Ryan Ball

Jackman Heads to Ghostopolis

May 04, 2009 – Having conquered the box office as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman has signed on to star in another graphic novel property: Doug TenNapel’s Ghostopolis.

The film is set up at Disney, with Jackman...

Zentropa Rejoins Animation Game

February 27, 2009 – Danish production house Zentropa has reignited its animation ambitions.

The company, which produced the 2006 feature Princess and a short film in a previous animation initiative, has hire...

Downey, Stiller, Fey Eye Master Mind

February 05, 2009 – Actors Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller and Tina Fey are in discussions for voice parts in DreamWorks Animation’s feature Master Mind.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stiller wo...

Humanity to Put SpongeBob on Eco-Friendly T-shirts

January 19, 2009 – SpongeBob is celebrating his 10th anniversary by lending his well-known image to a line of environmentally themed T-shirts and an ongoing water conservation campaign.

The T-shirts are the result...

WALL•E, Bashir, Persepolis Up for BAFTAs

January 16, 2009 – Director Andrew Stanton’s WALL•E, Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir and Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parannaud’s Persepolis are the nominees for this year’s BAFTA for Best Animated...

Quantum Quest Voice Cast Set

January 16, 2009 – The stars have aligned for Quantum Quest, an upcoming CG-animated, large-format 3-D action-adventure film that interweaves computer-generated sequences with actual space imagery captured fro...

Jim Henson Co. Honors Nintendo’s Miyamoto

January 16, 2009 – Video game legend Shigeru Miyamoto, general manager of Nintendo Ent., is the top recipient of this year’s Jim Henson Honors, which acknowledges organizations, individuals or products that reflect t...

Reeves Commits to Cowboy Bebop

January 16, 2009 – His sci-fi remake The Day the Earth Stood Still didn’t exactly hold the world spellbound, but Keanu Reeves is hoping for better success with a live-action adaptation of a popular anime serie...

FOX, Warner Settle Watchmen Battle

January 16, 2009 – Warner Bros.’ live-action feature based on the DC Comics graphic novel Watchmen will open on March 6 as planned. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has settled a fierce l...

Shrek Cast Recording Set for March

January 16, 2009 – As DreamWorks Theatricals’ and Neal Street Prods.’ Shrek the Musical enjoys success on Broadway, an original cast recording is being prepped for release by Decca Broadway in March. The show ...

Fleischer Superman Flying to DVD

January 15, 2009 – Warner Home Video and DC Comics will release Max Fleischer Superman on April 7. Featuring 17 vintage, Technicolor theatrical cartoons from the Warner Bros. vault, the two-disc collection wil...

4Kids Inks Deals for Dinosaur King

January 15, 2009 – 4Kids Ent. has completed licensing agreements for the animated series Dinosaur King with GMTV in the U.K. and Jetix Netherlands. In addition, the second season of the series has been picked ...

Huntik Sold to Jetix, CITV in the U.K.

January 15, 2009 – Big Bocca Prods.’ animated action show Huntik: Secrets & Seekers has been picked up by Jetix and CITV in the U.K. The series of 26 half-hour adventures is an original property created by Igi...

Jackson May Be Out of Iron Man 2

January 15, 2009 – First Terrance Howard was replaced by Don Cheadle as Rhody Rhodes, and now Samuel L. Jackson may be cut out of the highly anticipated sequel Iron Man 2. Jackson showed up at the end of the f...

Cartoon Network Debuts FusionFall

January 15, 2009 – Cartoon Network New Media and development partner Grigon Ent. have launched the browser-based, massively multiplayer online game Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall. The network’s most ambi...

Nick Preps Ni Hao, Kai-lan Special

January 15, 2009 – Nickelodeon is celebrating Chinese New Year with a new half-hour, prime-time special installment of its hit animated series Ni Hao, Kai-lan, which teaches Mandarin to kids. Titled “La...

Jim Henson Co. Back in Consumer Products Biz

January 15, 2009 – The Jim Henson Co. is re-launching its consumer products division and has appointed Melissa Segal to the newly created position of senior VP of global consumer products. Segal joins the company fro...

Bashir Makes Oscar Cut

January 14, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 81st Academy Awards. Among them ...

WGA Nominates Vid Game Writers

January 14, 2009 – The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East have announced nominations for the WGA’s Videogame Writing Award. Recognizing writers as a primary creative force in the ga...

Animation Army, Women in Games Throw Mixer in Hollywood

January 14, 2009 – Richard Taylor, cinematic director at Electronic Arts Los Angeles will be the featured speaker at a networking event being hosted by Animation Army and Women in Animation Int’l on Sunday, Jan. 18 a...

Rabbi’s Cat Comic Becoming Toon Feature

January 14, 2009 – Joann Sfar will adapt his Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Rabbi’s Cat as a 2D animated feature. According to Daily Variety, Sfar will co-direct the film with Antoine Delesvaux....

Imira Makes Pre-NATPE sales

January 14, 2009 – Spanish production and distribution company Imira Ent. is heading to NATPE with a raft of deals in place with U.S. and Latin American broadcasters for the hit animated shows Lola & Virginia,...

Face2Face Contest Winners Announced

January 14, 2009 – We are happy to announce the winners of Animation Magazine’s Face-2-Face Contest, a 3D modeling competition sponsored by Dell and Image Metrics. Nearly $10,000 in prizes is being awarded to ...

Ben 10, Chipettes, Underworld on DVD

January 13, 2009 – It’s one of those rare weeks when there aren’t a ton of animated releases hitting retail outlets. What we do get today are episodes of Cartoon Network’s hit series Ben 10: Alien Force and a ...

Maggie Q Joins King of the Fighters

January 13, 2009 – A big-screen adaptation of the popular Japanese video game King of the Fighters has a femme fatal in Hong Kong action star Maggie Q, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Recently seen...

Sedelmaier Behind NY Animation Exhibit

January 13, 2009 – J. J. Sedelmaier Prods. and the Westchester Arts Council, along with animation shop Blue Sky Studios, have teamed up to present “It All Started Here,” a historical and creative retrospective of New...

DreamWorks Animator Has Gallery Show

January 13, 2009 – DreamWorks animator Devin Crane will debut his latest collection of art at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, Calif. on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Titled “Love and Tears,” the exhibit is inspired by ...

Nature Between Us Premieres at Sundance

January 13, 2009 – Director William Campbell's short film The Nature Between Us, which blends animation and live action, is set to premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It will screen with Brief Inte...

SpongeBob’s Cook-Off Coming to DS

January 13, 2009 – THQ Inc. announced that SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off for Nintendo DS is currently in development and scheduled to arrive at retail in March. Based on Nickelodeon’s upcomin...

Nick Celebrates 10 Years of SpongeBob

January 13, 2009 – Nickelodeon is set to kick off a year-long celebration in honor of the 10th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants. The festivities will include production of a SpongeBob documentary, t...

WALL•E, Bashir Waltz Off with Globes

January 12, 2009 – Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E and Sony Pictures Classics’ Waltz with Bashir got love from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association during Sunday night’s 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremon...

Bashir Nominated for DGA Award

January 12, 2009 – The Director’s Guild of America has nominated Ari Folman in the category Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for his animated feature, Waltz with Bashir. The film was just vot...

Madagascar Holds Overseas Lead

January 12, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa dominated the overseas box office for the fourth consecutive week. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the sequel brought in an est...

Warner, Fox Work to Settle Watchmen Suit

January 12, 2009 – Once in danger of being shelved, Warner Bros.’ big-screen adaptation of the beloved DC Comics graphic novel Watchmen is likely to make its March 6 theatrical opening after all. Daily Vari...

WALL●E, Bashir Are Critics’ Choice

January 09, 2009 – Disney/Pixar’s WALL●E was named Best Animated Feature during the 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, presented on Thursday in Santa Monica, Calif. by the Broadcast Film Critics Associa...

Nick Wants More Penguins of Madagascar

January 09, 2009 – Nickelodeon has ordered an additional 26 episodes of the upcoming CG-animated comedy series The Penguins of Madagascar, a co-production of DreamWorks Animation SKG. The pick-up brings the to...

Ghostbusters Game Set for June

January 09, 2009 – The Ghostbusters are back with an all-new adventure in time for their 25th anniversary, and this time it’s an interactive spook hunt. Atari announced today that Ghostbusters: The Video Game ...

More Toei Toons On Crunchyroll

January 09, 2009 – Galaxy Express 999 and Captain Harlock are the latest anime series from Japanese animation production studio Toei Animation Co. Ltd. to join the offerings at online video outlet Crunc...

Rourke May Wrestle with Iron Man

January 08, 2009 – Hot off his career-reviving role in director Darren Aronofsky’s award-winning film The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke may end up putting the smackdown on a popular Marvel superhero. Daily Variet...

Persepolis, Bashir Up for BAFTAs

January 08, 2009 – The British Academy of Film and Television has announced the nominees for the Film Not in the English Language BAFTA Award, including two autobiographical animated features in the mix. The black-an...

People Choose WALL●E, Simpsons, Dark Knight

January 08, 2009 – Disney/Pixar’s WALL●E was voted Favorite Family Film during Wednesday night’s People’s Choice Awards, beating out DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda and Disney/Walden Media’s ...

WGA Nominates Bashir, Chicago 10, Dark Knight

January 08, 2009 – A pair of animated documentaries and a comic-book adaptation made the cut as the Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East announced nominations for outstanding achievem...

Henson’s Dinosaur Stomps to PBS KIDS

January 08, 2009 – The Jim Henson Co. has finalized an agreement with PBS KIDS to debut the new CG-animated series Dinosaur Train this fall. Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), the show encourages ...

Academy to Honor Mark Kimball

January 08, 2009 – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to bestow the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation upon Mark Kimball, a computer scientist and motion picture tec...

Toon Boom Acquires Cambridge Animation

January 08, 2009 – Toon Boom Animation Inc. announced that it has closed a definitive agreement with competitor Cambridge Animation Systems to acquire all of the Intellectual Property of Cambridge and the Animo anima...

Verbinski Explores RPGs for Universal

January 08, 2009 – Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski wants to venture into the darker side of massively multiplayer online role-play games for the big screen. According to Daily Variety, ...

Nolan Up for DGA Award

January 08, 2009 – A few years ago, it would have seemed far-fetched for a filmmaker to be up for major awards for directing a comic-book movie. With The Dark Knight, director and co-writer Christopher Nolan h...

Obama Appears in Spider-Man Comic

January 08, 2009 – If you collected Spider-Man comics as a kid, being featured in an issue is probably one of the coolest things that could happen to you, even if you happen to be the President Elect of the United St...

Disney XD Launches in February

January 08, 2009 – Disney announced that it will debut Disney XD, the boy-focused re-branding of Toon Disney, on Friday, Feb. 13 at 12 midnight (ET/PT). The girl-inclusive entertainment brand for kids 6-14 will revol...

Azur & Asmar Gets Disc Date

January 08, 2009 – Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest, the latest animated feature from acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Ocelot (Kiriku and the Sorceress) will arrive on DVD on March 17. Released domesti...

Seven Make VFX Oscar Cut

January 07, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films made the short list in the Visual Effects category for the 81st Academy Awards. They are as follows:

Australia...

Nick Introduces Olivia

January 07, 2009 – Author/illustrator Ian Falconer's award-winning books come to the screen as Nickelodeon adds Olivia to its preschool line-up. The new series will premiere on Monday, Jan. 26 at 11:30 a.m. (E...

Warner Puts Hex on Horton Helmer

January 07, 2009 – Warner Bros. has tapped Horton Hears A Who! director Jimmy Hayward to direct its adaptation of the DC Comics property Jonah Hex, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film w...

SIGGRAPH Animation Fest Expands Again

January 07, 2009 – The SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, which opened up to the public as a full-fledged fest in 2008, will again take on an expanded role in the 2009 SIGGRAPH conference and expo. In addition to ...

Lionsgate Gets Care Bears, Sushi Pack for Vid

January 07, 2009 – Lionsgate has extended its relationship with American Greetings Properties by acquiring the exclusive North American home entertainment distribution rights to numerous Care Bears titles, including ...

Lasseter Gives Miyazaki’s Ponyo a Push

January 07, 2009 – Pixar's John Lasseter is joining producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy in preparing the U.S. theatrical release of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, the latest animated opus from Japane...

Autodesk Adds Mac Offerings

January 07, 2009 – Autodesk Inc. announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco that it has expanded its portfolio of Macintosh 2D and 3D software tools for entertainment, multimedia and design professi...

Monsters vs. Aliens Goes Long for Super Bowl

January 06, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures hope to score big with a 90-second Super Bowl spot for the upcoming animated feature Monsters vs. Aliens. According to Daily Variety, the e...

Pegg, Frost Join TinTin Cast

January 06, 2009 – British comedic actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who appeared together in the cult hits Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, have reportedly signed onto the cast of Steven Spielberg’s and...

Renegade Prowls with Heathcliff

January 06, 2009 – Media property development company Fitzroy Media (FRM) has tapped Renegade Animation to produce a series of new projects featuring Heathcliff, the mischievous, street-wise cat of comic-strip fame. ...

Adult TV Toons Abound on Disc

January 06, 2009 – Put the kids to bed and dig into this week’s pile of animated home video releases. On offer are Duckman: Season Three and Four, Frisky Dingo: Season 2 and Tripping the Rift: The Co...

PGA Nominates Bolt, Panda, WALL•E

January 06, 2009 – The Producers Guild of America has announced nominations for its 2009 awards, singling out the producers of Disney’s Bolt, DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda and Disney/Pixar’s W...

aniBoom Awards Favor Voodoo

January 06, 2009 – Sebastian’s Voodoo from Joaquin Baldwin of Sherman Oaks, Calif. was named the grand prize winner of the third annual aniBoom Awards, a kudo fest honoring the best work submitted to aniBoom’s...

Iron Man Up For USC Libraries Scripter Award

January 06, 2009 – Marvel Ent.’s smash hit superhero flick Iron Man is among the finalists for the 21st annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. The CG-laden actioner is up against fellow Paramount release The ...

9 Trailer Emerges

January 05, 2009 – Having attracted the attention of filmmaker Tim Burton, director Shane Acker’s award-winning CG-animated short film, 9, is coming to the big screen this year. Set in a post-apocalyptic world...

Madagascar Holds Overseas B.O. Lead

January 05, 2009 – DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa had a great holiday run, leading the foreign box office for a third consecutive week. The sequel has now taken in roughly $340 million in o...

Universal Has Best Year with Mummy, Wanted, Hulk

January 05, 2009 – The vfx-driven fantasy The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and the comic-book adaptations Wanted and The Incredible Hulk contributed greatly to giving Universal Pictures its ...

Gromit Special Scores Big for BBC

January 05, 2009 – Aardman Animation's new television special Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death brought The BBC a merry Christmas. According to Daily Variety, the stop-motion adventure drew...

Airdate for Afro Samurai: Resurrection

January 05, 2009 – Spike TV will premiere the new two-hour animated movie Afro Samurai: Resurrection on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Produced by Japanese studio GONZO in association with GDH K.K. and FU...

Critics Choose to Waltz with Bashir

January 05, 2009 – As Israel continues its controversial push into Gaza, Waltz with Bashir, Ari Folman’s animated documentary about a previous Israeli invasion, has been named Best Picture by the National Soci...

Fisher-Price Toys with HIT’s Thomas

January 05, 2009 – Children's entertainment producer and rights owner HIT Ent. has appointed Fisher-Price Inc. as the global master toy licensee for the leading preschool property Thomas & Friends. The first l...

Animag's 2009 School Guide

January 01, 2009 – We are witnessing an amazing rise in high-quality projects being created by students at colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. As in previous years, we've put together our comprehensive ...

Decent Bow for Despereaux

December 22, 2008 – Universal’s CG-animated family feature The Tale of Despereaux earned an estimated $10.5 million over the weekend to open at No. 3 at the North American box office. Warner Bros.’ Jim Carrey c...

Spirit, Bashir Open for X-Mas

December 22, 2008 – Having co-directed with Robert Rodriguez the filmed adaptation of his graphic novel Sin City, Frank Miller makes his eagerly awaited solo directorial debut with a classic comic-book property...

Disney Revs Up Kid Knievel

December 19, 2008 – Walt Disney Television Animation has begun production on Kid Knievel, a 2D-animated comedy series about a 12-year-old boy who aspires to become the world's greatest daredevil. Famed thrill s...

Chow Exits Green Hornet

December 19, 2008 – Stephen Chow, director and star of the breakout hits Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, is no longer helming Columbia Pictures’ The Green Hornet. Daily Variety reports t...

EA Increases Layoff Figures

December 19, 2008 – Video game developer/publisher Electronic Arts Inc. today announced further details on a restructuring plan, which will include consolidating facilities and reducing the work force by approximately...

Canemaker Animates South Beach Fest

December 19, 2008 – The South Beach Int’l Animation Film Festival announced that Oscar-winning animation legend John Canemaker will be a guest of honor at the next annual event in Miami, Fla. The four-day event is hos...

Director Sets Sails for Sinbad

December 18, 2008 – After trolling the waters of development hell for a few years, Columbia Pictures’ new Sinbad movie appears closer to actually being made. The studio is in talks with Adam Shankman to develop and di...

Tron Sequel Goes 3-D

December 18, 2008 – Disney’s return to the video game world known as Tron will be a three-dimensional journey, according to Ain't It Cool News. The fanboy web destination cites a trusted source that says Disney...

Clone Wars Marathon Going Online

December 18, 2008 – All ten episodes of Lucasfilm Animaton’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars that have already aired on Cartoon Network will be available online over the holidays. Starting Dec. 22, the installments w...

Dogstar wins Asian Television Award

December 18, 2008 – The Australian children’s series Dogstar was named Best Animation at the Asian Television Awards (ATA) in Singapore. The kudo fest recognizing television programs and production excellence a...

VIZ Pacts with Warner Home Video

December 18, 2008 – Anime distributor VIZ Media has signed a home entertainment distribution agreement with Warner Home Video (WHV) for the United States and Mexico. Effective April 1, 2009, WHV will be the exclusive ...

Take-Two Shares Profits with Rockstar Games

December 18, 2008 – Under new management, Take-Two Interactive Software has established an incentive compensation program for the Rockstar Games label that is primarily based on a profit-sharing arrangement. The publi...

Despereaux’s Tale Told in Theaters

December 18, 2008 – Kate DiCamillo’s Newberry Medal-winning children’s book The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread comes to life on the big screen this w...

WALL•E Wins Over Chicago Critics

December 18, 2008 – Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E has been honored by yet another group of movie reviewers as end-of-the year picks continue to roll in from around the country. The film garnered four 2008 Chicago Film ...

4Kids Has New Plan for CW Saturdays

December 18, 2008 – Children's entertainment company 4Kids Ent. has announced its new lineup of programs for The CW4Kids, its five-hour program block airing Saturday mornings from 7 a.m. to noon on The CW television n...

TV-Loonland’s Penelope Set for CBeebies

December 18, 2008 – British broadcaster BBC has acquired full TV rights to TV-Loonland’s is animated show, Penelope. The series of 54 five-minute cartoons will begin airing on digital preschool channel CBeebies...

Mass Animation Draws Animators to Facebook

December 18, 2008 – Mass Animation, Intel Corp.’s initiative to create a CG-animated short film through a virtual studio staffed by animators around the world, has received more than 270 entries and accumulated more t...

FUNimation Counts Down New Anime for ’09

December 18, 2008 – FUNimation Ent. will be announcing new anime titles for 2009 with an online event dubbed “New Show A-Go-Go.” The 10-day countdown to the new year will kick off on Monday, Dec. 22 and will feature o...

WALL•E, Bashir, Persepolis Nominated by London Critics

December 18, 2008 – Critical darling WALL•E from Disney and Pixar is among the five films nominated for Film of the Year by the London Film Critics’ Circle. The acclaimed animated doc Waltz with Bashir f...

Cheech and Chong Make Smokin’ Animated Debut

December 17, 2008 – Bob and Doug McKenzie aren’t the only classic comedy duo getting animated. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, who built an empire on pot humor in the ’70s and ’80s, will return in Cheech and Chong's ...

Universal Backs Bakugan Movie

December 17, 2008 – Universal Pictures and Stuber Prods. have signed a deal with children’s entertainment company Spin Master Ltd. to produce a feature film based on the popular strategic game and anime series Baku...

Judge Pushes Back Watchmen Trial

December 17, 2008 – The trailers have already hit the web and the graphic displays have been draped in movie theaters across the country, but the fate of Warner Bros.’ Watchmen still lies in the hands of a jury...

Orphanage Founder to Direct Priest

December 17, 2008 – Priest from Tokyo Pop is one of the latest graphic novels to travel the road to the big screen, and it now has a visual effects expert in the director’s chair. According to The Hollywood ...

Delgo Sets Box-Office Record

December 17, 2008 – While the scrappy determination that led independent animation house Fathom Studios to bring an animated feature to the big screen is admirable, the box-office results were not so commendable. It t...

Bolt, WALL•E, Madagascar Songs on Oscar List

December 17, 2008 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a list of 49 tunes eligible for consideration in the Best Original Song category of the 81st annual Academy Awards. The lineup includes ...

Dark Knight Has Stellar DVD Debut

December 17, 2008 – Warner Bros. The Dark Knight quickly became the top-grossing film of 2008, and is set to become the best–selling home video release of the year even quicker. Warner Home Video announced that...

Sony Animation, Gotham Ink Pic Deal

December 17, 2008 – Los Angeles-based talent management and production firm The Gotham Group has signed a first-look production deal with Sony Pictures Animation. Led by founder and CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Gotham re...

Latest Mummy Unravels on DVD

December 16, 2008 – With more than 1.2 billion earned at the box office worldwide, Universal’s The Mummy franchise will surely spin off more CG-laden sequels. In the meantime, fans of action, adventure and visu...

Goldilocks, Mermaid, Transformers on Disc

December 16, 2008 – The new CG-animated movie Goldilocks & the 3 Bears Show from the Jim Henson Co., Genius Products and The Weinstein Co. brings family-friendly enchantment to home video this week. Also on ord...

WALL•E Tops Time Magazine List

December 16, 2008 – One of the latest entities to chime in with its own list of the top films of 2008, Time Magazine puts the animated Disney/Pixar hit WALL•E at the top of the heap. In this particular l...

Slamdance Names Toon Selections

December 16, 2008 – The Slamdance Film Festival has announced its lineup of short films, which includes 14 animated entries screening in their own program. Now in its 15th year, the event “by filmmakers, for filmmaker...

Pretty Cure Prescribed for YTV

December 16, 2008 – YTV in Canada has inked a broadcast licensing agreement with Toei Animation Inc. for the first season of the popular anime series Pretty Cure. The show about young girls who strike up a frie...

Wolverine Trailer Online

December 16, 2008 – Attention X-Men fans and anyone who enjoys seeing Hugh Jackman in tortured animal mode. Twentieth Century Fox has graced the web with the official trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The p...

This Way Up Wins at SIGGRAPH Asia

December 15, 2008 – The inaugural SIGGRAPH Asia concluded last week in Singapore with the 2008 Computer Animation Festival Awards. This Way Up from U.K. animators Adam Smith and Alan Foulkes of Nexus Prods. was...

WALL•E Among AFI’s Top Flicks

December 15, 2008 – The American Film Institute has released its list of the top ten films and TV shows of 2008. Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E is the only animated movie to make the cut, keeping company with a couple o...

WALL•E, Slumdog Tops with Boston Critics

December 15, 2008 – The Boston Society of Film Critics has made its picks for the top films of 2008, casting Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E and Fox Searchlight’s Slumdog Millionaire in a tie for Best Picture. The...

Spike TV Honors GTA IV

December 15, 2008 – Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV was named Best Game of the Year and Sims and Spore creator Will Wright was crowned Gamer God at Spike TV’s 2008 Video Game Awards, held Sund...

Day Eclipses Delgo

December 15, 2008 – Twentieth Century Fox’s remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still claimed the top stop at the North American box office, earning an estimated $31 million during its ope...

More McTerminator On the Way

December 15, 2008 – Director McG will be back at the helm of another installment in the Terminator franchise. Daily Variety reports that Halcyon Co.’s Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek made the announcem...

Panda Producer Reacts to Globes Nom

December 12, 2008 – Melissa Cobb, producer of DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, spoke with us this morning about her first feature film receiving a Golden Globe nomination. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc...

15 VFX Oscar Hopefuls

December 12, 2008 – It’s at this time of the year that we’re reminded just how many vfx-driven films have come out in the past 12 months. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced 15 films have b...

New York Critics Wired for WALL•E

December 11, 2008 – The far-out Disney/Pixar love story WALL•E was voted Best Animated Feature by the New York Film Critics Circle, an organization of reviewers from Big Apple-based publications that honors exc...

Golden Globes Nominees Announced

December 11, 2008 – Elizabeth Banks, Terrence Howard and Rainn Wilson this morning joined Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Jorge Camara in announcing the nominees for the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards. ...

Panda Producer Reacts to Globes Nom

December 11, 2008 – Melissa Cobb, producer of DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, spoke with us this morning about her first feature film receiving a Golden Globe nomination. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc...

Delgo, Day Dawn in Theaters

December 11, 2008 – A animated indie and one big-budget sci-fi remake enter theaters this weekend. The sci-fi fantasy Delgo from Fathom Pictures will be overshadowed by 20th Century Fox’s The Day The Earth S...

ER Names New CEO

December 11, 2008 – Deborah Dugan has been appointed CEO children’s entertainment company Entertainment Rights Plc. (ER). Dugan has served as president and CEO of Entertainment Rights North America since April of 2007...

Madagascar 3 Set for 2012

December 11, 2008 – Those wild and wooly zoo animals from the Madagascar movies will be back for another African adventure in 2012. Daily Variety reports that Jeffrey Katzenberg made the announcement Thu...

Wii, DS Set Sales Records

December 11, 2008 – Nintendo announced that its Wii console and handheld DS system sold more than 3.6 million units combined in the U.S. in November, setting new hardware sales records. According NPD Group, an indepen...

Director Talks Little Spirit Special

December 10, 2008 – A pet project that started off as an independent short film is now an animated primetime network holiday special airing Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. on NBC. We chatted with writer/director/producer...

Sundance Shorts Announced

December 10, 2008 – The Sundance Institute announced the program of short films selected to screen at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. This year the shorts program received 5,632 submissions, and a record 96 were sele...

Chipmunks “Squeakuel” Has Director

December 10, 2008 – After earning more than $360 million at the box office worldwide last year, the singing rodents are making their way back to the big screen. Fox 2000 and Regency have tapped Betty Thomas (Doctor...

Shyamalan Casts Last Airbender

December 10, 2008 – Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has reportedly cast major roles for his upcoming big-screen adaptation of the hit Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. Entertainment Weekly rep...

New Version of Watchmen Trailer Online

December 10, 2008 – A new variation of Warner Bros.’ Watchmen trailer has hit the web, offering another sneak peek at director Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated adaptation of DC Comics’ Hugo Award-winning graphi...

Wonder Woman to Premiere at Comic-Con

December 10, 2008 – Those planning to attend the New York Comic Con in February will be among the first to see Wonder Woman, the fourth entry in the DC Universe series of original animated movies. The pic will ...

Keanu Goes Samurai for 47 Ronin

December 09, 2008 – After updating the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still, Keanu Reeves will star in 47 Ronin, a stylized account of a real historical event involving a group of vengeful s...

I Am Legend Collector’s Edition in Stores

December 09, 2008 – Warner Home Video is tempting fans of the hit Will Smith vehicle I Am Legend with a new collector’s edition release loaded with bonus material including the four animated comics that debuted...

First Pixar 3-D Short Coming to Theaters

December 09, 2008 – Disney/Pixar will premiere its first Disney Digital 3-D short film in theaters nationwide on December 12. Directed by John Lasseter, Tokyo Mater will run in front of Walt Disney Pictures’

Critics’ Choice Noms Announced

December 09, 2008 – The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced the nominees for the 14th annual Critics' Choice Awards, placing Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E and Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight am...

L.A. Film Critics Pick WALL•E

December 09, 2008 – Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E was voted Best Picture of the Year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA). Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight was named runner-up for Best Picture, while...

Connors Named COO of Marvel Studios

December 09, 2008 – Tim Connors has been appointed chief operating officer of Marvel Studios, the Hollywood subsidiary of Marvel Ent. In his new role, Connors will manage day-to-day business operations and will overse...

New Terminator Trailer Debuts

December 09, 2008 – Moviegoers who plunk down their money to see The Day The Earth Stood Still this weekend will be treated to the new trailer for Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the hugely succ...

Holiday Toons Score Solid Ratings

December 09, 2008 – The major broadcast networks can always count on perennial animated favorites to draw audiences during the holiday season. Millions of viewers tuned in for such classics as Dr. Seuss' How the Gr...

Disney Acquiring Jetix Europe

December 08, 2008 – The Walt Disney Co. announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire outstanding shares of pan-European kids entertainment company Jetix Europe N.V. The move will give the mouse house a 96%...

Madagascar 2 Hits No. 1 Overseas

December 08, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa rolled into major European markets over the weekend and took the top spot at the international box office. Daily Variety reports tha...

ABC Bringing DC Fables to TV

December 08, 2008 – Iconic fairytale characters are exiled to New York City in Fables, a popular DC Comics series being brought to the small screen by Warner Bros. TV for the ABC Network. According to The Ho...

Hahn Signs Alchemy of Animation in Glendale

December 08, 2008 – Those in the Los Angeles area can pick up a signed copy of Don Hahn’s The Alchemy of Animation on Thursday, Dec. 11 at Barnes & Noble at The Americana at Brand in Glendale. Hahn has produced such D...

Fanboys Director On Vanguard’s Emo Boy

December 08, 2008 – Vanguard Films has attached Fanboys director Kyle Newman to adapt the cult-favorite comic-book series Emo Boy. Created by Stephen Emond and published by indie label SLG Comics, Emo...

Screamers Sequel Gets Disc Date

December 08, 2008 – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing a cult sci-fi favorite back with Screamers: The Hunting. A sequel to 1995’s Screamers, an adaptation of the Phillip K. Dick short story

Bob and Doug’s “12 Days” is Animated

December 08, 2008 – You don’t have to be a fan of the 1980s Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV to know the 12 Days of Christmas song as performed by the characters Bob and Doug McKenzie. Comedians Dave T...

Horton, Dark Knight Arrive on Disc

December 08, 2008 – This week’s biggest home video releases are both based on classic pop lit, one a time-honored children’s book and the other a comic book series that has become increasingly adult-oriented. Dr. S...

Animation Director Piotr Karwas Joins Asylum

December 08, 2008 – Award-winning animation director Piotr Karwas has joined Los Angeles-based VFX and design company Asylum. Karwas previously worked for vfx shop Digital Domain, where he played an integral part in s...

Steve Dildarian, Creator of The Life and Times of Tim

December 05, 2008 – One day you’re hocking beer with talking frogs and the next thing you know you’ve got a hit animated show on HBO. That’s life for Steve Dildarian, creator of the very funny adult comedy series T...

Dark Knight Getting Second Run

December 05, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight has earned nearly a billion dollars worldwide, but it’s not done yet. In addition to hitting DVD and Blu-ray next week, the film will be re-released in theaters...

Madagascar Sequel Opens Wider in Europe

December 05, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will get a boost at the box office this weekend as it opens in France, Germany and the U.K. The movie has earned $232 million worldwide, bu...

Dragon Hunters Coming to L.A.

December 05, 2008 – Futurikon's Dragon Hunters, one of the 14 animated features short-listed for the Academy Award, will kick off it’s one-week Oscar qualifying run next Friday. The French CG-animated, family-o...

R.I.P. M.D. to Debut at NATPE

December 04, 2008 – Independent toon shop Lincoln Butterfield Animation will unveil its newest animated series concept, R.I.P. M.D., at next month’s NATPE market and conference. From the mind of veteran animati...

SURGE is working for NAMCO BANDAI

December 04, 2008 – Video-game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced the formation of SURGE, a new studio and publishing label dedicated to cutting-edge games for western gamers. The ...

Mattel Puts Brakes on Bratz

December 04, 2008 – Don’t mess with Barbie. That’s the message MGA Ent. got last night when U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson granted Mattel’s request for an injunction to stop the Van Nuys, Calif.-based company from...

WALL•E, Dark Knight Honored by Natn’l Board of Review

December 04, 2008 – The National Board of Review has issued its list of the best films of 2008, placing Disney/Pixar’s WALL•E and Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight in the top ten. In addition, WALL•E ...

Lawson Heads Development at Curious Pictures

December 04, 2008 – New York-based animation studio Curious Pictures has appointed Elyse Lawson to head of development. The move reflects the studio’s expansion into original production in areas such as feature films,...

Punisher Enters B.O. War Zone

December 04, 2008 – Marvel’s angel of vengeance leaps off the comic pages and onto the big screen once again. Distributed by Lionsgate, Punisher: War Zone enters the fray just ahead of the holiday blitz with no...

Toei Studio Gets $55 Million Digital Revamp

December 04, 2008 – Japanese television producer/distributor Toei is making a major investment in going digital at its Tokyo studio. According to Daily Variety, the company is spending $55 million, some of that...

Atari Telling Tale of Despereaux

December 03, 2008 – With the folding of Brash Ent., Atari has picked up North American publishing rights to the video game based on Universal’s CG-animated family film The Tale of Despreaux. The game will be re...

Channel 4 Gets Lost for Christmas

December 03, 2008 – Channel 4 in the U.K. will charm viewers over the Christmas holiday with Lost and Found, an animated adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ book of the same name. The half-hour special from Contender...

Exclusive Wolverine Clip

December 03, 2008 – The good folks at Nicktoons Network have provided us an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming animated series Wolverine and the X-Men. The 26-episode superhero adventure is schedu...

Rep Says Miller’s Still on Justice League

December 03, 2008 – Earlier this week, movie-fan website darkhorizons.com reported that Happy Feet director George Miller appeared on an Australian morning show and said he was no longer involved with Warner Br...

EA Buys Korea’s J2MSoft

December 03, 2008 – Electronic Arts has acquired J2MSoft Inc., a Korean company that develops free online games that are monetized through micro-transactions and advertising. Titles created by and wholly owned by J2MS...

Glu to Publish Watchmen Mobile Game

December 03, 2008 – Glu Mobile Inc. will publish a mobile video game based on Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming superhero flick Watchmen. The title will launch worldwide in conjunction with the March 6 domestic o...

Phillips Steps Down as ER CEO

December 03, 2008 – After only nine months in the position, Nick Phillips has resigned as CEO of children’s programming company Entertainment Rights (ER), according to Daily Variety. ER snatched Phillips from W...

Street Date for Resident Evil: Degeneration

December 03, 2008 – The war against the zombies is on again, and this time it's animated. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that it will release the direct-to-video toon feature Resident Evil: Degeneration...

South Korea Gets Dark Knight on VOD First

December 02, 2008 – Audiences in South Korea will get to watch the Warner Bros. blockbuster The Dark Knight on demand a full two weeks before its DVD release. According to Daily Variety, the move makes W...

Endemol Animating Arab Comic The 99

December 02, 2008 – Endemol U.K. is producing an animated series based on the Arab superhero comic-book series The 99. Published in Kuwait by Teshkeel Media, the controversial comics are heavily inspired by the...

New Pocoyo Short to Air on TVE1

December 02, 2008 – Zinkia and ITV Global Entertainment Ltd. today announced the upcoming debut of Pocoyo and the Space Circus, a new animated shot film starring the popular pre-school TV character. The half-ho...

NetDragon Developing Disney Fantasy Online

December 02, 2008 – Online game developer NetDragon Websoft Inc. in China has teamed with the Walt Disney Co.’s Interactive Media Group for the first time to create Disney Fantasy Online, a massively multiplaye...

Promo Deals for Wallace and Gromit

December 02, 2008 – Aardman Animations has partnered with BBC One, Kingsmill and Pyrex for cross-promotional efforts that will coincide with the launch of the upcoming Wallace and Gromit TV special, A Matter of Loa...

Castalia Snags Deltora Quest for Latin America

December 02, 2008 – Castalia Content Distribution, a division of Castalia Communications Corp., has acquired the Latin American broadcast and videogram rights to the animated series Deltora Quest from Dentsu Co...

Kung Fu Panda Leads Annie Noms

December 01, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Pandakicked its way to the top of the list of nominees for the 36th Annual Annie Awards. The action-comedy snagged a total of 17 nominations, including Best An...

Bashir Waltzes Off with BIFA Award

December 01, 2008 – The animated documentary Waltz with Bashir from Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman was among he winners at the 11th annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). The critically acclaimed doc was...

Bolt Gets Holiday Boost

December 01, 2008 – Disney’s animated Bolt was edged out of second place by Quantum of Solace last weekend, but the Thanksgiving holiday saw the 3-D action-comedy rise a notch to No. 2 in its second week...

Space Invaders Get Even on WiiWare

December 01, 2008 – TAITO Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co. Ltd., today announced that Space Invaders Get Even is now available via WiiWare, Nintendo's downloadable games service. The...

Harryhausen Pit Gets Comic Deal

December 01, 2008 – Ray Harryhausen Presents: The Pit and the Pendulum, a stop-motion short film produced by Hand Made Heroes Film & Television, will become a comic book through a publishing deal with Bluewater...

4Kids Inks New TV Deals for Chaotic

December 01, 2008 – On the heels of MIPCOM 2008, 4Kids Ent. has finalized licensing agreements with leading broadcasters in France and the U.K. for the first season of the animated action series Chaotic. The sh...

Playhouse Disney Plows Into "Snow Day Saturdays"

December 01, 2008 – Playhouse Disney will launch “Snow Day Saturdays” on Dec. 6. The month-long programming event will air from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. (ET/PT), featuring winter-themed episodes of Playhouse Disney favorites...

Fly Me, Prince Caspian on DVD

December 01, 2008 – The stereoscopic 3-D animated family film Fly Me to the Moon lands on home video shelves today, along with the second film in the vfx-laden Chronicles of Narnia series. The former is ...

Yogi, Flintstone Movies, Dr. Katz on Disc

December 01, 2008 – Animated TV favorites are packaged to own for the first time on DVD with today’s release of the classic 1960s Hanna-Barbera feature films Hey There, It's Yogi Bear and The Man C...

Miyazaki’s Ponyo Gets English-Lanuage Cast

December 01, 2008 – The English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated tour de force will feature major talent from the worlds of film and television. Lending their voices to characters in Ponyo on th...

Unaired Life’s a Zoo Footage Online

December 01, 2008 – Fans of Cuppa Coffee Studios’ stop-motion adult comedy series, Life's a Zoo, can log onto the Canadian show’s website and check out some never-before-seen footage from the show. Aimed at vie...

Battlestar Prequel Flies at SCI FI

December 01, 2008 – SCI FI Channel is finally moving forward with the Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica. According to Daily Variety, the show will star Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula M...

Taffy Takes Bleach to France’s Virgin 17

December 01, 2008 – The MoonScoop Group’s Taffy Ent. has inked a deal with Virgin 17 to bring season two of the acclaimed anime series Bleach to France in early 2009. Produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Studio Pie...

Futurama Blasts Off into Wild Green Yonder

November 25, 2008 – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced that the fourth, and perhaps final, feature-length Futurama movie will hit retail on DVD and Blu-ray on Feb. 24. Titled Futurama: In...

4Kids Expands Dinosaur King Reign

November 25, 2008 – Leading broadcasters in Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, Ireland and Central European markets have picked up 4Kids Ent.’s animated action series Dinosaur King. Blending traditional and CG an...

Aardman’s Shaun Wins Int’l Emmy

November 25, 2008 – Aardman Animation’s popular stop-motion series Shaun the Sheep was awarded the International Emmy award in the category Children & Young People. Presented by the International Academy of Tel...

Pinky Dinky Doo Site Launched

November 25, 2008 – Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the hit animated preschool series Pinky Dinky Doo, has launched an innovative and interactive website at www.pinkydinkydoo.com....

SpongeBob Musical Hits U.K. Stage

November 25, 2008 – SpongeBob SquarePants is the latest cartoon charater to get a live theatrical show. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Sponge Who Could Fly – A New Musical! will premiere at London’s Hackney Empire ...

Disney’s Zoradi to Keynote 3D Summit

November 25, 2008 – As Walt Disney Feature Animation’s 3-D comedy-adventure Bolt gets set to have a lucrative holiday weekend, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group president Mark Zoradi has been added to t...

Peg Bar Helps Irish Animators Network

November 25, 2008 – Sensing a need for networking opportunities for the animation industry in Ireland,
the collective behind Peg Bar organized “It's a Peg Bar Affair,” an event that brought together animation artist...

Bolt Eclipsed by Twilight

November 24, 2008 – Disney’s Bolt earned an estimated $27 million domestically over the weekend, but it wasn’t enough to drive a stake through the heart of a teen phenomenon. The vampire flick Twilight s...

FOX Replaces Cartoons with Infomercials

November 24, 2008 – Those used to waking up to Saturday-morning cartoons on FOX will be disappointed come the new year. With the network and 4Kids ending their programming agreement in late December, FOX will be filli...

Marathon Digital Names Senior VP

November 24, 2008 – Olivier Missir has joined Marathon Group as senior VP of Marathon Digital, the company’s new media division created in 2006. He fills the position left by David Doro, who left the company in order ...

Nick Shows Get Holiday Cheer

November 24, 2008 – Nickelodeon is getting into the Yule Tide spirit with holiday-themed premieres of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! The Wonder Pets! and The Fairly OddParents during the month of December. In ...

Director Talks Wonder Woman – New Pics!

November 24, 2008 – As the Wonder Woman animated movie nears release, Warner Premiere has started rolling out the assets and aggressively getting the word out about this latest entry in the DC Universe series o...

Space Chimps, Nutty Professor on Disc

November 24, 2008 – The grandson of the first monkey in space leads his own mission and the grandson of a wacky scientist experiments with better living through chemistry as two CG-animated features make their home-vi...

Animax Canuck Script Contest Closing

November 24, 2008 – All Canadian citizens living in Canada or elsewhere have until Nov. 31 to submit their entries for Animax’s Canucks Cartoon Script Contest. Animax, a Los Angeles-based animation company that just o...

Astro Boy Teaser Unleashed

November 22, 2008 – Moviefone has posted an exclusive teaser trailer for Astro Boy, the second CG-animated feature from Imagi Animation Studios, the company behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise reb...

Astro Boy Teaser Unleashed

November 21, 2008 – Moviefone has posted an exclusive teaser trailer for Astro Boy, the second CG-animated feature from Imagi Animation Studios, the company behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise reb...

Warner Moving on Captain Marvel Pic

November 21, 2008 – DC Comics’ Captain Marvel will return to the screen at last if all goes well at Warner Bros. Daily Variety reports that the studio has inked Get Smart director Peter Segal to helm the...

Warner Moving on Captain Marvel Pic

November 21, 2008 – DC Comics’ Captain Marvel will return to the screen at last if all goes well at Warner Bros. Daily Variety reports that the studio has inked Get Smart director Peter Segal to helm the...

Warcraft Expansion Sees Record Sales

November 21, 2008 – Blizzard Ent. has announced that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion pack for the hugely successful game franchise, sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first...

Disney Lets Bolt Off the Leash

November 20, 2008 – Disney today unleashes its latest animated feature in theaters nationwide, hoping to snatch family audiences away from DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. While Bolt i...

Stars Visit Exodus’ Color City

November 20, 2008 – Exodus Film Group, the company behind Igor, has tapped some star power for it upcoming CG-animated family feature, The Hero of Color City. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ...

Terminator Salvation Game Details

November 20, 2008 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Equity Games Production and Halcyon Games released details on Terminator Salvation—The Videogame. The third-person shooter will be released in conjun...

CBeebies Dished Out in Spanish in U.S.

November 20, 2008 – BBC Worldwide Channels has launched its first wholly-owned, Spanish-language channel in the U.S. Dedicated to preschool programming, CBeebies, is available through DISH Network, which is currently ...

Disney Cinemagic Goes HD on U.K.’s Sky

November 20, 2008 – Disney Cinemagic, a premium family movie channel, has signed a multi-year deal with Sky to be the first Disney-branded channel broadcast in high definition (HD) format in the U.K. The channel will ...

Watch the Coraline Trailer

November 20, 2008 – Those following the production of LAIKA’s first animated feature can now take a gander at the trailer for Coraline, a stop-motion film shot in stereoscopic 3-D. The pic is directed by Henry ...

3-D Makeover for Beauty and the Beast

November 19, 2008 – Do traditionally animated classics have a future as 3-D releases? Disney seems to think so. According to Daily Variety, the studio is planning to add some dimension to the 1991 Oscar-nominated fami...

Disney, IMAX Ink Five-Pic Deal

November 19, 2008 – Disney and IMAX Corp. are partnering for a slate of five upcoming films, starting the 2009 debut of Robert Zemeckis stereoscopic 3-D, performance-capture retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christma...

Verbinski Remaking The Host

November 19, 2008 – Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has teamed with Universal Pictures to produce a remake the 2006 Korean creature feature The Host (Gwoemul), according to Dai...

Boys to X-Men

November 19, 2008 – You know Hollywood is youth-obsessed when Hugh Jackman and James Marsden are considered old men. Daily Variety reports that Twentieth Century Fox is developing a new X-Men movie featu...

Writers Circle Captain America

November 19, 2008 – Marvel Studios has a director and possibly a pair of writers attached to explore the origins of star-spangled superhero Captain America. Following last week’s recruitment of director Joe Joh...

Sherman Joins DreamWorks Animation Board

November 19, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation SKG has elected David Geffen Co. CEO Richard Sherman to its board of directors. The news follows the recent departure of DreamWorks co-founder David Geffen.

Sherman has bee...

Mary and Max to open Sundance

November 19, 2008 – The animated film Mary and Max has been selected to open the 25th Sundance Film Festival. The stop-motion pic is the first feature from Adam Elliot, the Australian filmmaker behind the Oscar...

WALL•E Rolls In to Stores

November 18, 2008 – Disney/Pixar’s latest animated family film is available to own today on DVD and Blu-ray. The movie comes packaged with a host of bonus features, including an animated short that introduces a new ch...

Wonder Woman Due in March

November 18, 2008 – Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation have announced a release date for the new animated movie Wonder Woman. The latest installment in the DC Universe series of direct-to-vid...

Intel Kicks off Mass Animation Project

November 18, 2008 – Intel Corp. announced the start of Mass Animation, a collaborative, worldwide effort to produce a computer-generated animated short film for theatrical release.
Artists around the world are invite...

Naruto Shippuden Streams Online for U.S.

November 18, 2008 – VIZ Media plans to provide a near-simultaneous Japan/U.S. release of the latest chapter of Naruto, one of the most popular Japanese animated and manga properties. Beginning on Jan. 15, Na...

Dark Horse to Unleash War Monkeys

November 18, 2008 – Kevin Munroe, director of TMNT and Imagi’s upcoming Gatchaman CG feature, may be wrangling blood-thirsty simians for his next job. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film...

New Book Looks at Channel 4 Animation

November 18, 2008 – Clare Kitson, former animation commissioner at U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, charts the rise of U.K. toons over the last 30 years in a new book titled British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor. ...

Boomerang Has Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't

November 18, 2008 – Cartoon network’s Boomerang will celebrate the tastiest holiday of all with two commercial-free airings of Hana-Barbera’s 1972 animated special The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't. Celebrati...

Nat Geo Launches Game Unit

November 18, 2008 – National Geographic has created National Geographic Games (NGG), a new division dedicated to developing and publishing video games across major gaming consoles, handheld devices, online outlets and...

Autodesk Completes Softimage Acquisition

November 18, 2008 – Autodesk today announced that it has closed the acquisition of essentially all assets of Softimage, a competing developer of 3D animation and effects technology for the film, television and games m...

Disney Animators Discuss 2D/3D Convergence

November 18, 2008 – Animation Mentor is hosting a panel discussion and networking opportunity with veteran animators at the Disneyland Hotel a 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21. Titled “The Convergence of 2D and 3D Animation:...

DQ Ent. Animates More Large Family

November 18, 2008 – DQ Ent (DQE) has announced the production of a second season of The Large Family, an animated TV series co-produced by Coolabi Prods. in the U.K. and Go-N Prods. in France, with the support ...

Sparx Closes Paris Toon Shop

November 18, 2008 – Sparx, the animation company behind Exodus Films’ recently distributed animated feature film Igor, is streamlining its operations as a result of the global economic crisis. Daily Variety

Michael Sporn Collection New on DVD

November 18, 2008 – The films of multiple award-winning animator Michael Sporn are now available on DVD with a collector’s edition box set featuring twelve of his unique, socially aware shorts. The First Run release i...

Del Toro, Henson Co. Cobbling Pinocchio

November 17, 2008 – There’s a new animated version of the Pinocchio story in development. Daily Variety reports that Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro and the Jim Henson Co. are mounting a stop-motion feature...

Bond Boots Madagascar

November 17, 2008 – Sony’s Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond thriller starring Daniel Craig, debuted as the No. 1 movie in North America over the weekend. With no other new wide releases to contend with,...

New Watchmen Trailer

November 17, 2008 – Warner Bros. continues to feed fanboys new footage of Watchmen, the highly anticipated feature film based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. A new trailer has hit the web, ...

Writers Attached to Robotech Movie

November 17, 2008 – Warner Bros. has hired a pair of scribes to take a whack at adapting the classic 1980s anime series Robotech for the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alfred Gough and ...

Star Trek Trailer Debuts

November 17, 2008 – With new actors playing the famous crew of the Starship Enterprise, J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the Star Trek franchise is sure to be polarizing. While many will welcome a Trek for a new generati...

Warner Launches Blu-ray Site

November 17, 2008 – Warner Home Video has debuted WarnerBlu.com, a new web site that showcases Warner Bros.’ catalog of movies available on Blu-ray Disc. The web destination is being promoted with the “100 Days of Blu...

Toei’s Pretty Cure Sits Pretty at Box Office

November 14, 2008 – Toei Animation’s Yes! Pretty Cure 5 Go Go! has hit No. 2 at box office in Japan, according to Daily Variety. The latest installment in the popular girls’ fantasy franchise opened nati...

Miser Brothers Coming to ABC Family

November 14, 2008 – Fans of the Rankin-Bass animated Christmas classic The Year Without a Santa Claus will remember the characters Heat Miser and Snow Miser. This holiday season, the quarreling siblings are bac...

Marvel Hammers Out Thor Toon

November 14, 2008 – With comic-book staple Thor set to hit the big screen in 2010, Marvel is set to exploit the property on TV as well. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Animation is developing and se...

Fukuto Heads Animation at Film Roman

November 14, 2008 – Film Roman, the animation house behind The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Tripping the Rift, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and a number of other series, has promoted Jay Fukuto to over...

Paramount’s Rango Available for Licensing

November 14, 2008 – Paramount Pictures has announced that it is seeking licensing partners for its upcoming animated film, Rango. Directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) and featuri...

Batman Gets Bold – New Pics!

November 14, 2008 – The new animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold kicks off tonight (Nov. 14) at 8 p.m. on Cartoon Network. The Dark Knight teams up with other DC Comics heroes in this lighter, more co...

Manga Studio 4 Released For Windows

November 14, 2008 – Smith Micro Software Inc. Consumer Group today announced the availability of Manga Studio Debut 4 and Manga Studio EX 4 for Windows. The manga and comic art software is used by artists and hobbyist...

Carell Gets Despicable for Toon

November 13, 2008 – Steve Carell is re-teaming with Horton Hears a Who! pals for his next animation voicing job. According to Daily Variety, the Office star been cast as the lead in Despicable ...

Stan Lee, Showtime Out Gay Superhero

November 13, 2008 – Legendary comic book creator Stan Lee is exec producing a Showtime series about a gay superhero. The hour-long series is based on the book Hero by Perry Moore, who is writing the pilot scrip...

Halo-8 Bites into Xombie

November 13, 2008 – Halo-8 Ent. picked up worldwide distribution rights to Xombie: The Animated Series at the American Film Market (AFM). Created by James Farr, the animated zombie adventure began as a web seri...

Universal Acquiring Geneon

November 13, 2008 – Japanese animation producer and distributor Geneon is falling under new management. Daily Variety reports that Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE) is set to acquire a major...

Seales Named VP of Production at Cartoon Network

November 13, 2008 – Nathania Seales has been promoted to VP of production for Cartoon Network On-Air. Formerly senior director of on-air production, Seales will oversee production of programs, on-air promotions, ad-su...

Comedy Central Has Ugly Americans

November 13, 2008 – Comedy Central announced that it has commenced production on a pilot episode of Ugly Americans, an animated project about an alternate universe in New York City. The show is a spin-off of th...

France’s TF1 Merchandises Dragonball

November 13, 2008 – Toei Animation Co. Ltd. has appointed French licensing company TF1 Enterprises as the merchandising broker for the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. Through its T...

Coraline Poster Debuts

November 12, 2008 – Focus Features today released the one-sheet for Coraline, the upcoming stop-motion feature from LAIKA and director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant...

Woolverton Gets WGA Animation Award

November 12, 2008 – Lion King scribe Linda Woolverton has received the eleventh annual Animation Writing Award for lifetime achievement from the Writers Guild of America, West’s Animation Writers Caucus (AWC). ...

Image Metrics Mints Game, Film/TV Units

November 12, 2008 – Image Metrics, a provider of facial animation solutions for the entertainment industry, announced that it is aligning its operations into video game and film and TV divisions in order to address th...

TV Academy Examines Diversity In Animation

November 12, 2008 – Those who live in the Los Angeles area can check out a special program being presented tonight (Nov. 12) by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Diversity Committee. “Diversity In Animation: ...

aniBoom Awards Entries Due Dec. 1

November 12, 2008 – Virtual cartoon studio aniBoom will soon close the submission process for its third annual aniBoom Awards. Independent animators of all types around the globe have until Dec. 1 to enter their origi...

Christmas Is Here Again on DVD

November 12, 2008 – Another animated holiday movie has joined the fray. Christmas Is Here Again
a musical adventure featuring the voices of Kathy Bates, Ed Asner, Shirley Jones and Andy Griffith, is now avail...

Scott, Toon Scribe Tapped for Monopoly

November 12, 2008 – Hasbro and Universal have found a director and screenwriter for their upcoming movie based on the enduring board game Monopoly. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley Scott (B...

Cleveland Delayed by FOX

November 11, 2008 – Family Guy fans will have to wait a while to see the animated show’s African American character get his own show. Daily Variety reports that Fox has moved the premiere of The Cleve...

Clone Wars, Disney Treasures on DVD

November 11, 2008 – Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the theatrically released feature that kicked off the Cartoon Network series, arrives on hone video today, along with the eagerly awaited Walt Disney Treasures ...

Hellboy II, Harry Potter Bring Magic Home

November 11, 2008 – Digital visual effects abound as Director Guillermo del Toro’s CG-laden sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army and the Harry Potter Years 1-5 Gift Set make their home video debuts. Both f...

Pixar Introduces BURN•E

November 11, 2008 – The world has fallen in love with WALL•E, but is there room in viewers’ hearts for another bewildered robot from the futuristic world created by Pixar? The Nov. 18 home video release of the Disney/...

Toon Boom Debuts Animate

November 11, 2008 – Toon Boom Animation Inc. has released Toon Boom Animate, a new creative animation software package promising greater productivity, better quality and faster delivery of animation than ever before. ...

Rubber Duck Names new Production, Development Head

November 11, 2008 – Laura Clunie has been appointed head of production and development at Rubber Duck Entertainment (RDE), the television production and development arm of Contender Entertainment Group. RDE produces s...

Madagascar is King of B.O. Jungle

November 10, 2008 – DreamWorks Animations’s Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa debuted as the top movie in North America, raking in an estimated $63.5 million domestically and another $40 million overseas for a worldw...

Johnston to Direct Captain America

November 10, 2008 – Having directed rampaging dinosaurs in Jurassic Park III and a snarling Benicio Del Toro in the upcoming remake of The Wolfman, Joe Johnston has signed on to bring one of Marvel’s mos...

Santa Toon Coming from Hyde Park, Toonz, Gang of 7

November 10, 2008 – The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, a book by Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum, is being made into CG-animated feature by Hyde Park Ent., Toonz Ent. and Gang of 7 Animation. Acco...

Imagi Inks Astro Boy Licensing Deals

November 10, 2008 – Imagi Studios announced today that it has signed worldwide licensing agreements with American Greetings, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Jazwares Inc., D3Publisher and IDW Publishing for Astro Boy...

New Digital Avenues for Sesame Street

November 10, 2008 – As it celebrates its 39th birthday, the longest-running children’s television series is launching on new digital platforms. For the first time, young fans can now download full episodes to their co...

New Up Trailer Floated Online

November 10, 2008 – Pixar devotees eager to get a look at more footage from director Pete Docter’s upcoming buddy adventure toon can catch the new trailer for Up. Slated to soar into theaters on May 29, 2009, t...

14 Toons Eligible for Oscar

November 10, 2008 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has identified 14 animated features eligible for Academy Awards consideration. From this list, three titles will be selected to compete for the Oscar...

Madagascar Escapes 2 Theaters

November 07, 2008 – The DreamWorks Animation sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa opens in more than 4,000 theaters in North America today, kicking off what is sure to be a lucrative weekend and a profitable thea...

CW Clips Robin’s Wings

November 07, 2008 – DC Comics fans won’t be seeing Robin The Boy Wonder on the small screen as planned. Daily Variety reports that The CW and Warner Bros. TV have dropped the axe on The Graysons, which w...

Drinky Crow to Fly on Adult Swim

November 07, 2008 – Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim will debut the new animated series The Drinky Crow Show on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 12:15 a.m. (ET/PT). The show is based on the popular comic strip Maakies by ...

Alphanim Sells Gawayn to Disney Latin America

November 07, 2008 – Alphanim has sold its new animated series, Gawayn, to The Walt Disney Co. Latin America. Co-produced with Mondo TV France, Gawayn is Alphanim’s first series produced with the European...

Brash Ent. Lays Off Employees

November 07, 2008 – Brash Ent., a video game publisher that specializes in licensed movie properties, has reportedly fallen on hard times. Daily Variety reports that the company has laid off 20 employees and ma...

Midway Welcomes New Chairman

November 07, 2008 – Peter C. Brown has been named chairman of the board of directors at Midway Games Inc. following the resignation of Shari E. Redstone. Brown joined Midway’s board in 2005, and currently serves as a ...

FUNimation Brings Anime to Hulu

November 07, 2008 – Leading anime distributor FUNimation Ent. has officially launched its programming partnership with online video service Hulu (www.hulu.com). Debuting this week are installments of Shuffle,

Boorman to Helm Animated Oz

November 06, 2008 – Digital wizards are bringing L. Frank Baum’s Oz back to the screen with a major director set to make his animation debut. Daily Variety reports that John Boorman (The Tailor of Panama...

Toon Talent Travels with Gulliver for Fox

November 06, 2008 – Shark Tale director Rob Letterman is attached to direct a new version of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels from a script by Shrek writer Joe Stillman. The Hollywood Report...

Gods, Titans Clash Heats Up

November 06, 2008 – Ancient mythology returns to the big screen in two major motion pictures set to battle for moviegoer moolah. Relativity’s War of the Gods and Warner Bros.’ remake of the Ray Harryhausen favo...

ER, Penguin Tell Tinga Tinga Tales

November 06, 2008 – Entertainment Rights (ER) has signed a global publishing deal with the Penguin Group for its new pre-school brand, Tinga Tinga Tales. Puffin Books will act as the publisher in the U.K. and w...

NVIDIA Debuts New Quadro Products

November 06, 2008 – NVIDIA Corp. today announced NVIDIA Quadro FX 470, the first integrated professional motherboard GPU, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 370 Low Profile (Quadro FX 370 LP), an entry-level Quadro graphics board f...

Popeye Shorts Muscle to Disc

November 06, 2008 – Our weekly DVD release coverage would not be complete without a mention of Popeye the Sailor 1941-1943. This Warner Home Video release includes 32 re-mastered but unedited original theatrica...

Adult Swim Expands with King of the Hill

November 05, 2008 – The long-running animated primetime comedy King of the Hill has been in the news a lot lately with FOX’s decision to cancel it after its current season and ABC’s interest in picking it up. R...

Coulier Replaces Moranis on Bob & Doug

November 05, 2008 – A popular comedy team is reportedly being split up, at least in its animated incarnation. The Canadian Press brings word that Full House star Dave Coulier will replace Rick Moranis as the vo...

Avatar Hits the Web on Veoh

November 05, 2008 – Internet TV provider Veoh has added the first two seasons of Nickelodeon’s Emmy-winning animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender to its lineup of digital content offerings. Episodes A tota...

New Peanuts Shorts Online, On Mobile

November 05, 2008 – Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang kicked off a new series of short animated adventures this week as Charles Schulz’s Peanuts became the first fully animated series to join Warne...

D3Publisher Gets Astro Boy

November 05, 2008 – D3Publisher (D3P) and animation house Imagi Studios have entered into a worldwide publishing agreement that will yield video games based on Imagi’s upcoming animated Astro Boy movie. The gam...

Hollywood Pics Keep Digital Domain Busy

November 05, 2008 – A host of major motion pictures in production will bear the stamp of Academy Award-winning digital production studio Digital Domain. The vfx house today announced that it is working on such highly ...

New President Visits South Park

November 04, 2008 – As the United States elects a new President today, Comedy Central is already set to air a new episode of its hit animated show in which the citizens of South Park are celebrating the result. Titled...

King of the Hill Going to ABC?

November 04, 2008 – The FOX network has proven that a good primetime animated series can be great for ratings, but launching a new toon is always a risky endeavor. Picking up one with a proven track record may be the ...

Simpsons Rides High on “Horror”

November 04, 2008 – It was all treats and no tricks for FOX on Sunday night as the annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode of The Simpsons generated the show’s best ratings among key demographics in nearly five ye...

Breakthrough Makes BiG BiG Friend

November 04, 2008 – Breakthrough Animation announced that it has closed a production deal for My BiG BiG Friend, a new series that will be produced in association with Canadian preschool network Treehouse. Prod...

Chorion, Shanghai Team for Toons

November 04, 2008 – Family entertainment producer/distributor Chorion and Shanghai Media Group (SMG), one of the largest media groups in China, struck a deal to jointly develop new animation programs for children 6-11...

FUNimation Posts Test Episode of Sgt. Frog

November 04, 2008 – FUNimation Ent. has begun production on an English-language version of the Japanese anime comedy series Sgt. Frog, and wants to get some feedback on a test episode. The company has posted th...

Bender’s Game, Shrek the Halls Hit Disc

November 04, 2008 – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today released the new animated feature Futurama: Bender’s Game on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The third of four new Futurama adventures, the movie ...

Sony, Paramount Circle Tintin

November 03, 2008 – Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson may be able to continue with their plan to make a trilogy of films based on Georges Remi’s (a.k.a. Hergé) classic Belgian comic strip Tintin. Daily Vari...

Madagascar 2 Sets Records in Russia, Ukraine

November 03, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation announced that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa made box office history in both Russia and the Ukraine over the weekend. The animated sequel bowed Friday in Russia to the big...

Nick Serves Toons for Thanksgiving

November 03, 2008 – Nickelodeon is cooking up a heaping helping of animation for Thanksgiving. The “Superstuffed Nicktoons Weekend” will kick off on Wednesday, Nov. 26, offering kids and their families four days of an...

Afro Samurai Game Gets Release Date

November 03, 2008 – We’ve been informed that the video game based on the popular Spike TV animated series Afro Samurai will be available for Xbox360 and PlayStation 3 on Jan. 27, 2009. The title aims to deliver...

VES Calls for Student Submissions

November 03, 2008 – The Visual Effects Society (VES) is now accepting entries for its first-ever Student Award, sponsored by Autodesk. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 5, 2008, and the winning student will receive...

Buster Animates “Dirty Presidents”

November 03, 2008 – Los Angeles-based ad agency Stun Creative and its motion graphics division, Buster Design, have created eleven “Dirty Presidents” animated segments to air during a special election night marathon o...

Coraline Set Photos

October 30, 2008 – The good folks at LAIKA have hooked us up with some behind-the-scenes photos from the set of Coraline a stop-motion animated feature film that will be released in stereoscopic 3-D by Focus F...

Nick’s Naked Brothers Get Animated

October 30, 2008 – The Naked Brothers Band on Nickelodeon is getting tooned up for its first-ever animated special. Titled “The Supetastic 6,” the half-hour installment produced by digital entertainment studio...

SCI FI Channel Greenlights Video Game Show

October 30, 2008 – SCI FI Channel is going into production on WCG GameQuest (working title), an 8-episode, elimination-style reality competition that pits 12 contestants against each other in a series of video...

Eden FX Puts CG Chills in Ghost Whisperer

October 30, 2008 – Hollywood-based visual effects studio Eden FX helped to create the most vfx-laden episode of the hit CBS TV series Ghost Whisperer. For the installment “Ghost in the Machine,” which aired on...

Atari Brings Back Riddick

October 30, 2008 – It’s likely that we’ll never again see actor Vin Diesel as futuristic anti-hero Richard B. Riddick on the big screen, but the character is far from dead. Atari announced that it is developing Th...

Fear(s) Grips L.A., Other Cities

October 30, 2008 – Following last week’s opening in New York, the new French animated feature Fear(s) of the Dark (Peur(s) du noir) opens a bit wider today, just in time for Halloween. Distributed by IF...

King of the Hill Shuts Down

October 30, 2008 – After an impressive 13-season run, FOX’s animated family comedy King of the Hill is apparently ending its run on the network. Daily Variety reports that the show’s producers will wrap...

Oscar Deadline Looms

October 29, 2008 – If you happen to be sitting on an Oscar-worthy animated feature, you’re running out of time to get it to the Academy. To qualify in the Animated Feature Film category for the 81st Academy Awards, f...

Guerilla FX Adds Two to Talent Roster

October 29, 2008 – Visual effects, production, post finishing, design and interactive studio Guerilla FX has expanded its team with the addition of creative director/effects supervisor/director John Bair and exec pro...

Batman: The Animated Series Comes Complete

October 29, 2008 – Fans of producer Bruce Timm’s 1990s take on the Dark Knight can look forward to next week’s retail debut of Batman: The Complete Animated Series. The 17-disc set from Warner Home Video and D...

Niko is Top Pic at Cinekid

October 29, 2008 – Magma Films’ animated feature film Niko & the Way to the Stars received both the juried Lion award and the Audience Award at children's film fest Cinekid in Amsterdam over the weekend. The C...

Art Institute, AArmy Cruise The A1A

October 29, 2008 – The Art Institute of California—Los Angeles will host the Animation Army (AArmy) monthly social networking meeting in conjunction with the Animation 21 Lecture Series on Monday, Nov. 3. Guest speak...

Mendes Hot for Preacher Comic

October 29, 2008 – As Hollywood continues to mine comic-book stores for material, more high-profile filmmakers are getting in on the act. According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Sam Mendes (American B...

New Toon Lineup Debuts on qubo

October 28, 2008 – Kid channel qubo has announced a full slate of new TV shows and an expanded schedule designed to serve different age groups at different times of the day. Monday, Nov. 3 will see the debut of the s...

Canada’s NFB Pacts with Japan’s NHK

October 28, 2008 – The National Film Board of Canada (NFB), which has produced its share of Oscar-winning animated shorts, today signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK...

Nixon to Develop Comedies for Calon TV

October 28, 2008 – Alan Nixon, former head of entertainment at Channel 5, has joined U.K. animation shop Calon TV to develop the company’s comedy programming. Having worked with many of Britain’s top comedy stars, in...

Downey to Suit Up for Avengers

October 28, 2008 – Robert Downey Jr. is committed to being billionaire genius Tony Stark and his iron-clad alter-ego for years to come. Daily Variety reports that the Oscar-nominated actor will not only return...

Geffen Exits DreamWorks Animation Board

October 28, 2008 – During Tuesday’s quarterly earnings conference call, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that DreamWorks co-founder David Geffen has stepped down from the DreamWorks Animation boa...

Crunchyroll Gets Toei Anime Titles

October 28, 2008 – Leading anime producer Toei Animation Co. Ltd. has partnered with online media distribution outlet Crunchyroll to provide subscription-based and download-to-own streams of Digimon Adventure 02

Children's BAFTA Nominations Announced

October 28, 2008 – Nominations are out for this year's EA British Academy Children's Awards. Set to take place on Sunday, Nov. 30, the event celebrates excellence in film, television, video games and online content g...

Warner Bros. to Make Ninja Scroll Pic

October 27, 2008 – In Feburary of this year, we reported that Warner Bros. and actor Leonardo DiCaprio had joined forces to make a live-action feature based on the anime classic Akira. Now Daily Variety...

Disney Previews Tinker Bell Online

October 27, 2008 – Disney Online today began previewing the first six minutes of the direct-to-video animated movie Tinker Bell. The sneak peek will be available to view on Disney.com’s newly launched, full-sc...

Aardman Launches New YouTube Channel

October 27, 2008 – Aardman Animations has joined forces with YouTube to debut Aardman’s Darkside, a new Internet video channel that will offer a selection of some of the company’s more surreal comedies and shorts inc...

Cartoon Network Gets Total Drama Action

October 27, 2008 – Stateside fans of the animated ’tween comedy series Total Drama Island can look forward to the seeing the spinoff in 2009. Cake Distribution has sold FRESH TV’s Total Drama Action to Cartoon...

Starz, Raimi Take on Spartacus

October 27, 2008 – Inspired by the success of Warner Bros.'s 300, Starz is mounting its own graphic-novel style sword-and-sandal epic. The company is putting a new twist on a gladiatorial legend with Sparta...

Adult Swim, Burger King Seek Live-Action Carl

October 27, 2008 – Adult Swim is teaming up with Burger King Corp. to find a look-alike to portray the sweaty, hairy Carl character from Aqua Teen Hunger Force in next year’s first-ever live-action special epi...

They Came From Upstairs Trailer Emerges

October 27, 2008 – A family finds CG-animated aliens living in their vacation home in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming family flick They Came From Upstairs. Starring High School Musical phenom Ashley Tisdale...

Tinker Bell, Flight Before Christmas On DVD

October 27, 2008 – Two direct-to-video CG-animated feature films make their retail debuts today, one far more heavily promoted than the other. Disney Home Entertainment gives Peter Pan’s pixie pal her very own movie ...

Journey, Polar Express Bring 3-D Experience Home

October 27, 2008 – If you missed Walden Media’s and New Line Cinema’s Journey to the Center of the Earth in theaters, you can now pick up the DVD and enjoy some anaglyph stereoscopic fun at home. The Brendan F...

Universal Enlists in EA’s Army of Two

October 24, 2008 – Universal Pictures will bring Electronic Arts’ Army of Two video-game franchise to the big screen. Scott Stuber will produce the pic through his Stuber Prods., along with EA, and screenwrite...

Legendary Pictures Looks to Buy Epic Games

October 24, 2008 – Legendary Pictures, the Warner Bros.–based film financing company behind such blockbusters as The Dark Knight and 300, may be poised to launch into the games businesss in a big way.

Domo Bows on Nicktoons

October 24, 2008 – Having won over fans in Japan, animated sensation Domo makes its way to the U.S. this month. Nicktoons Networks is airing 26 two-minute episodes of the stop-motion animated series, debuting ...

Burton Deals Glover Into Alice

October 24, 2008 – The cast continues to assemble for director Tim Burton’s live-action/CG version of Alice in Wonderland. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that oddball actor/filmmaker Crispin Glover ...

Autodesk Acquires Softimage

October 23, 2008 – Autodesk eliminated a major source of competition by acquiring Alias Systems in 2006, and now it has bought out another provider of 3D animation solutions. The company has signed an agreement to ac...

TiVo Gets Disney Pics

October 23, 2008 – TiVo, best known as a television recording service, wants to be known as a content aggregator as well. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company is making a number of Disney films ava...

Digital Domain Names Plumer CEO

October 23, 2008 – Visual effects shop Digital Domain has hired Cliff Plumer as CEO, and has promoted Kevin Weston to chief financial officer. Former CEO Mark Miller will remain with the company as president. Digital...

E3 Expands in 2009

October 23, 2008 – The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known to gamers and industry insiders as E3, is taking steps to recapture some of its former grandeur. Event co-producers the Entertainment Software Associ...

MIPCOM Reports Record Attendance

October 23, 2008 – Increased participation from the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, India, China, the Ukraine and other emerging markets contributed to record attendance for the 2008 MIPCOM content market. The event clo...

New York Has Fear(s) of the Dark

October 23, 2008 – If you live in New York, make a point to see the new French animated feature Fear(s) of the Dark (Peur(s) du noir). Distributed by IFC Ent., the critically acclaimed festival favorite...

Bolt, Buzz Lightyear Join Macy’s Parade

October 23, 2008 – Walt Disney Studios will be well-represented at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The studio is sending characters from the Toy Story franchise and the upcoming CG-animated feature...

Peter and the Wolf Stalking to DVD

October 22, 2008 – The winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Animated Short is making its way to home video. Magnolia Home Entertainment will release director Suzie Templeton’s stop-motion film Peter and the W...

Isao Takahata Book Explores Art of Emotion

October 22, 2008 – Italian writer Mario A. Rumor has informed us of a book he has written on master anime director Isao Takahata. Published by Guaraldi in Italy, the 400-page tome titled The Art of Emotion—Isao Ta...

KidsCo Inks Content Deal with Korea’s Iconix

October 22, 2008 – KidsCo, the joint venture channel owned by NBC Universal, Cookie Jar Group and Corus Ent., has signed an agreement with Korean content provider Iconix Ent. for a raft of new children’s programming....

Shearer to Host BAFTA/LA Awards

October 22, 2008 – Comedian, radio host and long-time Simpsons voice cast member Harry Shearer will host the 17th annual British Academy of Film and Television/Los Angeles Britannia Awards. The ceremony will b...

CG Nutty Professor Set for November

October 22, 2008 – The classic Jerry Lewis comedy The Nutty Professor was remade with Eddie Murphy in 1996, and now it has been re-imagined with computer animation by The Weinstein Co. and Rainmaker Ent. Geniu...

Jolly Rabbit Hops to CBBC, ABC Australia

October 22, 2008 – Animation Collective has sewn up broadcast sales for its new animated comedy series, Jolly Rabbit, with BBC kid channel CBBC and ABC TV in Australia. Canal+ Family in France has also recentl...

Indiana Jones Unseats Sleeping Beauty on DVD

October 22, 2008 – Not surprisingly, Paramount’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been the top seller on DVD since its retail launch last Tuesday. According to The Hollywood Reporter

Green to Adapt Freaks Comic

October 21, 2008 – Filmmaker David Gordon Green, who is writing and directing the animated pilot Good Vibes for FOX, is turning to the world of graphic novels for his next feature project. According to The ...

PBS KIDS Ready for Election Day

October 21, 2008 – On Election Day, PBS KIDS GO! will get into the political spirit with a new episode of WordGirl in which Becky Botsford (a.k.a. WordGirl) runs for student council president. Kids seeking fur...

Marvel Comics Mobilizes

October 21, 2008 – Marvel Entertainment International has partnered with Danish animation studio and mobile content developer Campfire A/S to adapt Marvel comic books for mobile devices. Campfire will employ its trad...

Universal Develops Transformers Ride

October 21, 2008 – Having spawned more than one hit animated television series and a blockbuster live-action/CG feature film, Hasbro’s Transformers toy line is now being developed as a new theme-park attraction for U...

Good Vibes Cast Takes Shape

October 21, 2008 – The FOX Network has assembled a group of actors to lend their voices to the pilot episode of the potential animated TV series Good Vibes. Daily Variety reports that Josh Gad (Back ...

Lucas Arts, BioWare Prep New Star Wars MMOG

October 21, 2008 – Gamers can look forward to picking up their virtual lightsabers and blasters to battle the evil Sith forces once again. LucasArts and BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, have announced the deve...

Atlantyca, Studio100 Dive into New Season of Olly

October 21, 2008 – Dive Olly Dive!, from Taffy Ent. and Mike Young Prods., is going into its second season with two new co-producers, Atlantyca Ent. and Studio100. The companies are working with returning co-p...

Craig Turns Down Thor

October 21, 2008 – As hot as superhero movies are these days, it’s hard to imagine an actor turning down the opportunity to be part of what could be another blockbuster cash machine. Nonetheless, James Bond actor Dan...

WALL•E, Batman Win Scream Awards

October 20, 2008 – A certain adorable robot and a couple of comic-book superheroes stole the show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles over the weekend as Spike TV presented its Scream 2008 awards ceremony. Filmmaker ...

Max Payne Shoots to the Top

October 20, 2008 – The latest video game to make the leap to the big screen, Max Payne proved a hit with moviegoers over the weekend. Twentieth Century Fox’s adaptation of the Rockstar Games title earned an es...

Chapman, Pukeko Team for Trooper Tom

October 20, 2008 – Children’s television production and licensing company Chapman Ent. and Pukeko Pictures entered into a joint venture to produce a CG-animated kids’ show being developed under the working title T...

Guerilla FX Hires Miller as TD

October 20, 2008 – Vance Miller has joined New York-based independent production, design, effects and post finishing house Guerilla FX (GFX) as character animator/technical director. He comes to Guerilla from graphic...

PBS to Air Chicago 10

October 20, 2008 – PBS will kick off the new season of its Emmy-winning Independent Lens series with the award-winning animated documentary Chicago 10. The latest film from Brett Morgan (The Kid Stay...

Cartoon Net, Worldwide Biggies Open NASTYbook

October 20, 2008 – Cartoon Network has partnered with Worldwide Biggies Inc. to produce a live-action/CG telepic based on Barry Yourgrau’s children’s horror book series NASTYbook. The partnership will also yie...

New Batman Toon Gets Start Date

October 20, 2008 – The Dark Knight teams up with other DC Comics heroes in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a new animated series debuting next month on Cartoon Network. Aimed at younger audiences and featuring...

FUNimation Acquires rights to Shikabane Hime: Aka

October 20, 2008 – FUNimation Ent. has acquired digital, broadcast, theatrical, DVD and merchandising rights to the 13-episode supernatural anime series Shikabane Hime: Aka (Corpse Princess) from King R...

Hulk Hits Home

October 20, 2008 – While it didn’t pull Dark Knight or Iron Man numbers, Marvel Studios’ The Incredible Hulk earned roughly $262 million worldwide during its theatrical run, and should be a smash...

Looney Tunes, Family Guy Bring Yucks to Disc

October 20, 2008 – Two sets of classic Looney Tunes cartoons land on retail shelves today, along with the sixth volume of Family Guy episodes. Also available are episodes of Cartoon Network’s Ben 10:...

Family Guy Art Show Opens in L.A.

October 17, 2008 – Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising is opening a second exhibit featuring art inspired by the hit FOX animated series Family Guy. “Family Guy C.R.A.P. (A Collection of Rare Art...

Warner Bros. Embarks on Space Odyssey

October 17, 2008 – Happy Feet director George Miller has reportedly been approached by Warner Bros. to direct an outer-space version of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. According to Daily Variety, ...

New Futurama on Comedy Central

October 17, 2008 – Comedy Central airs the world television premiere of Futurama: Beast with a Billion Backs this Sunday, Oct. 19. The latest feature-length movie based on Matt Groening’s and David X. Cohen’s ...

C-3PO, Amidala Debut on Clone Wars

October 16, 2008 – Star Wars saga characters C-3PO and Padmé Amidala will make their Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuts in Friday night’s episode, “Destroy Malevolence.” Padmé and C-3PO are taken hostage ...

Funny Face, Huntik Win MIPCOM Licensing Challenge

October 16, 2008 – The 5th Annual MIPCOM Junior Licensing Challenge was won by Funny Face, a new animated children's series from Glendale, Calif.-based Renegade Animation, and Huntik: Secrets & Seekers,...

Studio100 TV Hits iTunes in Germany

October 16, 2008 – Select program highlights from Studio100 Media/EM.Ent. are now available from the iTunes Store in Germany (www.itunes.de). Shows available for purchase and download from “Studio100 TV” include the ...

ASIFA Has Chat with Don Hahn

October 16, 2008 – In celebration of the release of Don Hahn’s latest book, The Alchemy of Animation, Woodbury University and ASIFA-Hollywood will host a panel discussion with the artist and long-time Disney p...

Bunnies Get Sawed

October 16, 2008 – The Bunnies are back with new 30-second animated remakes of popular movies. The Minisode Network this week launched a new installment of the Webby Award-winning series that spoofs the popular horro...

Animators Among Happiest Workers in America?

October 16, 2008 – AnimationMentor.com, an online character animation school created by animators for animators, today pointed out key findings from an animation industry survey that suggests a healthy animation work...

Payne Comes to Theaters

October 16, 2008 – Rockstar Games’ popular video-game franchise makes a bid to erect a feature film tentpole with today’s release of 20th Century Fox’s Max Payne. The studio is hoping the vfx-laden film can br...

Navigating Dead Space

October 15, 2008 – Electronic Arts’ heavily promoted sci-fi/survival horror game Dead Space hit store shelves this week, accompanied by an adult-oriented animated feature film and a 160-page graphic novel. Xbo...

Disney Channel’s Got a Rocket for U.K., Scandinavia

October 15, 2008 – Taffy Ent. has sold its Emmy Award-winning animated kids’ series I Got A Rocket! to Disney Channel in the U.K., Scandinavia and emerging markets. Produced by Australia’s SLR Prods., in assoc...

SpongeBob Special Soaks Up Ratings

October 15, 2008 – Nickelodeon says its SpongeBob SquarePants television special, WhoBob WhatPants?, attracted nearly 8 million total viewers during Monday night’s primetime premiere. The 8 p.m. (ET/PT)...

Manga Licenses FUNimation Anime for U.K., Ireland

October 15, 2008 – Manga Ent. U.K. has acquired exclusive rights to market, sell and distribute a number of new anime titles from FUNimation Ent. in the U.K. and Ireland. The deal covers such titles as Claymore

Family Guy Takes TV DVD Award

October 15, 2008 – Spoofing Star Wars paid off for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment at the fifth annual TV DVD Awards. Family Guy: Blue Harvest was named Best Animated TV DVD during the ceremony, hel...

Release Date for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

October 15, 2008 – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker and other comic-book staples will soon go up against such video-game favorites as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang and Sonya. Midway Games Inc. announced that ...

Obama Buys Game Ad Space

October 15, 2008 – Barack Obama is trying to increase his lead with younger voters by reaching many of them where they spend the most time. According to the Associated Press, the Senator has become the first presiden...

MyToons Seeks Creepy Cartoons

October 15, 2008 – Animation-based online social network MyToons.com has launched Creepy Cartoons, a new artwork and animation contest. Artists and animators worldwide are encouraged to upload their Halloween-inspire...

Howard Out, Cheadle In for Iron Man 2

October 14, 2008 – Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 2 will go into production minus one Oscar nominee. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Terrence Howard is being replaced by Don Cheadle in the role of Jim Rh...

CBBC Picks Up TV-Loonland’s Leon

October 14, 2008 – British children’s channel CBBC has acquired TV-Loonland’s new CG-animated comedy series, Leon. The network has pre-purchased 52 three-minute episodes and holds exclusive TV and “catch-up” r...

RAI, M6 Fall for Geronimo Stilton

October 14, 2008 – Italy's RAI and France's M6 have become the first major European broadcasters to acquire the new animated kids’ series Geronimo Stilton. The 26x22 show is produced by Atlantyca Ent. and Moon...

France 3 Backs Little Prince Series

October 14, 2008 – India-based animation, gaming and entertainment company DQE has teamed with French entities LPPTV and Method Animations SA to co-produce an animated television series based on the classic book T...

Hot Wheels Toon Racing to TV

October 14, 2008 – Mattel Inc. and Corus Ent.’s Nelvana are developing a new animated series based on Mattel’s Hot Wheels toy brand. Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5 will feature CG animation by Nelvana and Nerd Cor...

VES Adds Animation Category, Calls for Submissions

October 14, 2008 – The Visual Effects Society (VES) is now accepting online submissions for the Seventh Annual VES Awards Show, taking place on Feb. 21, 2009 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills. The deadline ...

Marvel Heroes Soar to TELETOON

October 13, 2008 – TELETOON has inked a deal to become the home of Marvel Animation in Canada. The multi-year partnership will kick off in the spring of 2009, offering a minimum of 182 first-run episodes for broadcas...

Fremantle Rides with Limo Guy

October 13, 2008 – The Fremantle Corp. has acquired Limo Guy, a quirky new CG-animated series from Comet Ent. Inc. and Kaleidoscope Prods. Described as a modern twist on the sitcom Taxi with a South ...

WTTW, Roman Coppola Visit Planet 429

October 13, 2008 – WTTW National Prods. has partnered with Roman Coppola’s Directors Bureau to launch Mission to Planet 429, a mixed-media comedy adventure series for kids 6-9 debuting at MIPCOM this week. The...

Twisted Whiskers Sold to Canal+, CBBC

October 13, 2008 – French broadcaster Canal+ and the U.K.’s CBBC have their paws on Twisted Whiskers, a new CG-animated TV series from American Greetings Properties, Taffy Ent. and DQ Ent. Now in production, t...

RHI Inks Telepic Deal with SCI FI

October 13, 2008 – RHI Ent., the production entity behind a great number of CG-laden made-for-television genre movies, has entered into a network license agreement with SCI FI Channel for a slate of U.S.-premiere tel...

Despereaux Headed to Nintendo DS

October 13, 2008 – Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG) is creating a handheld video game based on Universal Pictures’ upcoming animated feature The Tale of Despereaux. The Nintendo DS title is b...

qubo Gets ER’s Shelldon

October 13, 2008 – Entertainment Rights Plc (ER) in the U.K. has announced that its new CG-animated television series, Shelldon, will air during the qubo children’s programming block seen on NBC, Telemundo and...

ER Acquires Me, Myself and the Others

October 13, 2008 – Entertainment Rights (ER) has secured worldwide rights to the animated series Me, Myself and the Others outside of Italy, Germany, Austria and German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. The 5...

Keyframe, Kavaleer Take On Sock Monsters

October 13, 2008 – Digital animation and visual effects studio Keyframe Digital Prods. has teamed with Dublin, Ireland-based Kavaleer Prods. to co-develop an animated children’s series dubbed Sock Monsters. Ke...

Animation Collective, Canal+ Forge Broadcast Deal

October 13, 2008 – New York-based Animation Collective and France’s Canal+ today announced a broadcast partnership for four animated shows. Created by Larry Schwarz, founder and CEO of Animation Collective, the origi...

Richberger Takes VP Gig at Turner Animation

October 13, 2008 – Veteran research strategist Lanie Richberger has been named VP of research for Turner Broadcasting System Inc.’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media (AYAKM) group. Richberger will be responsible...

DECODE Sells Animal Mechanicals

October 13, 2008 – DECODE Enterprises, the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd., has announced a number of MIPCOM sales for the new animated preschool series Animal Mechanicals. Produced by Halifax Film, ...

Aardman Makes Pre-sales for Wallace, Timmy

October 13, 2008 – Aardman Rights, the newly created sales division of Aardman Animations, has concluded a number of pre-sales for its new animated half-hour special Wallace & Gromit In A Matter of Loaf and Death

Return of the Pink Panther

October 10, 2008 – Turner Broadcasting and MGM Worldwide Television are producing a new Pink Panther animated series. Cartoon Network channels worldwide will begin airing 26 half-hour episodes of Pink Panther & Pa...

Cartoon Network Trains Tiger’s Apprentice

October 09, 2008 – Cartoon Network is developing a live-action/CG feature film based on the bestselling Harper Collins young adult book Tiger’s Apprentice. Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Magee (Finding ...

Jibber Jabber Scored New Sales

October 09, 2008 – Bejuba! Ent. has secured new international agreements for the animated children’s series, Jibber Jabber, which will be showcased at MIPCOM. The series of 13 half-hour installments has been s...

Kung Fu Magoo Debuts at MIPCOM

October 09, 2008 – Mr. Magoo is making a comeback, and he’s apparently picked some martial arts skills sicne we've last seen him. Entertainment Rights (ER) will introduce Kung Fu Magoo at MIPCOM in Cannes next...

Nick Channels Celebrate “Shocktober”

October 09, 2008 – Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and sister networks Nicktoons Network and NOGGIN are treating kids to spooky marathons and new Halloween-themed episodes of hit shows later this month. Airing Saturday, Oct. 2...

Pat & Stan Picked Up By CITV, ITV1 in the U.K.

October 09, 2008 – TV-Loonland has licensed its multi-format animated property Pat & Stan to British children’s channel CITV, which is owned by U.K. commercial broadcaster ITV. Selected shorts have also been l...

Idiots, Bashir to Screen at AFI Fest

October 09, 2008 – The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced the films to screen in and out of competition during this year’s AFI Fest, taking place Oct. 30 through Nov. 9 in Hollywood, Calif. Among the animate...

Animae Caribe Honors Animators

October 09, 2008 – Animae Caribe, the Caribbean’s only animation and new media festival, recently concluded with an awards ceremony that saw some of the best local and international animators recognized for their wor...

City of Rott, Dead Fury Creator Frank Sudol

October 08, 2008 – With Halloween fast approaching, we thought we’d take some time to get to know one of the few people making feature-length, animated horror movies. What’s more Frank Sudol (a.k.a. FSudol), does it ...

Marvel Animation Brings Avengers to TV

October 08, 2008 – As the conglomerate of Marvel superheroes known as the Avengers gradually assembles on the big screen, Marvel Animation is prepping an animated television series that will bring together such iconi...

Studio B Enrolls in High Drama High for TELETOON

October 08, 2008 – Studio B Prods. has signed on to develop High Drama High, an animated series for TELETOON in Canada. The show is created by Jillianne Reinseth and Jennifer Daley. Reinseth has been a develop...

Little Bird Sells Novel’s Horrid Henry

October 08, 2008 – Little Bird Rights has secured a number of new international broadcast deals for Novel Ent.’s animated series Horrid Henry. In the run up to MIPCOM ’08, the 52x11 show has been picked up by ...

$9.99 Gets Oscar-Qualifying Run

October 08, 2008 – The independently produced stop-motion feature $9.99 will get a limited theatrical engagement to qualify for Academy Award consideration. Handled by Regent Releasing in the U.S., the Israeli...

New Batman, Superman Motion Comics Coming

October 08, 2008 – Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution are developing short-form digital Motion Comics based on the renowned graphic album Batman: Black & White and the graphic novel Super...

Lance Bass Joins Handy Manny Cast

October 08, 2008 – After making young girls scream as part of the pre-fab pop group NSync and putting his moves to the test as a current contestant on Dancing with the Stars, Lance Bass is getting animated for...

Yogi, Flintstones Movies to Debut on DVD

October 08, 2008 – Warner Home Video has announced that Dec. 2 will see the feature-length animated movies Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear (1964) and The Man Called Flintstone (1966) released on DVD for the f...

U.K. Toon Shops Go Green for Disney Channel

October 07, 2008 – Playhouse Disney, Disney Channel’s preschool programming block, has recruited six leading U.K. production houses to develop a series of short animated films that help teach preschoolers about the e...

marblemedia Brings Gnasty Gnomes to MIPCOM

October 07, 2008 – marblemedia today announced the development of a new animated series based on the popular R.L. Stine children’s book Gnasty Gnomes. Aimed at kids 6-9, the property will be introduces to buye...

Bell, Lucas Join Astro Boy Cast

October 07, 2008 – Kristen Bell (Heroes, Gossip Girl) and Matt Lucas (Little Britain) have signed up to lend their voices to Astro Boy, Imagi Studios’ upcoming CG-animated feature film bas...

Bashir at Center of Oscar Controversy

October 07, 2008 – As Oscar season heats up, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being criticized for a change in rules that has made the Israeli animated feature Waltz With Bashir ineligible fo...

E For All Attendance Down

October 07, 2008 – The spectacle that was E3 is becoming a distant memory as attempts to recapture the magic of the extravagant gaming trade show miss the high-water mark left by past floods of gamers and industry pr...

Academy Salutes NFB Shorts in D.C.

October 07, 2008 – Celebrating more than 50 years of Oscar-worthy short-subject films, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and t...

Plastic Wax Expands Globally

October 07, 2008 – Plastic Wax, an Australian digital animation studio specializing in video games and other forms of entertainment, has announced global expansion plans that include extensive talent acquisition, inv...

TV Asahi Acquires Shin-ei Animation

October 06, 2008 – Japanese Television Network TV Asahi has acquired a majority stake on animation studio Shin-ei Animation, according to Daily Variety. The purchase of $28.5 million in additional shares gives...

Fuji, Production IG Making Hottarake

October 06, 2008 – The Fuji TV network is delving deeper into the animation business with anime studio Production IG have. Tokyograph.com reports that the entities joined forces to make a CG-animated feature film tit...

Potter Producer Puts Magic in Access Asia Fund

October 06, 2008 – Producer David Heyman, whose credits include the Harry Potter movies, is helping to bridge the gap between Asian and Hollywood content creators. Daily Variety reports that he has join...

Spielberg Quits DreamWorks

October 06, 2008 – Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks have officially ended their distribution relationship, and Steven Spielberg is leaving to form a new motion picture company in partnership with Reliance BIG Ent. H...

3DX Opens with a Bolt

October 06, 2008 – Two days before it opens in the U.S. Disney's Bolt will premiere at the inaugural 3DX: 3D Film & Entertainment Technology Festival in Singapore. According to The Hollywood Reporter, t...

Chihuahua is Top Dog at Box Office

October 06, 2008 – Some crafty CG work by Tippett Studio allows dogs to talk in Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which took in roughly $29 million domestically over the weekend to easily claim the top spot at...

Toons Breakthrough at MIPCOM

October 06, 2008 – Breakthrough Ent. will premiere two new animated series at MIPCOM in Cannes next week. International buyers will have the opportunity to check out the adult-oriented comedy Producing Parker,...

Clone Wars Sets Record for Cartoon Network

October 06, 2008 – Friday’s premiere of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars from Lucasfilm Animation was the cable outlet’s most-watched series premiere in history, according to preliminary data from...

Cartman Faces “China Problem” in New South Park

October 06, 2008 – Cartman and Butters set out to thwart an invasion by China in an all-new episode of South Park, premiering Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. “The China Problem” kicks off a slate of seven new ins...

El Mariachi Plays for Cake, Studio Moshi

October 06, 2008 – Cake Ent. and Melbourne, Australia-based Studio Moshi have partnered to co-produce El Mariachi, a 2D animated comedy-action series for kids 6-11. Created by Studio Moshi, the show is being a...

Alvin Leaves the Chipmunks

October 06, 2008 – After 50 years of entertaining children with their high-pitched tunes, the animated musical group Alvin and the Chipmunks has lost its front man. Of course, it’s only a publicity stunt aimed at get...

Jai Vigneshwar Opens in India

October 06, 2008 – Mayajaal Ent. Ltd has completed a 2D Flash-animated movie dubbed Jai Vigneshwar, which will be released on 30 digital screens across India on Thursday, Oct. 9. The production involved more t...

Sleeping Beauty, Harryhausen Pix on Blu-Ray

October 06, 2008 – Several classic films have been polished up for re-release on home video Tuesday. The Disney favorite Sleeping Beauty is the first Mouse House animated classic to be released on Blu-ray Disc...

Watership Down, Charlie Brown, TV Faves on Disc

October 06, 2008 – Warner Home Video celebrates the 30th anniversary of the classic animated fantasy film Watership Down and Charlie Brown tries to get elected in this week’s batch of home video releases. Also...

Date Set for Kung Fu Panda Sequel

October 02, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation announced plans to release a sequel to Kung Fu Panda on June 3, 2011. The stereoscopic 3-D followup is also expected to hit IMAX screens worldwide. Released over the sum...

Warner Gets Claws in Yogi Bear Pic

October 02, 2008 – He may be smarter than the average bear, but can Yogi deliver the goods on the big screen? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is developing a feature film based on the classic...

Cats & Dogs Sequel in the Works

October 02, 2008 – CG-animated pooches and pussies will be going at it again in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, a sequel to the hit 2001 family comedy Cats & Dogs. The Hollywood Reporter

Animax Launches Canuck Script Contest

October 02, 2008 – Los Angeles-based Animax Ent. is celebrating the opening of its new studio in Toronto with a script-writing contest for Canadians. The Animax Canucks Cartoon Script Contest is open to all Canadian ...

Disney Channel Cooks with ZeFronk

October 02, 2008 – Disney Channel will begin airing Tasty Time with ZeFronk, a new animated short-form healthy foods series for preschoolers, during the Playhouse Disney block on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:25 a.m. ...

Cartoon Net Debuts Clone Wars, Secret Saturdays

October 02, 2008 – It’s time to return to a galaxy far, far away as Cartoon Network begins airing the eagerly awaited CG-animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Premiering Friday, Oct. 3. at 9 p....

Scooby Faces Goblin King on Cartoon Net

October 02, 2008 – Following its late-September home video launch, the animated movie Scooby-Doo & The Goblin King for will make its television debut on Cartoon Network on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. The feature ...

Resident Evil Toon to be Unleashed

October 01, 2008 – The latest installment in the hit Resident Evil film franchise is animated, and it’s ready to unleash toon zombies on unwitting moviegoers. Based on the long-running CAPCOM video game series...

Hoffman Voices Icon’s Max

October 01, 2008 – Philip Seymour Hoffman is the latest Hollywood player to get involved in the world of independent animation. Daily Variety reports that the actor has agreed to voice the male lead in the Aus...

CW Tangles with the Boy Wonder

October 01, 2008 – Having explored the pre-Superman days of a young Clark Kent with Smallville, series exec producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson are joining filmmaker McG (Terminator: Salvation,

Academy Examines 3D Techniques

October 01, 2008 – As the animation industry and Hollywood in general looks to stereoscopic presentation as a way to fill more theater seats, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science and Technology Co...

AnimfxNZ Announces Speaker Lineup

October 01, 2008 – AnimfxNZ, New Zealand’s conference for digital animation, effects, animation and games, today announced additional speakers in a lineup that already includes Academy Award winners and leading visio...

Foothill Heads to MIPCOM with Momtourage

October 01, 2008 – Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Foothill Ent. is making the MIPCOM scene with a new animated series titled My Momtourage & Me (26x25). The show is created by acclaimed Australian illustrator/wri...

EA Readies Dead Space Game, Toon

October 01, 2008 – Electronic Arts announced today that its highly anticipated new survival horror game Dead Space has gone gold and will ship in North America on Oct. 14 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC v...

EA Readies Dead Space Game, Toon

October 01, 2008 – Electronic Arts announced today that its highly anticipated new survival horror game Dead Space has gone gold and will ship in North America on Oct. 14 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC v...

Bay Uses IMAX Cameras on Transformers 2

September 30, 2008 – Director Michael Bay plans to shoot key sequences of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with IMAX cameras. According to IMAX Corp. and DreamWorks, the footage will be integrated with state-...

Jacobson Named Exec Producer at CafeFX

September 30, 2008 – Visual effects shop CafeFX has appointed industry veteran Joni Jacobson exec producer and head of business development. Jacobson will oversee the company’s Los Angeles production operation at the f...

AmebaTV Revisits Great Civilizations

September 30, 2008 – Winnipeg-based kids IPTV system Ameba has signed with Barcelona-based Sol 90 to distribute the Spanish-language animated series Great Civilizations on AmebaTV.com. A portal designed to deliv...

Pineapple Director Has Vibes for FOX

September 30, 2008 – After helming the very dark dramas Undertow (2004) and Snow Angels (2007), filmmaker David Gordon Green lightened up with the recently released Seth Rogen/James Franco stoner comedy

Cookie Jar Debuts Metajets, Noonbory, Santa at MIPCOM

September 30, 2008 – Cookie Jar Ent. is headed to MIPCOM 2008 with three new toon projects to be screened for global broadcasters. In addition to such established favorites from the newly acquired DIC library (Horse...

lynda.com Offers Adobe CS4 Training

September 30, 2008 – Software training video supplier lynda.com is celebrating the largest launch in its history in conunction with the recent release of the Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) product family. Boasting more t...

Chomet Sues Over Despereaux

September 29, 2008 – As Universal gets set for the December release its CG-animated feature film The Tale of Despereaux, it faces legal action over the issue of credits, or lack thereof. The New York Times

Paul Newman: 1925-2008

September 29, 2008 – Film legend Paul Newman passed away on Friday. The 83-year-old actor voiced the role of Doc Hudson in Disney/Pixar’s Cars before succumbing to cancer at his home near Westport, Connecticut. ...

Branagh, Marvel Hammering Out Thor Deal

September 29, 2008 – There’s new evidence that Marvel Studios is taking its superhero film business very seriously. According to Daily Variety, the production entity behind this summer’s hits Iron Man and...

Clone Wars Director, Writer Mine Yoda’s Roots

September 29, 2008 – Premiering this Friday on Cartoon Network, the first episode of Lucasfilm Animation’s television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars focuses on Jedi Master Yoda as he faces down Count Dooku’s m...

More Broadcast Deals for Henson’s Sid

September 29, 2008 – The Jim Henson Co. has extended the reach of its animated preschool series Sid the Science Kid throughout North and South America. The latest broadcast deals have been signed with Discovery ...

Zack Snyder Gets Game On with EA

September 29, 2008 – With the hit adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 under his belt and a feature based on the Alan Moore comic Watchmen in the can, director Zack Snyder has become Hollywood’s...

Iron Man Flies to DVD

September 29, 2008 – After racking up more than $574 million at the box office worldwide this summer, Marvel Studios’ and Paramount Pictures’ superhero smash hit Iron Man rockets to the home video market Tuesday...

Marvel, Paramount Ink Distribution Deal

September 29, 2008 – Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures today announced an agreement under which Paramount will distribute Marvel's next five self-produced feature films worldwide. An extension of the original agree...

DreamWorks Investor Day Planned

September 29, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation SKG will host an analyst and investor day on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 in New York City. Presentations by members of the company's management team are scheduled to begin at 8:00 a...

More Mr. Men Show On Order

September 29, 2008 – Fans will be seeing more of Chorion’s The Mr. Men Show, an animated children’s series that debuted earlier this year on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and Five in the U.K. The broadcasters have...

Annie Awards Judges Sought

September 29, 2008 – The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood is seeking individuals to serve on nomination committees for the 36th Annual Annie Awards. The groups will determine the nominees for both t...

Porchlight Nabs Ricky Sprocket for DVD

September 29, 2008 – Porchlight Home Entertainment (PHE) has picked up U.S. DVD rights to Bejuba! Ent.’s animated series Ricky Sprocket – Showbiz Boy. The show airs seven days a week on Nicktoons in the U.S., an...

Click & Clack, Alan Moore on Disc

September 29, 2008 – The guys from the popular, long-running NPR radio program Car Talk get animated with Click & Clack: As the Wrench Turns, a toon sitcom revolving around the Tappet Brothers, the alter-...

Life and Times of Tim Debuts

September 26, 2008 – One average guy just can’t seem to catch a break in The Life and Times of Tim , HBO’s new half-hour, animated series. Created and exec produced by Steve Dildarian, who won a Clio for his Bu...

Virgin Comics Turns to Liquid

September 26, 2008 – It’s the last panel for Virgin Comics, the publishing label formed in 2005 by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth), Virgin Enterprises head Sir Richard Branson, author Deepak Chopra and South...

Olly Dives into New Territories with Universal

September 26, 2008 – Universal Pictures International Entertainment has picked up the environmentally-conscious preschool series Dive Olly Dive! for release on DVD in the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sw...

Cars 2 Moved Up, Oprah Joins Frog Cast

September 25, 2008 – Disney announced Wednesday that the Pixar sequel Cars 2 will race into theaters a year earlier than planned. Originally slated for release during the summer 2012, the pic will instead bow in...

Depp is Burton’s Mad Hatter

September 25, 2008 – Johnny Depp has signed on to perform the role of the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which will be brought to the screen in stereoscopic 3-D via performance-capture animation...

Comedy Central Tames Futurama’s Beast

September 25, 2008 – Comedy Central will host the world television premiere of the Futurama feature Beast with a Billion Backs starting on Sunday, October 19. Released on DVD over the summer, the new movi...

Liotta Dives Into SpongeBob Special

September 25, 2008 – Actor Ray Liotta, best known for playing mobster Henry Hill in Goodfellas, is hiding out under the sea in the upcoming SpongeBob SquarePants special “WhoBob WhatPants?”. The half-hour...

I Am Legend Prequel Green Lit

September 25, 2008 – It appears that Will Smith will be fighting more CG-animated zombies, even though his character met his demise in the theatrically released version of the Warner Bros. surprise hit I Am Legend

TV-Loonland Toons Go to ABC Australia

September 25, 2008 – TV-Loonland has signed a multi-content deal with long-term broadcast partner ABC TV Australia. The network has picked up the animated series The Owl (52x1), the upcoming Pat & Stan (3...

Russian Toon Channel 2X2 Keeps License

September 25, 2008 – Nearly run off the air by Russian federal TV and radio watchdog group Rossvyazkomnadzor, adult cartoon channel 2x2 will continue to serve viewers in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Daily Variety reports...

Astro Boy Gets Release Date

September 24, 2008 – Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based animation house Imagi Studios has announced that Summit Ent. will release its CG-animated Astro Boy movie on more than 3,000 screens in North America on Frid...

Naruto, Death Note Get Joost

September 24, 2008 – VIZ Media’s popular anime series Naruto, Death Note and Bleach have been picked up by Joost, the broadcast-quality internet television service in the U.S. Joost will carry the ...

More Drama, Stoked for TELETOON

September 24, 2008 – Canada’s TELETOON has ordered more episodes of Fresh TV Inc.’s animated series Total Drama Island and Stoked. The third season of the mock reality show Drama takes a musical sp...

4Mations Examines Life According to Dinosaurs

September 24, 2008 – Suspicious Prods.’s new animated web comedy Life According to Dinosaurs has debuted on 4mation (www.4mations.tv), the new video-sharing toon channel recently launched by U.K. public broadcas...

Wacom Supports Adobe Creative Suite 4

September 24, 2008 – Wacom today announced greater integration of its pen input system with Adobe Creative Suite 4, which officially launched yesterday. The move aims to provide significant workflow advantages and nume...

Stan Lee Helps Launch ’08 Nicktoons Fest

September 24, 2008 – Nickelodeon will kick off the fifth annual Nicktoons Network Animation Festival with a two-day, invitation-only event to feature a Q & A session with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, creator of Spide...

Animated Bashir Is Israel’s Oscar Entry

September 24, 2008 – Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman’s critically acclaimed animated documentary Waltz With Bashir has been submitted at Israel’s Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign-Language Film, according to

Scooby Pic, Peanuts Specials on Disc

September 23, 2008 – Scooby and his Mystery Inc. pals take on a powerful goblin in an all-new, direct-to-video animated feature while the Peanuts gang get in the holiday spirit with a new deluxe collection of Charlie B...

Lucky Kids Get Clone Wars Premiere Parties

September 23, 2008 – Cartoon Network has teamed with a company called House Party to offer 2,000 kids across the country their very own Star Wars: The Clone Wars sneak preview parties on Saturday, Sept. 27. On t...

Second Season of Bakugan in Production

September 23, 2008 – Nelvana Enterprises and partners, Spin Master Ltd., Sega Toys Ltd. and TMS Ent. have announced that they are producing an additional 26 episodes of the anime-style television series Bakugan,...

Channel 4 Launches 4mations

September 23, 2008 – U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has teamed with animation houses Aardman and Lupus Films to offer a new animation website, according to Daily Variety. Dubbed 4mations, the ad-supported video-shar...

LEGO Batman: The Videogame Ships

September 23, 2008 – Who knew the plastic building blocks most of us played with as kids would remain so relevant in the age of high-tech computer entertainment? Having launched the successful LEGO Star Wars and...

Trion Raises $70 million to Make Games

September 23, 2008 – Trion World Network Inc. has become one of the most well-funded video game companies since its debut in 2006, pulling in more than $100 million to date. Dedicated to server-based games, the company...

Duckman, Squirrel Boy Creator Everett Peck

September 23, 2008 – With the first two seasons of the cult-favorite 1994 animated series Duckman finally available on DVD, we connected with series creator Everett Peck to discuss the genesis of the series and ...

Duckman, Squirrel Boy Creator Everett Peck

September 23, 2008 – With the first two seasons of the cult-favorite 1994 animated series Duckman finally available on DVD, we connected with series creator Everett Peck to discuss the genesis of the series and ...

Duckman, Squirrel Boy Creator Everett Peck

September 23, 2008 – With the first two seasons of the cult-favorite 1994 animated series Duckman finally available on DVD, we connected with series creator Everett Peck to discuss the genesis of the series and ...

Respectable Bow for Igor

September 22, 2008 – Now that the summer blockbusters are out of the way, more modestly budgeted movies are afforded a shot at box-office success. Exodus Film group’s independently produced CG-animated feature Igor

Chow Helming Green Hornet

September 22, 2008 – Actor/filmmaker Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, CJ7) has been hired to direct Columbia Pictures' take on the classic masked-crusader franchise The Green Hornet...

Playhouse Disney Spawns Toyline

September 22, 2008 – Disney Consumer Products is launching a new line of preschool toys and electronics inspired by hit Playhouse Disney preschool shows airing on Disney Channel. Debuting this fall, the products featur...

Relic Taps Plastic Wax for Warhammer Trailer

September 22, 2008 – Sydney, Australia-based animation Studio Plastic Wax collaborated with video-game developer Relic to produce the first trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. trailer, which recently ...

Universal Bails on Tintin

September 22, 2008 – First Universal Pictures backed out of Peter Jackson’s Halo movie, and now the studio is reportedly saying “no thanks” to Jackson’s and Steven Spielberg’s performance-capture adaptation of G...

Terra, Chainsaw All the Buzz at Ottawa

September 22, 2008 – The Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival (OAF) wrapped up over the weekend with closing ceremonies at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. The event saw top prizes go to filmmakers Aristomenis Tsirba...

Igor Shuffles Into Theaters

September 19, 2008 – It’s been several weeks since we’ve seen a major animated theatrical release, but now we’ve got one to get us in the Halloween spirit. Exodus Film Group’s CG-animated feature film Igor hits ...

Stars Dig into Sony’s Meatballs

September 19, 2008 – Sony Pictures Animation has announced the voice cast for its next CG-animated feature film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The adaptation of the well-known children’s book will feature t...

Little Airplane on Feature Flight Plan

September 19, 2008 – Having found success on the small screen with the popular animated preschool series The Wonder Pets!, New York-based toon studio Little Airplane is reportedly looking to take on the big scre...

Jim Henson Co. Debuts Dinosaur, Skrumps at MIPCOM

September 19, 2008 – The Jim Henson Co. will debut two all-new CG-animated series at next month’s MIPCOM in Cannes. In addition to expanding its web property The Skrumps for television, the company will introduc...

Breakthrough Inks Deals for Betty, Dudley

September 19, 2008 – Breakthrough Ent. has closed broadcast deals for several of its programs, including the children’s series Atomic Betty and The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon. The third season of ...

Nintendo’s Kirby Takes to the Skies

September 19, 2008 – Nintendo’s iconic Kirby character was seen flying over several U.S. neighborhoods sharing his name on Thursday. In promoting the Sept. 22 debut of Kirby Super Star Ultra for the DS, Nintendo...

Zemeckis, Kenan Fly with Airman

September 18, 2008 – The Monster House team of producer Robert Zemeckis and director Gil Kenan are joining forces to create another performance-capture feature film aimed at family audiences. The Hollywood Re...

Disney Sends The Rock to Tomorrowland

September 18, 2008 – The success of the Pirates of the Caribbean films has reportedly inspired Disney to make another feature film based on one of its theme park rides. Daily Variety claims that the studi...

Mighty B! will Buzz Again

September 18, 2008 – Nickelodeon has renewed the hit animated series The Mighty B! for another season. The network has ordered 20 new half-hour episodes of the comedy created by Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Li...

ASIFA Calls for Annie Entries

September 18, 2008 – The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, has put out a call for entries for the 36th Annual Annie Awards. Taking place on Friday, Jan. 30 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, the c...

aniBoom Awards Entries Sought

September 18, 2008 – Web-based virtual animation studio aniBoom (www.aniboom.com) has announced that it is accepting entries for its 3rd Annual aniBoom Awards. Independent animators of all types around the globe are en...

Promo for Don Hahn’s Alchemy of Animation Online

September 18, 2008 – A promotional trailer for prolific Disney producer Don Hahn’s upcoming book, The Alchemy of Animation, has been posted on YouTube. The video features Hahn talking about the book, and offers ...

Rah Rah!, Gaston, Pok Please at Cartoon Forum

September 18, 2008 – Reporting from Cartoon Forum 2008 which is held at the German city of Ludwigsburg, Animation Magazine president Jean Thoren tells us about some of the new European animated properties making...

Flight Before Christmas Scheduled

September 17, 2008 – Genius Products and The Weinstein Co. will release the CG-animated holiday feature The Flight Before Christmas on DVD this fall. Featuring the voices of Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew, A...

Fear(s) of the Dark Trailer Online

September 17, 2008 – Yahoo has posted a trailer for the award-winning French animated feature film Peur(s) du noir, which is being released in North America by IFC Ent. under the English title Fear(s) of the ...

Imagi Raises $30 Million

September 17, 2008 – Imagi International Holdings Ltd., the company behind TMNT and the upcoming CG-animated feature films Astro Boy and Gatchaman, continues to raise funds to help finance more ani...

Nick Adds Fanboy, Team Umizoomi

September 17, 2008 – With all the live action creeping into animation channels, it’s heartening to hear that Nickelodeon is increasing its animated output by 50% this year. The network’s latest toon pick-ups are Fan...

Bejuba!, Skaramoosh, CVM Conduct Spooky Investigations

September 17, 2008 – Bejuba! Ent. has partnered with Skaramoosh London Ltd. and Creative Visual Media to develop Spooky Investigations, a new half-hour animated series based on the popular Spooky Sisters ...

Lincoln Butterfield Debuts New Toons at MIPCOM

September 17, 2008 – Buyers attending MIPCOM next month in Cannes will be able to check out three new projects from Lincoln Butterfield Animation, an independent toon studio founded by Robert Hughes (director on Disney...

Baby, Plankton, Mouk Make Impressions at Cartoon Forum

September 17, 2008 – Cartoon Forum celebrates it's 20th anniversary this year and our president, Jean Thoren, is there checking out all the great European animated productions making their debut. Since1988, Cartoon,wit...

Speed Racer Movie Races to DVD

September 16, 2008 – The Wachowski brothers’ live-action take on the classic anime property Speed Racer debuts on home video today after a less-than-stellar theatrical run. Warner Bros. is hoping the film finds ...

Open Season 2 Gets Disc Date

September 16, 2008 – Sony Pictures Animation’s direct-to-video sequel Open Season 2 has been slated to hit retail this winter. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release the feature on DVD, Blu-ray and PSP on...

Foxworthy Gets Animated for FOX

September 16, 2008 – As FOX continues to seek new animated shows to join its lineup, the network has turned to stand-up comic and former sitcom star Jeff Foxworthy. Daily Variety reports that 20th Century Fox is...

Animated Oz Gets Short, Belushi

September 16, 2008 – Martin Short and Jim Belushi have have signed on to lend their voices to Alpine Pictures’ upcoming animated movie Dorothy of Oz. Based on the book children’s author Roger S. Baum, the great-...

Boomerang Airs Super Friends Marathon

September 16, 2008 – DC Comics’ Justice League superheroes will save the day as episodes from four classic Saturday-morning animated series from the ’70s and early ’80s air back-to-back in Boomerang’s first-ever Super ...

Metroid Makers Open Armature Studio

September 16, 2008 – Three of the principal developers of Nintendo’s critically acclaimed Metroid Prime video game have formed Armature Studio in Austin, Texas. Headed by Metroid game director Mark Pacini...

Comic Scribe Johns Pens DC Universe Online

September 16, 2008 – Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has tapped renowned DC Comics writer Geoff Johns to script the backstory for the upcoming massively multiplayer action game DC Universe Online. Johns, whose c...

Emmys for South Park, Simpsons

September 15, 2008 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Comedy Central’s South Park and FOX’s The Simpsons, among other animated and vfx-intensive programs, at Saturday night’s the 2...

MacFarlane, Bakshi, Woo Move to Main Street

September 15, 2008 – Seth MacFarlane, John Woo and Ralph Bakshi are among the content creators collaborating with Main Street Pictures Inc. to produce animated features and Internet-based productions. Main Street is al...

EA Gives Up On Take-Two Acquisition

September 15, 2008 – Electronic Arts (EA) announced that it has terminated acquisition discussions with Take-Two Interactive, the publisher behind Rockstar Games’ hugely successful Grand Theft Auto franchise and...

Legend of Sasquatch Stomping to DVD

September 15, 2008 – Image Ent. will release Gorilla Pictures’ CG-animated family film The Legend of Sasquatch on DVD on Oct. 21. Featuring the voices of Oscar Winner William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk), J...

Aardman Uses Blackmagic on Timmy

September 15, 2008 – Blackmagic Design Inc. has announced that its Blackmagic Design capture cards are being used with Stop Motion Pro software to produce Aardman Animations' latest children's TV series, Timmy Time

First Look at Animated Spaceballs

September 15, 2008 – Hot on the heels of George Lucas’s CG-animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars comes Mel Brooks’ Space Balls: The Animated Series. Based on Brooks’ 1987 live-action spoof of Star Wars

One-Two Punch for Kung Fu Panda Pics

September 15, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation is working on a companion piece to Kung Fu Panda that will be packaged with the feature film on DVD. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Paramount Home Entertainmen...

Hudlin Leaves BET

September 12, 2008 – After delivering a stirring case for BET Animation at the San Diego Comic-Con, BET president Reginald Hudlin is leaving the cable network just as it’s starting to show promise in the way of origin...

Paramount, W!LDBRAIN Making Kidrobot Movies

September 12, 2008 – Paramount Pictures and animation studio W!LDBRAIN have joined forces to develop feature films based on Kidrobot’s line of toys under the Nickelodeon Movies banner. No details have been released reg...

Cake, Fresh Serve Up Total Drama Action

September 12, 2008 – Cake Distribution and Fresh TV have entered into a new worldwide distribution deal for Total Drama Action, a sequel to Fresh’s hit animated televsion series Total Drama Island. The ne...

TIFF Remembers Tezuka

September 12, 2008 – The 21st Tokyo Int’l Film Festival (TIFF) will present a retrospective of works by the late Osamu Tezuka, widely regarded as the “Father of Japanese Manga and Anime.” Commemorating his 80th anniver...

Williams, Canemaker Conversation at MoMa

September 12, 2008 – The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) will present “Master Class:Richard Williams in Conversation with John Canemaker” on Monday, Sept. 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Roy and Niuta Titus 2 Theater. Attendees wil...

Paramount Movies Become Games in Asia

September 12, 2008 – Paramount Digital Entertainment and Accedo Broadband have signed a deal that will see Paramount films licensed for TV games across Asia, according to Daily Variety. First up are casual games based ...

MECHnology Completes Middleman Mission

September 12, 2008 – MECHnology Visual Effects in Burbank, Calif. created nearly 400 visual effects shots for the new ABC Family superhero television series The Middleman. Based on the comic book series by Javie...

New GMs for Disney Animation, Pixar

September 11, 2008 – Disney animation exec Andrew Millstein has been named general manager for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and visual effects veteran Jim Morris has been appointed general manager of Pixar Animation ...

IFC Sets Dates for Fear(s) of the Dark

September 11, 2008 – IFC Ent., which picked up North American distribution rights to the animated French feature Peur(s) du noir (Fear(s) of the Dark) earlier this year, has announced a theatrical releas...

Simpsons’ Gould Hooked for Sea Monsters

September 11, 2008 – With its big-budget, big-screen version of Land of the Lost slated to hit theaters next summer, Universal is looking to make a movie based on another ’70s Saturday-morning favorite from Sid ...

Hertzfeldt Travels with Proud

September 11, 2008 – Academy Award nominated cult animator Don Hertzfeldt (Rejected, Everything will be ok, Billy's Balloon) is hitting the road with a series of one-night-only events featuring som...

Tutenstein Movie Debuts at MIP Jr.

September 11, 2008 – Discovery Kids will air the first feature-length movie based on PorchLight Ent.’s Emmy-winning television series Tutenstein this fall. Tutenstein: Clash of the Pharaohs will premiere ...

Guru Debuts Justin Time at MIPCOM

September 11, 2008 – Animation house Guru Studio is taking a new preschool series titled Justin Time to the MIPCOM Jr. and MIPCOM markets in Cannes next month. The company says it has signed a development deal w...

Ricky Sprocket Rockets to Nick Int’l Channels

September 11, 2008 – Bejuba! Ent.’s animated series Ricky Sprocket—Showbiz Boy has been sold to 29 new international territories through a deal with Nickelodeon. Co-produced by Studio B Prods., a subsidiary of D...

4Kids Takes on RollBots

September 11, 2008 – Amberwood Ent. has appointed 4Kids Ent. the worldwide merchandise licensing agent and marketing brand manager for its new animated TV series, RollBots. 4Kids will manage global licensing opp...

Depp, Verbinski Get Animated with Rango

September 10, 2008 – Rumors of an animated feature coming from Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp have been confirmed. Daily Variety reports that the duo has teamed wit...

Dragon Hunters Sold to North America

September 10, 2008 – Peace Arch Ent. has acquired North American distribution rights to Futurikon’s French CG-animated feature film Dragon Hunters, according to Daily Variety. Co-produced by toon house Lu...

Tippett to Get VES George Melies Award

September 10, 2008 – Phil Tippett, the Oscar-winning founder of vfx shop Tippett Studio, has been selected by the VES (Visual Effects Society) board of directors as the recipient of the George Melies Award for Artistic...

MIPCOM Gets Chaotic with New 4Kids Toon

September 10, 2008 – Chaotic: M’Arrillian Invasion, the new animated series from 4Kids Ent., will be presented to international broadcasters at next month’s MIPCOM in Cannes. A total of 26 half-hour episodes wil...

Fischler Overseeing Vfx at LAIKA/house

September 10, 2008 – Former DreamWorks Animation artist Ben Fischler has been hired as visual effects supervisor for LAIKA/house, the commercial division of Phil Knight’s LAIKA animation studio. The appointment was ann...

Verizon Adds DC Comics, Scooby-Doo Channels

September 10, 2008 – Verizon Wireless today announced it is bringing Warner Bros. content to mobile users via two new channels on its V CAST Video service. The DC Comics Channel will offer motion comics and animated fe...

CMG Bites Into Killer Bean

September 09, 2008 – Cinema Management Group (CMG) has acquired worldwide rights to the recently completed animated feature film Killer Bean Forever. Directed and produced by vfx industry veteran Jeff Lew, the m...

Nelvana Toons Headed to Home Vid

September 09, 2008 – Animated shows from Nelvana Enterprises featured on Canadian TV outlets Treehouse, YTV and TELETOON will will be released on DVD on Sept. 23. The disc debuts will offer installments of Jane and ...

Broadcasters Love TV-Loonland’s Raymond

September 09, 2008 – TV-Loonland has announced the first round of broadcast deals for its animated comedy series Raymond. Currently airing on Gulli TV in France, the show has been sold to ABC in Australia, M-NET...

Comet, SOMUGA Go Around the World

September 09, 2008 – Canadian animation production, content development and distribution group Comet Ent. and Spanish company SOMUGA Produktora SL. have joined forces to produce an 80-minute animated movie titled Aroun...

Kutcher’s Katalyst Launches BlahGirls

September 09, 2008 – Actor/producer Ashton Kutcher and fellow Katalyst Media principal Jason Goldberg are binging animation to the blog scene with BlahGirls.com. The website features an animated video blog series that ...

Imagi Offers Gatchaman Clip

September 09, 2008 – Imagi, the animation company behind last year’s CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, TMNT, has posted a clip on its website that offers a brief glimpse at its upcoming feature f...

Sky Crawlers Flies at Sony

September 08, 2008 – Anime fans in North America and other territories can look forward to seeing the animated feature film The Sky Crawlers, thanks to Sony. Daily Variety reports that Sony Pictures World...

Keaton is Ken in Toy Story 3

September 08, 2008 – Actor Michael Keaton has reportedly joined the voice cast for the upcoming Disney/Pixar sequel Toy Story 3. Keaton will lend his voice to the role of Ken, the clean-cut, plastic companion of...

Madagascar 2’s IMAX Run Extended

September 08, 2008 – IMAX Corp. and DreamWorks Animation today announced that the IMAX release of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has been extended through the Thanksgiving holiday and into December. Digitally re-mastered ...

NBC Having A Muppets Christmas

September 08, 2008 – The NBC television network is cuddling up with some popular puppets this winter. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that a new special titled Letters to Santa: A Muppets Christmas will join the net...

9 Story Takes Fugget About It to MIPCOM

September 08, 2008 – Toronto-based production and distribution company 9 Story Ent. will introduce its first prime-time animated project at next month’s MIPCOM. Buyers will get their first look at the mob comedy Fugget...

Academy Considers Scientific Achievements

September 08, 2008 – Academy Considers Scientific Achievements
The Scientific and Technical Awards Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that eight scientific and technical achiev...

ASIFA Hosts Student Animation Fest

September 08, 2008 – ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animator Educator’s Forum is hosting its first Student Animation Film Festival at Woodbury University in Burbank, Calif. on Oct. 18. Kicking off at 10 a.m., the fest will feature ...

Mighty B! Back with Corddry

September 05, 2008 – Nickelodeon’s The Mighty B! returns on Monday, Sept. 8, kicking off a week of all-new episodes airing every day at 5 p.m. Monday’s installment, “Bee Patients,” features special guest star Ro...

Columbia Calls Ghostbusters Again

September 05, 2008 – It’s starting to feel like the ’80s all over again as major studios set their sights on such franchises as Voltron, Poltergeist and Ghostbusters. Daily Variety reports t...

Xilam Pitches Mr BaBy at Cartoon Forum

September 05, 2008 – Paris-based animation studio Xilam is headed to Cartoon Forum with Mr BaBy, a new short-form animated series that has been commission by French broadcaster France 3. The company will be look...

Dive Olly Dive! Sprouts Up Five Days a Week

September 05, 2008 – Dive Olly Dive! from Taffy Ent. and Mike Young Prods. has expanded to five days a week on PBS KIDS Sprout. The 24-hour preschool outlet this week moved the award-winning, environmentally-con...

DECODE Shows Go Greek

September 05, 2008 – Greece’s Channel 9 has acquired six kid shows from DECODE Ent., the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd. The deal includes the animated series Franny’s Feet, Bo on the GO!, Ki...

Alioscopy Unveils Autostereoscopic Display at WAEA

September 05, 2008 – The glasses are coming off as Alioscopy USA, a maker of 3D display technologies, gets set to demonstrate its 3DHD-40 autostereoscopic 3D LCD display at the 29th Annual World Airline Entertainment A...

Antonucci Makes Toons with W!LDBRAIN

September 05, 2008 – Danny Antonucci, creator of Cartoon Network’s long-running series Ed, Edd n Eddy, has signed an exclusive deal with W!LDBRAIN. Under the deal, Antonucci will develop original television seri...

EA Releases Spore

September 05, 2008 – This weekend will see the release of Spore, the eagerly awaited new massively single-player game from Electronic Arts Inc. and Maxis, the development studio of Sims creator Will Wrigh...

Presidential Race Likened to Cartoons

September 04, 2008 – There’s nothing novel about comparing American politics to a cartoon, but one late-night TV comedian got big laughs by pointing out that some of our leading politicians are becoming real-life versi...

Heathcliff Making Animated Comeback

September 04, 2008 – The other mischievous orange cat of comic strip fame is set to return to the screen in celebration of the 35th anniversary of George Gately’s Heathcliff. FitzRoy Media is developing animated...

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Debuts at MIPCOM

September 04, 2008 – As the hit anime property Yu-Gi-Oh! gets set to enter its tenth season, 4Kids Ent. has announced that this year’s MIPCOM will feature the international premiere of the all-new series Yu-G...

International Sales for ER’s George, Casper, Finley

September 04, 2008 – Entertainment Rights (ER) has signed a number of major television distribution deals for core brands in key territories around the globe. George of the Jungle, Casper’s Scare School a...

Disney to Bring Ponyo to U.S. in 2009

September 04, 2008 – Reporting on the Venice Film Festival screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated opus, Time Magazine confirms that Disney will release Pony on the Cliff By the Sea in North America...

Voltron May Have Director

September 04, 2008 – Writer/director Max Makowski, whose credits include independent films and TV shows, is in negotiations to direct Relativity Media’s big-screen version of the 1980s animated series Voltron: Defen...

Poltergeist Director Confirmed

September 04, 2008 – The remake bandwagon rolls on as MGM moves forward with plans to make a new version of the Steven Spielberg-produced 1982 chiller Poltergeist. The studio has confirmed that Vadim Perelman, w...

4Kids Announces Saturday Lineups

September 03, 2008 – 4Kids Ent. today unveiled its lineup of fall programs to air on Saturday mornings on FOX and The CW Network. Both blocks will kick off the new season on Sept. 13, featuring new animated series and ...

Peanuts Animator Bill Melendez Dies

September 03, 2008 – Bill Melendez, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning animator best known for bringing Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters to life, died on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2 at St. John’s hospital i...

Watchmen Trial Set for January

September 03, 2008 – The fate of one of the most highly anticipated big-screen comic-book adaptations hangs in the balance as 20th Century Fox gets its day in court. Daily Variety reports that a Los Angeles fede...

Animated Short Walks Tight Rope

September 03, 2008 – Magnolia Pictures’ documentary Man on Wire will be accompanied in select theaters by Michael Sporn’s 2005 animated short film The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, reports Daily V...

Image Metrics Puts Face on Operation Flashpoint 2

September 03, 2008 – Image Metrics is creating facial animation for key characters appearing in cinematic sequences for Codemasters’ upcoming video game Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising. Slated for release ...

Happy Tree Friends Explode with Ka-Pow!

September 03, 2008 – Mondo Media to day introduced Ka-Pow!, a new series based on its animated web sensation Happy Tree Friends. The property’s millions of fans can now meet new accident-prone characters ...

RocketOn, Animax Develop Virtual Worlds

September 03, 2008 – RocketOn Inc., creator of the Parallel Virtual World Platform, and Emmy-winning multiplatform entertainment studio Animax Ent. have formed a strategic partnership to co-develop parallel virtual wor...

Delgo Finally Gets Release Date

September 02, 2008 – We first became aware of the independently produced CG animated feature film Delgo in 2003, but haven’t heard much from the production since the initial casting news. Now The Hollywood Re...

Renaissance Producer Spawns Prodigies

September 02, 2008 – Aton Soumache, producer of Christian Volker’s 2006 Annecy award-winning animated feature Renaissance, is producing another major French CG feature. According to Daily Variety, he and ...

Henson’s Blue Elephant Charges to Disc

September 02, 2008 – Once known for The Muppets and other puppet creations, The Jim Henson Co. continues its push into animation with The Blue Elephant, a new CG-animated feature film that hits retail today. Als...

Batman, Scooby Double Features on DVD

September 02, 2008 – Warner Home Video today released two sets of feature-length animated movies starring two very different cartoon crime fighters. A Batman double feature offers Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

WWE’s Claims against THQ Dismissed

September 02, 2008 – Video-game maker THQ Inc. today announced that the Connecticut Superior Court has dismissed most of the claims filed against it and THQ/JAKKS Pacific LLC. by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). WW...

TELETOON Fills Marketing Jobs

September 02, 2008 – Canadian broadcaster TELETOON has appointed Russell Ward to the post of VP of marketing, and has promoted Natalie Cunningham to director of marketing. Both appointments are effective as of today.
...

Cartoon Tributes Nominees Named

September 02, 2008 – Cartoon Forum, the European Association of Animation Film, has announced this year’s nominees for Cartoon Tributes, an award ceremony to be held on Sept 19 during the 19th annual Cartoon Forum in t...

GoAnimate to Shoot the Messenger

August 29, 2008 – GoAnimate.com has partnered with Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead to create election-inspired animated pieces for upcoming performances and webcasts of Shoot The Messenger, a New York Cit...

MyToons Brings Cartoon Classics to Vuze

August 29, 2008 – Online animation community MyToons.com has launched the MyToons Cartoon Classics Channel on Vuze, an Internet video platform that boasts 30 million members worldwide. Featuring such time-honored an...

Pink Panther Ultimate Collection Prowls to Disc

August 29, 2008 – MGM Home Entertainment will release the Pink Panther Ultimate Collection on DVD this fall. Slated to hit retail on Nov. 25, the box set will offer nine volumes of cartoon classics, nine feat...

New Trailer Brings the Payne

August 29, 2008 – Video games have a lousy track record when it comes to big-screen adaptations, but 20th Century Fox is hoping to beat the odds with its action thriller based Rockstar Games’ Max Payne. A new...

Schroder Wrangles Hellhounds

August 29, 2008 – Former child star and NYPD Blue actor Rick Schroder has traded in his silver spoons and policeman’s badge for a director’s chair and some nasty CG-animated pooches. According to The Holly...

Abbey Home Media Gets Moore

August 29, 2008 – Abbey Home Media, a British independent distributor, rights owner and producer of children’s programs, has appointed Stephen Moore partner and shareholder. Moore previously held senior positions at...

New particleIllusion Versions for Mac OSX

August 29, 2008 – Digital content creators working on Apple’s Mac OS X platform now have access to new versions for wondertouch’s particleIllusion 3.0 and particleIllusion SE line of product offerings. The updates t...

Next Avengers Voice Actor Tom Kane

August 29, 2008 – Whether you're an avid animation fan or a casual cartoon viewer, you’ve no doubt heard the work of Tom Kane. The versatile and very much in demand voice actor is the new voice of Yoda for the anima...

Jetix Europe Toons Come to iTunes

August 28, 2008 – Jetix Europe today announced that selections from its catalog of classic kids programming are now available for download and purchase in the U.K. iTunes Store (www.apple.com/uk/itunes). Initial off...

Disney Preps New Platinum Collections

August 28, 2008 – Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has announced five additions to its Platinum Collection of animated features to be released on DVD and Blu-ray. These include such beloved classics as Pino...

Barbie vs. Bratz Victory for Mattel

August 28, 2008 – For nearly two years now, Mattel and MGA Ent. have been locked in a heated battle over copyright infringement claims filed by the maker of the iconic Barbie line of toys and animated features. A ju...

Paramount, Omnitoons Make Mobile Comics

August 28, 2008 – The Mission: Impossible franchise and several upcoming Paramount films including the thriller Eagle Eye and the Brit comedy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging are...

DECODE’s Bo Still on the Go

August 28, 2008 – DECODE Ent., the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd., has announced further international sales of Halifax Film’s preschool series Bo on the GO! In addition, CBC in Canada has commissi...

More Dinosaur King Stomping to MIP

August 28, 2008 – 4Kids Ent. will offer 26 new half-hour episodes of the hit animated action show Dinosaur King at MIPCOM 2008. A video game, a trading card game and an extensive toy line based on the series ...

WALL•E Desktop Available from Hyperdesk

August 28, 2008 – Hyperdesk has debuted its Wall•E Hypersuite, a package that allows kids and fans of all ages to customize their computers with a Windows theme, custom icons, dynamic widgets and other featur...

Charlie Brown Elected to DVD

August 27, 2008 – Obama and McCain aren’t the only candidates hitting the campaign trail this fall. Charles Schulz’ iconic comic-strip creation is out to snag consumer’ votes as the classic animated televsision spec...

Imira to Debut Myo & Ga at Cartoon Forum

August 27, 2008 – Spainish producer and distributor Imira Ent. will introduce its quirky new 3D animated comedy series, Myo & Ga, at this year’s edition of Cartoon Forum. Aimed at kids six and up, the show is...

Gnomes and Trolls Invade Europe

August 27, 2008 – Gnomes and Trolls: The Secret Chamber, a new animated children’s movie from Swedish production company Whiteshark Films, is building an audience across Europe and other parts of the world. A...

Spielberg Still Helming First Tintin

August 27, 2008 – Brussels-based Herge Studios, owner of rights to the classic Tintin comic strip, recently broke word that Peter Jackson would take over Steven Spielberg’s installment of the planned DreamWorks moti...

Death Note II Coming to U.S. Theaters

August 27, 2008 – The Death Note manga and anime series has another live-action installment set to hit theaters in limited U.S release. VIZ Pictures, the division of VIZ Media focused on live-action fare, has again ...

Sleeping Beauty Returns to Hollywood

August 27, 2008 – The El Capitan theater in Hollywood is bringing back the Disney animated classic Sleeping Beauty for a special 50th anniversary limited engagement running Aug. 28 through Sept. 18. The scree...

Nightmare, other Tricks & Treats on DVD

August 26, 2008 – As Halloween quickly approaches, animation fans today have a few holiday-related home video releases to choose from today. In addition to a special collector’s edition of Tim Burton's The Nightm...

Chicago 10, Little Mermaid Prequel Hit Disc

August 26, 2008 – Illustrating two very different uses of animation, the award-winning, adult-oriented documentary Chicago 10 and Disney’s new direct-to-video prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

Harryhausen’s Pendulum Swings on DVD

August 26, 2008 – One DVD release we agregiously overlooked last week is Ray Harryhausen Presents: The Pit and the Pendulum, a stop-motion film exec produced by the master animator and vfx legend behind the e...

Baby Mozart Re-mastered for 10th Anniversary

August 26, 2008 – The Baby Einstein Company debuted the award-winning, animated home video release Baby Mozart ten years ago, and is marking the anniversary with a special edition release of the bestselling t...

Nick’s Zarghami to Keynote MIP Jr.

August 26, 2008 – Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, will present the MIPCOM Junior 2008 keynote address on Sunday, Oct. 12. Zarghami will share her vision of how the localization of...

Maya Goes to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

August 26, 2008 – Lucasfilm Ltd. and Lucasfilm Animation employed Autodesk Inc.'s Maya software to create a distinctive verson of the Star Wars Universe for the theatrical feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a...

Marvel Goes Anime with Madhouse

August 25, 2008 – The Warner Premiere DVD release Batman: Gotham Knight recently gave us the first anime version of DC Comics’ caped crusader, and now Marvel is turning to Japanese animators to put their stam...

Miyazaki’s Ponyo Hits B.O. Milestone

August 25, 2008 – Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, the latest animated feature from celebrated filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, has crossed the Yen 10 billion ($93.2 million) mark at the Japanese box office, according...

Warner Bros. Preps More Superhero Pics

August 25, 2008 – With The Dark Knight breaking box-office records left and right, Warner Bros. is not surprisingly keen on bringing more Batman and other superheroes from the DC Comics universe to the big sc...

Nick, Amazon Strike DVD Deal

August 25, 2008 – Nickelodeon has joined forces with CreateSpace, part of the Amazon.com Inc. group of companies, to make a number of animated and live-action hits available on DVD, some for the first time ever. Sta...

Bickford Screening in L.A.

August 25, 2008 – Avant-garde clay animator Bruce Bickford is in Los Angeles this week and will be screening a number of his unreleased films on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax in Hollywood. ...

Olesker Named President of KEN Creative

August 25, 2008 – Producer/director/writer Jack Olesker, creator of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers television series, has been named president of KEN Creative Studio, the India/U.S. production arm of Banga...

Cartoon Net Signs Bakugan Partners

August 25, 2008 – Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) has appointed five new licensing partners in the soft lines categories for the hit anime series Bakugan. Announced today at the MAGIC Marketplace, the new d...

Canemaker’s Chuck Jones Doc Debuts

August 22, 2008 – Those living in Los Angeles can catch a screening of the new documentary Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood. Produced by Academy Award-winning animator John Canemaker and fellow Oscar winner...

Stargate: Universe Greenlit

August 22, 2008 – As one Stargate closes, another opens up. Though fans of SCI FI Channel’s Stargate: Atlantis were saddened to hear that the series wasn’t picked up for a sixth season, they can look forward ...

Cartoon One’s Vampires, Buttercup, Caps Headed to MIP Jr.

August 22, 2008 – Cartoon One, and independent production and distribution company based in Rome, is heading to this year’s MIPCOM Jr. with a third season of School for Vampires, a co-production with Hahn Fil...

4Kids Names New Property Reps for Europe

August 22, 2008 – Global children’s entertainment and merchandise licensing organization 4Kids Ent. has announced the appointment of four new agencies to represent a number of 4Kids properties in three key European ...

Cage Will Kick-Ass

August 22, 2008 – Mark Millar’s bloody comic book Kick-Ass is headed to the big screen with actor Nicolas Cage attached to the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is being directed by M...

Gnomon Hosts Making of WALL•E

August 22, 2008 – Gnomon School of Visual Effects and The Visual Effects Society (VES) are offering a behind-the-scenes look at WALL•E, the latest animated hit from the Disney/Pixar pipeline. Sets supervisor ...

Berenstain Christmas Tree Branches Out on DVD

August 22, 2008 – Bear Country’s most loveable family will learn that the best Christmas gifts are not under the tree when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases the classic animated special The Berenstain Bea...

NY TV Fest Previews HBO’s Tim

August 21, 2008 – The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) will include animation in its third annual Premiere Week screening series, taking place Sept. 12-17. A sneak preview of HBO’s new half-hour, animated series...

Pinky Dinky Doo Returrns to NOGGIN

August 21, 2008 – The animated, interactive preschool series Pinky Dinky Doo from Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Pizza is coming back to NOGGIN with a new look for a second season launching in primetime on Sund...

Veggie Pirates Plunder to DVD

August 21, 2008 – After making nearly $13 million at the box office, the latest animated vegetable adventure from Big Idea and Universal Pictures sets sail for the shores of home video, where the franchise’s real tr...

More Nightmare Revealed on Blu-ray

August 21, 2008 – Disney’s stereoscopic 3-D makeover of The Nightmare Before Christmas offered fans a fresh look at the animated holiday favorite from producer Tim Burton. The pic will once again be seen in a...

Jetix Europe Overhauls Websites

August 21, 2008 – Jetix Europe has today announced the redesign of its nineteen websites available in Europe. The company believes the new designs and feature enhancements will result in increased traffic and time s...

EA Awards ’08 Scholarships

August 21, 2008 – Video game giant Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) today announced the three recipients of its 2008 Scholarship Awards. The scholars were selected from a pool of 100 interns who are currently spending the ...

NVIDIA CUDA Conference Set for NVISION ’08

August 21, 2008 – The NVISION ’08 visual computing conference, taking place Aug. 25-27 in San Jose, Calif., will include a CUDA Developer Conference for software developers interested in accelerating their applicati...

New Ninja Turtles Debuts at MIPCOM

August 20, 2008 – 4Kids Ent. has announced that it will introduce the new animated series TMNT: Back to the Sewer to global broadcasters at this year’s MIPCOM, taking place in October in Cannes, France. The h...

Sick Animation Show Premieres in the U.K.

August 20, 2008 – The pilot episode for The Sick Animation Show will air on E4 in the U.K. this Thursday, Aug. at 11:40 p.m. Created, written and voiced by emerging talent Marc M., the irreverent sketch comed...

Jackson Commits to Hobbit

August 20, 2008 – Daily Variety reports that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and screenwriting collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have officially announced their participation in New...

McAvoy, Blunt Mull Gnomeo Voice Work

August 20, 2008 – Once in development by Walt Disney Feature Animation, the CG-animated feature film Gnomeo and Juliet is now in the works at Miramax and Elton John's Rocket Pictures, and may have some high-c...

qubo Partners with KaBOOM! for Playgrounds

August 20, 2008 – qubo, the multiplatform children’s programming outlet from Scholastic, ION Media Networks, NBC Universal, Corus Ent. and Classic Media, has teamed with national nonprofit organization KaBOOM! (www....

Craig, Dench Accept Bond Game Assignments

August 20, 2008 – Activision’s video game based on the upcoming James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, will feature the voices and animated likenesses of franchise stars Daniel Craig and Dame Judy Dench. Also o...

Stellar Cast to Command & Conquer

August 20, 2008 – During a press conference at Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) today announced the ensemble cast to be featured in live-action cinematic sequences in the upcoming game...

FOX’s Cleveland Goes to MIPCOM

August 19, 2008 – The Cleveland Show, a spin-off of the hit animated series Family Guy, is one of several new shows 20th Century Fox Television Distribution will be showcasing at this year’s MIPCOM tel...

Wonder Pets! Goes Bollywood for Primetime Special

August 19, 2008 – Acclaimed Indian actress Nandita Das will be heard as the voice of the title character in Save The Bengal Tiger!, a primetime Wonder Pets! special premiering Monday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m....

Renegade Showing Funny Face at MIPCOM

August 19, 2008 – Renegade Animation will introduce its latest production, an irreverent animated interstitial series titled Funny Face, at MIPCOM and MIPCOM Jr. in October. The series of 25 one-minute-long s...

Setback for Warner Bros. in Watchmen Suit

August 19, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ upcoming big-screen take on the Alan Moore graphic novel Watchmen could be one of next summer’s biggest hits, or it could never be seen by audiences at all. The trades are repo...

Doc Delves into the Mind of Alan Moore

August 19, 2008 – The Mindscape of Alan Moore, a documentary on the celebrated writer behind such bestselling graphic novels as Watchmen, From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and...

Mainframe Invests in new Digs

August 19, 2008 – The London headquarters of Mainframe, an independent studio specializing in motion graphics, animation, vfx and titles for commercials, is investing more than $2.2 million in a larger studio. Part ...

Transformers, George in DVD Jungle

August 19, 2008 – Two Cartoon Network revivals of classic animated properties are available on DVD today. The first season of Transformers Animated, the newest incarnation of the popular TV, film and toy prop...

Emmys for Foster’s Home, Creature Comforts Artists

August 18, 2008 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced the 60th Emmy Award winners in the three juried categories—Individual Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Voice Over and Outstanding Costum...

Yair Discusses Mass Animation

August 18, 2008 – We reported last week (www.animationmagazine.net/article/8752) that Yair Landau, former vice chairman of Sony Pictures En...

Knight Vanquished by Thunder

August 18, 2008 – After four weeks atop the North American box office chart, Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight has finally been knocked down a peg by the DreamWorks/Paramount comedy Tropic Thunder. The Ben...

Cryptozoo Discovered by Hollywood

August 18, 2008 – Cryptozoo Crew from Jerry Carr and Allan Gross is the latest graphic novel series to get a big-screen deal. Daily Variety reports that Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson have acquire...

Relativity Eyes Voltron Movie

August 18, 2008 – Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media is in talks to pick up film rights to the giant robot anime series Voltron: Defender of the Universe, which was put into turnaround at 20th Century Fox’s Ne...

Polar Express Bound for Disc in 3-D

August 18, 2008 – Stereoscopic animation will come to the home theatre on Oct. 28 when Warner Home Video releases The Polar Express in 3-D on Blu-ray and DVD. The release will include four sets of 3-D glasses...

300 Limited Edition Battling to DVD

August 18, 2008 – Director Zack Snyder’s sword-and-sandal epic 300 is being re-issued on DVD with a limited collector’s edition slated for release on Nov. 18. from Warner Home Video. Available only while supp...

Galleon to Rep Xilam’s Magic, Oggy, Rahan

August 18, 2008 – Galleon Ent., a U.K.-based intellectual property owner and developer of family entertainment properties, has signed an agreement to represent all licensing rights to French animation producer Xilam...

Animated Space Race in Theaters

August 15, 2008 – Two animated movies set in outer space compete at the North American box office this weekend as Lucasfilm Animation’s Star Wars: Clone Wars squares off against the stereoscopic 3-D family fi...

New Release Dates for Bolt, Potter

August 15, 2008 – Disney’s upcoming CG-animated family flick, Bolt, will hit the screen sooner than anticipated, while Warner Bros. will leave Harry Potter fans waiting a bit longer for the next magica...

Oktapodi Takes Top Prize at SIGGRAPH

August 15, 2008 – Two octopi escape from the grasps of a stubborn and determined restaurant cook in Oktapodi, a student film from France’s Gobelins, l'école de l’image that won Best of Show in this yea...

Warner Bros. Brings Back Banana Splits

August 15, 2008 – Over hill and highway the Banana buggies come again. Warner Bros. Consumer Products is re-launching the classic ’60s Hanna-Barbara TV property The Banana Splits, which had costumed character...

Pink Slips to Fly at DIC

August 15, 2008 – Following its acquisition by Canada’s Cookie Jar Ent., DIC Ent. could be facing job cuts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. DIC’s corporate office in Burbank, Calif., which has already be...

Scholastics Horrible Histories Going Interactive

August 15, 2008 – Chorion has signed a worldwide licensing agreement with computer games publisher Slitherine Strategies to develop video games based on the Scholastic book series Horrible Histories. Brokered...

Adobe Design Winners Announced

August 15, 2008 – Adobe Systems Inc. today announced the winners of its eighth annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards, a competition that honors the most talented and promising student graphic designers, photographe...

Madagascar, Kung-Fu Panda Sequels Likely

August 14, 2008 – During a presentation of footage from the upcoming Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said Wednesday that fans can expect at least one more Madagascar m...

Rough Draft Enrolled in Sit Down, Shut Up!

August 14, 2008 – Indie animation house Rough Draft Studios will be producing animation for the upcoming animated FOX series Sit Down, Shut Up! The network has ordered 13 half-hour episodes of the irreverent ...

Maya Turns 10

August 14, 2008 – Autodesk is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Maya, its widely used modeling, animation and rendering software. The company has dedicated an area of its website to reviewing a decade of Maya acco...

Intel, Landau Launch Mass Animation

August 14, 2008 – Intel Corp. today announced a new collaborative animation project to produce a computer-generated animated short film for theatrical release. Open to established and aspiring animators, the Mass An...

Happy Tree Friends Go to the Olympics

August 14, 2008 – Lip-syncing and fake fireworks are the least of China’s worries as Mondo Media’s calamity-prone Happy Tree Friends make their way to the Olympic Games in the latest in a series of gory cartoon shor...

Peanuts Characters Rock the Vote

August 14, 2008 – McCain and Obama aren’t the only candidates wooing American voters. Iconic Peanuts characters Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Sally are all running for President in an online mock election. ...

Cryptic Beams Up Star Trek Online

August 14, 2008 – Cryptic Studios, a independent developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, revealed the first details and gameplay trailer for Star Trek Online at the annual ...

Pokemon Is Japan’s Top Toon Franchise

August 13, 2008 – The Pokemon movies have earned more than $455 million at the Japanese box office to become the highest-grossing animated property produced in the country, reports Daily Variety. To date, Toh...

MAXON Introduces Cinema 4D 11

August 13, 2008 – MAXON Computer unveiled Cinema 4D Release 11 (R11), the next generation of its 3D animation software suite, at SIGGRAPH. The release promises advanced capabilities that deliver dramatically improve...

Pixar Marks 20 Years of RenderMan

August 13, 2008 – Pixar Animation Studios is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Academy Award-winning RenderMan rendering solution at SIGGRAPH, where it has unveiled details of the latest version of its RenderM...

Image Metrics Offers Facial Animation Tool

August 13, 2008 – Image Metrics, a provider of facial animation solutions, is letting select visual effects and film studios get their hands on its new performance transfer solution. Currently in beta, the technolog...

eyeon’s Fusion 5.3 Available Across Linux Platforms

August 13, 2008 – A major release for eyeon Software, its Unified Platform System of Fusion 5.3 for Linux offers the option to run Fusion on multiple distributions of Linux and on Windows in 64-bit or 32-bit configu...

NewTeeVee Welcomes Animation

August 13, 2008 – NewTeeVee, a website dedicated to chronicling explosion of online video, is opening its monthly Pier Screening in Los Angeles to animation, puppetry, machinima and other forms of entertainment that...

Sony Teams with Animation Mentor

August 13, 2008 – Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation are enhancing their IPAX education program with help from online character animation school Animation Mentor. Leveraging Animation Mentor's uniq...

Autodesk Unveils Maya 2009

August 12, 2008 – In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the popular Maya modeling, animation and rendering software package, Autodesk announced Autodesk Maya 2009 at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles, Calif. Maya 2009 ...

Massive 3.5 Debuts at SIGGRAPH

August 12, 2008 – Massive Software unveiled Massive 3.5, the latest upgrade to the artificial intelligence-driven animation system widely used in film, television and video games. Originally designed by Stephen Rege...

Madden NFL 09 Hits Stores

August 12, 2008 – Today is the day all fans of sports video games look forward to every year, the day when the latest edition of Madden NFL debuts at retail. Rabbid franchise fanatics lined up at select stores acros...

Hahn Serves Up Alchemy of Animation

August 12, 2008 – Veteran Disney producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) has informed us that he has a new book coming out on Oct. 7. The Alchemy of ...

Cartoon Net, Adult Swim Added to ICO Mobile

August 12, 2008 – ICO Global Communications Ltd (ICO) has reached agreements with Turner Broadcasting System Inc. to provide content from the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim for use in alpha trials of ICO’s mobile in...

Animation Mentor Renovates Online Campus

August 12, 2008 – Animation Mentor (AnimationMentor.com), an online character animation school created by animators for animators, has unveiled its new winter term curriculum for January 2009, and has released a new...

South Park, Filmation Superheroes on DVD

August 12, 2008 – Cartman, Kyle, Kenny and Stan are joined at retail by some of DC Comics’ most famous crime fighters as the complete 11th season of Comedy Central’s South Park and Super Heroes: The Filmat...

Batman Rules Another Weekend

August 11, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight pulled off its fourth straight domestic box-office victory, earning an estimated $26 million over the weekend to bring its domestic draw to roughly $441 million...

Imagi Picks Up DreamWorks’ Tusker

August 11, 2008 – Daily Variety reports that Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based animation company Imagi Int’l has taken the reins of the animated feature film Tusker, which was previously in the DreamWor...

Isaac “Chef” Hayes Dies

August 11, 2008 – Recording artist Isaac Hayes earned an Oscar for his theme song to the 1971 hit action film Shaft, but for an entire generation of television viewers he’ll be remembered primarily as the voi...

Two Toei Toons to Screen at Locarno

August 11, 2008 – Toei Animation Co. Ltd’s hit anime series GeGeGe no Kitaro and Hakaba Kitaro have been selected to screen at this year’s Locarno Int’l Film Festival as part of the show’s dedication t...

Four Win aniBoom Radiohead Contest

August 11, 2008 – Radiohead, aniBoom (aniboom.com) and TBD Records have named the winners of the In Rainbows Animated Music Video Contest. Members of Radiohead hand selected four top videos and will personall...

Crunchyroll Adds Gonzo Anime Titles

August 11, 2008 – Online media distributor Crunchyroll has acquired digital distribution rights to multiple GDH K.K. titles including Kaleido Star and Peacemaker Kurogane. Crunchyroll, which has built ...

Softimage CAT 3.0

August 11, 2008 – As a digital artist and frequent animator, I’m always keeping my eyes open for tools to make my job easier. CAT (Character Animation Tools) 3.0 is one of those that I’m really impressed with. I’m a...

Lionsgate’s Alpha Takes 3-D Route

August 08, 2008 – Add another animated feature to the list of upcoming stereoscopic 3-D releases. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate's CG animal adventure Alpha and Omega has added a third ...

Sony Turns Up the Heat on Flash Gordon

August 08, 2008 – Alex Raymond's comic creation, Flash Gordon, is closer to making its return to the big screen after nearly three decades. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Sony Pictures tapped ...

Iron Man Gets Disc Date

August 08, 2008 – After racking up more than $567 million at the box office worldwide this summer, Marvel Studios’ and Paramount Pictures’ super-hero smash hit Iron Man is rocketing to the home video market. ...

Lionsgate Gets Wolverine Toon

August 08, 2008 – Lionsgate, which has a long-standing relationship with Marvel Ent., has acquired the North American DVD and electronic distribution rights to the new animated TV series Wolverine & The X-Men...

SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7 Ships

August 08, 2008 – Softimage Co., part of Avid Technology Inc., today announced it has begun shipping SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7, the latest version of its professional 3D animation software for games, film and television. Amon...

Godfather II Getting Made by EA

August 08, 2008 – Electronic Arts and Paramount Digital Entertainment are set to give gamers an offer they can’t refuse. The companies announced that they are developing a video game based on the classic Francis For...

Toon Disney Becomes Disney XD

August 07, 2008 – As live-action continues to creep into outlets traditionally dedicated to animation, Disney has announced that it will re-brand its Toon Disney television and online platforms in the U.S. as Disney...

Biker Mice Ride Again with 4KIDSTV

August 07, 2008 – The animated children’s series Biker Mice From Mars is back with a new incarnation that premieres Saturday, Aug. 9 at 8:30 a.m. on 4KIDSTV in the U.S. Produced by Criterion, part of The Stor...

Wubbzy! Returns

August 07, 2008 – The second season two of Nick Jr.’s Emmy-winning animated preschool comedy series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! will return with a week of brand-new episodes starting Monday, Aug. 18 at 8:00 a.m. (ET/PT...

Voice Artist Burson Dies

August 07, 2008 – Accomplished voice performer Greg Burson died on July 22nd at the age of 59, according to animation writer/director Mark Evanier’s blog (www.newsfromme.com). The Anaheim native was a protégé of Daw...

Image Metrics Animates “Emily” for SIGGRAPH

August 07, 2008 – Image Metrics, a provider of facial animation solutions for the entertainment industry, partnered with Paul Debevec of the University of Southern California Institut for Creative Technologies (ICT)...

Clone Wars U.S. Premiere Sunday

August 06, 2008 – The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood will host the U.S. premiere of LucasAnimation’s CG-animated feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Sunday at 4 p.m. The sold...

Kabillion Adds Underdog

August 06, 2008 – Emmy-winning kids’ entertainment service Kabillion has acquired the classic 1960s animated TV series Underdog to join its VOD and online platforms on Aug. 7. The premiere also kicks off Kabi...

Barnyard, Code Monkeys on Disc

August 06, 2008 – Among this week’s DVD releases are episodes of the Nickelodeon series Back At the Barnyard and G4’s irreverent animated comedy Code Monkeys. Back at the Barnyard: When No One’s Loo...

VIZ Debuts Ultimo from Lee, Takei

August 06, 2008 – Ultimo, a new comic-book property created by industry legend Stan Lee and celebrated manga creator Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King), has made its North American debut in the September 200...

Autodesk Extends Max ’09, Max Design

August 06, 2008 – The first extension release for Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009 software is now available to Autodesk Subscription customers. The Creativity Extension includes new particle e...

Heit Joins Experimental Animation at CalArts

August 06, 2008 – Steve Anker, dean of the School of Film/Video at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), announced that Laura Heit will join Paul Vester as a co-director of the school’s Experimental Animation ...

Verbinski Signs with Universal

August 05, 2008 – Filmmaker Gore Verbinski, who directed the three blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean films for Disney, has inked a three-year, first-look deal with Universal Pictures, according to Daily...

Cohen Talks More Mummy

August 05, 2008 – Reviews for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor were largely unkind, to say the least, but a $100 million worldwide opening leaves the door wide open for another sequel for the Universal f...

24’s Balfour Fights Gargoyle for SCI FI

August 05, 2008 – The Hollywood Reporter brings word that 24 star Eric Balfour will battle CG-animated beasties in the original SCI FI Channel movie Rise of the Gargoyle. RHI Ent. will handle in...

Animax Rocks LaMB with Simple Plan, Click Five

August 05, 2008 – Animax Asia, an anime and youth cable channel owned by Sony Pictures Ent., has announced that its first original animated movie produced in HD, LaMB, will feature songs written and performed...

Bender’s Game Set for November

August 05, 2008 – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the new animated feature Futurama: Bender’s Game on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Nov. 4. The third of four new Futurama adventures, th...

Katzenberg Goes to IBC in 3-D

August 05, 2008 – This year’s IBC exhibition and conference in Amsterdam will feature a live interview with DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. Promoted as the first-ever transatlantic telecast in high-defi...

Troopers, Garfield, Ben 10 on DVD

August 05, 2008 – The third chapter in the Starship Troopers series arrives on home video today, putting Johnny Rico and fellow Federation soldiers up against more menacing, computer-generated alien bugs. Als...

Mischel Oversees Animation for Technicolor

August 05, 2008 – Former Mainframe CEO Rick Mischel has joined Technicolor Content Services as exec VP of animation and interactive services. The unit combines Technicolor’s games division and its growing animation ...

Batman Beats Dragon by a Wing

August 04, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight won its third straight weekend at the North American box office, narrowly beating Universal’s vfx-driven adventure sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emper...

Miki Manga to Become a Paramount Pic

August 04, 2008 – Mark Crilley’s four-volume manga series, Miki Falls, has been picked up by Paramount and Brad Pitt’s Plan B production shingle, reports Variety. First introduced in 2007, the Miki ...

Disney Joins Monster Attack Network

August 04, 2008 – Disney has acquired rights to the AIT/Planet Lar graphic novel Monster Attack Network, according The Hollywood Reporter. The studio reportedly sees potential for a feature film franch...

Scooby Prequel Set for Cartoon Net, DVD

August 04, 2008 – Cartoon Network and Warner Premiere today commenced production on Scooby-Doo: In The Beginning, a live-action/CG prequel that will be debut on the network in the fall of 2009, shortly before...

Slain Buffy Cartoon Emerges Online

August 04, 2008 – Back in 2001, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon announced that an animated series based on the feature film and live-action television show was in the works. The toon was being de...

3D LCD Debuts at SIGGRAPH

August 04, 2008 – Alioscopy, a company specializing in 3D display technologies, announced it will introduce its new 3DHD-40 autostereoscopic 3-D LCD display technology at SIGGRAPH 2008. Offering stereoscopic 3-D vie...

Mummy Rises Against Batman

August 01, 2008 – The O’Connells are back in action to take on a legion of the living dead and other CG beasties in Universal’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The heavily promoted, vfx-driven action-a...

Prince of Persia Pic Pushed

August 01, 2008 – Fans of Ubisoft’s bestselling video game franchise Prince of Persia will have to wait a bit longer to see the property brought to the big screen. Originally slated to debut on June 19, 2009,...

Cowboy Bebop Going Live-Action?

August 01, 2008 – Cowboy Bebop may be the next anime franchise to be made over as a live-action movie. iF Magazine (www.ifmagazine.com) reports that A Scanner Darkly producer Erwin Stoff is deve...

Scooby Takes on Goblin King

August 01, 2008 – The Mystery Machine rolls on as Warner Home Video preps the animated movie Scooby-Doo & The Goblin King for release on Sept. 23. The direct-to-DVD feature boasts a star-studded voice cast th...

Animatrix Goes HD in Ultimate Collection

August 01, 2008 – The direct-to-video animated feature The Animatrix will be available for the first time in high definition When Warner Home Video and Village Roadshow Pictures release The Ultimate Matrix...

Spore Animation Explored at SIGGRAPH

August 01, 2008 – Gamers around the world have been downloading the Creature Creator and building their own animated characters for the upcoming video game Spore, the latest innovation form SimCity cre...

Houdini 9.5 Debuts

August 01, 2008 – Side Effects Software has announced the release of Houdini 9.5. Introducing the 3D animation solution to the Mac community, the latest version is designed to significantly improve workflow and inte...

Princess and the Frog Teaser Online

July 31, 2008 – Disney will see if traditional animation can draw a crowd when it releases The Princess and the Frog, a 2D family film from Walt Disney Feature Animation that could mark the triumphant retur...

Sony Nibbles on Venom

July 31, 2008 – Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker contributed greatly to the extraordinary box office success of Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight, but can a super-villain carry an entire film? According to...

Raimi, Disney Do Superheroes

July 31, 2008 – Having helmed the blockbuster Spider-Man trilogy for Sony Pictures, filmmaker Sam Raimi is set to produce a superhero flick for Disney. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the hou...

Wonder Pets! Musicians Get Contract

July 31, 2008 – The American Federation of Musicians, Local 802, has reached an agreement with Little Airplane Prods., producers of the Emmy-winning animated preschool series The Wonder Pets! Earlier this w...

Nick Ups Borkent for Acquisitions, Programming

July 31, 2008 – MTV Networks Int’l has promoted Jules Borkent to senior VP of global acquisitions and international programming for Nickelodeon. In the newly created position will see Borkent lead global acquisiti...

VES to Fete Kennedy, Marshall

July 31, 2008 – After honoring such household names as James Cameron, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in past years, the Visual Effects Society (VES) will bestow its 2009 lifetime achievement award upon producer...

Autodesk to Host Virtual SIGGRAPH

July 31, 2008 – For those not able to attend this year’s big computer graphics confab, Autodesk is offering Virtual SIGGRAPH on its online community site, the Area, at http://area.autodesk.com/siggraph. A live str...

Marvin the Martian Coming to Big Screen

July 30, 2008 – Warner Bros. is developing a feature film based on the Looney Tunes character Marvin the Martian. Daily Variety reports that the film will mix CG animation and live action. Alcon Ent.’s Brod...

Year of the Fish Swims to U.S. Theaters

July 30, 2008 – Filmmaker David Kaplan’s independent animated feature Year of the Fish will have a limited U.S. theatrical engagement starting on Aug. 29. The modern-day, adult adaptation of Cinderella

Miyazaki’s Ponyo, Oshii’s Crawlers Compete in Venice

July 30, 2008 – Two animated features from Japanese masters have been selected to compete in the 65th annual Venice Film Festival. Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Gake no ue no Ponyo) and Ma...

Katzenberg, Cameron Kick off 3DX

July 30, 2008 – Daily Variety reports that DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and filmmaker James Cameron will be joined by Twentieth Century Fox filmed entertainment chair Jim Gianopulos in delive...

Nick Jr. Headed for Big Screen

July 30, 2008 – Nickelodeon and National Amusements will bring Nick. Jr. shows to theaters in the U.S. this summer with a preschool movie program dubbed “Nick Jr. at the Movies," Kicking off on July 31 in 36 theat...

4Kids Rolls with RollBots

July 30, 2008 – 4Kids Ent. has licensed the new animated TV series RollBots from Amberwood Ent. for broadcast in the U.S. during The CW4Kids Saturday morning block on The CW Network. Amberwood has also name...

Comic-Blog ’08: New BET Animation

July 30, 2008 – Reggie Hudlin, president of BET (Black Entertainment Television), unveiled footage from the upcoming BET Animation series including the The Black Panther and Hannibal The Conqueror at...

Nick Picks Up Eisner’s Glenn Martin

July 29, 2008 – Michael Eisner, former CEO of the Walt Disney Co., has sold a stop-motion animated series to Nickelodeon’s Nick at Nite. The network has ordered 20 episodes of Glenn Martin DDS and plans to ...

First Look at New Batman Toon

July 29, 2008 – If you missed the footage of Batman: The Brave and the Bold unveiled by Cartoon Network at Comic-Con over the weekend, you can now see it on AniMagTV (

Disney Orders More Phineas and Ferb

July 29, 2008 – Disney Channel has ordered an additional 13 episodes of the hit animated comedy Phineas and Ferb, bringing its second season to 39 episodes. The Emmy-nominated series created by Dan Povenmir...

Wonder Pets! Musicians File Charges

July 29, 2008 – The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AFM, filed unfair labor charges under the National Labor Relations Act against Little Airplane Prods. Inc., the makers of the hit animated pr...

Avatar, Freakazoid!, Tiny Toons Lead DVD Slate

July 29, 2008 – Six episodes of the Nickelodeon’s hit animated action series Avatar: The Last Airbender debut on DVD with today’s release of Book 3 Fire, Volume 4. Also hitting retail are the first s...

Academy Rediscovers George Pal

July 29, 2008 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will revisit some of the magical works of a visionary filmmaker when it presents “George Pal: Discovering the Fantastic” on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 7:3...

Polar Express 4-D Bound for Dollywood

July 29, 2008 – Kicking off on Nov. 8, Dollywood’s 19th annual Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival will feature The Polar Express 4-D Experience, a theme-park attraction based on the performance-capture movie...

New Pixar Teaser is Up

July 28, 2008 – The folks at Disney and Pixar have released a teaser trailer for the upcoming animated feature Up. The adventure story involving an old man, a young boy and a flying house is slated to hit t...

Dark Lights Up Box Office Again

July 28, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight reigned supreme at the box office again, taking in a whopping $75 million in its second week to drive its domestic gross well beyond the $300 million mark. The ...

Comic-Blog ’08: Disney’s Bolt

July 28, 2008 – Comic-Con attendees pack the biggest auditorium at the Los Angeles Convention center on Saturday to view footage upcoming Disney animated features. Directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard were ki...

Sony, CAPCOM Unveil Resident Evil Toon

July 28, 2008 – Comic-Con pass holders got a chance to check out some footage from Resident Evil: Degeneration, a CG-animated feature film coming from CAPCOM and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan Co. The ho...

Toon Boom Announces Studio 4.5, Flip Boom Classic

July 28, 2008 – Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced the upcoming release of Toon Boom Studio 4.5 and Flip Boom Classic. The enhanced products offer new features designed to streamline the animation process fo...

Aronofsky Confirmed for Robocop Redux

July 25, 2008 – MGM has confirmed that director Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream) is on board to helm a reboot of the Robocop franchise. Written by David Self (Road to Pe...

Legendary Helps Turn Gears of War

July 25, 2008 – New Line Cinema’s big-screen adaptation of the bestselling video game Gears of War is getting some financial aid from Legendary Pictures, according to Daily Variety. Having co-produce...

G.I. Joe Gets Animated for Adults

July 25, 2008 – Those who watched the ’80s cartoon series as kids will be happy to know that the G.I. Joe property is growing up as well. In addition to Paramount’s live-action movie set for Aug. 7, 2009, fans wil...

Disney Channel Airs Muppets Special

July 25, 2008 – Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the Muppets gang will be joined by some of the biggest stars with kids and tweens when Disney Channel presents Studio DC: Almost L...

Virgin Comics, Perspective Create MBX

July 25, 2008 – Virgin Comics and digital animation shop Perspective Studios are collaborating with acclaimed comic-book scribe Grant Morrison to launch a new intellectual property and animation franchise based on...

Stan Lee, Disney Team for Time Jumper

July 25, 2008 – What would Comic-Con be without an announcement from comic-book legend Stan Lee? The creator of such iconic Marvel superheroes as Spider-Man, The Hulk and the X-Men is working with Disney to launch...

Henson Taps Ewing to Sell Sid

July 25, 2008 – The Jim Henson Co. has appointed children’s television industry veteran Sam Ewing to handle the international sales of its newest property, a CG-animated preschool TV series titled Sid the Scien...

Afro Samurai Returns to Spike

July 24, 2008 – Samuel L. Jackson is back for more anime awesomeness as the voice of Spike TV's Afro Samurai in Afro Samurai: Resurrection, an original movie set to premiere in January. Emmy Award-nominated...

Robot Chicken Not Done with Star Wars

July 24, 2008 – Adult Swim assured Comic-Con attendees that it will give fans a follow-up to the Emmy-nominated animated special Robot Chicken: Star Wars. Premiering Nov. 16 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT), Robot ...

Wumblers Takes to the Skeye

July 24, 2008 – Skeye Inflight Ent. (www.skeye.tv) has picked up The Giddy Gander Co.’s animated children’s series The Wumblers and will add it to its lineup of entertaiment offerings for airline travelers....

Corus Shakes Up Management

July 24, 2008 – Corus Ent. has announced a number of changes to its senior management lineup. Effective Aug. 5, 2008, Scott Dyer will assume the role of chief technology officer, and Doug Murphy will assume the ro...

Watchmen Game Coming

July 24, 2008 – As fans of Allan Moore’s and Dave Gibbons’ award-winning graphic novel, Watchmen, eagerly await the debut of next year’s big-screen adaptation, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announc...

EA, DC Team for Mirror’s Edge Comic

July 24, 2008 – The worlds of video games and comics collide as DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio and WildStorm, an imprint of DC Comics, join forces to create an exclusive, limited-edition comic book based on ...

Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears Land in Cookie Jar

July 24, 2008 – Cookie Jar Ent. will acquire the American Greetings Corp. properties Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears for $195 million. The announcement comes after Cleveland, Ohio-based American ...

Nick’s Avatar Hits Ratings High

July 23, 2008 – Nickelodeon announced that its original animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, nabbed its highest ratings ever with its third season finale. The two-hour programming event titled Av...

Tortoise Joins Henson’s Unstable Fables

July 23, 2008 – Unstable Fables: Tortoise Vs. Hare, the second in a series of animated productions from The Weinstein Co. and Genius Products, will be released on DVD on Sept. 9 from. Created by The Jim He...

Paramount, Legacy Team for Movie Games

July 23, 2008 – Paramount Digital Entertainment and Legacy Interactive are developing video games based on the popular Paramount films Clueless, Mean Girls and Pretty in Pink. The girl-centric...

On the Bubble Bursts onto the Web

July 23, 2008 – Soft drink brand Sierra Mist will unveil its first animated web series, On the Bubble, during a Comic-Con panel discussion on Friday, July 25. Co-created by Adam de la Pena (Code Monkeys

Hasbro Drafted for Clone Wars

July 23, 2008 – On July 26, Hasbro will begin rolling out its line of toys based on Lucasfilm’s CG-animated theatrical feature and television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The movie will arrive in thea...

Cartoon Network Adapts Comics

July 23, 2008 – Cartoon Network has begun developing animated movies based on the comic books Firebreather and Mice Templar from Image Comics. In addition, IDW Publishing’s The Vanishers will ...

Ottawa Selections Announced

July 23, 2008 – The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announce the films that have been selected to compete in this year’s event, which takes place Sept. 17 -21 in Ottawa, Ontario. From the record...

Robot Chicken Star Wars Hits Disc

July 22, 2008 – Adult Swim’s hit stop-motion series takes aim at George Lucas’ space opera with Robot Chicken: Star Wars, which arrives on home video today after some delay. The disc was pushed back to coin...

Watchmen, Spirit Trailers Emerge

July 22, 2008 – Comic book fans can now get their first look at the upcoming major motion picture based on the bestselling graphic novel Watchmen. A trailer has hit the web, offering a glimpse at what appea...

DeAPlaneta Gets Planet 51 for Spain

July 22, 2008 – On the heels of Sony Pictures’ acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to the CG-animated feature film Planet 51 comes word that distributor DeAPlaneta has picked up the flick for Spain. ...

Disney Renews Content Deal with Greece’s ERT

July 22, 2008 – The Walt Disney Company’s EMEA TV distribution arm, Disney-ABC ESPN Television, has renewed its multi-year volume agreement with ERT, Greece’s top public TV broadcaster. The deal will increase ERT’...

South Park Season 11 Uncensored in August

July 22, 2008 – Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment will present the 11th season of South Park uncensored on DVD next month. Featuring the Emmy-nominated three-episode “Imagin...

Imageworks Awards Scholarships

July 22, 2008 – Sony Pictures Imageworks president Tim Sarnoff today announced the company’s second annual scholarship winners. From a record number of applicants, the selection committee chose four students who a...

Batman Makes Box-Office History

July 21, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight brought in $158.3 million since opening Thursday night, surpassing last year’s Spider-Man 3 ($151 million) to score the highest-grossing opening weekend ...

Imagi Courts U.S. Investors

July 21, 2008 – Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based animation studio Imagi will offer shares to U.S. investors via a secondary listing on the international OTCQX. The toon shop behind TMNT and the upcoming ...

Turbo Dogs Get Their Day on qubo

July 21, 2008 – Turbo Dogs, a new CG-animated action-comedy series from Scholastic, has been scheduled to debut on Oct. 3 on multilingual and multimedia programming platform qubo (www.qubo.com). In each epi...

Futurikon Flexes with Captain Biceps

July 21, 2008 – French animation house Futurikon tells us that it is launching a new animated series titled Captain Biceps at this year’s MIPCOM, taking place in October in Cannes, France. The show is based...

Porky, Tony the Tiger Grace VOICE 2008

July 21, 2008 – Bob Bergen, the current voice of Warner Bros.’ Porky Pig and Tweety, and Lee Marshall, the voice of Tony the Tiger, will be among the dignitaries attending the VoiceOver Int’l Creative Experience (...

Jimi Hendrix Makes Video Game Debut

July 21, 2008 – Wannabe guitar gods will soon get to live out one of their greatest fantasies—being Jimi Hendrix. The late rock legend will appear in a video game for the first time when Activision Publishing rele...

Space Chimps, Dark Knight Blast Off

July 18, 2008 – The CG-animated family film Space Chimps from Vanguard Animation and Starz Media gets off the launch pad today, soaring into the nation’s theaters along with Warner Bros’ latest Batman epic,...

France’s TeamTO Gets Funding for 3-D Toon

July 18, 2008 – Paris-based production company TeamTO is getting some financial aid in producing its first stereoscopic 3-D animated feature. Daily Variety reports that the entity will receive up to $95,000...

Nick Shows Go to Taiwan’s YOYO TV

July 18, 2008 – Leading Taiwanese children’s broadcaster YOYO TV has picked up more than 118 hours of animated programming from Nickelodeon. Established in 2005, the partnership between YOYO and MTV Networks Int’l...

Spike & Mike Site Launches

July 18, 2008 – For the first time in its 25-year history, The Spike & Mike Sick and Twisted Animation Festival is launching a consumer website at www.spikeandmike.com. Part of the Mondo Mini Shows Network, the si...

Watchmen, Batman Motion Comics Debut

July 18, 2008 – As Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight swoops into theaters, the studio today announced the launch of Warner Premiere’s Motion Comics, a new way for fans to enjoy graphic novels. The initiative ki...

Toei’s Digimon, Pretty Cure Found Online

July 18, 2008 – Toei Animation Co. Ltd. and Toei Animation Inc. will debut their two most popular animated series, Digimon Adventure 02 and Pretty Cure, online this month. Each anime show will be ava...

Emmy Noms Announced

July 17, 2008 – The Academy today released its list of nominations for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing Sept. 21 on ABC. The animation categories will again be relegated to the Creative Arts ceremony ...

Sit Down, Shut Up! Back in Production

July 17, 2008 – After walking out to protest Sony’s reluctance to grant them a WGA contract, writers are reportedly returning to FOX’s upcoming primetime animated series Sit Down, Shut Up! Deadline Hollywoo...

Wolverine Goes to Jetix Latin America

July 17, 2008 – Jetix Latin America has acquired pay television and basic subscription television rights for the new animated action series Wolverine and the X-Men. Based on the Marvel Comics franchise, the...

Book Offers Crash Course in Character Animation

July 17, 2008 – Award-winning animator and director Eric Goldberg has a new book coming out titled Character Animation Crash Course. Set to be published by Silman-James Press in September, the tome and acco...

Woo Loads Caliber Comic Pic

July 17, 2008 – Famed action movie director John Woo (Face/Off, Hard Boiled) has signed on to helm a filmed adaptation of the Radical Comics’ Caliber, according to Daily Variety. Johnny...

TELETOON Gives Go-Ahead to Go-Girl

July 17, 2008 – Canada’s TELETOON has ordered 26 half hour of Go Girl, a live-action/animation hybrid series from Independent Canadian Studio Blueprint Ent. The first TELETOON original production to feature...

Sony Cooks Up 3-D Meatballs for 2010

July 16, 2008 – Sony Pictures Animation's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be the studio's first animated release created specifically for stereoscopic 3-D. According to The Hollywood Reporter,...

Black Panther Sneaks at Comic-Con

July 16, 2008 – BET Networks and Marvel Animation will treat San Diego Comic-Con attendees to a special sneak peek at their upcoming animated superhero series, The Black Panther. BET's panel will take place...

JibJab Campaign Cartoon Hits Web

July 16, 2008 – JibJab, the company behind the 2004 animated Internet sensation This Land and last winter’s year-in-review video, Nucking Futs!, has released a new presidential campaign spoof featuri...

VeggieTales: Tomato Sawyer on DVD

July 16, 2008 – Big Idea Inc.’s VeggieTales: Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry’s Big River Rescue is now available on DVD. Young fans of the faith-based direct-to-video and theatrical release franchise ca...

Frank & Ollie Tribute Set for SIGGRAPH

July 16, 2008 – Animation Mentor (AnimationMentor.com), an online character animation school created by animators for animators, will host a panel discussion and tribute to the life, work and enduring legacy of Fr...

Cartoon d’Or Finalists Named

July 16, 2008 – CARTOON, the European Association of Animation Film, has announced the five finalists for the coveted Cartoon d’Or prize at the19th edition of Cartoon Forum, taking place Sept. 16-19 in Ludwigsburg...

Space Chimps Game Launched

July 16, 2008 – Brash Ent.’s video game based on the upcoming animated feature film Space Chimps has shipped to retailers nationwide. Featuring Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Patrick Warburton ...

Warner Bros. Orbits Capcom’s Lost Planet

July 15, 2008 – Warner Bros. is again taking on the tricky task of adapting a popular video game for the big screen. This time, the studio has signed on to distribute a pic based on the Capcom hit Lost Planet

Dark Knight Continues to Sell Out

July 15, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight continues on its path to bona fide blockbuster status. First, online movie ticket seller Fandango.com reported sold-out screenings of the Batman installment, an...

Lone Ranger, Zorro Ride on Disc

July 15, 2008 – Two masked men fight for justice in the old west in a new DVD release from BCI/Eclipse. The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger and Zorro Vol. 2 brings more episodes of the Filmation 1980s TV ...

Angelus Student Fest Names Semi-Finalists

July 15, 2008 – A total of 75 student films have been picked as semi-finalists in the 2008 Angelus Student Film Festival, which takes place at the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, Sept. 13. According to org...

Anthem Finds Sanctuary at SCI FI Channel

July 15, 2008 – Vancouver-based Anthem Visual Effects is single-handedly producing all the visual effects for 13 hour-long episodes of a new SCI FI Channel television series titled Sanctuary. Slated to air ...

EA Has RAGE for id Software

July 15, 2008 – Electronic Arts (EA) today announced that it has signed on to publish the latest video game from id Software, the award-winning development studio behind Wolfenstein, DOOM, QUAKE

Hellboy Scorches Competition

July 14, 2008 – Universal’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army earned an estimated $35.8 million to lead a somewhat week post-holiday weekend at the North American box office. Director Guillermo del Toro’s sequel ...

Wild Things Further Delayed

July 14, 2008 – Bringing a kid lit classic to the screen sounds like a slam-dunk proposition, but Warner Bros.’ $80 million adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is having trouble just ge...

Fly Me to the Moon Trailer Blasts Off

July 14, 2008 – Insects space out in 3-D this summer in the CG-animated family feature Fly Me to the Moon from Illuminata Pictures and nWave Pictures. Developed specifically for stereoscopic 3-D exhibition,...

Cleveland Voice Cast Grows

July 14, 2008 – The title character in FOX’s upcoming Family Guy spin-off is voiced by a white guy, and now his redneck neighbor will be voiced by an African-American actor. Daily Variety reports tha...

Fink Heads VFX at Frantic Films

July 14, 2008 – Academy Award Winner Michael L. Fink has been appointed president of visual effects worldwide for Frantic Films, a Division of Prime Focus Group. Working out of Frantic Films’ vfx facility in Holly...

Simpsons Gets Kidrobot Treatment

July 14, 2008 – Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening have joined forces with retailer Kidrobot to release the first-ever Simpsons vinyl toy mini-fi...

Hellboy, Journey, Dave Meet in Theaters

July 11, 2008 – The summer of CG effects continues as New Line Cinema's 3-D adaptation of the Jules Verne classic Journey to the Center of the Earth goes toe-to-toe with Universal's Hellboy II: The Golde...

DC, Warner to Form Super Strategy

July 11, 2008 – Warner Bros. is sure to make a killing with the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, but plans for its DC Comics properties are sketchy beyond that. Daily Variety reports that the two u...

TELETOON Adds 11 Shows for Fall

July 11, 2008 – Canada's TELETOON is giving its viewership something to look forward to this fall as it prepares to debut 11 new series. Chowder, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Ben 10: Alien Force

Saw Director Cuts EA's Dead Space Trailer

July 11, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. today announced the launch of "Loved Ones," a new trailer for the upcoming video game Dead Space. Directed by James Wan, one of the filmmakers behind the Saw horr...

Toon Boom Offers Summer Specials

July 11, 2008 – The price of a gallon of gas keeps going up this summer, but at least animation is getting cheaper for some. Emmy award-winning software company Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced that it has...

Space Chimps Clips Launch on Starz

July 10, 2008 – Actress Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) will introduce exclusive clips and other material from her upcoming CG-animated feature film Space Chimps as she hosts a day-long "Amazing ...

Bert, Ernie Make Clay Debut in August

July 10, 2008 – The previously announced clay-animated series The Adventures of Bert and Ernie will debut this August on PBS KIDS as a regular segment of the 39th season of Sesame Street. Animated by...

MySpace Gets "Kroft Kwikies"

July 10, 2008 – Need some bite-sized fixes of Land of the Lost or H.R. Pufnstuf? If so, head over to MySpace.com. The social networking megasite today announced that it has launched a new branded vid...

Blog Site for CG Garfield Hits the Web

July 10, 2008 – Dargaud Media production studios has announced the launch of The Garfield Show blog at www.thegarfieldshow-diary.com. The producers and artists behind the upcoming series will chart the proc...

Toei Mints New One Piece Site

July 10, 2008 – Toei Animation Europe launched a new website for the animated property One Piece. Announced at this year's Japan Expo in France, the site features complete series overviews, historical infor...

ASIFA Brings Click & Clack to Comic-Con

July 10, 2008 – As part of its Comic-Con ’08 plans, ASIFA-Hollywood will offer a behind-the-scenes look at PBS's new primetime cartoon based on the radio show Car Talk. Other activities will include an expl...

SCI FI Beefs Up Ani-Monday

July 10, 2008 – SCI FI Channel this month debuts new series and movies in its weekly Ani-Monday anime programming block. Airing Monday nights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the lineup will feature a collection of movies,...

Sony Claims Planet 51

July 09, 2008 – New Line Cinema's aborted mission has become Sony's new animation invasion plan. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has bought North American dis...

Elfquest Ventures to the Screen

July 09, 2008 – Wendy and Richard Pini's cult comic book series Elfquest is the latest fantasy epics to be picked up by a major motion picture studio. The Hollywood Reporter brings word today that Wa...

Despereaux Trailer Debuts Online

July 09, 2008 – Fans of Kate DiCamillo’s Newberry Medal-winning children’s book The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread can finally get their first lo...

Ottawa TV Conference Lines Up Keynotes, Pitches

July 09, 2008 – Brown Johnson, president of Animation for Nickeoodeon, MTVN Kids and Family Group, will deliver the opening keynote address at the fifth annual Television Animation Conference (TAC) taking place Se...

DreamWorks Ani, Intel Team for 3-D

July 09, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation and Intel Corp. have formed a strategic alliance to advance the art of stereoscopic filmmaking. Starting with next year's Monsters Vs. Aliens (March 27), the partnership...

Brave Little Toaster Scribe Dies

July 09, 2008 – Science-fiction fans are mourning the passing of author Thomas M Disch, whose children's book The Brave Little Toaster was made into a popular animated series by Disney. Internet reports say...

Feature Review: Batman Gotham Knight

July 08, 2008 – Heath Ledger's perfromance as a certain clown-faced bank robber will help sell tickets for Warner Bros.' upcoming live-action release, The Dark Knight, but there's much more to the Batman my...

Fly Me Producer Flies with Dragon

July 08, 2008 – Charlotte Huggins, producer of nWave's upcoming CG-animated stereoscopic 3-D feature film Fly Me To the Moon, is trading in insects for mythical creatures for her next project. According to ...

Nick Shows Go to the Olympics

July 08, 2008 – Nickelodeon is celebrating the summer Olympics with four new sports-themed episodes of the hit animated shows The Fairly OddParents, The Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer and

Animation Block Party Set to Roll

July 08, 2008 – The Fifth Annual Animation Block Party (ABP) is taking place July 25-27 in Brooklyn, New York. Festival favorites Hot Dog from Bill Plympton, Lapsus from Juan Pablo Zaramella and T...

SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7 to be Served with ICE

July 08, 2008 – Avid Technology's Softimage Co. today announced SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7, the latest version of its professional 3D animation software for games, film and television. The update will introduce a transformat...

Hancock to the Rescue for Sony

July 07, 2008 – Sony Pictures and actor Will Smith have pulled off another Fourth of July blockbuster weekend with the deconstructed superhero flick Hancock. The film opened on Tuesday night and managed an ...

Imagi Lands Big Investor

July 07, 2008 – As it prepares its feature-length version of the anime classic Astro Boy for theatrical release sometime next year, Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based animation studio Imagi is receiving a big...

R.I.P Bozo the Clown

July 07, 2008 – Larry Harmon, the entrepreneur who popularized Bozo the Clown more than 50 years ago, died of congestive heart failure on Thursday at the age of 83. Pinto Colvig, who provided the voice of Goofy in...

FUNimation Gets ARM, Geneon Anime Titles

July 07, 2008 – Navarre Corp.'s FUNimation Ent. has acquired distribution rights to a number of anime titles from ARM Corp. Later this year, FUNimation will begin releasing Devil May Cry, Murder Princess...

Anime Expo Issues Awards

July 07, 2008 – The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, the organization behind the annual Anime Expo, has anounced the winners of the 2008 SPJA Awards. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya turne...

Academy Picks Students for CG Internships

July 07, 2008 – The Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected three students to participate in its second annual summer internship program designed to provide r...

Blur, Fincher to Animate Goon Comic

July 03, 2008 – Eric Powell, creator of the Dark Horse comic book series The Goon, announced on his website (www.thegoon.com) that the property has been optioned by filmmaker David Fincher (Zodiac,

FX All Ears for Horton Hears a Who!

July 03, 2008 – The hit animated family feature Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! will make its free TV debut on FX. Daily Variety reports that the basic cable network has snatched up broadcast rights ...

Cartoon Net, Adult Swim Comic-Con Plans Set

July 03, 2008 – Cartoon Network and Adult Swim will again host panel discussions, signings and a number of other activities at this year's San Diego Comic-Con Int'l. Taking place July 24-28 at the Los Angeles Conv...

Halo Board Game Announced

July 03, 2008 – Genius Products Inc. and B1 Games have teamed to create the first board game based on bestselling Halo video game property from Microsoft and developer Bungie. Scheduled to arrive at retail ...

Astro Boy Zooms to Anime Expo

July 03, 2008 – Imagi Studios and Summit Ent. will be at Anime Expo 2008 this weekend to introduce attendees to the upcoming animated feature film Astro Boy. The companies will be at booths 913 and 915 with...

Box-Office Fireworks for Hancock?

July 02, 2008 – Casting the world's box-office champ as a reluctant superhero should pay off big for Sony Pictures as the Will Smith action-comedy Hancock opens in theaters today. The Tuesday night screenin...

Warner Bros. Picks Up Hiding in Time Comic

July 02, 2008 – As he works to bring George Miller's Justice League movie to the big screen, producer Dan Lin has boarded another comic-book adaptation for Warner Bros. Daily Variety reports that the...

Nick Nabs Ratings Milestone

July 02, 2008 – Citing Nielsen Media Research data, popular kids' cable network Nickelodeon has claimed its 53rd consecutive quarter as basic cable's top total-day performer with kids and all viewers. The 14-year ...

AOL Opens BigDownload.com

July 02, 2008 – AOL announced the launch of BigDownload.com, a new content and service site for the PC gaming audience. The first joint project between AOL Games and Weblogs Inc. (www.weblogsinc.com), the site pro...

Comic Book Challenge Names Top 50

July 02, 2008 – Platinum Studios Inc. today announced the top 50 contestants in The Comic Book Challenge, the company's international competition to find the next great comic-book creator. In addition to a shot at...

WGA Scribes Support Sit Down, Shut Up Writers

July 02, 2008 – A number of animation writers/producers who are members of the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) have come out in support of fellow scribes who walked off of FOX's new animated series, Sit Down, S...

Imageworks Takes on Heroic Projects

July 01, 2008 – With its work on the big-budget superhero satire Hancock set to splash onto screens this weekend, Sony Pictures Imageworks has released a rundown of all the projects currently in its pipelin...

Naruto, Samurai 7, Bravestarr on Disc

July 01, 2008 – Heroic television figures dominate this week's animated home video debuts as anime warriors and space cowboys arrive at retail. Fans can now pick up VIZ's release of Naruto Vol. 25, FUNimati...

Martha Speaks to PBS KIDS on Labor Day

July 01, 2008 – Young viewers will learn what happens when a dog suddenly acquires the extraordinary ability to talk as the new animated series Martha Speaks debuts on PBS KIDS this fall. Slated to premiere...

IFG Plows Into FARMkids

July 01, 2008 – International Film Group (IFG) has signed on to be the exclusive sales agent for Australian production company FARMkids in the Asia-Pacific region. The partnership has already yielded a television ...

LucasFilm, Toys 'R'Us Partner for Clone Wars

July 01, 2008 – George Lucas' Lucasfilm Ltd. and major retailer Toys"R"Us have joined forces to promote the highly anticipated August 15 theatrical release of the CG-animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The ...

HP Debuts Spore Creature Creator

July 01, 2008 – HP has announced the availability of its exclusive version of the Creature Creator, an application that allows gamers to create, paint, animate and share creatures for Spore, the upcoming si...

WALL-E In Top Gear at Box Office

June 30, 2008 – WALL●E from Disney and Pixar came out firing on all cylinders over the weekend, earning an estimated $62.5 million to claim the top spot at the North American box office. The animated ...

Dark Knight Selling Out

June 30, 2008 – Moviegoers who wait to buy their tickets at the door may find it hard to get into initial screenings of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Leading online ticket retailer Fandango.com re...

300 to Get Roman Numeral

June 30, 2008 – Despite the fact that all the heroes die at the end of Warner Bros.' 300, the hit sword-and-sandal epic apparently has a sequel in development. According to Daily Variety, graphic nov...

Racer X Ponders Becoming Billy Smoke

June 30, 2008 – Last seen on the big screen as the live-action Racer X in Warner Bros.'s adaptation of Speed Racer, actor Matthew Fox (Lost) is in talks to play the lead role in a WB action flick bas...

Nick Fires Up Avatar Movie

June 30, 2008 – Nickelodeon's animated phenomenon Avatar: The Last Airbender will conclude its Book Three with a two-hour television movie scheduled to air on Saturday, July 19 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) Titled ...

THQ Takes Gamers to the Center of the Earth

June 30, 2008 – THQ today announced the worldwide shipping of its handheld video game based on New Line Cinema's upcoming CG-laden adventure film Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D, which hits theaters ...

Pitch Party ’08 Results Are In!

June 30, 2008 – After several days of deliberation, our animation industry judges have finally weighed in, and we have the winners of the Seventh Annual Animation Magazine Pitch Party. In addition, we recei...

WALL●E Rolls into Theaters

June 27, 2008 – Disney and Pixar will see if they’ve managed to produce another animated blockbuster today as moviegoers line up to see WALL●E. Director Andrew Stanton had a tall order in topping his ...

Bolt Trailer Bow-Wows in Theaters, Online

June 27, 2008 – Moviegoers seeing Dsiney/Pixar’s WALL●E this weekend will be treated to the first trailer for Bolt, the upcoming CG-animated family feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. I...

Family Guy Among Emmy Contenders

June 27, 2008 – FOX’s Family Guy may be the first animated series to be nominated for a primetime Emmy Award in the Comedy category. For the first time ever, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has ...

South Park’s “Major Boobage” Explored

June 27, 2008 – The makers of Comedy Central’s South Park are giving fans an inside look at the making of “Major Boobage,” a recently aired episode inspired by the 1981 cult-favorite animated feature Hea...

Atom.com Re-launches with Comedy Central

June 27, 2008 – Viacom's MTVN Entertainment Group has re-launched popular online video site AtomFilms as Atom.com. The digital comedy network is dedicated to distributing original animated and live-action programm...

Relativity Wages War of Gods

June 27, 2008 – Having sparked new interest in sword-and-sandal epics with Warner Bros.’ 300, producers Gianni Nunnari of Hollywood Gang Prods. and Mark Canton of Canton Prods. Have teamed with Relativity Media’s ...

Feature Review: WALL●E

June 26, 2008 – What a great week to be an animation journalist. On Monday I got to watch Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Batman: Gotham Knight (stay tuned for the review), and Tuesday night offered a scr...

The Host to Surface Again

June 26, 2008 – The slimy, mutant fish creature from the hit Korean monster movie The Host is set to make a comeback. According to Daily Variety, Korea’s Chungeorahm Film, which produced the original...

New CG Garfield Goes to Cartoon Net

June 26, 2008 – Turner Broadcasting has picked up broadcast rights to the new CG-animated Garfield series from France’s Dargaud Media and plans to begin airing it on Cartoon Network in 2009. Dargaud is prod...

Tiger Aspect Spins Tinga Tinga Tales

June 26, 2008 – Tiger Aspect Prods. is going into production on Tinga Tinga Tales, a new animated preschool series commissioned by broadcasters CBeebies in the U.K. and Playhouse Disney in the U.S. Entertai...

Super Anime Day Coming to Florida

June 26, 2008 – Supercon Conventions will present Super Anime Day and Super Comic Day on Sept. 6 and 7 at the Davie P.A.L. in Davie, Florida. Kicking off at 11 a.m., Super Anime Day will be a day-long festival for...

Habbo Hits 100 Million Avatars

June 26, 2008 – Habbo, a popular virtual community for teenagers, today announced the creation of its 100 millionth animated avatar. Owned by Finish Company Sulake, the site launched in 2000 and has steadily grown...

DIC Plays with Gofish

June 26, 2008 – DIC, the Burbank-based global brand management company has tapped GoFish corporation to serve as its exclusive online advertising representative across the company’s network of sites.

As part ...

Di Bona, Devil’s Due Team for Comics

June 26, 2008 – Vin di Bona, the successful television producer behind America’s Funniest Home Videos and other shows, has formed Invisible Hand Studios and is teaming with Devil's Due Publishing to launch ...

Stanton Follows WALL●E with John Carter

June 25, 2008 – As Disney/Pixar’s WALL●E gets set to storm the box office this weekend, writer/director Andrew Stanton has started talking about his next project. The filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning, anim...

Ratatouille Enchanted, Land Saturn Awards

June 25, 2008 – Disney/Pixar’s Oscar-winning Ratatouille and Walt Disney Studios’ partially animated Enchanted nabbed top awards at the 34th Annual Saturn Awards, a presentation of The Academy of Sci...

MyToons Launches Animation Contest

June 25, 2008 – Online animation community MyToons.com today announced the launch of its latest contest for animators around the world. Get with the Times! is an HD animation competition that will send one ...

Domo Debuts on Veoh

June 25, 2008 – New York-based Big Tent Ent. has tapped Internet television service Veoh Networks (www.veoh.com) to host the first officially produced short-form series featuring the animated Domo character...

Gazoon's Savanna Expands Worldwide

June 25, 2008 – Monster Distributes has launched the dialogue-free, animated series Gazoon in more regions around the world. Broadcasters to pick up the show include NRK in Norway, Cartoon Network Japan, TV...

Persepolis, Futurama Debut on DVD

June 24, 2008 – Two big animated releases arrive on home video todayone an Academy Award-nominated true story of life during Iran’s Islamic revolution and the other a silly comedy about an intergalactic de...

10,000 B.C., Spiderwick Bring FX to Disc

June 24, 2008 – CG animation and other big-budget visual effects abound in two of today’s major home video releases. Prehistoric man encounters mammoths, terror birds, saber-tooth tigers and other menacing beasts ...

Watership Down Gets Deluxe

June 24, 2008 – Warner Home Video will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic animated fantasy film Watership Down with a deluxe edition DVD set to hit retail on Oct. 7. Based on British author Richa...

WALL●E Game Launches

June 24, 2008 – In advance of this weekend’s opening of the new Disney/Pixar feature, THQ has shipped its WALL●E game in North America for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS...

LAIKA Looks into Paranorman

June 24, 2008 – According to Daily Variety, Phil Knight’s Portland. Ore.-based LAIKA Animation has pitched Paranorman into the mix of flicks in the running to follow the stop-motion feature Corali...

China Braces for Storm Rider

June 24, 2008 – Storm Rider: Clash of Evils, an animated feature based on the bestselling Chinese comic book series Fung Wan, is slated open theatrically in China next month. According to Daily Va...

Paramount Hits $1 Billion for 2008

June 24, 2008 – The DreamWorks Animation feature Kung Fu Panda and other summer hits have helped Paramount Pictures become the first studio to reach $1 billion in ticket sales in North America this year. Th...

Smart, Panda Top Box Office

June 23, 2008 – Warner Bros.’ update of the ’60 television spy spoof Get Smart successfully infiltrated the North American box office over the weekend. The Steve Carrel vehicle earned an estimated $39 milli...

Mummy Trailer Unwraps Online

June 23, 2008 – Want to see new footage from Universal’s next Mummy movie and order pizza at the same time? You’re in luck because the latest trailer for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has pre...

Simpsons Tops EW’s Best Show List

June 23, 2008 – Entertainment Weekly (EW) has released its list of new classic TV shows, placing FOX’s The Simpsons at No.1 in the rundown of the 100 best television programs to debut between 1983 an...

IATV Adds Bandai Anime

June 23, 2008 – IATV, a cable network tailored to Asian Americans, has acquired severl anime series from Bandai as part of a programming overhaul, according to Daily Variety. Formerly known as ImaginAsian, ...

Anime Network, TVN Strike VOD Deal

June 23, 2008 – Anime Network and leading television-on-demand company TVN Entertainment Corp. have entered into a three-year VOD services partnership. The deal includes industry-wide distribution and asset/metada...

Comic and Toon Vet George Carlin Dies

June 23, 2008 – Best known for his controversial stand-up routine highlighting the “seven words you can’t say on TV,” comedian and actor George Carlin showed a more G-rated side later in his career by providing vo...

Cookie Jar, DIC Merge

June 20, 2008 – Cookie Jar Group has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with DIC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Cookie Jar will pay approximately $31.5 million for all issu...

Angus & Cheryl Go to Spain

June 20, 2008 – BRB’s animated children’s series Angus & Cheryl has been picked up by Spain’s Televisό de Catalunya and will premiere on Channel K3 on Monday, June 23. Co-produced with Screen 21, Tuba...

IMAX Going Digital with Madagascar

June 20, 2008 – Large-format cinema exhibitor IMAX plans to phase out its 70mm film output in favor of a digital projection system, according to The Hollywood Reporter. to a digital system of projection. Th...

Eon Kid Coming to DVD

June 20, 2008 – Anchor Bay Ent. is bringing the Kids' WB! Saturday morning series Eon Kid to DVD for the first time on Aug. 12. Eon Kid: Season One, Volume One will feature the first five episodes of...

Gameloft Plays with BBC’s Top Gear

June 20, 2008 – BBC Worldwide has entered a licensing agreement with video game publisher Gameloft to create a mobile game based on the BAFTA and Emmy-winning BBC television series Top Gear. Intended for th...

Iron Man Crosses $300 Million

June 20, 2008 – As The Incredible Hulk attempts to smash new competition in theaters this weekend, Marvel Studios’ and Paramount Pictures’ Iron Man passed a major milestone in retaining its status as...

Tinker Bell, Tim Burton to Join Walk of Fame

June 19, 2008 – The Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced this year’s list of inductees, which includes an iconic character from the Disney animated classic Peter Pan and...

Wiseman Turning Gears of War

June 19, 2008 – Len Wiseman, director of the Underworld films and Live Free or Die Hard, has been tapped by New Line to helm a movie based on Epic Games’ award-winning video game Gears of War,...

Bolt Games Set for November

June 19, 2008 – Disney Interactive Studios announced today that video games based on the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios feature, Bolt, will hit retail outlets in November. Developed by Avalanche Sof...

Puzo Estate Sues Over Godfather Games

June 19, 2008 – Anthony Puzo, son of late author Mario Puzo, has filed a lawsuit claiming that Paramount Pictures owes the estate royalties from the 2006 Electronic Arts video game based on The Godfather bo...

YouTube Screening Room Opens with Toons

June 19, 2008 – Online viral video sensation YouTube today announced the launch of The YouTube Screening Room (www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom), a dedicated destination for filmmakers around the world to distribut...

Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake in Hasbro’s Toy Box

June 19, 2008 – Hasbro has been named as the new worldwide master toy licensee for The American Greetings properties Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake, effective January 2009. Kenner, which became part of Hasbro...

FOX Behind Bob & Doug, Eh

June 18, 2008 – Those hosers from the Great White North are making a comeback in animated form and the FOX network has reportedly signed on to help with development. According to The Hollywood Reporter, FOX...

Highmore Wraps Bessons’ Arthur Sequels

June 18, 2008 – In an interview with SCI FI Channel’s SCI FI Wire, child star Freddie Highmore says that he recently laid down his last voice tracks for two upcoming sequels to French filmmaker Luc Besson’s largel...

Ovation Airs Dante’s Inferno

June 18, 2008 – Cable network Ovation TV will host the world television premiere of a new animated feature titled Dante’s Inferno on Thursday, June 19 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) as part of its week-long programming ...

Buzz Lightyear Joins Space Program

June 18, 2008 – Toy Story action figure Buzz Lightyear made his first appearance in zero gravity aboard the International Space Station to officially open the Toy Story Mania! attraction at Disney's Califor...

AFI Names Top Toons

June 18, 2008 – The American Film Institute (AFI) unveiled its list of the ten greatest movies in ten different American film genres during a three-hour special television event that aired Tuesday night on CBS. A ...

Jane and the Dragon Flies to DVD

June 18, 2008 – The hit animated children’s series Jane and the Dragon will make its home video debut on Aug. 19 when Shout! Factory releases the first five episodes as Jane and the Dragon: A Dragon’s Ta...

Monster Maker Stan Winston Dies

June 17, 2008 – We were stunned and saddened to learn of the untimely passing of visual effects legend Stan Winston. The four-time Oscar-winning make-up and animatronics wizard behind such blockbusters as the T...

Astro Boy Goes to Summit

June 17, 2008 – Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based Imagi Animation Studios has found a distributor for its upcoming CG-animated feature film Astro Boy. Based on Osamu Tezuka’s classic manga and anime property...

Aardman’s Shaun Flocks to Nintendo DS

June 17, 2008 – Young fans of Aardman Animations’ preschool series Shaun the Sheep will get to spend some time in the titular character’s wooly skin when the property becomes a video game for the Nintendo D...

Popeye, Jungle Book 2 on Disc

June 17, 2008 – Leading our list of home video releases for the week are a set of early Popeye cartoons from Warner Home Video and a special editions of the Disney features The Jungle Book 2 and T...

HIT Expands Ties with Aardman

June 09, 2008 – HIT Entertainment has been tapped to represent consumer products rights for Aardman Animation’s new preschool series Timmy Time in the U.S. HIT, a part-owner of U.S.-based preschool channel,...

Chapman Entertainment Opens Own Studio

June 05, 2008 – Fifi and Roary have finally arrived as they’re getting their own studio. U.K. family entertainment outfit Chapman Entertainment, which produces stop-frame animated preschool shows Fifi and the F...

VES Publishes Industry Credit Guidelines

June 04, 2008 – The Visual Effects Society (VES) has published the first-ever set of VES guidelines for titles and credits in the visual effects industry. The list has been vetted by VES members and ratified by th...

Writer Picked to Reboot ReBoot

June 04, 2008 – Rugrats scribe Jon Cooksey has been hired to script the an animated feature film based on the ground-breaking 1994 CG television series ReBoot. According to The Hollywood Reporter

Platinum’s Final Orbit on Film Flight Plan

June 04, 2008 – Platinum Studios is working with producer Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Motion Pictures to develop a feature film based on the Platinum comicbook Final Orbit, according to Daily Variety. ...

Willis Game for Kane Role?

June 04, 2008 – Despite its weak track record, Hollywood continues to mine the world of interactive entertainment in a bid to launch new franchises. The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that Lionsgate i...

Skunk Fu! Merchandising Hits the U.S.

June 04, 2008 – Galleon Holdings plc. announced today that the merchandising line based on its animated TV series Skunk Fu! is set to launch in the U.S. at the 2008 Licensing Show International, taking plac...

AOL Names Toy Story Top Toon

June 04, 2008 – America Online’s Moviefone site (http://movies.aol.com) has posted a list of what it considers to be the Top 25 Animated Movies of all time, placing Disney/Pixar's Toy Story at No. 1 spot. T...

Animation Show, Kenny on DVD

June 03, 2008 – Another collection of shorts from Mike Judge’s and Don Hertzfeldt’s touring theatrical showcase known as The Animation Show are available today on DVD. The Animation Show: Volume 3 fr...

Live-Action Beavis & Butt-Head?

June 03, 2008 – In a recent interview on the MTV Movies Blog, Mike Judge revealed that he is considering making a live-action movie based on his this MTV cartoon Beavis & Butt-Head. The catastrophe-creating...

Polar Express Producer Helps Build Robot Taekwon V

June 03, 2008 – Transformers 2 will get some home-grown competition in South Korea when Shin Cine unleashes Robot Taekwon V. According to The Hollywood Reporter, producer William Teitler (Z...

Total Drama Island Sold to Cartoon Network

June 03, 2008 – Cake Distribution’s animated reality show Total Drama Island has been acquired by Cartoon Network channels in the U.S., Latin America, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle Eas...

DECODE, mememe Dig Up dirtgirlworld

June 03, 2008 – DECODE Ent., a subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd., has teamed with Australia’s mememe prods. to co-produce an new animated preschool series titled dirtgirlworld. Commissioned by ABC (Australia), C...

CarpeDiem Opens Animation Station

June 03, 2008 – Canadian producer CarpeDiem is opening Animation Station Inc., a new toon studio based in central Montreal. The company has hired about a dozen employees, including studio manager François Vachon, ...

Transformers Crashes MTV Movie Awards

June 02, 2008 – Transformers, director Michael Bay’s adrenaline-pumping take on the classic toy line and animated television series, was named Best Movie at Sunday night’s MTV Movie Awards. Paramount’s I...

Niles’ Dead to Wake on Screen

June 02, 2008 – Peter Jackson’s Weta will create visual effects for a filmed adaptation of Wake the Dead, a bestselling graphic novel by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night). According to Daily Variety

Family Guy Attempts Emmy Coup

June 02, 2008 – For years, primetime animated series have been vying for a chance to compete with live-action fare in the Comedy category at the Emmys, rather than being limited to the animation contest. Now, ...

NCircle Brings Henson’s Sid to Vid

June 02, 2008 – NCircle Ent. has signed on as home video distributor of the The Jim Henson Co.’s new animated preschool series Sid the Science Kid. Henson is currently in production on 40 half-hour episodes...

Feature Review: Kung Fu Panda Delivers Kicks

June 02, 2008 – As much as I’ve enjoyed the growing number of animated features aimed at more adult audiences, I’m happy to report that the latest talking-animal-on-a-journey-of-self-discovery movie is more than t...

TV-Loonland, CarpeDiem Do Life

June 02, 2008 – TV-Loonland and Canadian company CarpeDiem Film & TV have announced the start of production on a new animated series titled My Life Me. TELETOON Canada and French broadcasters France 2 and C...

Watchmen’s Black Freighter to Be DVD Movie

May 30, 2008 – Fans of the bestselling Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons graphic novel Watchmen cheered at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con when it was revealed that director Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the D...

Cameras Roll on the Wachowskis’ Ninja Assassin

May 30, 2008 – As their live-action adaptation of the anime series Speed Racer flounders in theaters, Matrix creators Larry and Andy Wachowski have begun filming a new movie titled Ninja Assassin...

Korman Was a Cartoon Vet

May 30, 2008 – Actor Harvey Korman, best known for The Carol Burnette Show and such Mel Brooks films as Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety, passed away Thursday at the age of 81. In addition to...

Madhouse’s Kato to Appear at Anime Expo

May 30, 2008 – Madhouse animator Hiromi Kato will make a rare appearance as an official guest of honor at this year’s Anime Expo, taking place July 3-6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. ...

EM.Entertainment Sold to Studio 100

May 30, 2008 – EM.Sport Media AG has sold its entertainment division, previously known as EM.Entertainment, to Belgian media company Studio 100. A major provider of children’s and youth entertainment in the Benel...

9 Story Pacts with Licensing Shop

May 30, 2008 – Canadian entertainment production and distribution company 9 Story Ent. has named The Licensing Shop its exclusive worldwide (excluding Germany) licensing and merchandising representative. The firs...

Disney Mints Kingdom Comics

May 29, 2008 – Disney is starting up Kingdom Comics, a new label that will develop graphic novels for eventual film adaptations, according to Daily Variety. The studio has tapped Ahmet Zappa, former 20th C...

Lionsgate Adopts MGA’s Little Tikes

May 29, 2008 – Lionsgate has signed on as the North American home entertainment distributor for the Little Tikes brand from MGA Ent., the company behind the girls merchandising phenomenon Bratz. The multi-year de...

Disney Channel Set Free in Spain

May 29, 2008 – Kids throughout Spain will be able to watch the country’s most popular children’s programming outlet for free starting July 1, when Disney Channel Spain launches on Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT). Th...

Triggerfish Animates Studio 125’s Jessie D

May 29, 2008 – Triggerfish Animation in Cape Town, South Africa has informed us that it has completed a 14-minute episode of Me and Jessie D, a new children’s series from Alabama-based production company S...

NVIDIA Gives Away Gelato Pro 2.2

May 29, 2008 – NVIDIA Corp. today released its NVIDIA Gelato Pro 2.2 GPU-accelerated rendering software as a no-cost download at www.nvidia.com/gelatozone. Replacing the basic Gelato package, Gelato Pro 2.2 will ...

VeggieTales Program Expands

May 29, 2008 – Big Idea Inc., an Entertainment Rights group company, is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its animated VeggieTales franchise this year by expanding its licensing and merchandising campaign. Laun...

Geronimo Stilton Jumps to Radio-Canada

May 28, 2008 – Radio-Canada has pickes up Geronimo Stilton, the new animated kids’ television series produced by Atlantyca Ent. and Moonscoop Prods., in association with Mike Young Prods. The deal marks di...

qubo Has Turbo Dogs, Story Shop for Fall

May 28, 2008 – Multilingual and multimedia programming platform qubo will debut the Scholastic series Turbo Dogs and Sammy’s Story Shop as part of its new fall lineup. The qubo blocks on NBC, ION Te...

Toon Boom, FableVision Debut Animation-Ish

May 28, 2008 – Toon Boom Animation Inc. and educational publisher FableVision today announced the release of Animation-Ish, an innovative software program that allows people of all ages to create their own animat...

Kid Show Creator David Mitton Dies

May 28, 2008 – We’re saddened to hear of the sudden passing of children’s television veteran David Mitton, who wrote and directed more than 180 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine. At the time of his death,...

Harry Potter Actor Murdered

May 28, 2008 – The young British actor playing Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby in the upcoming Warner Bros. production Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was stabbed to death during a fight in London on...

Sony Acquires Bashir for U.S.

May 28, 2008 – Leave it to Sony Pictures Classics to bring poignant and award-winning foreign animated feature films to North American audiences. The label that recently brought us Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, M...

Robosapian Creator Licenses FOX Sports Robot

May 28, 2008 – WowWee Group Ltd., the Optimal Group company behind the popular Robosapian consumer robot, has been granted worldwide rights to market the CG-animated FOX Sports Robot that appears during NFL games...

Indy Digs Up Box-Office Gold

May 27, 2008 – Though he’s a little older and a little slower, everyone’s favorite archeologist proved he still has what it takes to make a killing at the box office. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cryst...

He-Man, Super Heroes Arrive from BCI

May 27, 2008 – Navarre Corp.’s BCI Eclipse debuts two heroic new DVD box sets today with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Volume Two and Advantage: Super Heroes Vol. 1. Also hitting retail sh...

Persepolis Gets Disc Date

May 27, 2008 – The Academy Award-nominated animated feature Persepolis from filmmakers Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud is coming this summer to DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Following a limited North America...

Starship Troopers 3 DVDtails

May 27, 2008 – Fans of the Starship Troopers franchise will soon see Johnny Rico fighting nasty CG bugs again as Casper Van Diem reprises the role in Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. Like the second ...

DIC, Vivendi Partner for Digital Distribution

May 27, 2008 – Vivendi Ent. and DIC Ent. have entered into a partnership to make DIC’s children’s programs available to consumers through a variety of online and mobile digital channels. DIC’s vast library of ani...

Pitch Party ’08 Gets Judges!

May 27, 2008 – Animation Magazine is thrilled to announce the first batch of distinguished industry professionals to sign on as judges for this year’s Pitch Party! Our seventh annual talent competition wil...

Cameras Roll on Terminator Salvation

May 23, 2008 – Warner Bros. has announced that principal photography on Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins has commenced in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, the fi...

Promising Start for Indiana Jones

May 23, 2008 – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seems well on its way to a phenomenal holiday weekend. Daily Variety reports that the film grossed an Estimated $4.5 million from mi...

Marvel Dishes Captain America, Thor Details

May 23, 2008 – If you stuck around for the end credits of Paramount’s Iron Man, you saw Samual L. Jackson as comic-book icon Nick Fury paying a visit to Tony Stark with the intention of recruiting him for ...

Skunk Fu! Kicks to Cartoon Network

May 23, 2008 – As further proof that Kung Fu-fighting animals are in vogue these days, Cartoon Network has picked up Skunk Fu! from Cake Distribution and plans to begin airing the animated series in the U....

Tommy Lee Gets Animated with Series

May 23, 2008 – Following in the footsteps of fellow rocker Gene Simmons (My Dad the Rock Star), former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is getting animated. According to Daily Variety, the tattooed bad...

Indy Jonze Satisfied in Theaters

May 22, 2008 – The traditionally lucrative Memorial Day weekend should be quite good to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas as their Indiana Jones franchise returns to the big screen with the first new adventure in...

Universal Gets Toonz’s R.L. Stein Toon

May 22, 2008 – Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions struck a deal with independent Indian producer Toonz Animation to acquire R.L. Stine's Mostly Ghostly, an animated feature from the mi...

Marvel Brings Runaways to the Screen

May 22, 2008 – Soaring high on the success of Iron Man, its first self-financed and produced feature, Marvel Studios has reportedly beefed up its development slate with a big-screen version of its Runaw...

Ross Takes Creative Stance at Jetix Europe

May 22, 2008 – Jetix Europe has appointed Orion Ross has been appointed to the newly created position of VP of original content and creative. Reporting to senior VP of programming Marc Buhaj, Ross will spearhead ...

Entity FX Gets in The Spirit

May 22, 2008 – Entity FX, a visual effects studio with facilities in Santa Monica, Calif. and Vancouver, British Columbia, has been tapped to complete 170 visual effects shots for the Odd Lot Ent.’s and Lionsgate...

Dayo Springs From Philippines

May 21, 2008 – Having served as a service hub for decades, the Philippines is beginning to produce original animated content such as the upcoming feature film Dayo from Cutting Edge Prods. Set for release ...

Csupo Sells Immigrants as Feature

May 21, 2008 – Immigrants, a 2D-animated adult series from Klasky-Csupo co-founder Gabor Csupo, has been sold to Hungary and Russia as an 89-minute feature film scheduled to debut in October. According to ...

Planet 51 Sold to TF1, Moviemax

May 21, 2008 – In further news coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, Daily Variety reports that TF1 in France and Moviemax Italia in Italy have acquired rights to the upcoming CG-animated family feature ...

Gyllenhaal is Prince of Persia

May 21, 2008 – If you’re a dashing young Persian actor struggling to get a break in Hollywood, you might think that a movie called Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time could be it. Then you find out that th...

Famous Frames Mobile Resurrects Stooges

May 21, 2008 – Moe, Larry and Curly are back and this time they’re computer-generated in a new mobile series launching as one of several new animated offerings at www.FFMI.com. An initiative of new media company ...

Backyardigans Go to Pirate Camp

May 21, 2008 – Nick Jr.’s hit preschool series The Backyardigans will show young viewers a swashbuckling good time with “Pirate Camp,” a new half-hour special premiering Monday, June 9 at 9 a.m. (ET/PT). K...

Ramachandra Heads Entertainment at Galleon

May 21, 2008 – U.K.-based intellectual property owner, manager and developer Galleon Holdings plc has hired MILIA award winner Mahesh Ramachandra as global director of entertainment. Working with Galleon CEO Step...

Richie, Scooby, Oban, Lost Turtles on DVD

May 20, 2008 – TV favorites dominate this week’s slate of animated home video releases as a trio of two-disc sets offer up episodes of The Richie Rich, Scooby-Doo, Oban Star-Racers and Tee...

Shout! Factory Gets Dinosaur King for DVD

May 20, 2008 – Shout! Factory and 4Kids Ent. today announced an agreement to bring the popular 4Kids TV animated series Dinosaur King to home entertainment. The multi-year deal makes Shout! the exclusive h...

Cartoon Network Mobilizes with kajeet

May 20, 2008 – Turner Broadcasting System has signed a deal to bring Cartoon Network content to kajeet (www.kajeet.com), a cell phone service made specifically for kids. Users of the unique pay-as-you-go mobile s...

Sesame Street Goes Airborne with Skeye

May 20, 2008 – Skeye Inflight Entertainment has become the exclusive airline distributor of children’s programs produced by Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street. Now avai...

Wild Canary Flies in Burbank

May 20, 2008 – Richard Marlis, former exec VP of Klasky-Csupo’s commercial division, ka-chew!, and Carmen Italia, an advertising/marketing exec and founder of Italia Partners, today announced the opening of Wild ...

Prince Caspian Reigns in Theaters

May 19, 2008 – The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media conquered the weekend box office with a respectable $56.5 million opening. While it managed to boot Paramo...

Mummy Trailer Online

May 19, 2008 – As fans get amped up to see Indiana Jones return this weekend, Universal has released a first look at the third film in its successful Mummy franchise, which is largely inspired by the expl...

Fancast to Stream South Park

May 19, 2008 – Fancast, a video-on-demand initiative of Comcast Interactive Media, is expanding its offerings with the addition of Comedy Central’s hit animated show South Park and other programs from Viac...

Users Flood the Web with Ben 10 Games

May 19, 2008 – Cartoon Network has announced that its Ben 10: Alien Force Game Creator has seen more than 380,000 fan-created games launch last week at CartoonNetwork.com. Based on the new animated series,...

DAZ 3D Lowers Bridge to Photoshop

May 19, 2008 – DAZ 3D, a developer of professional-quality 3D software and models, today announced the immediate availability of the DAZ Studio3D Bridge plug-in for Photoshop. The application allows users to auto...

Prince Caspian Takes on Iron Man

May 16, 2008 – Paramount’s Iron Man proved its mettle last weekend as it successfully fended off challenger Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Now the Marvel superhero flick will likely bow to Prince ...

Totally Spies! Movie Coming

May 16, 2008 – France’s Marathon Media is bringing its animated TV series Totally Spies! to the big screen, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Co-produced by Orange’s Studio 37, the $12 million mo...

Student Academy Award Winners Picked

May 16, 2008 – Three animators are among the eleven students from eight colleges and universities that have been named winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 35th Annual Student Academy Award...

Bickford’s Prometheus’ Garden on DVD

May 16, 2008 – In the world of animation, Bruce Bickford is a true original. The independent filmmaker’s work in clay is a mash–up of irrepressible childish exuberance and adult desires and insecurities. What unf...

Comedy Central Lights Up Home Grown

May 16, 2008 – The smoke may have cleared from 4/20, but Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment are growing something special for those craving a fix of far-out humor. Featuring select...

Animation Show Vol. 3 Bound for Disc

May 16, 2008 – Another collection of shorts from Mike Judge’s and Don Hertzfeldt’s touring theatrical showcase known as The Animation Show will be available on DVD on June 3. The Animation Show: Volume ...

Columbia Gets Goosebumps

May 15, 2008 – Columbia Pictures has acquired movie rights to Scholastic Media’s bestselling Goosebumps book series from author R.L. Stein. A feature film based on collection of kid-friendly creepy tales w...

Jackson, Del Toro Chat About Hobbit

May 15, 2008 – J.R.R. Tolkien devotees will soon be able to interact with two of the driving forces behind the upcoming big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit. Producer Peter Jackson and director Guillermo de...

LEGO Indiana Jones Demo Online

May 15, 2008 – With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hitting theaters next week, Microsoft Corp. and LucasArts are offering gamers an exclusive playable demo of the upcoming LEGO India...

Dodgers Launch “Hit a Homer” Promo

May 15, 2008 – Universal Studios Hollywood and professional baseball organization the L.A. Dodgers have teamed up to offer kids a chance to strap into the new Simpsons Ride at the Universal theme park. Run...

Comedy Central Gets Atom TV

May 14, 2008 – During its UpFront presentation, Comedy Central announced that it has added Atom TV to its 2008-2009 lineup. Bringing the best shorts and webisodes from Atom.com to the tube, the show will premiere...

Disney’s Star Wars Weekends Shape Up

May 14, 2008 – Lucasfilm has announced some events scheduled for this year's Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from...

TV-Loonland Sells Rights Back to Hasbro

May 14, 2008 – TV-Loonland AG is selling all its rights to the “Hasbro Classics Library” back to toymaker Hasbro Inc. Under the terms of the deal, Hasbro will pay TV-Loonland $7 million for the catalog, which inc...

Los Angeles Film School Offers Game, Animation Degrees

May 14, 2008 – The Los Angeles Film School has added two degree offerings for students interested in working in video games and animation. Begining this September, students will be able to sign up for an associat...

DePaul Adds Animation Degree Programs

May 14, 2008 – In order to help meet the rising demand for animators, DePaul University in Chicago recently launched two degree programs in animation through its College of Computing and Digital Media's School of...

Fable, Sparx Unbox Cereal Heroes

May 14, 2008 – Film production and animation company Fable Works LLC is producing an original 3D-animated feature film titled Cereal Heroes! for theatrical release in 2010. Currently in pre-production, the pic wi...

Drawn Together Leads Disc Charge

May 13, 2008 – Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment today releases Drawn Together Season Three: Uncensored on DVD. Featuring an extended version of each episode, the two-disc ...

Aniboom Animates I-play Properties

May 13, 2008 – Aniboom, an independent animation network fed by talent from around the world, has teamed with Oberon Media’s multi-platform casual games publisher, I-play, to create animated serial content based...

Weinsteins Board Fraggle Rock Pic

May 13, 2008 – The Weinstein Co. has signed on to distribute the Fraggle Rock feature film being developed by the Jim Henson Co., according to Daily Variety. Cory Edwards, who previously directed th...

Playhouse Disney Teaches Alligator Manners

May 13, 2008 – The June 21 premiere of a new animated short-form series titled Can You Teach My Alligator Manners? will kick off “Super Duper Summer Saturdays” on Playhouse Disney, Disney Channel’s prescho...

Electric Company Returns

May 13, 2008 – The immortal words “Hey you guys!” will be shouted once again as Sesame Workshop throws the switch on an all-new version of classic kids’ show The Electric Company. Production begins today, ...

KidsCo Launches in Hong Kong

May 13, 2008 – Children’s programming channel KidsCo, a joint venture of NBC Universal, DIC Ent. and Corus Ent., has debuted in Hong Kong via a major broadcast agreement with Hong Kong’s PCCW Now TV. This latest ...

Televisa Takes Taffy’s Fantastic Four, Creepie

May 13, 2008 – Top Mexican broadcaster Televisa has purchased free TV rights to Taffy Ent.’s animated series Growing Up Creepie and The Fantastic Four. The deal was completed in partnership with Hol...

GTA 4 Makes Record Book

May 13, 2008 – World-record authority Guinness today confirmed that Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto IV has smashed the record for day-one grosses generated by a video game and any entertainment pro...

Win a Signed Garfield Animation Cel!

May 13, 2008 – In celebrating Garfield’s 30th Anniversary and today’s home video release of Garfield: A Cat and His Nerd, Fox Home Entertainment and Paws Inc. have given us an original Garfield animation c...

Iron Man Beats Speed Racer

May 12, 2008 – The summer’s second big release put the pedal to the metal over the weekend, but Warner Bros.’ Speed Racer didn’t have quite enough gas to pull past Paramount Pictures’ release of Marvel Ent...

Madagascar Escapes 2 IMAX

May 12, 2008 – IMAX Corp. and DreamWorks Animation SKG today announced that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will be released in IMAX theatres worldwide on Nov. 7, 2008. The animation studio’s next five theatri...

Chipmunks Return in 2010

May 12, 2008 – When the first movie based on Ross Bagdasarian’s high-pitched trio of rodents made more than $358 million worldwide, a sequel became inevitable. Now Daily Variety reports that 20th Century F...

Witchblade Movie Greenlit

May 12, 2008 – Having sold more than 100 million copies worldwide since its 1995 debut, the Top Cow comic-book property Witchblade is set to hit the big screen through a partnership with Platinum Studios a...

Imageworks Adds Schools to IPAX Program

May 12, 2008 – Seven new educational institutions have been accepted into Sony Pictures Imageworks' Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program.
After a rigorous review process, Brigham Young University, Ca...

Speed Racer Roars Into Theaters

May 09, 2008 – Tatsuo Yoshida’s classic manga and anime series finally makes its way to the big screen today as Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' Speed Racer drifts into theaters. Featu...

Pirates Helmer Adapting Bioshock

May 09, 2008 – Having directed all three of Disney’s blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Gore Verbinski is on board to adapt one of the past year’s most popular video games. Universal Pictures has...

SIGGRAPH Nominees Named

May 09, 2008 – ACM SIGGRAPH has announced the award nominees for the SIGGRAPH 2008 Computer Animation Festival, taking place in Los Angeles this summer. Nominees were chosen from more than 900 submissions from pr...

Routh Takes on Dylan Dog

May 09, 2008 – While his future as the Man of Steel is in question, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh remains firmly rooted in the world of comic books. According to Daily Variety, the actor has b...

Animation Book Look Back In LA

May 09, 2008 – The Van Eaton Galleries and The Creative Talent Network in Los Angeles will co-host the second annual Animation Book Look on Saturday, May 17. Sponsored in part by Animation Magazine, the un...

Second Life Doc Debuts

May 09, 2008 – Dutch production company Submarine today began rolling out Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey, a documentary made entirely in Linden Labs’ online virtual real...

Aniboom Announces Radiohead Semifinalists

May 08, 2008 – Online animation network Aniboom (aniboom.com) has announced the ten semifinalists in its animated music video competition revolving around the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows. The site i...

Igor Trailer Hits the Web

May 08, 2008 – After hearing about Exodus Film Group’s upcoming CG-animated feature film Igor for years, a trailer has finally surfaced. The Weinstein Co. is handling worldwide distribution for the film, w...

nWave Takes 3D Trip Around the World

May 08, 2008 – Belgian animation studio nWave Pictures will follow up its first narrative CG-animated family film, Fly Me to the Moon, with a stereoscopic 3D adventure titled Around the World in 50 Year...

Taffy Makes Post-MIP Sales

May 08, 2008 – Following a successful MIPTV market, Taffy Ent. has sold a number of its popular animated series to broadcasters across five continents. The latest raft of deals will introduce new audiences to ...

THQ Picks DreamWorks’ Master Mind

May 08, 2008 – DreamWorks Animation has tapped THQ Inc. to develop and publish video games based on the studio’s upcoming animated feature film Master Mind (working title). The movie is currently slated to...

THQ Joins Marvel’s Super Hero Squad

May 08, 2008 – In addition to taking on DreamWorks Animation features starting in 2010, game maker THQ Inc. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Marvel Ent. to create video games based on the up...

Comic Fans Get Spirit for Christmas

May 07, 2008 – Frank Miller’s big-screen adaptation of the Will Eisner comic book series The Spirit is coming to theaters sooner than expected. Previously set to open on Jan. 16, the Lionsgate release will...

More on Marvel’s Super Hero Squad

May 07, 2008 – On Monday, we reported (www.animationmagazine.net/article/8284) that Marvel Ent. was developing a number of feature films...

Autodesk Closes Kynogon Acquisition

May 07, 2008 – Autodesk Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Kynogon SA, the privately held maker of Kynapse artificial intelligence middleware. Kynapse has been used to develop more than...

GTA 4 Busts Sales Records

May 07, 2008 – Despite protests by concerned parent groups, Take-Two Interactive Software’s
Grand Theft Auto IV has set a new record for first-day and first-week video game sales. Released on Tuesday, Ap...

Clone Wars Trailer Hits the Tube

May 07, 2008 – The Force is with Turner Broadcasting as five of its networks get set to air the world-premiere trailer for the upcoming CG-animated theatrical release Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Cartoon Net...

Oscar Shorts on Disc

May 06, 2008 – After a limited North American theatrical run in February, the Oscar-nominated short films for 2007 make their way to home video today. The program includes a variety of festival-favorite animated ...

Chris Wedge Adapting Hugo Cabret

May 06, 2008 – Chris Wedge, director of Fox Animation/Blue Sky’s Ice Age and Robots, is reportedly set to make his live-action directorial debut. According to Daily Variety, he will helm Warner Bros.’ film...

MTV Nominates Movies

May 06, 2008 – Animated features have largely been snubbed, but visual effects-driven pics are well represented in this year’s group of nominees for the MTV Movie Awards. Sony’s comedy Superbad leads the p...

Simpsons, Nick.Com Snag Webbys

May 06, 2008 – The official web site for 20th Century Fox’s The Simpsons Movie won the top prize and was also voted the People’s Voice winner in the Movie and Film category for this year’s Webby Awards. Ot...

ER Launches Channel on YouTube, Joost, Babelgum

May 06, 2008 – Entertainment Rights Plc (ER) has partnered with leading internet video sites YouTube, Joost and Babelgum to launch the Retro Heroes channel. The multi-platform initiative will offer online access ...

Spielberg, EA Debut Boom Blox