AWN Headline News

DreamWorks SKG, the Hollywood film studio co-founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, pulled out of a deal to build a new $250 million studio on July 1, 1999 because it could not reach a financing agreement. DreamWorks said it was unable to reach a financing deal that "makes good business sense." The closely held company also cited rising construction costs and tougher financing terms due to the rebound in the Los Angeles real estate market. Last year DreamWorks signed a deal with developer Playa Capital Co.

Fox Family Channel has named Nancy Redford Vice President of Programming and Development. Redford will oversee day-to-day management and adminstration of live-action and animated daytime programming and development for Fox Family. She will also serve as production executive on several children's series coming up this fall, including JELLABIES and WEIRD OHS. Redford had been Associate Vice President of Programming and Development for Fox.

Vancouver, British Columbia-based a.k.a Cartoon, Inc., Danny Antonucci's studio, has hired. Falconer as storyboard supervisor/storyboard director, and Marlene Robinson-May as storyboard director and animation timing director. Falconer previously worked at Vancouver-based Mainframe Entertainment on REBOOT, BEAST WARS, and WAR PLANETS. Childhood chums Falconer and Antonucci worked together at Vancouver-based International Rocketship in the '80s on Antonucci's LUPO THE BUTCHER.

The Walt Disney Company has named four executives to new positions. ETIENNE DE VILLIERS has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Europe; MICHAEL O. JOHNSON has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Asia; DIEGO LERNER has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Latin America; and PAUL SALEH has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer, Walt Disney International.

Despite poor reviews, Warner Bros.' newly released James Bond/Western genremix, WILD WILD WEST, with visual effects by ILM, took in an estimated $36.8million over the weekend for a total of $50.1 million to finish first inthe Independence Day holiday weekend US boxoffice race. Disney's TARZANfinished third, taking in $19.2 million for a total of $110.8 million; therisqué SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT, directed by Trey Parker,finished fourth with a weekend gross of $14.8 million for a total of $23.1

The 6th Bradford Animation Festival, which took place June 19-24 inBradford, England, has announced the following winners. The BradfordAnimation Festival is a project of the newly-renovated National Museum ofPhotography, Film and Television in England.

Non-Professional, Under 16: MILAN by Animation Station and Young AsianGirls Group

Experimental: HIT PARADE by Animation Films Vienna

Adults, Non-Professional: NIGHT WATCH by James Hall

Digital: BUNNY by Chris Wedge

Women in Animation L.A. showcases short animated films and works by WIAmembers at every WIA General Meeting. Have your film screened in front ofseveral hundred of Los Angeles' animation leaders! If you have a film, orcan suggest a film to be screened, contact Wendy Jackson at (213) 441-9340;or e-mail animationist@geocities.com.

PG Studio is a production management tool that helps production housesproduce cost effective computer animation. Among its features are scriptand storyboard breakdown into scenes, shots, and frames; organization ofproduction documents according to script structure; identification ofproduction tasks from the script; allocation of production tasks tocreative and technical staff; establishment of total task time within theschedule; compilation of a running production budget including staff and

Washington, D.C.-based Interface Media Group did the 3D animation for"Warning Label." Developed through Washington, D.C.-based Ogilvy PublicRelations Worldwide for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta,Georgia, the spots use two 3D characters, Carson and Noma, to help stressthe need for protection from ultra-violet sunrays to avoid skin cancer.Carol Hilliard was art director and 3D animator. Live-action footage wasproduced by Washington, D.C.-based ThinkFilm. Joe Becker directed andStephanie Antosca Boright produced for ThinkFilm.