{{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\\.

An inside spy at Fantasy II F/X in Burbank reveals what could be the working title for the next Pirates adventure, Treasures Of The Lost Abyss. The title, which must remain firmly in the section marked “rumor” for now, has been leaked to {{link http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&this_cat=Movies&action=page&type_id=&cat_id=270338&obj_id=40379 Cinescape}} after a Disney representative showed some early concept art. […]

Reporting somewhat strangely on an event for a film which opened (and closed) weeks ago, the usually hot off the press {{link http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&this_cat=Movies&action=page&obj_id=40389&type_id=270285&cat_id=270338&sub_id=0# Cinescape}} today posted new pictures of the World Premiere of Warner Brothers’ Joe Dante-helmed Looney Tunes starrer Back In Action. Daffy, Bugs and co were joined by the film’s co-stars, Jenna Elfman, […]

{{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 […]

Bruno Bozzetto’s Allegro Non Troppo, his 1977 homage to Fantasia, has been announced for DVD release from Home Vision Entertainment, according to {{link http://www.davisdvd.com/news/daily_news.html Davis DVD}}. The Italian animated film features six comical sequences which feature the music of Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Sibelius, Vivaldi, and Stravinsky. Previously available on VHS, the new disc will feature […]

{{link http://www.videobusiness.com/article.asp?articleID=6653&catType=NEWS Video Business Online}} reports that Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl has sold over 11 million units during its first week in stores, making the Studio a favorite with retailers, especially after the success of Finding Nemo and “catalog” hits such as Sleeping Beauty and The Lion King. […]

‘Guardstone’ in the {{link http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=563#post563 Animated News Forum}} lets us know about a story on Yahoo News, originally from Variety, which looks at next year’s animated short subject category and whom we might see in the running. {{link http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/variety/20031210/va_sp_ev/animated_shorts_discover_fest_route_is_1 The interesting article}} also touches more on Pixar’s mysterious short Boundin’, as well as Sony’s Early […]

{{link http://www.darkhorizons.com/news03/031210f.php Dark Horizons’ News Bites}} points out a story from today’s edition of {{link http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117896919&categoryID=13&cs=1 Variety}} (paid subscription required), which reports that Warner Brothers’ DC Comics has hired Joel Silver’s TV chief Gregory Noveck to a newly created post which will see him re-evaluate underused DC universe characters, such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and […]

Tonight in the UK, the BBC will air a 40-minute documentary, From Pencils To Pixels, which looks at the current state of animation and its history. We have more details on the show, which goes out at 10.35pm on BBC1, {{link http://www.animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/archives/00000418.html here}}.

The {{link http://www.imdb.com/StudioBrief/#1 Internet Movie Database}} today points out that the Disney Animation Tour at Orlando’s Walt Disney World re-opened on Monday, but that the attraction has one thing missing: “‘animators,’ the Orlando Sentinel observed, noting that if guests on the tour ask where the animators are, guides reply that they are ‘taking a break’. […]

{{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.

{{link http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031215-557062,00.html Time Magazine}} made available online a story from its December 15th print issue, which looks at the current Mouse chief’s track record and how the the Roy Disney situation might develop over the next few weeks.

After a much rumored courting of various media companies, the specialist home entertainment company {{link http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com/ Anchor Bay}} has been promised to IDT Entertainment, who own a controlling interest in Simpsons animation producer Film Roman Productions, according to {{link http://forum.bcdb.com/gforum.cgi?post=16157 The Big Cartoon Database}}. Anchor Bay serves as a “boutique” producer of rare and cult […]

{{link http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=96699 Toon Zone}} reports that Finding Nemo continues to drawn in large audiences on its international theatrical release, pulling in another $45.9 million from 26 countries, for “a cumulative overseas gross of $283.4 million”!

Peter Jackson, readying himself for the release of the last in his epic special-effects filled Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Return Of The King on December 17th, is already looking towards his next project, a grand re-telling of the King Kong story, as well as a long-rumored return to Middle Earth. In Berlin to […]

The {{link http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3U30OLM2B2ZYQCRBAELCFEY?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3960532 Reuters News Agency}} has reported that Friends star Lisa Kudrow will “lend her voice to an untitled animated pilot presentation created by Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder (Dr. Katz), under consideration at Fox, playing the mother of a family whose life is disrupted when their uncle moves in with them”.

{{link http://www.darkhorizons.com/ Dark Horizons}} picks up on a story that originally featured at {{link http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117896739&categoryID=13&cs=1 Variety.com}} (paid subscription required) about the long-in-pre-production Disney live-action/animation fairy-tale skewer Enchanted. “Kim Possible executive producers Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle have been hired to rewrite the project for Disney and director Adam Shankman (Bringing Down The House). The film […]

Kristin Cheddar gives us the heads-up about an article on Variety.com regarding an upcoming CGI animated feature starring uber-famous standup comedian Jerry Seinfeld and entitled “Bee Movie.” I wonder if it will have that bee girl from the Blind Melon music videos or if it will be about “nothing” as the “Seinfeld” television series purportedly […]

In keeping with our long-standing tradition of reporting only the hard, solid, verifiable facts we will now begin reporting any dream that anybody connected with the animation industry in any way feels free to relate to others over the Internet. Larry Pontius, author of “Waking Walt,” has contributed a recent article to Jim Hill Media […]

The BBC this Wednesday evening will air a 40-minute documentary which looks at the current state of the animation industry, at 10.35pm on BBC1. The Imagine series (covering a wide variety of artistic and cultural projects and people) has so far been an intelligent show, going to the top people in the field for information. […]

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 […]

The Internet Movie Database is reporting that in addition to already completing the musical score for The Lion King 1 1/2, Hans Zimmer will be composing the musical scores to Over the Hedge and Shark Tale.

Ray Harryhausen’s contribution to special effects cannot be overstated, with virtually everybody in the field being inspired by his armies of mythical beasts in the Sinbad films, the dinosaurs of One Million Years BC, or the unforgettable and amazingly influential skeleton gladiators in Jason And The Argonauts (see even this year’s effects-fest Pirates Of The […]

The boys, as they say, are back in town! Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny all return in the latest season to hit DVD, with {{link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000CABL2/qid=1070725303//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i0_xgl74/002-1902555-2863210?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846 South Park: The Complete Third Season}}, out on December 16th. The three-disc set features all seventeen episodes as well as “mini-commentaries” (short vocal intros by creators Trey Parker and […]