Academy Award winner

Shrek producer Aron Warner joins Dallas-based Reel FX as president of animation

Reel FX, a studio based in Dallas and California that develops and produces animated films and live action movies, announced Thursday that Aron Warner, producer of Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, will join the company as president of animation.

Warner, who will be based in the company's Santa Monica office, will oversee Reel FX's animation department. Projects in the works include the Day of the Dead-themed Book of Life, slated for released in October 2014, and Turkeys, to be released in November 2014.

Reel FX chairman and CEO Steve O'Brien called Warner "one of the industry's most respected and accomplished animation executives."

Warner and Reel FX have been working together on a variety of projects for the past few years. Reel FX chairman and CEO Steve O'Brien called Warner "one of the industry's most respected and accomplished animation executives."

In addition to the Shrek trio, Warner was producer on the computer animated comedy Antz. He previously was a vice president at Twentieth Century Fox, where he supervised such films as Independence Day, The Ice Storm and Titanic.

Reel FX's Dallas offices are in Deep Ellum. The studio has made films, special attraction/live venue projects and interactive projects for companies like Fox, Warner Bros. and Universal Studios.

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Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Crane flies have landed ever so lightly in Dallas, which means one thing. The crane flies have arrived in Dallas, and this year, they're here in droves. Fragile, leggy, and whisper-light, crane flies are most often found around streams and lakes. But at certain times of year, they show up in urban areas, hovering and bobbing around houses and doorways.

2. Site of former Valley View Mall in Dallas meets sad unfortunate end. A once-beloved North Dallas mall is meeting its timely ending: The former Valley View Mall at LBJ Freeway and Preston Road saw demolition begin on March 16, putting an end to nearly a decade of inept waffling. The mall closed in 2015, with big plans for redevelopment that never happened.

3. Grab this '60s East Dallas home with only one owner before flippers get it. A '60s house in East Dallas with only one owner that's basically untouched is on the market at a great deal of a price. Located at 2323 Homeway Cir., it's a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home built in 1969, with 1,802 square feet and an attached two-car garage.

4. Country music bad boy Morgan Wallen headlines ACM Awards benefit show in Dallas-Fort Worth. Dallas-Fort Worth will be the center of the country music universe on May 11, when the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards are broadcast from The Star in Frisco. As with any worldwide, Super Bowl-level event, there'll be many happenings leading up to it. First up: a benefit concert headlined by Morgan Wallen.

5. Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 bars with cool cocktail specials. It's always good to support your local watering hole but sometimes the heart wants something else, and even better when it's something cheap. For our March edition of Where to Drink, we spotlight five drinking opportunities around Dallas that include a seasonally-focused happy hour, a one-day drink special, a new happy hour for the summer, and a new happy hour at an Arts District hotel bar.