AWN Headline News

The Harvey Entertainment Company has selected New York-based Xceed, Inc., amarketing and communications company that specializes in interactiveservices, to develop a family oriented portal to exploit Harvey's brands onthe Web. Harvey Entertainment owns the rights to an extensive list ofwell-known cartoon characters, including Casper, the Friendly Ghost, RichieRich, Baby Huey, Wendy the Witch and Hot Stuff. Potential programming forthe portal include Harvey's classic animation library, stories from Harvey

The Giant Screen Theater Association (GSTA) Annual Meeting. Mark Osborne'sMORE, the experimental large format short film sponsored by the LargeFormat Cinema Association (LFCA) and nominated for a 1998 Academy Award,will be one of the New Film presentations. The New Film screenings at GSTAwill give operators of institutional and commercial large format theatersthe opportunity to consider the film for their venues. The event takesplace Saturday, September 11 - Wednesday, September 15 in New York, New

The 2nd Matita International Animation Film Festival is a competitiveanimation festival. In addition to the official competition, this year'sprogram includes an Italian film program, a profile of the CFT Gobelinsschool, a tribute to Jiri Trnka, a Barry Purves retrospective and a forumabout new technologies. The event takes place Thursday, September 23 -Sunday, September 26 in Guardiagrele, Italy. For more information contactCamillo DíAlessandro, Mila Paterra, Ex Novo/ Mff, via dei Crociferi, 44,

Join the Scooby Doo Birthday Celebration Party Cruise and celebrate ScoobyDoo's 30th Anniversary. The cruise takes place Sunday, September 12, 2 pmaboard the M.V. Tiki and sets off from Fun Zone Boat Company, located nearthe end of the Balboa Peninsula in California, USA. R.S.V.P. tomfadanes@cataroo.com. Also, for more information, including directions,visit pweb.netcom.com/~cataroo/events.html.

San Francisco-based CURIOUS PICTURES has finished "Decide & Conquer," a :30spot for Lugz athletic shoes. Directed by Jerry van de Beek, the spotresembles a video game and features Fantm Sklz, a hip male character, whomaneuvers through the obstacles of New York City, scoring points as hemakes his way to his final destination. Curious used 3D Studio MAX, AdobeAfter Effects and Discreet Paint for this project. New York-based AmsterYard was the agency.

New York City-based THE ATTIK has created the new visual style for UnitedParamount Network (UPN), the sixth largest network in the US, to help brandits new identity for its fall season. This includes promos, opens,transitions, and ids. To create the package, The Attik developed a seriesof models formed from translucent plastic and glass, and photographed themon an animation bed. The elements were edited to generate a sense offluctuation in the energy of the UPN logo, which was then combined with a

Los Angeles-based WinStar, which has recently released a number of publicdomain titles under the CARTOON CRAZYS heading, is releasing a "fullyrestored" version of the Fleischer Bros. 1939 feature, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS,on DVD and VHS on September 28, 1999 in the US. Transferred from a newlystruck print taken from an original negative, this version featuresenhanced audio remixed in Dolby Digital and Dolby Surround sound. Themusical score also has been remastered with additional scoring and

Cambridge, UK-based Cambridge Animation has released Animo ProductionTracker - new software that allows studios to use the Internet, intranetsand internal networks to track every aspect of a production cycle. AnimoProduction Tracker software automates management of the thousands ofdrawings and different personnel involved in a typical project, allowingusers to better ascertain progress, determine costs, allocate resources,and eliminate duplication. The new software is fully integrated with Animo,

Art In Motion focuses on innovative content and diversity. The criteria forentry is time rather than medium based, and therefore video, film anddigital projects, animations, Websites, CD-Roms etc. are all eligible.Hybrids are particularly welcome. The festival will take place on January28, 2000 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Thedeadline for entries is November 1, 1999. There will be a $1000 "Best ofShow" award and "first place" allocations in each exhibition category. Formore information visit www.usc.edu/go/aim.

Viacom Inc., which owns MTV and Paramount Pictures, has offered to buy CBSCorp., one of the Big Three US television broadcasters, for $37 billion instock, the largest media transaction ever. The new company, which willstill be called Viacom, will be led by Sumner Redstone who will remainViacom's chairman and chief executive. CBS President and Chief ExecutiveMel Karmazin will be president and chief operating officer. The deal ispart of what is expected to be a wave of consolidation in the TV industry