Unless you've been asleep for most of the year, it's hard to miss how pivotal and important a year 1998 was to the animation world. What you'll find below is not a comprehensive listing of all the news, but rather the highlights and landmarks that helped make this an animated year to remember.

Manga Disarms General Chaos

© Manga U.S. anime distributor Manga Entertainment made a bold move this year by introducing General Chaos, a compilation of animated shorts meant to compete with the long-running Spike & Mike animation festivals. However, the touring film program proved unsuccessful, shutting down in the same year it started and leaving the door wide open for © Manga U.S. anime distributor Manga Entertainment made a bold move this year by introducing General Chaos, a compilation of animated shorts meant to compete with the long-running Spike & Mike animation festivals. However, the touring film program proved unsuccessful, shutting down in the same year it started and leaving the door wide open for Spike & Mike to continue their reign. [1/27/98]

Universal Forays Into Features

Universal Pictures announced their entry into the animation world by forming Universal Pictures Animation and Visual Effects, co-headed by John Swallow and Doug Wood. Their first project is an all-CGI Frankenstein animated feature. [2/03/98]

Disney Opens Animal Kingdom

Disney's new 500-acre theme park, Animal Kingdom, opened in Orlando, Florida on April 22. Many of the attractions utilize state-of-the-art technology and animation such as "It's Tough to be a Bug" and "Countdown to Extinction," while a number of the stage shows are based on animated features like The Lion King, Pocohontas and Jungle