Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • SNL’s Funhouse On DVD in October

    A compilation of the animated shorts featured on NBC’s Saturday Night Live is slated for release on DVD on Oct. 24. Saturday Night Live: The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse will feature classic installments of The Ambiguously Gay Duo, The X-Presidents, Saddam and Osama and Fun with Real Audio, as well as animated appearances by Michael Jackson and Oprah.

    Saturday TV Funhouse is the brainchild of Emmy-winning SNL writer Robert Smigel, creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and other popular bits on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The irreverent toons were initially animated by JJ Sedelmaier Prods. and later picked up by Wachtenheim & Marianetti.

    On the DVD, Smigel provides commentaries along with members of the animation teams including David Wachtenheim, Robert Marianetti and JJ Sedelmaier. Also providing commentaries are Gay Duo voicers Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, and many celebrities who’ve been parodied on Funhouse including Mr. T, Al Franken, Bryant Gumbel, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and James Carville. Other bonus features will include original art, storyboards and more than an hour of additional, un-cut cartoons, some of which have never before aired on TV. The Universal Studios Home Entertainment release will list for $19.98

  • Kong Extended on Disc

    You knew it was coming. On Nov. 14, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition, a three-disc version of director Peter Jackson’s remake what will feature nearly 40 minutes of deleted scenes, including 13 additional minutes of vfx footage. The release will also be available as a deluxe limited edition gift set in specially designed collectable packaging.

    In addition to 16 deleted scenes, the new disc set will include commentary and special introductions by Jackson, mini-featurettes, concept art galleries, outtakes and gag reels, trailers, previz animatics, motion-capture to animation comparisons and other behind-the-scenes looks at the animation process.

    King Kong debuted in theaters in December of last year and went on to earn more than $549 million worldwide before tallying more bananas on DVD. Fans who purchased Jackson’s separate box set of production diaries may find it hard to believe there’s even more behind-the-scenes footage and insight into the making of the film, which won three 2006 Academy Awards for visual effects, sound editing and sound mixing.

    Jackson fans and Kongophiles will be ale to pick up King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition for the suggested retail price of $34.98. The King Kong: Deluxe Extended Limited Edition, which includes a Kong figurine specially created for the release by the artists at Oscar-winning vfx shop Weta, will list for $79.98.

  • Cartoon Network Makes MMOG

    Cartoon Network is developing its first massively multi-player online game (MMOG). The broadcaster’s Cartoon Network New Media division has teamed with Seoul, Korea-based Grigon Ent. to create the yet’untitled game, which will allow fans to interact with a variety of popular cartoon characters including the title hero of Ben 10, Bloo from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and the youngsters from Codename: Kids Next Door. The game will debut in the U.S. in the spring of 2008.

    The game will feature a persistent and expanding world where players to develop their own characters, attributes and possessions while forming virtual friendships and communities. It will be free to download, but players who want the enhanced gaming experience will need to set up a subscription for micro-transactions.

    ‘This MMOG is a key part of Cartoon Network’s growth strategy, and is an important complement to our mobile, broadband and existing online business,’ says Jim Samples, exec VP and general manager of Cartoon Network. ‘With the MMOG, mobile content, our web sites and, of course, our linear network, Cartoon Network is always on for kids.’

    ‘Online games have been the most important driver of Cartoon Network New Media’s success over the last few years,’ adds Paul Condolora, senior VP and general manager of Cartoon Network New Media. ‘With more than 84 million U.S. homes expected to have broadband Internet access by 2008, and Cartoon Network’s reach and creative vision, we’re excited to enter the fast-growing world of massively multiplayer online gaming.’

    Grigon Ent. is best known as the developer of Seal Online, a light-hearted role-playing game which has been a major hit in its native Korea, as well as China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. Other popular titles from the company are the fairytale-based QRing and the casual tennis game Gamebledon.

  • Frank Miller Adapts Eisner’s Spirit

    Frank Miller, creator of Sin City, 300 and other popular graphic novels, is turning to the works of another famous comic artist for his third feature film effort. After co-directed the movie version of Sin City and its upcoming sequel with Robert Rodriguez, Miller will write and direct a feature film based on Will Eisner’s legendary comic-book The Spirit, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project will be formally announced at the San Diego Comic-Con Int’l on Saturday, with Miller in attendance.

    Eisner first introduced The Spirit in 1940 as a Sunday newspaper insert. The comic centered on Denny Colt, a police detective who was presumably killed at the hands of a villainous criminal. Operating out of a secret lair in a cemetery, Colt battles evildoers as a masked mystery man.

    The Spirit was adapted as a television movie in 1987 with Sam Jones (Flash Gordon) in the lead role. Eisner reportedly disapproved of the film’s campy tone, which drew comparisons to the 1960s Batman television series. The new movie promises to stay truer to the comics by presenting a stylized, noir comic-book world.

    The Spirit will be co-financed and produced by Odd Lot Ent.’s Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker, who met with Eisner to discuss the project before he died in January of 2005. Batfilm Prods.’ Michael Uslan will also handle producer duties, while Batfilm co-founder Benjamin Melniker serves as exec producer. Odd Lot’s Linda McDonough and Batfilm’s FJ DeSanto will co-produce. Production is expected to begin sometime next year.

  • Hatchling Hatches Toll at Comic-Con

    Attendees of Comic-Con Int’l in San Diego can catch the premiere of The Toll, a new CG-animated short film from Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based production entity Hatchling Studio. The comedy flick will screen during the Comic-Con Int’l Independent Film Festival on Thursday, July 20, at 5:50 in Room 26 AB, followed by a Q & A with the filmmakers.

    Written and directed by Zack Pike, The Toll is an animated mockumentary that turns the camera on a troll who lives under a bridge and expounds on work, life and love, slowly painting the self-portrait of a monster in denial.

    ‘We created The Toll to show our studio’s storytelling and animation

    capabilities in the CG arena,’ says Hatchling Studios CEO/producer Marc Dole. ‘We have received great reviews from the viral clips we have released and are looking at doing more with this storyline.’

    Hatchling Studios’ new 2D animation department will premiere its series, Endurance Challenge: Mordred’s Isle online later this month. Featuring the voice of Billy West (Ren & Stimpy, Futurama), the series parodies reality-based television as a team of monsters is pitted against a team of wizards, warriors and one unwitting nerd who doesn’t quite understand the nature of his situation. The project is a collaborative effort between Dole, writer director Zack Pike and director Matt Ducharme. The first episode will be available at www.HatchlingShorts.com.

    Hatchling executives and animators will be on hand at booth 1332 during the Comic-Con Independent Film Festival. More information on The Toll can be found at www.TheTollMovie.com.

  • Fox, Harper Collins Form Graphic Novel Biz

    Hit horror films such as 28 Days Later and The Hills Have Eyes will be among the Fox Filmed Entertainment properties getting the graphic novel treatment under a publishing deal between the studio’s youth-focused unit, Fox Atomic, and HarperCollins. Harper will publish and distribute Fox Atomic Comics, a line of graphic novels tied to upcoming theatrical-release films, with the first titles scheduled to begin rolling out in 2007.

    Coming next spring, the first Fox Atomic Comics release will be 28 Days Later: The Aftermath which bridges the gap between the original film and its upcoming sequel, 28 Weeks Later. The graphic novel is written by comic veteran Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Wake the Dead, The Creeper) and edited by Jimmy Palmiotti, publisher and editor of Event Comics and Marvel Knights. The release will be followed by The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning, a novel inspired by the classic Wes Craven film, its recent remake and the forthcoming sequel, The Hills Have Eyes 2. Slated to debut in the fall of 2007 is The Nightmare Factory, a horror anthology series adapted from the works of Thomas Ligotti.

  • 200 Theaters Become 3D Monster Houses

    REAL D has announced that Columbia Pictures’ animated feature Monster House will screen in stereoscopic 3D in 200 venues as it opens in North America on Friday. The company previously supplied the 3D experience for Disney’s Chicken Little, but has since doubled its coverage by introducing its 3D cinema format to 39 exhibitors worldwide. Monster House will be exhibited in 3D on more than 215 as is also plays in conventional 2D projection.

    Among the new exhibitors adopting the REAL D format for the presentation of Monster House are majors Cinemark USA andCarmike Cinemas, which have eache equipped 17 theaters for 3D projection. In addition, UltraStar Cinemas is on board with five theaters and Emagine Theatres clocks in with two. 2. REAL D also reports that several of its exhibition partners, including National Amusements, Regal Entertainment Group and Rave Motion Pictures Theaters, have installed additional screens for the Monster House debut.

    Directed by Gil Kenan, Monster House is produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg. The movie, which has neighborhood kids investigating a a creepy house, is the second film to be released in REAL D, and the second to employ Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Performance Capture technique based on motion-capture technology. The first Performance Capture production was Warner Bros.’ The Polar Express, which was directed by Zemeckis. The filmmaker is now employing the technology on the upcoming feature Beowulf.

  • New Speed Racer Debuts at Comic-Con

    As it celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, the classic anime series Speed Racer is coming back with a new series and attendees of this week’s Comic-Con in San Diego will be the first to get a look at the animation. Art Asylum will host premiere screenings of the webisodes, as well as the new online video game and toy line exclusively at Booth # 3913, where fans can also admire a real-life version of the Mach 5.

    Produced by ANImagic with help form Heavenspot and producer/writer “Tramp” of Supreme Team Prods., the new series of Speed Racer promotional web cartoons will launch on July 19th at http://www.SpeedRacerLives.com. The site will also offer downloadable music and the free, multi-level, 3D online video game which allows players to pimp their rides.

    Art Asylum will kick-off the Comic-Con fun on Wednesday night with the debut of a behind-the-scenes trailer, followed by screenings of the first episode on Thursday night, the second episode Friday night and the 3rd episode on Saturday. The episodes are a product of the creative talent behind Cartoon Network’s The Venture Brothers, led by ANImagic’s Jeff Nodelman.

    Speed Racer began as the Japanese series Mach Go Go Go, created by Tatsunoko Prods. in 1966. All episodes were then dubbed into English and syndicated nationally on television In 1967, beginning a run that would last nearly 20 years. The show returned to TV in the ’90s on MTV and then aired for almost 5 years on the Cartoon Network. There has been talk of a live-action movie in the works at 20th Century Fox. Rumors have the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) possibly attached to direct with Joel Silver, Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner producing. At one point, Vince Vaughn was reportedly on board to play the part of Racer X, Speed Racer’s long-lost brother. However, the notion of a feature adaptation has been circulating around Hollywood for more than a decade, so we’ll believe it when we see the Mach 5 hit the blacktop.

  • Corus Unveils ’06/’07 Lineup

    Canadian children’s programming powerhouse Corus Ent. today announced new animated shows joining its 2006/2007 fall schedules on YTV, Treehouse and Discovery Kids Canada. Ruby Gloom, Erky Perky, The Far Out Adventures Team Galaxy, Weird Years, Viva Pi’ata and Grossology are included in the slate of 20 new and returning series from Canadian and international producers.

    Nelvana’s Ruby Gloom chronicles the adventures of the happiest little girl in the world and teaches children to look beyond appearances, while CCI Ent.’s Erky Perky offers kids a bugs-eye view of the world as two insects share a continual quest for food. Produced by Marathon and Image in association with YTV, Team Galaxy takes place at Galaxy High, where three friends trained as space marshals and become unlikely defenders of Earth. Meanwhile, the edgy Weird Years chronicle’s an immigrant family’s humorous adventures in North America, and Viva Pi’ata stars a colorful cast of party animal pi’atas that join fun celebrations around the world. Finally, Nelvana’s Grossology has a brother-and-sister team investigating crimes that are too icky for local law enforcement to handle. (also airing on Discovery Kids).

    All shows will air on YTV. Viva Pi’ata and Team Galaxy will join Captain Flamingo, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, xy and Shuriken School in the broadcaster’s new hosted Saturday-morning comedy block, which debuts on Sept. 9. In addition, the network will add Nickelodeon’s original series, Fatherhood, to its after-dinner schedule. Grossology will also air on Discovery Kids Canada. Meanwhile, Treehouse has picked up Nickelodeon’s animated preschool series The Wonder Pets!

  • Ren & Stimpy, Queer Duck on Disc

    Adult animation takes center stage today as some edgy party animals deliver naughty cartoon fun on DVD. With Ren & Stimpy’The Lost Episodes, creator John Kricfalusi serves up commentary on new Ren & Stimpy installments that weren’t aired by Spike TV. Meanwhile fans of Showtime’s Flash-animated adventures of Seymore Duckstein can finally check out the feature-length extension that is Queer Duck: The Movie.

    John K. finally got to make the Ren & Stimpy cartoons he always wanted to when Paramount asked him to revive the erstwhile Nickelodeon series for Spike TV’s adult audiences. The new series, Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, brought the dog-and-cat duo out of the closet and cranked the raunchiness level to eleven. However, the network discontinued the show before airing all of the episodes. As the title suggests, the DVD includes those missing adventures, as well as other installments from the show. Kricfalusi provides intros to each episode and later discusses making the cartoons with other Spumco artists who worked on them. Also included as extra features are pencil tests, animatics, storyboards and looks at other pieces of production art. The two-disc set is available from Paramount Home Entertainment for the suggested retail price of $26.99.

    Also from Paramount Home Entertainment, Queer Duck: The Movie is written by series creator Mike Reiss, (Simpsons scribe) and brings back such beloved characters as Openly Gator, Bi-Polar Bear and Oscar Wildcat. The property launched as an Internet short on www.icebox.com and was eventually picked up by Showtime to air after the popular series Queer as Folk in 2003. The show featured Jim J. Bullock as the voice of male nurse Adam Seymour ‘Queer Duck’ Duckstein, who learns it’s okay to be who he is with a little help from his friends.

    In Queer Duck: The Movie, Seymore and Gator experience a relationship crisis when a brassy Broadway bird enters the picture and makes our hero if he’d be happier being straight. While Gator the waiter spills his problems to a compassionate Conan O’Brien, Queer Duck goes on a personal odyssey that ultimately leads to a showdown with a television evangelist at a theme park re-christened Fairyland. Featuring supporting vocal performances from Mark Hamill, Tim Curry, David Duchovny, Conan O’Brien, Estelle Harris and Maurice LaMarche, the film is directed by Xeth Feinberg and produced by Paramount in partnership with Icebox, a new-media company with a library of more than 170 animated shorts. Exec producers include Howard Gordon (24), Rob LaZebnick (The Simpsons) and John Collier (King of the Hill). The disc retails for $19.99.

  • Avatar, Filmation Faves on DVD

    Kids’ action-adventure titles abound in today’s slate of DVD releases, starting with the latest batch of episodes from Nickelodeon’s hit series Avatar The Last Airbender. A pair of classics are also in the offing as BCI grants fan wishes by finaly bringing Filmation’s She-Ra and Flash Gordon TV series to disc for the first time.

    Avatar: The Last Air Bender Book 1: Water, Vol. 4 offers episodes 13-16 of the hit anime-inspired cartoon series. “The Blue Spirit” finds Commander Zhao growing more powerful as the Fire Nation’ prepares for war, while “The Fortun Teller’ focuses on Aang’s relationship with Katara. In “Bato of the Water Tribe,” Katara and Sakkah get one step closer to reuniting with their lost father while a female bounty hunter picks up Aang’s trail. Finally, “The Deserter’ finds Aang a stranger in a new town where he hopes to learn the art of firebending from a reluctant master. DVD extras include a featurette titled “Ask the Creators” with creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and an original animatic. The Paramount Home Entertainment release lists for $16.99.

    He-Man’s twin sister, Princess Adora, raises her own magic sword and becomes the most powerful woman in the universe in the animated 1980s series She-Ra Princess of Power. Today’s best-of release includes the introductory feature-length movie He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, as well as five episodes picked by fans via online voting. In addition, fans get a making-of featurette, audio commentaries, character bios, complete storyboards from selected episodes and downloadable scripts from selected episodes. The two-disc set carries a suggested retail price or $24.98.

    The dashing, galaxy-traveling hero from comic books and early serials comes to animated life in Flash Gordon’The Complete Series. This four-disc set includes all 24 episodes of the series, which aired from 1979 to 1981. In the show, the title character blasts off to the planet Mongo with girlfriend Dale Arden and scientist Hans Zarkov on a mission to prevent evil dictator Ming the Merciless from dominating the universe. Our heroes are joined in their quest by Prince Barin of Arboria, the Hawk Men led by King Vultan, Queen Fria of the ice-covered land of Frigia and Thun the Lion Man. DVD bonus features include Blasting Off with Flash Gordon, a documentary featuring interviews with creators and historians, as well as audio commentaries, animated storyboards, art galleries, character profiles, trivia and fun facts. The set lists for $39.98.

    Also debuting on disc today are volumes 3 and 4 of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Each release from Turner Home Entertainment offers four 22-minute episodes of the Warner Bros. series, which aired in the late 1980s. The show features Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma as young kids as they begin their sleuthing careers. The titles can be picked up for $14.98 apiece.

  • Pirates Treasure Runneth Over

    Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest continued to plunder box office booty over the weekend, earning another $62.2 million, according to estimates. Despite seeing a drop of approximately 54% in its second week, the swashbuckling adventure flick has taken in around $258.2 million, breaking the ten-day record set by 20th Century Fox’s Star Wars: Episode II: Revenge of the Sith with $236.9. Pirates scored the third highest second weekend behind DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 and Sony’s Spider-Man.

    Sony/Revolution’s Little Man and Universal’s You, Me and Dupree both enjoyed respectable openings but proved to be lightweight competition for Pirates with just over $21 million apiece. The comedies are running a tight race for second place, which will be decided when actuals are calculated.

    Last week’s second-place holder, Warner Bros.’ Superman Returns, dropped to No. 4 with an estimated $11.6 million in its fourth week. The superhero pic hasn’t quite hit the highs expected by the studio, which pumped a reported $260 million into bringing back the Man of Steel. The film has been opening well overseas, however, picking up $35.8 million from foreign markets to help put it near the $200 million worldwide mark.

    Warner Independent Pictures’ A Scanner Darkly continues to perform well in limited release. Despite being out in only 216 theaters, the rotoscope-animated Philip K. Dick adaptation managed a top-10 finish this weekend, coming in at tenth place with nearly $1.2 million.

    Sony’s mo-cap Monster House had sold-out sneak peek screenings at more than 700 theaters over the weekend. The film, which has been garnering rave reviews from the nation’s leading critics, opens on Friday. Based on critical response, the film just may emerge from the shadow of Disney/Pixar’s Cars and DreamWorks’ Over the Hedge to become the top animated film of the year. However, it will have to deal with some animated competition when Warner Bros.’ The Ant Bully arrives in theaters on July 28 and Paramount/Nickelodeon’s Barnyard opens on August 5.

  • New Boondocks Episodes Delayed

    Fans of Cartoon Network’s controversial animated series, The Boondocks, will have to wait until 2007 to see new episodes, according to a report in The New York Post. The season two delay is reportedly due to a network request for five more installments of the [adult swim] hit about two street-wise African American kids transplanted in a posh suburban neighborhood. The second season is now slated to debut in March 2007.

    The Post cites series creator Aaron McGruder blaming a long production schedule for the lack of new episodes. He says the team is halfway finished with the writing and is just starting with the animation stage. Cartoon Network initially ordered 20 more episodes after the first season was well received by the [adult swim] demographic. The show debuted on Nov. 6 of last year with the most-watched series premiere in [adult swim] history, and has consistently ranked among the top programs on basic cable each week among young adult viewers.

    Produced by McGruder’s Rebel Base shingle, in association with Sony Pictures Television, The Boondocks explores race relations and other socio-political issues as seen through the eyes of its angry young protagonists. The second season was originally supposed to begin in late 2006.

  • BBC, CCI Producing DinoSapien

    BBC Worldwide and CCI Ent. have begun production on DinoSapien, a tween-targeted adventure series produced in association with Discovery Kids and CBBC. Slated to air next spring, the show will feature CG dinosaurs alongside live actors. Principal photography on the initial 15 half-hour episodes is underway in Alberta, Canada.

    DinoSapien chronicles the adventures of 15 year-old Lauren (Brittney Wilson from Nickelodeon’s Romeo!), whose father mysteriously disappeared on a fossil expedition in the badlands. While Lauren struggles to come to terms with the loss, she spends her days working with a trio of friends at a Dinosaur Camp run by her mother. There, she comes across a living, intelligent dinosaur she names Eno. In addition to keeping Eno a secret, she must protect him form the Diggers, a band of dinosaurs that are trying to kill him.

    Overseeing the production are CCI Ent.’s Jim Corston and Rick Siggelkow of BBC Worldwide, who previously collaborated on such children’s programs as Ace Lightning, Noddy and Shining Time Station. This time they are also working with Alberta Filmworks’ Tom Cox and Jordy Randall.

    ‘The series premise, which is about evolved dinosaurs interacting with present day kids, is both original and scientifically accurate,’ says Siggelkow. ‘And like any good story, DinoSapien tells us as much about the dinosaurs as it does about the kids who encounter them.’

    ‘This ambitious project combines the sophistication of high-end CG with great storytelling,’ adds Corston. ‘Because we are shooting in HD, it will really accentuate the exotic Alberta environment. It’s just the kind of series we feel kids will connect with.’

    DinoSapien will launch on Discovery Kids and BBC Kids Canada in March of 2007, and on the BBC in May of 2007. The show is being produced with the participation of The Alberta Film Development Program of the Alberta Government, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Ontario Film & Television Tax Credits, Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Shaw Rocket Fund and Worldwide Children’s Co-Production.

  • Animators Turn Comic-Con into Actionopolis

    A number of accomplished animators and comic-book illustrators will be at the San Diego Comic-Con this week promoting Actionopolis, a new line of illustrated prose chapter books for children. Published by Komikwerks, LLC., the books are created by various artists, including animation talent who have worked on such high-profile features as Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Paramount’s The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and the TV series G.I. Joe, X-Men, Static Shock and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi.

    The Actionopolis project is spearheaded by publisher and veteran animator Shannon Eric Denton, who has storyboarded the Jimmy Neutron movie and the upcoming series Ninja Turtles Flash Forward, among others. She will be joined at Comic-Con by Finding Nemo storyboarder Bruce Zick, Spider-Man animator/Zombie Monkey Monster Jamboree illustrator Will Meugniot, Static Shock storyboarder Rick Hoberg and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi writer Adam Beechen, among others. The artists will be on hand for signings at booth #2302, and will also play host to a panel discussion and Q&A session scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, in room 1A.

    Denton founded Actionopolis with fellow Komikwerks publisher Patrick Coyle. This month, the venture will release the first in a line of more than 15 new book series, with seven more illustrated volumes slated to debut this fall. Information and previews of the current slate, as well as upcoming stops on the Actionopolis tour, can be found at www.actionopolis.com.

  • 24 Minutes of Scanner Darkly Online

    If you’re on the fence about seeing director Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly, you might want to check out on online sneak peek at the IGN FilmForce website. In a bold move, Warner Independent Pictures has allowed the site to post the first 24 minutes of the film, which was animated with the interpolated rotoscoping technique Linklater used on his 2002 cult favorite, Waking Life. But as you’ll see from the online footage, the technology is used to create a different effect this time around.

    A Scanner Darkly opened in select cities on July 7 and rolled out wider this past weekend, landing in the top-ten with nearly $1.2 million from just $216 theaters across North America. Based on that success, the film should continue to find its way into more venues over then next couple of weeks.

    To view the beginning of the movie, go to http://media.filmforce.ign.com/media/670/670907/vids_1.html. There, you’ll also find downloadable interviews with Linklater and stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Rory Cochrane.

    While you’re online checking out trippy stuff, you can also catch the trailer for The Science of Sleep, the new film from Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). The live-action dramedy features some cool stop-motion animation special effects, as you can see from the trailer here: www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/thescienceofsleep/large.html.

  • Scanner Widens, Monster Sneaks

    Though few major releases dare take on Disney’s mega blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the animated choices for your weekend entertainment have expanded with a wider opening for Warner Independent’s A Scanner Darkly and some sneak peak screenings of Sony Pictures’ Monster House. Scanner, which opened on 17 screens last week, jumps to 216 theaters today, while Monster previews in 712 theaters across North America on Saturday.

    Director Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly is based on the novel by famed science-fiction author Phillip K. Dick, who wrote the source material for the hit films Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. The film takes place seven years in the future as a new designer drug sweeps the nation and causes an epidemic of addiction, even among the enforcement officers tasked with controlling it. Starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Rory Cochrane, the movie was originally shot live-action on digital video and then painted over with an interpolated rotoscoping software dubbed RotoShop.

    Similarly, Monster House was created with Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Performance Capture technology, a form of motion-capture that takes actors’ performances and translates them to animation. Directed by UCLA Spotlight Award-winner Gil Kenan, the movie tells the story of three kids who venture across the street to a mysterious house that they believe to be alive. The youngsters are voiced by newcomers Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Mitchel Musso, who are joined in the cast by Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner and Fred Willard. Produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke and Steven Spielberg, Monster House will officially open on July 21, rolling out simultaneously in conventional 2D presentation and IMAX 3D.

    Also opening in wide release today are Universal’s Owen Wilson/Matt Dillon comedy You, Me and Dupree, and Sony/Revolution’s Little Man. The latest laffer from the Wayans Bros., Little Man hinges on a visual effect that transforms Marlon Wayans into a vertically challenged criminal mastermind who eludes capture by posing as a small child. The film’s vfx work was completed by MPC, Cinesite, Hydraulx, Pixel Magic and Baseblack.

  • TVN Sprouts VOD Deal with PBS KIDS

    TVN Entertainment Corp. and PBS KIDS Sprout have extended their partnership with a new Video On Demand agreement. Under the new deal, TVN will provide distribution and asset management services for the PBS KIDS Sprout On Demand video service, which features such animated kid favorites as Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese Cat, Caillou, The Berenstain Bears, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, Pingu and Make Way For Noddy.

    Sprout will use online data from TVN’s ADONISS 2 platform and Provider Remote Interface (PRI) toolset to track and monitor VOD programs and update metadata on a site-by-site basis. TVN is currently supporting asset management and distribution of PBS KIDS Sprout to several other MSOs including Atlantic Broadband, Blue Ridge, Bresnan, Cox, Massillon, Metrocast, RCN, Sunflower and Wave.

    Since debuting in April of 2005, PBS KIDS Sprout has generating more than 90 million orders, making it the leading Kids On Demand service. The corresponding PBS KIDS Sprout 24-hour digital channel launched in September of 2005 and boasts nearly 20 million subscribers on digital cable and satellite. More information is available at www.sproutletsgrow.com.

  • MTV2 Revives Crank Yankers

    Just as it did with MTV’s cancelled stop-motion animated series Celebrity Death Match, cable outlet MTV2 is resurrecting Comedy Central’s puppet-populated prank call show, Crank Yankers. The network has ordered eight brand-new episodes of the irreverent comedy show from Jackhole Industries, the production entity comprised of Jimmy Kimmel, Daniel Kellison and Adam Carolla.

    Crank Yankers premiered on Comedy Central in 2002, introducing viewers to a recurring cast of puppets that act out real prank calls. The calls were made by show regulars Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, Wanda Sykes, Jim Florentine, Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman, David Allen Grier and Tracy Morgan, as celebrity guests including Dave Chappelle, Seth MacFarlane, Dennis Leary, Stephen Colbert, Eminem and Fred Armisen. The puppets are designed by Funny Garbage, and the title music is performed by Fountains of Wayne.

    “With all the trouble in the world, it’s comforting to know that MTV2 understands how vital crank phone calls made by puppets are to this nation,” jokes Jackhole’s Kellison.

    MTV2 recently launched its Sic’ Emation animation block, which features the aforementioned Celebrity Death Match, along with the Flash-animated series Where My Dogs At? and The Adventures of Chico & Guapo. Death Match was the highest rated MTV2 series premiere ever, and the block in general helped the network reach new ratings milestones. MTV2 is coming off its highest rated second quarter ever, and hopes to keep the momentum going with more programming that targets males ages 12 to 34.

  • John K, Warner Bros. in Clip Battle

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and renowned animator John Kricfalusi are at odds over the use of clips from classic Warner Bros. cartoons. Studio lawyers worked to remove the video snippets which Kricfaluci posted on his blog (johnkstuff.blogspot.com) using the popular YouTube hosting format.

    Best known as the creator of Ren and Stimpy and founder of Spumco International, Kricfalusi is an outspoken lover of old-school WB animation, and regularly uses his blog to comment on his favorite cartoons and creators with

    clips illustrating his points. Most recently, he used the site to express his outrage with the situation in a rant titled ‘Warner Bros. Cartoons Hates Their Fans.” Included in the post are actual emails he traded with YouTube, as well as a cartoon of Bugs Bunny inviting Elmer Fudd to kiss his rear end. The bad blood could end Kricfalusi’s relationship with Warner Bros., which in the past has hired him to provide featurettes and audio commentaries for various DVD sets.

    Warner Bros. told the trade that they have no objection to Kricfalusi using the clips to offer educational and historical perspective, which it considers legitimate fair use. However, the studio is not happy with them being available on YouTube, where anyone can view them out of context. Warner is also reportedly working out a deal to host their own videos on YouTube.