Digital
Media FX News Archives
Wednesday
- May 30, 2001
- Shrek Now Highest Grossing
Non-Disney Animated Film Ever!
- Mickey Mouse Storyboard
Up for Auction Again
- Exile Films Approaches DreamWorks
About BloodQuest Movie
- News Link of the Day
- Big Bad Bugs Wascaly Wabbit a Wacist?
Shrek Now
Highest Grossing Non-Disney Animated Film Ever!
(by digitalmediafx.com) In just 11 days, Shrek has become
the highest grossing non-Disney animated film ever by bringing
in $111.7 million at the domestic box office. Shrek easily
passed last year's hit Chicken Run, which brought in $106.8
million. PDI / DreamWorks animated production now heads for the
Top
10 Highest Grossing Animated Films of all time list,
which is made up only of Disney and Pixar movies.
"Shrek
has the kind of widespread appeal that has made it a must-see
film for not only families but all moviegoers," says DreamWorks
head of distribution, Jim Tharp. "We are thrilled that both
critics and audiences have embraced Shrek, and expect strong
word of mouth to carry it throughout the competitive summer season."
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Mickey
Mouse Storyboard Up for Auction Again
(by digitalmediafx.com) The International Museum of Cartoon
Art's quest to sell a "Plane Crazy" Mickey Mouse storyboard
has taken a new twist since Digital Media FX's first
and second
reports on the subject. Appraised at over $3 million, the storyboard
recently auctioned for only $800,000. A problem with the bidder's
verification, however, has resulted in the original storyboard
(by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney) once again being put on the auction
block.
Here's a description
of the storyboard:
"Comprised
of thirty- six frames on six pages, the continuity sketches for
Plane Crazy are the first known conceptualizations of Mickey Mouse.
Measuring approximately 9 inches by 12 inches, each sheet is divided
into six rectangular sections, each of which is numbered one through
thirty-six in the upper right corner. Various other numbers and
production notations are scattered throughout. Apart from working
stains and erasures, the recto of each of the drawings is clean,
intact, and stable. Some pages have additional poses and sketches
in the borders, while one page includes a sketch on the verso.
Most experts concur that the use of storyboards was invented at
the Disney studio. Although at Disney storyboards didn't come
into general use until 1933, the Plane Crazy story sketches of
1928 are a clearly a precursor to the full-fledged storyboards
that would become a staple of the cinematic process.
These sketches
were typical of the format in which stories would thereafter be
presented at Disney. Once the panels were drawn, Disney marked
his directions for animation. Checks, double checks, numbers,
lined numbers, circled numbers, numbers in different colors--all
of these marks held significant meaning as to how the film would
be animated. An 'X' or 'Cut' was written to note a deletion, long
and close shots were noted by the hand of Disney as well. The
drawings are remarkable not only for their astounding historical
significance, but for their aesthetic appeal as well. Reflecting
both the talents of the artist and the director, they are beautifully
drafted and overwhelmingly charming."
The auctioneers
are claiming that the storyboard is "quite possibly the Holy
Grail of cartoon art." The new auction is set for June 8,
2001.
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Exile Films
Approaches DreamWorks over BloodQuest Movie
(by digitalmediafx.com) A group of animators and executives at
visual effects studio Exile Films have approached DreamWorks for
possible funding and distribution of an all-CGI movie it is working
on called BloodQuest, which brings the Warhammer 40,000 universe
to life.
Exile Films
describes BloodQuest as follows:
"In a
universe without hope, there are still heroes... Captain Leonatos
and his Blood Angels must return to save Sekundar from certain
destruction after an absence of ten thousand years. Both more
and less than human, these bio-engineered near-immortal warriors
must strive to contain the bloodlust that is the legacy of the
flawed genetic seed from which they were created. Aloof and proud,
they will yet learn to respect the desperate struggles of the
local warriors with whom they must ally to defeat the hideous
foes set against them."
The first
draft of the screenplay has already been completed by Gordon Rennie,
who also wrote a novel based on the same name.
Exile Films
is aiming for a PG-13 rating with BloodQuest and says that the
absolute earliest a film may be released is late 2002.
Results of
talks between DreamWorks and Exile Films have not been released.
Click
here to see a test clip from the movie (no sound).
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News Link
of the Day - Big Bad Bugs Wascaly Wabbit a Wacist?
According to The New York Post:
"Maybe
the people who made the Bugs Bunny cartoons were a bunch of racists.
You ever think of that?
How else can
you explain all the ethnic stereotypes in the old cartoons?
"
Click
here for the full story.
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