Story of the Great Tree – Episode Zero

From Marten;

The Great Tree now proudly presents:

The Story of the Great Tree
Episode Zero: The Beginning

Download in Windows Media format (Requires Windows Media Player 8 or later)
Download in QuickTime format (Requires Quicktime 7)

NOTE:

In the credits, astute observers will notice thanks given to language translators. The French and German versions of Episode Zero will be made available as soon as we have ironed out the aforementioned technical issues.

PS: Don’t forget… coming in Episode One
Episode One Preview – Windows Media

The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD

Greetings!

As requested, I’m proud to announce the availability of my personal animated short film The Mantis Parable on The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD! 🙂

————————————————————————–

As many of you know, for over a year The Mantis Parable has been traveling the film festival circuit. In that time the film has screened in more than 50 top festivals around the world and won 15 awards (qualifying twice for consideration for an Academy award nomination in the Best Animated Short Film category). It has been a feature story in countless magazines and newspapers (online and print) and even graced the cover of Computer Graphics World this May. It has screened at the nation’s most prestigious museums – the Smithsonian Institute, the National Gallery of Art, and in October will screen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA going so far as to request and purchase a copy for their permanent archive). And through it all, you have been patient!

Finally, the time has come – The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD is now available! 🙂

This professionally replicated DVD contains the 8 minute film (NTSC* / 1.85:1 / Stereo), 3 Director’s Commentaries (1 Creative and 2 Technical), 17 Making Of “Featurettes” including WIP images and clips from the film, and more! The DVD is just $15 USD**, and is currently only available at the Official Mantis Parable Website. Also available is an 11×17 Poster for just $5 USD, which I will personally sign before shipping unless you request otherwise.

Click HERE for the direct link to the Official Mantis Shop! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you again for your support and encouragement, and feel free to spread the word to anyone you think may enjoy the film (or better yet, purchase additional copies for them as gifts!). 😉

Josh Staub
Art and Visual Design Director
Cyan Worlds, Inc.

*The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD is a professionally replicated region 0 NTSC DVD which will play on both NTSC and PAL players. Click HERE for more info.

**All purchases are handled by PayPal – however you don’t need a PayPal account, just a credit card. Please email me with any questions.

…For more information, please visit www.themantisparable.com

The Mantis Parable on iTunes

Greetings Friends!

I wanted to let you know that my award-winning animated short film The Mantis Parable is now available for viewing on Apple iTUNES! (If you don’t have iTunes, just go to www.apple.com/itunes, click on the “Free Download for Mac and Windows” button and install it. Then return to this post and click on the link below).

CLICK LINK: VIEW THE FILM

Please don’t forget to leave a review…and for those of you who have already seen it, you can leave a review without even downloading the film!

Finally, for those who want to wait and view the film on your TV, The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD is currently being professionally replicated and will be available for purchase in about a week from www.themantisparable.com!

Thanks! Woohoo! 🙂

Josh Staub
Art and Visual Design Director
Cyan Worlds, Inc.

(more information below)

—————————————————————-

Shorts International, Apple’s provider of independent short films on iTunes, has handpicked The Mantis Parable to participate in the launch of a new section on iTunes delivering award-winning independent animated shorts.

In addition to The Mantis Parable, this shortlist of award-winning animated shorts available for viewing includes John Canemaker’s Academy Award winner The Moon and the Son, academy nominee and 2005 Annecy favorite The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello, and legendary animator Bill Plympton’s The Fan and the Flower.

Having screened in more than 50 festivals worldwide and winning over a dozen top festival awards – including twice qualifying for Oscar nomination consideration, this eight-minute animated short-film described by film-critic Michael Medved as “artful and engaging…a skillful, thought-provoking, densely packed work with world class animation”, has captivated audiences around the world with its stunning beauty and heartfelt message that resonates with children and adults alike. Animation World Magazine calls it “luminous…a visual stunner, a you-are-there tour of the inside of a household world we’re all too big to ever visit” and Dr. Ted Baehr, Founder/Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE, gives the film his “highest commendation” declaring that “The Mantis Parable equals the best work that Pixar has ever done. Superb filmmaking. Subtle, transformative, and animated with an incredible attention to detail. It is excellent.”

For additional information please visit The Mantis Parable official website at www.themantisparable.com

Myst Online: Uru Live Press Release

GameTap And Cyan Worlds Announce Closed Beta Testing For Upcoming Title – Myst Online: Uru Live

This week, GameTap and Cyan Worlds announced that the closed beta test for the upcoming “Myst Online: Uru Live” has officially launched! Select players are already exploring the new world from this highly anticipated PC title that will debut and be available only on the GameTap service.

Scheduled to launch this fall, “Myst Online: Uru Live” received an overwhelmingly positive response when it was announced by GameTap at the E3 convention in May. Consumers can go to www.urulive.com and sign up for a potential spot in the open beta scheduled in the coming months.

GameTap is a first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) which offers video games on-demand plus original programming via a broadband connected PC. For $9.95 a month, GameTap subscribers can enjoy unlimited access to more than 600 video games and 400 shows with new titles and programs added every week.