Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Joseph Barbera Dies at 95

    The animation industry has lost another legend with the passing of Joseph Barbera, who teamed with William Hanna to create famed cartoon studio Hanna-Barbera Prods. in 1944. At the age of 95, Barbera was still an active member of the Warner Bros. Animation team and was listed as exec producer for series such as What’s New Scooby-Doo? and Tom and Jerry Tales. In 2005, he wrote, co-storyboarded and co-directed the new Tom and Jerry theatrical short titled KarateGuard. He died Monday of natural causes at his home in Studio City, Calf. with wife Sheila at his side.

    ‘Joe Barbera truly was an animation and television legend,’ says Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer. ‘From the Stone Age to the Space Age and from primetime to Saturday mornings, syndication and cable, the characters he created with his late partner, William Hanna, are not only animated superstars, but also a very beloved part of American pop culture. While he will be missed by his family and friends, Joe will live on through his work.’

    ‘Bill created a landmark television production model and Joe filled it with funny, original show ideas and memorable characters that will stand for all time as his ultimate legacy,’ adds Warner Bros. Animation president and friend Sander Schwartz. ‘Joe’s contributions to both the animation and television industries are without parallel’he has been personally responsible for entertaining countless millions of viewers across the globe. I was inspired to work alongside Joe and I am proud to have had the blessing of his friendship.’

    Working for MGM, Barbera and Hanna created the beloved cat-and-mouse team of Tom and Jerry in 1940. While the theatrical shorts won seven Academy Awards (and 14 nominations), it was their work in television that established Barbera and his partner as true innovators of animation. Working on budgets a fraction of the size they were used to dealing with at MGM, the duo designed a system for limited animation and introduced generations to such indelible characters as Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quickdraw McGraw, The Flintstones and the Jetsons, to name a few. Hanna-Barbera received eight Emmys, including the Governors Award of the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences in 1988.

    Hanna-Barbera continued to produce TV animation through the 1980s, churning out such shows as The Smurfs, Tom and Jerry Kids and Pac-Man. Turner Broadcasting acquired the Hanna-Barbera library in 1991, changing the name of the studio first to H-B Productions Company, then Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc. The library eventually found a home on Cartoon Network, where new Hanna-Barbera productions are developed under the Cartoon Network Studios banner.

    During his 80s and into his 90s, Barbera continued to report to his office regularly, taking an active role in the creation of new Hanna-Barbera projects. In 1992, he served as a creative consultant for the animated feature film Tom and Jerry: The Movie, and exec produced Tom and Jerry Kids, a Hanna-Barbera/Fox Children’s Network series that ran from 1990 to 1994. He also saw his characters live on in the new television series Tom and Jerry Tales, which premiered this Fall during the Kids’ WB! block on The CW.

    Barbera and Hanna were elected by their peers to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 1994, the same year Joseph penned his autobiography, My Life In Toons. In March of 2005, the Academy unveiled a wall sculpture depicting the toon creators surrounded by some of their most famous characters. Hanna passed away in 2001. Barbera is survived by his wife, Sheila, and his three children by a previous marriage ‘Jayne, Neal and Lynn.

  • Eragon, Web Trail Happyness

    Two promising vfx films took a back-seat to inspirational drama over the weekend as Sony’s The Pursuit of Happyness claimed the top spot at the box office. Based on a true story, the Will Smith vehicle earned an estimated $27 million to trump 20th Century Fox’s dragon tale, Eragon, and Paramount’s live-action/CG adaptation of E.B. White’s classic children’s book, Charlotte’s Web.

    Theater attendance was fairly week this frame with moviegoers apparently saving their entertainment dollars for the holiday weekend. Still, Eragon managed a respectable $23.4 million (est.) despite some brutal reviews, many knocking the story for borrowing too much from Star Wars. The pic benefited from a built-in audience of fans of Christopher Paolini’s book series, while others were no doubt intrigued by the visual effects and CG animation by ILM, Weta Digital, Fox Studios, Furious FX, Caf’FX, Cinesite and Svengali FX.Having dumped a reported $100 million into the film, Fox was clearly hoping for a franchise tentpole, but ticket sales would have to improve greatly over the next week to warrant a sequel.

    Similarly, Paramount’s $85 million investment in Charlotte’s Web failed to pay off in its debut weekend as the film took in around $12 million. However, the family flick has been garnering good reviews that should help business pick up considerably as kids get out of school for the winter holiday. This one also has familiarity on its side, since most adults and children have been touched by White’s classic tale, which has been brought to the screen this time with help from vfx studios Tippett Studio, Rhythm & Hues, Stan Winston Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Digital Dimension, Fuel, Digital Pictures Lloura, Proof Inc. and Sandman Studios.

    Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s animated Happy Feet is still very much alive at the box office. In its fifth week, the toon earned an estimated $8.5 million to come in fourth. To date, it has earned approximately $150 million in North America and has picked up an additional $60 million overseas thus far. Rounding out the weekend’s top five is Sony’s romantic comedy The Holiday, which boasts expensive stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black, but has only grossed around $25 million in two weeks.

  • Pirates Reaps DVD Treasure

    Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest sold a record-breaking 10.5 million copies in North America during its first week of release on home video, putting it on track to become the best-selling live-action DVD of all time. In addition to being the year’s top-grossing theatrical release, the title is selling faster at retail than any other film this year.

    “With the incredible success of the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, it is evident that the home entertainment industry continues to flourish,’ says Bob Chapek, president of Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment. ‘It also further illustrates the worldwide phenomenon of everything Pirates of the Caribbean.”

    Released as both a deluxe 2-disc special edition set and as a single-disc DVD, Dead Man’s Chest is also the top seller in the U.K., where fans have snatched up nearly 1.5 million units. Japan has seen nearly 1 million copies fly off the shelf during the first week, making it the No.1 live-action title of all time in that market.

    Directed by Gore Verbinski and featuring extensive CG animation wok by ILM, the film opened over the summer in North America, plundering the biggest box-office take in U.S. history. To date, the sequel has netted more than a billion dollars worldwide and has qualified as Disney’s most successful movie of all time. As a bit of icing on the cake, the pic today qualified to compete for the VFX Oscar at the 79th Academy Awards.

  • Pirates Reaps DVD Treasure

    Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest sold a record-breaking 10.5 million copies in North America during its first week of release on home video, putting it on track to become the best-selling live-action DVD of all time. In addition to being the year’s top-grossing theatrical release, the title is selling faster at retail than any other film this year.

    “With the incredible success of the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, it is evident that the home entertainment industry continues to flourish,’ says Bob Chapek, president of Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment. ‘It also further illustrates the worldwide phenomenon of everything Pirates of the Caribbean.”

    Released as both a deluxe 2-disc special edition set and as a single-disc DVD, Dead Man’s Chest is also the top seller in the U.K., where fans have snatched up nearly 1.5 million units. Japan has seen nearly 1 million copies fly off the shelf during the first week, making it the No.1 live-action title of all time in that market.

    Directed by Gore Verbinski and featuring extensive CG animation wok by ILM, the film opened over the summer in North America, plundering the biggest box-office take in U.S. history. To date, the sequel has netted more than a billion dollars worldwide and has qualified as Disney’s most successful movie of all time. As a bit of icing on the cake, the pic today qualified to compete for the VFX Oscar at the 79th Academy Awards.

  • Oscar Picks Seven for VFX

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the seven films being considered for contention in the Visual Effects category of the 79th Academy Awards. As usual, superhero pics and fantasy flicks abound this year, but there are also a few surprise omissions. Actual nominations will be announced from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 a.m. PST. The Academy Awards will then be presented on Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m.

    Vfx-laden films making the preliminary cut are Sony/Columbia’s Casino Royale, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Warner Bros.’ Superman Returns and Poseidon, and 20th Century Fox’s Eragon, Night at the Museum and X-Men The Last Stand. Pirates, which was handled primarily by ILM, is an odds-on favorite to win this year, but the jury is still out since all the films feature fine work and Night at the Museum has yet to open.

    Absent from the list are Paramount’s Charlotte’s Web and Mission: Impossible III, Warner Bros.’ The Fountain, Touchstone Pictures’ Apocalypto, Picturehouse’s Pan’s Labyrinth and Warner Independent Pictures’ The Science of Sleep. It’s curious that Casino Royale, a James Bond flick that few would consider an effects film, would be considered over these productions, whose effects have had a much higher profile.

    On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the Academy’s Visual Effects Award nominating committee will view 15-minute film excerpts from each of the seven short-listed films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for Oscar consideration.

  • Parents TV Council Blasts Family Guy

    In a study of religious content on television, The Parents Television Council found more references to faith more negative than positive, citing Fox’s animated primetime hit Family Guy as a prime example. The group sees the study, titled ‘Faith in a Box 2005-2006,’ as proof that the entertainment industry is not reflecting the strong religious beliefs of Americans, and is, in fact, hostile to people of all religions.

    ‘The evidence is clear,’ says PTC president Brent Bozell. ‘Fox’s The Family Guy proved to be especially sacrilegious and vile when it showed God in bed with a woman.’

    Bozell also blasted CBS’ popular sitcom, Two and a Half Men, which featured star Charlie Sheen singing about getting laid to the tune of ‘Joy to the World.’ These examples, and others, show that Hollywood has a clear distaste for religion,’ he adds. ‘This is an industry that is completely out of touch with reality.’

    This is the seventh time the PTC has examined the treatment of religious content on primetime television over the course of an entire year. The group looked at a total of 2,271.5 hours of programming containing 1,425 treatments of religion and found 95% of it to cast religion in a negative light.

    Fox was found to be ‘by far the most anti-religious network,’ with one in every two portrayals of religion coming up negative. NBC came in second with well over a third of religious references landing in the less-than-favorable column. UPN and ABC also made the naughty list, while programming on The WB network (now known as The CW) featured the fewest negative depictions of religion, according to the group. Reality shows such as CBS’ The Amazing Race and ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition were cited as examples of programs that have featured affirming messages about religion. More on the study can be found at ww.parentstv.org.

  • DreamWorks Ani CFO Splits

    DreamWorks Animation SKG today announced that chief financial officer Kristina Leslie will be leaving the company at the end of February, 2007. Until then, Leslie will continue to oversee the reporting of the company’s year-end results as DreamWorks searches for a suitable replacement.

    “I have worked with Kris for more than 10 years and her leadership has been instrumental to the success of our company,” says DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. “I am grateful for the guidance and support she has provided from the early stages of creating DreamWorks through our transition into a public company and to a new distribution partner.”

    Leslie was previously CFO of DreamWorks Studios before taking the post at the animation unit when it went public in October of 2004. Since joining Dreamworks in 1996, she has overseen such functions as corporate planning and analysis, as well as all financing and banking activities. Before becoming part of the DreamWorks team, Leslie was director of financial planning at Viacom following its acquisition of Paramount Communications.

    “I have had a wonderful career here at DreamWorks and have been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the brightest and most talented people in the industry,” Leslie comments. “I have accomplished a lot of what I set out to do and think that this is the right time for a transition for both me and the company.”

    DreamWorks Animation’s has struggled financially since going public. After Shrek 2 DVD sales failed to meet expectations, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away, the sutdio’s second and third feature collaborations with Aardman Animations, performed under par at the box office. The company has been kept afloat by box office and DVD successes such as Madagascar and Over the Hedge, and is likely to rake in the dough with the up coming Shrek the Third(2007) and franchise spin-off, Puss In Boots (2009). Also in the horizon for 2009 is Monsters Vs. Aliens, but first the studio will try its luck with Bee Movie, which will floolw the third Shrek installment next year, and Kung Fu Panda, which is loaded up for in 2008.

  • Eragon, Web Spin to Theaters

    It’s a big weekend for CG effects as Christopher Paolini’s best-selling fantasy tome about dragon riders arrives in theaters, along with another cinematic treatment of E.B. White’s classic tale of friendship between a pig and a spider. Eragon from 20th Century Fox and a live-action version of Charlotte’s Web from Paramount arrive in wide release today in hopes of snatching the top two box-office spots from Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto and Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s animated Happy Feet.

    Paolini was just a teenager when he published Eragon, the story of a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and embarks on a journey to take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders and save his land of Algagaesia from the devious plans of the evil king Galbatorix. The film stars newcomer Edward Speleers in the title role, leading a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Robert Carlyle, Djimon Hounsou and Rachel Weisz as the voice of the computer-generated dragon, Saphira.

    Directed by ILM visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier, Eragon features extensive visual effects work and character animation by ILM, Weta Digital, Fox Studios, Furious FX, Caf’FX, Cinesite and Svengali FX. The 400-plus dragon shots were completed by ILM and Weta. The film debuts in just over 3,000 theaters, about 500 fewer than the 3,566 roll-out for Charlotte’s Web.

    Unlike Paramount’s time-honored 1973 animated version (animated by Hanna-Barbera Prods.), this latest adaptation of Charlotte’s Web employs live actors, some real animals and entirely computer-generated critters to bring the heartwarming and bittersweet tale to the screen. Directed by Gary Winick, (Tadpole, 13 Going on 30), the film stars Dakota Fanning in the flesh and features voice performances by Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Cedric the Entertainer, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Hayden Church and Andr’ Benjamin, among others. In addition, acclaimed playwright/actor Sam Shepard provides narration.

    VFX houses lending their considerable talents to the project include Tippett Studio, Rhythm & Hues, Stan Winston Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Digital Dimension, Fuel, Digital Pictures Lloura, Proof Inc. and Sandman Studios.

    You can read more about the making of the visual effects in both Eragon and Charlotte’s Web in the 20th Anniversary Issue of Animation Magazine, which arrives at Barnes & Noble stores and other booksellers next week.

  • Hellboy Cartoon Gets DVD Date

    Following its successful Halloween debut on Cartoon Network, the animated feature Hellboy: Sword of Storms is set to raise some you know what on home video. Starz Home Entertainment announced the it will release the title at retail on Feb. 6, and is including an exclusive 32-page limited edition comic.

    Based on the graphic novel series created by Mike Magnola, 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.

    Hellboy: Sword of Storms is the combined effort of Mignola, supervising producer/director 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.

    In addition to the special comic book from Mignola, DVD bonus features will 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.

  • Sony Constructs Pirates CSG for PC

    With Disney’s tales of Captain Jack Sparrow raking in the bucks and capturing imaginations everywhere, 2006 is clearly the year of the pirate. The latest company to bank on the swashbuckling phenomenon is Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), which has released an online version of WizKids’ popular Pirates constructible strategy game (CSG). Developed by SOE-Denver, Pirates CSG Online is available for purchase via digital download at www.piratesgameonline.com.

    In WizKid’s critically acclaimed constructible tabletop strategy game, players use die-cut cards to construct 3D galleons, sloops and frigates in order to plunder the high seas in search of treasure. Likewise, Sony’s digital version allows players to build and customize fleets, explore islands for treasure and attack fellow online buccaneers for their booty. Players can also communicate in real time with opponents and allies to trade treasure and ships to round out their collections.

    “Bringing the immensely popular Pirates CSG to 3D online play is the next step in collectible gaming,” says Scott Martins, director of development for

    SOE-Denver. “We’ve taken the fun of high seas treasure hunting and ship-to-ship combat and made it accessible to a worldwide audience in a shared experience.”

    A variety of Digital Starter Packs are available for $9.99, each containing five ships, including two limited edition bonus ships from the Pirates of Davy Jones Curse CSG. Registration Packages range in price from $6.99 to $39.99, and include ships, crew, access to tournaments and other special events, unlimited play of the digital Pirates: Quest for Davy Jones’ Gold board game, and the ability to trade ships and crew from your fleet with other players. Game packs for expanding player fleets are also available for download for $3.99 each.

    A free trial version of the Pirates CSG Online game is available at www.piratesgameonline.com and includes the game tutorial and access to practice games in a Casual Game lobby.

  • Golden Globes Favor Cars, Happy Feet, Monster House

    The Hollywood Foreign Press Association today announced the nominees for the 64th Golden Globe Awards. Disney/Pixar’s Cars, Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s Happy Feet and Sony/Columbia Pictures’ Monster House will compete for Best Animated Feature Film during the ceremony, which will take place on Jan. 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. NBC will broadcast the event live starting at 8 p.m. EST.

    Despite having a whopping 16 animated features to choose from, the foreign press whittled the selection down to three films, shutting out a fair number of major studio and independent productions. DreamWorks, which leads in Annie Award nominations for Flushed Away and Over the Hedge, is surprisingly absent in the list. Clearly, box-office performance was not a factor since the moderately successful Monster House got the nod over the better atended Open Season from Sony Pictures Animation and the blockbuster Ice Age: The Meltdown from Fox Animation. And while foreign animated films have received more love from the group in the past, both Satoshi Kon’s 2D Paprika (Sony) and Christian Volckman’s black-and-white Renaissance (Miramax) were left out in the cold. Similarly, Luc Besson’s Arthur and the Invisibles (The Weinstein Co.), which opens this Friday, is nowhere in sight.

    Happy Feet, which is now the odds-on favorite to win the Oscar, is also up for a Globe in the Best Original Song category, where its ‘Song of the Heart’ (music and lyrics by pop star Prince) is up against tunes from th live-action features Dreamgirls, The Pursuit of Happyness, Bobby and Home of the Brave.

    Films competing for Best Picture-Drama this year are Paramount Vantage’ Babel, The Weinstein Co.’s Bobby, Warner Bros.’ The Departed, New Line Cinema’s Little Children and Miramax’s The Queen. In the running for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy are 20th Century Fox’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and The Devil Wears Prada, DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures’ Dreamgirls and Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You For Smoking.

    A full list of 2007 Golden Globe nominees can be found at www.hfpa.org/news/id/42.

  • Writers Guild Digs Simpsons

    Fox’s The Simpsons dominates the Animation category in the list of nominees for the 2007 Writers Guild Awards for Television and Radio. The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) will come together to recognizing outstanding achievements in the 2006 season during the awards ceremony, taking place simultaneously at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York on Sunday, Feb. 11.

    The Simpsons grabbed four of the six nominations in the WGA’s Animation category. The members of the show’s writing staff have been singled out for the episodes ‘The Italian Bob: (John Frink), ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore’ (Dan Castellaneta, Deb Lacusta), ‘Simpsons Christmas Stories’ (Don Payne) and ‘Girls Just Want to Have Sums’ (Matt Selman). The other two nominees are Cartoon Network’s The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for the episode ‘Who’s Your Daddy? (Marsha Griffin) and Fox’s King of the Hill for ‘Church Hopping’ (Jim Dauterive).

    Earlier this year, The Simpsons picked up its ninth Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. Currently in its 18th season, the show will celebrate its 400th episode in May of 2007, and the highly anticipated Simpsons movie will hit theaters on July 27, 2007. The series is produced by Gracie Films, in association with 20th Century Fox Television, and animated by Film Roman.

    For more information about the upcoming 2007 Writers Guild Awards, go to www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.

  • The AniMag Oscar Watch is On!

    For all your animation-related Academy Awards news and information be sure to visit our newly launched Oscar Showcase 2006 page. The site is also home to our annual ‘You Be the Academy’ feature which lets you vote for the nominated features and short films that you think should take home the gold statuette.

    In addition to information about each film in the running for Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short, you’ll find a review of past winners and nominees so you can see how the Academy has been voting in recent years. Soon we’ll be adding news on the visual effects race and will be updating the site with other informative and entertaining features on an ongoing basis.

    The Oscar Showcase 2006 page can be accessed at www.animationmagazine.net/oscar_index_06.html.

    Thanks for visiting and voting. We’ll see you on the red carpet!

  • Anime Network Hits Puerto Rico

    The Anime Network, a cable offering dedicated to Japanese-style animation, is continuing to expand in North America with linear carriage deals with Puerto Rico’s two largest cable providers. The channel has been picked up by One Link and Liberty Cablevision, which represent more than two-thirds of the island and will bring approximately 178,000 new subscribers to Anime Network.

    Other North American carriers to pick up The Anime Network recently include Longview in Missouri, Optical Entertainment Network in Texas, Home Town Cable in Florida and Community Antenna in Wisconsin. These five new markets represent substantial growth for the channel, which launched in North America in late 2002 as a video-on-demand offering.

    Anime Network is a subsidiary of A.D. Vision Inc., parent company to ADV Films and Newtype USA. The channel now reaches more than 40 million households with thousands of hours of animated programming and is also available as a 24/7 linear channel in several U.S. markets. For more information, go to www.theanimenetwork.com.

  • Adrienne Tytla, Disney Animator’s Widow, Dies at 92

    Adrienne Tytla, wife of famous Disney animator Vladimir ‘Bill’ Tytla, passed away yesterday from cancer. According to Disney spokesperson Howard Green, Tytle died at her farm in East Lyme, CT, the same one she and her husband bought back in 1942. She was 92. She is survived by her son, artist Peter Tytla and daughter Tamara Schacher-Tytla and granddaughter, Fantasia.

    Adrienne le Clerc met her husband in 1936 when she was a 22-year-old actress and fashion model, posing in the art classes of Don Graham. She shared her husband’s excitable temperaments and noted, ‘My glass was half-filled with enthusiasm, his often half-empty with self-doubts. We were, however, definitely yin and yang,’ according to an entry in wikipedia.’ Their 30-year marriage began on April 21, 1938.

    Last year, Tytla released her long awaited book Disney’s Giant, which focused on the life and career of her husband. The 1000-page-long tome is part-scrapbook, part-biography of her husband, who passed away in 1968.

    One of the original Disney animators, Bill is considered by many to be the best character animator working during the Gold Age of Hollywood animation. He is credited for animation of Grumpy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Chernabog in Fantasia’s Night on Bald Mountain sequence and the magician Yen Sid in the film’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment. He also designed Dumbo, the big-eared baby elephant based on his own son, Peter.

    To order Disney’s Giant, you can visit Peter’s website www.petertytla.com. To learn more about Tytla, visit www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/5308/tytla.html

  • Barnyard, Fox Bring Party Animals Home

    After a moderately successful theatrical run, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ Barnyard: The Original Party Animals comes to home video today. The CG-animated comedy is joined at retail by Fox and the Hound 2, Disney’s direct-to-DVD sequel to the 1981 animated family film that saw a 25th anniversary DVD edition launched back in October.

    In Barnyard, a carefree party cow named Otis (voiced by Kevin James) has to rise to the occasion and learn to be a leader like his father, Ben (Sam Elliott). Also lending their voices to the production are Courtney Cox, Danny Glover and Wanda Sykes. The film is written, produced and directed by Steve Oedekerk, writer of Bruce Almighty, co-creator of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, director of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and star of /I>Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. Animation was completed at Oedekerk’s San Clemente, Calif.-based Omation Studio.

    DVD extra features include seven deleted scenes, an all-new music video titled Barnyard Popand three DVD ROM games. The Paramount Home Entertainment release carries a suggested retail price of $29.99.

    Made for Around $51 million, Barnyard grossed north of $100 million at the box office worldwide and should sell a good number of discs over the holiday season. Films like this are likely to become the model for animated releases as studios are finding that pumping big bucks into CG movies is a gamble given the fierce competition these days. Oedekerk was one of the creative forces behind Paramount/Nickelodeon’ 2001 animated flick, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, which was completed for approximately $30 million and also made it past the $100 million mark in theaters.

    Disney’s The Fox and the Hound 2 skipped theaters entirely, going directly to home video as many Mouse House follow-ups do. In the film, Todd and Copper’s ulikely friendship is put to the test once again when Cooper gets a shaot at the big time with a nutty group of hound dog howlers called The Singin’ Strays. The movie features the vocal talents of Reba McEntire, Patrick Swayze and Jeff Foxworthy, as well as new music by country favorite Trisha Yearwood and High School Musical star Lucas Grabeel. DVD bonus material includes a featurette on the making of the music, a music video for the song “You Know I Will” and a ‘Mutt Mix Master’ interactive activity that lets viewers control the sounds and effects in creating The Singin’ Strays’ latest hit recording. The Disc retails for $29.99 and also includes a classic animated short featuring Goofy.

  • Critics’ Choice Nominees Named

    The Broadcast Film Critics Association has announced the nominees for the 2006 Critics’ Choice Awards, an annual event honoring the year’s finest cinematic achievements. Winners will be revealed at the 12th annual ceremony on Jan. 12 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Cable network E! will broadcast the event on Jan. 20.

    This year’s nominees for Best Animated Feature are Disney/Pixar’s Cars, DreamWorks/Aardman’s Flushed Away, DreamWorks’ Over the Hedge, Warner Bros.’ Happy Feet and Sony/Columbia Pictures’ Monster House. Happy Feet has emerged as a critical favorite thus far, winning top-toon awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle and the Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association.

    Nominees for the 2006 Critics’ Choice Awards were selected by written ballots in a week-long voting period. For a complete list of nominees, go to www.bfca.org/NomineesWinners.asp. In addition, special awards are given out at the discretion of the BFCA board of directors. Most recently, the Freedom Award was given to George Clooney and presented at the Critics’ Choice Awards gala by Julia Roberts.

  • India’s UTV Invests in Toons, Games

    Mumbai-based UTV Software Communications Ltd. is getting into the animated feature business by investing $30 million into three movies. In addition, the company has shelled out $13 million to acquire 70% of U.K. gaming company Ignition Ent., and another $15 million to grab a 51% stake in Indian mobile gaming leader Indiagames. Accordng to reports in the Indian press, the acquisitions will make UTV Software largest gaming and animation company in India.

    UTV is making its first foray into the animated movie market with a feature titled The Dream Blanket. The production will be directed by Simi Nallaseth, who was a key animator on Fox Animation’s Ice Age. Blanket will be followed by Arjun, a film based on a character from Indian mythology, and the third will be co-produced with Will Smith’s Overbrook Ent.

    Ignition creates games for such industry leaders as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, and is presently developing War Devil, a AAA title to be released exclusively for PlayStation 3 in 2008. The company reportedly recorded revenues of $15 million for 2006, while Indiagames took in around $5 million. Indiagames’ mobile titles are available in 37 countries via such leading carriers as Verizon, Vodaphone and O2.

    The Walt Disney Co. owns a 14.9% stake in the publicly traded UTV, and recently acquired its children’s network, Hungama TV, for $30.5 million. Launched in September of 2004, Hungama is a 24-hour Hindi-language cable channel which consistently ranks among India’s top kids’ TV outlets.

  • JibJab Sends Up 2006

    JibJab, the digital comedy network run by brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, have driven a stake into the heart of the year that was 2006 with its latest animated production. Titled Nuckin’ Futs!, the cartoon recaps the year’s insanity to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’ as elementary school children sing about the follies of such political and pop-culture figures as Dick Cheney, Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Britney Spears, Mel Gibson and Lance Bass. The Spiridellis’ premiered the short on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno earlier this week and announced its availability today on both JibJab.com and MSNVideo.com.

    “The web gives us the creative freedom to make videos we think are funny without having to worry about what a studio executive is going to think,” the Spiridellis brothers comment. “We are in the midst of a media revolution where mega-media conglomerates are losing their grip on the audience and new brands like JibJab are being born. It’s a very exciting time to be creative entrepreneurs.”

    Nuckin’ Futs! follows JibJab’s October launch of The Great Sketch Experiment, a sketch comedy contest produced in partnership with renowned film director John Landis. JibJab also recently collaborated with “Weird Al” Yankovic, animating the video for his new song, ‘Do I Creep You Out?,’ which satirizes American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. Both can be viewed free of charge at JibJab.com.

  • Ratings Lively for CN’s Re-Animated

    Re-Animated, Cartoon Network’s first original production to blend live action and animation, premiered last Friday and became the network’s highest-rated original movie ever with the target demographic of kids 6-11. The two-hour adventure-comedy was particularly popular with boys as it emerged as the most-watched program of the week on Cartoon Network, and the top show among kids 2-11 in its time period among all ad-supported basic cable, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research.

    In Re-Animated, Dominic Janes (ER) has an accident involving an amusement park trolley and ends up getting the frozen brain of a famous cartoonist named Milt Appleday, played by Fred Willard. Matt Knudsen plays Appleday’s evil son, who tries to steal the brain back from Jimmy. The live-action cast also includes Bil Dwyer, Micah Karns, Eunice Cho, Rachel Quaintance and Rhea Lando, while Paul Reubens, Tom Kenny, Ellen Greene and Brian Posehn lend their voices to the various cartoon characters.

    The movie is created and written by Adam Pava and Tim McKeon, who were writers on Cartoon Network’s hit series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and The Life & Times of Juniper Lee. New York-based filmmaker Bruce Hurwit directed the production of Renegade Animation, Appleday Pictures and Cartoon Network.

    Re-Animated out-performed all of Cartoon Network’s earlier original movie offerings in the kids 6-11 demo, including November’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Good Wilt Hunting, August’s Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation Z.E.R.O. and 2001’s Samurai Jack: The Trilogy.