The upcoming mega-budget live-action monster movie VAN HELSING will be supported by an animated prequel released direct-to-DVD: VAN HELSING: THE LONDON ASSIGNMENT. Universal Pictures is also releasing another animated DVD in May - THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: DARK FURY - which bridges the gap between the live-action film PITCH BLACK and its sequel THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK which will be released theatrically in summer ‘04. I mention these two animated works to point out the larger trend of animated films being created to specifically promote and support the stories of live-action films. Other recent examples include the ANIMATRIX and the forthcoming prequel to Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL series. I expect we’ll be seeing quite a few more of these projects over the next couple years, although it remains to be seen whether it’s a legitimate new outlet for animation or simply a temporary fad among “hip” live-action directors like Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers.

Getting rave reader reviews on Amazon.com is Animatrix: A Female Animator, How Laughter Saved My Life By Heidi Guedel.I haven’t read the book yet, but Guedel is a well respected figure. She started at Walt Disney Productions in 1972, where she progressed up the ranks becoming one of the first women promoted to Animator at Disney in 1978; having worked on Robin Hood, The Rescuers, Pete’s Dragon, and The Small One. She’d begun work on The Fox and the Hound, when, in 1979, she and 15 other animators left Disney Studios to work with Don Bluth on The Secret of NIMH (she was part of the original core group of “Disney Defectors”).At Bluth, she also worked on An American Tail and Dragon’s Lair. After Bluth moved his animation studio to Ireland, Heidi remained in the states, free-lancing on many computer games and educational projects. In 1995, Heidi animated for Warner Brothers Feature Animation, earning screen credits on Space Jam and Quest for Camelot.Read a sample page at AuthorHouse.com

Just when you think it can’t get any worse for Michael Eisner:TIGGER starts groping Disney World patrons (via Orlando Sentinel)And an item that made me smile: the New York Post is reporting that Pixar will return to Disney if they oust Eisner. (via The Mac Observer)

The new issue of THE COMICS JOURNAL: SPECIAL EDITION is well worth picking up. There are varying combinations of interviews with Al Hirschfeld, Jules Feiffer, Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware: for example, a joint interview between Feiffer and Ware, Spiegelman separately interviewing Hirschfeld and Feiffer, and so on. Lots of good material to soak in. The issue also features a critical analysis of THE SIMPSONS, a look at an unpublished Jack Davis comic strip, an interview with WWII cartoonist Bill Mauldin who died last year, and a look at the work of early-20th century cartoonist/fine artist Lyonel Feininger. All this terrific material is contained within the first 100 pages or so. The second half of the 192-page book is hardly as inspiring, comprised mainly of comics from 31 different modern artists addressing the theme of “The Shock of Recognition.” Fortunately, the good is separated from the bad, and one can conveniently tear out the entire second half of the book without missing anything of value. Here’s the link to order the JOURNAL at Amazon.com.

Here’s an excellent interview with David DePatie (of DePatie-Freleng) by John Cawley which has just been posted on AWN.

From an MTV press release:On May 17th, the animated comedy series “Ill-ustrated” will return to VH1. The half-hour series is based on the web-site CampChaos.com and skewers celebrities, politics, and rock stars, along with other aspects of popular culture. The show also satirizes its own network, occasionally ripping other well-known VH1 programs.Sketches in the series debut include: the cartoon character He-Man being visited by the Fab Five from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” who determine He-Man is already “pretty gay,” Yogi Bush and Bubu Cheney drilling for oil in Jello Stone Park and a trailer for the film ’sequel’ “Passion of the Christ II: Beyond Thunderdome.”

The International Animated Film Society (aka ASIFA-Hollywood) has embarked on an ambitious project to expand the offerings of the current ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Center in Burbank to include an animation archive, museum, library and research facility for the benefit of the animation community, students and general public. The first phase of this project involves the creation of a VIRTUAL ARCHIVE which will house images, movie clips and sound files pertaining to the art of animation. This will be the ultimate artist’s “clip file” gathering together hundreds of thousands of digital files and making them instantly accessible by a simple keyword search. For more detailed information check out this press release.

As part of their worldwide effort to kill traditional hand drawn animation, Disney will fire its Japanese animators in June. Read about it here.
After the Japan studio is shut down, the only remaining overseas Disney studio will be in Australia.