April 17, 2008
April 16, 2008
FIGHT OVER STORMTROOPERS CREATION CONTINUES.
George Lucas and British prop designer Andrew Ainsworth continued their copyright battle in the U.K. this week over the white molded Stormtrooper uniform made famous in Lucas' STAR WARS saga, the ASSOCIATED PRESS reports.The scene in London's High Court on Tuesday could almost have been scripted for STAR WARS: a 6-foot tall Stormtrooper and equally imposing black-masked Imperial fighter pilot accompanied the wigged and black- robed lawyers in court. They were there to help prove Lucasfilm attorney Michael Bloch's point that the menacing figure is "one of the most iconic images in modern culture."
It appears he made his point -- Judge Anthony Mann is reported as casting sideways glances at the silent duo, eventually asking, "Are they going to stay there for the entire trial?"
Lucasfilm is claiming violation of copyright and trademarks by
Ainsworth, who sculpted the Stormtrooper helmets for the first film in
1977. He's been selling replicas of the helmets and armor out of his
London home via Web for up to $2,000. He says the replicas are made from
the original molds.
Lucasfilm already won a $20 million judgment in California against
Ainsworth in 2006, and wants that enforced in Britain.
In return, Ainsworth says he owns the sole copyright to the costume, and
is countersuing for an estimated $24 billion for money earned on STAR
WARS merchandising revenue from all six films.
Lucas' lawyers say Lucas and his artistic team created the design of the
Stormtrooper costume, and Ainsworth was only brought on to create the
helmets.
"The look to be created had been worked on by a large team of people for
perhaps more than a year," Bloch said.
The Stormtroopers are not real, but as their existence is worth billions
to Lucasfilm, the exact details of their creation will be discussed
extensively over the course of the 10-day hearing.
"There are no helmets; there is no armor," Bluth said. "There are no
half-human, half-cloned warriors such as Stormtroopers. What we are
dealing with are characters of the imagination....They are the stuff of
fantasy."
Bluth seeks to distinguish between the creation of a simple costume and
the creation of an iconic image, such as the Stormtrooper.
Via Dan Sarto
April 15, 2008
April 14, 2008
Ollie Johnston, Disney Animation Legend, last of Walt’s Nine Old Men passes away at 95
Some very sad news to impart today. Jenny Lerew and a host of other animation sites are paying tribute to Ollie Johnston, who died yesterday at the age of 95 in Sequim, Washington. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.Ollie was the last remaining artist from the group that was known as Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men. These were the second generation animators who came to be known for their amazing ability to master the illusion of life through the art of animation.Ollie contributed to many films including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Bambi and Pinocchio. His last full work for Disney came with The Rescuers but he stayed in touch with the animation community and appeared in many talks and sessions over the years. His contribution to animation through books such as “Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life” and “The Disney Villain” are invaluable contributions to the animation world.
Ollie and Walt Disney also shared another passion–trains. Ollie built a 1″ scale backyard railroad, with three 1/12th scale locomotives. He also restored and operated a narrow-gauge engine, the Marie-E (named for his wife), that was recently purchased by John Lasseter and sent to be preserved and operated up in Northern California.It truly is the end of an era for animation.
Original Article by John Frost
Via thedisneyblog.com
Collected Tributes:
- Jenny Lerew
- CartoonBrew
- LaughingPlace.com
- Rhett Wickham
- Jim Hill Media
- Orlando Sentinel
- Mayerson on Animation
- Pete Emslie
- Mark Evanier
- Cedric Hohnstadt
- AnimatedLim
- Jeffrey Pidgeon
- Progress City
- Shamoozal
- Blue Sky Disney
- Andy Latham
- Toby Cochran
- Johnathon Coit
- Animation World News
- Dave Alert
- Tim Hodge
- Steve Vitale
- Crabapple Cove
- Duckman’s Blog
- Kimberly Dowd
- Christopher Knight
- Dave Lowe
- James Reitano
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)











