Status Report

Thanks to Jason, there was a new interview with Jay Barnson recently in PC World. He was the former senior programmer of SingleTrac, which was the studio that was responsible for Animorphs: Shattered Reality, the 3D adventure platforming game that was released on Playstation in 2000. Here’s a brief snippet that provides some insight into the project.
 

The last official game by SingleTrac was Animorphs: Shattered Reality. In addition to being SingleTrac’s only licensed game, it was also an unusually low-key release for the studio. How and why did this uncharacteristic project come about?

JB: I don’t know the business side of how it worked out, but I know we’d had several discussions about doing licensed games previously that had fallen through. Animorphs was just the first and, as fate would have it, the last licensed title on which we went into full-fledged development. We ran into a lot of problems on that one, though.

What were the issues that you encountered?

JB: In the middle of development, the Columbine massacre happened, and for several weeks the media was making the video game industry out to be the designated scapegoat for that tragedy. Scholastic and [Animorphs series author] K.A. Applegate grew concerned and wanted to distance themselves from anything resembling “violent video games,” even though the books themselves got pretty violent at times. They demanded that we radically change the game design, salvaging what work we could, but the release date wasn’t going to move too much.

The new design was much more of a platformer, but that style of game wasn’t one of our strengths. It was a really pretty crazy scramble to re-design and re-write the game to get it ready for release. Before the final release, half the studio was laid off, including myself, and the remainder knew the company was on borrowed time. That might be part of the explanation why the release was “low-key.”

You can read the full article at goodgearguide.com.au. Thanks again to Jason for providing us with the link.

Following up on our post from yesterday, K.A. Applegate has also made it onto Publishers Weekly for her upcoming book The One and Only Ivan.

In her bestselling Animorphs series, Katherine Applegate introduced teens with the ability to morph into any animal they touch. She offers a very different take on an animal story in The One and Only Ivan, due from Harper in January. The novel is based on a real-life silverback gorilla born in Africa that lived in a glass box for 27 years as an attraction in a circus-themed mall in Tacoma, Wash., before being transferred to Zoo Atlanta, where he still resides. Ivan’s story made a splash in the media and caught the attention of Applegate, who talks about how her novel came to be.

…

Do you view this novel as a departure for you, in terms of subject and writing style?

I’d say it parallels some of the feeling of Animorphs. In those books, I got to explore what it was like to feel like an animal, so on that level it’s channeling the same kind of thing. Stylistically, this novel is more similar to Home of the Brave [Feiwel and Friends, 2007], which I wrote from the point of view of a refugee of Sudan.

Are there more animal books in your future?

Absolutely! I’m now writing a novel from a dog’s point of view. It’s one of the novels I was working on when I digressed to Ivan. It’s another middle-grade animal fantasy.

You seem to be quite at home in that genre.

Yes, I love those books. I grew up reading and rereading Charlotte’s Web and anything by Jean Craighead George. I loved any book that had to do with animals. As a writer, maybe I’ve finally found the place I’m happiest. It only took me 20 years. Maybe I’m a slow learner?

You can read the entire article at publishersweekly.com.

Thanks to Jordan for letting us know, there’s a new book by K.A. Applegate called The One and Only Ivan. It is being released January 17th 2012, and can be pre-ordered via Amazon. Here is the official summary and cover:

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Next, we have fan-made book covers! Since book covers are a very big discussion topic in the community with the current relaunch, I thought it’d be interesting to share a few alternates that the fans have made themselves:

The first one is by Theresa Shreffler from DeviantArt, who is now also a published YA author herself!

Notice the subtle scales on the face, and reptilian-like eyes and fingers. It gets the point across really well without feeling gimmicky, and is something that I can actually see sitting on the YA shelves today.
 

The next one is by Katie Mazikins, a student at MICA. Look closely at the textured background, typography, and cover animal. I like the minimalist redesign, and can see these selling really well for us older fans especially (in volume hardcovers please!). You can see even more Animorphs covers by her on Flickr and Twitter in a similar redesign.

That’s all for now. If you think there’s a cover redesign or piece of Animorphs artwork worth sharing, then let us know in the comments below!

Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He didn’t want the ability to change into any animal he touches. And he certainly didn’t want to be one of a handful of kids that are the planet’s only defense against a secret alien army. His friends know why he feels the way he does. He’s worried about his dad — the only family Marco has left. If anything happens to him, his father will be alone. But something big is about to change for Marco. Something that could finally give him a reason to fight.

PAPERBACK EDITIONS

Order from Amazon.com (U.S.) **

Order from Amazon.ca (Canada) **

Order from Amazon.co.uk (U.K.)

eBOOK EDITIONS

Order Kindle Edition (Amazon) **

Order NookBook Edition (Barnes & Noble)

The next book will be Animorphs #6: The Capture and it will be released March 01, 2012. Links are up on our order page. Also, if you haven’t already, then take a look at our update from yesterday. Scholastic has released a new writing contest along with Animorphs #5, with the grand prize of autographed Animorphs books from K.A. Applegate, and a Nintendo 3DS!

Scholastic has updated the Official Animorphs Website with a new writing contest for the relaunch! The grand prize? Animorphs #1-6 autographed by K.A Applegate, and a Nintendo 3DS! Here’s a quick look:

To enter the contest, submit an essay of 250 words or less answering the question: If you could choose one animal morph for yourself, which would it be and why?

Mail the entry with your name, age, address, phone, and email to:

Scholastic Inc.
Animorphs Writing Contest (Attn: W.S.)
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Contest begins: December 1, 2011.
All entries must be received by March 1, 2012.

Only one entry per person. Contest is open only to legal residents of the USA ages 8-14. The winner may also be asked to attend and participate in media or public relations events designated by Scholastic.

For full details, see scholastic.com/animorphs/contest/

Since the majority of the fans are likely to be too old to qualify for this, feel free to add your own entry in the comments and let us know anyway!

The Animorphs #4 relaunch edit list is now up on our Missions page. As with the previous three books, there some more updates to technology and pop-culture references that I think people will find interesting. If I’ve missed something in my re-read, then please do let me know!

Also, Animorphs #7 is now available to pre-order! The links are set up on our order page. A slightly larger version of the cover for #7 was also released via the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair Rights Guide (see right). I have uploaded the PDF catalog, and posted the picture for it in it’s relaunch page.

In addition to this, I have also gone through all of the relaunch pages and taken away some of the clutter and added a few new things as well. Here are the new additions in today’s update:

• High-Res Front Covers for relaunch books #2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
• High-Res Back Covers for relaunch books #3, 4, and 5.
• New/edited Trivia on all relaunch books.
• New relaunch edits and updates list for #4.
• Frankfurt Rights Guide and larger cover for #7.

Finally, Michael Grant (co-author/co-creator of Animorphs) recently posted on Facebook that Sony Pictures has acquired the movie licensing rights to his new and upcoming series, BZRK, for the Sam Raimi Company! This exclusive post was made by Deadline New York, and the article can be viewed here.

This is very surprising, and shows a great amount of confidence in the material, considering that the first book in the trilogy isn’t even going to be released until March 2012! A very big congrats to Michael Grant from us on this excellent news!

That’s all for now. Be sure to let me know of any edits or mistakes I may have missed, and I’ll get them fixed as soon as I can. Until next time!

Michael Grant (co-author/co-creator of Animorphs) has officially announced a new transmedia project titled BZRK. It is a multi-platform narrative that is experienced through books, websites, videos, comics, and more.

The digital part of the project has already been launched, and it will tie-in with the first BZRK book, which is set to be released February 2012. A full outline and FAQ for the project is posted at gobzrk.com. Here is the official description for the first book:

The most breathtaking and exhilarating ride you will take this year, this is the first in an incredible new action thriller series from Michael Grant, author of “Gone”.

These are no ordinary soldiers. This is no ordinary war. Welcome to the nano, where the only battle is for sanity. Losing is not an option when a world of madness is at stake. Time is running out for the good guys. But what happens when you don’t know who the good guys really are?

Noah and Sadie: newly initiated to an underground cell so covert that they don’t even know each other’s names. Here they will learn what it means to fight on a nano level. Soon they will become the deadliest warriors the world has ever seen.

Vincent: feels nothing, cares for no one; fighting his own personal battle with Bug Man, the greatest nano warrior alive.

The Armstrong Twins: wealthy, privileged, and fanatical.

Are they the saviours of mankind or authors of the darkest conspiracy the world has ever seen? The nano is uncharted territory. A terrifying world of discovery. And everything is to play for…

In addition to this, we also have an update on the new book currently being written by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant. It is a dark comedy, and is the first book that the husband and wife duo will be writing together since the Remnants series. The current working title is EVE AND ADAM AND.

The plot and release date is unknown at the moment, but it will be told through both male and female perspectives, where Michael will be writing for the males, and Katherine for the females. We’ll keep you updated on the details as we hear more.

And lastly, there is some more new press for the Animorphs relaunch! A recent article from the School Library Journal shares some quotes from the new series editor and K.A. Applegate herself. Here’s a small highlight:

Zachary Clark, editor of the series, comments on the new design: “We decided early on that part of what made the original series such a success were the dynamic covers. They may look a little hokey to us now, but wow, in the ’90s those morphing kids were so cool. Lenticulars seemed like the best way to capture the spirit of the original books, and also offer something really eye-catching.”

Author K.A. Applegate agrees with this assessment and is “thrilled” with the result: “They [Scholastic] somehow managed to retain the essence of the original covers while bringing them completely up to date. They are so cool: when you walk into a bookstore, they just leap off the shelves. Booksellers have told me they are the easiest books in the world to hand-sell. Even the most reluctant reader wants to grab a book and makes that dude morph into a lizard.”

Launched over a decade ago, the series has had a lasting effect on readers. K.A. Applegate recounts meeting “long-time fans, now in their twenties” at a recent book festival, some of whom “talked about how they’d been struggling readers, and how Animorphs was the way they learned that reading could be fun. Others were born readers who found the story lines compelling. There were soldiers and biology majors and artists and techies and aspiring authors. It was great to see.”

Read the full article: Fresh Approaches: The Return of Animorphs

That’s all for now! Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more Animorphs-related updates!

Rijab is back again, this time with the cover for Animorphs #7: The Stranger! (He previously gave us a sneak peek at the covers for #3, 4, and 5!)

As before, this is just a thumbnail preview, but it gives us an idea on what kind of design to expect from this future release. Animorphs #7 currently does not have a set date, but is confirmed to be released in Summer 2012, with Animorphs #8. (Our guess is in May, but we’ll make sure to confirm that.)

The new #7 cover has been updated on our relaunch page, and #6 has been given a larger version of its cover as well. Thanks again to Rijab on passing along these great updates! If anyone has any extra relaunch details, please feel free to contact us via our email, Facebook, or Twitter.

Until next time!

Scholastic has released its Spring 2012 Paperback Catalogue, which features the product sheet for Animorphs #6: The Capture, and reveals the final fly morph and its morphing steps for the cover as well. Here it is:

View the Spring 2012 Paperback Catalogue

Animorphs #5: The Predator is the next relaunch book to come out in December 2011, and Animorphs #6: The Capture is set to be released after that in March 2012.

David B. Mattingly (the original Animorphs artist) is back again with new videos! He has posted up character videos for Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Ax and Marco (no Tobias?) which feature the flipbook animations that were printed in the original Classic books. I have created a playlist so that you can watch them all in order. Here they are:
 

 
Again, if you like these Animorphs updates by him, then be sure to comment on his videos! That’s all for now!