with the U.K.’s Brothers McLeod, the series aims to offer a funny and unique look at a brother and sister often at war with each other and with the world at large.

    Based on a comic-book, Noodles! follows the adventures of a feisty young girl and her friends’a giant panda, a Vietnamese potbellied pig, a flightless dragon and a wannabe ninja monkey’as they try and live like everyday kids. The concept is co-created by S’verine Gauhtier, Thomas Labourot and Christian Lerolle and is being developed in partnership with TV Loonland.

    ‘Nick is really proud of this development slate as it represents the voice and vision from creators around the globe and continues to promote Nick International’s ongoing mission to find the kid voice lurking in all of us,’ says Nina Hahn, VP of development for Nickelodeon International.

    In addition to the five projects detailed today, Nickelodeon previously announced other individual projects to be developed with international partners. These include DOMO-kun, developed with The Domo Production Committee, an affiliate of Japanese television station NHK, and produced by by Media International Corp.; and Akihabara@deep, a co-production of Polygon Pictures based on the manga by Ira Ishida.

  • Bert and Ernie Set in Clay

    Look out, Wallace and Gromit, another pair of puppet favorites are moving in on the clay animation scene. Sesame Workshop is working on two seasons of The Adventures of Bert and Ernie, a stop-motion series being produced with German public broadcaster NDR and U.K. broadcaster Five’s Milkshake preschool block. The first season will be available in March of 2008, with season two slated to follow in March of 2009.

    Each series of 26 5-minute episodes finds Bert and Ernie recalling stories sparked by photos and memorabilia in their scrapbook. Viewers will be transported to the vibrant world of the duo’s imagination, where the story springs to life and often changes in an instant to reflect each character’s point of view. Other characters include Bert’s pet pigeon, Bernice; Ernie’s Rubber Duckie; never-before-seen family members; and furniture that morphs into other objects.

    Animated by Misseri Studio in Florence, Italy, the series has been pre-sold to ABC in Australia, Cartoon Network India, DR-TV in Denmark, Disney Asia, Disney Spain, HOP in Israel, NPS/Zeppelin in the Netherlands, NRK in Norway, and SVT in Sweden.

    “We are proud to partner with TV leaders NDR and Five, and a dynamic group of broadcasters, to bring a whole new dimension and energy to the wit and charm of these classic and beloved characters,” says Terry Fitzpatrick, exec VP of distribution for Sesame Workshop.

    Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind such award-winning programs as Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Pinky Dinky Doo and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat. The entity takes the proceeds it receives from sales of its shows and products and puts it into its educational projects for children around the world.

  • Yo Gabba Goes Global with RDFR

    RDF Rights (RDFR), part of the RDF Media Group, has picked up international television and DVD rights to the upcoming children’s show Yo Gabba Gabba! Produced by W!LDBRAIN and The Magic Store, the series will commence production in April.

    Hosted by DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson),Yo Gabba Gabba! will feature animated sebments, puppet characters, real kids and special guests as the show highlights simple life lessons and universal experiences in the lives of preschoolers. Puppets Muno the red Cyclops, Foofa the pink flower bubble, Brobee the green little one, Toodee the blue cat-dragon and Plex the robot all sing, play and dance as soon as they hear the magic words, ‘Yo Gabba Gabba!’

    RDFR will handle sales of all free television rights outside North America and all pay television and home video sales outside of the U.S., U.K., Ireland and Italy. The company will also manage licensing and merchandising rights for the property in such categories as apparel, home furnishings, music and publishing outside of North America.

    W!LDBRAIN and The Magic Store have signed a broadcast deal with Nick Jr., which has ordered 20 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba! and plans to begin airing it in the U.S. this fall.

  • Bridges Welded to Iron Man

    Fresh off his voice work on Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming penguin feature Surf’s Up!, Jeff Bridges has become the fourth Academy-Award nominee to join the cast of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man. Directed by Jon Favreau (Zathrua: A Space Adventure, Elf), the Marvel Comics adaptation will also star Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard and Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow.

    The film is centers on billionaire industrialist and genius inventor Tony Stark (Downey), who creates an armored suit to help him battle villains. Paltrow will play Stark’s personal assistant Virginia “Pepper” Potts, and Howard will portray Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes, Stark’s best friend and a decorated military pilot.

    Marvel is being vague about the role Bridges will play, saying only that he will portray a close business associate of Tony Stark, a confidant and longtime employee at defense contractor Stark Industries who will play a major role in shaping Stark’s life. Fans of the Iron Man comic books are wondering if he might be Mandarin, the franchise’s chief villain.

    “His character is central to the entire storyline of the film and we could not have asked for a better choice than Jeff to bring this role to life,” comments Kevin Feige, president of production for Marvel Studios.

    Best known for roles in such films as The Big Lebowski, Seabiscuit, The Fisher King, and The Fabulous Baker Boys, Bridges has appeared in more than 50 movies. Among his other credits is a voice turn in the 1982 animated feature The Last Unicorn, which saw a 25th anniversary edition released on DVD today.

    Iron Man is Marvel’s first self-financed and produced feature film. The company is working on casting all other supporting roles and is set to begin filming in Los Angeles this March. The pic is being produced by Feige and Avi Arad. Exec producers are Michael Helfant, Ari Arad, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito and Peter Billingsley. Paramount Pictures will release the big-budget actioner on May 2, 2008.

  • Disaster! Explodes on Disc

    The new stop-motion feature film Disaster! does to Armageddon and Twister what Airplane! did to the Airport films of the 1970s. Finally available on DVD, the adult-oriented comedy tempers some genius satire with crude potty humor to provide a fun ride that gives the latest generation of disaster pics a long-overdue kick in the asteroid.

    Directed by Roy Wood (Celebrity Deathmatch), Disaster! employs puppets made with a combination of clay and silicone over wire-armatures to spoof big-budget, apocalyptic Hollywood blockbusters. As a giant planetoid hurdles toward Earth, vulcanoligist Harry Bottoms is enlisted by the government to assemble a team to go into space and eliminate the threat. Joined by his estranged daughter, Sandy Mellons, Bottoms must save the day with the help of specialists V.D. Johnson, Hanukah Jonze and Donkey Dixon. Members of the rock band Motley Crue also lend their voices and likenesses to the pic.

    Disaster! was written by Paul Benson (X-Men Unlimited) and Matt Sullivan (The God and Devil Show), who shopped the script around Hollywood for years but found producers concerned about the amount of money it would take to make it in live-action. Dream Ent. president Yitzhak Ginsberg and former Dream Ent. CEO Ehud Bleiberg then go hold of it and decided to self-finance the project, choosing to do it with animation. They got Wood on board after looking at his reel and he assembled a small, talented team of animators and artists who previously worked on Celebrity Deathmatch and pushed puppets for New Line Cinema’s Elf and Will Vinton productions such as The P.J.s and Gary & Mike.

    Digital effects were used sparing in the film, which features over-sexed astronauts, a drooling, wheelchair-bound physicist, a token gay robot, a man-eating space ape and a flatulent Frenchman who mans a space station shaped like a giant wheel of cheese. The DVD also features several unrated shorts. More information and animated clips from Disaster! can be found at www.disasterthemovie.com.

  • Hellboy, Titans Raise Cane on DVD

    Superheroes leap to the rescue today as two new action-packed, animated features arrive on home video. Following its successful Halloween debut on Cartoon Network, Hellboy: Sword of Storms lands on retail shelves, along with the first movie based on the Cartoon Network series Teen Titans. In addition, Warner Bros. has released the first season of the Cartoon Network show Ben 10.

    Based on the graphic novel series created by Mike Mignola, Hellboy: Sword of Storms is the first of two produced feature-length animated films about a demon who combats evil forces as part of a secret government task force that investigates supernatural threats. Actors Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones, who star in the 2004 live-action feature, reprise their roles by lending their voices to the animated production.

    Directed by Phil Weinstein (Balto II: Wolf Quest, Balto III: Wings of Change), Sword of Storms is the combined effort of Mignola, supervising director/producer Tad Stones (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command) and Guillermo del Toro, writer and director of the live-action Hellboy feature. The story begins when a professor of folklore becomes possessed by a duo of Japanese demons who plan to summon their brothers (the Dragons), to dominate the world. Sent by The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense to investigate, Hellboy picks up a cursed samurai sword and is swept into a dimension of ghosts and monsters.

    The Starz Home Entertainment release includes an exclusive 32-page limited edition comic. DVD bonus features include the featurettes To Hell And Back ‘ How Mike Mignola Created Hellboy, A New Breed ‘ Creating The New Hellboy, Conquering Hellboy ‘ The Actor’s Role and A View From The Top ‘ The ‘Heads’ Sequence. Fans will also be able to check out a the 2006 Comic-Con panel discussion, a look at the Eastern influences of Hellboy, storyboards and audio commentary from Mignola, Stones and director Phil Weinstein. The DVD will carry a suggested retail price of $19.98.

    Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy battle a mysterious Japanese criminal and his high-tech ninja in Warner Home Video’s Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. Like Hellboy, the property has its roots in comic books. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, DC Comics’ Teen Titans made its publishing debut in 1964 and was revamped with The New Teen Titans in 1980. The later incarnation serves as inspiration for the hit television series, which debuted on Cartoon Network in 2003. The Trouble in Tokyo disc includes the extra features Robin’s Underworld Race Challenge and a never-aired episode of the series. Directed by series helmers Michael Chang and Ben Jones, the movie carries the suggested retail price of $19.98 on DVD.

    The complete first season of Ben 10 arrives as a two-disc set containing all 13 episodes of the series about a 10-year-old boy who finds a strange device inside a crashed meteorite and discovers that it has the power to transform him into ten different alien beings. The DVD comes with a collector’s edition poster of Ben and the alien heroes, as well as commentary by co-creator Duncan Rouleau, a drawing lesson and a sneak peek at what’s to come on the show. The Warner Home Video release lists for $19.98.