The M.P.S.C. Local 839 IATSE, the labor union for screen cartoonists
and CGI artists and technicians in southern California, has updated
their AWN page with the July 2000 edition of their newsletter, "The
Peg-Board," and with the American Animation Institute's fall semester
catalogue...
The 5th International Animated Film Festival/I Castelli Animati will
take place in Genzano, Italy, October 4-8, 2000. I Castelli Animati
highlights animation in all its forms from commercials to features
films. The international competition features the following prizes:
grand prize "I Castelli Animati," special jury prize, best debut
short film, best European short film, audience prize, the Fabrizio
Bellocchio prize and best non-narrative short film. The Italian
After having announced the entries for the Independent Film
Competition, the Ottawa 00
International Animation Festival has
released the selections for the Panorama section - Commissioned,
Canadian and Computer categories. For a complete list of competitors,
please visit the Ottawa 00 Web site. The competition will take place
September 19-24, 2000 with the awards ceremony being held on Sunday,
Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. In the upcoming
months, his films will be appearing in various festivals and other
events, including the Hiroshima Animation Festival, Japan, August
24-28, 2000; the Macau Urban Council art carnival, Macau, August 19,
2000; and the Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
September 15-23, 2000. In addition to Hiroshima, Bill will be
attending the KROK Animated Film Festival Moscow, Russia, August
The Quickdraw Animation Society Web site has been updated...
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...
Publisher Amid Amidi is now offering the latest issue of Animation
Blast at the AWN Newsstand...
There is no doubt about it, Macromedia Flash is the industry standard
for Internet animation. It's utilized by over half a million Web
authors worldwide to create animated vector-based Web sites.
Macromedia just announced revenues of $94.8 million for the first
quarter ended June 30, 2000, an 85% increase over a year ago. With
these results, the company has achieved record revenue results for
the tenth consecutive quarter. During the quarter, Macromedia
With MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 still holding on in many countries, PERFECT STORMs debut in Hong Kong and the U.K. shook up the international box office. Finishing at the top spot in the U.K., STORM grossed US$2.86 million over the weekend and $3.25 million since its Wednesday nod. Slipping to #2, STUART LITTLE grossed $2.08 million, advancing its British cume to $9.59 million. The U.K. sensation, CHICKEN RUN, amassed another $1.82 million in third, bringing its cume to $28.85 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.
Pulse Entertainment has signed a deal with Paris-based digital post-production company, Exmachina, which will have the French post house resell Pulse technology to developers, designers, agencies and corporate clients in Europe. Exmachina first utilized the Pulse software to create a Web character, Akinia, who helps on-line gamers solve riddles in a treasure hunt. "We are making Pulse technology one of the cornerstones as we build our Web business," said Pierre Noizat, general manager of Exmachina.
Rick's Picks!
Over at Wildbrain.com, the new JOE PARADISE is simply great. The slick and interesting design creates a visually impressive piece of toonage. Created by Roque Ballesteros, this action/comedy is one of the smartest, coolest and most innovative series on the Net. Watch for the subtle visual metaphors. Theres not much action in this episode, but if you havent seen this series before I highly recommend you check out the archives.
hey!, a design and production studio, finished new opens, bumpers and background elements for five History Channel shows. The firm created an open for SPY WEB, revised opens and bumpers for HISTORYS GREATEST BLUNDERS and WEAPONS AT WAR, and opens for MOVIES IN TIME and HARDCOVER HISTORY. For SPY WEB, hey! used a mainly gray palette and added bits of color to evoke a feel of coded messages. "We had this coding going on in a textured background, with letters that cycle and change and evolve into the SPY WEB logo," said creative director Laura Tolkow.
Ring of Fire finished the visual effects for two 30-second commercials for Unisys. "Pigeons" starts with a man sitting down on a park bench next to a Unisys specialist. As the ad progresses, the female specialist gets wrapped up in telling the man all about e-business, and her head becomes encased in a monitor. When she calms down the monitor disappears and the tag line says, "At Unisys, we eat, sleep and drink this stuff!" Again in "Golf," Bob, the Unisys specialist, has his head encased in a monitor as he tells his friends about e-business on the golf course.
New York-based New Tinkerbell, Inc. has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Walt Disney Co. in regards to the Tinkerbell trademark. As reported in the on-line magazine, INSIDE, New Tinkerbell and its several affiliates claim they purchased the rights to the character from the then rights holder, the Hospital for Sick Children of London, in 1952 a year before Disneys PETER PAN was released. For 13 years, New Tinkerbell has been producing various products with the image of Tinkerbell on them.
Late swing-jazz singer Louis Primas widow, Gia Prima, has filed suit against the Walt Disney Company for unpaid royalties from video and DVD sales of THE JUNGLE BOOK, in which her husband voiced the character King Louie of the Apes. The Prima estate has received royalties on audio recordings of the soundtrack, however Disney contends the contract Prima signed was for audio recordings only and that Disney has "met all contractual obligations to Mr. Prima's estate." However, new technologies, like videocassettes and DVDS, were not invented when Prima signed the contract.
In typical summer blockbuster fashion, the newly released NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS has dethroned last weeks U.S. box office champion WHAT LIES BENEATH. The KLUMPS Eddie Murphy-marathon, with primary visual effects by Double Negative Ltd., finished in first place with a gross of US$42.52 million. WHAT LIES came in at second with a gross of $22.86 million. The Harrison Ford haunter, with primary visual effects by SPI, has rounded up $69.35 million in only 10 days in release. In third, THE X-MEN grossed $12.68 million.
Disneys newest animated feature LILO AND STITCH has begun production. The long in the works project has begun initial production at Disneys Orlando animation studio. Some of the production is scheduled to be done in Hawaii where the story is based. The film tells the tale of a Hawaiian girl who adopts a dog that is really an evil space alien. Jason Scott Lee (RUDYARD KIPLING'S THE JUNGLE BOOK) has signed on to voice a muscular, tanned surfboard salesmen, while Tia Carrere (WAYNES WORLD) will voice Lilo's sister.
Adam Sandler has signed a deal with MediaTrip.com to produce a new comedy Web site entitled Shnorff.com. As part of the deal, MediaTrips parent company Joe Roths Revolution Studios has a first look agreement to produce any of the material created for the site in other mediums. Sandler will create the site with longtime producing partner Jack Giarraputo. In addition, former CAA and Endeavor agent, Doug Robinson, has been named Shnoff.coms CEO. Shnorff will feature animation, live-action shows, short films and games.
* Saturday, July 15, 2000 Sunday, January 7, 2001. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
* Friday, July 28 Saturday, August 26, 2000. Santa Monica & Pasadena, California, U.S.A. Friday, August 25 Thursday, August 31, 2000. San Diego, California, U.S.A. Friday, September 1 Saturday, December 16, 2000. West Hollywood, California, U.S.A. Friday, September 1 Saturday, November 18, 2000. La Jolla, California, U.S.A. Friday, September 1 Saturday, November 18, 2000. Riverside, California, U.S.A.
* Friday, September 1 Saturday, September 30, 2000. Sydney, Australia.
* Tuesday, September 5 Tuesday, September 26, 2000. San Francisco, California, U.S.A. Friday, September 8 Saturday, September 9, 2000. Berkeley, California, U.S.A.
* Wednesday, August 2, 2000. North Hollywood, California, U.S.A.
