Category: Cartoons

MIRRORS comes out on DVD/Blu-ray, BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE Season One Vol. 2, STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH and six episodes of ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS debut on DVD and Blu-ray releases include GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE CHIPPETTES On DVD

TV-Loonland has secured various deals within the Spanish territory for its animation series LITTLE PRINCESS, produced by The Illuminated Film Company.

Free TV rights were licensed to TVE Spain and Cartoon Network Spain acquired the Pay TV rights for the preschool series. LITTLE PRINCESS is set to premiere soon on TVE's LA 2.

Home entertainment rights were picked up by Big Picture Ent. and will release the first LITTLE PRINCESS DVD in August/September 2009.

The NAACP announced its contenders for the 40th Annual Image Awards, to be held at the Shrine Auditorium on Feb. 12 (per VARIETY).

In animation, DORA THE EXPLORER and GO, DIEGO, GO were both nominated in the Children's Program category. THE BOONDOCKS writers Aaron McGruder & Rodney Barnes and THE SIMPSONS writer Marc Wilmore were nominated for Writing in a Comedy Series.

Children’s Program

CHEETAH GIRLS: ONE WORLD (Disney Channel)CORY IN THE HOUSE (Disney Channel)DORA THE EXPLORER (Nickelodeon)

The state of New Mexico will feature a Warner Bros. animation-themed float at the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade January 1.

The required all-natural "Hats off to New Mexico -- BEEP BEEP!" float features onion seeds, split peas, orange split peas, thousands of straw flowers, 9,400 roses, 8,500 red carnations and a host of other materials, according to a story in THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN (via Cartoon Brew).

Adding to the attention it has earned since launching on Cartoon Network November 3, THUMB WRESTLING FEDERATION: TWF is set to blast onto the web on December 22 with a new website featuring loads of thumbtastic fan features at www.ThumbWrestlingFederation.com.

Kids who are new to the action-comedy series can learn more about TWF and its characters on the site, as well as play games and stream video from the entire first season. Die-hard fans will be thrilled to find an arsenal of new Thumb Wrestling Federation fun in time for the holidays.

Toy company Spin Master and Universal Pictures have entered into a development deal to produce a film based on the popular strategic game and anime series BAKUGAN BATTLE BRAWLERS.

Gene Colan is the recipient of the 2008 Sparky Award, which was presented to him by Cartoon Art Museum's founder Malcolm Whyte during the museum's "Salute to Gene Colan" on Thursday, December 4, 2008.

The Sparky Award is named in honor of Charles "Sparky" Schulz, the creator of PEANUTS. Schulz was nicknamed "Sparky" after the horse Sparkplug featured in the comic strip BARNEY GOOGLE. The Sparky Award is presented on behalf of the Cartoon Art Museum and the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Library.

THE DARK KNIGHT, DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! and the fourth season of LOST arrive on DVD and Blu-ray, plus Oscar-winning Best Animated Short PETER & THE WOLF makes its U.S. DVD debut, and more.

THE DARK KNIGHT On DVD And Blu-ray

American Greetings Properties, the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings Corporation, continues to expand the international footprint of CARE BEARS across the globe with a slate of new deals in key territories. Through a partnership with Spain-based retail giant Oysho, American Greetings Properties recently launched CARE BEARS classic apparel at all Oysho stores worldwide.

IDW Publishing will release the new graphic novel by Troy Little entitled ANGORA NAPKIN in January 2009. An animated pilot of ANGORA NAPKIN is also in production and set to air on Teletoon in Canada in March 2009.

ANGORA NAPKIN is an adult comedy about a pop music trio of girls who constantly find themselves mired in the horrible and confronted with the macabre. Unable to recognize the dark side of any situation, they always seem to come out on top (with the help of their impromptu peppy songs).

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami will be opening an animation studio in Los Angeles next summer, according to the LOS ANGELES TIMES.

Called Japan's Andy Warhol, and based in Tokyo, Murakami is known for his oversized anime style and already has a studio in New York. The new studio will operate under Kaikai Kiki, his production and artist-management company. Murakami works in painting and sculpture, film and mass-produced goods all under one company.