Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Last Chance to Pitch Your Toons!Pitch Party Deadline is June 7!

    Don’t miss your chance to be part of Animation Magazine‘s Fifth Annual Pitch Party, a unique opportunity to advertise your cool cartoon ideas and get them seen by top industry players with greenlight power! Reserve your 1/6th-page ad space by tomorrow, June 7, and you’re on your way to becoming the newest animation star to hit the scene!

    In addition to getting worldwide exposure in the pages of Animation Magazine, your pitch will be sent directly to our distinguished panel of Pitch Party Judges, which now includes Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, founder and CEO of Gotham Group, and Michael Lekes, senior VP of programming for Jetix Europe. As our newest judges, they join Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, Radar Cartoons exec producer Rita Street, Sony Pictures Animation senior VP of development Nate Hopper, Nickelodeon animation development director Peter Gal, Kids’ WB! senior VP/GM Betsy McGowen, Exodus Film Group exec producer Max Howard and DIC Ent. chief creative officer Michael Maliani.

    Michael Lekes is responsible for all aspects of Jetix Europe’s programming content, encompassing production, development, acquisitions and administration. He was originally appointed as Jetix Europe’s director of creative and development in 2002 with responsibility for the assessment of all creative aspects of potential pan-European acquisitions; approval of all editorial content of co-productions or commissioned series; and for the development of all new programming projects.

    Ellen Goldsmith-Vein founded The Gotham Group in 1994 and quickly grew it into one of the largest representation firms in the world focusing on creative talent in the animation and family entertainment business. The company boasts a roster of more than 250 top directors, writers, producers, illustrators, artists and content creators, and provides a full range of services in both live-action and animated feature film and television. Currently, Gotham is producing a feature film based on client Doug TenNapel’s graphic novel Creature Tech at New Regency with Forrest Gump producer Wendy Finerman. Among other projects in the works is The Spiderwick Chronicles, and adaptation of the best-selling series of fantasy books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, set up at Paramount with Nickelodeon Movies.

    To have your cartoon pitches reviewed by our distinguished panel of industry luminaries and the animation community at large, submit your ad today. Submission information can be found at www.animationmagazine.net/pitch_party_06.html.

  • Dumbo Drops on DVD

    The latest animated classic to emerge from the Disney vault has a little elephant with big ears learning that what makes him different also makes him special. Dumbo: Big Top Edition arrives at retail today, along with Sony’s effects-laden vampire vs. werewolf sequel, Underworld Evolution.

    Directed by Ben Sharpsteen, and based on a book by Helen Aberson and Harold Perl, Dumbo was originally released in 1941 and went on to receive the Oscar for Best Scoring of a Motion Picture and a nomination for Best Song (‘Baby Mine”). The film is back in a new DVD edition loaded with bonus features. In addition to one of the greatest animated films of all time, you get commentary by animation historian and Oscar-winning animator John Canemaker, the DisneyPedia: “My First Circus” game, a DVD storybook titled Dumbo’s Big Discovery, “Look Out for Mr. Stork” and “Casey Junior” sing-along songs, a music video for “Baby Mine,” a Celebrating Dumbo featurette narrated by Roy E. Disney and Lion King exec producer Don Hahn, Walt Disney’s original introduction to the movie’s TV premiere, a Dumbo art gallery and bonus cartoons Elmer Elephant and The Flying Mouse. The Buena Vista Home Entertainment release carries a suggested retail price of $29.99.

    Visual effects fans can pick up the DVD release of Underworld Evolution, which offers plenty of CG beasties and other feats of pixel trickery by Luma Pictures, CafeFX, ntropic, Fantasy II Film Effects, Krypton, Company 3, Furious FX and Framestore CFC. The film stars Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman and creatures of the night who must stop a new breed of monster from unleashing an ancient threat. The disc offers commentary from director Len Wiseman and other filmmakers, a making-of documentary a music video and featurettes on the film’s visual effects, creatures, stunts, design, music and sound design. It lsts for $28.95.

  • TV On DVD: Godzilla, He-Man

    There’s no shortage of TV toon favorites in this week’s batch of home video releases. Action and adventure rule supreme wit the arrival of two volumes of Hanna-Barbera’s Godzilla series from the ’70s and a collection of episodes from the second season of Filmation’s ’80s sensation, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

    Godzilla: The Original Animated Series volumes 1 and 2 each include four episodes from the entertaining cartoon incarnation of Toho’s ‘King of the Monsters.’ The show centers on the crew of an ocean-going research vessel, who find a devoted friend and protector in Godzilla when they rescue his young relative, a flying dinosaur named Godzooky. The series lasted two seasons before Hanna-Barbera’s license with Toho expired in 1980. Fans can pick up both discs from Sony Wonder for $12.98 each.

    He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 2, Vol. 1 is packaged as a six-disc box set of 33 episodes from the show’s ’84-’85 season. Young Prince Adam evokes the power of Castle Grayskull and becomes powerful warrior He-Man as Skeletor and other evil forces again threaten the planet of Eternia. Special Features include two new documentaries titled The Stories of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and The Magic of Filmation, commentaries on three full episodes, trivia and detailed profiles of various characters, creatures and artifacts. Brentwood Home Video lists the set at $49.98.

    Also new this week are two compilations of popular Nickelodeon animates series. Nick Jr. Favorites: Volume Four offers six episodes from six series including Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, Blue’s Clues, Lazytown, Max & Ruby and Little Bill. Meanwhile, Nick Picks: Volume Four delivers eight installments from the Nicktoons franchises All Grown Up, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Danny Phantom and My Life as a Teenage Robot and The X’s. Each of the Paramount Home Entertainment releases retails for $16.99.

  • MTV Goes Mobile with Animated Series

    Viacom’s MTV Networks International (MTVNI) today debuted Wulffmorgenthaler, its first animated series made specifically for mobile devices. Based on the famous comic stip of the same name, the series of 20 shorts is a co-production between MTVNI and Danish duo Mikael Wulff and Anders Morgenthaler. Production is handled by Zentropa Studios, a major Scandinavian film production company co-owned by Danish film director Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark).

    Each unique animated clip features different characters and storylines. In an episode titled Frank’s Pimple, one of the characters tries to squeeze a pimple but manages to go about in a completely wrong way. The shorts are available today exclusively on MTVNI’s mobile TV channels and mobile video on demand services in markets across Europe, Australia and the US. MTVNI currently has 20 mobile TV channels in 19 countries.

    The Wulffmorgenthaler shorts join MTVNI’s other made-for-mobile productions including Head and Body, produced in partnership with Motorola. After eight weeks on the mobile circuit, Wulffmorgenthaler content will begin rolling out on MTVNI’s broadband services such as MTV Overdrive. For more information, go to www.mtv.tv/wm/press.

  • Pee-Wee Joins [adult swim]

    Those of you fuming over Cartoon Network’s decision to carry the teen sitcom Saved By the Bell can look forward to more live-action on the network’s late-night [adult swim] block. At least this time they chose something a bit more animated in the cult favorite children’s series Pee-wee’s Playhouse. The 22-time Emmy Award-winning show will join the [adult swim] lineup on July 10, and will air Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. (ET/PT).

    Pee-wee’s Playhouse debuted in CBS’ Saturday morning lineup in 1986. The show stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, a child-like adult who lives in a magical house powered by imagination and visited by a wacky cast of human and puppet characters including the King of Cartoons, Cowboy Curtis, Miss Yvonne, Pteri the Pterodactyl and troublemaker Randy. Animated segments include vintage cartoons, stop-motion Penny shorts and the adventures of Spanish superhero El Hombre.

    Reubens created the Pee-wee Herman while he was a member of the Los Angeles-based improv group The Groundlings, and spun it off into a successful live show that launched the television series and spawned two hit movies, 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and 1988’s movie Big Top Pee-wee. Reubens has since appeared in various film and television roles, and has lent his voice to such animated films as Teacher’s Pet’The Movie and The Nightmare Before Christmas. He can next be seen in the upcoming feature Reno 911! Miami. Pee-wee who went on to bigger things include the late Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne, Natasha Lyonne and S. Epatha Merkerson.

    Cartoon Network will air all 45 original half-hour episodes of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, as well as the rarely-seen Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special.

  • FOX Orders More American Dad

    Daily Variety reports that FOX has extended the animated primetime series American Dad through the 2007-2008 season. The network has committed to producing 22 more episodes of the subversive family comedy from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and co-creators Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman.

    American Dad revolves around Stan Smith (voiced by MacFarlane), a CIA agent and proud family man based in Langley Falls, Virginia. In addition to his slightly dysfunctional family, Smith shared his household with Roger, a sarcastic space alien rescued from Area 51, and Klaus, a German-speaking goldfish born of a botched CIA experiment.

    American Dad has been a solid performer with adults 18-49 since its post-Super Bowl bow in 2005, and the network hopes to make those numbers even stronger next season when the show moves up to the slot immediately after The Simpsons. McFarlane and crew are reportedly halfway through production on installments for the 2006-2007 season. The first volume of episodes was recently released on DVD by Shout Factory.

  • 4Kids Deals Out More YU-GI-OH! GX

    Today at the LA Screenings, execs from 4Kids Ent. announced a raft of international sales for the second season of its hit anime series YU-GI-OH! GX. The 52 new episodes have been picked up by Nickelodeon in the U.K., Latin America and Spain; Media Set in Italy; RTE in Ireland; Canal J in France; and YTV in Canada. The company is expected to announce other major markets, including Germany, in the coming weeks.

    YU-GI-OH! GX season two offers more fast-paced adventures revolving around the Duel Academy, the most prestigious duelist training school in the world. As Jaden and the gang begin their sophomore year, top-ranked professional duelist Aster Phoenix enrolls in the Academy, sparking a series of mysterious events that lead up to a major revelation.

    A top-rated show on Cartoon Network’s Miguzi programming block in the U.S., the first season of the series also airs on major broadcast outlets around the world and will premiere on Cartoon Network Scandinavia in September.

  • Nick Jr. Debuts Wireless Mini Pilots

    Nick Jr. announced plans to launch original mini pilots across multiple platforms beginning with a wireless roll-out of three new animated shorts on Tuesday, June 6. Pass the Pinha, Jinny Starfly and All Aboard were incubated in Nick Jr.’s Institute of Applied Play, a creative lab that allows the network to build relationships with emerging talent. The projects range in length from one to three minutes, and will be featured on Nick Jr.’s broadband video service, Nick Jr. Video, and on-air on Nick Jr. television.

    Written and directed by Syr-Ivan Bennett, Jinny Starfly blends live action and animation as two kids patiently wait for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly. When their patience begins to wane, Nick Jr.’s animated science expert, Jinny Starfly, drops by to show them how nature works. The short will launch on Nick Jr. Video on Friday, June 9, and on Nick Jr. television on Monday, June 12.

    In the animated short Pass the Pinha, director Elanna Allen introduces viewers to Bing, a musical bird who, along with her siblings, finds a Brazilian fruit that makes a samba Brazilian sound when shaken. The pilot will hit wireless carriers on June 7, followed by debuts on Nick Jr. Video on June 16 and Nick Jr. on June 19.

    Created by Nancy Wolff, the animated short All Aboard has a billy goat and a raccoon turning a boring morning into an exciting ride when they get friends together to play choo-choo train. After its June 8 wireless launch, viewers can find it online on June 23 and on air on June 26.

    The Institute of Applied Play On average produces more than15 shorts per year. A number of these projects end up becoming regular Nick Jr. series, including the hit show The Wonder Pets! and the upcoming toon Ni Hao, Kai-lan, which is slated to premiere in the fall 2007. Nick Jr.’s short-form series Mighty Bug 5 started as an interstitial titled The Grumpy Bug. All can be seen on Nickjr.com.

  • CG Pioneer Kovacs Dies

    Academy Award-winning computer animation trailblazer Bill Kovacs died Tuesday from stroke complications in his home in Camarillo, Calif. The 56-year-old was best known as the co-founder of Wavefront Technologies, which was started in the early 1980s and eventually merged with Alias Research.

    Working for Robert Abel and Associates, Kovacs and Roy Hall developed Wavefront’s Advanced Visualizer computer graphics system, which was the forerunner to today’s off-the-shelf computer graphics and animation packages. The achievement also got them recognized with a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award in 1998.

    His early CG work in television commercials earned Kovacs a number of Clio Awards, and his work on the Disney feature Tron is considered groundbreaking and still holds up today. He has worked as a consultant to major video game publisher/developer Electronic Arts and Hollywood digital production company RezN8m, and was also a founding partner of software company Instant Effects. In addition, he was a Visiting Artist at Loyola Marymount University and served on the President’s Board of Advisors at Academy of Art University since 2002.

  • Toon Boom Pins Down Pegs

    As part of its growth strategy, Toon Boom Animation Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pegs’n Co, a privately held developer of 2D bitmap animation technology. It is not yet known how Pegs’ various products will be integrated into Toon Boom’s suite of paperless 2D and cut-out animation packages’Harmony, Opus, Solo and Studio. Toon Boom will discuss the new solutions and address questions during a press conference at MIFA, held in conjunction with the Annecy Int’l Festival of Animation, on Wednesday, June 7, at 11:30 at booth #2.03.

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

  • Pitch Party Deadline Nears!

    Animation Magazine‘s Fifth Annual Pitch Party is underway and you have until June 7 to reserve space for your brilliant animated show idea! This is your opportunity to get your concepts in front of influential people with the power to greenlight projects! This year’s judges include Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, Radar Cartoons exec producer Rita Street, Sony Pictures Animation senior VP of development Nate Hopper, Nickelodeon animation development director Peter Gal, Kids’ WB! senior VP/GM Betsy McGowen, Exodus Film Group exec producer Max Howard and DIC Ent. chief creative officer Michael Maliani. Jetix Europe’s senior VP of programming Michael Lekes and [adult swim]’s manager of program development Nick Weidenfeld just joined our panel of judges today. We’ll reveal a couple of more power players next week, so stay tuned.

    For the fifth consecutive year, we’re opening up an entire section of our publication to 1/6th-page advertisements that pitch new ideas. For less than the cost of a workshop on “breaking into the biz,” you can get your pitch seen by tens of thousands of readers, including top decision makers in the animation industry. You won’t have to produce a whole animated short to get your project noticed. All you have to do is send us an eye-grabbing design/image and a few lines to support your pitch. Getting your pitch to some of Toon Town’s top decisionmakers was never easier!

    To have your cartoon creations reviewed by our distinguished panel of industry luminaries and the animation community at large, submit your pitches today. Submission information can be found at

    www.animationmagazine.net/pitch_party_05.html.

  • Warner Bros. Floats Affleck’s Ark

    Warner Bros. has bought an animated family feature sceenplay titled Aardvark Art’s Ark from actor Casey Affleck (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12), according to Daily Variety. The younger brother of Ben Affleck will also exec produce the film, which will focus on an animal family living aboard Noah’s famous boat during the great flood.

    Like acting, writing is quickly becoming a family business for the Afflecks. Casey Affleck previously co-wrote the Gus Van Sant film Gerry with Matt Damon, who shared a Best Screenplay Oscar with Ben Affleck for Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting. Ben Affleck recently wrote and directed Miramax’s adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel Gone, Baby, Gone, in which Casey will star alongside Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. He will also appear in Warner Bros.’ The Assassination of Jesse James starring Brad Pitt, and the two will reunite with director Steven Soderbergh for Warner Bros.’ Ocean’s 13.

  • Universal Snags VeggieTales Pic

    Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato and the rest of the garden-variety heroes will reportedly be back on the big screen in 2008. According to Daily Variety, Universal Pictures has acquired worldwide theatrical and home video distribution rights to The Prirates Who Don’t Do Anything’A VeggieTales Movie, a follow-up to Big Idea’s successful 2002 CG production, Jonah’A VeggieTales Movie.

    Big Idea’s VeggieTales began life in 1994 as a popular home video series of animated biblical tales featuring talking and singing vegetables. Since then, aound 30 titles have been released at retail, selling nearly 50 million units. With a built-in audience in place, Artisan’s FHE Pictures decided to release the first movie in more than 1,000 theaters in the U.S., where it grossed north of $25 million with the grassroots support of church groups and became the first successful independent CG feature.

    The VeggieTales property, which has spawned a line of books and PC video games, became part of the Classic Media library when the family entertainment company acquired Chicago-based Big Idea in September of 2003. Artisan then announced plans to release a second feature, titled The Bob and Larry Movie, in 2005. Instead, writer Phil Vischer, director Mike Nawrocki and producer David Pitts of Big Idea have apparently been busy at work on their pirate adventure, which will star a trio of lethargic swashbucklers who appeared in the first film.

  • Genius Products Acquires BKN Toons

    Children’s and all family entertainment company Genius Products Inc. has picked up exclusive U.S. distribution rights to 16 animated properties from the home entertainment arm of BKN International A.G. The lineup, including an all-new feature film based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, will be released on DVD in 2006 and 2007 by Genius, which recently handled the home video release of The Weinstein Co.’s animated feature, Hoodwinked.

    BKN’s A Christmas Carol employs CG animation and an all-animal cast of characters to retell Dickens’ classic tale of how the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge learns to embrace the spirit of Christmas. The film is scheduled to get a limited U.S. theatrical release on the Screenvision platform by SD Ent. in November 2006, before its DVD debut on Nov. 22.

    Genius has also acquired rights to BKN’s new feature and series Zorro: Generation Z. The property has a modern-day, motorcycle-riding college student with high-tech gadgets taking up the family mantle as the masked avenger of legend. Also included in the deal are the new CG features Jungle Book and Kong ‘ Return to the Jungle, and the new series Dork Hunters from Outer Space. In addition, Genius will handle the BKN catalog titles Kong ‘ The Animated Series, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Legend of the Dragon, Robin Hood, The Prince and the Pauper, The Three Musketeers, Gulliver’s Travels, Alice in Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk and The Nutcracker.

  • Coppermann to Head T’l’ Images

    Nicolas Coppermann, currently general secretary and deputy program director at M6, has been tapped to serve as head of T’l’ Images Studio. In the new role, he will be responsibility for the group’s management oversee T’l’ Images subsidiaries GTV, T’l’ Images Kids, T’l’ Images Cr’ation, T’l’ Images International, T’l’ Images Docs and & Associ’s. In addition to, Nicolas Coppermann will also be overseeing its internal and external development.

    Coppermann was most recently in charge of drama production at French television network M6, which co-produced the recent animated theatrical hit Asterix and the Vikings. At T’l’ Images, he will team with Pascal Breton from Marathon, Vincent Chalvon Demersay from Marathon Media and Denis Mermet from Adventure Line Prods., who joined forces in January 2006 to form the tentatively named Finhera group, currently presided over by Pascal Breton.

    Established in 1984, T’l’ Images co-produces such animated series as Street Football, Atomic Betty, Lilli’s Island, CO2 and Adiboo Inside the Human Body. The company has emerged as one of the leading audiovisual groups in France and Europe in general, reaching all French networks with its various children’s programs, drama series and documentaries. The company is located on the web at www.teleimages.com.

  • Boinx iStopMotion Jives with Apple Remote

    Animation software developer Boinx has announced that the latest release of its stop-motion and time-lapse tool, iStopMotion 1.10, is compatible with the Apple Remote controller that comes with the newest Macs. The innovation allows animators to comfortably capture frames and control all the other applications without having to keep returning to keyboard and mouse.

    Pushing the ‘Menu’ button on the Apple Remote captures frames, while pressing ‘Play’ replays and pauses the movie so animators can check the animation. The ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ button runs the movie back and forth, and holding both down causes the clip to jump to the beginning or end.

    For users of the HR version of iStopMotion, the remote facilitates the grabbing multiple frames. Using the key pad, users can enter in the number of frames to be captured at once. As few as one or as many as 1000 frames can be grabbed with one press of the button.

    The Boinx iStopMotion 1.10.1 update is available for download immediately at www.istopmotion.com. The release is free for all current owners of a valid iStopMotion 1.x license. New license keys are on sale via Kagi for $39.95 for the DV version and $349 for the HR version. A five-day demo license for evaluation can be requested at www.boinx.com.

  • Taffy Sells Code Lyoko Down Under

    Kids in Australia will soon be jacking into Moonscoop’s popular animated series Code Lyoko in mass. Taffy Ent., the brand manager for MoonScoop and U.S.-based independent toon studio Mike Young Prods., has sold pay TV rights to Cartoon Network Australia, free TV rights to Channel 10 and home video rights to Manga Pacific.

    Code Lyoko blends 2D and 3D animation to follow the adventures of Yumi, Ulrich, Odd and Jeremy, ordinary students who become action heroes with special powers in the virtual digital world of Lyoko. MoonScoop is in production on third and fourth seasons, bringing the total number of episodes to 97.

    Co-produced by France 3 and Canal J, Code Lyoko has become one of the top animated shows on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and France 3, and has been voted the best show on Canal J by viewers in an online poll. Other broadcasters carrying the show include Cartoon Network Spain, Toonami in the U.K., Jetix Latin America, RTBF in Belgium, YTV and Radio Canada, the Disney Channel and Rai 2 in Italy, NRK in Norway, SVT-Barkalanen in Sweden, S4C in Wales, Canal+ in Poland, Star TV in India, Noga in Israel and TVB in Hong Kong.

    Taffy Ent.’s wide-reaching merchandising campaign for the property includes a Code Lyoko game on the Nintendo DS platform, as well as a broad range of toys, apparel, stationery, school bags and more. The worldwide master toy license is held by Marvel Toys, with Funtastic serving as the Australian distributor. The brand will also have a major presence at this month’s Licensing Show in New York City.

  • Disney Channel Broadband Going Live

    Starting Friday, June 2, Disney Channel will begin offering full-length episodes of its animated and live-action series through its online broadband player. Viewers will be able to log on to DisneyChannel.com. to catch streaming installments of the hit Disney Channel originals Disney’s Kim Possible, The Buzz on Maggie, American Dragon: Jake Long and The Emperor’s New School. Meanwhile, Jetix.tv will provide downloads of such Jetix offerings as Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Get Ed, W.I.T.C.H. and Power Rangers: Mystic Force.

    A total of 12 episodes will be made available initially. Among the live-action shows to be included are The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, That’s So Raven and Phil of the Future. Visitors will be able to rate their favorite shows, create their own playlists and customize the look of their media players. Fans can even submit messages to be included in the ticker that runs at the bottom of the screen both onine and on the air.

  • Transformers Movie Gets 20th DVD

    As DreamWorks and director Michael Bay continue work on their 2007 live-action feature based on the classic Transformers animated series, the home entertainment group of Sony BMG Music Ent. is putting together a 20th anniversary special edition DVD of Transformers: The Movie. The disc will be in stores across North America in November.

    Released theatrically in 1986, Transformers: The Movie picks up the battle between two different sects of robots that transform into vehicles. The film features the voice of Orson Welles in his final role, as well as Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Casey Kasem, Robert Stack, John Moschitta, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker.

    The DVD bonus features were developed with fan input and will include never-before-seen footage, exclusive interviews, interactive games and collectible packaging. The DVD also features a soundtrack featuring the iconic theme “The Transformers,” performed by Lion, and the popular “The Touch,” performed by Stan Bush.

    To coincide with the special edition DVD release, Hasbro will debut a Transformers Classics line of articulated action figures in November. The updated versions of the first generation of Transformers will be inspired by the look and spirit of the original figures and characters. For more information on the Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD, go to www.transformersthemovieDVD.com.

  • DIY Nacho Libre Comics

    Planetwide Games, maker of the Comic Book Creator Drag n’ Drop Comics software, has teamed with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products to offer a new version based on Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Jack Black comedy, Nacho Libre. Fans will be able to create their own comic books using key movie scenes, characters, tag lines, audio and graphics from the film.

    Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), Nacho Libre stars Black as Ignacio, a cook who works in a Mexican orphanage by day and moonlights as a lucha libre wrestler to raise money for the kids. Hess and sibling Jerusha Hess co-wrote the script with Mike White, who penned the previous Jack Black hit The School of Rock.

    Comic Book Creator users can utilize more than 500 different layout and design templates to craft their own Nacho Libre storylines. The finished products can them be posted to online, emailed to friends or printed out in comic book form.

    Nacho Libre Comic Book Creator will be available as a digital download on June 8 through the Planetwide Games online portal at www.MyComicBookCreator.com/nacholibre. The Special Edition retail box version will launch in retail locations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico after the movie’s U.S. theatrical release on June 16.