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Monday,
June 12, 2000
Fox
Counting on Titan A.E. to be a Giant Hit
According to the Philadelphia Daily News:
“Hoping
to attract the elusive young male audience, 20th Century Fox is
set to unleash Titan A.E. June 16. The dark, animated science-fiction
feature has a rock 'n' roll attitude and a young, rebellious hero
at its center.
Titan
A.E. (which stands for Titan After Earth) was conceived as a live-action
drama. But Fox executives determined the film might be more interesting
and less expensive to produce in animated form. So Fox chairman
Bill Mechanic turned to his animation people, Don Bluth and Gary
Goldman, who made the 1997 animated musical Anastasia. Their assignment:
an animated film adolescent boys would want to see.
Acknowledging
that the target demographic is generally turned off by animated
films, Bluth and Goldman decided they had to create something different
and darker. They eschewed the bright colors of kid-targeted animated
fare for the moodier palette used in contemporary action comic books...”
Click
here for the full story.
Tuesday,
June 13, 2000
LA Times:
The Titan Animation Battle with Disney
According to the LA Times:
“For veteran
animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, it must seem like an unpleasant
sense of deja vu all over again.
In 1997, 20th
Century Fox made its first foray into feature-length animation when
the studio released their musical Anastasia, only to see the Walt
Disney Co. step in and re-release its 1989 animated classic, The
Little Mermaid, on the same day.
On Friday, Fox
will roll out Bluth and Goldman's latest animated effort, the big-budget,
galactic adventure Titan A.E. Lurking in the wings again with the
power to dampen Fox's hopes is none other than Disney, which is
releasing its G-rated Fantasia 2000 on the same day that the PG-rated
Titan A.E. bows.
Goldman, who
co-directed Titan A.E. with Bluth, said it comes down to Disney
not wanting any other studio to gain a foothold in animation. ‘It's
their territory,’ Goldman said. ‘We're stepping on their turf.’
Bluth charges
that ‘Disney would like to monopolize the animation business, which
I think is totally wrong. By monopolizing it, it won't grow. It
needs to grow. I would hope that someway they'd grow up, mentally,
and let it happen, but they don't seem to...’
Click
here for the full story.
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Box
Office Results
Here are the Box Office results for last weekend's animated films:
Dinosaur
$8.8 Million ($2,696 per screen average - 27% decrease)
4th at the Box Office (down from #3 last weekend)
Total to Date: $110.4 Million
The
Road to El Dorado $145,831 ($646 per screen average - 13% decrease)
29th at the Box Office (down from #26 last weekend)
Total to Date: $50.2 Million
The
Tigger Movie $124,694 ($431 per screen average - 2% increase)
33rd at the Box Office (down from number 32 last weekend)
Total to Date: $44.9 Million
Toy
Story 2 $73,131 ($724 per screen average - 12% increase)
43rd at the Box Office (up from #51 last weekend)
Total to Date: $245.4 Million
Wednesday,
June 14, 2000
Roy
Disney to do Online Audio Chat this Friday
With Walt Disney Pictures' animated Fantasia 2000 headed to a widescreen
release in theaters nationwide, Roy Edward Disney, Vice Chairman
of the Walt Disney Company and executive producer of the film, will
be answering moviegoers' questions in a live online audio chat at
the Fantasia 2000 Website (www.fantasia2000.com) on Friday, June
16, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 E.D.T.
It
was Disney's personal quest to fulfill his Uncle Walt's vision of
creating a "concert film" with a perpetually changing musical repertoire.
In his chat, Roy will discuss everything that went into his lifelong
dream to make this film, from choosing which pieces of music would
make the final cut to determining the style and look of each piece.
At
the Fantasia 2000 Website, online moviegoers can tour Roy Disney's
office (inside the Sorcerer's Apprentice hat in the Animation Building
in Burbank), as well as see what life is like in the animators'
studio and on the scoring stage. Also available are study guides,
photos from last year's Fantasia 2000 World Tour and Millennium
Gala, and information about the eight animated segments, including
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a milestone piece of animation which
was the genesis of the 1940 feature in addition to the seven spectacular
new animated sequences set to the music of the masters.
Created
over a nine-year period and utilizing the talents of a new generation
of animation talents, Fantasia 2000 takes viewers on a journey into
the imagination using incredible animated imagery, exquisite classical
music and state-of-the-art technology.
A
Walt Disney Pictures presentation, Fantasia 2000 was executive produced
by Roy Edward Disney and supervising directed by Hendel Butoy. Donald
Ernst served as producer and Don Hahn directed the film's live-action
introductions. Supervising the direction of the film's other animated
segments are Eric Goldberg, Pixote Hunt, Francis Glebas and Gaëtan
& Paul Brizzi. David Bossert served as artistic coordinator and
visual effects supervisor for the film's seven new animated pieces.
The film, which is distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution,
opens June 16 for a limited four-week engagement.
*
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The
Secret Behind The Powerpuff Girls
According to USA Today:
“Everyone's
college project should be so lucrative.
Trying
to come up with characters for his sophomore animated student film
at the California Institute of the Arts, Craig McCracken drew three
young girls with big eyes. He turned them into genetically enhanced
superheroes and sold his idea to the Cartoon Network, where The
Powerpuff Girls has become the network's highest-rated original
series, viewed by 1.9 million weekly.
The
network says Powerpuff T-shirts, books, dolls and other accessories
will sell $100 million in merchandise this year. A Powerpuff CD
featuring rock groups like Devo and Bis comes out July 17. And on
Monday, the network and Warner Bros. announced plans for a feature
film, the first based on a Cartoon Network show and planned for
release in summer 2002...”
Click
here for the full story.
Thursday,
June 15, 2000
Daring
Titan A.E. Opens
Tomorrow Fox’s bold new animated film, Titan A.E., opens in theaters
nationwide tomorrow. Despite many Fox publicity blunders, like the
inability to provide many media (including Animation Artist Magazine)
press kits before the movie opens, the film is still garnishing
mixed, but mostly positive reviews.
Daily
Variety says that some of the voice talent needed work, but that
Titan A.E. is still “a fresh direction for science fiction moviemaking.”
The Daily Variety review also states that the film marks a huge
improvement over Fox’s Anastasia.
The
Sacramento News and Review calls Titan A.E. “a sleek, shiny, space
opera for boys of all ages.” The same review, however, states that
“Titan A.E. sets up expectations for dramatic payoffs that never
come.”
Another
reviewer claims that Titan A.E. liberally borrows from Independence
Day 4 and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. In a review of Titan A.E.
being posted this Saturday by Animation Artist Magazine, that concept
is rejected. Animation Artist Magazine, which gives a mixed review
of Titan A.E., found the movie to be entertaining with many original
elements, even with its many plot holes and annoying music.
Fox
has spent millions of dollars in marketing Titan A.E. for several
months to build up to its opening. Yet the marketing for the print
and Internet medium fell apart near the end as Fox failed to deliver
promised press kits to several media outlets before the film’s opening,
including Animation Artist Magazine. This failure led to the loss
of much additional and vital publicity, easily picked up by Chicken
Run whose team made sure all the proper outlets had press kits weeks
ago. Chicken Run opens next week. Click
here to visit the Animation Artist Chicken Run Website.
*
* *
Buzz
Lightyear Movie Coming to Video
Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear now stars in his own movie, called “Buzz
Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.” It is an all-new,
full-length adventure, created in the traditional, hand-drawn style
of animation, coming to VHS and DVD on August 8, 2000 from Walt
Disney Home Video, Walt Disney Television Animation and Pixar Animation
Studios.
Tim
Allen (TV's "Home Improvement") returns as the voice of Buzz Lightyear,
a role he made famous with the popular Disney and Pixar films Toy
Story and Toy Story 2.
As
an added bonus, William Shatner (Captain Kirk of "Star Trek") performs
"To Infinity and Beyond" on the final credits. The movie will be
priced at $24.99 (SRP) for VHS and $29.99 (SRP) for DVD.
“Buzz
Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins” invites audiences
to follow Buzz in the role upon which his Toy Story action figure
was based, as a defender of the universe in his own animated television
series.
Buzz
Lightyear's nefarious enemy, the Evil Emperor Zurg, has captured
a group of Little Green Men, in order to uncover the secret to their
Uni-mind, the mysterious force that lets the Little Green Men think
as one.
As
Zurg attacks the Little Green Meen’s planet to steal the Uni-mind,
he zaps the entire galaxy with a device that puts almost everyone
under his evil control.
With
Zurg's sinister plot underway, Buzz Lightyear and three intergalactic
crimefighting rookies, Mira Nova, Booster and XR, race to stop him.
When Zurg unleashes his most dastardly henchman, the wicked Agent
Z, only the force of good in the greatest space hero ever, Buzz
Lightyear, can possibly save the day and the entire galaxy.
Friday,
June 16, 2000
DreamWorks
has a Winner with Chicken Run!
The staff of Animation Artist Magazine attended a special screening
of Chicken Run on Thursday night and the verdict is in: Based on
the film and audience reaction, Chicken Run (created by Aardman
Pictures) will be to DreamWorks what Toy Story 2 (created by Pixar)
was to Disney. Easily the most enjoyable film of the year, Chicken
Run entertains in an original and creative way that has been lacking
from other recent animated films. Like Toy Story 2, a person will
need to see Chicken Run numerous times to catch the vast number
of jokes, gags, and humorous dialogue. Look for a full Animation
Artist review of Chicken Run (5 out of 5 stars) next week on the
Animation
Artist Chicken Run Website and look for the “G”-rated Chicken
Run to be a runaway success at the Box Office for families nationwide
when it opens next Friday.
*
* *
Britney
Spears to be Animated
According to MTV:
“Britney
Spears will soon be chasing after England's Prince William -- if
only in the world of animation.
A
cartoon version of the ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’ singer is featured
racing after William, the oldest son of Prince Charles, and even
pulling down his trousers as part of an animated special, "Will's
World," slated to air on Britain's Channel Four on June 21, the
day the young prince turns 18.
Spears,
who is also 18, has been linked with Prince William by British tabloids
over the past year, although Spears has told American media that
she has only sent William signed copies of her CDs after getting
a formal request from Buckingham Palace...”
Click
here for the full story.
Saturday,
June 17, 2000
Hundreds
Attend Chicken Run Book Signing
Hundreds of people attended a book signing by Peter Lord and Nick
Park yesterday evening at Storyopolis in Hollywood. Animation Artist
Magazine was in attendance at the event, held from 6PM to 8PM, where
the Aardman visionaries signed hundreds of books. The two are in
the U.S. to celebrate the premiere of Chicken Run, which hits U.S.
theaters next Friday.
Peter Lord and Nick Park sign books at Storyopolis. (picture by
Animation Artist Magazine)
 At
Storyopolis, Lord and Park signed copies of “Chicken
Run: Hatching the Movie” and “Creating
3D Animation: The Aardman Book of Filmmaking.” Animation Artist
Magazine had one copy of each book signed by the filmmakers to give
away as a prize to two lucky Animation Artist Magazine readers.
Two new contests, one for each book, are currently in development
and will be announced next week in the Animation
Artist Newsletter.
*
* *
Demands
of Animation Awe Oregon Students
According to The Oregonian:
“Allen
Grush remembers sitting in algebra class and doodling in the margins
of his math book, drawing a stick figure on each page so it seemed
to move around when he fanned the pages.
Of
course, he was supposed to be paying attention to the teacher. But
his daydreaming may have served him well as Grush wraps up work
on a University of Oregon art degree with an emphasis in animation.
The
animation program is the largest and longest-running in the Northwest,
said Ken O'Connell, professor of visual design at the UO. It was
established in the 1950s by David Foster, who later introduced film,
video and computers to the UO's department of fine and applied arts.
Grush,
one of more than 50 animation and visual design students who showed
their work recently at Animation Explosion, returned to school after
many years as a contractor...”
Click
here for the full story.
Sunday,
June 18, 2000
Titan
A.E. Suffers Low Opening
Titan A.E. opened to a disappointing $2.99 million on Friday, unable
to beat Fox’s 1997 animated Anastasia Friday opening of $3.4 million.
It is expected that Titan A.E. will bring in around $10 million
when the weekend is over, much lower than some earlier analyst predictions
of an $18 million weekend. The opening is also lower than DreamWorks
animated The Road to El Dorado, released in March of this year,
which went on to make nearly $51 million at the Box Office. Fox
had a massive advertising budget for the film, which treaded into
new territory by aiming at male teenagers. Opening to mixed reviews,
critics are calling Titan A.E. a visually sensational and entertaining
film, but with numerous story holes.
*
* *
Titan
A.E. Takes Directors in New Direction
According to The Salt Lake City Tribune:
“Animation
directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman are trying to make new friends
while keeping the old with Fox Animation Studio's release, Titan
A.E.
The
duo left Disney Studios in the late '70s, forming their own animation
studio — based for 8 years in Ireland — then signing on with Fox.
‘You
are always at the mercy of a distributor. We decided after 15 years
as an independent company we needed a partner and we were excited
to join with the group at Fox,’ Goldman said in a phone interview...”
Click
here for the full story.
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