It could have been the perfect sunny weather or various reports that the global economic woes would be slowly lifting by the time the new year rolls around. Whatever the reason, the kids programming and animation professionals attending MIP Junior at Cannes’ glam Carlton hotel this weekend (Oct. 3-4) seemed to be enjoying a renewed sense of optimism and energy. As one indie animation producer put it, “It couldn’t possibly be worse than what we saw at the MIP-TV market this spring.”According to event organizer, Reed Midem, over 1143 shows were available for 500-plus buyers to screen at the digital library. Although the show got to a slow start on Saturday, you could hardly move through the jam-packed lobby of the Carlton on Sunday.
Mahmoud Bouneb, exec general manager of pan-Arab Al Jazeera Children’s Channel delivered the event’s keynote on Sunday, in which he discussed the challenges of the Arabic production center to compete in the international marketplace.
He noted that the channel has projects in development in various locations such as New Mexico and that it has a budget of $100 million for its two channels (30% of which goes to preschool channel Baraem TV). He added that the network is seen as a strong, independent performer, but it’s publicly funded and not actually profitable at this moment.
Meanwhile, a few blocks down the Croisette at the Martinez Hotel, DQ Entertainment and ZDF-Germany hosted a special screening of a complete episode of their new CG-animated series The Jungle Book. Co-produced with TF1-France, NBC Universal, ABC Australia and Moonscoop in France, 20 episodes of the impressive-looking show will be ready by the fall of 2010. After the screening, DQE’s president Tapaas Chakravarti acknowledged the hard work of the multi-national production and also presented a special Achievement Award to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, which was accepted by Josh Berger, president of Warner Bros. Entertainment, U.K. Chakravarti also mentioned that plans are underway to produce the second season of the show in stereoscopic 3-D for home viewing. On Wednesday, DQ plans to make another big announcement about a hot new project the studio is launching. (Tapaas has a great flair for dramatic presentations, so we’ll be all ears!)
In other Junior news, on Saturday afternoon, the jury for the 2009 Licensing Challenge picked Formula Fun Intl.’s Franco and the Formula Fun as this year’s winner. The 52 x 12 CG-animated series is set against the world of motor racing and follows the adventures of a six-year-old boy named Franco and superhero cars that trek the world and fight the evil schemes of supervillain Rossi the Chameleon.
The other selected nominees were Fuss Farm (Electric Circus, Wooki Kim), Geronimo Stilton (Moonscoop/Atlantyca), Manon (Cyber Group Studios), The Happets (Anera Films S.L.) and The Hive (The Hive Enterprises Ltd.)
The big newsmakers are waiting for this week to grab the headlines at MIPCOM (Monday thru Thursday). Among the hottest tickets is a special 20th Anniversary tribute to The Simpsons on Tuesday where series creator Matt Groening and exec producer Al Jean will share creative insights about their phenomenal toon and will chat with Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me). On Wednesday, Groening will receive the key to the city of Cannes from the mayor. Jerry Seinfeld, Lisa Kudrow and Joan Rivers are among other familiar faces from the American TV landscape who are slated to make appearances at the Palais this week. Stay tuned for more daily reports and the announcement of the most-screened animated shows at Junior.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Zombieland Eats up Meatballs, Toys
The walking dead of Zombieland may have taken the weekend box office gold medal, but 3-D animated features took the silver and bronze.Zombieland lead the weekend by a comfortable margin, earning an estimated $25 million in its first thee days of release.
That put it comfortably ahead of Sony’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, which continues to do well in its third weekend of release with a $16.7 million take. That puts the total domestic gross for the 3-D CG-animated movie at about $82 million.
The re-release of Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story and Toy Story 2 as a 3-D double feature came in third place, selling $12.5 million worth of tickets. Together, the Toy Story re-release and Cloudy outgrossed Zombieland.
The weekend’s other new releases were the Ricky Gervais comedy The Invention of Lying, which took in about $7.4 million for fourth place, and the Drew Barrymore-directed roller derby comedy Whip It, which came in sixth place with $4.9 million.
VFX-heavy comic-book adaptation The Surrogates came in fifth place in its second weekend out, taking in $7.4 million for a total of $26.4 million.
Also still in release is the Focus Features animated movie 9, which took in $1.4 million in fourth weekend out. That brings its domestic total to $29.4 million.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Spore Grows into Blue Sky Feature Film
Video-game giant Electronic Arts is teaming up with Fox, Blue Sky Studios and director Chris Wedge for a computer-animated feature adaptation of Will Wright’s Spore.Wedge, who directed previous Blue Sky releases Ice Age and Robots, is set to direct the film, according to Variety.
Wedge recently set up another animated feature film at Blue Sky, Leaf Men, and also is set to direct a live-action film for Warner Bros. called The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Writers Greg Erb and Jason Gremland have been hired to write the script based on the game, in which players create creatures and worlds and then share them with other gamers to create an entire universe.
Game creator Wright previously came up with the Sim City and The Sims video game franchises.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Wallace & Gromit’s Invention Sells Down Under
ABC Australia is the most recent broadcaster to sign on for Aardman Animation’s new series Wallace & Gromit present A World of Invention.The broadcaster has pre-bought all six 29-minute episodes of the series, which is a live action at various contraptions and inventions, with the animated duo playing host.
The series is set to begin broadcasting in late 2010, with Aardman looking to secure more international deals at this week’s MIPCOM conference in Cannes, France.
“With several award-winning films and television series to their name, it is exciting to be taking Wallace and Gromit into a new genre and we are delighted that ABC has made a further commitment to our programming,” says Alix Wiseman, Aardman’s head of sales. “We are confident that Wallace & Gromit present A World of Invention has great international potential and will appeal to family audiences worldwide.”
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Springfield Comes to Cannes for MIPCOM Simpsons Bash
The Simpsons are taking over MIPCOM to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic animated television series.The celebration, put together by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution with MIPCOM organizers will include keynote addresses Oct. 6 from series creator Matt Groening and executive producer Al Jean. The pair also will participate in an international press conference that also will include Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner, the voices behind Homer and Marge Simpson.
On Oct. 7, the mayor of Cannes will proclaim Simpsons Day in the city and present Groening with a yellow key to the city. That evening, Groening will receive the first ever MIPCOM Creative Icon Award at a yellow-carpet dinner.
“The irreverent humor of The Simpsons has traveled around the world. It is a remarkable example of a show that for two decades has combined creative richness with huge commercial success without compromise,” said Laurine Garaude, acting Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division. “We are proud to be a part of the celebration of this truly global television phenomenon.”
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Report: Canada, U.S., France Tops in Animation Output
A new report on global animation output ranks Canada, the United States and France as the most prolific animation nations.The report, titled The Global Animation Industry and put together by analysts at Screen Digest, had Canada producing the most hours of animation in 2008, with 382, followed by the United States at 330. The value of the United States’ output, however, was greater than that of Canada — $376 million versus $265 million —due to the higher budgets of U.S. productions.
France, meanwhile, lead Europe with 259 hours produced — down from 395 in 2006 — while the United Kingdom surpassed Italy for the No. 2 spot.
In a ranking of companies’ output, Canada’s Nelvana was the top producer worldwide by average output over the past three years, ahead of Disney and Nick.
“There is perhaps no genre of film or television more global than animation,” says Screen Digest Senior Analyst Tim Westcott. “A popular film or TV series in one country can quickly translate into a global phenomenon. And success in these primary markets can feed through into DVD and licensing and merchandising revenues."
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Sunday Afternoon with a Kid With A Rocket Launcher
Two separate independent projects, with little in common outside of both being made essentially by one person, each with a lot of dedication. First up, Matthew Reis’ Kid With a Rocket Launcher:
Reis’ film is quite an ambitious project. Toon Boom just did an article on how it got made, and Reis has posted an extensive production blog.
Danny Ochoa, an indie animator residing in San Francisco, was commissioned to direct and animate a music video by local Bay Area band The Greening. I think it captures the proper underground comix feel:
Danny tells us:
Yes, I made the entire cartoon by myself… Written, directed and animated. The cartoon took me a year to complete because I had to work nights on it and had a day job at the time. It was rendered entirely in Flash and I tried to keep the look of the cartoon as traditionally hand drawn as possible, as almost every frame was meticulously hand drawn with a wacom tablet.
I love underground comics and cartoons from the golden age of animation so I tried to combine those two looks to the cartoon. The characters in the video are actually from a comic I have been self publishing for years called Molly & Jo. I hope to someday pitch “Molly & Jo” as an animated series and hope that the video is the first step in that direction.
(Thanks cartoonbrew)
The Apple and the Worm
Animator David Nethery pointed me toward this intriguing 2D animated feature coming from Denmark, The Apple & the Worm, directed by Anders Morgenthaler (Princess). It was apparently made totally paperless, drawn on Wacom Cintiq tablets, using TVP Animation software. If any of our bilingual readers can translate the trailer’s introductory dialogue, please send us a comment.
The poster and still images are posted here and a very good article about the film and the director is up at Denmark Film Institute.
(Thanks cartoonbrew)
What to make of Mickey’s mixed signals
Jim Hill talks about all of the recent changes at The Walt Disney Company. To be specific, what Bob Iger will be looking for from the new head of Disney Studios
It’s been quite a month for the Mouse, don’t you think? Inside of one single 30 day span, The Walt Disney Company has:
* - Revealed that it would be spending $4 billion to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its library of 5000 characters
* - At the D23 EXPO, the Studios announced a new production label – Disney Double Dare You – which would specialize in creating “ … new animated films full of chills and thrills for audiences of all ages”
* - Dick Cook stepped down as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, ending his 38-year career with the Company
* - Disney decided to downsize Miramax, which had previously produced many of the Studio’s prestige pictures like “Shakespeare in Love,” “The English Patient” and “The Queen”
I gotta tell you, folks. From the e-mails that I’ve been receiving, Disneyana fans aren’t exactly thrilled with all of these changes that seem to be coming so fast. For every piece of good news (EX: The $300 million-plus that Disney Parks & Resorts will be spending to expand the Fantasyland portion of WDW’s Magic Kingdom), there are two other stories that then give these people pause (EX: The Company’s recent announcement that the 5th Avenue “World of Disney” flagship store will be closing on December 31st and/or this morning's news that Rich Ross, the president of Disney Channels Worldwide, has been tapped as Dick Cook’s replacement).
So what are you guys making of Mickey's mixed signals? As one JHM fan recently put it in a note to yours truly:
“I feel like I’m not going to be able to recognize the place in 5 to 10 years. Couldn’t they get someone like John Lasseter to replace Dick Cook?”
(L to R) John Lasseter & Dick Cook
Sorry, but John’s plate is full right now. Some might even say too full.
I mean, think about it. As of this moment, John Lasseter is riding herd on:
* - All of the features & shorts that Pixar Animation Studios & Walt Disney Animation Studios currently have in production and/or development
* - Consulting on all of the theme parks, rides, shows & attractions that Walt Disney Imagineering has in its pipeline
* - Overseeing Pixar’s own expansion plans (i.e. that 20,000-square-foot studio that they plan on opening this Fall in Vancouver. Not to mention Pixar’s $325-million plans to expand its corporate headquarters. Which – over the next 20 years – will add three new buildings to the Emeryville campus [including a six-story, 1,801-space parking garage] as this studio grows from its current staff of 730 to 2000 employees)
* - And let’s not forget that Pixar’s move into live-action production. Which officially gets underway next month with Andrew Stanton’s “John Carter of Mars” begins shooting in Utah
Copyright 2009 Lasseter Family Winery. All Rights Reserved
* - And did I mention the Lasseter Family Winery in Glen Ellen, CA. ? Or that John & Nancy’s five sons are growing up very fast these days? Which makes Lasseter’s family time seem that much precious
So – in short – John Lasseter’s dance card is full. Very full. Which is why taking on the additional responsibility of running Walt Disney Studios was just a physical impossibility.
Besides running the movie side of the Mouse House these days would seem to be kind of a thankless task. To me, anyway. Think about all of the 800-pound gorillas that you’d regularly have to deal with if you had that job …
Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved
Jerry Bruckheimer
Tim Burton
John Lasseter
Steven Spielberg
Robert Zemeckis
… With each of these guys then expecting that their latest film will get your full attention. That their upcoming production will get the best possible release date. More importantly, the lion’s share of that year’s promotional budget.
That’s why I don’t envy Rich Ross (who – just this morning – has officially been confirmed as the new head of Walt Disney Studios). In replacing the much beloved Cook, Ross is going to have a very tough act to follow. More importantly – given everything that’s going on in the entertainment business these days (i.e. the drop in DVD sales, consumers failing to fully embrace Blu-ray, etc.) -- picking projects that will actually pay off for the Mouse House in the long run is going to be a real challenge.
Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels Worldwide.
Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved
That said, it was almost an inevitability that Rich would wind up in charge of the Studios. After all, as head of Disney Channels Worldwide (with its “… 94 kid-driven, family inclusive entertainment channels and/or channel feeds available in 163 countries in 32 languages), Ross had risen as high as he realistically could go within that arm of the Mouse House. And given that – on the heels of the success of the “High School Musical,” “Hannah Montana” and “Camp Rock” franchises—other entertainment companies have come sniffing around, trying to lure Rich away from Disney with promises of higher salaries & bigger challenges at their studios … Mickey had to do something to keep Rich on the reservation. Which is why Dick got tossed under the bus.
On the upside, I have heard some awfully nice things about Ross. That he is just the sort of team player that Iger is looking for when it comes to the new head of Walt Disney Studios.
Case in point: Last year, as Disney Company officials were mapping out plans to maximize the profits that the Studio expected to make off of “High School Musical 3: Senior Year,” the issue of ringtones came up. And it was determined that Disney could make several million dollars if they just sold off pieces of music from the “HSM3" soundtrack to a company like Verizon to use for ringtones.
Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved
But at that same time, The Walt Disney Company was targeting young cell phone users. The Mouse had set up a mobile storefront, an instant-messaging chat system as well as virtual world widgets. All with the hope that this new business initiative would then allow Mickey to tap into the super-lucrative mobile market for 9-to-14 year-olds.
And even though it meant taking a pass on that $3 - $4 million that a company like Verizon would have put on the table, Rich still said “No.” Opting to try & help a just-getting-started division of The Walt Disney Company instead.
A generous gesture like that does not go unnoticed by someone like Bob Iger. Who has his own long term strategy for The Walt Disney Company which involves a more diversified base of business (which is where things like the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. come in). So that – in this era of expanded choice – the Mouse House would ultimately be the place that consumers circled back to. Thanks to the Company’s huge stable of characters as well as its long history of delivering quality content.
Bob Iger discusses the value that will be added to The Walt Disney Company by acquiring Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
Bob is looking for Rich to continue that tradition. Only this time around, Iger is looking for Ross to take his ability to select TV shows & movies that Disney Channel viewers really responded to and then applying that talent toward picking out winning productions for Walt Disney Studios.
I know, I know. It’s kind of weird to have The Walt Disney Company staging events like the D23 EXPO – which seem to celebrate the Mouse House’s heritage – while, at the same time, Bob Iger is making all of these decisions that appear to be radical departures from the way Mickey usually does business (i.e. the Marvel Entertainment acquisition, Disney Double Dare You, letting Dick Cook go, shutting down the 5th Avenue Disney Store, etc.).
All I can tell you is that – based on conversations that I’ve recently had with Mouse House insiders – that there is actually a plan in place. One that – over the next 10 years or so – will significantly change the way that consumers typically thinks of The Walt Disney Company. But in a good way.
Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved
To be honest, much of what is being done these days is so that – further on down the line – The Company will be better positioned for international expansion (i.e. a Disney theme park in Shanghai that features the Company’s classic characters as well as Marvel’s assortment of superheroes is sure to be twice as appealing to the Chinese populace). But – at the same time – projects like “Disney Double Dare You” will help expand audiences expectations. At least when it comes to the sorts of films that come out of Walt Disney Studios.
Look for Iger and Tom Staggs, Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company, to expand further on where the Mouse House is heading on Thursday, November 12th. Which is when Bob & Tom will be revealing the financial results of fiscal year 2009. And – after going into detail about how the Company performed in the last quarter as well as looking back over 2009 as a whole – Iger & Staggs will then talk a bit more about 2010 and beyond.
Which (at that point) should include some preliminary information about how Rich Ross is going to revise Walt Disney Studios’ production slate.
ABC Warriors
We've run across a cool bit of animated footage for fans of the UK's flagship '2000 AD' comics magazine.
Firestep Animation has created a brief trailer based on the comic 'ABC Warriors'. At present we have little information about what the trailer actually represents. Firestep states that it was made with the full cooperation of Rebellion, who holds the rights to the 2000 AD catalog. The Manchester-based animation studio is best known for 'the Infinite Quest', an animated Dr Who adventure for the BBC.
'ABC Warriors' focuses on a team of war robots designed to defend against Atomic, Bacterial and Chemical warfare.
First Look: JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS
MTV Splash Page presents that sizzler reel for 'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths' that you'll find on the recently-released 'Superman/Batman: Public Enemies' DVD.
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