Animation Foundation interviews Eric Armstrong, Animation Director at
Sony Pictures Imageworks. In the interview, Eric gives his insights
and thoughts about the role of the animation director, facial
animation and much, much more. An AWN affiliate,
is an Internet-based portal providing information about advanced
animation techniques and assisting student animators in developing
Plympton's new series of comics extracted from the comic book,
"Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton," is for ADULTS ONLY...
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia
Quiz...
Facets Video's fantastic animation inventory has been added to the
AWN Store! Over 3,000 new videos available worldwide! From popular
Disney titles and the Peanuts to surrealist animation from Eastern
Europe, from action-packed Japanese anime to animation created with
paper cutouts, sand, clay, puppets and computer technology, the
Facets Whole Toon Catalog is now available in the AWN Store. Betty
Boop, Fritz the Cat, Tex Avery, Looney Tunes Classics and more
Toon In is AWN's guide to what's new on the Net. This week's installment features an intriguing Webisode of sfON, a brand new Bill Plympton Flash toon, a humorous rant by Sister Randy and much, much more.
Get your Toon In: Web Animation Guide here!
Every week AWN's associate editor Rick DeMott highlights what he thinks is the top new toon in cyberspace in "Rick's Picks!"
Rick's Pick For Friday, September 1, 2000!
Locomotion, a primetime cable animation network for young-adults, has now launched Locomotion.com, broadcasting animation to fans in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The site will initially produce three of its own series entitled EL SANTOS, TEEVY and RUDO BY NIGHT. SANTOS is based on the cult comic strip from Mexican artists Jis and Trino. TEEVY from British artist Robert Ramsden follows the illogical world of Teevy. From Australians Eddie Mort and Lili Chin, RUDO follows the crazy adventures of a wrestling night school. In the future Mort and Chin will work on three more series -- DR.
Electronic Arts (EA) has sealed the deal with Warner Bros. to give them the exclusive interactive rights to the HARRY POTTER book series and film franchise. No financial details were released. EA has the key Internet gaming rights which could bring POTTER games to America Online, where EA is the exclusive programmer of their game section. EA worldwide studios president Don Mattrick will work with author J.K. Rowling, film director Christopher Columbus and executive producer David Heyman on the game titles.
If Spielberg cant succeed on the Web who can? This is the question that has been buzzing around the long delayed launch of DreamWorks and Imagine Entertainments Webcaster Pop.com. On Wednesday, August 31, 2000, Netcaster iFilm.com confirmed that it is in final negotiations to merge with Pop. No details of the merger have been announced but Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is overseeing the deal. Allen and his Vulcan Ventures injected US$50 million into Pop in its beginnings. The billionaire is also one of the chief investors in iFilm.
* Saturday, September 23 Tuesday, October 17, 2000. Mt. Kisco, New York, U.S.A.
Soho, U.K.-based The Hive, a 3D animation company, has completed a series of idents to promote the launch of Flextech Interactives brand-new digital TV cable channel, SceneOne. Launched on July 5, 2000, SceneOne is the first-ever television channel to be developed from an Internet site, and focuses on music, film and entertainment. The Hive created three idents "The Club Scene," "The Film Scene" and "The Gig Scene" - to reflect the hip style of SceneOnes three main weekly review programs.
Editing Concepts' Jesse Reisner just finished editing a new spot entitled "Takes It Slow," a new 30-second spot for Pillsbury Toaster Strudels. In the spot, time slows down when a teenager takes a moment to savor a Toaster Strudel before heading off to school. Reisner softened colors, silenced sounds and let the final piece of the tasty food hang in the air before hitting the kids mouth. "This project was all about pacing," said Reisner. "It starts out fast and frantic, then everything slows down when the toaster pops.
The 8th International Hiroshima Animation Festival has awarded its top three prizes to National Film Board of Canada films. The Grand Prize was awarded to Annecy winner and Oscar nominee WHEN THE DAY BREAKS from Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis. In addition, Torril Cove's MY GRANDMOTHER IRONED THE KING'S SHIRTS took home the special jury prize and Eugene Federinko and Rose Newlove's VILLAGE OF IDIOTS was awarded the Renzo Kinoshita Prize. The festival opened on Thursday, August 24 and concluded Monday, August 28, 2000.
Famed graphic artist and novelist Jean "Moebius" Giraud, the man behind the dark designs in the ALIEN series, will be hatching his own 3D animated feature entitled, THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP. "Its been a life-long dream of mine to create a feature film of my own," said Giraud. "Although its an unknown adventure in some ways, this film presents an opportunity for me to express my many different signature attitudes." The main backer of the film is Global Digital Creation Group.
* Wednesday, September 27, 2000. Hollywood, California, U.S.A.
The X-MEN are gaining more ground in international theatres with top seat debuts in France, U.K. and Brazil. In France, the superhero saga racked up an impressive US$5.83 million in its opening weekend. Holding steady at #2, Americas summer smash, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, amassed another $2.65 million, bringing its French cume to $23.18 million. THE PERFECT STORM sank from first to fourth, with a gross of $2.33 million, raising its French cume to $6.77 million. Falling a spot to land in sixth, GLADIATOR garnered $861,846, advancing its French cume to $29.59 million.
AWN's stock ticker features the most prominent publicly traded companies in the world of animation. AWN, Inc. makes available certain financial information from third party information providers. AWN does not give advice in any such fields, and has not reviewed, and in no way endorses the validity of such data. This information is provided solely as a means to keep our readers informed of the market performance and trends of certain companies. AWN strongly suggests that one seek advice from a competent professional regarding any investment or financial issues.
RKO Pictures has teamed with Phil Roman, CEO of Phil Roman Entertainment, to turn their vintage flicks into animated features. First, RKO chairman-CEO Ted Hartley and Roman will executive produce toon versions of SINBAD THE SAILOR (1946), BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE (1952) and the Three Musketeers film, AT SWORD'S POINT (1952). "Well make them kid friendly," Roman said about the interpretation of the RKO library. "Maybe have a kid as the main character. There is so many ways to adapt them and I dont want to have a formula. Each film is going to have its own challenges.
Nintendo announced on Friday that it would not release its next generation versions of Gameboy and next generation console unit, Gamecube, this year. This announcement marks a crucial hit for the company in the next generation console market, which was led off by the healthy debut of Sonys PlayStation 2 in Japan. The new Sony console looks to be a hot seller for the holiday season, with Sony set to raise ¥150 billion (US$1.4 billion) by selling bonds to keep up with the demand for the PlayStation 2.
Throughout the summer Cartoon Network has been airing a different pilot on Friday evenings, cumulating in the August 25-27, "Voice Your Choice Weekend." Viewers voted for their favorite pilot and the top three will become the next series on Cartoon Network. Surviving the length of the summer after being the first pilot broadcast, THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY AND MANDY was the top pick to join the channels 2001 schedule.
Joining the long line of celebs turning ideas into Webtoons, comedian D.L. Hughley is taking his edgy stand-up act to the Internet. The series, entitled LET ME HOLLER @ YA, will feature animated segments ranging from 30 seconds to 4 minutes from the comedians stand-up act. Unlike deals such as Kelsey Grammers with MediaTrip which gives the actor stock in the Website, @ YA is part of the marketing campaign to promote Hughleys sitcom, THE HUGHLEYS, move from ABC to UPN.
On Friday, August 25, 2000, cartoonist Carl Barks, who reinvented the fowl-mouthed Donald Duck into an endearing Everyman on the comic book page, passed away. He died at his home in southern Oregon of leukemia. He was 99 years old. Barks started his association with the Walt Disney Co. in the early 1930s as an in-betweener and then moved over to the story department to write gags for many of the early Donald Duck cartoons. In 1943, he moved over to Western Publishing, which published Walt Disney comic books, to draw the Donald Duck segments for WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES.
On August 26, 2000, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held its creative awards ceremony, which featured many of this years animated prizes. The big winner this year was the BBC/Discovery special WALKING WITH DINOSAURS. With special effects by the Framestore, DINOSAURS walked away with the awards for outstanding animated program more than one hour, outstanding special effects in a miniseries, movie or special and outstanding sound editing. To no ones surprise THE SIMPSONS won for outstanding animated program for one hour or less for the "Behind The Laughter" episode.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia
Quiz...
Facets Video's fantastic animation inventory has been added to the
AWN Store! Over 3,000 new videos available worldwide! From popular
Disney titles and the Peanuts to surrealist animation from Eastern
Europe, from action-packed Japanese anime to animation created with
paper cutouts, sand, clay, puppets and computer technology, the
Facets Whole Toon Catalog is now available in the AWN Store. Betty
Boop, Fritz the Cat, Tex Avery, Looney Tunes Classics and more
Animation producers/directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
("Anastasia," "Titan A.E.") have set out to expand their "Dragon's
Lair" game franchise into the land of Webtoons...
