Animation Magazine

Author: Ryan Ball

  • Mixed Reviews for Shark Tale Venice Debut

    More than 5,000 people showed up for Friday night’s world premiere of DreamWorks Animation’s new computer-animated comedy, Shark Tale, at the Venice Film Festival. While attendees reportedly gave the pic a long standing ovation, the trades are at odds with their verdicts.

    The premiere was held outdoors in Venice’s historic Piazza San Marco, marking the first time ever that the Piazza was closed for the premiere of a major feature film. Voice cast members Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie and Michael Imperioli walked the red carpet, along with directors Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman; producer Bill Damaschke; and exec producer Jeffrey Katzenberg.

    The star-studded debut garnered varied reviews from top industry trades. The Hollywood reporter calls it "jokey but entertaining," while Daily Variety, which tends to be harsh on genre fare, ripped it for "basing almost all of its ideas on old movies." The trades were also at odds in their reviews of DreamWork’s new 3D-animated NBC primetime series, Father of the Pride. Moviegoers will have the final word when the underwater crime comedy hits theaters on Oct. 1.

  • Playmates Gets Kong Toy Deal

    Playmates Toys Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Playmates Holdings Ltd., has been appointed master toy licensee for Universal Pictures’ upcoming remake of the 1933 monster classic, King Kong. Directed by Lord of the Rings trilogy helmer Peter Jackson, the CG-intensive flick has begun shooting in New Zealand and is scheduled for release in December of 2005.

    Under the worldwide licensing agreement struck with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, Playmates Toys will create a line of detailed action figures and accessories.

    Jackson is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, based the original story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace. Walsh and Jackson are producing the film under their WingNut Films banner.

    Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams) is set to star as Ann Darrow, a role originated by Fay Wray, who passed away last month. Darrow is a vaudeville actress who finds herself out of a job in Depression-era New York. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham, an entrepreneur, raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker played by Jack Black (School of Rock). Oscar winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) steps into the role of Jack Driscoll, a New York playwright who falls in love with Darrow and becomes an unlikely hero.

    Shakespearean actor Andy Serkis, who provided the performance for the CG Gollum character in two of the Lord of the Rings films, will again don a motion-capture suit to bring life to the title giant ape, which will be computer-animated. Serkis will also play the character of Lumpy the cook, who is part of the expedition to Skull Island.

    Visual effects will be provided by New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, recipients of multiple Academy Awards for their collective work on the Lord of the Rings saga. Digital elements and miniatures will supplement practical locations in creating primordial jungles and 1930s America.

  • Entertainment Rights Acquires Tell-Tale Prods.

    Entertainment Rights (ER), home to the animated series Postman Pat and Little Red Tractor, has bought Tell-Tale Prods., maker of the hit BBC puppet show, The Tweenies, and the animated BBC series, Boo. The deal follows ER’s recent acquisition of the Filmation portfolio.

    The acquisition will bring new creative talent to ER, which boasts strength in television/home video distribution, licensing, merchandising and brand management. ER hopes the combination will make ER a formidable force in the worldwide kids television market. Tell-Tale creative directors Iain Lauchlan, Will Brenton, Karl Woolley and Helen Cadwallader will join ER to lead the creative division and immediately begin work on an extensive production and development slate.

    Tell-Tale’s The Tweenies has been broadcast in more than 60 countries worldwide and sold more than 3 million videos in the U.K. alone. The show airs on Nickelodeon and Noggin in the U.S., where a live touring stage show is planned for Srping 2005. A Tweenies major motion picture is also in the works for delivery in 2005 or 2006.

    Other shows in development at Tell-Tale at the time of the acquisition include the animated show Sprogs, which has the lives of two siblings turned upside down when a new baby enters the picture.

  • Samurai Upsets Simpsons for Emmy

    At Sunday’s the non-televised Prime Time Emmy Award presentation, Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack: The Birth of Evil won Outstanding Animated Program (less than one hour), beating the long-running Fox toon, The Simpsons, for the first time. Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky also nabbed a trophy for his micro-series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, which took Outstanding Animated Program (one hour or more).

    Samurai Jack, which premiered in August of 2001 and has its series finale on Sept. 25, tells the story of a great warrior transported to the distant future by the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku. Jack must learn to find his way in this new world as he battles Aku’s dark forces and searches for the time portal that can return him home.

    Star Wars: Clone Wars, which premiered in November of 2003, picks up George Lucas’ epic saga where the live action feature film, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones left off. The valiant Jedi Knights lead the Republic’s Clone Army against both familiar and new adversaries across the galaxy.

  • Resident Evil Rises Again

    Video Game vixen Alice is back on the big screen today in Sony Pictures’ effects-laden sequel to its 2002 surprise box office hit, Resident Evil. While it may not live up to its predecessor’s $100 million+ performance, Resident Evil: Apocalypse should do well enough in this hardly competitive late summer period. The only other new wide-release contender is New Line Cinema’s Cellular, a suspense thriller starring Oscar winner Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential) and Jason Statham (The Transporter).

    Alien Vs. Predator director Paul W.S. Anderson, who helmed the first Resident Evil, penned this follow-up but left directing duties to Alexander Witt, who makes his directorial debut after serving as second unit director of cinematography on such films as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Bourne Identity and Gladiator.

    Based on CAPCOM’s hugely popular video game series, Resident Evil: Apocalypse takes viewers back to Raccoon City, where a contained virus breaks loose and threatens to turn the city into a zombie buffet. Milla Jovovich is back as Alice, a genetically enhanced ghoul dueler who helps a small group of special forces operatives escape the quarantine zone. The film features effects by Mr. X and Animated Extras International under visual effects supervisor Alison O’Brien. Witt and O’Brien discuss the making of the film in the September issue of Animation Magazine.

  • Radar Goes to Shatner’s C.O.R.E for Toon Features

    Radar Pictures of Los Angeles has secured a minority interest in the Canadian visual effects group of companies that includes C.O.R.E. Feature Animation and C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures of Toronto, founded by actor William Shatner and four animators. The agreement will provide Radar with a production pipeline for the creation of animated features and is expected to bring more projects to C.O.R.E., which recently delivered visual effects work for Sony’s Resident Evil Apocalypse, opening in theaters today.

    In addition to lending pixel magic to movies, C.O.R.E says its has been commissioned to create a fully animated feature for an unnamed major Hollywood studio. The company’s president and co-founder, Bob Munroe, says the partnership with Radar will give C.O.R.E. greater access to the resources required to bring major animated feature films to market.

    Radar Pictures is headed by Ted Field, producer of such films as The Last Samurai, Runaway Bride and Jumanji. He comments, "We believe the natural evolution of our business is to move into feature animation. So we began to look for a company that had some unique qualities. First and obviously, it had to have loads of talent and a strong track record, but it also had to share our vision of creating an independent North American animation studio."

    With a staff of more than 400, C.O.R.E. is one of the largest employers of digital animators in Canada.

  • Jakers! Cast Honors Grandparents

    In celebration of National Grandparents Day (Sept. 12), Mike Young of Mike Young Prods. and the talented voice cast of the 3D-animated PBS Kids series, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks came out to show support for the National Grandparents Day Council and grandparents everywhere, especially Grandparents of the Year Dan and Sally Robinson of Kansas City, Missouri.

    Wednesday’s event was held at PBS affiliate KCET Studios in Hollywood, Calif. On hand to meet fans of all ages were voice actors Maile Flanagan (Piggley Winks), Charlie Adler (Mr. Hornsby/Da Winks), Minnie Mouse voice Russi Taylor (Ferny Toro), Mickey Mouse mouthpiece Wayne Allwine, Melissa Disney (Meg), Candi Milo (Gosford), Susan Silo (Miss Nanny) and Fernando Escandon (Don Toro).

    Absent was comedy legend and Jakers! voice cast member Mel Brooks, who had previous commitments. Mike Young spoke on his behalf, noting "Mel has a granddaughter, and he fundamentally came onto the show for her. It’s always great when we in this industry can do things for our loved ones." He adds, "Grandparents and the invaluable contributions they make to their grandchildren’s lives are a year-round theme on our series. So we’re delighted to join the National Grandparents Day Council in recognizing these real-life role models, who, like our Grandpa Piggley, provide inspiration, wisdom, support and an endless supply of love to their grandchildren."

    The Grandparents Day Council annually selects state and national Grandparents of the Year through contests for grandchildren that involve poetry writing, essay writing, songwriting, webdesign, art and photography. The Robinsons, who were nominated by their granddaughter, Natalie Windham of Prairie Village, Kansas, were honored as both the Missouri state winners and national winners of the contest and received a VIP trip to Southern California.

    Also honored was California Grandparent of the Year, Jo Fogg of Malibu, whose great-great-granddaughter, 5-year-old Delaney Poist of Long Beach, Calif., submitted the winning poster.

    Flanagan, who beat out 300 to 400 Irish boys for the role of Piggley Winks, says her grandparents on both sides came from Ireland and working on the show has given her a deeper appreciation of the world they grew up in. She also tells us she loves playing Piggley because he’s not the typical cartoon character. "He’s smart and he’s a leader, but he makes mistakes and ties to get out of things," she remarks. "Most cartoon heroes are squeaky clean, but he has a tendency to rope people into things they don’t want to do."

    National Grandparents Day was founded by Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia, and a long-time champion of the elderly. At her urging, president Jimmy Carter proclaimed it a national event in 1978 and set aside the first Sunday after Labor Day each year to celebrate.

    Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks airs on PBS stations around the country. Check local listings for airdates or visit www.pbskids.org/jakers.

    Photo: Candi Milo mugs for the camera, Fernando Escadon and Charlie Adler share a laugh. Russi Taylor signs autographs.

  • The Batman Flies on Kids’ WB!

    The Dark Knight returns to the small screen this weekend in Warner Bros. Animation’s all-new animated series, The Batman. The highly anticipated show premieres Saturday, Sept. 11 at 10:30 a.m. on Kids’ WB! Also joining the lineup this season is Da Boom Crew, a hip-hop sci-fi toon debuting at Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

    The Batman is the latest in a rich history of animated series based on the evergreen DC Comics property. This entry picks up the story in year three of billionaire Bruce Wayne’s adventures as the caped crusader. Wayne is in is mid-twenties and is just finding his way as a superhero as he takes on updated versionso of familiar foes including The Joker, The Penguin Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler and Man-Bat.

    From creators Doug Langdale, Bruce Smith, John Patrick White and Stiles White, the team that brought you Dave the Barbarian and The Proud Family, comes Da Boom Crew, which follows the intergalactic adventures of four orphans who are transported into a universe that strangely resembles a video game world that they’ve created.

    Jeff Matsuda serves as art director and producer on the show, which is based on a concept by Serge Michaels and produced by Jumbalaya Studio and BFC/Berliner Film Companie.

    Returning to the Kids’ WB! lineup are Jackie Chan Adventures (8 a.m.), ¡Mucha Lucha! ¡Gigante! (8:30 a.m.), Teen Titans (9 a.m.), Xiaolin Showdown (9:30 a.m.), Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (10 a.m.) and Yu-Gi-Oh!: Waking the Dragons (11 a.m.).

  • Disney Channel Premieres Higglytown Heroes

    The new animated preschool series, Higglytown Heroes, kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 12, with a special primetime presentation on Disney Channel before joining the Playhouse Disney block in its regular time slots of 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The show combines 3D and 2D animation in its efforts to encourage young viewers to learn more about their broader community.

    Produced by Wild Brain, Higglytown Heroes centers on the Higglytown kids–Eubie, Wayne, Kip and Twinkle–and their friend, Fran the squirrel. Whenever their adventures lead to some kind of dilemma, they enlist the aid of a Higglytown Hero such as a firefighter, a police officer, a sanitation worker or a librarian.

    All the characters are built like Russian dolls and often find opportunities to use their special ability to open up. Celebrity guest stars slated to lend their voices to the heroes of Higglytown include Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings Trilogy), John Astin (The Adams Family), Tim Curry (The Wild Thornberrys) Anne Heche (Wag the Dog) Katey Segal (Futurama), Sharon Stone (Catwoman), soap star Susan Lucci and recording artists Trace Atkins and Lance Bass, to name a few.

    Jeff Fino serves as exec producer on the series, along with co-exec producers George Evelyn, Denis Morella, Holly Huckins and Kent Redeker.

    The show’s theme song is performed by the band They Might Be Giants.

  • Eisner to Leave Disney

    Embattled Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner sent a letter to the company’s Board of Directors Thursday detailing his plans to step down when his contract expires on Sept. 30, 2006. His departure from the House of Mouse will coincide with the 20th anniversary of his appointment as CEO.

    In the letter, Eisner reminds Board members that Disney has grown from a $1.7 billlion-a-year company to a $30 billion-a-year juggernaut under his supervision, and defends questionable management decisions by pointing out the unique nature of the entertainment business. He states, “We must consider, develop, discard and reconsider, literally masses of ideas each day, based on few inexact criteria, using experience, talent, judgment, instinct and hope as our guides along with our education and experience and sense of fiscal responsibility. This is a complicated and risky process, unlike the manufacture and sale of a single or related line of product. We are judged by definitive standards.”

    Eisner also makes reference to a commitment to 3D animation in stating his objectives for the next two years. He writes, “We are determined to continue to improve our performance through our focused attention on our creative initiatives, from the studio to the media networks, from our three-dimension worlds to our cyber future, from one end of the globe to the other.”

    In March of this year, Eisner was relieved of hs duties as chairman of The Walt Disney Co. when the Board of Directors decided to separate the positions of CEO and chairman. The Board unanimously elected former Sen. George Mitchell to serve as a non-executive chairman in Eisner’s place.

    As he fulfills contact, Eisner will assist the Board in selecting the new CEO. Pundits are floating Pixar and Apple CEO Steve Jobs as a possible replacement. Since Pixar has yet to name a distributor to take over when its commitment to Disney expires with the 2006 release of Cars, Eisner’s departure may leave the door open for a joining of the two companies. Jobs has expressed a fondness for Disney and its distribution network despite his long-standing differences with Eisner.

    The news of Eisner’s impending retirement comes just one day after the death of legendary animator Frank Thomas, one of Disney’s famed Nine Old Men and a major contributor to the company’s rich legacy.

  • THQ Ships New Fairly OddParents Game

    THQ Inc. and Nickelodeon today announced the release of The Fairly OddParents Shadow Showdown for PlayStation 2, GameCube and PC. Based on Nickelodeon’s top-rated show, the title is currently shipping to retail outlets throughout North America.

    In The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown, kids all across Dimmsdale are rattled to discover there’s no TV reception, preventing them from watching the season finale of Crash Nebula. The black-out leads Timmy, Cosmo and Wanda to uncover a world-domination plot being hatched by a dastardly antagonist known only as The Shadow.

    The player must maneuver through seven areas based on episodes from the hit animated TV show created by Butch Hartman. The game also features 18 new wish inventions such as the Suit Spray, Repair-o-Tron, Super Irritating Klaxon, Pogo Stick of Justice and Super Cleft Freeze Ray. Included for the first time are mini multiplayer games in which gamers can compete head-to-head. The console games include several mini-clips hidden throughout the game and the PlayStation 2 version also features an exclusive documentary on the making of the game.

    Blitz Games Limited developed the console versions and THQ’s internal studio, Helixe, developed the Game Boy Advance title, which will be available Sept. 20. The PC version was developed by Imagine Engine. For more information on The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown, go to www.thq.com.

  • Apple.com Gets New Robota Teaser

    Many fans of sci-fi and fantasy have been tracking the progress of the $50 million CG feature, Robota, since director Doug Chiang’s concept art for the film appeared as an illustrated book published by Chronicle Books. Two animated trailers have surfaced since then and another has just hit the web.

    Set in a futuristic world controlled by machines, Robota will incorporate regular 3-D animation and rotomotion techniques to place animated creatures humans in fully digital environments. The new trailer shows a real actor battling androids that resemble Massai warriors.

    Excitement for Robota intensified in February of last year when a clip earned French animation studio Sparx a Best Rendering Award during the 20th annual international computer graphics competition segment of the Imagina.03 conference in Monte Carlo.

    Chiang, who served as art department head and design director for Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars – Episode II: Attack of the Clones, just completed work on Robert Zemeckis’ computer-animated holiday feature The Polar Express. Chronicle Books will release The Art of the Polar Express this fall. Chiang is also working with Sony Pictures Imageworks to produce a Robota video game scheduled to hit retail sometime in 2006.

    At last reporting, Sparx was in discussion with two major French production companies interested in funding the film. Sparx also indicated that several Hollywood studios showed interest but noted that primary funding would be sought in Europe.

    According to Chiang’s web site, www.dchiang.com, a fourth trailer is near completion at Attitude Studio in France and should be ready for viewing soon. Until then, you can watch the latest teaser at www.apple.com/trailers/independent/dc_studio/robota.

  • DPS Film Roman Rolls with Hasbro’s WEEBLES

    DPS Film Roman, an IDT Ent. company, is working with Hasbro Properties Group to produce two 3D-animated direct-to-video movies based on WEEBLES, a popular toyline marketed under Hasbro’s PLAYSKOOL division.

    Hasbro is providing character designs and scripts, and DPS/Film Roman is animating and supervising production. The series will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Home Entertainment, with the first title scheduled to hit shelves in the spring of 2005.

    The WEEBLES brand was first introduced in 1972 and was made famous by the signature phrase, "WEEBLES wobble, but they don’t fall down." This year, Hasbro is reintroducing the classic toy brand with new characters and playsets for today’s kids.

    Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, DPS Film Roman is the Emmy Award-winning independent animation house behind such hit shows a Fox’s The Simpsons and King of The Hill. The company also produces network and syndicated Saturday morning kids toons including X-Men: Evolution, as well as the SCI-FI Channel’s 3D adult series, Tripping the Rift. Since its founding in 1984, the studio has won 19 Emmy awards, 13 Annies, one Grammy and one MTV Video Music Award.

  • Passion Lords Over Rings, Simba

    Simba may be king of the jungle, but Disney’s special edition release of the animated sequel, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, was no match for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s The Passion of the Christ, which topped sales charts and broke records during its first week at retail.

    According to Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Mel Gibson’s take on the story of Jesus’ prosecution, crucifixion and ascension sold nearly 9 million combined DVD and VHS units during its first week in release on home video, making it the top-selling live-action title of all time.

    After grossing more than $600 million worldwide, The Passion sold more than 4.1 million copies on the first day alone. The impressive home video debut broke the first-week record previously held by New Line Home Entertainment’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

    The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Special Edition came in at No. 2 on home video sales charts for the week. Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo still holds the title for the best-selling home video release of all time, having sold a whopping 17 million copies during its first week.

  • MTV Ogles Stan Lee, Hugh Hefner Toon

    In July of last year, we reported that comic book king and Stripperella creator Stan Lee is teaming up with publishing tycoon Hugh Hefner to develop an adult-oriented animated series that takes viewers into the guarded world of the quintessential billionaire playboy and his stable of Playmates. Both parties today announced that plans are still under way to bring Hef’s Superbunnies to the small screen.

    MTV has reportedly ordered a pilot of Hef’s Superbunnies, a joint venture between Lee’s POW! Ent. and Playboy’s Alta Loma Entertainment division. The show will feature Playboy magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief as the leader of a sophisticated, worldwide crime-fighting organization comprised of his famed beauties of the month. Each 30-minute installment will have Hef leading his femme fatales into battle against deadly enemies of democracy.

    Producers for POW! Ent. are series creator Lee and COO Gill Champion. Exec. producers for Playboy Enterprises, Inc. are Hugh M. Hefner and Richard S. Rosenzweig, chairman of Alta Loma Ent. The associate producer is Jill Liberman.

    Hefner and Lee express a long-standing mutual respect for one another. "As a young man, comic books played an important role in my own life. In fact, if I had been a better cartoonist, I might never have created Playboy magazine," Hefner comments. "That’s one more reason I’m glad that a creative genius such as Stan Lee was around to take the appeal of the comic book superhero to the highest level."

    Lee adds, "As a fan who bought and cherished the very first copy of Playboy in 1953, it is an enormous thrill for me to be partnering with a man who has done so much to shape the culture of the times we live in. Hugh Hefner has long been one of the great communicators in our society and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather partner with on such an unusual and exciting project."

  • SCEA Adds Five to Greatest Hits

    Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced five additions to its PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits lineup. Joining 82 previous inductees are the hit titles Jak II, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, Rise to Honor, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs and ATV Offroad Fury 2.

    Through games like SOCOM II and ATV Offroad Fury 2, SCEA has claimed the largest online console gaming community in North America. In fact, SOCOM II is one of the most popular online games of all time, selling more than 900,000 copies in its first 100 days at retail. The adult game casts the player in the role of an elite SEAL commander whose team’s orders are to strike targets of importance within 12 all-new international missions ranging from Algeria, Albania, Brazil and Russia.

    Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, a sci-fi, action-shooting adventure known for its unique weapony and hi-tech gadgets, is about to get even more destructive with the holiday release of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. The Jak and Daxter franchise is also getting another Roman numeral this November with Jak III, featuring ragdoll physics to give each fight scene a dramatically different ending each time.

    The action-fighting game Rise to Honor represents three years of collaboration between Jet Li and acclaimed action director Cory Yuen. The title incorporates a unique 360 degree fight system that puts players in the center of the action by allowing them to simultaneously battle multiple enemies.

    To make the list of PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits, a title must have sold 400,000 copies. These new inductees are available just in time for the holidays for as low as $19.99.

  • Exodus Makes Weird Science with Igor

    The mad scientist genre gets an interesting twist with Igor, a CG feature in the works at Exodus Film Group. Former Disney and Warner Bros. Feature Animation exec Max Howard has been tapped to exec produce this irreverent comedy about a mad scientist’s hunchbacked lab assistant who has big dreams of becoming a mad scientist in his own right and winning the coveted first place award at the annual Evil Science Fair.

    Igor, written by Chris McKenna, is independently financed and produced by Exodus. The company’s in-house toon studio, ElectroAge, is handling all the 3D animation.

    During his twelve year tenure as senior VP of Disney Feature Animation, Howard was one of the senior architects of the studio’s animation renaissance, having collaborated on such hits as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Lion King. As president of Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Howard oversaw the award-winning animated feature The Iron Giant and the box office hit Space Jam. Most recently, he served as an exec producer on Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron for DreamWorks and is now producing the animated film, The Spirit Bear, about Canada’s near-extinct white kermode bear.

    Founded in 2001, Exodus Film Group Inc. acquires and develops intellectual properties. Its ElectroAge has worked on Hanna-Barbera’s The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Sony Television’s Roughnecks Starship Troopers Chronicles, Paramount’s Star Trek Voyager, Saban’s Mystic Knights, 20th Century Fox/Centropolis Television’s The Visitor and Hollywood Pictures’ Deep Rising.

    In addition to “Igor,” Exodus’ current slate of films includes Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, a live-action modern update on the classic tall tale featuring a computer-animated Babe voiced by Eddie Griffin (Undercover Brother).

  • John K.’s Toon Review Tonight

    The American Cinematheque’s tribute to maverick animator John Kricfalusi continues tonight at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. as the creator of Ren and Stimpy showcases some of his major influences. Starting at 8 p.m., Kricfalusi will screen his favorite animated shorts from the 1930s to the 1950s, a period he considers the glory days of Warner Bros., Fleischer Studios, MGM, Terrytoons, Walter Lantz and more.

    “I don’t think anyone’s done it better than artists from that period,” says Kricfalusi, who was on hand at the Egyptian Tuesday night to premiere three new episodes of Spike TV’s Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, as well as classic shorts from the Spumco library. Enthusiastic animation fans filled the house for the rare opportunity to see Ren and Stimpy on the big screen in "Naked Beach Frenzy," "Stimpy’s Pregnant" and "The Altruists."

    Also screened last night were “Mighty’s Benefit Plan” from Ralph Bakshi’s 1980s Mighty Mouse series, an episode of the Flash series Weekend Pussy Hunt, an "educational" short titled “What Pee Boners Are For,” the Cartoon Network Yogi Bear spoof Boo Boo Runs Wild, a Björk music video animated by Spumco and a handful of Old Navy commercials the toon studio produced. While "Naked Beach Frenzy" stole the show, another highlight was the classic Ren and Stimpy episode that introduced the character George Liquor and got Kricfalusi fired from his own show by Nickelodeon.

    On tap for tonight’s event are vintage adventures of Betty Boop, Bimbo, Sylvester & Tweety, Mickey Mouse and Popeye, including a restored print of the famed Popeye Sinbad short. Kricfalusi will also screen lesser-known early cartoons from legendary Warner Bros. animators Tex Avery and Chuck Jones, as well as some of his favorite works by his personal idol, Bob Clampett.

    "In the ’40s, Bob Clampett ruled and everybody else was imitating him," Kricfalusi tells Animation Magazine Online. "We’re going to show some of the wildest cartoons ever made, in my opinion. They’re the most creative, best animated and have the sickest jokes."

    Among the Clampett shorts Kricfalusi hopes to run is Kitty Kornered, Sylvester cartoon that Kricfalusi says has the best Sylvester ever. "He’s a caricature of Sylvester–more spit. He’s what you wish Sylvester would have been."

    For Mickey Mouse fans, the event will include a screening of Minnie’s Yoohoo. "It’s the one where Mickey Mouse sings and he’s got [vagina] lips," says Kricfalusi. "It’s the weirdest Mickey Mouse ever. Walt must have been out of town when they did that one. Most Mickey Mouse pictures, even the ones from that period, are super generic but with this one, some crazy animator got a hold of him and animated the craziest lipsync. It’s so funny."

    Kricfalusi says it was hard to pick a handful of animated shorts that represent the "cartoonist cartoons," and says there were some that he wanted to include but couldn’t get. He notes, "I really wanted to show Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs [(1943)], but Warner Bros. won’t let me, which I don’t understand because they run Gone With the Wind and restore the hell out of it every couple years."

    Between films, Kricfalusi will discuss their brilliance and why they still inspire his work. He will then stick around to answer questions from the audience. You can also catch Kricfalusi on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Golden Apple comic bookstore in Hollywood (7711 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046). The shop is hosting a special “petition signing” event beginning at 3 p.m. at which fans can sign a petition asking Spike TV to air more new episodes of Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon. For more info, visit www.goldenapplecomics.com or call (323) 658-6047.

  • Kangaroo Jack Back with Toon Feature

    Following the box office and home video success of its live-action comedy, Kangaroo Jack, which starred a large CG marsupial, Warner Bros. is releasing a full-length animated sequel in time for the holidays. Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! will be distributed by Warner Home Video on Nov. 16.

    Kangaroo Jack G’Day U.S.A.! was written by Andrew and Adam Scheinman, the duo that penned the original theatrical release. The toon sequel promises to take viewers on a crazy caper Down Under as Louis, Charlie and Jessie head to Australia in search of a new shampoo recipe and end up reunited with their old friend, Kangaroo Jack. When Jack is kidnapped by poachers, his human pals follow the trail to Las Vegas, where they find themselves embroiled in an Aboriginal jewel heist.

    More than 50 minutes of DVD extras will include a National Geographic 10-minute documentary on kangaroos and the Australian Outback, an interactive challenge, a Kangaroo rap sequence and a tutorial on how to draw a kangaroo hosted by one of the animators. The feature will retail for $24.98 on DVD and $14.94 on VHS.

    Released in 2003, Kangaroo Jack stars Jerry O’Connell (TV’s Sliders, Stand By Me) Anthony Anderson (My Baby’s Daddy, Barbershop) and Estella Warren (The Cooler, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes) as friends who have to chase a kangaroo across the Australian Outback when it makes off with $50,000 in mob money they were supposed to deliver. The film grossed $66.7 million at the box office and went on to sell nearly 4 million copies on home video.

  • BKN Inks Int’l Deals

    Global animation company BKN International A.G. has signed a number of major agreements around the world in its bid to expand business operations in Asia, maximize its Legend of the Dragon property and seek pre-sales on its newest toon venture, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: The Lost Scimitar of Arabia.

    BKN recently launched its Singapore-based subsidiary, BKN New Media Pte. Ltd. Headed by managing director Ben Heng, the new branch has signed a 10-year, Ç1.3 million representation agreement with Hong Kong-based producer/distributor Agogo Corp., which will handle BKN’s catalog of more than 600 titles in Asia. In addition, various proposals for BKN’s expansion into mainland China are under evaluation with the goal of implementing a plan by year’s end.

    The Company has also signed a number of additional new contracts for its Legend of the Dragon property, including a master toy deal for worldwide distribution. BKN will launch a full TV and licensing program for the series during the 2005 fiscal year. It will also expand its property, Kong: The Animated Series, with a new direct-to-DVD feature titled Kong: King of Atlantis.

    BNK’s Library includes Capertown Cops, UBOS, Roswell Conspiracies, Monster Rancher, Pocket Dragon Adventures, Highlander: The Animated Series, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Seaside Hotel, The Berenstain Bears, Jacques Cousteau’s Ocean Tales and Mona the Vampire.