AnimDessin2 v2.0 animation extension for Photoshop

https://vimeo.com/96689934

The Digital Tutors blog is reporting that a new version of the free Photoshop add-on AnimDessin2 v2.0 is available. It brings a simpler, more traditional animation workflow. Developer Stephane Baril designed the add-on’s interface to closely mimic the workflows of traditional animators like Disney animator Glen Keane. However, the Adobe plug-in’s reference to old-school animation is only one of its impressive features.

I haven’t been aware of this extension until now but it looks pretty dang cool! Check it out!

Lenovo-Thinkvision-1423P

You can read the full article here!

News: THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR | Official Trailer Revealed!

 penguins

On behalf of DreamWorks Animation, we are pleased to share the FIRST trailer for their upcoming animated comedy,THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR.  Get ready for the Penguins’ biggest mission yet, in theaters this Thanksgiving!
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THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
Animation-Comedy
Release: November 26, 2014, in 3D
Directed by: Simon Smith, Eric Darnell
Produced by: Lara Brey, Tripp Hudson, Mark Swift
Cast: Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Chris Knights, John Malkovich, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Annett Mahendru, Peter Stormare
SYNOPSIS
Discover the secrets of the most entertaining and mysterious birds in the global espionage game: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private now must join forces with the chic spy organization, the North Wind, led by Agent Classified (we could tell you his name, but then … you know), voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine, voiced by John Malkovich, from taking over the world.
THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR Official Socials
DreamWorks Animation Official Socials

Pixar giving Renderman v19 away free!

renderman-studio-

BBC News is reporting that Pixar is set to give away it’s award winning software RenderMan free beginning with v19 this summer!

In a statement, the firm said it would release a free version of RenderMan “without any functional limitations, watermarking, or time restrictions”.

From the site:

The 3D rendering software behind films such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Harry Potter is to be given away free for non-commercial use.

RenderMan, which is developed by Pixar, has faced increased competition from rival animation rendering programs such as VRay and Arnold.

Although Pixar, which is owned by Disney, produces its own films, it licenses RenderMan to rival studios.

The company has also cut the price of its software for commercial use.

News: Cartoon Network Green-lights Two Additional Seasons as Third Season Set

Cartoon Network Doubles Down on Global Hit Series The Amazing World of Gumball   Network Green-lights Two Additional Seasons as Third Season Set to Premiere June 2014 in United States   Cartoon Network announced today they have greenlit two additional seasons of their international hit series The Amazing World of Gumball, bringing the total order to five seasons. 

http://www.animationinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/GumballS3TeaserFINALmov-3286557.mov

Created by Ben Bocquelet and directed by Mic Graves, The Amazing World of Gumball is the first full-length animated series out of Cartoon Network Studio Europe. The series about an amusing blue cat named Gumball and his best buddy Darwin, a pet goldfish, combines 2D and 3D animation in a live-action setting. Season three of The Amazing World of Gumball is slated to premiere Thursday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network U.S.

This five time BAFTA award-winning series has garnered numerous awards around the world including honors from The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (International Emmy® Awards), Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market (MIFA) and ASIFA-Hollywood (Annie Awards) and is produced at Cartoon Network’s EMEA studio, Great Marlborough Productions, in Shoreditch, London. In the United States, season two of The Amazing World of Gumball ranked #1 in its timeslot among kids 6-11 and boys 2-11 & 6-11 and also ranked #1 in its Wednesday timeslot among all targeted kids 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14 plus boys 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14, according to Nielsen Media Research.

A top-rated global phenomenon, The Amazing World of Gumball reached a total of 36.5 million primetime viewers across EMEA between January and March of 2014.   The Amazing World of Gumball tells the story of an extra-ordinary suburban family who just happen to live in an ordinary town. The series follows the misadventures of 12-year-old Gumball and his family in the wonderful little town of Elmore. Along with Gumball and Darwin there’s Dad, a 6’4” pink rabbit who stays at home while Mom works in the rainbow factory and Anais, a 4-year-old genius bunny. Gumball faces the trials and tribulations of any 12-year-old; like being chased by a rampaging T-Rex, having a robot steal his identity or dressing as a cheerleader to impress the girl of his dreams. Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com) is regularly the #1 U.S. television network in prime among boys 6-11 & 9-14. Currently seen in 99 million U.S. homes and 194 countries around the world, Cartoon Network is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for kids and families. In addition to Emmy-winning original programming and industry-leading digital apps and online games, Cartoon Network embraces key social issues affecting families with solution-oriented initiatives such as Stop Bullying: Speak Up and the Move It Movement. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.  

SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research based on Live+7 data. 08/14/12-12/03/13. Excludes Sneak Peek. 2 telecasts minimum. Techedge. Local Kids Targets, Local Kids Dayparts, 01/01/14 – 30/03/14. Reach 3min+ Viewing BARB kids 4-15 0600-2100    

 

CARTOON NETWORK PR – follow us on Twitter @CartoonNetPR

CONTACTS: Los Angeles          Jessica Barba

(310) 788-6756                    Jessica.Barba@turner.com

Dawn Lach                                           (310) 788-6787                    Dawn.Lach@turner.com

New York              Adrienne D’Amato                              (212) 275-8235                    Adrienne.Damato@turner.com

News: GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL REDESIGNS SIGNATURE BABY GENIUS® BRAND CHARACTERS AS PART OF OVERALL BRAND RELAUNCH IN 2014

BabyGenius_NewCharacters

GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL REDESIGNS SIGNATURE BABY GENIUS® BRAND CHARACTERS AS PART OF OVERALL BRAND RELAUNCH IN 2014

 

Character Illustrations Created By Celebrated “David & Goliath” Founder and Artist, Todd Goldman

 

Beverly Hills, CA (May 27, 2014) — Genius Brands International, Inc. (“GBI”) (OTCQB:GNUS), a global brand management company dedicated to providing entertaining and enriching ‘content with a purpose’ for toddlers to tweens, continues to announce new initiatives for its Baby Genius® brand as part of the 2014 brand re-launch, with the unveiling today of new fun and fresh redesigns of the Baby Genius® signature characters from celebrated artist and self-described professional doodler Todd Goldman. The announcement was made today by Amy Moynihan Heyward, President of GBI.

 

“We are thrilled with all of the new initiatives we have in place for Baby Genius this year and are continuing to develop new avenues for expanding the brand,” commented Moynihan Heyward. “Todd’s designs and illustrations evoke a sense of fun and spirit that we wanted to incorporate into the Baby Genius characters while maintaining its timeless appeal.  We believe the fresh and more stylized characters will engage and endear children and parents alike around the world.”

 

The debut of the new character designs follows recent Baby Genius brand re-launch initiatives, including new distribution platforms for the brand.  In April, GBI announced the introduction of a new online streaming service at http://babygenius.com, which features the entire Baby Genius content library, giving parents and children the opportunity to create their own playlists and more. The library offers thousands of songs, including classic nursery rhymes, learning songs, seasonal classics and more. Other Baby Genius products, including books, toys and videos are also available for purchase.

 

Additionally the company also recently extended its agreement with Xfinity TV by Comcast.  Baby Genius, the #1 Xfinity On Demand property on the Baby Boost Channel, is available to Xfinity TV customers and has amassed over 50 million downloads over the past seven years. Xfinity TV allows customers to stream and download exclusive Baby Genius content across platforms, providing unlimited content combination and continuous play.   And currently, select Baby Genius home entertainment titles are available via Netflix.

 

Self-proclaimed professional doodler, cartoon-type illustrator Todd Goldman has, in a very short time, managed to establish himself as a provocative force within the contemporary art market carving for himself a niche forever known as post-pop art. Goldman’s simply drawn, colorful characters are oozing with cutting-edge humor. His art and irreverence captured the attention and imagination of the S2 Art Group, Goldman’s exclusive art publisher. Shortly after signing on with S2 in 2004, he had his first exhibition of paintings (acrylics on canvas signed simply “TODD”) in the Entertainment Gallery in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, where Goldman showed 96 paintings, of which 87 were sold. Goldman’s

 

 

Genius Brands Re-Design Of Baby Genius® Characters Press Release

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first exhibition quickly established a pattern of success for subsequent exhibitions, 10 of which were held during his first year as an artist. Some celebrity collectors of Goldman’s art have been known to acquire as many as five or six at a time.

 

About Baby Genius®:

Baby Genius® creates musical baby toys and music-based products with a library featuring 500 songs and 125 music videos.  Currently, Baby Genius® products are available in more than 8,000 retail locations in the U.S. and have international exposure in over 40 countries. In 2013, over 1M DVDs/CDs sold on Groupon alone, and Baby Genius® is the #1 children’s on-demand property on Comcast’s Baby Boost channel, earning 60M+ downloads and over 500,000 VOD users/month.   The Baby Genius® YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/babygenius) boasts over 15 million cumulative views with increases of over 600,000 views per month; plus over 500,000 downloads on iTunes. The Baby Genius® interactive website, http://babygenius.com/ provides additional opportunities for consumers to engage with their favorite Baby Genius® characters through games, online coloring sheets, music, video streaming and more.

 

Baby Genius products have earned numerous awards from parent groups and organizations, including the Mom’s Choice Award, The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, Creative Child Preferred Choice Award, iParenting Media Award, Kids First! Quality Children’s Media Endorsement and many others.  The company recently debuted Little Genius® Jukebox, the first in a series of all-new interactive 3D animated apps for iPad, iPad Mini and iPhone which was released in the App Store™.  Genius Brands International is currently developing new products and new forms of distribution to continue to grow the Baby Genius® brand globally.

About Genius Brands International:

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Genius Brands International (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded multimedia content and brand management company.

 

Led by industry veterans, Andy Heyward and Amy Moynihan Heyward, Genius Brands International includes award-winning Baby Genius, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, Gisele Bundchen’s Gisele & the Green Team, Martha Stewart’s Martha & Friends, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab and Stan Lee Comics, featuring its first movie, Stan Lee’s Mighty 7. The Company provides “content with a purpose” for kids of all ages, meaning interactive content that is as entertaining as it is enriching.

News: Sneak Peek – Flipbook in the all-new SketchBook Pro coming this summer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO3BBFaVo1A

I’ve been part of the Autodesk Sketchbook Pro beta team since about 2006 and have bugged them forever about putting in a timeline to animate with. They finally listened late last year and we’ve been testing it ever since but of course I couldnt talk about it even though I wanted to. About four months ago they approached me to demo that very thing and show what it can do! Well today they put up a preview of that tutorial. This marks a new chapter for Sketchbook and I am very proud to say I helped bring it to fruition! This is BIG news for those who LOVE Sketchbook Pro’s ability to have great pencil tools right out of the box unlike Photoshop. Having used it I can say that’s it’s pretty damn cool and if you dabble in animation at ALL you will love this new feature!

Check it out on Sketchbook.com!