Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Buhaj Named Programming, Scheduling VP for Cartoon Network, Boomerang

    Marc Buhaj has been appointed VP of programming and scheduling for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. In his new role, Buhaj will direct all aspects of programming for the two networks, including scheduling, on-air event planning and program operations. Working out of Cartoon Network’s Atlanta offices, he will report directly to Bob Higgins, senior VP of programming and development.

    Buhaj’s responsibilities will include strategically programming Cartoon Network’s popular original series, including the new hits Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Atomic Betty and Justice League Unlimited. He will also determine the content and programming line-up within the network’s top-rated blocks including Fridays (original comedy series from 7 p.m. to midnight), Miguzi (weekday afternoon action-adventure shows from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and Toonami (Saturday night hard-action programming for older kids from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

    Buhaj comes to Cartoon Network’s U.S. operations from Hong Kong, where he was exec director of programming and acquisitions for Turner Entertainment Networks Asia (TENA). There he guided the scheduling, commissioning and acquisitions for all Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Pogo feeds in Asia-Pacific, including India, Taiwan, Australia, The Philippines, Pakistan and Southeast Asia. He was a key member of a small team that developed the award-winning television network, Pogo, and oversaw its January 2004 launch. The popular outlet for Indian kids is now available in 17 million households.

    Buhaj originally joined Turner Broadcasting’s Sydney office in March 2001. Prior to that, he worked for the Seven Network Australia and for Buena Vista International beginning in 1994. He launched his career as an on-air presenter and built an extensive resume in children’s entertainment. In addition to presenting and co-producing the country’s top-rated Saturday Disney, he was part of the Seven Network team for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

  • Drawn Together’s Second Season a Reality

    Daily Variety reports that Comedy Central has ordered a second season of Drawn Together, the half-hour farcical comedy promoted as the first-ever animated reality show. The network is apparently happy with ratings for the three episodes it has aired so far and has sent 15 more installments into production at Rough Draft Studios.

    Created by exec producers Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser, Drawn Together spoofs such reality shows as The Real World, Big Brother and The Surreal Life. Seven thinly veiled representations of popular cartoon characters from various genres have been thrown together in one swanky house to see how they get along.

    Where a lot of new shows score high ratings out of the gate due to curiosity, the momentum for Drawn Together seems to be building. This week’s episode did slightly better than the first two, drawing a reported 2.4 million viewers. The strong South Park lead-in is certainly a contributing factor, but that alone couldn’t save last year’s effort, Kid Notorious, starring Robert Evans.

    Among the new Drawn Together installments going into production is the obligatory reality show reunion episode, scheduled to air late next year.

  • CBS Stars Get Animated for Rudolph

    To celebrate the 40th anniversary airing of the holiday classic, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, CBS will launch an animated on-air promotional campaign that will team Rudolph, Sam the Snowman and the Abominable Snowmonster with 3D, stop-motion caricatures of the network’s top personalities.

    TV stars Marg Helgenberger, Kevin James, David Letterman, William Petersen, Jeff Probst, Doris Roberts, Ray Romano and Charlie Sheen, and sports announcers Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms will appear in animated form for a series of holiday promotional spots leading up to the Wednesday, Dec. 1 (8:00 p.m. ET/PT) broadcast of Rudolph.

    The Rankin and Bass-inspired campaign, to launch in late November, will also include a two-minute, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the unique, elaborate stop-motion Rudolph spots on American Airlines’ in-flight broadcast, CBS Eye on American.  

    "What [better] way to involve the CBS family in a special holiday celebration than to tie into this classic animation style for a first-of-its kind promotion," comments George Schweitzer, exec VP of CBS’s marketing and communications.

    In the Network promos, the ever-jubilant Sam the Snowman proclaims "This is going to be the best holiday ever, Rudolph." Rudolph then asks, "Yeah, but where’d you find those new elves?" The elves turn out to be the CBS stars who are helping at the North Pole-based CBS Holiday Workshop, working alongside the reformed, benevolent Abominable Snowmonster.

    The animation for the new spots was produced at Portland, Oregon-based Bent Image Lab. Based on a series of sketches, puppet fabricators sculpted 8- to 10-inch tall wax models of the CBS personalities. The 30 seconds of stop-motion animation then took weeks to complete. The project was supervised by Ileene Mittleman, VP of CBS advertising and creative services, and Michael Pollack, executive director of CBS advertising and promotion.

    CBS affiliates will have the opportunity to broadcast customized versions of the spots, as well as a modified version to promote their local toy/charity drives.  

    Directed by Larry Roemer, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was produced by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass. Romeo Muller wrote the television adaptation from a story by Robert L. May. The longest-running holiday special was first broadcast on CBS in 1972 and now returns to the Eye after an eight year run on another network.

  • BOXX Bows Maya-Equipped Workstations

    BOXX Technologies has entered an agreement with Alias to offer Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited 3D modeling, animation, effects and rendering software with its series of award-winning workstations.

    Reese Gautschi, director of marketing at BOXX, comments, "BOXX workstations are built from the ground-up to deliver application-tuned performance, upgradeability and reliability that creative professionals demand for popular 3D design and animation programs like Maya. Now our customers can quickly enhance their workstation by adding the robust features of Maya–delivered pre-configured and pre-optimized by BOXX."

    BOXX workstations are optimized for media creation applications. Available in single-or dual-processor configurations featuring the latest processors from AMD (Athlon and Opteron) and Intel (Pentium 4 and Xeon), BOXX workstations also support popular software from Adobe, Autodesk, Discreet, Newtek and Softimage. The BOXX product line also offers the capacity for massive internal storage expansion with assemblies that allow for six, eight or 12 hard drives for up to 3.6TB of internal storage.

    Maya Complete is priced at $1,999 and Maya Unlimited is offered at $6,999. Both are currently available for purchase with any BOXX workstation (U.S. only).

  • Doc Hollywood Kidz Does Beauty and the Beast

    Belle and her hairy heartthrob are coming back for another spin on the dancefloor in a new, contemporary take on the classic fairytale, Beauty and The Beast. The moderately budgeted, live- action/animated version will be the first feature effort from Doc Hollywood Kidz Inc., a Nevada-incorporated subsidiary of DH1 Studios Inc.

    Written by Pierce Milner, Beauty and the Beast is being produced by Doc Hollywood Kidz and European family entertainment production company Track 9-1/2 Ent. Doc Hollywood Kidz CEO Steven Saxton will exec produce. The pic will be shot on location in Europe on a projected $14 million budget, benefiting from European financial and tax incentives. Several European directors are in discussions to helm the project.

    British motion capture and animation house Animazoo Ltd. will provide the digital elements. Doc Hollywood Kidz is hammering out a comprehensive agreement to use Animazoo’s Gypsy technology on future productions as well.

    Milner’s script is based largely on Madam LePrince de Beaumont’s French tale, La Belle et la Bete, which was first published in 1756. However, film will frame the famous tale as a story told to young children by their governess, and promises to deliver a contemporary twist.

    Established in July of 2004, Doc Hollywood Kidz (www.dh1.com) maintains office headquarters in West Hollywood, Calif., and has production facilities at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.

  • Winsor McCay Annie Winners Announced

    As his animated alter ego gets set to make his big-screen debut, SpongeBob SquarePants voicer Tom Kenny is gearing up to host the 32nd Annual Annie Awards honoring the year’s finest animation in film, television and short subjects. This year’s awards ceremony, to be held on Jan. 30, 2005, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif., will see the prestigious Windsor McCay award go to Don Bluth, Virginia Davis and Arnold Stang.

    Bluth began at Disney as an animator on such films as Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, before directing animation on The Rescuers and Pete’s Dragon. In 1982, he and fellow animators Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy produced Banjo The Woodpile Cat, a garage project that launched his career as an independent. In addition to creating the laser disc-based arcade games Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, he directed and produced such animated features as MGM’s The Secret of NIMH, Universal’s An American Tail and The Land Before Time, United Artists’ All Dogs Go to Heaven and Warner Bros’ Thumbelina and A Troll in Central Park. Returning to the studio system in the late ’90s, Bluth directed and produced Anastasia and Titan A.E. for 20th Century Fox. He and long-time collaborator Gary Goldman recently established Bluth Films Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona, and are developing a feature version of Dragon’s Lair.

    At the Age of four, Virginia Davis became Disney’s first live-action when she appeared in a series of shorts that had her interacting with animated characters in a cartoon world. Starting in 1924, Davis starred in more than 50 Alice in Cartoonland adventures, and was named a Disney Legend in 1998. She now holds the distinction of being Disney’s oldest surviving employee.

    Arnold Stang is one of America’s most beloved comic character and voice actors. A fixture of comic TV series of the ’50s and ’60s, he voiced the animated character Top Cat and served as Milton Berle’s sidekick. Throughout the ’50 he voiced the Herman character in more than two dozen Herman and Katnip animated shorts for Paramount and later lent his golden throat to The Pink Panther Show, Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure and Pogo for President: I Go Pogo. More recently, Stang played roles on Cartoon Network’s Courage, the Cowardly Dog.

    The Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 21 categories in areas ranging from production design, character animation and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music and voice acting. Tickets are $60 and are available online at ASIFA-Hollywood.org or by calling 818.842.8330 by Dec. 16.

  • Tehran Animation Fest Calls for Entries

    The 4th Biennial Tehran Int’l Animation Festival (TIAF) has issued a call for entries. The event is sponsored by the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults (KANOON) and will take place March 6-10 in Tehran, Iran.

    With the goal of broadening ties between domestic and international artists, TIAF will present special screenings in addition to the competition.

    The fest is now accepting animated shorts, TV series, advertisements and educational works. The deadline for entries is December Dec. 5. For more information, go to www.tehran-animafest.com.

  • Video Game Invasion Hits Home Vid

    In our Tuesday home video release wrap-up we neglected to mention that the new documentary, Video Game Invasion: The History Of A Global Obsession, is now available on DVD and VHS. The doc enjoyed a successful run on GSN (formerly Game Show Network) and is particularly relevant in light of Halo 2’s phenomenal $124 million first day.

    Distributed by Slam Films/Ventura Distribution, the DVD includes new bonus footage not seen on television, including an interview with host Tony Hawk and behind-the-scenes stories of programming miscues and unforeseen results.

    Video Game Invasion focuses on the cultural impact and the-behind-the-scenes competition between these impassioned geniuses who create video games. Included are interviews with former Atari CEO Nolan Bushnell, former Atari VP and Pong designer Al Alcorn and Monkeystone Games CEO John Romero, who co-created Doom and Quake.

    The doc is produced by David Carr and David Comtois of Los Angeles-based Beantown Prods., an independent production company and acclaimed TV advertising and marketing powerhouse. In addition to working on projects for Lifetime Television, AMC, 20th Century Fox and A&E, the company recently handled editing and post production work for Family Tree, a semi-autobiographical short from Oscar-winning Shrek director Vicky Jenson.

    For DVD sales information, visit www.venturadistribution.com.

  • Geneon Ent. Inks Slam Dunk Deal with Toei

    Under an agreement announced today, Geneon Ent. will distribute works by Toei Animation on DVD in the U.S. and Canada. The first titles slated to hit North American retailers under the pact are Air Master, Interlude and Slam Dunk. No release dates have been announced.

    Geneon Ent. is a leading supplier of Japanese animation in the U.S. The company’s library includes such internationally acclaimed properties as Tenchi Muyo!, Lupin The Third, Armitage, Heat Guy J, Last Exile, Beyblade, Gungrave, X, Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon. Other films released by Geneon include Katsuhiro Otomo’s restored anime masterpiece, Akira, the Japanese blockbuster, Onmyoji, the sci-fi classic Patlabor WXIII and Sakura Wars: The Movie.

    “Geneon Ent.’s commitment to Japanese anime, along with its expertise in sales, marketing and distribution, make it an ideal partner for us as we continue to expand our international business,” comments Kanji Kazahaya, COO of Toei Animation.

    Toei has produced such international smash hit properties such as Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon and Digimon, and has created more than 180 film and television titles.

  • New Looney Tunes Shorts Online

    Warner Bros. Online has unveiled the new LooneyTunes.com, featuring the first original Looney Tunes shorts released in more than a year. Visitors to www.looneytunes.com will also find more games, an updated Looney Shop, more downloadables and all the latest Looney news.

    The new Looney Tunes web shorts feature Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and other classic cartoon characters. In Parallel Porked, Daffy’s hopes of an easy driver’s license test are dashed by the thorough and exacting hoping Porky Pig. H2 Uh-Oh! also stars Daffy, who becomes the scourge of the neighborhood when he hogs the water supply for his own amusement park pleasure. Sylvester and Tweety return in The Cat Stays In The Picture, a stylistic nod to the classic Looney Tunes.

    Also new to the site are such new games as Marvin’s Speed, Daffy Duck’s Dodgeball, Foghorn Leghorn’s Thanks But No Thanks and Taz’s Munch and Crunch. There are also new screensavers, wallpapers and buddy icons.

  • Stores Spin Out Spider-Man TV Games

    After the successful release of its award-winning Atari classics, Miss Pac-Man and SpongeBob-themed TV Games, JAKKS Pacific Inc. has announced the availability of its Spider-Man plug-and-play game unit. The hand-held device contains multiple original video games based on the Marvel property.

    Featuring a joystick designed to resemble the webslinger, the game unit plugs directly into the A/V jacks of any standard television set and allows consumers to play the games without the need of a separate console.

    A total of five games challenge players to battle Green Goblin, Venom, The Vulture and other sinister enemies from Marvel’s Rogue’s Gallery. Featured titles are: Streets of the City, Spider Training, Venom’s Vindication, Vulture’s Venture and Escape From the Sewers.

    Spider-Man TV Games retails for approximately $20, and is now available at retailers nationwide. Based on sales of previous TV Games titles, it should be one of the big sellers of the Holiday season. More information on JAKKS’ TV Games can be found at www.jakkstvgames.com.

  • All Aboard The Polar Express

    It takes a lot of guts to go toe-to-toe with a Pixar film in its first week of release, but if any movie stands a chance of knocking The Incredibles down a peg, it’s Warner Bros.’ CG-animated feature, The Polar Express. The film arrives in theaters today, getting a jump on the holiday movie season and becoming the third big animated release currently in theaters.

    Based on the classic Caldecott Award-winning children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express reunites the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump team of director Robert Zemeckis and star Tom Hanks. Imagemotion, the proprietary motion-capture technology developed by Sony Imageworks, was employed to tell the story of a doubting young boy who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole.

    Zemeckis, who blended live action and animation like never before in Who Frame Roger Rabbit?, had his actors perform in mo-cap suits in front of green screens. Animators at Imageworks then filled in the characters by mapping Hanks’ and the other actors’ facial and muscle structure. The main character, known only as Hero Boy, was actually created using photos of Hanks as a child. The versatile actor also plays the train’s conductor, a mysterious hobo and Santa Claus himself.

    The film was also released in 3D at IMAX theaters across the country, making it the first full-length studio feature ever converted to the IMAX 3D format. The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience also earns the distinction of being the widest release ever for an IMAX digitally re-mastered movie with more than 70 IMAX venues aboard for the run.

    Next weekend, yet another major animated movie will join The Polar Express, The Incredibles and Shark Tale in theaters across North America. The eagerly awaited The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie opens on Friday, Nov. 19.

    A presentation of Castle Rock Ent. in Association with Shangri-La Ent., The Polar Express was produced by Playtone, ImageMovers and Golden Mean. Read our cover story and go behind the scenes with the digital wizards at Imageworks in the January issue of Animation Magazine.

  • Paramount, Yahoo! Find SpongeBob Look-Alike

    Paramount Pictures and Yahoo! Photos today announced the winner of the SpongeBob SquarePants look-alike contest. Following a nationwide search, it was decided that Shane Phillips of Memphis, Tennessee best conveyed the character’s fun loving, mischievous and spongy personality.

    In addition to dubious distinction of being SpongeBob’s real-life double, Phillips won a trip to Los Angeles for the star-studded premiere of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie on Sunday, Nov. 14.

    Who ever thought being compared to a yellow, square, gap-toothed cartoon character would be such a compliment? But, I couldn’t be more excited,” Phillips comments. “And if SpongeBob’s schedule gets too busy after this movie, I’ll happily fill in for him wherever, whenever!”

    Yahoo! Photos accepted online snapshot entries and hopefuls turned out for events held at multiple college campuses across the U.S. Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob Square Pants, judged the many contestants and found Phillips the most fitting flesh-and-blood counterpart to his beloved cartoon alter ego.

    The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie arrives in theaters across North America on Friday, Nov. 19. Read about the making of the film in the December issue of Animation Magazine.

  • DreamWorks’ Go Fish Hooks Casshern

    DreamWorks has landed the domestic distribution rights to the Japanese science fiction action hit, Casshern, which it will release under the banner of its specialty film division, Go Fish Pictures.

    Casshern marks the feature directorial debut of acclaimed Japanese music video director, Kazuaki Kiriya, who also wrote the original screenplay. The pic employs a hybrid blend of anime, CG, stop-motion and manga-inspired live action to weave a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi tale of human survival. After 50 years of devastating war between Europa and the Eastern Federation, the planet has been ravaged by chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. A geneticist named Azuma brings hope in the form of a "neo-cell," which can rejuvenate human parts with no risk of rejection. But, of course, nature interferes with science to create a new kind of menace that forces the entire human race to fight an ultimate war against its own extinction.

    The film opened to rave reviews and strong box office in Japan and has gone on to inspire an international cult following. It’s U.S. debut will most likely be a limited theatrical run followed by a home video launch. DreamWorks has not yet announced a release date.

    Launched last year, DreamWorks’ Go Fish Pictures first released Satoshi Kon’s anime dream, Millennium Actress, and most recently introduced American audiences to Mamoru Oshii’s sequel, Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence.

  • Universal Revisits The Land Before Time

    Littlefoot and his cretaceous comrades, Ducky, Cera, Spike and Petrie, are returning for another direct-to-video musical adventure from Disney. The Land Before Time: Invasion Of The Tinysauruses is slated to premiere on DVD and VHS on January 11, 2005. This is the eleventh installment in the popular franchise, which has sold more than 60 million units since launching with the original theatrical hit in 1988.

    Featuring the voices of Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) and Emmy winner Camryn Manheim (The Practice), Invasion Of The Tinysauruses has a herd of mysterious tiny dinosaurs invade the Great Valley and teach Littlefoot a big lesson about a little lie. When Littlefoot tells a whopper that leads to big problems for his tiny new friends, as well as an invasion of two sharpteeth dinosaurs, big and small realize they must put aside their differences and band together to protect their homeland.

    Extra features will include a music video and nine sing-along songs including two new numbers from Tinysauruses and seven others from various Land Before Time adventures

    The Universal Home Entertainment releases is rated "G" and will list for $19.98 on DVD and VHS. Consumers will save five dollars by mail when they purchase Brighter Child’s The Land Before Time Prehistoric Adventures CD-ROM. Through games and activities, the Prehistoric Adventures software helps children with matching skills, the alphabet and shape and number recognition.

  • Halo 2 Makes a Killing

    Proving once again that video games can be blockbusters, too, gamers were lined up at retail outlets across the country for today’s midnight release of Halo 2, the eagerly awaited sequel to Microsoft’s hugely successful 2000 first-person shooter. More than 1.5 million copies of the Xbox title were pre-sold and first-day sales could reach as high as $90 million, which is more money than any feature film has made in its first day of release.

    Bungie Studios, part of Microsoft Game Studios, developed the Best of E3-winning sequel in which Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super soldier, is the only thing standing between the relentless Covenant and the destruction of all humankind.

    Over then next few days, Halo 2 will launch globally at more than 1,125 retail outlets around the world, including stores in London, Seoul, Toronto and Sydney. The game will be translated into seven languages and distributed in 27 countries.

    According to Peter Moore, corporate VP of worldwide publishing and marketing for Xbox, Halo 2 is expected to have the biggest 24 hours for a video game in retail history. There was even anticipation of a ‘Halo 2 flu’ outbreak today as gamers ditch work to stay home and play.

    Developed exclusively Xbox, original Halo has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and spawned a legion of devotees who participate in competitions, tournaments and game nights. Those festivities are sure to increase as players go online via Xbox Live and enjoy the new game with competitors near and far.

  • Frantic Films Gels with NVIDIA Gelato

    As it gears up for feature film development, visual effects and animation house Frantic Films has entered into an agreement to incorporate the NVIDIA Gelato GPU-accelerated film renderer as a key element of its production pipeline. In addition, the Frantic Films Software division is putting finishing touches on Amaretto, a plug-in for Discreet’s 3ds max modeling and animation software, bringing the Gelato renderer to a registered user base of more than 280,000.

    “Frantic has maintained a close relationship with NVIDIA since the creation of the Digital Film Group,” comments Frantic Films president Chris Bond. “Gelato brings the latest in rendering technology to our production pipeline and Amaretto allows 3D artists to take full advantage of the power of this GPU-accelerated software from within the familiar 3ds max user interface.”

    Amaretto allows rendering of existing 3ds max scenes and access to the Gelato renderer’s feature set, which includes fast sub-pixel displacement, analytical sub-division surfaces and shader language. It also offers translation of 3ds max materials into Gelato shader networks, support for the Gelato renderer’s advanced displacement capabilities and a sophisticated preview and history system that allows users to share their shader previews, browse preview libraries and instantly apply presets to Gelato shaders in order to create new shader variations. The software was built on a hybrid C++/MAXScript design that allows artists and technical directors to quickly adapt it to their needs.

    The Gelato renderer is now shipping for both Windows XP and Linux. Pricing, evaluation copies, product details and a list of Gelato resellers are available at http://film.nvidia.com. Details on the availability and pricing of the Amaretto plug-in for 3ds max will be made available on Frantic Films website at www.franticfilms.com. Frantic Films has produced effects for such films as The Italian Job, X2: X-Men United, The Core, Swordfish and Stephen King’s Storm of the Century.

  • Noah’s Ark Proves CG-Worthy

    Daily Variety reports that screenwriter William Schifrin (Quest for Camelot) has been tapped to write a computer-animated feature based on the biblical of tale of Noah’s Ark. Walden Media and Creative Battery are producing.

    Noah’s Ark is described as a quirky retelling of the time-honored story of the man who built a huge vessel and rescued two of each animal species during the great flood. Rather than focusing on Noah, the pic will reportedly center on a camel who rises to the occasion when his fellow animals are threatened with extinction.

    The story of Noah and his Ark was recently mined by French director Jacques-Rémy Girerd for his 2D-animated film, La Prophétie des grenouilles (Raining Cats and Frogs). That film opened in France in December and received the Grand Prix for Feature Film at the 2004 Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival in September. The hand-drawn feature tells the story of a family of zookeepers who must follow Noah’s example when they are told by frogs that the next great flood is coming.

    In addition to writing the Warner Bros. animated feature, Quest for Camelot, Schifrin has penned TV scripts for NBC’s Frasier, the ABC comedy Townies, CBS’ Ladies Man and others.

  • Mickey and Pals Debut in 3D

    We all knew it was coming. In an attempt to revitalize the Mickey Mouse brand, Disney has given the once hand-drawn, 75-year-old icon and his pals a 3D makeover in Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas, a direct-to-video, CG holiday feature that arrives on store shelves today.

    In the movie, Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck are best pals whose friendship is put to the test as they each vie for the limelight at a big figure skating show. Meanwhile, Donald’s mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, fear they may be left off Santa’s good list and hatch a plan to infiltrate the jolly one’s workshop and make sure their names are there. Donald, on the other hand, wants to avoid the holiday hassle altogether but learns he can’t escape it, especially when he gets dragged to the mall. The Christmas spirit is tested again when Goofy’s son, Max, brings his college girlfriend home and tries to keep dad from embarrassing him too much. Finally, Mickey’s having a blue Christmas after Pluto runs away and ends up on a train to the North Pole, where he falls in with Santa’s reindeer and has the time of his life.

    In addition to the 68-minute feature presentation, the DVD offers deleted material, a feature where Donald sings carols and the viewer has to guess what he’s singing, a pair of Santa’s workshop games, a look at how Olympic star Michelle Kwan inspired animators for the ice-skating scenes and DVD-ROM holiday printables.

    Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas is directed by Matthew O’Callaghan and produced by Pam Marsden-Siragusa. The Buena Vista Home Entertainment release is rated "G" and lists for $29.99 on DVD and $24.99 on VHS.

  • Shrek 2 Breaks Home Vid Records

    DreamWorks’ blockbuster Shrek 2 has been pulling in the green hand-ogre-fist since its Friday home video debut. According to the studio, fans have scooped up around 12.1 million copies, generating an estimated $185 million in retail revenue. The original Shrek sold 7 million units in its first three days in 2001.

    Shrek 2 opened in theaters this past spring and easily won the title of highest-grossing animated film of all time, edging out Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo. The pic is also the year’s top earner and the third highest grossing film of all time, behind Titanic and Star Wars, at the domestic box office. Home video sales for the film are also on track to swim past those of Finding Nemo, which holds the record with 22 million copies sold.

    The DVD includes a feature titled Far, Far Away Idol, which lampoons American Idol with Shrek 2 characters competing in a singing competition. Viewers were invited to log on to a DreamWorks website or call a toll free number to cast their votes. With more than three quarters of a million votes counted, dark horse contestant Doris (voiced by Larry King) pulled off a popular vote upset with her outrageous rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

    In celebration of the home video release, DreamWorks held a star-studded bash at Spago in Beverly Hills Monday night. Studio principal Jeffrey Katzenberg, Shrek 2 directors Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon and voice cast members Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy and Julie Andrews were among the Hollywood luminaries on hand to toast the film’s phenomenal success.