AWN Headline News

Buena Vista'ssupernatural thriller THE SIXTH SENSE, with visual effects by DreamQuest,finished fifth at the US weekend boxoffice, grossing $7,025,098 for a totalof $234,547,781. Other animation-related films in the top 40 include:Lucasfilm's STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE finished 15th with$697,097 for a total of $425,360,285; DreamWorks SKG's THE HAUNTING, withdigital effects by ILM, finished 17th with $350,352 for a total of$90,114,112; The Walt Disney Company's INSPECTOR GADGET, with digital

Columbia-Tri Star Home Video is releasing a collector's edition DVD ofHEAVY METAL which was supervised by Gerald Potterton and released in 1981.Those who bought the laser rot-prone laserdisc that was released threeyears ago will want to purchase this new release even if their LD remainsin pristine condition. The movie is digitally remastered and in widescreen,with anamorphic video. Hopefully, that means it has a new transfer that,unlike the previous widescreen release, does not cut off the top and bottom

Los Angeles-based CHEQUEMATE INTERNATIONAL INC., doing business as C-3DDigital Inc., a 3D media company that provides broadcasting andentertainment companies with the technology to deliver 3D entertainment toany standard television 24 hours a day, has appointed media marketingexpert DANIEL R. THOMPSON to the C-3D Digital Board. Thompson is thefounder and head of Hollywood entertainment agency A Creative Group (ACG)which specializes in product placement, promotional advertising, programsponsorships, and distribution.

SANFORD M. (SANDY) LITVACK has been named vice chairman of the board of THEWALT DISNEY COMPANY. Litvack joined Disney in April, 1991, as senior vicepresident and general counsel, and was promoted to executive vice presidentthe following December. In May, 1992, he assumed the additional duties ofexecutive in charge of human resources. Before joining The Walt DisneyCompany, Litvack was a member of the executive committee and chairman ofthe litigation department of the international law firm Dewey Ballantine.

Waterloo, Ontario-based Jedor Inc. has released Viscosity 1.0, a newsoftware package that puts the process of 2D image editing and animationinto one application, and enables both novice and advanced graphicdesigners to create, edit, and view animated graphics for web sites, videoclips, and multimedia presentations. Viscosity differs from traditionalimage editing software by totally integrating highly visual animationtools, animated effects, and real-time playback directly into Viscosity's

Orlando, Florida-based AARGH! ANIMATION, INC. (not related to the abovecompany) is co-producing a series of :10 and :30 spots for Cold-Eeze coldmedicine that combines live-action with cel animation. Mark Simon and DaveKallaher directed the animation. The three :10 spots consist of a celanimated plane that swoops into frame over a six layer multi-plane ofmoving clouds. The computer generated product packages fly out of the planeand are presented close to camera. In the :30 spots, live-action passengers

Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a center for high-tech entertainment andeducation, will host ALL EYES ON CGI. The presentation will feature arepresentative from Sony Pictures Imageworks, whose talent and technologycontributed to the upcoming feature film STUART LITTLE in which for thefirst time ever, audiences are introduced to a three-dimensional,photo-realistic, performance based, computer generated movie star.Admission is $10. The events takes place Thursday, September 30, 6:30 pm in

North Hollywood, California-based NETTER DIGITAL, which provides 3D andspecial effects animation services, has named JAY FUKUTO to the newposition of senior vice president of animation. Fukuto has been senior vicepresident at MGM Animation since 1997, where he oversaw the development andproduction of MGM's animated theatrical features and direct-to-video moviesincluding THE SECRET OF NIMH II, AN ALL DOGS CHRISTMAS CAROL and TOM SAWYER.