Tim Burton To Stain Shockwave.com
Tim Burton, creator of NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, has inked a deal to
bring a series of animated shorts featuring his Stainboy character to
shockwave.com. Viewers will be able to download the charcoal-drawn
superhero's first five-minute short sometime in Spring 2000. Under the
terms of the deal, Burton will keep full artistic control over the
characters and properties. The William Morris Agency brokered the deal
which allows for the cross over to TV if the shorts become a hit on the
Oscar's Animated Short List
AMPAS announced on Wednesday, January 26, 2000, its short list of ten films
to be considered for the coveted Oscar nomination for best animated short
film. Three to five of these films will be selected as nominees and
announced at 5:30 am PST on February 15, 2000. The 10 animated short films
making the list this year are: Aardman Animations' Peter Peaks' HUMDRUM;
Character Builders' Oscar Moore has two short listed films with THE
INDESCRIBABLE NTH and THE PHOX, THE BOX AND THE LOX, which screened earlier
CHROME Imaging Releases Photonyx 1.5
A new Switzerland-based company, CHROME Imaging, recently announced their
solution to the wonderful world of post-production Photonyx 1.5 is now
shipping. CHROME claims that the software, which is priced at a mere
US$675, was designed to address the high-end post-production market. The
program features RealTools, a painting palette which simulates real world
tools such as crayons, airbrush and charcoal. But moving on to compositing,
Photonyx features "Virtual Screens" technology which offers realtime zoom
RE:Vision Effects Announced ReelSmart Motion Blur
RE:Vision Effects recently released ReelSmart Motion Blur, a plug-in for
After Effects 4.0, Commotion 2.0+ and Final Cut Pro. The plug-in is
designed to apply more natural looking motion blur to effects shots and
video sequences within After Effects. ReelSmart Motion Blur automatically
tracks every pixel in the shot which takes the handy-work out of the
process. Features include reduced strobing, fewer artifacts, and a tool
which lets one blur one image sequence using the motion of another
Disney's Go.com Goes In A New Direction
On Thursday, January 27, 2000, Disney announced their decision to change
the direction of their Go.com from an all purpose portal and search engine
like AOL.com, Lycos and Yahoo! to strictly an entertainment and leisure
destination. This announcement comes on the same day as The U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit repealed the stay [AF 12/7/99] on a previous
injunction that bans the use of Go.com's green and yellow traffic light
logo. Disney was given the stay to allow them the chance to remove the logo
A Closer Look: Zagreb's Studio gets into Distribution
For the first time, Zagreb studio's library was offered for international
distribution at NATPE a year ago. The library offered all of Zagreb's
award-winning short films, including the works of such masters as Zlatko
Grgic ("Devil's Work") and Dusan Vukotic (his short "Ersatz" was the first
non-U.S. animated film to receive an Academy Award). Since then, Rembrandt
Films and Image Entertainment have released on video five hours of
animation from Zagreb Film. This is just another distribution deal, and
Women In Animation Writers' Group
* Thursday, February 10, 2000. Westwood, California, U.S.A.
The Women In Animation Writers' Group will meet at Saban Entertainment at
7:30 pm. This month's topic is the animation premise and general animation
structure. The charge for the workshop is US$5. RSVP required. For more
information please contact Jean Ann Wright at: Tel.: (818) 360-8321 or
E-mail: jjwright@gte.net.
AWN's Winter 2000 Animation School Directory Now Available
It's finally here!...The Winter 2000 Animation School Directory is your
complete, indispensable reference guide to over 440 animation related
schools and educational programs, from 37 countries...
Costa Mesa Coast College Seeks Digital Media Arts Instructor
California-based, Costa Mesa Coast College has a contract (tenure track),
full-time position to teach multimedia, 2-D and 3-D animation and
interactive concepts...
Bill Plympton Encounters Mutants
Bill's next feature, to be released in 2001, will be based on the graphic
novel "Mutant Aliens"...
QAS Latest News
The Quickdraw Animation Society web site has been updated...
Twenty Additions to AWN's Calendar of Events
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes twenty new events,
from animation, short film and visual arts festivals to an advertising arts
competition, to business conferences...
New at Visual Magic Magazine
Visual Magic Magazine, AWN's 3D animation and digital effects on-line
magazine, has posted a new article...
Plympton's Comic of the Week
Plympton's new series of comics extracted from the comic book, "Sleazy
Cartoons of Bill Plympton," is for ADULTS ONLY...
This Week's Animation Trivia Quiz
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz...
One Week Left to Win "CARTOONS: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation!"
Sign up now for AWN's ANIMATION FLASH Newsletter and your name will be
entered in a drawing to win a copy of this comprehensive history and
critique of world animation, acclaimed as a classic work of scholarship,
and an indispensable addition to any animation library. AWN is giving away
ten copies of this prestigious book to its subscribers by drawing lots.
This exceptional Millennium drawing is open to all new subscribers and
re-subscribers who buy a yearly subscription of the ANIMATION FLASH before
Dick & Paula Back On FX
FX's offbeat series, THE DICK AND PAULA CELEBRITY SPECIAL, will return in
March with seven new episodes. Produced by Tom Snyder Productions, the show
follows Worcester, Massachusetts' favorite husband and wife talk show team.
The series features interviews with real and fictionalized characters,
including famous and even infamous historical figures. Some crazy moments
coming up on the series include: the first sighting of The Blair Witch as
she discusses her 10K Run for Testicular Cancer Awareness; Joan of Arc
Stan Brakhage Screening
* Saturday, January 29 - Sunday, January 30, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario will present a series of screening of
animator/filmmaker Stan Brakhage's work. Since 1952, Brakhage has
experimented with manipulating celluloid by directly scratching,
hand-painting, etching and collage on its surface. What makes these works
so exquisite is the precision with which they are made. Brakhage's abstract
films are rewarding viewing for anyone interested in cameraless filmmaking
Norman McLaren Screening
* Saturday, February 5, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario presents a screening of Canadian animator Norman
McLaren's work. McLaren was one of the most prolific and inventive figures
in abstract cinema and experimental animation. McLaren's greatest abstract
films from five decades of work will be shown like: BEGONE DULL CARE,
SPHERES, BLINKITY BLANK and SYNCHROMY. The event will be held in the Art
Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall at 2 pm. Jackman Hall Box Office opens 30
Round-Up: Recent International Gems
* Sunday, February 6, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario will present "Round-Up: Recent International Gems"
featuring animation and experimental films. The screening will include
British Columbia-based animator Richard Reeves' LINEAR DREAMS. Other works
on the programme explore different areas of abstraction outside the realm
of animation. Jackman Hall Box Office opens 30 minutes prior to the first
screening of the day. All screenings restricted to individuals 18 years of
Careers In Animation Lecture
* Tuesday, February 8, 2000. Glendale, CA, U.S.A.
Women in Animation, ASIFA-Hollywood and Glendale Community College proudly
present the Fourth Annual Lecture Series "Careers in Animation." This
year's presenter will be Frank Gladstone, head of Artistic Development at
DreamWorks SKG Animation. Gladstone has been a professional animator,
producer, director, writer and teacher for more than twenty-five years.
Between 1973 and 1989, he managed his own award-winning studio, Persistence
CINAR Settles Wimzie Lawsuit
CINAR Corporation, makers of ARTHUR and THE BUSY WORLD OF RICHARD SCARRY,
have settled the lawsuit filed last year against them by the Jim Henson
Company. The lawsuit claimed that CINAR's WIMZIE'S HOUSE features puppets
that violate Jim Henson's copyright and trademark rights on their puppets.
In the settlement, CINAR and its licensees Eden LLC and Carson-Dellose
Publishing Company denied and continue to deny wrongdoing or liability for
infringement. The agreement, the terms of which are confidential, allows
Raining Cats & Dogs At Warner
In the wake of Sony's success with STUART LITTLE, Warner Bros. has
greenlighted a live-action/animated feature, CATS AND DOGS. Recently,
Warner has been looking to see if it could get a quick family-flick
finished for a Christmas 2000 release, however it looks like the studio
will take its time and shoot for a 2001 holiday release for CATS AND DOGS.
The story follows the neighborhood war between cats and dogs that occurs
right underneath human's feet without them even noticing. Reuters reported
Stuart Little Checks In At #4
Sony's LITTLE hero slipped two spots to fourth place in the U.S. box office
behind live-action flicks NEXT FRIDAY, DOWN TO YOU and THE HURRICANE.
STUART LITTLE, with primary visual effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks,
additional animation by CFX and Rhythm & Hues, and miniatures by
Thunderstone, grossed US$6.41 million bringing its total to $117.1 million.
THE GREEN MILE, with primary visual effects by ILM, Rhythm & Hues, POP and
Matte World Digital, stayed in 5th place grossing $5.39 million bringing
"Independent" Disney's First Quarter Results
The Walt Disney Company has announced its financial results for its
operations excluding its Internet business, GO.com. Disney pro forma
diluted earnings per share excluding GO.com were $0.25 for the quarter
ended December 31, 1999, a 9% increase over the prior year. Disney revenues
increased 5% to $6.8 billion and operating income increased 8% to $1.1
billion. Excluding the retained interest in GO.com, net income increased 7%
to $515 million. Broadcasting results for the quarter were driven up by
