Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Duncan, Griffiths Feel The Suffering

    Midway Games has enlisted the voice talents of Michael Clarke Duncan (Sin City, The Green Mile) and Rachel Griffiths (Blow, TV’s Six Feet Under) for its highly anticipated action-horror sequel, The Suffering: Ties That Bind. The game is scheduled to arrive in September for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.

    Duncan will influence and antagonize players as the voice of Blackmore, the behind-the-scenes manipulator who seems to be pulling the strings. Meanwhile, Griffiths will lend her voice to Jordan, the woman in charge of a strange paramilitary research outfit that has been conducting cleanup on Carnate Island, the site of the prison in the original Suffering game.

    Midway describes The Suffering: Ties That Bind as "a new descent into madness that emphasizes the disturbing terror of its predecessor with all-new twisted creatures and a few familiar faces, melding big action sequences with visceral horror elements." As main character Torque, players will make their way through the gritty streets of Baltimore where he again faces the disturbing demons that seem to have followed him to the mainland. The unique morality system will return, bringing an added dimension to gameplay as players delve into the perverse world of Torque’s sanity to discover his past while struggling to control his future. More information about the game can be found at www.midway.com and www.sufferingtiesthatbind.com.

  • HypeFest Happening This Weekend

    Many of the hottest new shorts, commercials, music videos and promos will screen this weekend at HypeFest in Hollywood, Calif. Taking place July 30-31 at CineSpace, the event will host filmmakers from around the world as they vie to take home kudos at Sunday’s annual Awards ceremony, starting at 7 p.m. Screenings will be held each day from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

    The fun kicks off Friday with the opening night party for filmmakers and badgeholders. Hosted by HypeFest and Inspired Talent (www.inspiredtalent.net), the shindig will be held at the Lava Lounge at 1533 North La Brea, between Sunset and Hollywood Blvd.

    Sunday’s program will include mentor sessions where filmmakers and badgeholders can participate in 15-minute one-on-one meetings with various industry notables from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. A sign-up sheet will be available at the opening night party and at CineSpace.

    Tickets are $5 (cash only) per screening, and will be sold at the venue starting at 11a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. A complete project and program schedule can be found online at http://inspiredtalent.net/events/hypefest2005.

  • Laika Onto Next Animated Adventure

    Laika Ent., the toon shop formerly known as Vinton Studios, has announced a second feature film to follow the Henry Selick-directed Neil Gaiman adaptation, Coraline. According to Daily Variety, former Disney and Pixar animator and story man Jorgen Klubien will write and direct a CG flick titled Jack and Ben’s Animated Adventure.

    Where the stop-motion/CG hybrid Coraline will see a human child immersed in a fantasy world, Jack and Ben will reportedly tackle the ever-popular talking animal formula as it follows the adventures of two brothers from a yet-undisclosed sector of the animal kingdom.

    The film’s $50-70 million budgets are being financed largely by former Nike chairman and CEO Phil Knight, who bought Vinton Studios in 2003. Laika is currently in search of a distribution partner and hopes to have Coraline in theaters late in 2007. Jack and Ben is expected to bow shortly thereafter.

    An eight-year veteran of the Pixar hit machine, Klubien was recently named director of story for feature film at Laika. Among other things, he wrote and illustrated the original concept for Pixar’s upcoming Cars. He also was story development artist on Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 2 and A Bug’s Life, for which he also was co-writer. Klubien’s duties at Knight’s company will include developing animated feature film properties, including his own original concepts as well as story ideas already in the Laika pipeline.

  • Island Sinks, Chocolate Still Sweet

    DreamWorks’ new Michael Bay-directed action thriller, The Island, was cast away by moviegoers in favor of holdovers Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Wedding Crashers and Fantastic Four. Tim Burton’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie proved too sweet for moviegoers to resist again, maintaining the No. 1 spot domestically with an estimated $28.3 million in its second weekend and a cumulative of around $114 million.

    New Line Cinema’s Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn comedy, The Wedding Crashers, posted a close second in its sophomore outing, taking a $26 million slice of the cake. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox’s Marvel comic-book adaptation, Fantastic Four, also managed to hold off newcomers with around $12.2 million and a third-place finish. The superhero pic continues to surprise, earning north of $122 million in three weeks. In addition, Fantastic Four was tops overseas, pulling in around $23 million to knock DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar to No. 2 with $20.3 million.

    Debuting at No.4, The Island disappointed DreamWorks with an estimated $12.1 million debut despite the star power of Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. The futuristic tale employs visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic to tell the story of genetic clones who go on the run to avoid being scrapped for body parts.

    It was also bad news for director Richard Linklater’s remake of Bad News Bears. Paramount’s Billy Bob Thornton comedy vehicle has received good reviews but only managed to opened at No. 5 with $11.5 million.

    Opening in more limited release were Paramount Classics’ Hustle & Flow, which landed at No. 7 with $8 million from just over 1000 theaters, and Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, cracking the top ten at No. 8 with an estimated $7 million debut in 1,757 venues.

  • Shrek, Shark Swim to GBA Video

    The DreamWorks animated hits Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shark Tale will soon be entertaining viewers on the go via a three-year licensing deal with Majesco Ent. The films will be the first feature-length titles released in Majesco’s Game Boy Advance Video line, which offers animated content compressed onto standard Game Boy Advance cartridges.

    Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shark Tale will be available for Game Boy Advance Video this October and will carry a suggested retail price of $19.99. The deal also grants Majesco exclusive rights to distribute titles based on the three films for Nintendo DS and the upcoming Game Boy Micro.

    Despite tough competition from Sony’s PSP and its UMD disc compatibility, Majesco has sold approximately 3 million units of Game Boy Advance Video titles since the company’s proprietary video compression technology was introduced in 2004. More information about Majesco and its product line can be found at www.majescoentertainment.com.

  • Monster Picks up Jasper Morello

    Monster Distributes has acquired international distribution rights to Anthony Lucas’ Annecy Grand Prix-winning animated short, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, and plans to showcase the film at MIPCOM Jr. As part of Monster’s catalog, the short joins Adam Elliot’s Harvie Krumpet, which also took top honors at Annecy and went on to win the 2004 Oscar.

    Clocking in at 26 minutes, Jasper Morello features a unique style of silhouette animation developed by Lucas and is the first of a proposed trilogy of shorts chronicling the remarkable voyages of Jasper Morello, Aeronaut of the Third Royal Cartographers. Inspired by the works of Edgar Alan Poe and Jules Verne, the gothic horror mystery yarn is set in a world of iron dirigibles and steam powered computers, and tells the story of a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his plague-ridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem himself.

    The film is produced by Susie Campbell and Julia Lucas from a script by two-time Augie Award winner Mark Shirrefs. Voices were provided by Joel Edgerton (Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith, King Arthur), Helmut Bakaitis (The Matrix Reloaded), Tommy Dysart (The Real Thing) and Jude Beaumont (MDA).

    Funded by the AFC, Film Vic and SBS Independent, Jasper Morello took top honors at the Canadian Film Centre’s Worldwide Short Film Festival, receiving The C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures Award for Best Animated Short Film. It was also named Best Animation at Flickerfest 2005, the Sydney Film Festival Dendy and Toronto worldwide shorts.

    Other Monster Distributes properties include Brown Bag’s Oscar-nominated Give up yer Aul Sins and Rory Bresnihan’s award-winning stop-motion special, Ape. The company’s MIPCOM Jr. slate will also include Jungle Beat, Kids Ten Commandments and Bugtime Adventures, as well as the new interactive animated series PICME and I’m an Animal. These properties will be available at the Noga Hilton during MIPCOM Jr. and will be located in The Marketplace (H4.35) during MIPCOM. For more information, go to www.monsterdistributes.com.

  • EA Grasps Tolkien’s Rings

    Video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) has published several big titles based on Peter Jackson’s filmed adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but now it has nabbed rights to the original material. Under the deal with The Saul Zaentz Co. d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises, EA will be able to include additional battles and characters in upcoming titles including The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II for PC and The Lord of the Rings Tactics (working title) for PSP.

    “The new rights have unlocked the world of Middle-earth for The Lord of the Rings and strategy game fans alike," says EA’s Mike Verdu, senior producer of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth. "We’re building a deeper, richer, bigger game based on the No. 1 RTS from the previous holiday season in North America with new fantasy races, places, heroes and battles from both the books and films."

    “Now that we are expanding our Lord of the Rings universe to encompass Tolkien’s books, we’ll be able to combine the visual impact of the films with those complex stories,” adds Steve Gray, exec producer of The Lord of the Rings Tactics. “The RPG genre, in particular, is a great medium for storytelling. We are delving into unexplored depths of Tolkien’s works to deliver new, compelling and immersive experiences. The Lord of the Rings Tactics gives RPG fans a first look at how we will do this.”

    The Lord of the Rings Tactics will have players customize characters to lead the Fellowship or take control of the forces of Shadow. Gamers will employ strategies such as guarding heroes, seizing high ground and mounting ambushes as they fight battles across famous locations of the books and films to determine the future of Middle-earth. The game will also allow players to pit their customized heroes against up to four other players via a WiFi connection.

    For more information about The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II go to www.bfme2.ea.com. Additional info about other EA games can be found at www.info.ea.com.

  • Totally Spies Movie Snoops to Cartoon Network

    In response to fan demand, Clover, Alex and Sam are set to make their feature-length debut in a new made-for-TV movie titled Totally Spies: Evil Promotion Much? Cartoon Network will air the pic on Sunday, July 31 at 8 p.m.

    In the television movie, Clover, Alex and Sam find themselves promoted to super spies–the ultimate life goal of any agent of the World Organization of Human Protection. However, things start going wrong from the first day of training and our fashion-conscious snoops start to wonder if they should have remained regular spies.

    Produced by Marathon Animation in Paris, France, Totally Spies is one of the strongest girl brands on television worldwide with 130 episodes ordered. After two years on the air, the show is still expanding its U.S. audience and Marathon and Cartoon Network hope the TV movie will help its domestic following catch up with its overseas fan base.

    "On our internet site, www.totallyspies.com, for the last two years, kids kept asking for a movie," says Vincent Chalvon Demersay of Marathon. "Eighteen months ago, Cartoon Network and Marathon decided to partner to create that event and use it as an opportunity to celebrate the show’s two years on the air. Our partnership with Cartoon Network is an incredible example of success for an acquisition."

    Totally Spies airs in more than 100 countries. In addition to television, Marathon has extended the franchise to include hundreds of products in the areas of publishing, toys, home video, interactive, apparel and other areas for children.

  • Burton Picks up a 9

    As his Corpse Bride gets set to hit theaters in September, director/producer Tim Burton plans to produce a feature based on Shane Acker’s award-winning animated film, 9, according to Daily Variety. Universal’s Focus Features will make its first foray into animation by backing and distributing the Burton production.

    Acker will direct the feature-length version of his award-winning short, and Corpse Bride scribe Pamela Pettler will write the screenplay. In the short, rag dolls struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world as a fierce mechanical beast stalks them for their souls. The film was created with CG, but realistic textures and stylized animation give it a stop-motion quality, which no doubt helped to get Burton’s attention.

    Burton told the trade that Acker’s short is among the most extraordinary 10 minutes of film he’s ever seen. Festival juries have apparently agreed since 9 won Best Animated Short at the San Diego Comic-Con Int’l and picked up a Student Academy Award. It will also be eligible to compete for an Oscar this year. SIGGRAPH attendees can check it out in the Electronic Theater early next month.

    After stumbling with his re-imagining of Planet of the Apes, Burton appears to be on a roll again. His adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently the top-grossing film in America having earned close to $80 million since opening last weekend, and trailers for Corpse Bride have been well received by fans. Look for our cover story on Corpse Bride in the September issue of Animation Magazine, arriving soon to Barnes & Noble locations.

  • The Island Emerges in Theaters

    Though its animated Madagascar is still pulling in the bucks in theatrical release, this weekend DreamWorks is focusing on a very different little land mass. The Island, directed by action specialist Michael Bay (Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) comes gunning for reigning box office champ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and aims to keep the summer box office revival going.

    The latest sci-fi actioner to offer a twist on Logan’s Run, The Island stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as inhabitants of an idyllic society who take it on the lam when they realize they are merely clones harvested for body parts. Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi and Michael Clark Duncan round out the main cast. Visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic.

    Both The Island and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory face tough competition from Bad News Bears, director Richard Linklater’s (School of Rock, Before Sunrise) remake of the 1976 comedy favorite. Billy Bob Thornton takes over the Walter Matthau role, playing an aging, boozing baseball player who tries to turn a team of young misfits into Little League champs.

    Where Linklater set out to capture the spirit and success of a ’70s comedy, rocker-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie channels ’70s grindhouse horror flicks such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with The Devil’s Rejects, a sequel of sorts to his 2003 directorial debut, House of 1000 Corpses. Rejects also opens in wide release today.

  • Disney’s Harrison Ventures to VP Gig

    Will Harrison, formerly director of ventures & business development for Walt Disney Television International Europe, Middle East & Africa (WDTV-I EMEA), has been promoted to VP of ventures and business development. He will report to Laurie Younger, president of Buena Vista Worldwide Television.

    In his new role, Harrison will lead the London-based Ventures and Business Development group, which is responsible for managing the company’s existing TV equity investments and developing new business opportunities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The group manages investments in media companies such as GMTV in the U.K., Super RTL and RTL 2 in Germany, and the pay TV service HBO Central Europe in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia. Other investment ventures incluse the U.K. DSL video-on-demand service HomeChoice and the IPS Multicanal thematic channels service in Spain and Portugal.

    Harrison joined WDTV-I in November of 2003, having previously worked at Turner Broadcasting as U.K. director of business development. Before that, he serves as a business development analyst at Warner Bros. International Television.

  • THQ’s Destroy All Humans! Movie Bound

    Video game publisher THQ’s Destroy All Humans! has been out only a few weeks but it’s already pegged to hit the big screen. The company has hired United Talent Agency (UTA) to help guide the best-selling title through development as a major motion picture and television property.

    Developed by Pandemic Studios, Destroy All Humans! has players take on the role of Crypto, an alien warrior sent to Earth to clear the way for the Furon invasion force. Armed with destructive weapons and innate mental powers, Crypto must infiltrate humanity in order to control people, harvest their brain stems and, ultimately, destroy them. The game delivers a retro punch by mining the junkyard of ’50s sci-fi B movies much like Tim Burton’s star-studded but tepidly received 1996 CG/Live-action feature, Mars Attacks!

    “The era, characters and irreverent personality created in Destroy All Humans! provide a fresh experience and story that is truly dynamic,” comments Peter Dille, senior VP of worldwide marketing for THQ. “We’re looking forward to working hand-in-hand with UTA to bring this exciting and innovative entertainment property to a broader audience.”

    “THQ’s impressive track record of innovating mass-appeal gaming content speaks for itself,” adds Brent Weinstein, an agent with UTA. “We see great potential for crossing the DAH! property across all relevant entertainment platforms, and we anticipate high interest among the creative and marketing communities alike."

    Destroy All Humans! is available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. More information on the game can be found at www.destroyallhumansgame.com. You can also learn more about the the game and how it was made in the August issue of Animation Magazine, now available by subscription and at Barnes & Noble locations.

  • G4 Calls for Toon Shorts

    G4–videogame tv is set to launch a new animated shorts series this August and is looking for edgy, offbeat and hilarious films to showcase. The yet-untitled show is intended to give up-and-coming animators a place to present works geared to the 18-34 male audience. Top picks will be licensed for broadcast on the cable network.

    The series will be part of a new programming block launching this fall. Information about other shows in the block will be released at another date, but we’re told this will be the only entry devoted to animation.

    Film submissions should be on DVD or VHS formats and under 10 minutes in length. They can be sent to the attention of: "Animation Series" at G4–videogame tv, 12312 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064. For more information, e-mail animation@g4media.com.

    Billing itself as the only 24/7 television network dedicated to all things videogames, G4 airs all-original programming that covers every aspect of the videogame culture. Other programs that feature animation include the Anime Unleashed block and the CG shorts show, Eye Droppers. In addition, Mondo Media’s Happy Tree Friends appears during Attack of the Show, which airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. (ET) and covers everything from underground music to new gadgets and technology. More information of G4 programming is available at www.g4tv.com.

  • Selick, Canemaker Moons Rise at Ottawa

    The Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced the slate of films selected to screen in competition this year. The list includes a number of high-profile projects, including Moongirl, which Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) directed for Laika (formerly Vinton Studios), and The Moon and The Son, the latest short from acclaimed independent animator John Canemaker (Bottom’s Dream). The 16th edition of the now-annual fest runs September 21-25 in Ottawa, Ontario.

    From a field of 1,883 entries the fest received from 64 countries, only 109 were chosen for official competition. An additional 46 films will be shown in out-of-competition screenings. Other short films that made the cut include Milch from two-time OIAF Grand Prize winner Igor Kovalyov (Bird in The Window), Fallen Art from Tomek Baginski (The Cathedral), The Meaning of Life by Don Hertzfeldt (Rejected) and Cannes Grand Prix winner, Jona/Tomberry, a graphic novel adaptation by Rosto (The Rise and Fall of the Legendary Anglobilly Feverson).

    Animated features vying for top prizes are Empress Chung from Korean filmmaker Nelson Shin; Frank and Wendy from Priit Tender, Ulo Pikkov and Kaspar Jancis of Estonia; and Nyócker! (The District) by Hungarian animator Áron Gauder.

    On the television side, adult series squaring off this year are Coolman! ("Hootchy Kootchy Haiku") from Nelvana, Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show (Episode 104) from Acme Filmworks, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law ("Birdgirl of Guantanamole") from Turner Studios, The Newsroom ("Learning to Fly") from 100 Percent Film & Television Inc.

    Kids shows in the running are Curious Pictures’ Codename: Kids Next Door ("Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E."), Nickelodeon Animation Studio’s My Life As a Teenage Robot ("Mr. Warburton"), Astley Baker Davies’ Peppa Pig ("Cousin Chloe") and Collingwood O’Hare Ent.’s The Secret Show ("Lucky Leo").

    Competing for Best School Showreel this year are Supinfocom, Valenciennes in France), École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) in France, Sheridan College in Canada and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in the U.S. Each school will present the international jury with a 40-minute compilation of their best new student work from the past two years. The general public can view these works separately at the Animation Resource Centre throughout the festival and the winner will be announced at the Closing Ceremonies on Sept. 25.

    For a complete list of films selested for the 2005 Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival, go to the official website at www.awn.com/ottawa.

  • Hanks, WB Get Antsy for IMAX

    As The Polar Express gets set to make another run in IMAX theaters this Thanksgiving, star Tom Hanks is working with Warner Bros. to produce an all-new computer-animated IMAX film. Helmed by Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius director John A. Davis of DNA Prods., The Ant Bully will be released simultaneously in IMAX 3D and conventional 2D formats on August 4, 2006.

    The Ant Bully marks the third IMAX project for Hanks’ Playtone Prods. and the tenth IMAX commitment for Warner Bros. Pictures, which will exclusively distribute the film to IMAX theaters worldwide. Hanks will produce the pic with fellow Playtone principal Gary Goetzman.

    IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler comment, “The last IMAX 3D film we did with Warner Bros. Pictures and Tom Hanks grossed an average of $550,000 per screen, so we’re obviously very optimistic about the potential The Ant Bully holds for the IMAX theatre network."

    Davis, who also wrote and directed the 3-D IMAX film, Santa Vs. The Snowman, adapted The Ant Bully from the popular children’s book by John Nickle. The book tells the tale of a young boy who floods an ant colony with his water-gun, and is magically shrunken down to insect size and sentenced to hard labor in the ruins. Before returning to normal stature, he comes to appreciate the selfless nature of the ants and learns a valuable lesson about tolerance and empathy. The movie’s all-star voice cast will include Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, Lily Tomlin, Cheri Oteri, Alan Cumming, Regina King, Ricardo Montalban and newcomer Zach Tyler Eisen.

  • BKN Inks U.S. Distrib Deal

    BKN International A.G., the global animation company behind such series as Legend of the Dragon and Kong: The Animated Series, has signed a new licensing deal with Digiview Prods. LLC in the U.S. The pact goes into effect this fall and gives Digiview U.S. and Canadian DVD retail distribution rights to seven titles from BKN’s catalog.

    The Digiview partnership is part of BKN’s recently announced plans to significantly expand its U.S. activities. The company says it will announce more developments in this area over the next 12 months.

    Specific BKN titles to be handled by Digiview are Monster Rancher (73 episodes), Pocket Dragon Adventures (52 episodes), UBOS (26 episodes), Starla and the Jewel Riders (26 episodes), Sky Surfer Strike Force (26 episodes), Scruff (65 episodes) and Roswell Conspiracies (40 episodes). "We plan to release them into the mass retail market in the U.S. and Canada and are looking to sell millions of DVD’s to Wal-Mart and the major drug and supermarket chains, and more,” comments Alex E. Missry, VP of operations and acquisitions for Digiview Prods. 

    Other animated series produced by BKN include Kong- King of Atlantis, Triple Threat from Outer Space, Shanghai Tiger, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Pocket Dragon Adventures and Highlander: The Animated Series.

  • Circuit City Scraps GTA

    Major electronics retailer Circuit City has announced plans to remove Rockstar Games best-selling Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from its shelves. The decision was made in response to the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s ruling that the game’s rating be changed from “Mature 17+” to “Adults Only 18+.” Circuit City does not sell games with “Adults Only 18+” ratings.

    The ESRB changed the rating for San Andreas after gamers who downloaded something called the "hot coffee mod" found that they could unlock sexually explicit material hidden in the game. The news caused outrage among parents groups and once again cast the GTA franchise in a negative light.

    Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., publisher of San Andreas, issued a statement saying the “hot coffee mod” is an unauthorized third party modification that alters the retail version of the game. The company cooperated fully with the ESRB’s investigation and says Rockstar Games will begin working on a new version of the game that has enhanced security to prevent modifications.

    The safeguarded release will retain the original "Mature" rating and is expected to be available during the company’s fourth fiscal quarter. Retailers that wish to continue selling remaining copies of the current version may still do so. These will be identified by the "Adults Only" labels.

    “We take our responsibility to the public and our shareholders seriously, and as soon as the company learned about the ESRB action, we started the process to stop the sale of this title,” says Phil Schoonover, president of Circuit City Stores, Inc.

    Circuit City’s web operations and brick-and-mortar locations nationwide received e-mails Wednesday night telling them to remove San Andreas from shelves and return them to company distribution centers. The recall covers both PC and console platforms.

    Though San Andreas has already sold millions of copies, being yanked from Circuit City shelves will certainly have a negative impact on sales. The company operates 614 superstores and five mall-based shops in 158 U.S. markets, while the international segment operates through more than 960 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada.

  • Sundance Has Animal Attraction for BBC Toon

    Sundance Channel has acquired U.S. television rights to the BBC animated series I Am Not an Animal, which will debut on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 11 p.m. The deal was negotiated by Lisa Hofer, director of co-production and sales for BBC Worldwide Americas, and Christian Vesper, VP of acqusitions, scheduling and program planning for Sundance Channel.

    Produced by Baby Cow Prods. for BBC TWO, the black comedy follows the adventures of a group of talking lab animals made up of a horse, a dog, a monkey, a mouse, a bird and a cat. The gang lives the high-life in a stylish waterside apartment, spending their days discussing the latest celebrity gossip, dining on rich food and enjoying fine wine until a group of animal rights activists "liberates" them and leaves them to fend for themselves in the outside world.

    The series was written and directed by Peter Baynham, and produced by Richard Bennett. Steve Coogan and Henry Normal serve as exec producers and Tim Searle is animation director. The cast features the voices of Coogan (Around the World in 80 Days), Julia Davis (Love Actually), Amelia Bulmore (TV’s Cracker), Kevin Eldon (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) and writer Arthur Mathews (Jam).

    Laura Michalchyshyn, executive director of programming and marketing for Sundance Channel, comments, "This outrageous and hilarious BBC series dovetails perfectly with Sundance Channel’s recently announced strategy to broaden our offerings, add more series and bring humor into the mix."

    I Am Not An Animal will air on Sundance each Wednesday night through Nov. 9. Episodes will repeat on Thursdays at 6 p.m., Fridays at 11 p.m., Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m.

  • Elastic Rights Stretches ToddWorld to Iberia

    Through a deal struck with U.S. companies Taffy Ent. and Suppertime, Madrid-based brand management company Elastic Rights has acquired TV, home video, merchandising and licensing rights for the children’s animated series ToddWorld in Spain and Portugal. Elastic will unveil the 52×10 show to potential partners at MIPCOM in October.

    Inspired by the best-selling books by Todd Parr, and produced by Mike Young Prods., ToddWorld follows the adventures of charismatic six-year old and his band of friends. The series was nominated for Emmy and Humanitas Awards, and won a Parent’s Choice Award and a Hugo Award.

    ToddWorld premiered in the fall of 2004 on TLC and Discovery Kids in the U.S. and has been licensed to such international broadcasters as ABC in Australia and Discovery Kids in South America.

  • RTL Buys out U.K.’s Five

    Leading German broadcaster/content provider RTL Group has agreed to acquire the remaining 35.4% of shares in U.K. television station Five, which airs animated content for kids during its Milkshake! block. The GBP 247.6 million transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be finalized in the fall.

    RTL Group became one of the founding shareholders of Five in 1997 when it purchased 29% of shares in the fledgling broadcaster. The German company then upped its stake by 35.4% in 2000 as part of the merger between Pearson Television and CLT-UFA. RTL now owns 100% of Five’s shares.

    Five has steadily grown audience and advertising market share since launching in the late ’90s. In 2003, the outlet posted its first operating profit, reporting revenue of GBP 290 million and a net of GBP 19 million.

    RTL Group CEO Gerhard Zeiler comments, “This transaction demonstrates our commitment to our activities in the U.K. and is in line with our stated strategic objectives. Five is a key shareholding for us and we look forward to continuing to work with the management team to develop the business”.

    Five’s Milkshake! block airs every morning beginning at 6 a.m. and features such animated kids’ series as Peppa Pig, Noddy, Miss Spider, Mechanick, Funky Valley, Franklin, Fifi and the Flowertots and The Save-Ums.