Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • NaturalMotion’s endorphin 1.6 Rushes to Users

    U.K.-based NaturalMotion Ltd. today announced the worldwide release of endorphin 1.6, its award-winning dynamic motion synthesis 3D animation software. Based on AI and dynamics research, endorphin synthesises 3D character animation in real-time, cutting asset production time and costs. The application is being widely adopted for use in the feature film and video game industries.

    The latest version of endorphin features new and enhanced adaptive AI behaviors and a fully user-definable character. In addition, video plane back projection and camera data import allow users to see their endorphin characters as they interact with live-action footage in real-time. Finally, dotXSI and Vicon V files have been added to the already extensive list of supported file formats.

    NaturalMotion CEO Torsten Reil comments: "The release of endorphin 1.6 is a major step forward in the evolution of next generation animation software. The rapid take-up from major film and games companies plus academic establishments confirms that we’re seeing the beginning of a significant change in 3D animation."

    Used for the vfx-driven sequences in Warner Bros.’ Troy, endorphin has recently been introduced to production pipelines at Sony Europe, Sony America, Moving Picture Company, The Mill, Namco, Konami, Rainbow Studios and others. Version 1.6 is available now from NaturalMotion and its appointed resellers at a suggested retail price of $12,795.

    NaturalMotion Ltd. is the creator of Active Character Technology (A.C.T.), a break-through in 3D character animation based on Oxford University research on the control of body movements. Founded in late 2001, the privately owned company recently won a Game Developer Front Line award for its innovation in game development technology. Its development team of software engineers, biologists, physicists and animators is located in Oxford, U.K. For more information, go to www.naturalmotion.com.

  • Three New Properties for Breakthrough

    Canada-based Breakthrough Animation–the toon production arm of Breakthrough Films & Television–will be making a splash at NATPE, as it unveils the three newbies, Captain Flamingo, Rocket Rodents and Miss BG. The premiere of these animated shows follows the success of Breakthrough’s galactic guardian hit Atomic Betty, whose second season will also be presented in Las Vegas next week.

    Captain Flamingo delivers the life and times of Milo Howell, who transforms from an ordinary boy to a justice-protecting flamingo when he wears his terry-cloth cape. Girl-next-door Lizbeth has a serious crush on our beaked hero, and she secretly helps him save the day for kids everywhere.

    A vermin motley crew of five take center-stage in Rocket Rodents when they accidentally acquire a starship that no one knows how to fly while they are en route to an off-world penal colony.

    Breakthrough hopes its third new offering, Miss BG (BG stands for Big Girl), will leave a big impression on audiences. The show follows the story of a young girl who advises her brother George about the ways of the world, because she is much wiser than her years (think eight going on 20)!

    All three shows are being offered in packages of 26 half-hour episodes. For more info, visit www.breakthroughfilms.com.

  • ShoPro to Merge with VIZ

    ShoPro Ent. Inc. and VIZ LLC, both prominent North American producers and distributors of Japanese anime, will merge to create a new entity. Set to debut this spring, the yet unnamed San Francisco-based venture will leverage the unique assets of Japanese manga and animation powerhouses Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Production Co. Ltd. (ShoPro Japan).

    ShoPro Ent. is an affiliate of ShoPro Japan, a subsidiary of Shogakukan Inc. To date, the company has introduced broadcasters and consumers worldwide to such animated series as Hamtaro, Inuyasha, MegaMan NT Warrior and Mirmo.

    VIZ, a subsidiary of Shogakukan Inc. and Shueisha Inc., is the English-language publisher of such hit manga series as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball, Alice 19th, Ranma 1/2 and Shonen Jump magazine. VIZ also produces anime home video titles for the Pokémon, Inuyasha and Boys Over Flowers brands.

    ShoPro and VIZ previously collaborated on such hit properties as the aforementioned Inuyasha and Megaman NT Warrior. The companies hope to collectively reach a wider audience and leverage their combined power to acquire the hottest brands coming out of Japan.

    Osamu Kamei, executive director of Shogakukan Inc., comments, "In order to nurture and grow the worldwide exposure of Japanese manga and animation, we have decided to step beyond the corporate framework that exists in Japan, and form a new globally oriented company by merging VIZ and ShoPro Ent." He adds, "I strongly believe that the partnership of the three companies, Shogakukan, Shueisha and ShoPro, will be a major step forward for the Japanese contents business."

    According to Publishers Weekly, manga and anime generate roughly $4 billion in revenues globally each year, with anime accounting for 25% of children’s programming in the U.S. Sources say the Shopro/VIZ merger will cause a significant shakeup in the business, leaving competitors 4Kids Ent., Tokyopop and Funimation to find new resources for content.

  • FUNimation Gets Noddy for U.S.

    Brand management company FUNimation Prods. Ltd. announced today that it has acquired the rights to the popular British animated preschool series Make Way for Noddy. The CG show, produced by Chorion PLC, will debut in the U.S. with 50 all-new episodes on PBS Kids this July.

    Consisting of 100 10-minute episodes, Make Way for Noddy is based on the beloved books of children’s author Enid Blyton. The show is set in the magical world of Toyland, a place where toys come to life and adventures never cease. The title character is a little wooden boy who can’t stop nodding when he gets excited because his head is on a spring. The peaceful way of life in Toyland is often disrupted by a pair of mischief-making goblins named Sly and Gobbo, who live in the Dark Wood just outside of the capital city.

    Noddy airs in 115 territories and is set to arrive in China and Japan as well this year. The property recently made its publishing debut in China, where state-owned Beijing Publishing House released translated versions of Blyton’s original 24-book series.

    The Noddy brand has sold more than 1 million books and 500,000 videos since its launch in 2002. Also available at retailers is a full line of merchandise that includes toys, interactive, apparel, plush, playsets, party goods and games.

    As the master licensor for Noddy in North America, FUNimation is showcasing the property at this year’s editions of NATPE, Toy Fair and Licensing Show.

  • Tim Sarnoff on Spidey’s Oscar Nom

    As the nominations for the 77th Annual Academy Awards were announced early this morning, many in Hollywood were waiting with fingers crossed to hear their name or project announced. One of those people was Tim Sarnoff, president of Sony Pictures Imageworks, the studio behind the mind-blowing visual effects in Sony’s Spider-Man 2.

    "I wasn’t planning on getting up real early this morning." Sarnoff comments, "I don’t have a very good internal alarm clock but something just woke me up so I turned on the news and sat there waiting. It’s a very good way to wake up."

    Spider-Man 2 is up for Best Visual Effects, along with Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and 20th Century Fox’s I, Robot. Sarnoff says that both competitors are good films but confidently believes that Spider-Man 2 is the best of the three. "We are basking in the glow of a nomination for a movie that we all feel very passionate about," he says.

    "Spider-Man has been, from Spider-Man 1 through to Spider-Man 2, one of our premiere projects in building a digital character base," notes Sarnoff. "It’s really nice at this point to see it all come to fruition all in one movie. I think the progression from the first movie to the second movie was noticed by the general audience and clearly noticed by the Academy. A focus this company has been working on over the past five years is building a strong, photo-realistic live-action character. People still don’t realize that a lot of the shots are 100% digital."

    In praising his team’s work, Sarnoff specifically points to the seamless blending of digital and live-action elements. "What you’ll see is a lot of integration between live-action plates that may start as a full live-action, transition to a digital character in a live-action plate, then a digital character in a digital plate, the digital character going back into a live-action plate again and then a real character on a live-action plate, and that’s all one shot."

    One thing that sets Spider-Man 2 apart from many recent effects films is that the digital technology serves the script rather than the converse. "What I’m really pleased about in Spider-Man as a project is that the gee-whiz shots are literally storytelling points," says Sarnoff. "I personally like projects where we are creating characters. It makes us much more engaged with the storytelling process as opposed to just creating explosions on the side.

    Sarnoff is grateful that the three-time winners at Weta (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) aren’t going for the brass ring this time out. "Sometimes they have to stop so someone else can come in," he jokes. "I actually called Jim Rygiel today to thank him for stepping aside for a year. I think I needed to be the first one to say it." As far as competing with Peter Jackson’s King Kong next year, Sarnoff declares, "We’ll certainly give that ape a run for its money."

    Sony Pictures Imageworks is busy at work on Spider-Man 3. We begged Sarnoff for details but he indicted that he would be wearing cement boots at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean if he let anything slip at this point. He would only say, "It’s bigger," adding, "In each group of shots in Spider-Man 2, I don’t think there were any clunkers in there. And I think that in Spider-Man 3 there will be even fewer shots that will make people ask, ‘Is this real or is it Memorex?’"

    The third installment in director Sam Raimi’s epic screen adaptation of the Marvel Comics property is slated to open in May of 2007.

  • And the Oscar Nominees Are:

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has just released its list of nominees for the 77th Annual Academy Awards, placing Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles and DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 and Shark Tale in the running for Best Animated Feature.

    Having nabbed numerous critics awards and garnered Golden Globes and Producers Guild nominations, The Incredibles is the odd-on favorite to pick up this year‘s statuette. Box office champ Shrek 2 works arguably better as a comedy, but Academy voters may go more for the complete package that the artists at Pixar have put together. Shark Tale is looking like the dark horse in this race, but one should never count out the contributions of Oscar favorites Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese, who lend their voices to the pic.

    Unlike last year, when Finding Nemo was the only CG fish in the pool of nominees, this year’s contenders are all of the computer-generated variety. Traditional animation should make a comeback next year with the release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and the eagerly awaited Wallace and Gromit movie from DreamWorks and Aardman.

    The Incredibles garnered a total of four nominations. Brad Bird got a nod for Best Original Screenplay, facing off against John Logan for The Aviator; Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Keir Pearson and Terry George for Hotel Rwanda; and Mike Leigh for Vera Drake. Incredibles is also up for Sound Editing, along with Warner Bros.’ The Polar Express and Sony’s Spider-Man 2. Both The Incredibles and The Polar Express will compete for Best Sound Mixing as well.

    Commenting on the various nominations for The Incredibles, Bird issued the following statement: “I am thrilled that Pixar’s creative team is being recognized for their amazing work by the Academy alongside many other talented nominees. The screenplay nomination is particularly gratifying since storytelling is at the heart of what makes Pixar so special and what makes cinema such an amazing artform. I would like to thank the fantastic folks at Disney and Pixar who helped make this happen.”

    Animated films also tend to show up in the Best Song category, as the case happens to be with Shrek 2 for “Accidentally In Love” (music and lyrics by Adam Duritz, Dan Vickery, David Immergluck, Matthew Malley and David Bryson) and The Polar Express for Believe (music and lyrics by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri).

    In the Animated Shorts category, the nominees are Chris Landreth’s Ryan, Sejong Park’s Birthday Boy, Mike Gabriel’s Lorenzo (Disney), Bill Plympton’s Guard Dog and Paul Jeff Fowler’s Gopher Broke (Blur Studios), all of which have been festival favorites around the world in recent months.

    Having won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama), director Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator is the frontrunner in the race for Best Picture. But while the Hollywood Foreign Press kudos have been a reliable predictor of Oscar wins, the Howard Hughes biopic has to compete with critically lauded picks Million Dollar Baby from Warner Bros.’, Sideways from Fox Searchlight Pictures, Ray from Universal Pictures and Finding Neverland from Miramax Films.

    In his run for Best Director, Scorsese also faces tough competition from Golden Globes winner Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby, Alexander Payne for Sideways, Taylor Hackford for Universal Pictures’ Ray and Mike Leigh for Fine Line Features’ Vera Drake. Both Scorsese and Eastwood were up for the honor last year with Gangs of New York and Mystic River, respectively, but lost ot Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Eastwood took the directing statuette for 2002’s Unforgiven.

    Meanwhile, Sony’s Spider-Man 2, Warner Bros.’s Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban and 20th Century Fox’s I, Robot will be competing for Best Visual Effects. With no Lord of the Rings entry leading the pack, this year’s race is anybody’s game. The nominations were a bit of a surprise, however, as 20th Century Fox’ Day After Tomorrow got no recognition for the monumental task it presented. Comic-book and fantasy effects won over relative realism as Aviator was also snubbed despite its breathtaking aerial re-creations.

    The 77th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC starting at 5 p.m. PST. For a full list of nominees, visit www.oscars.com.

    Learn more about each of the animated contenders and vote in our annual Reader’s Oscar Poll at www.animationmagazine.net/oscar_entry_04.html.

  • Sky Captain, AVP Land on Disc

    Two of the year’s biggest effects-loaded sci-fi features invade home video retailers today with the release of Paramount’s live-action/CG hybrid, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and 20th Century Fox’s comic-book inspired franchise bouillabaisse, Alien vs. Predator.

    Shot entirely in front of blue screens, Sky Captain blends live actors with computer-generated environments and animated elements like giant flying, Fleischer-style robots. The film is set in a very stylized version of the 1930s and stars Gwyneth Paltrow as a New York City newspaper reporter investigating the mysterious disappearances of top scientists. Jude Law takes on the title role of Sky Captain, a hot-shot fighter pilot who swings into action when and army of mechanical monstrosities invades.

    The project was a labor of love for writer/director Kerry Conran, who spent six years animating a six-minute short demo of the film, which he planned to make as a low-budget indie using his own effects studio, WOT. The demo got the attention of producer Jon Avnet and stars Law, Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Paramount picked up the project and brought in an army of additional effects houses, including ILM, Stan Winston Digital, Café FX, Gray Matter FX, The Orphanage, Pacific Title Digital, Pixel Liberation Front, Ring of Fire, R!OT, Rising Sun Pictures, Hybride Technologies, Engine Room, EFilm, Luma Pictures and Rising Sun Pictures.

    DVD features include the original six-minute short that got the film rolling and commentary by producer Jon Avent, filmmaker Kerry Conran and the vfx crew. There’s also a featurette titled Brave New World, a look at the film’s artwork, deleted scenes and a gag reel. The Paramount Home Entertainment release lists for $29.9 on disc.

    Written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Event Horizon, Mortal Kombat), Alien vs. Predator (AVP) takes place in Antarctica, where a group of scientists use alien eggs to lure predators to an ancient pyramid and end up caught in the middle of the ensuing monster melee. The only cast member from previous outings to return is Lance Henriksen, who plays billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland, the human model for the android Bishop character he played in Aliens.

    Bringing the extraterrestrial exhibition match to the screen was the work of effects houses ADI, Cinesite, Moving Picture Co. and Double Negative, working under Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor John Bruno (The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Batman Returns).

    The AVP disc Includes the theatrical version and an extended version with a new beginning. Bonus materials offer commentary by Anderson, Henriksen and co-star Sanaa Lathan. There’s also effects commentary from visual effects supervisor John Bruno (theatrical version only), Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. (alien effects). In addition, fans get deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a Dark Horse comic-book cover gallery and a DVD-ROM featuring the first edition of the AVP comic book and an exclusive 16-page preview of the upcoming AVP graphic novel. The Fox Home video release is priced to own at a suggested $29.98 on DVD.

  • Batman Vs. Superman on Video

    While the fabled Batman Vs. Superman feature film script may never make it to the big screen, the two superheroes square off at retail today as volumes of their respective animated TV series battle the forces of evil on DVD. Batman: The Animated Series–Volume Two and Superman: The Animated Series— Volume One are now available from Warner Home Video.

    Fans of the Dark Knight can pick up the deluxe four-disc Batman set, featuring 28 episodes from the acclaimed, Emmy-winning series (1992-1995). These adventures put gillionaire Bruce Wayne and his spandex-clad alter ego up against all the villains you love to hate, including Catwoman, the Penguin, the Riddler and the Joker. DVD extras include commentary on four episodes, the featurette Robin Rising, a look at the many other denizens of Gotham City and a featurette on the voices behind the characters, whichinclude Kevin Conroy (Batman), Melissa Gilbert (Batgirl), Mark Hamill (The Joker) and Ron Perlman (Clayface). The compilation lists for $44.98.

    The two-disc release of 1996’s Superman: The Animated Series–Volume One offers 18 episodes of the popular series, beginning with the Man of Steel’s arrival on Earth, his extraordinary boyhood in Smallville and his quest to protect the world against villains such as Lex Luthor and the Weather Wizard and the Toyman. Bonus materials include commentary on four episodes and the featurettes include Superman: Learning to Fly and Building the Mythology: Superman’s Supporting Cast. The toon was produced by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami and Bruce Timm. Voice actors featured include Tim Daly as Superman, Dana Delaney as Lois Lane and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. The set carries a suggested retail price of $26.99.

    Another animated TV series arriving on home video today is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex–Volume 4, featuring four episodes from the small-screen outgrowth of Mamoru Oshii’s cyberpunk anime classic. Extras include Interviews with the production team and voice actors. From Manga Ent., Bandai Ent., and Anchor Bay, the release lists for $24.99.

  • Turbo Squid Goes face2face with Mobile Toons

    Turbo Squid, a web-based provider of royalty-free 3D products, has launched a new line of mobile content through a partnership with New Jersey-based face2face animation. AniTones mobile character player from face2face is now available through the Turbo Squid Mobile Content Portal, which enables users to access streaming animation on cell phones.

    As part of the AniTones launch, face2face animation has created its first 3D animated comedy series for mobile phones. The series and other mini productions will be delivered to mobile consumers over the air in small packages for playback on the AniTones mobile character player developed by face2face. Customers can receive the AniTones player at no cost when they purchase face2face animations from www.turbosquid.com.

    AniTones content is created using face2face’s AlterEgo, an advanced video analysis software that automatically converts ordinary digital video into animation motion instructions, or Facial Animation Parameter (FAP) data, as specified by the MPEG-4 standard. Professional writers and comedians provide voice and facial movements while face2face animators provide the character models and background animation.

    “We decided to launch AniTones with Turbo Squid, given [its] direct connection to the 3D community,” says Eric Petajan, founder and chief scientist of face2face. “Given the early adoption curve for 3D mobile devices, we believe Turbo Squid offers access to a targeted audience for sophisticated mobile content.”

    In December 2004, Turbo Squid launched a Mobile Development Forum with the goal of building a bridge between content creators and the mobile development community to support the emerging 3D personalization market for mobile phones. For more information, visit www.turbosquid.com.

  • Turbo Squid Goes face2face with Mobile Toons

    Turbo Squid, a web-based provider of royalty-free 3D products, has launched a new line of mobile content through a partnership with New Jersey-based face2face animation. AniTones mobile character player from face2face is now available through the Turbo Squid Mobile Content Portal, which enables users to access streaming animation on cell phones.

    As part of the AniTones launch, face2face animation has created its first 3D animated comedy series for mobile phones. The series and other mini productions will be delivered to mobile consumers over the air in small packages for playback on the AniTones mobile character player developed by face2face. Customers can receive the AniTones player at no cost when they purchase face2face animations from www.turbosquid.com.

    AniTones content is created using face2face’s AlterEgo, an advanced video analysis software that automatically converts ordinary digital video into animation motion instructions, or Facial Animation Parameter (FAP) data, as specified by the MPEG-4 standard. Professional writers and comedians provide voice and facial movements while face2face animators provide the character models and background animation.

    "We decided to launch AniTones with Turbo Squid, given [its] direct connection to the 3D community," says Eric Petajan, founder and chief scientist of face2face. "Given the early adoption curve for 3D mobile devices, we believe Turbo Squid offers access to a targeted audience for sophisticated mobile content."

    In December 2004, Turbo Squid launched a Mobile Development Forum with the goal of building a bridge between content creators and the mobile development community to support the emerging 3D personalization market for mobile phones. For more information, visit www.turbosquid.com.

  • TV-Loonland CEO Voelkle Resigns

    Daily Variety reports that Peter Voelkle has stepped down from his CEO gig at Munich-based independent children’s television broadcaster TV-Loonland AG. Effective immediately, the move makes way for Selma Behlueloglu, head of finance and controlling, to take over as CEO.

    The trade says that Voelkle wants to work in a more creative capacity. Though he is handing over his administrative responsibilities, he will remain with TV-Loonland as a strategy and programming consultant. He founded the company in 1989 and took on the title of CEO with its initial public offering in 2000.

  • VFX Secrets Revealed by VES

    A good number of Visual Effects Society (VES) members and guests showed up at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Saturday for The Big Reveal, the VES equivalent of the Academy’s visual effects bake-off. Nominees for this year’s VES awards were on hand to discuss their work and screen clips for voting members.

    While all of the nominees presented good arguments, many of the attendees we spoke with seemed most impressed with the digital effects in 20th Century Fox’s big-budget disaster thriller, The Day After Tomorrow. Karen Goulekas, visual effects supervisor on the film, addressed the amount of detail that went into creating a digital New York City for shots that most viewers assume were achieved with aerial photography. She explained how Lidar scanning was used so extensively to recreate actual locations and landmarks to be destroyed by various forces of nature.

    Another highlight was when Roger Guyett revealed behind-the-scenes footage of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson riding a robotic Hippogryph in front of a blue screen for Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban. He explained how the 3D Hippogryph animation was created first and the data was then fed into the robotic rig so that the actors would look like they were really riding the mythological beast in the final composite.

    While the folks producing effects in the commercial field typically enjoy big budgets and accommodating schedules, one thing they don’t get is a lot of glory. Vfx supervisor Jeff Okun, who served as master of ceremonies for The Big Reveal, commented, "I think the artists working in commercials these days are more experimental than we are in the feature film business."

    One of the spots up for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial is "Alive with Technology," an ad promoting the Citreon automobile. In true Transformers style, the CG car morphs into a dancing robot. The impressive, 30-second spot took five weeks to complete. Actual cars had to be taken apart so the team could model individual parts and figure out how they would shift around and fit together to create the giant automaton, which ended up sporting more than 2 million polygons.

    The Big Reveal helps to remind us that the effects you don’t notice can be as remarkable as the tornadoes, flying creatures and web-slinging superheroes that grace today’s feature films. On the television side, Kevin Blank discussed the work his team managed to do on an impossibly tight schedule for the hit ABC series, Lost. "The scope of how quickly everything had to be done was the real challenge," he stated. "We thought it was a lost cause, no pun intended," added Benoit Girard, who noted that the advent of HD broadcasting has made the job even more difficult. "Now we have six times more pixels to work with."

    Also impressive is the invisible work done on CBS’ Clubhouse. Curt Miller, Jason Spratt, Doug Witsken and Michael Tonder revealed how they used green-screen compositing techniques to make Blair Field in Long Beach look like Yankee Stadium. Also working on a brief timetable, the team seamlessly augmented the California location with photographed elements and CG crowds and set pieces to pull off the illusion.

    A new category this year is Outstanding Visual in a video game. All of the nominees expressed their gratitude to the VES for including them in the competition. Bill Vanburen, who presented on behalf of Valve’s Half-Life 2, added, "When I see what’s being done in films today, I see what we’re going to be doing in the future. And that’s kind of scary because we’re going to need a lot more people."

    Winners will be announced during the third annual awards ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at the Hollywood Palladium. Academy Award-winning director/producer Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) will be honored with a lifetime achievement award. For a complete list of nominees, visit www.vesawards.com.

  • KongZhong Connects with Greatdreams

    Chinese wireless services provider KongZhong Corp. has entered into a three-year licensing agreement with Hong Meng Cartoon Broadcasting Ltd (a.k.a. Greatdreams), a producer of animated children’s programs in China. Under the terms of the deal, KongZhong will have the exclusive right to use content from Greatdreams’ programs in a variety of wireless value-added service platforms, including SMS, IVR, MMS, Java, and WAP.

    KongZhong provides services that users can access directly from their mobile phones by choosing an icon embedded in select models of handsets or from a mobile operator’s portal or website. The partnership with Greatdreams will see its first set of services launched to coincide with a special two-hour, televised Chinese New Year’s celebration program that Greatdreams produced.

    Services include interactive voice response hotlines on the networks of China Netcom and China Telecom, as well as SMS services through China Mobile, China Netcom, China Telecom, and China Unicom.

  • Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear Coming to Disc

    While Disney’s Brother Bear enjoyed a higher profile and bigger box office receipts, it wasn’t the only animated feature of recent years to tell the story of a boy who undergoes an ursine transformation. Having earned international acclaim, The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear from famed Danish filmmaker Jannik Hastrup is finally coming to home video in North America. Central Park Media will release the touching and visually haunting family film on Feb. 8.

    Based on an Inuit legend, The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear is a classic argument for nurture over nature. When a mother polar bear’s cub is stillborn in the Arctic wild, her mate steals a human baby boy to raise as their own. The boy grows to be a good bear, but his world comes crashing down when his real father comes to take him back and indoctrinate him in the human ways. Torn between two worlds, the young boy must make a nearly impossible decision and brave the perils of arctic to see it through.

    We first caught this little 2D gem at Annecy in 2003 and were taken with the simple but elegant hand-drawn style and the economy of storytelling. There is a hint of Disney influence in the character of a talking crow sidekick included for the sake of comic relief, but despite that and other minor flaws, it’s well-made film that should appeal to both children and adults alike.

    Festival kudos the film has garnered include the Adult and Children’s Jury Awards at the 20th Chicago Int’l Children’s Film Festival, Best Children’s Film Award from the 2003 Norwegian Children’s Film Festival and a Special Mention at the 2003 Berlin Int’l Film Festival. This year, it will screen at the KidsBestFest in Hartford, Con., as well as museums such as the newly reopened Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Washington DC’s National Gallery.

    The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear is a co-production of Les Armateurs (the production house behind Oscar-nominated The Triplets of Belleville), Dansk Tegnefilm Produktion APS and France Television Distribution. It will be available as both a single DVD for a suggested $19.95 and a collector’s edition for around $29.95. The collector’s edition will include cast interviews, a stills gallery, an Arctic trivia quiz and more.

  • Brooks Toons Up Spaceballs for TV

    May the Swartz be with comic legend Mel Brooks as he works to launch an animated TV series based on his 1987 Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs. His Brooksfilms has partnered with BFC Berliner Film Companie and MGM Domestic Television Distribution to produce an hour-long pilot and 13 half-hour episodes.

    The pilot is being penned by Brooks and Thomas Meehan, who collaborated on the screenplay for the original live-action feature. Brooks will also supervise the writing on the other episodes and serve as exec producer alongside Rainer Soehnlein, CEO of BFC Berliner Film Companie Group. Under the agreement, MGM will distribute the Spaceballs toon in the U.S., Canada and international markets outside of Germany.

    "Primetime animation has become a powerful staple and with the unmatched comedic talents of Mel Brooks and BFC’s expertise, you’ve got quite a winning combination," says Jim Packer, MGM’s exec VP of television distribution, North America. "To this day, Spaceballs is incredibly successful on television and on video, and with the abundance of sci-fi films that have come out in the past decade, there’s no shortage of material for Mel."

    Reprising a couple of his roles from the film, Brooks will provide the voices President Scroob and Yogurt in the series. Scroob is the corrupt leader of Planet Spaceball, who sends Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) to steal Planet Druidia’s abundant air supply. Yogurt, a comic version of Yoda, is an alien sage who helps the film’s hero, Lone Star (Bill Pullman), foil the evil plan. The feature also starred Joan Rivers, Daphne Zuniga and the late John Candy. There’s no word or who, if any, of the original cast members will join the series’ voice cast.

    Brooks can currently be heard as the voice of Wiley the sheep in the 3D-animated PBS children’s series, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, from Entera and Mike Young Prods.

    BFC is also in development on the new series Sherm! and MP4orce (working title). During the past two years, the company has distributed the series Adventurers, Shadow of the Elves, Altair in Starland and Mission Odyssey to international broadcasters. The hip-hop-infused animated sci-fi series Da Boom Crew marked BFC’s first U.S. network deal and premiered in September on Kids’ WB!

  • Taffy Ent. Greets Latin America with Hola

    Taffy Ent., the exclusive distribution company of independent animation studio Mike Young Prods., is stepping up its efforts to expand in the Spanish-language market. Under a new agreement, Hola Ent. will distribute the company’s properties in Latin America. Hola’s Mercedes Alvarez will handle representation of Taffy product.

    Taffy has already established a strong presence in the Latin American market, having sold Pet Alien to Cartoon Network Latin America and ToddWorld and Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks to Discovery Kids Latin America. Shows slated for launch in 2005/2006 include dive Olly dive!; I Got A Rocket!; El Corazon; and Quantum Ray.

    "Our shows continue to be in great demand in the Latin American market," says Taffy exec VP Regis Brown. "So, we’re delighted to have Mercedes Alvarez supporting Taffy Ent.’s efforts in this key territory. Her wonderful track record with children’s entertainment in Latin America, combined with Taffy’s fresh new supply of neutral Spanish and Portuguese versions of children’s programs, is an excellent combination."

    Mike Young Prods.’ latest offering, the CG comedy series Pet Alien, will make its U.S. debut on Cartoon Network this Sunday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. (ET, PT). Distributed by Taffy Ent., the series will also air this quarter on Cartoon Network Europe, as well as all of the network’s broadcast services in Latin America, Asia/Pacific and Japan.

    Pet Alien follows the adventures of extraterrestrials who visit the seaside town of DeSpray Bay to experience life on Earth firsthand. Dinko, Gumpers, Flip, Swanky and Scruffy take up residence in the lighthouse hideaway of 12-year-old Tommy and attempt to help the boy with his daily challenges. For more information, go to www.petalien.com.

  • Corpse Bride Trailer Unearthed!

    If you love Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas, head over to http://corpsebridemovie.warnerbros.com and get ready to drool. At long last, the trailer for Burton’s latest animated feature, Corpse Bride, is online and it is glorious. Featuring the same animation style as Nightmare, the darkly comedic gothic tale is set for release this Halloween.

    Corpse Bride is based on a 19th century Eastern European folk tale. Oscar nominee Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sleepy Hollow), provides the voice of Victor, a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride (Bonham-Carter). Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love. Warner Bros. describes the film as a tale of optimism, romance and a very lively afterlife, told in classic Tim Burton style.

    The film’s star-studded voice cast also includes Emily Watson (Punch-Drunk Love, Equilibrium) Albert Finney (Big Fish, Traffic), Joanna Lumley (James and the Giant Peach, TV’s Absolutely Fabulous) and Christopher Lee (Sleepy Hollow, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars: Episodes II and III).

    Corpse Bride is animated with stop-motion by Vinton Studios. This will be the first feature-length project for Vinton, best known for its work on the California Raisin ad campaign and the Fox primetime series The PJs. The production reunites several members of The Nightmare Before Christmas crew, including director of photography Pete Kozachik and Michael Johnson, who makes his directorial debut alongside co-director Burton.

    Corpse Bride is produced by Burton and Allison Abbate, and exec produced by Jeffrey Auerbach. Caroline Thompson and Pamela Pettler penned the script and the score is composed by Danny Elfman (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2).

  • Imageworks, Zemeckis to Slay Beowulf

    Sony Imageworks and director Robert Zemeckis will apparently get some more use out of the performance-capture technology used to produce The Polar Express. Daily Variety reports today that Sony and Express financier Steve Bing have plunked down a heafty sum for a Beowulf adaptation scripted by Pulp Fiction co-writer Richard Avary and novelist Neil Gaiman (Coraline).

    The sixth-century Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf casts its title character as the one man who can defeat Grendel, a monster terrorizing a Danish kingdom, and his scaly, cave-dwelling mother. He even goes toe-to-toe with a fire-breathing dragon. While the original author is unknown, the tome is widely regarded as the first major horror tale in English literature.

    The timeless story has been animated for the small screen with HBO’s 1998 TV special, Animated Epics: Beowulf, produced by Christmas Films, HBO and Right Angle. However, It’s curious that a feature film adaptation hasn’t yet been attempted. The closest anyone has come is Buena Vista Pictures’ The 13th Warrior, which was based on the Michael Crichton novel Eaters of the Dead but also incorporated many elements of the Beowulf story.

    Sony’s Beowulf, which was originally at Warner Bros., is one of two adaptations in the works. A live-action version, titled Beowulf and Grendel, is in post-production. Gerard Butler (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Reign of Fire) will star as the monster slayer in the Archlight films production slated for a 2005 release.

    ImageMovers principals Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce Sony’s animated take. Martin Shafer will exec produce with Avary and Gaiman. The film’s reported $70 million budget will come largely from Bing’s Shangri-La, which made good on its investment in The Polar Express.

    Sony Pictures Imageworks and ImageMovers are also applying their branded motion-capture technology to the summer 2006 release, Monster House, about three kids who discover that a neighbor’s house is a living monster and set out to foil its evil plans.

    Gaiman’s Coraline is being adapted for the big screen by Vinton Studios. The stop-motion feature, directed by Nightmare Before Christmas helmer Henry Selick, is about a young girl who moves into a new home and discovers a secret door to an alternative reality.

  • Fox to Adapt Chronicles of Darkness

    In the latest bid to discover the next Harry Potter, Fox 2000 has bought rights to the best-selling U.K. kid lit series, Chronicles of Darkness. According to Daily Variety, acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator) is attached to produce the first film under his Fox-based Scott Free Prods. shingle.

    Brittish author Michelle Paver’s Chronicles is planned as a six-part saga set 6,000 years in the past. The series follows the adventures of a 12-year-old boy named Torak and his pet wolf. The first book, Wolf Brother, has the duo tracking down a ferocious, demon-possessed bear that killed Torak’s father. At present, it is the only installment optioned under the deal, said to be worth $250,000 against $1 million.

    Orion holds U.K. publishing rights to Chronicles of Darkness, while U.S rights go to HarperCollins Children’s Books. Wolf Brother is set to hit shelves in North America on Feb. 15, in conjunction with an audio version recorded by Sir. Ian McKellen of X-Men fame. A second book, titled Spirit Walker, should arrive in 2006, following its U.K debut this September.

  • Gnomon Welcomes Spider-Man Artist

    Gnomon School in Hollywood gets up close and personal with one of the 3D artists behind Sony’s megahit, Spider-Man 2, on Thursday, Jan. 27. Nominated for two Visual Effects Society (VES) awards for his work as 3D environment Lead on the web-slinging sequel, Dan Abrams will reveal the challenges he and the rest of the team faced in bringing the blockbuster’s eye-popping visuals to the screen. His presentation at Gnomon will include a detailed look at the building of the characters–modeling, light stage, image acquisition–and the creation of a fully digital New York City.

    Dan Abrams graduated with an industrial designer degree from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. While still in school, he was hired as a technical director by Rhythm & Hues. That same year, Abrams moved to Sony Imageworks where he is now a senior technical director.

    Abram’s work can also be seen in such films as Spider-Man (2002 Academy Award Nominee, Best Visual Effects), The Chubb Chubbs (2002 Academy Award Winner, Best Animated Short), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 Academy Award Winner, Best Visual Effects) and most recently, The Aviator.

    The presentation will be held Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. Gnomon is located at

    1015 N. Cahuenga in Hollywood, Calif. As seating is limited, RSVP to rsvp@gnomon3d.com. Please include name and email for you and any friends you plan to bring.