Video Business reports on the {{link http://www.dvdexclusive.com/article.asp?articleID=2260&categoryID= growing trend of DVD discs}} featuring interactive games and elements designed to promote upcoming theatrical and home video releases. Front of the pack is DreamWorks’ recent Madagascar Animal Trivia, which will be followed up by a Shrek activity disc in the fall, and is described as “the first […]

DVD Exclusive has the low down on a number of animation related stories today, First up is news that, on the heels of its foray into 3D computer animation last year with DVD premiere Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas, DisneyToon Studios is {{link http://www.dvdexclusive.com/article.asp?articleID=2263&categoryID= ramping up production}} of several more CG DVDs, including an indication […]

{{link http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117925521?categoryId=25&cs=1 Variety notes}} that Filmation Studios co-founder and former disc jockey (one of the original “Live Five”) Norm Prescott has died in Los Angeles. After producing the animated feature Pinocchio In Outer Space (1965), he partnered with former Bozo the Clown animator Lou Scheimer and former Disney animator Hal Sutherland to form Filmation Associates. […]

Disney’s August release of Vanguard’s fun animated feature debut Valiant has gotten a boost with the opening of the film’s {{link http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/valiant/ official website}}. Though there seems to be much more coming soon, the site does currently feature the trailer, production notes, character profiles and clips. Thanks to Cartoni in the {{link http://animatedviews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6193#6193 Animated-News Forum}} […]

Following {{link http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/393 DVD Toons’ review}} of the recent (and hard to find) Region 1 edition of the sadly truncated cut of director Martin Rosen’s animated adaptation of Richard Adams’ The Plague Dogs, the site was contacted by Big Sky Video in Australia, who are all set to release – for the first time since […]

Marc John (previously Head of Digital Cinema for the UK’s largest cinema chain, Odeon) has written in to tell us about a new book, due to be printed in the UK in August, that charts the birth and history of Digital Cinema, the new theatrical exhibition technology that will eventually replace film and revolutionise the […]

{{link http://www.comingsoon.net/news/waroftheworldsnews.php?id=10193 Coming Soon}} talks to ILM’s visual effects wizard Dennis Muren about his work on Steven Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds, including the tight deadline, the process of animating to the live-action, plus news on a Hulk 2, upcoming projects, and the future of CGI digital humans.

{{link http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/409 DVD Toons reviews Starchaser: The Legend Of Orin}}, the fun 1980s sci-fi precursor to such films as Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet and Titan AE, which is making a comeback on DVD. Though there are no points for the non-existent extras, MGM’s new disc of the fan-favorite does sport a spiffy widescreen […]

As well as three new hi-res images from Disney’s upcoming release of Chicken Little, we now have the full press release for the Studio’s planned collaboration with Dolby Laboratories and LucasFilm’s Industrial Light And Magic to issue the film in the new-fangled Disney Digital 3D format. For more, follow this link:

As well as two theme parks in the region, Disney is looking to make its presence felt in China with more traditional filmmaking ways as well. In somewhat animation related news, and seemingly putting an end to rumors of a sequel to Walt’s original, The Guardian newspaper in the UK today reports that “the Wicked […]

Regular Animated-News reader Robin Joseph has let us know that Patch Of Orange, his resumé website that we {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00001794.html reported on}} last summer, has closed down. However, Robin has started a {{link http://www.patchoforange.blogspot.com PatchOfOrange blog}} and has updated the page with Bird, the student short completed this year as his final project at Sheridan […]

Currently being sponsored by Volkswagen (shouldn’t they have done this for the Herbie film?) is the trailer for {{link http://www.kingkongmovie.com/ef239524432ba87f1ca8f70eed4b1fa7/en_splash.html Peter Jackson’s King Kong}}, which features a surprising amount of full-on monkey business rather than the glimpses we usually catch in teasers for such big event movies. King Kong, featuring Andy (Gollum) Serkis under a […]

Apart from The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and the return of Garfield to the big screen, {{link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8184943/site/newsweek/ MSNBC’s Newsweek}} has a small piece on more cartoons set to “go live” in Hollywood adaptations, including John Woo’s He Man, with Jason Lewis, and The Smurfs, a long-rumored project, with Jeff Goldblum once listed as Gargamel!

Raven Moon Entertainment’s subsidiary Raven Animation has already produced the soundtrack and will begin animation next month on a 14-minute trailer for Gina D & The Transistor Sisters, the first of three low-budget G-Rated animated family films that the Florida company is looking to produce. Slated as follow-ups are The BOBO Blocks Movie and The […]

{{link http://www.dvdexclusive.com/article.asp?articleID=2224 DVD Exclusive}} reports that “After more than a year of speculation, Fox has announced the release of an animated DVD premiere movie version of Family Guy on September 27. Creator Seth MacFarlane’s 83-minute ‘unrated’ movie, Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!, finds the maniacal baby genius distracted from his plans for […]

Following {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00003619.html our sneak peek}} at Pixar’s new short last week, regular reader Joost vd Bosch, of ka-Ching Cartoons, has sent in a scan of the souvenir card handed out to those at Annecy who were able to catch the surprise premiere. Thanks to Joost (who was also lucky enough to corner and talk […]

Steve Roberts writes in with a “note to let you know that there is an animation show at Central St Martins College of Art and Design’s {{link http://www.londonanimationstudio.tv/home.html London Animation Studio}}, 2-6 Catton Street, Holborn, London, WC1R 4AA on Friday 24th, Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th June, between 4pm and 8:30pm. Excellent animation, and free […]

{{link http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20050616/111891834600.html Yahoo/Reuters reports}} that a team of Walt Disney Feature Animation executives “made an impassioned plea for the Los Angeles Professional Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH – the area’s premiere computer graphics artists – to join the animation studio”, making it the first public recruiting pitch in four years. Disney also showed off the animation […]

There’s still no word on the off again, on again release of the commemorative DisneyLand documentary The Secrets, Stories And Magic Of The Happiest Place On Earth, but Ultimate Disney does have some {{link http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9674 menu shots up}} for three other discs released July 12, including The Best Of The Mickey Mouse Club, whose 90-minute […]

The {{link http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=7776 JoBlo movie news}} site has a little on director Bob Zemeckis’ next performance-capture feature. Used last year on The Polar Express, Zemeckis is using the system on Beowulf, with Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Ray Winstone and Brendan Gleeson all signed up. Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman have adapted the epic old […]

Steve Blake writes in to tell us about {{link http://liudger.blogspot.com/2005/06/back-from-annecy.html the Liudger blogsite}}, where photos from the 29th Annecy Animation Festival, which has just come to a close in France, have been posted. Among the highlights are images from Pixar’s new short which had its world premiere at the closing ceremony of the Festival. One […]

The Independent Animation Channel will be going live on July 4, 2005. The site, which claims to be “the only animation channel that runs just like a real TV station, via the internet, will be streaming video 24 hours, 7 days a week”. Taking only original content to which the creators keep all their rights, […]

Mark Simon, owner of A&S Animation Inc, and Animatics & Storyboards Inc, recently had his third book, Facial Expressions, published. A photo reference guide for artists of all disciplines, the book will appeal to student and professional artists alike. For more on the book, and recommendations, follow this link:

Added to {{link http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=6824&n=1&burl= DVD Answers}}’ shot of the cover art for Fox’s Robots due this September is a list of the full disc specs for the release. As well as the expected (anamorphic widescreen, DTS and Dolby surround, commentary by director Chris Wedge and producer William Joyce), and the usual (deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes), […]

The print edition of Video Business indicates that Fox’s release of the $126 million-grossing CG-animated Robots on September 12 will mark the studio’s first simultaneous release for the Sony PlayStation Portable, and is also timed and positioned with marketing muscle that the studio hopes will keep the title on shelves through the fourth-quarter holiday gift […]

DVD Answers has revealed the DVD cover artwork for two anticipated discs, set for release later this fall. First up is a high-resolution look at the recently released art for Disney/Pixar’s debut collaboration, {{link http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=6557&n=1&burl= Toy Story: 10th Anniversary Edition}}, which promises “improved video and sound quality, Legacy Of Toy Story featurette, deleted scenes, animation […]

An email sent in to us from Howl’s Moving Castle fan Karen says she has received an alert from Disney which states that the film, currently in limited release, will open “everywhere” on June 17th. “I’m a major fan of Howl’s Moving Castle and I’ve already seen the Japanese version,” she says, adding that “I’m […]

Following our posting of {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00003588.html clips and featurette}} on Howl’s Moving Castle earlier this week, here are two recently released TV spots for the film, which opens in limited release today, Friday 10:

As {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00001774.html we reported}} around one year ago, Ralph Bakshi’s 1983 animated feature Fire And Ice is coming to disc, and specs for a limited edition release have been revealed. Despite the fact Bakshi publicly stated that his commentary for Fox’s release last year of Wizards would be the only one he was likely […]

In what seems like a “boomerang” time for the pinked one himself, the latest round of Pink Panther news has just come in. Originally timed to coincide with the upcoming theatrical release of Steve Martin’s The Pink Panther, which was {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00003586.html just postponed}} until February 10th 2006, the original animated Pink Panther is to […]