ANIMATED SHORTS: REBOOT 2.0'S MOVERS AND SHAKERS

[MattBrady]

RAINMAKER & ZEROS 2 HEROES RESTARTING REBOOT
LEGENDARY SERIES GOING TO BE PUT IN THE HANDS OF THE FANS.

by Steve Fritz

In 1994, Mainframe Entertainment, Canada’s YTV and the U.S.’s ABC unveiled a TV show that was like none the animation world had ever seen before, ReBoot. It virtually shook the world not only with its incredible use of computer generated imagery, but also its very unique storyline.

“It was the first CG TV series to ever air,” says Rainmaker Executive VP Paul Gertz. “At that point, yes there was Tron, but it wasn’t like there was a whole lot else going on.”

Thirteen years later, the Vancouver, BC-based Rainmaker Entertainment and the website Zeros 2 Heroes are starting something that could very well shake the animation industry again. Ironically, they also will do it with ReBoot.

As of last week, the two companies have jump started a joint project that will give fans a shot at actually having a voice in the creation of what hopefully will be three new ReBoot movies. Whether they will be theatrical, direct-to-DVD or something else will be part of what the fans decide. Even more important, fans of the series will have input into what the actual content, a move that one has to admit is virtually unheard of in the animation world.

"ReBoot was groundbreaking in its first incarnation, but what's really exciting is producing these films for the new generation of cross-platform content distribution," explains Rainmaker’s CEO Warren Franklin. "Everyone remembers the television series, but I can imagine how ReBoot could live as a film, as a game or as mobile content. It’s important for us to engage all of those audiences at this early stage."

"ReBoot's legions of fans have been incredibly loyal and continue to keep the property alive on dozens of fan sites,” says Gertz. “We're very enthusiastic about how we're re-conceiving this classic series by creating an innovative way for those fans, who were kids when the series started, to use new technology to help guide us."

While animation fans have enough cause to rejoice over the restarting of ReBoot, the process that Rainmaker and Zeros 2 Heroes had developed to produce these films should also give them something to think about. The basics are this. Rainmaker has hired five basically unknown writers. Their pitches, ideas, what-have-you will be posted on Zeros 2 Heroes site, which launched last week on July 26. From there the fans can provide criticism, input, their own ideas, whatever to these ideas.

“What we want to do is be a social network where creators and fans come together and look over new concepts,” says Zeros to Heroes founder and President Matt Toner. “Inherently we’re trying to democratize the medium. We want to let the fans have their say. Also, we want to help promote the next unknown writer, artist, you name it.

“Rainmaker is a great first step for us. They are a fairly major animation company. We’re really pleased that they said let’s do this, let’s really talk to the fans. Considering Reboot’s fan base this will be quite an interesting start.”

In its own way, choosing to continue the adventures of Bob, Dot and company is a very logical choice for the animation world, and not just because of the techniques employed on the show.

“The fans are amazing, of course, “ says Gertz,” but I also like to think that anyone who had any tech savvy was watching Reboot. Technically, it was so out of the box to what people were doing it got a whole new segment of people. We’ve already gotten a lot of emails saying they moved into computer animation because of the show.”

“I think there’s a lot of demand for ReBoot,” says Toner. “Some of these fan sites and blogs are really hardcore and they are all over the internet. What we want to do is bring them all together in one place through the content provided by the creators. We’re saying this is where Rainmaker is going to read your comments and they’re ready to listen. We’re also saying, you’re a fan. Here’s a way for you to get around the gate keepers and speak directly to Rainmaker. If we do this right, we can start some real one-to-one dialogue. We’re hoping we can do some really creative fusion here.”

As it stands, considering the site just launched within the last week, there’s still a lot of decision making in the works. Still, while it appears that there is no set decision as to what exact projects have been green lit, both Rainmaker and Zeros 2 Heroes have a solid plan for what they are going to do in place.

“There are a couple of folks here at the studio that were involved way back when,” says Gertz. “These are people who have virtually grown up in the studio. The original creators are not here anymore. That’s mainly because of the years involved. The main goal right now is to get Reboot back into the public consciousness. We’re trying to do it in a cutting edge way.”

“The five guys are truly unknown writers,” says Toner. “They are trained guys. They have what it takes. We want to give them the chance but I’ll also say that for right now we’re keeping it local because we want them to work as close as possible with Rainmaker. This way they can also look over old shows, talk to some of the originals who worked on ReBoot, and use this as a source for new ideas. What I do know is in some ways they have no constraints. They can do a prequel or a sequel. They can do a musical. They can do whatever they want to do, just so long is it’s good, solid, referential material. The next phase is where we talk to people who had been involved in the show and then try to get them involved.”

“When we get into the next phase of development, we’ll try to get the original people who were involved,” Gertz concurs. “Still, ultimately the direction the show will finally go in will depend on what the fan base thinks. That’s the whole point of the project with Zeros 2 Heroes. We hope this will get the fan base excited, engaged and invested into it.”

If there is one interesting side note to this whole process, it’s in Toner’s statement regarding the democratization of animation. As animation aficionados know, the cartoon creative process is currently very much like a petty kingdom, with the supervising director/producer working as the leader and then delegating responsibilities to the various specialized units. Input from the fans is minimal at best. With the coming of the internet and new processes such as Flash and Machinima, the frontier is changing.

“A few years back I used to work in the game industry when Machinima was just popping up,” says Toner. “A friend of mine got a job at the Museum of Moving Images in New York and asked me what I thought of Machinima and I thought it was going to be a force. Now it’s actually starting to change things. I guess the world is going to be a better place.”

In the meantime, if fans want to start putting their two cents in on this project, they can go to Zeros 2 Heroes website at www.zeros2heroes.com.

NICKTOON ANIMATION FEST LAUNCHES THIS WEEK

The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, the first and only multiplatform animation festival is back for it's fourth year. Animators from around the world enter their animated shorts, ten minutes and under, for a chance to win the Grand Jury prize chosen by our celebrity judges and $10,000. New to this year’s festival, the Nick Development Award where one lucky winner will win a chance to develop a project directly with the Nick Development team.

Also in conjunction with NNAF, the “Show Off Your Show” contest is back for it’s second year. Kids 18 and under can submit their idea for a cartoon show where one winner will be chosen for the Greater Creator award and win a trip to the Nicktoons Animation Studio in Burbank.

The festival takes over the month of August on-air and online! Starting August 1st, one short will be showcased every night at 10:00 pm. There viewers can go online or text their vote if the short "Rocks or Rots" and enter into the “Rocks or Rots” sweepstakes, all leading up to the final one hour "Best Of" special on August 31st at 10:00 pm, announcing the award winners including the Grand Jury Prize ($10,000) the Nick Development Award and the Viewer’s Choice (“Rots or Rocks”) award.

ANIME FESTIVAL GOING NATIONAL

NCM Fathom, the entertainment division of National CineMedia, made an unprecedented move in alternative theatre entertainment by announcing a special, four-day anime festival – “Anime Bento, 4 Nights, 4 Servings – The Hottest Anime Movies on the Big Screen” – with FUNimation Entertainment and Manga Entertainment. It will be composed of movies never before seen on the U.S. big screen with exclusive bonus features each night. The announcement was made at the 37th Comic-Con International, the largest comic book and pop culture event in North America.

Debuting in more than 250 select AMC, Regal Entertainment Group and Georgia Theatre Company movie theatres nationwide beginning on Sept. 19th at 7:30 p.m. local time, the complete “Anime Bento” schedule will serve up one exciting title each night as follows:

• Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles – Wednesday, Sept. 19th
• Full Metal Alchemist – The Movie – Conqueror of Shambala” – Thursday, Sept. 20th
• Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro – Wednesday, Sept. 26th
• Karas – The Prophecy – Thursday, Sept. 27th

Yes, all these films have been available on DVD for the last several months, at minimum. Still, this will be the first time Americans can actually see them in a theatre with a proper bucket of popcorn, carbinated beverage of choice and whatever Pocky you can sneak into the theater.

“We’ve had incredible success with the anime category in the recent past and NCM Fathom is excited to debut the first annual anime festival in theatres with the hottest anime titles provided by the top anime studios in the industry – FUNimation and Manga,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “The anime phenomenon has captivated teens and adults alike, and this special event is designed as a way for fans to meet and revel in their love for anime while experiencing it in a way they’ve never experienced it before – on the big screen.”

For more information as, particularly where in your local area, check out the website: www.ncm.com.

In related news, FUNimation announced it has obtained the American rights to the film Vexille. The film is by a number of the animation creators who recently worked on the last Appleseed film.

Vexille will enter the international film festival circuit this August at the Lorcano Film Festival. It will come to the U.S. sometime in 2008.

GONZO TEAMING UP WITH YAHOO!

Groundbreaking anime studio Gonzo KK has teamed up with the TV Bank Corporation and Yahoo! Streaming to start a new special feature channel called Horror & Urban Legend Fest.

Yahoo! Streaming is the video streaming site within Yahoo! JAPAN, a major portal site with a monthly page viewing rate of approximately 40 billion. Gonzo will aggregate all anime titles for the Horror & Urban Legend Fest. This special feature is an annual summer event which focuses on the horror and suspense genre. This year's extensive content selection for the Horror & Urban Legend Fest will include videos posted by users telling scary stories, nationwide maps of haunted houses, and a "Find your horror character" game. Gonzo will provide 12 animation programs including other studio's titles as well as independent creators' works to TV Bank. These contents will be available free of charge with ads while also inviting viewers to view the fee-based contents available on the wider Yahoo! Streaming site.

GDH and TV Bank will build on this collaboration and jointly increase their efforts to promote the streaming of animation on Yahoo! JAPAN, thereby catering to the needs of a diverse spectrum of users.

The scheduled lineup at the moment is:

- Higurashi - When They Cry (provided by BANDAI CHANNEL CO., LTD.)
- Humanoid Monster Bem (old version) (provided by ASATSU-DK INC.)
- Humanoid Monster Bem (new version) (provided by NIHON AD SYSTEMS, Inc.)
- XXXHOLiC (provided by BMG JAPAN,INC.)
- GEOBREEDERS [File-X] "GET BACK THE KITTY" (provided by Victor Entertainment, Inc.)
- GEOBREEDERS THE MOVIE File-XX "BREAKTHROUGH" (provided by Victor Ent., Inc.)
- Wrath of the Ninja - The Yotoden Movie (digest version) (provided by Victor Entertainment, Inc.)
- RED GARDEN (provided by GDH K.K.)
- Hell Girl (provided by SKY Perfect Well Think, Co. Ltd.)
- Hell Girl Season 2 (provided by SKY Perfect Well Think, Co. Ltd.)
- Ghost Hunt (provided by Marvelous Entertainment Inc.)
- Gakko no Kowai Uwasa: Hanako san ga kita!! (provided by Amuse, Inc.)

*The lineup is subject to change.

[holtom2000]

first reboot, then more beast wars!

[durkadurka]

Wait...1944?

Well, typos aside, WOOO REBOOT!!!!
MORE REBOOT!!!!
Kick Megabyte's dirty virus ass!!!
WOOO!!!

[SeanMurphy]

Originally Posted by durkadurka

Wait...1944?

They mean 1994.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

RAINMAKER & ZEROS 2 HEROES RESTARTING REBOOT
LEGENDARY SERIES GOING TO BE PUT IN THE HANDS OF THE FANS.

by Steve Fritz

In 1944, Mainframe Entertainment, Canada’s YTV and the U.S.’s ABC unveiled a TV show that was like none the animation world had ever seen before, ReBoot. It virtually shook the world not only with its incredible use of computer generated imagery, but also its very unique storyline.

1944, eh?

In any case, this is a VERY GOOD THING. I hope it pans out...



Chris

[vbartilucci]

As interesting as a new Reboot could be, letting the fans have a "real" say in what goes into it sounds like a nightmare. Too many cooks to the infinite power. I could only imagine what a disjointed mess any Sci-fi show would be if they tried to please every single fan.

[waterdragon]

Give us fans a resolution to the original Reboot first.

[Wellness]

Just don't mess up.

Also all the ideas I saw on the website seemed somewhat lame, go back to the drawing board and actually watch the series if you want to redo it right and keep the fans.

[JediShaft]

Hmmmmm, 1944?

[The_Adventurer]

Yes, ReBoot fans, like me, demand a conclusion to the original series. It left on too big a cliffhanger, and this would be a wasted opportunity if it was left hanging forever. The appeal of the original show, is the story. Also the world is very well developed and defined. So any new series should be based within that world. No (pun rebooting it ultimate style. Feel free to do new stories with new characters in new systems. But don't wipe out past continuity. That would be a disservice to why the show still has fans to this day.

Also, please god give us Season 1 and 2 on DVD. PLEASE

[C_Striker]

I was a huge fan of the original series, SSOOOO, I'll be checking this out fo' sho'

[HankPym]

Count me as excited to see more ReBoot, but not so excited about the fan input idea. I'd much rather seem them hire some great writers, who will write some great stories.

[The_Adventurer]

Just got done going through the Story Synopses over at that Zero to Hero site. Unfortunatly it didn't fill me with confidence. 4 of the 5 series, really take an axe to the ReBoot core concepts. One's a generic action show, and the other three swing wildly from gothic horror to dystopian cyberpunk. Which are NOT what ReBoot is about. One, ReBoot: Regenerated, looks to keep the spirit of the old show. But it doesn't use any of the old series's characters. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I still think the old story needs a conclusion.

[Will44]

Maybe they'll take Dan Didio back.

[The_Adventurer]

They need to get some of the old creative team back on board. Or I really do fear the worst. I don't think they understand the appeal of Reboot.

[LunarDaydreamer]

Has ReBoot ever made it to Season boxed sets?

[void216]

40 billion views eh? so does the gonzo thing mean they are streaming japanese anime on Yahoo! japan or does it mean they are streaming on Yahoo! either way hgurashi and hell girl are really violent animes

[Floodnado]

It doesn't look like, if that picture is any indication, they'll be continuing any of the previous stories but instead starting from scratch which sucks. None of those concepts look appealing at all and I'd rather just see the continuing adventures of Bob, Dot, Matrix, AndrAIa, etc. instead of trying to restart and modernize them.

[durkadurka]

I may be in the minority by saying this (and judging from previous posts, i am), but i wouldn't really mind too much if they left the cliffhanger dangling. Because:
1. I don't want there to be a conclusion. The first time it went off the air, before Daemon Rising and My Two Bobs, there were unanswered questions that i really did want closure on. Namely the threat of Daemon. But now, with Bob, Dot, Matrix, and AndrAIa free, while the rest of Mainframe is at Megabyte's mercy, you can kind of imagine what's going to happen. It doesn't really need to be spelled out for you. Granted, it would be super badass.
2. The original voice of Megabyte, Tony Jay, has passed. It's like when Harry Goz died and they didn't continue to use Murphy in Sealab 2021. The show did go downhill after that, but it was a sign of class that they didn't try to replace him with another voice actor.
3. Unless they get the original writers, i doubt the finale would be nearly as good as it would have been otherwise.

Any way they do it, i'm still going to watch it.

[MDeVito]

I'm really looking forward to this. Should be interesting to see what direction they take things in.

[Starleafgirl]

Originally Posted by waterdragon

Give us fans a resolution to the original Reboot first.

A lot of fans feel that way. Check out http://rebootrevival.com/ if you haven't already. We've got at least 1,100 members, so if we ask for some sort of resolution to the original ReBoot...

Even more important, fans of the series will have input into what the actual content, a move that one has to admit is virtually unheard of in the animation world.

...it'll probably happen. I mean, this article is talking soo much about fan-input, but I haven't met a single ReBoot fan who doesn't want ReBoot 1.0's cliffhanger resolved, lol.

Anyway, this is exciting news, in whatever form ReBoot will return.

[Zombie Uatu]

In contrast to most posters here, I think they're probably best off going in an entirely different direction... at first. In time, they can then go back to where things were before, solve the remaining mysteries, tie things together (if they want to) etc. It's kinda similar to Beast Wars that way... nic circularity.

[RunnerX13]

Originally Posted by The_Adventurer

Yes, ReBoot fans, like me, demand a conclusion to the original series. It left on too big a cliffhanger, and this would be a wasted opportunity if it was left hanging forever. The appeal of the original show, is the story. Also the world is very well developed and defined. So any new series should be based within that world. No (pun rebooting it ultimate style. Feel free to do new stories with new characters in new systems. But don't wipe out past continuity. That would be a disservice to why the show still has fans to this day.

Also, please god give us Season 1 and 2 on DVD. PLEASE

Yes! I only want to see the original story continued, the way they did with the last two Reboot films. No crazy future story, (we all saw how Robotech 3000 crashed and burned before it ever entered production). I feel without the original writers and creators, this new project won’t be any good, especially if they insist on giving us a completely new and unrecognizable Reboot. At this point, if they would just release the original series on DVD, I would be satisfied. Let this new Reboot show be watched by the same folks who are actually watching The Batman.

[Starleafgirl]

Originally Posted by Zombie Uatu

In contrast to most posters here, I think they're probably best off going in an entirely different direction... at first.

Well, I would be okay with that, so long as they eventually resolvd the original cliffhanger. ;D

[The Fool]

Reboot! Woo I loved that show. Unfortunately, not many of my friends remember it because most of them were playing sports at that time on a saturday morning. Unlike me, who would get up at 7am and watch cartoons and tv shows until lunch time. Ah what glorious memories. Along with ReBoot there was Gargoyles, Saved by the Bell and other shows I loved but can't remember the names to.