Animation News

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

20th Century Fox has picked up the film adaption rights to Tor Seidler's children's book WAINSCOTT WEASEL. 3-D Animation studio Blue Sky will handle the film. The book centers on Bagley Brown Jr., an eye-patching wearing weasel living in Wainscott Woods that must save Bridget the beautiful bass after their home is threatened by drought and an osprey. Chris Wedge (ICE AGE) will likely direct and Seidler will likely be one of the screenwriters.

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Three anime movies, two of which were directed by visionary filmmaker Satochi Kon (Perfect Blue), have made it to the second round at the Academy. Whether they'll make it to the final nominations in up in the air, but Pokemon Heroes, Millenium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers (a remake of the classic story where three men take responsibility for an abandoned child, most remembered in the Tom Selleck comedy Three Men and A Baby and the John Wayne Western, 3 Godfathers). Still, Pokemon and Kon have to beat such bigname entries as Finding Nemo, Brother Bear, and Looney Tunes: Back In Action.

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

Buena Vista will start accepting orders December 5, 2003 for a replica of Nausicaa's rifle from Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The replica, limited to 100 pieces, will be 150 cm long (about 60 inches) and will come in a wooden case with three shotgun shells and serial number. The application period will end January 30, 2004 and applicants will be contacted in February. If more than 100 orders are received, Buena Vista may use a lottery to choose who will be able to buy the replica.

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Fox has made a deal with King of the Hill writer Etan Cohen, keeping him on as a writer and co-executive producer for two more seasons, with an option to create a pilot as well.

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

Walt Disney Co. earned $415 million in the quarter ended September 30, a 137% improvement on results in the same quarter last year, the company announced today. Revenues rose 5% to $7.0 billion.

For the year ended September 30, Disney earned $1.27 billion, a 3% improvement on last year's earnings of $1.24 billion. Annual revenues rose 7% to $27.1 billion.

Strong fourth quarter results were driven by the company's Studio Entertainment and Media Networks division, which offset continued weakness at its theme parks. Annual revenues at the Parks and Resorts division was flat at $6.4 billion but operating income fell 18% to $957 million. Disney blamed continuing softness in the tourism market and higher costs related to employee benefits and pension expenses, and it warned that such expenses will increase in 2004. Disney was also hurt by the elimination of royalty fees from the troubled Euro Disney theme park. For the quarter, revenues were flat at $1.6 billion and operating income fell 4% to $225 million.

But the company's film distribution performed strongly during the year, thanks to the success of Pixar Animation's Finding Nemo, which Disney distributed, and its own home-grown Pirates of the Caribbean and Freaky Friday. Quarterly revenues rose 9% to $2.2 billion and operating income nearly tripled to $205 million. For the year, studio revenues jumped 10% to $7.4 billion and operating income doubled to $620 million.

Annual revenues at its Media Networks division, which includes broadcaster ABC and cable networks Disney Channel and ESPN, rose 12% to $10.9 billion and operating income jumped 23% to $1.2 billion. During the quarter revenues rose 8% to $2.6 billion and operating income almost doubled to $298 million. The company credited an improving advertising market and higher cable affiliate fees for the improvements.

The company's Consumer Products businesses saw annual revenues fall 4% to $2.3 billion and operating income fell 3% to $384 million. During the quarter revenue fell 2% to $560 million but operating income rose 24% to $102 million. The company blamed continued deterioration at its Disney Store unit for the lackluster results. Disney says that it continues to pursue plans to sell or otherwise dispose of the unit.

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

Marketing veteran Dennis Rice has been named svp, publicity for Buena Vista Pictures marketing and Heidi Trotta has been elevated to the position of svp, communications for The Walt Disney Studios.

In making the announcement Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook said, "Heidi has done a tremendous job overseeing the publicity department and the film publicity campaigns, which certainly have contributed to the enormous success the studio is enjoying this year. She is a team player and knows the studio inside and out and I am extremely happy that she will now be overseeing all areas of studio communication. "Cook added, "We are very fortunate that Dennis is returning to the Disney family, with his knowledge of films and his vast marketing experience; I know the publicity group is in the best of hands."

In his position, Rice, who will report directly to Oren Aviv, president, BVPM, will oversee all areas of film publicity, including national publicity, field marketing, creative materials (both broadcast and photo) for both live-action and animated films. Additionally, Rice will formulate and execute all publicity campaigns.

"Returning to Disney is like coming home," said Rice. "To have an opportunity to work for the best and most successful marketing and publicity organization in the business is, both, an honor and a privilege. I look forward to working with Oren (Aviv) and the rest of his terrific team."

Trotta, reporting directly to Cook and working closely with Zenia Mucha, svp, corporate communications for The Walt Disney Co., will be responsible for the overall communication and publicity strategy for the studio, including legit, feature films, music and home entertainment divisions. Trotta will also oversee all award campaigns.

"I can't thank Dick enough for the extraordinary opportunity he has given me at Disney. First, by putting the incredible publicity teams for both the feature and home entertainment areas in my hands, and now the tremendous opportunity that lies ahead with this expanded role at the studio," commented Trotta. "Working with Oren over the past four years has been the most invaluable professional experience of my career� I look forward to working with him and his amazing marketing team in my new capacity."

Prior to joining Disney, Rice was founder and president of Entertainment Marketing and Licensing Inc., where he worked as a consultant with various companies, including The Walt Disney Studios, MGM, Walden Media, The Anschutz Entertainment Group, Crusader Entertainment, Intermedia/Summit Entertainment, among many others. His most recent accomplishments include the successful releases of Jim Cameron's GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS and Disney's HOLES. From 1999 to 2002, Rice was president of theatrical marketing for Miramax. He was responsible for the release of more than 30 films per year, including such successes as SCREAM 3, SCARY MOVIE, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, CHOCOLAT, SPY KIDS, BRIDGET JONES' DIARY and NOTTING HILL.

Rice also served as president, worldwide marketing and publicity, Universal Studios, October Films division from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that he was svp of marketing for Buena Vista Home Entertainment, where he helped triple the division's sales. He marketed such Disney video properties as ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING and HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS.

Trotta, joined The Walt Disney Studios in 1990 as director, publicity, advertising and promotions for both Walt Disney and Touchstone Television. She was promoted to vp in 1995. During her tenure, she oversaw campaigns for such television series as EMPTY NEST, SPORTS NIGHT and FELICITY.

She devised the publicity campaign for the re-launch of The Wonderful World of Disney franchise, which produced such films as CINDERELLA, starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, and ANNIE, starring Kathy Bates. She was named svp, publicity for The Walt Disney Studios in 1999, overseeing publicity campaigns for both Buena Vista Pictures Marketing and Buena Vista Home Entertainment divisions, including REMEMBER THE TITANS, THE ROOKIE, SIGNS, LILO & STITCH, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, TOY STORY 2, MONSTERS, INC., FINDING NEMO, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, FREAKY FRIDAY, OPEN RANGE and PRINCESS DIARIES.

Prior to joining Disney, Trotta was a publicist at Warner Bros. Television, where she launched such series as CHINA BEACH and LIFE GOES ON. She in turn was honored with the Maxwell Weinberg Showmanship Award for her publicity campaigns on both series, the first publicist to ever receive the prestigious honor two years in a row. Trotta began her publicity career in 1981 at Columbia Pictures Television and later moved to MGM, launching the successful series, THIRTYSOMETHING.

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

Production has been halted on the Walt Disney Co.'s A FEW GOOD GHOSTS at Feature Animation in Orlando, Florida (BROTHER BEAR, LILO & STITCH and MULAN) due to creative differences and subject matter deemed not "universally appealing." The shutdown falls on the heels of recent closures (Paris and Tokyo) and layoffs, including 50 at the Orlando facility. It also puts into doubt the future of the Orlando facility, which employed 258 artists and staff on GHOSTS, a 2D/3D hybrid directed by Barry Cook (MULAN). Set to bluegrass music, the voice cast included Hal Holbrook, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin.

According to a company response, "We have shut down production on A FEW GOOD GHOSTS due to [a] variety [of] creative reasons. At this point in time it is undetermined if there will be layoffs or not. We are exploring our options and looking at our overall development slate to determine our next steps with the many talented animators." A decision on the fate of the Orlando facility is expected in January, as consolidation continues to swirl around the studio's home base in Burbank.

The beleaguered GHOSTS (previously titled MY PEOPLES and ANGEL AND HER NO GOOD SISTER) got caught in the continuing struggle to redefine feature animation at Disney, not only in terms of the trendier computer animation style popularized by Pixar but also in terms of commercial appeal. The plot centers on a group of ghosts inhabiting folk art dolls.

Meanwhile, BROTHER BEAR collected another $12M in its fourth weekend at the box office, bringing the total to $63M.

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

Powerhouse Animation will do the animation for the upcoming Clerks animated movie, and will do it totally in Flash, Joe Steinkamp reports from Wizard World Texas. He saw and was impressed by a test reel; you can view "Heroes", the online cartoon that convinced Kevin Smith to go with Powerhouse here.

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Joe Steinkamp of ISN News was at Wizard World Texas in Arlington over the weekend, where he attended the premiere screening of Justice League's Christmas episode "Comfort and Joy" and the Paul Dini question-and-answer session afterward. He sends highlights in to Toon Zone, including news about a new Batman video project.

Beefy · **Beefy**

Synch-Point will be discontinuing the 20-page bonus booklets included with FLCL DVDs 1-3. After airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, demand for FLCL DVDs has gone up and Synch-Point can't keep up and is trying to streamline the production process.

So as of late 2003 all FLCL DVDs will include a 2-page insert instead of the 20-page booklet. Synch-Point says they'll include the booklet's content on their website.

Consumers can tell the difference between the DVDs with the booklet and the new DVDs with the insert by the black "Extras Include:" sticker on the packaging.

Full article can be found here.
_________________
"Robots don't say 'ye'."
"I'll show ye!"

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

This first one isn't so much of news as it is closer to a reminder.

After FINAL FANTASY: SPIRITS WITHIN failed, Square Enix announced they wouldn�t make anymore films. Well it would seem this was a little premature.

Fans of FINAL FANTASY VII will be pleased to hear that this movie will serve as a sequel to the game and tie up all those loose ends. FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN will be an hour-long movie created all in CG graphics and will go straight to DVD.

Tetsuya Nomura (the guy who designed the original characters from FINAL FANTASY VII) is directing and the DVD should be out summer 04 in Japan, but no dates have been set for the rest of the world yet.Mbr<
The movie is set 2 years after the apocalyptic ending of the original game. All that is known so far is that Cloud and Sephiroth both return.

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No this isn�t Prince Valiant, this is a new movie called VALIANT, about a wood pigeon of the same name. It tells how he overcomes his small size, to become a huge hero in Great Britain's Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during World War II. If that doesn�t sound spiffing enough, checkout the cast. Ewan McGregor will voice Valiant, Sir Ben Kingsley will voice a feared German falcon leader called General Keyserlingk and Jim Broadbent, Rupert Everett, Hugh Laurie, John Hurt and Ricky Gervais have all signed on for various parts.

Nobuyuki · **Nobuyuki**

TVShowsonDVD.com's David Lambert says he has confirmed with World Events Productions that DVDs for Voltron: Defender of the Universe are "in-the-works for 2004, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the show."

Quote:
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As part of the 20-year anniversary, Voltron: Defender of the Universe will be seen on DVD, in a new line of toys from Toynami, and in comic books that are already on the market from Devil's Due Comics. Also possible is a brand-new Voltron television series, but that is still in-the-works and under wraps.
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In related news, the December edition of Wizard Magazine's Anime Insider also confirms that a new Voltron series, tentatively titled Voltron: Interactive, is indeed in production. WEP's managing director Tiffany Ilardi says, "Nostalgic fans are eager for a new Voltron series to be produced." And WEP "promises that the fourth installment will stay true to the [original] classical style....[with] a new edge that will interest old and new fans alike."
_________________
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."- C.S. Lewis
Wink

"Superman can't be emo. He can't cut himself."-CP

Fodder · **Fodder**

Ah so it will be the Lions then. Since no one remembers the other voltrons. The interactive part worries me. The last time i remember interactive TV. It involved flashing images that caused seizures.

Nobuyuki · **Nobuyuki**

POW! Entertainment To Be Acquired by Arturion Entertainment; Reverse Acquisition of Publicly Traded Entity to Expand POW! Business

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003--Arturion Entertainment, Inc. (Pink Sheets:ARUR), an inactive public company, has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding membership interests of POW! Entertainment, LLC.
POW! is in the business of creating and licensing intellectual property for the entertainment industry, including feature films, television programming, animation projects, video games, merchandising and related entertainment venues. Stan Lee, a founder and the Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of POW!, is credited with creating or co-creating many of the world's best known superheroes including Spider-Man(R)(a), X-Men(R)(a), The Hulk(R)(a), Daredevil(R)(a), Ironman(R)(a), and Silver Surfer(R)(a) among others.

Arturion will change its name to POW! Entertainment, Inc. and that the proposed transaction with POW! will close during the first quarter of 2004.

Gill Champion, a founder and the President of POW!, commented, "We are very excited about the prospect of expanding our business. We believe the potential of the company to access additional capital and name recognition stemming from our entry into the public markets will assist our marketing efforts immeasurably. In light of Stan Lee's unparalleled talent and his tremendous success in creating extremely popular characters, we will continue to focus on our core business and work towards closing our transaction with Arturion. After closing the proposed transaction, we intend to intensify the marketing of our projects currently in development to the numerous contacts we have in the entertainment industry."
_________________
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."- C.S. Lewis
Wink

"Superman can't be emo. He can't cut himself."-CP

Nobuyuki · **Nobuyuki**

Sony Pictures has opened a website for Satoshi Kon's third film, Tokyo Godfathers, at
http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/tokyogodfathers/.

It will have a limited theatrical run starting January 16, 2004.
Tokyo Godfathers is included among the animated films eligible for Oscar nomination.
_________________
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."- C.S. Lewis
Wink

"Superman can't be emo. He can't cut himself."-CP

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

MGM and Time Warner have ended merger discussions after failing to agree on a price and structure.

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Walt Disney will produce will produce a feature length animated film based on William Joyce's A Day with Wilbur Robinson, the studio announced yesterday. The CGI film will be directed by Steve Anderson and is scheduled for a 2006 release.

The story is about a boy-genius who creates a mysterious machine with the purpose of recovering the lost memory of the past, but winds up visiting the future.

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It could be announced as early as this week that cult hit The Family Guy will go back into production.

Andromaton · **Andromaton**

A Spongebob Squarepants balloon with a holiday wish attached traveled hundreds of miles from Central Mexico to southeast Texas, where a landowner found it in some bushes.

"I could see it moving in the breeze off in the distance, and I couldn't make it out," Shirley Kennelly of Richmond told The Herald Coaster in Rosenberg.

Kennelly was just returning from a hunting trip Sunday when he saw the balloon. Attached was a a green envelope with the words "Para Los 3 Reyes. Magos," meaning "For the Three Magic Kings," in the left corner.

Inside the balloon was a piece of paper with photocopied pictures of toys the sender wanted for Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, which is celebrated in many Hispanic cultures on the 12th day after Christmas each year.

The Christmas season continues in Mexico through Epiphany. Children throughout Mexico wake up Jan. 6 to find toys and gifts left by the Reyes Magos, or Magi.

The balloon was sent from Xalapa, Veracruz, on Jan. 2. Although dated 2003, the excellent condition of the envelope and balloon, which still had helium, led Kennelly to believe the sender "just wasn't used to writing '2004,' yet."

In the center of the envelope were the words: "De: Yanina M. Lopez. Lajoa con mucho cario," naming the sender and sending her wishes of, "For you, with much affection."

Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management Staff Meteorologist Ron Stagno said it's possible the balloon made the 700- to 800-mile journey to Fort Bend County in two days.

"The balloon probably got up top about 10,000 feet or so," he said. "At that height, traveling about 40 miles per hour, it was transported northeast to the upper Texas Coast."

JohnnyPsycho · **JohnnyPsycho**

not really a piece of animation news, Andro, but funny none-the-less...
_________________
"The principles you live by create the world you live in; if you change the principles you live by, you will change your world." -Blaine Lee

"I plan to live forever. So far so good." -Steven Wright


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