{{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:

{{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/legacy/index.htm?../articles/12112003.1.htm~contentFrame Jim Hill Media}} reports that the real reason Disney {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000250.html delayed the release}} of the popular Disney Treasures DVDs probably was not any of the three reasons publicly stated. Could it be that Eisner ordered the delay to have Roy Disney’s signature removed from the packages?

{{link http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/howl/diary.html Nausicaa.net}} has posted a translation of a running production diary for \\Howl’s Moving Castle\\. The author of the blog is “not named, but seems to be a member of the production team and not an animator”.

{{link http://www.dreamworksfansite.com/fullstory.php?id=254 DreamWorks SKG Fansite}} has posted 10 new images from the upcoming animated features \\Shrek 2\\, \\Shark Tale\\, \\Over the Hedge\\, and \\Madagascar\\.

{{link http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=2671 ComingSoon.net}} has the scoop on casting for Disney’s upcoming animated feature \\Chicken Little\\. Zach Braff (currently starring in NBC’s \\Scrubs\\ as Dr. “JD” Dorian), will voice the title character. Others in the cast include Joan Cusack as the ugly duckling, Steve Zahn as a pig named Runt, Amy Sedaris as Foxy Loxy, Katie […]

{{link http://forum.bcdb.com/gforum.cgi?post=16232 The Big Cartoon Database}} informs us that “employees at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank will find that Disney’s internal Internet service has already blocked their access to” Roy Disney’s website, {{link http://www.savedisney.com/ savedisney.com}}. The site, launched last week, is “devoted to those concerned about the welfare of The Walt Disney Company and […]

{{link http://news.awn.com/index.php3?ltype=top&newsitem_no=9786 AWN}} has more on the upcoming computer-animated feature film project with comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The DreamWorks film is “set in the anthropomorphized world of bees… a Manhattan-like setting buzzing with bees”. Jeffrey Katzenberg said, “Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most brilliant and unique comic minds of our time… We were delighted when […]

{{link http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_845375.html Ananova}} reports that the group Atomic Kitten has finished recording “I Want To Be A Girl”, the title track for Disney’s \\Mulan 2\\.

\\Finding Nemo\\ continues to add to Pixar’s trophy case, this time courtesy of the {{link http://www.dmw.com.au/awards_finalists.htm Australian Effects & Animation Festival Awards}}. \\Nemo\\ won the award for Feature Film Animation, beating out \\Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets\\, \\Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas\\, and \\The Jungle Book 2\\.

The French localized version of {{link http://www.amazon.fr Amazon}} lists 2 new Tex Avery DVD collector sets being released today. Details are few, but {{link http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DF12D/qid%3D1070413926/sr%3D1-2/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F2%5F2/402-8903024-5291303 one contains four disks}} and {{link http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DF12E/qid%3D1070413926/sr%3D1-1/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F2%5F1/402-8903024-5291303 the other contains five disks}}. The DVD’s are encoded for region 2, meaning they will only play on DVD players from Japan, Europe, […]

{{link http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83201.html Playbill}} reports that a musical based on the classic cartoon character Betty Boop is in the works. David Lindsay-Abaire will write the book while Jason Robert Brown will compose. The two “have previously worked together on Lindsay-Abaire’s plays (\\Fuddy Meers\\, \\Kimberly Akimbo\\)”. Robyn Goodman is the producer.

Readers at the {{link http://www.animationnation.com Animation Nation}} messageboards have posted {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007083 Michael Eisner}} and {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007077 Roy Disney’s}} dueling open letters addressed to Disney employees. Michael Eisner’s letter: 12/03/2003 Dear Fellow Cast Member: I’m writing to you from a plane on my way to Disneyland for tonight’s annual employee Christmas party, having just wrapped […]

Readers at the {{link http://www.animationnation.com Animation Nation}} messageboards have posted {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007083 Michael Eisner}} and {{link http://www.animationnation.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007077 Roy Disney’s}} dueling open letters addressed to Disney employees. Roy Disney’s letter: December 3, 2003 Dear Disney Cast Members, It was nearly 20 years ago that a small group of us recognized that dramatic changes were necessary to […]

{{link http://forum.bcdb.com/gforum.cgi?post=16011 The Big Cartoon Database}} reports that according to a local TV affiliate Walt Disney World will be laying-off an as yet unknown number of workers over the holiday season. “The cuts will begin to take effect December 14” but employees won’t find out if they are on the block until December 10.

In addition to next weekend’s chat with David Kaye we {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000398.html reported}} on earlier this week, {{link http://animationhq.net/ AnimationHQ}} will also be hosting an online chat \\this\\ weekend with Heidi Guedel, a 25 year veteran animator for Disney, Don Bluth, and Warner Brothers. Some of her credits include work on the films \\The Secret […]

Robert Longbottom, a 2003 Tony Award nominee for Best Choreographer, has been chosen to direct the new Disney Theatricals show \\On the Record\\, according to {{link http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83091.html Playbill’s}} report of a \\Variety\\ story. Longbottom “conceived the idea for the new musical with Disney’s Thomas Schumacher”. As we reported {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000388.html yesterday}}, the show will feature […]

{{link http://animationhq.net AnimationHQ}} announced that they will be holding an online chat with voice actor David Kaye. His list of credits include Sesshomaru from \\Inu Yasha\\, Professor Xavier in \\X-Men: Evolution\\, Spectral in \\Reboot\\, Treize Khushrenada in \\Mobile Suit Gundam Wing\\, and Megatron in \\Transformers: Armada\\, \\Beast Wars\\, and\\ Beast Machines\\. Head to {{link http://animationhq.net/v2/features/events.htm […]