Digital
Media FX News Archives
Tuesday
- September 4, 2001
- Animated Lord of the Rings
Coming to DVD
- Animation/FX Cheers
and Sneers for August 2001
- New Clifford The Big Red
Dog Season
- News Link of the Day
- Call it Poetry in Stop-Motion
Animated
Lord of the Rings Coming to DVD
(by digitalmediafx.com) Warner Bros. Home Video is releasing the
animated The
Lord of the Rings along with J.R.R. Tolkien classics
The
Hobbit and The
Return of the King to DVD on Tuesday, September
11, 2001. The suggested retail price for each is $19.98.
The Lord
of the Rings, The Return of the King and The Hobbit
set in a mystical age of magic, monsters and unlikely heroes
will enjoy great awareness and visibility, as the titles
will be at height of popularity in the coming months as the live
action Lord of the Rings movie is set to hit theaters this
December.
Warner
Home Video is extremely excited to offer families these J.R.R.
Tolkien classics, available on both VHS and DVD, says Ewa
Martinoff, WHV Vice President, Family Entertainment Marketing.
Children and adults alike are awaiting the December, theatrical
release of the live-action The Lord of the Rings and will be thrilled
to bring the magic home in anticipation of what is sure to be
a holiday movie event.
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Animation/FX
Cheers and Sneers for August 2001
(by digitalmediafx.com) Here is the list of Digital Media
FX's August 2001 Cheers and Sneers for the animation and visual
effects industries:
Cheers:
Universal Studios announced it was beginning work on a new animated
film based on the book Where the Wild Things Are. Former animation
gurus from Disney, like Eric Goldberg and David Reynolds become
major players in the project.
Sneers:
Showing a continued perceived lack of vision, George Lucas
names Star Wars Episode II "Attack of the Clones".
The name gains mass negative attention as people compare it to
names like "Attack of the Clowns" or "Attack of
the 50-Foot Woman".
Cheers:
Industrial Light and Magic shows that it is still the visual effects
king of the industry by being the main supplier of five summer
blockbusters, including Planet of the Apes, Pearl Harbor,
and Jurassic Park 3.
Sneers:
DreamWorks announces that it is releasing a Shrek 2-disc
DVD on Friday, November 2, 2001 - the exact day that Pixar opens
Monsters, Inc. in theaters. The blatant move, especially
with new videos and DVDs always being released on Tuesday's, begins
to earn DreamWorks a bully reputation that once was reserved for
Disney.
Cheers:
The Japanese anime Spirited Away tears up the box office
in Japan, shattering all records and showing the power of Hayao
Miyazaki's anime reign.
Sneers:
Inside magazine reports that Disney has no interest in bringing
Spirited Away to U.S. shores after the failure of Princess
Mononoke in the U.S. The article fails to challenge the way
Disney handled the distribution and marketing of Princess Mononoke.
Cheers:
It is announced that The Simpson's entire first season will hit
DVD on September 25, 2001.
Sneers:
Nintendo announces that it is delaying the launch of the GameCube
by nearly two weeks, giving a major advantage to Microsoft, whose
Xbox system will now arrive on store shelves before Nintendo's
GameCube.
Cheers:
To hold fan's interest in The Matrix, which won't have a sequel
ready until 2003, Warner Bros. puts together a special DVD for
release on November 20 that will include numerous special features,
including anime-produced episodes of The Matrix.
Sneers:
Warner Bros. continues to delay release of "The Iron
Giant Special Edition" which should have been out months
ago.
Cheers:
More schools, like The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, are now offering
degrees in Digital Media.
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New
Clifford The Big Red Dog Season
(by digitalmediafx.com) A new season for the PBS award-winning
animated series, Clifford The Big Red Dog, will begin on October
3, 2001. The series has won acclaim for its ability to teach kids
values while entertaining at the same time. Here is an outline
at the 20 new episodes that start airing this Fall:
Doggie Garden
- Help others; Work together
It's "Keep Birdwell Beautiful" month and the kids are
doing their part by planting a flower garden. Seeing this, the
dogs decide to create a doggie flower garden of their own. But
when Cleo hears that "almost anything grows" in Birdwell
Island soil, she decides she'd much rather grow a garden full
of dog toys!
Captain's
Birdwell's Treasure - Be truthful
Clifford and his dog friends find the long-lost trunk of Captain
Birdwell, but through a misunderstanding, Jetta is given credit
for the discovery. It doesn't take long for her to realize, however,
that awards don't give much pleasure when they're not deserved.
Welcome to
the Doghouse - Help others; Be a good friend
In this flashback episode we see some of the challenges the Howards
faced when they arrived on Birdwell Island with a very big, red
dog! Where will Clifford live? How will they feed him? The island
folks work together to help them figure it out, forging strong
new friendships in the process.
Promises Promises
- Be a good friend
Jetta and Emily Elizabeth make plans to spend Saturday at the
beach together, but Jetta breaks the play date when a "better
offer" from an older girl comes along. Jetta learns that
being a good friend means keeping a promise.
Clifford's
Hiccups - Help others; Be a good friend
Clifford gets a bad case of the hiccups - a real problem with
a dog the size of Clifford! His dog pals come up with various
remedies for Clifford. Clifford expresses to his friends how good
it feels to know they care so much about him.
It's My Party
- Have respect; Be a good friend
When Jetta throws a "movie-watching" party, she expects
everyone to do things her way - by watching home-movies of herself.
The other kids are bored and go outside and make their own movie
with Vaz's movie camera. Jetta stubbornly refuses to join them
and soon learns it's more fun to play when everyone has a voice
in deciding what to do together.
Clifford Cleans
His Doghouse - Have respect; Be a good friend
Clifford's good friends come over to help him clean out his doghouse,
determined to get rid of all his old "junk." But each
item holds a special memory for Clifford. Mac thinks this is nonsense,
until he is reminded of a memory in which he was included, resolving
that one dog's "junk" can be another dog's treasure.
And Baby Makes
4 - Share; Help others
Jetta gets a new baby brother and at first is extremely proud
to be a big sister. But when she realizes she will now have to
share the spotlight with the baby, she goes all out to get back
her position as the "center of attention." She eventually
learns it's more rewarding to be a "big sister" than
the "star of the show."
Jetta's Tall
Tale - Be truthful
Jetta feels a twinge of jealousy when the other children make
a fuss over Emily Elizabeth's wonderful big pet Clifford, so boasts
of her own wonderful big pet - a huge parrot named Lulu - which
grows into a bigger and bigger lie. Her conscience finally makes
her do the right thing and she apologizes for having created the
lie in the first place.
The Big Fetch
- Help others
Vaz, a new paperboy, struggles with getting the papers onto people's
doorsteps. Cleo discovers that she can earn treats by helping
out! She recruits Clifford and T-bone and together they enjoy
helping Vaz - and getting treats. Before long Cleo grows more
concerned with getting treats. Clifford and T-bone help her rediscover
that helping for its own sake is its own reward.
Potluck Party
Pooper - Be a good friend; Be kind
The Howards are having a party and everyone they know is attending.
Everyone but Mr. Bleakman, the old "party pooper," who
insists he'd rather stay home as usual. But Clifford, Emily Elizabeth
and friends convince Mr. Bleakman that trying something new can
be fun!
The Best Gift
- Believe in yourself
Emily Elizabeth believes she has the perfect gift for her mother's
birthday. She plans to spend the entire afternoon with her mother
and read her a poem written just for her mom. Jetta has other
ideas, but Emily Elizabeth soon realizes that a gifts created
from the heart really is the best gift.
Two's Company
- Be a good friend
All of the dogs are so excited that their old friend K.C. is back
on the island for a couple of days. Cleo focuses all of her attention
on him, ignoring T-bone and Clifford. She discovers being a good
friend means being kind and considerate to all your friends and
not take any of them for granted.
Fairweather
Friends - Be a good friend; Help others
Mac is particularly disappointed when rainy weather threatens
to ruin the annual Back-to-School Barbecue. The other dogs vow
to find a way to stop the rain from falling. Mac's disappointment
is replaced with delight that his friends would go to such lengths
to try and help him.
Topsy Turvy
Day - Be kind; Be a good friend
Jetta and Emily trade dogs for the Island's annual Topsy Turvy
Day, a day when everything gets turned around. Jetta learns that
being kind and thoughtful gets you a lot farther than being bossy.
Clifford's
Charm School - Help others; Believe in yourself
Mrs. Bleakman is having a very special party for her book club
members and Cleo and Mac convince Clifford that his regular good
manners won't be good enough for the event. After trying to learn
some "fancy manners," Clifford decides to just be himself
- and ends up saving the party by providing shade for Mrs. Bleakman's
guests.
Forgive And
Forget - Be a good friend
When Clifford forgets a play date, Cleo gets upset and won't even
accept Clifford's apologies. But T-bone points out to Cleo that
maybe she is the one who isn't being a good friend. After all,
a good friend would never hold a grudge. Cleo learns that good
friends forgive (and forget!).
Mimi's Back
In Town - Be a good friend; Have respect
T-bone really likes Mimi, a little brown poodle that visits the
island occasionally, and is excited to hear she's coming back!
But when Cleo starts teasing him about it, T-bone gets embarrassed.
Cleo learns that teasing is not cool when it makes someone feel
uncomfortable.
Blanket Blues
- Have respect; Be a good friend
Cleo spies Clifford's favorite blanket and proclaims it the perfect
cape for Super T-bone. Clifford reluctantly allows his friends
to use the blanket. But the game turns rambunctious, the blanket
gets dirty - and Clifford gets upset. Cleo and T-bone realize
that to be a good friend you should respect the wishes and property
of others.
Dino Clifford
- Believe in yourself; work together
Bones and fossils on Birdwell Island! Clifford and his dog friends
have great luck digging up fossils that will complete a dinosaur
skeleton Teresa is assembling ? everybody but T-bone. But by believing
in himself, T-bone ultimately comes up with one of the most important
bones needed.
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News Link
of the Day - Call it Poetry in Stop-Motion
According to the Chicago Tribune:
"At last,
after several out-of-print months, director Nick Park's "Wallace
& Gromit" trilogy returns to DVD in a special edition.
While the sharp wit of the scripts drive this trio of short films
about a cheese-loving man and his amazing dog, it's the intricate
stop-motion animation work that provides much of the duo's charm..."
Click
here for the full story.
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