Only
One Animated Title Released to DVD Today
There's only one animated title being released to DVD today, however
the only thing animated about it is a dragon. A restored version
of 1977's Pete's
Dragon is available on DVD as of today. The live action Disney
family adventure featured the story of a boy who could see an
animated dragon.
The
Dinosaur
DVD will contain many bonus features including four featurettes.
Tuesday,
January 16, 2001
Flat
Earth Founder Leaves Company for New Opportunities
Visual effects supervisor Kevin O'Neill, co-founder of Flat
Earth Productions, has signed with Digital Artists Agency (DAA)
for
exclusive, worldwide representation. O'Neill recently left Flat
Earth,
which, among other things, produced visual effects for the television
series "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena:
Warrior Princess," to
pursue work as an independent. O'Neill is also credited as visual
effects
supervisor on more than a dozen films. Among them are Blade,
Dragon: The
Bruce Lee Story, The Shadow and Dungeons and Dragons.
Additionally, he has
experience as a visual effects supervisor for commercials, motion
picture
trailers, television promos and music videos.
In
explaining his decision to join DAA, O'Neill said that it will give
him
greater freedom both in selecting future projects and in determining
how
best to execute them. "Flat Earth was originally conceived
as a 'virtual
studio,' and I am eager to revisit that concept," he observed.
"Rather than
being tied to a single facility, this model allows me to centralize
pre-visualization, budgeting and data management within earshot
of the
producer. It also frees me to utilize the resources of full service
facilities, boutiques and individual artists as the need arises.
This model
dramatically reduces costs and streamlines the visual effects production
process. It also enables me to better focus on the producer's visual
effects needs."
O'Neill
has been involved in visual effects production his entire career.
He got his start with Visual Concepts Engineering. He went on to
assist in
the launch of the visual effects division of CFI, where he earned
his first
credit as a visual effects supervisor on the telefilm Fear. He also
held
staff positions with Apogee and again with VCE before he was hired
by
Universal Television and Renaissance Pictures for Hercules. The
experience
led to his founding, with Doug Beswick and Kevin Kutchaver, Flat
Earth.
Flat Earth Productions was among the pioneers in producing visual
effects
on desktop platforms. That concept allowed the company to produce
high-end
visuals quickly and cost effectively as required for such shows
as Hercules
and Xena. The company created effects for more than 100 episodes
of each
show.
Hercules
was the first effects-oriented television show to employ the
virtual studio concept. "The show was shot in New Zealand,
but we produced
the effects in Hollywood, supported by small studios in Chicago,
Pennsylvania and other places around the country. It was a very
efficient
system," O'Neill said. "It had to be because we were asked
to produce as
much work as we could, as quickly as possible."
Wednesday,
January 17, 2001
Box Office
Results for Animated Films
Here are the Box Office results for animated films last weekend:
The
Emperor's New Groove
$5.7 Million ($2,561 per screen average - 23% decrease)
10th at the Box Office (down from #6 last weekend)
Total to Date: $71.5 Million
Rugrats
in Paris
$645,502 Million ($729 per screen average - 39% decrease)
21st at the Box Office (down from #19 last weekend)
Total to Date: $74.2 Million
Cyberworld
3D
$188,178 ($4,952 per screen average - 20% increase)
31st at the Box Office (up from #32 last week)
Total to Date: $5 Million
* * *
Rugrats Versus
The Emperor
Whoever thought that a group of babies could possibly overcome a
Disney emperor? It could end up that way, if Rugrats in Paris
holds onto its slim Box Office lead over The Emperor's New Groove.
Through Monday, the Box Office totals for Rugrats in Paris
were $74.2 million compared to The Emperor's New Groove's
$71.5 million. With Rugrats in Paris having been in theaters
longer, The Emperor's New Groove stands a chance at possibly
overtaking the Rugrats.
In
other Box Office news, Disney's Dinosaur and DreamWorks/Aardman's
Chicken Run were the only two films in 200 to cross the blockbuster
$100 million mark. Chicken Run has become the most successful non-Disney
animated film in U.S. Box Office history, with nearly $107 million
in Box Office receipts.
Thursday,
January 18, 2001
Evolution:
The Animated Series
According to The Hollywood Reporter the upcoming live action movie,
Evolution, will also be turned into a 26-episode animated TV series.
Each
episode will be 30 minutes and will be produced by DIC Entertainment.
More details will be released in the near future.
* * *
Richard
Karn Makes Cartoon Voice Debut Saturday
When Gus and Mikey hear of their friend Phil's exciting scouting
tales, the boys of "Disney's Recess" (9:30 AM, ET/8:00
AM, PT) are ready to enlist in "Beyond a Reasonable Scout,"
airing Saturday, November 18 within "Disney's One Saturday
Morning" on ABC.
The
episode features Richard Karn ("Home Improvement") in
his cartoon debut as the voice of Edmond P. Edmonton, founder and
national troop master of the Wild Screaming Woodchuck Scouts.
Impressed
by the wilderness survival skills Phil has gained as a scout, Gus
and Mikey are eager to take the scouting oath -- but Phil seems
mysteriously unwilling to let them join his Woodchuck troop. Perplexed
by his behavior, the boys send an angry e-mail to the national headquarters
of the Woodchuck Scouts. When national troop master Edmond P. Edmonton
(Karn) comes to town looking for an explanation, the gang learns
that Phil doesn't want to share his scouting experiences for fear
he will no longer be special. Edmonton teaches Phil that even the
famed lone wolf travels in a pack.
Best
known as Al Borland, Tim Allen's faithful sidekick on ABC's "Home
Improvement," Karn said he was a "little nervous"
entering his first animated role, but good direction steered him
in the right direction. "Our director told me she wanted him
big and outdoorsy, but kind of quiet like Clint Eastwood,"
he said.
Karn
admits his motivation for taking the animated role stemmed from
a youth spent sitting in front of the television watching cartoons.
"I
learned a lot of my comic timing from cartoons," he said, adding
he looks forward to watching the "Recess" episode with
his 8-year-old son, Cooper. "Working with the microphone, you
can do things with your voice that you might not even need to do
on TV or film. It's a very satisfying medium to work in."
"And
now that I'm entering (Cooper's) domain, I might just show it to
him and not tell him it's me. The voice is a little different, so
he probably won't believe it."
"Disney's
Recess" is produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Executive
producers and creators of "Recess" are Paul Germain and
Joe Ansolabehere.
Friday,
January 19, 2001
The Tylian
Tales
Teamwork Productions announced today that it will be presenting
"The TylianTales" animated series at the National Association
of Television Production Executives in Las Vegas January 22-24,
2001. The series is an action-adventure cartoon aimed at young girls
8 to 14.
This is the
second series produced by executive producers, Wm. Thomas Crow and
Robert Wilson. Teamwork Productions first series,"The Cosmic
Adets" aimed at children 2 to 8 year olds, was presented for
sale at NAPTE 1999.
"The Tylian
Tales" is a girl's fantasy adventure and is based on a book
by the same name. The fantasy begins when a female girl rings a
bell that is forbidden and is whisked off into a fantasy world where
her adventure begins.
"The Tylian
Tales" comprises of 13 episodes that are a half-hour each in
length.
Note: The
image associated with this story is a special Flash interactive
image that you can move and zoom in on. To access these options,
right click on the image. If you don't see an image and you get
a message asking if you want to install the Flash 5.0 plugin, click
"Yes". It will only take a few seconds.
* * *
Qbert The
Animated DJ
According to the Salt Lake City Tribune:
"Among
the featured DJs in Doug Pray's documentary 'Scratch,' DJ Qbert
is widely considered one of the most technically skilled and imaginative
turntablists around.
If
you need proof, check out 'Wave Twisters,' the 50-minute animated
feature based on Qbert's 1998 solo album of the same name, premiering
at midnight Tuesday at Sundance. The story tracks the Inner Space
Dental Commander as he tries to revive the 'lost arts' of hip-hop
culture: break-dancing, rapping, graffiti and scratching. Along
his way, the Dental Commander must battle a series of villains in
turntable wars that explode with color and sound..."
Warner Brothers
Animation Exhibit in Honolulu According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:
"The first
clue that something funny was going on at the Honolulu Academy of
Arts came early. 'When the crates came in they had ACME written
on them,' said Karen Thompson, educational curator of 'That's All
Folks: The Art of Warner Bros. Animation,' which opens tomorrow.
The exhibit
showcases more than 160 drawings, paintings, cels and other objects
used to produce Warner Bros. cartoons from the 1930s to the '60s.
So why do Bugs,
Taz and Sylvester deserve a spot under the same roof that crowns
French Impressionists and Chinese scrolls?
'You should
ask that of the Museum of Modern Art in New York,' said Steve Schneider,
curator of the exhibit..."
Blue Planet
Delayed
One of our very alert readers has done some research regarding Rainbow
Studios Blue Planet CGI feature film and was able to get
information from an official source within Rainbow Studios. Here
is what the source said in regards to this CGI feature which has
been in the works for years:
"Due to
circumstances beyond Rainbow's control, the completion of our all
CGI feature Blue Planet (working title) has been delayed.
A significant amount of work has been completed to date, including
much of the pre-production and script. We are very hopeful that
the project will soon re-gain momentum and look forward to updating
all of our fans as soon as we can."
* * *
Disney's
California Adventure Opens February 8, 2001
Disney's new California Adventure theme park, located next to Disneyland,
will open on February 8, 2001. The significance of this to animators
is that one of the featured attractions is "Disney Animation."
16 screens in this attraction will take visitors into the world
of Disney animation. In addition to the 16 screen attraction, there
are interactive areas, a film titled "Back to Neverland"
a gallery dedicated to animation artists, and an animation merchandise
store!
Upcoming
Films
