AWN Headline News

Over the holiday break Holland-based ComicHouse started its move to a new

home. After spending fifteen years in Amsterdam, the animation house has

taken root in Holland's largest nature reserve "DeVeluwe." The new base of

operations will give ComicHouse the needed workspace and client

accessibility that was lacking in the confines of the city. The company

will re-open again in Ooserbeek on January 10, 2000. For more information

contact ComicHouse at: Stationsweg 20, 6861 EH Oosterbeek, The Netherlands;

RING OF FIRE provided the fx for the newest Ericsson T-28 mobile phone ad

entitled "Aliens." Ring of Fire produced the spot for Stockholm ad agency

Hall & Cederquist. The international 30 second spot beams down aliens to a

man deserted on an island. The aliens mistake the phone for intelligent

life (like most humans do in Los Angeles) and wonder whether or not the

device will taste like chicken. Jerry Spivack was Creative Director for

Ring of Fire and Kevin Prendiville served as Visual Effects Supervisor.

Starting January 1, 2000, Looney Toons Sylvester and Tweety hit the air,

that's the friendly skies, when Delta Air Lines began presenting Cartoon

Network's pigskin parody, BIG GAME: SYLVESTER VS. TWEETY during its

in-flight entertainment. Select domestic flights will show highlights from

BIG GAME, a Cartoon Network parody special featuring classic cartoon

episodes along with analysis by Jerry Glanville, Nick Buonoconti and Len

Dawson of HBO's INSIDE THE NFL. These football personalities break down the

Disney's CEO Michael Eisner delivered a four-part strategy for improving

the entertainment giant's slumping fiscal achievements. The Y2K plan

includes agressively attacking trouble spots, squeezing more profits out of

exsisting businesses, expanding those current businesses' affairs and

continuing development of new products. The seemingly Business 101 strategy

also includes annual savings of up to $300 million from changes in

purchasing. Eisner said cost-cutting efforts in live-action film production

Darris Dobbs, a well known and respected 3D/CGI writer and artist, died

peacefully at home on November 24, 1999, never having recovered from a

respiratory virus. He was 37. Darris contributed to Visual Magic Magazine

on a number of occasions, as well as writing a number of books for Charles

River Media Publishing (including ANIMATING FACIAL FEATURES AND

EXPRESSIONS, and the recently published TRUESPACE 3 & 4 CREATURE

CREATIONS). He also founded his own business -- HieroglyFX Design -- a

New York-based IXL DIGITAL VIDEO GROUP, a subsidiary of the Internet and

video solutions company iXL, Inc., produced four distinct openings for the

new 20/20 weekly line-up. Each version of the news show is on four separate

nights and features different hosts. The openings mirror the style of each

version of the show and feature different takes on the 20/20 and ABC News

logos. iXL's veteran Designer and Animator Ron Wissing worked closely with

ABC'S Art Director Kelly Clauson on the concept for the openings.

Nelvana Limited has announced a deal with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

to produce the network's first Saturday morning children's cartoon block.

The deal is worth approximately US$40 million. Nelvana will produce six

book-based children's series for the U.S. public network's Fall 2000

season. The multi-year deal will also include the commission of a minimum

of two of the six series for weekly runs featured in PBS KIDS. Licensing

rights for at least four of the six character brands will be mainly handled

The creators of Boris FXT and Boris AET, recently launched a new resolution