AWN Headline News

Montreal, Canada-based Toon Boom Technologies Inc. is now shipping version 2.3 of TicTacToon. Some of the features included on this new version are the ability to: customize and modify the aspect ratio of each scene at any stage of production; work on up to three levels of animation simultaneously; drag and drop entire columns of drawings with their cel names and timing to and from the Animation and Exposure Sheet modules; make order and timing changes quickly in either module through insert, replace or append options; and draw paintable rectangular zones to close outer edges of any drawing.

Italy, Rome-based Digital Video S.R.L. has announced Toonz version 4.3,which provides 2D users with new tools to be more creative and efficient ontheir job. The digital exposure sheet is much more user friendly, includingmany new special effects, complete keyframe capabilities on all parameters,and enlarged number of mathematical expressions for more controllablemotion. Enhancements of display features include icons in the level headerarea for quick reference of elements. Texture mapping has been strengthened

Westbury, New York-based American Royal Arts Corp., an animation artdealer, has been licensed by Apple and Signatures to produce hand paintedlimited edition cels and sericels featuring The Beatles from YELLOWSUBMARINE. The artwork will be signed by some of the same people who wereresponsible for making the original film, including the composer, SirGeorge Martin, the producer and co-author, Al Brodax, and Erich Segal,co-author of the original YELLOW SUBMARINE screenplay and Ringo Starr, the

London, UK-based RICHARD PURDUM PRODUCTIONS has completed three spots forNestle Polo mints. In "Aliens," which was designed by Robin Heighway Bury,the mint is chased by aliens. In "Cement," which was designed by John PaulEarly, the Polo mint is hounded by a mob, and in "Beach," which wasdesigned by Adrian Johnson, the mint is chased by muscle men into a ladies'changing room. The three designers brought their individual styles to eachof the spots, which were all directed by Richard Purdum for agency J.Walter Thompson.

The Harvey Entertainment Company has selected New York-based Xceed, Inc., amarketing and communications company that specializes in interactiveservices, to develop a family oriented portal to exploit Harvey's brands onthe Web. Harvey Entertainment owns the rights to an extensive list ofwell-known cartoon characters, including Casper, the Friendly Ghost, RichieRich, Baby Huey, Wendy the Witch and Hot Stuff. Potential programming forthe portal include Harvey's classic animation library, stories from Harvey

The Giant Screen Theater Association (GSTA) Annual Meeting. Mark Osborne'sMORE, the experimental large format short film sponsored by the LargeFormat Cinema Association (LFCA) and nominated for a 1998 Academy Award,will be one of the New Film presentations. The New Film screenings at GSTAwill give operators of institutional and commercial large format theatersthe opportunity to consider the film for their venues. The event takesplace Saturday, September 11 - Wednesday, September 15 in New York, New

The 2nd Matita International Animation Film Festival is a competitiveanimation festival. In addition to the official competition, this year'sprogram includes an Italian film program, a profile of the CFT Gobelinsschool, a tribute to Jiri Trnka, a Barry Purves retrospective and a forumabout new technologies. The event takes place Thursday, September 23 -Sunday, September 26 in Guardiagrele, Italy. For more information contactCamillo DíAlessandro, Mila Paterra, Ex Novo/ Mff, via dei Crociferi, 44,

Join the Scooby Doo Birthday Celebration Party Cruise and celebrate ScoobyDoo's 30th Anniversary. The cruise takes place Sunday, September 12, 2 pmaboard the M.V. Tiki and sets off from Fun Zone Boat Company, located nearthe end of the Balboa Peninsula in California, USA. R.S.V.P. tomfadanes@cataroo.com. Also, for more information, including directions,visit pweb.netcom.com/~cataroo/events.html.

San Francisco-based CURIOUS PICTURES has finished "Decide & Conquer," a :30spot for Lugz athletic shoes. Directed by Jerry van de Beek, the spotresembles a video game and features Fantm Sklz, a hip male character, whomaneuvers through the obstacles of New York City, scoring points as hemakes his way to his final destination. Curious used 3D Studio MAX, AdobeAfter Effects and Discreet Paint for this project. New York-based AmsterYard was the agency.