Subject: Animated News Weekly

05/08/05 – 05/21/05:

Hello, and welcome to the Animated News Weekly. Please copy and paste any split links into your browser for more info on a given subject. The past couple of week’s news was. . .



----JOE GRANT----

The legendary Disney storyman passed away on Friday, May 6. New website The Animation Podcast broke the sad news:
http://www.animationpodcast.com/archives/2005/05/06/joe-grant-has-passed-away/

Joe’s updated DISNEY LEGENDS page:
http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=Joe%20Grant

Remembering The Other Joe Grant looks at Joe’s pre-Disney career:
http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=Joe%20Grant

Official Disney PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.savedisney.com/news/features/fe050905.2.asp

A personal report on Joe Grant’s remembrance service:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003468.html

The animation community pays tribute:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003470.html



----FEATURE FILMS----

CHICKEN LITTLE – the new trailer, plus the hilarious “Hitchhikers” one, is online NOW:
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/chickenlittle/

CHICKEN LITTLE – not so “new”, but the French Disney Powerboard has a nice collection of all the major images, posters and photos released to the media so far, including Visual Guide and Art Of books:
http://www.disneypowerboard.com/index.php?showtopic=990

MADAGASCAR – ASIFA members screening on Monday, May 23:
http://www.asifa-hollywood.org/anifest.html

MORE MADAGASCAR – featurettes and TV spots for Friday’s release:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9631

EVEN MORE MADAGASCAR – seems those penguins are caught up in the Star Wars fever too:
http://www.dreamworksfansite.com/waroftheworlds/fullstory.php?id=2165

THE POLAR EXPRESS – shunts back into Imax theaters before heading to DVD this Christmas:
http://www.vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=3631a5a1&atype=news&id=13842

ROCKUMENTARY – an animated penguin comedy from DreamWorks found its lead characters pop up in another guise in the studio’s latest, Madagascar, while the original film has been put on hold:
http://www.vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=3631a5a1&atype=news&id=13842

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, WITCH AND WARDROBE – nine promotional images:
http://www.disneydatabase.com/media_index.php?subject=298&st=movies&maincat=images&cat=promoimg&type=opm

WALLACE AND GROMIT – teaser poster for The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit:
http://www.latinoreview.com/films_2005/dreamworks/wallace&gromit/teaserposter.html

WALLACE AND GROMIT – extensive coverage of the press event in Cannes:
http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=7478

WALLACE AND GROMIT – the latest trailer:
http://movies.channel.aol.com/franchise/exclusives/wallace_and_gromit_movie

CROOD AWAKENING – John Cleese is writing this pre-historic comedy for Aardman and DreamWorks:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4512099.stm

FLUSHED AWAY – Aardman/DreamWorks’ next – and first CG film – has a sneak peek:
http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=7458

BAMBI AND THE GREAT PRINCE – getting a possible theatrical release in Europe:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003458.html

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – the CGI feature’s teaser poster:
http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=7450

THE POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL – a sequel is in the works to the 1982 fantasy film:
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=20225

FLUSHED AWAY – plot info from various sources:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003467.html

PAVLOV’S DOG – Exodus Film Group are hard at work on their next film already:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003493.html

A FEW GOOD GHOSTS – the cancelled Disney film has some test sequences sneaked in to Firefly Studios’ computer animation showreel:
http://www.projectfirefly.com/3Danimationreel.html



----DVD RELEASES----

CINDERELLA – a LOT of fluff for the upcoming 2-disc edition:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9055

CINDRELLA – the Platinum Edition is to get an amazing $150 million worth of promotion:
http://www.videobusiness.com/article.asp?articleID=10573&catType=NEWS

GARFIELD AND FRIENDS – info on volume four:
http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=6611&n=1&burl=

CONAN: RED NAILS – the barbarian is coming DTV:
http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=search&range=all&search=conan&newsitem_no=13872

GARGOYLES: SEASON 2 is coming:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003461.html

KRONK’S NEW GROOVE – the video sequel to The Emperor’s New Groove has a few screencaps up from its trailer:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9082

FATHER OF THE PRIDE – DVD menus and specs:
http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=6193&n=1&burl=

FATHER OF THE PRIDE – win one of six copies:
http://www.dreamworksfansite.com/contests/fotp_dvd.php

DISNEYLAND’S 50TH – cover art for the Magic And Secrets commemorative DVD:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/coverart.html#july12

SHREK 2 – not so blockbusting on home video and DVD:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003476.html

GHOSTBUSTERS, HE-MAN and THUNDERCATS – the 1980s classics disc news:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003478.html

SAMURAI JACK – season two specs:
http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=1782

TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE – the DVD comes with no strings attached:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/398

THE MUPPET SHOW – Season One of the historic, and hilarious, show is finally coming to disc, with plenty of fantastic-sounding bonus features:
http://muppetnewsflash.blogspot.com/2005/05/muppet-show-season-one-features.html

THE MUPPETS WIZARD OF OZ – the telemovie is coming to DVD this August:
http://muppets.go.com/main.html?dl=oz



----INTERVIEWS----

FRED GRANDINETTI – the Popeye historian talks spinach-guzzling Fleischer on DVD and reveals that Warners can go ahead and put their restored toons out on disc without any legal worries from King Features:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/features/75

DOUG COOPER – DreamWorks Animation’s visual effects supervisor talks about technical advancements in Shark Tale, Madagascar and the upcoming Bee Movie:
http://www.biganimation.com/magazine/news/article.asp?articleid=458&zoneid=3

IRENE BEDARD – the voice of Pocahontas reminisces on her role as Disney’s Native American princess:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/pocahontas-interview.html

CHRIS HARDING talks creating the graphics for the HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE:
http://www.vfxblog.com/articles/shynola_on_hitchhikers/index.html

MADAGASCAR – the cast and crew promote the movie:
http://www.moviehole.net/news/5652.html



----CHARACTERS AND HISTORY----

PROJECT FIREFLY ANIMATION STUDIOS – still going strong after one year:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003444.html

TINKER BELL TALKS – original live-action reference model Margaret Kerry opens up a website dedicated to her staring role in Peter Pan:
http://www.tinkerbelltalks.com/

DISNEY MAGAZINE – reader emails suggest the publication HAS shut down for good:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003492.html

BOB BERGEN – take a cruise with cartoon voice actor Bob and learn about the trade:
http://www.bobbergen.com/voiceovercruise.htm

SCOOBY-DOO - big year for the pooch as he gets set to appear in Macy’s Parade, plus the availability of merchandise at the Subway franchise:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003495.html

NICKTOONS’ NEXTOONS – the big-name judges are announced:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003498.html



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

THE PULCINELLA AWARDS – handed out during the Cartoons From The Bay festival, saw the first time Cartoon Net work original programming was honored:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003443.html

RAVEN TALES – the studio behind the CGI film expands internationally with a 13 episode series:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003447.html

DISNEY EMMYS – The Disney Channel picked up three at the 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, for Rolie Polie Ollie, Kim Possible and Brandy & Mr Whiskers:
http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=3525

THE MUPPETS’ WIZARD OF OZ – Jim Hill on the telemovie:
http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1450

SHREK SUPERSLAM – the characters are all back for this video game spin off:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003486.html

KINGDOM HEARTS 2 – Captain Jack Sparrow will set sail in the next game, the Japanese website goes live, plus Disney’s lineup of game titles this year:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003489.html



----BUSINESS----

MOUSE BURGERS – McDonalds wants to continue licensing Disney promotional merchandise, but on their own terms:
http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1442

DISNEY VS. DISNEY – Chuck Oberleitner looks at the odd case of Save Disney filing suit against the Disney Company:
http://www.o-meon.com/pages/columns/col_05-17-05.html

CELLSOFT’s TAKE 5 – the line test software comes to the PC:
http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00003482.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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