News Archives (thru July 2001)
Cartoon characters to read email on mobil phones?!
See pictures from Yh-Gi-Oh and Swaroop
Iron Giant Special Edition, Batman: Animated, and Looney Tunes hit DVD Video
Toonami crosses over to Kids' WB (updated)
MiB: The Series officially cancelled
Betty Cohen steps down? Who's to blame?!!
Tom and Jerry
DTV could hit CN, read our exclusive
The Oblongs not renewed, yet not cancelled
Batman Beyond's future remains uncertain
"Secret
Origins" to premeire in November
USA
Today says you can't sell hamburgers by osmosis. In the Aug. 3, USA Today reports
that fast food joints such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell avoided
the film at all costs because the film is about unhealthy eating. Apparently,
pharmaceutical firms were clamoring to be attaced to the film, which promotes
good health. Writer Marc Hyman says "there wasn't money large enough for
it be about Contac or Drixoral."
Hollywood Stock Echange Online is now allowing fans to bet on box office predictions. Anyone who put their money on sleeper hit Leaglly Blonde would have made $30 for every $20 bet. They give Osmosis Jones a 1-14 chance of winning the number one spot (not great...). So go see Osmosis Jones, and raise those chances!
Osmosis Jones, opening August 10, now sports a family friendly rating of PG, after execs feared audiences would avoid a PG-13 cartoon like salmonella. With an all-star cast, the film has a good chance of drawing in reasonable numbers, but with the lack of marketing the film has seen, nothing is certain.
Earlier this year, I contacted Mike Milo, WB Animation director, regarding the 13 television episodes of Osmosis Jones ordered by WB last year. He responded saying, "No, they have not produced any episodes of Osmosis Jones yet. They're waiting to find out the success of the film. They aniticipate on doing them next year...We'll have to see."
Animation expert/critic Jerry Beck of cartoon research.com reports that Osmosis Jones is "GOOD!" It was well received at it's special screening in California, and ALL WB Animation fans are encouraged to support the film. Warner Animation's future depends on it's success.
How Bugs Bunny will be reading your email: Coming soon to a mobil phone near you!
Japanese FunMail is coming to the United States. The software, which operates on mobil phones, utilizes wireless instant messaging technology allowing users to chose animated characters that read their mail to them. Cartoon Network, Disney, and Warner Bros. have already licensed their characters for use with this new system, as well as Comedy Central and their cast of "South Park" characters. FunMail has been advertised on Tokyo television, and has found immense popularity in the overseas markets. FunMail will be available in the United States by 2002.
Iron Giant Special Edition, Batman: Animated and Looney Tunes to be released on DVD by Warner Bros. Home Video
Warner Bros. Home video will be releasing a DVD collection titled "The Adventures of Batman and Robin", says the reliable Wizard Magazine. At this point it is unkown what episodes it will include. As the title sugests, it may only include the 20 episodes from othe series "The Adventures of Batman and Robin", or all 85 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. At this point one can only speculate. This is a great move on WB's part, it looks like they're listing to our ideas. Congrats to all who paticipated in the Batman on DVD petition!
The Digital Bits reports that the Iron Giant: Special Edition DVD is finally in production and is moving ahead. There are three possible deleted scenes that could appear on the disc:
1. Another scene of Hogarth at school.
2. A talk about the death of Hogarth's dad after the 'Power Station' scene between Hogarth and his mother in the truck.
3. A nightmare that the Giant has that gives clues to his origin and the bump on his head.
The Special Edition DVD should be released before 2003. Documentaries and commentaries are also expected.
Click here to view a CNN interview with director Brad Bird (pictured above)
Click here to view the trailer
Classic Looney Tunes charatcers could be heading to the digital realm. WB is currently remastering Looney Tunes shorts for the eventual DVD release! This is certianly long overdue, perhaps the preformance of June Bugs on Cartoon Network convinced execs that a DVD collection would sell. Those nutty, nutty, executives.
Kudos to Dick Grayson for the heads up!
The WBAA received word earlier this week that WB will not be ordering any new episodes of MiB: The Series. It doesn't seem likely that the series will be revived, but that is just speculation. Sony will now focus their efforts on the upcoming PHANTOM INVESTIGATORS. We will provide details on this program shortly.
See pictures from Kids' WB's Yu-Gi-Oh and Cartoon Network's Swaroop
Here are pictures from Kids' WB's newest anime franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh. This program will air this fall on the network.
WB Animation director Mike Milo's animated short, Swaroop, will finally air on Cartoon Network July 27th at 8pm (Eastern). It is about an Indian boy living in New Jersey with his family. Don't miss it!
One day he was tending his family's rice crop in the Indian countryside, the next day he's riding in a glass elevator in an American super mall. Meet Swaroop Sharma. In fact when an American quirk (e.g. Celebrity look-alike facelifts) gets too confusing for Swaroop, he'll literally 'jolt' from the cultural shock. Like a lab rat in an electrical maze, it's a fast way to learn. Beneath his shy, soft-spoken demeanon, Swaroop wants to be loud enough to blend into American society. Ultimately, Swaroop just wants to be himself. (From the Swaroop series bible) There's more information at series creator Mike Milo's website.
Cartoon Network president Betty Cohen steps down, but who's fault is it?
Bradley Siegel, the head of the other Turner Networks (TNT, TBS, TCM) will become the new president of Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network claims she "stepped down", but this is obviously the work of Jamie Kellner. Cartoon Network ex-president Betty Cohen has been part of the driving force behind the revamped Cartoon Network. Her job security recently has been rumored to be "shaky" after clashing with boss Jamie Kellner over the idea of joining Kids' WB at the hip. After moving to Atlanta and assuming command over all Turner cable channels, Kellner's first objective is to pursue the consolidation of Kids' WB and Cartoon Network. His interest are in marketing, joining the sales forces of both networks and finding areas to share programming and promotions. Kellner said he hadn't "spent one minute" thinking about personnel moves, but this action proves otherwise. Kellner is suggesting joint ad sales efforts, but he won't merge staffs unless he sees a clear benefit. Kellner was a respected and loved executive, and will be missed by animation fans. This decision comes in the wake of Jean MacCurdy's stepping down from her position as president of Warner Bros. Animation.
Tom and Jerry direct to video could hit Cartoon Network
You heard it here first: A new Tom and Jerry direct to video feature, tentatively titled "The Magic Ring", has long been completed at Warner Bros. Animation. The director is Karl Toerge (Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries) and it is produced by Tom Minton. Much of the remaining crew from Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and the recent Tweety DTV are attached. Word at WB is that it's going to be shown on Cartoon Network first. A Game Boy Advance game will be released in October to coincide with the video release.
Oblongs not picked up for a second season
I got this from Oblongs creator Angus Oblong:
"The Oblongs didn't get picked up for a 2nd season but it ALSO didn't get cancelled! Which means that they are thinking about bringing it back for next Summer! But will they?? If you'd like to do something, could you please write to your senator? Or better yet, to WB and state that you don't want the show to go off the air!"
Warner Brothers
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522
Toonami crosses over (updated)
Major advertisers such as McDonald's and Nintendo, working through media-buying agency Starcom, already have put their money behind the first-ever integrated Kids' WB and Cartoon Network upfront deals that include The WB's "Toonami" branded afternoon access offerings such as "Pokemon" and "The Adventures of Jackie Chan," also being carried on Turner's Cartoon Network. The WB will run the Cartoon Network's "Samurai Jack" in its Kids' WB Saturday morning schedule. Kids' WB will be promoted on The Cartoon Network in a weekly half-hour preview at 7:30 p.m. (ET) Fridays. AOL online kids-related extensions also are included in such pacts. Kids' WB has aquired the rights to air 53 episodes (the first two seasons) of Dragonball Z, which it will air on it's rotating CN spot on the Kids' WB Toonami block.
Batman Beyond's future remains uncertain
When the producers of Batman Beyond have completed all 52 ordered episodes, why hasn't the show been cancelled?
"It's never say never," WB Animation associate producer Shaun McLaughlin tells the Comics Continuum. "They haven't said the show is cancelled or anything like that.
One could speculate that this is becuase Warners plans to revive the show once the live-action film hits theaters, possibly as soon as 2003. Paul Dini and Alan Burnett will pen the script, and they recently commented that "there is nothing new to report."
Secret Origins to premeire on November 17
Shaun McLaughlin, associate producer of the upcoming Justice League animated series on Cartoon Network, revealed to the Comics Continuum that the first episode of the show is called "Secret Origins". The first episode is written by Rich Fogel and directed by Dan Riba and Butch Lukic. The three-part, 90-minute episode will show the formation of the team.
"It's the first time that they all come together, it's the first time that some of them have met, it's the first time some of them come to Earth or into another world," McLaughlin revealed. "There are going to be some surprises. I think we're pretty faithful to the comics without being slavishly faithful."
The seven Justice Leaguers will be Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter. Aquaman will appear in a movie that will first air on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theatre.
McLaughlin said that Justice League's scope will far exceed the other DC/Warner Bros. shows. "The second story arc is off Earth and part of the first story is off Earth," he said. "All bets are off with this show. Everything is up for grabs. "This is easily the biggest project we've ever done. The scope of this is huge. We keep on saying we're doing feature films on a TV budget."
McLaughlin said production of Justice League is on track for the November start. "We just got the 12th script and we have 10 episodes on the floor right now, in various stages," he said. "We're pretty happy about it. We started off a little slow, but we're picking up steam."
The 26 half-hours will include two 90-minute stories and 10 60-minute stories. McLaughlin said it is currently undecided what the second 90-minute story will be.
A JSA appearance is still in the formative stages. "It keeps being talked about," McLaughlin said. "I think there's an idea of what the episode is going to be about and a rough idea of where it's going to fall in the schedule, but nothing's set as to what or when or why or, as far as I know, even what members of the JSA we're talking about."
