animation

Premium programmer, Showtime Networks, has launched a range of multiplatform and interactive enhancements for its original series, "Dexter" (centers on a serial killer with a strict moral code, played by Michael C. Hall, who delivers vigilante justice). The enhancements include:

RDF Digital USA--an arm of RDF USA, the production company behind such shows as ABC's "Wife Swap" and Lifetime's "How to Look Good Naked"--and Artificial Life--a Los Angeles- and Hong Kong-based company that provides avatar-driven interactive TV solutions (note: for more on the company, see the article published on itvt.com, July 21st)--announced Monday that they are partnering to produce an animated interactive TV series, entitled "Sleuths," for the US market.

Children's programmer, qubo, will this Thursday begin airing user-generated animated short films on its own channel, as well as on its broadcast blocks on ION Television, NBC and Telemundo. The films were developed under the auspices of a promotion called quboPic that invited viewers to log onto qubo.com to create short animations using a storytelling Web application, called "Zimmer Twins," that was developed by zinc Roe design, a company that specializes in Flash development and new media projects for children.

GoAnimate, a company which offers an online platform that is billed as making it easy for anyone to create their own animations, announced last week that it is making its platform available via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, so that companies can deploy its animation capabilities on their own Web sites in order to increase "brand interaction." "For the last year at GoAnimate.com, we have been helping major brands from hip-hop stars like Akon to major movie franchises like 'Star Trek' to give their fans an entirely new way to interact with them via their own customizable animations," GoAnimate founder and CEO, Alvin Hung, said in a prepared statement.

Turner Broadcasting announced Wednesday that it will launch a new UK Web site for its Cartoon Network children's channel, June 16th, that will heavily feature interactivity, community and personalization. Among other things, Turner says, the site will offer a social-networking service, called "My CN," that will allow children to interact "safely" with one another, using a range of pre-selected statements and messages. Visitors to the site will also be able to customize its look, using it a selection of backgrounds; choose avatars based on various Cartoon Network characters; chat with their friends; and play games to win virtual prizes.

US incumbent telco, AT&T, announced Thursday that its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, U-verse TV, will offer the exclusive US premiere of Aardman Animations' new "Wallace and Gromit" short film, "A Matter of Loaf and Death," as part of a three-screen promotional deal that will also involve the telco's mobile and broadband platforms. From June 5th through 7th, the film will be available free-of-charge on U-verse TV's video-on-demand service (thereafter, it will be available for a $4 rental on the service exclusively through August 31st).