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Note: Digital Media FX content is legally ©copyright 2001 and may not be republished without the expressed written consent of Digital Media FX and/or proper crediting and linking. If you would like republishing permission of certain stories then contact joetracy@earthlink.net for the easy to follow republishing guidelines.

Monday - October 22, 2001
- Good News and Bad News for Monsters, Inc.
- A Look at Patrician 2
- Release Charts: Animated, Anime, and FX DVDs
- News Link of the Day - Trouble in Toon Town

Good News and Bad News for Monsters, Inc.
(by digitalmediafx.com) There's good news and bad news for Pixar's November 2 release of Monsters, Inc. The good news is that early critic reviews are extremely positive as with past Pixar movies and it is bound to make a boatload of money at the box office. The bad news is that several companies will try to derail a monster run for Monsters, Inc.

Disney/Pixar were forced to move Monsters, Inc. away from its unofficial mid-to-late November release when Warner Bros. decided to put Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone into wide release on November 16.

After Monsters, Inc. was moved to November 2 (which gives it a strong two week run before facing serious competition from Harry Potter), DreamWorks decided to add additional heat by releasing the Shrek DVD on the same day - Friday, November 2. DVDs are always released on Tuesday's as part of an industry standard. Six weeks after Monsters, Inc. hits theaters, it will lose hundreds of screens to Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and face additional competition from Nickelodeon's newest animated feature - Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

A survey by movie ticket seller Fandago found that Monsters, Inc. was the third most anticipated movie of the fall/winter season. Second was Harry Potter and number one was easily Lord of the Rings.

All the factors brought together will likely slow Monsters, Inc. at the box office after its first two weeks, but only slightly. Pixar animated movies have shown an amazing ability to hold strong for the long term while many other movies come and go. Financial analyst company Prudential believes that the box office results for Monsters, Inc. will end up somewhere between A Bug's Life ($163 million domestically) and Toy Story 2 ($246 million domestically).

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A Look at Patrician 2
(by digitalmediafx.com) Strategy First has shipped Patrician 2, a medieval simulation trade adventure for the PC. If you never heard of the first Patrician, it's likely because there was never a mass release in the U.S. Now with the makers, Ascaron Software teaming up with Strategy First, the sequel is now on U.S. shores having shipped just over a week ago.

There are some similarities between Patrician 2 and the Sim City series. First, players must develop cities that can be self supporting. Second, players must deal with natural disasters. Patrician 2 takes place around the 12th century (in Northern Europe), throwing in additional elements like Pirates to keep players busy dealing with several fronts. If you run out of money you may be faced with seeing some of your ships become pirate ships - or mutiny against those still faithful to your cause.

Here are some images from Patrician 2:

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Release Charts: Animated, Anime, and FX DVDs
(by digitalmediafx.com) Here are new animated, FX, and anime DVDs hitting store shelves tomorrow, including Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the 60th Anniversary Edition of Dumbo, and an odd CGI one - Barbie in the Nutcracker.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001 - animated)
Walt Disney's Dumbo (1941 - animated)
Dr. Doolittle 2 (2001 - FX)
Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001 - animated)
Jackie Chan Adventures: Search for the Taliman (2000 - animation)
Princess Nine - First Inning (2001 - anime)
Vampire Princess Miya - Haunting (anime)

If you like Thumb Wars you may enjoy another Star Wars type spoof (no fx or animation) called George Lucas in Love. Click here.

Amazon.com is now accepting pre-orders for the Shrek 2-Disc DVD. Click here.
Amazon.com is now accepting pre-orders for the Osmosis Jones DVD. Click here.

If you haven't yet ordered the Snow White DVD (availability will be limited), click here.

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News Link of the Day - Trouble in Toon Town

According to INQ7:

"Local articles on the animation industry are usually glowing reports on the Philippines as a key destination for foreign producers because of three major allurements: English-speaking staff, cheap labor and artistic skills. But current developments for the past few years now disagree with these claims. A new set of values and programs are needed to boost the industry to be competitive again.

English-speaking staff. It is only a factor when you're dealing with a show that requires the understanding of Western humor. Still, a comedy show is just one genre among several animation genres..."

Click here for the full story.

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These news articles and all digitalmediafx.com content are ©copyright 2001 by Joe Tracy and may not be reused for any purpose without expressed written consent of the author and Digital Media FX. All rights reserved.