Subject: Animated News Weekly

08/01/04 – 08/07/04:

Hello, and a somewhat belated welcome to this week’s Animated News mailout. Please copy and paste any split links into your browser for more info on a given subject. Headlines this week. . .



----FEATURE FILMS----

SHARK TALE – DreamWorks Animation’s next blockbuster has a new trailer online:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/shark_tale/trailer/

SOONER OR LATER – The White House seems to be upset with Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s new epic opus, a marionette musical comedy that sees a Thunderbirds/Incredibles style team avenge the world’s terrorists. Matt and Trey speck back at AICN:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002050.html

BOX OFFICE – it seems the summer silly season is still reeling them in! Though the top slots are now being taken up mostly with action dramas, the big FX blockbuster releases are still clogging the bottom end of the scale, with the stunning I, ROBOT at number six ($127m), SPIDER-MAN 2 ($354m) and even CATWOMAN clawing onto that bottom spot, at number ten with a none-too-dismal $36m. No hope for the awful THUNDERBIRDS though, which drops out after just one week:
http://www.boxofficereport.com/wbon/daily.shtml

SPONGEBOB SQAUREPANTS – new poster:
http://www.impawards.com/2004/spongebob_squarepants_ver7.html

NO SCOOBY THREE – despite a good-but-not-great $80m in the bank in the US alone for Scooby 2, WB have pulled the plug on a proposed Scooby-Doo 3 movie. Of course, things could change if the second film is a hit with home audiences in its upcoming DVD release:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-08/04/12.00.film

POOH’S HEFFALUMP MOVIE – catch a first peek at the style and tone of yet another direct-to-video-blown-up-for-the-big-screen release:
http://www.disney.co.uk/DisneyOnline/trailerpark/pooh_heffalump_trailer.html

SPIDER-MAN 2 – new behind the scenes “webisodes” now up on the official site:
http://spiderman.sonypictures.com/bugle/webisodes/index.php?vs=4

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE – follow the production’s production:
http://filmforce.ign.com/narnia/articles/535/535423p1.html

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW – design SKY CAPTAIN’s final look for the promotional website and be in with a chance to win some cool goodies:
http://www.skycaptain.com/?j=6/

MORE SKY CAPTAIN – DC Comics will be inserting a WORLD OF TOMORROW CD ROM in issue 182 of Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight and 96 of Nightwing:
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040806f.php



----DVD RELEASES----

WALT DISNEY TREASURES – Wave Four now up for Amazon pre-order:
http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=4606#post4606

WALT DISNEY TREASURES – Wave Four cover art for Pluto, Mickey b/w 2 and Mickey Club. No word yet on the announced True Life Adventures set for now:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/coverart.html#december

MULAN II – new production art and story reel clip:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002046.html

HARVIE KRUMPET – this year’s short film Oscar winner gets his own DVD:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/news/641

FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN – a 70-minute DVD sequel will premiere at this year’s Venice International Film Festival:
http://www.square-enix.com/sei/products/article.html/Fid/1/6reference/8427

DISNEY PRINCESSES – cover art, menus screens for the three new interactive DVDs:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4719

PAUL McCARTNEY’S MUSIC AND ANIMATION – the UK region two issue of the disc will be accompanied by a limited edition CD:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002060.html

CLIFFORD’S REALLY BIG MOVIE – coming to DVD on August 24:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040805005649&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view

A strong rating for FUTURAMA VOLUME 4 on DVD:
http://dvd.ign.com/articles/536/536322p1.html

RETURN OF THE MICKEY-BOTS – shots from Twice Upon A Christmas:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002073.html

GARGOYLES – official confirmation that season one is coming:
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2032

AROUND THE WORLD WITH TIMON AND PUMBAA – one of a slew of direct-to-video compilations that flooded the market soon after the success of The Lion King is out in the UK on region two DVD. With no news of a US release, fans may want to pick it up for Steve Moore’s STAND BY ME theatrical short, which has been inexplicably missing from the recent Lion King DVD releases:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002092.html

ALADDIN – deleted scenes shots and more:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/aladbf.html

SHREK 2 – artwork and early specs:
http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=4534&n=1&burl=r%3D0%26s%3D1

POPEYE’S VOYAGE: THE QUEST FOR PAPPY – see the old-fashioned spinach-guzzling sailor in brand spanking new fangled CGI, with this first look trailer:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/news/594

MICKEY, DONALD, GOOFY: THE THREE MUSKETEERS – first review online:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/threemusketeers.html



----INTERVIEWS----

GREG HILL, former animator at WDFA-Florida, speaks about his time at the studio and confirms that “If I Never Knew You” from Pocahontas, HAS been cut back into the film:
http://www.disneydatabase.com/interview.php?cat=crew&id=1

RINO ROMANO – the new animated Batman speaks out:
http://batmanytb.150m.com/exclusives/rino.htm



----CHARACTERS AND HISTORY----

WALK ALL OVER MICKEY – no, not what the Disney Company seems to be doing recently, but a new deal signed with Brown Shoe means that you can wear Disney characters on your feet:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002057.html

A STANGE PARTNERSHIP – though not actually connected, this page reveals the look for the new YELLOW SUBMARINE figures, as well as designs for a new SPAWN animated series:
http://board.spawn.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42084

BEAR OF LITTLE BRAIN BUT BIG BUSINESS – Winnie The Pooh’s future is uncertain again, after a ruling that allows Stephen Slesinger Inc the right to appeal against Disney’s support of the heirs of A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard’s wishes to terminate Slesinger’s rights to the character. Pooh makes a 15-20% contribution to Disney’s yearly earnings:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040804/nyw178_1.html

SUPERMAN – another character’s ownership may be soon under dispute, as the estates of Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster file to regain the rights to the Superboy franchise from TimeWarner, with another eye on the big man himself:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002072.html



----TELEVISION / THEMED / STAGE----

MICKEY’S MUSKETEERS – the direct-to-video release gets its own soundtrack:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040803005398&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view

RATINGS SUCCESS – it seems Cartoon Network’s ADULT SWIM shows are beating such mainstays as the late night Letterman and Leno talk shows with young adult male viewers:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002083.html

Ten Questions With MR VENTURE:
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/535/535779p1.html

BRANDY AND MR. WHISKERS – website up for this new Disney Channel show:
http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/brandyandmrwhiskers/

ZEROMAN – DreamWorks’ animated superhero comedy features the voice of Naked Gun’s LESLIE NEILSEN. Catch an early word and a pic from the series here:
http://www.calgarysun.com/perl-bin/niveau2.cgi?s=films&p=87218.html&a=1



----BUSINESS----

Nothing to worry about – Pixar and Apple CEO STEVE JOBS escaped a cancer scare this week:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=738&e=1&u=/nm/20040801/tc_nm/tech_apple_jobs_dc

PIXAR’S EARNINGS – meanwhile, Jobs’ company is doing better than expected for the second quarter bottom line:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002079.html

SONY AND WARNERS SEEK FIT WITH MGM – it’s now back down to these two companies to make a deal with MGM. Should the lion go with Sony, whose Columbia Pictures now resides on the very soundstages once owned by MGM, or should they go with WB, who own practically all of the MGM library, meaning that it would not only reunite some of the greatest films in history, but also give WB’s New Line the rights to make the eagerly anticipated THE HOBBIT. Take a look, and vote in our poll:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002048.html

LUCASFILM ANIMATON – taking the first steps to actual production, the facility will have a base in Singapore:
http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=24559

ADINA PITT has been upped to Vice President of Acquisitions for Nickelodeon and Nicktoons:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-03-2004/0002224227&EDATE=

DISNEY GOES PC – the long-rumored move into electronics for the Mouse House has come, with the unveiling of the Mickey Computer, a kids’ desktop PC shaped with those famous ears:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002074.html

MR. EISNER’S SUCCESSOR – Disney President and COO Bob Iger has made it clear that, if the post was offered to him, he would “love to have” the job of CEO at the company:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00002075.html



----WRAP UP----

That’s all for this week, folks! Don’t forget to visit us online at http://www.animated-news.com and contribute through our forums: http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/

Have a great week,
The Animated-News Team.


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