Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Sci-Fi Museum Inducts Harryhausen, Spielberg, Dick

    While their works hold timeless appeal, sci-fi and fantasy legends Ray Harryhausen, Steven Spielberg, Philip K. Dick and Chesley Bonestell have become museum pieces of a sort. The visionaries from the worlds of film, literature and art constitute the Science Fiction Museum’s 2005 Hall of Fame inductees. The induction ceremony will take place on May 6 at the recently opened Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, Wash.

    Harryhausen, a famed stop-motion animator and visual effects pioneer, is single handedly responsible for the enduring magic of such classic films as The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, Jason and the Argonauts, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Clash of the Titans. In 1992, he was presented with an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement and went on to earn his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June of 2003. His lavishly illustrated autobiography, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, was published in the U.S. last April and a retospective DVD titled Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years was released in February of this year.

    Spielberg won three Oscars, three Emmys, two Golden Globes and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Film Institute and Directors Guild. His best-known science fiction films include E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jurassic Park. For TV, Spielberg exec produced the hit SCI-FI Channel miniseries, Taken, and has returned to the theme of alien invasion with his upcoming big-screen adaptation of H.G. Well’s The War of the Worlds. For this latest project, he re-teams with Tom Cruise, star of Minority Report, which Spielberg adapted from a story by fellow inductee Philip K. Dick.

    Dick is considered one of the most important figures in 20th-century American science fiction, having inspired such science fiction films as Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. Widely considered the forefather of cyberpunk, Dick passed away in 1982 at the age of 54, but his body of work will continue to influence writers and filmmakers for generations to come.

    Chesley Bonestell is the most influential creator of photo-realistic astronomical art. During the 1950’s, his work often appeared in such publications as Life and Collier’s Magazine, inspiring the careers of countless astronomers, scientists and artists. His special-effects matte paintings for films such as Destination Moon and George Pal’s The War of the Worlds led to the creation of the Chesley Award, which honors achievement in science fiction and fantasy art. Bonestell passed away in 1986 at the age of 98.

    Founded in 1996, the Science-Fiction Hall of Fame was relocated from the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at Kansas University to its permanent home at SFM in 2004.

    Each year, the Hall of Fame inducts up to four individuals on the basis of their continued excellence and long-time contributions to science fiction. This year’s class will join the ranks of such well-known figures as Ursula K. Le Guin, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Samuel R. Delany, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells.

    As part of the induction, a new display featuring personal artifacts and video footage from each inductee will be added to the existing Hall of Fame exhibit. The new inductees will also be featured in laser-etched images on the translucent, glowing Hall of Fame display.

    Tickets for the induction ceremony sell for $85 and are now available to members. The general public can purchase tickets on April 1. The evening includes a seated dinner, ceremony and after-party. For more information, visit the Hall of Fame section of the SFM web site at www.sfhomeworld.org.

  • Astro Boy, Wind in the Willows on DVD

    Today’s crop of home video releases has a decidedly retro vibe with classic animated TV properties getting multi-disc editions. Astro Boy: The Complete Series features all installments of the recently revived anime show and The Wind in the Willows: The Complete First Series offers a trip down stop-motion memory lane.

    The five-disc Astro Boy set includes 50 episodes, including 29 that have never been seen in North America. This is Sony Pictures Television Int’l’s 2003 incarnation of the franchise, which creator Osamu Tezuka first introduced to Japanese manga readers in 1951. A black-and-white toon series emerged in 1963, followed by a color update in 1980. This latest version aired on Kids’ WB! in the fall of 2004.

    The Astro Boy series tells a Pinocchio-esque tale of a robot boy, modeled after the deceased son of a research scientist, who becomes a renowned superhero complete with laser-firing fingers, keen hearing and jet-powered boots. Animated mostly at Tezuka Pro in Beijing, the show consists primarily of traditional 2D images, with some CG worked in.

    Included on one disc is the featurette Remaking of Astro Boy. The Sony release carries a suggested retail price of $49.95.

    Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book comes to animated life in The Wind in the Willows: The Complete First Season. This two-disc set features 13 episodes from the first of five seasons of the stop-motion series animated by Cosgrove Hall. Produced in the 1980s, the show follows the musical adventures friends Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad. The A&E Home Video release lists for $29.95. Also available from A& E is the original The Wind in the Willows TV special, which carries a suggested retail price of $19.95.

  • Father of the Pride Roars to Disc in June

    Following a brief run on NBC, DreamWorks’ computer-generated primetime comedy series, Father of the Pride, is making its way to home video on June 7. The release will feature all fourteen episodes of the short-lived show, including the original, unaired pilot and three never-before-seen installments. Bonus features will include commentaries and complete scripts of unproduced episodes.

    Father of the Pride delves into the secret lives of animals working in Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas act. The show boasts a celebrity voice cast that includes John Goodman, Cheryl Hines, Carl Reiner and Orlando Jones, and features gust spots by Danny DeVito, Lisa Kudrow and Andy Richter, among others.

    The series was created by Jeffrey Katzenberg, developed by Jonathan Groff and produced by Ron Weiner, Mary Sandell and Ken Tsumura. Katzenberg’s fellow exec producers are Jon Pollack, Jonathan Groff, Jon Pollack and Peter Mehlman. Siegfried and Roy served as co-exec producers, along with Joe M. Aguilar, Cheryl Holliday, Mike Barker, Matt Weitzman and Bernie Yuman. Directing duties went to Mark Risley with The Simpsons alum Klay Hall serving as supervising director.

    Father of the Pride: The Complete Series will retail for the suggested price of $29.99.

  • Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Ships

    Game publisher Ubisoft today announced that the latest title in the hugely successful espionage franchise from best-selling author Tom Clancy is shipping to retail and will be available for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube and PC in North America by Thursday, March 31. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is also being published for Nokia’s N-Gage hand-held platform by Gameloft.

    Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory sends hard-boiled special forces operative Sam Fisher on his latest mission to maintain world peace. The year is 2008 and global stability is threatened by citywide blackouts, stock exchange sabotage, electronic hijacking of national defense systems and other manifestations of information warfare. To prevent these attacks, the player must infiltrate hostile territory and collect critical intelligence right under the noses of enemy soldiers.

    The game offers three modes of play. Ubisoft’s Montreal studio developed the single-player and co-op missions, while its Annecy facility crafted the Versus multiplayer campaign, which was introduced in last year’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow. The co-op mode is available for split-screen and online play for Xbox and online for PC, while the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions offer co-op play through offline split-screen only. The Versus mode is available for online play with Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC, and is not available for GameCube.

    With this new title, Ubisoft promises to deliver "the best graphics in this generation of games." Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is rated “M” (Mature) for blood, strong language and violence.

  • 4Kids Tumbles for Peak’s Wumblers

    New York City-based children’s entertainment and merchandise licenser 4Kids Ent. has acquired North American television broadcast, home video and merchandising rights to Peak Entertainment Holdings Inc.’s new animated preschool TV property, The Wumblers.

    Created by Silly Goose Prods. founder Laura Wellington, The Wumblers invites young viewers to a world populated by colorful, sweet-natured and whimsical characters whose stories demonstrate the importance of mutual respect, fairness and acceptance.

    Peak’s other properties include Monster Quest, Little Big Feet, Tattoo, Countin’ Sheep, Muffin the Mule and Snailsbury’s Tails. The company will be shopping The Wumblers to broadcasters and licensers worldwide at MIPTV, taking place April 11-15 in Cannes, France.

    For more information on The Wumblers and its creator, see the May issue of Animation Magazine and check out www.peakentertainment.co.uk/wumblers.htm.

  • Boomerang Turns 5, Adds New Block

    Cartoon network this week is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Boomerang, its 24-hour, commercial-free outlet dedicated to classic toons from the likes of Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. In addition to today’s launch of The Zoo, a new animal-themed programming block, the Boomerang birthday festivities will include an April 1 “Fool-a-Thon" featuring holiday-themed theatrical shorts and television episodes from the Time Warner library.

    The Zoo will air Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., featuring such animal stars as Squiddly Diddly, Magilla Gorilla, Yogi Bear, Peter Potamus, Snagglepuss, Wally Gator, Grape Ape, Yakky Doodle, Huckleberry Hound, Lippy the Lion, Atom Ant and Breezly & Sneezly. Additional stars slated to make guest appearances include Ricochet Rabbit, Touché Turtle and mouse duo Pixie and Dixie.

    Starting Friday at 6:30 p.m., Bomerang’s April Fool’s Day marathon will spotlight toons starring Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester, Porky Pig, the Hillbilly Bears, Ranger Smith, Ralph Wolf, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and Marvin the Martian, among others.

    For more details on Boomerang programming, go to the official web site at http://Boomerang.CartoonNetwork.com.

  • Nicktoons Film Festival Calls for Entries

    Hot on the heels of a successful first season, The Nicktoons Film Festival is coming back to introduce viewers to a whole new batch of rarely seen animated shorts from independent filmmakers and well-known toon studios. Co-produced by Frederator Studios, the series has been renamed Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival and is now open to entries from around the world.

    Animated films 10 minutes in length or shorter will be accepted through June 17. Entry forms can be downloaded on www.nicktoons.com. Submitted shorts will be chosen by a pre-selection jury to air on Nicktoons beginning in August. A grand jury will then select a grand prize winner to receive $10,000. New this year is an online component allowing viewers to log-on and vote for their favorite films.

    Last season’s big winners, Mark Simon and Travis Blaise of Orlando, Fla., snatched the $10,000 purse for Timmy’s Lessons in Nature, a 2D short that humorously illustrates the wrong ways to behave in the great outdoors.

    For Welcome to My Life, a hand-drawn, black-and-white look at the misunderstood lives of monsters, California Institute of the Arts student Elizabeth Ito won the 2004 Nicktoons Producers’ Choice Award and a copy of Bauhaus Software’s Mirage.

    Mark Simon tells how his five-year-old Timmy won the grand prize in the April issue of Animation Magazine, available now by subscription and at Barnes & Noble locations.

  • DreamWorks Animation to Offer More Shares

    Just days after Pixar offered investors a two-for-one stock split, DreamWorks Animation SKG announced that it is preparing for a secondary offering of $500 million shares of its Class A common stock. The animation studio, which today filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, says that all shares will be offered to the public by current stockholders.

    The shares will come from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Lee Entertainment and Vivendi Universal Ent. DreamWorks principals Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg will not sell any of their own shares, nor will they receive proceeds from this offering, which is expected to be completed sometime after the May 27 theatrical debut of Madagascar.

  • CG Ninja Turtles Pic Gets Director

    You can’t keep a good turtle down, especially it’s been genetically mutated and trained in the martial arts. In addition to the Saturday Morning cartoon revival of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 20-year-old property will find new life as a computer-animated feature with animator/comic book artist Kevin Munroe on board to write and direct for Imagi Services.

    Munroe has been involved with the writing and design of projects for Disney, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, WWE, Fox Kids, The Jim Henson Co., Kids’ WB! Dark Horse Ent., IDW Publishing and Nickelodeon. He also created, wrote, produced, designed and directed the CG Christmas special Donner for ABC, and co-wrote the Imagi feature Cat Tale.

    Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman created Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a 40-page, black-and-white comic book published in 1984. Three feature films and an animated series soon followed. The toxically transformed terapins made their triumphant television return in February of 2003 on Fox’s 4Kids TV (formerly Fox Box) in the U.S. Heading into its fourth season, the series also airs weekdays on Cartoon Network’s new afternoon action/adventure block, Miguzi.

    The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature will be produced by Imagi Services president/CEO Tom Gray, who guided the live-action film trilogy through production, and Galen Walker of Imagi. Laird will serve as an exec producer, along with Francis Kao, Gary Richardson and Frederick Fierst. A spring 2007 U.S. release is being eyed.

  • Liguori Named Entertainment Pres at Fox

    Following Gail Berman’s abrupt exit to head up creative efforts at Paramount, Peter Liguori has been named president of Entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The former president and CEO of Fox’s burgeoning FX cable network will be responsible for all program development and scheduling for Fox, home to the primetime animated series The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy and American Dad.

    Liguori headed up operations at FX Networks since 1998, overseeing the cabler’s rise to become one of the top five basic cable networks with critically acclaimed shows such as Nip/Tuck, The Shield and Rescue Me. In five years, FX’s subscriber base rose from 39 million to more than 84 million homes.

    Prior to joining Fox/Liberty Networks in 1996, Liguori was VP of consumer marketing at HBO. He also held several positions in HBO’s Home Video division, including VP of marketing and senior VP of marketing. Liguori feature film credits include producing the indie fave, Big Night.

  • Shyamalan Swims to Warner for Next Pic

    Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, who gave Disney the hit supernatural suspense thrillers The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village, is taking his next feature effort, Lady in the Water, to Warner Bros., according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    Lady in the Water is described as a fantasy thriller about a building superintendent who finds a sea nymph swimming in the pool of an apartment complex. Shyamalan has historically used digital effects sparingly in his films, but this upcoming production may require more computer-aided visuals.

    The film was originally at Disney under Shyamalan’s first-look deal, but the studio and the auteur decided to not to make it together.

    While Shyamalan’s last three pictures have grossed more than $100 million domestically and proved to be worldwide hits, none have managed to match his $673 million worldwide-grossing debut feature, The Sixth Sense, in terms of box office success, critical acclaim and general popularity. Released last summer, The Village was met with mixed reviews and flagging attendence for a Shyamalan film.

    A production of Blinding Edge Pictures, Lady in the Water is being produced by Shyamalan and partner Sam Mercer.

  • Bakshi Hollywood Tribute in April

    From the X-rated cartoon feature Fritz the Cat to the animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Ralph Bakshi diverse body of work will be celebrated with a three-day tribute in Hollywood on April 29 through May 1. Presented in conjunction with ASIFA-Hollywood, the event is part of the American Cinemateque’s fantastic Animation A-Go-Go! series, which last week hosted Samurai Jack creator and Star Wars: Clone Wars director Genndy Tartakovsky.

    The Bakshi retrospective will take place at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the new American Cinematheque venue, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Bakshi will appear in person at the screenings, discussing the films that solidified his stake in animation history while digging up rarities from his personal collection.

    On Friday, April 29, the ball gets rolling at the Egyptian at 7:30 p.m. with the infamous 1972 adult feature Fritz the Cat, Bakshi’s adaptation of a comic series by famed underground comic artist R. Crumb. The film tells the tale of a drop-out tom cat who is caught up in ’60s over-indulgence. The second feature on the double-bill will be Bakshi’s 1973 follow-up, Heavy Traffic, another highly personalized view of urban America. Ticket holders will also be treated to the world premiere of the unseen, three-minute Bakshi short, The Cigarette & The Weed; the 1967 eight-minute Paramount short, Marvin Digs; and a long-lost series of Coca-Cola commercials Bakshi made with Peter Max in the 1960s. Bakshi will be present for a discussion between films.

    On Saturday, April 30, at 7 p.m., the Egyptian will host another double feature starting with the 1977 animated fantasy film, Wizards. The post-apocalyptic tale follows twin wizards–the wicked Blackwolf and the good-hearted Avatar–who battle for rule over a wasteland. Fans will be seeing Bakshi’s personal print of the film, which will be followed by 1975’s Coonskin (a.k.a. Streetfight), a bleak and brutal tale of Harlem street survival and an unforgiving war between gun-toting punks, prostitutes and all the cool, cruel people that populate the rest of the sidewalk. Also screening is The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse episode "Night of the BatBat,” which Bakshi directed in 1987. Bakshi will again be present for a discussion.

    The Sunday, May 1 double-feature at the Egyptian kicks off at 5 p.m. with Bakshi’s 1978 animated take on The Lord of the Rings, which Peter Jackson cited as one of his inspirations for the recent live-action trilogy. American Pop (1981) will follow with the story of four sets of fathers and sons on a musical cruise through rock ‘n’ roll history, fueled by classic tunes from Gershwin, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Seger and dozens more.

    Aero Theatre event will take place on Sunday, May 1. The double-feature will begin at 5 p.m. Fritz the Cat, followed by Wizards, with Bakshi offering commentary between films.

  • Valiant Pushed Back to Summer

    Valiant, Disney’s first CG feature crafted outside of Pixar, is the latest toon affected by schedule shuffling. Produced by London-based Vanguard Animation, the WWII carrier pigeon pic recently had its U.K. premiere but won’t make it to U.S. theaters until August.

    Originally scheduled to arrive in North America on April 15, Valiant is an adventure/comedy that tells the story of a lowly wood pigeon who overcomes his small size to become a hero in Great Britain’s Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during the second World War.

    Ewan McGregor, who can now be heard as the lead in Fox’s Robots, voices the title character in Valiant, leading a star-studded cast that includes Sir Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast, House of Sand and Fog) Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge, Bridget Jones’s Diary), Rupert Everett (An Ideal Husband, My Best Friend’s Wedding), John Hurt (Harry Potter films, The Elephant Man) Hugh Laurie (Stuart Little 1 and 2, TV’s House) and Ricky Gervais (BBC’s The Office).

    British character designer Gary Chapman makes his directorial debut with this film, produced by John H. Williams (Shrek 1 and 2). Exec producers are Barnaby Thompson for Ealing Studios, Ralph Kamp for Odyssey Ent., Robert Jones for the U.K. Film Council and Keith Evans for Baker Street Media Finance. Eric M. Bennett, Curtis Augspurger and Buckley Collum serve as co-producers for Vanguard.

    Valiant was produced at Vanguard Animation’s recently built CG studio at Ealing Studios in London. Disney is distributing the picture in North America and Odyssey Ent. in the U.K. is handling international distribution. Disney will follow the release with the Nov. 4 debut of Chicken Little, it’s first CG feature produced in house.

  • Simmons Upped to GM at Studio B

    Rob Simmons, CFO of animation house Studio B, will take on new responsibilities in the company’s newly created general manager position. In addition to his CFO duties, he will manage the financial and day-to-day components of the business, allowing Studio B partners Blair Peters and Chris Bartle to focus on the creative and strategic aspects of the company’s production slate.

    Simmons joined Studio B five years ago and has helped the busy animation service provider expand into original content creation.

    Studio B produces original series such as Yvon of the Yukon, What About Mimi? and D’Myna Leagues, which air in more than 22 countries around the world. The company’s international co-productions include Something Else and Yakkity Yak, which airs on Nicktoons in the U.S. and TELETOON in Canada. In addition to a full slate of service work, the studio is currently in production on the series Being Ian for YTV and Class of the Titans for TELETOON. For more information on the company, go to www.studiobproductions.com.

  • Happy Birthday Joseph Barbera!

    Happy birthday wishes to cartoon legend Joseph Barbera, who founded famed cartoon studio Hanna-Barbera Prods. with William Hanna in 1944. Barbera is 94 today.

    Working for MGM, Barbera and Hanna created the beloved cat-and-mouse team of Tom and Jerry in 1940. While the theatrical shorts won numerous Academy Awards, it was their work in television that established Barbera and his partner as true innovators of animation. Working on budgets a fraction of the size they were used to dealing with at MGM, the duo designed a system for limited animation and introduced generations to such indelible characters as Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quickdraw McGraw,The Flintstones and the Jetsons, to name a few.

    Hanna-Barbera continued to produce TV animation through the 1980s, churning out such shows as The Smurfs, Tom and Jerry Kids and Pac-Man. Turner Broadcasting acquired the Hanna-Barbera library in 1991, changing the name of the studio first to H-B Productions Company, then Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc. The library eventually found a home on Cartoon Network, where new Hanna-Barbera productions are developed under the Cartoon Network Studios banner.

    On March 15, The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences unveiled a wall sculpture honoring Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, who passed away in 2001. The monument depicts the toon creators surrounded by some of their most famous characters. The well-attended ceremony was followed by a birthday luncheon for Barbera.

  • Discreet Gets Name Change

    Discreet, maker of the widely used 3ds max animation software and other digital imaging products, has been renamed by parent company Autodesk Inc. Now dubbed Autodesk Media and Entertainment, the division formerly known as Discreet will remain dedicated to providing products and services for entertainment markets including film, video and gaming.

    Despite the brand change, Discreet’s dedicated sales, support and product development teams will remain unchanged, according to Autodesk, which has also added a dedicated media and entertainment practice to extend its Autodesk Consulting division. Autodesk Media and Entertainment will be headquartered in Montreal, Canada, where Discreet has been based since Autodesk acquired Discreet Logic in 1999.

    Explaining the logic behind the name change, Autodesk chief operating officer Carl Bass comments, "Creating Autodesk Media and Entertainment is more proof that we have a single mission as a company, whether we are serving customers who design our buildings, infrastructure and manufactured products or create the amazing content we see on movie, TV and video game screens."

    Martin Vann, VP of Autodesk Media and Entertainment, adds, "By integrating and unifying our brand with Autodesk, we position ourselves to become a more closely aligned division of a billion dollar plus company." In addition to its focus on 3D animation and next generation game technologies, Autodesk’s entertainment business is invested in the 4K digital intermediate process for filmmaking and uncompressed HD programming.

    Autodesk Media and Entertainment will have a coming-out party of a sort at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) in Las Vegas, happening April 18-21. At the annual event, the company promises to unveil new, state-of-the-art offerings as well as significant enhancements to existing products and solutions.

  • PSP takes North America by Storm

    Sony’s much-hyped hand-held gaming and personal entertainment device, the PSP (PlayStation Portable), made its North American retail debut last night at midnight. Eager early adopters lined up outside of stores for as long as 24 hours to be the first to get their hands on the $250 gadgets. Initial sales have been so good that Sony is reportedly worried that the current supply will soon run out.

    Released in Japan during the holiday season, the PSP has been inducing drool among U.S. techies at consumer electronics shows and gaming conventions like E3 in Los Angeles and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Today’s buying frenzy is further provoked the notion that consumers who don’t buy now may have to wait a month or more when then next shipment arrives.

    The device allows users to play games, watch movies, play music, view photos and surf the web via Wi-Fi wireless LAN. The first one million Value Packs shipped even include a special UMD video release of the Sony feature film Spider-Man 2. A line-up of 24 game titles is available for the machine, with an additional 100 titles currently in development worldwide.

    Sony Computer Entertainment America celebrated last night’s PSP rollout by hosting special events at Sony Style Retail in Manhattan and the PlayStation Store at the Metreon in San Francisco. Carson Daly, host of NBC’s Later with Carson Daly, served master of ceremonies at the New York event, where attendees were treated to sneak peeks at new games, giveaways and surprise appearances.

  • AOL’s Princess Natasha Cartoon Network Bound

    America Online’s original web series, Princess Natasha, is extending its kingdom through a licensing deal with Cartoon Network. Developed for the KOL kids service by independent toon shop Animation Collective, 20 animated shorts will make their way to the network’s TV lineup later this year. The property has also been picked up by publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

    “We feel strongly that these deals represent a major shift in the way original Internet programming is being perceived by the entertainment industry,” says Malcolm Bird, AOL’s senior VP and general manager for kids and teens programming. He cites the growing use of broadband Internet service as a pivotal factor in making the web a viable medium for launching content and building brands.

    "Princess Natasha will be a great addition to Cartoon Network’s line-up of girl power series, like Atomic Betty and Totally Spies," comments Bob Higgins, senior VP of programming and original animation for Cartoon Network. "We think it’s a fun cartoon that kids can relate to with exciting characters, adventurous plotlines and a unique look."

    The first season of the Princess Natasha online series saw hundreds of thousands of kids log in to follow the escapades of the student spy in 10- to 15-minute original webisodes. Season Two’s 10 new weekly installments continue to follow our heroine as she acquires the invisibility spray, finds Zoravia’s stolen national treasure and discovers a double agent.

    In December of 2004, AOL extended Princess Natasha’s reign by launching a web-based comic book series and online games based on the property. Natasha titles such as Welcome to Lake Trouble and Oleg’s Super Secret Fort Smashin’ Robots can be found in KOL’s online games library

    In addition to Princess Natasha, New York City-based Animation Collective develops games and produces the Kung Fu Academy web series for KOL. The Flash animation house also produces Fox Box’s Crash Dummies with 4Kids Ent. and the Nicktoons series Leader Dog and Tortellini Western.

    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers plans to release the first two digest books in its Princess Natasha series in May of 2006.

  • MYP to Take Bratz to TV

    Mike Young Prods. (MYP), producer of the hit animated PBS preschool series Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, will animate MGA Ent.’s popular Bratz line of fashion dolls for TV and direct-to-video releases. Aimed at kids 6-13, the animated tween lifestyle productions are expected to launch in September of this year.

    For the uninitiated, the Bratz pack is a diverse group of multi-cultural, fashion-conscious girls who love shopping and everything else the average tween or teen girl values. The dolls were introduced to the toy market in 2001 and have gone on to sell more than 70 million units worldwide. With more than 300 licensees around the globe, the brand has expanded to everything from apparel to school supplies. There’s even a line of Bratz video games on the way from publisher THQ. The property has been so successful, it has already spawned a number of spin-offs, including Lil’ Bratz, Bratz Babyz and Bratz Petz.

    The first Bratz home video release, the 2D-animated Starrin’ and Stylin’, was put out by Fox Home Entertainment last September.

    Since hairstyles are important aspects of fashion, MYP will focus a lot of attention to capturing the look of real, wavy, full-motion hair for the series, which will require frequent style changes. "Up until now, hair has been one of the most challenging aspects of CG, only produced in mega-budgeted movies," says Mike Young, founding partner at MYP. He goes on to say that the detailed CG sets also proved a challenge for the animation crew, which is striving to push the limits of CG on TV.

    The Bratz series and video productions will feature the voices of Soleil Moon Frye (The Proud Family, Punky Brewster), Lacey Chabert (The Wild Thornberrys, Party of Five) Wendie Malick (Fillmore!, Just Shoot Me), Tia Mowry (Sister, Sister, The Hot Chick), and Kaley Cuoco (Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, 8 Simple Rules). Malick is also joining David Spade and John Goodman in the voice cast for Kronk’s New Groove, the upcoming sequel to Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove.

    According to Liz Young, the show’s supervising producer and partner at MYP, the producers have hired teenage consultants on the production team to ensure that the series accurately reflects today’s tweens and teenagers.

    Ellen Levy-Sarnoff, senior creative director for Bratz Ent. at MGA, will serve as a producer on the show, along with Jay Fukuto, VP of entertainment for MGA. Mike and Liz Young will oversee production for MYP, along with fellow partner and Bill Schultz, an Emmy-winning producer of The Simpsons.

  • Adult Swim Adds Five for Fall

    At today’s Upfront presentation in New York City, Cartoon Network lifted the veil on five new shows set to join the Adult Swim block in September and October of this year. It was also announced that new seasons of the hit late-night shows Aqua Teen Hunger Force and The Venture Bros. have received the green light.

    Previously announced additions include the TV adaptation of Aaron McGruder’s syndicated comic strip, The Boondocks, in which two streetwise, inner-city boys are sent to live in the suburbs with their grandfather. Coming in September with six episodes is Squidbillies, a new series from Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Dave Willis and The Brak Show co-creator Jim Fortier. The show involves a family of cephalopods stranded in the North Georgia mountains.

    Cartoon Network will air Stroker & Hoop in September. The new Williams St. series from creators Casper Kelly and Jeff Olsen was introduced to viewers as a special in August of 2004 and will return with six new adventures for bumbling private eye John Stroker, his self-proclaimed master of disguise sidekick, Hoop, and his talking hatchback, CARR. An additional six installments will air in November.

    From Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Matt Maiellaro comes 12oz Mouse, a show about a rodent who is fond of beer and finds himself caught up in a world of espionage and love. Six episodes have been ordered, with a premiere planned for September.

    Perfect Hair Forever, also from Williams St., chronicles the adventures of a young, bald boy in a mystical land as he seeks perfect hair. Six episodes are in production for a September start.  

    With Seth McFarlane’s Family Guy pulling in sold ratings, Cartoon Network will also air his new series, American Dad, which premieres on Fox on May 1. The show revolves around the family of patriotic CIA agent Stan Smith, who has opened his home to a genetically altered, German-speaking goldfish and an alien he rescued from Area 51. The show will make its Adult Swim debut in May as well.

    There are also a few new pilots in development for the Adult Swim block. Set to air in October is Moral Orel, a stop-motion series from Dino Stamotopolis, who wrote for the cult favorites Mr. Show and TV Funhouse.

    Also coming in October is Saul of the Mole People, about an American explorer who goes to the earth’s core and encounters a race of people who do not understand his ways. The show will feature live actors and costumed characters a la Land of the Lost and The Banana Splits. Series creator Craig Lewis has written for such Cartoon Network original series as Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.

    Another pilot being loaded up is Lucy: Daughter of the Devil, a CG show about a young girl who moves to San Francisco with her father, Satan. Set to premiere in October, the show is created by Loren Bouchard, producer of Home Movies and Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist. Jon Benjamin, who provided the voice of Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, will star as the Devil.

    Cartoon Network will also try out Minori-Team, which has superheroes from different minority groups join forces to fight against discrimination. Jewcano, Fasto, Dr. Wang, El Jeffe and Quickstop will use the power of racial stereotypes to right societal wrongs in this pilot, slated to air in October. Alex de la Pena, Todd Peters and Peter Gerardi created the concept.

    Fans can also look forward to new seasons of Family Guy (June), Tom Goes to The Mayor (April 17) Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (July 24) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (December).