Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • MTV Networks Wrangles NeoPets

    MTV Networks is doing some heavy petting, shelling out an undisclosed sum to acquire privately owned NeoPets Inc., owner and operator of popular youth web destination, Neopets.com. In March of this year, Warner Bros. announced plans to produce animated theatrical features based on the global online network which allows members to create and care for virtual pets.

    It is estimated that more than 25 million members worldwide have created Neopets accounts in ten different languages, generating more than five billion pageviews per month. Membership has grown from approximately 90,000 in April 2000 to more than 25 million in May, 2005.

    “NeoPets users are passionate about the site and its unique offerings, and that is exactly the kind of connection with audiences that MTV Networks cultivates and values,” comments Judy McGrath, chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. “This property is a perfect fit for MTV Networks, and its acquisition is an important move for us as we aggressively move forward as a multi-platform entertainment company, dedicated to serving our audiences across all the platforms that they use and love.”

    Herb Scannell, vice chairman of MTV Networks and president of Nickelodeon Networks, adds, “The combination of NeoPets and Nick.com gives us a one-two punch leadership position in the online entertainment space among kids and young adults. The hidden value of NeoPets is the fact that over 60% of its audience is over the age of 13, which aligns with the audiences of many of our MTV Network brands.”

    NeoPets Chairman and CEO Doug C. Dohring and the NeoPets senior management team will continue in their roles, managing the company from its base in Glendale, CA. Dohring will report to Jeffrey Dunn, president of Nickelodeon Film and Enterprises.

    MTV Networks owns and operates more than 100 channels worldwide, including Nickelodeon, MTV, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike TV, CMT, Noggin and Logo. The Neopets brand is expected to be exploited across a variety of media, including television programming. For more information on the property, go to www.neopets.com.

  • Insomniac Makes Best Employer List

    Video game developer Insomniac Games has become the first in the industry to be included on the list of the 50 best small- and medium-sized companies to work for in America. The list was announced before an audience of 12,000 at the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 57th Annual Conference and Exposition in San Diego.

    Creator of the Ratchet & Clank and Spyro the Dragon franchises, Burbank, Calif-based Insomniac Games employs 145 people. The company ranked third on the top-25 small companies list, which for the second year has recognized American businesses that have used smart people management strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces.

    The winning organizations, which range in size from 50 to 999 employees, were selected and ranked by the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW), which is perhaps best known for producing Fortune magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. The results were based on a randomly distributed employee opinion survey of workplace cultures.

    “This reaffirms that the collaborative approach we’ve taken over the years works." says Ted Price, founder and president of Insomniac Games. "It’s the suggestions that people at Insomniac make and the pride they have in the company that have allowed us to maintain the same ‘small company culture’ we established 11 years ago.”

    Insomniac Games is now in development on Ratchet: Deadlocked for a fall 2005 release on PlayStation 2. Additional information can be found at http://www.insomniacgames.com.

  • Disney Channels Swim to Cambodia

    Kids in Cambodia are waking up to animated fare thanks to Walt Disney Television International (South East Asia/Korea), which today introduced Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney Channel to the country. The launch makes Cambodia the fourth Asian market to adopt Disney Channel programming within the past six months, following on the heels of Palau, Thailand and Vietnam.

    Cambodia becomes the 11th market in the Asia Pacific region to share the Asian Disney Channel regional feed and the ninth market in Asia to carry the Playhouse Disney Channel feed. The deal also sees Cambodia Entertainment Production Co. Ltd. named the distributor of both Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney Channel in the country.

    To date, Disney Channels have penetrated 15 markets in the Asia Pacific region since first launching in Taiwan in 1995. Disney broadcasts its feeds in 6 languages and 5 subtitle tracks. In addition, the company has Disney Clubs and Disney-branded programming blocks available in 11 markets in Asia Pacific, broadcasting more than 60 hours of Disney programming every week to north of 380 million households.

  • Nick to Spin More Miss Spider

    Nickelodeon has ordered 20 new episodes of the 3D-animated series Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends. Based on the beloved book series by David Kirk, the show is co-produced by Nelvana and Absolute Pictures, and airs weekdays at 10 a.m. on Nick Jr.

    Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends follows the adventures of Bounce, Squirt and the rest of Miss Spider’s brood as they explore the marvelous, miniature wonderland of Sunny Patch. According to Nelvana parent company Corus Ent., the series ranked third among all new preschool series on commercial television during its first season. The show fell in line behind the No. 2 toon, The Backyardigans, another Nick Jr. series co-produced by Nelvana.

    Other animated properties produced by Nelvana include Emmy Award-winning brands such as Rolie Polie Olie, Babar, Franklin and Beyblade. More information can be found at www.corusentertainment.com.

    The Nick Jr. preschool programming block airs on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ET/PT), and is carried weekends on CBS.

  • POW! Batman Batters Competition

    Director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale managed to breathe new life into an exhausted franchise, taking Warner Bros.’ Batman Begins to the top of the box office charts over the weekend. The comic-book superhero origin story opened on Wednesday and has since taken in an estimated $71 million. And while that’s not exactly Spider-Man money, it’s plenty enough to herald the return of Bob Kane’s pointy-eared dark knight.

    Bale, the new face behind the cowl, did double duty in theaters as his voice was heard in Disney’s English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated opus, Howl’s Moving Castle. The director’s latest effort since the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away, Howl’s opened a bit wider over the weekend and shot up to the 13th spot with around $802,000 in just 202 venues. Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, the movie was adapted for the screen by Reiko Yoshida and animated by world-renowned Studio Ghibli. The critically lauded family pic has earned just north of $1.4 million in two weeks.

    Mr. and Mrs. Smith from 20th Century Fox settled for bat droppings, slipping to No. 2 with an estimated $27.3 million, which brings it close to the $100 million mark in its second week. The action/comedy starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie held the runner-up position from DreamWorks’ CG-animated Madagascar, which lands at No. 3 with approximately $11.1 million for the weekend and a four-week cume of $147 million.

    Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith follows with around $9.7 million and Paramount’s remake of The Longest Yard rounds out the top five with $8 million.

  • Mainframe Sticks Nose in CG Arthur Feature

    It looks like another beloved 2D animated character will be getting a CG facelift next year. Vancouver-based Mainframe Entertainment (Reboot, Barbie and Hot Wheels DVDs) announced today that it will co-produce and has acquired international distribution rights for the all-new CG animated direct-to-video film based on Marc Brown’s popular Arthur children’s book series.  

    Mainframe Entertainment, Lions Gate Family Entertainment and RichCrest Animation have teamed up to produce the new feature, Arthur’s Missing Pal, starring the charming and inquisitive aardvark and his friends and family. IDT Entertainment Sales (IDTeS) will sell international distribution rights for the film on behalf of Mainframe. RichCrest will produce the film with Mainframe, along with Marc Brown Studios and WGBH Boston. Lions Gate Family Entertainment will handle U.S. distribution, with a scheduled delivery of spring 2006.  

    "Arthur fits right into the slate of classic characters we bring to life in 3D CG animation," says Rick Mischel, CEO of Mainframe.  "For international broadcasters and video distributors looking for popular, branded children’s properties with a built-in fan base, this exciting new Arthur feature will make an ideal addition to their lineup."  

    The Arthur series of books grew out of a bedtime story Marc Brown told his son about an aardvark named Arthur who hated his nose. That story became "Arthur’s Nose," the first in the series of books. There are now more than 20 books in the series, as well an additional series of books based on Arthur’s little sister D.W. Trained at the respected Cleveland Art Institute, Brown has created over 100 picture books for children in addition to his best-selling series. There are over 50 licensees producing toys, apparel, and other products based on Arthur.  Introduced in 1996, the 2D animated version of Arthur (produced by Cinar, now Cookie Jar) is one of the popular staples of the PBS Kids schedule. Cookie Jar’s Postcards from Buster is another successful spinoff of the series. Trivia fans will notice that Arthur’s aardvark nose in the books’ original illustrations is much bigger than its animated counterpart! No word yet on how his nose will fare in the CG edition!

  • Hartman Talks Oddparents Musical

    Tonight, Jan 10, sees the premiere of School’s Out! The Musical, an hour-long special episode of Nickelodeon’s hit toon, The Fairly OddParents. Featuring a whopping 11 musical numbers ranging from pop anthems and rap numbers to classic show tunes, the special was a challenging labor of love for the show’s crew, led by creator Butch Hartman, who also created Nickelodeon’s Danny Phantom.

    "We’ve done songs in episodes in the past, but never to this extent," Hartman tells Animation Magazine Online. "And the great thing about these songs, and I know I’m probably biased because I’m the one who co-wrote a lot of them, but they’re all really catchy. We want kids to demand, "Where can we get more of these songs!"

    Hartman co-wrote the songs with OddParents story editor Steve Marmel. "Steve and I work really well together," he says. "I’m more of a pop music fan. I love stuff form the ’80s and ’60s, and Steve likes a lot of theater stuff, like Rent and Avenue Q. So it’s a pretty good mix."

    According to Hartman, the song writing process came fairly easily as he and Marmel started batting around ideas. He recalls, "We needed to write a love song for Cosmo and sat down and asked, ‘What’s this son going to be about? How about how they met?’ We both just started going, ‘How about her hair? How about how stupid he is? Okay, that’s funny.’ Then we got this great musician, this guy named Moon, who can basically take these little poems that we write and make them into awesome, catchy songs. Moon is a must. He’s a very talented person."

    The biggest challenge for Hartman and his team was conceptualizing the songs. He explains, "Once you have the song written, that’s one thing. But then actually making it into a small little music video is tough. ‘Kids Being Kids’ is our big, main song, so we have to fill up every moment, every frame of music with something. It’s basically coming up with a story for each song. It’s not like it’s just a bunch of people on stage just moving around and dancing and stuff, we have to fill this thing with gags and jokes and visuals that make sense and tie into the whole story."

    The musical element also added a bit of extra strain to the animation process, according to Hartman. "Timing a song is a little bit more difficult than timing regular animation because you’re stuck with the beat and the tempo of the song," he says. "You have to make sure that all the stuff you want to do fits into that section of the song."

    While the talented main OddParents cast members do all their own singing for the special, the producers needed additional talent to perform a hardcore rap song that a group of pixies bust out. The part was filled by hip-hop stars Method Man and Redman. "They were actually very into it," says Hartman. "They thought it was really cool. I think they’re fans of the show and were very happy to do it. We were psyched to have them." The cast was also joined by Ben Stein of Faris Bueller’s Day Off and Win Ben Stein’s Money fame, who plays the malevolent head pixie. Thankfully, though, he doesn’t do any of his own rapping.

    Despite its challenges, School’s Out! fulfilled a life-long dream for Hartman, a long-time devotee of Schoolhouse Rock. "Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to do animated songs somehow," he notes. "It was a little daunting, but we’re on such a fast production schedule around here that we really had no choice but to dive in and make it. Then, once we got it done, it was like, "Wow! Look what we did!" He adds, "I think it’s really going to move OddParents to a whole new level so people can see how much fun the show can be."

    Hartman and gang are finishing production on the 80th half hour of Fairly OddParents. He’s also simultaneously working on Danny Phantom, which is nearing its 40th episode and has just been picked up for 13 more. On top of that, he says he’s developing other projects. "I’ve got some stuff in the works. One’s a live-action thing and the other one’s animated," he reveals. "I can’t share right now, unfortunately, but you’ll be the first to know." We’ll hold you to that, Butch.

    School’s Out! The Musical airs Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon.

  • Three Join Pitch Party Panel

    As would-be toon tycoons scramble to get their submissions postmarked today, Animation Magazine is pleased to announce the addition of three more industry pros to our panel of judges for the 4th Annual Pitch Party. [adult swim]’s Nick Weidenfeld, AMG’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Kids’ WB!’s Betsy McGowen will join other noteworthy talents and animation execs in reviewing pitch submissions and selecting one talented winner for a private pitch session.

    Nick Weidenfeld

    Manager of program development for [adult swim]

    Formerly a magazine editor, Weidenfeld was offered the [adult swim] gig by the infamous Mike Lazzo while interviewing Lazzo for Esquire Magazine. Currently, Nick’s wading through pitches and helping diversify the successful late-night block, developing shows outside of Williams St. Prods. This fall, you’ll taste just some of the fruits of his labor, most notably the much anticipated Boondocks from comic satirist Aaron McGruder, Moral Orel (described as Davey and Goliath meets South Park) and Minoriteam, a show about a group of ethnically diverse superheroes who use their racial stereotypes to destroy racial stereotypes.

    Ellen Goldsmith-Vein

    Founder/CEO, The Gotham Group

    Ellen Goldsmith-Vein founded The Gotham Group in 1994 and quickly grew it into the largest representation firm in the world focusing on creative talent in the animation and family entertainment business. Recognized as the powerhouse management firm in the animation industry, The Gotham Group boasts a roster of over 250 top directors, writers, producers, illustrators, artists and content creators, providing a full range of services in both live action and animated feature film and television including packaging, corporate consulting, strategic career planning, children’s programming, prime time television series, and animated and family entertainment content for emerging new media.

    This past year saw Goldsmith-Vein dramatically ramp up The Gotham Group’s production arm in both features and television. The company has recently closed a deal with Taiwanese studio Digimax to produce $50-125 million dollar animated motion pictures, underlining the importance of this rapidly expanding niche throughout the entertainment business. Currently Gotham is producing a feature film based on client Doug TenNapel’s graphic novel Creature Tech at New Regency with Forrest Gump producer Wendy Finerman; The Spiderwick Chronicles, set up at Paramount with Nickelodeon Movies, based on the recently published best-selling series of fantasy books written by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi; and Redwall, based on the acclaimed book series by Brian Jaques, in development with writer Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One, Hollow Man, Catwoman). On the television side, Gotham is producing A Pretty Good Life, a collaboration with Grammy Award winner Macy Gray currently in development as an animated series with Warner Bros Animation; and three series in development with Nickelodeon: Gear, also based on a graphic novel by Doug TenNapel; Charlie & Chunk, created by famed stop-motion animator and creator of Celebrity Death Match, Eric Fogel; and Stormriders, created by renowned animation director Steve Lyons.

    Dominating the animation and family entertainment fields and rapidly expanding their reach into all aspects of the entertainment industry, The Gotham Group is uniquely positioned to create career opportunities for its diverse range of A-list clientele.

    Ms. Goldsmith-Vein serves on the Board of the What to Expect Foundation and is a member of the Blue Ribbon of the Los Angeles Music Center. She serves on the Entertainment, Media & Technology Advisory Committee of the Starbright Foundation and is a member of the American Film Institute’s 3rd Decade Council, ASIFA Hollywood, Women in Film, the National Association of Television Arts & Sciences, and the Hollywood Radio & Television Society. Goldsmith-Vein also served as a member of the Alumnae Board of Hollins College, is a past Board member of Free Arts for Abused Children, and has served as a fellow on the Steering Committee of the Museum of Television & Radio.

    Betsy Mcgowen

    Senior VP/general manager, Kids WB!

    McGowen was promoted to her current position after an illustrious tenure at the helm of Kids’ WB! Marketing, which resulted in 34 PROMAX Awards for on-air branding, image and show promotion, and two Prism Awards for anti-smoking campaigns. McGowen now oversees Kids’ WB!, including current programming, development and scheduling, as well as marketing areas including brand, image, show promotion and broadcast formatting.

    McGowen has been a key member of the Kids’ WB! team, which has won 15 consecutive Saturday morning sweeps and has been the No.1 broadcast network since Fall 2000. She works closely with The WB’s research department to find out what kids want, and also collaborates with other divisions within Time Warner (Features, Consumer Products, Publishing, New Media, Warner Home Video, Warner Animation, etc.) in order to create synergistic programming that can succeed on multiple platforms.

    Prior to joining The WB, McGowen was a freelance writer/producer/editor, working primarily for Fox, The Disney Channel and syndicated talk shows. She was also on staff as a writer/producer for Fox Kids’ Network.

    A fine arts and theater major at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, McGowen now lives in Los Angeles. She is a volunteer at the St. Robert’s Center Weekend Food Pantry for the Homeless in Venice, Calif., and is also on the Board of Directors of the San Damiano Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that produces films for charitable organizations to use as promotional tools.

  • Dano Draws a Crowd In Glendale

    Artist Dan "Dano" Kubat (Baby Looney Tunes, Ozzy & Drix) will showcase some of his latest works of art at the "Double Aces Art Show" in Glendale this Saturday night, June 11. He and fellow renegade artist Bob Lizarraga will unveil their wares at Glendale Studios from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and invite the public to attend.

    Half of the Duck, You Sucker! Prods. creative team, Dano will be presenting The Vegas Collection; a series of paintings he says "take us back to a time when smoking, drinking and womanizing was a ‘fine art’."

    Though Dano has carved out a successful career in animation, he says his first love is original paintings, and this show is a direct result of the unique style, energy, humor and passion that has kept him in high demand in the toon biz.

    For more information or an e-vite, contact Margaret Kubat 818-398-0360 or visit www.artbydano.com and www. boblizarraga.com.

  • Miyazaki Meets Shark Boy in U.S. Theaters

    The eagerly awaited Howl’s Moving Castle, the latest traditionally animated epic from master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, begins its limited North American theatrical run today, arriving in 36 theaters. Widely regarded as Miyazaki’s most commercial pic to date, the feature will have some competition in the family film category as Dimension releases director Robert Rodriguez’s latest kid flick, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D. Both movies will also have to contend with DreamWorks’ Madagascar, the reigning box office champ.

    Howl’s Moving Castle is Miyazaki’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2002 fantasy masterpiece, Spirited Away. Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, the movie centers on an enchanted 18-year-old named Sophie, who is transformed into an old woman and encounters a wizard who inhabits a magical moving castle. Writer Reiko Yoshida adapted the book for the screen. Animation was completed at Studio Ghibli.

    The English-language version, produced distributed by Disney, is directed by Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) and features the voices of Christian Bale (Batman Begins, Reign of Fire), Jean Simmons (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the upcoming Thru the Moebius Strip), Lauren Bacall (Birth, the upcoming Firedog), Emily Mortimer (Disney’s The Kid, the upcoming The Pink Panther) Billy Crystal (Monsters, Inc. Analyze That) and Blythe Danner (Meet the Fockers, TV’s Huff).

    After a stint in the ultra-violent, very adult, neo-noir comic-book world of Frank Miller’s Sin City, Robert Rodriguez returns to family fare with a new 3D pic in the tradition of his highly successful Spy Kids trilogy. Based on a story by the director’s young son, Racer Rodriguez, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl stars newcomers Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley as the title superhero kids who spring from the imagination of schoolboy Max (Cayden Boyd).

    Much like Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Shark Boy features a lot of computer-generated environments and animated elements that pop out at audiences via stereoscopic 3D that requires those paper glasses with red and blue lenses. Studios that contributed to the film’s extensive visual effects work include Hybride Technologies, Hydraulx, Industrial Light & Magic, Intelligent Creatures Inc., The Orphanage, Tippett Studio and CaféFX.

    Also opening in wide release today are Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 20th Century Fox’s action comedy starring "Bradgelina"; Paramount’s big-screen update of The Honeymooners with Cedric the Entertainer; and Lions Gate’s highly anticipated U.S. release of the hit French slasher flick, High Tension.

    Read our cover story on the making of Howl’s Moving Castle in the July issue of Animation Magazine, available on newsstands now.

  • CaféFX Swims with Shark Boy and Lava Girl

    When does 150 visual effects shots become 300? When working on a stereoscopic 3D movie, according to CaféFX, one of the vfx studios that lent its talents to director Robert Rodriguez’s latest fantasy kid flick, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D. The film opens in theaters today.

    "The thing about 3-D is you have to do everything twice,” explains CaféFX digital effects supervisor Everett Burrell. “What you see in your left eye differs slightly from the right, so our 150 shots were instantly doubled to 300."

    Burrell says he and his team knew what to expect, having worked with Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studio on Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and "The Big Fat Kill" portion of Sin City. But while those films used some physical locations, Shark Boy was completely shot against blue screens. "It was wide open and we had just eight weeks to fill it all in," he notes. "Thankfully, great care was taken in setting up the 3D shots. Although it was a challenge to eyeball the stereo aspects and ensure the background was sunk back far enough, and things meant to pop out did so at the correct distance.”

    Much of the action in Shark Boy takes place on the imaginary Planet Drool, where CaféFX built such attractions as Mt. Neverest, an amusement like no other, and Dream Graveyard, a place where every toy ever forgotten in a closet goes to die. This is where the heroes meet Tobor, a CG robot that joins their quest. Then there’s The Land of Milk and Cookies, a world every kid would love to visit.

    CaféFX built these worlds from the ground up using Digital Fusion, Lightwave, XSI and Maya. “We dove in and created Sin City virtually without a map and I think for this one we had even less of a path to follow,” says Burrell. “But one of the great things about working with Robert is that he trusts and values the opinions of those doing the visual effects, and understands it’s a collaborative process (especially, on this film, which had eight or nine effects houses involved). That trust, allowed us to run wild and know that he would be receptive to where we were going.”

    CaféFX, part of the Santa Maria, Calif.-based ComputerCafe Group, maintains a studio in Santa Monica, Calif. Other recent credits include The Aviator, Flight of the Phoenix, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. For more information, go to www.CafeFX.com.

  • Nickelodeon Animates Holly Hobbie

    With so many classic merchandising properties making big comebacks these days, it was only a matter of time before Holly Hobbie got back on the horse. The 30-year old girl’s doll line will join the likes of Strawberry Shortcake and Trollz when it gets updated for an animated direct-to-video series to be produced by Nickelodeon and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.

    Scheduled to premiere in the spring of 2006, the first Holly Hobbie & Friends video will introduce a new generation of youngsters to Holly and her best friends, Amy and Carrie. The girls spend summers together in the cozy town of Clover and experience all of the things typical ten-year-old girls face. Holly herself is the great, great grand-daughter of the original Holly Hobbie.

    “Holly Hobbie & Friends is a contemporary evolution of the classic brand,” comments Michael Brown, VP of licensing for American Greetings. “The property celebrates the magic milestones of growing up in today’s world while retaining the innocence and charm of the original Holly Hobbie.”

    The home video debut will be followed by new Mattel toys and a complete line of merchandise set to launch later in the year. The original incarnation of Holly Hobbie brought in $1 billion in retail sales in the 1970s.

    American Greetings last month re-launched Holly Hobbie, featuring the original character and artwork on a wide variety of products including collectible gifts and social expression items. The company has partnered with Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products to act as a licensing agent for both the classic and contemporary versions of the property.

    Nickelodeon will showcase both Classic Holly Hobbie and Holly Hobbie & Friends at its booth (#1317) at the 2005 Licensing Show, taking place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, June 21-23.

  • DreamWorks Toons GBA Bound

    With its latest CG feature, Madagascar, leading the box office, DreamWorks Animation has found another distribution outlet for its animated fare. According to Daily Variety, the studio is teaming with video game publisher Majesco to make features such as Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shark Tale available on Majesco’s Game Boy Video format later this summer.

    While a number of film studios are releasing product on special video discs that play on Sony’s new PSP handheld gaming device, DreamWorks is the first to offer feature-length productions on standard Game Boy cartridges. Previous Game Boy Video releases have been limited to half-hour installments of popular animated TV shows.

    The movies are expected to retail for around $20, the standard DVD price. Should Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shark Tale manage to make a splash with the tens of millions of Game Boy users worldwide, Madagascar and other DreamWorks releases are sure to follow. Majesco is reportedly courting other studios for animated content as well.

    Despite the popularity of the PSP, Nintendo still holds the biggest piece of the handheld gaming market. Initially designed for the Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Video titles are also compatible with Nintendo’s popular new DS handheld unit, which has seen more than 1 million units sold in North America alone.

  • Melwood Pictures’ Max Howard Joins Pitch Party

    Animation Magazine is happy to announce that Disney and Warner Bros. feature animation veteran Max Howard, founder of Melwood Pictures, has joined the distinguished panel of judges for our 4th Annual Pitch Party. Howard will join other noteworthy talents and industry executives in reviewing pitch submissions and selecting one talented winner for a private pitch session.

    Max Howard is a veteran executive and producer in the animation film industry. He spent 12 at the Walt Disney Co. as one of the highest level architects of that company’s animation renaissance. He was involved at a senior level in the making of a number of Disney’s animation successes, including The Little Mermaid, The Prince and the Pauper, Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin,The Lion King, Pocahontas and Fantasia 2000. In the mid-’90s he became President of Feature Animation at Warner Bros., overseeing the award-winning animated feature The Iron Giant and the international hit Space Jam. Recently he was a producer at DreamWorks, until he left to set up Melwood Pictures.  He is currently exec producing several animated features with Exodus Film Group, including Igor, The Hero of Color City and Amarillo Armadillo. Howard is also producing the CG-animated/live action feature, Pavlov’s Dog, a co-production between Howard’s Melwood Pictures and Exodus.

    Other Pitch Party Judges onboard this year include Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends creator Craig McCracken, Nelvana VP of development Irene Weibel, PBS senior director of children’s programming Linda Simensky, BBC director of children’s unit Helen McAleer and Scholastic senior VP of programming and distribution Linda Kahn.

    Deadline for Pitch Party submissions is Friday, June 17. For more information, go to https://www.dev.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/pitch_party_05.html.

  • Toon Boom’s Concerto Fades Out

    Toon Boom Animation announced today that it has decided to phase out Toon Boom Concerto, its year-old solution for paperless, digital, re-use or cutout animation production. The company says the package’s swan song was written by the superior toolset offered by its latest release, Toon Boom Harmony.

    Concerto was launched in April of 2004 to enable studios to work in one single, integrated pipeline and create fewer drawings due to a high level of re-use. Key features it added to the Toon Boom OPUS toolset include advanced keyframing, sound scrubbing and the ability to draw directly in 3D scene planning.

    Building on Opus and Concerto’s capabilities, Toon Boom Harmony boasts more advanced features such as morphing, inverse kinematics and "glue." Harmony, which runs on Linux, PC and Mac, also includes a global template library that facilitates the reuse of assets, all set up in an integrated pipeline.

    Toon Boom will still offer Opus, an industry standard for traditional animation production that offers scanning, inking, painting, compositing and rendering capabilities. Also available is Toon Boom Studio, a application that is more ideal for independent animators working out of their home studios. Toon Boom also offers consulting and training services dedicated to increasing animation production efficiency and quality.

    Major companies using Toon Boom’s products include Nelvana, Klasky Csupo, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal, Mercury Filmworks, Wild Brain, King Camera, Cromosoma and Lanterna Magica. For more information, visit Toon Boom at www.toonboom.com.

  • Hi Hi Puffy, Ed, Edd n Eddy Get Game On

    Two popular Cartoon Network shows are the subject of new video game licensing deals. Los Angeles-based D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) has picked up the rights to Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and Midway is set to launch a new children’s product line with games based on aka Cartoons’ Ed, Edd n Eddy.

    Marking its first major licensing contract with Cartoon Network, D3PA will develop the first Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi title for Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance. The company also has rights to produce games for consoles and PC platforms over the next five years.

    Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi is an animated series based on real-life Asian pop stars Ami and Yumi, who have become an international sensation with their band, Puffy. The show was created by Cartoon Network’s own senior VP of original animation Sam Register, who serves as exec producer with Tramm Wigzell. Glendale, Calif.-based Renegade Animation produces the Flash-animated toon, now in its second season on Cartoon Network.

    Meanwhile, Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures is set to arrive this fall 2005 for PlayStation2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC. Midway says the game will closely mimic the look and feel of the show, throwing in lots of slapstick humor, a frantic pace, crazy art direction and outrageous fun with familiar characters Sarah, Jimmy, Jonny 2×4 & Plank, Kevin, Nazz, Rolf and the Kanker sisters.

    The game will feature tag team gameplay that allows players to control all three title cartoon characters at the same time and swap the lead character on the fly to take advantage of each Ed’s unique abilities. Gamers can also execute special all-Ed formations such as the "Trampol-Edd," "Tower-of-Eddy" and "Batter-Ed."

    In keeping with the series, Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures will ask players to pull off wacky scams such as selling snowcones and collecting jawbreakers. Completing these scam objectives will unlock new areas of the game.

    Created by toon rebel Danny Antonucci at aka Cartoons in Vancouver, Ed, Edd n Eddy has been a popular staple of the Cartoon Network lineup since it premiered in January of 1999.

    More information on D3Publisher of America and its products is available at http://www.d3p.us. Midway can be found on the web at www.midwaygames.com.

  • Postman Pat Stamped for HBO Family

    U.K.-based independent media group Entertainment Rights Plc. (ER) has inked a deal to bring its hit British animated series Postman Pat to young U.S. viewers on HBO Family. The show will air daily beginning this fall, simulcasting in both English and Spanish.

    Postman Pat and his faithful companion, Jess the Cat, have been favorites among the preschool set since the property first appeared on BBC TV in 1981. The original series has been exported to more than 65 countries and more than 15 million books have been sold to-date worldwide. The all-new Postman Pat series, animated at acclaimed toon studio Cosgrove Hall, launched in September of 2004 and a second season is in production for this fall.

    "This agreement is significant for us as it not only adds to ER’s growing business in the U.S. following the acquisition of the Filmation Library in April 2004, but it is also another step towards establishing ER as a company that consistently delivers high quality programming which is both creatively and commercially viable for US audiences," says Jane Smith, group commercial director for Entertainment Rights.

    At HBO Family, Postman Pat will join such children’s favorites as Scholastic’s I Spy, Universal’s Curious George and Sony Pictures’ Stuart Little. ER is developing a comprehensive consumer products program for the show, and has plans for a full brand roll-out in the US in 2006.

  • Ren and Stimpy Visit TV Land

    John Kricfalusi’s twisted dog-and-cat duo is coming to cable network TV Land for a one-night, two-hour marathon on Friday, June 17. Kicking off at 12 a.m. (ET/PT), the event is intended to help promote the June 28 release of Ren & Stimpy: Seasons Three and a Halfish, a three-disc DVD boxed set featuring classic episodes.

    Highlighted by subversive humor and no shortage of gross-out gags, The Ren & Stimpy Show pushed the envelope for children’s cartoons and became an instant hit with kids and adults alike following its launch on Nickelodeon in 1991. Kricfalusi eventually left the Emmy-nominated show due to creative differences and, in 2003, re-launched it as Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, an even racier series that ran for a season on Spike TV.

    The TV Land mini-marathon will kick off with the episodes "Space Madness" and "The Boy who Cried Rat," followed by "In the Army," "Powdered Toast Man," "Stimpy’s Cartoon Show," "Flod," "Jiminy Lummox," and "Bass Masters."

    The Ren & Stimpy: Seasons Three and a Halfish DVD will include all episodes from the third season and half of the fourth. In addition to 17 cartoons, the release will feature audio commentary from Kricfalusi and the Spumco Animation team. There will also be in-character commentary from Ren and Stimpy themselves, as Stimpson J. Cat and Ren Hoek provide their own unique insight into their wacky adventures.

  • Game Over for Atari CEO

    Atari president and CEO James Caparro has resigned, exiting the video game giant to become the president and CEO of Entertainment Distribution Corp., a division of Glenayre. Caparro’s resignation is effective immediately, leaving current chairman and chief creative officer Bruno Bonnell to act as interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a permanent replacement.

    Bonnell comments, “Atari has assembled a senior management team that is moving forward to execute its strategic objectives. The team–from product development to marketing and sales to finance–possesses enormous energy and experience to lead us as we evolve into a more dominant force in the entertainment industry.”

    New York-based Atari’s best-selling game titles of recent years include DRIV3R, Enter the Matrix, Neverwinter Nights, Stuntman, Test Drive, Unreal Tournament 2004 and Unreal Championship. The company also publishes Nickelodeon-branded games including Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer, as well as the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Atari is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Ent. SA.

  • PlayFirst’s Diner Dash on MAC Menu

    Video game publisher PlayFirst today launched the Macintosh version of its breakout hit downloadable PC game, Diner Dash. Originally created to target middle-aged female casual gamers, the title has exhibited universal appeal, at one time becoming the most downloaded game at major online game sites.

    Developed by gameLab, Diner Dash is a puzzle game that has players assume the role of a former stock broker named Flo as she quits her day job and grows a fledgling roadside diner into a five-star restaurant.

    Diner Dash represents a new generation of popular downloadable games and is a perfect fit for the creative and inventive community of Mac owners,” says Edelman. “Mac users can now experience the original animation, fast-paced gameplay and compelling storyline that have made Diner Dash a number one hit.”

    The game was ported for Mac using Apple’s new Mac OS X Tiger, which, according to Ron Okamoto, Apple’s VP of worldwide developer relations, is being increasingly adopted by game designers because of its advanced graphics capability, ease of use, OpenGL performance and Xcode development tools.

    Available on more than 250 sites and in 10 countries worldwide, PlayFirst games can also be found through channel partners such as Big Fish Games, Boonty, iWin, MSN Games, Oberon Media, RealArcade, Shockwave.com, Trymedia Systems and Yahoo! Games.

    Diner Dash, compatible with Macintosh computers running OS X 10.3 and above, is available now from PlayFirst’s website at www.playfirst.com. All PlayFirst games are available for a free trial before purchase and a full version of the game can be downloaded for $20.