Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Editor’s Note: Warmed Over by Corpse Bride

    Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I love stop-motion animation. As someone who grew up on Rankin & Bass holiday specials and such iconic films as the original King Kong and Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad series, I’m hopelessly in love with the unique style created by moving articulated puppets in tiny increments and capturing them on film (or video) one frame at a time. And as an amateur practitioner of the art, I fully appreciate the care and skill that went into making the gorgeous spectacle that is Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

    While the film has Burton’s stamp all over it, much of the credit goes to his co-director, Mike Johnson, who was the one in the trenches day in and day out while Burton was overseeing production on Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Johnson and his crew, led by animation supervisor Anthony Scott, have done an impeccable job of bringing these characters to life, even though most of them are dead.

    Based on a 19th century Eastern European folk tale, Corpse Bride stars Oscar nominee Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sleepy Hollow) as the voice of Victor, a young man who is about to be wed when he is whisked away to the underworld and married to the mysterious Corpse Bride, voiced by Helena Bonham-Carter (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit). Frightened of her at first, Victor warms up to his departed spouse and finds himself torn between two worlds. Emily Watson (Equilibrium, Punch Drunk Love) provides the voice of Victoria, Victor’s fiancée who pines away for him in the land of the living.

    Corpse Bride is drawing comparisons to Burton’s 1993 stop-motion holiday classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Henry Selick. However, it’s difficult to fairly compare the two since Nightmare was more ambitious in its scope and more grandiose in its presentation. Jack Skellington’s theatrical entrance is still one of the best in film history, though the "unveiling" of the Corpse Bride character is a goosebump-inducing achievement as well. Less Broadway than Nightmare, Corpse Bride plays more like an Edgar Allan Poe yarn brought to the screen with musical numbers and a healthy dose of whimsical humor. The sets are beautifully constructed but provide more intimate settings than the wondrous world of Holloween Town created for Nightmare.

    If I have one gripe about the film, it’s that I would like to have seen more development in Victor’s relationships with both Victoria and the Corpse Bride. There are some nice moments between the characters, but I felt a little more was needed to really motivate Victor’s actions. But the movie is called Corpse Bride and the title character truly carries the film on her bony shoulders. I really felt for her and couldn’t help but fall in love with her, despite her skeletal extremities, the exposed ribs and the maggot that dwells in her eye socket.

    Corpse Bride is a feast for the eyes and ears. Cinematographer Pete Kozachick’s rich digital photography combines with Danny Elfman’s moving score and rousing songs to create a first-class entertainment experience that plays as well to adults as it does children. Younger kids may even be frightened by some scenes, hence the PG rating.

    Above all, Corpse Bride is a stunning achievement in animation. My hat is off to the skilled artists who put their blood, sweat and tears into this production. It’s great to see that the art of stop-motion animation is not only alive and well, but looking better than ever.

    Go behind the scenes with director Mike Johnson and animation supervisor Anthony Scott in the September issue of Animation Magazine.

    Credited animators:

    Phil Dale

    Brian Demoskoff

    Drew Lightfoot

    Charlotte Worsaae

    Pete Dodd

    Jo Chalkley

    Mark Waring

    Anthony Farquhar-Smith

    Malcolm Lamont

    Chris Stenner

    Brad Schiff

    Tim Watts

    Jason Stalman

    Brian Hansen

    Matt Palmer

    Chris Tichborne

    Tim Allen

    Tobias Fouracre

    Trey Thomas

    Jens Johnathan Gulliksen

    Antony Elworthy

    Mike Cottee

    Stefano Cassini

    Chris Tootell

  • DreamWorks Making Madagascar 2

    DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced today that the studio will produce a sequel to the hit CG-animated feature, Madagascar. Stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith have already agreed to return to the voice cast, and directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath will be back at the helm.

    Speaking at the annual Merrill Lynch Media & Entertainment Conference in Pasadena, Katzenberg stated, "As a result of its tremendous box office success, the potential to tell a new chapter in its story and the popularity of the film’s characters, we are excited to announce that we are making Madagascar our second company franchise–along with Shrek. We will release a theatrical sequel in 2008."

    Released over the summer, Madagascar has earned more than $500 million at the worldwide box office, making it DreamWorks Animation’s most successful original movie ever. Mireille Soria will again serve as producer on the sequel.

    Madagascar’s devious penguins will also be back, this time starring in their own direct-to-video release due out in 2009. In addition, the flightless birds will be the stars of DreamWorks Animation’s first animated short. The yet-untitled ten-minute film will play in theatres this fall before screenings of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which opens nationwide on Oct. 7.

  • Animated Sith Hits the Web

    Can’t wait for the DVD release of Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith? Neither can our friend, independent animator Mike Reeping of Squirrels Ink Prods. That’s why he’s taken the time to craft a condensed, animated remake of the final installment in George Lucas’ blockbuster space saga.

    Created entirely on his personal computer using Adobe Photoshop and AfterEffects, Reeping’s Sith cartoon serves as both a rousing spoof and a loving tribute to the enduring universe created by Lucas and the vfx wizards at ILM. The four-minute fan film hits all the key story points, documenting Anakin Skywalker’s seduction by the Dark Side and his eventual rebirth as the villainous Darth Vader.

    For several years, Reeping has been producing his own animated web series, starting with Justin T. Nick of Time, which follows the time-warped adventures of a third-grade substitute teacher, his ninja love interest, his pet fish and a gun-slinging mirror. He followed the series with A Guy, a Fish, a Cat and a Movie, a very funny movie review/spoof show hosted by a young slacker, his sarcastic goldfish and his robot cat.

    You can check out the Justin T. Nick of Time webisodes and buy the DVDs at www.jtnickoftime.com. Catch the movie reviews and the animated Revenge of the Sith tribute at www.guyfishcatmovie.com.

  • MGA Ent. Sends Hurricane Relief Aid

    The BRATZ dolls and animated productions may be all about celebrating fashion and hanging out at the mall with your cool friends, but the company behind them is showing a lot of compassion for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. MGA Ent. of Van Nuys, Calif. has made a donation of $50,000 to Feed the Children, and has promised to match all Red Cross donations made by its employees nationwide.

    "The people of MGA feel tremendous compassion for those affected by this terrible disaster and will continue to help and support these affected families and children in as many ways as possible," comments MGA CEO Isaac Larian.

    In addition to the monetary support, MGA has sent more than 10,000 toys and BRATZ consumer products such as clothing, blankets and footwear to Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.). For more information on that particular charity, visit www.kidsdonations.org.

    BRATZ was introduced in June of 2001, and has since become one of the world’s leading toy lines and girls’ lifestyle brands. The dolls made their animated debut in 2004 with the Fox Home Entertainment direct-to-video feature BRATZ: Starrin’ ’N’ Stylin’, which was followed by this week’s release of BRATZ: Rock Angelz. In addition, animation house Mike Young Prods. has brought the property to TV with a series that debuted Sept. 10 on FOX’s Saturday morning 4Kids TV block. For more information on the property can be found at www.mgae.com or www.bratzpack.com. Learn more about MGA’s new boy brand, Alien Racers, at www.alienracers.com.

  • Nat Geo Signs Huckins to Development Deal

    Cable ACE Award-winning writer/producer Holly Huckins (Rugrats) has signed on to develop a stop-motion preschool comedy series for National Geographic Television & Film’s (NGT&F) Kids’ Programming and Production unit. Specific details about the nature of the show are still under wraps.

    Huckins is writer/creator/executive producer on Playhouse Disney’s hit series Higglytown Heroes. In addition to Rugrats, previous writing credits include Disney’s Recess and Decode’s Angela Anaconda, which airs on ABC Family, Fox Family Channel, Fox Kids Network and Teletoon, and has been nominated for multiple Emmys.

    "We feel privileged to be working with such a talented, respected and funny professional like Holly," comments Donna Friedman Meir, president of Kids’ Programming and Production for NGT&F. "She’s brought her unique and quirky sensibility to the National Geographic mission in a really wonderful way. I’m excited to share the outcome of our creative collaboration with the global marketplace."

    Based in Los Angeles, Kids’ Programming and Production is an independent production entity of NGT&F. Established in 2003, NGT&F’s Kids’ group develops and produces animated and live-action programming that encourages kids to explore their world. For more information about National Geographic, go to www.nationalgeographic.com.

  • Hitchhiker’s Guide Navigates to Disc

    A ton of digital effects by Cinesite (Europe) combined with superb rubber and animatronic work by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to bring author Douglas Adam’s sci-fi cult favorite to the big screen. Now The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has arrived on home video complete with some nifty bells and whistles.

    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy stars Martin Freeman (Love Actually, BBC’s The Office) as Arthur Dent, a man who learns that Earth is about to be exploded to make room for an intergalactic highway. At the same time, he discovers that his best friend, Ford Perfect (Mos Def), is an alien and the two hitch a ride that sends them on a series of wacky adventures throughout the galaxy. The pic also stars Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Bill Nighy. Alan Rickman also pops up as the voice of Marvin the robot.

    In addition to the main action, the film features hilarious animated vignettes that illustrate chapters of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a book that Arthur is given to help him cope with the challenges of intergalactic travel. British animation house Shynola provided the 2D toon work. There is even a brief, but humorous, stop-motion animation sequence created by Mal Woolbridge, Digna Migoumi and Jay Mallot.

    Extra features on the DVD include commentary from members of the cast and exec producer Sean Solle, a colleague of the late Douglas Adams. There are also deleted scenes, fake deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, an additional Guide entry, a sing-along and the set-top game Marvin’s Hangman. The Buena Vista Home Entertainment release lists for $29.99 on DVD.

  • New Pooh, Bratz on DVD

    Just in time for the October holiday, the new direct-to-video feature, Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, arrives at retail today. The old-school charm of author A.A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood is a long way from the shopping malls frequented by the fashion-conscious Bratz dolls, who also star in a new animated movie debuting on video this week.

    In Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, Roo and his new pal, Lumpy, find their trick-or-treating was all for naught when Pooh eats all their candy. Then, Tigger informs them of the legend of the Gobloon, a mysterious being that can turn trick-or-treaters into "jaggedy lanterns" or grant wishes, depending on who catches whom first. Determined to wish for more candy, the brave duo set out on a spooky adventure a learn an important lesson about friendship. The DisneyToon Studios’ production was written by Evan Spiliotopoulos.

    DVD bonus materials include such games as Trick or Retreat, Pooh’s Boo! Bingo and Pass the Pumpkin, as well as a party planner, an invitation maker, DVD Rom printables, recipes from Kanga’s kitchen and pumpkin stencils and coloring pages for making jaggedy lanterns. The Buena Vista Home Entertainment release carries a suggested retail price of $19.99.

    MGA Ent.’s Bratz: Rock Angelz is the latest CG-animated adventure for the hip Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha and Jade, popular fashion dolls who have become cartoon stars with help from Mike Young Prods. In this new adventure, the girls start their own teen magazine and form a rock band. DVD estras include the bonus episode "Crush in a Rush," a music video, a Bratz Rock Angelz product gallery and sneak peeks at a CD and video game based on the movie and toy line. The DVD is available from Fox Home Entertainment for around $19.98.

  • Puffy AmiYumi Rocking to Nintendo DS

    Cartoon Network’s hit animated series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, is coming to the game space as the first Nintendo DS title from D3Publisher of America Inc. (D3PA). The game is scheduled for release during the first quarter of 2006, following D3PA’s rollout of a Nintendo Game Boy Advance version late this year.

    Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi for the Nintendo DS is described as a "rock ‘n’ roll brawler." Intended for kids 6-11, the adventure game allows players to call upon the powers of rock and roll to defeat their enemies as they travel the globe using only their instruments as weapons. Taking advantage of the DS’ dual screens, action is presented on the upper screen while the actual control takes the form of a guitar located on the Touch Pad. Fans can rock for the fate of the universe in single-player action or join forces with a friend in two-player WiFi cooperative mode.

    The game also features familiar locations from the TV episodes, a popularity points system, upgrades to guitars and accessories at shops found in each level and quirky mini-games.

    Los Angeles-based D3Publisher of America Inc. is a subsidiary of D3Publisher, with headquarters in Tokyo. The company distributes and publishes software for PC and all major console platforms. More information can be found at www.d3p.us.

  • THQ Regenerates Evil Dead

    Video game publisher THQ today announced the launch of Evil Dead Regeneration for Xbox and PlayStation 2. Based on director Sam Raimi’s comically gruesome cult favorite horror trilogy, the game picks up where Evil Dead 2 left off and promises to give fans the interactive deadite-destroying experience they’ve been waiting for.

    Bruce Campbell, star of the popular films, lends his distinctive voice to the game, reprising the role of Ash, a man tormented by ancient demons unleashed by the Necronomicon, also known as The Book of the Dead. With a blood-spattered cabin full of corpses to his credit, Ash is arrested for murder and sentenced to an insane asylum. There, he teams up with a wisecracking half-deadite dwarf named Sam to foil the plans of a mad doctor who is experimenting with the Necromomicon.

    “We believe Evil Dead Regeneration provides the hysterical humor and frantic horror sewn into each film," says David Bollesen, general manager of developer Cranky Pants Games. "The chemistry created between Bruce Campbell as Ash and Ted Raimi as his sidekick really delivers on the spirit of the films. Punting a half-dead sidekick to do your dirty work is case-in-point.”

    Evil Dead Regeneration is available now for PlayStation 2 and Xbox for the suggested retail price of $19.99. The Windows PC version expected to ship on Sept. 20.

  • Nextoons Winners Announced

    Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival concluded over the weekend with a screening of the top ten films in competition and the awarding of the $10,000 grand prize. French filmmaker Arthur de Pins took top honors for his toon short, La Révolution des Crabes (The Crab Revolution), beating out hundreds of other entries in this second season of the televised animation festival.

    La Révolution des Crabes was voted best of the fest by a grand jury that included actor Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Avatar: The Last Airbender co-creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, director/animator Mike Gabriel (Lorenzo), 10-year-old cartoon connoisseur Noah Webb and feature storyboard artist and winner of the Producers’ Choice Award in the first Nicktoons Film Festival, Elizabeth Ito (Welcome to My Life). A release issued by Nicktoons notes, "All jury members agreed that the clever story about the life of crabs doomed to only travel in a straight line was a side-splitter. The simple plot, black-and-white format and straightforward animation add to the film’s undeniable charm."

    The other big winner was The Naïve Man from Lolliland from California Institute of the Arts student J.G. Quintel. The short about a very gentile ambassador who totally loses his cool during a typically benign encounter won both the Producers’ Choice Award (an Apple G5 computer and a copy of Bauhaus Software’s Mirage) and the Nextoons Student Animator Award ($1,000 and a copy of SOFTIMAGE’s XSI|Foundation).

    The top-ten competitors included Anthem from PSYOP of New York, Prey by Tom Kyzivat of Illinois, The Mousochist by John Dilworth of New York, Maestro by M. Toth Geza of Hungary, Betty by Rie Ito of New York, Oh, Dear by Jiwook Kim of Los Angeles, Farm Force from Dominic Carola and Paulo Alvarado of Florida and Fee Fi Fo Fum by Shane Swinnea of Illinois.

    “Our second-season winners have established Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival as the premiere electronic animation festival for independent animators and artists,” says Fred Seibert, exec director of the festival and president of Frederator Studios, which is a co-producer of Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival. “Arthur de Pins and J.G. Quintel are the original talents to watch out for in the future.”

    Sponsors and Friends of the Nextoons Festival include Bauhaus Software, SOFTIMAGE, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Stash DVD Magazine, Toon Boom, Your Next Tee, Digital Tutors, Animation Magazine, Mighty Fine Inc. and DreamWorks Animation. More information can be found at www.nicktoons.com.

  • South Park, Clone Wars Snag Emmys

    Comedy Central’s long-running adult cartoon, South Park, and Cartoon Network’s animated micro-series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, came out on top in the animation category on Sunday when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded the 2004-2005 Creative Arts Primetime Emmys. Part of the 57th Annual Emmy Awards, the event was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

    Produced and directed by Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky, Star Wars Clone Wars Volume 2 (chapters 21-25) employs stylized 2D animation to fill fans in on what happens between the second and third episodes of George Lucas’ blockbuster film series. The show was named Outstanding Animated Program (one hour or more), beating out Animal Planet’s Dragons: Fantasy Made Real.

    For animated programming less than one hour, South Park took the cake for the episode "Best Friends Forever." Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the satirical comedy series about four kids living in a messed-up small town in Colorado was recently picked up for three more years. Also nominated in the category were FOX’s Family Guy ("North by North Quahog"), Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack ("Episode XLIX"), The Simpsons ("Future Drama") and SpongeBob SquarePants ("Fear of a Krabby Patty/Shell of a Man").

    Meanwhile, HBO’s animated preschool series, Classical Baby, took Outstanding Children’s Program, as did Nickelodeon’s Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Never Again? From the Holocaust to the Sudan. Also up for the award were A&E’s Pride, Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven and Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101.

    Classical Baby animator Barbara Wierzchowska was one of the artists recognized for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. The others were Gordon Hammond for character design on Nickelodeon’s The Fairly OddParents ("Shelf Life"), Mike Moon for art direction on Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends ("House of Bloos"), series creator Craig McCracken for character design on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends ("House of Bloos"), Ed baker for storyboards on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends ("World Wide Wabbit"), Frederick Gardner for background key design on Cartoon Network’s The PowerPuff Girls ("West in Pieces"), Bryan Andrews for storyboards on Samurai Jack ("Episode IVIX") and Justin Thompson for background key design on Star Wars: Clone Wars (Chapters 21-25).

    The award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series went to ABC’s hit series, Lost (Pilot-Parts 1 &2). Work on the show was overseen by visual effects supervisors Kevin Blank and Mitch Suskin. Meanwhile, the HBO biopic, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, was honored for vfx in a miniseries, movie or special. Joe Pavlo helmed the effects work on that production.

    Emmys in 27 other categories will be presented during the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards telecast on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. on CBS. For a full list of winners and nominees, see www.emmys.org.

  • Disney Channel Fires Up More American Dragon

    Walt Disney Television Animation’s American Dragon: Jake Long got a second season order from Disney Channel Worldwide. The 2D-animated comedy/adventure series airs on 24 Disney Channels in 74 countries and has sold to such major broadcasters asTF1 in France, GMTV in the U.K., RAI in Italy and Seven network in Australia.

    American Dragon: Jake Long centers on a young Chinese-American skateboarder who harbors a unique ability to transform into a powerful dragon that protects magical creatures secretly living in Manhattan. The show was created by Jeff Goode and developed by exec producers Matt Negrete (Disney’s Fillmore!) and Eddie Guzelian (Disney’s Kim Possible).  

    Emmy Award nominee Steve Loter (Disney’s Kim Possible) has joined the production team as exec producer and director, working alongside Negrete and Guzelian. Also on board this season is actor Kyle Massey (That’s So Raven), who will voice the recurring character #88, an apprentice to Jake’s nemesis, the Huntsman.

    “The decision by our partners at Disney Channel Worldwide to order additional episodes of American Dragon affirms the terrific work that Eddie Guzelian and Matt Negrete have done to date on the series," comments Barry Blumberg, president of Walt Disney Television Animation. "The addition of director Steve Loter can only enhance the success of the show."

    In the U.S., American Dragon: Jake Long has been a ratings success with boys 6-11 since its premiere in January. During 2nd quarter of 2005, the series was Disney Channel’s No. 2 program in the demographic, surpassed only by The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. American Dragon airs in blocks on Disney Channel in the U.S. on Thursdays (3 p.m.-5 p.m.), Saturdays (12 p.m. and 3 p.m.-4 p.m.) and Sundays (12 p.m., ET/PT).

  • Amberwood, YTV Pact for RollBots

    Amberwood Ent., Canada and Canadian broadcaster YTV have signed a deal to develop a CG-animated series titled RollBots. The action show for kids 6-11 will be initially comprised of 26 half hours for the international market.

    Based on an original idea by Michael Milligan, RollBots centers on perfectly round robots that zip through Flip City, a metropolis of roller-coaster tracks encircling a central hub. Here, the title automatons battle to save their society from the evil Syndicate.

    Development funding is being provided by YTV, a subsidiary of Corus Ent., and the Canadian Television Fund. The show’s licensing program will eventually include toys and video games.

  • Facelift’s Monstories Make for Cartoon Network

    Vancouver, Canada-based animation development studio Facelift Ent. Inc. will deliver 52 episodes of its award-winning animated series, Monstories, to Cartoon Network in the U.S. Under the deal, the five existing episodes will be complemented by 47 all-new installments to begin rolling out during the 2005/2006 TV season.

    Created and directed by Lance Taylor, Monstories chronicles the adventures of two mischievous monsters, Max and Mel, who lead an eclectic cast of “monster actors.” The series of colorful, one-minute shorts unfolds without dialog, relying instead on computer graphics, hand-drawn animation and original gypsy music scores.

    The original Monstories episodes have traveled in the festival circuit, playing at such annual events as Annecy in France, Cicdaf in China and AnimaMundi in Brazil. Recent awards include Best TV Series from Cineme in Chicago and the Audience Grand Jury prize at Glitchfast in Montreal.

  • Exorcism Casts Out Competition

    Sony Screen Gems’ The Exorcism of Emily Rose brought the supernatural genre out of its slump over the weekend, scaring up an estimated $30.2 million to claim the top spot at the box office. The film, which features creepy visual effects by Captive Audience Prods., also put an end to the box office reign of the summer comedy, characterized this year by the likes of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Wedding Crashers.

    Despite the inspired pairing of Samuel Jackson and Eugene Levy, New Line Cinema’s The Man, only managed to make around $4 million in its debut frame. Released in nearly 1,000 fewer theaters than the weekend’s top draw, the buddy cop comedy landed at No. 6 behind a handful of holdovers.

    Now in its fourth week, Universal’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin is still getting some in the No. 2 spot with around $8 million, keeping just ahead of last week’s box office champ, 20th Century Fox’s Transporter 2. The actioner starring Jason Statham made like a stuntman and took a 56% fall in its second week, landing in third place with an estimated $7.2 million.

    Focus Features’ political thriller, The Constant Gardner, and DreamWorks airborne spine-tingler, Red Eye, round out the weekend’s top five with approximately $4.8 million and $4.6 million respectively.

    The success of Exorcism bodes well for the raft of horror flicks scheduled to hit theaters in time for Halloween. These include Rogue Pictures’ Cry Wolf, Dimension’s Venom, Sony’s remake of The Fog, Universal’s Doom and Lions Gate’s Saw II. Also ripe for the holiday are Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, opening wide on Sept. 23 via Warner Bros., and Aardman Animation’s Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, being released by DreamWorks on Oct. 7.

  • Earthworks Moves to 64 Zoo Lane

    International animation producer Millimages has selected Earthworks Ent. to represent the U.S. merchandise licensing and publishing rights for its popular animated TV series, 64 Zoo Lane. Earthworks markets entertainment properties across all areas of commercial licensing, including TV and home video, toys, video games, music, books, leisure and play items, gifts and novelties, theme parks, food and drink promotions and apparel.

    Broadcast in the U.S. on the Noggin TV Network, 64 Zoo Lane follows the adventures of Lucy, a, intelligent and inquisitive young girl who lives next door to the zoo and is friends with all the animals.

    Earthworks also represents the U.S. Licensing rights for Millimages’ hit property Corneil & Bernie, which airs on Nickelodeon’s Nicktoons TV network. Other properties in Millimages’ catalog of more than 500 half hours have been aired by most leading broadcasters worldwide.

  • Taffy Stretches Two New Toons

    A smart rocket and a girl raised by a family of bugs are part of the new lineup of animated shows being shopped by Taffy Entertainment at the MIPCOM Junior market in October. Taffy, which is the rights and distribution arm of Mike Young Productions, announced that two new titles’Growing Up Creepie and I Got a Rocket– will join its slate of already-established toons, Pet Alien, ToddWorld and Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks at the international TV market in France (Oct. 15, 16).

    I Got a Rocket! is based on a series of Australian picture books by Matt Zurbo and Dean Gorissen and his a co-production with Aussie house SLR Productions. The series centers on a group of friends known as The July Gang, and its latest recruit, a fully functioning rocket with artificial intelligence. Growing Up Creepie, a co-prod with Discovery Kids, DAG and The Story Hat, centers on the adventures of a young girl who is raised by a family of bugs and has to face the horrors of middle school.

    Both shows are presented as 52 x11 minute episodes with worldwide TV and video distribution rights available. If you are attending MIPCOM in Cannes, you can find check out all the Taffy flavors at Stand R34.14 at Palais des Festivals.

  • CAT2 Plug-In Is Out of the Hat

    Animators and game development artists can check out Version 2 of New Zealand-based Character Animation Technologies’ CAT system this week. CAT Version 2 is a plug-in for Autodesk’s 3ds Max, which offers a unique set of tools to help produce better animations more quickly in a completely flexible environment.

    “Since the release of CAT, we have been delighted with the uptake of the software in the animation world from game developers through to film and television production houses, with key adopters, including Relic Ent., Rainbow Studios, Relentless Software, Flagship Studios and Digital Pictures Iloura,” adds Scott Pearson, CEO of Character Animation Technologies. “For those still considering whether to move from other systems, CAT2 will seal the deal. CAT2 is not an evolution, it is a revolution into a whole new world of flexibility and power for the artist.”

    CAT provides animators the flexibility of a sophisticated custom rig without the slowdown and technical complexity. Artists can create any rig configuration in minutes and save it as a preset for reuse. With the software’s procedural walkcycle system, walk sequences can now be achieved in less than an hour, and key framing is faster and more intuitive. CAT’s non-linear animation system also greatly improves flexibility and efficiency, and artists can build entire libraries of animation clips to be loaded onto any other CATRig.

    CAT2 is available now for users of Autodesk 3ds Max 6 and higher at a cost of $995. Existing CAT users can upgrade to CAT2 for $295. Student/Faculty and School/Institutional pricing is also offered. CAT2 can be purchased directly from the Character Animation Technologies website at www.catoolkit.com, and through select Autodesk Resellers at www.catoolkit.com/resellers/default.asp.

  • Theaters Possessed by Exorcism

    Visual effects have come a long way since William Friedkin’s seminal 1973 demonic possession classic, The Exorcist, so it will be interesting to see what vfx house Captive Audience Productions adds to The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Opening nationwide today, the chiller is supposedly based on a true story of possession and exorcism documented by the Catholic Church.

    The film boasts a pretty solid cast for a genre entry. The ubiquitous Laura Linney (Kinsey, Mystic River) stars as a lawyer defending a priest accused of negligent homicide when he performs a deadly exorcism on a young girl. The priest is played by the always engaging Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins, In the Bedroom), and Campbell Scott (Saint Ralph, Roger Dodger) and Colm Feore (The Chronicles of Riddick, TV’s Empire) round out the list of recognizable faces.

    Following the popular trend of softening horror pics to maximize box office potential, The Exorcism of Emily Rose was given a PG-13 rating to help it compete with New Line cinema’s buddy comedy, The Man, the only other film opening in wide release this weekend. Since audiences are asked to choose between giggles and goosebumps, timing may hurt Exorcism since Halloween is still more than a month away. Plus, comedies such as The Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin have been extremely strong this summer, while fright fare like The Cave and The Skeleton Key have had a harder time scaring up attendance.

    Next week, moviegoers in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto will get an animated mix of comedy and horror as Tim Burton’s highly anticipated stop-motion feature, Corpse Bride, begins rolling out on the big screen. The rest of the country will get it on Sept. 23.

  • Engine Room Teases Da Vinci Code

    When it comes to promoting a movie based on a book as popular as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, it’s a tall order to appease fans who have been eagerly awaiting the first images from this production. And while it offers no glimpses of star Tom Hanks in action, Intralink’s trailer, crafted by Engine Room, blends practical and digital elements to stir the imagination.

    Engine Room had only four weeks to deliver the theatrical teaser, which takes audiences on an intriguing journey through what appears to be a vast system of canyons but turns out to be a microscopic view of the surface of Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. "Anthony Goldschmidt of Intralink had the concept of using the Mona Lisa as metaphor for The Da Vinci Code’s premise of discovering hidden secrets through the art of the old masters," says Engine Room’s Dan Schmit, who served as director, DP and vfx supervisor on the project. "A journey below the surface of the Mona Lisa was a brilliant vehicle to suggest this and both the studio and the filmmakers knew it."

    Exec producer Michael Caplan helmed all aspects of the production thru post, managing a team that included art director Richard Amend and CG supervisor Andrew Honacker. The crew of 3D artists led by Honacker employed Maya with Metal Ray renders for the CG elements and composited them with the live-action footage using Adobe Aftereffects. "We passed animation files back and forth between Maya and Kuper motion control software running a Graphlite from Pacific Motion," Schmit tells us.

    "The piece was heavily pre-vized in a very rough form," Schmit adds. "This allowed everyone to lock-in on animation very early. With as much studio pressure as can be imagined, our challenge was to unlock what was hidden, but in order to do this we had to first define the environment visually. To do this we turned to the real, physical, non-digital world of painting."

    Schmit explains that Amend’s deep knowledge of painting gave the art direction necessary authority, since the work at the center of the piece is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Amend’s artistic team sculpted two 35’x25’ canyon-like models, which were photographed with move data imported from Maya. "Predictably, the path was modified during filming and afterward the new animation file was exported back out Maya to aide in integrating the film footage back to the CG," says Schmit. "Perhaps the greatest benefit of having gone through this process was that it gave our CG team a clear creative direction to follow and build upon."

    According to Schmit, the team was also tasked with recreating Davinci’s one-of-a-kind masterpiece. For the big reveal shot, they were able to work with a 4×5 transparency taken from the actual painting, but the detail didn’t hold up for the macro perspective. "To deal with this we actually had to repaint the Mona Lisa’s face, adding texture and detail wherever it was needed," notes Schmit. "This aspect of the process added a level of excitement to the project for everyone involved."

    After painstaking completing their act of forgery, the folks at Engine Room were then asked to deconstruct the Mona Lisa, using CG to make it appear to be crumbling to pieces and blowing away in the breeze. Schmit says that in keeping with their resolve to respect all aspects of the original painting, they took the time to break the painting along its actual crack lines.

    Engine Room is now working on a new theatrical logo for Lions Gate. That piece, designed by John Berlin of Deva Studios, is described as another virtual journey revealing hidden details through 3D animation and 2D matte painting. In addition, the shop has completed about 150 visual effects shots for Nick Cassavettes new film, Alpha Dog.

    More information on Engine Room can be found at www.engineroomvfx.com. The Da Vinci Code teaser trailer can be downloaded at www.sonypictures.com/movies/thedavincicode/index.html.