November 20 - 26, 2000 News

Monday, November 20, 2000

New Animated DVDs Being Released Tomorrow
Here is a list of animated and anime movies and shows being released to DVD tomorrow, including Chicken Run:

Chicken Run
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - Operation 4
Trigun Vol.5 - Angel Arms (Nov 23 release date)
Phantom Quest Corp - Perfect Collection
The Puppetoon Movie (1987)
Cartoon Noir

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Actors Facing Extinction
According to SMH:

"When Angelina Jolie was cast as Lara Croft in the movie version of Tomb Raider, most game-lovers applauded the choice; Jolie, they say, has the look and the attitude to convincingly play the star of the popular video game. A handful of fans, however, were nonplussed - Lara Croft is a sex symbol in her own right and one of the most downloaded faces on the internet. Why couldn't she play herself?

The answer 'Because she's not real' won't cut it any more. The busty, butt-kicking Lara Croft is a digital creation, and not even a state-of-the-art one. But with recent advances in computer-generated imagery, film-makers could develop photo-realistic human characters for the movie. In fact, the upcoming Final Fantasy, set for release in 2001, features a "human cast" created entirely by computer..."

Click here for the full story.

Tuesday, November 21, 2000

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

Rugrats in Paris
$22.7 Million ($7,743 per screen average - opening weekend)
2nd at the Box Office
Total to Date: $22.7 Million

CyberWorld 3D
$211,893 ($6,054 per screen average - 20% decrease)
21st at the Box Office (down from #19 last weekend)
Total to Date: $2.5 Million

Dinosaur
$66,122 ($501 per screen average - 11% decrease)
44th at the Box Office (down from #42 last weekend)
Total to Date: $137.6 Million

Digimon
$58,298 ($200 per screen average - big 61% decrease)
47th at the Box Office (down from #30 last weekend)
Total to Date: $9.5 Million

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
$798 ($200 per screen average - big 62% decrease)
122nd at the Box Office (down from #105 last weekend)
Total to Date (includes original release): $50.35 Million
Rerelease total: only $247,158

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Dinosaur Becomes Overseas Blockbuster
Dinosaur has now grossed over $100 million overseas, bringing its worldwide Box Office total to an impressive $239 Million.

According to Daily Variety: "In Sweden, Dinosaur earned the biggest opening-weekend B.O. for 2000, reaping $927,000 from 163 over three days. In Austria, it scooped $570,000 from 95 screens over four days; in Norway $360,000 from 90 in three days and in Denmark $270,000 from 61 over the same period."

Dinosaur is still playing in 44 theaters across the U.S. and averaging $500 per theater. It's total U.S. take to date is $137.6 Million.

Wednesday, November 22, 2000

Emperor's New Groove Game Beats Film to Marketplace
Sony Computer Entertainment America, in conjunction with Disney Interactive announced today that Disney's The Emperor's New Groove is now available nationwide for the new PS one console and the PlayStation game console.

Based on the upcoming animated feature film, Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, this 3D action-platform videogame is designed to uses witty and offbeat humor as players explore eight unique worlds. There are 30 levels of gameplay, each filled with action, adventure, puzzles, races and bonus activities. All levels in this epic adventure are based upon locations from the film, and incorporate movie clips and scenes narrated by the main character, Kuzco the Emperor turned llama.

"We are very excited to add the Disney's The Emperor's New Groove videogame to our growing library of entertainment titles," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "By combining the inventive storyline from the feature film with fun and challenging interactive gameplay, we expect this title to appeal to gamers of all ages, further strengthening PlayStation's position as a viable entertainment option for the entire family."

In the Disney's The Emperor's New Groove game, players take on the role of Kuzco, Emperor of a fictional Incan Kingdom. Kuzco is young, selfish and has only one care in the entire world -- himself! Unfortunately, Kuzco is the victim in this story, a victim of circumstances. The Emperor's advisor, Yzma, wants to take his place as ruler and dreams up a plan to do away with Kuzco. However, the plan goes awry and Kuzco is accidentally transformed into a llama and sent out of the city on a villager's cart.

With the help of Pacha, a villager from a neighboring town, Kuzco embarks on an adventure back to his kingdom to reclaim his position as Emperor. Gamers are challenged as they learn to navigate as a llama, searching for the magic potion that will turn Kuzco back into the Incan Ruler. Along the way, Kuzco will interact with wild animals that inhabit the landscape and find other magical potions that will transform him from a llama into other creatures that will aid in his quest. Players will have the opportunity to race to the finish as a turtle, hop through perilous catacombs as a rabbit, swing and jump as a frog and even swim across treacherous waters as a fish.

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The Daffy Genius of Chuck Jones
According to MSNBC:

"I once asked Chuck Jones to sign his autobiography 'Chuck Amuck' for me. Generously, he wrote the words 'Daffy Duck' on the title page and dashed off a cartoon drawing of Daffy pointing to them. Then, with typical Chuck Jones wit, he penciled in what Daffy was thinking: 'Much more valuable signature.'

It took a literary scholar, Hugh Kenner, who is noted for his critical studies of James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Samuel Beckett, to sum up the significance of the 88-year-old genius behind Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig and Pepe Le Pew.

Jones is the equal of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, Kenner once told me, calling him not just 'a creative genius in a wholly new medium' but a key figure in a period of animation art comparable to 'the brief flowering of Periclean Athens...'"

Click here for the full story.

Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2000

DIC Animation Goes Independent
DIC Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward has announced that he has partnered with Bain Capital, Inc. to acquire the assets of DIC Entertainment, L.P. from The Walt Disney Company. Through the buyout, DIC now independently owns the second largest library of American animation in the world with more than 2,500 half-hours of programming. Heyward will continue as chairman and CEO of the animation studio. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"DIC and The Walt Disney Company have enjoyed five exciting years together, but we desired to return to our roots as independent producers of children's content for the worldwide market," stated Heyward. "While we continue to be a supplier to myriad Disney units, our independence will facilitate a more diversified slate of programming and help build upon our stature as a premiere global supplier of children's entertainment."

As part of the ongoing association between the two companies, Disney has renewed "Sabrina, The Animated Series" for ABC's "One Saturday Morning" block, ordered 26 new episodes of "Madeline" for The Disney Channel, and is co-producing with DIC two animated direct-to-video films for distribution through Buena Vista Home Video. DIC programming will continue to comprise a substantial portion of the Toon Disney schedule. Additionally, a sequel to the successful live-action motion picture "Inspector Gadget" is currently being developed.

"We are excited to partner with Andy and his exceptional management team in acquiring one of the world's leading children's content companies," said Joe Pretlow, Managing Director, Bain Capital, Inc. "We believe DIC's strong library and character franchises combined with its exciting slate of new productions will provide the company with substantial growth opportunities and position it as a leading entertainment consolidator."

Evidencing an appetite in the marketplace for its programming, DIC is ramping up production to 200 half-hours per year. Along with "Poor Richard's Almanac," a new series currently in production for PBS, DIC is at work producing four other series from an aggressive development slate. DIC's internal growth has mirrored the demand for its product, reflected in such recent hirings as that of Melissa Bomes in the newly created role of executive vice president of worldwide consumer products.

The Disney buyout announcement comes shortly after the annual MIPCOM television market, where DIC announced the relaunch of its international sales division and a newly reassembled sales force, led by longtime kids business veteran Patricia Ryan. The company returned to the market with a broad slate of animated programming, including its new properties "Super Duper Sumos," "Salem," "Action Girls" and "Gadget and the Gadgetinis." DIC also actively licensed its classic properties at MIPCOM, including "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century," "The Incredible Dennis the Menace" and "The Wacky World of Tex Avery."

A leading entertainment company that develops, produces, distributes and merchandises animated content for children and families worldwide, DIC Entertainment has consistently produced more than 150 half-hours per year for the past 20 years, distinguishing it as one of the most prolific animation studios in the industry. Founded in Paris in 1971, DIC developed enduring ties to the European broadcast and production community. In 1983, the company established a North American presence under the direction of then-animation writer and producer Heyward, so that animation in the U.S. market could be more efficiently produced and sold. Heyward led the company to become one of the most active animation studios in the world, producing more than 1,800 episodes and 60 properties between 1986 and 1993. That year, Heyward formed a limited partnership with Capital Cities/ABC with the company's assets. Following Disney's acquisition of ABC, DIC became an integrated unit of the Disney Filmed Entertainment division, accelerating its growth arc through its representation by the Endeavor Agency, which signed DIC as its first client in 1995.

With more than 2,500 half-hours of programming, DIC's catalog is one of the largest and most valuable libraries of children's animation television programming in the entertainment industry, boasting beloved evergreen brands such as "Inspector Gadget," "Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?", "Madeline," "Sonic The Hedgehog" and "Super Mario Bros." In the 1999/2000 television season, the company broadcast 21 regular series in the U.S. airing across cable, network and syndication, representing more regularly scheduled programming than any other children's producer. DIC's programs are watched by approximately 25 million kids in the U.S. each week.

Friday, November 24, 2000

Sinbad Animation to be Shown Next Week on USA
USA Network announced today that the network will premiere Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists, the first-ever 3D motion picture capture animated theatrical feature. The movie will premiere on Thursday, November 30 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on USA Network. The announcement was made by USA Network's Jane Blaney, Senior Vice President, Program Acquisitions and Scheduling. The movie was licensed from Lions Gate Entertainment and produced in the United States and India by Pentamedia Graphics, Ltd.

"At first glance, it would appear that Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of the Mists was a left-turn acquisition for USA, since we don't have a regularly scheduled kids block," said Blaney. "However, one of USA Network's fourth quarter goals is to program a 'Kids & Family Week' featuring unique, fresh, family films during the holiday season and Sinbad fits our plans perfectly. The fact that the film will be a world premiere for USA Network, coupled with its rich, visual style of animation, gives us an opportunity to present our viewers with a completely different kind of entertainment."

Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of the Mists is the tale of the legendary Sinbad and his colorful crew, who are recruited by a beautiful princess to travel beyond the forbidden Veil of Mists in the quest for the antidote to an evil spell placed on her beloved father, the King.

The movie features the voices of Brendan Fraser ("Bedazzled," "The Mummy," "Gods and Monsters"), Leonard Nimoy ("Star Trek"), John Rhys-Davies ("Sliders," "Wing Commander"), Jennifer Hale (voice for "The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest," "Spider Man Unlimited"), and Mark Hamill ("Star Wars" trilogy.)

Lion's Gate Senior Vice President of Worldwide Television Distribution, Andy Reimer said of the film "Sinbad is unlike anything we have ever seen before. The richness of the visuals is truly remarkable. PentaMedia has broken new ground in the 3D animation field and we are delighted that USA has jumped on board with this exciting new film."

Sinbad marks the first time that motion capture technology has been used to create an entire feature-length motion picture. Motion capture animation involves the placing of optical sensors in multiple strategic locations (arms, legs, joints, etc.) on live actors, who then go through a film's actions against a bluescreen background, and whose actions are captured by infrared cameras. Signals from the sensors captured by these cameras are then fed into computers, where computer animators apply the 3D characters, thus creating on-screen images which mirrors the actors' exact movements. This innovative approach was completed in approximately a third of the time, and at a third of the cost of a typical major studio animated feature produced in Hollywood.

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Performance Capture Studios Accomplish First Car Capture
Performance Capture Studios, Inc. the premier real-time motion capture facility, announced having accomplished the world's first car motion capture. The car capture was a test for a feature film currently in pre-production.

The goal was to look at the possibilities of capturing a car on a live action set, and then use the car data to map CG elements onto the live action scene. This enables Directors and Producers to have the live action car become a CG car, or have CG elements tracked and mapped to the live action car. More importantly the CG car can still main the close interaction with live actors, and sets just like an actual car, which helps create suspension of disbelief.

"With motion capture, you get all the subtle interactions of objects and people for free. Even though you can generate the motion of a car pretty realistically from physical and dynamic software simulations, it's hard to maintain the interaction of that CG element, in this case the car, with live actors. Imagine a CG car driving and hitting a live stunt man, acting as a pedestrian being run over, or vice versa -- now PCS has proven this can be done," said Patrick Miller, VP of Applications Engineering for Motion Analysis Corporation, makers of the Optical Motion Capture Hardware.

The capture volume was the largest ever yet achieved for the entertainment industry measuring 120 feet x 60 ft. The car had 70 markers, to capture everything, from doors, suspension, wheels, tires even the fuel cap. "It helps us maintain integrity and collision information for the car along with the live scene elements," said Matt Bauer, MoCap Engineer for PCS.

PCS used the Motion Analysis Real-Time System, 32 cameras, and a large volume calibration. With the MAC system we were amazed at how accurate we were in the size volume, and how good the data looked. We used the latest MAC calibration software and hardware, very high-resolution cameras and the latest in software from MAC. This would not have been possible with any other system, said Gary Roberts, President of PCS.

The car was captured performing general driving and stunts. In addition to all the complexity of such a capture, PCS ran the shoot in real time, so the director could see the CG car in real time as it performed.

PCS is famous for pushing the capture envelope, and capturing the most extreme performances in large volumes. From spiders and Kermit the Frog, to 5000lb elephants, world famous skate boarders (Tony Hawk), BMX and mountain biking tricks in half pipes, they have once again surpasses themselves with worlds first Extreme Car Capture.

"Motion capture blends traditional arts such as live theatre with that of a high technical environment. If you are creative enough, you can do anything with motion capture, the right tools, and a good fun creative mindset. At PCS we take all of these, and give our clients the shortest distance between the art and the audience. It's all about breathing life and soul into every character," said Michele Barbera, Executive Producer for PCS.

Saturday, November 25, 2000

Britney Spears Goes Virtual
Pop superstar Britney Spears will unveil her 3D alter ego on the jumbo screens at an upcoming concert to generate awareness for the re-launch of her official Web site. The trailer, featuring an interactive, 3D animated Britney character, will be showcased at concert venues throughout the remainder of her 2000 worldwide tour, inviting fans everywhere to visit one-on-one with her virtual self at www.Britneyspears.com. The trailer will also be showcased at www.Britneyspears.com beginning the week of November 27.

"Britney Spears is one of the most familiar and popular performers in the world. By utilizing Pulse's technology on her site, they'll be extending the convergence of traditional media and entertainment to the Internet,” said Fred Angelopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of Pulse. "Fans watching Britney in concert, will soon be treated to a 3D Internet experience and a new way to engage with their favorite icon."

“Britney Spears and her team truly recognize the effectiveness of new media entertainment to create a stronger sense of community with their audience,” said Jacqueline Hein, Chief Executive Officer and founder of iToymaker, Inc. the media agency handling the production. “The Britney 3D trailer only scratches the surface of what we’re planning to do on behalf of Britney Spears."

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Mainframe Announces Second Quarter Results
Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. (TSE: MFE) today announced results for the second quarter of fiscal 2001, ended September 30, 2000. During this quarter the Company delivered eight episodes of Action Man(TM) to Hasbro Properties Group, which, combined with the two episodes delivered in the previous quarter, bring the year-to-date deliveries for this series to 11 out of a total of 26 episodes. Action Man began airing on FOX TV in the United States, and on YTV in Canada, in August 2000.

During this quarter Mainframe also delivered its first episode of the all new boy's action series Heavy Gear(TM), to SONY Pictures Entertainment. Heavy Gear is based on the widely-known and successful computer game originated by Dream Pod 9 and the series will begin North American broadcast sometime in 2001. SONY has ordered 26 episodes with an option to generate a further 14 episdodes for a total of 40 episodes in the series.

During the six months ended September 30, 2000 the Company delivered its first direct-to-video feature film, Casper's Haunted Christmas(TM) to Harvey Entertainment.

During the second quarter ended September 30, 2000 the Company reported revenue of $7.1 million compared to $8.4 million for the same period last year. As anticipated, episodic deliveries increased in the second quarter over the first quarter of fiscal 2001.

For the three months ended September 30, 2000 the Company reported a net loss of $0.8 million, or $0.04 per share, compared to net earnings of $0.7 million, or $0.04 per share, for the same period last year. For the six months ended September 30, 2000 Mainframe reported revenues of $13.4 million and a net loss of $1.6 million or $0.09 per share, compared to revenues of $15.2 million and a net loss of $0.2 million or $0.01 per share in the prior year.

Sunday, November 26, 2000

Joseph Animation Wins "Best Video" Award
DreamWorks' "Joseph: King of Dreams" is one of the year's most awarded films despite it never being released into theaters.

Recently honored with the prestigious Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award for Best Video, "Joseph: King of Dreams" is available exclusively on home video and Special Edition DVD this holiday season.

The Oppenheim Platinum Award recognizes the most innovative, engaging products of the year. It is bestowed by an independent panel of noted experts in children's literature and education, then rated by children on the basis of quality, developmental and age appropriateness, features, safety, educational and entertainment values.

"Joseph: King of Dreams" has also recently been awarded several other awards, including the Parent's Choice Gold Award, Award of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board which heralded the film as "destined to become a classic" (Elayne Blythe), a KIDS FIRST! endorsement from the highly regarded Coalition for Quality Children's Media, the Dove Foundation Award, and the National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval.

Jealous of his preferential treatment by their father, Joseph's brothers sell him to slave traders who transport him to faraway Egypt, where he is suddenly thrown into a world of high adventure, hidden intrigue and blossoming romance. In this new land, the Pharaoh enlists Joseph to interpret his royal dreams and save Egypt from disaster.

Joseph is rewarded with honor and status, and as he rises to power, Joseph finds love and happiness. But when a sudden twist of fate reunites Joseph with his brothers, he must face the powerful decision of forgiveness.

"Joseph: King of Dreams" is directed by Robert Ramirez and Rob LaDuca and produced by Ken Tsumura, from a screenplay by Eugenia Bostwick-Singer & Raymond Singer and Joe Stillman and Marshall Goldberg. Danny Pelfrey composed and orchestrated the score and produced the five new songs written by John Bucchino. The executive producers are Penney Finkelman Cox, Steve Hickner and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, a New York-based consumer organization was founded in 1989 as the only independent consumer review of children's media.

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