Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Garfield, SpongeBob Make Waves on Disc

    While it was a moderate box-office success, Garfield the Movie is likely to be one of the hottest home-video sellers this week. It arrives on DVD and VHS amid a wide range of animated and visual-effects flicks, including SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Second Season.

    Garfield The Movie stars Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, Osmosis Jones) as the voice of the title orange tabby, who takes some extreme measures to make sure all the attention stays on him when his owner, Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer), brings home a dog named Odie. But when Odie is kidnapped, it’s up to Garfield to save the day. The film also stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, who did voice work for the Disney sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and the upcoming CG indie, Delgo, from Fathom Studios.

    For his big-screen debut, Garfield got a CG makeover from effects house Rhythm & Hues, which also created the CG Scooby-Doo for the recent Warner Bros. features.

    DVD extras include commentary by director Peter Hewitt and producer/Garfield creator Jon Davis, as well as a music video for "Holla" by the Baha Men. The Fox Home Entertainment release lists for $29.98.

    Fans of Nickelodeon’s top-rated series can pick up SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Second Season. The three-disc set features 40 episodes of the hit Nickelodeon series, which is set to go back into production. Fans will find commentary by the animators on select episodes, storyboards and a featurette titled Around the World With SpongeBob SquarePants. The Paramount Home Entertainment release carries a suggested retail price of $49.99.

    Also debuting on disc and tape today is The Nutcracker and the Mouseking, a new animated take on the classic tale by E.T.A. Hoffman. Produced by Germany’s Media Cooperation One GmbH and Sandstorm Films, the film is directed by Bob Buchholz, Tatjana Ilyina and Michael Johnson and stars Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun movies, TV’s Zeroman) as the voice of the Mouseking, Robert Hays (Airplane!, An American Tale: The Mystery of the Night Monster) as Squeak, Fred Willard (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, A Mighty Wind) as Bubble and Eric Idle (Delgo, Ella Enchanted) as Drosselmeier. The 77-minute Anchor Bay release features music by Peter Wolf and lists for $16.98 on DVD and $12.98 on VHS.

  • BIONICLE 2, Van Helsing Bring the Action

    Today’s slate of home video releases offers plenty of breathtaking action for viewers for all ages, especially young boys. A popular toy franchise comes to life and some classic Universal monsters get revived through the miracle of computer animation as BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui and Van Helsing bring their respective battles to retail.

    BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui is the latest direct-to-video CG-animated feature based on the highly successful LEGO toy line. When mysterious dark forces threaten the peaceful city of Metru Nui, Toa Lhikan gives six Matoran the tools and responsibilities of new Toa. These guardians must quickly master their new powers, demonstrate their worth to their leader and retrieve the Great Kanoka Disks in order to rescue the inhabitants of their island city. Lost yet? Your kids will get it.

    Bonus features include a making-of featurette; Metru Nui Explorer, which offers information on the characters and their world; and The Legend Revealed, in which the team behind BIONICLE answers some of the most intriguing questions posed by fans. Released by Buena Vista Home Video, the movie carries a suggested retail price of $29.99 on DVD and $$22.99 on VHS.

    There’s more live-action mixed with CG fun in Universal Home Video’s release of Van Helsing, hitting stores just in time for Halloween. Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns), the film stars Hugh Jackman as the title vampire killer, who travels to Eastern Europe to rid the world of an ancient evil with the help of the beautiful but deadly Anna, played by Pearl Harbor’s Kate Beckinsale. Richard Roxburgh sinks his teeth into the Dracula role, David Wenham is transformed as The Wolf Man and Shuler Hensley sews up the part of Frankenstein’s monster.

    DVD extras offer commentary by Sommers, editor/producer Bob Duscay and actors Roxburgh, Hensley and Kemp. There are also featurettes titled Bringing the Monsters to Life and The Legend of Van Helsing, a 360° tour of Dracula’s castle, outtakes, a playable first level of the Van Helsing Xbox game and an innovative feature titled You Are in the Movie, which lets viewers experience the filmmaking process from the perspective of the actors via miniature cameras hidden on the set during filming. The disc lists for $29.98 and the VHS version is available for $22.98.

    A Van Helsing Ultimate Collector’s Edition is also available for a limited time. It includes such extras as a 360 degree self-guided tour of Frankenstein’s lab and a series of mini-documentaries titled Van Helsing: The Story, The Life, The Legend, which focus on each character in the film with excerpts, original set designs, ILM effects work, conceptual weapons sketches and more. In addition, this set includes the three classic Universal films that inspired Van Helsing–Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolf Man.

  • Mainframe, Mattel Forge Max Steel Pic

    IDT Ent.’s CG house, Mainframe Ent., and toymaker Mattel Inc. have pacted to produce a new computer-animated feature based on the popular Max Steel action figures. The deal continues a successful partnership that has created three top-selling direct-to-video features based on Mattel’s Barbie property.

    Max Steel is an extreme secret agent and action hero destined to protect the world from evil by way of his superhuman strength and agility. In the new 66-minute feature titled Max Steel: Endangered Species, our hero takes on not one but two wicked threats deep in the heart of South America when the future of humanity is put in danger.

    Mainframe produced two seasons of the Max Steel CG-animated series which aired in 2002 and 2001 on Kids’ WB!

    In addition to pics based on Max Steel, Barbie and fellow Mattel brand Hotwheels, Vancouver-based Mainframe’s loaded production slate includes the direct-to-video feature Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Goes the Circus, A CG Inspector Gadget TV special co-produced by DIC, the 3D special Popeye’s Voyage: The Quest for Pappy for Fox television and a TV series based on the critically acclaimed comic book Alien Legion by Carl Potts, to name a few.

  • Adult Swim to Serve Super Milk-Chan

    Come November, Milkshake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force won’t be the only cat with dairy product nomenclature on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim late night animation block. The cable outlet has acquired ADV Films’ irreverent, politically incorrect anime series, The Super Milk-Chan Show, for air next month.

    Produced by Studio Pierrot (GTO, Saiyuki), The Super Milk-Chan Show blends live-action with animation to chronicle the adventures of Milk, a selfish, foul-mouthed female superhero with no real superpowers. Joining her in her escapades are an obsolete, abused robot, a slug that drinks too much and a mechanical dog with a bad habit of relieving itself at inappropriate moments. The show is now available on DVD from ADV Films.

    Adult Swim airs Sunday through Thursday from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. (ET/PT) and features such cult favorites as Sealab 2021; Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law; Cowboy Bebop and Inuyasha, as well as Former Fox favorites Family Guy and Futurama. The block is No.1 in its time period on all of ad-supported basic cable with adults 18-24 and adults 18-34.

    ADV Films’ extensive catalog also includes such hit anime properties as Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Robotech, Full Metal Panic!, Hello Kitty and Azumanga Daioh, as well as live-action science fiction programs such as The Jim Henson Co.’s Farscape and the nationally syndicated Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda.

  • Lee, Graham Enlisted for EverQuest II

    Sony Online Ent. Inc. (SOE) has tapped some major talent to voice main characters in EverQuest II, the upcoming sequel to its hugely popular massively multiplayer online game. Legendary British actor Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars–Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars–Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) will again play the bad guy as Lucan D’Lere and Hollywood star Heather Graham (Austin Powers in The Spy Who Shagged Me, Boogie Nights) will voice Antonia Bayle, leader of the forces of good.

    According to Sony, EverQuest II will feature more than 130 hours of spoken dialog, the equivalent of more than 65 feature films. "The voiceover component of EverQuest II is a huge project that has already raised the bar for future MMO games,” says Sony Online Ent. president John Smedley. "Both [Lee and Graham] deliver compelling performances for our players that blur the line between blockbuster Hollywood films and interactive gaming."

    Having appeared in more than 200 films, including many of the classic horror pics from legendary Hammer Studios, Lee goes interactive as the 1000-year-old, immortal overlord of the evil city of Freeport. While Lee was cut from the theatrical version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, his voice will get four hours of screen time in the finished video game.

    Graham’s character will deliver approximately 300 of the 70,000 lines of dialog in the game, which will get even more voice tracks as new quests are added after launch.

    EverQuest II is scheduled for a simultaneously release in North America and Europe later in the year.

  • Shark Tale Clips Team Strings

    Just when studios thought it was safe to go back in the water, DreamWorks’ toon comedy, Shark Tale, again proved unbeatable in its third weekend, holding onto the No. 1 spot with an estimated $22 million. Newcomers Team America: World Police from Paramount and Shall We Dance from Miramax both felt the bite, performing below expectations in the shadow of the great white threat.

    The CG-animated fish comedy suffered only a shallow 29% drop from last weekend as moviegoers drove its cumulative take up to the $118 million ballpark. Despite mixed reviews, the film appears to be benefiting from strong word of mouth, repeat business or simply the lack of competing family fare. It also seems to be doing well with young adult audiences who couldn’t be lured away by the very adult puppet comedy, Team America, from the creators of Comedy Central’s long-running animated hit series, South Park.

    Team America grabbed an estimated $12.3 million to finish in third place behind the high school football drama, Friday Night Lights, a $30 million movie that has scored around $38.6 million in two weeks. Even with big name stars Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Jennifer Lopez, Shall We Dance, a remake of a 1996 Japanese film of the same name, only managed an estimated $11.6 million and a fourth place finish. Buena Vista’s Ladder 49 closed out the top five with around $8.6 million.

  • Young Merlin Casts Spell on Producers

    Harry Potter is about to get some competition in the kid wizard field as another famous spell caster gets set to return to the big screen in Young Merlin. UWPictures/O-Group, Ltd. and Three Kings Ent. have optioned the coming-of-age story from writer Robert Kahn and plan to make it the first chapter of a major motion picture trilogy that blends live-action and CG animation.

    Slated to begin filming in the U.K. before the end of the year, Young Merlin chronicles the adventures of the famed sorcerer as a small boy in Fifth Century Britain following the departure of the Romans. MachineFx, one of the effects houses behind the Harry Potter films, has been tapped to handle the extensive CG work. The fantasy pic has been budgeted at a modest $25 million.

    UWPictures, headed by Olivier Castagne, has five other co-productions in development with Century City, Calif.-based Three Kings Ent., managed by Joey DePinto.

    Kahn is negotiating the sale of his latest project, Frozen Fire, an action-thriller set in the world of international terrorism.

  • Miramax Spins Magic Roundabout Deal

    Daily Variety reports that Miramax will distribute the animated feature Sprung! The Magic Roundabout in North and South America. Based on the ’60s U.K. puppet series, The Magic Roundabout, the Pathe Pictures Int’l film is now post-production and is set to be completed in January.

    Directed by Jean Duval, Frank Passingham and Dave Borthwick, Sprung tells the story of four unlikely heroes and their quest to recover three magic diamonds, reverse the onset of a brutal winter and return the evil ice sorcerer Zeebad to his prison beneath the ground.

    Sir Ian McKellen (the Lord of the Rings and X-Men sagas) will provide the voice of Zebedee. Other celebrities on board include pop stars Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue, as well as acclaimed actors Ray Winstone (King Arthur, Sexy Beast) Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The upcoming Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Vanity Fair).

    Sprung is a co-production of Pathé, France’s Films Action and the U.K.’s Bolex Bros./SPZ. French studio Action Synthése is handling the animation using Softimage|XSI, according to company president Pascal Rodon.

    The original Magic Roundabout series was created by Frenchman Serge Danot in the late 1960s, then adapted into English by Eric Thompson. The new movie is slated to spin into theaters in the U.K. and France next February.

    Since acquiring North American distribution rights to Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, Miramax has become steadily more involved with animation. In addition to co-producing and distributing the direct-to-video BIONICLE features, the studio has acquired the new CG animated film In Search of Santa from Tundra Prods. and Colorland Animation Prods., distributed Paul McCartney: The Music and Animation Collection on DVD, picked up distribution rights to a direct-to-video animated feature based on Mattel’s My Scene brand, nabbed North American TV and home entertainment rights to The Great North Pole Elf Strike from Chris Walker’s Modern Cartoons and is co-producing an Opus feature based on Berkeley Breathed’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip, Bloom County.

  • Lucas Tapped for AFI Award

    Star Wars creator George Lucas has been selected by Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute (AFI) to receive the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award. The honor will be bestowed upon the famed filmmaker at a gala tribute in Los Angeles in June of 2005. USA Network will broadcast the event.

    In response to the news, Lucas issued a statement saying, "I’ve been very fortunate to have had a long career doing what I love to do, and being recognized by AFI for it is really an honor. I’m proud to be counted among such an extraordinary group of people whose lives are dedicated to the art of making movies."

    According to Sir Howard Stringer, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, Lucas is receiving the award for being both a master storyteller and a pioneer in the art of moving images who has inspired a new generation of filmmakers around the world.

    After garnering attention with his University of Southern California short film, Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB, Lucas went on to make a feature version, titled simply THX 1138, in 1971. He had more box-office success with his 1973 effort, American Graffiti, but changed the face of American cinema for ever with the release of Star Wars in 1977. Four hugely successful sequels have followed with another now in production.

    Lucas is also credited with creating the Indiana Jones character and is largely responsible for giving us Pixar Animation Studios, which was spun off from Lucasfilm’s computer graphic research division.

    The AFI Life Achievement Award was established on February 26, 1973. Recent recipients include Meryl Streep (2004), Robert De Niro (2003), Tom Hanks 2002, Barbra Streisand (2001) and Harrison Ford (2000). Other filmmakers to receive the honor include Martin Scorsese (1997), Steven Spielberg (1995), Sir David Lean (1990), Billy Wilder (1986), Frank Capra (1982), John Huston (1983), Alfred Hitchcock (1979) Orson Welles (1975) and John Ford (1973).

  • Marvel Names New CEO

    Marvel Enterprises Inc. today announced that Isaac Perlmutter, the company’s vice chairman and largest shareholder, has been named CEO. Effective Jan. 1, 2005, Perlmutter will replace Allen S. Lipson, who has decided to retire as president and CEO after five years with the company. All division heads will report directly to Perlmutter.

    Perlmutter has been actively involved in the management of Marvel since 1990. He has served as a director since 1993 and acted as chairman of the Board from 1993 to 1995. In 2001, he was named vice chairman of the Board.

    Outgoing CEO Lipson joined Marvel in 1999 as exec. VP of business and legal affairs and secretary, and played an instrumental role in the Company’s turnaround. He became president and CEO on January 1, 2003. Prior to joining Marvel, Lipson was VP of administration, general counsel and secretary of Remington Products Co. L.L.C.

    With a library of more than 5,000 characters including Spider-Man, Daredevil and The Punisher, Marvel Enterprises is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Its operations are focused in three areas: licensing and entertainment (Marvel Studios), comic book publishing (Marvel Comics) and toys (Toy Biz).

  • Team America Hunts Shark

    Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds meets South Park in Trey Stone and Matt Parker’s latest big-screen comedy, Team America: World Police, blasting into theaters across North America today. The Paramount Pictures release is out to challenge DreamWorks’ computer-animated Shark Tale, which has ruled the box office for the past two weekends and is poised to swim past the $100 million mark in the next couple days.

    Employing the Supermarionation style of puppetry Anderson introduced to television audiences in the 60s, Team America takes aim at terrorism, and both right-wing politics and Hollywood liberals with Parker and Stone’s distinct brand of irreverent, raunchy and smart political and social satire. The film stars an all-marionette cast as an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. When they learn that power-hungry dictator Kim Jong Il is brokering weapons of mass destruction to terrorists, the heroes crisscross the globe on a harrowing mission to save the world.

    As the producers of Spider-Man 2 discovered, finding talented puppeteers in Hollywood is becoming increasingly difficult in the digital age. To recreate the look and feel of Anderson’s classic shows, the makers of Team America turned to the Chiodo Bros. Studio in Burbank, Calif. In addition to producing the cult classic Killer Klowns From Outer Space, brothers Charlie, Stephen and Edward Chiodo are best known for their work in stop-motion animation (Tim Burton’s Vincent, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Elf) and animatronic puppetry (Critters, King Cobra). Their past experience with Stone and Parker involved creating a cable-controlled, evil aborted fetus for the short-lived Comedy Central series, That’s My Bush.

    Animated FX also contributed to the visuals in Team America, which Parker directed from a script he co-wrote with Stone and Pam Brady. Parker and Stone also served as producers, along with Scott Rudin (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou).

    Read about the making of Team America: World Police in the November issue of Animation Magazine, available now.

  • New Line Draws Plans for Jonathan Strange

    Its’official: New Line studio is quickly becoming the best place to shop your epic fantasy project. Daily Variety reports today that the studio has made a preemptive deal for the screen rights to Susanna Clarke’s hotter-than-Harry Potter fantasy novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

    Following its Oscar-winning, empire-building investment in the Lord of the Ring franchise, the studio’s top brass Bob Shaye, Michael Lynne and Toby Emmerich are producing The Golden Compass, based on the first book in Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy (with a script by Chris Weitz (About a Boy) who is also set to direct. Also in development at New Line is the film adaptation of Inkheart, a fantasy franchise by German author Cornelia Funke.

    Readers have been snapping up copies of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell since its release in the U.S. and U.K. only a month ago. Set in 19th century England, the book follows a master wizard and his apprentice, who join forces to battle Napoleon’s army. Prior to writing her first book, Clarke was a cookbook editor at Simon & Schuster. We have a feeling Colin Farrell and Jude Law are going to be in the running for the leads faster the next Paris Hilton sex tape shows up on the Internet.

  • Easter Egg Colors Hollywood Film Fest

    The West Coast premiere of the new animated feature, The Easter Egg Escapade, will be held during at the 8th Annual Hollywood Film Festival on Sunday, October 17th at 5:00 p.m., at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. The pic was named Best Animated Feature at the SpudFest Drive-in Family Film & Music Festival in August, and was honored with the award for Best Score at the Jackson Hole Film Festival in Wyoming in September.

    The Easter Egg Escapade is set Egg Town, an idyllic village where chickens and rabbits live together in harmony. Beyond the borders of this humble burg lurk the mysterious, thieving Take-Its, who constantly conspire to steal anything they can from the quiet, industrious town. In a daring attempt to retrieve what’s theirs, an unlikely group of Egg Town heroes brave the dangers of the swamp and form deep bonds of friendship as they overcome their deepest fears and find the courage to bring the optimistic spirit and joy of Easter back to Egg Town.

    The film’s celebrity voice cast features Sandra Bernhard (Without You I’m Nothing, King of Comedy), Brooke Shields (Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Kids, TV’s Suddenly Susan), Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, HBO’s The Sopranos), James Woods (Stuart Little 2, Disney’s Hercules), Eli Wallach (Keeping the Faith, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly) and Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.

    Bernhard and director John Michael Williams will introduce the movie at the premiere. Guests will be greeted by the film’s seven-foot mascot, Good Gracious Grasshopper. A 30-minute Q&A with Bernhard and Williams immediately follows the screening.

    Williams wrote and directed The Easter Egg Escapade, which is based on his 1990 children’s book of the same name. He also composed the film’s score with John Califra, voiced one of the characters and sang several of its songs. Grammy award-winning singer Natalie Cole joins him in a duet performance of the love theme, "Crazy About You."

    Exec. produced by Bob Lucey, The Easter Egg Escapade is an international venture that enlisted the talents of Polish and Eastern European animators. In addition, The Czech Republic National Symphony Orchestra provided the musical score.

    After a limited run late this year, the film is set to go into general release in April 2005, just in time for the spring and Easter Holiday season.

    The Hollywood Film Festival will present the Hollywood Movie of the Year Award. In competition are DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 and Collateral, Sony’s Spider-Man 2, New Market’s The Passion of the Christ, Fox SearchLight’s Napoleon Dynamite, Miramax’s Hero, Lions Gate’s Fahrenheit 9/11, Universal’s The Bourne Supremacy, Focus Features’ The Motorcycle Diaries and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Movie fans can vote online at http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/promo/2004/movieawards.

  • Sculpting for Stop-Motion

    Puppet master divulges his secrets with new book

    From effects work in recent big-screen efforts such as New Line Cinema’s Elf and Buena Vista’s upcoming The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to highly anticipated animated features like The Wallace and Gromit Movie and Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride, stop-motion animation is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. Inspired by these projects and Ray Harryhausen’s new book, An Animated Life, many aspiring animators are taking another look at this delicate cinematic slight of hand, which was widely written off for dead with the birth of computer animation.

    Harryhausen has often lamented the lack of stop-motion how-to literature available when he was first driven to experiment as a kid. Today, one needs only to log onto the Internet or browse a local bookstore for excellent resources such as author Tom Brierton’s Stop-Motion Puppet Sculpting from McFarland & Co. A companion piece to Brierton’s 2002 release, Stop-Motion Armature Machining, the new book is a superbly illustrated guide to making articulated characters using foam injection and build-up methods.

    Brierton generously shares the knowledge he as gleaned from more than 30 years of puppet-making experience. In his first book, he showed how the jointed metal skeletons known as armatures are created using simple machinery, time-honored techniques and a few new tricks. This time readers are introduced to such skills as twisting and bending wire into simple armatures, sculpting bodies and facial features out of clay, making plaster molds, mixing and injecting hot foam latex, building musculature from pieces of upholstery foam and casting latex skins to stretch over the foam muscles.

    The various steps are clearly explained and are accompanied by detailed, black-and-white photographs, which also show off a few of Brierton’s expertly machined, professional armatures of apes, praying mantises, Minotaurs, rats and more.

    The author shows how these techniques can be applied to both cartoony stop-motion characters and more realistic, Harryhausenesque fantasy creatures. In both cases, Brierton stresses the importance of research. In preparing to build his Minotaur, for instance, he consulted works on the art of ancient Greece and general anatomy. He suggests keeping a "morgue file," which is a collection of drawings and photos of various flora and fauna that the artist can use for reference while building a puppet. Attention to anatomy is something a young Harryhausen learned to embrace when his mentor, King Kong animator Willis O’Brien, told him his stegosaur’s legs looked like sausages.

    Tom Brierton is an independent filmmaker who teaches stop-motion and computer animation at Columbia College Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Art. Reading his books gives one the sense that he truly enjoys sharing his methods and doing his part to ensure that the demanding art of stop-motion remains vital and relevant in the digital age. While most magicians are loath to divulge the tricks of their trade, we’re grateful that Brierton and others like him are spreading their knowledge. After all, no amount of peeking behind the curtain could ever diminish the magic that is animation.

    Stop-Motion Puppet Sculpting from McFarland & Co. is available in softcover from McFarland & Co. (www.mcfarlandpub.com) for $49.95. Orders for this book and Stop-Motion Armature Machining: A Construction Manual can be placed by calling 1-800-253-2187.

  • Aladdin Sequel Collection Due January

    Following the phenomenal success of the Aladdin Special Edition DVD, Disney has announced plans to release its two direct-to-video sequels on the same disc on Jan. 18. After nearly five years in the Disney vault, Aladdin: The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves will be back on store shelves as the Aladdin II & III Collection.

    In Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, our hero and his friends must battle to save the kingdom when Jafar reappears as the world’s most powerful genie. Scott Weinger and Linda Larkin are back as the voices of Aladdin and Jasmine, and Jonathan Freeman returns as the voice of Jafar with Gilbert Gottfried reprising his memorable role of Iago the parrot. Taking over for Robin Williams’ as the genie is Dan Castellaneta, best known as the voice of Homer Simpson in Fox’s long-running primetime animated series.

    Extra features will include the Careful What You Wish For Game, in which Jafar twists your wish into something unexpected. There’s also a song selection with pop-up lyrics and a Disneypedia section that teaches viewers about wishing traditions around the world.

    Aladdin and the King of Thieves sees Aladdin and Jasmine preparing to tie the knot when the legendary 40 Thieves show up and ransack the royal palace in search of the fabled Hand of Midas. When Aladdin learns that the robbers may be holding his long-lost father, he sets out on another magic carpet ride with Jasmine and Genie in tow. Tony-winning stage and screen star Jerry Orbach (TV’s Law and Order) as the villainous Sa’luk and John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, TV’s Sliders) as Cassim, the King of Thieves.

    Among the bonus materials will be two games that ask viewers to explore the thieves’ lair in search of the stolen wedding gifts and help the palace guards track the thieves down. The Behind the Microphone featurette goes behind the scenes with the film’s voice talent and a song selection provides on-screen lyrics for sing-along fun.

    The collector’s disc lists for $34.99 and will be available as a two-tape VHS set fir the same price.

  • Farscape Returns Sunday

    The SCI FI Channel outraged a lot of viewers when it cancelled its best original series, the well-written, superbly acted and effects-laden space opera, Farscape, at the end of its fourth season. In response to the outpouring of fan support, the cable network has produced an all-new four-hour miniseries that continues the adventures of a U.S. astronaut who was shot through a wormhole and right into the middle of an intergalactic conflict. It premieres Sunday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m./8 p.m. central and concludes on Monday, Oct. 18.

    In Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, newly engaged and expectant parents John Crichton (Ben Browder) and Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) must survive an all-out war between the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers. Joining them in their struggle is a rag-tag team of outcasts, including Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Sikozu (Raelee Hill), Rygel (voiced by Jonathan Hardy) and Pilot (voiced by Lani John Tupu). Wayne Pygram also returns as Scorpius, a Scarran/Peacekeeper half-breed who will stop at nothing to obtain the secrets of wormhole technology Crichton holds.

    The Jim Henson Co./Hallmark Ent. co-production is directed by Brian Henson from a script by series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon and exec producer David Kemper. Miniseries mogul Robert Halmi serves as exec producer on the miniseries, which was carefully constructed to appease fans and stand on its own for audiences who haven’t followed the multiple Saturn Award-winning original series.

    Farscape premiered in 1999, introducing viewers to a brand of outer space fantasy much grittier and visually more inventive than Star Trek and its many spin-offs. Fantastic extraterrestrial beings and worlds were brought to life through Emmy-worthy digital and makeup effects, in addition to The Jim Henson Co.’s signature puppetry and animatronic work.

    To watch the trailer for Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars and see interviews with members of the cast and production team, go to SCI FI Channel’s website at www.scifi.com.

  • Career Night at Bay Area Art Institute of Calf.

    The ACM SIGGRAPH Student Chapter of the Art Institute Of California San Francisco will host Career Night on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. The event is open to all Bay Area students, budding CG pros and others interested in working in computer graphics and animation.

    A panel of CG professionals have been tapped to talk about their jobs and how they got where they are today. Featured speakers include Jason Schleifer of PDI/DreamWorks, Jason Osipa of Maxis, Kevin Cain of Insight Digital and Jim Tierney of Digital Anarchy.

    Career Night will be held at Dimension 7 Studios (www.dimension7.com), located at 150 Folsom Street (between Beale and Main), San Francisco, Calif. Admission is $2 with valid student ID (any college or high school) and $5 for general admission.

    Attendees are also invited to stay for the Luxology Party for important student announcements and a demonstration of modo, the company’s advanced subdivision surface and polygonal modeling platform.

  • ION Fest to Celebrate Game/Film Convergence…Free Tickets!

    As video games get more cinematic and Hollywood producers continually look to interactive entertainment for source material, the lines between the two industries continue to dissolve. Celebrating this convergence of media is the ION Animation, Games & Film Festival and Summit, scheduled for Oct. 29-31 in Culver City, Calif.

    The Culver Studios will host screenings of high-quality animation, short films, music videos and games by filmmakers and gaming companies from around the world. Other Culver City venues will house panel discussions and various other events associated with the ION Summit on Convergence in Entertainment. As broadcasters, mobile phone operators and cable companies all turn toward producing, creating and distributing content, the ION Summit will explore and exchange ideas on the entire spectrum of opportunities and challenges presented by the ever-strengthening bond between games and film.

    Panel topics will include surviving as an independent filmmaker, the business of animation, producing (step-by-step) a short animated film, how to get into animation as an independent, The business of games, next generation game design, entering gaming as an independent and more.

    The three-day summit gives students, educators, creatives and executives an unique forum for exchanging ideas so they will be better positioned to meet the demands of the changing entertainment landscape. It also serves as a venue for gaming companies to introduce new products and technologies to eager audiences of early adopters.

    Registration will be held each day from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Culver Hotel, located at 9336 West Washington Blvd. in Culver City. To see the full schedule of events and to obtain passes and screening tickets, go to www.ionfilmfestival.com.

    As an Animation Magazine Reader, you can receive 20% off the regular price of tickets to the ION Film Festival. Simply go to the site (www.ionfilmfestival.com) and type in the code word: corp or mention us at the box office.

    You also have the chance to win 2 free screening passes! Send an e-mail (50 words or less) to webmaster@www.animationmagazine.net, telling us the most heart-wrenching, or pathetic reason as to why you deserve to win.

    (Our version of the 1950s show Queen for A Day!)

    Your e-mail must be received by Wednesday, October 27 at 12 noon PST. Include your phone number and mailing address. We will notify the winners by Thursday, October 28.

  • BAFTA Wants Your Shorts

    The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is now accepting entries for its Short Animation Award. BAFTA is dedicated to promoting, supporting and rewarding excellence in film, television and interactive entertainment.

    The competition is open to international entries. Past winners include Nick Park for the Wallace and Gromit shorts, Mark Baker for The Hill Farm, The Triplets of Belleville director Sylvain Chomet for The Old Lady and the Pigeons and Michael Dudok de Wit for Father and Daughter.

    The Short Animation Award will be presented at The Orange British Academy Film Awards in London on Feb. 12, 2005. The ceremony will be broadcast around the world.

    The deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 1, 2004. Films must be no more than 30 minutes in duration and may be submitted on 16mm or 35mm film or on Digital Beta. The winning film will automatically qualify for the Oscars. Rules and entry forms are available at BAFTA’s website (www.bafta.org/film/shorts.htm).

  • Warner Bros. Ventures into Chinese Market

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures has pacted with the China Film Group and the Hengdian Group to establish Warner China Film HG Corp. The new venture will reportedly develop, invest in, produce, market and distribute Chinese-language animation, feature films and telepics for the Chinese market. Among the projects under consideration is an animated co-production.

    Based in Beijing, Warner China Film will be the first joint filmed entertainment venture between the People’s Republic of China and a U.S. company, and will join other WB local-language initiatives in place in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Brazil and Spain.

    Yang Buting, chairman of the China Film Group will chair the board of Warner China Film while Warner Bros. exec VP international Richard Fox serves as vice chairman. China Film Group general manager Han Sanping will serve as the new entity’s initial general manager.

    China Film Group is China’s leading state-run filmed entertainment conglomerate and the Hengdian Group is China’s largest privately owned film and television enterprise.

    The first feature to be produced under the new banner is expected to be announced by year’s end.