Software’s Openness, Creative Tools and Large Talent Pool Make It Animation Platform of Choice for Iconic Manga Character’s Theatrical Debut

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 2009-- The newly released animated film “Astro Boy” brings the iconic Japanese manga character to movie theaters. Filmmaker Imagi International Holdings Limited (HKEx: 585) created “Astro Boy” with Autodesk Maya software from Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK). Maya was at the core of Imagi Studios’ around-the-clock production pipeline spanning Hong Kong and Hollywood.

Osamu Tezuka first created the manga series about Astro Boy, a permanently youthful robot boy, in the 1950s. Quickly gaining popularity, it was developed into a black-and-white televised cartoon in 1963 -- the first Japanese TV series with an aesthetic that later became known worldwide as anime. On October 23, 2009, “Astro Boy” made its cinematic debut as a fully animated feature film.

Imagi Studios invested US$65 million to create “Astro Boy.” The company’s production pipeline included concept and character development, script writing and preliminary design work by its Los Angeles team; and a Hong Kong team of more than 400 artists focused on modeling, texturing, animation, lighting, rendering and compositing.

Francis Kao, founder and creative director of Imagi Studios, said, “We chose Autodesk Maya as our animation platform for ‘Astro Boy’ because of its openness, creative tools, and large pool of trained artists. We relied on the software’s powerful feature set, and our programmers also developed custom plug-ins for Maya, enabling us to efficiently create high-quality animation.”

Imagi Studios’ principal business is the development and production of computer-generated films. Released in 2007, the company’s animated film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was also made with Maya. The film opened in top position at the U.S. box office -- a first for an animated film created in Asia.

“For ‘Astro Boy’ foliage simulation we used the Maya software’s paint effects together with our in-house plug-in,” said Johnny Mak, head of technical operations at Imagi Studios. “Having relied on Maya for many years, we’ve seen great advancements in the software’s capabilities. It continually helps us deliver world-class animation.”

About Imagi International Holdings Limited

Imagi International Holdings Limited is a listed company on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Imagi Studios’ principal business is the development and production of computer-generated (CG) animated theatrical feature films. Imagi’s CG production studios are located at its Chai Wan (Hong Kong) corporate headquarters with development and marketing operations based in Los Angeles, California, and an office in Tokyo. Imagi Studios produces major CG-animated theatrical feature films by combining Hollywood storytelling with Hong Kong high-tech animation. This fusion of Western and Asian creativity delivers premium entertainment that appeals to audiences around the world. Imagi’s first animated movie, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” was released in March 2007, topping the U.S. weekend box office during its debut.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD and Maya are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved

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Source: Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk, Inc.
Roohi Saeed, 514-954-7296
roohi.saeed@autodesk.com
Rama Dunayevich, 415-547-2472
rama.dunayevich@autodesk.com