Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Barbie, Tonka, TV Titles Trek to Video

    Following the phenomenal success of the direct-to-video computer-animated offerings Barbie in The Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie of Swan Lake, Lions Gate’s Family Home Entertainment (FHE) today releases Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper. Eagerly awaited by young girls everywhere, the Mattel-based title arrives with a new CG adventure for boys based on Hasbro’s Tonka Toys, as well as several disc sets of TV favorites.

    Animated by Canada’s Mainframe, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper employs motion-capture technology to put a modern twist on the classic story as it teaches girls about hope, self-discovery and the strength of love. Barbie plays dual roles as the fair-haired Princess Anneliese and the raven-haired Erika. Each yearning for a different life, they find friendship and adventure when their paths cross.The film will be distributed on home video in the U.K. by Entertainment Rights Plc., which also retains international television rights, excluding the U.S.

    Tonka: Tough Truck Adventures–The Biggest Show on Wheels follows the exploits of master mechanic Joe and his 12-ton, 4-wheel drive pals Axel, Rally, Gator, Bolt, fins, Slice, Cutter, Trapper, Dunes and Crusher as they kick the small town of Biggsburg into high gear. Extra features include individual character pages, an animated photo gallery, a trailer, a music video and a bonus Tonka adventure. The Paramount Home Entertainment/Hadbro release lists for $16.99.

    Anime fans can pick up Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Volume 2, featuring four half-hour episodes of the new anime series based on the popular feature film and manga. The Manga/Bandai/Anchor Bay release is available in two versions. A one-disc standard edition in Dolby 5.1 surround lists for $24.98. For $49.98, fans can get the three-disc special edition, featuring a second disc in DTS 5.1 surround, plus extras, and a third disc containing the original series soundtrack CD.

    Star Trek: Voyager: The Complete Fourth Season makes the voyage home with a seven-disc collectable box containing all 26 effects-loaded episodes. In season four, Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager pursue the Marquis ship in the Badlands and get pulled into the Delta Quadrant. After making a decision that saves an entire species, both crews end up stranded and must join forces to begin a 70,000 light-year journey to return to the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation and home. The Paramount Home Entertainment release is priced under $100 and includes the featurettes Braving the Unknown: Season Four, Time Capsule: Seven of Nine, Time Capsule: Harry Kim, The Birth of Species 8472, The Art of Alien Worlds.

    Static Shock: The New Kid offers a compilation of six episodes from season one of the popular Kids’ WB! animated TV series. Part of the DC Comics Kids Collection, the Warner Home Video title carries a suggested retail price of $19.97 on DVD and includes a featurette titled Static’s Gadgets.

    Also part of the DC Comics Kids Collection is Teen Titans: Divide and Conquer, featuring six episodes from season one plus the featurette Comic Creations. It also lists for $19,97 on DVD.

    Finally, for the preschoolers, there’s Paramount Home Entertainment’s Blue’s Clues: Bluestock, a music festival featuring the band They Might Be Giants and vocalists India Arie, Toni Braxton and Macy Gray. Included episodes are "Skidoo Adventure," "Morning Music" and "A Surprise Guest." Young fans also get an interactive game , Bluestock song lyrics and trailers for $16.99.

  • UrbanWorks Expands with Fat Albert DVDs

    Daily Variety reports that UrbanWorks Ent. has acquired North American home video rights to the classic animated CBS series, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. UrbanWorks, a label of Ventura Ent., licensed the property from Entertainment Rights and plans to ship initial Fat Albert titles to retailers on Dec. 14.

    Fat Albert aired on the Eye Network from 1972 to 84. In addition to the new DVD releases, the property will be revived by a live-action feature adaptation being produced by 20th Century Fox for release this holiday season.

    Single discs will contain as any as five episodes of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and retail for $14.99. UrbanWorks will also release a four-disc deluxe edition titled Fat Albert’s Greatest Hits–The Ultimate Collection, featuring more than seven hours of animation for $49.99. The 2005 release schedule includes beloved Fat Albert Easter, Halloween and Christmas specials.

  • Scooby Bends it with Beckham

    Soccer sensation David Beckham gets animated and joins the Mystery Inc. gang in a new commercial spot for shoemaker adidas. Produced by Cartoon Network U.K., the 60-second ad will hit cable and satellite channels across Europe on October 1st, marking Beckham’s animated debut.

    The spot is part of adidas’ Impossible is Nothing" campaign, which launched earlier this year with "Ali vs. Ali" and continued with a series of commercials that aired during the Olympic Games in Athens and starred Haile Gebrselassie, Kim Collins and Nadia Comaneci. In this latest installment, Scooby and those meddling kids unmasking a mystery ghoul to reveal a surprising twist.

    “I liked the idea that I would be featured in a legendary cartoon that my kids watch,” says Beckham, who has two children with Victoria Adams, better known as former Spice Girl, Posh Spice.

    The commercial was animated and produced in-house at Cartoon Network U.K. under animation director Andy Powell, animation producer Mike Davies and exec creative director Lisa Montgomery. Cartoon Network has rights to Scooby-Doo under its ownership of the Hanna-Barbera Studios library.

  • Platinum, Icarus to Make MMOGs of Comics

    Independent comic book library owner, Platinum Studios, and trans-media development and technology house, Icarus Studios, have teamed to develop massively multiplayer online games based on the Platinum’s comic characters. The titles will be designed for PCs, wireless units and next-generation consoles.

    FOG Studios, Platinum’s representative for interactive rights, finalized the deal, which enables Platinum and Icarus to co-produce interactive products simultaneously with graphic novels and feature screenplays. Upcoming comics Blood Nation and Atlantis Rising will be the first two Platinum properties developed for interactive games.

    In Atlantis Rising, an underwater kingdom and the surface world come to the brink of war with the fate of both civilizations hanging in the balance. A theatrical feature adaptation is being produced by Platinum and Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Motion Pictures, the production company behind The Terminator and Aliens, as well as the upcoming live-action adaptation of Peter Chung’s animated MTV series, Aeon Flux.

    Blood Nation tells the tale of a team of commandos that must infiltrate a nation populated entirely by vampires.

  • Forgotten Jogs Slow Box Office

    Sony Revolution Pictures’ supernatural thriller, The Forgotten, took the lion’s share of a slow box office weekend, pulling in an estimated $22 million. Featuring visual effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks, The Orphanage and New Deal Studios, the film easily shot Paramount’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow out of the top spot.

    The Forgotten stars Julianne Moore (Hannibal, Far From Heaven) as a grieving mother coping with the loss of her son, who comes to learn that the child existed only in her mind. Her search for the truth uncovers a mysterious conspiracy to erase elements of people’s lives.

    The live action/CG hybrid, Sky Captain, took a 56% nosedive in its second weekend, posting a distant second place finish with around $6.7 million. Still, the sci-fi actioner is faring better than Buena Vista’s baseball comedy, Mr. 3,000. The Bernie Mac vehicle hit a grounder with an estimated $5 million in week two, but still managed to outdo newcomer First Daughter from 20th Century Fox. The teen romantic comedy and Sony ScreenGem’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse are jockeying for the No. 4 spot with an estimated $4 million each.

  • Ryan, Cats and Frogs Reign at Ottawa

    Canadian animator Chris Landreth’s biographical Ryan took the Grand Prix for Independent Short Film and French director Jacques-Rémy Girerd’s La Prophétie des grenouilles (Raining Cats and Frogs) received the Grand Prix for Feature Film at the 2004 Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival. Winners were announced during its closing ceremonies held Sunday evening at the National Arts Center in Ottawa.

    Ryan was commended for "exploring a new visual style of groundbreaking documentary storytelling." Landreth’s innovative 3D work is based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a former animator who produced works 30 years ago at the National Film Board of Canada and today panhandles for spare change in Montreal. The short received the Jury’s Special Award at Annecy earlier this year and took Jury Honors at this year’s SIGGRAPH Animation Fest.

    The hand-drawn, 2D La Prophétie des grenouilles received top honors "for its eccentricity, moral vision and its French fry-munching carnivores." The film tells the story of a family of zookeepers who must recreate Noah’s ark when they are told by frogs that the next great flood is coming. The jury comments, "Remarkable design, splendid acting and fully realized characters combine to make La Prophétie Des Grenouilles an animated feature infused with charm."

    After burning up the Internet, the political satire, This Land, by www.jibjab.com founders Gregg Spiridellis and Evan Spiridellis, took the Grand Prix for New Media Work. Set to the tune of Arlo Guthrie’s classic song, "This Land is Your Land," the short uses animated images of George W. Bush and John F. Kerry to spoof both presidential candidates. The jury notes, "Sharp and to the point, the perky satire, design and performances of This Land combine to create a complete and completely satisfying internet short."

    Grand Prix for Commissioned Film went to A Room Nearby by Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Fierlinger of the U.S. The film about solitude was honored "for its simplicity and profound emotion."

    Other 2004 Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival winners:

    Independent Short Films Competition

    Narrative Short Film Under 35 Minutes

    La Piccola Russia by Gianluigi Toccafondo (France, Italy)

    Special Mention

    Lorenzo by Michael Gabriel (U.S.)

    Non-Narrative Film Under 35 Minutes

    Bathtime in Clerkenwell by Alex Budovsky (U.S.)

    National Film Board of Canada Award for Best First/Student Film

    Son of Satan by JJ Villard (U.S.)

    Special Mention

    Ward 13 by Peter Cornwell (Australia)

    Special Mention

    L’inventaire Fantôme (Phantom Inventor) by Franck Dion (France)

    Special Mention

    How to Cope with Death by Ignacio Ferreras (U.K.)

    Films made for Children

    A Musical Shop by Sonya Kravtsova (Russia)

    New Media Competition

    Animated Short made for the Internet

    Candy Venery by Sergey Aniskov (Russia, U.S.)

    Internet Series

    The Shining In 30 Seconds, Re-enacted By Bunnies by Jennifer Shiman (U.S.)

    Special Mention

    Hotel by Han Hoogerbrugge (The Netherlands)

    Commissioned Films Competition

    Educational, Scientific or Industrial Film

    Helping Little Kitten by Jennifer Oxley (U.S)

    Advertising Film

    Caisse D’ Epargne ‘Les Triples’ by Jean-Christophe Saurel and Sophie Deiss (France)

    Special Mention

    Guardian "Calf" by Simon Henwood (U.K.)

    Station/Program Identification/Title Sequence

    Catch Me If You Can by Kuntzel Deygas (U.S., U.K.)

    Music Video

    Prudence "À Tort Ou À Raison" by Joris Clerte (France)

    Television Special

    Saddam and Osama by David Wachtenheim and Robert Marianetti (U.S.)

    Television Series for Adults

    Creature Comforts: Cats or Dogs?

    " produced by Richard Goleszowski (U.K.)

    Television Series for Children

    My Life as a Teenage Robot "Speak No Evil" produced by Rob Renzetti and Tim Walker (U.S.)

    AKA Cartoon Public Prize (voted by the audience)

    The Crab’s Revolution (La Revolution des Crabes) by Arthur de Pins (France)

    Mike Gribble Peel Of Laughter Award (Presented to the most hilarious film in competition)

    Saddam and Osama by David Wachtenheim and Robert Marianetti (U.S.)

    Special mention

    Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law "Peanut Puberty" produced by Richard Ferguson-Hull (U.S.)

  • Cartoon Forum Fetes Fast Film

    The 15th edition of Cartoon Forum concluded in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, over the weekend with the awarding of the Cartoon D’or. Five films were nominated this year but the standout entry was Fast Film by Virgil Widrich of Austria.

    Fast Film employs an innovative cut-out animation style that has images of classic movie stars on the run from other film icons, such as Frankenstein’s Monster and Godzilla. The frantic and funny chase ensues by car, rail and plane with a pace that lives up to the film’s title.

    This year’s other nominees were Concert for a Carrot Pie by Heiki Ernits and Janno Pöldma (Estonia, 11:37), The Crab Revolution by Arthur De Pins (France, 4:50), The Phantom Inventory by Franck Dion (France 9:44) and Through My Thick Glasses by Pjotr Sapegin (Norway 13:00).

    The nominated films were selected from prize-winners at Cartoon’s partnering European animation festivals including Biennal of Animation in Bratislava, Slovakia; Cinanima in Espinho, Portugal; I Castelli Animati in Genzano di Roma, Italy; Anima 2003 in Brussels, Belgium; Internationales Trickfilm Festival in Stuttgart, Germany; and Festival International du Film d’Animation in Annecy, France.

    Cartoon Forum is an annual event dedicated to helping European animation producers find financing and co-production deals. This year saw some 700 potential partners or investors show up to look at 69 new animated TV productions from 15 European countries, including new member countries Poland and Slovenia. The 2004 edition was organized by CARTOON (AEFA), with the support of MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the Xunta de Galicia and Xacobeo 2004 and Caixa Galicia.

  • King to Return Again on DVD

    The next upgrade for New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD is on the way with an extended version of the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Featuring nearly an hour of never-before-seen footage, a new musical score and a cameo appearance by director Peter Jackson, the new disc is slated to arrive at retail on Dec. 14.

    The new 250-minute release will be available as a four-disc DVD set and as a double-cassette VHS pack. There will also be a limited collector’s DVD edition featuring a fifth disc containing a 52-minute featurette titled Howard Shore: Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony–A Composers Journey Through Middle-Earth, as well as a hand-painted polystone sculpture of Minas Tirith and its accompanying keep-sake box. Collectors will be able to pick it up for $79.92.

    Included in the 50 minutes of new footage are 300 special effects shots and additional scenes including a final appearance of the evil wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) being confronted by the Mouth of Sauron, and an emerging romance between Faramir (David Wenham) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto). Extra features will include audio commentaries by Jackson; stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom; composers Richard Taylor and Howard Shore; FX guru Randy Cook and others.

    Even though fans have already snatched up 10 million copies of the first Return of the King DVD release, expect them to be heralding the King once again with their wallets. Extended versions of Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers sold around 5 million copies combined.

    The Return of the King extended double-cassette VHS will list at $24.99 and the four-disc DVD boxed set will retail for $39.99.

  • Polar Express Trailer On Screen, Online

    Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that the official trailer for its upcoming CG-animated feature, The Polar Express, arrives in theaters today. In addition, the film’s official website, www.polarexpressmovie.com, is offering new footage exclusively on AOL (AOL Keyword: Polar Express/The Polar Express).

    Based on the classic Caldecott Award-winning children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, the film 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.

    A presentation of Castle Rock Ent. in Association with Shangri-La Ent., the holiday pic was produced by Playtone, ImageMovers and Golden Mean.

    The Polar Express will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, and is slated to pull into North American theaters on Nov. 10 with a simultaneous roll-out in IMAX theaters.

  • Terminator to Rise Again

    According to Daily Variety, a fourth installment in the Terminator film saga will begin production in 2005. A script has been drafted by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and T3 director Jonathan Mostow. is expected to return to the helm. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who took a $30 million payday for the last film, will likely be courted to make an appearance and pass the torch on to a new Terminator model.

    It is not known whether T3 co-stars Nick Stahl or Claire Danes will be back for T4, which will again be produced by C2 partners Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna.

    With a price tag of $175 million, Terminator 3 fell short of breaking even at the domestic box office but did manage to pull in $433 million worldwide, which is incentive enough for Warner Bros. to pick up another sequel. Talks are underway between the studio and T4’s financier, Intermedia.

  • Paramount Commands Midway’s Fear & Respect

    Paramount Pictures is set to acquire film rights to Midway Games’ Fear & Respect, an upcoming video game set in the intense urban environment of South Central Los Angeles.

    The interactive title is being developed in collaboration with writer/director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood; 2 Fast, 2 Furious; Shaft), and is slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Producer Christine Peters (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) will work with the game developer to bring the title to the screen. There is no word as to whether or not Singleton will direct.

    Fear & Respect is a story-driven third-person game about a young man who must choose between instilling fear or inspiring respect in those he meets on the mean streets. The decisions the player makes influence the events and ultimately the outcome of the story.

  • Boinx Moves with iStopMotion 1.5

    In time for its second anniversary, Boinx iStopMotion software gets an update with version 1.5, featuring support for high-resolution movies and digital still cameras. The new version also offers a noise reduction feature that increases image quality when working with video sources such as the Apple iSight.

    The iStopMotion 1.5 HR license also includes the new still camera plugin that allows users to employ digital still cameras as well as high-resolution video cameras. The software uses the Apple Image Capture Framework to import pictures from connected cameras with some cameras even supporting remote capture. Also included is a still camera assistant that lets users find out if their camera is supported prior to purchasing a license (see www2.istopmotion.com/features/stillcamera for more details).

    The still camera plugin is available as a $20 option for iStopMotion 1.x DV license key holders.

    Boinx iStopMotion 1.5 is available for download immediately. Current owners of a valid DV key for version 1.0 or later can continue to use their keys with iStopMotion 1.5 DV. New iStopMotion 1.5 DV keys are available for $39.95 through Kagi. The iStopMotion 1.5 HR key is available for $349 until Oct. 30 and will sell for $399 after the introductory period. Current DV license owners can upgrade for $299.

  • Culinary Corps. Cook Up Gaspergoo

    Copia, a $55 million Napa, Calif.-based culinary organization, has teamed up with housewares giant Meyer Corp. and kitchen appliances provider Purcell Murray to launch Gaspergoo, a new family entertainment property. Slated for launch in 2005, Gaspergoo will encompass a half-hour live-action/animated TV and home video series, licensed consumer products, publishing and food lines, cooking schools and a themed restaurant franchise.

    The Gaspergoo television and DVD series is aimed at kids 5-9 and follows the zany antics of two brothers who, armed with their passion for food and Grandma’s special recipes, create a kids cooking phenomenon. The show is designed to inspire children and their families to cook and eat nutritious meals together. In addition to a mix of live action and animation, it will feature playful music, entertaining stories and multiple levels of education.

    The property s owned by Zoup-ah!, a filmed entertainment and lifestyle brand company whose CEO, Erik Stangvik, co-created the series with company co-founder Jeanne Smith. Zoup-ah! is now in negotiations with broadcasters and distributors.

    Title sponsor Copia–supported by trustees such as Robert Mondavi, the late Julia Child, Eleanor Coppola and Alice Waters–is committed to the Gaspergoo launch through its access to capital, additional sponsors and licensees. The second largest manufacturer and distributor of cookware in the world, Meyer Corp. (KitchenAid, Circulon, Silverstone), will hold the master license for housewares worldwide. Purcell Murray will sponsor the cooking elements on the TV soundstage. Zoup-ah! is in discussions with other licensees in a variety of categories, including toys, interactive, food, apparel, home furnishings and publishing.

  • Crave Brings Elf to GBA for the Holidays

    Los Angeles-based video game publisher Crave Ent. is bringing New Line Cinema’s box office hit comedy, Elf, to gamers with a new title for Game Boy Advance. The game’s released will coincide with New Line Home Entertainment’s November 16 debut of the infinifilm DVD and VHS version of the Will Ferrel vehicle.

    Developed by Human Soft, Elf for Game Boy Advance will feature 10 action-packed missions following the movie’s storyline, three mini-games and five language options. It will list for $19.99.

    Elf hit theaters in November of 2003 and went on to gross more than $173 million domestically. The laffer pays tribute to the classic Rankin & Bass animated holiday specials by including stop-motion animated characters. A sequel is now in the works.

  • THQ Game for MGA Ent.’s Bratz

    THQ Inc. has been awarded the interactive licensee for MGA Ent.’s best-selling Bratz doll and girls’ lifestyle brand. The agreement includes video games for all platforms, including wireless devices, with the first titles scheduled for release in fall 2005.

    The video games will follow this sumer’s release of the property’s first animated DVD title, Bratz: Starrin’ & Stylin’, which hit No. 2 on VHS sales charts. A Bratz theatrical feature film is in development and is scheduled for release in 2006.

    Since arriving on store shelves in the summer of 2001, more than 80 million Bratz dolls have been sold worldwide. The brand has evolved to encompass everything from electronics to fashion clothing. The property was named Best Overall License and Character Brand License of the Year by the Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA), and won Family Fun magazine’s Toy of the Year Award three years in a row.

    Headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., MGA Ent. will introduce its first boys’ intellectual toy property, Alien Racers, to the market early this fall.

  • Vinton Studios Grabs Gaiman’s Coraline

    According to Daily Variety, animation house Vinton Studios has bought film rights to Neil Gaiman’s children’s book, Coraline, which Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick has been developing for the big screen with producer Bill Mechanic and his Pandemonium Films.

    When we spoke to Selick in December, he mentioned that Mechanic was having trouble getting financing together for the film. The pick-up by Vinton should put the project on firm ground, especially since the toon studio is getting a solid start in the feature market with Tim Burton’s upcoming stop-motion pic, The Corpse Bride. Warner Bros. plans to release that feature next year.

    Coraline, the story of a young girl who moves into a new home and discovers a secret door to an alternative reality, was initially planned as a combination of live-action and animation, but the latest reports have it slated to be completely done with stop-motion.

    Selick oversaw stop-motion animation work on the upcoming Wes Anderson feature, The Life Aquatic, starring Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. He has since joined Vinton Studios as supervising director and is working on a CG short titled Moongirl.

  • Imperial Debut for Star Wars DVDs, Game

    During their first day of availability, the new Star Wars Trilogy DVD set and the LucasArts video game, Star Wars Battlefront, raked in a combined $115,000,000. Having shattered all records for entertainment franchise spending in a single day, the Lucas empire is sure to exhibit another show of "Force" as the DVD hits stores in Japan, Australia, Benelux and Mexico, and the game launches internationally later this week.

    The Star Wars films combined have earned more than $3.4 billion at the box office worldwide and sold more than 125 million units on home video.

    Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi were released Tuesday, Sept., 21, as a four-disc set that includes a bonus disc filled with all-new special features.

    Star Wars Battlefront is an action/shooter game that gives gamers the opportunity to participate in all of the epic battles depicted in the Star Wars films. The game is available for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.

  • Sony, Comcast May Bring Anime Channel to U.S.

    Financial Times (FT.com) reports that Sony and Comcast have pacted to launch new television channels in the U.S. While details on those outlets have not yet been released, the report says Sony wants to introduce North American audiences to anime network Animax, which is seen in Asia and Latin America. The deal may also include action programming network AXN, which broadcasts such anime series as Samurai X, EI Hazard: The Alternative World and Dual during its weekday AniMania block.

    In addition, Comcast and Sony plan to launch a video-on-demand channel that will air titles from Sony Pictures’ extensive library. The equally vast MGM catalog may also be mined by the venture if Sony’s $5 billion bid to acquire MGM is accepted in the next few days.

    The FT.com article says teaming with Comcast will help Sony get past the cost hurdle that has prohibited past plans to expand in the U.S. market.

  • Mainframe to Grind Out Tony Hawk Toon

    IDT Ent.-owned animation house, Mainframe Ent., will produce a direct-to-video animated feature with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. IDT Ent. Sales will handle worldwide television and home video distribution for the CG movie, tentatively titled Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Goes the Circus.

    Scheduled to arrive on retail shelves in early 2006, the film will feature the voice and animated likeness of Hawk, and motion capture will be employed to bring the skater’s signature moves to the screen. Production is slated to begin this November.

    Hawk joins legendary Marvel Comics tycoon Stan Lee, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, rocker/movie director Rob Zombie and other entertainment icons who now working with IDT Ent. on animation projects.

    Boom Boom Goes the Circus tells the story of an evil circus owner who plots to ruin Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam show by kidnapping its star. Hawk’s fans witness his abduction but can’t convince the authorities that a crime has occurred. With nowhere to turn for help, it’s up to the loyal fans to rescue their hero.

    Mainframe Ent., known for such pioneering CG television series as ReBoot and MTV’s Spider-Man, is also producing a new CG Popeye primetime television special with King Features Syndicate. The show will debut in prime time during the holiday season (between Nov. 24 and Dec. 21, 2004) on Fox before hitting video shelves courtesy of Artisan Home Entertainment’s Family Home Entertainment (FHE) label.

  • Contender Picks Up Ex-Turner Acquisitions Exec

    The Contender Entertainment Group (CEG) has appointed Jo Sweby to the newly created post of international acquisitions manager. Sweby brings more than five years of experience to the position, having served as Turner Ent.’s director of acquisitions for Europe, Middle East and Africa, acquiring content for Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Toonami in the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

    Sweby will be joining CEG on Sept. 27, and will be responsible for expanding the company’s catalogue of children’s properties across television, home video and merchandising divisions. She will also be responsible for acquiring film titles suitable for theatrical release under the company’s successful Hong Kong Legends and Premiere Asia brands.

    Contender produces the CG-animated series Tractor Tom, which made its debut on CITV in February 2003, and Peppa Pig, a preschool toon show that airs on the U.K.’s FIVE and Nick Jr. in the U.S. Home video acquisitions include Yu-Gi-Oh! titles.