SOFTIMAGE has announced that the latest upgrade to their flagship SOFTIMAGE|3D animation system was available for download from their Web site. This upgrade represents a milestone for SOFTIMAGE, as it is the first upgrade the company has chosen to distribute on-line (rather than wait 6-8 weeks for reproduction, duplication and distribution).
Alias|Wavefront released Maya Real Time SDK (Software Developers Kit) at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose. The new release demonstrates the first comprehensive "Art to Engine" solution for creating interactive content on next-generation games platforms. The Maya Real Time SDK is designed to allow games developers to deliver film quality characters and graphics in their titles for new games platforms such as PlayStation 2.
The new NBC animated sitcom, GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB, has been given the ax by five more stations across the U.S. NBC affiliates in Shreveport, Louisiana, Tupelo, Mississippi and Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho have moved the show to a late night time slot, while Pocatello, Idaho has completely pulled the show from its line up. Joining Salt Lake City which last week pulled the show from its schedule, the additional stations are in strict contrast to NBC's grand premiere of the series on Thursday, March 9, 2000. Currently, the show is positioned between the network's top shows FRIENDS and FRASIER.
In the midst of an on-going legal scandal and the departure of its head execs, CINAR Corp.'s stock plummeted CA$18.65 (US$12.86) to CA$8.35 on the Toronto Stock Exchange Tuesday, March 7, 2000. In addition, the stock fell 12-5/8 to a new 12-month low of 5-3/4 on the Nasdaq. Volume was more than 18 million shares on the Nasdaq, far more than usual for the often thinly traded stock. The stock continued to crumble on Wednesday, March 8, 2000 falling nearly 75% off its initial worth at the beginning of the trading week. In turn, the stock was not traded at all on Thursday, March 9, 2000.
BBC video brings to homes 13 tales from the TV series WILLIAM'S WISH
WELLINGTONS. The 5 minute stories feature a small boy and his pair of magic
boots. The show airs weekly on Cartoon Network and TVO. The tape will be
distributed in the U.S. and Canada by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Volume 1 will be available on March 7, 2000 and be priced at US$14.95.
UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Education Fund, is
looking for additional animation partners to participate in their "Cartoons
for Children's Rights" initiative. The partnership currently includes over
70 animation companies, as well as independent animators from 32 countries.
Each participant produces and donates at least one 30-second non-verbal
public service announcement dealing with a single right, such as a child's
Animation film company ADV Films has inked a distribution deal for the
entire catalog of films from The Right Stuf International, Inc. ADV's
library includes BKN cartoon MONSTER RANCHERS. "Because we have anime
standards such as NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and new classics like BUBBLEGUM
CRISIS: TOKYO 2040, forming an alliance with The Right Stuf is a dream come
true for us," states ADV Films President John Ledford. "The Right Stuf has
two of the true milestones of anime in their enormous catalog; KIMBA, THE
Want to know about events in Italy? Then visit ASIFA Italia's re-designed
Website at www.asifaitalia.org. The Italian-languaged site is a growing
destination for animation in Italy. The site features ASIFA events and
other information regarding the Italian animation organization.
The Art Institute of Los Angeles has received approval from the Accrediting
Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) to offer
Bachelor of Science degrees in computer animation, graphic design and
on-line media and marketing. Established in 1997 as a branch of The Art
Institute of Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles arm received state approval to
offer baccalaureate-level programs in September, 1999. With more than 850
students enrolled, The Art Institute of Los Angeles also offers Associate
* Wednesday, April 19 - Sunday, April 23, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A.
In a meeting with key advertisers, Cartoon Network executives unveiled their business plan for the 2000-2001 television season, including upcoming original series, program acquisitions, which includes the exclusive Looney Toons rights, and comprehensive on-line initiatives. Cartoon Network will produce four original half-hour animated series through 2001, including SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY. This, their ninth original show, will premiere with 13 half-hour episodes in fall 2000.
In the continuing crisis at CINAR Corp., husband and wife co-founders, Micheline Charest and Ronald Weinberg, have stepped down after senior VP and CFO Hasanain Panju was fired when US$122 million was found to have disappeared into investments without board approval. With tax fraud allegations floating in the skies, Charest will leave her chairman and co-CEO seat, while Weinberg will give up his president and co-CEO position. The couple will remain as leaders and directors of the company.
Two months before the WORLD ANIMATION CELEBRATION opens, festival director TRACY CROSSLEY has left "to pursue other interests." WAC has appointed a new director Danielle Robertson. "The team we have assembled to produce this year's event has an incredible amount of festival experience and has banded together to produce a memorable experience for everyone involved," said Robertson. "We appreciate the contributions Tracy had made and wish her the very best in all her future endeavors."
On Friday, March 3, 2000, Belgian animation film director and illustrator Nicole van Goethem passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58 in her hometown of Antwerp. The cause of death is unknown. Since 1974, Nicole van Goethem has worked on various animation productions, serving in the background, color selection and special effects fields. Among her credits, she participated in the feature length film TARZOON produced by Picha.
With strictly live-action fare reigning the U.S. box office, SNOW DAY slipped to sixth place, while PITCH BLACK remained steady in fifth place. Paramount's kid-pic, with special effects by Curious Pictures, fell from #2, grossing US$4.8 million this past weekend and bringing its total gross to $49 million. USA Films' PITCH BLACK, with primary visual effects by Double Negative Ltd. and The Chandler Group, clocked in at #5 for the second straight weekend, grossing $5.07 million raising its total gross to $29.7 million.
IFILM, a leading Internet resource for film fans, filmmakers and film
industry professionals, has increased their fold by three. The company
announced the appointments of Kevin Wendle, a co-founder of CNET and Fox
Broadcasting Company, as chief executive officer; Doug Sylvester, a
co-founder of E! On-line, as president and chief operating officer; and Tom
Harbeck, former head of programming for the Sundance Channel and a senior
Nickelodeon marketing executive, as the company's Senior VP of programming,
The final adventure of MASTER OF MOSQUITON, THE VAMPIRE comes to video.
VOLUME 3 will fly into stores March 28, 2000. The teenaged tomb raider
Inaho and her undead partner Mosquiton face off against the sinister
Rasputin and Mosquiton's ex-wife, the dreaded Carmilla! The adventure will
hit stores at the price of US$19.98.
THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES CHAPTER 6: FINAL TRIALS invades homes across the U.S.
With new cameras, designer furniture and gourmet coffee, the elven world is
slowly looking more like planet Earth. Unfortunately, other earthly
standards have invaded the peaceful world like shady political takeovers,
diabolical plots against the elf hunters, and a crooked court out to
convict our heroes. Will Celcia betray them on the witness stand? Will
Ritsuko ever get a chance to graduate? Will Airi get home to claim her
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...
The 72-page festival catalog provides information in three languages
(French, Dutch, English) on all exhibitions, making of presentations,
retrospectives, biographies of festival guests, as well as technical,
production, story summary and distribution data on films. Available for
$6.00 plus s/h. The
line includes a rare selection of videos, featuring pioneer Belgian
On Thursday, March 2, 2000, South Carolina's Democratic Senator Ernest
Hollings of the Senate Commerce Committee told Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin
and AOL chairman Steve Case that the "Disney people are afraid to come
testify" about their concerns regarding the proposed merger of the two
companies. Hollings told Levin and Case, who were in Washington D.C.
testifying about their merger, that Disney is concerned that Time Warner
will retaliate against the company by relegating its cable networks to
The promised land of prime time nirvana will escape GOD THE DEVIL & BOB in
Salt Lake City, Utah, whose NBC affiliate has refused to air the network's
upcoming animated comedy. KSL-TV VP and general manager Al Henderson said
the station decided to pre-empt the "not-so-heavenly" toon because it "was
not very funny." "We didn't think it was written well," Henderson said. "We
found some of the humor tasteless." The new series follows the
misadventures of Detroit auto worker Bob Alman (voiced by French Stewart),
3Dlabs, Inc., a professional graphics firm, has expanded its presence in
Europe with a new office near Frankfurt, Germany. 3Dlabs plans to use the
new branch as a base for expanding its market coverage in Central Europe,
one of the largest markets for its workstation graphics products. In turn,
3Dlabs announced the appointment of Frank Losch as country manager. Mr.
Losch brings many years of marketing and sales expertise to the new
position. "The ability to increase market penetration of Oxygen workstation
The newest Scooby-Doo adventure, SCOOBY-DOO MEETS THE BOO BROTHERS, and
classic episodes on DVD will soon float into stores across the U.S.
Debuting on March 14, 2000, SCOOBY-DOO MEETS THE BOO BROTHERS has the
heroes Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy-Doo inheriting a haunted house from
Shaggy's uncle. The terrified trio calls for help from the Boo Brothers, a
family of ghost hunters. But wait, the Boo Brothers are ghouls themselves!
Check out the new adventure to find out if Scooby really hired ghost
