Animation / FX Cheers and Sneers - 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, begin offering degrees in Digital Media.

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