Animals

Walt Disney Co. will take a $50 million write-down in the current fiscal quarter for a stop-motion animation project it canceled in August. The untitled movie was to be directed by Henry Selick , the well respected filmmaker behind "Coraline" and " The Nightmare Before Christmas . " Previously set to be released in October 2013, the picture had been in production for about a year when new Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn  halted work. News of the write-down came in a presentation that Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo made to investors at the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

When a show like “Bones” needs, well, bones, Hollywood calls on Burbank native Gary Robbins. Same goes for werewolves, sneaker-clad bison and Stuart Little's stand-in - all can be found in an unassuming warehouse and workshop located in downtown Burbank across from a comedy club. After walking under the giant shark with someone's legs in its jaws, you're greeted at Bischoff's Taxidermy and Animal FX by a reception area resplendent with serpents, critters, creepy-crawlies, and a nice married couple who welcome you into their business in the same way a mom and pop might invite you in to sell you shoes or some baked goods.

This is in regard to the proposal to ban the retail sale of dogs and cats in Burbank. Best Friends Animal Society wholeheartedly supports this proposal. Pet mills supply nearly 100% of U.S. pet stores. In these factory-like facilities, profit and maximum productivity take priority over the health and welfare of the animals. Pet stores that obtain their animals from mills are not an asset to the community. There are frequent reports of these animals having congenital or communicable diseases that cause heartache for unsuspecting customers who believe they are buying a pet from the best source possible.

A pair of inseparable dogs were adopted last week from the Burbank Animal Shelter only to be returned three days later, prompting reminders from shelter staffers that especially when it comes to pets, patience is a virtue. Molly, a 12-year-old fox terrier, landed at the shelter with Pica, a two-year old Chihuahua-beagle mix. Their former owner gave them to the shelter months ago before entering the hospital. The pair has lived at the shelter for seven months, but they're not alone.

After more than 50 years as a veterinarian in Burbank, there's nothing small about Martin Small's contribution to Burbank's animal shelter. “I have never done anything more satisfying than what I've done since I've been here,” he said. After spending the last several years working full time to establish the shelter's medical program, Small, 82, is now an on-call surgeon. Before he set foot in the shelter in 2004, cats suffered from contagious respiratory diseases and dogs were prone to kennel cough and parvovirus.

A 43-year-old Burbank man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he murdered the woman who was found dead in a parked car Friday at his parents' home. The man, David Perry, faces five felony counts, including murder, spousal abuse, making criminal threats and animal cruelty, officials said. He also pleaded not guilty to these charges. Perry was arrested Friday shortly after the body of Dorothy Jean McGuire, 37, of Sunland, was discovered in a parked car at his home in the 500 block of North Sparks Street in Burbank.

With the winds of love swirling throughout Burbank, Zita Lefebvre, the director of operations of Cartoon Network Studios, tapped into the air of affection to serve as hostess for the animation studio's eighth annual Valentine's Day luncheon. “We started doing this as our way of showing our appreciation and saying thank you to representatives from the city of Burbank, the community and nonprofit organizations that we work with all year. We owe them all a big debt of gratitude, and this is our small way of saying what a pleasure it is to work in Burbank,” Lefebvre said as she welcomed Mayor Jess Talamantes, City Manager Mike Flad, Police Chief Scott LaChasse and Fire Chief Ray Krakowski.

Lillian Hughes reveres the written word, so much so that the fifth-grade Stevenson Elementary School student often spends the lunch hour hunkered down with pencil and paper. “She loves to write, she would rather write than do almost anything,” said her teacher, Ann Marie Golding. _____________ FOR THE RECORD: This article incorrectly spells Ann Marie Goulding's name. _______________ Now, 10-year-old Lillian is working with a team of Cartoon Network artists to bring her latest book, “Mr.

A judge this week ruled in favor of a man who filed a claim against the city of Burbank for another incident in which a squirrel chewed on aluminum wiring, causing a power surge that damaged electrical equipment. Following a hearing on Wednesday in the Glendale courthouse, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Matz granted Jon Buxer his entire claim - $1,745, plus $50 for additional costs incurred. On April 14, 2010, a squirrel chomped through an electrical grounding wire that runs from a power pole to the house, which triggered a power surge that damaged electrical equipment inside the Lincoln Street house owned by Buxer.

Paul Wee has a penchant for patience. A key animator on FOX TV's “The Simpsons,” he says it takes roughly six months to create one episode from script to screen - and thousands of drawings an episode. In his Burbank office at Film Roman, a Starz Media Company, he uses the Wacom Cintiq tablet that works like a sketch pad. He draws the actors and the acting by pressing the pen to the tablet and the image transfers onto the computer screen. Wee has worked on the show for 22 of its 23 seasons.