This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes ten new animation-related events, including: The BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards in London, the Ourense Independent Film Festival in Spain, and Cinequest San Jose Film Festival 2000 in California.
Once again, Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. This month, "I Married a Strange Person" will be appearing in various festivals and other events in Canada, Germany, Finland and Ukraine. "Mondo Plympton" will be screened in the US, Brazil and Germany. Bill will also be attending the events in Canada, Brazil and Germany.
AWN has launched a brand new weekly animation trivia quiz...
This week's comic depicts a drug dealer...or is he a contortionist?
San Francisco-based Mondo Media is looking to hire a Director of Creative Operations...
New York-based Educational Institution for Children is looking for a Freelance Animator...
CARTOON has announced this year's nominees for the coveted Cartoon d'Or.Making the list for best European animated short films are: L'ARME DUCROCODILE by Eric Blesin (Belgium), EL CARMINANTE by Debra Smith (UK),JOLLY ROGER by Mark Baker (UK), MIGRATION by Constantin Chamski (France),LE CYCLOPE DE LA MER by Philippe Julien (France), and SALTKVERNEN by PjotrSapegin (Norway). The annual Cartoon Forum, where the Cartoon d'Or isawarded, is organized by AEFA Cartoon, the European Association for
Walt Disney-owned companies Touchstone Television Productions and ABCTelevision Group are merging to form ABC Entertainment Television Group.According to ABC Television Group president Pat Fili-Krushel, "The goal inconsolidation is to produce creative results that result in more Disneyproduct on ABC and also allow us to achieve economies of scale." In otherwords, this consolidation will likely result in more Disney-producedtelevision programming appearing on ABC (Touchstone currently has only two
One year old Vancouver-based Mercury Filmworks, a fully equipped digitalanimation facility, has added 3D production to its list of in-houseservices. Currently, the 3D animation department at Mercury is working onthe television series D'MYNA LEAGUES, which has been created and developedby Vancouver-based animation house Studio B, and is slated to air onCanada's CTV/VTV in January 2000. With the addition of the new 3Ddepartment, Mercury is now unique in its ability to take not just a single
"Shorties" is a series of two-minute animated shorts that re-interpret someof Hanna-Barbera's lesser known, but fondly-remembered characters such asAtom Ant, Jabberjaw, and Wally Gator. The shorts began to air in Junethroughout the day on Cartoon Network during breaks from regularlyscheduled programming. They feature original plots and different animationtechniques for each short, and aim to update these characters with anironic, post-modern twist. Techniques include cel animation, cut-outs,
Children's BBC has commissioned newly formed London-based Silver Fox Filmsto produce ANGELMOUSE, a 26-part series for the BBC. The series is about alittle mouse who has been sent down from heaven to help out. He's not verygood at his job, however, and whenever a good deed backfires, as oftenhappens, his halo dims or disappears. Graham Ralph is directing the serieswhich is slated to debut later this year. Graham Ralph recently formedSliver Fox after relinquishing his stake in London-based Hibbert Ralph
The CBS Television Network's 1999-2000 Saturday Morning schedule, whichbegins on October 2, includes three returning shows and three new ones, allproduced by Toronto-based Nelvana. The new series are RESCUE HEROES,BLASTER'S UNIVERSE, and NEW TALES FROM THE CRYPT. RESCUES HEROES is about ateam of international emergency response professionals, and is designed tointroduce young viewers to preparedness and safety techniques. BLASTER'SUNIVERSE is based on a series of CD-ROMs from Knowledge Adventure. Set in
The Voice Over Group meets Monday, July 12, and every second Monday of themonth at Monday, July 12, 7 pm in Burbank, California, USA. Contact MJLallo at (818) 980-6576 or Murel Whitaker at (310) 412-2719.
Given the fact that TARZAN OF THE APES, Edgar Rice Burroughs' first Tarzannovel, has already spawned innumerable sequels in both print and movieform, it should be no surprise that Disney already has plans for a sequelto its very successful TARZAN. Decisions regarding whether the sequel willbe theatrical or direct-to-video, as well as who will direct it, have yetto be announced.
Disney Consumer Products has named Stephen De Kanter, a 10-year veteran ofDisney Consumer Products, president of Global Licensing, a new organizationthat will oversee Disney's worldwide merchandise-licensing operations. DeKanter has led Disney Consumer Products Latin America since 1989. In hisnew role, de Kanter will be responsible for planning, strategy, andlicensee management for all Disney licensing activities. Walt DisneyInternational has responsibility for the performance of The Walt Disney Co.
Sirius Thinking, Ltd. has hired Sharon Lerner as senior vice-president ofcreative development and animation producer for the new series BETWEEN THELINES, a series for children that is scheduled to premiere on PBS in April2000. Lerner was one of the first ten people hired by Children's TelevisionWorkshop to create SESAME STREET, and was, until recently, thevice-president and publisher of the Random House Children's Media Division.
The soundtrack for Willis O'Brien's stop-motion masterpiece, KING KONG, isbeing released by Turner Classic Movies Music/Rhino Movie Music. Composedby Max Steiner, the collection includes music cues from the 1933 RKO film'smost memorable moments, featuring a nearly 25-minute suite consisting ofpreviously unreleased material. The liner notes includes an introduction byDanny Elfman (of the band, Oingo Boingo, and composer of many soundtracks,including EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, BATMAN, and SLEEPY HOLLOW), and notes by
Warner Bros. Consumer Products has awarded Trendmasters, Inc., a toydesigner and manufacturer, the master toy license for Cartoon Network'sanimated series including THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, DEXTER'S LABORATORY and COW& CHICKEN. In addition, Trendmasters has also secured the master toy rightsfor Cartoon Network's classic characters including Yogi Bear andSnagglepuss. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Trendmasters,Inc. has the rights to produce toy related merchandise including toy
Infogrames and DreamWorks will release ANTZ for Game Boy Color this fall inthe US. Based on the animated film, the game will star the famous ant Z, aninsecure little bug who has high hopes of finding Insectopia, a mysticalworld where food is plentiful and all insects live in peace. ANTZ allowskids to jump into the action. Ant-oriented hazards presented to theminiature heroes include acidic termites, out-of-control water droplets,gum-soled shoes and, the sun-filled, magnifying glass. Infogrames is a
Beginning July 2, star characters from Nickelodeon's popular BLUE'S CLUESand RUGRATS shows, "character breakfasts" featuring Woody Woodpecker,Spiderman, and other world-famous cartoon stars are part of the fun plannedfor kids this summer at Universal Studios Hollywood. "Blue's Clues Live"follows the format of the children's television show. Guided by cluessupplied by "Blue," kids solve puzzles, play games, and sing songs alongwith Blue. "Woody Woodpecker's Clubhouse" features a themed playground
Disney's TARZAN, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs character, finishedfourth, grossing an estimated $11.3 million at the US weekend boxoffice tobring its total to $129.5 million. This puts it on the list of 100top-grossing films of all-time in North America. It has already surpassedDisney's previous animated feature, MULAN, which grossed $120.5 million.Warner Bros.' WILD WILD WEST, with digital effects by ILM, finished second,grossing an estimated $16.7 million for a total of $76.4 million; STAR WARS
Workout your character voices July 10, and every second Saturday of themonth, at Aliso Creek Productions in Burbank, California, USA. Directed byMJ Lall, voice over actor, coach, and producer, you'll read scripts byWomen In Animation writers, and do voice-to-picture workouts for WIAartists. Voice over artists, writers, and artists are encouraged to attendand participate with samples of their work. Call Aliso Creek to register at(818) 954-9931.
MTV Films and Paramount Pictures has signed creator Eric Fogel to write,direct, and produce a CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH feature. The feature will bebased on the TV series which premiered on MTV in 1998, and features clayanimated caricatures of celebrities who fight each other in wrestlingmatches. Bouts have pitted Marilyn Manson against Charles Manson, HillaryClinton against Monica Lewinsky, and Richard Simmons against DavidLetterman. Before CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH, Fogel directed a short film, THEMUTILATOR, and another MTV series, THE HEAD.
Full Sail, an animation school in Florida, has hired Rita Street as ChiefEditor of Full Sail's Platinum Creative Department. She will be in chargeof advertising copywriting, editing Full Sail's magazine, GET IN!, abi-annual which is about Full Sail and getting a job in the animationindustry in general, plus writing copy for Full Sail's web-site which willre-launch with a new look in September. Street was formerly Editor in Chiefof FILM AND VIDEO in Los Angeles.
India-based Graphiti Multimedia has completed a :20 spot for Wimpy's FastFood (New Delhi, India). The spot features a jolly and plump animated manwho entices viewers by wielding his fork around live footage of a Wimpy'scheeseburger and fries. Graphiti used Cambridge Animation Systems' Animosoftware. Puneet directed for production company Chaitra Leo Burnette(Delhi).
