DreamWorks Animation To Increase Film-Release Rate

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (DWA) said it will release one additional feature film every two years as it unveiled its slate of eight animated-feature films through 2012, which includes sequels to its hit franchises Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda.

Shares rose 2% to $27.70 in early trading.

The studio, which is now planning five films every two years, is coming off a strong first quarter in which it bucked Hollywood's trend of falling DVD sales. DreamWorks has been able to ride a hot streak at the box office, largely thanks to the performance of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" in theaters and on DVD.

The company's strong first-quarter showing, particularly at the box office, is an encouraging sign for the rest of Hollywood, just ahead of the summer season, when the studios release their biggest films.

Planned animated films include "How To Train Your Dragon," based on the book by Cressida Cowell, set for release March 26. It is centered around a teenager from a mythical island where fighting dragons is a way of life, who whose world is turned upside down when he befriends an injured dragon.

Read More Article...

Why the world wants Australia's animators

When the Adelaide animator Ben Walker got serious about a career in film, he didn't bother getting on a plane to Los Angeles. He just flew to Sydney.

The 25-year-old completed a one-year graduate diploma in digital media at the Australian Film Television and Radio School then leapt straight into work as a digital artist with the Oscar-winning animation studio Animal Logic.

In his first year on the job Walker worked on Baz Luhrmann's Australia and Alex Proyas's sci-fi movie Knowing , starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne. He is now working as a matte painter on Guardians Of Ga'hoole , an animated feature about the owl world directed by Zack Snyder and featuring the voices of Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Rachael Taylor and David Wenham.

"This industry is so much about getting your foot in the door," Walker says.

What started as a cottage industry in Sydney has become a hub for animation around the world. The city has six major animation and visual effects studios, including Animal Logic ( Babe , The Matrix and Happy Feet ), Omnilab (Spike Jonze's upcoming Where The Wild Things Are ) and Rising Sun Pictures ( Wolverine ).

Read More Article...

Animation firm grows one frame at a time

Allan Magled has a simple formula for business success. Love what you do. Learn as you grow. And never take on more than you can handle.

He is president and one of three partners of Toronto-based Soho VFX, a special effects studio that has been expanding with each project that comes its way. Now in its seventh year of operations, Soho VFX's portfolio of projects includes such blockbusters as Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The team of 70 full-time employees (numbers can reach 120 when projects are in full swing) animate characters, lighting, scenery and textures for the film industry from a 7,500-square-foot studio.

That is a far cry from the early days, when four people worked in a room the size of a freight elevator on television and short feature projects. "It was a great way to start," Mr. Magled says. "If the projects had been any larger, it would have been hard on us because we had to everything ourselves. Our computers were the cheapest you could get and we didn't have a render farm."

The team built up its repertoire by honing its software capabilities, he says. "Our software just kept getting better. We got very good at doing fur characters and creatures."

Over time, the studio built the infrastructure to take on bigger and better projects. "It's hard when you're new because the first question studios ask is if you have the infrastructure," Mr. Magled says. "You have to prove yourself each time."

Its big technology leap came in 2004. By then Soho VFX had landed jobs big enough to justify the investment. "Fantastic Four was the best thing that happened since it took us to where we are today."

"It takes a lot of processors to do this kind of work," says Kevin Smith, enterprise solutions brand manager for Dell Canada in Toronto. "The performance needs are similar to what university researchers use for advanced computational analysis."

Read More Article...

'Kung Fu Panda' live show in the works

Hollywood's DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE:DWA) has announced a live arena show based on its hit film "Kung Fu Panda" is being developed.

"Working with Franco Dragone is an incredibly exciting prospect for us. We expect that the combination of the Franco Dragone Entertainment
Group and DreamWorks Animation will result in a totally new and inventive live entertainment experience for family audiences," DreamWorks Animation Chief Operating Officer Ann Daly said in a statement Tuesday.

The show is targeted to be ready for touring in 2011, timed around the June theatrical release of the sequel to the Oscar-nominated blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," which amassed more than $630 million in worldwide box office receipts, DreamWorks said in a release.

Source : http://www.upi.com/

Kung Fu Panda series in the works

Kung Fu Panda tells of a chubby bear who learns martial arts

Animated feature Kung Fu Panda is to be turned into a cartoon TV series, cable network Nickelodeon has announced.

The 26-episode series will use the same computer-generated process as the film and feature plucky martial arts-loving panda Po in the lead role.

"The characters we created for Kung Fu Panda are well suited to be further developed in new and exciting ways," said Ann Daly of DreamWorks Animation.

Jack Black provided Po's voice in last year's DreamWorks production.

It is not known whether he will reprise his role in the TV series, scheduled to air in 2010.

Read More Article...

Pixar Animation To Build Studio In Vancouver

Vancouver, British Columbia (AHN) - Pixar Animation is setting up a 20,000-square foot studio in Vancouver where it will produce popular short features. Pixar plans to hire about 100 people, most of them Canadians, who will make the studio's 3D, computer-animated short films which normally run for three to five minutes.

However, the theatrical features of the film will still be made at Pixar's main studio in Emeryville, California, where about 900 employees are located.

According to the Calgary Herald, Walt Disney Studios, which merged with Pixar in 2006, is looking for good locations in Vancouver, particularly downtown. Pixar's timetable is to have the studio in operation by fall.

Pixar's entry is considered timely since 600 jobs were shed at video game maker Black Box, following the cost cutting measures initiated by its parent firm Electronic Arts.

Read More Article...

20th Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards

The 20th annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards will highlight over 100 films by students graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

The program includes screenings of short films, videos and animations; and an awards ceremony and gala with notable presenters from the film industry.

This year's Screenwriters Night is a collaboration with the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in which SVA graduating screenwriters will have selected scenes performed live by alumni from The Neighborhood Playhouse.

"We are very pleased to have reached the 20th year of the Dustys as we recognize the outstanding achievement of emerging filmmakers, and members of the industry get the chance to see the work of the next generation of some remarkable film and animation talent," said Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA.

Read More Article...