June 1-11, 2000 News

Thursday, June 1, 2000

“Clerks” Fails to Grab Large Numbers in Premiere
ABC’s “Clerks” failed to grab large numbers according to overnight ratings. Despite appearing after a strong showing of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and “The Drew Carey Show,” Kevin Smith’s “Clerks” landed near last place of the four major networks. “Clerks” ratings were 6.3/19, easily beat by CBS (“Species”) and NBC (“NBA Tipoff and game”). Only Fox’s “An Evening with Santana” performed worse with a close 6.1/19 rating.

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Softimage Ships Softimage/XSI System
Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc, today announced the first shipment of its 3D animation Softimage/XSI system. The Softimage/XSI system is a significant breakthrough in the international digital media industry because it allows animators in the broadcast, feature films and games industries to take advantage of its non-linear animation system. Within the first few weeks of availability, Softimage anticipates delivering the new software to over 17,000 users worldwide.

"Softimage/XSI represents a tremendous amount of hard work, talent and energy from Softimage and we are extremely proud of it," said Marc Petit, vice president of 3D products for Softimage. "This project has been an amazing challenge from day one. The mandate was simple: completely re-invent a piece of software that had set the standard in the industry and redefine the benchmark.”

Softimage offers digital artists, who create professional animation and visual effects, two varieties of the Softimage/XSI system: Essentials and Advanced. Softimage/XSI Essentials (Version 1.0) replaces the Softimage 3D system and is available for $7,995. For artists who push the limits of animation, the Softimage/XSI Advanced package includes: simulated Particles, Softbodies and an additional mental ray license and is available for $11,995. International prices may vary.

Friday, June 2, 2000

Anime Convention Opens in Texas
Today marks the first day of the A-Kon Anime convention going on at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport Hyatt Regency - Terminal C. The three day anime event is being dubbed “The Southwest’s Largest Anime Convention.” Daily passes vary. Today the cost is $19 for the day. Tomorrow the cost is $23 for the day and on Sunday the cost is $17 for the day. Special guests include Takada Akemi, the character designer/illustrator for Kimagure Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, Creamy Mami, Fancy Lala, and Mobile Police Patlabor, among others. Also Kugayama Rikako, Bijoki Junction, and Shawn the Touched are at the convention.

The Dallas Observer today published an article about the convention titled “Con Artists.” The article begins:

“Is there such a thing as an armchair anime fan? It seems that Japanese animation has spawned an exclusive subculture. It's exclusive in that you can't crash it unless you really know your anime and unless your fondness for the medium defines you; it's a subculture because those not into it have no desire to be--those anime people are, you know, weird and stuff.

We don't intend to offend anyone. In fact, we'd hope that if any people would revel in being rather exclusive and a little different, it would be the sort who travel from all around to go to Project: A-Kon.”

Click here for the full story.

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Titan A.E. in Digital First on June 6
Twentieth Century Fox and Cisco Systems, Inc. will join forces to make motion picture history when Cisco becomes the first company ever to digitally transmit a movie over a coast-to-coast IP (Internet Protocol) network. TITAN A.E., a new animated action adventure epic by Twentieth Century Fox, will be delivered from Fox's CyberCenter in Los Angeles to Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta for its premiere showing at SUPERCOMM 2000. Titan A.E. will hit theaters on June 16, 2000.

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Disney Limits Fantasia 2000 Run
Disney is limiting its widescreen theatrical release of Fantasia 2000 to only four weeks. Opening on June 16, opposite of Titan A.E., Disney is advertising that the theatrical release will be pulled after airing for four weeks in numerous select cities.

Saturday, June 3, 2000

Virtual Actors Replacing Striking Hollywood Actors
According to USA Today:

“Actors striking against the advertising industry should look over their shoulders.

The ad industry is finding ways to replace these unhappy artists with their high-tech doppelgängers: virtual actors.

If this plot sounds like a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it's not science fiction.

Advertising executives say the strike by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is spurring some advertisers and ad agencies to accelerate efforts to create ads with more computer animation and less human talent.

The ad business has always used computer wizardry to push products. Coca-Cola, for example, had hit ad campaigns with the computer-generated Max Headroom in the '80s and polar bears in the '90s. Nissan delighted TV viewers with its animated ad, Toys, a few years ago, and Anheuser-Busch's talking frogs and lizards have been going strong for five years.

But special-effects technology is now developing to the stage where advertisers are able to do more than make cute toys or animals...”

Click here for the full story.

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Universal to Open Chicken Run Maze
Chickens are coming home to roost at Universal Studios Hollywood starting June 10 with the debut of Chicken Run Maze, a new attraction based on the DreamWorks Pictures and Aardman Studios' animated film, Chicken Run, featuring an interactive walk-through maze and a behind-the-scenes look at the wonders of clay animation.

Opening nationwide on June 23, Chicken Run is a production of Aardman Animations. The film is presented by DreamWorks Pictures in association with Pathe. Chicken Run tells the story of a flock of brave chickens who are determined to escape from the farm before they can be turned into chicken pot pies. Directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park, from a screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick, the film is produced by David Sproxton, Lord and Park. Aardman Animations' previous credits include the multiple Oscar-winning "Wallace & Gromit" animated series.

The exclusive Chicken Run Maze adventure begins in a re-created hen house where guests will be treated to a special behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including actual models and video monitors illustrating the magical and detailed process of clay animation. Behind-the-scenes footage will feature the voices of some of the film's stars, including Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha and Miranda Richardson. The film also features the voice talents of Jane Horrocks, Lynn Ferguson, Imelda Staunton, Benjamin Whitrow, Tony Haygarth, Phil Daniels and Timothy Spall.

Guests will be transported through the great comedic escape, a plot hatched by the chickens to liberate themselves from the clutches of the sinister farmer, Mr. Tweedy. They'll retrace the chicken prints of the daring and spectacular escape plan, moving through a series of winding underground tunnels and finding themselves face to face with the farmer and his angry dog.

Other challenges include a giant chicken pot pie machine and the dreaded Chicken Shredder Machine, a rotating tunnel in which guests elude the peril of whirling blades. After guests elude these dangers, they finally reach freedom at the Chicken Sanctuary. Chicken Run Maze will be located adjacent to the Blues Brothers Stage at the entrance of the theme park.

Sunday, June 4, 2000

New Animation Soundtracks Heading to Stores
Two new soundtracks for animated movies are heading to store shelves. This Tuesday, the soundtrack for Titan A.E. will be released and on June 20 the soundtrack for Chicken Run will hit stores. Don’t expect any background scores on the Titan A.E. soundtrack, however. It’s music consists mainly of songs from artists and groups like Wailing Souls.

Monday, June 5, 2000

Dinosaur Drops 52% at the Box Office
Weekend estimates are in and Dinosaur dropped 52% at the Box Office when compared to the Friday - Sunday results from the previous weekend (Memorial Day weekend). Dinosaur is slowing down a bit, on course to make less money than last year’s Tarzan. Weekend estimates had Dinosaur making $12 million to bring its total to $96.8 million. In the same number of days last year, Tarzan was at $105 million. In just a few weeks, Dinosaur will face tough competition from Titan A.E., Fantasia 2000, and Chicken Run. Final Box Office numbers will be published in tomorrow’s update.

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The Matrix Wins MTV Awards
The Matrix ran away with the Best Picture award at the MTV Movie Awards over the weekend. In addition, Keane Reeves won Best Actor for The Matrix and Best Fight, shared with co-star Laurence Fishburne.

Tuesday, June 6, 2000

Box Office Results
Here are the Box Office results for last weekend's animated films:

Dinosaur $12.0 Million ($3,626 per screen average - huge 52% decrease)
3rd at the Box Office (down from #2 last weekend)
Total to Date: $96.8 Million

The Road to El Dorado $168,378 ($344 per screen average - big 46% increase)
26th at the Box Office (down from #22 last weekend)
Total to Date: $50.2 Million

The Tigger Movie - Rereleased/Expanded Screens $122,897 ($349 per screen average - higher than El Dorado)
32nd at the Box Office
Total to Date: $44.7 Million

Toy Story 2 $65,280 ($544 per screen average - huge 56% decrease)
51st at the Box Office (down from #41 last weekend)
Total to Date: $245.4 Million

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Pixar Debuts New Short Film
Pixar Animation Studios held the world premiere of its newest short film, “For the Birds”, yesterday at the Annecy Film Festival in France. The film will premiere in the U.S. at the 27th annual Siggraph Conference in New Orleans on July 24, 2000.

“For the Birds” is directed by Ralph Eggleston and produced by Karen Dufilho. John Lasseter is executive producer. “For the Birds” is a story about a flock of small birds perched on a telephone wire and a larger bird that tries to join them. The unwelcome bird upsets the flock, and they decide to get rid of him.

“For the Birds” continues the Pixar tradition of creating short films that explore the creative and technical possibilities of animation. Ralph Eggleston makes his directorial debut at Pixar with “For the Birds”. Ralph joined Pixar in 1992 as the Art Director of Toy Story, for which he won an Annie Award for Best Art Direction. He currently serves as Production Designer for one of Pixar's future feature length films.

"It's exciting that Pixar continues to actively produce and support short films," said Eggleston. "Making ‘For the Birds’ was hard work and a lot of fun, and our crew's amazing creative collaboration has resulted in a film we believe everyone will truly enjoy."

"Pixar sees immense value in preserving the short film as an art form and using it as a development tool for our creative and technical teams," said Dr. Edwin Catmull, Pixar's Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer. "The skills these professionals learn and polish are invaluable as we move toward our goal of creating one feature film a year."

Wednesday, June 7, 2000

Chicken Run Gets “G” Rating!
The Motion Picture Association of America has given Chicken Run a “G” rating, making it the first animated film distributed by DreamWorks not to have a “PG” attached to it. Chicken Run, by Aardman Productions and in association with Pathe, is 85 minutes long. It is being released in New York and Los Angeles on June 21 and throughout the U.S. on June 23. If you live in the Los Angeles area, you can catch Chicken Run on June 21 at the AMC Century 14 in Century City.

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Titan A.E. Screened Digitally
Last Night Cisco Systems Inc, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and Twentieth Century Fox, joined forces last night to make motion picture history when Cisco became the first company ever to digitally transmit a film over a coast-to-coast IP (Internet Protocol) network.

Fox's animated action adventure epic, Titan A.E. was transported across the nation and digitally premiered at the Supercomm trade show in Atlanta yesterday evening. Through a highly secure network based on the latest Cisco technology, the movie was transferred from Fox's studio in Los Angeles via Qwest Communications International Inc.'s CyberCenter in Burbank, Calif., to the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta for an unprecedented all-digital theatrical experience. The network uses Internet technology from Cisco including Cisco 12000 Series Internet routers running over a high-speed fiber backbone and Cisco 7140 Virtual Private Network (VPN) and security routers with integrated firewall and hardware Triple DES encryption.

Titan A.E. features the vocal talent of Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, Janeane Garofalo, Nathan Lane, and John Leguizamo. The film opens nationwide on June 16.

“Titan A.E. represents the next generation of filmed animation, with the most ambitious marriage ever of 3D and cel animation. We are especially pleased to play a part in this landmark event, where the film will be transported via Cisco's New World Internet technology and will be screened using cutting edge digital technology," said Chris Meledandri, president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation Studios.

"We are excited to work with Twentieth Century Fox to support the first-ever digital projection and distribution of a movie over a Cisco New World network," said Larry Lang, vice president of service provider marketing at Cisco. "Such cutting-edge applications using the Internet not only revolutionize movie creation and distribution, but will drive innovation in myriad other industries as well. Just as the Internet has enabled industries of all kinds to increase flexibility, decrease costs, and explore new opportunities, Digital Cinema has the potential to bring great benefits to the entertainment industry. We are pleased that Fox has given us the opportunity to demonstrate this revolutionary distribution and screening method through the premiere of Titan A.E."

Thursday, June 8, 2000

Disney Characters, Including Mickey Mouse, to Endorse Frito Lay
Toon Disney, Disney/ABC Cable Network's 24-hour, all-animation channel, and Frito-Lay Inc. are teaming up this summer to bring the spirit of Disney animated characters to more than 80 million packages of Frito-Lay products.

In addition to significant media and on-package advertising, the campaign -- titled "Look for Magic in the Bag" -- will feature an instant-win game offering cash, Frito-Lay product and Toon Disney prizes.

The multibrand, multiproduct campaign is set to run beginning today, June 5, through July 8, 2000. The agreement marks the first time Toon Disney, one of the fastest-growing emerging cable networks, has partnered with an outside party for a promotion of this type and size.

"This partnership with Frito-Lay represents a new landmark for us in that `Look for Magic in the Bag' is the single largest off-channel promotion yet created for Toon Disney," said Adam Sanderson, senior vice president, marketing, Disney/ABC Cable Networks.

The "Look for Magic in the Bag" promotion will run in Frito-Lay distribution channels nationwide. During the promotional period, more than 80 million packages of Frito-Lay supermarket-size products, including selected Lay's, Cheetos, Ruffles, Doritos and Fritos products, will feature a "Call your cable operator for Toon Disney" message.

Additionally, Toon Disney's logo will be featured on approximately 10 million collectible instant-win prize cards. One of six different Toon Disney characters will also be featured on the cards, which will include from $5 to $100 cash or a redeemable certificate for a Toon Disney premium item or Frito-Lay product.

Frito-Lay will support the promotion with a multimillion-dollar media campaign, which includes local television promotion, in-store POP and merchandising. Additionally, the promotion will receive on-air exposure in support of Toon Disney's "Fab Five Fourth" programming stunt.

Toon Disney lets Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto set off the fireworks on Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4, 2000. To celebrate the festivities, the network will spotlight Disney's "Fab Five" in a special July Fourth marathon. For 12 hours beginning at 11 a.m. ET/PT, Toon Disney will showcase more than a dozen animated specials, some of which are compilations of the characters' most treasured cartoons.

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Newsletter Tonight
A new issue of the Animation Artist Newsletter will be emailed tonight to subscribers. Included in the newsletter will be Animation Artist Magazine’s initial impressions of Titan A.E.. To sign up for the free Animation Artist Newsletter,
click here.

Friday, June 9, 2000

Wild Brain Wraps Animation for Rocky & Bullwinkle
Wild Brain, Inc. has completed 11 minutes of animation for the Universal Pictures summer theatrical release, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, opening nationwide June 30. The 15,820 frames of 2D animation make up a four-minute opening sequence, a three-minute end and credit sequence, and several minutes of animation and animation effects interspersed throughout the film. Veteran animation director, and Wild Brain co-founder, Phil Robinson directed the 18-month project.

The film opens with a traditionally animated black and white flashback segment, which takes us back to the woeful time when our heroes' cartoon series was cancelled. We then catch up with them -- in color -- in the present. Rocky and Bullwinkle are now back in run-down Frostbite Falls, subsisting on ever-diminishing royalty checks, when an unexpected call from Hollywood beckons. They head to Hollywood to combine celebrity stardom with international intrigue, and morph into the live-action world to fight their old nemeses, the Evil Trio of Boris, Natasha and the Fearless Leader.

Robinson stayed true to the original style of "Rocky & Bullwinkle" while using contemporary touches and techniques to bring the characters to life on the big screen. A director of many classic series from the 1970s ("Yogi Bear," "Scooby Doo,"), Robinson was acutely familiar with the techniques of limited animation. "'Rocky and Bullwinkle' is a wonderful example of the strong, graphic style of the early '60s that used simple, stylized animation to complement the wit and commentary of the writing," said Robinson. "I had to find a style that echoed the original look but would please today's audiences who are more used to seeing fluid animation."

Robinson made the characters' movements more elastic and buoyant than in the original, which he accomplished by using more drawings per second. To stay true to the vintage look, however, certain poses were held static with just the mouth or arm animating as necessary. Major pose changes were more fully animated.

Wild Brain collaborated with Industrial Light & Magic to create several sequences which combine traditional animation with live-action. ILM provided Wild Brain with background plates of the live-action scenes which were then printed out, one frame at a time. The animators analyzed the still frames to establish where the main thrust of the movement occurred and how the humans were reacting to the 2D characters. Additionally, light sources were scrutinized to determine how highlights and shadows should be drawn into the scene.

Robinson also designed a new character, "Weasel," for the film. Drawn in a modern, snappy style that suits the hyperkinetic character's constant motion, Weasel was especially challenging to integrate into the live-action. One scene particularly highlights the demands of the extensive movement: the Evil Trio attempts to execute Weasel using CDI (Computer Degenerative Imagery) technology. Weasel literally bounces off the walls as he struggles with the Trio's henchmen as they pull him to the CDI device, where he is blasted with a series of highly charged, animated light beams.

Another challenging segment was a continuous shot that begins with the Fearless Leader's (played by Robert De Niro) live-action eye. The camera moves into an extreme close-up of the eyeball, which morphs into a rotating planet Earth. The camera zooms into the planet, through layers of clouds, into the mountains, down a country road following a car, and then dissolves back into a perfectly matched live-action shot.

"Our crew met a lot of tough challenges, but we thrived on the excitement of trying so many new things," said Robinson.

Saturday, June 10, 2000

ABC Kills “Clerks”
After Two Episodes It only took ABC only two episodes of “Clerks” to realize that the animated show was not a proper match for the network. On Friday, ABC announced that after two weeks of poor ratings “Clerks” was being placed on the chopping block. No more episodes will be aired, effective immediately. “Clerks” was the pet project of Kevin Smith who produced an animated movie by the same name in 1994. It is the second straight animated television series to be canned by a major network this year. “God, the Devil, and Bob” was the first to be canned by NBC.

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Chicken Run Site Opens
Animation Artist Magazine opened its Chicken Run Website today for Animation Artist readers. The Website is located at http://www.animationartist.com/chickenrun/. It includes a detailed behind the scenes look at the movie, news, a gallery, artist listing, reader feedback section, and more.

There have been some inquiries as to the Animation Artist Titan A.E. Movie Site since Titan A.E. opens before Chicken Run. FOX, who is distributing Titan A.E., has yet (despite requests) to provide Animation Artist Magazine with background material, which could delay or cancel the Titan A.E. site all together. Normally studios provide Animation Artist Magazine with detailed information three or more weeks in advance of the film’s release.

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Screening Room Publishes Movies
Recently, the number one visited area of Animation Artist Magazine, outside of the home page, has been the Animation Artist Screening Room where aspiring animators can have images critiqued by other students or professionals. Now Animation Artist Magazine is publishing movie files along with images. Screening Room #1 now contains a movie file that readers can critique. Another movie file is being added on Monday.

Sunday, June 11, 2000

DreamWorks Shrek to See IMAX Screens
DreamWorks SKG and Imax Corporation announced a that DreamWorks will release an animated film in 3D to IMAX theatres. In December 2001, Dreamworks' Shrek, the upcoming animated film featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow and Linda Hunt, will be presented in 3D at IMAX theatres. The film will be initially released in conventional 2D in 35mm on May 18, 2001, and will feature an enhanced ending filled with 3D effects and created just for the IMAX 3D release.

"Animation is a constantly evolving artform," said DreamWorks SKG principal Jeffrey Katzenberg, "and releasing Shrek in 3D form for IMAX theatres will hopefully mark the next step in how audiences experience these films. To tell a story in animation is always exciting ... but to know that this fractured fairy tale will be shown eight stories high and in IMAX 3D is thrilling for us at DreamWorks Animation. Luckily in Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow and Linda Hunt, we have a cast that is already big ... but it just got a whole lot bigger."

The IMAX 3D version of Shrek will be distributed by Imax Ltd. to the growing worldwide network of IMAX theatres, coincidental with DreamWorks' home video release of the film in December 2001. The home video and IMAX 3D launches will be cross-marketed to maximize the impact of both releases.

"We're delighted that DreamWorks has decided to extend the Shrek franchise by selecting IMAX 3D as a release window," said Imax co-CEOs Bradley J. Wechsler and Richard L. Gelfond. "We believe that the combination of The IMAX 3D Experience and the creative talents of DreamWorks SKG will revolutionize the way people experience animation. This film will continue our evolution as a unique family entertainment option, and firmly establish the IMAX theatre network as a release window for family-oriented Hollywood films."

Shrek is a cynical, no-nonsense ogre whose swamp has been overrun by annoying fairy tale creatures. He sets out to save his home and along the way, is befriended by a wise-cracking donkey, sent to slay a fire-breathing dragon and save a beautiful princess with a deep, dark secret. In the end, Shrek learns to love and be loved.

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