Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Disney TV Ani Prez Blumberg Resigns

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Barry Blumberg will step down as president of Walt Disney Television Animation (WDTVA). His impending departure comes as WDTVA enters a restructuring phase. The unit will fall under the supervision of president Rich Ross when it is integrated into Disney Channel Worldwide. Blumberg, who has been with the Mouse House since 1994, will reportedly stay on through the end of January to aid in the transition.

    Blumberg’s many responsibilities as president of WDTVA included spearheading development and production of TV series and any theatrical or home video offshoots of those shows. There is speculation that such creative duties will be handed over to Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for WDTVA.

    Under Blumberg, WDTVA’s production efforts intensified to provide content not only for Disney Channel, but also for Toon Disney and JETIX. Properties created and developed under his guidance include Disney’s Kim Possible, Super Robert Monkey Team Hyper-Force Go and the Playhouse Disney staple Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

  • Innamation ‘Bonds’ with Feature Scribe

    Emerging animation studio Innamation Films has tapped writer Damian Stevenson to re-write the screenplay for its feature film, The Christmas Rescue. Stevenson recently sold Fleming, a screenplay about the life of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, to Warner Bros.

    "Hiring a writer of Damian’s caliber underscores our commitment to working with top creative talents to bring our stories to life," says Brian Panzer, Innamation president and project producer/director/writer. "As we move toward the casting process and ultimately distribution, we will continue to look for talent and partnerships that will add value to the Innamation Films brand."

    The Christmas Rescue tells the story of a trio of woodland friends that band together to save Christmas by finding Santa when he is swept off course during a storm. Innamation plans to have a star-studded voice cast lined up before lining up a distribution deal, but is looking at a fourth quarter 2006 direct-to-video release.

    Other features in development at Innamation include adaptations of the Brothers Grimm fairytales Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The studio produced its first 3D-animated short in 2004. The Goldilocks re-telling was an official selection of the CINEME Int’l Animation Festival and will serve as the basis for the upcoming feature treatment.

    Panzer, an American Academy of Art graduate, previously founded DARKMOON Studios, which specialized in 3D animation, modeling and web site design for corporate clientele. You can find his Innamation Films on the web at www.innamationfilms.com.

  • Universal Goes Psycho For Comics

    According to Daily Variety, Universal Pictures has picked up movie rights to Dan Bereton’s and James Hudnall’s comic book property, The Psycho, published by DC Comics. Screenwriting duties have been trusted to Chris Morgan (Cellular), who wrote the studio’s upcoming trilogy maker, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.

    The Psycho comic books take place in a alternate timeline and follow the exploits of an undercover intelligence agent who gains superhuman powers when he takes an experimental serum created by the U.S. government during WWII. The transformation is necessary as he works to expose a political conspiracy and combat others who have used the dangerous and unpredictable substance. David Engel is producing for Circle of Confusion, which has a number of projects in development at Universal. Overseeing the pic for Universal is production VP Jeff Kirschenbaum.

  • Chicken Scratches Out Another Win

    Despite the debut of some high-profile releases, Disney’s animated Chicken Little held the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend, pecking out an estimated $32 million. Another stellar weekend for the CG comedy left Sony’s Zathura: A Space Adventure, The Weinstein Co.’s Derailed and Paramount’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ to fight it out for the scraps.

    Chicken Little has already made north of $80 million and shows little sign of stopping. With its stereoscopic 3-D component wowing audiences in select theaters, the pic managed to retain the bulk of its audience in week two, sliding only 20%. Next week should also prove fruitful for the folks at Disney as kids get out of school for the Thanksgiving holiday.

    Though Zathrua has been receiving better notices from critics, the unofficial Jumanji sequel fromdirector Jon Favreau (Elf) took far fewer moviegoers on its maiden journey into the depths of space. The $65 million sci-fi flick based on a children’s book by book by Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express, Jumanji) launched in second place with an estimated $14 million. The film features a combination of digital and old-school practical visual effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Stan Winston Studios, which you can read about in the December issue of Animation Magazine.

    The Jennifer Aniston/Clive Owen suspense thriller Derailed pulled into the No. 3 spot with around $12.8 million, a respectable bow for a $22 million production. The film is the first theatrical release from Bob and Harvey Weinstein’s new Weinstein Co., which will release its first animate feature, Hoodwinked!, in some 1,800 theaters across North America on Dec. 23.

    Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which stars rapper 50 Cent in an autobiographical look at his rise from thug life to international stardom, took in around $12.5 million. The $40 million pic has earned in an estimated $18 million since opening on Wednesday, but the No. 4 debut is a far cry form the chart-topping feature film debut of 50 Cent’s mentor, Eminem, who told his story with 8 Mile. Rounding out the top five is Universal’s Gulf War pic, Jarhead, which took a steep slide from the No. 2 spot in its second week.

  • Toon Boom Debuts Opus II, Harmony Service Packs

    Toon Boom Animation has released Opus II Service Pack 1 and Harmony Service Pack 1. Highlights of these releases include support of new scanners, namely the Fujitsu fi-5750c and Epson GT-15000; new shortcuts, optimized memory management and workflow enhancements in the scanning module; optimization of templates management; batch rendering improvements; and several other bug fixes. Since Harmony incorporates all Opus capabilities, all added features and enhancements apply to both products.

    Harmony is a cut-out and paperless animation solution that features morphing, inverse kinematics, glue and other advanced toolsets that allow studios to create high-quality animation a low cost. Opus, widely used for traditional animation production, allows users to take a project from scanning through inking and painting, compositing and rendering.

    Toon Boom says that in order to provide the best quality of product support for Opus and Harmony, it is ending support for USAnimation, a software product that has reached the end of its life cycle. A notice regarding expiration of USAnimation support has been sent to customers to allow the time to upgrade to Toon Boom Harmony or another replacement.

    In addition to Opus and Harmony, Toon Boom offers Solo, which is designed to meet the needs of small studios and independent filmmakers, and Toon Boom Studio, an application for individuals. Winner of the 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Engineering, the company also offers consulting and training services dedicated to increasing animation production efficiency and quality. For more information, go to www.toonboom.com.

  • Hasbro Gadget Nabs Cartoon Net, Nick Content

    Cable broadcasters Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon have signed deals to provide content for the portable VUGO Multimedia System from Hasbro Inc.’s Tiger Electronics. The new device is the latest entry in the toy maker’s line of consumer electronics designed specifically for the tween market. Arriving at retail this month, it will come packaged with a free download of Cartoon Network’s Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends.

    "Portable digital media players are all the rage right now and, by partnering with Tiger Electronics, Cartoon Network can offer its most popular shows to kids in a format that is perfect for them," says John Friend, senior VP of Cartoon Network Enterprises.

    Stephen Youngwood, senior VP of entertainment products for Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products, adds, "In addition to reaching Nick fans on-air, on-line and through new technologies including mobile telephone content, VUGO offers us a new path to serve tweens, wherever they may go."

    VUGO owners will be able to download episodes of such Cartoon Network favorites as Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Ed, Edd n Eddy. Available Nick properties will include SpongeBob SquarePants , Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom, Rugrats, Rocket Power, My Life as a Teenage Robot and Unfabulou.

    In addition to playing hit cartoons and other videos, the VUGO Multimedia System holds music and photos, making it a sort of kid-friendly version of Apple’s video iPod. Up to sixty minutes of video, six hours of music or more than 1,200 digital photos can be sotred in the system’s 128 MB internal memory. It also accepts standard SD memory cards for additional storage of media, which plays over a built in, three-inch color screen and self-contained speakers.

    TV shows and premium programming will be available for purchase at www.VUGO.com, the official VUGO online media shop. Kids can also upload their own content to the player from their computers via a USB cable, or from their televisions using an AV link. The VUGO Multimedia System will carries an approximate retail price of $119.99.

  • EA Launches Digital Delivery

    Electronic Arts (EA) has initiated a new program that delivers full games, demos, trailers and existing game updates to PC gamers worldwide via the Internet. The service launched today with a pre-download of Battlefield 2: Special Forces, an add-on which hits retail on Nov. 22.

    "Digital distribution will keep content flowing to players, keeping their current EA games fresh and delivering new EA games quickly and conveniently," notes Frank Sagnier, VP for Online at EA Europe. "We are always looking for ways to better connect with our customers, and EA is innovating to give our game-playing community access to exciting and immersive content."

    Battlefield 2: Special Forces is the first online downloadable offering from EA in Europe. A wide selection of games and new content will become available in the future. For more information about the EA download service, go to www.downloader.ea.com. More information on Battlefield 2: Special Forces can be found at www.battlefield.ea.com.

  • Quake 4 to Shake XBox 360 on Nov. 18

    id Software’s much-anticipated new Quake 4 game is set to storm the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system on Nov. 18. The new addition to the renowned franchise will be available at retail outlets day-and-date with Xbox 360 system launch in Europe.’

    Rated M for mature audiences, the new game enlists gamers in the role of Matthew Kane, a member of the Earth Defense Force’s legendary Rhino Squad, to penetrate deep into the heart of the Strogg war machine. Players can fight alone and in hover tanks and mechanized walkers as they engage in a heroic mission to defeat a barbaric alien race before they annihilate all of humankind.’ Developed by Raven Software and executive produced by id Software, Quake 4‘ is built on the revolutionary Doom 3 technology, and also features fast-paced multiplayer competition modeled after the speed, style and feel of id’s landmark multiplayer game, Quake III Arena.

    This full game has been re-engineered exclusively for Xbox 360 and includes the entire single player campaign in addition to two-to-four player co-op and two-to-eight player multiplayer via System Link or split-screen. For more information, visit www.quake4game.com.’

  • Animadrid 05 to Toast Guido Manuli

    Animadrid 05, The 4th International Festival of the Animated Image, will feature a special tribute to influential animator Guido Manuli, whose credits include the independent feature Volere Volare (I Want to Fly). Organized by the Council of Culture and Sport of the Community of Madrid, the festival will take place from Nov. 25 through Dec. 12 in the City of Pozuelo de Alarcon.

    Manuli, whose vision of Don Quixote graces the official poster for Animadrid 05,

    polished his animation chops as an artist for director Bruno Bozzeto (Allegro non troppo) before striking out on his own in the 1970s with such short films as Fantabiblical (1977), SOS (1979), Erezione (a ciascuno la sua) (1981), Solo un bacio (1981), Incubus (1985), Istruzione per l’uso (1989) and Trailer (1993).

    This year’s edition of Animadrid will feature an Official Section of short films, features, and TV series, as well as round tables, workshops, presentations and special film series. One retrospective will be devoted to the works of Jan Baca and Toni Garriga, key figures in Spanish animation. The Catalonian directors produced their first animated film, Aixo meu, aixo teu (This One Mine, This One Yours), in 1965, and have continued to work in various styles including cut-out and cell animation, painting on film, pixilation and collage. Other titles from the couple include Matermasis (1968), Sex (1970), Habitat (1971), L’home de la poma (The Apple Man, 1972), Blanc i negre (Black and White, 1974) and Boumm (1978).

    This year’s competition juries will include Marea Trenor, whose short Con que la lavar took first-place at last year’s Animadrid; Japanese-Irish filmmaker Jimi Murakami (When the Wind Blows), a two-time Annecy Grand Prize winner; Animacor festival director and Goya Award-winning toon producer Antonio Zurera; French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Prunes, who won the 2004 Animadrid Award for best TV program with Cheval-Soleil and Ana Gonzalez, a programmer for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Monre information on Animadrid 2005 can be cound at www.animadrid.com.

  • Paramount Takes Nelvana’s Backyardigans Overseas

    Paramount Home Entertainment International will distribute Nelvana’s CG-animated preschool series The Backyardigans in the U.K., Latin America, Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Scandinavia. The new deal expands an existing relationship through which Paramount Home Entertainment handles the property for Nickelodeon in the U.S. and for Nelvana in Canada. Home video sales will be supported by consumer product programs launched key in markets around the world by Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products.

    “This agreement is consistent with Nelvana Home Entertainment’s long-term strategy to secure more multi-territory deals,” says Peter Maule, VP of home entertainment and retail distribution for Nelvana. “The Backyardigans is a cornerstone property for Nelvana and Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products. We believe that Paramount’s incredible distribution network, combined with its sales and marketing prowess’as well Nickelodeon’s strong merchandising efforts’will ensure the successful launch of The Backyardigans as a consumer products franchise.”

    Created and exec produced by Janice Burgess (Little Bill), The Backyardigans is a musical adventure series about five high-spirited preschool friends who rely on their vivid imaginations to embark on epic adventures. The series is co-produced by Nick Jr. and Corus Ent.’s Nelvana, and is exec produced and directed by Robert Scull (Little Bill, Whoopi’s Littleburg).

  • Terminator Takes on TV

    As a fourth Terminator movie makes its way through the development process, the struggle between mankind and robot assassins from the future may also be headed to the tube. Daily Variety reports that FOX has ordered a pilot tentatively titled The Sarah Connor Chronicles from Warner Bros. TV and C2 Pictures, which produced Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

    War of the Worlds writer Josh Friedman, who penned Brian De Palma’s upcoming The Black Dahlia, is also attached to the Terminator TV project as pilot scribe and exec producer-showrunner. According to the trade, his script has the action taking place between the second and third movies, much like Cartoon Network’s animated Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries.

    No cast members from the films are expected to reprise their roles for the show, though a guest appearance by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not been ruled out. Naturally, the series will have a more limited budget than the films, so the fast-paced action and cutting-edge visual effects the franchise is known for will be balanced by a healthy dose of family drama.

    C2 Pictures principals Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar will serve as exec producers on the series, and company senior VP of development James Middleton will be a producer.

  • Animation Goes to the Soaps

    Animation has managed to find its way into just about every nook and cranny of the entertainment industry, and now you can add to that list daytime soaps. Hollywood based ka-chew!, the commercial unit of animation studio Klasky Csupo, recently used Flash animation to toon up the popular NBC sudser Passions.

    In episodes scheduled to air on Nov. 11, 14 and 15, certain Passions characters find themselves magically transported to a fairytale world in several short scenes crafted in 2D by ka-chew! director Sean Nadeau and his team. The story thread begins as Endora (Nicole Cox) puts her magic to work and casts a spell to bring Kay (Heidi Mueller) and Fox (Justin Hartley) into her favorite fairytale. Also featured in digital ink and paint are Sam (James Hyde) as the wise King, Ivy (Kim Johnston Ulrich) as the Queen/Evil Dragon, Father Lonigan (Bruce French), Tabitha (Juliet Mills) and Endora herself.

    The actors recorded the dialogue and the animation was completed last month at ka-chew! offices in Hollywood. The ka-chew! team included creative director John Andrews, exec producer Sam Schoemann, producer Chris Hutchison, assistant Flash animator Glenn Storm and online smoke editor Jesse Morrow. Lisa de Cazotte is the exec producer for Passions, with Richard R. Schilling serving as supervising producer.

    Headed by Richard Marlis, ka-chew! has produced award-winning 2D, CG and mixed commercial projects for such clients as Kodak, Kraft, Mattel, Lands End, and Earthlink. Other credits include on-air design for ESPN, FOX, E! Entertainment, MTV and Nicktoons, as well as on-air promotions for ABC, A&E, Discovery, and Paramount Domestic Television. More information is available at www.kachew.com.

  • Universal Vid Unit Ups Two, Sweetens Slate

    As Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions (USHEFP) steps up its efforts to produce film and television projects, the unit has promoted Ellen Cockrill to senior VP of animation production and Patti Jackson to senior VP of live-action production. Working out of the studio’s Universal City headquarters, they will continue to report to general manager and exec VP Glenn Ross.

    Cockrill most recently served as VP of television programming for Universal Home Entertainment Productions and Universal Cartoon Studios. In that capacity, she developed such children’s series as The New Woody Woodpecker Show for Fox Kids, The Mummy: The Animated Series for Kid’s WB! and the upcoming series The Land Before Time for Cartoon Network and Curious George for the PBS fall 2006 lineup.

    Prior to joining Universal in 1996, Cockrill served four years as exec director of development for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. There she produced the Oscar-nominated animated short, The Chicken from Outer Space, which served as the pilot for Cartoon Network’s Courage the Cowardly Dog series, and the Annie Award-nominated Johnny Bravo pilot, also for Cartoon Network. She began her entertainment career as a development coordinator for Walt Disney Television and worked as a story editor for the Samuel Goldwyn Co.

    Jackson joined Universal Home Entertainment Productions in 1993 as director of programming and was promoted to VP of production in 1996. In the role, she oversaw development and production of such films as Darkman II: The Return of Durant, Beethoven’s 3rd, Beethoven’s 4th and the upcoming American Pie Presents: Band Camp. Before joining Universal, she served as VP of entertainment at J2 Communications/National Lampoon, where she oversaw acquisitions, development and production.

    The USHEFP banner includes Universal Animation Studios and is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios. More information on the studio can be found at (www.universalstudios.com).

  • THQ, Paradox Ent. Game for Conan

    The epic adventures of Robert E. Howard’s 1930s literary creation, Conan the Barbarian, have been told in novels, comic books, movies and a television series. Now video game maker THQ is bringing the muscle-bound warrior to the interactive realm through a worldwide, multi-year licensing agreement with Paradox Ent. Inc. and Conan Properties International LLC. The deal covers development for all current and next-gen systems, as well as PC, wireless and handheld platforms.

    Conan continues to be one of the most successful comic book licenses. Director John Milus successfully adapted the property for the big screen with 1982’s Conan The Barbarian, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who donned the loincloth again for 1984’s Conan the Destroyer. The role was then handed over to Bodybuilder Ralf Moeller in the late ’90s with the syndicated television series Conan: The Adventurer.

    TDK-Mediactive released a Conan video game in 2004, but THQ will launch the franchise’s first large-scale game initiative, which will be part of a major re-launch of the property across all media worldwide. Actor Ron Perlman has been signed to voice the Conan character for Swordplay Ent.’s upcoming animated feature, Conan: Red Nails, and a third live-action feature film is currently in development purgatory at Warner Bros.

  • Serenity Docks on Disc in December

    Universal Studios isn’t wasting any time in getting the sci-fi action-adventure flick Serenity on retail shelves in time for the holiday season. The feature-length extension of the short-lived FOX television series Firefly will be available on DVD and VHS on Dec. 20 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

    Written and directed by Firefly creator Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), Serenity centers on a band of intergalactic outlaws who emerge as the most unlikely of heroes when a young telepath is hunted by a totalitarian military regime known as The Universal Alliance. The film boasts impressive visual effects work by Zoic Studios and a strong cast led by series regulars Nathan Fillion (Dracula 2000, Saving Private Ryan), Gina Torres (The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded), Alan Tudyk (I, Robot, Into the West) and Adam Baldwin (Men In Black, The Poseidon Adventure).

    The DVD will include such bonus materials as deleted scenes, outtakes, a special introduction and feature commentary by Whedon, and the featurettes Re-lighting the Firefly and What’s in a Firefly? The disc will carry a suggested retail price of $29.98. For more information on the film, go to www.serenitymovie.com.

  • Washington Post Starts Toon Competition

    In an effort to seek out the next generation of editorial cartoonists, The Washington Post has launched a digital animation competition on its web site, www.washingtonpost.com. Digital artists and humorists are encouraged to submit short-form (3 minutes or less) animated commentary focused on current political or topical issues.

    “The Washington Post print edition has a rich tradition of editorial cartooning that has influenced opinion and covered both the drama and comedy of news and politics,” remarks Hal Straus, Opinions editor for washingtonpost.com. “We thought it would be interesting for washingtonpost.com to see who out there is interested in picking up the mantle for the digital age.”

    Entries, which must be designed, edited or distributed in digital form, will be judged on humor, originality, use of the medium and topical relevance. Judges include representatives from the editorial divisions of washingtonpost.com and The Washington Post, as well as RES Media Group, the publishers of RES digital media magazine and coordinators of the multi-city RES Digital Film Festival.

    The prize for winning the competition is exposure in the Opinions section of washingtonpost.com. The deadline for entries is Dec. 31, 2005, and the winner will be announced in January of 2006. Entry details can be found at

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/editorialshorts.

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  • IDT Ent. To Conjure Hellboy Toons

    After making a successful leap to the big screen in 2004, Mike Mignola’s Dark Horse comic-book creation, Hellboy, is set to be tooned up. IDT Ent. has licensed all animation rights to the property from Revolution Studios and plans to develop projects for television and home entertainment. Mignola will be involved as a creative producer, as will director Guillermo Del Toro, who helmed the Hellboy feature. The two will also be involved in story development and the look of the animation.

    Other key creatives from the film will also take part in the animated productions, including stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), who will reprise their roles in the audio booth. Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin of Lawrence Gordon Prods. will exec produce along with Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics, who produced the live action feature.

    “Hellboy is a seminal figure in the comic book world and a proven winner in the feature film arena,” says IDT Ent. CEO Morris Berger. “This deal adds to the luster of our ever-growing library of intellectual properties with worldwide fan appeal. We believe Hellboy’s animated incarnation will benefit from our international sales, marketing and distribution network.”

    IDT Ent.’s animation studios in Los Angeles will handle production under supervising director/supervising producer Tad Stones, who has produced and directed animated television series and full-length Disney home video features including Disney’s Atlantis: Milo’s Return, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and Disney’s Aladdin and the King of Thieves. IDT Ent. Sales will head worldwide sales, and home video releases will be distributed through IDT’s Anchor Bay Ent.

    The Hellboy comics and movie tell the story of a demon who was summoned to Earth by Nazis to perpetrate evil, but ends up becoming a hero under the care of the benevolent Dr. Broom. Hellboy handles the most dangerous missions for Broom’s Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, a band of misfits dedicated to protecting mankind from dark powers.

    Revolution Studios’ live-action adaptation of the popular comics grossed more than $100 million worldwide, enough to warrant a sequel. Mignola and del Toro are now collaborating on Hellboy 2, scheduled for release in 2007.

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  • Comedy Central Renews Drawn Together

    Currently in its second season, Comedy Central’s hit animated reality-show spoof, Drawn Together, has been picked up for a third run. The cable network has ordered the production of 14 new episodes to begin airing in the fourth quarter of 2006.

    Drawn Together has eight completely different cartoon characters from various genres and styles thrown together in one house to have their lives taped for the viewing public. The housemates include Captain Hero, a not-so-moral do-gooder reminiscent of the Saturday-morning TV superheroes of the ’70s; Clara, a 20-year-old racist fairy-tale princess; Toot, a pudgy, black-and-white heartthrob from the ’20s; Foxxy Love, a sexy mystery-solving musician; Spanky Ham, a foul-mouthed Internet-download pig; Ling-Ling, an adorable Asian trading-card creature; Wooldoor-Sockbat, a SpongeBob SquarePants type; and Xandir, a gay adventurer inspired by the great video game warriors.

    Animated by Rough Draft, the series is created and written by Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser, who serve as exec producers. Silverstein and Jeser previously wrote for Comedy Central’s The Man Show and Fox’s Action and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Zoe Friedman is the exec in charge of production for Comedy Central.

    The entire first season of Drawn Together was recently released on home video as a two-disc set from Paramount Home Entertainment. All seven episodes are included, along with a number of special features that offer a glimpse into the making of the adult-aimed cartoon.

  • DIC Closes MIPCOM Sales

    After hocking its wares at the MIPCOM 2005 market in Cannes last month, DIC Ent. announces that a number of key international broadcasters and pay TV channels have picked up such animated properties as Trollz, Strawberry Shortcake, Sabrina: The Animated Series and Totally Sonic.

    The Trollz animated series, which has sold to 93 territories to date, has been acquired by multiple broadcasters including NRK in Norway, Channel 4 in Finland, Minimax in Poland, TSR in Switzerland, ORF in Austria, EMTV in Germany and Austria, DRS Free TV in Switzerland, SABC in South Africa and Canal J in France. The first season of Trollz currently airs around the world on Nickelodeon International and a host of terrestrial channels.

    Meanwhile, DIC’s revived girl’s property, Strawberry Shortcake, has extended its reach to 163 territories worldwide with pickups by Jr. TV in Germany and Switzerland, Channel 4 in Finland, TV2 in Norway, Alter Channel in Greece, Canal J in France, SIC in Portugal and Club RTL in Belguim.

    TV and film favorites form the DIC library also found new homes. Propeties sold include Super Duper Sumos (ORF in Austria and Luk International in Spain), Inspector Gadget’s Biggest Caper Ever (TSR in Switzerland), Mary-Kate & Ashley (Saran in Turkey and Luk International), Sabrina’s Secret Life (ABC Plus in Romania), Sabrina :The Animated Series (Club RTL in Belgium and Nickelodeon in Holland), Sonic Underground (GMTV in Germany and AB Group e in French-speaking Europe), Totally Sonic (AB Group e), Movie Toons (AB Group e), Action Man (Ma Planete in France), Hurricanes (Club RTL), Mummies Alive (Luk International) and Tex Avery (Luk International).

  • Ollie Johnston to Receive Medal of Arts

    Legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston was among the names announced yesterday as President George W. Bush unveiled the recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Art. The first animator to ever receive the honor, Johnston is traveling to Washington D.C. with his family and Roy Disney to attend Thursday’s ceremony at the White House.

    The National Medal of Arts is the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. A total of ten medals will be presented by the President and First Lady Laura Bush in the Oval Office on November 10. The other recipients are actor Robert Duvall, singer/songwriter Dolly Parton, musician/composer/artistic director Wynton Marsalis, author Louis Auchincloss, symphony orchestra conductor James DePreist, arts patron/advocate Leonard Garment, dance company artistic director/choreographer Tina Ramirez and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

    “These individuals and organization have all made significant and enduring contributions to the artistic life of our nation,’ comments National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia. ‘Whether through pioneering film animation, writing memorable novels, championing jazz, or creating new dance styles, their work has transformed the ways we experience and appreciate the world.”

    The National Medal of Arts was established by Congress in 1984. Each year, the Endowment seeks nominations from individuals and organizations across the country. Nominations are reviewed by The National Council on the Arts, the Endowment’s Presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed advisory body, which then provides recommendations for the President’s selections.

    One of Disney’s elite “Nine Old Men,” Johnston and long-time collaborator Frank Thomas were creative driving forces behind such enduring Disney classics as Bambi, Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp and The Jungle Book. For more information on the achievements of Johnston and the late Thomas, visit www.FrankAnOllie.com. You can also pick up the Frank and Ollie Special Edition DVD released in 2003 by Walt Disney Home Ent.