AWN Headline News

Toon In is AWN's guide to what's new on the Net. This week's installment features an intriguing Webisode of sfON, a brand new Bill Plympton Flash toon, a humorous rant by Sister Randy and much, much more.

Get your Toon In: Web Animation Guide here!

Every week AWN's associate editor Rick DeMott highlights what he thinks is the top new toon in cyberspace in "Rick's Picks!"

Rick's Pick For Friday, September 1, 2000!

Electronic Arts (EA) has sealed the deal with Warner Bros. to give them the exclusive interactive rights to the HARRY POTTER book series and film franchise. No financial details were released. EA has the key Internet gaming rights which could bring POTTER games to America Online, where EA is the exclusive programmer of their game section. EA worldwide studios president Don Mattrick will work with author J.K. Rowling, film director Christopher Columbus and executive producer David Heyman on the game titles.

* Saturday, September 23 Tuesday, October 17, 2000. Mt. Kisco, New York, U.S.A.

Editing Concepts' Jesse Reisner just finished editing a new spot entitled "Takes It Slow," a new 30-second spot for Pillsbury Toaster Strudels. In the spot, time slows down when a teenager takes a moment to savor a Toaster Strudel before heading off to school. Reisner softened colors, silenced sounds and let the final piece of the tasty food hang in the air before hitting the kids mouth. "This project was all about pacing," said Reisner. "It starts out fast and frantic, then everything slows down when the toaster pops.

Famed graphic artist and novelist Jean "Moebius" Giraud, the man behind the dark designs in the ALIEN series, will be hatching his own 3D animated feature entitled, THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP. "Its been a life-long dream of mine to create a feature film of my own," said Giraud. "Although its an unknown adventure in some ways, this film presents an opportunity for me to express my many different signature attitudes." The main backer of the film is Global Digital Creation Group.

The X-MEN are gaining more ground in international theatres with top seat debuts in France, U.K. and Brazil. In France, the superhero saga racked up an impressive US$5.83 million in its opening weekend. Holding steady at #2, Americas summer smash, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, amassed another $2.65 million, bringing its French cume to $23.18 million. THE PERFECT STORM sank from first to fourth, with a gross of $2.33 million, raising its French cume to $6.77 million. Falling a spot to land in sixth, GLADIATOR garnered $861,846, advancing its French cume to $29.59 million.

RKO Pictures has teamed with Phil Roman, CEO of Phil Roman Entertainment, to turn their vintage flicks into animated features. First, RKO chairman-CEO Ted Hartley and Roman will executive produce toon versions of SINBAD THE SAILOR (1946), BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE (1952) and the Three Musketeers film, AT SWORD'S POINT (1952). "Well make them kid friendly," Roman said about the interpretation of the RKO library. "Maybe have a kid as the main character. There is so many ways to adapt them and I dont want to have a formula. Each film is going to have its own challenges.

Throughout the summer Cartoon Network has been airing a different pilot on Friday evenings, cumulating in the August 25-27, "Voice Your Choice Weekend." Viewers voted for their favorite pilot and the top three will become the next series on Cartoon Network. Surviving the length of the summer after being the first pilot broadcast, THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY AND MANDY was the top pick to join the channels 2001 schedule.

On Friday, August 25, 2000, cartoonist Carl Barks, who reinvented the fowl-mouthed Donald Duck into an endearing Everyman on the comic book page, passed away. He died at his home in southern Oregon of leukemia. He was 99 years old. Barks started his association with the Walt Disney Co. in the early 1930s as an in-betweener and then moved over to the story department to write gags for many of the early Donald Duck cartoons. In 1943, he moved over to Western Publishing, which published Walt Disney comic books, to draw the Donald Duck segments for WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES.