ADC Licensing Inc., a company specializing in the financing and licensing of animation content, announces the signed network agreement of their second financed original animated series, Yoohoo and Friends. The series, developed and produced by ToonZone Studios is based upon the highly popular plush toys created by Korean plush manufacturer, Aurora.

Yoohoo and Friends animated series has been created by award winning producer/ creator David Feiss (Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel) and written by award winning writer, Thomas Krajewski (The Fairly Oddparents). The show focuses on five furry-tailed heroes on a global quest to save the environment from evildoers and eco-disasters – most caused by them as their former human selves. Once greedy executives bent on power and greed, they are now transformed into cuddly creatures by Father Time who has had enough of their ravaging of the earth’s natural resources. Voiced by Hip-Hop icon and reality TV star Flava Flav, Father Time, presents Roodee, Chewoo, Lemmee, Pammee, and their leader YooHoo with various tasks. Upon completion of the tasks, the heroes are granted gems that will transform and ultimately change them back into their human selves and undo the damage they have caused to the environment. It is up to the creatures to find the gems, save the world and have tons of fun along the way.

Yoohoo and Friends will start airing on the CSC Media Group channel “POP” in the UK first quarter 2012. The cuddly eco-crime fighting group joins CSC Media Group’s current lineup of animated series including Digimon Data Squad, Kid Detectives and Erky Perky.

This summer, the Code of Thundera will live on when Warner Home Video releases ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 July 12, 2011 on DVD – just ahead of the all-new series premiere of ThunderCats on Cartoon Network. The 2-disc collection set, priced to own at $19.97, includes the first 12 action-packed episodes, as well as a special featurette entitled Feel the Magic, Hear the Roar, where fans speak out about their incredible passion for the classic animated series.

One of the 1980s’ most popular animated series ThunderCats spawned fan-driven conventions and a wide array of highly sought-after consumer products – from action figures and video games to lunch boxes and comic books. ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 introduces the first animated adventures of the feline-inspired fantasy! A noble band of survivors from the peaceful world of Thundera bravely faces off against vicious mutants intent on destroying them. Make way for exotic creatures, mystical powers and action-packed battles of good versus evil in the exciting saga of the ThunderCats!

ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 follows the heroic groups’ early adventures as they adopt Third Earth as their new home and encounter alien beings galore – some friendly, some looking for a fight! And while they brave their strange surroundings, their young leader Lion-O struggles with his new responsibilities as head of their foundling civilization. The result is more than four hours of classic cartoon thrills.

“This release is perfectly timed to engage devoted fans eagerly awaiting the new ThunderCats series debut on Cartoon Network this summer,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director, Family & Animation Marketing. “We are excited for this great opportunity to introduce the series to a brand new generation a quarter of a century after the original premiere.”

Episodes

Disc 1
1. Exodus
2. The Unholy Alliance
3. Berbils
4. The Slaves of Castle Plun-darr
5. Pumma-Ra
6. The Terror of Hammerhand

Disc 2
7. Trouble with Time
8. The Tower of Traps
9. The Garden of Delights
10. Mandora the Evil Chaser
11. The Ghost Warrior
12. The Doomgaze

Bonhams & Butterfields‘ Entertainment Memorabilia auction on June 26, 2011 in Los Angeles will feature a wide variety of items related to Hollywood, Rock ‘n Roll and Animation Art. Highlights will include pieces connected to Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Nightmare Before Christmas and the grand dames of old Hollywood: Barbara Stanwyck, Ethel Merman and Norma Shearer.

Highlights from the Estate of actress Norma Shearer and Academy Award®-winning producer Irving Thalberg will be prominently featured within the auction. Thalberg is known as “The Boy Wonder” for his extraordinary ability to make very profitable films by choosing the right scripts and selecting the right actors. He married Shearer in 1927. Shearer went on to become one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s biggest stars of the 1930s.

Items of note from the couple’s Estate include a Gone with the Wind (1939) script inscribed by David O. Selznick to Norma Shearer (est. $10,000-15,000); a nine-piece sterling silver and enamel ladies vanity set, used by one of Hollywood’s most glamorous leading ladies (est. $400–600); a pair of vintage silver gelatin photographs of Shearer taken by Hollywood glamour photographer George Hurrell (est. $1,500-2,000); a manuscript for the unpublished autobiography of Norma Shearer with the working title My Love Affair with Life (est. $600-900); and Shearer’s personal script for Marie Antoinette (1938) ($1,500-2,000). Shearer was nominated for an Academy Award® for best actress in a leading role starring opposite Tyrone Power and John Barrymore.

Property from other Grand Dames includes an oversize portrait of Barbara Stanwyck in oil (est. $4,000-6,000); a correspondence archive between Stanwyck’s husband, actor Robert Taylor and his long time publicist and friend Helen Ferguson offering an intimate portrait of his daily life, marriage to Stanwyck and their deteriorating relationship (est. $2,500-3,000); Stanwyck’s handwritten letter to former President Ronald Reagan (est. $250–350); an original candid snapshot of Merman posing with the Beatles in 1964 (est. $300–500); a substantial collection of silver and gold objects relating to the Merman family (est. $1,000-1,500); Merman’s personal, annotated script from the television special Annie Get Your Gun (1966) (est. $600–900); and a rare candid photograph of Merman with fourth husband Ernest Borgnine (est. $300-500). Merman famously refused to comment on her short-lived relationship with Borgnine, whom she married and divorced within a month. In her 1978 memoir Merman, she offered nothing more than a blank page in the chapter titled, “My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine.”

Featured in the Rock ‘n Roll section is Paul McCartney’s script for Give My Regards to Broad Street, 1984 (est. $750-1,000); a Rolling Stones silk tour banner from 1972 (est. $1,000-1,500); and one of twelve known sleeves from the Rolling Stone’s single Street Fighting Man (est. $8,000-12,000). The single was first released in August of 1968, just before the Chicago Democratic National Convention, where riots broke out between demonstrators and the Chicago police force. The Stones’ picture sleeve used two images depicting police brutality taken from one of the many riots that had broken out in over one hundred U.S. cities that year. The record company deemed the sleeve to be inappropriate and it was immediately withdrawn. No one knows for sure how many examples of this sleeve have survived but most estimate the number to be between ten and eighteen copies, placing it among the rarest pieces of Rolling Stones memorabilia.

Also on offer is a vintage Les Paul prototype guitar case, which features an original “Cunard White Star to Europe” label addressed to “Mr. And Mrs. Lester Polfuss” aboard the Queen Elizabeth, when it sailed on September 3, 1952 from New York to Southampton, England (est. $10,000-15,000). The trip is chronicled in The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy 1915-1963 by Robb Lawrence. Paul and his wife were traveling to London to perform a series of concerts and Gibson sent this case originally containing a prototype guitar for Paul to evaluate on his trip abroad. The case, adorned with rare travel documents, is accompanied by a photo of Les Paul posing with the item.

In addition, Bonhams & Butterfields will be offering a strong selection of animation art featuring Charles Schulz and early Disney pieces. Highlights include a pen and ink Peanuts daily, dated 7-15, 1976 by Schulz (est. $10,000-15,000); a gouache celluloid from Walt Disney’s The Silly Symphony – Santa’s Workshop (1932) (est. $2,000-3,000); and a preliminary watercolor background study from Walt Disney’s Cinderella (1950) by artist Mary Blair (est. $500–700). As well, a selection of early pieces from Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) will be led by a gouache celluloid depicting the six dwarfs gesturing to Dopey (est. $4,000-6,000); a preliminary background study from the film (est. $2,000-3,000); and seven early preliminary concept drawings, one for each dwarf (est. $1,500-2,000).

Further highlights from the June 26 auction will include iconic props, concept drawings and story boards from the award-winning Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993 (estimates vary), and props from the film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (estimates vary). Items from the classic Indiana Jones adventure will be offered in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the film’s release in June of 1981.

The illustrated auction catalog is available online at www.bonhams.com/us in the weeks preceding the sale and Los Angeles previews.

Preview: June 24-25, 2011, Los Angeles

Auction: June 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m., Los Angeles

Content Television, a division of Content Media Corporation, has today announced that it has retained executive Matt Cooperstein to spearhead its renewed activity in the kids, teens and tweens programming genre. Cooperstein will report to Greg Phillips, President, Content TV and Digital and will work on both new acquisitions and sales of its portfolio of children’s programming.

Based in Content’s US office, Cooperstein will work with leading international producers and broadcasters to acquire and develop programming to expand its catalogue of kids, tweens and teen content. He will also work closely with Content’s sales teams in Los Angeles and London, led by Saralo MacGregor, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Distribution and Kathryn Rice, Senior Vice President, Sales & Acquisitions Europe, respectively, and Content’s digital department led by Executive Vice President Jonathan Ford, to drive sales of the catalogue on all platforms around the world.

Cooperstein joins Content from California-based Toonz Entertainment USA. With more than 20 years of experience launching innovative programming throughout the US and worldwide, including Wolverine, X-Men and Speed Racer :The Next Generation, Cooperstein has worked with numerous key studios and companies such as ITC Entertainment Group, Polygram Television, Universal Worldwide Television, IndieArts Entertainment and Liberation Entertainment.

The hire of Cooperstein will build on recent global successes for Content Television’s kids’ portfolio, which features innovative comedy, drama and animation. Most recent activity includes a major deal to ship a host of children’s comedy and drama to Australia’s national broadcaster ABC TV, including live action drama Even Stevens, starring Shia LeBeouf (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), hilarious comedy series The Assistants and BAFTA Children’s Award nominated Black Hole High.

Greg Phillips, President of Content Television said today, “We have a great line up of kids programming, but over the past couple of years we have focussed more on primetime drama and non-fiction shows. The time is right to look at and pursue both sales and acquisitions opportunities in this genre and, by combining our catalogue sales and financing resources with Matt’s excellent relationships with kids/teen/tween programming buyers and commissioning entities and his considerable expertise in developing content for the international market, we feel confident that there is huge potential for our distribution business in this market.”

More astonishing and spectacular than ever before, Academy Award® nominated writer/producer Tim Burton’s overwhelmingly favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas becomes available for the first time ever to own on Disney Blu-ray 3D™ and/or 3D Movie Download, on August 30, 2011. Leaping off the screen and into living rooms this holiday season, the all-new 3D presentation of The Nightmare Before Christmas will be available as a 3-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray™, DVD/Digital Copy hybrid) and/or a 3D Movie Download,* providing fans and families alike with several great ways to enjoy the film.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is produced by Academy Award® nominated writer and producer Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride) and Denise DiNovi (Edward Scissorhands, James and the Giant Peach), directed by Henry Selick (Coraline, James and the Giant Peach) and written by Michael McDowell (Beetle Juice, Thinner) and Caroline Thompson (Corpse Bride, The Addams Family). And the spectacular characters are voiced by the talents of Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride, Fright Night) as Jack Skellington’s speaking voice, Danny Elfman (Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Jack Skellington’s singing voice and Catherine O-Hara (Home Alone, Best In Show) as Sally, to name a few.

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD/Digital Copy hybrid) will retail for the suggested price of $49.99 U.S./$56.99 Canada and the 3D Movie Download will retail for the suggested price of $25.00 U.S.

On Saturday, June 11, Nouar will unveil Internally Yours, the Los Angeles artist’s first solo exhibition at Corey Helford Gallery, and her most avant-garde to date.

The works in Internally Yours feature three-dimensional sugary confections, gelatin dessert molds and a bright, beguiling color palette that lure the viewer in. However, like Jeff Koons’ brightly-colored balloon animals, the characters have a signifi cance beyond their deceptively innocent appearance.

“For this show,” Nouar says, “I used food as a visual metaphor to symbolize how dangers are hidden, and how we don’t see them coming until it is too late.” For example, in her painting Sweet Entrapment, a bright-pink gummy bear smirks at the doe-eyed brunette trapped inside its stomach.

“Internally Yours represents the idea of confi nement, submission and eternity,” Nouar explains. “Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations we don’t want to be in. It feels like the world has swallowed us up whole.”

In order for her characters to achieve a diaphanous appearance, Nouar sculpted and cast tinted plastic elements that she adhered to panels, adding depth and complexity to each oil painting. This utilization of dimension in Internally Yours marks a technical progression in her work.

The techniques used in this exhibition were inspired by the 2009 group show at Corey Helford Gallery, The Multi-Plane Show, for which artists were asked to paint transparent panes in order to achieve a three-dimensional effect.

“For my submission, I wanted to utilize the idea of actually being able to see through an object to see what is inside or behind it,” Nouar says. “After several attempts to tint the glass, I realized I would have to create a new transparent layer altogether. Thus I begun experimenting with sculpting and casting resin to achieve the effect I wanted in the final finished piece.”

Nouar’s exhibition in the main gallery is accompanied by Joshua Petker’s Celluloid Constellations in the upstairs gallery. For this exhibition, Petker expanded his interest in identity and celebrity, and focused on stars from Hollywood’s golden age.

“The first spark of inspiration came after a friend gave me a copy of Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon,” Petker says. “The book is filled with torrid tales of violence and sex, and it led me to my familiar pondering about how one’s image transcends reality; how it belongs to the culture as a whole, and is thus open for exploitation and interpretation by anyone who feels a relationship with a celebrity’s image.”

Using acrylic and ink, Petker re-imagined Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn and Frances Farmer, among others, in his dreamy if haunting aesthetic. In his painting Ginger Rogers Without Makeup, the subject is decorated with bursts of color and unsettling smeared lipstick, but the composition is softened by the careful use of textured negative space.

The opening reception for Internally Yours and Celluloid Constellations takes place on June 11, 2011 at Corey Helford Gallery. The reception is free and open to the public, and both exhibitions will be on view through June 29, 2011.

The UK’s number one rating boys’ show Ben 10, is to be brought spectacularly to life in a thrilling new game-show called Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge. Commissioned by Turner Broadcasting, the series will be made by leading UK production company Twenty Twenty, who will make 120 x 22′ episodes across 12 territories.

Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge will broadcast on popular kids’ channel Cartoon Network, and is the first show in the smash-hit Ben 10 franchise to be outsourced to an independent producer. All content in the new game-show will be inspired by the three Cartoon Network produced animation series – Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien.

The game-show format will see kids tasked with Ben 10 general knowledge rounds, as well as physical and mental agility tests and an ambitious assault course. The Ben 10 themed set will be located in an 8000 square feet London based studio, and will be the location of filming for all 12 territories.

Territories taking part in the exciting new game-show include the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, the Nordic region, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Russia, Turkey and the Middle East. Hosted by a different presenter in each territory, there will be one child from each of the 36 contestants in every region crowned the ultimate Ben 10 Superfan.

Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge marks the continued rise of the number one rating action-adventure animation series, which has an accompanying best-selling merchandising line which has sold over 500 million products across EMEA.

The series will be Exec Produced by Daniel Marlowe, who worked on Big Brother for five years and Series Produced by Mandy Morris, whose credits include Dating in the Dark, My Camp Rock and Safari Eight.

Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge bolsters Twenty Twenty’s kids TV programming credentials, following on from the likes of The Big Performance, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Evacuation. Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge will be the producer’s first studio-based, kid show.

Michael Carrington, Chief Content Officer, Turner Broadcasting said: “Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge represents an exciting next step in the Ben 10 series franchise, and it’s great to be working with Twenty Twenty to bring this ambitious project to fruition. We’re thrilled that Ben 10 has reached a point where it merits its own spin-off show based on the popular and much-loved series. The show will be a fantastic way for Ben 10 fans across EMEA to pit their knowledge about their favourite hero against each other.”

Tim Carter, CEO at Twenty Twenty comments: “Ben 10 Ultimate Challenge provides us with an exciting new challenge to produce our first studio format. We’ve gradually built our children’s business over the past six years and this new show feels like a quantum leap forward in ambition and scale. It’s a big prize for our children’s team. Ben 10 is such a massive, creative and well-loved show for Cartoon Network, and we hope that this new format will be successful in attracting vast audiences across the territories.”

After the international success of DreamWorks Animation’s Oscar winning film Kung Fu Panda, Gallery Nucleus is proud to present an artist panel/book signing in celebration of the release of the sequel: Kung Fu Panda 2!

Join us on June 4 while these acclaimed artists talk about their experiences in art direction and character design for feature animated films.
Admission is $2 at the door. Present admission ticket to save $2 off any store purchase.

1pm ~ 3pm (Panel)
3pm ~ 4pm (Q and A)
4pm ~ ? (book signing)

ARTISTS IN ATTENDANCE

Tang Heng (presenting, signing)
Phil Craven (presenting, signing)
Nicolas Marlet (signing)
Raymond Zibach (signing)

Artists in attendance will be signing copies of the new Art of Kung Fu Panda 2. Not local? Order a signed copy!