'Toon Year in Review -- Part III

And yet more backward glances at the year gone by. This time we look at the summer months...

June '06

Pixar/Disney's Cars enjoys a $63 million opening on its way to a $244,082,982 domestic theatrical gross. It ends up the #2 Disney release (and #2 film of the year) after Pirates. But its opening falls below "analysts" expectations.

Fox announces that prime-time series Futurama will go back into production. This makes the third Fox nighttime series to return from the dead (Family Guy and King of the Hill being the predecessors to perform the Lazarus miracle.)

There are press reports of a government probe of the WGAw and DGA failing to pay European residuals to directors and writers.

July '06

Animation's overseas ticket sales: A commenter points out that foreign box office has Ice Age 2 as the top animated flick of the year, then Over the Hedge, then Cars. (This is all before Happy Feet becomes December's animation sweetheart.

Monster House debuts at #2 ($22 million) then drops far faster than other recent animation releases (the L.A. TIMES speculates the fall off is caused by bad word-of-mouth from parents who think the flick is too intense.)

Ant Bully arrives D.O.A. (#5, $8.4 million) on its way to a lacklustre total of $28 million.

Comicon unfolds in San Diego, bigger and more crowded than ever.

Pinky and the Brain debuts on DVD.

The Animation Guild is informed by Disney that the studio wide-cutbacks announced by the company will not include feature animation employees (this turns out to be not quite correct.)

August '06

SIGGRAPH opens in Boston. TAG President Kevin Koch takes it all in.

Barnyard, the long-in-production, San Clemente-based 'toon, opens with a $16 million gross, double most predictions.

Animation legend Ed Benedict, the father/designer of Fred, Wilma, Boo Boo and many others, passes away on August 28th.