Following the recent closure of Disney’s Florida animation studio and the announcement of both Legacy Animation and Funnypages Productions’ goals to keep traditional animation alive, comes news of another exciting new animation studio that retains ties with an Orlando theme park. Based on the Universal Studios backlot, {{link http://www.projectfirefly.com/ Project Firefly Animation Studios}} “will draw […]

Ken Roberts, Marketing Director of {{link http://www.historictrees.org American Forests’ Historic Tree Nursery}} has written in to let us know that “Walt (and Roy) Disney’s beloved Dreaming Tree is still standing and thriving in Marceline, Missouri. And even better, actual direct-offspring saplings of this very tree are {{link http://www.historictrees.org/products/productInformation.asp?product_id=1907 now available from us}}”. The young Walt […]

‘MusicFan’ has sent in a link to {{link http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&SQL=GIH||||44591 AllGame.com}}, which looks at the Gameboy Advance adaptation of Disney’s Home On The Range, out the same day as the theatrical release, April 2. Thanks for the heads up!

Long-time Hanna-Barbera fan Randall Cyrenne checks (and flips out over!) all 28 episodes of the first season of {{link http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/284 The Flintstones}} over at DVD Toons. In an absolutely glowing review, Rand says: “I am just extremely pleased to have all the episodes from the first season of a classic TV comedy and milestone animation […]

No, not another remake from the Mouse House (of Walt’s 1942 trip to Latin America, which resulted in the films Saludos Amigos, The Three Cabelleros and the documentary South Of The Border With Disney)! News, from ‘MusicFan’, has come in from the Done Deal site which says that Disney will produce a new film about […]

Jan-Eric Nystrom, a Finnish professional animator based in Helsinki, and who has assisted with several Disney feature productions over the years, has set up a {{link http://www.sci.fi/~animato/index.html website}} that caters to those who wish to find out how animated cartoons are made. Pages give information on Jan’s animation package Animac, as well as how to […]

{{link http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=3567&n=1&burl= DVD Answers}} have scored an early look at the menus for the upcoming Shrek DVD double pack, which will include the original film as well as a new 3D short.

‘Stoyan Petrov’ has written in to let us know about a new poster for Disney’s upcoming Home On The Range. Could this be one of several “character” one-sheets to be unveiled over the next couple of weeks as the film gets ready for its theatrical bow? Take a look over at {{link http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product.asp?master%5Fmovie%5Fid=23834&movie%5Fnss=20049765 MovieGoods.com}}. Thanks […]

Fans of classic animation, and of Disney shorts in particular, will be over the moon with the announcement, exclusively at {{link http://www.ultimatedisney.com/treasures.html#3 Ultimate Disney DVD}}, of the complete programs to appear in the May 18 wave of Walt Disney Treasures collectors packages. Four titles, variying between 105,000 and 250,000 limited issues, will be released, inlcuding […]

With Disney moving much of its animation production overseas, the {{link http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=10493 Animation World Network}} takes a timely look at what the higher and higher profile European studios are producing in the way of quality animated features. “The sixth annual Cartoon Movie in Potsdam, Germany, paid tribute March 13, 2004 to A. Film, Folimage and […]

After opening (and closing) satellite studios in Paris, Florida, Canada and Japan, the majority of 2D Disney animation is now being carried out at the ToonStudios facility in Australia. The {{link http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=10492 Animation World Network}} has news, however, that the studio may now also be looking to strengthen ties in India as a “production base […]

An animator’s guidebook, {{link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0782141293/qid%3D1072479639//102-4687562-8010520 Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right}}, by Jason Osipa, which looks at one of the still-challenging aspects of 3D animation: namely the modeling and manipulation of a human figure’s head, has been reviewed at {{link http://10secondclub.net/reviews.php?id=10004 The 10 Second Club}}, a character animation focused site, which screens new […]

Though it will be primarily live-action (but you can be sure of spectacular visual effects and CGI aliens), Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have announced plans to pool resources to produce a new version of HG Wells’ 1898 classic The War Of The Worlds, according to Variety, via {{link http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040317f.php Dark Horizons}}. Previous incarnations include […]

If you’re one of the many who hope that Disney begin using the woefully underused Muppet characters again and are missing their dose of Kermit and Co, how about stocking up on thse great figures from {{link http://palisadestoys.com/new/whatsnew/thebit/Muppets/Mon3_1_04.php Palisades Toys}}? Series 7 – a new line of finely detailed figures – was recently launched, with […]

Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi, known online for their animation history and comment sites Cartoon Research and Animation Blast respectively, have joined together to launch a new place to discuss toons and promote their upcoming projects: {{link http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ Cartoon Brew.com}}. Both the writers’ previous sites will remain active as archives, but look to the Brew […]

UK “bedtime story” author Clive Woodall is also the subject of a video report, now playing on the BBC’s TV news channel. {{link http://news.bbc.co.uk/broadband/console/news/newsid_3513000/3513984.stm Broadband viewers}} can see the one and a half minute clip online, with the author speaking about his many-years-in-the-making “overnight” success and the recent Disney news. Look for the “Shop manager […]

‘MusicFan’ has provided details on a new competition at {{link http://www.mtvu.com/contests/mtvu_animation/ mtvU online}} where participants could win a deal MTV’s animation department. They’re looking to give someone a shot at creating the next big animated show for MTV, with a development deal worth up to $20,000. Some big name industry folk – including Family Guy […]

George Richardson writes in to let us know about his new online Flash-animated series {{link http://datelinenews.tripod.com/ Dateline News}}, an off-beat, sardonic and adult-skewed look at the week’s stories, all presented by 2D anchors. Balancing out the site are serious looks at what’s happening worldwide.

Animated News reader ‘Dacey’ has written in with a summary of a sneak peek, contained on the DTV Springtime With Roo, of Disney’s next Winnie The Pooh feature, The Heffalump Movie, which interestingly enough is now going under the title of Pooh’s Heffalump Movie. Read her full run down here:

Raider Productions, who {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00001043.html we reported}} are looking for independent animated shorts from around the world for their upcoming DVD compilation The World’s Best Independent Animated Shorts, have let us know that their information and submissions website is {{link http://www.wbias.com now online}}. If you have any animated short films that you would like to […]

Maybe The Lion King 1½ wont be such a fluke decent sequel after all. One story doing the rounds today, and highlighted by {{link http://www.showbizdata.com/contacts/picknews.cfm?id=34899 Showbiz Data}}, sees the animators laid off from Disney’s Paris, Tokyo, Toronto, Florida and California studios finding their way back to the Mouse House – this time down under, at […]

The always entertaining {{link http://www.dvdfile.com/software/review/dvd-video_8/scoobydoo_s1_s2.html DVD File}} kick-starts the Scooby reviews online today with their first look at the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete First and Second Seasons DVD collection, which brings together all 24 episodes from the first two series. Although the package and episodes gain top marks, the bonus extras seem to […]

Walt Disney’s daughter Diane Disney-Miller has finally spoken out about the power struggles at the top of the company that bears her father’s name. Speaking to the {{link http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-diane10mar10,1,6178675.story?coll=la-home-headlines LA Times}} (free subscription and well worth it), she said that Michael Eisner had done some “great things for the company” but that it was “time […]

Cheryl Hines, who will lend her voice to DreamWorks/NBC’s Father of the Pride CGI comedy in the fall, is proud for very different reasons this week: she gave birth to daughter Catherine Rose on Monday! {{link http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,13669,00.html E Online}} reports the news, while also touching on Hines’ feelings on voicing an animated character and naming […]

Following the closure of Walt Disney Feature Animation-Florida, a group of animators, led by studio veteran Eddie Pittman, forged ahead with a plan to keep Walt Disney’s traditional style of animation alive, by opening Legacy Animation Studios. Chris Douvalas over at {{link http://www.animatedbuzz.com/WB/53.html Animated Buzz}} recently spoke to Pittman about the first couple of months […]

‘MusicFan’ has alerted us to a little bit of info he’s found on the screenwriter of DreamWorks as yet unannounced Rex Havoc feature. Panellists at this year’s {{link http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/panelistsbios03.php Austin Film Festival Site}} (running October 14-21) include many names that will be known to animation and film fans. A little down the list, though, is […]

The {{link http://www.hometheaterforum.com/index.php Home Theater Forum}} brigade, a seriously dedicated band of “cinema at home” enthusiasts, had their annual chat with home video and DVD execs from Warner Brothers last night. For details on titles of particular interest to animation fans, check out here:

While not strictly animated titles, there are a bunch of highly anticipated catalog releases coming from Disney this year that will appeal to all those who love the Studio’s classics, including the original Freaky Friday, Flight Of The Navigator and Walt’s last musical, The Happiest Millionaire. {{link http://www.dvdfile.com/software/dvd-video/archive/2004/03_08.html DVD File}} reports that Disney “will release […]

Following our story that DreamWorks seems to have more animated films in {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000922.html various states of production}} that it can shake a stick at, comes news, courtesy of ‘MusicFan’, that there are no less than five more projects lined up. The {{link http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1503404 already known-about}} Master P: Kung Fu Panda has had a new […]

{{link http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=598&ncid=790&e=7&u=/nm/20040308/film_nm/film_ross_dc The Hollywood Reporter}}, via Yahoo News, has revealed that Gary Ross, the writer of such films as Big, Dave and the director of Pleasantville and this year’s hopeful in the Oscar race, Seabuscuit, is getting into animation. “Universal Pictures has optioned Kate DiCamillo’s Newberry Medal-winning novel The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story […]