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Digital Media FX News Archives

Thursday - September 6, 2001
- Ex Beatle Wants to Make Animated Film
- Robotic Animation Comes Home
- Disney to Auction Lunch with Roy Disney!
- News Link of the Day - Goddesses and Monsters

Ex Beatle Wants to Make Animated Film
(by digitalmediafx.com) Ex Beatle Sir Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance to view a 13 minute animated clip he helped produce called "Tuesday" at the Venice Film Festival. McCartney then talked to reporters about plans to create a full length animated feature in the style of "traditional Disney animation."

Right now McCartney is speaking with several animation studios to produce a film that would star his voice and music. McCartney says he has loved animation for decades, especially enjoying his involvement with 1968's The Yellow Submarine.

McCartney hinted that he could do a better job than most of the animated material currently being produced in Hollywood. He says that he wants to get back to traditional roots in his movie and cited his favorite animated film as Disney's Lady and the Tramp.

Details about the story/plot of his planned animated movie have not been released. As McCartney has been knighted, his official full title is Sir Paul McCartney.

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Robotic Animation Comes Home (animated series also planned)
(by digitalmediafx.com) Sony has introduced a new advanced model of its robotic animation dogs (called AIBO) and has lowered the price to around $850. The latest robots include new advanced software enabled features such as photo-taking options, a 75 word vocabulary, new AIBO tonal language options, and interactive and expressive sensors.

The new AIBO LM series is differentiated from its predecessors by its friendlier, more affectionate look. Sony expects this design departure to expand the AIBO product line, appealing to a diversified consumer base.

"Sony appreciates that consumer styles and needs are constantly evolving. Accordingly, the AIBO LM series marks the beginning of a host of product line-up expansions in the future that will satisfy a broad range of consumer tastes," said Victor Matsuda, vice president of Entertainment Robot America. "This new series combines a playful design with an attractive price, which we believe will help deliver on our vision of changing the face of home entertainment."

To coincide with the worldwide release of the AIBO LM series, an animated television program starring the two main robotic dogs has been planned to air this October in Japan on Fuji Television Network. Japanese users with the AIBO LM series will be able to participate in a unique TV experience that enables the robot to respond to sounds from the animated program.

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Disney to Auction Lunch with Roy Disney!
(by digitalmediafx.com) Disney is auctioning off a lunch with Roy Disney that includes a tour of Disney Feature Animation. Along with lunch at the exclusive Rotunda within the Disney Studios, the winning bidder will also get a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney's Feature Animation, where dozens of acclaimed animated feature films have been produced. Lunch with Roy Disney and the Feature Animation tour will be up for bid from Sept. 24, through Oct. 1, to celebrate the DVD release of Snow White. When the auction starts, Digital Media FX will reannounce it and link to it.

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News Link of the Day - Goddesses and Monsters

According to The Village Voice:

"A pair of 12-foot-tall, inflatable pink bunnies greet visitors to "My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation," an engaging if uneven show currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum. On a recent afternoon, a little girl in braids and a checkered pink dress stood mesmerized before them. Nearby, a wall label explained that the work, an installation by artist Momoyo Torimitsu, embodied the Japanese aesthetic of kawaii, or cuteness, but she seemed to grasp the concept intuitively..."

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.