Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Video Game Exhibit Comes to Chi Town

    A new traveling exhibit titled Game On: The History, Culture and Future of Video Games, will make its North American debut at The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on March 4. Running through Sept. 5, the exhibit will feature more than 100 playable games as it examines this entertainment phenomenon and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the design and production process.

    One of the participating game companies is Chicago-based TLC Industries Inc. (www.tlcind.com), which will offer its PowerBall Billiards and supply cabinets to display games by other local game developers. TLC is the creator of NextArcade (www.NextArcade.com), a system designed to streamline the process of downloading, purchasing and playing games in the home. The company will participate in various co-marketing activities throughout the run of the exhibit.

    The Game On exhibit is organized by the Barbican Art Gallery of London, in collaboration with the National Museums of Scotland. Sponsors include EB Games and Sobe. For more information on The Museum of Science and Industry, go to www.msichicago.org

  • L.A.’s House of Moves Hosts Alias Tour Stop

    Motion-capture studio House of Moves, a division of VICON Motion Systems and sponsor of the Alias “Rated P for Play” tour, will host an evening of Alias MotionBuilder and Maya presentations at its new 12,000-square-foot mo-cap studio in Los Angeles. The eight-city tour stops in L.A. this Thursday, March 3, with Alias showcasing its game development pipeline solutions beginning at 5:30 p.m.

    “We are proud to sponsor the Alias tour, as we have a long history of working together with their Maya and MotionBuilder 3D and character animation solutions,” says House of Moves CEO Tom Tolles. “The games market has always been a core one serviced by House of Moves, and MotionBuilder and Maya have always been tightly integrated with both Vicon motion capture equipment and the DIVA motion capture pipeline software.”

    The tour presentations will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., followed by an after-party from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Drinks and entertainment will be provided by House of Moves, located at 12450 Beatrice Street in Los Angeles.

    To register online for the Los Angeles stop of the “Rated P for Play” tour and the House of Moves after-party, go to www.alias.com/eng/about/events/games_roadshow.

  • Legal Buzz Kill for Warner’s Loonatics?

    With Loonatics, set to join Kids’ WB’s 2005 Saturday morning lineup, Warner Bros. is reinventing its classic Looney Tunes characters as futuristic superheroes. And while the character design makeovers have some purists up in arms, it’s a name that has one company asking, "What’s up, Doc?

    Loonatics will introduce audiences to the distant relatives of such beloved icons as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Lola Bunny, Tasmanian Devil and Wile E. Coyote. Led by Buzz Bunny, these daffy descendents band together to create a formidable team dedicated to battling the evils of Acmetropolis.

    Dutch character designer, illustrator and animator Metin Seven now claims that he came up with a character called Buzz Bunny nearly a year ago. The space-suited rabbit was introduced as one of the first products of Figure Farm (www.figurefarm.com), Seven’s online shop for character merchandise.

    Seven is represented by animation agency Comic House, whose CEO, Hans Buying, comments, ‘Warner should have consulted with us before breaking this news. Being the company they are, they must have known about our character." Comic House says it is preparing to take legal steps against Warner Bros.

    Regardless of what happens on the legal front, a name change may not be a bad idea for Warner Bros. Some young fans of the show may be in for quite a surprise when the Google Buzz Bunny and come across a sex toy with the same name.

  • Batman Begins on IMAX in June

    What’s better than seeing the Dark Knight return to the big screen? How about watching all the POW!s ZAPP!s and BAM!s on a screen up to eight stories high with wrap-around, 12,000-watt digital sound? IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Batman Begins will be released simultaneously to IMAX and conventional 35mm theatres on June 17.

    Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia), Batman Begins stars Christian Bale (Reign of Fire, Equilibrium) as Bruce Wayne in a story that explores the origins of the Batman legend and the caped crusader’s emergence as a force for good in Gotham. The film’s all-star cast includes Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe and Morgan Freeman.

    Batman Begins will be digitally re-mastered with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology for the release. Warner Bros. Pictures will exclusively distribute the movie to IMAX theatres worldwide. The superhero flick marks the studio’s eighth IMAX release and follows the recent successful runs of such features as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Polar Express.

  • George Lucas to Keynote SIGGRAPH

    George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, is set to present the SIGGRAPH 2005 keynote address. “George Lucas: A Keynote Q&A with the Father of Digital Cinema,” will take place on Aug. 1 during the 32nd Int’l Conference on Computer Graphics & Interactive Techniques (July 31-Aug. 4).

    “Lucas’ remarkable storytelling and cinematic technical achievements have awed and inspired the computer graphics community for more than 30 years,” says James L. Mohler, SIGGRAPH 2005 Conference Chair from Purdue University. “Drawing from his three decades of experience making movies, Lucas’ insights promise to intrigue and engage conference attendees across all industries and interests.”

    In addition to his creative contributions to film and television, Lucas is chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd., a fully integrated entertainment company that includes vfx powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic, game company LucasArts, Lucas Licensing and Skywalker Sound. Last year, he also launched Lucasfilm Animation in California and Singapore for the purpose of producing CG-animated projects.

    Lucas is currently in post-production on Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, which he says will be the final installment in the popular saga. The film will be released worldwide on May 19.

    More than 25,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from six continents are expected to attend SIGGRAPH 2005 to showcase their best work to a multi-disciplinary international community. The event includes a three-day exhibition of products and services for the computer graphics and interactive marketplace from Aug. 2-4.

    SIGGRAPH 2005 is sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH, a leading professional society for computer graphics and interactive techniques. Information on ACM SIGGRAPH membership and other conferences and activities can be found at www.siggraph.org.

  • Bambi, SpongeBob Hit DVD

    A 1942 Disney classic is back and better than ever with today’s release of the two-disc Platinum Series Bambi Special Edition. As fans rediscover vintage hand-drawn animation, they can also appreciate some modern 2D with the home video debut of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

    Bambi is, of course, the story of a young deer growing to adulthood while experiencing the adventure and danger of life in the forest. Along for the ride are his woodland pals Thumper the rabbit, Flower the skunk and the wise Owl.

    Coming into the digital age, Bambi has undergone what Disney is calling one of the most expansive restorations in the company’s history. The release fetures state-of-the-art remixed sound with an all-new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix. In addition, around 9,600 hours were spent restoring more than 110,000 frames of the film.

    Among the bonus materials packed onto the Bambi disc include a feature titled Inside Walt’s Story Meetings, which offers insight into the process of creating the film through actual discussions reenacted by voice actors and set to footage, sketches and other production items. There’s also never-before-seen deleted sequences, a making-of featurette, the interactive Forest Adventure Game, a sneak peek at the upcoming movie Bambi and the Great Prince of the Forest, a Disney Time Capsule for the year Bambi was released and Thumper Goes Exploring, an all-new story told with audio and text.

    Released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Bambi Special Edition lists for $29.99 on DVD and $24.99 on VHS.

    Directed by series creator Stephen Hillenburg, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie has our yellow, absorbent hero leave his home in Bikini Bottom to find King Neptune’s stolen crown. In addition to series regulars Tom Kenny (SpongeBob) and Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star), the movie boasts star turns from voice guests such as Alec Baldwin (The Cooler), James Earl Jones (The Lion King), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), Jeffrey Tambor (TV’s Arrested Development) and Clancy Brown (HBO’s Carnivale). Baywatch favorite David Hasselhoff also makes a live-action appearance.

    Extra features include The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a 20-minute animatic featuring the voice of Hillenburg, a featurette titled Saving the Surf and a "special undersea featurette" titled Case of the SpongeBob with voiceover by Hillenburg and Jean-Michel Cousteau. Fans also get the film’s “Submarine” teaser trailer and a demo of the SpongeBob Squarepants Movie game from THQ. The Paramount Home Video release carries a suggested retail price of $19.95 on DVD.

  • EA’s Sims Go to College

    Electronic Arts today announced the shipping of The Sims 2 University, the first expansion pack for the best-selling PC sequel that debuted in September of 2004. Developed by the EA Maxis studio, the release introduces a new young-adult stage of life, four new career paths, new influence gameplay and more than 125 new objects as players get an opportunity to live out their ultimate college fantasies.

    In The Sims 2 University, players explore college-related wants and fears with such activities as joining a secret society, pledging a sorority or fraternity, or becoming a member of a band. The new influence gameplay allows players to earn influence points that make other Sims perform certain tasks for them such as doing homework, writing term papers, cleaning up the fraternity house or pulling pranks on other Sims. Players will be able to choose from 11 majors while exploring new campus locations such as college lounges, pool halls, gyms and coffee houses.

    The Sims 2 University is shipping under the EA GAMES brand and is rated “T” for Teen. The game will be in stores on March 1 in North America and March 11 in Europe. The Sims 2 is required to play The Sims 2 University. For more information, go to www.thesims2.com.

  • Discreet High Fives Spider-Man 2, Ryan

    Discreet, a major provider of 3D animation solutions, today issued a statement congratulating the post-production facilities Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI), Zoic Studios, Radium and Ring of Fire for taking the Academy Award for Achievement in Visual Effects for Spider-Man 2. Discreet also sent out a pat on the pack to director Chris Landreth for his Oscar-winning animated short, Ryan, co-produced by Copper Heart Ent. and the National Film Board of Canada in association with the Seneca College Animation Arts Centre.

    While fellow vfx nominees Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner Bros.) and I, Robot (20th Century Fox) employed Discreet’s products to some extent, it was the 108 shots SPI created for the second Spider-Man installment that helped earn the prize. The shots included the Doc Ock bank robbery, train and deli sequences, as well as the action-packed car chase.

    Lisa Deaner, senior Discreet flame system artist at SPI, comments, “During Spider-Man 2, Discreet’s flame and burn solutions helped us solve problems and realize creative ideas quickly, which became invaluable when layering 2K and Vistavision 12-bit plates. The interactivity was a perfect complement to our traditional node-based compositing pipeline.”

    Zoic Studios used Dicreet’s flame system and combustion software for multiple wire and rig removals in Spider-Man 2. Steve Meyer, senior compositor for the company, notes, “On Spider-Man 2, the use of the flame and combustion solutions’ paint, tracking and warping tools often allowed us to completely clean the rigs out of a scene. For more difficult shots, elements were recreated and then composited back into the scene using the flame system.”

    In addition, Radium and Ring of Fire created 52 and 26 shots respectively, mostly using Discreet’s inferno system and combustion software.

    Discreet boasts that three of the five nominated projects in the Animated Short Film category–Ryan, Blur Studios’ Gopher Broke and Sejong Park’s Birthday Boy–used its solutions. For Landreth’s CG tribute to Canadian animator Ryan Larkin, all animation was keyframed with heavy reliance on Discreet’s combustion software and flame system for compositing and 2D effects.

    Belma Abdicevic, lead compositor on Ryan, comments, "These tools helped us complete complicated shots in simple ways, such as the last shot in the bathroom where Chris looks in the mirror. The shot ends with a motion blur, effectively communicating emotion and transition to viewers. The color correction tools enabled us to achieve a dark mood in specific shots without compromising the short’s quality.”

    Discreet is planning to release 3ds max 7.5, the latest version of its award-winning modeling and animation software, in mid-April for customers in the Discreet Subscription Program. The company will also be at the Game Developers’ Conference (GDC) during the second week of March with a series of classes offering artists a chance to “Learn from the Masters of 3ds max.”

  • Incredibles, Ryan Capture Oscars

    Disney, Pixar and the animated stars of The Incredibles flexed their mighty muscles Sunday night by nabbing the Oscar for Best Animated Feature during the 77th annual Academy Awards ceremony. Animation had a significant presence during the event, which opened with a film montage of classic clips that ended with Shrek and Charlie Chaplin walking off together into the sunset.

    Accepting the award for The Incredibles, director Brad Bird said, ‘I just want to thank the holy trinity of Pixar’my good friend, John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs’for making the greatest studio on the face of the earth.’ He observed, ‘Animation is about creating the illusion of life and you can’t create it if you don’t have one,’ before going on to thank his parents, his wife and his three children.

    Bird then made another appearance, so to speak, as the voice of the animated Edna E. Mode, costume designer to the superheroes in The Incredibles. Edna joined Pierce Brosnan on stage to present the award for Best Costume Design, which she declared ‘the most prestigious award of the evening.’

    The Incredibles also scored a win for Best Sound Editing, trumpping fellow nominees Spider-Man 2 from Sony and The Polar Express from Warner Bros. Bird’s Incredibles script was up for Best Original Screenpaly, but ended up losing to Charlie Kaufman’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spottless Mind.

    Chris Landreth took the prize for Best Animated Short for Ryan, a CG-animated psuedo-documentary on the life of Ryan Larkin, an Oscar-nominated Canadian animator who now panhandles for spare change. ‘I am here tonight because of the grace and humility of one guy watching from Montreal,’ said Landreth. ‘Ryan Larkin, I dedicate this award to you.’

    Snatching the statuette for Best Visual Effects was Sony’s Spider-Man 2 (John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier). The team beat out the wizards behind Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and 20th Century Fox’s I, Robot. Dykstra, who previously earned an Oscar for his pioneering work on Star Wars, commented, ‘Boy, am I glad there wasn’t a fourth episode of The Lord of the Rings.’

    Meanwhile, the live-action race was a job for tough guy Clint Eastwood as the Academy made his day by naming him Best Director and honoring Million Dollar Baby with several awards, including Best Picture. Eastwood’s co-stars, Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman, won Best Actress and Best supporting Actor, respectively.

    Eastwood won over fellow film icon Martin Scorsese, who had hopes of earning his first Oscar for The Aviator. Though he didn’t win, his film picked up a number of awards, including kudos for cinematography, art direction, costume design, editing and more. The film also earned Cate Blanchett a Best Supporting Actress win for her portrayal of screen legend Katharine Hepburn.

    Other notable wins include Jamie Foxx taking Best Actor for playing musical genius Ray Charles in Ray and Valli O’Reilly and Bill Corso grabbing Best Makeup for Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

    Animator Frank Thomas, one of Disney’s famed Nine Old Men, was featured in the annual montage of the recently departed, as was actress Fay Wray, most famous for playing opposite a giant, animated ape in the original King Kong.

    For a complete list of this year’s Academy Award winners, visit www.oscars.org.

  • ABC Cans Williams’ Oscar Toon Tune

    The New York Times reports that execs at ABC put the nix on a song-and-dance number Oscar presenter Robin Williams planned to perform before announcing the winner of Best Animated Feature. Though it gave hosting duties to controversial comedian Chris Rock, the network was reportedly unwilling to let Williams push the envelope by lampooning the attacks on SpongeBob SquarePants’ sexuality.

    To poke fun at conservative critic James C. Dobson, who recently attempted to out SpongeBob and other Nickelodoen characters, Williams had a song crafted by composer Marc Shaiman, who wrote tunes for previous Oscar ceremonies and such films as South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut. Williams planned to move from Nick’s popular sea sponge and take shots at other cartoon characters, painting Sleeping Beauty as a pill popper, Pocahontas as a compulsive gambler, Casper as a member of the Ku Klux Klan, Olive Oyl as an anorexic and Betty Boop as a Beverly Hills hooker.

    Dissatisfied over the political and sometimes sexual nature of the lyrics, standards and practices at ABC reportedly called for changes and cuts that Shaiman and partner Scott Wittman were unwilling to make. The song was then cut completely, leaving Williams to do a series of toned-down jokes on the secret lives of Hollywood toons.

  • Horror Cursed at Box Office

    With the No. 1 bows of such recent chillers as The Grudge, Hide and Seek and Boogeyman, it seemed as though horror films were an unbeatable force at the box office. Now it appears the genre has been displaced by the urban comedy as Lions Gate’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman takes the top spot over Cursed, a werewolf flick from Wes Craven, director of A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream series.

    Diary earned an estimated $22.7 million for the weekend, enjoying a much better bow than Cursed. Craven’s latest teen elimination round debuted at No. 4 with around $9.5 million. The disappointing opening is just the latest pox upon the troubled production, which was long-delayed due to a battery of rewrites and re-shoots that reportedly doubled its budget.

    Written by Kevin Williamson (the Scream series) Cursed stars Christina Ricci, Shannon Elizabeth and Portia de Rossi in a tale that has teenagers going through even worse changes than puberty after being attacked by a mysterious creature. Contributing to the monster mayhem are the vfx houses Sony Pictures Imageworks, FX Cartel, Rez-Illusion, Klon Films, Luma Pictures and FOGstudio.

    Sony’s Will Smith romantic comedy, Hitch, is hanging tough at second place, earning another $21 million to drive its three-week take up to around $122 million. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ CG-laden, comic-book-inspired supernatural thriller, Constantine, dropped a steep 60% in its second weekend to take third place with an estimated $11.8 million. Sony’s Man of the House, a odd couple comedy starring Tommy Lee Jones and Cedric the Entertainer, rounds out the weekend’s top five with around $9 million.

  • Guy, Cat, Fish Rip Movies Online

    Here’s an update for those of you who followed our Third Annual Animation Magazine Pitch Party. For those unfamiliar with the event, the Pitch Party is an opportunity to advertise new show ideas in the pages of the magazine and compete for the chance to pitch to influential people in the industry. While our distinguished panel of judges chose Chris Leathers’ My Annoying Little Brother, the Animation Magazine staff pick was Mike Reeping’s A Guy, a Cat, a Fish and a Movie, a very funny film review/spoof show that you can now watch online.

    We at the magazine were already big fans of Reeping’s animated series, Justin T. Nick of Time!, which he has been self-distributing on DVD through his Squirrels Ink Prods. at www.jtnickoftime.com. The continuing time-travel adventures of a dorky hero, his sexy ninja love interest, a fast-talking fish and a gun-slinging mirror built up a small, but dedicated, fanbase online but didn’t find much success beyond that.

    "After working on [that series] for several years, I was getting restless and quite honestly fed up with all the rejection letters," says Reeping. "So, in the spring of 2004, my brother, Tom, and I decided to develop a live-action movie review show that would be geared toward a late-teen/adult audience. We never had the time to really work on this but the idea stuck in my head."

    Reeping, a rather prolific independent animator, turned to what he knows best and began developing an animated review show. "I figured I love movies and I love animation, so why not?" he recalls. "But this time around, I was going to make the series I wanted to do and not care what’s marketable to whom and all that crap."

    What emerged was a very unusual review show hosted by a dopey slacker, his smart-alecky pet fish and his shabbily constructed robotic cat. While the characters are fun to watch, the real draw is the animated treatment Hollywood blockbusters get at Reeping’s hands.

    When you have a movie review show you have to have some kind of rating system, but the thumbs up/thumbs down method was taken and using stars lacked originality as well. Reeping recalls, "My brother was the one who said, ‘Ya know what’s always funny to me? Things getting slammed against a wall.’" And that’s how the Ratings Wall came into existence. "To this day, I still get a lot of emails saying how much they loved the Texas Chainsaw Massacre review because of the Ratings Wall. So thanks, Tom."

    The years Reeping spent working on Justin made the actual production of A Guy, a Cat, a Fish and a Movie a fairly easy task. "I knew what I could do with what I had, so now I can really play around creatively without worrying about technical stuff," he tells us. For the animation, he uses Adobe Photoshop to do his drawing and compositing and puts everything together in a freeware video-editing program called Stoik VideoMan. "I’m sure there are a ton of better programs out there, but I see no reason why you can’t go from point A to point C by pretty much making up your own point B."

    The pilot was almost complete when Reeping heard about the Animation Magazine Pitch Party. "I was psyched to do this but stuck between which series to submit–the one I’d worked on for years, or this new one I’ve worked on for about 3 weeks." Says Reeping. "I knew it would be a ton of exposure and I was nervous as hell wondering if I’d sent the right one. Well, I pretty much had a heart attack when I’d found it won first place in the Staff Pick category. I called everyone I know at about 1 a.m. It was a damn good day."

    Energized by the recognition, Reeping began busting out reviews and developed a website for the series. He says the site has logged a good number of hits and has received feedback from all over the world with absolutely no advertising. One episode he got a lot of comments on features an inspired spoof of The Matrix Revolutions. At present, Reeping is working on landing a TV deal.

    You can check out The Matrix Revolutions review and several others at www.guyfishcatmovie.com.

  • Incredibles Wins AMO’s Oscar Poll

    This year’s Animation Magazine Online Oscar Poll sees Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles win in a landslide with 48% of the vote. The superhero comedy from director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) easily beat DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 (21%) and Shark Tale (6%). The latest 3D blockbuster from Pixar looks like a shoo-in to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature on Sunday, having won the Golden Globe and the majority of critics’ choice kudos. Bird is also up for Best Original Screenplay for his Incredibles script.

    Our Oscar Poll opened in January, inviting animation fans and professionals alike to vote from a host of likely Oscar nominees. Other films short-listed at the time were Clifford’s Really Big Movie from Scholastic, Disney’s Home on the Range, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence from DreamWorks’ Go Fish, The Legend of Buddha from Pentamedia Graphics Ltd., Warner Bros.’ The Polar Express, Disney’s Teacher’s Pet, Sky Blue from Maxmedia and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

    In the Best Animated Short competition, the winner is The Crab Revolution with 31% of the vote. Directed by Arthur De Pins and produced by Metronomic, the five-minute, black and white French film takes viewers to the brown waters of the Gironde estuary to meet the local population of Pachygrapsus Marmoratus, commonly known as “depressed crabs.” The win is quite an upset, considering the film didn’t end up getting a nomination from the Academy. It has, however, done well on the festival circuit, pinching the AKA Cartoon Public Prize at the 2004 Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival and garnering a nomination for the 2004 Cartoon d’Or at Cartoon Forum.

    Coming in at a close second in the shorts race with 23% of the vote is Ryan from Canadian animator Chris Landreth. This 14-minute-long, CG-animated psuedo-documentary on the tragic life of animator Ryan Larkin is up for this year’s Oscar, along with Disney’s Lorenzo from director Mike Gabriel, Birthday Boy by Sejong Park, Gopher Broke from Blur Studios and director Jeff Fowler and Guard Dog by celebrated independent filmmaker Bill Plympton. Lorenzo got 13% of your vote, followed by Birthday Boy with 10%, Gopher Broke with 9% and Guard Dog with 5%. Guard Dog is currently making the rounds as part of The Animation Show (www.animationshow.com), a traveling shorts fest presented by King of the Hill creator Mike Judge and Oscar-nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt (Billy’s Balloon, Rejected).

    Last year, Animation Magazine readers chose the critically acclaimed 2D flick The Triplets of Belleville from French director Sylvain Chomet as the favorite to win the Oscar. However, Disney and Pixar swam off with the trophy for Finding Nemo.

    We’d like to thank everyone who logged on to vote. To see how accurate you were this year, tune in to watch the 77th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 27. ABC will televise the ceremony live from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood beginning at 5 p.m.

  • Puss In Boots on Solo track

    Shrek 2 scene-stealer Puss In Boots is getting closer to having his own movie. Daily Variety reports that DreamWorks has hired writer David H. Steinberg (Slackers, American Pie 2) to pen a screenplay that revolves around the swashbuckling feline voiced by Antonio Banderas, who is reportedly on board to reprise the role.

    We reported back in November of 2004 that DreamWorks was toying with the idea of a direct-to-video animated Puss outing. At the time, Ed Decter and John Strauss, writers of The Lizzie Maguire Movie and There’s Something About Mary were attached to the project.

    With Steinberg’s reported six-figure deal, it appears that the studio may have theatrical plans for the Puss In Boots movie. The sword-wielding tabby emerged as the breakout character in Shrek 2 and should have no problem packing in audiences even if his ogre buddy isn’t along for the ride. DreamWorks declined to comment.

  • Cartoon Movie Names 2005 Tributes

    With this year’s Cartoon Movie market set to kick off in Germany next month, organizers have released their list of nominees for the 2005 Tributes. Taking place March 10-12 in Potsdam, Cartoon Movie will ask professionals in attendance to vote for three winners from the following six individuals or companies in the animation industry who have significantly contributed to the development and recognition of European animation cinema.

    France 3 Cinéma received a nod for its co-production of an average of three feature-length films a year. A subsidiary of public service channel France Télévision, France 3 Cinéma has been involved as a co-producer on such films as A Monkey’s Tale, Babar: King of the Elephants, Belleville Rendezvous (The Triplets of Belleville) The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear, Piccolo and Saxo, Five Tales of Kirikou, The Sun Queen, U and Azur and Asmar. In development are Why I Did (Not) Eat My Father, The Lion Child and Mia and the Migou.

    Indie Circle is nominated for its contribution to the development of a crossborder European strategy for distributing animated films. Set up in September of 2003, Indie Circle is a first initiative which brings together European film distributors. The entity aims to acquire films as a team and collaborate in distributing them in its members’ respective countries. Indie Circle is currently made up of A-Film Distribution in the Netherlands, Cinéart in Belgium, Frenetic Films in Switzerland, Haut et Court in France and Lucky Red in Italy.

    Portuguese distributor Lusomundo has been singled out for its strong European distribution strategy in Portugal. Active in the home video and theatrical distribution of animated films, Lusomundo has handled the video distribution of such films as The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear, Corto Maltese, The King and the Bird, Millionaire Dogs, Little Hippo and Kirikou and the Sorcerer. Theatrical efforts include The Living Forest, El Cid and the upcoming features Back to Gaya, Pinocchio 3000, Sprung! The Magic Roundabout and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Furthermore, Lusomundo has negotiated distribution agreements for such films as Donkey Xote, Nocturna, Asterix and the Vikings, The Ugly Duckling and Me and Happily N’ Ever After.

    The directing team of Piet De Rycker and Thilo Rothkirch are nominated for their exemplary role in the pursuit of quality and success, since each is of a different nationality. The first film they made together was the European hit Tobias Totz and his Lion. They followed up with The Little Polar Bear, which sold 2,700,000 tickets in Germany alone, and Laura’s Star which has so far sold 1,300,000 tickets in Germany. They are currently in production on Little Polar Bear II.

    Also nominated is M6 for "the prominence it gives to animation and for its commitment to feature films." M6 is a major partner for producers of animation, with $5 million Euro invested annually in series and films. The channel has decided to diversify its animation co-production activity by investing in features as well as series. It also pre-purchases or co-produces French films in development or in production via its subsidiary, M6 Films. In 2004, M6 decided to co-produce two CG films–The Ugly Duckling and Me (with co-production partners A. Films of Denmark, Magma Films of Ireland and Futurikon of France) and Asterix and the Vikings (with A.Film and TPS of France).

    Finally, Ralph Christians, a German writer living in Ireland, is recognized for his dedication to the cause of European storytelling in animation. For more than 10 years, Christians has been based at the Magma Films studio in Galway as chairman and exec producer. With the Magma writing team, he has scripted more than 200 hours of scripts for animated series and features. Among the feature films with which Christians has been involved are The Ugly Duckling and Me, Derrick, Bug Muldoon and Hugo. TV series he is est known for include Loggerheads, Norman Normal, Lilly the Witch, The World of Tosh, The Fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen, Pigs next Door and Funky Cops.

    The three winners will be announced during the closing ceremonies at Cartoon Movie on Saturday, March 12.

  • Activision Goes to Madagascar

    Video game maker Activision is set to send gamers on an interactive trip to an island off the coast of Africa with an upcoming title based on the DreamWorks next CG-animated release, Madagascar. The game is scheduled to hit retail in conjunction with the film’s May 27 theatrical debut.

    Madagascar is directed by Eric Darnell (Antz) and first-time hlmer Tom McGrath. Ben Stiller provides the voice of Alex, a lion who learns that he is a predator and that the juicy steaks he’s accustomed to come from animals like his pals. Chris Rock plays his best friend, a zebra named Marty, who doesn’t know if he’s black with white stripes or white with black stripes. Jada Pinkett Smith provides the voice of Gloria. a pregnant hippo, and David Schwimmer plays cowardly giraffe Melman .

    The game features the main characters from the film, who are yanked out of their cushy lives at New York’s Central Park Zoo and thrust into the African wilderness. Players must master each animal’s natural skills as they adventure through the streets of New York City and the dangerous island of Madagascar, interacting with other animals and tackling obstacles and enemies in scenarios from the movie and beyond.

    As Alex, players must maximize the power of his claws, roar and pounce, while Marty’s jump, back kick and stealth crawl help him out of tight jams. Meanwhile, Gloria has her butt smash and running barrel move, and Melman uses his helicopter spin and launch coconuts and lemurs with his neck fling.

    Using their animal abilities, players explore a variety of diverse environments in mini-games and 11 action-packed chapters, including Marty’s escape from the Central Park Zoo, the Penguin mutiny aboard a giant cargo ship and a Lemur rave party. There are also plenty of character-specific bonuses and cheats to unlock in each level.

    Madagascar was developed by Toys for Bob for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, Beenox for PC and Vicarious Visions for GBA and Nintendo DS.

  • Eastwood, Warner Bros. Team for Dirty Harry Games

    Clint Eastwood may have left the character of Harry Callahan behind to take on Oscar-worthy projects like Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, but he’s still asking fans to make his day. The acclaimed actor/director/composer, through his Malpaso production shingle and his Tehama men’s clothing company, has partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to produce the first video games based on the Dirty Harry film franchise.

    Warner Bros. Interactive is overseeing development of the first title in the new series, with Eastwood consulting on key creative aspects of the game design. Eastwood will also reprise his most famous role by lending lend his voice and likeness to the games.

    “This will be an opportunity to satisfy the many requests over the years to continue the Dirty Harry legacy, only now in the video game medium,” Eastwood comments. “Creating Dirty Harry video games will also introduce this memorable film character to new generations on a medium they appreciate.”

    The eyes of the world will be on Eastwood this Sunday when the strolls down the red carpet for the 77th Annual Academy Awards. He’s up for Best Actor and Best Director for Million Dollar Baby, which is nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture. In addition, Clint’s co-star, Hillary Swank, is up for Best Actress.

  • Discreet to Offer max Masters Classes at GDC

    Discreet will again offer artists a chance to “Learn from the Masters of 3ds max” at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference (GDC), taking place March 7-11 in San Francisco. Seasoned 3ds max game industry pros will present nine user-oriented sessions, six of which will be sponsored by Discreet and three by CMP. The sessions will be held March 8-11 at the new Moscone West Exhibit Hall. Discreet will also demonstrate its latest advancements in PC, console and mobile gaming technology on the GDC show floor at booth #113.

    This year’s Masters Classes will be taught by personnel from globally recognized game development companies including Ubisoft, Blur Studio and Ritual Entertainment, along with Discreet insiders.

    Sessions include:

    3ds max 7: Game Development Techniques and Edgeloop Modeling for Characters

    Tuesday, March 8, 10 a.m. — 6 p.m.

    Full-day, two-part tutorial: Part one covers 3ds max use in multiple gaming pipelines for all aspects of games creation. Part two introduces the theory and practice of edgeloop modeling and its application for creating smooth, fluid and well-deformed game characters.

    Speaker: Derek Elliott, Seneca College

    Rigging Artist Friendly Characters with 3ds max 7**

    Wednesday, March 9, 9 a.m.—10 a.m.

    One-hour lecture discussing the techniques and philosophy behind character rig design in 3ds max software.

    Speaker: Paul Neale, Elliott Animation

    Maxscript in Production**

    Wednesday, March 9, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

    A one-hour presentation on using maxscript to automate tasks, simplify complicated processes and develop custom user interfaces.

    Speaker: Paul Neale, Elliott Animation

    The Art of the FMV Sequence**

    Wednesday, March 9, 12 p.m.—1 p.m.

    A one-hour session exploring pipeline design in 3ds max as well creating rendered sequences for game trailers and cinematics.

    Speakers: Dave Wilson and Paul Taylor, Blur Studio

    Tips and Tricks for 3ds max**

    Thursday, March 10, 9 a.m.—10 a.m.

    Discreet instructor helps artists dig deep to uncover the tricks of the power user.

    Speaker: Kelcey Privett, Discreet

    Strategies and Techniques for Real-Time Shaders

    Thursday, March 10, 2:30 p.m.—4:30 p.m.

    Two-hour master class empowering the artist to develop and modify shader

    materials using 3ds max 7.

    Speaker: Neil Hazzard, Discreet

    3ds max Best Practices to Improve Pipeline Efficiency and Productivity**

    Thursday, March 10, 2:30 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

    One-hour presentation for producers and lead artists who want to learn tools and tricks to improve their productivity.

    Speaker: Jim Jagger, Ubisoft

    Modeling and Texturing in 3ds max**

    Thursday, March 10, 4 p.m.—5 p.m.

    One-hour session showcasing proven production techniques for 3D modeling and texturing for next-generation game consoles.

    Speaker: Mike Brown, Sammy Studios

    Normal Mapping Production Techniques

    Friday, March 11, 4 p.m.—5 p.m.

    This session demonstrates in-depth examples of reducing extremely high-poly geometry and textures to low poly models with clean and efficient normal maps in 3ds max 7.

    Speaker: Ranjeet “Rungy” Singhal, Ritual Entertainment

    **denotes Discreet-sponsored session

    All Discreet-sponsored sessions are offered at no additional cost, and will be held in Room #2011 on the second floor of the Moscone West Convention Center. To read more about “Learn from the Masters of 3ds max” or to register for a session, visit Discreet’s GDC web page at: http://tinyurl.com/47pqv. Seating is limited and advanced booking is advised.

  • Fox Gears Up for Robots Special

    Fox Television is set to offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming 20th Century Fox animated feature, Robots. An all-new, half-hour special titled Assembling Robots: The Magic, the Music and the Comedy will premiere Friday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

    From director Chris Wedge and other creators of Ice Age, Robots stars Ewan McGregor as the voice of Rodney Copperbottom, an android inventor in a world populated entirely by automatons. With hopes of meeting master inventor Bigweld (Mel Brooks), Rodney journeys into Robot City, where he finds adventure and meets a variety of interesting characters. The voice cast also includes Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear and Amanda Bynes. The feature was designed and exec produced by writer/illustrator William Joyce (Rolie Polie Olie).

    The special will feature a look at the computer animation process, as well as commentary from the filmmakers, interviews with the voice cast and an exclusive first look at an extended scene from the movie. Viewers will also be treated to the world-premiere of the Robots music video.

    Produced by Fox Animation, Robots is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Friday, March 11.

  • Robot Chicken Heats Up Adult Swim Ratings

    Sunday night’s premiere of the new animated comedy series Robot Chicken succeeded in drawing more viewers in the coveted adults 18-34 demographic to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block. The show pumped up ratings for the 11:30 time slot by 38%. And while the Adult Swim pool is primarily occupied by young males, Robot Chicken saw a phenomenal 98% spike in female viewership, according to the cable network.

    Robot Chicken features action figures and other toys brought to life through stop-motion animation to poke fun pop culture staples such as Star Trek, MTV’s The Real World and Fox’s American Idol. The series was created by actor/producer Seth Green and Mathew Senreich, who also serve as writers on the show. Helping out with the voices on various installments are Scarlett Johansson, Burt Reynolds, Ryan Seacrest, Mark Hamill, Seth McFarlane and Macauley Culkin, to name a few. Green, who provides the voice of Chris Griffin on Fox’s Family Guy, also voices characters in this irreverent, 15-minute collection of short vignettes.

    Robot Chicken’s stop-motion animation is directed by Seamus Walsh, Mark Caballero and Chris Finnegan of Screen Novelties in Los Angeles. The show airs regularly on Sundays at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

    Adult Swim as a whole saw ratings surge by more than 50% during the period and remains the No. 1 Late-Night programming block on basic cable with the young adult and young male demos. The block airs Sunday through Thursday from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. (ET/PT) and features such cult favorites as Aqua Teen Hunger Force; Sealab 2021; Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law; and Inuyasha, as well as former Fox favorites Family Guy and Futurama, and the new anime series, The Super Milk-Chan Show.