International
Disney animator Mel Shaw expires at 97
MUMBAI: Mel Shaw, an artist and writer who contributed to Disney animation classics such as Bambi, Fantasia and The Lion King expired on 22 November of congestive heart failure. He was 97.
Shaw was recruited by studio founder Walt Disney to join his team. Disney handed the artist a script for what would become 1942’s Bambi and said, "You like to draw animals; read this and see what you can do."
Shaw was involved with practically every sequence of the film. He used pastels that "talked about the sequences and how colors would change … to fit the mood," he said in Walt’s People, Volume 12, a collection of interviews with artists who worked with Disney that was published in August.
The Brooklyn native also did visual development or story work for the company on The Rescuers (1977), The Fox and the Hound (1981), The Black Cauldron (1985), The Great Mouse Detective (1986) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). He was named a Disney Legend in 1994.
Shaw left Disney to serve as a combat photographer for the Army Signal Corps during World War II. Later, he opened a design business with former MGM Studios animator Bob Allen, and their company did a redesign of the marionette Howdy Doody for NBC.
In 1974, Walt Disney Studios asked Shaw to return to help mentor the next generation of animators. His last project for the company was The Lion King (1994).
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
