Tale of Summer Linkfest

When the summer winds toward a close and you can't think of anything worthwhile to pontificate about, hold a linkage carnival.

The teevee 'toon series you've been waiting for: a half-hour of interactive merriment.

Reality production company RDF aims to launch the first interactive animated series in the United States.

The firm behind such shows as Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and ABC's "Wife Swap" is teaming with new-media company Artificial Life to design a TV series in which viewers can participate in the onscreen action.

In the proposed series, "Sleuths," viewers would customize their own avatars, which will appear onscreen during the show's live telecast ...

Apparently filmmaker Terry Gilliam is looking to do janitorial work:

After praising Pixar for their films, noting how they are clearly a studio run by “creative people” and not suits, and commenting on how much of the bold political cinema he’s seen recently has been in animated family films, Gilliam also let on that he wants to work for the studio ... Gilliam went so far as to claim he’d “sweep the floors” at Pixar ...

Let's see. We had the Texas film student who was willing to fetch coffee at Pixar, now Terry G. is saying he'll sweep up, so where does it end?

For a studio that's moving away from animation, Cartoon Network is doing all right in the awards department.

Cartoon Network is taking an early lead in this year's Primetime Emmy race, picking up five of seven juried awards announced Monday.

... Among the animation winners are character animators Elizabeth Harvatine, for Cartoon Network's "Moral Orel," and Joshua Jennings, for the channel's "Robot Chicken." Also picking up the Emmy will be background painters Joe Binggeli, for Cartoon Network's "Chowder," and Chris Roszak ...

Disney aims to goose Up's overseas box office.

Pixar's latest film release already has overperformed in the U.S. and Canada, proving wrong predictions its star-free voice cast and adult-oriented tone would hamper appeal ... Up" was slotted to open during a span of several months in different territories ...

So far, "Up" sits at $142 million and counting internationally. Eventually, it should fetch upward of $400 million abroad as Pixar pics tend to overperform internationally ... The international appetite for animated features would seem high at the moment judging from the global appetite for Fox's summer opener "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." The 3D threequel has more than tripled its domestic tally with a stunning $616 million in foreign lucre ...

Happy Feet 2 rears up far off in the Land Down Under.

George Miller has decided to do a sequel to his 2006 animated film Happy Feet ... [and] Robin Williams has apparently agreed to reprise two of his voice roles from the first film ...

DreamWorks Animation doesn't have a new film out until next year, but its stock doesn't seem to be impacted by the lack of product.

Dreamworks Animation (NasdaqNM: DWA) closed yesterday at $31.71. So far the stock has hit a 52-week low of $17.32 and 52-week high of $32.73. Dreamworks Animation stock has been showing support around 31.33 and resistance in the 32.19 range ...