The {{link http://www.lafca.org/Home/News/2003_lafca_awards_winners.html Los Angeles Film Critics Association}} announced their annual awards today. \\The Triplets of Belleville\\ edged out \\Finding Nemo\\ in the Best Animation category. \\Triplets\\ also picked up the prize for Best Music Score. A Special Citation was awarded to \\Destino\\, the Walt Disney/Salvador Dali short film started in 1946 and only recently […]

\\{{link http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-disney7jan07,1,4316157.story The L.A. Times}}\\ reports that Disney may be taking some of Roy Disney and Stanley Gold’s complaints to heart. The “board of directors, which has come under fire for being too close to management, took another step Tuesday to strengthen its corporate governance guidelines. The changes include adopting a new code of conduct […]

\\Animation Magazine\\ reports changes are taking place at the top of two networks with toon-heavy content. [paid subscription required for Animation magazine] The {{link http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=1943 first report}} states that Cyma Zarghami, who has been with the network for 18 years, has been promoted to president of Nickelodeon Television. “Zarghami, who recently oversaw the wildly successful […]

Jerry Beck at {{link http://www.cartoonresearch.com Cartoon Research}} reviews \\Teacher’s Pet\\, the feature film based on the Disney animated series. Beck says “it’s a frantic, fast paced adventure” that is “certainly the best movie spun off from a Walt Disney Television Animation series – and perhaps the ‘cartooniest’ Disney release since \\The Three Caballeros\\”. The film […]

\\{{link http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-predict28dec28,1,3852827.story The L.A. Times}}\\ has made some bold predictions for the entertainment industry in 2004. Some of the interesting ones include: – “The coming year will be the year that Disney finally gets serious about finding a successor to Chairman Michael Eisner”. \\The Times\\ says that one likely successor could be News Corp.’s chief […]

While Jim Hill {{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/legacy/index.htm?../articles/01062004.1.htm~contentFrame continues}} his spotlight of the WDFA – Florida situation, don’t miss {{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/legacy/index.htm?../articles/guest/norman.01062004.1.htm~contentFrame Floyd Norman’s article}} on why what Disney needs right now is a “Crazy Man”!

According to {{link http://www.davisdvd.com/news/daily_news.html DavisDVD}}, \\Futurama: Volume 3\\ will be released on March 9th with a suggested retail price of $49.98. “The four-disc set will feature all twenty-two third season episodes in fullscreen and Dolby Digital Surround sound”. Check out the link for info on the bonus materials.

{{link http://news.awn.com/index.php3?ltype=top&newsitem_no=9951 AWN}} reports that \\Finding Nemo\\ has made the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences short list for the Best Achievement in Sound Editing category. The other potential nominees include: \\Kill Bill: Vol. 1\\, \\The Last Samurai\\, \\The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King\\, \\Master And Commander: The Far Side […]

Kirby C. Holt’s latest {{link http://www.laughingplace.com/News-PID280070-280070.asp Toon Talk}} column at {{link http://www.laughingplace.com Laughingplace.com}} is a look back at 2003 with “The Year in Review” and a top 10 list of “The Year’s Best Disney Films and Videos”.

{{link http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83566.html Playbill}} reports that “\\Hoopz\\, the Disney stage musical about the Harlem Globetrotters that has been dribbling in development for several years, no longer has composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Suzan-Lori Parks on board”. Tesori, a Tony Award nominee for \\Thoroughly Modern Millie\\ and the composer of the upcoming direct-to-video sequel of \\Mulan\\, said […]

{{link http://animationhq.net AnimationHQ}} announced that they will be holding an online chat with voice actor Neil Ross. His list of credits include Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in \\Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends\\ and the \\Spider-Man\\ series; Keith, Jeff, Pidge, and Chip in \\Voltron: Defender of the Universe\\; Shipwreck, Buzzer, Dusty, Heavy Metal, and Monkeywrench in \\G.I. […]

{{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/legacy/index.htm?../articles/01052004.2.htm~contentFrame Jim Hill Media}} will spotlight the situation at Disney Feature Animation – Florida this week, and is hoping to “embarrass Mouse House management into backing down” from shuttering the studio. Today’s installment pulls no punches! “And you know the real beauty part of this plan? Under this scenario, it’s just the artists that […]

The first teaser trailer for the \\SpongeBob SquarePants\\ movie is now online at {{link http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/spongebobsquarepantsmovie/ Apple’s Quicktime Movie Trailer site}}.

A poster at {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007214 Animation Nation}} has discovered the webpage of a writer named Michelle Spitz where she lists her writing credits. They include several unheard of projects for Disney Feature Animation. You Don’t Know Jack About the Beanstalk (’03) A Day with Wilbur Robinson (’02) Chicken Little (’02) Just So Stories (’02) Emperor’s […]

Noodlesoup Productions’ \\The Venture Brothers\\ won the Best Animated Television Series award at this year’s Cineme, the Chicago International Animation Film Festival. The show’s pilot aired this past February and the series is scheduled to premiere on Cartoon Network this spring. \\The Venture Brothers\\ “parodies the 1960’s favorite \\Jonny Quest\\, featuring brothers Hank and Dean, their […]

{{link http://www.comingsoon.net/database.php ComingSoon.net}} reports that the much troubled feature \\Lil’ Pimp\\ has, once again, been removed from the release date schedule and is now heading straight to video. \\{{link http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/lilpimp/ Lil’ Pimp}}\\ is the first feature film to be shot entirely with Flash animation.

{{link http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&article_no=1956&page=1 AWN}} asks “Has the Oscar for Animated Feature Affected the Industry?” The article looks at the previous and current contenders, their fates, and some of the controversies the new category has generated. In the end the author decides that the “Features category is clearly building respect for animated work outside of the community […]

{{link http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2003/03.12.19.a.html The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}} has announced the the seven films being considered for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award: \\The Hulk\\, \\The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King\\, \\Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World\\, \\Peter Pan\\, \\Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of […]

{{link http://www.dreamworksfansite.com/fullstory.php?id=267 DreamWorks SKG Fansite}} has new hi-resolution pictures from DreamWorks’ 2004 animated films \\Shrek 2\\ and \\Shark Tale\\.

\\{{link http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,561576_1_0_,00.html Entertainment Weekly}}\\ reports that \\The Triplets of Belleville\\ won the Best Foreign Language Film award from the Boston Society of Film Critics on their 23rd annual awards list. [paid registration required]

{{link http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=2773 ComingSoon.net}} has the \\Variety\\ report that Grant Calof and Greg Lee have been signed by Disney to adapt David Wiesner’s Caldecott Medal winning children’s book \\The Three Pigs\\. Wiesner’s version of the story “updates the traditional tale and follows the pigs’ adventures” as they escape the Big Bad Wolf by going into other […]

{{link http://www.hfpa.org/nominations2004.html The Hollywood Foreign Press Association}} has announced their nominations for the 2004 Golden Globe Awards. \\Finding Nemo\\ was nominated for Best Picture. Previous Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture have gone to \\Beauty and the Beast\\, \\The Lion King\\, and \\Toy Story 2\\. Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture have included \\Who Framed […]

{{link http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&article_no=1950 AWN}} has a story about “the most ambitious Spanish animated theatrical film ever produced”, \\El Cid, The Legend\\, set to be released in Spain tomorrow. The article looks at: the challenges of overcoming the “hegemony of North American animation in the Spanish screens”, technical aspects of creating the mostly traditionally animated film, the […]

The AP (via {{link http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-12-11-weekend-news_x.htm USA Today}}) reports that ABC has received approval from its affiliate board to produce weekend morning news shows which would compete with those on CBS and NBC. Currently, many ABC stations air cartoons which will have to be moved or removed to make room for the news programs.

{{link http://news.awn.com/index.php3?ltype=top&newsitem_no=9856 AWN}} reports that actor Christopher Reeve (former star of the \\Superman\\ franchise) is set to direct an as of yet untitled original feature length animated film “described as an urban fable set in the 1930s, and is expected to be completed in early 2005”. Digital Production Solutions, the animation unit of IDT Entertainment, […]

{{link http://www.bfca.org/ The Broadcast Film Critics Association}} announced their nominees for the Critics Choice Awards. The BFCA, the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, claim their Critics Choice Awards “are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations. In the past five years, 94% of Oscar nominees for Best Picture […]

John Lasseter’s groundbreaking short film \\Tin Toy\\ and Warner Brothers’ \\One Froggy Evening\\, the short that gave birth to Michigan J. Frog, have been added to the {{link http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/filmnfr.html National Film Registry}} according to the head of Library of Congress, James Billington. Each year the Librarian of Congress, advised by the National Film Preservation Board, […]

{{link http://www.afi.com/tvevents/afiawards03/default.aspx The American Film Institute}} has announced its “Ten Most Outstanding Motion Pictures and Television Programs of the Year”. Their awards are “the only form of national recognition that honors the film and television creative ensemble as a whole – those people in front of and behind the camera-acknowledging the collaborative nature of film […]

\\{{link http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=7530006A-C103-4E13-9A55-F6EFCC111ACC The Montreal Gazette}}\\ reports that the special effects wizards working on the third installment of \\The Lord of the Rings\\ trilogy, \\The Return of the King\\, encountered an unexpected problem when creating the climactic battle scene. Director Peter Jackson told his special effects department, “I want battles like nothing anyone has ever seen […]

The website for the stage version of \\Mary Poppins\\ is now online at {{link http://www.marypoppinsthemusical.com www.marypoppinsthemusical.com}}. Check out our previous reports on this show by clicking this button: