DVD Releases For July 22, 2008
Blu-ray editions of THE MUMMY, THE MUMMY RETURNS and THE SCORPION KING, plus more animated DVDs of TRANSFORMERS, TV FUNHOUSE and blackjack actioner 21, all on DVD and Blu-ray today.
Blu-ray editions of THE MUMMY, THE MUMMY RETURNS and THE SCORPION KING, plus more animated DVDs of TRANSFORMERS, TV FUNHOUSE and blackjack actioner 21, all on DVD and Blu-ray today.
Entertainment media company Entertainment Rights' internationally successful pre-school series POSTMAN PAT has launched on China's national television network, China Central Television (CCTV). ER also announces a number of key international broadcast agreements for the brand new series -- POSTMAN PAT: SPECIAL DELIVERY SERVICE (SDS).
Get ready for big-screen versions of BATMAN and THE X-FILES with today's DVD and Blu-ray releases, plus much more.
DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation have collaborated to create a unique BATMAN experience in BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT. The all-new, original movie arrives July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray. The original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-per-View as well as available for download on the same day as release date, July 8, 2008.
Men in blue (Blu-Ray, that is), Popeye and his spinach, swords in stones, a "blood"-y anime release and more, on DVD and Blu-Ray today.
From Sony Pictures Home Ent., MEN IN BLACK follows the exploits of agents Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith) members of a top-secret organization established to monitor alien activity on Earth. The two MiB find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.
The 32nd edition of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the 18th Mifa (International Animated Film Market) have drawn to a close.
Raunchy animated comedy, a re-release of the Indiana Jones trilogy in anticipation of the big fourth movie coming out next week and some extra fun for Blu-ray owners, all on DVD today.
A Bollywood musical extravaganza, a SPEED RACER treat and an old "twist" arrive on DVD today.
The 1996 summer blockbuster TWISTER arrives back on home video, on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray (Warner Home Video), with vfx by ILM under the supervision of Stefen Fangmeier.
BOXX Technologies has released a Special Edition 3DBOXX workstation that delivers unmatched dual- processor workstation performance by maximizing the power of two Intel Core 2 Extreme processors.
Benchmarks computed by BOXX Labs indicate 23.2 percent more performance on Cinebench 10 for the Special Edition compared to the world-record setting 3DBOXX 8400SE.
New York-based editorial and vfx/motion design shop Version2 will partner with CG animation and vfx shop, Special Branch, forming Special Branch@V2 (SB@V2).
The partnership expands V2's current presence, ability, and scope allowing them to deliver a wider range of services and talent depth to its clients. Special Branch is run by Partners/Artists Fran Roberts and Ed Manning. The SB@V2 deal provides an additional dimension to the growing resources available at the vfx /motion design division of V2.
CGA Europe: West 2008 is a three-day content event for business and developers in the casual game market for mobile, console and PC. The event features special events including press reviews, pre-funk dinners, tours around the city, special pre-conference Microsoft Partner Day and an awards show. Keynotes will be given by top players in the industry. For more information, visit amsterdam.casualconnect.org/.
THE ARISTOCATS (1970), the 20th Disney animated feature and the first production after the death of Walt Disney, is elevated to Special Edition status with the Feb. 5 release on DVD (Walt Disney Studios Home Ent. $29.99).
Unlike the out-of-print 2000 DVD, the new release offers warmer and more vivid colors in the original aspect ratio of 1.75:1.
The big winners in Media & Ent. at the Imagina Awards 2008, announced Thursday at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, were RATATOUILLE for Best Feature, OKTAPODI from Gobelins l'Ecole for Best Animation, DJI VOU VEU VOLTI (I LOVE YOU) from Belgium for Best Short, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END for Best Special Effects, Smirnoff SEA for Best Commercial, Harmonix ROCK BAND for Best Videogame and CAMERA OBSCURA of Supinfocom Valenciennes took the Jury Special Prize.
The Media & Ent. winners were:
* Best Animation
OKTAPODI
Koji Yamamura's FRANZ KAFKA'S A COUNTRY DOCTOR has won the Grand Prize at this year's I Castelli Animati festival in Rome. The other winners were:
* Special Jury Prize: MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI, Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbovski, Canada* Best First Work: FOG-NIEBLA, Emilio Ramos, Mexico* Best European Film: MARATHON, Kaspar Jancis, Estonia* Best Non-Narrative Film: BRUISED (BLAUWBLAUW), Sandy Claes, Daan Wampers, Belgium; WITH MY QUANTUM STROKE (MEET MIJN KVANTORSLAG), Pieter Vanluffelen, Belgium
The 5th Budapest Animation Festival, formerly known as AniFest, is taking place Nov 29 - Dec 2, 2007 in Urania National Film Palace and Toldi cinema in Budapest. The 5th edition of Anilogue presents four days of animation, packed with feature premieres, sneak previews, workshops, special guests, a competition of European animated shorts, a world panorama, and more special programmes including a seven hours long animated show, concerts and cartoon exhibitions.
Disney Channel has begun production on a new Playhouse Disney preschool series entitled SPECIAL AGENT OSO, starring Academy Award-nominated actor Sean Astin as the voice of Oso, an endearing, bumbling teddy bear who enlists the help of viewers at home to complete his missions.
The Hollywood Radio and Television Society (HRTS) will present "Kids Day 2007" returning to the fifth floor ballroom at the Hollywood and Highland. Now in its 13th year, HRTS Kids Day is the long-running industry organization's celebration of children's TV programming and family fun day.
From 7:00 to 10:00 pm, Andreas Deja, one of the most talented and well-known of contemporary Disney animators, will be making a special appearance for an evening of animation and fun at Van Eaton Galleries. Deja's animation has had a huge impact on American popular culture over the past couple of decades. Deja will be sharing his behind-the-scenes stories, showing examples of his work, and answering questions.
Eustace Lycett, a 43-year Disney veteran who won Academy Awards for his special photographic effects in MARY POPPINS and BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS, passed away on Nov. 16, 2006. He died of natural causes at Park Vista at Morningside Nursing Home in Fullerton, California. He was 91.
The Academy of Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has released its list of nominees for the 33 Annual Saturn Awards, honoring the best genre works from film, television and home entertainment. Warner Bros.' SUPERMAN RETURNS leads with 10 nominations, including nods for Best Fantasy Film, Best Special Effects and Best Director (Bryan Singer). Twentieth Century Fox's X-MEN: THE LAST STAND and Picturehouse Ent.'s PAN'S LABYRINTH had six nominations each.
A weekly festival of the finest in American Studio animation featuring films from the vast private collection of Reg Hartt. Each film is uncut.
Visitors to Toronto may make special requests. If Reg has the title he will show it to you. Animation historians are always welcome to access the material. Hartt sponsored symposia with Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Bernard B. Brown, Grim Natwick and Shamus Culhane. CDs and DVDs, as well as printed books, of the talks they gave are available on request.
Special effects wizard "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, who was known widely for his pedal steel guitar work with Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers, died on Saturday morning (Jan. 6, 2007), from complications brought on by Alzheimer's disease in a nursing facility in Petaluma, California. He was 72.
His daughter Anita confirmed his death saying that he had been living with the disease for more than 18 months and it "hit him hard and fast."
This month Career Coach Pamela Kleibrink Thompson makes us think about the gifts we have and how we can give a bit of ourselves during the holiday season.
TELETOON is celebrating the holiday season with a lineup full of holiday-themed episodes and specials.
Created in the early 1970s, Filmation Studios JOURNEY BACK TO OZ, featuring the voices of Liza Minnelli, Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Danny Thomas and Milton Berle, is now available on DVD from BCI. The DVD will sell for $14.98. Entertainment Rights Plc is the films rights holder.
Disney's Oscar-winning animated feature, THE LITTLE MERMAID, makes its digital debut during a special limited engagement from Sept. 7-24 at Hollywood's legendary El Capitan Theatre.
The engagement, which celebrates the upcoming Oct. 3 release of the special edition DVD from Walt Disney Home Ent., will spotlight an all-new digital restoration of the film with enhanced picture and sound. Plus, every show throughout the entire run will offer a live appearance by Ariel.