Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Cromosoma’s Triplets Discover Don Quixote

    Spanish toon house Cromosoma announced this week that its hit animated series The Triplets will be part of the celebration of the 4th centenary of Don Quixote with a 75-minute TV special. Co-produced by Cromosoma and Televisio de Catalunya (TVC), this 2D project will center on the adventures of the three girls as they are sent into the world of the famous masterpiece by Spanish writer Cervantes. Along the way, they meet many of the well-known characters from the book and help solve a mysterious puzzle.

    In conjunction with the special, the producers of the show have also invited kids to send their favorite fairy tales, legends or other writings to the Triplet’s web page (www.lastresmellizas.com) for a year-end compilation.

    In other Triplets news, Disney Channel Spain has pre-acquired The Triplet Babies, the newest spin-off of the series, which was presented at the last edition of the Cartoon Forum in Galicia. The show, which is produced with Concerto, a Toon Boom software that creates a paperless environment, will be ready to air by the end of the year. The Triplet Babies targets a younger audience than the original toon and features the girls at an earlier stage in their lives.

  • Family Guy Gets Game, Goes Wireless

    As the resurrected Fox series, Family Guy, gets set to make its triumphant return on May 1, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing has announced two new agreements with video game maker Take-Two Interactive Software and wireless content company Airborne Ent.

    Take-Two will produce new Family Guy video games for multiple platforms under the 2K Games label. The first title is in development and is slated for release in 2006. The third person action/adventure game will feature playable characters such as baby Stewie, Brian the Dog and hapless Griffin family patriarch Peter.

    Airborne Ent. will introduce new mobile phone content featuring the loveably dysfunctional Griffin family. Fans will be able to download an ever-expanding array of wallpapers, wireless games, applications and animated ringers starting this spring, in conjunction with the show’s official re-launch on May 1st.

    In addition to giving the show another shot in primetime in the wake of phenomenal DVD sales, Fox has strengthened its commitment to the brand based on the success of merchandising efforts launched last year. Piggybacking on the initial product launch with licensing partners Gemmy, Kelly Toy, Mezco and Aquarius, the company is says it will launch what may be one of its largest product blitzes to date.

    American Dad, an all-new animated series from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, debuts on Fox this Sunday, Feb. 6, following the Super Bowl. The show will then begin its regular run on Sunday, May 1, along with new episodes of Family Guy. American Dad takes a more unconventional look at family dynamics as over-zealous CIA agent Stan Smith tries to balance life at home with his cloak-and-dagger work.

  • Tokyo Int’l Anime Fair Sneaks in Hollywood

    Anime devotees living in the Los Angeles area can get a sneak peek at the Tokyo Int’l Anime Fair with four world premiere screenings on Monday, Feb. 7. The event is part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s trade and tourism mission and will include an animation trade fair for media and industry personnel.

    The screenings are open to the public and will be held in the Hollywood Ballroom of the Renaissance Hollywood, located at 1755 North Highland Ave.

    Karas, a science fiction anime feature, will make its world premiere on Feb. 7 with showings at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. In addition, there’ll be sneak previews of Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG and new episodes of Naruto and Tenjho Tenge.

    Industry insiders are invited to the anime trade show, taking place Feb. 7-8. Leading anime companies on hand to share their latest works and techniques will include Aniplex (Full Metal Alchemist), Toei Animation (Dragon Ball Z, One Piece), Studio 4C (The Animatrix), Tezuka Prods. (Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor Leo) and CoMix Wave (Voices of a Distant Star).

    The trade show program will also include a panel discussion (Feb. 7, 4:30 p.m.-5p.m.) featuring Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, animation producer for Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and Kenji Kamiyama, director of the anime series Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG.

    For more information on these events, go to www.taf-la.org.

  • New Chuck Jones Book Hits the Press

    What would you give to sit down with legendary Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones and listen for hours as he discussed his esteemed career? While that is sadly no longer a possibility, the next best thing is on the way. In April, University Press of Mississippi will publish Chuck Jones: Conversations, a rich anthology of interviews with the man who breathed life into such iconic characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and Pepé le Pew.

    The book illustrates the development of Jones’ career from his humble beginnings through the close of the Warner Bros. animation unit in the early ’60s and the rediscovery of his work and Hollywood studio animation in general in the ’80s and ’90s. Jones candidly discusses his aesthetic sensibilities, providing tips for aspiring animators and relating tales from the heyday of Warner Bros. animation.

    Edited by Maureen Furniss, the volume features 12 interviews including one with The Washington Post’s Tom Shales and a couple by Animation Magazine contributors Charles Solomon and Ron Barbagallo. Since a proof of the book just arrived, we don’t have a detailed review for you yet. All we can say at this point is that if you’re an animator or simply a fan of the art form and cartoons from the golden age, you’ll definitely want to pick this up.

  • Roger Ramjet 40th Box Set Coming to Save the Day

    Another cartoon classic comes home to own with next week’s release of the Roger Ramjet: Hero of our Nation Deluxe Collector’s Edition DVD box set from Classic Media. Arriving Feb. 8, just in time for the show’s 40th anniversary, the discs will feature 120 of the best-loved Roger Ramjet episodes and will come packaged with a limited-edition model airplane

    Created by Kenneth Snyder in 1965, Roger Ramjet employed fairly limited animation as it borrowed from the patriotic serials of the 1920s and mixed in a bit of cold war paranoia and Viet Nam War-era cynicism. Each week, the show’s title hero and his American Eagle Squad—Yank, Doodle, Dan and Dee—would be sent forth by General Brassbottom to fight the unpatriotic Noodles Romanoff and the National Association of Spies, Traitors and Yahoos (N.A.S.T.Y.). 

    Each installment of Roger Ramjet has been digitally re-mastered and stars the legendary voice of Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens, who also provided the voice of Space Ghost and narrated Ray Harryhausen’s recently completed animated short film, The Tortoise and the Hare.

    The Roger Ramjet: Hero of Our Nation Deluxe Collector’s Edition DVD runs 600 minutes and will retail for $39.98.

  • Wimze Studios Launches with Firecrackers

    Wimze Studios, a new 3D animation company founded by award-winning Brazilian animator Cleber Redondo, is set to explode onto the scene with The Firecrackers this December. The 26-episode, high-definition animated children’s series is under negotiations for both television and home video distribution in English, Portuguese and Spanish versions.

    Originally developed by Redondo as a syndicated comic strip that ran for five years in Sunday newspapers across Latin America, The Firecrackers features a gang of culturally diverse neighborhood kids who attract a volatile mix of fun and adventure wherever they go. The series is written by Jeffrey Scott, who has penned more than 600 animated TV scripts, including episodes of Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, Spider-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Duck Tales, Winnie The Pooh, Dragon Tales and Mr. Baby. He also wrote the first stereoscopic 3D-animated feature, Starchaser: The Legend of Orin.

    Redondo is best known for producing the highly acclaimed animated series The Story Teller Cafe for CBN. The show, which chronicles the exploits of such Biblical heroes as Jonah and David, earned 2000, 2001 and 2003 Telly Awards for Best Children’s TV Program, the 2000 Axiem Award for Best Children’s Animation and the 2000 Omni Intermedia Award for Best Animation. After airing as cable television specials, the programs went on to become best sellers in the home-video market.

    A former animation director for 20th Century Fox Television, Redondo also created the character animation for the Gameboy Advanced video game Atlantis: The Lost Empire from 3D6 Games, and developed a 3D pilot and promos for a German kids’ golf show titled Timber Tee World.

    The Firecrackers is animated using a combination of Alias Maya and the studio’s proprietary animation and rendering software running on SGI and BOXX Technologies workstations.

    Wimze is also developing its second original series, Dinomites, a preschool show about a cartoon-style family of dinosaurs. For more information on the studio, go to www.wimze.com.

  • Paramount to Stop Beaming Enterprise

    Paramount Network Television will bid farewell to Star Trek: Enterprise, the latest incarnation of Gene Roddenberry’s brainy sci-fi franchise. After floundering on UPN for four seasons, the Emmy-winning series will come to a close on Friday May 13.

    Created and exec produced by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, Enterprise stars Scott Bakula as Captain John Archer, commander of the first warp five starship to explore the galaxy in the 22nd Century. While spin-offs like Voyager and Deep Space 9 managed to tap into Trek’s loyal fanbase, Enterprise has pulled disappointing numbers since debuting on UPN in September of 2001. To make things worse, the show was moved to Friday nights opposite SCI FI Channel’s far more popular Stargate SG-1.

    “Star Trek has been an important part of UPN’s history, and Enterprise has carried on the tradition of its predecessors with great distinction,” says Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment at UPN. Ostroff thanks Berman, Braga and the cast for their work on the series and notes, "We look forward to working with them, and our partners at Paramount Network Television, on a send-off that salutes its contributions to The Network and satisfies its loyal viewers.”

    In a last-stitch effort, fans of the show launched www.SaveEnterprise.com and urged fellow Trekies to write protest letters to CBS co-president Leslie Moonves. Though they’ll have to give up the ship, devotees can take solace in the fact that the series lasted longer than the original Star Trek, which was cancelled due to low ratings after its third season.

    Despite the cancellation, Enterprise won’t disappear from the tube altogether. In January, Paramount Domestic Television sold the show’s reruns into off-network syndication in more than 90% of the country, including 49 of the 50 top markets, for debut in Fall 2005. Then there’s always hope of some sort of reunion, like the four-hour miniseries SCI FI commissioned after fans protested last year’s cancellation of Farscape.

    Enterprise received four Emmys during its run, including the 2004 award for visual effects in a television series.

  • Top Games Named at Interactive Achievement Awards

    Half-Life 2 and Halo 2 emerged victorious at Tuesday night’s 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, held during the annual D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas. The sequels were voted the best of 2004 by game industry peer panels from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), a professional organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of interactive arts.

    Half-Life 2 from Vivendi Universal Games and developer Valve took the top prize of Game of the Year, as well as Computer Game of the Year and First Person Action Game Of The Year. Meanwhile, Console Game of the Year and First Person Action Game Of The Year went to sales record breaker Halo 2 from Microsoft and developer Bungie.

    A grand total of nine awards went to Half-Life 2, including Innovation in Computer Gaming, Outstanding Achievement In Art Direction, Outstanding Achievement In Animation, Outstanding Character Performance–Male (Robert Guillaume), Outstanding Achievement In Gameplay Engineering, Outstanding Achievement In Visual Engineering.

    Other kudos for Halo 2 include Outstanding Achievement In Sound Design and Outstanding Achievement In Online Game Play.

    Katamari Damacy from Namco Hometek Inc./Namco Limited rounded out the innovation category with a win for Innovation In Console Gaming. The title also scored at hit in the Craft Awards category with Outstanding Achievement In Game Design.

    Other Craft Awards winners were Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games/Rockstar North) for Outstanding Achievement In Soundtrack and Fable (Microsoft/Big Blue Box) for both Outstanding Achievement In Original Musical Composition and Outstanding Achievement In Character Or Story Development. In addition, Judy Dench took Outstanding Character Performance—Female for her role in Electronic Arts’ Golden Eye: Rouge Agent.

    The 2005 D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate and Entertain), is an interactive entertainment industry conference that brings together the top video game designers and developers from around the world and business leaders from all the major publishers to discuss the state of the industry, its trends and the future. More information on this year’s event can be found at www.DICESummit.org.

    Other winners for 2005 are:

    Console

    Action/Adventure Game Of The Year

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

    Platform Action/Adventure Game Of The Year

    Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal)

    Action Sports Game Of The Year

    Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (Activision/Neversoft)

    Children’s Title Of The Year

    Sly Cooper 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment America/Sucker Punch)

    Family Game of the Year

    Donkey Konga (Nintendo/Namco)

    Fighting Game Of The Year

    Mortal Kombat:  Deception (Midway/Midway Chicago)

    Racing Game Of The Year

    Burnout 3 (Electronic Arts/Criterion)

    Role Playing Game Of The Year – Paper Mario:  The Thousand Year Door (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)

    Sports Simulation Game of The Year

    ESPN NFL 2K5 (Sega/Visual Concepts)

    PC

    Action/Adventure Game Of The Year

    Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Shanghai, Paris, Annecy Studios)

    Children’s Game Of The Year

    Backyard Skateboarding (Atari/Humongous Entertainment)

    Downloadable Game Of The Year

    The Incredibles:  Escape from Nomanisan Island (Disney Online)

    Family Game Of The Year

    Zoo Tycoon 2 (Microsoft/Blue Fang Games)

    Role Playing Game Of The Year

    Neverwinter Nights:  Kingmaker (BioWare/BioWare)

    Sports Game Of The Year

    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 (Electronic Arts/Electronic Arts Redwood Shores)

    Strategy Game Of The Year

    Rome: Total War (Activision/Creative Assembly)

    Wireless & Handheld

    Wireless Game Of The Year

    Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo)

    Handheld Game Of The Year

    Metroid:  Zero Mission (Nintendo)

    Online

    Massive Multiplayer/Persistent World Game Of The Year

    World of WarCraft (Vivendi Universal Games/Blizzard)

  • Activision to Develop Shrek 3 Game

    With Activision’s Shrek 2 ranking among 2004’s top children’s video games, the company is set to begin work on a sequel to coincide with DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming Shrek 3, which is scheduled for release in summer 2007.

    Ron Doornink, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc., comments, “Shrek has proven to be one of the most popular children’s video game properties worldwide and we expect to continue building on the success of the franchise with the release of our upcoming game, Shrek SuperSlam, and future games.

    In addition to the Shrek franchise, Activision holds the exclusive rights to publish games based on DreamWorks’ CG feature Shark Tale, as well as the forthcoming Madagascar (May 27, 2005) and Over the Hedge (2006).

  • Academy to Screen Oscar-Nominated Shorts

    If you live in New York or Los Angeles and you haven’t seen all five of the animated short films nominated for the Oscar this year, you’ll soon have the opportunity. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present public screenings of this year’s animated and live-action short-subject nominees on Saturday, Feb. 19, in New York and Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Beverly Hills.

    Robert Osborne, author of 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, will serve as the host for the two New York screenings, which will be held at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Academy Theater at the Lighthouse International, located at 111 East 59th Street between Park and Lexington Aves.

    The Los Angeles screening on the 22nd will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

    This marks the first time the nominated shorts will be shown by the Academy prior to the awards telecast. The Academy first began offering film screenings to the New York public in November of 2002 with its "Monday Nights with Oscar” film series. This special "Saturday Afternoon with Oscar” double screening is an outgrowth of that popular program. A second screening was added this year due to the sell-out New York crowd that showed up in 2004.

    This year’s nominated animated shorts are Birthday Boy by Sejong Park and Andrew Gregory (Australia), Gopher Broke by Jeff Fowler and Tim Miller (U.S.), Guard Dog by Bill Plympton (U.S.), Lorenzo by Mike Gabriel and Baker Bloodworth (U.S.) and Ryan by Chris Landreth (Canada).

    Tickets for the screenings are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid I.D. Tickets for the NY event may be reserved over the phone by calling (888) 778-7575. For more information on the L.A. screening, call (310) 247-3600.

    The nominated shorts will also screen in Washington D.C. at the National Archives during Oscar week. Dates and times can be found on the Academy’s website at www.oscars.org/events/shorts/index.html.

    To sign up for the Academy Foundation mailing list, visit the Academy’s website at www.oscars.org.

  • Marvel Heroes Unite for Super Bowl Ad

    What kind of cataclysmic event could bring Marvel’s best-known superheroes together in one place? Apparently, all it takes is someone losing their check card. That’s the premise of a new Visa ad set to debut during the Super Bowl this Sunday.

    In “Super Heroes,” a woman cries for help after discovering someone has stolen her Visa check card. Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Storm and Thor rush to her rescue, only to discover it’s a false alarm since her card features security benefits that protect her from fraudulent charges.

    The commercial ends with a surprise guest visit from someone who answers the distress call a bit too late. We tied to get the scoop on who the mystery crime fighter is, but were only told that it is somebody our readers are quite familiar with. Hmmm ‘ now who could that be?

    Created by ad agency BBDO NY, the lighthearted spot features 3D animation by New York-based animation house Charax. It will air as a stand-alone commercial during the first half of the year’s most highly anticipated sporting event.

    Visa has produced 15 Super Bowl commercials in the past 10 years.

  • Eisner Replacement to Be Named by June

    Reuters reports that Walt Disney Co. chairman George Mitchell has told analysts that the company would appoint a new CEO no later than June of this year. After the past few tumultuous years, Michael Eisner is stepping down from the post in September of 2006, having already been stripped of the chairman role following last year’s contentious shareholder’s meeting.

    Despite protests from the likes of Roy Disney, Eisner right-hand man Bob Iger is seen as a likely successor, though the board claims to have cast a wide net in the search. Some shareholders are also in favor of upping Iger for the sake of a smooth transition.

    Whoever the new CEO turns out to be, he or she will have little hope of wielding influence over the board of directors as well as the company, as Eisner did. Following Eisner’s removal from the chairmanship, the board has voted to officially separate the two offices and make the role of chairman a non-executive one.

  • MoP Brasil Digital Dives into Distribution

    Make room for a new player in Brazil’s content distribution business. MoP Brasil Digital, the producer of the CG animated series The Pixcodelics, announced today that it is embarking on a new content distribution path, focusing on the lucrative Latin American market. Based in Sao Paulo, the company has existing strong relationships with local broadcasters and major and alternative DVD retail channels, and will be seeking quality content both of broadcast and DVD/home entertainment distribution.

    "Since we began to participate in international TV markets and summits in order to license our own property, we’ve come across a huge amount of programs all made by producers who don’t have a proper knowledge and relationship for distributing their properties in Latin America," says Tony Reis, the company’s exec in charge of content distribution. Reis also notes that the division has screened over 200 programs since last October. Forty title are currently under negotiation and at least four shows are considered for broadcast and 10 DVD titles will be on sale by this April.

    According to MoP Brasil Digital’s director of business development, Ferderico Goldenberg, the company has done its homework and is now ready to bring distributors and producers together. "We also welcome international co-productions of animation series and TV formats, taking advantage of our production experience, our own 3D animation studio and very competitive production cost."

    MoP Brasil Digital is owned by WebForce Networks, a Brazilian venture capital firm with a history of millionaire deals in the country’s Internet arena, as well as a strong real estate and technology business background . For more information, visit www.webforce.br

  • Mulan II, Balto III Bow on Disc

    Direct-to-video sequels are the order of the day as Disney’s Mulan II and Universal’s Balto III: Wings of Change make the trek to retailers. The follow-ups are joined on shelves today by a pair of wacky late-night Cartoon Network favorites in the form of Adult Swim’s The Brak Show: Volume 1 and Sealab 2021: Season 2.

    The Chinese legend continues in Mulan II as our beautiful and courageous heroine and her guardian dragon, Mushu, return for another harrowing adventure. After saving her nation from the evil Huns, Mulan gets the surprise of her life when General Shang asks for her hand in marriage. Before tying the knot, however, the two lovebirds must undertake the dangerous mission of escorting three princesses to a distant city. Adding to their difficulties is Mushu, who plots to keep Mulan single as long as possible so he can keep his cushy guardian job. Ming-Na returns as the voice of Mulan, leading a cast that includes B.D. Wong, Pat Morita, Harvey Fierstein, Gedde Watanabe, Lucy Lui, Michelle Kwan, Jerry Tondo and Soon-Tek Oh.

    The DVD bonus materials include a mini-doc on the voice actors; the featurette The World of Mulan, in which Mushu hosts a fun-filled tour of China’s rich history and culture; deleted scenes; and games and activities isuch as Mushu’s Guese Who, a guessing game involving the dragon’s shadow puppet skills. There’s also a music video for the song "(I wanna Be) Like Other Girls," performed by pop sensation Atomic Kitten. The Buena Vista Home Entertainment release lists for $29.99 on DVD.

    An all-star voice cast turns out for the return of everyone’s favorite animated Alaskan sled dog in Balto III: Wings of Change. When an airplane pilot claims he can deliver mail and supplies faster than a sled dog team, Balto and his fellow four-legged pals rise to the challenge. Lending their voices to the production are Sean Astin (The Lord of the rings Trilogy, Cartoon Network’s Party Wagon), Keith Carradine (Deadwood, Hair High), Jean Smart (I Heart Huckabees, Disney’s Kim Possible) and Kathy Nijimy (King of the Hill, Stuart Little TV series).

    The Balto III disc also features an interactive activity titled The Ultimate Rescue Challenge Game, in which players lead Balto and friends through six different levels. The DVD retails for $19.98.

    From the archives of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block comes The Brak Show: Volume 1. The two-disc set features 14 episodes of the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast spin-off. Animated at Wild Hare Studios, the show takes place before Brak meets Space Ghost, and explores his suburban home life and his adventures with his best buddy, a foul-mouthed, destructive praying mantis named Zorak. Extra features include Cartoon Planet segments, Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak, Adult Swim news, commentary from show’s creators and Brak himself, and a never-before-heard radio play production of The Brak Show. The Warner Home Video release lists for $29.98.

    Also from the Adult Swim pool is a two-disc set featuring 13 episodes from the second season (2000) of Sealab 2021. The series producers take footage from Alex Toth’s 1972 animated show, Sealab 2020, and make it really twisted by re-writing the plots and dialogue. Bonus materials include commentary on all 13 installments, a tribute to Harry Goz (voice of Captain Murphy), "20 Questions with the Cast," a tour of 70-30 Prods. and a rough cut of the episode "Der Dieb." Fans can pick it up for $29.98 or less.

  • Sony Bares Grudge on DVD

    Having scared up more than $100 million at the domestic box office, Sony’s The Grudge has been released to haunt homes on DVD and VHS. This latest Hollywood remake of a hit Japanese flick offers creepy animated effects and some chilling extra features.

    Directed by Takashi Shimizu, who also helmed the original Japanese version, The Grudge stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as an American nurse working in Tokyo, who finds herself in the clutches of a supernatural curse that haunts the house in which she’s living. Big X and Reality Check Studios provided visual effects for the film, which is exec produced by Sam Raimi, director of Sony’s Spider-Man films and the cult classic Evil Dead horror trilogy.

    Among the DVD extras you’ll find commentary by cast and crew including Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi and Sarah Michelle Gellar. There’s also a medical featurette examining why people seek out fear at the cinema and a five-part making-of documentary. The Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment release is rated PG-13 and lists for $28.95 on DVD.

  • Mainframe Mounts MechWarrior Feature

    Canadian computer animation house Mainframe Ent. is again branching out from the popular Barbie franchise to launch a new direct-to-video brand that boys should find more appealing. The company announced plans to animate a direct-to-DVD feature based on the popular MechWarrior series of adventure games, books and toys from WizKids Inc. The pic, which Mainframe says will introduce innovative techniques in CG animation, is slated for release in 2006.

    The movie’s story fast forwards to the distant future of the MechWarrior universe, a time when the old glory of the BattleMechs has passed. With his home planet threatened by invasion, the film’s young hero goes on a quest for a cache of lost Battlemechs that will turn the tide against the invaders. Designed to please long-time fans of the interactive franchise while standing on its own, the feature will introduce new characters and story elements.

    Producer Gregory Little, who brought the project to Mainframe, will produce the movie under his Machine Age banner, which he formed in 2004 to focus on the direct-to-vide feature market. Producing for WizKids is MechWarrior creator Jordan Weisman, along with Marc Sachnoff. In addition to MechWarrior, WizKids is also responsible for the successful Mage Knight and HeroClix collectable miniatures games.

    Little comments, “The growing DVD-direct market is a great alternative to a theatrical feature when you have a brand like MechWarrior to drive sales. We got a deal done quickly and have a lot more creative freedom than we would have had if this was a $100 million studio feature.”

    Mainframe CEO Rick Mischel adds, "MechWarrior continues our move towards developing proprietary properties in animation that have already established themselves in the toy and gaming worlds as long-term brands.”

    The 20-year-old MechWarrior property has seen more than 13 million video games sold for PC and X-Box. In addition, 79 novels have been based on the franchise and fans have snatched up tens of millions of collectible game figures for the WizKids MechWarrior: Age of Destruction tabletop game. Microsoft continues to release X-Box games under the MechAssault name, with the latest hitting shelves in early 2005.

  • Vinton Studios Taps Ad Directors

    While Vinton Studios is making the leap to features with Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (Halloween 2005) and Henry Selick’s adaptation of the Neil Gaiman book Coraline, the studio is best known for animated commercials such as the California Raisin spots. The stop-motion, CG and cel animation house is showing its dedication to the ad biz with three big new hires. Joining the payroll are award-winning directors Courtney Booker, Jeff Drew and Aaron Sorenson.

    Courtney Booker, an animator, video director, painter and multi-media visual artist, is currently putting the final touches on the new animated music video for the group They Might Be Giants. A Carnegie-Mellon graduate, her paintings have been exhibited at many of the country’s top galleries. Her short film, Lesson One, won the Audience Award at the New York Int’l Film & TV Festival and her feature credits include story animation and effects on Pixar’s Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.

    Jeff Drew is a 1996 graduate of John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. His animated short film, Walk, has been shown at numerous festivals around the world, including Sundance and the IFP West Los Angeles Film Festival, and recently won the Audience Choice Award for Best Animation at the New York Int’l Independent Film & Video Festival. Drew has completed numerous animated television spots and his illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines.

    Aaron Sorenson studied character animation at San Francisco State University and was hired by Wild Brain soon after graduating in 1996. He worked as a layout artist and eventually as an animator on various television productions, as well as the direct-to-video feature Ferngully 2. Sorenson worked as an animator on Nike, Coca Cola, and KFC campaigns before becoming an animation director working with such iconic figures as the Jolly Green Giant, Bugs Bunny and Cap’n Crunch.

    Vinton Studios has garnered an Oscar, four Academy Award nominations, 11 Emmys and 10 Clios. The company’s latest commercial successes include campaigns for M&Ms, the NFL on FOX and Arby’s.

  • THQ Lines Up Nick Games for 2005

    Fans of Nickelodeon’s animated lineup will soon have more opportunities to get into the action as video game publisher THQ Inc. announces its slate of Nick-branded interactive titles for 2005. Among the year’s upcoming releases are multi-platform games based on Nickelodeon’s highly rated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom, as well as new titles from the Nicktoons and Tak franchises. The game maker and broadcaster are also scheduled to release a game based on the upcoming animated theatrical release, The Barnyard, from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.

    Everyone’s favorite pineapple-dwelling sea creature goes multiplayer for the first time ever in a new SpongeBob SquarePants game. This year’s title is a collection of 30 party-style games that allows players to compete for a role in a Bikini Bottom TV show titled The Adventures of Mermaidman & Barnacleboy. Up to four players will “audition” using both competitive and co-operative game play elements to earn credits in a 15-minute, full-fledged episode. The game will be available for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, DS, PSP and PC this fall.

    Barnyard, the forthcoming feature from writer/director/producer Steve Oedekerk (Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius) promises a humorous look at how farm animals really live when humans are not around. Lending their voices to the cast are Danny Glover, Sam Elliot, Wanda Sykes, Kevin James and Courteney Cox. In the game, players will start as the new cow on the block and work their way though challenges in a fully rendered 3D world to prove they are the biggest party animal of all. The title will be released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC.

    Shaman Tak is back in this third interactive title in the popular franchise. Tak 3 (working title) features a two-player cooperative game play style that combines unique puzzles, time-based strategies and a robust combat system that requires players to defeat zany competitors to receive the grandest reward ever given by the great Jujus. The game is due out this fall for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and DS.

    Nicktoons (working title) promises the first true melding of popular Nickelodeon heroes and villains. The various characters come together and cross over into multiple Nick cartoon environments, interacting with each other and working in unison to solve puzzles. Fans will be able to enjoy playable characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron Danny Phantom and others. The four-person multiplayer platform adventure will be available for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and DS this fall.

    The next interactive adventure based on The Fairly OddParents has Cosmo, Wanda and Timmy Turner pitted against their nemesis, Mr. Crocker, and evil anti-fairies who have broken into Dimmsdale. On the unluckiest day of year, Friday the 13th, it’s up to Timmy and his Fairy God Parents to use their quick wit and bountiful wishes to foil Crocker’s plan to take over the world. Look for it on Game Boy Advance this fall.

    Who wouldn’t want Danny Phantom’s paranormal ability to walk through walls and shoot ghostly beams at bad guys? In the new fast-paced action game based on hit show from Butch Hartman, players will get to do just that and more as the fight to save the world from Clockwork, a sinister ghost with the power to control time. The title will be released for Game Boy Advance this fall.

    Peter Dille, senior VP of worldwide marketing for THQ, comments, “We expect that this strong lineup will build upon the success of our 2004 holiday releases, which introduced new brands, built upon the accomplishments of our joint original property, Tak, and helped THQ achieve lifetime sales of more than $700 million for Nickelodeon-branded games worldwide.”

    For more information about THQ and Nickelodeon products, as well as THQ’s other video games, go to www.thq.com.

  • Pipeline fx Expands Sales Network in Korea

    Hawaii—based Pipelinefx announced this week that it has closed a reseller agreement with leading Korean CG software reseller, CG Wave. "Korea seeks to be a digital media powerhouse and already dominates online gaming," said Bill Spencer, CEO of Pipelinefx. "The Korean government invests more than US$200 million per year in digital media education and infrastructure. Several Korean game companies and film studios already are industry leaders throughout Asia. We have chosen CG Wave, Inc. because of its depth of experience, commitment to the highest quality customer service and support, and its reputation for integrity."

    "Pipelinefx further validates our belief that Hawaii tech companies have the talent, technology and capacity to successfully compete in key international markets," commented Jeff Au, Managing Director of PacifiCap. "Pipelinefx is the fourth company that we at PacifiCap have helped to successfully develop and launch an Asia-Pacific strategy."

    Pipelinefx’s qube! Remote Control™ is a next-generation enterprise class renderfarm management system designed for environments as large as 10,000 processors or more.  qube! is highly customizable, extensively scalable and can be integrated into any production workflow. qube! operates in Red Hat Linux, Windows XP, 2000 and 2003, Mac OS X, and IRIX environments. qube! also comes with a Maya job type that contains everything necessary to submit and execute batch Maya jobs. qube! supports Gelato, Shake, Softimage, 3DS Max, mental ray and many other 3D animation software applications. For more information, visit www.pipelinefx.com

  • Hide Leaves Alone in the Dark

    Two supernatural thrillers went toe-to-toe at the North American box office over the weekend, but Lions Gate’s CG-laden actioner, Alone in the Dark, proved no match for Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning and a mischievous imaginary friend. 20th Century Fox’s Hide and Seek took in $22 million to claim the No. 1 spot from Sony Pictures’ family comedy, Are We There Yet?