The {{link http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3U30OLM2B2ZYQCRBAELCFEY?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3960532 Reuters News Agency}} has reported that Friends star Lisa Kudrow will “lend her voice to an untitled animated pilot presentation created by Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder (Dr. Katz), under consideration at Fox, playing the mother of a family whose life is disrupted when their uncle moves in with them”.

{{link http://www.darkhorizons.com/ Dark Horizons}} picks up on a story that originally featured at {{link http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117896739&categoryID=13&cs=1 Variety.com}} (paid subscription required) about the long-in-pre-production Disney live-action/animation fairy-tale skewer Enchanted. “Kim Possible executive producers Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle have been hired to rewrite the project for Disney and director Adam Shankman (Bringing Down The House). The film […]

Kristin Cheddar gives us the heads-up about an article on Variety.com regarding an upcoming CGI animated feature starring uber-famous standup comedian Jerry Seinfeld and entitled “Bee Movie.” I wonder if it will have that bee girl from the Blind Melon music videos or if it will be about “nothing” as the “Seinfeld” television series purportedly […]

In keeping with our long-standing tradition of reporting only the hard, solid, verifiable facts we will now begin reporting any dream that anybody connected with the animation industry in any way feels free to relate to others over the Internet. Larry Pontius, author of “Waking Walt,” has contributed a recent article to Jim Hill Media […]

The BBC this Wednesday evening will air a 40-minute documentary which looks at the current state of the animation industry, at 10.35pm on BBC1. The Imagine series (covering a wide variety of artistic and cultural projects and people) has so far been an intelligent show, going to the top people in the field for information. […]

Readers at the {{link http://www.animationnation.com Animation Nation}} messageboards have posted {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007083 Michael Eisner}} and {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007077 Roy Disney’s}} dueling open letters addressed to Disney employees. Michael Eisner’s letter: 12/03/2003 Dear Fellow Cast Member: I’m writing to you from a plane on my way to Disneyland for tonight’s annual employee Christmas party, having just wrapped […]

Readers at the {{link http://www.animationnation.com Animation Nation}} messageboards have posted {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007083 Michael Eisner}} and {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007077 Roy Disney’s}} dueling open letters addressed to Disney employees. Roy Disney’s letter: December 3, 2003 Dear Disney Cast Members, It was nearly 20 years ago that a small group of us recognized that dramatic changes were necessary to […]

The Internet Movie Database is reporting that in addition to already completing the musical score for The Lion King 1 1/2, Hans Zimmer will be composing the musical scores to Over the Hedge and Shark Tale.

Ray Harryhausen’s contribution to special effects cannot be overstated, with virtually everybody in the field being inspired by his armies of mythical beasts in the Sinbad films, the dinosaurs of One Million Years BC, or the unforgettable and amazingly influential skeleton gladiators in Jason And The Argonauts (see even this year’s effects-fest Pirates Of The […]

The boys, as they say, are back in town! Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny all return in the latest season to hit DVD, with {{link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000CABL2/qid=1070725303//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i0_xgl74/002-1902555-2863210?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846 South Park: The Complete Third Season}}, out on December 16th. The three-disc set features all seventeen episodes as well as “mini-commentaries” (short vocal intros by creators Trey Parker and […]

Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Research page points us to a new article at MSN’s Slate all about Carl Stalling, the genius discovered by Walt Disney in the early 1920’s and the man responsible for the musical score for hundreds of Warner Bros. cartoons from 1936 to 1958. As John Williams did for Star Wars, it is […]

If there’s someone on your holiday shopping list who really likes clothes and you can’t figure out what to get them you might want to give MKT’s Swag CafePress page a gander. There’s shirts for men and women, baby items, mousepads, clocks, mugs, etc., with slogans such as “Roy Was Right,” “Bring Back Roy,” “Keep […]

{{link http://forum.bcdb.com/gforum.cgi?post=16011 The Big Cartoon Database}} reports that according to a local TV affiliate Walt Disney World will be laying-off an as yet unknown number of workers over the holiday season. “The cuts will begin to take effect December 14” but employees won’t find out if they are on the block until December 10.

In addition to next weekend’s chat with David Kaye we {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000398.html reported}} on earlier this week, {{link http://animationhq.net/ AnimationHQ}} will also be hosting an online chat \\this\\ weekend with Heidi Guedel, a 25 year veteran animator for Disney, Don Bluth, and Warner Brothers. Some of her credits include work on the films \\The Secret […]

According to the New York Post, rumors abound that Pixar chief Steve Jobs may be invited by Michael Eisner to join the Disney board of directors, or to even take over the second executive position at Disney.

Be sure to vote at today’s Internet Movie Database poll: “What’s your favorite (animated) Christmas TV special?”

In an interview with Silver Bullet Comicbooks, Michael Silberkleit, the son of MLJ (Archie Comics) founder Louis Silberkleit, states, “We are very excited with the Betty & Veronica Miramax film. The film will show our characters in situations similar to those in which they appear in our comics and thus will be familiar to the […]

With the end of 2003 upon us and the holiday gift-giving season coming up fast, we thought we’d share what we here at Animated News thought would make great ideas for the animation fan in your life

Jim Hill Media presents an interesting article concerning those lovable residents of Riverdale: Archie, Reggie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead.

Laughing Place has a new “Disney in the Classroom” article written by Lee Suggs, a history teacher from Northern California, about the educational value that can be found in Disney’s Brother Bear. It’s long been my belief that movies can teach valuable life lessons and do not have to be merely shallow entertainment and it’s […]

The new movie by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress) that has been nominated for the Academy Awards as Best Animated Picture is a touching story of three Tokyo homeless people who find an abandoned baby and adopt her. Tokyo Godfathers made its US debut at this year’s Big Apple Anime Fest, where director Satoshi […]

The Haunted Mansion’s future looks scary, as Box Office Guru states that the movie “may drop 55% to about $11M and put its 12-day cume at $47M,” while Box Office Report predicts a 61% drop to about $9.5 million and a $46.8 million total.

Robert Longbottom, a 2003 Tony Award nominee for Best Choreographer, has been chosen to direct the new Disney Theatricals show \\On the Record\\, according to {{link http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83091.html Playbill’s}} report of a \\Variety\\ story. Longbottom “conceived the idea for the new musical with Disney’s Thomas Schumacher”. As we reported {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000388.html yesterday}}, the show will feature […]

{{link http://animationhq.net AnimationHQ}} announced that they will be holding an online chat with voice actor David Kaye. His list of credits include Sesshomaru from \\Inu Yasha\\, Professor Xavier in \\X-Men: Evolution\\, Spectral in \\Reboot\\, Treize Khushrenada in \\Mobile Suit Gundam Wing\\, and Megatron in \\Transformers: Armada\\, \\Beast Wars\\, and\\ Beast Machines\\. Head to {{link http://animationhq.net/v2/features/events.htm […]

The ever present {{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/main/index.htm Jim Hill Media}} has a brief update on the Roy Disney/Michael Eisner situation over at Disney today, plus an announcement for a rather special event for NYC residents. “Tonight [December 4] at the Museum of Television and Radio, they’re having an event to honor Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, […]

If you can’t get enough of the latest developments in the Roy Disney/Stanley Gold shakeout story Toon Zone has added a link to a letter purportedly written by Roy E. Disney to current Walt Disney Company employees in which he charges that “The focus [of the company] has shifted to the chase for the quick […]

Animation World Network updates with a report that three animated titles by Sir Paul McCartney of Beatles fame (“fame” may be too mild of a word) have been acquired by Miramax and are scheduled for a spring 2004 release. The three titles are TROPIC ISLAND HUM, TUESDAY and RUPERT & THE FROG SONG. In his […]

Animation Blast has updated with news of a letter of support for the efforts of Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold in calling for the ouster of Michael Eisner. The letter was begun by three former Disney employees and can be signed by anyone who wishes to express their support. Will this letter be effective? […]

Jim Hill Media brings us an interesting story of how Roy Disney and Stanley Gold may be trying to make a “Rainbow Connection” with a certain studio, in order to help their mission in ousting Michael Eisner.