ONCE UPON A RECORD BREAKER
by Dai Blatchford in SwanseaLife Magazine
It was at last year’s Swansea Bay International Film Festival that Attardi won the category of ‘Best CGI animated movie’, receiving the prestigious ‘Tinny Award’ from the Lord Mayor of Swansea. The festival had over 2,000 submissions from all over the world lifting this relatively new festival to fourth largest in the world.
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INDIE ANIMATION MUSICAL BREAKS FILM FESTIVAL RECORDS
With 66 Awards, Is Attardi the Next Walt Disney?
by Andy Van Roon
Michael Attardi, once a backup place-kicker for the fabled Los Angeles Raiders, looks like he's on his way back to L.A. in a different arena -- big screen animation fables. He's already broken all records for the greatest number of awards won by a single indie animated film in one year -- 66 -- and still has 12 festivals to go in his circuit. Writer/director/producer/songwriter Attardi, is the imaginer behind the short, "Once Upon A Christmas Village," (www.DreamBalloonProductions.com) an animation musical adventure starring Jim Belushi, Tim Curry and newcomer, Amanda Davis, designed to be a prototype for the full length feature version, "Snowyville," currently in pre-production and set to shoot at Universal Studios in Orlando. The project has been so successful it has attracted Miramax financing vet John Hadity, who now steers the helm for the feature film project.
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Can Michael Attardi Really Be the Next Walt Disney?
By Hayden Craddolph
One would think that the entertainment news media would be all over a story that involves an independent filmmaker, Michael Attardi who not only surpassed the all-time wins record but, has smashed the record as a non-studio giant. Attardi’s 66th award on the film festival circuit happened at the Queens International Film Festival. No one can dispute that Attardi’s animation sensation, “Once Upon a Christmas Village,” starring the voice talents of Jim Belushi, Tim Curry, Amanda Davis and you guessed it, Michael Attardi, holds this incredible record-breaking feat. Can you believe that this is his first film?
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Attardi, Belushi and Curry Smash Film Festival Circuit Record with 64th Win!
By Hayden Craddolph
You may remember the movie “Forest Gump,” when Tom Hanks takes us through a journey of a boy who beats all the odds. That journey was a combination of talent, luck and determination of a man who never feared his challenges but embraced them as if they were his mission in life. Writer, Director, Michael Attardi, has always embraced his own dreams and like “Forest,” has always found a way to rise to the top. Most of you may or may not even know who Michael Attardi is, but his story is one of inspiration and determination that embraces the very essence of hope, faith and charity in humanity.
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Michael Attardi is honored by the Florence Arts Council in Italy
The Festival of Creativity, sponsored by Digifest.net in Florence, Italy was the site of an elite arts presentation to filmmakers from across the world. The ten day festival boasted over 50,000 people who came to watch the very best films of the film festival circuit of this year. Long Branch local, Michael Attardi, had not only won the animation category but took home the top prize for "Best of Festival." This is the first time that an animated film has ever won this accolade.
Florence, known as the birth place of Michelangelo and the Renaissance art period, take art and film very seriously. In fact, only five films from all over the world were chosen in their category. Attardi's film, Once Upon a Christmas Village starring the voice talents of Jim Belushi and Tim Curry has won almost every top award in the film industry this year.
A year ago, Attardi had an idea to make an animated short film. He found a few investors then put together an award-winning animation team in Orlando, Florida. Now, he holds the title of "Internationally Acclaimed," and has recently shattered the all-time film festival record with his 57 Th Award win.
Attardi, Belushi, and Curry: Break Short-Animation Film Record with 57Th Award
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Once Upon A Christmas featured in Animation World Magazine
Here's an excerpt of a fantastic review of Dream Balloon Productions' "Once Upon A Christmas Village":
"Yes, the makers of Once Upon a Christmas Village went to the Animated Feature Organ Farm, plucked out some nice pectorals, high cheekbones, a good haircut and an ample behind, then threw all the parts in a bag that they made just for you. All those pesky sinewy details -- finessing the MoCap, or the character designs, or motivation, or logical setups, or practically anything character-related -- have been streamlined on this body so we could focus on the ingredients that have really been making animated features successful all these years. From Robots, here are the fart jokes; from Doogal, the name talent on the marquee; from The Thief and the Cobbler, those Broadway-lite pop songs; from Shark Tale, a tendency for every character to talk like an urban 12-year-old. All of it has been squeezed into a package less than 15 minutes long, which is unmissable viewing for everyone in this industry. Friends, if you make animated entertainment, this film is your flu shot. You miss it at your peril."
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Dream Balloon Production's Animated Movie "Once Upon A Christmas Village" Wins 33rd Award for "Best Animation Film."
Dream Balloon Productions Executive Producer, John Hadity, has announced that Multi-Award Winning Director, Michael Attardi's Once Upon a Christmas Village featuring the voices of Jim Belushi and Tim Curry won the Action/Cut Film Competition for Best Animation marking this the 33rd Award for the film. This comes right after the Aurora Awards announced that Michael Attardi had won six awards at their event.
The Aurora Awards completed the Independent Film "Triple Crown" with the Telly and Accolade Awards also won by the film.
Dream Balloon Productions is in development to produce a full-length animation feature film, "Snowyville" based on the award-winning animated short "Once Upon a Christmas Village" which is slated to go into production in October, 2007.
DREAM BALLOON IS ON THE RISE
Los Angeles - Dream Balloon Productions Executive Producer, John Hadity, has announced that Multi-Award Winning Director, Michael Attardi's Once Upon A Christmas Village starring Jim Belushi and Tim Curry has won the HollyShorts Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for "Best Animation".
This is the 11th Grand jury win and the 30th award for this independent animation film which will be showing in Los Angeles in September.
Dream Balloon Productions is in development to produce a full-length animation feature film, "Snowyville" based on the award-winning animated short "Once Upon a Christmas Village" which is slated to go into production no later than October 2007.
DBP IN THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER : "Dream Balloon heads to 'Snowyville'
By Carolyn Giardina (Aug 6, 2007)
Dream Balloon Prods. is moving forward with the development of a feature-length animated musical titled "Snowyville," based on helmer Michael Attardi's animated short "Once Upon a Christmas Village."
The latest news from the company is that celebrity pop artist Nicolosi will collaborate with production art director Paul "Kit" Stolen and Attardi on several aspects of art design for the film as well as the marketing and after-market properties.
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DBP IN ANIMATION MAGAZINE: "Dream Balloon heads to 'Snowyville'
By Ryan Ball (Aug 6, 2007)
Dream Balloon Ent. co-founder Michael Attardi, creator and director of the award-winning, CG-animated short film Once Upon A Christmas Village, tells us he is pushing forward with Snowyville, a feature-length version of the story. Since announcing his intentions to do so in April, he says he has major financing and key team members in place, and is currently in negotiations with a distributor. Actors Jim Belushi and Tim Curry are also in talks to reprise their voice roles.
Once Upon a Christmas Village tells the story of a decorative miniature town that comes to life when Santa's magic watch accidentally falls under a Christmas tree. The animation was created by animators from Digital Animation and Visual Effects Studio (D.A.V.E.) at Universal Studios-Orlando, Fla. D.A.V.E. School's Jeff Sheetz will serve as animation producer on the feature and a number of his graduates will likely be employed on the production as well.
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PRESS CLIP: "SWANSEA BEST FOR INDEPENDENT FILM "
By GARETH DAVIES (12 June 2007)
A Prize-winning American director who was at the Swansea Bay Film Festival reckons it is better for independent film- makers than Cannes.Michael Attardi won the category for Best CGI (computer-generated imagery) movie at the festival awards last Friday.
The animated film is called Once Upon a Christmas Village and stars the voices of Tim Curry and Jim Belushi.
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