|
Digital
Media FX News Archives
Thursday
- April 26, 2001
- Cats & Dogs Verus A.I.
- Cartoon Network
Nabs Chicken Run
- The Mummy Returns Premiere
Set for Sunday
- News Link of the Day
- Disney to Lay Off Animators
 Cats
& Dogs Versus A.I.
(by digitalmediafx.com) Warner Bros. has two huge releases
this summer, both which are potential blockbusters, both which
have taken different approaches to marketing, and both which will
be competing against each other at the box office!
AI,
being released in theaters on June 29, has been mysterious in
its marketing approach, with the WB opting to give very few details
about the film in an apparent hope to "build interest through
mystery." Meanwhile, Cats & Dogs, being released
a week later on July 4 has been doing massive marketing showing
off the films effects and story in movie theaters and on TV.
By releasing
Cats & Dogs only one week after AI, Warner Bros.
is setting it up so that both films, which have an overlapping
audience, will be competing against each other. The odd move is
further complicated by another issue: AI was produced by
DreamWorks, which gave Warner Bros. U.S. distribution rights for
the film while DreamWorks handles the International distribution.
Competing
against each other for box office dollars will not be productive
for either movie (particularly with the same studio distributing
both), but it will create an interesting race to follow.
> Return
to the top of page
Cartoon
Network Nabs Chicken Run
(by digitalmediafx.com) The Cartoon Network has nabbed the
rebroadcast rights of DreamWorks/Aardman's hit animated film,
Chicken Run. The terms were sealed in a blockbuster licensing
deal between Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) and DreamWorks,
which gives TBS cable rights to televise past, present, and future
DreamWorks films. Under the terms, a major broadcast network is
first allowed to air the movies then TBS gets exclusive cable
rebroadcast rights.
For the Cartoon
Network the deal also gives them cable broadcast rights to The
Prince of Egypt, ANTZ, The Road to El Dorado, and even Shrek.
"Families
around the country gather together to enjoy the best in contemporary
animated features every week during Cartoon Theatre," said
Betty Cohen, president, Cartoon Network Worldwide. "We already
showcase films with stars such as Scooby-Doo and Bugs Bunny. Adding
these modern classics will definitely enhance Cartoon Network's
reputation as a destination for fans of top animated movies."
> Return
to the top of page
The
Mummy Returns Premiere Set for Sunday
(by digitalmediafx.com) The star-studded world premiere of
The Mummy Returns will take place this Sunday at the Universal
Studios Amphitheater at 6PM. All proceeds from the premiere are
going to benefit the USC School of Cinema-Television, the alma
mater of the movie's writer/director, Stephen Sommers.
"The
USC School of Cinema-Television has produced some of the most
talented and successful filmmakers working today, and Stephen
Sommers easily fits into that category," says Stacey Snider,
chairman, Universal Pictures. "We are thrilled to have him
as part of our family and delighted to host the premiere of The
Mummy Returns as a benefit for his alma mater."
In attendance
at the premiere will be Brendan Fraser, The Rock, Rachel Weisz,
John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velasquez, Freddie
Boath, Shaun Parkes and Aharon Ipale, writer-director Stephen
Sommers, producers James Jacks and Sean Daniel, executive producers
Bob Ducsay and Don Zepfel, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor John
Berton, composer Alan Silvestri, cinematographer Adrian Biddle
and production designer Allan Cameron.
The Mummy
Returns opens nationwide on May 4, 2001.
> Return
to the top of page
News Link
of the Day - Disney to Lay Off Animators
According to the New York Post:
"Disney's
famed animation unit is in for some rough times.
The Disney
department responsible for churning out such recent hits as The
Lion King and Beauty and the Beast reportedly may cut
as many as 300 jobs and cut salaries by 30 to 50 percent..."
Click
here for the full story.
> return
to the top of page
> click here for
a printable version of this page
> return
to April News Archives
> return to
today's news
> return
to Front Page
|
