DreamWorks, SKG, Burbank, California
       Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen's creative digital children over at DreamWorks Feature Animation are currently in full swing on their third hybrid 2D/3D animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, a working title to date.

       Doug Cooper, whose past credits include Digital Effects Animator, Prince of Egypt; Software Technical Director, Balto; Technical Coordinator, We're Back, holds the title Digital Supervisor. If you have seen the parting Red Sea in Prince of Egypt, you'll understand why he’s holding the reins! Go Doug!

       Anyway, Spirit is approximately 90 minutes in length. It is being traditionally animated but has integrations of 3D CG environments and EFX. My source says the main characters and many of the effects elements are hand drawn; however, they are using CG tools in all aspects of the production.

       Look for some new technological achievements that haven't been seen in traditional animation before to lend a rich and dimensional look to the picture not usually associated with traditional animation.

Digital Domain, Venice, California
       The Digital Pirates over at DD are currently working on How The Grinch Stole Christmas (for director Ron Howard and Imagine), X Men (for 20th Century Fox), Red Planet (for Warner Bros.), Oh Brother, Where Art Thou (for the Coen Brothers), Rules of Engagement (for director William Friedkin) and Stormrider (a location-based project for Disney's new park in Japan).

       Although they couldn't tell me the specifics on the technical "what" and "how" they did say they hope to make some announcements in mid-January. Something about larger feature films? Hmmm . . . If they're larger than this list of credits . . .My prediction is that artists (and salaries?) will be in demand again!

       As for their swashbuckling commercials division, they are in production on 14 spots currently. It's *hush hush* but I did manage to get "Super Bowl and others" out of the PR man. Oh, and my source also shared that DD is producing The Artist's Journey for Paul Allen's Experience Music Project Rock 'n Roll museum in Seattle. They started principal photography on Jan. 10th.

        And how about that New Media division? Well, contrary to the rumors that are floating around, they are not shutting down the department. In fact, they recently completed their latest Barbie CD ROM game for Mattel, and are working on Lego Logic for Lego Media International.

       And, to round up the entity that is DD, we have the Feature Film Division! With a new man at the helm, Kevin Cooper (formerly of Michael Bay's Production Company), DD is developing a number of feature film scripts -- of which my source says they "hope to get in front of the cameras this coming year."

Blur Studio, Venice, California
       Just down the street is neighboring boutique house Blur Studio. They just wrapped the feature film For The Cause for directors David March Douglas and Tim Douglas. 

       Wearing duel hats as VFX Director, Tim Douglas supervised 10 animators on about 80 effects shots with Blur VFX Supervisor David Stinett.

Images anyone?
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Next...
       Blur reports that they are "just beginning work on The Chosen Ones." Darin Ferriola is directing this independent project. And on the Blur side, Steve Blackmon and David Stinnett will supervise the 88 shots requiring animation/FX. As for the animation/FX team, that is TBD. 

Other stuff...
       To round up this blurb, my source tells me that Blur is also currently working on "a few toy commercials for Foote, Cone & Belding, along with some Kids WB IDs and a Fox Kids tag."