NEW YORK - Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival is returning to Nicktoons, Nickelodeon's digital channel for cartoon hits and independent animation. Nextoons joins forces with independent cartoon producer Frederator Studios and will showcase the diversity of animated filmmaking from around the world.
Frederator Studios is a leading independent animation producer. The company is currently in production on five original cartoons series for Nickelodeon including "The Fairly OddParents" and "Oh Yeah! Cartoons." The festival is seeking animated shorts of 10 minutes or less, and is accepting entries through June 17, 2005. Entry forms can be downloaded at: www.nick.com/all_nick/nicktoons/site/filmfest/index.html.
Nextoons' sneaks, stand-alone shorts, pre-screenings of individual entries and the complete festival program will air throughout the month of August on Nicktoons in addition to the channel's regular programming. Shorts will be chosen by a pre-selection jury and a grand jury will select a $10,000 grand prize winner from the top 10 finalists. The Festival will also include an online component, allowing viewers to log on to the Nicktoons Web site where they can vote for their favorite films.
"Since day one, the Nicktoons brand has been built on creator-driven content and a commitment to animated filmmaking from around the world," says Keith Dawkins, GM of Nicktoons. "So we're excited to begin a new call for entries and bring back a second season of the Film Festival - which upholds the same spirit and goals as our channel."
In its first season Nextoons awarded filmmakers Mark Simon and Travis Blaise of Orlando, FL, the $10,000 grand prize for their short film, Timmy's Lessons in Nature, a 2D animated production that takes a comedic look at what not to do when venturing into the outdoors.
"Timmy's Lessons in Nature is an excellent example of getting the most out of very little," notes Eric Goldberg, 2004 Nicktoons Film Festival judge and animation director for Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes: Back in Action. "The character designs were intrinsically funny - half the battle in making an audience laugh - and the timing of the gags is superb."
For more info on Nicktoons or Nextoons: The Nicktoons Film Festival, check out www.nicktoons.com.
In related news, Oh Yeah! Cartoons is returning to production for Nickelodeon and both Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon are calling for new submissions for the fourth season, which will be broadcast in the Fall of 2006.
Storyboard pitches for comedy shorts seven minutes in length are what "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" is looking for. Further details can be found at: http://www.frederator.com/ohyeahseason4.php.
Oh Yeah! Cartoons is one of television's biggest animation development programs, giving several dozen filmmakers the opportunity to create nearly 100 seven-minute cartoons. The series is credited as the birthplace of the hit shows "The Fairly Oddparents" (created by Butch Hartman), "ChalkZone" (Bill Burnett & Larry Huber), and "My Life as a Teenage Robot" (Rob Renzetti). Two "Oh Yeah!" characters are also in feature development at Paramount.
Storyboards and pitches can be submitted to Melissa Wolfe (melissa@frederator.kz) at Frederator Studios: 818-736-3847.