Owing to a flood of entries and requests for an extension to the entry deadline, organizers of the 1999 Ottawa International Student Animation Festival (SAFO) have extended the July 1st deadline to July 15, 1999...
Detailed information on the 2000 edition of the Brussels Cartoon and Animated Film Festival is now available...
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes nine new animation-related events, including the Brussels and Annecy festivals' 2000 editions, and the Animated Castles festival in Italy this October. The Calendar of Upcoming Events is a constantly changing reference source for what's happening around the World of Animation. Use it to stay abreast of animation related activities across the globe. If you know of animation related events that we don't have listed, send an email with the pertinent facts to annick@awn.com.
This issue #38 of ANiMATO! is autographed with paint (not ink) by Underdog creator Joe Harris. Thirteen pages are devoted to Underdog in this issue which kicks off with David Krell's "Underdog: The Canine Crusader" and closes with "Flying High With Underdog" by Leigh Anne Brodsky. In addition to drawing the original cover, Joe Harris also wrote an article for this issue entitled "Life With Underdog." Inside the front cover is Joe's full color artwork of Underdog smashing "Hunger" for the World Hungerthon and, on page 37, Joe's storyboard art for The World of Commander McBragg.
Plympton's Comic of the Week: "A Test for our Elected Officials". A new outrageous comic by Bill Plympton can be found each Friday at his website.
* ARTWORK: LIMITED EDITION AUTOGRAPHED PRINTS FROM YURI NORSTEIN's "Tales of Tales" and "Hedgehog in the Fog." Each print, made in Russia from the drawings Norstein used to develop his characters, is hand signed by Norstein. Most of the proceeds from sales will go to help finance the ongoing production of "Overcoat," Yuri Norstein's famous work in progress, which he began after completing "Tale of Tales" in 1978, and is based on a famous story by Nikolai Gogol. This is a very limited offer, with the print value at $100.00.
Despite poor reviews, Warner Bros.' newly released James Bond/Western genremix, WILD WILD WEST, with visual effects by ILM, took in an estimated $36.8million over the weekend for a total of $50.1 million to finish first inthe Independence Day holiday weekend US boxoffice race. Disney's TARZANfinished third, taking in $19.2 million for a total of $110.8 million; therisqué SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT, directed by Trey Parker,finished fourth with a weekend gross of $14.8 million for a total of $23.1
New York City-based BLACK LOGIC and AFCG have created Cinnaburst gum's"Snowboarder" spot for agency Bates USA. The spot features a bouncing CGcreated piece of gum in a snowboarding environment. Floyd Gillis directedthe CGI for AFCG, Michel Suissa directed the visual effects for BlackLogic, and Geoff McGann directed the spot for Manifesto which combineslive-action with CGI.
The 6th Bradford Animation Festival, which took place June 19-24 inBradford, England, has announced the following winners. The BradfordAnimation Festival is a project of the newly-renovated National Museum ofPhotography, Film and Television in England.
Non-Professional, Under 16: MILAN by Animation Station and Young AsianGirls Group
Experimental: HIT PARADE by Animation Films Vienna
Adults, Non-Professional: NIGHT WATCH by James Hall
Digital: BUNNY by Chris Wedge
The winners of the 13th Prix Ars Electronica '99 have been announced. Heldin Linz, Austria, Prix Ars Electronica is a competition for works in thecategories of Computer Animation/Visual Effects; Interactive Art; Internet;and Digital Music. There were 2119 entries. The Prix Ars Electronica '99awards presentation will be held in conjunction with the Ars ElectronicaFestival on Monday, September 6, 1999 at the ORF Upper Austrian RegionalStudio. The best works from each category will be shown in an exhibition at
Women in Animation L.A. showcases short animated films and works by WIAmembers at every WIA General Meeting. Have your film screened in front ofseveral hundred of Los Angeles' animation leaders! If you have a film, orcan suggest a film to be screened, contact Wendy Jackson at (213) 441-9340;or e-mail animationist@geocities.com.
Los Angeles and Denmark-based ITE (Interactive Television Entertainment)has launched a webstore at Throutandneck.com, a website for the seriesTHROUT AND NECK which currently airs on the Game Show Network. Whileinteractive television has been popular all over the world, THROUT AND NECKis the first real-time animated action series to be broadcast on Americantelevision. Throutandneck.com features interactive games that can be playedonline, colorful graphics, clips from Behind the Scenes of the series,
PG Studio is a production management tool that helps production housesproduce cost effective computer animation. Among its features are scriptand storyboard breakdown into scenes, shots, and frames; organization ofproduction documents according to script structure; identification ofproduction tasks from the script; allocation of production tasks tocreative and technical staff; establishment of total task time within theschedule; compilation of a running production budget including staff and
Houston, Texas-based ADV Films is releasing GALAXY FRAULEIN YUNA RETURNS onJuly 13 and QUEEN EMERALDAS on July 27 in the US. Both ADV Films titleswill be available in subtitled and dubbed versions. For more informationvisit www.advfilms.com. New York City-based Central Park Media is releasingRECORD OF LODOSS WAR: CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT - A NEW LEGENDBEGINS, MIDNIGHT PANTHER: GENERAL RELEASE VERSION, and THE SLAYERS NEXT:THE FORBIDDEN DANCE? on August 8 in the US, and RECORD OF LODOSS WAR:
Washington, D.C.-based Interface Media Group did the 3D animation for"Warning Label." Developed through Washington, D.C.-based Ogilvy PublicRelations Worldwide for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta,Georgia, the spots use two 3D characters, Carson and Noma, to help stressthe need for protection from ultra-violet sunrays to avoid skin cancer.Carol Hilliard was art director and 3D animator. Live-action footage wasproduced by Washington, D.C.-based ThinkFilm. Joe Becker directed andStephanie Antosca Boright produced for ThinkFilm.
QUIET MAN did the CGI effects for "Limo," a spot for Denny's new All-StarSlams line of breakfast combos. A follow-up to last summer's "Rooster,""Limo" features a studish rooster wooing a barnyard of lovesick hens to thebeat of The Commodore's "Love Machine." Michael Schrom directed forproduction company Michael Schrom & Company; Marie Lenz was executiveproducer, and Philana Dias was Flame/effects artist for Quiet Man.
The graduates of the University of Wales College Newport's animationprogram will be presenting a screening of their work on Friday, July 2nd1999 at 6 pm. The screening will be held at De Lane Lea, Dean Street,London, England in the college's newly refurbished preview cinema. Thefilms are a mixture of techniques and styles, from an abstract musicalcollaboration with renowned percussionist Evelyn Glennie working directlyon film, to a cel-based narrative piece that makes SOUTH PARK look tame.
The team that created Fox's ANASTASIA, director Don Bluth, partner andproducer Gary Goldman, and the Fox Animation Studio have finished a sequelcalled BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT which will be released on video and DVD onNovember 16. The wisecracking bat, voiced by Hank Azaria, is promoted toheadline the music-filled sequel, with Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Tilly, TimCurry and Catherine O'Hara taking on other voice roles. BARTOK is the firstmajor Fox direct-to-video title produced in-house at their Phoenix facility
Film Roman has joined Los Angeles-based Latino production company Sí TV toproduce a half-hour, English language animated pilot entitled STUCK IN THEMIDDLE which is intended for prime time. Written and co-created by Sí TVco-chairman Jeff Valdez, the pilot will feature the vocal talent ofco-creator and executive producer Cheech Marin (comedy team Cheech & Chong;NASH BRIDGES), who also serves on the advisory board of Sí TV. STUCK IN THEMIDDLE is about a twelve-year old whose home life in The Barrio contrasts
Clive Jenkins has joined Atlanta-based Crawford Communications, Inc. as a3D animator. Jenkins previously worked for Crawford from 1989 to 1994, butleft to join Varitel in San Francisco where he launched that company'sdesign and 3D department. Most recently, he worked for Video NavigationCompany in Atlanta as a 3D animator and compositor.
Catapult Productions' Kim Davidson and Arnie Zipursky, executive producersof MONSTER BY MISTAKE, have promoted Rob Smith and Mark Mayerson toproducers for the second season of the computer animated TV series. Smithand Mayerson will join Julie Stall, who was the first season producer.Mayerson, who created the series, and Smith each directed five episodes ofthe first season. Smith will continue to direct while Mayerson will be moreinvolved in stories and scripts. MONSTER BY MISTAKE began as a Halloween TV
Portland, Oregon-based Will Vinton Studios has completed two spots. "Diner"is a stop-motion animated spot for the Maryland Lottery, and won a 1999Bronze Clio. Skeets McGrew directed for Agency Eisner & Associates."Bunnies" is a spot for Citibank and uses reference footage based on anorigami artist's work which was manipulated using Maya software. SkeetsMcGrew directed for Agency Y & R New York.
India-based Graphiti Multimedia has completed a :20 spot for Titan AlarmClocks using Cambridge Animation Systems' Animo and 3D Studio MAX software.In the commercial, the prince from the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale uses analarm clock to wake the princess. Sunil Shetty directed.
Los Angeles-based Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials and Absolutely ProductionsLimited have created "Lunch Order," a spot for Procter & Gamble's Head &Shoulders Menthol shampoo. The spot features an animated "Jittery Julian"who transforms into a confidant "Cool Jules" after using the shampoo.Class-Key Chew-Po's Stig Bergqvist directed for Agency Saatchi &Saatchi/London.
The Association of Independent Commercial Producers' (AICP) Eighth AnnualAICP Show, The Art & Technique of the American Television Commercial,debuted at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City on June 9th, and willtour in the United States and internationally until April 2000. The showconsists of about fifty live-action and animated spots. Selections weremade by more than 400 judges throughout the US, as well as a panel composedof members of the industry from advertising agencies, production companies,
