AWN Headline News

The Walt Disney Company has named four executives to new positions. ETIENNE DE VILLIERS has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Europe; MICHAEL O. JOHNSON has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Asia; DIEGO LERNER has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Latin America; and PAUL SALEH has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer, Walt Disney International.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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