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Thomas J. Mclean
Thomas J. McLean is Animation Magazine's online editor. He has a decade of experience as an entertainment journalist, and his articles focusing on sci-fi movies, TV and comic books have appeared in such publications and web sites Variety, Publisher's Weekly and Metromix.com. He writes a blog about comic books and movies called Bags and Boards, which can be found at http://bagsandboards.blogspot.com/
Articles by Thomas J. Mclean
Burton to Animate Addams Cartoons
March 19, 2010 – Tim Burton plans to make a stop-motion, 3-D film out of the original Addams Family cartoons, reports Deadline Hollywood.
The cartoons, drawn by Charles Addams and originally published in ...
VFX Veteran Rosenbaum Joins Digital Domain
March 19, 2010 – Stephen Rosenbaum, who has won two Oscars for outstanding visual effects, has joined Digital Domain as a visual effects supervisor.
Rosenbaum, whose Oscar wins came for the features Forrest G...
Dietz and Schofield Open Pencil Test Studios
March 19, 2010 – Mike Dietz and Ed Schofield, who between them have more than 30 years experience producing animation, have teamed up to form Pencil Test Studios.
The new production company is based in Irvine, C...
Logorama, Mr. Fox Set for Stuttgart
March 19, 2010 – Oscar-winning short film Logorama and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox will be among the highlights of the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film, slated for May 4-9.
The festival fea...
Wilson, Harrelson to Voice Bedrock’s First Feature, Turkeys
March 18, 2010 – Former ILM exec and Reel FX runner Ed Jones and ex-CEO of Walden Media Cary Granat have started a new operation called Bedrock Studios that will make family films with budgets of less than $35 mill...
Glee Star, Azaria Join Smurfs Cast
March 18, 2010 – Glee actress Jayma Mays has been cast as the female human lead in Sony’s upcoming hybrid CGI-live action updating of the Smurfs, while Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria has been given ...
Italy’s RAI 2 Picks Up Pocoyo
March 18, 2010 – RAI 2 has secured the Italian broadcast rights to Zinkia Entertainment’s animated preschool series Pocoyo.
The 104 x 7 mins. series, co-produced by Zinkia and ITV Studios Global Entertain...
VanArts Adds Animation, VFX Faculty
March 18, 2010 – The Vancouver Institute of Media Arts has added to its teaching staff several entertainment industry veterans to helm its full-time diploma programs.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, VanArts’ p...
Kubert School Open House Set for April 24
March 18, 2010 – The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art will host an open house for prospective students and their families on the afternoon of April 24.
The school, which has produced a number of succ...
Toronto’s CORE Shuts Down; Cookie Jar Cuts 35 Animation Jobs
March 17, 2010 – The animation industry in Toronto suffered a pair of major setbacks this week as animation and visual-effects house CORE Digital closed its doors and indie producer Cookie Jar cut 35 animation prod...
Hub Adds Six to Executive Team
March 17, 2010 – The Hub — the new kid-targeted network that’s a joint venture of Discovery and Hasbro — has added six people to it executive team as it nears its autumn 2010 launch.
The hires, announced by Hub ...
In the Attic Tops NYICFF Honors
March 17, 2010 – The New York International Children’s Film Festival has announced its 2010 award winners, with six of the nine honors going to animated films.
Winning the Grand Prize for Features is In the ...
Avatar DVD, Blu-ray Release Set for April 22
March 17, 2010 – Avatar is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on Earth Day.
The release will feature only the 2D version of the film and will be a bare-bones only release with no bonus features. According to the
Season 2 of Dive Olly Dive! Presold to Four Major Markets
March 17, 2010 – French distributor Moonscoop has sold the second season of its hit animated series Dive Olly Dive! into key territories.
The broadcasters who have pre-bought the 52 x 11 min. second seaso...
Princess and the Frog, Astro Boy, New Moon Come Home
March 16, 2010 – Disney’s return to its roots comes home this week with the release of The Princess and the Frog on DVD and Blu-ray.
The movie (Disney, $29.99 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray, $44.99 Blu-ray/DVD combo...
Screen 21 Adds 3D, HD Technologies
March 16, 2010 – Screen 21, the Spanish production company behind BRB International, has adopted technologies including stereoscopic 3-D and high-definition panoramic formats for multiple platforms to its pipeline....
Wonder Pets, Mighty B!’s Poehler Win Gracie Awards
March 16, 2010 – Little Airplane Productions’ animated series The Wonder Pets won the 2010 Gracie Award for outstanding children’s/adolescent program.
Also honored in this year’s awards was Amy Poehler a...
Extended Avatar Re-release Rumors Heat Up
March 16, 2010 – Rumors of a re-release for Avatar are getting closer to reality.
Director James Cameron is discussing with Fox plans for a fall re-release of the movie, which likely will include about 1...
VIZ Media Launches Streaming Anime Site
March 16, 2010 – VIZ Media has announced the debut of a new web site that will stream episodes of the company’s most-popular anime properties as well as new content.
The site, called VIZ Anime, has launched at w...
Alice Still Reigns at the Box Office
March 15, 2010 – Tim Burton’s VFX-loaded reimagining of Alice in Wonderland kept its box office crown (and the head it rests upon) for a second straight weekend.
The 3-D Disney release took in $62 million...
Disney to Shutter Zemeckis’ ImageMovers
March 15, 2010 – ImageMovers Digital’s facility in Marin County is slated to shut down in January, following completion of its current film project, Mars Needs Moms.
The studio, co-founded by filmmaker Ro...
PGS to Takes Studio Hari’s Gees Series Global
March 15, 2010 – French distributor PGS Entertainment has agreed to represent Studio Hari’s animated series The Gees worldwide in the broadcasting, video, licensing and merchandising categories.
The serie...
Nickelodeon Announced Four New Animated Series for 2010-11
March 12, 2010 – Nickelodeon unveiled its 2010-11 schedule at its annual up-front meeting in New York with four new animated series on its slate.
Of the series the network announced in a presentation at the Hamm...
Green Zone Sets Sights on Wonderland
March 12, 2010 – Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland comes off a record debut to face a new challenger this weekend with the entry of Matt Damon action thriller The Green Zone into the market.
Release...
Image Metrics Announces Funding, Merger
March 12, 2010 – Facial-animation software and services company Image Metrics has completed a deal for $8 million in financing to expand its sales and marketing efforts.
The company also has completed a deal in ...
Program Set for 2010 Cartoon Digital
March 12, 2010 – The program and speakers for the upcoming Cartoon Digital event, set for April 20-22 in Spain, have been announced.
The topics for the event, which will be held in Santiago de Compostela, includ...
Smith Micro Unveils Poser Pro 2010
March 12, 2010 – Indirect lighting, a new content management system and an enhanced user interface are highlights of Poser Pro 2010, announced this week by Smith Micro Software.
The updated software for creating...
Celebrate Annecy’s 50th Anniversay with Animag!
March 11, 2010 – It’s one of the greatest animation festivals on the planet — and Animation Magazine wants your help in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Annecy Festival.
The April/May issue of A...
Third Chipmunks Set for 2011 in 3D
March 11, 2010 – Fox has greenlit a threequel for Alvin and the Chipmunks, according to Variety.
The third feature film outing for the famous, high-voiced trio will be in 3D and will hit theaters o...
Theaters Offer Taste of New Strawberry Shortcake Feature
March 11, 2010 – Strawberry Shortcake: The Berryfest Princess Movie, the new CG-animated feature starring the popular American Greetings character, will screen in nearly 150 theaters nationwide.
The featu...
Destination D to Explore History of Disneyland
March 11, 2010 – D23, the official community for Disney fans, has announced a two-day event for its members, celebrating the 55th anniversary of Disneyland.
The event, called Destination D, is set for Sept. 24-2...
Nick Preps Dora Special, Diego Premiere Week
March 11, 2010 – Nickelodeon’s 10th anniversary celebration for Dora the Explorer kicks into high gear with the March 21 airing of the new primetime special Swiper the Explorer.
The special, which ...
Drawn Together Feature Debuts at Anaheim Comic-Con
March 11, 2010 – The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! will have a special premiere screening at the Anaheim Comic-Con on April 17.
The 7 p.m. screening of the animated feature, based on the Comedy Central...
Davenport to Run Operations at Method Studios
March 10, 2010 – Michael Davenport, a veteran VFX artist who most recently worked at Image Metrics, has joined Method Studios as VP of operations.
Davenport will be based at Method’s location in Santa Monica, an...
Animag Teams up with S-3D Gaming Alliance
March 10, 2010 – Animation Magazine has joined the S-3D Gaming Alliance, an industry organization that represents the interests of game developers, display manufacturers, and technology enablers in this fiel...
Toon Boom Animate 2 Features Announced
March 10, 2010 – Toon Boom Animation has announced a major upgrade to its signature software application with the upcoming release of Toon Boom Animate 2.
The upgrade is designed to give professional animators m...
Autodesk Unveils 2011 Upgrades
March 10, 2010 – Software maker Autodesk has announced the most-recent versions of its signature digital production applications, including Maya, Softimage and 3ds Max.
"Our 2011 products offer customers great ...
Globex Opens Los Angeles Studio
March 10, 2010 – A group of leading game makers has teamed up to launch Globex Studios LA, which will be the North American development and project management office for global online games leader Globex Studios.
...
Planet 51 Splashed Down on Disc
March 09, 2010 – Sony’s Planet 51 lands on DVD and Blu-ray this week, giving animation fans a light-hearted diversion from the trials and tribulations of Oscar week.
Directed by Jorge Blanco, who worked w...
Remembrance For Animators Set for March 13
March 09, 2010 – The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women in Animation will remember those animation industry people who died in 2009 with a nondenominational Afternoon of Remembrance March 13.
The free ev...
’Til Death Dreams in Animation
March 09, 2010 – An upcoming episode of the Fox sitcom ’Til Death will feature an animated dream sequence.
The animated will be part of the episode titled “The Wedding” set to air March 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET...
Bento Box to Animate Bob’s Burgers for Fox
March 09, 2010 – Burbank-based animation studio Bento Box Entertainment has been tapped to produce the animation for Bob’s Burgers, a new prime-time animated series for Fox.
The series, which has an order...
Moonscoop Sells 725 Half-hours to India’s Chutti TV
March 09, 2010 – Moonscoop has struck a deal with Chutti TV in India to provide 725 half hours of programming from its catalog.
The deal between the French distribution company and Sun TV’s kids outlet covers su...
Alice’s Gross Grows to Whopping $116 Million
March 08, 2010 – Alice in Wonderland blew away expectations with a smash opening weekend gross of $116 million.
The stereoscopic 3-D Disney movie, directed by Tim Burton and featuring extensive visual eff...
Cartoon Movie Shows Steady Growth in European Animation
March 08, 2010 – Cartoon Movie closed out its record-breaking 12th edition March 5 in Lyon, France, reflecting the steady growth of interest in both animation and stereoscopic 3-D in Europe.
More than 630 partic...
Oscar Honors Up, Logorama in Animated Categories
March 07, 2010 – The surprises were short when it came to the animation-related categories at the 82nd annual Academy Awards.
Up won the best animated feature Oscar, beating out Coraline, Fantas...
Up, Loaf, Avatar Top Animag’s Oscar Poll
March 05, 2010 – The official results of this year’s Academy Awards won’t be announced until Sunday evening, but Animation Magazine’s online readers poll (
Burton’s New 3D Alice Pops Into Theaters
March 05, 2010 – The story of Alice in Wonderland has been told many times on screen – but never quite like Tim Burton’s new 3D version.
Burton’s new take on the classic tale, chock full of mind-bending v...
Harris Signs on as Non-Blue Lead in Smurfs
March 05, 2010 – Smurfs: The Movie has landed its first big-name cast member in Neil Patrick Harris.
The popular star of How I Met Your Mother will play the main live-action character in the Sony f...
FUNimation to Stream Baka and Test, Vampire Bund
March 05, 2010 – FUNimation has acquired North American rights to Baka and Test — Summon the Beasts and Dance in the Vampire Bund, and will stream subtitled episodes free of charge to fans in the Unit...
Warner Bros. Goes 3D for Green Lantern
March 05, 2010 – Warner Bros.’ upcoming Green Lantern film is getting the 3D treatment.
The studio has confirmed the movie, which reportedly has just began shooting some tests near New Orleans, will be re...
Disney Channels Announces 2010-2011 Lineup
March 04, 2010 – The Avengers, a new Phineas and Ferb movie and Tron are all coming to Disney Channels Worldwide.
Gary Marsh, president of entertainment and chief creative officer for Disney...
Cooperstein Heads L.A.-Based Toonz Distribution Arm
March 04, 2010 – India-based Toonz Animation has opened a new distribution division in Los Angeles that will specialize in worldwide sales of its feature films, TV series and direct-to-video animation.
The compa...
Crest Adopts Toon Boom’s Harmony Pipeline
March 04, 2010 – Crest Animation Studios in India has turned to Canadian software maker Toon Boom to implement a new production pipeline.
The 3D animation studio is using Toon Boom’s Harmony Solution to set up t...
Producer Simon to Develop B.C., Wizard of Id
March 04, 2010 – Animation producer Mark Simon has reached a deal with the estate of late comic strip creator Johnny Hart to develop, pitch and produce feature movies and TV series based on the strips B.C. a...
Xsens, Image Metrics Merge Mo-cap and Animation Technologies
March 04, 2010 – Xsens and Image Metrics have announced they are integrating their motion capture and facial animation technologies.
The move is intended to create a comprehensive system to allow video game and ...
Cable Systems Offer Oscar Shorts on Demand
March 03, 2010 – The Oscar-nominated short films are coming to cable.
Both the animated and live-action nominees will be made available starting March 3 for viewing on the Movies On Demand service on the Comcast...
Stiller and Taylor Guest Star on Phineas and Ferb
March 03, 2010 – Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have provided guest voices for an episode of Phineas and Ferb airing March 8 on Disney XD.
The husband-and-wife team appeared on the show because their ch...
Preschool Campaign Anchors Dora 10th Anniversary Plans
March 03, 2010 – It’s been 10 years since Dora the Explorer first aired, and Nickelodeon is celebrating the landmark anniversary with a new campaign that champions school readiness for preschoolers called “B...
Second Season of Iron Man: Armored Adventures Ordered
March 03, 2010 – Get ready for more Iron Man.
A second season of the Nicktoons hit series Iron Man: Armored Adventures has been ordered, to be produced by DQE, Marvel Animation and Method Animation.
Th...
Disney Offers Ptex on New Open-Source Site
March 03, 2010 – Walt Disney Animation Studios has created an open-technology web site, with the texture-mapping application Ptex being its first offering.
Ptex was developed by WDAS principal software engineer ...
Ponyo Leads Wave of Miyazaki Releases
March 02, 2010 – Fans of Hayao Miyazaki have plenty to be excited about this week with the release not just of his most-recent movie, Ponyo, but also special edition DVDs of three of his classic films.
Aardman Leads Nominations for British Animation Awards
March 02, 2010 – Aardman, Chapman and Secret of Kells have all earned nominations in the British Animation Awards, announced today.
Aardman lead the television category with four finalist positions: for B...
Finn & Jake Sets April 5 Premiere on Cartoon Network
March 02, 2010 – Cartoon Network has set the premiere of the original animated series Adventure Time with Finn & Jake for April 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Created by Pendleton Ward, the series follows the adventu...
Animators Join in CalArts CAP Program
March 02, 2010 – Henry Selick, director of the Oscar-nominated animated feature Coraline, will be among the animation ambassadors taking part in CalArts’ Community Arts Partnership’s 20th anniversary program...
Aardman’s Timmy Appears in Preschool Campaign
March 02, 2010 – The star of Aardman’s animated preschool series Timmy Time has become an ambassador for the Pre-school Learning Alliance, a British charity specializing in early-years education and child ca...
Cage, Reynolds to Star in Croods
March 02, 2010 – Nicolas Cage and Ryan Reynolds have signed on to provide voices for the DreamWorks Animation feature film The Croods.
Cage will play Crug, a caveman who has to keep his family safe after ...
VES Awards Honor Avatar, Up
March 01, 2010 – Avatar was the big winner at the eighth annual Visual Effects Society Awards, taking home six honors. Disney-Pixar’s Up was the top honoree for animated features, taking three awards....
Shrek IV to Debut at Tribeca Festival
March 01, 2010 – Shrek Forever After, the fourth and supposedly final installment in DreamWorks Animation’s flagship franchise, will premiere April 21 as the opening night film of the Tribeca Film Festival.
...
Kavaleer Short Wins Grand Prix at Ireland’s Digital Media Awards
March 01, 2010 – Ireland’s Digital Media Awards has given two awards, including its Grand Prix honor, to Kavaleer Productions’ short film Hasan Everywhere.
The awards are presented in 21 categories to pro...
Zagtoon and Gulli Move Ahead with Rosie
February 25, 2010 – Paris-based studio Zagtoon has announced a co-pro deal with France’s children’s channel Gulli and Cabler AB for the new 102-1 series Rosie. Created by Raymond author Romain Gadiou, the toon ...
Academy to Host Animated Feature Symposium
February 24, 2010 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will again host a look at this year’s animated feature Oscar nominees at a special event set for March 4.
The Animated Feature Symposium will be m...
FX Orders Second Season for Archer
February 24, 2010 – FX has renewed its new animated comedy series Archer for a second season.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s The Live Feed blog, the cable network has ordered 13 episodes for th...
Deal Expands Naruto Airings in Latin America
February 24, 2010 – VIZ Media has expanded its deal with Televideo Services to bring new seasons of the anime hit Naruto to viewers throughout Central and South America.
As part of the agreement, Season 3 of...
Comedy Central Debuts Ugly Americans March 17
February 24, 2010 – Ugly Americans are invading the airwaves of Comedy Central, starting March 17.
The half-hour animated horror-comedy series, which follows a social worker in charge of integrating such cre...
First Superman Comic Sells for $1 Million
February 24, 2010 – A copy of Action Comics #1, published in 1938 and featuring the first appearance of Superman, has sold for the record price of $1 million.
The copy of the historic comic is graded 8.0 out...
Justice League, $9.99 Cue Up on Home Video
February 23, 2010 – Whether you’re looking for answers to why we’re here on earth or what life would be like on another earth, this week’s animated home video releases have the answers.
For fans of fantasy and supe...
Laika Set to Tell Little White Lie
February 23, 2010 – Laika Entertainment, the company that produced the Oscar-nominated film Coraline, has hired Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava to write the animated feature film Little White Lie.
Accordi...
Fox Orders Pilot for Brickleberry
February 23, 2010 – The Fox network has ordered a pilot episode of the animated series pitch Brickleberry from comedians Waco O’Guin and Roger Black, according to Variety.
The pitch follows forest ran...
Shout! Factory Gets Super Hero Squad for DVD
February 23, 2010 – Marvel Entertainment has signed up Shout! Factory as the exclusive home entertainment distributor of its animated series Super Hero Squad Show.
The multi-year for the show, which airs on ...
Guess With Jess Debuts on Treehouse
February 23, 2010 – Guess with Jess, a new preschool series co-produced by Classic Media and Nelvana Studios, has debuted in a daily timeslot on Canada’s Treehouse channel.
The series, which launched in Nove...
Up, Kells, Simpsons Rack Up Awards
February 22, 2010 – It was a big weekend for awards, especially on the other side of the pond, where the Oscar-nominated films Up and Secret of Kells and TV perennial The Simpsons racked up animat...
CHINAnimax Signs Up Singapore for Rubi
February 22, 2010 – CHINAnimax has licensed its preschooler series Rubi to MediaCorp okto in Singapore.
CHINAnimax is the worldwide distributor for ZN Animation, one of China’s largest animation production companie...
Shutter Tops Weekend, but VFX, Animation Have Legs
February 22, 2010 – The Martin Scorsese-directed thriller Shutter Island lead the box office this weekend, grossing $40 million in domestic markets.
But the real story continues to be the strong performance ...
Lee, DiDio, Johns to Top DC Entertainment
February 19, 2010 – Warner Bros.’ DC Entertainment has promoted largely from within as new president Diane Nelson announces her management team for the newly reorganized comic book company.
In a statement released ...
Shutter Island Snaps Into Box Office Picture
February 19, 2010 – Martin Scorsese’s most recent film, Shutter Island, is the sold major movie release of the week.
The Paramount release, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley, open...
Atom.com Series to Air on Comedy Central, MTV2
February 19, 2010 – Online short film site Atom.com is expanding its presence on television.
Comedy Central has ordered a third season of the half-hour late-night series Atom TV, while its sister network MTV2 will ...
WotWots to Debut on Canada’s Treehouse
February 19, 2010 – The animated children’s series the WotWots is coming to Canada from New Zealand.
The series, created by Richard Taylor and Martin Bantyon, will debut Feb. 22 at 6:15 p.m. on Canada’s Tree...
Penguins Special Tops Holiday Ratings
February 19, 2010 – Nickelodeon’s President’s Day special The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge scored in the ratings as the top basic cable program with total viewers for the night.
The new epi...
Breakthrough Takes on GoGo’s Crazy Bones
February 18, 2010 – The popular collectible toy GoGo’s Crazy Bones is being developed for an animated TV series by Canada’s Breakthrough Films.
The property, owned by Spain’s Martomagic and PPI Worldwide Gro...
Animators Adapt Sendak’s Higglety Pigglety Pop! into Short
February 18, 2010 – The National Film Board of Canada, Warner Home Video and the producers of the Oscar-nominated animated short film Madame Tutli-Putli have produced a new short film adapting author Maurice Se...
3-D Beauty and the Beast Pushed Back to 2011
February 18, 2010 – The 3-D update of the animated Disney classic Beauty and the Beast has been pushed back to sometime in 2011.
Disney-Pixar animation chief John Lasseter told MTV that no date had been chos...
Animated Doodlebops Debut on CBC
February 18, 2010 – Cookie Jar Entertainment is bringing a long-running live-action hit to animation with the debut Sunday on Canada’s CBC of Doodebops Rockin’ Road Show.
The 26 x 30 min. series, a co-produc...
Flame Expert Beardall Joins Framestore
February 18, 2010 – Veteran Flame artist Mark Beardall has joined the commercials team at London-based visual effects house Framestore.
Beardall has more than 10 years experience as a senior Flame artist at various...
Halo Legends Storms Into Anime Anthology
February 16, 2010 – Games and animation collide in a major event for fans of both, as Warner Bros. releases this week the original anime anthology Halo Legends.
The Warner Bros. release ($19.98 DVD, $29.98 s...
Up, Avatar Chalk Up Editing, Art Direction Wins
February 16, 2010 – Up and Avatar continue to expand their collection of honors and awards trophies as Hollywood rolls on toward next month’s Academy Awards.
This weekend saw Up take the Americ...
Nick Taps Kevin James as Kids’ Choice Host
February 16, 2010 – Actor Kevin James will be the host of Nickelodeon’s 23rd annual Kids’ Choice Awards, set for March 27.
Best known for his starring turn on the TV comedy series The King of Queens and the ...
Sesame Street Teams With Aniboom for Annual Awards
February 16, 2010 – Aniboom is going to tell animators how to get their work to Sesame Street.
The maker of virtual animation studio software has teamed up with Sesame Workshop, the organization behind the s...
Studiocanal Teams Up with nWave
February 16, 2010 – Studiocanal has signed an exclusive, long-term deal to develop, co-finance and distribute nWave’s films in France, the United Kingdom and Germany, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Fra...
Adult Swim to Dive into Primetime in 2011
February 16, 2010 – Cartoon Network is planning to open the pool for its Adult Swim an hour earlier starting next year.
According to a report in Media Week, the Adult Swim block will expand to start at 9 p.m...
Valentine’s Day Conquers Wolfman, Olympians
February 15, 2010 – Beauty vanquished the beast at the box office this Valentine’s Day weekend.
The Warner Bros. comedy Valentine’s Day jumped to the head of the pack to earn an estimated $56.4 million in it...
Disney Teases Tangled to Facebook Fans
February 15, 2010 – Disney’s says its upcoming animated re-imagining of the classic tale Rapunzel will go by the title of Tangled.
Producer Roy Conli announced the title first to fans of Disney’s Facebook pa...
Pixar Executive Jumps to Twitter
February 15, 2010 – Pixar Animation Studios is losing its chief financial officer and senior VP of planning to Twitter.
The internet messaging company has hired Ali Rowghani away from the animation studio. He will ...
Olympians, Wolfman Out to Steal Box Office Hearts
February 12, 2010 – The youth-oriented fantasy film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Universal’s remake of its classic horror franchise in The Wolfman have stepped up as prime sui...
Hughes Bros. in Talks for Live-Action Akira
February 12, 2010 – Allen and Albert Hughes, who directed the recent hit Book of Eli, are in talks with Warner Bros. to helm a live-action version of the manga and anime classic Akira.
Created by Kats...
New Trailer Previews Toy Story 3 Plot, Characters
February 12, 2010 – A new trailer for Disney-Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story 3 has been released, filling in some details on the plot and new characters.
The new 2 ½ minute clip shows college-age Andy donating hi...
Ameba Launches Kids IPTV Portal
February 12, 2010 – Ameba, an IPTV company operating out of Winnipeg, Canada, has announced the launch of a children’s entertainment portal that will deliver hundreds of hours of ad-free programming to televisions thr...
Chorion Appoints Cipolla, Knepfer
February 12, 2010 – Chorion has appointed Steve Cipolla as executive VP of global licensing and sales, and Tamra Knepfer as executive VP of brand management and marketing.
Knepfer previously was senior VP of global...
Disney 1Q Profits Up 9 Percent
February 11, 2010 – The Walt Disney Co. reported a 9 percent increase in profits on a slight increase in earnings for its first fiscal quarter of 2010.
The report for the quarter, which ended Jan. 2, showed revenue...
Parent Company Shuts Down Imagi Animation
February 11, 2010 – Imagi International Holdings Inc. ceased Feb. 5 funding for and plans to liquidate its computer-animation operation.
The compan’s subsidiary, Imagi Animation Studios, hit hard times after its se...
Spider-Man in 3D, Stan Lee’s Super Seven and Batman Developments
February 11, 2010 – Superhero properties remain as hot as ever, as evidenced by a slew of new announcements for new features an animated projects.
• Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment has signed on with Andy Heyward’s A...
Deals and Sales for HIT, Poppy Cat, Strawberry Shortcake, Angelo Rules
February 11, 2010 – Sales and deals are coming fast and furious, with several key announcements this week that include the following:
• HIT Entertainment is developing two new animated series: For the Birds,...
Annecy Celebrate 50th Edition with YouTube Contest
February 11, 2010 – The Annecy Festival is celebrating its landmark 50th edition with a competition open to original animation content to be held on YouTube.
Entering the competition is simple: Create a short anima...
DreamWorks, NBC Team on Dragon-themed Olympics Promos
February 10, 2010 – DreamWorks Animation and NBC have teamed up for a promotional effort that will run during the upcoming Winter Olympics and spotlight the upcoming film How to Train Your Dragon.
The animat...
Fox Re-Signs Animation Vet Appel
February 10, 2010 – Rich Appel, executive producer and showrunner on The Cleveland Show and a veteran of Fox’s animated TV series, has signed a new three-year deal with 20th Century Fox TV, according to The ...
Atomic Cartoons Adds Producer Turner, Pixie Honor
February 10, 2010 – Atomic Cartoons, home to Pixie Platinum Award-winning director Tyler Schroeder, has added former Studio B producer Jamie Turner to its ranks.
Turner has more than 15 years of experience managing...
Kalish to Run Mudpit Series for Cookie Jar
February 10, 2010 – Veteran TV writer and producer Bruce Kalish has been hired as showrunner for Cookie Jar Entertainment’s upcoming animation-live action hybrid series Mudpit.
The series begins production o...
Big Idea, Entrenched Team for More VeggieTales
February 10, 2010 – Big Idea Entertainment, the studio behind such faith-based children’s programming as VeggieTales, has signed a multiproduction deal with animation studio Entrenched, Inc.
The two studios ...
Dante, Penguins Originals Get Disc Release
February 09, 2010 – Whether you prefer fire or ice, this week’s new original animated DVD releases deliver it all.
On the hot side is Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic (Anchor Bay Entertainment, $26.97 DVD, ...
Nick Promotes Poindexter, Magallanes
February 09, 2010 – Nickelodeon Animation has promoted executives Roland Poindexter and Rich Magallanes.
Poindexter will rise to the title of senior VP current series and will supervise production on all Nick’s cur...
Ka-chew! Signs Quakenbush and Trussell
February 09, 2010 – Commercial production company ka-chew! has added to its staff animation directors Corky Quakenbush and Joel Trussell.
Quakenbush has directed, produced and developed programs for just about ever...
China OKs Nick-branded Web Site
February 09, 2010 – MTV Networks China and CCTV.com have teamed up to launch an online destination in China featuring Nickelodeon-branded streaming video at Nick.CCTV.com.
According to Cynopsis Kids, the site will ...
Sardine, Teletoon Team Up for Tim
February 09, 2010 – Sardine Productions is developing a new animated series with the working title of Tim for Teletoon Canada.
The deal between the animation studio and the TV outlet calls for 52 11-minute e...
WIA Sets Bay Area Event for Feb. 25
February 09, 2010 – The Women in Animation Bay Area chapter has announced a meeting and networking event for Feb. 25.
The event will feature networking, pizza, games and a surprise screening.
The meeting is ope...
Dear John Unseats Avatar Atop Box Office
February 08, 2010 – After eight weeks as the No. 1 movie in America, Avatar finally slipped to the No. 2 slot this weekend.
The romantic drama Dear John was the film that finally dethroned the James C...
Stilton Sold in Six New Territories
February 08, 2010 – The broadcast rights to animated series Geronimo Stilton have been sold to TV outlets in Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Asia.
The series, a co-production of Atlantyca Entertainment a...
Portfolio Opens ‘In Toon With Tweens’ Contest
February 08, 2010 – Portfolio Entertainment has launched a new animation contest called “In Toon With Tweens,” offering top prizes totaling $10,000 in Canadian currency as part of an option and development deal.
Th...
Up, Prep and Landing Take Top Annies
February 07, 2010 – Up took the top prizes for animated feature at the 37th annual Annie Awards.
The Disney-Pixar movie won two awards — one for best picture and best director for Pete Docter — while the Dis...
Paris, Dear John Join Box Office Battle with Avatar
February 05, 2010 – Can Avatar, now the official all-time domestic and worldwide box office record holder, hold on to the crown for its eighth straight weekend?
Not if John Travolta has anything to say about...
Classic Media Distributes My Life Me
February 05, 2010 – Classic Media has bought international distribution rights to 52 11-minute episodes of My Life Me, a new animated series for tweens co-produced by CarpeDiem Film & TV in Canada and ODM in Fr...
Brothers Get Animated as Wild Kratts
February 05, 2010 – The Kratt Brothers and 9 Story Entertainment have announced the new animated series Wild Kratts, a 40 x 22 min. show for kids ages 6-9 that will air on PBS Kids Go!.
The series was create...
France Televisions, WB Extend Toon Pact
February 05, 2010 – France Televisions has renewed its exclusive agreement with Warner Bros. to broadcast the studio’s animation catalog both over the air and online.
The company airs the Warner series in a block t...
PorchLight Develops Agent A to Agent Z
February 05, 2010 – Agent A to Agent Z, a new animated series for kids 6-11 based on Andy Rash’s children’s book, is being developed at PorchLight Entertainment.
The series, created by Rash and Dan Yaccarino...
Page Oversees Hasbro Studios Production
February 04, 2010 – Animation veteran Kathy Page has joined Hasbro Studios, where she will oversee production for the new production company’s content.
Page previously was VP of animation at Sony Pictures Televisio...
Avatar Sails Past Titanic Amid Talk of Sequel, Acting Snubs
February 04, 2010 – As Avatar officially claims the domestic box office crown from Titanic, Fox is in talks with director James Cameron on a sequel.
The 3D sci-fi fantasy movie finally sailed past Cam...
Animax, Fresh, Cookie Jar Win Pixies
February 04, 2010 – Animax Entertainment, Fresh TV and Cookie Jar Entertainment have been honored by the Pixie Awards, which recognizes outstanding creativity in motion graphics, effects and animation.
Animax won P...
3D Opener, New Chomet Images Set for Cartoon Movie
February 04, 2010 – The next Cartoon Movie will feature new work from such animators as Triplets of Belleville director Sylvain Chomet and Waltz with Bashir’s Ari Folman.
The festival, set for March 3...
Henson Taps O’Brien for Children’s Entertainment Post
February 04, 2010 – Lisa O’Brien will oversee the development, production and promotion of projects in all media as the new executive director of children’s entertainment at the Jim Henson Co.
In addition to taking...
Longtime Hanna Barbera Writer Blitzer Dies
February 04, 2010 – Barry E. Blitzer, a veteran TV writer whose credits include extensive work for animation mainstay Hanna Barbera, died Jan. 27 from complications from abdominal surgery. He was 80.
Blitzer’s care...
Nick Draws Record Audience in January
February 03, 2010 – January was the most-watched month in the 30-year history of children’s cable network Nickelodeon.
According to Nielsen Media Research, between Dec. 28 and Jan. 31 Nickelodeon averaged 2.4 mill...
Trio Joins A Squared Executive Ranks
February 03, 2010 – A Squared Entertainment co-founders Andy Heyward and Amy Moynihan Heyward have recruited three executives to the company’s ranks.
Joining the company are Gregory Payne as COO and general counsel...
NickToons U.K. Buys Beyblade: Metal Fusion
February 03, 2010 – Nick U.K. has picked up the broadcast rights to 51 episodes of the Nelvana series Beyblade: Metal Fusion.
Nelvana co-produces the series with d-rights and it will begin airing as part of ...
Lionsgate, Crest Warm to Norm of the North
February 03, 2010 – Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios will make Norm of the North their next stereoscopic 3D animated feature.
The movie will be the second of three features the parties have agreed to produce, ...
Huntik Scores Global Sales for Season 2
February 03, 2010 – The second season of Huntik: Secrets & Seekers will be well traveled, with key markets in Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia picking up the series.
The deals for the 52 half-hour episodes...
Planet Hulk Arrives in Video Orbit
February 02, 2010 – The Hulk smashes his way back into original animation this week with the release of the original DVD feature Planet Hulk (Lionsgate, $19.98 DVD, $24.98 two-disc special edition DVD, $29.99 s...
Disney Starts on Jake and the Never Land Pirates
February 02, 2010 – Disney Television Animation is going back to Never Land, beginning production on the animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates.
The series will feature classic Peter Pan characters ...
Conchords’ Bobin to Direct Muppets Movie
February 02, 2010 – James Bobin has signed on to direct a new Muppets movie for Disney from a script co-written by How I Met Your Mother star Jason Segel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
B...
Previs Society Opens Web Portal, Application Process
February 02, 2010 – The Previsualization Society has officially opened its doors, unveiling a new online portal and formally accepting membership applications.
The nonprofit group has been formed to advance previs ...
Up Leads Toon Oscar Nominees; Kells Surprises
February 02, 2010 – It was a morning of expectations and surprises for animation at the Academy Awards nominations this morning, with front-runner Up earning a nomination for both Best Picture and Best Animated...
Avatar Wins Again; Princess Crosses $100 Million Mark
February 01, 2010 – Avatar did it again.
The new holder of the all-time world record for box office earnings took the domestic weekend prize for the seventh weekend in a row, taking in an estimated $30 milli...
Oscar-Nominated Shorts Get Feb. 19 Release
February 01, 2010 – This year’s Oscar-nominated animated and live-action short films will once again get a theatrical run from Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures starting Feb. 19.
This is the fifth year the...
Pearlie Scores Major Market Sales
February 01, 2010 – Animated series Pearlie is coming to several of the world’s major TV markets, including New Zealand and the United Kingdom under several new deals struck by Mango Distribution and Nelvana En...
Avatar Shoots for Seven; Panic Opens in L.A.
January 29, 2010 – Will weekend No. 7 be lucky enough for Avatar to hang onto its crown yet again?
Avatar enters the weekend having claimed the crown of the world’s highest-grossing movie of all time...
Spade Deals for Animated Joe Dirt
January 29, 2010 – TBS has struck a deal with actor David Spade to develop an animated version of the 2001 comedy feature Joe Dirt.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that the deal is for a pilot script, ...
Imagi Closes L.A. Studio
January 29, 2010 – Imagi Animation Studio’s Los Angeles office has closed, with the company laying off about 30 staffers who worked there.
A few key employees from the Sherman Oaks facility will continue to work f...
Bugs Bunny at the Symphony Debuts in Mid-2010
January 29, 2010 – That wascally wabbit is orchestrating a new live act.
Warner Bros. animation icon Bugs Bunny will be featured in a new concert event titled Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. The mix of animated...
Okun Re-Elected Chairman of VES
January 28, 2010 – Jeffrey Okun has been re-elected chairman of the board of directors for the Visual Effects Society.
Okun, whose credits include films from 1984’s The Last Starfighter through the recent r...
Seth MacFarlane to Host WGA’s West Coast Awards Show
January 28, 2010 – Family Guy creator an all-around animation mogul Seth MacFarlane will host the 2010 Writers Guild Awards’ West Coast ceremony.
“I’m honored and humbled to be chosen as host of the WGAW aw...
Lucas Reportedly Planning CG-Animated Musical
January 28, 2010 – Star Wars creator George Lucas is reportedly working on a CG-animated feature film that will feature fairy creatures, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While Lucasfilm told the ...
Kidvid Exec Carrington Leaves BBC for Turner
January 28, 2010 – Michael Carrington is leaving his post at BBC to oversee all original series, co-productions and acquisitions for Turner Broadcasting’s children’s channels in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle...
Technicolor Takes Full Control of Paprikaas
January 28, 2010 – Technicolor is now the sole owner of Bangalore-based animation studio Paprikaas and plans to expand the outfit’s business into visual effects, compression and authoring, according to Variety...
Avatar is King of the World
January 27, 2010 – It’s official: Avatar has passed Titanic to become the highest-grossing film in history.
The James Cameron film’s Monday gross of $3.2 million domestic and $17 million foreign fina...
Warner Pops for 3-D in Potter Finale
January 27, 2010 – The final, two-part installment in the Harry Potter movie series will be released in 3-D, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Warner Bros. has yet to make official its decision to...
Higgins to Manage Family Division at FremantleMedia
January 27, 2010 – Bob Higgins, former chief creative officer at Wildbrain, has been named senior VP of children’s and family entertainment for FremantleMedia Enterprises.
The company launched its children’s and f...
Sticky Pictures Merges with Buster Dandy
January 27, 2010 – Australian animation studio Sticky Pictures announced its merger with live action production company Buster Dandy.
The new company will operate under the Sticky Pictures name, with Donna Andrew...
Chorion Licenses Octonauts to Fisher-Price
January 27, 2010 – Chorion has awarded to preschool toymaker Fisher-Price the master toy license to its new animated series The Octonauts.
The deal, announced just prior to the opening of the Toy Fair trade...
Charlie Brown, Surrogates Come Home
January 26, 2010 – Coming to DVD this week for the first time is Peanuts: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Warner Bros. $19.98). This animated special first aired in 1985 and adapts the 1967 stage play of the...
Fictory Animating Atomic Robo Short Film
January 26, 2010 – The comic-book series Atomic Robo is being adapted into a short animated film by Pennsylvania-based Fictory.
The short film, titled Atomic Robo: Last Stop will be directed by Josep...
Toei Signs Latin American Deals for Dragon Ball, Digimon
January 26, 2010 – Toei Animation has completed at NATPE deals that will bring popular anime series Dragon Ball and Digimon to Latin America.
Chile’s Megavision TV picked up the broadcast rights to
Full Sail Adds Six to Hall of Fame
January 26, 2010 – Pixar Animation set modeling lead Kristifir Klein leads the list of six new inductees into the Full Sail University Hall of Fame.
Hundreds of candidates are considered for selection, and the in...
Moonscoop Sends Chloe’s Closet to France, Spain
January 26, 2010 – Moonscoop has scored broadcast deals in France and Spain for its prescool animated series Chloe’s Closet.
The deals will see the show appear on France Television, Disney Channel and Playh...
Aramaki Talks Halo Legends Episode
January 26, 2010 – Much like The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight before it, Halo Legends — due out Feb. 16 from Warner Home Video — will feature seven animated episodes set in the universe of...
Avatar Still Reigns, Passes Dark Knight
January 25, 2010 – Another weekend, another box-office victory for Avatar, passing The Dark Knight to become the No. 2 all-time domestic grossing movie.
The James Cameron film, released by Fox, gross...
Shatner to Host Annie Awards
January 25, 2010 – The Annie Awards are setting their phasers on stun, having tapped William Shatner to host its 37th annual awards ceremony.
Shatner is best known as the original Captain James T. Kirk from the
Up Takes PGA Toon Award
January 25, 2010 – The Disney-Pixar film Up added another notch to its awards belt by taking home the Producers Guild of America award for best animated feature.
Up beat out 9, Coraline...
Tooth Fairy, Legion Challenge Avatar
January 22, 2010 – Will laughter or screams finally topple Avatar?
That’s the question as the box office juggernaut faces a trio of newcomers all hoping to claim its title this weekend.
Up first is the ...
Toon Boom Cuts Software Prices
January 22, 2010 – Software maker Toon Boom Animation has cut the prices on its products to make them affordable to professional animators and students affected by the recession.
The main price changes relate to T...
Adult Swim Orders Two Seasons of Robot Chicken
January 22, 2010 – Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block and the producers of Robot Chicken have agreed on an order for two more seasons of the popular animated comedy series.
The deal with Robot Chicken
Up Leads Animated Pics for BAFTA Noms
January 22, 2010 – Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Up all made the cut as nominees the BAFTA Award for best animated feature, securing their status as awards season front-runners.
Up ea...
Auctions to Help Animator Pay for Son’s Care
January 22, 2010 – Animation and cartoon artwork is being auctioned off on eBay as a benefit to pay the medical related to an auto accident that injured Matthew Hodge, the teenage son of former Disney story artist an...
Kavaleer’s Garth & Bev Move to Cbeebies
January 22, 2010 – Dublin-based Kavaleer Productions’ new animated series Garth & Bev has been picked up by the BBC’s Cbeebies. A co-pro between Kavaleer and Canada’s Copernicus Studios, the toon will begin it...
New DVD Release Set for Bakugan Battle Brawlers
January 21, 2010 – The popular animated series Bakugan Battle Brawlers is coming to DVD on April 13, with more than 5 hours of content.
The two-disc set of the Cartoon Network hit series will feature the fi...
Fox Looking at American Take on Torchwood
January 21, 2010 – The Fox network is developing an American take on the British sci-fi hit series Torchwood, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The series, which spun off BBC’s popular Doctor W...
Webb to Spin Next Spider-Man Movie
January 21, 2010 – With Sam Raimi officially out, Columbia Pictures has tapped Marc Webb to direct the next film in the Spider-Man saga.
Webb directed the indie hit romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer, whi...
Neil Patrick Harris Stars in Penguins Special
January 21, 2010 – Neil Patrick Harris is set to guest star in a primetime special edition of DreamWorks Animation’s series The Penguins of Madagascar.
Harris will play Dr. Blowhole, a longtime nemesis of t...
DQE Chief Finalist for Business Award
January 21, 2010 – Tapaas Chakravarti, the chairman, managing director and CEO of animation company DQ Entertainment has been named a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in India.
The nomin...
Up Effects Earn Imagina Nomination
January 21, 2010 – The 3D animation and simulation event Imagina has nominated Up, Watchmen and Where the Wild Things Are for the best special effects honor in its annual awards.
The awards ho...
Avatar, Coraline Take Lead in VES Noms
January 20, 2010 – It was an eye-popping year for visual effects, a fact well reflected in multiple nominations for 3-D films in this year’s Visual Effects Society Awards.
Leading the nominations for the 8th annua...
Disney XD Unveils Kick Buttowski Premiere Schedule
January 20, 2010 – Disney XD will premiere its new animated series Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil with two episodes to air Saturday, Feb. 13.
The 2D animated series follows Clarence "Kick" Buttowski, an...
Little Airplane Academy Returns Feb. 13-15
January 20, 2010 – Little Airplane Productions will hold its next Little Airplane Academy on developing and selling preschool TV shows Feb. 13-15 in New York.
The three-day course for industry professionals and ne...
Thomas Tops Licensing Poll for 10th Year in a Row
January 20, 2010 – For the 10th consecutive year, HIT Entertainment’s Thomas & Friends has been ranked the No. 1 license for preschoolers in NPD EPoS Retail Tracking Services’ annual survey.
The franchise, ...
Uncharted 2 Leads GDC Awards Nominees
January 20, 2010 – Uncharted 2 earned a leading 10 nominations in the 10th annual Game Developers Choice Awards.
The awards, the leading peer-based video game industry awards, also gave five nominations to ...
Laff-a-Lympics Cross DVD Finish Line
January 19, 2010 – Fans of the Scooby Doobies, the Yogi Yahooeys and even the Really Rottens will be running, jumping and skating into video stores to score some vintage 1970s Saturday morning animation.
The relea...
Disney Legend Peregoy to Exhibit Private Works
January 19, 2010 – Animation artist Walt Peregoy, best known for an avant-guard style that earned him the title of a Disney Legend, will have 19 pieces featured in a February exhibition of his private works at The Ch...
DQE Sells Jungle Book Series in Israel
January 19, 2010 – India-based animation producer DQE has sold broadcast rights to its 52-episode CG animated series The Jungle Book to Noga Communications in Israel.
DQE execs say Noga is a good fit for th...
Pitt, Damon Sign On to Happy Feet 2
January 19, 2010 – Actors Brad Pitt and Matt Damon have agreed to provide voices for George Miller’s animated sequel Happy Feet 2, according to Movieline.
The duo joins the returning Miller, who directed th...
Discovery, Hasbro Name New Kids Channel The Hub
January 19, 2010 – The Hub is the name of the new children’s and family oriented network being created by Discovery and Hasbro to launch this fall.
The name and launch date were confirmed at the Television Critics...
Avatar Adds $43 Million More to Its Total
January 18, 2010 – Avatar again held on to its crown, topping the box office for the fifth consecutive weekend with an estimated three-day gross of $41.3 million.
That brings the James Cameron feature that ...
Up, Avatar Win Golden Globes
January 18, 2010 – CG animation was very much in vogue at the 67th Golden Globe Awards, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association giving top honors to the Disney-Pixar animated film Up and James Cameron’s
Stanton Starts Shooting John Carter for Disney
January 18, 2010 – Disney’s feature film adaptation John Carter of Mars, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs books and marking the live-action directing debut of Finding Nemo and WALL•E helmer Andr...
Eli, Chan and Bones Stack Up Against Avatar
January 15, 2010 – Three more films are lining up to enter the box office battle with James Cameron’s Avatar for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, as January proves to be anything but dull for new mo...
WGA Nominates Five Games for Writing Honor
January 15, 2010 – The Writers Guild of America has nominated five titles for its outstanding writing in a videogame award.
The nominees, chosen from a record field of submissions that more than doubled last year...
Meatballs Debuts Atop Trio of Home Video Charts
January 15, 2010 – Sony Pictures’ animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has soared to the top of the menu on three separate home entertainment charts, carrying over its success at the box office to the ho...
Disney Hires Bailey as Film Production Chief
January 15, 2010 – The Walt Disney Studios has hired Tron: Legacy producer Sean Bailey as its new president of film production.
Bailey will oversee all aspects of live-action development, film production an...
4Kids CEO Takes Pay Cut
January 15, 2010 – Al Kahn, the CEO of struggling children’s entertainment distributor 4Kids Entertainment, is taking a pay cut of 15 percent.
According to ICv2.com, Kahn’s cut brings his pay down to $765,000.
...
Lionsgate Leads Bidding for Terminator Rights
January 15, 2010 – Lionsgate has emerged as the frontrunner in bidding for the rights to the Terminator movie franchise, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The rights to the franchise were put up for sal...
Oscar Disqualifies Princess & Frog Score
January 14, 2010 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has disqualified Disney’s The Princess and the Frog from the Best Original Score Oscar race.
A statement released by the group states that ...
Reinseth Heads Development in Canada for Cookie Jar
January 14, 2010 – Cookie Jar Entertainment has hired Jillianne Reinseth for the job of vice president of development.
Reinseth will oversee development in Canada of all the company’s programming, including its te...
Italy’s JimJam Buys 200 Half Hours from Decode
January 14, 2010 – Decode Entertainment has sold nearly 200 half hours of preschool programming to Italian channel JimJam.
The deal includes all three seasons of Bo on the Go! and Poko and all season...
Topical Tobi! Debuts Abroad March 7
January 14, 2010 – Little Airplane Productions’ preschool series Tobi! will premiere March 7 on Nickelodeon Australia and Treehouse TV/Canada.
March 7 is UNICEF’s annual International Children’s Day of Bro...
Creator Reed, Actress Tyler Talk Archer
January 14, 2010 – Adam Reed has jumped from the Adult Swim ship to FX Networks, but the content will be reassuringly familiar in terms of humor to fans of his previous shows, Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2021
Columbia Reboots Spider-Man — Without Raimi, Maguire
January 13, 2010 – Columbia Pictures announced it is moving back the planned release of the next Spider-Man film after parting ways with director Sam Raimi over script issues and actor Tobey Maguire.
The ne...
Zoic Studios Adds Editorial Services
January 13, 2010 – Visual effects company Zoic Studios has opened a new division called Zoic Editorial that will provide editorial, creative and technical services for projects of all types.
The project is headed ...
Digital Domain Adds Four to New Vancouver Studio
January 13, 2010 – Digital Domain has named four visual effects veterans to the management team of its just-opened Vancouver facility.
The company has hired Troy Brooks as studio manager, Arin Finger as studio pro...
Actors in Talks for Zemeckis’ Yellow Submarine Remake
January 13, 2010 – Robert Zemeckis is close to finding his Fab Four.
Actors Cary Elwes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz and Adam Campbell are in talks to play the members of The Beatles in Zemeckis’ 3...
Nick Internship Ranks Among Nation’s 10 Best
January 13, 2010 – Nickelodeon Animation Studios has been named one of the 10 best internships for college students in the United States by Vault.com.
The website cited the studio’s offering of in-depth, ha...
Exodus Films Starts Animated TV Division
January 13, 2010 – Exodus Film Group has launched a new television animation division and appointed world-renowned illusionist and animation expert Nicholas Night to head it up.
Night, whose title will be VP of te...
Simpsons Jump to Season 20 for Blu-ray Set
January 12, 2010 – The Simpsons does a little time traveling as Fox’s first family of animation skips ahead and looks back with the release of The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season (Fox, $49.98 DV...
4Kids Taps Three Licensors for Asia
January 12, 2010 – 4Kids Entertainment has appointed new licensing agents for a number of its properties in Asia.
Among the deals announced by Roz Nowicki, executive VP of licensing and marketing for 4Kids:
• C...
Marvel Sues to Rebut Kirbys’ Copyright Claim
January 12, 2010 – Marvel Entertainment filed Friday a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate some 45 copyright termination notices filed in September by the heirs of comic book artist Jack Kirby.
Kirby was the artist w...
DQE Develops Animated Chaplin Shorts
January 12, 2010 – DQ Entertainment in India is developing a series of short, 3D-animated animated shorts based on the films and characters of silent film star Charlie Chaplin.
The project calls for 104 six-minute...
Green Lantern Gets Lively; Thor Loses Townsend
January 12, 2010 – Both Green Lantern and Thor are filling out their casts as they head toward production, with Blake Lively joining the cast of the former and Stuart Townsend exiting the latter and bei...
WGA Noms Include Avatar, Trek
January 12, 2010 – Sci-fi films seem to be making up for years in which the genre has largely been ignored, with Avatar and Star Trek scoring screenplay nominations from the Writers Guild of America.
...
Avatar Rules for Fourth Consecutive Weekend
January 11, 2010 – James Cameron’s Avatar continues to dominate the box office, topping the rankings for the fourth straight weekend.
The Fox release took in an estimated $48.5 million, making it the best f...
Gumby Creator Art Clokey Dies
January 11, 2010 – Art Clokey, who turned a small clay figurine named Gumby into a worldwide sensation, died Friday at his home in Los Osos, Calif., at the age of 88.
Clokey and his first wife, Ruth, created Gumby...
Academy Presents 15 Sci-Tech Awards
January 11, 2010 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is recognizing developments in 3D, motion capture and ambient occlusion rendering in announcing the awarding of 15 scientific and technical achieveme...
Daybreakers, Comedies Set to Take on Avatar
January 08, 2010 – A trio of new movies in different genres this week enter the battle for the box office crown against the 800-pound gorilla that is Avatar.
Opening this week are the Lionsgate horror film ...
Spider-Man 4 Delayed; Thor Claims Release Date
January 08, 2010 – Marvel is passing its release dates from Peter Parker to Thor and the residents of Asgard.
Sony has backed off its planned May 6, 2011, release date for Spider-Man 4. The delay is due to ...
Dolphin Director Schuldt Sets Up Verne Project
January 08, 2010 – Eduardo Schuldt, producer and director of The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer, has set up his next animated feature with Televix Enterterainment and Bliss under the joint banner Aronnax Films.
...
Jakks Pacific, Dentsu Team for Monsuno Series
January 08, 2010 – Toy maker Jakks Pacific has teamed up with leading Japanese animation producer Dentsu to produce an animated TV series based on the Monsuno property.
Monsuno, a boys action propert...
Last Chance for New Year’s Discount on Game Developers Conference
January 08, 2010 – The Game Developers Conference, the world’s largest professionals-only game industry event, is coming up fast — and time for taking advantage of money-saving early-registration deals is running out...
Secret of Kells, Summer Wars to Screen at N.Y. Children’s Fest
January 07, 2010 – Tomm Moore’s Annie-nominated The Secret of Kells, Czech stop-motion master Jiri Barta’s In the Attic and Shintuke Sato’s latest feature Oblivion Island are some of the top anim...
Oscars Set Seven for VFX Bakeoff
January 07, 2010 – The battle for the best visual effects Oscar is heating up, with seven films advancing to this year’s bakeoff competition.
The films in contention, reduced from a short list of 15 films, are:
...
Litton Leaves as Head of Nick U.K.
January 07, 2010 – Howard Litton is stepping down as senior VP and managing director of Nickelodeon U.K., ending a tenure of 15 years at the company.
Litton is leaving the company to pursue personal projects and n...
Disney Channel Schedules Chuggington for U.S. Debut
January 07, 2010 – Train-oriented British animation series Chuggington has scheduled its first stop in the United States, premiering Jan. 18 on Playhouse Disney.
The 26-episode series will air Tuesday to Fr...
FUNimation Picks Up FLCL Anime Set
January 07, 2010 – The hit original video anime series FLCL is crossing the Pacific, with Texas-based anime importer FUNimation picking up the rights to all six movies in the popular series for home entertainm...
Stereoscopic Monsters Sweetens Samsung’s 3D TV Push
January 07, 2010 – DreamWorks Animation is teaming up with Samsung and Technicolor to promote the rapid adoption of stereoscopic 3D televisions and Blu-ray players in the United States.
According to Variety...
Up Earns Pair of PGA Nominations
January 06, 2010 – Up scored twice at the Producers Guild of America awards, earning nominations for both best picture and best animated feature.
The animated feature category also includes usual suspects
Simpsons’ 450th Episode and Special Air Sunday
January 06, 2010 – Set the DVR, The Simpsons’ 20th anniversary celebration is set to peak Sunday with the airing of the series’ 450th episode followed by a new one-hour documentary on the show’s success.
Th...
ESPN, Discovery Plan 3D TV Nets
January 06, 2010 – By now audiences are used to donning the glasses for 3-D animated features at the movies — an experience Discovery and ESPN are going to try bringing into the home.
The two cable giants announce...
Revamped Disney Store Coming to Times Square
January 06, 2010 – Disney is bringing a small piece of its theme park magic to New York’s famous Times Square.
The company is currently transforming retail space in Times Square into what will be an interactive st...
Appliya, FUNimation Bring Anime Apps to iPhone
January 06, 2010 – Japanese iPhone app maker Appliya has struck a deal with American anime importer FUNimation to create iPhone and iPod Touch anime apps for fans in North America.
The first release under the deal...
Video Forecast: Cloudy, Mighty Mouse, Super Friends
January 05, 2010 – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony, $28.96 DVD, $34.95 special edition two-disc DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray and DVD) arrives as the week’s major release. The movie, whose success at the box off...
Disney Buys Stake in Stan Lee’s POW!
January 05, 2010 – In the public perception, Marvel and Stan Lee are one and the same. And now that Disney’s completed its merger with the comic-book company it’s also cutting a new deal with Lee and his POW! Enterta...
Ozone Releases 3rd Planet Game for iPhone
January 05, 2010 – Ozone Inc. is stepping into the iPhone game.
The Boston-based animation studio, best known for its Emmy-winning animated web series It’s Jerrytime!, has released the arcade shooter 3rd Planet...
National Critics Honor Mr. Fox Production Design
January 05, 2010 – The Hurt Locker dominated the year-end honors from the National Society of Film Critics, but the group still gave a nod to animation with an unusual nomination for Fantastic Mr. Fox.
...
Animated Gervais Debuts Feb. 19 on HBO
January 05, 2010 – He’s been the worst boss ever on The Office and a face in the on-set crowd in Extras, and now — right after hosting the Golden Globes ceremony — Ricky Gervais is getting animated.
...
Avatar Soars to the Top Worldwide
January 04, 2010 – Avatar easily held onto to its box office crown in the first weekend of the New Year, kicking off 2010 by carrying on the record-setting pace set last year.
The overall box office take wa...
Marvel Shareholders Approve Disney Merger
January 04, 2010 – Marvel and Disney made it official, as Marvel shareholders approved on Dec. 31 the details of the companies’ merger.
The deal means Marvel is now officially a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt...
Muppets, Nemo Added to National Film Registry
January 04, 2010 – Kermit the Frog and the early animation innovations of Winsor McCay have been added to the National Film Registry in the annual induction of 25 films identified by the Library of Congress as cultur...
Director, Writers on Board for Marvin the Martian
December 23, 2009 – Hang on to your Illudium Q-36 Space Modulators: Marvin the Martian is now several big steps closer to his own CGI-live action hybrid movie, with a director and writers coming on board to mak...
Def Leppard Plans Animated TV Series
December 23, 2009 – Fans always knew Def Leppard through “Love Bites,” but soon the world may know that they also think cartoons rock.
The British metal rock band is developing its own animated series as part of a...
Chorion Develops Beatrix Potter Animated Series
December 23, 2009 – Beatrix Potter’s children’s classic Peter Rabbit is set to star in a new animated series under a new deal struck between publisher Frederick Warne and Chorion.
The series will include Potter’s m...
Voice of Top Cat Arnold Stang Dies
December 23, 2009 – Actor Arnold Stang, whose memorable voice work as Top Cat on the 1960s animated series stands out amid a career that began in the 1940s, has died at the age of 91.
Stang, who died of pneu...
Goode Family Debuts Jan. 4 on Comedy Central
December 23, 2009 – The Goode Family, the follow-up series to Mike Judge’s classic King of the Hill, is set to make its Comedy Central debut Jan. 4.
And how well the series does on the cable network w...
Dark Side, District 9 Tempt DVD Shoppers
December 22, 2009 – Last minute gift givers can do a lot worse for any fan of animation than to pickup Family Guy’s new spoof of the classic Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back.
Famil...
Toy Story 3 to be Released in IMAX 3D
December 22, 2009 – Toy Story 3 will be coming to IMAX when it’s released next summer, getting a simultaneous 3-D release in the giant-screen format.
The movie will be digital remastered using IMAX technolog...
Number of Gaming Jobs Holds Steady
December 22, 2009 – The number of people working in the North American video game industry remained essentially flat compared with 2008, according to Game Developer Research’s third annual census.
The number rose b...
Wubbzy! Picked Up in Spain, Portugal
December 22, 2009 – Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is extending its run in Spain and Portugal.
In Spain, Playhouse Disney is picking up the second season of the show, which will begin airing in 2010. The channel has been...
Half-a-million iPhones Grab Wallace & Gromit Comics
December 22, 2009 – Titan Publishing’s Wallace & Gromit digital comic has recorded more than 500,000 downloads of its first free app for the iPhone in the United Kingdom.
The digital comic was released Nov....
Cameron’s Avatar Conquers the World
December 21, 2009 – James Cameron’s Avatar easily won the weekend box office crowd with a $77 million take, a number hampered somewhat by severe weather on the East Coast that curtailed movie going.
The ster...
Hill, Happy Feet Voice Actress Murphy Dies
December 21, 2009 – Britanny Murphy, an actress who provided voices for the animated series King of the Hill (Luanne Platter) and the Oscar-winning feature film Happy Feet (Gloria), died Sunday at the ag...
Bryan Singer Reunites with the X-Men
December 18, 2009 – Bryan Singer is returning to the X-Men franchise, confirming at the Hollywood premiere of Avatar that he has signed on to develop and direct X-Men: First Class.
The new film will l...
Alphanim’s Kerity Gets French Theatrical Release
December 18, 2009 – The French animation production and distribution company Alphanim has issued its second theatrical relase in France with the release of Kerity, la maison des contes (Eleanor’s Secret)...
Toon Boom Program Supports Pilot Production
December 18, 2009 – Software maker Toon Boom Animation has announced a new service called the Pilot Production Program that provides professional animators looking to create pilots with access to the company’s softwar...
Taylor Takes Over KnightTV
December 18, 2009 – Dale Taylor is taking on the job of president of KnightTV, a cable and satellite network aimed at kids and family programming.
The channel was recently acquired by Knightscove Media from Studio...
Panda Writers to Snack on Gil’s All Fright Diner
December 17, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation has hired Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris to adapt the novel Gil’s All Fright Diner for director Barry Sonenfeld.
The novel, written by A. Lee Martinez, features a vampir...
Four Frog Tunes Leap into Oscar Race
December 17, 2009 – Four songs from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog are among the 63 that have qualified for the Best Original Song Oscar race.
The four songs from the animated feature are: “Almost There...
MTV Revives Animation Division
December 17, 2009 – MTV has assigned senior VP of series Brent Haynes to run a new department for comedy and animation programming.
The network, which in the 1990s aired such prominent animated series as Beavis ...
Borrowers Adaptation Next for Studio Ghibli
December 17, 2009 – Studio Ghibli will be borrowing the classic book The Borrowers to be the basis for its next feature film.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi will direct Karigurashi no Arrietty (Arrietty Borr...
Nick Orders More SpongeBob Episodes
December 16, 2009 – SpongeBob SquarePants is about to enter his second decade in style, with Nickelodeon giving the green light to production on 26 new episodes of the popular seres.
Celebrating its tenth an...
O’Connor Takes Over DreamWorks’ Books
December 16, 2009 – Heather O’Connor has been promoted to the position of chief accounting officer of DreamWorks Animation, replacing Phil Cross who is stepping down.
O’Connor will take over the job in full in Febr...
Florin Leaves EA Publishing Post
December 16, 2009 – Gerhard Florin is leaving his post as executive VP of Western world publishing at video game giant Electronic Arts effective in March.
Florin is a 15-year veteran of the company and played a ke...
Autodesk Brings Smoke to the Mac
December 16, 2009 – Autodesk’s Smoke 2010 is coming to the Macintosh.
The new version of the finishing software is the first such product the company has made to run on the Mac platform and its newest version, Snow...
Simpsons Sweeps WGA TV Writing Category
December 15, 2009 – The Writers Guild of America has nominated five different episodes of the same program — The Simpsons — for its best writing for an animated TV series award.
The five nominated episodes,...
Mia and the Migoo wins 1st EFA Animated Feature Award
December 15, 2009 – Mia and the Migoo has won the inaugural Best Animated Feature Film honor at the European Film Awards.
The film, directed by Jacques-Remy Girerd, is a co-production between France (Folima...
Critics Admire Mr. Fox; AFI Likes Up, Coraline
December 15, 2009 – The two most-watched critics groups found common ground when it came to animated features in their annual year-end lists.
The New York Film Critics gave their best animated feature film honor t...
G-Force, Anime, Robot Chicken and Trek Come Home
December 15, 2009 – The rodent adventurers of G-Force invade home video this week, leading an anime-heavy week in the midst of the holiday shopping season.
One of the summer’s sleeper hits, G-Force (D...
Up On List of Broadcast Critics’s Best Picture Contenders
December 15, 2009 – Another awards-giving group has lifted Up into the rarefied air of this year’s top releases, with the Broadcast Film Critics Association nominating the Disney-Pixar animated feature for best...
Princess Earns B.O. Crown, Good Word of Mouth
December 14, 2009 – Disney’s return to traditional 2D animation yielded a solid but not spectacular opening weekend at the box office as The Princess and the Frog won the weekend with an estimated $25 million.
...
Oscar Advances 15 in VFX Race
December 14, 2009 – Fifteen films have advanced to the semifinals in the race for the Oscar for best visual effects.
The films still in the race are:
· Angels & Demons
· Avatar
· Coraline...
Princess and the Frog Opens Nationwide
December 11, 2009 – Having completed its limited, debutante run, Disney’s long-awaited return to 2D animation, The Princess and the Frog, is about to run wide.
The studio’s return to its fairy-tales and prin...
Murphy Locks Up Role of Rapunzel’s Jailer
December 11, 2009 – Actress Donna Murphy has signed to provide the voice to Mother Gothel, who imprisons the title character in Disney’s upcoming animated version of Rapunzel.
Murphy joins a cast that includ...
Nick Names Three to Diverse Writers Fellowship
December 11, 2009 – Three writers will join Nickelodeon’s Fellowship for Diverse Writers, a program that offers hands-on experience in writing both animated and live-action TV series.
The three additions are Jonath...
Bustanoby Heads New Mastersfx Digital Division
December 11, 2009 – MastersFX has named Andre Bustanoby the visual effects supervisor of its new digital division.
Known as a creator of practical character effects, creatures and monster effects, MastersFX plans ...
Italia 1 Picks Up Toot & Puddle Rights
December 11, 2009 – Mediaset’s Italia 1 has bought the broadcast TV rights to the animated preschool series Toot & Puddle.
Produced by Canada’s Mercury Filmworks in association with National Geographic Kids...
Court Takes Over Struggling TV-Loonland
December 10, 2009 – Unable to pay its debts, an insolvency court in Munich, Germany, has placed children’s entertainment company TV-Loonland AG in preliminary administration.
The move comes after shareholders twice...
Daly Rounds Out Yogi Bear Cast
December 10, 2009 – Andy Daly will play Mayor Brown in Warner Bros.’ new movie version of Yogi Bear.
The addition of Daly completes the cast for the film, which has begun shooting in New Zealand, Variety
Emergent Adds Evolver to Gamebryo Lightspeed
December 10, 2009 – Emergent Game Technologies has added support for Evolver’s web-based 3D character and modeling technology to its Gambryo Lightspeed video game development system.
Evolver’s web-based application...
MachStudio Sped Production of Playmobil Feature
December 10, 2009 – Animation studio Extra Large Technology used StudioGPU’s MachStudio Pro to streamline production on the original DVD feature Playmobil: The Secret of Pirate Island.
The 90-minute feature,...
TurboSquid Offers Mixamo-Certified Motions
December 10, 2009 – Online 3D marketplace TurboSquid is offering 3D models designed to work with the entire collection of motions from Mixamo as part of a new alliance between the two companies.
TurboSquid users ca...
Marvel Chief Maisel Steps Aside
December 09, 2009 – David Maisel will step down as chairman of Marvel Studios when the company’s acquisition by Disney is completed at the end of the month.
Maisel joined the studio in 2004 and was instrumental in ...
Williams, Wood Up for Happy Feet 2
December 09, 2009 – Actors Robin Williams and Elijah Wood are in talks to reprise their roles in a sequel to the Oscar-winning animated film Happy Feet.
The sequel will be written by and again directed by Ge...
Kochi to Head Toei’s Europe Office
December 09, 2009 – Ryuji Kochi has been named VP of Toei Animation’s Europe Office.
In the new job, announced by director of the company’s international department Kanji Kazahaya, Kochi will be charged with develo...
FUNimation to Distribute Guardians of Luna
December 09, 2009 – FUNimation has agreed to distribute the Cybergraphix Animation feature movie Guardians of Luna, currently in development.
The anime-style film’s staff includes writer Michael Reaves as st...
Won Il Sue Returns to Nexon as VP
December 09, 2009 – Former Nexon Corp. CEO Won Il Sue is returning to the company as VP of business development for Nexon America.
Sue will be charged with handling strategic partnerships and expanding game develop...
Potter’s Latest, Greatest Spells Come Home
December 08, 2009 – Harry Potter mania is invading the home video space once again, with the release of his most recent movie outing as well as new editions of his previous adventures
Up first is the summer smash
Jack Black Agrees to Produce Animated Pitch
December 08, 2009 – Jack Black has signed on to produce an untitled animated feature film that has been set up at Illumination Entertainment, according to Variety.
The film is set in the world of cryptozoolo...
Three NFB Shorts Head to Sundance
December 08, 2009 – Three short animated films from the National Film Board of Canada have landed on the docket of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, set for Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Utah.
The three films as describe...
Dragon’s Lair Comes to iPod Touch, iPhone
December 08, 2009 – Dragon’s Lair, the classic animated video game created by Don Bluth, has arrived in the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch.
The game features video transferred directly from the hi...
Animated Dictionary for Deaf Children Unveiled
December 08, 2009 – The Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf and marblemedia have launched the first children’s animated dictionary of American Sign Language, with the prototype now available online at www.aslphabet....
Blind Side Blitzes; Carol Still Strong
December 07, 2009 – It was a quiet weekend at the box office, most notable for a blitz by the football drama The Blind Side that landed it in the top spot and continued strong business for Disney’s A Christm...
Academy to Screen UPA Shorts in New York
December 07, 2009 – Eight classic animated short films produced by the famous UPA studios will screen Dec. 14 in New York as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Monday Night with Oscar series.
...
Fifteen Animated Films Qualify for Golden Globes
December 07, 2009 – The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced that fifteen movies have qualified for the Best Animated Feature category in the 67th annual Golden Globes Awards.
That means five films wil...
Box Office Sees Quiet Before Frog Storm
December 04, 2009 – It’s a quiet week for new animation and VFX films at the box office — something that will be rectified with next week’s wide release of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog.
The main opener...
NBR Honors Up, Mr. Fox Director Anderson
December 04, 2009 – The National Board of Review has named Disney-Pixar’s Up the best animated film of the year and gave a special awards to director Wes Anderson for Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The organizati...
DiCaprio Chills Out as Jack Frost in The Guardians
December 04, 2009 – Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to the voice cast of his first animated feature film, agreeing to voice the character Jack Frost in an upcoming DreamWorks Animation feature tentatively titled Th...
Disney Expands International TV Toon Production
December 04, 2009 – The Walt Disney Co. has announced plans to triple its investment in animation production for programs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, increasing its output from two to seven long-form series...
Germany’s KI.KA Buys ToddWorld, SamSam
December 04, 2009 – German broadcaster KI.KA has bought from Moonscoop the broadcast rights to the popular series ToddWorld and SamSam.
KI.KA will air in 2010 the second series of ToddWorld (78...
DreamWorks Taps THQ for Three Franchise Games
December 03, 2009 – THQ has signed a multi-year deal with DreamWorks Animation to be the exclusive maker of video games based on several of the studio’s top franchises.
The game developer had already had been worki...
ESRB Offers Ratings Info in iPhone App
December 03, 2009 – The Entertainment Software Ratings Board, which rates video games as a guide to parents, has developed a free iPhone app that provides instant access to ratings information.
The app was unveiled...
Xing Xing Adopts TACTIC System
December 03, 2009 – Chinese animation studio Xing Xing Digital Corp. has acquired Southpaw Technology’s TACTIC digital asset management system for use in production of all its animated shows, visual effects and featur...
Vicon’s Blade Makes Inroads at Game, VFX Studios
December 03, 2009 – A number of top gaming and visual effects companies have adopted Vicon’s Blade motion-capture processing software for the creation of 3-D animation.
Among the companies that have chosen Blade ar...
Kalangis to Head Up Originals at marblemedia
December 03, 2009 – Filmmaker and producer Johnny Kalangis has joined marblemedia as its creative director for the interactive division.
In the new role, Kalangis will oversee all of the company’s online projects, ...
Fox Orders Up Series of Bob’s Burgers
December 02, 2009 – Production is under way on Bob’s Burgers, a new half-hour Fox animated comedy series from Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive.
The series is about a man who runs a family restaurant with hi...
Cavanagh Cast as Ranger Smith for Yogi Bear
December 02, 2009 – Actor Tom Cavanagh has been cast as Ranger Smith in Warner Bros.’ live-action and CG-animation hybrid feature film version of Yogi Bear.
Cavanagh, best known for lead roles on the TV ser...
VCL Opens Santa Monica Studio
December 02, 2009 – Global visual-effects and animation company Visual Computing Labs is opening a new studio in Santa Monica that will be headed up by industry veterans Joel Hynek, Tricia Ashford and Treva Blue.
...
Total Drama Island Sets Two-Part Finale
December 02, 2009 – The popular animated reality series Total Drama Action reaches its climactic moment this month as the series’ finale pits the final two contestants, Beth and Duncan, against each other for t...
Coraline, Nick Jr. U.K. Top Children’s BAFTAs
December 02, 2009 – Henry Selick’s Coraline won the top honor for a feature film at the Children’s BAFTA Awards, while Nick Jr. U.K. won channel of the year and Lost and Found the animation honor.
Th...
Terminator, Night at the Museum Lead Video Charge
December 01, 2009 – Summer blockbusters continue to heat up the holiday season, with the arrival on DVD and Blu-ray of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Terminator Salvation.
Starring...
Mullewapp Wins Expotoons Feature Film Prize
December 01, 2009 – Mullewapp – Das gross Kinoabenteuer der Freunde, (The Friends' Big Movie Adventure) a German feature film directed by Tony Loeser won the top prize for a feature film at this year’s Expotoon...
McConaughey’s Rooster Tales Lands at Fox
December 01, 2009 – Fox is developing an animated TV series titled Rooster Tales, based on the life of actor Matthew McConaughey’s brother.
McConaughey will be an executive producer through is production com...
Gabriella Ferri Wins i Castelli Animati
December 01, 2009 – The feature film Life Without Gabriella Ferri won the grand prize at the 14th edition of the i Castelli Animati festival, which concluded Nov. 29 in Rome.
The full list of the festival’s ...
Desai Joins HIT as COO
December 01, 2009 – Sangeeta Desai has joined HIT Entertainment as the entertainment provider’s new chief operating officer.
In her new job, Desai will oversee business development, global brand management, consume...
Disney Leads Annies Race with 17 Nominations
December 01, 2009 – The nominations for the 37th annual Annie Awards have been announced, with Disney Animation Studios leading the way with a grand total of 17 nods, with eight nominations for The Princess and the...
Animation Magazine Habla Espanol at Expotoons
November 30, 2009 – Animation Magazine had long been a resource for animators and animation fans around the world and now, for the first time, has published a Spanish-language edition that had its debut at the ...
New Moon’s High Orbit Lifts Box Office
November 30, 2009 – The Twilight Saga: New Moon remained high in the sky over the Thanksgiving holiday, leading a strong overall box office performance.
New Moon grossed $66 million in the five-day fr...
Anima Adds Post Services to Gaturro
November 30, 2009 – Anima Studios in Mexico has signed on to co-produce the animated feature Gaturro, joining lead producer Illusion Studios of Argentina and Toonz Animation India.
Anima will carry out post...
Argentine Campanella to Direct Foosball Feature
November 30, 2009 – Juan Jose Campanella, the Argentine director of El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes), is preparing to direct the animated feature film Metegol (Foosball).
...
Mary and Max is Top Toon at Asia Pacific Screen Awards
November 30, 2009 – Adam Eliot’s stop-motion film Mary and Max won the Best Animated Feature award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The awards, presented last week in Eliot’s home nation of Australia, hono...
Shrek Forever After in 3-D May be Ogre's Final Movie
November 30, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation announced it will wrap up its signature movie franchise with Shrek Forever After, which will be the first film in the series made in 3-D
USA Today also reports...
Fox Goes Wide, Frog Gets Early Peek For Thanksgiving
November 25, 2009 – Animation is on the menu this Thanksgiving as Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox goes into wide release Nov. 25.
The Fox movie, which has been playing for a couple of weeks on a quartet of ...
Trailer Teases Family Guy’s Spoof of Empire Strikes Back
November 25, 2009 – The Star Wars saga continues … Quahog style!
A new extended trailer has been released to promote the Dec. 22 home video release of Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side...
Lightcap to Lead Disney Channels Worldwide
November 25, 2009 – Disney Channels Worldwide has a new president: Carolina Lightcap.
A veteran of the industry with more than 20 years’ experience, Lightcap previously held the dual role of senior VP programming a...
Dutch Telescreen Taking Conni Worldwide
November 25, 2009 – Dutch Telescreen has acquired worldwide distribution rights from German production company youngfilms for the animated series Conni.
The series, which runs as either 26 12-minute or 52 si...
Santa Intervention Wins Fox-Aniboom Contest
November 25, 2009 – Jay Malone’s animated short Santa Intervention won this year’s Fox-Aniboom Holiday Animation Challenge, earning the Los Angeles animator a $15,000 prize and a development deal.
Malone’s s...
Superman TAS Collected in New DVD Box Set
November 24, 2009 – If you would prefer to stuff yourself full of cartoons than turkey this week, then you’d better be in the mood for adventure.
Superman: The Complete Animated Series (Warner Bros., $53.82)...
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Feature Set for February
November 24, 2009 – The most powerful heroes in the DC Comics universe are going to do battle with their alternate selves in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, an original DC Universe animated feature due ou...
Starz Toronto Secures Funding from Royal Bank of Canada
November 24, 2009 – Starz Animation of Toronto has secured $12 million in multiyear financing from the Royal Bank of Canada.
The studio, which animated the upcoming CBS holiday special Yes, Virginia, structu...
Endemol Acquires Tiger Aspect
November 24, 2009 – Endemol has acquired from IMG the independent production outfit Tiger Aspect Productions.
The details of the deal were not revealed.
Tiger Aspect is based in the U.K. with offices in New Yor...
Moujaes Heads Up Original Entertainment for FUNimation
November 24, 2009 – Animation veteran Chris Moujaes has joined FUNimation Entertainment as director of original entertainment.
Moujaes comes to FUNimation from the post of president and chief creative officer at Bo...
Image Metrics Animates Faces for Assassin's Creed II
November 24, 2009 – Image Metrics provided facial animation for many of the cut scenes in the current hit video game Assassin’s Creed II, developed by Ubisoft Montreal. The game was the first collaboration betw...
New Moon Shines Brightly With $140 Million Opening
November 23, 2009 – The Twilight Saga: New Moon rose to record heights in its opening weekend, grossing $140 million — good enough for the third-best all-time opening weekend behind leader The Dark Knight
Group Animation Short Debuts in Theaters, iTunes
November 23, 2009 – Live Music, a short CG-animated film created by Facebook users, debuted simultaneously this weekend in theaters and in Apple’s iTunes Store.
The short film is playing in theaters in fron...
Chapman Assembles Toon All Stars for BBC Charity Video
November 23, 2009 – More than 100 animation all-stars — from Bob the Builder and Ben 10 to Scooby-Doo and Pudsey Bear — are currently appearing in the annual BBC Children in Need video single produced by Chapman Enter...
Shaun the Sheep DVD Sales Soar as New Series Debuts
November 23, 2009 – Its may not be an American production, but the makers of Shaun the Sheep have plenty to be thankful for this week, having sold more than 2 million home entertainment units worldwide and premiering ...
Autodesk Connects Artists via 11th Annual 3December Events
November 23, 2009 – Autodesk will celebrate the creation of 3D computer graphics with its 11th annual 3December event, which runs from Dec. 1-10. The event will include both live and virtual events and is co-sponsored...
Planet 51, New Moon Vie for Box Office Stardom
November 20, 2009 – It’s vampires versus aliens as studios make their big push to stuff moviegoers into their seats for a pre-Thanksgiving cinematic snack.
Sony Pictures Animation represents the alien faction with ...
Littleloud Animates Doctor Who
November 20, 2009 – That icon of British sci-fi TV Doctor Who is getting animated in a new 3D animated series created by Littleloud.
The six-part series of six-minute segments stars David Tennant and will pr...
Uncharted 2, Batman Top Spike Video Game Awards
November 20, 2009 – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Batman: Arkham Asylum each received seven nominations, followed closely by six each for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 i...
Cookie Jar Reaches into South Korea
November 20, 2009 – Cookie Jar Group is opening an office in South Korea and naming C.J. Lee as VP of distribution.
Lee will focus on development and production opportunities for the company in South Korea and Asia...
Jarmies to Premiere on JimJam
November 20, 2009 – Jarmies, a new preschool animated series from HIT Entertainment and Chello Zone, is set to premiere Jan. 4 on global outlet JimJam.
The series will premiere on JimJam’s Sky Italia feed, f...
Four to Voice Owls in Guardians of Ga’hoole
November 20, 2009 – Zack Snyder has cast Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham to voice the lead roles in the 3D animated feature Guardians of Ga’hoole.
According to The Hollywood Report...
Potter’s Radcliffe to Guest on Simpsons
November 19, 2009 – The boy wizard is coming to Springfield.
Daniel Radcliffe, who has played Harry Potter in all the feature film adaptations of the classic books, will voice a character on next year’s Tree...
Mudbox Ported to Linux for DreamWorks, Imageworks
November 19, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks are integrating Autodesk Mudbox, a digital sculpting and texture painting application, into their Linux production pipelines.
Designed by profes...
Intravartolo Heads to Prime Focus
November 19, 2009 – Mark Intravartolo has been joined Prime Focus as creative director for North America.
He will be charged with expanding the company’s services, team and clientn bases in television visual effect...
New Warner Archive Toons Includes Yogi’s First Christmas
November 19, 2009 – A quartet of long-lost animated classics are coming to DVD for the first time as part of the Warner Archive Collection.
The releases include Yogi’s First Christmas, an animated special st...
Animation Expo Invades Burbank This Weekend
November 19, 2009 – The Creative Talent Network’s Animation Expo is coming this weekend to the Burbank Convention Center and Animation Magazine will be there to celebrate!
The event begins Friday with a VIP ...
Five Animated Films to Vie for Golden Globe
November 18, 2009 – The Golden Globes will nominate five films for its Best Animated Feature award this year, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association voting last week to up the number of nominees from three.
T...
Connery, Bassey Reunite; Corddry in Two Toons
November 18, 2009 – Shirley Bassey and Sean Connery are teaming up again for an animated feature, while actor Nick Corddry has signed on to a pair of toon projects, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Basse...
Well Go, Toei Plan Second Digimon Data Squad DVD Set
November 18, 2009 – Toei Animation has gone back to Well Go USA, signing a deal for the company to distribute in the United States and Canada a second DVD collection of the animated series Digimon Data Squad.
...
Screenings to Celebrate Mr. Magoo Holiday Special Book
November 18, 2009 – The animated holiday classic Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol will get a rare screening at a pair of events celebrating the release of a new book on its making.
The special events will be ...
Call of Duty Sequel Has $310 Million Debut
November 18, 2009 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 appeared well on its way to challenging for the title of the biggest entertainment debut in history, selling a record estimated 4.7 million copies and earning ...
Abrams’ Star Trek Set to Boldly Beam Into Your Home
November 17, 2009 – The future comes home this week, which will go down as an important one in the lives of Trekkers everywhere.
This week sees the release of J.J. Abrams’ hit revamp of the classic sci-fi series in...
My Little Pony On Track for New Series
November 17, 2009 – Hasbro Studios is betting big on My Little Pony, putting the classic toy property on the fast track for development as a TV series.
If it goes to series, My Little Pony would beco...
Fans to Animate DC Universe Online on Facebook
November 17, 2009 – Sony Online Entertainment and Mass Animation are teaming up for a new contest in which users will use a Facebook application to animate characters from the upcoming DC Universe Online massive multi...
Press Named Exec Producer at Zoic
November 17, 2009 – Visual effects and production company Zoic Studios has hired veteran VFX producer Erik Press as an executive producer.
Press previously was executive producer of CBS Digital, producing effects f...
Nickelodeon Animation Festival Announces Winners
November 17, 2009 – Four animated short films have been chosen as the winners of the Nickelodeon Animation Festival 2009.
Bianca Beneduci Assad’s Popped won the Grand Jury Award, which was selected by celebr...
Adult Swim Offers Custom DVDs On Demand
November 17, 2009 – Cartoon Network Enterprises has unveiled a custom DVD-on-demand programs that lets users create fully customizable discs featuring their choice of some 100 episodes from the network’s Adult Swim se...
Fox Opens Small, but Strong; 2012 Rides Huge Wave
November 16, 2009 – Mr. Fox proved he’s fantastic, even as Roland Emmerich’s most recent disaster movie was anything but a wipeout at this weekend’s box office.
Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox opene...
Marvel Makes D’Esposito Co-President
November 16, 2009 – Marvel Studios has promoted Louis D’Esposito to the post of co-president.
D’Esposito moves up from the post of president of physical production, where he oversaw budgets and timelines for the st...
Boomerang to Revisit Classic Thanksgiving
November 16, 2009 – Cartoon Network’s sister channel Boomerang will air commercial free on Thanksgiving the classic Hanna-Barbera animated special The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn’t.
The 30-minute special p...
Out of Hand Festival Honors Students’ Art
November 16, 2009 – Two students won the top prizes for digital content created for portable devices at the inaugural Out of Hand International Festival.
The festival, hosted by New York’s School of Visual Arts in ...
Duckling Short Wins BAFTA Scotland Honor
November 16, 2009 – The animated short The Happy Duckling won the Best Animation Award from BAFTA Scotland.
The nine-minute short about a reluctant boy who is followed by a happy duck, was written and direc...
Emmerich Travels to World’s End in 2012
November 13, 2009 – Sony has high hopes that big crowds will show up to watch the end of the world.
The studio is opening its disaster thriller 2012 in more than 3,400 cinemas. The Roland Emmerich film stars...
Ed, Edd ’n Eddy Movie Wraps Show with Big Ratings
November 13, 2009 – It took more than a year to play in the United States after first playing abroad, but the American premiere of Ed, Edd ’n Eddy’s Big Picture Show was a ratings hit for Cartoon Network.
Th...
VES to Give Cameron Lifetime Achievement Honor
November 13, 2009 – The Visual Effects Society will honor director James Cameron with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its 8th annual VES Awards Ceremony.
The award will honor Cameron for his vision and dedication...
Berkowitz Wins WGA Animation Writing Award
November 13, 2009 – The Writers Guild of America, West Animation Writers Caucus presented tonight the 12th annual Animation Writing Award to Stan Berkowitz at the group’s annual award ceremony in Los Angeles.
The a...
Syfy Orders Homemade Astronauts Series
November 13, 2009 – Syfy has ordered five episodes of Outer Space Astronauts, a series that combines live-action and 3-D animation.
Created by and starring Russell Barrett as Captain Bruce Ripley, the series...
Disney Promotes Chapek in Executive Shuffle
November 12, 2009 – The Walt Disney Studios continues to reorganize its management, promoting Bob Chapek to oversee distribution.
Chapek was previously in charge of the studio’s home entertainment division, and wil...
Cloudy Digital Release Angers Theater Owners
November 12, 2009 – Sony’s plans to release Dec. 8 its animated feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs on digital platforms available on certain internet-enabled TVs and Blu-ray players has upset theater own...
Burton, Timm, Katzenberg to Receive McCay Awards
November 11, 2009 – ASIFA-Hollywood will present its 2009 Winsor McCay Awards for career achievement in animation to Tim Burton, Bruce Timm and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The awards, named for the pioneering animation an...
Kells Gets Academy Run, Spring U.S. Release
November 11, 2009 – The Secret of Kells, a European animated feature that has racked up prestigious honors at film festivals all over the world, has secured a U.S. distributor and plans a one-week run to qualif...
Cartoon Network Boutiques Open in Toys R Us Stores
November 11, 2009 – Animated series Ben 10: Alien Force, Bakugan and The Secret Saturdays will be featured prominently in a dedicated Cartoon Network boutique this month in every Toys R Us store.
...
Disney Distribution Chief Zoradi Resigns
November 11, 2009 – Mark Zoradi has resigned as president of the Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Group, the latest in a series of longtime studio executives to leave the studio in recent months.
Zoradi, who had ...
Raksis Named New LAIKA CFO
November 11, 2009 – Gary Raksis, former head of strategic planning and corporate finance for DreamWorks Animation, has joined LAIKA as chief financial officer.
Raksis will be in charge of business operations and ex...
20 Films Submitted for Oscars; 5 Noms Likely
November 11, 2009 – Twenty films have been submitted for consideration as the best animated feature film in this year’s Academy Awards, making it likely that five films will be nominated in the category for only the s...
Up Arises on DVD, Blu-ray
November 10, 2009 – Up rises to the top of this week’s animation releases arriving this week on DVD and Blu-ray.
The acclaimed Pixar-Disney film (Disney-Pixar, $29.99 DVD, $39.99 Deluxe Edition DVD, $45.99 B...
Simon Mowbray Settles Down at Ntropic
November 10, 2009 – Visual-effects house Ntropic has hired former Radium co-founder Simon Mowbray as creative director and visual effects supervisor.
Mowbray’s resume includes positions at Softimage, Discreet Logic...
Wallace & Gromit Comics on iPhone
November 10, 2009 – Wallace & Gromit are coming to the iPhone as the stars of new comic strip adventures from Titan Publishing.
The duo star in four comic stories — “The W-Files,” “Parts & Labour,” “Big in J...
DreamWorks Counsel Kendrick Departing
November 10, 2009 – Katherine Kendrick will leave her job as general counsel for DreamWorks Animation when her contract with the studio expires at the end of the year.
Kendrick has been with DreamWorks Animation fr...
Banderas Lines Up Behind Goleor
November 10, 2009 – Spanish animated feature film Goleor, the Scale and the Sword has entered pre-production with actor Antonio Banderas on board to cast and direct the voice actors, as well as provide a voice ...
Euro Producers Head to Latin America for Cartoon Connection
November 10, 2009 – The organizers of Cartoon Connection aim to bring together the Latin American and European animation industries to establish new relationships at the first staging of the event Nov. 25-27 in Buenos...
Christmas Carol Captures Weekend Crown
November 09, 2009 – The holidays arrived early at the box office, as Disney’s A Christmas Carol handily beat out a trio of newcomers to top the weekend charts.
The stereoscopic 3-D film, which director Rober...
Aykroyd, Farris, Timberlake Eyeing Yogi Bear
November 09, 2009 – Warner Bros.’ live action and CG animation hybrid feature adaptation of Yogi Bear is picking up cast members more quickly than pic-a-nic baskets.
The studio is reportedly in talks with Da...
Hasbro Taps TV Vet Samuels as Executive Producer
November 09, 2009 – Former CBS and NBC executive Kathy Samuels is joining Hasbro Studios as executive producer.
Samuels’ previous job was senior VP at CBS Television Distribution Group, where she oversaw the develo...
Heathcliff Movie Makers Secure Development Fund
November 09, 2009 – Magic Lantern Entertainment has acquired $10 million in development funds for its movie slate, which includes a blended media/CGI animated project called Bad Kitty that is based on the comic...
Fox Brings Peru’s Dolphin to North America
November 09, 2009 – Fox has bought the North American distribution rights to The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer, a Peruvian CGI-animated feature film.
The film was released in Peru in October and set a record f...
Phase 4 Catches Missing Lynx
November 09, 2009 – Phase 4 Films has picked up North American distribution rights to The Missing Lynx: Paws on the Run.
The Spanish toon, co-produced and voiced by actor Antonio Banderas and directed by Rau...
Euro Producers Head to Latin America for Cartoon Connection
November 09, 2009 – The organizers of Cartoon Connection aim to bring together the Latin American and European animation industries to establish new relationships at the first staging of the event Nov. 25-27 in Buenos...
Zemeckis’ Carol Kicks Off Holiday Movie Season
November 06, 2009 – The holiday movie season kicks off with a motion-captured bang this weekend, with the wide opening of Disney’s A Christmas Carol.
The stereoscopic 3-D film, directed by Robert Zemeckis an...
Galifianakis Eyes Role in Puss in Boots
November 06, 2009 – Hangover star Zach Galifianakis is in talks to voice Humpty Dumpty in DreamWorks Animation’s planned Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
...
Kadokawa Talk to Kick Off Animation Asia Conference
November 06, 2009 – The CEO of Kadokawa Group Holdings will kick off the Animation Asia Conference with a keynote address titled “Bringing Japan’s Content to the World — Think Globally, Act Locally.”
Tsuguhiko Kado...
Kids BAFTA Noms Have CelAction 2D in Common
November 06, 2009 – The preschool animation nominees for the 2009 Children’s BAFTAs are as different as can be content wise, but all were made using the CelAction2D animation software.
The nominees for the award ar...
Exclusive Look at Nick’s Fanboy and Chum Chum
November 05, 2009 – Being a superhero isn’t easy, but it sure is funny.
It’s also a chance for animators to bring together the polish of CG and the classic squash and stretch style of classic animation in the new N...
Walden Plans Berenstain Bears Movie
November 05, 2009 – Classic children’s book characters The Berenstain Bears are coming to the big screen in a live-action/CG hybrid movie.
Walden Media has acquired the rights to the characters, with Nigh...
Owen Wilson to Voice Marmaduke
November 05, 2009 – Actor Owen Wilson has signed on to voice the canine star in Marmaduke, a live-action and CG animation hybrid adaptation of the long-running comic panel.
According to The Hollywood Repo...
Toon Boom Releases Flip Boom All-Star for Teens
November 05, 2009 – Toon Boom Animation is helping animation revisit its youths, with the release of Flip Boom All-Star — an easy-to-use software application for teens.
The software makes it easy to create moving i...
Cookie Jar Launches Jaroo.com Video Site
November 05, 2009 – Cookie Jar Entertainment has launched an online video site for kids called Jaroo.com.
The site offers free, full-length episodes of popular children’s shows and movies. It’s kicked off with more...
Comic-Con Founder Shel Dorf Dies
November 05, 2009 – Shel Dorf, a major figure in founding and organizing the annual San Diego Comic-Con, died Nov. 3 at the age of 76.
A lifelong fan of comic strips, comic books and their creators, Dorf befriended...
Exclusive! Progressions from Pixar’s Up
November 04, 2009 – Disney-Pixar’s Up was one of this year’s best reviewed and biggest hits — animated or otherwise.
And with the film due out on DVD and Blu-ray next week after a stellar run in theaters, w...
Look Under the Hood of Christmas Carol’s 3-D Thrill Ride
November 04, 2009 – Robert Zemeckis’ most recent motion-capture holiday spectacular, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, arrives in theaters this weekend.
Released in both Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, we offer a b...
Lindsay-Abaire Writes Guardians for DreamWorks
November 04, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation has chosen David Lindsay-Abaire to adapt The Guardians, William Joyce’s upcoming series of children’s books, into a feature film.
Lindsay-Abaire wrote the book and ly...
Avery to Manage DreamWorks Franchises
November 04, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation is bringing back veteran home video executive Kelley Avery to fill the new post of worldwide head of franchise strategy and development.
Avery will be responsible for develo...
Lynx May Increase Oscar Noms; Martin and Baldwin to Host
November 04, 2009 – The handing out of awards is still months away, but Oscar watching is in full swing with new potential for five films to be nominated for best animated feature and the announcement of this year’s h...
Gamble Rolls to Disney TV Animation
November 03, 2009 – Kevin Gamble is joining Disney Television Animation as its vice president of development.
Gamble will oversee development of new animated shorts and series for children, tweens and families on D...
Imageworks, Foundry to Share Technology
November 03, 2009 – Sony Pictures Imageworks and software makers The Foundry have teamed up to share their visual effects and digital production technology.
The deal gives The Foundry access to Katana, Sony’s 2-D/3...
ATF Looks to ‘Rise with Asia’
November 03, 2009 – The 10th anniversary edition of Asia Television Forum is taking on the theme “Rise with Asia,” and looking to reflect the region’s growing importance in financing, production, sourcing and marketin...
Tying Your Own Shoes Wins Leipzig Doc Honor
November 03, 2009 – Tying Your Own Shoes, an animated film directed by Shira Avni and produced by the National Film Board of Canada, won the Golden Dove Award for short film at the Leipzig Festival of Documenta...
Clone Wars, G.I. Joe, Superheroes Storm DVD Shelves
November 03, 2009 – It’s an animation invasion on home video this week, with clones, joes, superheroes and more arriving on DVD and Blu-ray.
Up first is Star Wars: The Clone Wars—The Complete Season One (War...
Jackson a Monster Hit at Box Office
November 02, 2009 – To no one’s surprise, the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It dominated the weekend box office, taking in $21.3 million from Friday to Sunday and bringing its five-day total to $32.5 mill...
Fox Orders Season 6 of American Dad!
November 02, 2009 – The Fox network has ordered a sixth season of American Dad!, the animated comedy series co-created by Family Guy guru Seth MacFarlane.
The show, which will reach its milestone 100t...
Sherlock Holmes Steps in to Sponsor Family Guy Special
November 02, 2009 – Warner Bros. has stepped in to fill the void left by Microsoft’s decision to drop its exclusive sponsorship of the Fox TV special Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show...
Roger Rabbit Writers Developing Sequel
November 02, 2009 – The original writers of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? are back on the job, developing a script for a sequel to the classic 1988 mix of live-action and animation.
Robert Zemeckis, who directed ...
Disney Puts Fish Hooks into Production
November 02, 2009 – Disney Television Animation has begun production on a new animated comedy series titled Fish Hooks for Disney Channel.
The new series, about three aquatic friends who live in a fish tank,...
Oscar Animated Feature Entries Due Nov. 2
November 02, 2009 – Animated features films have until 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, to submit their entry forms and supporting materials to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration in the Best Anima...
Clone Wars, G.I. Joe, Superheroes Storm DVD Shelves
November 02, 2009 – It’s an animation invasion on home video this week, with clones, joes, superheroes and more arriving on DVD and Blu-ray.
Up first is Star Wars: The Clone Wars—The Complete Season One (War...
Cookie Jar Catches McGowan for VP post
October 30, 2009 – Cookie Jar Entertainment has hired industry veteran Jim McGowan as senior VP digital content and distribution.
McGowan comes to the job from his own consulting company, where he negotiated licen...
Evolutions Opens Boutique Shop Called Earth
October 30, 2009 – U.K. post-production house Evolutions has opened Earth, a boutique digital studio that will offer services in the commercials, design, promotions and visual effects spheres.
Earth will be headed...
CBS to Air Animated Yes, Virginia Special
October 30, 2009 – CBS will once again affirmatively answer the question of “Is there a Santa Claus?” with a new animated special titled Yes, Virginia, set to air Dec. 11.
Based on the true story of 8-year-...
Framelight Options Chi-Chian for Movie
October 30, 2009 – Framelight has optioned the cult comic series Chi-Chian for an animated feature film.
Jeffrey Erb and Robert Robinson Jr. will produce the movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter
New Trailer for Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
October 30, 2009 – A new trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland feature has been released, offering a glimpse at such characters as the Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Red Queen and Johnny D...
Comedy Central Does Goode, Circles Sit Down
October 29, 2009 – Cable network Comedy Central has picked up rerun rights to all 13 episodes of Mike Judge’s animated series The Goode Family.
The network also is in talks with Fox for the same rights to a...
Shrek Musical to DVD; No Sequel for Monsters
October 29, 2009 – Shrek: The Musical is closing its Broadway run sooner than expected, but will live on in DVD release, while Monsters vs. Aliens’ hopes for a theatrical sequel have been quashed once a...
VES Awards Seek Student Submissions
October 29, 2009 – Submissions are now open for the Visual Effects Society’s second annual Student Award, which is sponsored by Autodesk.
The award is open to visual effects created for a student project at an ac...
Bell TV Adds Francophone Teletoon Retro
October 29, 2009 – Some classic cartoons are brushing up on their French, as Canada’s Teletoon Retro expands its audience as a new offering of the Bell TV systems.
The move brings the number of subscribers to the ...
9 Story’s Almost Naked Animals, Wibbly Pig Land Abroad
October 29, 2009 – Toronto-based studio 9 Story Entertainment has secured broadcast deals with top global broadcasters for its animated series Almost Naked Animals and Wibbly Pig.
Almost Naked Ani...
Rare Walt Disney Letter Up for Auction
October 29, 2009 – A rare 1935 letter Walt Disney wrote on studio letterhead to a man in Minnesota is up for auction and expected to sell for between $3,500 and $5,000.
The letter, in which Disney informs the reci...
Foothill Signs Gododo Partners at MIPCOM
October 28, 2009 – Foothill Entertainment teamed up with Neptuno Films and Title Entertainment to co-produce the original animated series Gododo.
The companies reached the agreement at MIPCOM 2009.
G...
Microsoft Pulls Out of Family Guy Special
October 28, 2009 – Software giant Microsoft has pulled out as the exclusive sponsor of an upcoming Family Guy variety special on Fox, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The special, titled Family Guy...
Comedy Central Takes White’s Hounds
October 28, 2009 – Comedian Ron White’s animated project Hounds has found a home at Comedy Central.
Described in The Hollywood Reporter as a “blue-collar Southern neo-gothic comedy,” White will serve...
Monsters Floats DreamWorks Profits
October 28, 2009 – An unexpectedly strong performance from Monsters vs. Aliens brightened up the third quarter results for DreamWorks Animation.
DVD sales of the film helped the company post a $19.6 million...
Astro Boy Sets Opening Record in China
October 28, 2009 – Imagi Studios’ Astro Boy has set a box office record for the biggest opening by a CG-animated movie in China.
The film earned 40 million renminbi — the equivalent of US$5.9 million — topp...
Tinker Bell Named U.N. Ambassador of Green
October 28, 2009 – Tinker Bell, the beloved pixie from Walt Disney’s Peter Pan and her own line of animated DVD movies, has received a unique honor for a cartoon by becoming a United Nations Honorary Ambassado...
Ice Age, Tinker Bell Cast Cool Home Video Spell
October 27, 2009 – Autumn is definitely working its magic on the home video shelves, delivering this week a double dose of magic and frosty coolness.
Leading the pack is the most-recent original animated DVD featu...
WB Circles Pitch for Peacock Pic
October 27, 2009 – Warner Bros. is looking to get back into animated features.
The studio is in talks to pick up an untitled pitch for an animated feature about a peacock from writers Austin Winsberg and Heath Cor...
Life’s a Zoo Wins Animated Gemini
October 27, 2009 – Life’s a Zoo won the Best Animated Series honor at the Gemini Awards, given out for excellence in Canadian television.
The stop-motion series, about a group of animals that try to plot a...
Pixar Shorts Come To ABC Family
October 27, 2009 – ABC Family will broadcast a two-hour presentation of Pixar’s short films as part of its holiday celebration.
The block of shorts is set to premiere Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. and again at 9 p.m., with enc...
TV-Loonland CEO Steps Down
October 27, 2009 – Simon Flamank will be leaving his post as CEO of TV-Loonland for the job of COO/CFO of Handmade PLC.
“The last three and a half years have been both the most rewarding and also the most diffic...
Tinker Bell Named U.N. Ambassador of Green
October 27, 2009 – Tinker Bell, the beloved pixie from Walt Disney’s Peter Pan and her own line of animated DVD movies, has received a unique honor for a cartoon be becoming a United Nations Honorary Ambassador of Gr...
Marvel, Aniboom Pick Motion Comics Finalists
October 26, 2009 – Aniboom and Marvel have chosen five finalists in the companies’ motion comics contest, a competition for which more than 10 hours of original motion comics material was submitted in a six-week peri...
Astro Opens in 6th; Paranormal Shoots to Top
October 25, 2009 – Astro Boy launched into low orbit in a weekend of unusual box office results that saw the cult film Paranormal Activity peak in the top spot.
Summit Entertainment’s release of Imag...
HandMade Films Buys Animation Collective
October 25, 2009 – British company HandMade Films has cut a deal to acquire American content provider Animation Collective for $12 million.
HandMade also has partnered with National Geographic, with both companies...
Method Brings Back Little Prince
October 25, 2009 – The Little Prince is coming back to TV, with Method Animation announcing plans for CG-animated series based on the popular children’s books with a budget of $27.5 million, according to Va...
Hathaway, Harris, Santoro Headed to Rio
October 25, 2009 – Actors Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris and Rodrigo Santoro are all in talks to lend their voices to Rio, an animated feature directed by Carlos Saldanha at Blue Sky Studios and Fox, accor...
Kenyan Co-Production Lands CBeebies Slot
October 25, 2009 – Kenyan company Homeboyz has made a breakthrough for African animation as Tinga Tinga Tales, the TV series it co-produced with U.K.’s Tiger Aspect, is set to debut on CBeebies this spring, ac...
The Little Robot That Could
October 25, 2009 – Die-hard fans are hoping that Astro Boy, Imagi’s new CG-animated adaptation of Tezuka’s beloved manga, will be as electrifying as the original property and TV series.
It’s been alm...
Astro Boy Ready for Takeoff
October 23, 2009 – Astro Boy finally bursts onto movie screens this weekend, taking part in an epic box office battle against vampires, serial killers, the world’s most famous female pilot and another 3-D vers...
VES Awards Open for Submissions
October 23, 2009 – Submissions are now open in 24 categories for the 8th annual Visual Effects Society Awards.
Deadline for submissions is Nov. 30, and the awards this year will be open for the first time to stere...
Imagineer Rohde To Speak at SIGGRAPH Asia
October 23, 2009 – Joe Rohde of Walt Disney Imagineering has been added as a special speaker at SIGGRAPH Asia 2009, set for Dec. 16-19.
Rohde, executive designer and senior VP of Walt Disney Imagineering is set to...
Orange Peels Toei Titles for VOD
October 23, 2009 – Popular anime series Captain Harlock and Ken the Great Bear Fist (also known as Fist of the North Star) are coming to video on demand and mobile video on demand in French terri...
Mia, Kells, Niko Nominated for EFA Honor
October 23, 2009 – Three films will vie for the best animated feature honor at the European Film Academy’s annual awards show.
The nominated films are:
• Mia and the Migoo, an ecologically themed, 2D-an...
Lasseter Gets PGA Award
October 22, 2009 – The Producers Guild of America has awarded John Lasseter, the chief creative officer for Pixar and Disney Animation, the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures.
Lasseter is the f...
Nick Buys Global Rights to Ninja Turtles
October 22, 2009 – Nickelodeon has bought the global rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment for a price of about $60 million.
Nick immediately announced pla...
Zucker Signs on to Z Animation
October 22, 2009 – Director Orrin Zucker has signed on with Z Animation, an independent commercial animation and design company.
Zucker is best known as the co-creator – along with his brother, Jerry Zucker – of t...
LaMB Takes Golden Bell For Best Animation
October 22, 2009 – Animax’s original animation project LaMB has won the Golden Bell Award — Taiwan’s equivalent of an Emmy Award — for Best Animation Program.
The judging panel commended LaMB for be...
Universal Distributing Geronimo Stilton DVDs in Europe
October 22, 2009 – Universal Studios International Entertainment has won the rights to release hit animated series Geronimo Stilton on DVD in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Benelux.
The deal calls for ...
Cookie Jar Joins Harlem Globetrotters for Licensing, New TV
October 20, 2009 – The Harlem Globetrotters got one giant step closer to returning to TV animation by signing on with Cookie Jar Group for a global licensing and entertainment deal.
Under the deal, Cookie Jar Ente...
Canada’s NFB Launches iPhone App
October 20, 2009 – The National Film Board of Canada is calling all iPhone-equipped animation fans with a new application for the popular mobile device.
The mobile application is available now and allows free, ful...
ImageMovers Lines Up Behind Airman
October 20, 2009 – Gil Kenan, director of Monster House, is signed on to Airman, a $150 million motion-capture fantasy film from Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers banner.
The film is based on a book by Eo...
YTV Picks Up Full Season of Pretty Cure
October 20, 2009 – Canada’s YTV has bought 23 more episodes of Toei Animation’s Pretty Cure, completing the first season of the show.
The first 26 episodes of the popular anime series for children debuted o...
Aardman Gets on Tweak’s RV
October 20, 2009 – Aardman Animations has integrated Tweak Software’s RV image and sequence viewing application into its Linux-based CG animation pipeline.
The Oscar-winning studio has been using the software sinc...
Audiences Flock to Where the Wild Things Are
October 19, 2009 – Wild things were the in things this weekend, with Spike Jonze’s version of Where the Wild Things Are topping the box office.
The adaptation of the beloved children’s book by Maurice Senda...
Contest Lets Fan Design Simpsons Character
October 19, 2009 – The Simpsons is giving one lucky fan the chance to create a character for an upcoming episode of the show.
The contest is now open and will run through 11:59 p.m. EDT (8:59 p.m. PDT) on O...
Animation Veterans Form Bento Box
October 19, 2009 – Veteran animation executives Scott Greenberg, Joel Kuwahara and Mark McJimsey have struck out on their own to form the new production company Bento Box Entertainment.
The company’s founders brin...
Neil Patrick Harris Sings Along with the Brave and the Bold
October 19, 2009 – Having attempted to take over the world with song once before in Dr. Horrible’s Sing A Long Blog, Neil Patrick Harris is bringing Broadway to Gotham City for an all-musical episode of Bat...
Nick Goes All Out for “Shriek Week”
October 19, 2009 – New episodes of The Troop, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Penguins of Madagascar all are set to help Nickelodeon celebrate Halloween as part of the channel’s “Shriek Week.”
S...
Transformers Change Into DVD, Blu-ray Discs
October 19, 2009 – Fans of the robots in disguise will be morphing into couch potatoes this week, thanks to a pair of amazing new Transformers releases.
Up first is the summer blockbuster Transformers: R...
Bay Area WIA to Discuss ‘Self-Branding’
October 19, 2009 – The Bay Area chapter of Women in Animation will meet to discuss “self branding” Thursday at the Art Institute of California-San Francisco.
The meeting begins with a networking session at 6:30 p....
SIGGRAPH Asia Names Computer Animation Fest Winners
October 19, 2009 – Lindsey Olivares’ short Anchored won best of show and Digic Pictures’ Assassin’s Creed 2 won the best technical award at the SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 Computer Animation Festival.
“While ...
Studio B To Make Round 2 of Kid vs. Kat
October 19, 2009 – Vancouver-based Studio B Productions has been commissioned to produce a second season of Kid vs. Kat.
Studio B, a DHX Media Co., will produce 52 11-minute episodes, which also can air as ...
Fox Orders Full Second Season of Cleveland
October 15, 2009 – Pleased with the show’s ratings since its premiere only three weeks ago, Fox has picked up a full second-season order of The Cleveland Show.
The show, which was spun off of Fox’s hit F...
Animation Work Key Part of MoMA’s Burton Exhibition
October 15, 2009 – Tim Burton’s animation work will be a major element of the upcoming Film Benefit gala benefit and exhibition honoring the filmmaker at New York’s famed Museum of Modern Art.
The exhibition, whic...
Prime Focus Adds Welch to Executive Suite
October 15, 2009 – Prime Focus has hired veteran entertainment industry executive O.D. Welch as its COO for North America, assigning him responsibility for the company’s post-production and visual effects units.
...
Chorion Hooks Simon & Schuster U.K. on Octonauts
October 15, 2009 – Simon & Schuster U.K. has struck a licensing deal with Chorion to publish a full line of tie-in books based on the preschool animated series The Octonauts.
The publisher’s rights cover th...
Chaotic Products Set for France, Israel
October 15, 2009 – A pair of deals forged by 4Kids Entertainment and Chaotic USA will bring the Chaotic trading-card game and TV series to broad lines of licensed products in France and Israel.
The deal in ...
Wild Things Adaptation Pounces At Last
October 15, 2009 – The long-awaited movie adaptation of the classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are roars into theaters as the weekend’s widest opener.
The long-awaited movie — based on the book b...
Fox Eyes More Toons from Hill, Goodman
October 15, 2009 – Fox has its eyes on developing even more animated series, looking at several new projects including one from actor Jonah Hill and signing Family Guy executive producer David Goodman to a two...
CASPER Formed to Scare Up Euro Toons
October 15, 2009 – A trio of European organizations have funded a new initiative called CASPER aimed at spurring the creation of new pilots for animated series.
CASPER, which stands for Creative Animated Series Pi...
Hasbro Studios Hires Steiner, Licht
October 15, 2009 – Hasbro Studios continues to fill its executive ranks, naming to new positions Linda Steiner and Lisa Licht.
Steiner comes to the post of head of girls and preschool programming most recently fro...
USC Legal Conference to Examine Animation Opportunities
October 15, 2009 – Where to find the newest opportunities in animation will be the focus of a presentation at the USC Gould School of Law and Beverly Hills Bar Association’s 2009 Institute on Entertainment Law and Bu...
Fox Developing Bagge’s Bradleys
October 13, 2009 – Fox has ordered an animated pilot based on the independent comic book The Bradleys from creator Peter Bagge.
According to the comic’s publisher Fantagraphics, Fox has asked Bagge for a sc...
Schaal, Clark Join Toy Story 3 Cast
October 13, 2009 – Lee Unkrich, director of Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3, has announced the casting of Kristen Schaal and Blake Clark in the film, as well as an extension of the theatrical run of the 3-D version...
Prep and Landing Arrives Dec. 1 on ABC
October 13, 2009 – The Walt Disney Animation Studios’ new half-hour animated holiday special, Lanny and Wayne the Christmas Elves in Prep & Landing, is set to air Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
The special tel...
Tech, Animation Giants Converge in Italy for VIEW
October 13, 2009 – VIEW, Italy’s renowned computer conference on digital convergency, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with presentations from the likes of Pixar, Electronic Arts, Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Pi...
Stars Play Truth or Dare for SpongeBob’s Anniversary
October 13, 2009 – Nickelodeon’s yearlong celebration of the 10th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants will culminate Nov. 6 with the premiere of a one-hour special event titled “Truth or Dare.”
The special...
Digital Domain Sets Florida Expansion
October 13, 2009 – Digital Domain is expanding once again.
Having recently announced its new visual effects facility in Vancouver, the company also is planning a digital production studio in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
...
Couples Rules, But Toys, Meatballs Hold Up Well
October 12, 2009 – Animated features continued to hold up well against neurotic couples and zombies at the box office this weekend.
Sony’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs closed in on the $100 million mar...
Warner Bros. Animation Fills Out Executive Roster
October 12, 2009 – Three executives are taking on new top-level positions in Warner Bros. Animation, completing a revamp of its management team.
Peter Girardi is the studio’s new senior VP of series and alternativ...
Marge Simpson Covers Playboy
October 12, 2009 – Marge Simpson is out to prove she’s animation’s sexiest mom — by appearing nude on the cover of Playboy.
The Simpsons matriarch also will appear nude in a three-page pictorial inside the Novembe...
Harveys Honor All-Star Superman, Umbrella Academy, Kirby Bio
October 12, 2009 – All-Star Superman, Umbrella Academy and Kirby: King of Comics were among the multiple winners of this year’s Harvey Awards, presented this past weekend at the Baltimore Comic-C...
Sid the Science Kid to Explain Vaccinations on Oct. 26
October 12, 2009 – Science-based preschool series Sid the Science Kid will explain the germs, viruses, vaccines and how to stay healthy during flu season in a special episode to air Oct. 26.
Produced by The...
Looney Tunes, Chases, Christmas and Classics on Home Video
October 12, 2009 – It’s a week of cartoon classics and holiday releases for animation on home video.
From the classics side is Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection, Vol. 7 (Warner Bros., $26.99) and Tom an...
Moonscoop Co-Production Starts On DaVincibles
October 12, 2009 – Moonscoop is set to begin production on 52 11-minute episodes of a new high-definition Flash-animated children’s comedy series called The DaVincibles.
The series was co-created and will b...
100-Plus Animated Films Offered at AFM
October 12, 2009 – The American Film Market returns to Santa Monica Nov. 4-11, with more than a hundred animated features available to film buyers.
The schedule for the event includes screenings of 445 films in 27...
Animation Asia Conference Sets Program, Speakers
October 12, 2009 – The Animation Asia Conference has announced its program, speaker lineup and themes, as the one-day conference in Singapore focuses on “Globalization of Asia’s Soft Power.”
The event, held Nov. 2...
Five Animated Films Vie for Asia Pacific Screen Award
October 12, 2009 – Five films have been nominated for the best animated feature film honor in the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Winners of the award, which bills itself as the region’s highest accolade in film,...
New Toy Story 3 Trailer Comes Out to Play
October 12, 2009 – It may feel like fall out there, so it’s natural for most of us to start thinking about next summer! To help get you in the mood, why not check out the brand-spanking-new trailer for Toy Story 3...
Screening, Panel Celebrate Iron Giant’s 10th Anniversary
October 08, 2009 – ASIFA-Hollywood will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the classic animated feature film The Iron Giant with a screening and reunion panel Oct. 23.
Scheduled to attend the ...
Pocoyo Comes to U.S. in Spanish, English
October 08, 2009 – BAFTA-winning animated series Pocoyo is brushing up on its languages, as a trio of deals will bring the show to the United States in English and Spanish.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment ...
Telescreen Series Score at MIPCOM
October 08, 2009 – Dutch company Telescreen has scored deals at MIPCOM for its animated children’s series Frog & Friends, Miffy, Moomin and Dibo the Giftdragon.
Frog & Friends ha...
Anime Studio Adds Facebook, YouTube Tools
October 08, 2009 – Upgrades to Smith Micro Software’s Anime Studio Debut and Anime Studio Pro allow animators to share their work on such popular web sites as Facebook and YouTube.
The upgrades also include versio...
Gaumont, DQ Team Up for Galactik Football
October 08, 2009 – French animation company Gaumont-Alphanim has signed a co-production deal with India’s DQ Entertainment, a studio that works on animation, gaming and live action projects.
The deal kicks off wit...
Giftventure Signs Ben 10 and Bakugan for Puzzles
October 08, 2009 – Giftventure, a company that makes personalized treasure hunt puzzles, has licensed the Bakugan and Ben 10 Alien Force properties from Cartoon Network Enterprises.
The company will ...
Malaysian Feature Headhunters of Borneo Announced
October 08, 2009 – Malaysian satcaster Jia Yu has teamed up with Centraline Animation to begin pre-production on the companies’ first animated feature movie, Headhunters of Borneo.
The 70-minute movie will ...
French Studio Plans Krostons Features
October 08, 2009 – A trio of ugly and malicious Belgian comic book creatures is set to star in a CG/live action 3-D hybrid movie called The Krostons in 3-D.
The film is being made by France’s Le Studio d’Im...
Five New Series Arrive on qubo
October 08, 2009 – Multiplatform entertainment outlet qubo has announced five new animated series for children to begin this fall.
The programs will air on both the Spanish and English versions of qubo Channel, a...
Coraline Director Selick Moves on From Laika
October 06, 2009 – Stop-motion animator Henry Selick is leaving his position at Portland-based studio Laika.
Selick joined the studio in 2004 as supervising director. He wrote and directed the studio’s hit 3-D fe...
Cookie Jar Takes on Varsity Merchandise, Entertainment
October 06, 2009 – Look for cheerleading to get a lot more animated under a new deal between Varsity and Cookie Jar Entertainment.
Under a just-announced strategic licensing partnership, Cookie Jar will develop bo...
Digital Domain Opens Vancouver Post
October 06, 2009 – Digital Domain is opening a new visual effects facility in Vancouver, Canada.
The Oscar-winning facility has appointed veteran production executive Gloria Borders to the post of president of fea...
Nick Makes Second Season Appointment With Glenn Martin, DDS
October 06, 2009 – Nickelodeon has place a 20-episode order for a second season of the stop-motion animated comedy Glenn Martin, DDS.
Produced by former Disney chief Michael Eisner’s Tornante Animation, Ni...
Zoic Hosts 3-D Salon Oct. 7
October 06, 2009 – Zoic Studios will host Oct. 7 at its Culver City studios an in-depth salon discussion of stereoscopic imaging.
Zoic VFX supervisor Leslie Ekker will host the discussion with Franklin Londin, a ...
Disney Debuts Diamond Dwarfs
October 05, 2009 – The first-ever animated feature comes home in high definition for the first time this week as Disney releases Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition (Disney, $39.99 Blu-ray and DVD...
Ross Named Chairman of Disney Studios
October 05, 2009 – Rich Ross has been named chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, taking over the job from Dick Cook, who left the studio abruptly last month following a string of box office disappointments that earne...
HIT Gets MIPCOM Hip to Hippo’s House
October 05, 2009 – HIT Entertainment unveiled Hippo’s House, its most recent children’s property, at MIPCOM as part of its ongoing development slate.
Created by Tattiemoon and planned for 52 10-minute CG-an...
Fremantle Corp., Strict Machine Bite into Fang Force
October 05, 2009 – Fremantle Corp. and Strict Machine announce their all-new animated co-production Fang Force at MIPCOM.
The Canadian-U.K. co-production is about a family of vampires that take on missions ...
Zombieland Eats up Meatballs, Toys
October 04, 2009 – The walking dead of Zombieland may have taken the weekend box office gold medal, but 3-D animated features took the silver and bronze.
Zombieland lead the weekend by a comfortable ...
Spore Grows into Blue Sky Feature Film
October 04, 2009 – Video-game giant Electronic Arts is teaming up with Fox, Blue Sky Studios and director Chris Wedge for a computer-animated feature adaptation of Will Wright’s Spore.
Wedge, who directed p...
Wallace & Gromit’s Invention Sells Down Under
October 04, 2009 – ABC Australia is the most recent broadcaster to sign on for Aardman Animations' new series Wallace & Gromit Present A World of Invention.
The broadcaster has pre-bought all six 29-minute ...
Springfield Comes to Cannes for MIPCOM Simpsons Bash
October 04, 2009 – The Simpsons are taking over MIPCOM to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic animated television series.
The celebration, put together by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribut...
HIT Honors Licensees With Pingu Awards
October 04, 2009 – HIT Entertainment honored its licensees with the third annual U.K. Pingu Awards at the Brand Licensing Europe show in London.
The awards, given by HIT to recognize its licensing and retail partn...
Report: Canada, U.S., France Tops in Animation Output
October 04, 2009 – A new report on global animation output ranks Canada, the United States and France as the most prolific animation nations.
The report, titled The Global Animation Industry and put together by a...
Robot Chicken Crew Pitches Primetime Show to Fox
October 01, 2009 – The producers of Robot Chicken and the just-premiered Titan Maximum are set to pitch an animated primetime project to Fox.
The network has ordered a presentation and script from St...
Thomas Pulls into Movie Town
October 01, 2009 – Popular preschooler series Thomas & Friends is on track for a feature film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
HIT Entertainment, which makes the TV version of the property, has...
Breakthrough, TELETOON Team for Crash Canyon
October 01, 2009 – TELETOON Canada, the nation’s all-animation cable channel, has commissioned Breakthrough Entertainment to produce a new primetime family comedy called Crash Canyon.
The channel has ordere...
Studio Ghibli Announces Bamboo Cutter
October 01, 2009 – Acclaimed anime maker Studio Ghibli’s next film will be Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), an adaptation of the classic Japanese fairy tale to be directed by Isao Ta...
CBeebies Expands Timmy Time Order
October 01, 2009 – CBeebies has asked for more of Aardman Animations’ preschooler series Timmy Time.
The U.K. channel has ordered 26 new 10-minute episodes on top of the 52 episodes already in production. W...
NBC Airs DreamWorks Holiday Specials
October 01, 2009 – NBC is set to air a pair of new DreamWorks Animation specials based on the popular movies Monsters vs. Aliens and Madagascar.
Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Spa...
Toy Story Movies Return in 3-D
October 01, 2009 – The Toys are back in town.
The re-release of Pixar’s Toy Story and Toy Story 2 as a 3-D double feature arrives this week for its two-week limited run in 1,745 theaters. The ...
Astro Boy Breaks into China With Day and Date Opening
October 01, 2009 – Imagi Entertainment’s new CG adaptation of Astro Boy is set to bow Oct. 23 in China — the same date as its U.S. release.
The move is notable for breaking into the October blackout period ...
Toon Boom Sets Up Doggy Day School Pipeline
October 01, 2009 – Brazilian studio Mixer and Canada’s Cite-Amerique’s new co-production, Doggy Day School, was made possible by Toon Boom Animation’s digital pipeline tools.
The companies used the Storyboa...
Previs Pros Found Society
October 01, 2009 – Practitioners of the art of previs have come together to form a nonprofit, interdisciplinary organization called The Previsualization Society.
The new group was created to build a community and ...
Little Airplane and HIT to Co-Produce Preschool Series
October 01, 2009 – Preschool titans Little Airplane Productions and HIT Entertainment have agreed to develop original content for the worldwide market.
“I am thrilled to be working with HIT Entertainment; they are...
Classic, Timeless to Deliver Postman Pat Movie
October 01, 2009 – Classic Media has teamed up with Timeless Films to make a 3-D animated Postman Pat feature film for 2011.
The film will be produced as stop-motion, with CG and 3-D effects, with Timeless ...
Cartoon Forum Showcased Strength in Europe
September 29, 2009 – The animation industry in Europe is in a good position to compete on a worldwide level at this year’s Cartoon Forum Rogaland in Stavanger, Norway.
The 20th annual event, which ended Friday, drew...
Scooby-Doo!, Adult Swim Score in Quarterly CN Ratings
September 29, 2009 – Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Adult Swim lead the way in third quarter ratings for Cartoon Network.
Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, a hybrid live-action and CG-animation TV mo...
VOOZ, Screen 21 Team Up On Canimal
September 29, 2009 – VOOZ and BRB’s Screen 21 are teaming up to produce Canimal, an animated series for preschoolers.
The first co-production between the two, Canimal will be unveiled at the Brand Lice...
Chapman Launches Charley, Rah Rah on CBeebies
September 29, 2009 – Chapman Entertainment has placed two co-production series for infants — Little Charley Bear and Rah Rah The Noisy Lion — with CBeebies in the U.K.
Little Charley Bear is a C...
Piven, Perlman Add Voices to Marmaduke
September 29, 2009 – The actors behind Ari Gold, Hellboy and McLovin are lending their voices to the live-action and CG-animated hybrid adaptation of the comic strip Marmaduke.
According to ComingSoon.net, th...
Animag’s Press Box Runs Down MIPCOM Offerings
September 29, 2009 – MIP Junior and MIPCOM are bearing down, and animation producers and broadcasters from all over the globe are getting their shows and pitches ready for the annual market and conference in Cannes, Fr...
Audiences Still Hungry for Meatballs
September 28, 2009 – Sony’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was the special of the day for moviegoers the second weekend in a row.
The CG-animated 3-D movie was tops again at the box office, taking in $24.6...
Cuppa Coffee to Serve Up Gordon Ramsay Series
September 28, 2009 – Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has signed a deal with Toronto-based Cuppa Coffee to star in a stop-motion animated comedy series.
Details of the primetime series, titled Gordon Ramsay, At Your ...
Superheroes, Monsters and Oz on DVD – Oh, My!
September 28, 2009 – It’s a super week on the home video shelves, with Warner Bros.’ original animated feature Superman/Batman: Public Enemies vying with DreamWorks’ hit Monsters vs. Aliens for animation ...
Cleveland Leads Fox Animation Debuts
September 28, 2009 – New animation returned to Fox’s Sunday night lineup, with the premiere of Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show making a big splash.
Fox overall placed second to NBC’s night-leadin...
Nick Heads North to Canada
September 28, 2009 – Corus Entertainment and MTV Networks International are set to launch a 24-hour Nickelodeon channel in Canada on Nov. 2.
The channel will be dedicated exclusively to Canadian children and will fe...
NFB Plans Free 70th Anniversary Toon Tour
September 28, 2009 – The National Film Board of Canada is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a special series of free public screenings titled Get Animated! that will screen in 13 communities across the count...
Philippines’ Animation Colleagues Hit Hard by Floods
September 28, 2009 – Tropical Storm Ketsana did plenty of damage when it hit The Philippines on Saturday, creating massive flooding and killing about 140 people. And among the dead, hurt, homeless and injured are many ...
BRB’s Presents Zookaboo in Stereo 3-D
September 27, 2009 – Screen 21 and Image In are preparing Zookaboo as an original stereoscopic 3-D series for TV, internet and Blu-ray.
The series consists of 104 two-minute episodes in which preschoolers ar...
Venezuela Officials Attack Family Guy
September 27, 2009 – Fans of Family Guy won’t be able to catch their favorite program on the air in Venezuela, after a recently aired episode drew fire from authorities for allegedly encouraging marijuana use.
...
Toonz Re-Ups with Liberation
September 27, 2009 – India-based Toonz Animation and American company Liberation Entertainment have extended their worldwide distribution deal.
Liberation will continue to distribute Toonz shows such as the Marvel c...
Surrogates, Fame Challenge Meatballs, Plus Special L.A. Releases
September 24, 2009 – How well will Meatballs stand up to Fame? We’ll find out this weekend, with the remake of the dance classic is one of three major new releases looking to dethrone last weekend’s box o...
Wedge’s Leaf Men Staying With Fox, Blue Sky
September 24, 2009 – Fox and Blue Sky Studios have given Ice Age and Robots director Chris Wedge the green light for an animated feature film titled Leaf Men.
Based on a William Joyce children’s...
NBA’s Parker Signs On To French Basketball Toon
September 24, 2009 – Basketball star Tony Parker has signed a deal with French company Tele Images Kids to develop an animated series tentatively titled Basketball Adventures.
The series would feature Parker’...
Turner’s Europe Lab Yields First Series
September 24, 2009 – Turner Broadcasting has given its first green light to a project coming out of its European development studio.
The Amazing World of Gumball, a 40 x 11 min. comedy series for kids 6-11, w...
Lifeboat Luke Sails to South Africa
September 24, 2009 – Straandlooper's preschool co-production Lifeboat Luke has sold to M-Networks in South Africa.
The deal for the series of 52 five-minute episodes was arranged by Monster Distributes. The s...
Wacom Adds Multi-Touch to Bamboo Tablets
September 24, 2009 – Technology company Wacom has added multi-touch input to its Bamboo family of computer tablets, allowing users to use their fingers as well as a pen to create content.
“Multi-touch provides a ver...
Animax Flashes the Laughs with Popzilla, Bob & Doug
September 23, 2009 – Few subjects are as ripe for comedy as celebrities and their lifestyles — but parodying the likes of Flo Rida or Britney Spears in animation has always been tough because of the lengthy production ...
Columbia Set to Play with He-Man
September 23, 2009 – The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie has found a new home at Columbia.
The feature film project based on the 1980s toy line and animated series had been in development at Warn...
Academy to Examine Editing for Animation
September 23, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Perspectives on Editing seminar series turns its focus to animation for a one-night event set for Sept. 29.
Hosting the event will be Donn Camber...
Wildbrain Alumni Form Special Agent
September 23, 2009 – Former Wildbrain co-founder Phil Robinson and producer Amy Capen have opened in San Francisco a new boutique animation studio called Special Agent Productions.
The company recently wrapped for E...
Lincoln Butterfield Fields 3 Debuts at MIPCOM
September 23, 2009 – Lincoln Butterfield Animation will introduce three new animated TV concepts — When Whinn Situation, Loving Mustard and Big Buff Tuff Dudes — at this year’s MIPCOM and MIPJunior...
4Kids Debuts Turtles Forever at MIPCOM
September 23, 2009 – 4Kids Entertainment will debut a 90-minute special event capturing the various looks and spirit of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise at this year’s MIPCOM.
The new animat...
Murphy to Expand Cookie Jar Development
September 22, 2009 – Development and production veteran Maggie Murphy has joined Cookie Jar Entertainment to develop and expand the company’s tween-targeted and primetime programming slates as senior VP of development....
Mr. Moon to Rise in U.K., Canada
September 22, 2009 – Singapore-based Sparky Animation has sold broadcast rights to its CG-animated preschool show Mr. Moon to outlets in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Playhouse Disney U.K. will begin airing ...
Animal Logic Adds Staff; Completes Campaigns
September 22, 2009 – Los Angeles-based production company Animal Logic has expanded its staff, moved into a new location and completed design work, visual effects and animation on campaigns for Toyota, Kaiser and HBO.
...
BBC to Spend $40 Million on Children’s TV
September 22, 2009 – The BBC has announced it will commit an additional 25 million pounds (about $40.8 million) to original children’s programming over the next three years.
How the extra money — raised from recent...
Screen 21 Unveils Suckers’ Secrets at Cartoon Forum
September 22, 2009 – Spanish animation company Screen 21 is giving Cartoon Forum attendees in Norway a sneak peek at its new series The Secret Life of Suckers, which is set to debut next year on Disney XD.
Th...
No Emmy Coup for Family Guy
September 21, 2009 – For the creators of Family Guy, the first animated series to be nominated for a best comedy series Emmy since The Flintstones in1961, the nomination will have to be enough.
NBC’s ...
Gromit, Terra, Superbeasto Arrive on Home Video
September 21, 2009 – Crack out the cheese and crackers, because Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death leads a strong roster of new home video releases this week.
The stop-motion duo’s latest feature-l...
Kirby Heirs Plan to Terminate Marvel Copyrights
September 21, 2009 – The heirs of comic book artist Jack Kirby have served 45 notices of transfer of copyright to Marvel, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures and other compan...
Animag’s Perfect Pitch, Part 2: The Execs Strike Back!
September 21, 2009 – After Butch Hartman’s keynote speech, Animation Magazine’s Perfect Pitch seminar took a look at the other side of the table with a panelist of animation executives.
Joining the event were Marci ...
Shin-Chan Creator Dies in Accident
September 21, 2009 – Yoshito Usui, creator of the Japanese manga and anime property Crayon Shin-chan, was found dead Sunday in the mountains north of Tokyo. He was 51.
According to news reports, Usui had told...
Hasbro Studios Hires Executives
September 21, 2009 – Stephen J. Davis, president of Hasbro Studios, has announced the new entertainment operation’s management team.
Joining the toy company’s studio effort are:
• Bob Boden, currently senior VP ...
Animag’s Perfect Pitch, Part 1 – Hartman Speaks!
September 20, 2009 – Butch Hartman, creator of the hit animated series The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom, looked out at attendees of Animation Magazine’s “How to Create a Winning Animation Pitch” se...
Meatballs Tops Tasty Box Office Weekend
September 20, 2009 – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the most recent 3-D animated feature from Sony Pictures Animation, topped the box office with an opening weekend gross of $30.1 million.
The film domina...
Laika Lays Off 63 in CG Dept.
September 20, 2009 – Portland-based Laika, the animation studio behind the stop-motion hit Coraline, has laid off 63 people in its computer animation department
The move is a result of the studio’s decision t...
Disney Studio Chief Cook Resigns
September 20, 2009 – Dick Cook stepped down Friday from his post as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios.
"I have loved every minute of my 38 years that I have worked at Disney from the beginning as a ride operator o...
Wide Release Forecast for Cloudy
September 17, 2009 – The 3-D animation trend opens a new chapter this weekend with the release of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.
Adapted from the book by Judi and Ron Barrett and directed by Phil Lord and...
Annies Announce Minor Tweaks, Oct. 16 Deadline
September 17, 2009 – The call for entries has gone out for the 37th annual Annie Awards — which this year will see some changes to the rules.
The Annies, which are presented by ASIFA-Hollywood and honor excellence i...
Gormiti Sells to U.S., Europe and Middle East
September 17, 2009 – Broadcasters in the United States, Europe and the Middle East have bought the rights to Zodiak Entertainment’s animated children’s series Gormiti: The Lords of Nature.
In the United State...
Panini Sticks Deal for Geronimo Stilton
September 17, 2009 – Italian sticker and stationery company Panini has obtained a multi-year license to Atlantyca Entertainment’s new Geronimo Stilton series.
Panini will co-ordinate the release of its licens...
HRTv’s Ponies Demonstrates Real-Time Animation
September 17, 2009 – HRTv’s is bringing its new animated project Pebble Bay Ponies to Cartoon Forum to show off the company’s new approach to creating animated content using game engine technology.
The compan...
Living Dead to Be Remade as 3-D, CG Origin Tale
September 16, 2009 – Night of the Living Dead, the classic horror flick directed by George Romero, is the latest film to get bit by the remake vibe, again.
The planned remake would be a 3-D, CG version of the...
Spider-Man 4 Swings Into Theaters May 6, 2011
September 16, 2009 – Marvel’s amazing web-slinger is set to return to theaters May 6, 2011, with the release of Spider-Man 4.
The Columbia release will debut on both regular screens and IMAX theaters, accordi...
Sneak Peek at Nick’s Week of New Mighty B! Episodes
September 16, 2009 – Fans of The Mighty B! will be abuzz with excitement over the debut of five new episodes on Nickelodeon.
The new episodes begin airing Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT, and continuing at the sa...
DECODE Scores Hat Trick Down Under
September 16, 2009 – DECODE Entertainment has signed distribution deals that will bring a trio of its most popular shows down under.
The distributor, a subsidiary of DHX Media, renewed its deal for Franny’s Feet
Tech Pioneers Kirk, Rekimoto to Address SIGGRAPH ASIA
September 16, 2009 – David Kirk, a leading scientist and multi-award winner in the field of graphic-technology, and Jun Rekimoto, the founding director of the Interaction Laboratory within the Sony Computer Science Lab...
Chorion to Represent Little Prince Licensing
September 16, 2009 – Producer-distributor Chorion has been appointing licensing representative for The Little Prince property in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The deal was made with the estate of Antoine d...
Tickets Still Available for Animag’s Create a Winning Pitch!
September 15, 2009 – Got a great idea for an animated series, but don’t know how to pitch it so perfectly that TV execs will be falling over themselves to buy it, or even where to start in the pitching process?
Well...
Two New Wallace and Gromit Clips from Loaf and Death
September 15, 2009 – Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment have released two new clips from the Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf & Death DVD, which is due out in the United States on Sept. 22.
The most-recent out...
Gruppo Alcuni Brings Galileo to Cartoon Forum
September 15, 2009 – Gruppo Alcuni, the Italian producers of such hit children’s animated series as Pet Pals and Leonardo, will present the new series And Yet It Moves — Galileo at the Cartoon Foru...
Wizarding World of Harry Potter Set for Universal Orlando
September 15, 2009 – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is getting ready to cast a spell over Florida.
The one-of-a-kind experience, which will recreate the world the boy wizard inhabits in both the books an...
Rainmaker Hires Kalagian as VP of Business Development
September 15, 2009 – Veteran animation producer and development consultant Terry Kalagian has joined Rainmaker Entertainment as VP of business development.
In her new post, Kalagian will focus on developing cross-pl...
D23: Depp On Pirates 4, Zemeckis Remakes Yellow Sub
September 14, 2009 – Johnny Depp has signed on to star in a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, delivering the news directly to Disney fans at the studio’s first ever D23 fan event in Anaheim, Calif.
The n...
Wolverine, X-Men Claw Their Way Onto DVD, Blu-Ray
September 14, 2009 – Marvel’s merry mutants are coming home on video this week, with the release of the live-action film X-Men Origins: Wolverine and two more sets of the classic 1990s animated X-Men seri...
D23: Lasseter Promises More Hand-drawn Animation
September 14, 2009 – Pixar and Disney animation chief John Lasseter has built the studio’s sterling reputation on cutting-edge CG animation, but says Disney fans can expect to see a lot more hand-drawn animation in the...
Rocket Monkeys Prepped for Blast-off at MIPCOM
September 14, 2009 – 4Kids Entertainment is ready to offer 20 half-hour episodes of its animated comedy series Rocket Monkeys at the upcoming MIPCOM market.
The HD series, produced by 4Kids and Verve Boomsta...
Portfolio To Unveil Cat in the Hat Series at MIPCOM
September 14, 2009 – Portfolio Entertainment has secured the international distribution rights to The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That!, the first animated TV series to star the famous children’s book chara...
Panelists Set for VES Production Summit 09
September 14, 2009 – The Visual Effects Society has announced its lineup of speakers for its daylong Production Summit 09, set to take place Oct. 24 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Rey.
The event includes se...
Weekend Lifts 9 Grosses Over $15 million
September 13, 2009 – 9 was No. 2 this weekend at the box office, grossing $10.8 million from Friday to Sunday and bringing its five-day opening total to $15.2 million.
The Focus Features animated feature, dir...
Ice Age 3 No. 3 All Time at Intl. Box Office
September 13, 2009 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has become the third-highest grossing film of all time in international markets.
According to Variety, on Sept. 8 the film passed Harry Potter and...
Princess and Frog Gets Ultimate Disney Experience
September 13, 2009 – Disney is going all out to welcome its latest princess into the family.
The studio plans to host special screenings in Burbank and New York of its upcoming animated musical feature The Prince...
Gillis, McLaughlin, Iscove form Skywriter Media
September 13, 2009 – A trio of top TV industry executives has formed Skywriter Media and Entertainment Group, which is financing, developing, producing, acquiring and distributing a broad range of children’s, family an...
Del Toro to Lead Disney into the Dark
September 11, 2009 – Disney has signed a deal with director Guillermo del Toro to create a line of scary animated features under a new imprint called Double Dare You.
Del Toro, an avid fan of comic books, horror fil...
Seibert, Sony Team for Toon Features
September 11, 2009 – Sony Pictures Animation has teamed up with Frederator Studios founder Fred Seibert to develop ideas for new animated feature films.
Seibert, a former president of Hanna-Barbera Productions, fou...
DC Entertainment Debuts with Nelson in Charge
September 10, 2009 – Warner Bros. Entertainment has revamped its DC Comics subsidiary into a new company called DC Entertainment and placed in charge executive Diane Nelson, formerly president of Warner Premiere.
Th...
Disney XD Nabs Naruto Shippuden
September 10, 2009 – Naruto’s back — and Disney XD has him.
The cable channel has struck a deal with VIZ Media to air starting next month the sequel series Naruto Shippuden, according to The Hollywo...
Moore Set to Voice Disney’s New Rapunzel
September 10, 2009 – Mandy Moore is going to let her hair down for Disney.
The actress has been cast as the lead role in the studio’s upcoming 3D animated feature film adaptation of Rapunzel, according to ...
9 Voices Recorded at Margarita Mix
September 10, 2009 – The animated feature 9, released this week by Focus Features, used Santa Monica-based Margarita Mix to record its voice tracks.
Jeff Levy recorded the sessions on a Fairlight Constellation mixin...
Cohen Joins Animaking in Brazil
September 10, 2009 – Advertising and production veteran Howard Cohen has joined Brazil-based Animaking Production as an executive producer and representative.
Cohen will oversee national and international projects ...
New Cars Toons Start Nov. 20 on Disney Outlets
September 10, 2009 – The first of four new episodes of Cars Toons, the series of animated shorts based on the Disney-Pixar movie Cars, is set to premiere Nov. 20 on Disney Channel, Disney XD and ABC Famil...
12 Companies Nominated for Cartoon Tributes
September 10, 2009 – Twelve finalists have been nominated for three European Animation Honors at this year’s Cartoon Tributes, part of the 20th annual Cartoon Forum convention set for Sept. 22-25 in Norway.
Presente...
09/09/09 A Definite Star Date for Debuts for Beatles: Rock Band, 9
September 09, 2009 – Wednesday is not the normal day for new video games or movies to debut, but neither The Beatles: Rock Band or Shane Acker’s feature-film version of 9 are typical projects.
The B...
Lincoln Butterfield Signs On with Dimensional Branding
September 09, 2009 – Lincoln Butterfield Animation has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Dimensional Branding Group, which will represent the studio’s N.I.T.: Neighborhood Investigation Team animated TV se...
DC Entertainment Debuts with Nelson in Charge
September 09, 2009 – Warner Bros. Entertainment has revamped its DC Comics subsidiary into a new company called DC Entertainment and placed in charge executive Diane Nelson, formerly president of Warner Premiere.
Th...
Moonscoop Sells 200 Half-Hours to GMTV
September 09, 2009 – France-based producer and distributor Moonscoop has sold more than 200 half-hours of programming to GMTV in the United Kingdom.
The major deal includes such programs as Fantastic Four,
Venture to Create Tattarrattat TV Show, Merchandise
September 09, 2009 – A rights venture has formed to bring Tattarrattat, the flipping, dual-personality characters created by children’s book artists and author David Sheldon, to TV animation as well as merchandi...
Ex-Teletoon Exec Levesque Joins Sardine
September 09, 2009 – Madeleine Levesque, the former head of original production at Canada’s Teletoon network, has joined Sardine Productions in Montreal.
Levesque will head up Sardine’s development and production in...
Luxo Sues Pixar Over Planned Lamp Sale
September 08, 2009 – The Luxo lamp company has sued animation studio Pixar over the studio’s plans to sell a limited edition “Luxo Jr.” lamp with the upcoming Blu-ray version of Up.
“Luxo Jr.” is the name of ...
Special Offer! Discount Passes to CTN’s Animation Expo
September 08, 2009 – The Sept. 30 deadline is fast approaching for the money-saving early-bird registration to Creative Talent Network’s Animation Expo — a deal made extra great for Animation Magazine Online rea...
CBS Becomes Cookie Jar TV on Saturdays Starting Sept. 19
September 08, 2009 – Starting Sept. 19, Cookie Jar Entertainment is taking over the CBS airwaves once a week for three hours, presenting the best of its animated children’s fare in a new block called Cookie Jar TV.
...
Henson Seeks Pajanimals Partners
September 08, 2009 – The Jim Henson Co. will be shopping at MIPCOM for production partners to help it tuck in a new half-hour series for preschoolers starring the Pajanimals.
Pajanimals has been airing...
Red Kite Plans Return for The Imp
September 08, 2009 – Animation studio Red Kite is bringing back The Imp, bigger and better than ever.
The series, whose eponymous and incompetent hero tries to fill the world with evil but always fall short, ...
Chorion To Debut Octonauts at MIPCOM
September 08, 2009 – Chorion will be debuting its new preschool animated series The Octonauts at this year’s MIPCOM, set for Oct. 5-9 in Cannes, France.
The adventure series is about a team of heroes that div...
Horror Remains Final Word at Box Office
September 07, 2009 – Not much changed at the box office this Labor Day weekend, as horror film The Final Destination held on to the top spot for the second week in a row.
The Warner Bros.-New Line release pu...
Upgraded Bedknobs Comes to DVD
September 07, 2009 – A new DVD edition of Bedknobs and Boomsticks, Disney’s Oscar-winning mix of animation and live-action, leads this week’s home video releases.
The 1971 film (Disney, $29.99) stars Angela ...
Academy Considers 11 Sci-Tech Honorees
September 07, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected 11 candidates for its scientific and technical achievements honors.
The selected achievements are:
• Enabling Technologies for Di...
Acker Curates Online Short Film Showcase
September 07, 2009 – Shane Acker, director of the new stop-motion animated feature film 9, has curated an online animated short film showcase for Film in Focus.com, presented by Kodak.
Acker won a Student Ac...
Venice Honors Pixar ‘Geeks’
September 07, 2009 – The self-proclaimed “animation geeks” of Pixar were the toast of the Lido Sunday, as the Venice Film Festival honored the studio and its filmmakers with a lifetime achievement award.
"Filmmaking...
Mouse Site Posts Record Traffic
August 17, 2009 – A lot of kids must be glued to Phineas and Ferb games this summer! According to comScore Media Metrix, Disney.com reached the 34 million unique visitor mark and broke all-time traffic record...
AMC Dying for Dead Comic Series
August 13, 2009 – Robert Kirkman’s popular Image Comics series The Walking Dead is near to getting a series greenlight at AMC with Frank Darabont set to write and direct.
The deal is described by Variet...
WeirdBeard’s Rush Wins Batman Game Contest
August 13, 2009 – Game developer WeirdBeard has won the casting call from Warner Bros. Animation, Mochi Media and DC Comics for a Flash game that extends the brand of the current TV series Batman: The Brave and t...
Kidz Names New CEO, Expands in Eastern Europe
August 13, 2009 – K.J. Istock has been named the permanent CEO of brand-development and licensing agency Kidz Entertainment/EEMC, one of several staffing changes he company has announces.
Istock had been interim ...
HIT Adds Three for Angelina Ballerina
August 13, 2009 – HIT Entertainment has signed three licensees in key toy areas for the animated series Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps, a new series airing on PBS Kids.
Madame Alexander, The Toy Worksh...
Nick Brings Ni Hao, Kai-lan to U.K.
August 13, 2009 – Nickelodeon U.K. is picking up for fall airing the U.S. production Ni Hao, Kai-lan, which teaches preschoolers basic Mandarin Chinese.
The channel will air the first 10 half-hour e...
Disney Debuts English-Language Ponyo
August 13, 2009 – Hayao Miyazaki’s most-recent animated movie Ponyo finally arrives in American cinemas, complete with a star-studded English-language cast courtesy of Disney.
Disney is distributing the fi...
South Park Digital Studios Streams Original Pilot
August 13, 2009 – The rare, original pilot to the Comedy Central hit series South Park will air with four minutes of never-before-seen footage for a limited time online at the new South Park Digital Studios s...
Futurama’s Yonder Comes to Comedy Central
August 13, 2009 – Into the Wild Green Yonder, an original Futurama feature released last year on DVD, will have its broadcast debut as a four-part show Aug. 30 on Comedy Central.
The feature, in whi...
CN Orders 2 New Series, More Flapjack and Adventure
August 13, 2009 – Cartoon Network has given the green light to two new animated comedy series: Regular Show and Horrorbots.
The network also announced it is ordering more episodes of the series T...
Planetside’s Terragen 2
August 11, 2009 – The last time I used Terragen was around a million years ago to create a matte painting background to be the stand in for Oahu. I recently discovered that the Planetside software has come a long wa...
LEGO Movie Clicks at Warner Bros.
August 11, 2009 – With toys becoming the latest option craze at Hollywood studios, it should surprise no one that Warner Bros. has signed a deal to develop a LEGO movie.
According to Variety, the movie wil...
Spielberg in Talks to Produce Halo Movie
August 11, 2009 – A movie adaptation of the popular video game Halo may be back on track as IESB.net reports that Steven Spielberg is in talks to develop the game into a feature.
The Oscar-winning director...
Montreal Fest Premieres 2 NFB Shorts
August 11, 2009 – The animated short films Vive la Rose and Land of the Heads — both produced by the National Film Board of Canada — will premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival.
Bruce Alcock ...
MoonScoop Signs Up Dyrdek’s Wild Grinders
August 11, 2009 – Skateboarding icon Rob Dyrdek will star in a series of animated shorts and viral videos based on his semi-autobiographical brand Wild Grinders as part of an overall licensing deal with The M...
FotoKem Buys Spy Post, Starts VFX Unit
August 11, 2009 – FotoKem, one of the top post-production facility in Hollywood for more than four decades, has bought Spy Post, a San Francisco-based commercials and movie post production company.
The deal allo...
Goldsmith Gets Original for Canada’s Family, Disney Playhouse
August 11, 2009 – Michael Goldsmith has been named the new director of original programming for Family Channel and Playhouse Disney Canada by parent company Astral Television Networks, according to Cynopsis.
Gold...
Anifest India Postponed by Swine Flu
August 10, 2009 – A deadly outbreak of the H1N1 “swine flu” virus has forced organizers to postpone Anifest India, the nation’s largest animation festival.
In a statement, The Animation Society of India stated: “...
Final King of the Hill Airs Sept. 13
August 10, 2009 – The Fox network has announced that the final, hour-long episode of Mike Judge’s long-running animated series King of the Hill will air on Sept. 13.
The episode includes two installments,...
Vintage Superheroes, Scooby on Home Video
August 10, 2009 – It’s all about the animated classics in this week’s home video releases, with vintage superhero and Scooby-Doo releases leading the way.
Up first is Super Friends: The Lost Episodes (Warn...
Up Comes Home; Monsters, Inc. Gets Blu-ray Upgrade
August 10, 2009 – Disney Home Entertainment will release the Pixar movie Up on DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 10 — the same day the studio will release for the first time on Blu-ray its 2001 hit Monsters, Inc.
Hummel Named CEO at Post Logic
August 10, 2009 – Rob Hummel has left his position as president of digital cinema at Dalsa to join DI and film restoration company Post Logic Studios as CEO.
Hummel is succeeding Larry Birstock, who is staying wi...
G.I. Joe and Cobra Rattle the Box Office
August 09, 2009 – G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra rocked the weekend box office, posting the fourth-biggest August opening ever with more than $56 million in receipts.
The movie, a Paramount release based on t...
Spectacular Spider-Man Awaits Third Season
August 09, 2009 – Few shows were as at home at the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego than The Spectacular Spider-Man, the most-recent animated series to adapt the classic Marvel Comics series to tel...
Venice 3-D Prize Gets Animated
August 09, 2009 – The Venice Film Festival has nominated nine films — all from the United States and more than half of them animated — for its first ever Persol 3-D Award.
The nominees and their directors are:
...
S-3D Gaming Alliance Formed
August 09, 2009 – Hot on the heels of several stereoscopic 3-D gaming demonstrations at SIGGRAPH, several leading gaming companies have announced the formation of an advocacy group called the S-3D Gaming Alliance.
...
SIGGRAPH’S FJORG! And GameJam! Winners Announced
August 09, 2009 – Prestissimo, a group of animators from Thailand, won the third annual FJORG! Animation competition at SIGGRAPH for their reel, titled Great Expectations.
FJORG! is the “iron man” competition of ...
Phineas and Ferb Creators Talk Season 3
August 06, 2009 – Disney XD’s Phineas and Ferb is a show on a roll — and nothing demonstrates that quite so well as the reception the show received at the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego and from ...
G.I. Joe Poised to Invade Theaters
August 06, 2009 – Yo, Joe! The classic military toy, cartoon and comic book property G.I. Joe arrives at last as in a visual-effects-loaded big screen this weekend, looking to pump up the late-summer box office.
...
Ledger’s Animated Mouse Video Debuts
August 06, 2009 – An animated music video the late actor Heath Ledger conceived and directed for the band Modest Mouse has been released online at the band’s MySpace page.
The video, for the song “King Rat,” is s...
Ice Age Sets Animation Record for Overseas Box Office
August 06, 2009 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has passed Pixar’s Finding Nemo to become the all-time highest-grossing animated movie in overseas markets.
Nemo was released in 2003, grossin...
4Kids Explores Merger, Sales Options
August 06, 2009 – 4Kids Entertainment has hired the investment-banking firm Montgomery & Co. to help it work out a financial strategy and explore options including asset sales, mergers, strategic alliances or the sa...
Table Read Event Set for Family Guy Abortion Script
August 06, 2009 – The already infamous abortion episode of Family Guy is about to be reborn as a live table read event aimed at Emmy voters.
The Fox network, which airs the program, passed on airing the ep...
Official Ottawa Picks Include Coraline, Gromit and U2’s Crazy
August 05, 2009 – Coraline, Mary and Max and $9.99 are among the official selections for feature films that will play Oct. 14-18 at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
The festival, which c...
Mip Jr. Adds Award for Children’s Toons
August 05, 2009 – Mip Junior is adding a new juried competition for children’s animated programs.
Deadline for entries is Sept. 2. A panel of 18 children from the International School of Nice will choose the winn...
Nick Jr. U.K. Jumps on Alphabet Romp
August 05, 2009 – Nick Jr. U.K. has picked up Alphabet Romp, a series of 26 interstitials that constitute the first broadcast commission for creators Purple Frog Media.
The series —aimed at preschoolers an...
Mr. Men, Little Miss Brands Score Deals in Asia
August 05, 2009 – New deals for the Mr. Men and Little Miss brands, based on the animated series produced by U.K.-based Chorion, have been finalized for the southeast Asia markets by licensing agent Cl...
Davis to Head Up New Hasbro Studios
August 04, 2009 – Toymaker Hasbro — the company behind the blockbuster Transformers and next week’s G.I. Joe adaptation — is getting into the TV business and has appointed Stephen J. Davis the new post...
Marvel’s 2Q Profits Dip Without a Movie
August 04, 2009 – Marvel Entertainment’s riding the financial rollercoaster unavoidable to small film studios. Without a major film release, the company posted a 38 percent drop in profits and a 26 percent decrease ...
Comics Legend Neal Adams Teams with ICM
August 04, 2009 – Neal Adams, a legend in the comic book industry, is looking to cross over into writing and directing movies and has signed on with ICM for representation.
According to the Hollywood Reporter
One Eskimo, Warner Premiere Plan ‘Visual Album’
August 04, 2009 – Warner Premiere and U.K.-based band One Eskimo are mixing animation and music into a new experience the company is calling a “visual album.”
The idea, which originated with the band’s lead singe...
Rossilli Seeks Home for December Miracles
August 04, 2009 – Randy Rossilli Jr., an Emmy-winning writer and producer and head of Nightstand Creations, is seeking a broadcaster to pick up a holiday special he wrote and produced titled December Miracles...
Three NFB Shorts Set for Toronto Fest
August 04, 2009 – Three short films from the National Film Board of Canada are set to screen at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival next month.
The films — set to screen in the Short Cuts Canada section...
Delgo, Turtles and Tigger on DVD
August 03, 2009 – It’s something old, something new and some stuff on Blu-ray this week, as new animation and VFX-related releases include the recent feature film Delgo (Fox, $22.98), Tigger Movie: 2-Disc ...
Sony Imageworks Goes Open Source
August 03, 2009 – Sony Pictures Imageworks announced an open-source development program that will start with the VFX studio releasing five technologies.
The initial releases will include:
• OSL, a programmable...
Lightworks, Caustic Graphics Team Up
August 03, 2009 – A strategic alliance brings together the rendering solutions of Lightworks and Caustic Graphics, makers of the CausticRT ray-tracing application.
Also part of the deal is the CausticGL API, whic...
Gnomon Goes Behind the Scenes on Up
August 03, 2009 – The Gnomon School of Visual Effects will host a special look behind the scenes on the most recent Pixar animated feature with a special event titled “The Making of Up,” set for Aug. 13 from ...
Autodesk Upgrades Maya MotionBuilder for 2010
August 03, 2009 – Autodesk has announced in conjunction with SIGGRAPH a makeover for its signature Maya animation program as well as a new version of its real-time 3D character animation program MotionBuilder.
Au...
Funny Chuckles Past CG Pets, Boy Wizard
August 02, 2009 – Funny People laughed its way past the battling guinea pigs of G-Force to the top of a modest weekend at the box office.
The Judd Apatow dramedy grossed an estimated $22.6 million i...
Original Futurama Voices Set to Return
August 02, 2009 – The voice cast of Futurama and the show’s producer 20th Century TV reached a deal for the actors to reprise their roles for a new run of the series on Comedy Central.
The compromise deal...
Kells Takes Top Prize at SICAF
August 02, 2009 – The Secret of Kells has racked up another festival win, taking the grand prize for feature films at the 13th Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival in South Korea.
Another fes...
Profits Dip at Disney
August 02, 2009 – Disney reported an across-the board drop in profits for its third-quarter earnings report, taking a loss of $12 million from its studio entertainment division.
The company said last year’s crop ...
MoCap Society Hosts Satan’s SIGGRAPH Event
August 02, 2009 – The Motion Capture Society is set to host Satan’s Rotoscopers, a free mixer and screening event Aug. 5 at the SIGGRAPH conference in New Orleans.
The event, the third annual SIGGRAPH event host...
Pixar Announces RenderMan Products, Upgrades
August 02, 2009 – Pixar has made unlimited threading across all its RenderMan products, as well as the upcoming release of RenderMan Pro Server 15.0 and introduced Tractor 1.0, a new render management solution made ...
Feature Set for Seuss’ The Lorax
July 30, 2009 – Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment have set directors and writers to work on a 3-D CG-animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.
Set for release in March 2, 2012, Chris ...
Fox Drops Abortion Episode of Family Guy
July 30, 2009 – The Fox television network has announced it will not air a planned Family Guy episode that deals with abortion.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane mentioned the episode — titled “P...
Monsters vs. Aliens on Sequel Bubble
July 30, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says it’s a tossup right now over whether there will be a sequel to its 3-D animated feature film Monsters vs. Aliens.
Katzenberg addressed ana...
Four Pics on Tap From American Original, Titmouse
July 30, 2009 – American Original — the new production company formed by producer, comic book writer and former studio executive Jeff Katz — has signed a deal with Titmouse Animation to produce four original anima...
Dead Space Feature Targets Caruso
July 30, 2009 – EA’s Dead Space is most recent video game to score a deal for a motion picture.
The sci-fi and horror project has D.J. Caruso of Eagle Eye attached to direct. The game recently spa...
Jim Lee, Marv Wolfman Talk DCU Online Game
July 30, 2009 – Video games and comic books have been crossing over for years — both in terms of content and via the growing gaming presence at Comic-Con — but few things are coming as close to exciting fans as th...
Aliens Faces Uphill Box Office Battle
July 30, 2009 – The studios continue their run of releasing films either packed with animation and VFX or family fare —both elements embodied by Fox’s Aliens in the Attic.
The goofy family movie's visual...
Nickelodeon To Unveil New Logo in Fall
July 30, 2009 – Children’s network Nickelodeon has announced it will celebrate its 30th anniversary and fall rebranding of its networks with a new logo.
The current orange splatter logo, which the company has ...
Glenn Martin DDS To Premiere Aug. 17 on Nick
July 30, 2009 – Glenn Martin DDS —the first TV series from former Disney chief Michael Eisner’s new Tornante Animation company –will premiere Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. on Nick at Nite.
The stop-motion animated c...
Venice to Screen 3-D Toy Story, Rintaro’s Penguin
July 30, 2009 – Attendees at the 66th annual Venice Film Festival will get the first chance to see the 3-D versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2.
The Pixar films, due for general release from Disn...
Autodesk Plans Full Slate of SIGGRAPH Events
July 30, 2009 – Autodesk will be demonstrating its latest creative technologies via a number of live events at the SIGGRAPH 2009 conference, set for Aug. 3-7 in New Orleans.
Among the company’s planned events:
...
Shotgun Software To Host SIGGRAPH 2009 Event
July 30, 2009 – Shotgun Software — maker of the pipeline management tool Shotgun — is teaming up with visual effects houses Digital Domain and Zoic Studios for a user group presentation on working with pipelines a...
Paramount Preps New Version of NIMH
July 28, 2009 – The secret is out: The rats of NIMH are returning to the big screen.
Paramount is developing a new feature film take on the classic Robert O’Brien children’s book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of ...
DreamWorks’ Numbers Slips 7% in 2Q Report
July 28, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation beat analysts’ expectations with a 7% drop in revenues and profits for the second quarter.
Those results — revenues of $132 million and a profit of $27.5 million — do not re...
More Astro Boy Updates, Comic-Con Details
July 28, 2009 – The Astro Boy website has been updated with six new images and an interactive timeline from the upcoming CG-animated feature film, due out Oct. 23.
The timeline covers the history of the ...
Academy Remembers Animator Beckett
July 28, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor animator and visual effects artist Adam Beckett at a special program Aug. 17.
The program, titled Infinite Animation: The Work of Ad...
Henson Gets Emmy Engineering Honor
July 28, 2009 – The Jim Henson Co. will be honored at the Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced.
The honor is in recognition of the Henson Digital Puppetry Stu...
Pioneers ask SIGGRAPH Attendees to Make It Right
July 28, 2009 – With SIGGRAPH set for next week in New Orleans, a group of computer graphics professionals is asking members of the creative community to donate to the Make It Right Foundation, which benefits surv...
StudioGPU Spotlights MachStudio Pro at SIGGRAPH
July 28, 2009 – StudioGPU will be demonstrating the most recent features on its MachStudio Pro 3-D workflow software at AMD Booth #2417 at this year’s SIGGRAPH.
The technology in MachStudio Pro uses the the GPU...
LightWork Design Previews New, Old at SIGGRAPH
July 28, 2009 – LightWork Design will be previewing an easier-to-use product aimed at small to medium sized customers at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference in New Orleans.
The company, based in Sheffield, U.K., an...
Green Lantern’s Feature Debut Comes Home
July 27, 2009 – The leading light of animated DVD releases this week is Green Lantern: First Flight, a DC Universe original animated feature starring the emerald avenger of comic book fame.
The movie, di...
Fantastic Mr. Fox To Open London Festival
July 27, 2009 – Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox will open The Times BFI London Film Festival in October.
The screening will be the world premiere of the movie, which is the ...
Disney XD Goes Live in U.K. Aug. 31
July 27, 2009 – Disney XD, the boy-focused rebranding of the company’s Jetix channel, will go live Aug. 31 in the United Kingdom.
The channel will launch with an airing of the live-action series Aaron Stone
Shotgun, Tweak Integrate Tools
July 27, 2009 – Shotgun Software and Tweak Software are integrating their animation and visual effects as part of a new strategic alliance between the two companies.
The integration of the two companies’ softwa...
Mixamo Debuts, Offers Online Character Animation
July 27, 2009 – Mixamo debuted as a company today, announcing its intention to provide an online service for customizing and quickly creating high-quality character animation.
3-D pioneers Nazim Kareemi, who wi...
E-on Demos Vue 8 at SIGGRAPH
July 27, 2009 – Oregon-based e-on Software will preview Vue 8, the latest version of its software package for creating, animating and rendering natural 3-D environments, at the upcoming SIGGRAPH conference in New ...
Miyazaki Appearance Highlight of Disney Panel
July 26, 2009 – Hayao Miyazaki made his Comic-Con debut Friday, charming the massive crowd that had packed into Hall H for a rare chance to see the acclaimed Japanese animator in person in America.
In a Disney...
Futurama Panel Proceeds Sans Cast
July 26, 2009 – The Futurama panel at Comic-Con had the potential to be one of the most awkward panels this year due to the recently reported contract dispute between the studio and the original voice cast....
G-Force Topples Potter at Box Office
July 26, 2009 – The newcomers stormed the box office this weekend, but only the Disney CG-heavy family adventure film G-Force had the strength to knock Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from the...
Anime Studios Produce Halo Legends Shorts
July 26, 2009 – Halo is coming to animation, with Microsoft teaming up with several top anime studios to produce shorts based on the blockbuster video game.
The project, called Halo Legends and an...
Adding New Zip to Strips
July 24, 2009 – A slate of innovate web projects open new doors for comic-book artists.
Longtime attendees of Comic-Con most likely have fond memories of hunting through bins of back issues or finding a ...
Comic-Con Day 2: Astro, Walt and Movie Heaven
July 24, 2009 – On the first full day of Comic-Con, it was geek heaven.
The day began with a panel on Imagi’s upcoming Astro Boy feature film. The footage, much of which we’d seen a few weeks back and a...
Day 0: Comic-Con is Hot, Crowded and Crazy
July 23, 2009 – So Preview Night (and day) has come and gone, with all the crazy goodness and cramped crowds that come along with being a part of the iconic comic book and pop culture event known as Comic-Con Inte...
Tricia Helfer, Voice Actress
Green Lantern: First Flight
July 23, 2009 – Since it’s Comic-Con week, we decided to offer you a great Q&A provided to us by Warner Bros. Animation in conjunction with the upcoming new DVD release Green Lantern: First Flight (which hi...
G-Force Looks for the Green
July 23, 2009 – Will the guinea pigs of G-Force be the able to steal the box office crown from the boy wizard?
That’s what Disney is hoping for the VFX-heavy family adventure movie, which stars CG guine...
Hulu Goes Shojo With Nana, Honey
July 22, 2009 – More shojo anime is coming to the online video site Hulu.com, with VIZ Media properties Nana and Honey & Clover now available on the site. The first 11 episodes of Nana and the...
Comic-Con Gets Under Way
July 22, 2009 – If you love animation, comics, toys, movies and the coolest TV shows, odds are you’re in San Diego, on your way to San Diego or wishing you were in San Diego.
Fear not, however, as Animation ...
Comedy Central Plans Drawn Movie
July 22, 2009 – Comedy Central is giving the direct-to-DVD feature treatment to one of its more popluar cult series, announcing the production of Drawn Together: The Movie!
The feature, which will be rel...
Konami’s Metalocalypse: Dethgame Due this Fall
July 22, 2009 – Metal faithful rejoice! Konami and Adult Swim have announced the development of Metalocalypse: Dethgame, coming this fall to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
Players assume the ...
Basement Gary Wins Playboy Prize
July 21, 2009 – Basement Gary, an original animated film by Sean Donnelly and Alessandro Minoli, has won the 2009 Playboy Animation Contest.
The 11-minute short is about an inventor who creates a machine...
Fusco to Write New Turtles Movie
July 21, 2009 – The new feature film adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a writer: John Fusco.
Fusco’s credits include The Forbidden Kingdom, Hidalgo and Young Guns, as we...
Yellow Submarine Designer Edelmann Dies
July 21, 2009 – Designer Heinz Edelmann, who gave the Beatles’ animated film Yellow Submarine its distinctive look, died July 21 at the age 75.
Edelmann, who was art director on the Fab Four’s 1969 carto...
Voltron Movie Rights Go to Atlas
July 21, 2009 – Atlas Entertainment has made the first step toward bringing Voltron to the big screen, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Atlas’ Charles Roven, Richard Suckle and Steve Alexander...
Exclusive: Behind the Scenes on Astro Boy
July 20, 2009 – Recently, Animation Magazine got a chance to take an early peek at the work being done on Imagi Studios’ upcoming CG-animated Astro Boy feature.
The film, due out Oct. 23, is the s...
Coraline, Watchmen Top Home-Video Releases
July 20, 2009 – Coraline, Henry Selick’s acclaimed feature film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s beloved story, leads an impressive array of pre-Comic-Con DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The stop-motion animated fi...
VIZ Ponies Up Ponyo Book Program
July 20, 2009 – VIZ Media is set to release a series of new books based on Hayao Miyazaki’s new film Ponyo, which is due to be released by Disney in the United States on Aug. 14.
Ponyo is the acc...
WB Announces Wild Things Game
July 20, 2009 – Gamers will now have a chance to go Where the Wild Things Are on their videogame consoles.
The new game, which ties into the release of the upcoming Spike Jonze movie, is being developed ...
Tooner Satire Bloomberg Developed for Animation
July 20, 2009 – New Core Productions and Silver Lining Film Group are looking to animate Smoking Bloomberg, an off-Broadway spoof of musicals.
The two companies have teamed up and recruited consultant gr...
Potter Dazzles, But Ice Age Has Legs
July 19, 2009 – It was a magical first weekend for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, even as the animated 3-D feature Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs showed staying power.
The sixth film in t...
Fox Seeks Cheaper Futurama Cast
July 19, 2009 – 20th Century Fox TV has sent out a casting call and begun auditions for voice actors to replace the original cast of the long-running sci-fi animated series Futurama after contract negotiati...
TV-Loonland Plants Shows in Asia
July 19, 2009 – TV-Loonland has scored deals for several of its animated children’s series with major broadcasters in Asia.
Disney Japan has bought the TV rights for all 52 three-minute episodes of Leon,...
Flood of Anime Coming to FUNimation, Anime Network
July 19, 2009 – Anime distributor FUNimation has announced at this weekend’s Otakon the acquisition of several popular series for broadcast and DVD, while Anime Network has just made hundreds of episodes of anime ...
Go Anpanman Sets Guiness Record for Characters
July 19, 2009 – Popular Japanese children’s cartoon series Go Anpanman has made the Guiness Book of Records for having the most characters in a series, with some 1,768 having appeared on the show since it b...
Animators Guild, Producers Sign 3-year Deal
July 16, 2009 – Animation Guild Local 839 and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have agreed to a new deal that hikes minimum salaries by 2 percent a year.
The tentative contract, which has b...
Frankel to Direct Septimus Heap
July 16, 2009 – Marley & Me's David Frankel is set to direct the animated fantasy feature Septimus Heap: Magyk for Warner Bros.
Rob Lieber has the job of writing a screenplay that adapts the seven...
Brand Jumps Into I Hop
July 16, 2009 – I Hop, a live-action and animation hybrid film, has scored a release date of March 4, 2011, and has cast comic actor Russell Brand in the role of the Easter Bunny.
The Universal film, pro...
Syfy Continues Ani-Monday Block
July 16, 2009 – The newly re-christened Syfy Channel has renewed a deal with Manga Entertainment for a third season of the Ani-Monday anime block.
The two-hour block, which airs Mondays starting at 11 p.m., wil...
Potter Casts $22M Midnight Spell
July 16, 2009 – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film the popular series of VFX-heavy live-action book adaptations, has conjured up the biggest midnight opening gross in history.
The Wa...
Marvel Heroes Get Anime Makeover
July 16, 2009 – Marvel is turning Japanese, teaming up with the acclaimed Madhouse animation studio behind Paprika and Tokyo Godfathers to reinvent the comic book publisher’s classic heroes in an ani...
Family Guy Nabs Emmy Comedy Nomination
July 16, 2009 – Family Guy became the first-ever animated show in nearly 50 years to be nominated in the best comedy series category at the Emmy Awards, which announced the contenders for its 61st annual pr...
Disney Doc Gets Limited September Release
July 16, 2009 – Walt & El Grupo, a new documentary film chronicling a ten-day trip Walt Disney and a hand-picked group of artists took in 1941 to South America as part of the United States’ Good Neighbor Po...
Short Created on Facebook to Play Before Planet 51
July 16, 2009 – Live Music, an animated short film made through a ground-breaking collaboration on the social networking site Facebook, will play in theaters in front of TriStar Pictures animated feature fi...
Loesch to Head Up Hasbro-Discovery Venture
July 16, 2009 – Margaret Loesch, a veteran of the children’s entertainment and animation industries, is the new president and CEO of Hasbro and Discovery’s multiplatform joint venture.
Loesch will head up the v...
Wizard Founder Announces Anaheim Comic-Con
July 16, 2009 – Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment, has announced the first-ever Anaheim Comic-Con will be held April 16-18, 2010, at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Anaheim show is the latest in a se...
Voice Actor McKennon Dies
July 14, 2009 – Dallas McKennon, a prolific voice actor for more than 50 years in animated films and TV shows, died Tuesday morning at the age of 89.
McKennon was best known as the voice of Gumby, as well as Ar...
E1 Picks Chang for Development Post
July 14, 2009 – Swin Chang has joined E1 Entertainment as the company’s director of development for kids and animation.
Chang will be based in Toronto and be responsible for bringing new properties into the co...
Decode Sells Super WHY! Into Asia, Oz
July 14, 2009 – Super WHY!, the award-winning literacy building show, has picked up new markets in Asia and Australia.
Decode Enterprises has signed a deal for the show to air on Tooniverse in Korea, TV ...
Peanuts, Seuss, Miser Specials Come Home Oct. 6
July 14, 2009 – Fans of classic animation will want to mark Oct. 6 on their calendar, as that’s when Warner Home Video is releasing the Blu-ray debuts of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dr. Seuss’ How the Gri...
Astro Boy Stars Play for Game
July 14, 2009 – Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell, the stars of the upcoming CG-animated movie Astro Boy, will reprise their roles for D3 Publishing’s tie-in Astro Boy: The Video Game.
As in the movie, ...
Paramount Plays with Max Steel Movie
July 14, 2009 – Max Steel is looking to join Transformers and G.I. Joe in the growing trend of toys-turned-cartoons jumping to the big screen.
Paramount has teamed up with producer Joe Roth...
FX Aims Archer for Fall Debut
July 13, 2009 – Cable network FX has ordered six episodes of the animated series Archer, a comedy about the employees at an international spy agency.
The show, whose title may change, stars Family Guy...
Portman Tends to Thunder God in Thor
July 13, 2009 – Having conquered the Star Wars universe, Natalie Portman is setting her sights on Marvel and Asgard, signing on to the comic-book studio’s upcoming Thor feature film.
Portman will ...
Spurlock Directs Simpsons Documentary
July 13, 2009 – Morgan Spurlock is set to produce and direct a documentary special titled The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice as part of The Simpsons’ 20th anniversary celebration.
...
Book on Classic Magoo Holiday Special Comes to Comic-Con
July 13, 2009 – Animation director Darrell Van Citters will preview at Comic-Con International in San Diego his upcoming book on the making of the classic 1960s animated TV special Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol
Kickstand Updates StretchMesh for Maya
July 13, 2009 – Upgrades to StretchMesh surface deformation plug-in for Maya adds several new features that creator Kickstand says streamline the production process for creating top-notch character animation.
I...
Bruno Chills Out Ice Age
July 12, 2009 – Bruno cracked Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs to top this weekend’s box office.
The Universal Studios comedy, in which Sacha Baron Cohen reprises the role of the gay Austrian fashio...
WB Rings Reynolds for Green Lantern
July 12, 2009 – Ryan Reynolds is jumping from Marvel to DC, having been cast as the lead role in Warner Bros.’ upcoming Green Lantern movie.
Reynolds, who has appeared this summer as Deadpool in X-Men...
Zamm to Direct Hong Kong Phooey Movie
July 12, 2009 – Alex Zamm is set to direct Alcon Entertainment’s movie version of Hong Kong Phooey, a popular 1970s Saturday-morning cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera.
Zamm’s credits include the v...
Finalists Set for Cartoon d’Or Prize
July 12, 2009 – The European Association of Animation Film has named five finalists for the 2009 Cartoon d’Or prize for the best European animated short film.
Chosen from a field of 29 candidates — all of them ...
Latin America Strikes Naruto Deals
July 12, 2009 – A new wave of Naruto anime is coming to Latin America, with rights-holder VIZ media making a broadcast deal with Cartoon Network Latin America and a DVD deal in Brazil with PlayArte Pictures...
Gosnell to Direct Big-Screen Smurfs
July 09, 2009 – Raja Gosnell has been hired to direct Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming feature film adaptation of Smurfs.
Gosnell, who began working in the film business as an edi...
Miyazaki’s U.S. Tour to Stop in Berkeley
July 09, 2009 – Master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s upcoming visit to the United States is adding a stop at the University of California, Berkeley.
Miyazaki is set to visit the Northern California city on...
Nick UK Rounds Up Super Hero Squad
July 09, 2009 – Marvel Animation’s new kid-friendly series Super Hero Squad is coming to the United Kingdom’s NickToons in October.
In an exclusive acquisition, the channel will present 26 half-hour epis...
Chorion Reps Dan Dare License
July 09, 2009 – Dan Dare, the space-faring hero of classic English comic strips, is back in the game, with the Dan Dare Corp. choosing Chorion to represent the international licensing rights to the characters.
...
Monsters, Wubbzy to Wow at Home
July 09, 2009 – Monsters vs. Aliens, DreamWorks Animation’s hit 3-D feature film, and the smash Nick hit Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: Wubb Idol are coming home in September.
Arriving on Sept. 29, Monster...
Bruno Tries to Crack Ice Age, Transformers
July 09, 2009 – It may take a new comedy from the creator of Borat to finally end the robots’ rein atop the box office.
Bruno, which stars Sascha Baron Cohen as the effeminate, offensively clueles...
Hulu, iTunes Add Anime Titles
July 09, 2009 – More anime is coming to fans via the internet, as Hulu expands its offerings with the additions of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles and Kite: Liberator, while VIZ Media brings Honey...
Owly Gets Animated Short at Comic-Con
July 09, 2009 – Comic-book favorite Owly is coming to life as a short animated film set to premiere at Comic-Con.
Based on the Eisner-winning, wordless comic book by Andy Runton about a kind owl and his...
Henson Retrospective at Silent Movie Theater
July 09, 2009 – The classic works of Muppet master Jim Henson is coming to the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles in a special retrospective of his work mounted by Cinespia and Cinefamily.
The retrospective, w...
WB Wins Ruling in Superman Rights Case
July 09, 2009 – The judge overseeing the copyright lawsuit filed by heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel has ruled in favor of publisher DC Comics and its corporate parent Warner Bros.
The ruling from U.S....
Ontario Invests in Toronto Ubisoft Studio
July 07, 2009 – Video game giant Ubisoft is coming to Canada, announcing plans to open a major video game studio and create 800 high-quality jobs over the next decade.
The studio will open in Toronto, which the...
Garrett Develops Dumb Bunny at Sony
July 07, 2009 – Actor Brad Garrett, star of the Fox comedy series ’Til Death and Everybody Loves Raymond, is developing Dumb Bunny and a Jackass as an animated comedy series at Sony Pictures T...
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Sales Go Global
July 07, 2009 – Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s is set to land in multiple new territories across Europe, Latin America and in the Middle East thanks to a series of new deals cut by 4Kids Entertainment.
Outlets picking ...
Kroyer Elected Academy Governor
July 07, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has elected four new governors in its branch elections — one of which will oversea the short film and animated feature branch.
Bill Kroyer will jo...
Ice Age, Transformers Tie It Up at Box Office
July 06, 2009 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have emerged from the July Fourth weekend locked in a rare tie for the box office crown.
Both films grossed a...
WB Completes Midway Assets Purchase
July 06, 2009 – Warner Bros. has completed its purchase of the assets of Midway Games, including the rights to such well-known gaming franchises as Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter and Joust.
The ...
Weinstein Co.’s Escape Delayed
July 06, 2009 – The Weinstein Co.’s 3-D animated feature film Escape From Planet Earth has been delayed, with production shut down until August and its release pushed back to January 2011 at the earliest.
...
Losses Bump Gonzo Stock Listing
July 06, 2009 – Japanese animation company Gonzo’s ongoing financial issues have forced it to delist from the Mothers section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, effective July 30.
The decision was made according to t...
Anime Expo Draws More Than 40,000
July 06, 2009 – Anime Expo 2009 is reporting strong attendance at the four-day event, which wrapped up Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
More than 40,000 unique attendees reportedly have attended the...
Classic Peanuts Collection Comes Home
July 06, 2009 – Fans of Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez would have to be real blockheads to not pick up the Peanuts 1960s Collection, out this week on DVD.
The two-disc set (Warner Bros., $29.9...
Transfomers Edges Out Ice Age in Final Tally
July 06, 2009 – It came down to the wire, but Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen beat out the 3-D animated feature Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
The final tally for the weekend’s box office cam...
Weta Buys Nuke License
July 06, 2009 – Weta Digital has bought a site license for Nuke, the compositing software application created by The Foundry, and will incorporate it into the company’s in-house pipeline.
The New Zealand-based ...
Voice-O-Matic for 3ds Max Gets Upgrade
July 06, 2009 – Montreal-based animation software maker Di-O-Matic has upgraded Voice-O-Matic, its lip-synching plug-in tool for 3ds Max.
The new version of the software, version 3, is set to ship this summer ...
Brand to Rep Brit Chicks Worldwide
July 06, 2009 – Brand Champions has been tapped as the worldwide licensing representative for the Target Entertainment musical online property Brit Chicks.
The property is a girls fashion and lifestyle b...
Ice Age Chills Transformers in Opening
July 02, 2009 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs grossed a cool $13.8 million in its Wednesday opening, edging out the juggernaut known as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
The opening — the best...
Aniboom, History to Let People Speak in Contest
July 02, 2009 – Aniboom and History Channel have teamed up to solicit unique animated interpretations of A-list talent doing 10 readings and musical performances.
The best entries will have a chance to win $35,...
Green Lantern Premiere to Light Up Comic-Con
July 02, 2009 – Green Lantern: First Flight, an original animated DVD feature movie, will have its world premiere at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 23.
The film, the most recent in Warner H...
FUNimation Bags Sands From Sega
July 02, 2009 – FUNimation kicked off Anime Expo 2009 by announcing Thursday the acquisition from Sega of rights to the first season of Sands of Destruction.
The series, based on the Sega video game, wil...
Poll Names PBS KIDS Top Educational Brand
July 02, 2009 – A national survey by GfK Roper has found PBS KIDS is the top educational media brand for children.
The poll asked more than 1,000 randomly chosen adults in the United States to compare such top...
Ice Age, Enemies Take on Transformers
July 01, 2009 – It’s old-fashioned star power taking on the latest and greatest in animation and 3-D technology, as Public Enemies squares off against Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in the July Fourt...
Robot Chicken Supports DVD with Roller Rink Tour
July 01, 2009 – The creators of Robot Chicken are going to party like it’s 1980 to support the DVD release Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II, hitting the road for two weeks with a touring roller sk...
Nick Animation Fest Seeks Short Entries
July 01, 2009 – Revamped and renamed, the sixth annual Nickelodeon Animation Festival has put out a call for entries for great animated films anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in length.
Formerly known as ...
Focus Features Unveils 9 Stitchpunk Images
July 01, 2009 – The movie is named 9 — and now Focus Features has unveiled the characters behind the title of the upcoming animated film directed by Shane Acker.
Based on Acker’s short film and produced ...
Pair of Series Power Disney XD Ratings
July 01, 2009 – Hit series Phineas and Ferb and a strong debut from Zeke and Luther have recorded the most-watched month on record for Disney XD, formerly Toon Disney, in key demographics.
A marat...
Little Mermaid’s Broadway Run Ends Aug. 30
July 01, 2009 – The stage musical version of Disney’s animated classic The Little Mermaid will close it’s Broadway run Aug. 30 after 685 performances and 50 previews.
According to Variety, Disney ...
8 Animators, Selick Invited to Join Academy
June 30, 2009 – Eight animators and Coraline director Henry Selick are among the 134 people working in motion pictures who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The i...
Harvey Award Nominees Announced
June 30, 2009 – The Harvey Awards, named for Mad Magazine pioneer Harvey Kurtzman and honoring achievement in the comic book field, have nominated works in 26 categories.
The nominations and winners are ...
Ferraiolo Returns to Soup2Nuts
June 30, 2009 – Scholastic Media has announced that Emmy-winning writer, director and producer Jack D. Ferraiolo is returning to its animation studio Soup2Nuts as development executive.
In his new position, Fer...
Kells Takes Big Prize at Edinburgh
June 30, 2009 – The Secret of Kells is the first animated film to win the audience award at the prestigious Edinburgh Film Festival, with producer Paul Young accepting the award this past weekend from Sean ...
Penguins, SpongeBob Fuel Nick Ratings
June 30, 2009 – Nickelodeon’s Penguins of Madagascar was the top-rated animated series with kids and total viewers for the second quarter of 2009, followed closely by SpongeBob SquarePants.
The st...
Smurfs Movie Adds a Third Dimension
June 30, 2009 – The Smurfs have been making their way to the big screen for a while, but it now looks like they’ll be arriving in 3-D.
Columbia Pictures is planning to release the CG/live-action hybrid, known n...
VES Honors Pixar’s Catmull
June 29, 2009 – The Visual Effects Society will honor Ed Catmull, president of the Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, with its 2010 George Melies Award.
The honor, presented to people who have “pioneered ...
The Spine Best of Melbourne Fest
June 29, 2009 – The Spine, an animated short directed by Chris Landreth and co-produced by the National Film Board of Canada, has one the Best of Festival Award at the Melbourne International Animation Fest...
SpongeBob’s Greatest Hits Out July 21
June 29, 2009 – Nickelodeon and Sony Music Entertainment are set to release SpongeBob’s Greatest Hits, a compilation of 17 new and classic tracks celebrating the 10th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants...
Lassie Comes to 3D Animation
June 29, 2009 – Lassie, the world’s most famous dog, is barking up the animation tree, with a new series being co-developed by DQ Entertainment, Classic Media, M6/France and ZDF/Germany.
The 3D animated ...
THQ, Sony Execs Join MTV Games
June 29, 2009 – MTV Games has appointed two industry veterans to executive positoiins.
Scott Guthrie, previously executive VP of publishing for THQ, is now executive VP and general manager of MTV Games.
Also...
Animated Winners at Palm Springs ShortsFest
June 29, 2009 – Philip Hunt’s short film Lost and Found took home the audience favorite animation short award — one of several animated winners — at the Palm Springs International ShortFest and Short Film M...
Transformers’ Giant Robots Earn Giant B.O.
June 28, 2009 – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen steamrolled its way to the summer’s best box office opening, taking in $112 million over the three-day weekend for a five-day total of more than $200 mill...
Nick’s AddictingGames Honors Online Favorites
June 28, 2009 – Nickelodeon’s AddictingGames Showdown honored Saturday night online video games chosen by the public in 10 cool and oddball categories ranching from Greatest Escape Game to Best Performance by a Ro...
Goode Season Finale Set for July 24
June 28, 2009 – The Goode Family will try to bring public radio to their hometown of Greenville in the last first-run episode of its debut season, set to air Friday, July 24, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
In the ...
Is a Merger in the DreamWorks?
June 28, 2009 – Chatter about deals is heating up, with speculation growing that DreamWorks Animation may be the target of a possible merger or acquisition.
Among the parties interested in the publicly held com...
ASIFA Screenings Promote Pop Cultural Literacy
June 28, 2009 – ASIFA-Hollywood has set a series of free screenings aimed at familiarizing animation students, the animation community and the general public with some of the entertainers who had a huge impact on ...
Season of Magic
June 26, 2009 – This summer’s string of big-budget popcorn movies are a lively exhibit of the latest achievements in the vfx arena.
If summer means anything to movie lovers, it means a season of the biggest, b...
Oscars to Nominate 10 for Best Picture
June 25, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences surprised the movie world Wednesday by announcing it would double the number of nominees for best picture from five to ten.
Academy president Sid ...
Nick Hosts Special SpongeBob Anniversary Weekend
June 25, 2009 – SpongeBob SquarePants is about to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his TV premiere — and Nickelodeon isn’t about to let the occasion pass without a big party.
To celebrate the July 17, 1...
G4 to Televise Lucasfilm Comic-Con Panel
June 25, 2009 – Lucasfilm and G4 TV are set to make Comic-Con history by broadcasting this year’s Star Wars Spectacular panel on national television.
The panel, always one of the most popular each year at the S...
Animax Helps Bring Planet Color Online
June 25, 2009 – Planet Color by Todd Parr is set to win over the Internet with happy thoughts, thanks to a partnership between the author, marketing partner SupperTime Entertainment and digital creative age...
ICv2 Sets Comics and Media Conference for San Diego
June 25, 2009 – With Comic-Con having become the place for comics and media to interact, pop culture publishing and consulting company ICv2 has announced it will hold a conference exploring the ways in which these...
Transformers’ $60 Million Wednesday Sets Record
June 25, 2009 – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen posted the best-ever Wednesday opening with a first-day gross of $60 million at more than 4,200 theaters.
The total on the Michael Bay-directed sequel,...
SNL’s Meyers Preps The Awesomes for MTV
June 25, 2009 – MTV and Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers are developing a an animated half-hour superhero spoof series called The Awesomes.
According to MTV’s Splash Page blog, the series is abou...
Longer Watchmen Gets Limited Release, Comic-Con Event
June 25, 2009 – The director’s cut of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen is getting a limited theatrical release and a special BD-Live screening at Comic-Con to promote its release on DVD and Blu-ray.
The new cut of...
FUNimation Portal Returns with New Fullmetal Alchemist
June 25, 2009 – The most recent episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is set to stream starting June 25 on FUNimation Entertainment’s online video portal, which is back up and running after a monthlon...
Souped-Up Toon Boom Studio 5 Drops
June 25, 2009 – Toon Boom Animation today released Toon Boom Studio 5, a completely rebranded update of its popular animation software.
Chief among the program’s new features is a stop-motion animation capabili...
Alfred Hedgehog Video Game Detected
June 23, 2009 – Young video game players soon will join TV viewers in exploring The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog.
A video game based on the animated series will launch in January for the PC and the Ninte...
Starz Starts Up ABE Toons With Talent Search
June 23, 2009 – Starz Digital Media has launched its new animation site ABE Toons, marking the debut of the site with a talent search contest seeking out the next great animator.
The site, www.abetoons.com, wil...
Archaia, Henson Team Up for Comics
June 23, 2009 – The Jim Henson Co. is teaming up with Archaia Comics to publish graphic novels based on the studio’s numerous franchises.
The deal includes such classic Henson properties as Fraggle Rock, The Da...
First Look at Airbender; New Ponyo Trailer
June 23, 2009 – Paramount has released the first trailer for The Last Airbender, M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of the popular Nick animated adventure series.
The film, which stars Dev Pate...
Brazilian Series Ride Pitch Program to Success
June 23, 2009 – Two animated series pitched by graduates of the Brazilian TV Producers’ International Training Program in Animation have scored production deals through a special pitching session at the annual For...
JibJab Jabs at Obama in New Short
June 22, 2009 – Animation site JibJab continued its tradition of political satire, unveiling a new animated short titled He’s Barack Obama at the 65th annual Radio and Television Correspondents’ dinner feat...
Pixar Grants Dying Girl’s Wish to See Up
June 22, 2009 – Disney-Pixar granted the wish of a terminally ill 10-year-old girl to see the movie Up, showing her the movie only hours before she died of cancer.
Colby Curtin, who had been diagnosed in...
Disney’s G-Force Brings 3-D to Gaming
June 22, 2009 – First the movies went 3-D — now get ready to start wearing glasses to play the latest videogames.
Disney Interactive Studios’ G-Force game, based on the upcoming movie, hits in July and w...
Monster Sells Four Series to M-Net
June 22, 2009 – Monster Distributes has sold four HD series to M-Net South Africa. The Ireland-based company’s deal will see the network air:
• Lifeboat Luke, a 52 x 5 min. search-and-rescue adventure s...
Untitled Ghost Movie Makes Progress at DWA
June 22, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation is moving ahead with the untitled ghost movie idea mentioned recently in its feature film lineup.
The story, untitled but referred to at the studio as Boo U., is abou...
Bashir, Tom & Jerry Waltz Home on DVD, Blu-ray
June 22, 2009 – Waltz With Bashir, the Oscar-nominated animated film from Israeli director Ari Folman, leads a heavy week of animation and VFX-heavy releases on DVD and Blu-ray.
Bashir, which told...
First Pics Drop for Burton’s Wonderland
June 22, 2009 – Tim Burton’s new version of Alice in Wonderland has finished shooting, and the release of the first photos from the film promise an engaging and fascinating visual exerpeince.
Due March 5...
Special Agent Oso Returns for Disney
June 22, 2009 – Disney Channel has bought a second season of Secret Agent Oso, the hit animated series starring Oscar-nominated actor Sean Astin.
The Playhouse Disney series follows Oso, a stuffed panda ...
NYICFF Hosts U.S. Premiere of Kells
June 22, 2009 – The Secret of Kells, the long-awaited animated feature from the producers of Kirikou and the Sorceress and The Triplets of Belleville, will have its first U.S. screenings at th...
Spine Animator Landreth to Speak at SIGGRAPH
June 22, 2009 – Chris Landreth, director of the acclaimed computer-animated short film The Spine, will speak at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference in New Orleans.
Winner of an Academy Award for his 2004 sho...
English Evangelion to Screen at Anime Expo
June 22, 2009 – The English dub of Hideaki Anno’s feature film Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone will premiere at this year’s Anime Expo. Set for July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The film...
Unique Plans McCartney Tale as Toon
June 18, 2009 – Unique Pictures, the new production company formed by former New Line chiefs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, is developing an animated feature based on a children’s book by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney.
...
Imageworks Ups Bredow to CTO
June 18, 2009 – Sony Pictures Imageworks has promoted Rob Bredow to the job of chief technical officer, effective July 1.
Bredow, currently visual effects supervisor, will replace George Joblove as the company ...
ChinaToon Block Comes to Nick Asia
June 18, 2009 – Nickelodeon Asia will launch July 5 a one-hour block dedicated to Chinese animation.
The block kicks off with a pair of China-produced series, Variety reports.
Pleasant Goat an...
Family Guy App Set for iPhone
June 18, 2009 – Family Guy is coming to the iPhone in a new app featuring games and clips from the popular Fox series.
Created by Fox Mobile Entertainment and Rhythm NewMedia, the $1.99 app allows users ...
Cartoon Forum Offers 63 Productions
June 18, 2009 – Cartoon Forum, the European co-production event, will present 63 animation projects with a combined budget of $215 million at its 20th-annual event set for Sept. 22-25.
The lineup includes 28 Eu...
Titmouse Seeks Animators for Reality Series
June 18, 2009 – Hollywood-based animation studio Titmouse is seeking animators with ideas for short films to take part in a reality-style competition TV series titled 7200 Frames.
The series, which takes...
$9.99 Begins Limited Run
June 18, 2009 – Tatia Rosenthal’s thought-provoking stop-motion feature $9.99 begins its limited run in Los Angeles and New York this Friday. The Israeli-Australian co-production is based on short stories b...
Annecy Winner Pat & Stan Picks Up Licensees
June 18, 2009 – TV-Loonland’s Pat & Stan, fresh from winning a jury special prize at the Annecy Animation Festival, is secured a licensing deals in advance of its fall launch in more than 170 territories.
...
Aardman Scores Ratings, Deals for Timmy Time
June 18, 2009 – Aardman Animation’s first preschool TV series, Timmy Time, has debuted to strong ratings in the United Kingdom and has secured new broadcast and licensing deals.
The series, which airs th...
Nick Revamps Grizzly for U.K.
June 18, 2009 – A new series of 26 x 11 min. episodes of the award-winning animated series Grizzly Tales will be produced for the U.K. market and air on Nickelodeon UK.
The new series, based on a recent ...
Up Rises in Pixar B.O. Rankings
June 16, 2009 – Up is rising quickly through the ranks of Pixar releases with strong box office results that could turn it into the studio’s second-highest grossing film to date.
So far, the film has gro...
Moscow Court Flushes South Park Claim
June 16, 2009 – A court in Russia has dismissed a legal case a religious group brought against broadcaster 2X2 for showing an episode of South Park.
The Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith a...
Miyamoto Tops Gamemakers’ Hero Poll
June 16, 2009 – Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of such classic games as Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Pikmin and F-Zero, has topped a survey of game develo...
Target Restructures, MD Jones Moves On
June 16, 2009 – Ian Jones, managing director of production and rights management firm Target Entertainment, is leaving his job in a restructuring of the company.
Jones will continue to work the next few weeks ...
Disney Brings Jonas to U.K. in September
June 16, 2009 – U.K. fans of the Jonas Brothers will want to tune in to Disney Channel in September for the British premiere of the musical siblings new series, Jonas.
The channel announced the debut in ...
Lunar Jim, Dragon Booster Sold to Avalon Arabia
June 16, 2009 – Avalon Arabia has finalized a deal to distribute in the Middle East the majority of titles from the catalog of Canadian producer-distributor Alliance Atlantis International.
The deal includes 46...
Family Guy, Garfield Laugh It Up on DVD
June 15, 2009 – Get ready, the Griffins are coming home yet again.
Family Guy Vol. 7 (Fox, $39.98) comes to DVD this week, featuring 13 episodes from seasons six and seven of the popular animated TV seri...
The Cleveland Show Premieres Sept. 27
June 15, 2009 – The Seth MacFarlane animation empire will officially expand yet again on Sept. 27, when Fox will air the premiere episode of The Cleveland Show.
Spun off from MacFarlane’s flagship series...
Total Drama Action Powers CN Ratings
June 15, 2009 – The June 11 premiere of Cartoon Network’s Total Drama Action was a smash hit with the kid set, marking double and triple-digit gains in ratings and delivery across all kid demographics.
T...
Academy Sets Miyazaki Screening, Talk
June 15, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will host a special screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning feature Spirited Away and a tribute to the animation master himself.
The fa...
Disney XD Comes to the U.K.
June 15, 2009 – The Walt Disney Co. announced its plans to launch the Disney XD channel in the United Kingdom.
Disney XD will replace the current Jetix brand, offering a mix of live-action and animated program...
DECODE Makes Sales in Central, East Europe
June 15, 2009 – DECODE Enterprises has announced the sale of more than 200 hours of children’s programming in key markets in Central and Eastern Europe.
The sales include:
• The sale of Franny’s Feet,...
NBA’s Yao Voices Magic Aster
June 15, 2009 – NBA star Yao Ming is turning his talents to the microphone, taking a voice role in a Chinese animated feature called The Magic Aster.
Yao plays the character of Old Daddy in the film, re...
Hangover Lingers Atop the Box Office
June 14, 2009 – The hot comedy film The Hangover appears to not yet have overstayed its welcome with moviegoers, topping the box office for the second week in a row. The Warner Bros. comedy took in $33 mill...
Pajama Gladiator Wins Gold Medal at Student Oscars
June 14, 2009 – Pajama Gladiator won the top prize for an animated film at the 2009 Student Academy Awards ceremony, held Saturday evening in Beverly Hills.
The film, made by Glenn Harmon of Brigham Youn...
Brennan to Succeed England at ILM
June 14, 2009 – Chrissie England is exiting her role as president of Industrial Light and Magic, with plans to hand over the job in February to Lynwen Brennan.
Brennan, currently ILM’s executive in charge of pr...
Anime Expo Reveals Full 2009 Schedule
June 14, 2009 – Anime Expo has revealed the full programming schedule for its 2009 convention, to be held July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The event, the largest anime and manga convention in the ...
Los Angeles Film Fest Highlights Toon Content
June 14, 2009 – Animation will play a major role at the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival, set to kick off this Thursday and run through June 28.
In addition to the U.S. premiere of the Hayao Miyazaki film ...
Nick Orders Neutron Spin-off, T.U.F.F. Puppy Series
June 11, 2009 – Nickelodeon has ordered 26 episodes of Planet Sheen, a spin-off from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, and 13 episodes of Butch Hartman’s new series T.U.F.F. Puppy.
...
Nick’s Rawlings Promoted, Takes On Three Pilots
June 11, 2009 – Birkner Rawlings has been promoted to the post of VP of animation development for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, and will oversee three new pilots for the network.
Rawlings previously ...
VIZ Media Joins PlayStation Network
June 11, 2009 – VIZ Media is coming to the PlayStation Network, offering up downloads of Bleach, Death Note and Naruto through a branded channel on the video service.
The service begins imm...
Autodesk Expands Training Assistance Program
June 11, 2009 – Autodesk is expanding its assistance program, designed to help displaced workers in the architecture, engineering, design and manufacturing industries keep up their skills and improve their chances...
Zula Patrol Creators, IBM Unveil Zulaworld.com
June 11, 2009 – IBM and the creators of the popular science-based animated NBC children’s series The Zula Patrol have teamed up to create a new entertainment and educational site for children.
The site, ...
French Prep 3-D Versions of Cinderella, Dark Comic Novel
June 11, 2009 – French animators are going 3-D, announcing a pair of stereoscopic animated feature projects at the Annecy festival — including a new version of Cinderella.
According to Variety, Pascal He...
Murphy to Woo Up’s Family Auds
June 11, 2009 – Eddie Murphy and the duo of Denzel Washington and John Travolta enter the box-office battle this week, tackling both the expected powerhouse of Up and the unexpectedly triumphant The Hang...
Raimi Talking to Sony About Animated Familiars
June 11, 2009 – Looks like Sony Pictures Animation is getting familiar with Spider-Man director Sam Raimi.
The studio is in discussions with Raimi and partner Josh Donen to produce a film based on The...
France TV Dedicates Toon Block
June 11, 2009 – France Televisions, in an effort to win back young viewers lured to cable, will dedicate its afternoon programming on France 4 to animation series aimed at tweens and teens, according to Variety...
Moonscoop Picks Up Multiple Europe Sales
June 11, 2009 – Moonscoop reports sales of a number of its animated shows into several European markets in advance of the upcoming DISCOP show.
Among the sales:
• Orlando Kids has picked up broadcast, pay TV...
Cyber Group, Timoon Team on Two Toons
June 11, 2009 – Cyber Group Studios and Timoon Animation have signed a deal to co-produce, distribute and license two new animated series: Fish’ N Chips, and Bambalaye!
The deal was announced at t...
Hangover Topples Up in Final Tally
June 09, 2009 – The Hangover woke up to good news Monday, as final reports from the weekend box office put it ahead of Up and atop the charts.
Returns for The Hangover were better than expe...
Disney Confirms More Tinker Bell on DVD
June 09, 2009 – Disney brings back the magic of fairies this fall, announcing the Oct. 27 release of the original animated sequel Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure on DVD and Blu-ray.
The studio also ann...
Disney Bets Big on Phineas & Ferb
June 09, 2009 – Disney is giving a major vote of confidence to its animated TV series Phineas & Ferb, picking up the show for a third season and preparing a Christmas special and CD release.
Speaking at...
Return Rumored for Futurama and Monsters, Inc.
June 09, 2009 – Rumors are swirling that both Monsters, Inc. and Futurama may be coming back for more.
Collider.com is reporting that Comedy Central has ordered 13 new episodes of Futurama,...
Chuggington Arrives in U.S. on Disney Channel
June 09, 2009 – Disney Channel has picked up the rights to the U.K. preschooler series Chuggington from Ludorum.
The series will launch on Disney Channel with 52 episodes in the spring of 2010.
The se...
GenArts, Lucasfilm Expand Partnership
June 09, 2009 – VFX plug-in maker GenArts and Lucasfilm have expanded their longstanding partnership.
Under the agreement, GenArts software will be used for compositing at all Lucasfilm companies, including ILM...
ILM Adds Nuke to its Pipeline
June 09, 2009 – ILM has signed a deal with London-based VFX software makers The Foundry to add the compositing software Nuke to its in-house production pipeline.
Pat Tubach, ILM’s compositing department supervi...
Pac Title to Liquidate After 90 Years
June 09, 2009 – Pacific Title and Art Studios, which has been working on postproduction of Hollywood features for 90 years, will close its doors and liquidate its assets.
Variety reports that Pac Title C...
MIPCOM Celebrates Simpsons 20th, Honors Groening
June 09, 2009 – MIPCOM 2009 will help celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons with a series of special events climaxing with the presentation of the first MIPCOM Creative Icon Award to the show’s cre...
Chow to Animate CJ-7 Sequel
June 09, 2009 – Hong Kong actor, writer and director Stephen Chow has announced plans to make an animated feature film sequel to the 2008 Chinese sci-fi comedy film CJ-7.
Chow’s Star Overseas Co. and the...
Scrawl and Nemo Develop Paranormalia
June 09, 2009 – Scrawl Studios and Planet Nemo, the partners behind the hit Silly Bitty Bunny, are re-teaming to develop a 2D animated adventure comedy series called Paranormalia.
The series, set ...
Program, Video Preview SIGGRAPH
June 09, 2009 – SIGGRAPH is getting closer, and the specifics of the annual conference are starting to take shape.
The advance program is now available to download at the SIGGRAPH site (
Smith Micro Updates Anime Studio Pro
June 09, 2009 – Anime Studio Pro 6, a powerful new version of the Smith Micro software animation application, is available starting today.
Version 6 speeds up production time with features such as motion tracki...
Up Stays Atop Box Office
June 07, 2009 – Disney-Pixar’s Up had enough lift this weekend to edge out the competition and retain its box office crown.
The animated 3-D film, which has earned rave reviews from critics, took in $44....
Writers go on Safari for Henson
June 07, 2009 – The Jim Henson Co. has hired Craig Zobel and Matt Chapman to write the script for Monster Safari, a stop-motion animation film.
A trio of directors — Mark Caballero, Chris Finnegan and S...
Cameron Signs on to Heavy Metal
June 07, 2009 – James Cameron has joined director David Fincher as co-executive producer on a new Heavy Metal feature film and is also set to direct a segment.
Cameron joins a distinguished lineup of fil...
Zoic Signs up VFX Legend Dutton
June 07, 2009 – VFX luminary Syd Dutton has joined Zoic Studios, signing on to direct the company’s digital matte painting and feature film ventures.
Dutton got his start doing matte paintings under Albert Whit...
E3 News: Sony, Nintendo Move on Gear, Game Titles
June 04, 2009 – Videogame giants Sony and Nintendo kicked off the first day of E3 by announcing a slew of new titles and more than a few twists on the hardware as they looked to gain favor with the gaming industry...
Autodesk Re-renders AREA Online Community
June 04, 2009 – Autodesk has upgraded and re-launched its AREA online community for digital artists.
The new version of the site — now compatible with standard browsers running on Windows, Mac and Linux systems...
Fremantle to Distribute Balloonatiks Feature
June 04, 2009 – Fremantle Corp. has signed on as the worldwide distributor for Animagic Entertainment’s burgeoning animated kids franchise, The Balloonatiks.
The deal includes a full-length feature film,...
Bakugan Wins Top Licensing Awards
June 04, 2009 – Intl. Licensing Industry Merchandisers Assoc. (LIMA) named Bakugan the Overall Best Licensed Program of the year at the Licensing Show on Tuesday night. Corus Ent., Cartoon Network and Spin ...
E3 Returns With New Maturity, Same Old Excitement
June 04, 2009 – E3’s return to the Los Angeles Convention Center this year is also a return to the show’s roots. Once known for its big splashy displays, scantily clad booth babes and eardrum-challenging audio out...
Autodesk Leads Middleware Talk at E3
June 04, 2009 – The flashy side of E3 – which officially will return next year June 15-17 — gets most of the attention at the annual confab, but there’s plenty of serious business also taking place as companies ta...
Land of Lost Looks to Upend Up
June 04, 2009 – Comedy is charging the box office, with Land of the Lost hoping a mix of adventure and laughs will pop Up’s balloon and rise to the top of the heap.
The Brad Silberling (10 Items or Le...
Piracy Kills One Piece Simulcast
June 04, 2009 – Toei Animation has pulled its plans to stream an online simulcast of new episodes of the anime series One Piece due to an episode being stolen from the FUNimation Entertainment servers and i...
Advent Buys Out Foundry Management
June 04, 2009 – Advent Venture Partners has bought out the management of The Foundry, backing CEO Bill Collis and the original founders in a deal that sees the sale of the shareholdings of previous investors Wyndc...
Animation Ahead for Lemony Snicket Series?
June 04, 2009 – Brad Silberling, director of the 2004 feature Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, has hinted to MTV that a stop-motion animation sequel is possible.
Based on the popular seri...
Lynx, CalArts Youth Screenings Set for June 6
June 04, 2009 – A pair of unique animation screening events are set for the Los Angeles area this Saturday, June 6.
The Missing Lynx, an animated film from Spain that won that nation’s Goya Award for bes...
LEGO Builds Deal for Ben 10 Toys
June 02, 2009 – Cartoon Network Enterprises and The LEGO Group have struck their first ever product-development deal in bringing a line of construction toys based on the popular animated series Ben 10: Alien Fo...
Sid and Ty Set Playdate for Online Store
June 02, 2009 – Sid the Science Kid has a whole new toy box to play in.
Ty’s Toy Box.com will launch July 1 an online store for the animated PBS KIDS series, featuring “print on demand” apparel and such ...
Holiday Classics Get New Products
June 02, 2009 – Classic Media is launching new consumer products lines for its popular holiday brands, including Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Halloween favorite Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Pe...
Up Rises to top of Box Office
June 01, 2009 – Up surprised no one by climbing to the top spot at the weekend box office.
The highly anticipated Pixar-Disney 3-D animated feature took in an impressive $68 million, only slightly behind...
Diplomatic Promotion Shuffles Execs at Wildbrain
June 01, 2009 – Charles Rivkin, CEO of the animation studio Wildbrain, has been tapped by President Obama to be the United States’ ambassador to France.
The move has prompted Rivkin to step down from his positi...
Teaser Gives First Look at Toy Story 3
June 01, 2009 – The teaser trailer has hit for Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3, offering the first look at the classic characters since 1999’s Toy Story 2.
Reports are few on the film, due for release ...
KidMangoTV Block Debuts on MyFamilyTV
June 01, 2009 – KidMangoTV, a syndicated block of Porchlight Entertainment children’s programs, debuts today on ValCom Inc.’s MyFamilyTV network.
The four-hour weekday block is expected to reach more than 30 mi...
Warner Bros. Expands PUCCA Deal to North America
June 01, 2009 – Warner Bros. Consumer Products has expanded its master licensee agreement for the popular property PUCCA to include the United States, Mexico and Canada.
PUCCA began as a series of...
4Kids Reps WordWorld Around the Globe
June 01, 2009 – 4Kids Entertainment has been named the global licensing agent for WordWorld, the Emmy-winning animated series airing on PBS Kids.
WordWorld has earned praise from critics, educator...
1980s Vintage Jetsons Out on DVD
June 01, 2009 – It’s back to the future this week as The Jetsons, Season 2 Vol. 1 comes to DVD.
The new release (Warner Bros., $34.98) features 21 episodes original broadcast in 1984-85 on three discs. ...
Microsoft Motion Rig, Beatles Kick off E3
June 01, 2009 – Getting back to the glitz and attention-grabbing glamour of past E3s, Microsoft kicked off the video game industry’s annual confab by reuniting the surviving Beatles and announcing a new motion-sen...
Disney Preps More Manny Content, Products
June 01, 2009 – Handy Manny’s building himself a media empire.
Disney Channel is expanding the popular animated series with new programming and a new consumer products line.
The character will star in...
New Heathcliff Content in Development
June 01, 2009 – FitzRoy Media and Magic Lantern Entertainment have forged a joint venture to bring Heathcliff, the mischievous feline star of the long-running comic panel, to movies, TV and direct-to-DVD.
...
Comedy Central Airs New Atom TV Episodes
June 01, 2009 – Atom TV returns June 15 to Comedy Central with four new late-night episodes of sketches from the online video site.
Each episode of Atom TV is compiled from original online videos...
Nick-Branded Electronics Go Global
June 01, 2009 – Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products are for the first time extending their successful consumer electronics line beyond the United States, signing deals with Linmark Group and Sakar Internation...
Totally Spies! The Movie Sells in Europe, Latin America
May 29, 2009 – Distributors throughout Europe and Latin America have picked up the rights to Totally Spies! The Movie, a feature-length animated movie based on the popular TV series.
Deals were closed a...
Space Ace Returns Call to Action on iPhone
May 29, 2009 – Space Ace, the classic 1980s animated arcade game follow up the groundbreaking Dragon’s Lair, has come to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Created by legendary animator Don Bluth, the
Warner Bros. Wants to be King of iPhone Apps
May 28, 2009 – Warner Bros. is jumping into the business of creating apps for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch with both feet.
The studio is working with developers on a wide variety of applications related to th...
Rogen to Voice Alien in Pegg’s Paul
May 28, 2009 – Actor Seth Rogen has been cast as the voice of the titular alien character in the road trip comedy Paul.
The film was written by and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as a pair of sci-fi fa...
Pixomondo Opens Flagship Studio in Los Angeles
May 28, 2009 – Visual-effects company Pixomondo has expanded its worldwide network of studios to Los Angeles, establishing a flagship studio in the suburb of Venice.
The new facility joins the studio’s current...
NYT’s Duenes to Give SIGGRAPH Keynote
May 28, 2009 – Steve Duenes, graphics director for The New York Times, has been set as the third keynote speaker for SIGGRAPH 2009.
A teacher at the School of Visual Arts and a contributing cartoonist ...
SIGGRAPH Sets Animation Festival Award Nominees
May 28, 2009 – The nominees have been announced for the 2009 SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival.
More than 140 films will be shown at the festival, chosen from some 770 submissions from all over the globe. T...
Black Belt Club Series in Development
May 28, 2009 – Author Dawn Barnes’ popular book series The Black Belt Club is being developed into an animated series by producer John Drdek.
The illustrated book series, about four young martial artist...
Chorion Signs Global Partners for Mr. Men
May 28, 2009 – Chorion has signed new licensing agreements in the United States, Europe and Down Under for the animated preschooler series The Mr. Men Show.
In the United States, Fisher Price, Sony and ...
UNESCO Taps Olly for Educational Campaign
May 28, 2009 – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has picked the Moonscoop animated preschool series Dive Olly Dive! to part of its new educational campaign.
UNESCO wi...
Up Looks to Soar at the Box Office
May 28, 2009 – Animation fans can rejoice this weekend with the release of Pixar’s 10th feature film, Up.
The studio’s first 3-D film, directed by Pete Docter and rated PG, is expected to run away with ...
DreamWorks Plans Eight Bigscreen Toons Through 2012
May 28, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation is going to bring a mix of original films, sequels and spinoffs to the big screen, announcing it will release eight animated feature films through 2012.
Next year, 2010, wil...
Schoemann, Habibipour Join Titmouse
May 28, 2009 – Animation and game studio Titmouse has added two executives to its roster.
Sam Schoemann joins the company as VP of sales and marketing. Schoemann brings more than two experience to the job, wit...
AT&T U-Verse Premiere New Wallace & Gromit in U.S.
May 28, 2009 – The award-winning Aardman Animations short film Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death will premiere in the United States June 5 on the AT&T U-Verse TV service.
The short film will ...
Up’s Del Carmen to Appear at Gallery Nucleus
May 28, 2009 – Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, Calif., will host a special appearance Saturday, May 30, by Ronnie del Carmen, who was story supervisor and lead story artist on the new Pixar movie Up.
Del C...
Disney Seeks Fan Portraits of Donald Duck
May 26, 2009 – Fans of irascible animated hero Donald Duck will get their chance to immortalize the object of their affection on his 75th anniversary, as Disney commissions a new official portrait of the characte...
Scottish Cities Fight Over Simpsons Character
May 26, 2009 – Groundskeeper Willie, who’s been cleaning up after students at Springfield Elementary on Fox’s The Simpsons for 20 years, is caught in the middle of a real-life spat in his native Scotland.
...
Runaway Takes Petit Rail d’Or at Cannes
May 26, 2009 – Canadian short film Runaway, directed by Cordell Barker, won the Petit Rail d’Or for best short film at the Cannes Film Festival.
The award is presented each year by a group of cinephile ...
Elton John Brings Gnomeo and Juliet to Starz
May 26, 2009 – Pop star Elton John is teaming up with Starz Animation Toronto to make a 3-D animated feature titled Gnomeo and Juliet.
John appeared along with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at the Sta...
Jetix Becomes Disney Channel in Five Euro Markets
May 26, 2009 – The Walt Disney Co. will convert its Jetix outlets in five European nations to the Disney Channel name and brand.
The change is set for later this year in Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slova...
Second Museum Outing A Bigger Attraction Than Ho-Hum Terminator
May 23, 2009 – It looks like Ben Stiller is more evenly matched with the Terminator than expected.
Actor’s Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian came on strong at the box office this weekend, p...
DVD Brings Back Saturday Morning Cartoons
May 23, 2009 – Get on your slippers, grab a bowl of cereal and revisit the Saturday mornings of decades past with the release this week on DVD of two volumes of Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The first rele...
ABC Picks Up Disney Holiday Special, Prep and Landing
May 23, 2009 – Disney and ABC are getting ready for Christmas early, with the network picking the studio a special titled Prep and Landing about a pair of elves who ensure each house is ready for a visit f...
Toon Boom Unveils Animate Pro
May 23, 2009 – Toon Boom has released the software application Toon Boom Animate Pro, a high-performance package for professional animators.
Among the program’s highlights are the ability to animate in any sty...
Cartoon Network Reviewing Portfolios at Anime Expo
May 23, 2009 – Cartoon Network has signed on to host portfolio reviews at the upcoming Anime Expo, which runs July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Reviews will be done on a first-come, first-served b...
Hahn to Speak on Stanchfield Lectures Book
May 23, 2009 – Award-winning Disney animator Don Hahn will appear at Animation Nation Night Tuesday night, May 26, to discuss his new book Drawn To Life: 20 Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield...
Stiller Takes On The Terminator
May 21, 2009 – A pair of radically different franchises are looking to make sweet box office memories this Memorial Day weekend.
Terminator Salvation got a head start on the competition, opening Thursda...
Deadline for Ottawa Submissions is June 1
May 21, 2009 – The deadline is fast approaching for animators to submit their films for this year’s Ottawa International Film Festival.
Entries must be received by June 1, with preview DVDs due by June 15. The...
Voodoo Casts Winning Spell in NFB Contest
May 21, 2009 – Sebastian’s Voodoo, a short film from U.S. animator Joaquin Baldwin, won the National Film Board of Canada’s fifth annual Online Short Film Competition held in conjunction with the Short Fil...
Simpsons Director Inaugurates UCLA Animation Award
May 21, 2009 – David Silverman, best known for his work as a director on The Simpsons, will receive the inaugural Outstanding Contribution to Animation Award on June 6 as part of UCLA’s Prom 2009 Festival ...
WB Lands Moonscoop Titles for Spain
May 21, 2009 – Warner Home Video has landed the rights to distribute in Spain the Moonscoop series Code Lyoko and SamSam.
“We have received a large number of DVD and video requests from kids and ...
Warner Offers $33M for Midway Assets
May 21, 2009 – Warner Bros. has made a $33 million offer to buy the assets of videogame company Midway.
The offer would land Warner the popular Midway game series Mortal Kombat and the company’s studios...
Wayne Allwine, Voice of Mickey Mouse, Dies
May 20, 2009 – Wayne Allwine, who provided the voice of Mickey Mouse since 1977, died Monday at UCLA Medical Center from complications related to diabetes. He was 62.
Allwine took over the role of Disney’s sig...
DreamWorks Plans Panda, Dragon Arena Shows
May 20, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation is developing a pair of arena shows that will be based on their feature films Kung Fu Panda and the upcoming How to Train Your Dragon.
The Kung Fu Panda...
TBS Develops Big Tow; IFC Opens The Wrong Door
May 20, 2009 – As the major networks and cable outlets announce their slates of new shows, several new animated shows have made the cut.
In addition to the previously announced Neighbors from Hell, due ...
Toonz, Illusion Team Up on Gaturro Feature
May 20, 2009 – Toonz Animation India and South America’s Illusion Studios have agreed to co-produce a 3-D animated feature film based on the classic Argentine comic strip Gaturro.
The agreement is worth...
Timmy Time Deals Spread Across Europe
May 20, 2009 – Aardman Rights has secured a number of new deals throughout Europe for its new U.K. preschool series Timmy Time.
The deals signed include toy deals with Regio in Hungry, AMO in Finland an...
Heather Kenyon to Shine at Starz
May 20, 2009 – Animation veteran Heather Kenyon has been made VP project development and sales for Starz Animation.
In her new job, Kenyon will work with both Starz Animation Toronto and Film Roman to expand ...
Judges Set for Animag’s 8th Annual Pitch Party
May 19, 2009 – The judges have been set for Animation Magazine’s eighth annual Pitch Party.
The Pitch Party offers independent artists an opportunity to advertise their animated properties for a greatl...
Nick Orders Pilot for Monsters vs. Aliens Series
May 19, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed that Nickelodeon has ordered a TV pilot based on the recent hit movie Monsters vs. Aliens.
The news, which Katzenberg revealed at a me...
Lincoln Butterfield’s RIP, M.D. to Debut as Comic
May 19, 2009 – Animation studio Lincoln Butterfield will debut its RIP, M.D. animated TV property as a series of graphic novels to be published by Fantagraphics.
Created by Mitch Schauser, RIP, M.D.
Machinima Animates New Terminator Tale
May 19, 2009 – The Terminator is coming to Machinima in an all new original online series created with animation from the Terminator Salvation video game.
The first long-form Machinima series from a maj...
Angels Edge Out Trek at Box Office
May 18, 2009 – Angels & Demons, director Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code sequel starring Tom Hanks, ruled from on high at the box office this weekend, earning approximately $48 million in its first t...
Autodesk Solicits Entries for SIGGRAPH Showcase
May 18, 2009 – Software company Autodesk has put a call for entries for the Best of the Best Animation Show Reel it will showcase at this year’s SIGGRAPH.
The reel will be shown at Autodesk’s booth, on the exh...
MySpace Animates Eminem for Family Guy Promos
May 18, 2009 – MySpace Music has made its biggest push for a single artist to date, taking its efforts to hype the new album from Eminem online, with live events and an animated appearance on TV.
The animated ...
Hemsworth Picks Up Hammer of Thor
May 18, 2009 – Actor Chris Hemsworth is having a good year: First he became the father of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, and now he’s about to be proven worthy of lifting the hammer Mjolnir as the sta...
UMG Lands 3-D Studio Canal Feature
May 18, 2009 – Universal Music Group has agreed to handle all North American theatrical, DVD, TV and non-theatrical rights, as well as global soundtrack rights, to the Studio Canal 3-D animated movie Around th...
A Bug’s Life Crawls onto Blu-ray
May 18, 2009 – A Bug’s Life, the second CG-animated feature from Pixar after the 1995 debut of Toy Story, arrives in high-def Blu-ray this week.
The Blu-ray edition of the film includes several n...
Ponyo to Close L.A. Film Fest
May 18, 2009 – The English-language premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated Ponyo will be the closing film of this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.
The film, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen tale ...
Gervais to Animate Podcasts for HBO
May 18, 2009 – Original Office mate Ricky Gervais is getting animated, with HBO ordering 13 episodes of a new cartoon series based on the actor’s popular series of podcasts.
According to Variety,...
Fox, Aniboom Seek Holiday Special Ideas
May 18, 2009 – The Fox TV network and virtual animation studio Aniboom are looking for some holiday cheer as they announce a contest seeking the next classic animated holiday special.
The contest begins May 2...
Student Oscars Pick Three Animated Winners
May 18, 2009 – Twelve student films, including three animated ones, have been named winners in the 36th annual Student Academy Awards.
The animated winners are:
• Kites, Jed Henry, Brigham Young Un...
Funny Little Bugs Set for Film, Game
May 18, 2009 – MKO principals Nathanael Karmitz and Aton Soumache are set to produce Funny Little Bugs as a 3-D animated film and videogame.
The game and movie, based on the bestselling children’s serie...
Log Jam Gets Aardman as Sales Partner
May 18, 2009 – Aardman Rights has signed on to distribute Log Jam, a series of short films from Studio Baestarts.
Beastarts has set up deals for Log Jam with Nick for multiple territories and wi...
Insider Launches Kutcher’s Blah Girls
May 14, 2009 – Blah Girls, a series of short interstitial animated shorts co-created by Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst production company, will use the syndicated entertainment news show The Insider as a...
Daughtry Tackles He-Man Script
May 14, 2009 – Newcomer Evan Daughtry has been hired to write a new draft of Grayskull, a live-action version of the classic Masters of the Universe cartoon show and toy line.
The writer, who ea...
4Kids Gets Arthur Sequel Licenses
May 14, 2009 – 4Kids Entertainment has acquired the licensing and merchandising rights for the Nordic territories to the upcoming animated feature films Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard and Arthur an...
Nick Brings Kung Fu Panda to TV
May 14, 2009 – Nickelodeon announced Thursday that it has ordered 26 episodes of a new CG animated movie based on the DreamWorks Animation feature film Kung Fu Panda.
The deal is the second to bring cha...
Comedy Central Picks Up Ugly Americans
May 14, 2009 – Comedy Central is betting on animation to bring in the laughs, giving the green light to seven episodes of David Stern’s new series Ugly Americans and developing animated projects from Jamie...
Angels & Demons Looks to Topple Trek
May 14, 2009 – Angels & Demons will try to bring Star Trek back down to Earth this weekend.
The Ron Howard thriller, a sequel to 2006’s The Da Vinci Code, will open in more than 3,500 thea...
Fatkat Animation Studio Shuts Down
May 14, 2009 – Canadian studio Fatkat Animation has closed its doors.
Company founder Gene Fowler confirmed the demise of the Miramichi, New Brunswick, studio on the company blog.
Formed 10 years ago by a ...
Up Includes Peek at Toy Story 3
May 14, 2009 – Can’t wait until next year for Toy Story 3? Then make sure you catch Pixar’s new film Up for a glimpse at a new character from the film.
Up director Pete Docter and producer...
Fox Kills Sit Down, Shut Up!
May 14, 2009 – Fox has canceled the animated comedy series Sit Down, Shut Up! and reportedly will not air any further episodes.
A repeat of King of the Hill is slated for Sit Down’s normal...
Up Debuts at Cannes to Rave Reviews
May 12, 2009 – Pixar-Disney’s Up is about to make history by becoming the first animated film — not to mention the first 3-D film — to open the Cannes International Film Festival.
That screening will oc...
Winder Heads North to Rainmaker
May 12, 2009 – Catherine Winder has left her post at Lucasfilm Animation, where she oversaw the successful Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature and series, to become president of Vancouver-based Rainmaker Ent...
Fox, Blue Sky Headed for Rio
May 12, 2009 – Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios are planning a trip to Rio.
That’s the title of the duo’s next animated feature film, which will be a 3-D CGI feature about a macaw from Minnesota who d...
10 Films Vie for Votes in NFB Contest
May 12, 2009 – Voting has opened online for the National Film Board of Canada’s 5th annual short film competiton at Cannes.
The contest, organized by the NFB and the Cannes Short Film Corner in association wi...
Glen Quits as CEO of Imagi
May 12, 2009 – Douglas Glen has resigned as chairman and CEO of Hong Kong-based Imagi International Holdings, whose animation projects include the upcoming CG feature film Astro Boy.
Board member Willia...
Execs Picked to Head Bruckheimer Games Studio
May 12, 2009 – Jerry Bruckheimer is one step closer to becoming as major a player in the the video game industry as he is on movie and TV screens.
The producer and his parters at MTV Games have announced the h...
Disney, MacFarlane, Trek on DVD
May 11, 2009 – From beloved classics to online humor to the final frontier, there’s plenty to satisfy the animation and VFX fan in this week’s DVD releases.
Fans of Family Guy and American Dad! ...
Alpha 9! Leads Toon Honors at Dusty Awards
May 11, 2009 – Jake Armstrong won the top prize for traditional animation for his film The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9! Saturday night at the 20th annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Award.
Showb...
PBS KIDS Gets Cat in the Hat TV Series
May 11, 2009 – Dr. Seuss’s classic character The Cat in the Hat is finally getting his own series on PBS KIDS.
Production has begun on 40 animated half-hour episodes of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lo...
Stuttgart Crowns Mary and Max
May 11, 2009 – Mary and Max added to an already impressive list of festival prizes by taking home this weekend the AniMovi prize at the 16th Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film in Germany.
The film, dir...
Henson to Shop Fraggle Rock at Licensing Show
May 11, 2009 – Rights to the classic TV show Fraggle Rock have reverted to The Jim Henson Co., which will handle the property through its new licensing division and will entertain new opportunities at the ...
Studio100 Merges German Subsidiaries
May 11, 2009 – Studio100 has decided to merge its German subsidiaries Studio100 Media, EM.Entertainment and Junior.TV.
The Belgian media company will have all three operate under the name of Studio100 Media, w...
Trek Warps to Box Office Win
May 10, 2009 – Star Trek hit warp speed at the box office this weekend, with the VFX-heavy reboot of the classic science fiction franchise taking in an estimated $76 million since opening Thursday evening....
Pixar Plans Vancouver Studio
May 10, 2009 – Disney/Pixar has announced plans to open in Vancouver, Canada, a new animation studio that will focus on short-form and specialized projects.
"The operation will be small in size and dedicated t...
Full Trailer for Princess and the Frog Debuts
May 10, 2009 – The full trailer for The Princess and the Frog, the upcoming 2D animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios, has arrived!
The trailer, which will be attached to the upcoming Pixa...
Venice to Debut 3-D Toy Story Pics
May 10, 2009 – The Venice Film Festival will play host to the world premiere of Pixar’s 3-D versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2.
The screenings complement the festival’s presentation of lifeti...
MGM Brings Bunyan and Babe to U.S.
May 10, 2009 – MGM has signed on to release in the United States Exodus Film Group’s animated feature film Bunyan and Babe, reports Variety.
The feature stars the voices of John Goodman and Kelse...
Animag’s Pitch Party Contest Returns!
May 07, 2009 – Animation Magazine is gearing up for its 8th annual Pitch Party contest!
The Pitch Party offers independent artists an opportunity to advertise their animated properties for a greatly re...
Marvel Orders up Deadpool, More Wolverine
May 07, 2009 – With X-Men Origins: Wolverine having shredded box office expectations last week with a hefty $85 million haul, Fox is proceeding with development on a spinoff Deadpool movie and a ...
Nicktoons Snags More Wolverine and the X-Men
May 07, 2009 – Nicktoons Network has picked up 26 more episodes of Marvel’s Wolverine and the X-Men animated series, bringing the channel’s total order to 52 episodes.
The Marvel Animation series premie...
CNE to Handle Total Drama Licensing
May 07, 2009 – Cartoon Networks Enterprises has been named the exclusive North American licensing agent for the popular Total Drama franchise
CNE struck the deal with Cake Entertainment and Fresh TV, cr...
Soderbergh Animates Key Cast Member
May 07, 2009 – Steven Soderbergh’s is planning to animate the star character in his upcoming live-action movie Moneyball.
The film, based on Michael Lewis’ book about how Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane...
Star Trek Warps Into B.O. Orbit
May 07, 2009 – The first real faceoff of the summer movie season is set for this weekend as Star Trek looks to steal the thunder of last weekend’s big opener X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Star Tre...
Chicken Creators Get Maximum Deal
May 07, 2009 – Robot Chicken co-creators Tom Root and Matthew Senreich have sold a new stop-motion animated series titled Titan Maximum to Adult Swim.
The Cartoon Network subsidiary has ordered n...
ASIFA Plans 20th Anniversary Little Mermaid Panel, Screening
May 07, 2009 – The makers of the modern Disney classic The Little Mermaid will reunite for a special screening May 21 celebrating the films’ 20th anniversary and benefiting the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Ar...
Derryberry Launches Baby Banana Site
May 07, 2009 – Voice actor Debi Derryberry, best known as the voice of Nick’s Jimmy Neutron, has launched an interactive website featuring the original character Baby Banana.
The site, mybabybanana.com,...
My Big Big Friend Adopts Toon Boom Pipeline
May 07, 2009 – Canadian software maker Toon Boom Animation announced that its pipeline system will be used in the making of the Brazil-Canada co-production My Big Big Friend.
The deal to implement the n...
Weta Forms CG Research Group Transfx
May 07, 2009 – New Zealand visual-effects shop Weta Digital has formed a new working group to apply advanced computer graphics research to movie production.
The group, called Transfx, will be headed up by Seba...
Comic Actor DeLuise Dead at 75
May 05, 2009 – Comic actor Dom DeLuise, who voiced many animated shows in addition to having a long live-action movie career, died May 4 at the age of 75.
DeLuise’s extensive animation credits include voices i...
9 Animated Films Nominated for Student Oscars
May 05, 2009 – Nine films have been nominated for the best animated film category in the 26th annual Student Academy Awards competition.
Animation is one of four categories in the competition — the others are ...
ANN to Stream FUNimation Series
May 05, 2009 – Top-rated anime news site Anime News Network began streaming episodes of more than a dozen series from FUNimation Entertainment.
The shows offered in the initial phase of the deal include Aqu...
JAKKS Lands Master Toy Licenses From Aardman
May 05, 2009 – HIT Entertainment has picked JAKKS Pacific to be the master toy licensee in North America for the Aardman Animations series Timmy Time and Shaun the Sheep.
The deal covers the Unit...
Korea Launches New Content Agency
May 05, 2009 – The Korea Content Agency, a government-funded organization, is set to launch this week with a $144 million annual budget for making video games, cartoons, TV shows and online content.
Named as d...
Q1 Hard on Disney; Steady for Marvel
May 05, 2009 – The first quarter was rough on Disney, while Marvel held steady.
The Walt Disney Co. reported a 46 percent drop in profits, down to $613 million, over the same time last year. Revenues were down...
NASCAR Drives to Tinseltown for DVD Feature
May 05, 2009 – NASCAR is getting into the animation business, teaming up with Tinseltown Toons to produce a direct-to-DVD feature titled NASCAR: The Secret Life of Cars.
The feature is set for release i...
Crowds Flock to FMX, Stuttgart Fest
May 05, 2009 – FMX opened its doors Tuesday in Germany to a reported 8,000 registered visitors, while some 50,000 attendees showed up for the concurrent Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film.
The FMX conference,...
VFX Winner Button Comes of Age on DVD
May 04, 2009 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which counts the Oscar for best visual effects among its many kudos, leads this week’s pack of DVD releases.
The Paramount release is available as a ...
Cuppa Coffee Signs with Gotham Group
May 04, 2009 – Stop-motion animation studio Cuppa Coffee has signed up for exclusive representation from The Gotham Group.
Cuppa Coffee, based in Toronto, claims to be the largest stop-motion animation studio ...
Cleveland Set for Second Season
May 04, 2009 – In a rarity for the TV business, Fox has ordered a second season of the upcoming Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show months before the first episode has even aired.
According to ...
Grevioux Adapts, Directs Pale Graphic Novel
May 04, 2009 – Kevin Grevioux is jumping behind the cameras to direct his first feature film, The Pale Horseman, based on his own graphic novel.
Grevioux, who co-created the Underworld franchise,...
Toon Boom Announces Studio 5
May 04, 2009 – Toon Boom Animation has announced the release this month of Studio 5, its multi-technique animation software package.
The new version of Studio includes the ability to create stop-motion animati...
Scribes Set up Q at Starz
May 04, 2009 – Toy Story writers Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen have sold an original screenplay inspired by Don Quixote to Starz Media Animation.
The script, titled Q, is about puppets in Ce...
Wolverine Cuts Big Slice of B.O. Pie
May 03, 2009 – X-Men Origins: Wolverine blew away the competition at the box office this weekend, slashing and cutting its way to an $87 million domestic take.
The opening was the second strongest for t...
Death Note Writes Ticket to Big Screen
May 03, 2009 – Warner Bros. is hoping the manga series Death Note is as popular on the big screen as it is in print, picking up the rights to turn it into an American live-action release. The property alre...
Academy Shines Spotlight on Anime Classics
May 03, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will shine a spotlight on Japanese animation with the opening May 15 of an exhibit titled ANIME! High Art – Pop Culture.
The exhibit will f...
Hit Adds Three to New Toon Slate
May 03, 2009 – Leading children’s entertainment producer Hit Entertainment has announced three additions to its development slate.
The three new series are:
•Mike the Knight, a 52 x 10 min. CG-anima...
Dustys Open its Doors for Animation Night
May 03, 2009 – The School of Visual Arts’ Dusty Film and Animation Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this week with free screenings of student films — including an entire night of new animation.
The fes...
Katzenberg Reups; DreamWorks Reports Record Q1
April 30, 2009 – Jeffrey Katzenberg has renewed his contract with DreamWorks Animation, and will stay on as CEO of the studio he co-founded through 2013.
Katzenberg will continue to earn a salary of $1 a year, w...
Illumination to Bring Gervais’ Flanimals to 3D Life
April 30, 2009 – Office creator Ricky Gervais is getting animated, with his children’s book series Flanimals optioned for a 3D feature film.
Illumination Entertainment, based at Universal, picked u...
CN Levels Up Games Exec Waldron
April 30, 2009 – Cartoon Network has named Chris Waldron to the job of VP gaming operations.
Waldron previously served as director of technology for Cartoon Network New Media and headed up Turner Broadcasting’s ...
First look: Star Trek D-A-C, Top Gun
April 30, 2009 – Paramount Digital Entertainment is looking to prove there’s plenty of gaming life in old franchises with the release of Star Trek: D-A-C and Top Gun.
The Trek game builds off the e...
Wolverine, Terra Kick off Summer
April 30, 2009 – The summer movie season gets underway for real today with the wide release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The Fox/Marvel prequel, in which Hugh Jackman reprises his role as the hirsute hero...
MacFarlane Talks 100 Dads, More
April 30, 2009 – Seth MacFarlane’s animation empire continues to grow. Not only is Family Guy one of the great rags to riches stories of the past decade, he’s got a spinoff coming in The Cleveland Show
Disney Buys Hulu Stake
April 30, 2009 – Disney has purchased an ownership stake in the online video site Hulu.com.
The studio has agreed to a deal that will make it an equity partner in the site along with NBC Universal, News Corp. an...
KISS Guests on OddParents’ Wishology
April 30, 2009 – KISS has been rocking the world and partying for going on four decades, but they still know a good cartoon when they see it.
And band members Gene Simmons — a longetime fan of comic books and an...
Zemeckis Hints at Roger Rabbit 2
April 30, 2009 – Director Robert Zemeckis says he’s considering making a sequel to his landmark animation/live-action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
In comments to MTV this week, the director said the tech...
Hasbro, Discovery to Revamp Kids Channel
April 30, 2009 – Hasbro has bought a stake in the Discovery Kids channel, which will be relaunched featuring new programs based on the toymaker’s catalog of popular properties.
The channel will relaunch late in ...
Aardman Starts on Pirates!, Arthur Christmas
April 28, 2009 – Aardman Animation is going full speed ahead with production starting on two new feature-length animated feature films for Sony Pictures.
The two films are Pirates!, which will be a stop-m...
Fox Bumps Sit Down, Shut Up!
April 28, 2009 – After airing only two episodes, Fox has moved its new animated comedy series Sit Down, Shut Up! from its 8:30 p.m., post-Simpsons position to 7 p.m. Sundays.
The move comes after d...
Zeke’s Pad Top Toon at Elan Awards
April 28, 2009 – TV series Zeke’s Pad took home top animation prizes at the third annual Elan Awards, which honor achievements in video games, animation and visual effects.
Tom Kenny, who hosted the award...
Obama Stars in Toon Spoofs
April 28, 2009 – Having already risen to superstar status in the political world, President Barack Obama is now coming to animation.
Ukraine-based CFC Consulting will unveil Thursday Barack Obama Superstar: ...
Wonder Pets Return – With Clip
April 28, 2009 – Nickelodeon is kicking off the third season of its popular preschooler series The Wonder Pets! with a week of brand new episodes.
The new episodes will air at 10:30 a.m. each day from May...
Iron Man Debuts to Strong Ratings
April 28, 2009 – The Friday night premiere of Iron Man: Armored Adventures scored strong ratings for Nickelodeon, becoming the network’s highest-rated original series premiere ever with boys ages 6-11.
T...
Obsessed Tops B.O.; Monsters Slips to 6th
April 27, 2009 – A quartet of major new releases finally knocked DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters vs. Aliens from the top five at the weekend box office, with the thriller Obsessed leading the charge a...
Bashir Attacks DVD, Blu-ray June 23
April 27, 2009 – Waltz With Bashir, Ari Folman’s Oscar-nominated animated documentary about his experiences as an Israeli soldier in Lebanon, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray June 23.
The Sony Pictures...
MySpace Taps ex-Facebooker as CEO
April 27, 2009 – MySpace has added former Facebook exec Owen Van Natta to the top of its friend list as CEO of the social networking giant.
Van Natta was previously chief revenue officer and VP of operations at ...
Tribe’s Raccoon & Crawfish Tops Vegas Fest
April 27, 2009 – The 3-D animated short film Raccoon & Crawfish has added the top animation prize at the Las Vegas Film Festival to its growing list of festival kudos.
The film, created by the Oneida Indi...
Change4Life Touts Active Video Games
April 27, 2009 – A U.K. healthy lifestyles campaign that drew fire from the video game industry for ads painting games as unhealthy is set to unveil new ads touting the virtues of video games that promote physical ...
Sony Training Program Takes a Page from Animation Mentor
April 27, 2009 – IPAX, the Sony Pictures Digital Productions professional education program, has just wrapped its first online mentorship program using unique technology from Animation Mentor.
The three-month pr...
Mutants and Bugs Make for Looney Week of DVD Releases
April 27, 2009 – Classic animation gets its due this week, with the DVD releases of the full-length feature film The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie and the classic 1990s superhero seri...
Review: X-Men Vol. 1 and 2 – With Clips!
April 27, 2009 – Long absent from the shelves of animation and comic book fans was the 1990s X-Men animated series — an oversight now redressed thanks to the release of a pair of 2-disc DVD sets collecting r...
Euro Markets Snap Up New Noddy Series
April 27, 2009 – Noddy sure isn’t showing his age as he celebrates his 60th anniversary by landing sales in several international markets.
Distributor Chorion has sold the new series Noddy in Toyland and ...
Toho Chairman Matsuoka Resigns
April 27, 2009 – Isao Matsuoka is stepping down as chairman of Japanese film studio Toho after more than 50 years with the company.
Matsuoka became president of the company in 1977 and successfully restructured ...
Aardman and @Bristol Team Up for New Exhibition
April 27, 2009 – Aardman Animation stars Wallace & Gromit are the main attractions in a new exhibit due to open this summer at Explore @Bristol in the United Kingdom.
The interactive exhibition, titled Animate I...
Fighting, Obsessed, Soloist Face Off
April 23, 2009 – It’s the battle of the dramas this weekend at the box office, with debuts Fighting, Obsessed and The Soloist facing off.
Obsessed, a crime thriller from Sony/Screen G...
Iron Man Adds Power to Nicktoons, with Clip!
April 23, 2009 – Iron Man rocked the box office last summer, and comes to animated form tonight (April 24) in the new Nicktoons series, Iron Man: Armored Adventures.
But this isn’t exactly the same...
Movie Plan, DVDs Mark 25 Years of Ninja Turtles
April 23, 2009 – It’s been 25 years since Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman first brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to life in the pages of their self-published comic book and quickly saw their creations ...
Cannes Offers Toons, Scares and Sneaks
April 23, 2009 – The Cannes International Film Festival made its lineup official today, with there being more than a few reasons for fans of animation and genre movies to trek across the Atlantic.
Following up t...
Indie Magistical Racks Up Fest Kudos
April 23, 2009 – The Magistical, an independent animated feature film from Out of Our Minds Studios, has added to its collection of film festival honors, taking the best animation award from the California I...
Up Gets PG Rating, New Clip
April 22, 2009 – The Disney-Pixar 3-D animated movie Up has received a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.
The movie is only the second Pixar film to get a PG rating, with ratings gr...
Gundam Unicorn Anime Announced
April 22, 2009 – The popular light novel series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – part of the ongoing Gundam universe — is being animated for a winter 2009 release.
The project, titled simply Gundam Unicorn...
Alioscopy, Autodesk Bring 3-D Workflow to NAB
April 22, 2009 – Alioscopy USA, a maker of 3-D visualization technology, announced at NAB it is working with Autodesk, demonstrating how its 3-D auto-stereoscopic workflow works with its ally’s 3ds Max and Toxik so...
Swap Your Warner HD-DVDs for Blu-ray
April 22, 2009 – Warner Home Video has announced a new trade-up program that allows owners of HD-DVD discs to upgrade to a Blu-ray disc of the same content and a Blu-ray customer loyalty plan.
The trade-up progr...
Disney Leads Top Licensors List
April 22, 2009 – Disney Consumer Products topped a showbiz and animation-heavy list of the top-ten licensors of 2008, according to License! Global magazine.
The company success — $30 billion in sales — c...
iTunes Gets its Hands on Thumb Wrestling Federation
April 22, 2009 – The Thumb Wrestling Federation can now fit in the palm of your hand.
The popular Cartoon Network short-form series created and produced by the New York-based Animation Collective is the l...
Fest Honors Plympton With Debut El Dorado Award
April 21, 2009 – The San Joaquin International Film Festival will present its inaugural El Dorado Award to Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton.
The festival — now in its second year and set to be run from May...
SpongeBob Rides Big One to Ratings Win
April 21, 2009 – SpongeBob SquarePants returned to the airwaves with new pal Johnny Depp, gliding his way to a gnarly ratings victory.
The special SpongeBob vs. the Big One drew 5.8 million viewers in its...
Rock Band Clicks with Lego
April 21, 2009 – Building a career as a rocker has never been easier.
Lego has signed on with MTV Games and Harmonix for Lego Rock Band, a new take on the popular video game that will debut for the Christ...
VIZ Opens Online Hub for Europe Partners
April 21, 2009 – VIZ Media Europe has launched a new business-to-business web site to manage the licensing, marketing and distribution of its brands.
The site, www.vizeurope.com, will connect the company’s partn...
TAIS Seeks Animated Shorts for Showcase
April 21, 2009 – The Toronto Animated Image Society is seeking animated shorts for its 2009 showcase.
The festival accepts shorts in any format or technique under 15 minutes in length that was made in the past t...
Mutants, Freaks and Tiny Toons Hit DVD
April 20, 2009 – It’s a big week for animation fans at the DVD store, with Warner Bros. continuing a pair of popular release series with Freakazoid, Season 2 ($26.99) and Tiny Toon Adventures: Season 1, V...
Fans Captivated by New Potter Spot
April 19, 2009 – Although the latest trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hit the Internet only a few days ago, it has already become an instant sensation among fans all over the w...
17 Again Laughs its Way to B.O. Victory
April 19, 2009 – Moviegoers opted for laughs over drama as comedy 17 Again starring Zac Efron topped the box office this weekend, taking in an estimated $24 million and handily beating second-place opener
Pirate Bay Founders Walk the Plank
April 19, 2009 – The founders of popular file-sharing site The Pirate Bay have been sentenced to jail by a Swedish court in a high-profile copyright infringement case.
The founders of the site, which host Bit T...
TBS Welcomes Neighbors from Hell
April 16, 2009 – Close the doors and draw the shades, the Neighbors from Hell are moving in at TBS.
Variety reports the cable channel has given the green light to 10 episodes of the new animated se...
DECODE Sells 100 Hours of Programming in Israel
April 16, 2009 – DECODE Entertainment has sold more than 100 hours of children’s and family programming into the Israeli market.
Broadcaster IETV has acquired all episodes of both the animated series Bo on th...
Classic Gigantor Series Roars onto DVD
April 16, 2009 – With a name that strikes terror in the hearts of criminals and joy from animation fans, Gigantor comes to DVD May 5 in a new four-disc collection.
Gigantor: The Collection Vol. 1 features...
Takamoto Remembrance, Book Signing Set
April 16, 2009 – The life of legendary animation artist Iwao Takamoto will be the topic of a discussion and book signing set for Tuesday, April 21.
The event, to be held at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at The Gr...
Johnny Depp Guests on New SpongeBob Special
April 16, 2009 – Movie star Johnny Depp is helping wish SpongeBob SquarePants a happy 10th anniversary by appearing in SpongeBob vs. The Big One, an all-new special premiering April 17 at 8 p.m. on Ni...
17 Again Leads Busy B.O. Weekend
April 16, 2009 – A trio of new releases look to shake up the box office this weekend, lead by the Zac Efron comedy 17 Again.
The Warner Bros. movie opens at more than 3,000 theaters, making it the weeken...
Digital Domain Names Beier Head of CG
April 16, 2009 – Veteran VFX supervisor Thad Beier has been hired as Head of CG at Digital Domain.
Beier will oversee production technology and long-term facility planning, ensuring maximum efficiency for visua...
G.I. Joe: Resolute Comes to Adult Swim
April 16, 2009 – G.I. Joe is returning to animation in a new Adult Swim series oriented toward grown-up fans that will air both online and on TV.
The series, titled G.I. Joe: Resolute, will consist of 10...
CN Develops Live-Action Camelot Pic
April 16, 2009 – Cartoon Network continues to push into live-action territory, setting up with Lionsgate a movie in which King Arthur comes to the 21st century.
Currently titled Reborn, the project is wr...
Terra Nabs Truly Moving Picture Award
April 16, 2009 – Roadside Pictures’ Battle for Terra has won one of Heartland Film Festival’s four Truly Moving Pictures Awards.
The 3D, CG-animated feature film joins American Violet, Earth...
Nick Endows Engel Scholarship at CalArts
April 16, 2009 – Nickelodeon has established an endowed scholarship in animation at CalArts that honors famed Disney animator and CalArts instructor Jules Engel.
The endowment is the first endowed corporate scho...
Matthew Broderick to Guest on Cyberchase
April 14, 2009 – Matthew Broderick will guest star on a special Father’s Day episode of the PBS KIDS GO! series Cyberchase.
Broderick will play the voice of Max, who joins the CyberSquad to stop Hacker fr...
TELETOON on iTunes in Canada
April 14, 2009 – Canadian animation station TELETOON has announced the availability of its programming on the iTunes Store in Canada.
Starting today, Canadian iTunes customers can purchase episodes of 6TEEN
Chinese Thomas & Friends Site Launches
April 14, 2009 – Thomas & Friends are making a stop in China through a new website launched this month by HIT Entertainment.
The franchise’s global website attracts more than 30 million visitors each mont...
Spacetoon Unveils New Property, Fafa & Juno
April 14, 2009 – Spacetoon India’s publishing and merchandising division Kids Animation India has unveiled Fafa & Juno, its first animation property.
The duo are set to premiere in 2010 an animated TV ser...
Vote to Decide if Erin Esurance Will Boldy Go 3-D
April 14, 2009 – Erin, the animated mascot for online insurance seller Esurance, may be ready to cross the final frontier of 3D
In a promotional tie in the company is doing for the upcoming Star Trek movi...
Korean Animation Museum is Under Construction
April 14, 2009 – The new Korean Animation Museum designed by international design firm NBBJ is being built in the city of Bucheon and set to open in mid-2009.
Designed by NBBJ’s Los Angeles office, the $60 milli...
Hannah outpaces Fast & Furious at Box Office
April 13, 2009 – Hannah Montana: The Movie put some brakes on the runaway success of Fast & Furious, while the animated 3-D movie Monsters vs. Aliens held on for a strong finish in third place ...
EXCLUSIVE: Building a better VFX Pipeline for The Spirit
April 13, 2009 – Editor’s Note: In honor of the home video release of The Spirit — Frank Miller’s bigscreen adaptation of the classic comic book by Will Eisner — we present an exclusive look behind...
First Look: Ninja Council 4 and Pangya Fantasy Golf
April 13, 2009 – Video game news is heating up as E3 approaches, giving Animation Magazine Online the chance to preview Tomy’s upcoming releases Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 for the Nintendo DS a...
Zac Efron Circles Jonny Quest Role
April 13, 2009 – Rumors have been making the rounds that Zac Efron, star of Disney’s High School Musical franchise and the current comedy 17 Again, is due to take on the lead role in a live-action ver...
Toon Site MyToons Logs Off
April 13, 2009 – The animation website MyToons.com has closed down.
According to reports on a number of web sties, sent out emails to its store sellers informing them of the shut down, and the main page of the ...
Hasbro Licenses Transformers, Joe DVDs to Shout! Factory
April 13, 2009 – Toymaker Hasbro is bringing the classic animated versions of such popular properties as The Transformers, G.I. Joe and My Little Pony to DVD through a new deal with Shout! Fact...
Watchmen scribe taking on Battling Boy
April 13, 2009 – Watchmen co-writer Alex Tse will take on as his next project another graphic novel adaptation — the forthcoming Battling Boy by Eisner Award winner Paul Pope.
The rights to the boo...
Streaming Sites Pick Up Uncut, Dubbed Naruto
April 13, 2009 – Naruto is coming to Joost.com and Hulu.com.
VIZ Media has announced that uncut, English-dubbed episodes of the popular series will be available for free streaming starting April 15.
Th...
Castro to Screen Fleischer’s Gulliver April 21
April 13, 2009 – You can’t keep those Lilliputians down.
Just released on DVD and Blu-ray, fans of the classic Max Fleischer animated film Gulliver’s Travels will have a chance to see it on the big screen...
DC Heroes Animate New WB Studio Mural
April 09, 2009 – The famous Warner Bros. animation mural painted on the side of Stage 1 on the studio’s Burbank lot has gotten a DC Comics-heavy facelift.
The mural, updated for the first time in 15 years, was o...
Umbrella Academy Movie Gets a Writer
April 09, 2009 – Universal and Dark Horse are going back to school for their first project since signing a three-year production pact last year, moving ahead with an adaptation of The Umbrella Academy.
Th...
Shadow of the Colossus Makes Play for Big Screen
April 09, 2009 – Sony has hired Iron Man 2 scripter Justin Marks to write a screenplay for a bigscreen adaptation of the Playstation 2 hit Shadow of the Colossus.
The game, released in 2005, was de...
Will Wright Exits EA for Stupid Fun Club
April 09, 2009 – Will Wright, creator of such blockbuster games as SimCity, The Sims and Spore, is leaving Electronic Arts to run his new intellectual property think tank Stupid Fun Club.
Th...
Canal Plus Channels to Air 3 Studio100 Series
April 09, 2009 – Studio100 Media has agreed to a deal that will see several of its children’s and family programs to air on Canal Plus channels.
The deal will see puppet series Big and Small (52 x 11 mins...
OddParents to Spoof Movies in Wishology
April 09, 2009 – The popular Nick series The Fairly OddParents is set to take on such well-known Hollywood franchises as Star Wars, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings and The Terminator
Simpsons Stamps Revealed!
April 09, 2009 – The United States Postal Service has unveiled the look of its upcoming series of stamps based on The Simpsons.
The post office is now taking pre-orders for the stamps at www.usps.com, wh...
1st Trailer for Animated Green Lantern
April 09, 2009 – Warner Bros. has released a trailer offering the first look at the upcoming DC Universe original animated movie Green Lantern: First Flight.
The film, which will be released on DVD and B...
Deadline April 29 for Women in Animation Scholarship
April 09, 2009 – The deadline is April 29 for applications for Women in Animation’s $1,000 Phyllis Craig Scholarship.
The scholarship, named for one of the founding members of Women in Animation, is open to appl...
Live-Action Dragonball Joins Box Office Battle
April 09, 2009 – It’s not animated, but the live-action version of Dragonball: Evolution is expected to lure fans of the popular anime and manga series to theaters this weekend.
The Fox adaptation, which ...
CN Offers Enhanced Clone Wars
April 07, 2009 – Cartoon Network is remixing Clone Wars.
The cable channel has announced Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded will premiere May 1 at 9 p.m., kicking off a run of 22 enhanced episodes ...
qubo Calls for User-Made Short Films
April 07, 2009 – Kids website qubo is soliciting a second round of user-generated short films, the best of which will air on the site and its broadcast blocks on NBC, ION and Telemundo.
Mash-up tools are availab...
CN Pitches its Slate in Hollywood
April 07, 2009 – Cartoon Network brought its upfront presentation to the West Coast, touting its recent successes and promoting its diverse upcoming mix of live action and animation to ad agency reps, clients, prod...
Will Eisner Comic Book Award Noms Announced
April 07, 2009 – Diversity is the rule for the 2009 Will Eisner Comic Comic Book Industry Awards, which announced its nomination in 26 categories today.
The leading projects, garning four nominations apiece, are...
More Animated Shows Streaming Through Netflix
April 07, 2009 – Netflix has signed a deal to expand its instant viewing catalog of MTV Networks programs, including a number of animated Nickelodeon series.
The titles available to Netflix subscribers include
Dusty Festival, Awards Put New Emphasis on Animation
April 06, 2009 – The School of Visual Arts’ annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival turns 20 this year, and in honor of the occasion is getting a makeover that puts a new emphasis on animation.
The event has gr...
Despereaux, Scooby, Superman on DVD
April 06, 2009 – A mouse on a quest, culture clash with a detective dog and classic superhero fare from the Golden Age lead a strong week of animation disc releases.
Up first, The Tale of Despereaux, the ...
Sony Picks Up Easter-Themed Hip Hop
April 06, 2009 – Sony Animation has picked up the rights to Greg Ostrin and Michael Weiss’ Hip Hop for development as a feature film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio paid mid-six fi...
Red Stick Fest Names Award Finalists
April 06, 2009 – The Red Stick International Animation Festival has announced the finalists for its 2009 Best of the Fest Awards.
The festival, set for April 22-25 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, chose the nominees f...
Nelvana to License Mr. Men, Little Miss in Canada
April 06, 2009 – Nelvana Enterprises is the new licensing agent in Canada for Chorion’s popular Mr. Men and Little Miss brands.
Based on the classic books by Roger Hargreaves, the properties are s...
Furious, Monsters Soar at Box Office
April 05, 2009 – Fast & Furious blew the doors off the competition with a domestic gross of $72.5 million while the 3-D animated feature Monsters vs. Aliens held strong in its second weekend of releas...
FUNimation to Stream 7 Toei Titles
April 05, 2009 – U.S.-based anime company FUNimation Entertainment has struck a digital distribution deal with Japanese producer Toei Animation to stream online seven anime series from the company’s back catalog.
...
Walt Disney Family Museum to Open This Fall
April 05, 2009 – The story of the man behind Mickey Mouse and animation’s most enduring studio will be brought directly to the public in October with the opening of The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
...
Snow White to Hit Blu-Ray 7 Weeks Before DVD
April 05, 2009 – The Walt Disney classic film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is coming to Blu-ray, debuting in the high-def format a full seven weeks before a new standard-resolution DVD hits stores.
Th...
Stanchfield’s Famed Disney Animation Lessons Published
April 05, 2009 – The “handout” notes and lectures Walt Stanchfield passed out to Disney animators over the years have famous in the animation industry for their insight into the artform, inspiring such acclaimed an...
Classic Disney Animator Dunham Dies
April 05, 2009 – Jack Dunham, an animator who worked for Universal and at Disney on such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, has died at the age of 98, according to the blog Cartoon Brew.
...
Looney Tunes Last Supper Parody Draws Complaints
April 03, 2009 – A parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper that features Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang on display at the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego has drawn a consistent stream of complai...
Disney Online Acquires Kaboose
April 03, 2009 – Kaboose Inc., the Canadian family-focused media group, has split up its assets and sold its North American operation to Disney Online.
Disney is paying $23.3 million for the site, which describe...
Avatar Wins Peabody Award
April 03, 2009 – The Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender was the sole animated winner in this year’s Peabody Awards.
The awards, named for George Foster Peabody, recognize the most outstanding ...
AFI Dallas Bestows Tex Avery Award on Selick
April 03, 2009 – The AFI Dallas International Film Festival awarded Coraline director Henry Selick with the Tex Avery Animation Award.
The award, named for the famed director of Warner Bros. shorts starri...
Ubisoft Takes Chance on Meatballs Game
April 03, 2009 – Ubisoft is ready to serve up Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to gamers, readying video games based on the upcoming 3-D animated feature for both handheld and home-based gaming consoles.
...
The Simpsons Go Postal
April 02, 2009 – The Simpsons’ 20th anniversary is coming to mailboxes all over the world, with the U.S. Postal Service issuing a set of stamps featuring animation’s most famous dysfunctional family.
The first-c...
FX Picks Up DreamWorks Toons
April 02, 2009 – Cable channel FX Network has acquired the TV rights to nine DreamWorks Animation feature films, including the current hit Monsters vs. Aliens.
The four-year pact includes all DreamWorks f...
Disney Doubles 3-D Dose of Toy Story
April 02, 2009 – Disney confirmed 3-D versions of the Pixar classics Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will be released as a double feature for a limited, two-week run on Oct. 2.
The announcement, one of m...
Boomerang Acquires Subsidiaries From Entertainment Rights
April 02, 2009 – Boomerang Media has acquired three major subsidiaries of Entertainment Rights that control such popular properties as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Where’s Waldo? and Veggie Tales...
Fast and Furious Revs Up to Take On Monsters
April 02, 2009 – Fast and Furious, the fourth film in the street-racing franchise, is looking to outpace the Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D juggernaut at the box office this weekend.
The Universal release...
Burton’s Alice Getting IMAX 3-D Release
April 01, 2009 – Disney’s upcoming live-action Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton, will be released in IMAX 3-D simultaneously with its standard release on March 5, 2010.
The IMAX 3-D version wil...
3-D Talk of the Town at ShoWest
March 31, 2009 – The talk is all about 3-D at ShoWest, the annual confab for film exhibitors going on currently in Las Vegas.
Driving the discussion is the success of DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters vs. Alien...
Disney/ABC Logs On to YouTube
March 31, 2009 – The Disney/ABC-TV Group and ESPN have signed a deal to distribute its content on YouTube.
The deal will see YouTube launch several channels for the company’s various content outlets that will f...
EA, Stars Prep Animated Inferno
March 31, 2009 – Video game maker Electronic Arts and Starz Media are prepping the animated feature Dante’s Inferno, based on a forthcoming game.
The film will be produced by Film Roman, which worked on t...
Hood Unites Canuck Producers
March 31, 2009 – Animation and sales company Portfolio is keeping production of its new animated series Hood in Canada.
The Toronto-based firm and animation cable channel Teletoon will produce the series,...
It’s A Box Office Monster!
March 30, 2009 – The winner in the battle known as Monsters vs. Aliens is DreamWorks Animation, who scored a hit with the film and pulled in an estimated $58.2 million in its opening weekend.
The 3-D aspe...
Adult Swim Sets MipTV Slate
March 30, 2009 – More than 350 hours of programming from the Adult Swim block on Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network will be available at this year’s MipTV, including such cult hits as Robot Chicken, Aq...
WB to Debut New Toon Mural at Animation Celebration
March 30, 2009 – Warner Bros. Animation is hosting a special Animation Celebration event on the studio lot April 7 – during which it will unveil the first update to its popular animation mural in 15 years.
The e...
Public Enemy Toon Feature Rumored
March 30, 2009 – MTV’s Movie Blog is reporting that the popular rap group Public Enemy may be coming to the big screen in animated form.
The post, which cites anonymous sources, says the group’s top names such a...
Beaufoy Hitches ride with Animated Truckers
March 30, 2009 – Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy is taking the Oscar he won for penning Slumdog Millionaire and heading over to DreamWorks Animation to write a script called Truckers.
Aside from confirm...
Marvel Studios Seeking Staff Scripters
March 30, 2009 – Comic-book movie powerhouse Marvel Studios is looking to assemble a group of screenwriters to develop scripts for various properties in a fellowship program similar to one run by Disney, Variety...
Slumdog, Family Films Come Home
March 30, 2009 – Family films that include a good size portion of animated and VFX-heavy fare are sweeping onto DVD and Blu-ray this week, alongside this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire....
SpongeBob, Madagascar Win Kids’ Choice
March 30, 2009 – SpongeBob SquarePants and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa took the top toon honors at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.
SpongeBob won the Favorite Cartoon honor, beating out
Genesis Awards Honor Bolt, Simpsons
March 30, 2009 – The Humane Society of the United States has awarded Genesis Awards to Disney’s animated feature film Bolt and to an episode of The Simpsons.
The awards, now in its 23rd year, honor...
DQ Opens a New Chapter in The Jungle Book
March 30, 2009 – The Jungle Book is coming to TV through a co-production between DQ Entertainment and London-based AIM.
The companies are set to produce 52 11-minute episodes of an animated series plus a ...
Announcing Animation Magazine’s Online Press Box
March 30, 2009 – Looking for even more insider info on the world of animation?
Then check out Animation Magazine.net’s new feature, Press Box, where you will find all the latest announcements from animati...
CN Unveils Large Slate Mixing Toons, Live-Action
March 26, 2009 – Cartoon Network unveiled a diverse lineup for its 2009-2010 season, serving up overall 19 new programming ventures — about a third of which is live-action.
“These exciting new projects represent...
New Trailers Tease Astro Boy, Wild Things, Ice Age 3
March 26, 2009 – A pair of teaser trailers offers the first real look at the upcoming films Astro Boy and Where the Wild Things Are and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
Up first, is Summit ...
Spanish Comic Arrugas Gets Feature Treatment
March 26, 2009 – Chalk up Spain as the next nation to jump on the graphic-novel-to-movie train.
Producer Manuel Cristobal and his Perro Verde company (The Missing Lynx have picked up the rights to Paco R...
ImageMovers, Disney Capturing Stoneheart
March 26, 2009 – Robert Zemeckis’ Imagemovers and Disney are in talks for the rights to make a movie based on Charlie Fletcher’s popular fantasy novel series, The Stoneheart Trilogy.
The film would, like ...
Monsters Pop Up at the Box Office
March 26, 2009 – Monsters vs. Aliens is here at last — the big question is how big a bite these warring creatures will take out of the weekend box office.
The most recent release from DreamWorks Animation...
Aragon, Layout Artist on Sleeping Beauty, Dies
March 26, 2009 – Ray Aragon, an animator who did layout for such classic films as Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians and Yellow Submarine, died March 15, according to Cartoon Brew. He was 83.
A...
Academy to Celebrate Disney’s Milt Kahl
March 26, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate the life and career of animator Milt Kahl, one of the famous “nine old men” of Walt Disney Studios.
The event, titled “Milt Kahl: T...
Pocoyo Special Goes Global at MipTV
March 26, 2009 – The makers of Spain’s pre-school series Pocoyo are creating a new animated special for the series to debut at MipTV
Zinkia and ITV Global Entertainment will bring to the market Pocoyo ...
Penguins of Madagascar Set for TV Debut
March 26, 2009 – They stole the show in the big-screen feature Madagascar and its sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and now they’ve scored their own TV series, debuting this weekend on Nickelodeon....
Henson, Decode Revive Doozers
March 24, 2009 – The Doozers, former residents of the classic series Fraggle Rock, are returning to TV in an all new 3-D animated series co-produced by The Jim Henson Co. and Decode Entertainment.
The new...
New Peeks at Astro Boy, Gatchaman Posters
March 24, 2009 – Images of the poster art for the upcoming CG-animated feature films Astro Boy and Gatchaman have popped up online.
The Astro Boy teaser poster, first appearing at MTV’s Spla...
Big Tent Brands TOKYOPOP in Apparel, Sports Gear
March 24, 2009 – Manga publisher TOKYOPOP’s brand is expanding into several new areas under a slate of initial licensing agreements announced by Big Tent Entertainment.
The licenses will see TOKYOPOP branded me...
L.A. Comic Show Screens Anime Fest April 26
March 24, 2009 – The long-running Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention will present a Best of Science Fiction and Anime from Japan mini-film festival at its April 26 show.
The festival is being ...
Nick Jr. U.K. Annexes Little Kingdom
March 24, 2009 – Nick Jr. U.K. has become a loyal subject of Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, the new preschool TV series from the creators of the award-winning Peppa Pig.
Produced by London-based A...
Wallace & Gromit Game Downloads Today
March 24, 2009 – “Fright of the Bumblebees,” the first of four games in the Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures series, is now available for download from Telltale Games.
To celebrate, maker Telltale Game...
Watchmen: Black Freighter Sails Home
March 23, 2009 – You’ve read the book, you’ve seen the movie, but the Watchmen experience is incomplete without Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter, an original animated featurette that leads this week’s ...
Exclusive: Bolt Director Talks DVD, Blu-ray
March 23, 2009 – Bolt was more than just another animated feature from Disney — it was the first film to come out of the famous Mouse House since the company teamed up with Pixar and brought in John Lasseter...
Cartoon Network Teams With NBA
March 23, 2009 – Cartoon Network and the NBA have teamed up to create a wide range of basketball-themed content for online, mobile, video on demand and broadcast platforms.
The first project from this deal will ...
Wallace & Gromit Bring Cracking Ideas to London Exhibit
March 23, 2009 – Aardman Animations stars Wallace and Gromit are putting on their lab coats and heading in to London to present an exhibition titled A World of Cracking Ideas at the Science Museum.
The ex...
Two Editions Set for Shader Tool mental mill
March 23, 2009 – VFX and animation software makers mental images is introducing mental mill, its new application for developing environments and writing shaders, in two editions for visual effects, animation...
Arsenal FX Sets Up Shop in Santa Monica
March 23, 2009 – Veteran visual-effects artist Mark Leiss has announced the launch of Arsenel FX, a Santa Monica-based special effects and finishing boutique whose work ranges from advertising, film and sports.
...
AvatarLabs Gets MvA’s B.O.B. In Your iPhone
March 23, 2009 – Online marketing agency AvatarLabs has announced the release of a Monsters vs. Aliens application for iPhone and iPod Touch.
The application, based on the DreamWorks Animation movie due i...
Knowing Rises to B.O. Victory
March 22, 2009 – The Nicolas Cage sci-fi thriller Knowing topped the box office, handily beating the week’s other top new releases.
Knowing took in $24.8 million in its first three days of release,...
Aardman Seeks Best Morph Shorts
March 22, 2009 – Aardman Animations is teaming up with online retailer Firebox.com for an animation contest featuring the company’s original stop-motion star, Morph.
The contest, titled Morphmation, is calling f...
Tribune Sues Beatty Over Tracy Rights
March 22, 2009 – Tribune Media Services has filed a lawsuit against Oscar-winning filmmaker Warren Beatty that refutes the actor’s claim to the rights to comic strip character Dick Tracy.
The Hollywoo...
Anime Makers Unite to Form Lucent 4C
March 22, 2009 – Studio 4C and Lucent Entertainment have agreed to a new animation venture called Lucent 4C.
The venture seeks to make the most of Studio 4C’s talent for creating acclaimed anime features like
Loaf and Death Tops NYICFF
March 22, 2009 – Aardman Animation’s short film Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death won the grand prize this weekend at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.
The popular short, di...
Sony Forecasts Meatballs with New Trailer
March 19, 2009 – Sony Pictures Animation has released a new trailer for its upcoming 3-D CG feature film, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.
The film, which opens in theaters on Sept. 18, is adapted from ...
U.K. Ad Board Rejects Game Makers’ Complaint
March 19, 2009 – The Advertising Standards Authority has rejected a request from U.K. video game makers to take action against a government ad campaign promoting healthy lifestyles that the game makers say unfairly...
Crunchyroll Scores Streaming Anime Series
March 19, 2009 – The popular U.S. anime and social networking site Crunchyroll has ordered up a whole new wave of streaming animated imports, including the first-ever English-language release of Osama Tezuka’s B...
Knowing Has Edge Among New Releases
March 19, 2009 – The VFX-heavy sci-fi action movie Knowing leads a three-horse race for newcomers at this weekend’s box office.
Knowing, which stars Nicolas Cage and is produced by Summit Entertain...
Web Offers Simultaneous Naruto Premiere
March 19, 2009 – VIZ Media will for the first time stream an all-new episode of Naruto Shippuden online the same day it first airs in Japan.
The episode will stream for free with English subtitles on Marc...
Monsters Set for Annecy, 3 Territories
March 19, 2009 – Alphanim’s new children’s series Matt’s Monsters will screen in the TV section of the Annecy International Animation Festival and has been sold into three new territories.
The comedy seri...
Exhibitors Assemble for Hong Kong Filmart
March 19, 2009 – More than 500 exhibitors are due to gather for the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market, running Monday through Thursday.
The 13th annual edition of the event, the Filmart will be held at th...
Toon Boom Pipeline Set for Peter Pepper
March 19, 2009 – The international co-production Peter Pepper’s Pet Spectacular will use Canada-based Toon Boom Animation’s pipeline for production.
The animated series is a production between Canada’s Co...
Family Guy Exonerated in Copyright Claim
March 17, 2009 – A federal judge has ruled that a parody on an episode of Family Guy did not violate the copyright of the Oscar-winning song “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
Music publisher Bourne Co., the c...
Ireland, U.K. Premiere Special Simpsons Seg
March 17, 2009 – A special Irish-themed episode of The Simpsons had its worldwide premiere on St. Patrick’s Day in the United Kingdom and Ireland—the first time an episode of the show has first aired in any ...
Mr. Magoo Creator Kaufman Dies
March 17, 2009 – Millard Kaufman, who created the classic cartoon character Mr. Magoo for a 1949 UPA short, died March 14 at the age of 92, Variety reports.
A screenwriter and novelist, Kaufman worked wit...
Paley Offers First Peek at Sit Down, Shut Up
March 17, 2009 – The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills will host a special premiere screening of the first episode of the upcoming Fox primetime animated series Sit Down, Shut Up on Thursday, March 26...
Waese to Head Up Cookie Jar Programming
March 17, 2009 – Jamie Waese had been appointed head of current programming for Toronto-based Cookie Jar Entertainment.
Waese comes to the job from a writing and producing background. For Cookie Jar, he wrote, ...
Stock to Head Overseas Disney Channels
March 17, 2009 – Giorgio Stock will take over the job of executive VP and managing director of Disney channels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Stock’s purview will include Disney’s entire portfolio of ch...
Date Set for Transformers 3; Thor Moved Up
March 17, 2009 – Fans of the robots in disguise will be pleased to hear Paramount has set a release date of July 1, 2011 for Transformers 3.
The second film in the franchise, Transformers: Revenge of ...
Week of DVD Gold Leads to Weekend Bolt Release
March 16, 2009 – St. Patrick’s Day kicks off a week featuring a veritable pot of golden animated DVD releases, but the title of most interest to animation fans—the Blu-ray version of Disney’s CG-toon feature Bol...
Universal to Bring Barbie DVDs to the World
March 16, 2009 – Universal Pictures International Entertainment will be taking Barbie on an around-the-world trip, thanks to a new deal the studio signed with Mattel for international distribution rights to ...
4 More Join Last Airbender Movie Cast
March 16, 2009 – The cast of M. Night Shyamalan’s adaptation of The Last Airbender has grown by four, The Hollywood Reporter states.
Joining the adapation of the popular Nick cartoon are Aasif Mand...
Sci Fi Channel to Morph Into SyFy
March 16, 2009 – The Sci Fi Channel is changing its name to SyFy in a network-wide rebranding effort that will kick off in July.
The network also will adopt a new tagline, “Imagine Greater,” according to The...
Watchmen Scripter Founds Dark Hero Studios
March 16, 2009 – Watchmen co-scripter David Hayter and producer Benedict Carver have founded Dark Hero Studios to make sci-fi, horror and genre movies, TV shows and videogames.
The studio’s first project...
First Superman Comic Sells for $317,200 at Auction
March 16, 2009 – A rare fine-condition copy of Action Comics #1, the first comic book to feature Superman, sold at auction for $317,200.
The copy sold at auction Saturday was previously unknown until its...
Toon Writer to Script Alien Zoo
March 16, 2009 – Animation writer Jon Stillman has been tapped to script the hybrid movie Alien Zoo for Warner Bros. and Unique Features.
Stillman’s credits include Shrek, Shrek 2, the upcom...
Big Red Button, Emergent Forge Partnership
March 16, 2009 – Big Red Button Entertainment has teamed up with Emergent Game Technologies for a strategic partnership intended to allow Big Red Button greater creative freedom in creating games based on Emergent’...
Witch Topples Watchmen at the Box Office
March 15, 2009 – Walt Disney’s Race to Witch Mountain finished first in the weekend box office derby, while business took a huge tumble for Warner Bros.’ Watchmen.
Witch Mountain grossed $2...
Superman/Batman DVD Movie Confirmed
March 15, 2009 – Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is slated to be adapted into an original animated DVD movie from Warner Bros. Animation, AICN reports.
The Public Enemies storyline is based on the ...
Comic-Con 4-Day Passes Sell Out
March 15, 2009 – Four-day passes to Comic-Con International: San Diego have sold out, the convention’s website reports.
It has only been in the past couple of years that limits were put on the number of passes s...
First Look at Fincher’s Goon Toon
March 15, 2009 – The first image from the CG-animated film based on Eric Powell’s The Goon comic book series has been released on AICN.
The film is being produced by David Fincher, who most recently direc...
New Line Prepares Second 3-D Journey
March 15, 2009 – New Line has committed to a sequel to last summer’s Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D.
The Hollywood Reporter says the film will see director Eric Brevig return and take a...
Cartoon Art Museum Exec Gilchrist Dies
March 15, 2009 – Rod Gilchrist, the executive director of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, died Feb 26 of brain cancer. He was 58.
Gilchrist was born in Detroit and earned an MFA from the Pratt Institute...
Up Gets Trailer, Short Partly Cloudy
March 13, 2009 – Pixar has unveiled the full theatrical trailer for Up and is attaching the animated short film Partly Cloudy to the May 29 release.
Directed by Peter Sohn, Partly Cloudy fe...
Marvel Forms Global Branding Team
March 12, 2009 – “Advisors Assemble!” may not have the same ring as the Avengers’ famous battle cry, but Marvel’s new special advisory board is nonetheless charged with a heroic mission: to promote the company’s ic...
Rourke, Johannson set for Iron Man 2?
March 12, 2009 – Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily blog is reporting that Mickey Rourke, nominated for a best actor Oscar this year for his role in The Wrestler, has signed on to play the Russian villai...
Sesame Workshop Cuts Staff 20%
March 12, 2009 – The producer of Sesame Street is laying off a fifth of its work force due to the recession.
The nonprofit Sesame Workshop said 67 members of its staff of 355 people will be let go.
Sesame W...
New Naruto Game Set for DS
March 12, 2009 – The fourth edition of the popular video game Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council is being developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS.
Based on the popular VIZ animated series, the game series ...
Witch Mountain to Challenge Watchmen
March 12, 2009 – The big question going into this weekend’s movie openings is whether Watchmen can hang on to the top spot.
Zack Snyder’s hyper-faithful adaptation of the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons graph...
Marvel Sets 4th Date With Spidey, Delays Avengers Releases
March 12, 2009 – Marvel Studios has set May 6, 2011, as the day Spider-Man 4 will hit theaters, while also bumping back planned release dates for its Thor, Captain America and Avengers f...
Eisner Pitches New Nick Series to Buyers
March 12, 2009 – Never let it be said that former Disney execs can’t work with their onetime rivals.
Mouse House rival Nickelodeon brought out former Disney chief Michael Eisner to present the stop-motion animat...
Family Fest Honors Animator Roman
March 12, 2009 – The International Family Film Festival honored animator Phil Roman with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Film at its 2009 edition.
The award, known informally as the “Friz” award after famed an...
Brothers Quay Give Rare Talk at SVA
March 12, 2009 – Stop-motion animators Stephen and Timothy Quay will make a rare appearance April 2 at the School of Visual Arts in New York to discuss their work in film and theater.
The Quay Brothers, whose fo...
WB Seeks Ideas for New Batman Game
March 12, 2009 – Warner Bros., Mochi Media and DC Comics have issued an open call for developers to submit ideas for a new Flash game based on the Cartoon Network series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Ga...
Mr. Selick's Other-Worldly Magic
March 10, 2009 – How the brilliant Henry Selick and his team at LAIKA used 3-D stopmotion to recreate the world of Coraline.
In Neil Gaiman’s popular novella Coraline, a young girl discovers an Oth...
Princess and the Frog Gets Earlier Release
March 10, 2009 – The Walt Disney Co. has moved up the release date for its 2D animated musical feature The Princess and the Frog to Dec. 11.
Previously set to open on Christmas Day, the movie also will ge...
DreamWorks Drives Dinotrux Deal
March 10, 2009 – Chris Gall’s (There's Nothing to Do in Mars, Dear Fish) upcoming children’s book Dinotrux is on track to evolve into a CG-animated film at DreamWorks.
The studio optioned th...
CalArts Event to Honor Engel’s Impact
March 10, 2009 – CalArts will explore the legacy of animator Jules Engel in a special event at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater set for April 18.
The highlight of the event is a roundtable discussion tit...
Disney Unveils D23 Official Fan Hub
March 10, 2009 – D23 is the name of the first official fan community in the 85-year history of the Walt Disney Co.
The program includes access to the new D23 website, which features news and feature articles, ev...
Sound Innovator Thom to Address SIGGRAPH
March 10, 2009 – Oscar-winning sound editor and designer Randy Thom will deliver a keynote address at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference, set for August 3-7 in New Orleans.
Thom has worked on more than 75 films and...
VIZ Translates Miyazaki Essays
March 10, 2009 – Starting Point: 1979-1996, a collection of acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s essays, notes, sketches and rare interviews, will be translated into English and published by VIZ Medi...
U.K. Game Industry Protests Change 4 Life Ad
March 09, 2009 – Video game makers in the United Kingdom are strongly objecting to a government healthy-living ad campaign that they say unfairly portrays playing games as hazardous to children’s health.
The Cha...
Pinocchio, Gulliver Lead Stampede of New DVDs
March 09, 2009 – Brand-new editons of all-time animated classics Pinocchio and Gulliver’s Travels highlight a week heavy on animated and VFX-laden DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Up first is Walt Disney’...
Babar Returns in New CG Series
March 09, 2009 – King Babar, the elephant star of a beloved series of children’s books, is returning to animation in a new series that has begun production from Nelvana Studios in Canada and TeamTO in France.
Tw...
JoBros. Kick Off Season 13 of South Park
March 09, 2009 – The long-running animated comedy series South Park kicks off its 13 season Wednesday, March 11 with an episode skewering the musical group The Jonas Brothers.
The episode, titled “The Rin...
Director, Designer Rand Signs with DUCK
March 09, 2009 – Award-winning director Natasha Rand has signed on with DUCK, a Los Angeles-based creative studio that specializes in commercials, music videos, short films and web content.
Rand comes to DUCK wi...
Watchmen Watchers Spend $55 Million
March 08, 2009 – As expected, Watchmen—adapted from the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons—dominated the weekend box office, raking in $55.7 million dollars its opening weekend....
Johnson Adds Voice to Holy Cow!
March 08, 2009 – Dwayne Johnson has signed on to voice a tough Texas steer in the animated feature Holy Cow!, Variety reports.
The project is a joint effort between Johnson’s company, White Buffalo...
Cartoon Movie Wraps With Tributes, Record Attendance
March 08, 2009 – Cartoon Movie wrapped up the first edition in its new locale in Lyon, France, by awarding tributes to the top performers in European animation, and by reporting record attendance from participants,...
Henson Co.’s Science Kid Travels the Globe
March 08, 2009 – Sid the Science Kid is coming to TV screens all over the world, with the Jim Henson Co. finalizing broadcast deals across the globe for the animated preschool property.
The deals struck ...
Miller to Take Anime to Mad Max
March 08, 2009 – Mad Max, star of a trilogy of popular action films in the 1980s, could return to the big screen as a 3D anime-style feature.
George Miller, who directed all three Max films and won the Best Anim...
Knight Rises to Top Spot at LAIKA
March 06, 2009 – Travis Knight is the new CEO and president of LAIKA, the Portland-based animation studio behind the hit 3-D stop-motion feature film Coraline.
Knight sits on LAIKA’s board and has served...
Watchmen Storms the Box Office
March 05, 2009 – Storming into theaters as the sole major release is Watchmen, the long-awaited adaptation of the classic superhero graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Watchmen, directed ...
Family Guy Fulfills Jedi Destiny
March 05, 2009 – The circle will soon be complete—and the Ewoks will party in Quahog.
The cast of the popular animated Fox series Family Guy have completed a table read for a special episode parodying ...
The Beatles Join the Rock Band Revolution
March 05, 2009 – The Beatles are coming to Rock Band.
Management for the Fab Four announced a special Beatles version of the popular music videogame will be released Sept. 9, the Associated Press reports....
Garden DVDs to Bloom in Canada
March 05, 2009 – The popular animated preschool TV series In the Night Garden, which has sold 750,000 DVDs to date in the United Kingdom, is set for its first DVD release in Canada.
Produced by U.K.’s Rag...
KidsCo Secures MarVista Titles
March 05, 2009 – KidsCo has acquired from MarVista Entertainment the broadcast rights to such animated titles as Anastasia, Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper for its Western Europe feed.
...
Dinosaur King DVDs Go Global
March 05, 2009 – 4Kids Entertainment has sold the home video rights to its animated series Dinosaur King to key markets around the world.
In addition to its deal with Imavision for distribution in Canada,...
Studio Ghibli, Toyota Team on Training Center
March 04, 2009 – Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli will team up with Toyota to open a new animation training center in western Japan, reports Variety.
Ghibli, which has made Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaime...
Hit Targets Big Screen with Thomas
March 04, 2009 – Hit Entertainment is bringing its hit children’s TV franchise Thomas the Tank Engine to the big screen.
Variety reports the feature, due in 2010, is the first project for Hit Movie...
W!LDBRAIN Expands to L.A.
March 04, 2009 – W!LDBRAIN, producers of the hit Nick Jr. series Yo Gabba Gabba!, have announced plans for an animation studio in Los Angeles.
The Sherman Oaks-based facility will help the San Francisco-...
Rob the Robot Co-Production Assembled
March 04, 2009 – Singapore-based One Animation and Canada’s Amberwood Entertainment have agreed to co-produce the preschool animated series Rob the Robot.
The 3D animated series, developed and commissione...
Spore’s Will Wright to Deliver SIGGRAPH Keynote
March 04, 2009 – Will Wright, the renowned designer of such games as SimCity and Spore, will give a keynote address at the 2009 SIGGRAPH conference.
Wright’s SimCity franchise, which include...
Banjo Celebrates 30th With DVD Release
March 04, 2009 – The 1979 classic short film Banjo the Woodpile Cat has arrived for the first time on DVD in a special 30th anniversary edition.
Banjo was the first animated film from former Disne...
DreamWorks Snaps Up Heights Creator
March 03, 2009 – Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer and star of the Broadway hit In the Heights, has signed a deal to create a musical animated feature for DreamWorks.
The Hollywood Reporter says Miranda i...
Toon Boom, iStockphoto Team Up
March 03, 2009 – Software makers Toon Boom Animation Inc. have teamed up with iStockphoto, the world’s largest royalty-free stock image service, to offer its users access to free images and a discount on credits.
...
CJ, ToonBox Team Up for Bolts and Blip
March 03, 2009 – Korea-based CJ Entertainment has struck a co-production deal with ToonBox Entertainment and Redrover Co. Ltd. for the animated television project Bolts and Blip.
The series, set for 26 ha...
Watchmen, Wonder Woman Move to DVD
March 02, 2009 – Comic-book heroes lead a heavy week of new animated DVDs hitting store shelves.
Up first is Wonder Woman, the latest original animated DVD in the DC Universe line. The fan-friendly featur...
Review: Updated Wonder Woman Shines
March 02, 2009 – Wonder Woman has always been a difficult character to get right. Sure, she’s appeared continuously in DC Comics since 1941, but her story hasn’t gotten the same attention over the years as her peer...
Nick Solicits Reels for Online Job Database
March 02, 2009 – Nickelodeon Animation Studios is building a digital database of reels by animators looking for work.
The studio has requested artists interested in openings at the studio to send in their reel o...
Video Games Live Adds 45 Tour Dates
March 02, 2009 – Video Games Live, the touring performance of music from top games, expanded its 2009 tour with the addition of 45 new dates.
The tour, founded in 2005, now will perform 60 shows this year. Curre...
Moonscoop Absorbs Divisions into Overall Brand
March 02, 2009 – Moonscoop will consolidate subsidiaries Taffy Entertainment and Mike Young Productions into the parent company’s overall brand.
Both Taffy and Mike Young will now be known as Moonscoop, a move c...
Ex-Food Exec to Run Activision Blizzard’s Europe Arm
March 02, 2009 – Thibaud De Saint-Quentin will take over as senior VP and managing director of Activision Blizzard’s European publishing effort, effective March 9, reports the U.K. website MCV.
De Saint-Quentin ...
Fantasporto Honors Plympton's Idiots
March 02, 2009 – Bill Plympton's animated feature film Idiots and Angels won the grant prize in the fantasy competition at the 29th annual Fantasporto Oporto Film Festival.
Plympton's film also won the be...
Madea Still Reigns; JoBros. Fend Off Resurgent Slumdog
March 01, 2009 – Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail held on to the top spot at the weekend box office in its second frame, pulling in a strong $16.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Disney’s newcomer ...
Disney Plans to Make 2-D Features Every Other Year
March 01, 2009 – Walt Disney Animation Studios visual effects supervisor Marlon West told crowds at WonderCon this weekend that the studio plans to make a 2-D, hand-drawn feature every other year.
The comments c...
Cast for Green Lantern DVD set
March 01, 2009 – Christopher Meloni of Law & Order fame will play Hal Jordan in Green Lantern: First Flight, an original animated feature coming to DVD July 28.
The feature, the fifth in Warner Bro...
Green Launches Mission to Mars
March 01, 2009 – Seth Green of Robot Chicken fame has joined the cast of Disney’s Mars Need Moms, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film, directed by Simon Wells and produced by Robert Zemeck...
Vampires Bite Euro Markets
February 27, 2009 – Animated series School for Vampires, a co-production of Germany’s Hahn Film and Italy’s Cartoon One, has sold to broadcasters in Scandinavia and Portugal.
The comedy series for ages 6-9, ...
Chapman Takes Fifi to Russia
February 27, 2009 – London-based Chapman Entertainment has secured a broadcaster and licensees to introduce its animated series Fifi Forget-Me-Not into the Russian market.
Channel Russia has picked up the br...
Futurama Creators, Cast Review Series Past, Future
February 26, 2009 – The future for Futurama is decidedly unclear — not that that’s anything new.
The sci-fi comedy series ran from 1999 to 2003 on Fox before production ended. But sales of DVDs and repeats o...
Brevig to direct hybrid Yogi feature
February 26, 2009 – Eric Brevig, a visual effects supervisor who turned director on last summer’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, will helm a Yogi Bear feature that mixes CG-animation and live-action...
Ellen Enters Warner’s Dog Show
February 26, 2009 – Ellen DeGeneres has signed on to the voice cast of Dog Show, an animated feature pitch picked up recently by Warner Bros., according to The Hollywood Reporter.
DeGeneres, whose ani...
Randisi to Head Nick’s Global Consumer Products Office
February 26, 2009 – Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products have promoted Jean-Philippe Randisi as managing director of the company’s international operations.
Randisi comes to the job from the post of managing di...
Street Fighter vs. Jonas Bros., Round One!
February 26, 2009 – Moviegoers this weekend face the difficult choice of fight or sing.
In one corner of an otherwise slim week for new movies, is the videogame adaptation Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Simpsons Picked Up for 2 More Seasons
February 26, 2009 – The Simpsons will live long enough to legally order a drink, thanks to a two-season pickup from Fox.
Matt Groening’s animation fixture will continue for 44 more episodes, bringing its tot...
Funding Gets Astro Boy Back on Track
February 26, 2009 – The CG-animated Astro Boy feature film is back in production, with producer Imagi Entertainment having completed a $25 million financing plan.
The company’s U.S. president, Erin Corbett, ...
Warner Bros. Commits to Suicide Squad
February 26, 2009 – Dan Lin will produce a feature film adaptation of the DC Comics property Suicide Squad for Warner Bros., Variety reports.
Suicide Squad, created by notable comic-book writer...
Jackson in as Fury for the Long Haul
February 26, 2009 – Samuel L. Jackson has struck a deal with Marvel Studios to reprise the role of Nick Fury in Iron Man 2 and as many as nine future superhero films.
Jackson, who played Fury in a post-credi...
Trek Crew’s Next Stop: Family Guy
February 26, 2009 – The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation is set to beam into Quahog on an upcoming episode of Family Guy.
The upcoming episode, titled “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven,” will feature P...
Lake to Manage Imageworks
February 26, 2009 – Sony Pictures Imageworks has promoted Randy Lake to the post of executive vice president and general manager.
Lake will manage overall operations, strategy and planning for the visual effects h...
DreamWorks Falls Short of Q4 Estimates
February 24, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation posted lower-than-expected profits for the fourth quarter of 2008.
This quarter saw the studio put out the theatrical release Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and the DVD ...
CBS Refills Cookie Jar for Three More Seasons
February 24, 2009 – Canada-based Cookie Jar Entertainment and CBS have extended their deal for a block of Saturday-morning animation for three more seasons.
Cookie Jar and its predecessor, DIC Entertainment, have p...
VIZ Lays Off Employees in Restructuring
February 24, 2009 – VIZ Media laid off an unspecified number of employees last week as it restructured to face current economic conditions.
“VIZ Media is in the process of refining its focus and is restructuring t...
Gondry to Direct Green Hornet
February 24, 2009 – Michel Gondry, best known for the cult hit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is set to direct The Green Hornet, Variety reports.
Seth Rogen is set to play the masked cr...
Bakugan Fever Coming to Video Games
February 24, 2009 – The popular animated TV series Bakugan is coming to videogame consoles, thanks to a deal struck between game maker Activision and Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Enterprises.
The deal calls...
Iron Man DVD Lifts Marvel Earnings
February 24, 2009 – Marvel Entertainment reported stronger than expected profits for 2008, fueled in large part by strong sales of the Iron Man DVD.
Net sales for the company were $224 million, up from $109....
Bandai Acquires Digimon Toy License
February 24, 2009 – Bandai Asia has acquired from Toei Animation the Australian toy license for the animated children’s series Digimon Data Squad.
The deal covers the right to sell such toys as a digivice d...
Futurama’s Final Finale, Plus Akira Arrive on Blu-ray
February 23, 2009 – Comic and tragic visions of the future lead off this week’s animated DVD releases.
Up first is Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (Fox, $29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray), the fourth and appar...
Autodesk Introduces Softimage 7.5
February 23, 2009 – Autodesk has launched Softimage 7.5, adding features such as UV unfolding technology and an integrated mental ray renderer into the popular game creation and visual effects application.
This rel...
Sesame Joins Universal’s Dubai Park Plans
February 23, 2009 – Universal Studios Dubailand has signed a deal with Sesame Workshop to develop three Sesame Street-themed venues for an under-construction theme park in the United Arab Emirates.
Anchoring...
DreamWorks Taps NM Supercomputer Capacity
February 23, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation has linked up with a New Mexico-owned supercomputing initiative to make more efficient CG movies.
In a deal announced by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, DreamWorks is team...
Nick Grabs Elephant Princess for Global Markets
February 23, 2009 – Nick International has picked up the live-action tween series The Elephant Princess to air in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
The channel also picked up from distributor ZDF Enterprise...
Button, WALL•E Dominate VES Awards
February 22, 2009 – The night belonged to a robot, a backwards-aging Brad Pitt and the nation’s second president at the 7th annual Visual Effects Society Awards.
WALL•E, the Pixar-Disney animated film, took ...
Wall•E Scores First With Sound Editors
February 22, 2009 – The Motion Picture Sound Editors gave its top honor Saturday night to WALL•E, which took home the prize for best sound effects, Foley, dialogue and ADR animation in a feature film.
That m...
Billion-Dollar Knight, Madea On Top
February 22, 2009 – The Dark Knight is the fourth film to gross more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Warner Bros. announced the breakthrough Friday, noting that the film has grossed $533 millio...
Disney Buys Kids Animation Site Kerpoof
February 22, 2009 – The Walt Disney Co. has acquired Kerpoof, a kids-oriented website that lets users easily create pictures, cards and short animated clips.
Kerpoof launched in 2007 and will continue as its own on...
Coraline’s Selick to Give NAB Keynote
February 22, 2009 – Henry Selick, director of the 3-D stop-motion animated feature Coraline, will be a keynote speaker at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.
Selick will speak o...
Tokyo Anime Fair Expects Growth
February 20, 2009 – The Tokyo Anime Fair is a month away and organizers are already expecting a record year.
The eighth annual expo is expecting 130,000 visitors, up from just over 126,000 last year, reports Var...
Ponyo to Kick Off Anima Fest
February 20, 2009 – Anima 2009, the Brussels Animation Festival, is set to open Friday with a preview of Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.
Ponyo will be the opening nig...
Astin Stars in New Disney Series Oso
February 20, 2009 – The Disney Playhouse series Special Agent Oso, starring Sean Astin as a panda bear training to be a spy, is set to debut April 4 on Disney Channel.
The preschooler series will be supporte...
King Rollo Unveils Humf on U.K.’s Nick Jr.
February 20, 2009 – Humf, a new animated preschool series created by Andrew Brenner of Angelina Ballerina and Maisy fame, is set to debut next month on Nick Jr. in the U.K.
The series—starring ...
Plympton’s Rare Guard Dog Debuts Online
February 20, 2009 – Guard Dog, a rarely seen Oscar-nominated short film by Bill Plympton, is available online for the first time at Atom.com.
The short, made in 2004, earned Plympton his second Oscar nominat...
Salon Focuses on Acting For Animation
February 20, 2009 – ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive’s Animation Salon returns Saturday, Feb. 21, with a session titled Acting for Animation.
The session, to be held at 8 p.m. at the Fletcher Jones Foundation The...
Trailer Teases Battle for Terra
February 19, 2009 – Battle for Terra has come to Moviefone. The movie website debuted the full trailer for the CG animated film, which will be released May 1 by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions in both 2-D an...
Dora to Grow Up, Get a Makeover
February 19, 2009 – Mattel and Nick announced a new brand called Dora’s Explorer Girls that mixes Dora the Explorer’s nose for adventure with the fashion doll play and online interaction.
The premise...
Nintendo DSi Coming to U.S. April 5
February 19, 2009 – Nintendo will release the newest version of its popular DS portable gaming system, the Nintendo DSi, in the United States on April 5.
The device, released in Japan in December, features a bigger...
Littleloud Delivers Watchmen Flash Game
February 19, 2009 – Littleloud Studios has delivered a classic-style web-based Flash game based on the upcoming movie Watchmen.
The studio built the game from scratch in six weeks, and it is made to resemble...
Academic Program Brings Craft to USC
February 19, 2009 – Sweden-based Craft Animations AB has established an Academic Partner Program and announced USC’s School of Cinematic Arts as its most recent partnership.
The program subsidizes the cost of the c...
Marvel Assembles Squad for CN
February 18, 2009 – Marvel Entertainment’s top superheroes are teaming up for a new series on Cartoon Network.
The cable channel has ordered up 26 episodes of a new animated series called Marvel Super Hero Squad...
SpongeBob Tops China Ratings
February 18, 2009 – SpongeBob SquarePants’ return to China has been a ratings success.
Nick’s hit animated series, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, returned to China Central Television in December ...
Full Sail Inaugurates Student Hall of Fame
February 18, 2009 – Full Sail University will induct six former students into its newly established Hall of Fame.
Established to recognize the accomplishments of its graduates throughout its 30-year history, the fi...
Simpsons Opening Spruced Up for HD Debut
February 18, 2009 – This past Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons was not only the first episode of the long-running show to air in high definition, it also sported a new opening title sequence.
The opening tit...
Rhino evolves out of rhinofx
February 18, 2009 – Animation and VFX house rhinofx has renamed itself Rhino.
The company says the change in name reflects changes within the studio, which a year ago teamed up permanently with media-development st...
Target Brings New Fifi, Roary Series to MIPTV
February 18, 2009 – London-based Target Entertainment Group will be bringing new series of the hit U.K. preschool shows Fifi and the Flowertots and Roary the Racing Car to MIPTV.
Both shows were devel...
Giochi Preziosi Lands Geronimo Stilton Toy License
February 18, 2009 – Italian toymaker Giochi Preziosi has landed the European master toy license to the upcoming animated TV series Geronimo Stilton.
Deal was struck with Atlantyca Entertainment, the Milan-ba...
Editors Cut WALL•E A Historic Honor
February 17, 2009 – WALL•E became the first animated feature to win the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie award for best edited feature film—possibly foreshadowing an Oscars victory.
Stephen Schaffer recei...
DreamWorks Goes to NASDAQ; Allen’s Cashed Out
February 17, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation announced Friday it would transfer its stock listing from the New York Stock Exchange to NASDAQ effective Feb. 26 in a move designed to save costs.
The studio told wire serv...
Holiday Grosses Good News for Friday, Coraline
February 17, 2009 – Horror remake Friday the 13th topped a record-breaking President’s Day weekend that saw holdovers such as the 3-D stop-motion feature Coraline hold up extremely well.
Friday...
Changeling, HSM3, Quest and Case Closed Hit DVD
February 17, 2009 – Clint Eastwood’s Changeling and Disney’s High School Musical 3 lead a diverse slate of DVD releases.
The week’s top animated releases include Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures
Disney XD Debut Soars to Ratings High
February 17, 2009 – The newly re-branded cable channel Disney XD got off to a solid launch, earning record ratings for the channel with its first original series, Aaron Stone.
The re-brand of Toon Disney be...
Cartoon Movie Names Euro Toon Honorees
February 17, 2009 – The organizers of Cartoon Movie, a trade event for the European animation industry set for March 4-6 in Lyon, France, have announced the nominees for this year’s tributes.
The tributes are inte...
Midway Files Chapter 11
February 17, 2009 – Financial changes continue in the gaming industry, as Midway Games files for Chapter 11.
Midway Games, makers of the Mortal Combat franchise, made the filing because it doubted its abilit...
Exclusive: ILM’s Snow on Iron Man Mocap
February 17, 2009 – In an exclusive clip, ILM visual effects supervisor Ben Snow explains how motion capture and the iMoCap system were used to dress Robert Downey Jr. in a digital Iron Man armor.
Click the Link...
Friday the 13th Remake Attacks Box Office
February 13, 2009 – Warner Bros.’ remake of the classic horror film Friday the 13th looks to make its mark on its namesake weekend.
Opening on 3,105 screens, Friday the 13th is this week’s widest-rel...
Gabriel Won't Sing WALL•E Song
February 13, 2009 – Singer and songwriter Peter Gabriel has decided not to perform “Down to Earth,” his Oscar nominated song from the Pixar-Disney animated featured WALL•E, due to a dispute with producers.
A...
Imagi Releases Astro Boy Images, Updates Finance Status
February 13, 2009 – Imagi Studios have released five images from their upcoming CG-animated feature, Astro Boy.
The movie also was previewed last weekend at New York Comic Con, where a short was shown and e...
Keyframe Works Up Peggy, Cuddly Wuggleys
February 13, 2009 – Keyframe Digital Productions is developing two new children’s animated series, Peggy’s Little Harbour and Cuddly Wuggleys.
Both Peggy and Wuggleys are aimed at preschoolers...
Sherman Gives Voice to Alzheimer’s Fight
February 13, 2009 – Dina Sherman’s voice has earned her a career on such animated fare as Naruto and Digimon—but its real power is just now being felt in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
The voi...
Duty, Wii Fit Win Gaming Awards
February 13, 2009 – Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War and Nintendo’s Wii Fit each won three awards at the 2009 Video Game Home Entertainment Awards.
Grand Theft Auto IV won two honors, in...
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Set for Late 2009
February 13, 2009 – Activision president Mike Griffith announced the company will release Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the fourth quarter of 2009.
According to a report on MCV, the company expects the g...
Animation Block Party Goes Online, Expands to Boston
February 12, 2009 – Animation Block Party is building up to its annual summer festival in Brooklyn with a new series on new media platform MyDamnChannel.com and a show planned for the Boston area March 27-29.
Submi...
Brolin, Malkovich to Face Off in Jonah Hex
February 12, 2009 – Josh Brolin and John Malkovich have been confirmed as headlining Jonah Hex, an adaptation of the popular DC Comics Western series, Variety reports.
Brolin, nominated for a best sup...
Jetix Europe Gets New CEO
February 12, 2009 – Paul Taylor has exited and John Hardie has entered as Jetix Europe's new chief executive officer, according to multiple news sources.
Variety reports that Hardie will retain his job as ex...
Rodanthe, W. and Soul Top DVD Releases
February 10, 2009 – Romance, comedy and politics dominate the major DVD and Blu-ray releases for Feb. 10. Leading the way for recent studio movies is Nights in Rodanthe (Warner Bros., $28.98 on DVD, $39.98 on B...
Copernicus, Kavaleer Team for Garth and Bev
February 10, 2009 – Copernicus Studios and Kavaleer Productions will co-produce 52 11-minute episodes of the animated series Garth and Bev.
Copernicus, based in Halifax, Canada, will create the 2D animation...
Ratner to Direct Youngblood
February 10, 2009 – India-based financier Reliance has secured the rights to adapt Rob Liefeld’s Image Comics superhero series Youngb