Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Cartoon Net Upfront About New Shows

    Cartoon Network unveiled its lineup for 2005-2006 during today’s Upfront presentation to advertising executives and the media in New York. The cabler says it will air more than 400 new half-hours, including five new shows, fresh episodes of returning original series, new acquisitions and an original programming block for very young viewers.

    In development is an untitled primetime series created by Outkast’s Andre 3000 Benjamin and Tommy Lynch (a.k.a. Lil Romeo). The half-hour comedy promises a uniquely Southern sensibility as the central character returns to his hometown of Atlanta and gets caught up by a diverse collection of kid outcasts who swirl in and out of his life. The music-infused show is produced by the Tom Lynch Co., Andre Benjamin’s production shingle, Moxie Turtle, and Cartoon Network.

    Krypto the Superdog will premiere on Cartoon Network on weekdays beginning Monday, April 4, at 9 a.m. (ET/PT). The Superman spin-off chronicles the adventures of Metropolis’ canine caped crusader from the planet Krypton. Krypto jettisons to Earth after orbiting countless years in space as a test-pilot aboard a malfunctioning rocket ship built by Superman’s father. Having landed, the super pup finds companionship in a young boy named Kevin Whitney and together they combat threats to the safety and well-being of the people and animals of Metropolis.

    From cartoonist and former The Real World: San Francisco cast member Judd Winick comes The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, premiering Sunday, June 5, on Cartoon Network. In addition to her everyday pre-teen escapades, Juniper is responsible for maintaining the equilibrium between the world of magic and humanity, a burden passed down through generations in her family.

    Camp Lazlo is a new 30-minute animated comedy scheduled to debut in July during Fridays, Cartoon Network’s signature weekend franchise. From the mind of Joe Murray, creator of Rocko’s Modern Life, the show centers on Lazlo, a monkey who wreaks good-natured havoc on Camp Kidney and its uptight head counselor, a moose named Scoutmaster Lumpus. Adding to the fun is Patsy Smiles, cute mongoose who threatens to steal Lazlo’s heart.

    Coming in November is IGPX (The Immortal Grand Prix), produced by Cartoon Network and Production I.G., the famed Japanese animation studio responsible for Ghost in the Shell and the anime sequences in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. The year is 2048 and the “IGPX” has become such a popular sport that an entire city was built for the racing industry. There, a crew of amateur pilots known as Team Satomi finds itself vaulted into the sport’s highest level, where they must overcome impossible odds to beat the world’s most skilled and ruthless pilots.

    There’s more monkey business on tap in My Gym Partner is a Monkey. Through an administrative mix-up, 12-year-old Adam Lyon becomes the only human student at Charles Darwin Middle School, where the animal inhabitants of the local zoo and aquarium send their kids. As he struggles to fit in a survive the unusual middle school, Adam meets Jake Spider Monkey and the wacky fun begins. The half-hour series from creators Julie McNally Cahill and Tim Cahill will debut in early 2006.

    The new preschool programming block, Tickle U, will air weekdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (ET/PT). Aimed at kids 2-5, the franchise will feature newly developed and acquired series hosted by Marty, an adult with a big heart and a kid’s unlimited imagination. From his bright and slightly askew workshop (where he can build and fix anything), Marty will inspire kids to sing along, play and laugh with him and his characters.

    In addition to the new original series and acquisitions, Cartoon Network will launch a national healthy lifestyles initiative titled GET ANIMATED. Targeted to kids 6-14, the on-air, online, print and off-channel campaign will tap the network’s roster of original cartoon characters to communicate positive lifestyle messages through multiple PSAs starting Monday, Feb. 21.

  • Loonatics to Run Kids’ WB! for ’05-’06

    Classic Warner Bros. animated characters are back, along with a couple new shows slated to premiere in the fall schedule on Kids’ WB! Execs today announced plans to broaden the outlet’s audience as they revealed the 2005-2006 season during an upfront sales presentation in New York.

    Look out, Justice League. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Loonatics (working title), is an all-new, original series that has the classic Looney Tunes characters re-imagined as futuristic superheroes. The show will have the descendants of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Road Runner, Lola Bunny, Tasmanian Devil and Wile E. Coyote band together to create a formidable team dedicated to battling the evils of Acmetropolis.

    Additional new Saturday morning programming from Warner Bros. Animation includes the new shows Johnny Test and Coconut Fred’s Fruit Salad Island. Johnny Test centers on the always-eager experimental team of Johnny and his genetically enhanced dog, Poochie. The action-comedy will air Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Coconut Fred’s Fruit Salad Island takes viewers to the silliest spot in the Seven Seas, where the energetic and eternally optimistic Coconut Fred and his fresh crop of cohorts have adventures in their tropical paradise. The show joins the Saturday morning lineup in the 8:30 a.m. slot.

    Kids’ WB! also announced the new season pick-ups of the Saturday morning favorites Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Xiaolin Showdown and The Batman. The 26 new Batman adventures will include the appearance of new villains and the introduction of Batgirl. In the fall, the series will also join Kids’ WB!’s Monday-Friday weekday lineup, along with Xiaolin Showdown.

  • Namco Paws Berenstain Bears Rights

    Stan and Jan Berenstain, creators of the beloved Berenstain children’s books and animated series, have awarded the property’s exclusive worldwide interactive entertainment publishing rights to video-game publisher Namco Hometek Inc.

    The Berenstain Bears, a favorite in the world of children’s literature for the past 40 years, have appeared regularly on television in more than 50 overseas markets including Hong Kong, U.K., Mexico, France and Spain. A 15-minute animated series produced by Corus Ent.’s Nelvana premiered in January of 2003 on PBS KIDS in the U.S.

    As the world-famous ursine family makes its interactive debut, Namco joins such Berenstain Bears licensing partners as Fisher-Price, Columbia Tri-Star and Kelly Toys. Current and previously licensed merchandise includes children’s apparel, footwear, backpacks, bedding/bath accessories, toys and home video releases.  

    The author/illustrator team of Stan and Jan Berenstain drew from their own experiences to impart life lessons and promote family values through their title family of bears who live in a hollowed-out tree. The franchise has even become a family business, with sons Leo and Michael Berenstain now part of the act. More information on the Berenstain Bears can be found at www.berenstainbears.com.

    Namco has created some of the industry’s top video game franchises, including Tekken, SOULCALIBUR, Dead to Rights, Pac-Man World, Ridge Racer, Time Crisis and ACECOMBAT. For more information about Namco and its products, log onto www.namco.com.

  • Maya 6.5 Shipping

    Toronto-based software tech company Alias today announced the worldwide shipping of Maya 6.5, the latest version of its of its award-winning Maya 3D modeling and animation software package. This new offering is optimized to meet the needs of games, film, broadcast and digital publishing professionals seeking dramatic performance enhancements while working with massive datasets.

    Users can take advantage of new scene segmentation in this new version. These enhanced tools give artists more control over scene load times, project collaboration and overall data-handling performance. Scene segmentation enhancements include new file referencing options such as proxies, reference locking and the ability to save changes back to a reference, as well as enhancements to existing file referencing features. In addition, the range of large CAD datasets that can be imported into Maya 6.5 has been expanded through the addition of the new STEP translator that allows efficient importing of files from most major CAD packages.

    Along with providing performance enhancements across the software, Alias has also addressed other highly requested features from the global Maya customer base. Areas of improvement include, Maya Cloth, Maya Hair, Maya Fur, Maya Fluid Effects, Maya Embedded Language (MEL), API, Plug-ins, Devkit and the embedded web browser.  

    “The decision to focus an entire release on solving a single set of problems–the challenge of handling massive datasets–was a bold and calculated decision by our product development team,” comments Bob Bennett, general manager of product management, Alias. “Alias strives to be ahead of the technology curve for the benefit of our customers and what’s coming for their pipelines in the next 18 months.”

    Another addition in version 6.5 is the new mental ray for Maya Satellite rendering, which allows network rendering across multiple CPU’s for interactive and batch rendering, including use of mental ray for pre-lighting.

    The pricing remains unchanged from Maya 6. Maya Complete 6.5 is $1999 and Maya Unlimited is $6999. Upgrade pricing is $899 for Maya Complete and $1249 for Maya Unlimited. Both Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited are available on the Windows, IRIX, Linux and Mac OS* X platforms.

    Due to a significant decrease in the number of Maya customers relying on the IRIX operating system, Alias says Maya 6.5 will be the last upgrade release for IRIX. The company will instead concentrate its development of Maya on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux platforms, but will continue to offer support for IRIX as a license-serving platform.

    For full Maya 6.5 details, visit www.alias.com.

  • Lee to Put More Celebrities in Action

    In December of last year, we reported that famed comic book creator Stan Lee and his POW! Ent. teamed with a company called Celebrities In Action (CIA) to produce animated programming and merchandise that turns well-known celebrities into superheroes. Now the two entities are joining forces to co-produce and co-develop a second animated series.

    Tentatively titled The Fantasy Zone, the new franchise will introduce a parallel universe where celebrities can go to live out their own fantasies and dreams. Production is scheduled to begin by summer of this year and products will include animated direct-to-video productions, feature films, video games, apparel, publishing and other consumer products.

    Lee comments, “Now fans can see what their favorite celebrities secretly aspire to be, giving us insight into the dreams and aspirations they would have if they had not already become famous.”

    Lee will head the artistic and creative aspects of the animated project, working with partners Gill Champion and Arthur Lieberman, co-founders of POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Ent. Stan Medley and Chris Nassif of CIA will head business development and talent management along with Lara Blume who will handle celebrity relations.

    POW! has more than 40 projects in development, including a new animated property based on former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. Financed, produced and distributed by IDT Ent., the venture will see Starr transformed into a reluctant superhero with a great sense of rhythm. Starr will lend his voice to his animated alter ego, joining Lee’s pantheon of superhero characters, which includes Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men and The Hulk. POW! will develop the project with Starr’s Rocca Bella shingle for television, home entertainment, publishing and all categories of licensing and merchandising. Production on the animated series will begin in 2005 with a DVD rollout planned for the first quarter of 2006.

    Also on the drawing board at POW! is the Hugh Hefner adult animated series Hef’s SuperBunnies, as well as Who Wants to Be a Superhero? and Superhero Christmas.

  • Offutt Named SVP of Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products

    New York-based Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products has appointed Brian Offutt senior VP in charge of Paramount properties. Offutt will be responsible for overseeing licensing and merchandising activities for Paramount’s consumer products business, which is now part of Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. He will report to Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products president Leigh Anne Brodsky.

    Based in the company’s Los Angeles offices, Offutt will work closely with the Paramount team to construct and implement a long-term strategy for film licensing and merchandising. His responsibilities include licensing upcoming motion pictures, including Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, and the company’s television and motion picture library.

    Offutt previously served as chief operating officer of Broadway Video Ent., an independent television and film production company founded by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. He was directly responsible for the company’s post-production business unit, whose clients include CBS Sports, Showtime and MTV Networks. Before that, Offutt was president and chief operating officer of Interdimensions, an online technology and interactive solutions company, and senior VP of Golden Books.

    Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products is responsible for licensing Nickelodeon brands and characters as well as the properties of Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, Spike TV and MTV Int’l as well as some non-Viacom properties.

  • Animal Logic: Tigar Hare’s Michael Tigar and Dave Hare are Game for Animation

    As video games dominate the entertainment industry in terms of revenues generated and the sheer volume of product being brought to the market, many animation professionals have found lucrative and satisfying careers in feeding the constant demand for great visuals in the interactive arena. Such is the case with Dave Hare and Michael Tigar, founders of Tigar Hare. Having recently produced in-game cinematics for EA GAMES’ Goldeneye: Rogue Agent and the animated theatrical trailer and TV spots for Microsoft’s Halo 2, this dynamic duo may also join the growing list of challengers gunning for a share of the silver screen market currently ruled by the likes of Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks.

    We understand that you two have known each other for some time. How did you meet and come to form Tigar Hare?

    Michael: I was working at Sony Pictures Imageworks when I decided to form my own company. One of our first jobs for Liberty Mutual required some additional help. I met Dave through some mutual friends who said he was very talented and could really help me out. Due to the project’s tight schedule, we ended up spending a lot of time together and became fast friends. We quickly agreed upon forming Tigar Hare together in 1997.

    What were some of your influences growing up? (Video games, cartoons, movies?)

    Michael: Movies and video games have always been a big influence in my life–particularly movies. From the time I was very little, I used to stay and watch the movie credits while my family left the theater, compiling a list of who was doing what. By the time I had earned a degree in computer science, I had formulated some ideas of where I might go next. So I called some of these companies and told them I wanted to be part of the teams that were creating the imagery that had influenced me: Young Sherlock Holmes and Poltergeist, for instance.

    Dave: I got into the field through my interest in photography and still images, and my desire to develop my skills and knowledge. This led me to buying my first computer. I discovered on my own the whole world of 3D where you could create not only objects but entire environments. I was immediately hooked by the new levels and avenues of creativity made possible by computer imagery.

    Halo 2 broke records to become the best-selling game of 2004. How do you think Tigar Hare contributed to the success of the title?

    Michael: I think it would be fair to say that we were a significant part of the ad campaign that in and of itself was a very successful venture. We helped create the intense "buzz" around the game. The imagery we produced for the television and theatrical commercials were some of the first glimpses people had of this extremely anticipated product. I think the fact that we produced the commercials at HD resolution– even for television, bumping it up for theatrical– allowed us to create a much higher end look and people were jazzed to see the game itself.

    Do you feel extra pressure to please fans when working with such high-profile properties such as Halo 2 and Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, or is it business as usual?

    Dave: Honestly, I would say that it’s business as usual. I think that we try to put in as much as we can into each project, not because, as they say, "you’re only as good as your last project," but because we love it.

    Michael: I would say that if there is any pressure being applied, it’s internal pressure being applied to improve from our last project. If we feel that our last project lacked in the area of chorography or character animation, it is the desire to improve on the next project that will motivate us.

    Video games have gained a lot of respect in the entertainment industry at large, but do you think video game animators are getting the recognition they deserve?

    Michael: We are finding that the skill sets currently being held by such companies as Sony Imageworks or Digital Domain for big feature film visual effects are migrating over to the game production companies such as EA and Atari. The migration of talent and the demand for feature film quality effects for games is earning respect for video game animators. Of course the talented artists would not be going over to the game companies if they did not recognize that product was intriguing creatively and ever increasing in quality.

    What do you look for when hiring animators?

    Michael: At Tigar Hare we try to create an environment that is very collaborative because we feel that the best products come from more than one creative viewpoint. When we hire animators we look for personalities that we feel are compatible with our existing staff, so that when we get into projects and the ideas are flowing, no one person feels restricted in self-expression.

    How has Tigar Hare grown over the past few years? Any growing pains you care to share?

    Dave: We’ve had to learn to deal effectively and efficiently with larger productions with larger shot counts and more assets to manage, more people to manage and client expectations and demands that make excellent client relations critical.

    Michael: When you get into larger projects and multiple markets, your entire infrastructure begins to change. The sheer aspect of putting large quantities of material through the company requires new organization, new methods. Coming from the larger companies, we understood and were very comfortable with big project pipelines and workflow. The challenge was how to employ big company methodologies to a boutique company.

    What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned over the course of your careers?

    Dave: Being a person who can handle most of the tasks in a production, I have learned that my real strength is not what I can actually do on an individual project but my ability to problem solve for multiple people and manage a team.

    Michael: Working in a smaller studio environment has made me realize that it really is the people you work with that make the difference, in terms of creative satisfaction and inspiration. A positive, enjoyable and productive work environment brings forth a high quality product that everyone can take pride in.

    Is there anything in the industry you haven’t done but would like to do?

    Michael: We’ve officially embarked on production of our own short animated film which we’re hoping will lead to the skill sets and lessons that will help us embark on a feature-length animated film.

    What are you working on now and what can we expect from Tigar Hare in the future?

    Michael: Right now we’re working on our first PC game based on Vlad the Impaler. We designed it, wrote it (including the engine), directed it and are taking it all the way to the final product. One of Tigar Hare’s goals is to continue to produce proprietary content, including feature film ideas we are now developing.

  • New Animation School Goes Online

    AnimationMentor.com, a unique online animation school, will open its virtual doors to student enrollment on Thursday, Feb. 17. The interactive institute was founded by three professional animators who have collectively worked on such films as Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 2, the Star Wars prequels, The Hulk and The Incredibles.

    The founders of AnimationMentor.com are Bobby “Boom” Beck, formerly of Pixar Animation Studios; Shawn Kelly, currently at Industrial Light & Magic; and Carlos Baena, who works for Pixar Animation Studios. In addition to their work in the animated feature business, the three also boast experience in education through teaching, mentoring and giving conferences and lectures.

    The program is designed as an 18-month intensive animation school covering six comprehensive levels of experience and employing cutting-edge technology. Students will learn from online video classes and personal video critiques from professional mentors, as well as through internal forums and chat rooms. Professionals will interact with students through live web conferencing sessions, and some of the most respected animators and directors in the world will offer their insights as featured guest speakers.

    AnimationMentor.com is certified by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. Upon completion of the course, students receive a certified diploma in Advanced Studies in Character Animation.

    To enroll or see more information, go to www.AnimationMentor.com and see the latest newsletter at www.animationmentor.com/newsletter/AMonlineNewsletter_4.XX1.html

  • Midway Jumps in CN’s Adult Swim and Kiddie Pool

    Video game publisher and developer Midway Games Inc. has signed a multi-territory agreement with Cartoon Network, licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, to publish video games based on five of the network’s Adult Swim shows. A similar deal includes three properties from the cabler’s children’s entertainment lineup.

    Midway will develop and release console, handheld and PC games based on the hit late-night shows Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Brak Show, Sealab 2021, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law. Midway says the titles will incorporate the irreverent, offbeat humor that fans of Adult Swim have come to expect. The first release is scheduled to ship in late 2006.

    Aqua Teen Hunger Force is an animated comedy about human-sized fast food products that live together in a rental house in New Jersey. The Brak Show, a spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, follows the formative years of Brak and his praying mantis pal, Zorak, while Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law centers on a third-rate superhero turned two-bit lawyer trying to get by in a fancy law firm. Sealab 2021 is set in a high-tech compound in the ocean depths, where a multinational effort to uncover the mysteries of the sea is run by a bunch of idiots, and Space Ghost Coast to Coast casts the classic cartoon superhero as a late-night talk show host.

    Midway also nabbed multi-territory rights to the Cartoon Network kids animated programs Ed, Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Dexter’s Laboratory.

    Ed, Edd n Eddy is a comedy series about three very different brothers with similar nomenclature. Cartoon Network recently ordered 26 new episodes, the first of which is scheduled to air alongside the game’s expected debut in Fall 2005. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy follows the misadventures of a happy-go-lucky boy, cynical girl and their best friend, the Grim Reaper. In Dexter’s Laboratory, Cartoon Network’s first original series, a boy genius routinely whips up trouble in his secret science lab.

  • Miyazaki in Studio Ghibli Purchase

    Acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service), is set to own a good chunk of the studio that has been releasing his hit animated films over the past couple of decades. Daily Variety reports that he is involved in a plan to purchase Studio Ghibli from financially troubled Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co.

    Miyazaki hand banded with Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and director Isao Takahata to establish a Tokyo-based independent company and are hoping to raise around $100 million to complete the transaction. The trio also hopes to secure rights to titles in Ghibli’s film catalog. Some of the money is expected to come from usual Ghibli investors such as Toho Co., Nippon Television Network and advertising company Dentsu.

    Miyazaki’s latest animated film, Howl’s Moving Castle, has been a big moneymaker for Studio Ghibli, earning more than $100 million overseas since its release in Japan late last year. Disney plans to release the critically lauded pic in the U.S. in June of this year. To find out more about the project, go to www.howlthemovie.com.

    Three earlier titles directed by Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli will be released on DVD on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Porco Rosso and The Cat Returns will be priced to own at $29.99 each.

  • Shark Tale Makes Home Vid Splash

    According to The Hollywood Reporter DreamWorks’ latest CG-animated feature took a big bite out of consumers’ wallets during its first week of release on home video. Shark Tale, which opened to $56 at the box office over the summer, reportedly took in $80 million on DVD and VHS last week.

    North American shoppers snatched up more than six million copies of Shark Tale, making it the best—selling home video release of the year so far. It also broke a record set by the indie hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which last year sold 4 million units to have the best first week of any February release.

    Shark Tale still trails previous DreamWorks releases Shrek and Shrek 2 in week-one sales. Shrek 2 debuted on video in November of last year, selling a whopping 12.5 million copies in the first three days. To date, the Shrek property has generated more than $1.6 billion on the home entertainment front.

    The home video take for Shark Tale already equals half of what the film made at the box office domestically. A star-studded voice cast lead by Will Smith and superb animation helped propel the family feature to $325 million in worldwide receipts.

    Shark Tale will be competing with Shrek 2 and Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles for Best Animated Feature during the 77th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 27.

  • Garfield, Justice League Trek to Disc

    It’s slim pickin’s for toon fans at home video retailers today, save for a couple of TV favorites landing on DVD. Three specials starring a certain fat, orange tabby are packaged together in Garfield Travel Adventures (1984), and three superhero showdowns come to the rescue in Justice League Unlimited: Saving the World.

    Garfield Travel Adventures includes the specials Garfield in the Rough, Garfield in Paradise and Garfield Goes Hollywood. In the Emmy-winning Garfield in the Rough, the pampered puss is yanked out of his comfortable suburban life and thrust into the great outdoors with Odie. Then it’s on to a tropical island in Garfield in Paradise as a luxury vacation is interrupted by the rumblings of a local volcano. Finally, the land of swimming pools and movie stars calls as our feline hero auditions for a pet talent show in Garfield Goes to Hollywood. The Fox Home Entertainment release of the Film Roman show lists for $14.98 on DVD.

    Justice League Unlimited: Saving the World features three episodes from the first season of this third Justice League series on Cartoon Network. The halls of justice have gotten a bit more crowded this time around with the addition of of such caped crusaders as Supergirl, Green Arrow, the Atom, Booster Gold, Hawk, Dove, Elongated Man, The Question, Mister Miracle, Big Barda and Zatanna. Included on the disc is the first episode, "Initiation," as well as the installments "Hawk and Dove" and "Kid Stuff." The Warner Home Video release caries a suggested retail price of $14.97.

  • Game Developers Choice Noms Named

    The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has announced the nominees for the Fifth Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. The recipients will be announced at a ceremony on Mar. 9, 2005, during the Game Developers Conference (GDC). Produced by the Gama Network, GDC is the largest annual event exclusively for game development professionals. This year’s event is scheduled for March 7-11 in San Francisco.

    The race for Best Game will be a showdown between Burnout 3: Takedown (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts), Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games) Half-Life 2 (Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games) Katamari Damacy (Namco) and World of Warcraft (Blizzard Ent.)

    Vying for the coveted distinction of Best New Studio are tyro houses Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes), Crytek (Far Cry) inXile ent. (The Bard’s Tale), Obsidian Ent. (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords) and the Behemoth (Alien Hominid).

    Nominated for Best Character Design are Half-Life 2 (Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games) Katamari Damacy (Namco), Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Entertainment), Sly 2: Band Of Thieves (Sucker Punch Prods./SCEA) and World of Warcraft (Blizzard Ent.)

    Voting was open to all professional game developers, regardless of membership or affiliation, ensuring that the nominees reflect the international development community’s opinions.

    The other nominees are:

    Excellence in Audio

    Call of Duty: Finest Hour (Spark Unlimited/Activision)

    Doom 3 (id Software/Activision)

    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)

    Halo 2 (Bungie Software/Microsoft Game Studios)

    Katamari Damacy (Namco)

    Excellence in Game Design

    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar North / Rockstar Games)

    Half-Life 2 (Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games)

    Katamari Damacy (Namco)

    Pikmin 2 (Nintendo)

    World of Warcraft (Blizzard Ent.)

    Excellence in Technology

    Burnout 3: Takedown (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts)

    Doom 3 (id Software/Activision)

    EyeToy: AntiGrav (Harmonix Music Systems/SCEA

    Far Cry (Crytek / Ubisoft Ent.)

    Half-Life 2 (Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games)

    Excellence in Visual Arts

    Doom 3 (id Software/Activision)

    Half-Life 2 (Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games)

    Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)

    Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Ent.)

    World of Warcraft (Blizzard Ent.)

    Excellence in Writing

    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)

    Half-Life 2 (Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games)

    Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (High Voltage Software/Vivendi Universal Games)

    Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)

    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Obsidian Ent./LucasArts Ent.)

    The IGDA membership will vote on the finalists and an advisory committee from the IGDA will select the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, First Penguin Award and the IGDA Award for Community Contribution. All registered GDC attendees are invited to attend the March 9 ceremony.

  • HP Introduces AMD Opteron Workstation

    In response to customer demand, HP today introduced its first workstation to include AMD Opteron processors and support for NVIDIA Quadro SLI dual PCI Express graphics. The 64-bit HP xw9300 Workstation promises dramatically increased graphics and computing performance for customers working in such fields as computer-aided engineering, scientific research, software development and 3D animation.

    Representing the top of the line of HP workstations the HP xw9300 supports two AMD Opteron 200 series processors, up to 16 gigabytes of memory, IEEE 1394 and USB 2.0 ports in the front and back, five internal hard drives for up to 1.5 terabytes of storage and support for Windows XP Professional and Red Hat Linux WS3.0 (64-bit) operating systems.

    The enhanced graphics performance of the HP xw9300 Workstation is made possible by the NVIDIA nForce Professional chipset enabling dual PCI Express x16 graphic slots. With dual PCI Express graphics, customers can run large models and display complex graphics with detail and speed. The HP xw9300 is the first workstation to be certified by NVIDIA to support SLI for NVIDIA Quadro.

    Jeff Wood, director of marketing for HP’s Global Workstation Business unit, tells Animation Magazine Online, "Now, with the SLI solution, you effectively have access to a full gigabyte of frame buffer and texture memory for a single display with [NVIDIA’s] new scalable link interface. That, with the load balancing of the two GPUs on board, you’ll have some pretty stellar performance and full visualization features for better realism at the end display."

    Wood says the HP xw9300 shares the same chassis as the xw8200 and offers similar expandability, adding "Now we’re unique in the industry with the ability to support two fully accelerated 3D graphics cards. Intel can’t do that today and there’s no other Opteron-based system that can do it either."

    HP says customers who plan to migrate to a 64-bit environment will appreciate the AMD Opteron processor, with its ability to simultaneously run 32- and 64-bit applications. The AMD Opteron processor features the unique Direct Connect Architecture that reduces memory and other system bottlenecks while increasing bandwidth.

    According to wood, people working in the 3D animation segment will be particularly well served by the HP xw9300. "They’re just waiting with baited breath to get their hands on this box because they’re finding that when they’re running Maya or Quake or any of the other 3D animation applications, the performance is upwards of 20% to 30% better than the Intel-based architecture," he says.

    HP workstations are found in the animation studios at DreamWorks and Pixar. The HP xw9300 is available now and starts at an estimated U.S. street price of $1,899. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

  • Pooh Potent, Hitch Huge

    According to weekend box office estimates, Disney scored a top-five finish with Pooh’s Heffalump Movie from DisneyToon Studios, the last bastion of 2D animation at the Mouse House. The film came in at No. 5 with around $6 million, which is not a bad haul for a $20 million movie. This latest venture into the Hundred Acre Woods has been receiving good reviews and should have strong legs through word-of-mouth.

    Directed by Frank Nissen (Man the Polluter), Pooh’s Heffalump Movie has young marsupial Roo strike up a friendship with a Lumpy, an imaginary creature known as a Heffalump. The friendship is tested when Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the gang venture into Heffalump territory hoping to capture what they think is a fearsome nuisance. The family pic is based on the classic characters created by A.A. Milne.

    Legal issues aside, the Winnie the Pooh property has been a huge asset for Disney. However, the last two films in the franchise haven’t matched the success of The Tigger Movie, which opened in February of 2001 to $9.4 million on its way to $96 million worldwide. Piglet’s Big Movie followed in March of 2003 with a $6 million opening weekend and a worldwide take of nearly $63 million.

    For a behind-the-scenes look at the production of Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, see our cover story in the February issue of Animation Magazine, now available by subscription and at Barnes & Noble booksellers.

    The weekend clearly belonged to Sony’s Will Smith comedy, Hitch, which raked in an estimated $45.3 million. Perfectly timed with Valentine’s Day, the film has Smith playing a smooth-talking relationship expert who loses his touch when he finds himself struck by cupid’s arrow. Kevin James (TV’s King of Queens) co-stars.

    In spite of the romantic holiday, horror still had its fangs in many moviegoers. Sony ScreenGems’ Boogeyman slipped to No. 2 with nearly $11 million. The chiller, produced by Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 director Sam Raimi, features visual effects by Weta Digital and Oktobor under vfx supervisor Brent Gilmartin. Made for a reported $20 million, the movie has made around $33 million in just two weeks.

    Pooh didn’t manage to steal enough family business away from Sony’s Are We There Yet? The Ice Cube comic vehicle hangs tough at No. 3 with an estimated $8.5 million for the weekend and a cume of just over $61 million. Warner Bros.’ Million Dollar Baby completes the top five at No. 4. With a host of Oscar nominations including Best Actress (Hillary Swank), Best Actor (Clint Eastwood), Best Director (Clint Eastwood) and Best Picture, the boxing film managed an estimated $7.5 million in its ninth week in the ring.

    Another fighting success story is Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior from Magnolia films. The martial arts flick, which advertises that no special effects were used in its amazing, acrobatic fight sequences, earned an impressive $1.3 million in just 387 theaters in North America. The film has been a big hit overseas and should expand into more U.S. venues following its successful bow.

  • Toy Biz Gets Curious About George

    Toy Biz as signed on as the master pre-school toy licensee for Universal Pictures’ and Imagine Ent’s upcoming animated feature film and PBS KIDS’ TV series, Curious George. The license, granted by Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, will see an array of toys and other products hit retail in time for the film’s big-screen release on Feb. 10, 2006. The TV show will follow in the Fall of 2006.

    The Curious George toy lineup from Toy Biz will include action figures, playsets, vehicles, novelty figures, animatronics, role-playing toys, pre-school matching/memory games, infant toys and plush.

    Originally published in 1941, the beloved Curious George children’s book by the husband-and-wife team of H. A. Rey and Margret Rey, has never been out of print. In 1998 Houghton-Mifflin began publishing new Curious George adventures and continues to release new titles in a variety of formats. The continuing adventures of the inquisitive monkey and The Man With the Yellow Hat have sold more than 27 million copies worldwide and have been published in 17 languages.

    Universal Studios, which acquired the rights to Curious George eight years ago, has a number of licensing and promotional opportunities in development across all categories including, apparel, accessories, interactive games, collectibles, fine art, home furnishings, health and beauty aids, food and beverages, gifts, stationery products and wireless communication devices and accessories.

    Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Jon Shapiro and David Kirschner, the 2D-animated Curious George movie is directed by Matt O’Callaghan (Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas) and will star Will Ferrell as the voice of The Man With the Yellow Hat. The voice cast also includes Dick Van Dyke, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright.

  • Mo-Cap Night at Sci Tech Awards

    The occasion was black-tie but many of the award recipients were perhaps more comfortable with blue spandex covered with ping-pong balls. Three leading motion-capture companies were among the honorees at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2004 Scientific and Technical Awards held Saturday night at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.

    Critically acclaimed actress Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Girl with the Pearl Earring) hosted this year’s event, appropriately sporting a slightly cyber-punk look with her faux-hawk hairdo and angular black pantsuit with a revealing, low-cut top. Following a reel of highlights from her 11-year career in film, she commented, ‘After all these years being in front of the camera, it’s really an honor to be here recognizing those behind the camera.’

    While the two Oscar statuettes went to developers of the Technocrane telescoping camera crane and the Louma camera crane, animation was well-represented. The audience was even treated to a classic clip from Bambi as Disney’s Steven Boze received his Academy Certificate for the design and implementation of the DNF 001 multi-band digital audio noise suppressor.

    Following the brief appearance of traditional animation, a host of acceptance speeches were made regarding achievements in digital advances in the film industry.

    First up were Dr. Julian Morris, Michael Birch, Dr. Paul Smyth and Paul Tate, who earned Academy Certificates for the development of motion-capture technology for Vicon of Oxford, U.K. Used by such leading studios as Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Moving Picture Company, Vicon’s systems have been used in Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Titanic and The Polar Express.

    Vicon’s Dr. Smyth ecstatically told Animation Magazine Online that it was great to be recognized for something that is supposed to be invisible to audiences. He also noted that he and his colleagues are looking forward to pushing the science of mo-cap even further. ‘The fundamental problems are not going to change,’ he said. ‘What’s going to change is the way we approach them. When the technology has matured, people will stop noticing the technology and start noticing the performances’what the actors and stunt people are doing onscreen’which is the way it should be.’

    Dr. John O.B. Greaves, Ned Phipps, Antonie J. van den Bogert and William Hayes next took the stage to pick up their certificates for the development of Motion Analysis Corp.’s Motion Analysis motion-capture technology. Upon accepting his award, van den Bogert commented, ‘Being the scientist of the group, I have to say this is a great day for the science of motion-capture.’ Phipps, the mathematician, then told us his biggest breakthrough was bringing real-time capabilities to mo-cap. ‘We did it at least two years before anybody else,’ he said, adding that performances improve greatly when performers are able to immediately see how their movements translate to the character on the screen. However, he said the real-time technology has not yet been perfected and much of their work will be dedicated to getting rid of the bugs that can show up at any number of points in the sophisticated mo-cap pipeline. ‘We’re always trying to find ways to simplify that pipeline.’

    Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Motion Analysis Corp.’s systems have been used on the films Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, The Animatrix, both Matrix sequels, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, I-Robot, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Peter Jackson’s upcoming remake of King Kong.

    Accepting Academy Certificates on behalf of Giant Studios were Dr. Nels Madsen, Vaughn Cato, Matthew Madden and Bill Lorton, developers of the company’s software solution that applies a unique biometric approach.

    ‘I think it’s such a fascinating business, enhancing what performers do,’ said Madsen. ‘Performance is the thing and being able to bring that to a new light is really satisfying.’

    Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Giant Studios has contributed to the production of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Van Helsing, among others. In 2001, the company produced its own animated short film titled Fruits of Labor, a Charlie Chaplin-esque comedic sketch about a small creature’s misadventures with an apple.

    Alan Kapler of Digital Domain also picked up an Academy Certificate for the design and development of Storm, a software toolkit for artistic control of volumetric effects. Storm employs an efficient method for directly manipulating volumetric data to create effects such as clouds, water and avalanches with familiar operators inspired by image compositing and painting operations. In his acceptance speech, Kapler said, ‘I’d like to thank my parents for letting me spend my youth pissing around on a computer instead of getting a real job.’

    Kapler informed us that Storm is actually a name that was made up just for the Oscar submission. The software is actually called Voxel Bitch, a cousin of Cloud Bastard. Voxel Bitch was used in such films as XXX and The Day After Tomorrow, and is now being used for Stealth, a Vin Diesel vehicle which Rob Cohen (XXX, The Fast and the Furious) is directing. Kapler tells us the action flick revolves around a super-charged fighter Jet and will contain lots of cloud effects and explosions. ‘One thing I didn’t expect when developing the system was the positive environmental impact it would have,’ he notes. One scene in the film called for a giant pyrotechnical effect where fuel bursts into flames in the ocean, launching an enormous cloud of smoke into the air. According to Kapler, the filmmakers were planning on doing it for real before his software entered the picture.

    The Academy Plaque was given to Lindsay Arnold, Guy Griffiths, David Hodson, Charlie Lawrence and David Mann for the development of the Cineon Digital Film Workstation. Cineon pioneered a commercial node-graph compositing system, establishing a new visual method for direct manipulation of the compositing process, which influenced and defined modern digital compositing workflows.

    Arthur Widmer, who was a significant contributor to the development of the Ultra Violet and bluescreen compositing processes, received a special Award of Commendation. Widmer began his work with the Ultra Violet Traveling Matte process while at Warner Bros., where he also developed and refined technologies for other motion picture processes including 3D and widescreen. He was later hired by Universal Studios to design and build an optical department, where he researched many developments in blue-screen technology and optical printing.

    Widmer, a man in his 90s, told the audience that he finds it difficult to communicate with the newer generation of film technology developers since the language has changed so drastically. ‘In my day, being digitally adept meant you could play the piccolo,’ he said, adding ‘Your award to me seems a little out of place because, with it, you have honored analog achievements made in an era devoid of acronyms.’

    The final kudo of the evening, the coveted Gordon E. Sawyer Award, was given to Takuo Miyagishima for designing new technologies at Panavision for nearly fifty years. Miyagishima took home an Oscar statuette for his contributions to cinema.

    Highlights of the Scientific and Technical Awards will be included in the telecast of the 77th Academy Awards ceremony, to be presented on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. ABC will begin airing the festivities at 5 p.m. PST. Clips of the Sci Tech portion will also be available online at Oscar.com.

    Photo: Scarlett Johansson flanked by Takuo Miyagishima and Arthur Widmer.

  • Warner Rides with Mattel on Hot Wheels

    Warner Home Video is putting the pedal to the metal, signing a worldwide home video distribution agreement for toy maker Mattel’s new Hot Wheels AcceleRacers property. The exclusive deal will see Warner release four AcceleRacers animated features for the home video market.

    The first film in the saga, Hot Wheels AcceleRacers: Ignition, debuted to high ratings on Cartoon Network in January and is scheduled to hit retail shelves on March 22. Additional titles to be released throughout the year include The Speed of Silence, The Challenge and The Ultimate Race.

    Aimed squarely at young boys, AcceleRacers: Ignition has two rival races teams, Teku and Metal Maniacs, recruited by Dr. Peter Tezla to race in the fantastic Racing Realms and retrieve the all-powerful Accele-Charger devices before they fall into the hands of the deadly Racing Drones.

    Warner says that while all four installments will be linked, they will also be developed to stand alone so that viewers won’t have to see one to follow the storyline in the next. The property will also be exploited through TV specials, webisodes and online games.

    After 35 years, Hot Wheels is still one of the top toy brands for boys. Hot Wheels AcceleRacers: Ignition will retail for the suggested price of $19.98 on DVD and $14.94 on VHS.

  • Vicon Acquires Peak Performance

    Motion-capture technology leader Vicon Motion Systems has acquired the business and assets of Peak Performance Technologies Inc., a Denver, Col.-based mo-cap products provider specializing in motion measurement and analysis in sports performance and animal science.

    Julian Morris, CEO of Vicon’s parent company, OMG Group, comments, “We believe that this is an excellent acquisition for the group, bringing expansion into the sports market and video-based motion capture. Peak and Vicon, together, provide a compelling proposition across a wide market and product range.”

    Vicon is the maker of the first 4 million-pixel motion capture camera. The company says the combination Peak’s strength in video-based motion measurement and Vicon’s high-accuracy motion systems allows customers to satisfy all their tracking and analysis needs from a single company. With more than 700 customers worldwide, Peak also complements Vicon’s existing presence in life sciences, animation and engineering.

    Based in Oxford, England and California, OMG has customers in more than 35 countries and trades through a number of operating subsidiaries in the name of Vicon Motion Systems, 2d3 and House of Moves in the U.K. and U.S., and through a network of distributors in other major countries. For more information about OMG or its subsidiaries, go to www.omg3d.com, www.vicon.com, www.2d3.com or www.moves.com.

  • Box Office Honey for Pooh?

    A.A. Milne’s classic Hundred Acre Woods characters return to the big screen today in Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, an all-new 2D-animated feature from DisneyToon Studios. The family pic brings some welcomed toon levity to a frame dominated by fright flicks and heavy Oscar contenders.

    Directed by Frank Nissen, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie has young marsupial Roo strikes up a friendship with a Lumpy, an imaginary creature known as a Heffalump. The friendship is tested when Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the gang venture into Heffalump territory hoping to capture what they think is a fearsome nuisance. The entertaining film also aims to teach a lesson about accepting differences.

    Nissen returns to the director’s chair for the first time since his contribution to the 1973 animated film, Man the Polluter. In the meantime, he has worked as a an artist on such Disney features as Dinosaur, Tarzan, Treasure Planet and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers. On Heffalump, he worked from a script by Brian Hohlfed (Piglet’s Big Movie, A Very Merry Pooh Year) and Evan Spiliotopoulos (Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers). Hohlfed is developing a Winnie the Pooh series for the Disney Channel.

    For more information on Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, see our cover story in the February issue of Animation Magazine, now available by subscription and at Barnes & Noble booksellers.

    Also in wide release today is Sony’s Will Smith comedy, Hitch. Meanwhile, martial arts fans can check out the well-reviewed Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior, now in limited release from Magnolia films.