Japanese Animation Film Events in London

Anime in London

Anime fans in London, England are in for a treat later this month, as The Barbican Centre, occasional home to animation series/film screenings over the months, prepares local showings of long-awaited anime features. Meanwhile, Sci-Fi London's Oktoberfest Anime All-Nighter is gearing up for quite a selection later this month as well. For UK-based otaku, little could be sweeter than the chance to see films from directors such as Mamoru Oshii, Hayao Miyazaki, and Masahiro Andou all in about one month's time.

A component of anime scholar and author Helen McCarthy's continuing profile of Japanese animation, both creatively and critically, Barbican's showing of Andou's The Sword of the Stranger (2007), a vibrant, violent, samurai tale, is highly anticipated. Part historical-fantasy and partly vicious-drama as well, The Sword of the Stranger is sprinkled with traditionally fluid, ultra-violent fight sequences finding a nameless samurai with a troubled past. Guilty past and all, the nameless one takes on the task of protecting a mysterious young boy who is pursued by the royal army.

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Rs 120-cr 3D animation film on The Jungle Book

The mischievous ‘Mowgli’ and his jungle friends, including his bear companion ‘Baloo’, will once again be reincarnated on the big screen.

But this time, in a high-definition stereoscopic 3D (with wearable glasses for viewing pleasure) animated feature-film format.

Hyderabad-based animation, gaming and entertainment company DQ Entertainment International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the over Rs 200-crore AIM-listed DQ Entertainment Plc, is producing the film which is an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel The Jungle Book, with a budget of ¤18 million (approximately Rs 120 crore).

“Currently, two noted writers are working on the initial script treatment in London for the feature film. And we are in the process of roping in three distributors — one each in the US, Europe and Asia — to cover all the territories worldwide. The film will begin production in September 2010 and will be ready for a global theatrical release by the end of 2011,” Tapaas Chakravarti, chairman and chief executive officer of the DQE Group, told Business Standard.

About 150 of DQE’s animation experts, including 10 from its Paris office, will work non-stop for nearly 18 months for the 90-minute film, while the entire post-production work will be done at DQE's Ireland facility, he added.

The movie will unfold interesting tales of Mowgli, the man cub, raised by a pack of wolves in the tropical jungle of Seeonee.

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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.

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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.

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Animation makes it into the mainstream

Animation is more than a century old and yet it is only in the last decade or so that is has made it into the mainstream.

“Now it has become an industry in its own right,” says Craig Wessels, of Wicked Pixels, a Cape Town-based production company that specialises in producing high-impact commercials for leading advertising agencies around the world. The company also produces on-air imaging for leading broadcasters. Clients include HBO, MTV, DSTV, SABC and e.tv.

“Whatever work we do, it's almost always for broadcast,” says Wessels.

TV here in SA works on 25 frames per second, and he likened a single frame to a poster, but of equal importance to the frames before, and those after.

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Kung Fu Panda' vs. 'WALL-E" for animation Oscar

Art versus commerce, critical taste versus popular opinion - not the issues usually associated with animated cartoons. But these are the undercurrents of this year's Oscar race for best animated feature, making the category a bit more exciting than usual.

In June, Disney/Pixar released "WALL-E," about a droopy-eyed, trash-compacting robot who saves the Earth from a polluting mega-corporation. It became a massive favorite among critics, who compared it to Charlie Chaplin's silent masterpieces (its first 40 minutes are nearly wordless) and crowned it the year's best film in the Village Voice's recent critics' poll. Until recently, "WALL-E" seemed the clear front-runner for the animation Oscar, to be announced Sunday.

But then came last month's Annie Awards for animation, a low-profile but important honor. And the top prize went to - "Kung Fu Panda"?

That DreamWorks Animation product, about a chubby panda (voiced by Jack Black) who becomes an unlikely martial-arts master, received decent reviews but became a major crowd-pleaser. Worldwide, "Kung Fu Panda" outgrossed "WALL-E" by about $100 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

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8-year-old computer wizard makes 1,000 animation films

Aman Rehman is merely eight years old but teaches "students" who are thrice his age. Popularly known as the "computerwala bachcha" in Dehra Dun, where he lives, this little genius is a computer animation wizard and has made more than 1,000 animation films till date. Aman, the youngest of four siblings, began showing interest in computers at the age of three.

"We had bought a second-hand computer for our eldest son and Aman would sit watching his elder brother work at it. He would dabble at it whenever his elder brother was away. While his friends would be playing in the fields, he would be sitting at the computer. I would scold him because I thought that he would spoil the machine, but Aman would not listen," says his mother Shabnam.

Aman’s father, M. Rehman, is illiterate and works as a scooter mechanic in Dehra Dun. When some of his friends saw Aman work at the computer, they advised him to take the child to some computer experts.

Aman’s father approached the authorities at the Dehra Dun College of Interactive Arts and after considerable convincing, the authorities agreed to watch the boy work on computers.

So impressed were the college authorities with Aman’s skills that they immediately offered him admission. Within a month, Aman had written his own programme and completed the 15-month animation course in less than three months.

The College of Interactive Arts has now provided him with a scholarship for further studies and the state government has given him a laptop and Rs 1 lakh as incentive.

Aman, with 1,000 animated films to his credit, has now applied for an entry in the Young Achiever’s category of the Guinness World Records.

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Animation films, the real money spinners of B'wood

Mumbai: Yashraj Films' much awaited co-production with Walt Disney Roadside Romeo, a Rs 23-crore animation featuring the voices of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor released to empty houses in 2008.

And though Akshay Kumar's much hyped animation debut Jumbo failed to make an impact, the franchise is already in sequel mode.

Joining the sequel bandwagon is Shemaroo's Bal Ganesh and a step ahead with a threequel is Baba Arts's My Friend Ganesha.

Figures suggest that animation features recover only 15 per cent of their budgets through ticket sales. So why do producers pump in money for a genre that’s a high risk zone as far as box-office success goes? Simply because they make for great television content and with the growing number of children’s channels, animated features with indigenous content are hot property.

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Animation film series

The spring 2009 semester International Film Series will be showing animation films in February in order to appeal to a broader audience.

PUC's animation film series theme was chosen by Josh Travis, the film series student assistant.
"We choose to show people something that they would not normally see. Animation films should be taken as seriously as other films," said Travis.

Steve Lombardo, director of the international film series, said he wants people to get the full experience of the artwork in the films.

The film series begins Feb. 4 showing French film "Persepolis." Feb. 12 the series will present Czeck Republic film, "Little Otik." A Japanese film, "Millennium Actress" will be shown Feb. 18, and "Watership Down," a United Kingdom film will be shown Feb. 26.

"What I hope students will gain from the animation theme is a respect for the works of art that are full length themes; films of great artistic quality that would never be screened here in the states," Lombardo said.

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Film critics name animated documentary best film

The National Society of Film Critics has picked "Waltz With Bashir" as the best film of 2008—not bad for a film that doesn't hit Chicago theaters for a few weeks.

Ari Folman's animated documentary chronicles his coming to terms with repressed memories of his experiences with the Israeli army in the 1982 Lebanon war. The daring film, which is nominated for a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film and uses multiple animation techniques, has earned numerous accolades, including six awards from the Israeli Film Academy and best animated film from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (which chose the animated "WALL-E" as best 2008 film). The film is scheduled to open Jan. 23 at three Chicago-area theaters: AMC Pipers Alley Theatre in Chicago, Cinemark Cine Arts in Evanston and Landmark's Renaissance in Highland Park.

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" and Disney/Pixar's animated hit "Wall-E" tied for runner-up in the best picture category.

Source : http://www.chicagotribune.com/

Animation film made on Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav

PATNA: An animation film has been made on Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

According to Patna-based resident Pawan, the animation film has not only been produced by him, but has also been characterized and conceptualized by him to show Lalu in a different light.

"I had been making cartoons on Lalu for a long time. So, I thought, how can I present Lalu in a different medium. These days children cartoon comics and animation films are in great demand. It was at this time that I thought of making a film on Lalu. Thereafter, I started working on this project and made a team to work on it," said Pawan.

Sashi, the voice over artist, who has mimicked the voice of Lalu in the film, said that he could not have found a better outlet for his talent.

"The voice of Lalu is unique in itself. After watching the video I thought that I could not find a better outlet for my talent than mimicking for Lalu in this film," said Sashi.

The Minister has been a favourite of Bollywood film producers who have made films revolving round his character, including 'Padmashree Lalu Prasad Yadav'.

Lalu has also been a part of many popular television shows.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Animation films fail to rock the box-office

MUMBAI: All's not well in animation land. Despite corporates doing all they can to ensure that India's animation industry gets its place in Bollywood, there's still time before your favourite toon can rock the box-office.

Rumour has it that Percept Picture Company's Jumbo was bought cheap (it's originally a Thai animation film) but they paid Akshay Kumar a whopping Rs 9 crore as dubbing fee. They also shot a promotional video, allegedly had a large marketing budget (Rs 8 crore) and gave the Christmas offering great visibility on both hoardings as well as the airwaves. "However, Jumbo was swept away in the Ghajini wave,'' says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who personally felt the film was probably Bollywood's best bet at animation in 2008.

Trade sources confirm that Bollywood has had a bad run with animation this year. Between Hanuman Returns, Krishna, Roadside Romeo, Dashavatar, Ghatotkach and My Friend Ganesha parts 1 and 2, insiders estimate animation losses will total up to about Rs 70 crore. "Indian animation has suffered quite a few hiccups,'' says a trade source. "What's worse is that many animation films that are complete and awaiting release have no takers.''

Barely a year ago when Walt Disney tied up with Yashraj Films to commission their first joint venture Roadside Romeo (Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor dubbed for the lead pair), Bollywood pundits went to town claiming that animation as a genre had `arrived'. In fact, at least 25 animation films were announced by various corporations, and an estimated Rs 4,000 crore was to be kept aside for the animation studios that were being planned across India. "Everything is on hold now,'' says trade guru Amod Mehra. "Film corporations are shaken with the blow-hot, blow-cold response to this genre.''

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The Good, bad and ugly of Bollywood animation movies in 2008

There were quite a few animation films that released in 2008. However, not even one of them turned out to be successful at the box office. ‘Roadside Romeo’ at least stood out from animation point of view while ‘Jumbo’ made waves due to Akshay Kumar factor. However, rest just fizzled completely hence putting a question mark on the future of animation films in India. Here is a low down on the performance of some of the most notable animation films which were unleashed to the audience in the year gone by.

Roadside Romeo
If not for Yash Raj Films’ practice of promoting their films to the minimal, ‘Roadside Romeo’ could well have been the second Bollywood animation film to have worked with the audience after ‘Hanuman’. While one or two have still been decent attempts at the least, the remaining have been plain shoddy.

Things could have just gone right for ‘Roadside Romeo’ had it been pitched amongst the audience in a better way. It was released sans any fanfare and worse, the two best parts about the film - it’s animation and coming together of Saif and Kareena behind the mike - were not just not highlighted enough for the audience.

‘Roadside Romeo’ may not be quite emotionally charged or howlariously funny like it’s Hollywood counterparts. But still, it is watchable at the least. And for that, most of the credit should go to Tata Elexsi - VCL that has managed to get some stupendous 3D animation in place. Whether it is shot taking, moving frames, transition from one situation to another, lip movements or lighting - everything about ‘Roadside Romeo’ comes across as a fresh experience. In fact for those who haven’t been exposed to the Hollywood animation flicks, this is a truly unique experience.

My Friend Ganesha 2
The most torturous animation film of the year which is so poorly made that one wonders how it’s rough edges, especially when it comes to animation, would seem when seen on the big screen. Those backing the film may have had an argument that it was made for kids under 10 years of age. Well, if they were actually under this false belief, they were seriously underestimating the choice and mindset of children who have definitely warmed up to far more entertaining films over a period of time.

Leave the storyline (which by the way is none at all); just one look at the animation in motion and you are seriously un-amused by the state of affairs. Frankly, the worst of movies can sometime become an engaging experience since they are so bad that they bring some full-on entertainment. However, ‘My Friend Ganesha 2′ crosses all patience limits. Lasting close to 2 hours, there is absolutely no redeeming factor in this film which has just about everything being so un-engaging and uninspiring.

Jumbo
While promoting ‘Jumbo’ as an Akshay Kumar film, the makers chose not to high light the fact that the film was neither an Indian product nor had it been made in collaboration with an International animation house. Instead, Percept Picture Company had claimed the rights of a Thai film that went by the name of ‘Khan Kluay’. Nevertheless, the film boasted of good animation and was a good full fledged musical (’Roadside Romeo’ was a musical as well but the music wasn’t as good) to arrive on the big screen. Add to that actors like Lara Dutta, Dimple Kapadia, Gulshan Grover and Rajpal Yadav joining Akshay behind the mike and it was a Bollywood treat for children. If not for it’s arrival next to ‘Ghajini’, it would have done much better at the box office.

Dashavatar
This was an animation film which actually managed to hold your interest at least at the script level. Otherwise if one looks at the plethora of animation films which have released in the year gone by, majority of them have failed at the story level, let aside animation which by itself has been nothing great shakes. However, the area where ‘Dashavatar’ wins is that it tells a story which has been hitherto untold to majority of viewers in India, at least through the medium of cinema or television. Moreover, with good animation to match (at least by Indian standards), it only makes the experience more engaging.

Ghatothkach
First half of this animation film followed a standard route as adopted by many a mythological animation movies coming out of Bollywood in recent years. The ‘natkhat’ ways of a child, his escapades with all living beings, be it humans, animals or demons, his love for nature - all of this has been explored to the fullest by many a film makers in the recent past. Nothing wrong with this actually. After all it is a genre and the same holds good even for action, comedy, romantic or family tales which are bound to have a similar look and feel.

Still, overall ‘Ghatothkach’ was a very average film which had something going for it by means of visuals that were indeed unheard of (before the release of ‘Roadside Romeo) and surpassed the standards (although not quite high) set by it’s predecessors.

Prithviraj Chauhan
If after watching a film, you are made to log on to internet right away and explore further details about the subject and story line, you can certainly say that the makers have succeeded in telling an interesting tale!

This is what happens the moment you are through with watching 80 minutes of drama that unfolds in animation film ‘Prithviraj Chauhan’. For a change, you no more care about the quality of animation (it is substandard) but are intrigued by the sheer story line and narration. One can question the mediocrity of animation here but certainly not direction which manages to keep a stranglehold on proceedings without letting boredom slip in.

‘Prithviraj Chauhan’ was a ‘direct to DVD’ release rather than coming at theaters. A good move since the animation’s canvas isn’t quite suited for the big screen. However, instead of numerous animation flicks which are arriving at theaters these days and are primarily catered at children, ‘Prithviraj Chauhan’ boasts of a story that has a good appeal for adults as well. Watch it for it’s drama and forget about the animation quality!

Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang
This movie had some interesting voice overs but animation wise, it just remained sub standard. Add to that the characters in the film that hardly appealed and one knew before the release of the film itself that it won’t do well at the theaters. The promotion of the film was patchy and there was no target audience defined. Result? A film that was certainly one of the most ignored and forgotten animation flicks that have been unleashed on the unsuspecting audience. -Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Media

Source : http://www.realbollywood.com/

Animation bonanza for film buffs

KOLKATA: Over the week starting Sunday, the city will have the rare opportunity of catching up on some extremely offbeat short films including some cutting-edge animation work at Nandan.

The festival is being organised jointly by Chitrabani (an initiative of the missionaries who run St Xavier's Collegiate School) and the Nandan authorities that will help budding film-makers from across the country showcase their work. Incidentally, a large number of animation films have been selected as part of the pantheon.

While a majority of the films have been shot by students from Kolkata, there are several entries from other cities and even foreign countries like UK, US and Bangladesh.

The shortest film to be screened is an animation of 31 seconds and the longest a tragedy of 43 minutes, 36 seconds. The city directors are students learning filmmaking at institutes like Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, St Xavier's College, Chitrabani, Roopkala Kendro and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

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Animation boom!

Animation has come a long way, from the early phenakistoscope device of the 1800s to today’s photo-realistic, computer-generated, three-dimensional (3D) graphics.

Disney Productions’ early 2D animation film "Steamboat Willie" in the late 1920s was already considered revolutionary for animators then. But today, CGI (computer-generated imagery) animation continues to soar as the new standard in film animation.

This continuously evolving art form has captivated the imagination of new generations of artists, most especially Filipinos. Today’s young generation grew up either reading comics or watching cartoons, or both, and this may have influenced young Filipinos’ inclination towards the cartoon industry.

In the comics industry for example, publishing companies like Marvel Comics hire Filipino artists to draw for their famous comic pages. Because of the growth of the digital film and gaming industries, Filipinos are again tapped to be one of the prime professionals in the industry.

And now experts are making a big pronouncement, that in a few years from now, digital arts, animation in particular will be the next big thing. "Ang forecast is next to Nursing, magbu-boom ang digital arts in the next 10 years, mainly because of the films and gaming industry," explains digital artist and 3D animation instructor Peter Honrade.

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Bollywood to be a part of global animation phenomena

It does come as a surprise to hear Indian character names like Charlie Anna resonate through the iconic Walt Disney headquarters in Burbank, CaliforYash Raj Films-Walt Disney's
guffaw when what one would imagine is typical ‘Mumbaiiya’ lingo spoken with a heavy South Indian accent say, “Tension Not, I Yam the Boss.”

But then Bollywood is the name of the game in the hushed portals of big Hollywood studios since the last few years. Each holds a long-term view and every possible research report is being done. In a nutshell, all the mind-boggling figures and research point out that the only way to ensure an Indian eyeball is to get him to the movies, if not to a game of cricket.

But, mind you, Indian movies for Hollywood, through all these years, are still at the low end of the revenue pie, even with all the languages they are now dubbed in. This, paradoxically, is also the reason why they have headed to Indian shores - some with JVs, some with tie-ups - trying to see if they can tap the right local talent and nurture it to grow as a good, sustainable entertainment business in India.

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India Animated Film Emerges: 'Ramayana - The Epic'

Feature animation production in India, for regional audiences, was projected go grow almost exponentially just a short time ago. Now, with large-scale productions further becoming the inspiration of animators with a familiar but fresh story to tell, India animation's overall growth is coming more and more in line with initially incongruous projections of the industry's growth to four times it's current value, by 2012. This to which brings animation enthusiasts to India's latest big budget cartoon film, Ramayana - The Epic, a story of Indian mythology that integrates the classic tale's sense of adventure with a youthful confidence.

Based on the ancient epic "Ramayana," Ramayana - The Epic, produced by Maya Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., is another highly anticipated Indian animation that market observers hope to push the industry further toward the precipice of international recognition. Although awareness for India features has yet to edge close enough to that cliff to warrant speculation of the local industry's potential to peer over into the deep and fast-paced ocean of global recognition, Ramayana - The Epic is another intriguing step in a new direction.

"There is a boom in the animation industry and India has immense potential to encash it," Jai Natarajan, Executive Vice-President of Business Development for Maya Ent., stated at a recent press event.

"I am confident that this movie will usher in a new era in the Indian animation industry."

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An animation film on Lord Ayyappa

While animation films do have an audience, very few companies produce them. One such company is India Tales who is coming out with a film on 'Lord Ayyappa' titled Manikantan. Eight different types of animation like 2D, 3D animation, clay mation, toy mation, oil painting and Kerala murals were used in the film.

India Tales, started by Nalin Singh a year-and-a-half back, opted for an animated film on Lord Ayyappa as his company’s aim is to show to the world the rich Indian tradition. “We want to tell Indian stories to foreigners in a way they would understand easily,” says Nalin Singh adding that 200 technicians are working on the film in Hyderabad and 60 in Trivandrum.

Besides using different types of animation techniques, the full-length feature film also has big names behind it. Malayalam actors Mohanlal, Sugumari and Jagathi have lent their voice to the film, while maestro Illayaraja has done the music.

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Animated Ramayan to hit screens early 2009

Mumbai (PTI): After the success of mythological films like "Hanuman" and "Ganesha", another animation film based on Ramayana is all set to release next year.

"Ramayana-the epic" features actors like Juhi Chawla, Manoj Bajpai and Ashutosh Rana in the voices of Sita, Ram and Ravan.

Director Chetan Desai hopes to introduce Ram to the younger generation as an inspirational idol and the greatest superhero of India.

"He was born a prince and evolved into a hero. Ram is not depicted as a godly character," he said.

The duration of the film is 100 minutes and it has been made at a budget which is more than the normal Bollywood feature film. There will be about 100 characters in the film and it would be dubbed in multiple languages, he added.

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ASIFA Student Animation Film Festival 2008

ASIFA-Hollywoods' Animator Educator's Forum is hosting its first Student Animation Film Festival at Woodbury University, located on 7500 Glenoaks Blvd. in Burbank, CA 91510 on October 18, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Students enrolled in professional academic programs throughout the United States including NYU Tisch School of the Arts; UCLA; USC; Woodbury University; Loyola Marymount University; CSU Fullerton; Bay and The Art Institute of California-Orange County have submitted short animations.

The winners will be announced at the festival in the following categories: Best Visual Storytelling, Best Character, Best Technical Achievement, Judges' Choice and The Emile Cohl Award for the Best Animated Short.

In addition to the competition portion of the event, a free demo reel and portfolio review will be offered to the public. Students and artists alike are encouraged to bring demo reels in DVD format and/or an organized collection of flat artwork to be critiqued by some of the competition judges and other industry professionals.

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