Improv gives animators the power to orchestrate
Improv Technologies, Inc., a New York-based software development company,announced that their flagship product, Orchestrate3D, will be shipping inMarch 2000. A beta version of the tool, which is designed to improvework-flow by allowing artists to reuse animated content to 'orchestrate'new animations, will be available in December. The initial release is beingdeveloped for Maya, 3D Studio MAX, and SOFTIMAGE|3D only, and will besolely available for Windows NT. However an IRIX version is planned for
Warner Bros. announces ANIMANIACS feature on video
On December 21, 1999 Warner Home Video will debut the first feature-length,fully animated Animaniacs movie, STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS ANIMANIACS:WAKKO'S WISH. WAKKO'S WISH will be the flagship offering in the first waveof the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment "Century 2000 Collection," whichwill bring audiences 11 Family Movie Favorites. WAKKO'S WISH will feature10 original songs created specifically for the movie. The film begins inthe little village of Acme Falls -- where the once-cheerful and prosperous
MTV Networks Online announces Nickelodeon Online
Viacom's MTV Networks Online has announced the formation of NickelodeonOnline, a new Internet-only company that combines several already existingNickelodeon Web sites, as well as some new sites. Leading the new companyis Nickelodeon veteran Taran Swan, who has been named senior-vice presidentof the new company. Swan will report directly to Fred Seibert, president ofMTV Networks Online and Chairman of Nickelodeon Online. Prior toNickelodeon Online, Swan was the General Manager for Nickelodeon Latin
Aardman signs four picture deal with DreamWorks
DreamWorks SKG, the company behind THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, and distributor ofPDI's ANTZ, has expressed their pleasure with Bristol, England-basedAardman Animations' forthcoming CHICKEN RUN by signing the Peter Lord/DavidSproxton/Nick Park company to a four feature deal. DreamWorks isdistributing the clay animated CHICKEN RUN, set to be released June 23,2000, in the US. CHICKEN RUN, which is described as THE GREAT ESCAPE withchickens, is being co-directed by Peter Lord (ADAM, WAT'S PIG) and Nick
Disney Forms The Secret Lab
Dream Quest Images, the visual effects division of The Walt Disney Companysince 1996, will join creative forces with Disney's in-house FeatureAnimation computer graphics unit to form a new entity called The Secret Lab(TSL). The Secret Lab, which will be based at Feature Animation's Northsidefacility in Burbank, California, will provide state-of-the-art CGIcharacter animation and visual effects for a variety of the Studio'slive-action projects in addition to producing computer-animated features.
More Annie Award nominee clips and images now on-line!
More nominees are now featured in AWN's first, official 27th Annual AnnieAwards Showcase on the Internet, presented in conjunction withASIFA-Hollywood...
London Effects & Animation Festival set to begin!
The sixth London Effects & Animation Festival (November 16 - 18, 1999) is athree-day event celebrating outstanding achievement, previewingground-breaking technologies in computer generated animation and specialeffects, and introducing participants to the very latest ideas, techniquesand tricks in this incredibly fast-moving business. An international castof speakers offer up-to-the minute briefings on their latest work andtechnical developments. Over 1000 of Europe's leading creatives will be
Visual Magic Magazine is looking for contributors!
Yes, you heard it right! Visual Magic Magazine will be re-launching on AWNin November, sporting a brand new look, but bringing you the same stellarlineup of features, tutorials, interviews and news. We are actively lookingfor new contributors...
Bill Plympton around the world!
Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. In the next months, hisfilms will be appearing in various festivals and other events around theworld. Bill will be attending the events scheduled at the Columbus Collegeof Art and the Savannah Art Institute, as well as the Mystery and Noir FilmFestival and Campione Noir, both in Italy. Also, the storyboard of Bill'snext feature "Mutant Aliens!" -- expected in late 2000 -- is being releasedas a comic book! The French version is already available at the
New ADULTS ONLY Plympton Comic of the Week!
Check out this weeks comics for ADULTS ONLY, extracted from thecomic book, "Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton"...
This week's Animation Trivia Quiz: The Fleischer Studio
This week's AWN Animation Trivia Quiz features questions about the Fleischer Studio...
A Closer Look: Winning Schools
The second International Student Animation Festival of Ottawa (SAFO)wrapped up on Sunday. The festival received an astonishing 745 entries,from students, and, this year, first time filmmakers. 59 student films,ranging from primary, secondary and post-secondary levels were screened.The international jury, comprised of Suzanne Buchan (Switzerland), EricDarnell (USA), Peter Dougherty (USA/UK), George Griffin (USA), and MarcyPage (Canada), awarded the Grand Prix, Best Film In Competition, to
PHANTOM MENACE overseas boxoffice surpasses domestic boxoffice
Lucasfilm's STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE took in $16.5 millionlast weekend (October 15 - 17), bringing its overseas gross to US$428million, surpassing its domestic gross of US$426.8 million. The film openedin France with US$11.02 million, the best ever opening in France for a USfilm.
Don't miss this program of animated short films from Germany
The Goethe-Institut is presenting a program featuring nine new animatedshort films from Germany. In conjunction with this screening AcademyAward-winning visual effects specialist, Volker Engel, will be speaking.The German-born animator will comment on the film selections and discussanimation and special effects in general. Engel's credits include visualeffects work on GODZILLA and INDEPENDENCE DAY, for which he won the Oscar.Films from Thomas Meyer-Hermann, Heinrich Sabl, Thomas Stellmach, Tyron
Don't miss this exhibit of work by German animators
An exhibition of New Animation from Germany consisting of models,paintings, sketches and production shots from the works of eight youngGerman animators will be on display at Chapman University. The event takesplace Monday, November 1 - Wednesday, December 15, 1999 in Orange,California, USA. For more information including a screening schedule call:(714) 997-6729.
Women In Animation sponsors the Third Annual Career Day Event
Women In Animation sponsors the Third Annual Career Day Event. Paneldiscussions include "Animation: The Reality of the Business" and "YourMarketing Tools: Resumes, Portfolios and Demo Reels." There will also be aportfolio/demo reel review, and small group workshops for both computer andtraditional animation. The events takes place Saturday, November 6, 9 am -3 pm in Burbank, California, USA. Space is limited, so RSVP is required.Fees are $15 for WIA members, and $20 for non-members. Checks must be
Disney debuts FANTASIA/2000 Web site
A Web site for FANTASIA/2000 launched on Friday, October 22. The siteexplores various aspects of the creation of the film -- the art, musicand technology -- through virtual visits to Roy Disney's office, ananimator's work station and a scoring stage. The site will feature sneakpreview clips from the film, interviews with the artistic and musicaltalents as well as games and activities. The site will also provide acomplete listing of IMAX theatres around the world that will be debuting
"A Week with the Masters" set to begin
Toonz Animation India, a new animation production studio and full-servicefacility, will host "A Week with the Masters," which will bring the topnames in international animation pre-production together to discuss theimportance of story boarding, character design, and story development.Among the guests will be keynote speaker Rob Coleman, Industrial Light &Magic's Animation Supervisor on STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE;producer-director-writer Derek Lamb; Ian Diamond of Cartoon Network;
Harvey hires Spumco
The Harvey Entertainment Company, which owns the rights to such charactersas Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich, has announced an agreementwith Spumco Inc. (the company founded in 1989 by John Kricfalusi to makeTHE REN & STIMPY SHOW for Nickelodeon) to produce cartoons createdspecifically for the Internet based upon classic Harvey characters. Thecartoons will run from two to seven minutes in length utilizing newstorylines written for Harvey characters such as Spooky, Little Audrey,
Ottawa Student Animation Festival results are in!
The Ottawa International Student Animation Festival (SAFO) announced the grand prize winners in this year'scompetition on Sunday, October 24, 1999. The festival stated that, "Thisyear's winners show the high quality of work coming out of schools, bothlocally, nationally, and internationally."
The winners in the various competitions are as follows as reported by thefestival:
Grand Prix: Best Film In Competition -- GRACE, Lorelei Pepi, USA
Grand Prix: Best School In Competition -- Royal College of Art, England
Disney plans to finish Salvador Dali film
Work, in the form of original concept drawings, as well as 18 seconds of animation, done by Salvador Daliin 1946 at the Disney studio for a never-completed film called DESTINO, isbeing dusted off by Disney vice chairman Roy Disney (Junior) and will becompleted as an art house cartoon by the Disney studio, according to theLondon SUNDAY TIMES. "I am going to finish the work of Salvador Dali,"Disney told the newspaper. "At Disney, we need to recover our history." Theproduction will be supervised by Disney, who is a son of Roy Disney (Walt
Television Tidbits
The WB has already removed its new primetime animatedseries MISSION HILL from its Friday night line-up due to poor ratings. (Itspremiere episode finished 115th in the ratings for the week of October 4 -10.) It's expected to return as a midseason replacement. New episodes of SOUTHPARK return beginning next Wednesday, October 27 at 10 pm on COMEDYCENTRAL, with an all-new Halloween special, KORN'S GROOVY PIRATE GHOSTMYSTERY, guest starring the band, KORN. . . MTV is developing an animated
WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION promotes BOB BACON
WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION has promoted BOB BACON to the position ofvice president of finance. Bacon will oversee production finance for all ofFeature Animation, including both traditional and CGI-based projects atDisney's Burbank, Orlando and Paris animation studios. Most recently, Baconserved as Feature Animation's director of production finance.
DISNEY PUBLISHING announces appointments
DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE has made several appointments. GUIDOMASTROPAOLO has been named Director of Global Planning and BusinessDevelopment for Disney Publishing Worldwide. Located in Paris,Mastropaolo's duties will include leading international initiatives to growrevenue by negotiating acquisitions, new business ventures and majorlicensing deals in order to ensure meeting overall publishing financialgoals. In addition, he will co-manage the strategic planning process and
BATS finishes seventh at US boxoffice
Destination Films' newly released horror film, BATS, with visual effects byNorth Hollywood, California-based Netter Digital Entertainment, Inc.,finished seventh at the US weekend boxoffice, grossing an estimated $4.7million. Buena Vista's supernatural thriller THE SIXTH SENSE, with visualeffects by DreamQuest, finished ninth, grossing $4.3 million for a total of$255.7 million.
