Digital Media FX Newsletter
Vol. 1, No. 8 - July 1, 2001

Table of Contents:

(1) Welcome Message
(2) Prince Charles Loves Wallace and Gromit
(3) Several Animated Movies Coming Back to the Big Screen
(4) Another Video Game - Crazy Taxi - Being Made into a Movie
(5) Top News Stories of the Past Two Weeks
(6) dFX Quick Takes

Welcome Message
Welcome to another edition of the Digital Media FX (dFX) newsletter, covering the world of animation and visual effects. This newsletter is published on or near the 1st and 15th of each month with original animation/FX content, insider news, and sneak peeks at new dFX features.

This issue contains some interesting tidbits on Prince Charles love for Wallace and Gromit, animated movies coming back to the big screen for one-day showings in select states, and the quest to turn the Crazy Taxi video game into a movie. Enjoy! -- Joe Tracy

Prince Charles Loves Wallace and Gromit
(by digitalmediafx.com) Prince Charles visited Aardman Animations studio on Monday, where he expressed his enjoyment and appreciation for the Wallace and Gromit series. Prince Charles was given an elaborate tour where he spoke openly with the creators while being given an inside look at the sets of many successful Aardman Animation productions like last year's Chicken Run. He also complemented the entire Aardman team on their productions.

Aardman Animations is located in Bristol, England.

Several Animated Movies Coming Back to The Big Screen
(by digitalmediafx.com) People living in a handful of states will soon be able to see animated movies like The Iron Giant and Chicken Run back on the big screen for a very limited engagement. National Amusements, owner and operator of Showcase Cinemas and Multiplex Cinemas will be showing select animated films on the big screen on Wednesdays in the following states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Virginia. The showings will be Wednesdays at 10AM with the following schedule of movies:

July 11 - Chicken Run
July 25 - The Iron Giant
August 8 - The Road to El Dorado
August 15 - Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

The program, called Bookworm Wednesdays, is to encourage kids to read books and write book reports in exchange for free admission to view the movie.

For more details on the program, including participating theaters, click here.

Another Video Game - Crazy Taxi - Being Turned into a Movie
(by digitalmediafx.com) Hollywood has big plans to continue churning out movies based on video games even though the majority of such movies do a poor job in storytelling. The Hollywood Reporter announced yesterday that the newest video game to be given movie treatment will be "Crazy Taxi" by Sega. The movie will be directed by Richard Donner and produced by Gary Goodman.

Donner says that the movie will try to capture the feel of a person riding in a taxi via various camera angles shot from within the taxi. just like the video game.

Top News Stories of the Past Two Weeks
(digitalmediafx.com) Digital Media FX is updated 365 days a year including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. If you don't visit daily you may have missed some important news. Here is a list of what we consider the top five news stories (in order of importance) of the past two weeks, including links to each story.

1. Disney Studio Chief Resigns

2. Rules for Best Animated Feature Oscar Released

3. President of Cartoon Network Worldwide Resigns

4. Betty Boop Returns

5. Wise and Hahn Defend PG Rating for Atlantis

dFX Quick Takes

* Digital Media FX makes it easy for you to track the daily box office results for Atlantis: The Lost Empire. For daily updates, simply click here.

* If you've missed a past issue of the dFX Animation and FX Newsletter, you can read archived issues by clicking here.

* Catch the latest interactive discussions at the Digital Media FX Forums - Your participation in the discussions is both welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you for being a part of the Digital Media FX team through your daily visits to www.digitalmediafx.com. I hope that you've enjoyed this edition of the Digital Media FX newsletter and I look forward to providing you with continued coverage of the animation and visual effects industries.

Best Wishes,

Joe Tracy, Publisher
Digital Media FX - The Power of Imagination

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All stories in this newsletter are ©Copyright 2001 by Joe Tracy / Digital Media FX and may not be reprinted in any form without the expressed written consent of Joe Tracy. To request such consent, click here, and provide details of which article you wish to republish and the Website location where it will be published. You will receive a response within 48 hours with whether your request has been accepted and, if so, the proper credit wording that must appear with the article.

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