According to a VARIETY report, Clive Smith, veteran animator and Nelvana senior executive VP, has resigned from the Toronto-based animation company to pursue other projects. Smith started Nelvana in 1971 with Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert, who will remain at the company as co-CEOs. Smith was the creative force behind such shows as BABAR, RUPERT and CARE BEARS and most recently was involved in the development of HEIDI, a feature adaptation of the classic childrens story.
Sav! The World Productions brings its latest animated program to MIPCOM with MOLLY, STAR-RACER. Described by the creators as Japanimation meets European 3D, MOLLY is an explosive mix of comedy and epic racing scenes in 3D CGI animation. Strongly influenced by their childhood memories of anime series like DRAGON BALL and LUPIN THE 3RD, as well as by cult classics like Hanna Barberas WACKY RACES or Saint Exupérys LE PETIT PRINCE, the creators of MOLLY have mixed styles and techniques to create a fresh new kind of entertainment.
DIC Entertainment and Celedor International have joined together to produce, distribute and merchandise an animated series inspired by the popular game show WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? Capitalizing on the enormous success of the game show, which is broadcast in over 100 countries, WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE: THE ANIMATED SERIES features an animated host that will launch game show winners on fantastic journeys as they fulfill their millionaire dreams. The program will be introduced at MIPCOM 2001.
Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Latin America, Inc. has reached an agreement with DIRECTV Latin America, LLC (DIRECTV) for satellite distribution in Latin America of Boomerang, the 24-hour network that offers classic animated entertainment. Launched into the Latin American region in July of 2001, Boomerang continues to expand its reach in the market by adding DIRECTV's satellite distribution. Reaching more than 1.4 million direct-to-home customers, DIRECTV Latin America becomes one of the largest distributors for Boomerang in the region.
Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials, a division of Klasky Csupo, Inc., has signed animation director Chris Prynoski for commercial representation. Prynoski recently finished directing a Budweiser spot for Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials and DDB Chicago called, Foot-Long Hot Dog Inventor. Prynoski has previously worked for MTVs animation division as a storyboard artist, designer, layout artist, animator and director. During his stint at MTV, he worked on shows including BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD, THE HEAD and DARIA.
Hayao Miyazaki's film PRINCESS MONONOKE was the top grossing film in Japan until TITANIC was released in 1998 and broke box office records, becoming the highest grossing film in that country. This week VARIETY reported that Hayao Miyazaki's latest feature SPIRITED AWAY has set a new audience record in Japan, surpassing the mark held by TITANIC. Since its July 20, 2001 debut, SPIRITED AWAY has been seen by 16.9 million viewers, while TITANIC saw 16.8 million admissions total after its release.
The Sundance Channels Sonic Cinema series is airing an episode that focuses on animation for music videos. SONIC CINEMA: ANIMATORS delves into the rich and ever-expanding universe of animated music. The program is made up of music videos, short films and short-form documentaries and features the talents of Bill Plympton, Mark Brierley, Jamie Hewlett, Tomas Apodaca, Tim Hope and the Toei Animation Studio. SONIC CINEMA: ANIMATORS airs on The Sundance Channel on October 19, 2001 at 11 pm and Sunday, October 21, 2001 at 1 am.
Here is a viewers guide to the notable animation and special effects releases on DVD and VHS for the month of October, 2001:
October 2:
In an election supervised by assemblyman Paul Koretz, chair of the California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, the writers from six of Nickelodeons animated series voted 19 to 2 in favor of Writers Guild of America, west (WGAw) representation. Sequoia Voting Systems, an independent company that provides election services to unions and state and local governments, received and counted the ballots.
Jerry Pooler has been appointed creative director and Brad Reinke manager of the Cinesite Hollywood Digital Restoration division. "Jerry Pooler and Brad Reinke are a great team," says Ruth Scovill, president and COO of Cinesite Hollywood. "They are leading an ambitious effort to leverage the most advanced digital technology to help our customers faithfully restore priceless films in their libraries to their original condition." Pooler has been a visual effects and restoration supervisor at Cinesite since 1992.
The Macromedia Flash Player has been integrated into Liberate's open, standards-based interactive television platform for commercial deployment. The integration of the Macromedia Flash Player makes it possible for the more than one million Macromedia Flash developers to create compelling content and applications for interactive TV on the Liberate TV Platform software.
Graphics studio and publisher Marlin Studios has released PANORAMICA - LAND & SKY, a 2 CD-Rom set created by artist and photographer David Campbell. The product is the twelfth in a series of texture libraries created for use by 2D and 3D graphics artists. PANORAMICA is a collection of beautifully photographed and post-processed panoramic land and sky backgrounds, in full hemispherical and 180/240/360-degree formats. Matching 3D models are included for the various size textures. Also included is a set of six stop-action animated cloud formations, suitable for video and other applications.
* Wednesday, June 05 - Sunday, June 09, 2002, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Entry Deadline: Friday, February 01, 2002
New York-based production company, Babelfish Productions, will be attending MIPCOM with their partners, the U.K.s Channel 5 & Channel 5 International and Klik Animation of Canada, to promote ALIENS AMONG US. The 65-part show tells the story of a renegade alien kid, Cosnok, from the planet Gontop, who gets inside the minds of children from all over planet earth to find out what he should do about a variety of issues -- from best friends and school bullies to moving house and first love. ALIENS AMONG US blends 3D animation with live-action docu-drama to create a unique new hybrid.
The Splash! Group will make its international debut as a television program distributor at this year's MIPCOM market. In addition to the successful pre-school animated series LITTLE MONSTERS, Splash! is producing and distributing several new and established properties, some of which will be offered to the international television market for the first time. The second series of LITTLE MONSTERS will commence production in fall of 2001, with an expected delivery of fall 2002.
Assemblyman Paul Koretz, Chair of the California Assembly Labor Committee, has agreed to oversee an impartial election for union representation on behalf of writers on six Nickelodeon animated series. The election will take place Wednesday, October 3, 2001 at Nickelodeon Studios, 231 W. Olive Ave., Burbank. The polling place will close at 12:00 noon. Immediately following the vote Sequoia Voting Systems will tabulate the results and Assemblyman Koretz will announce the results.
Animation studio Wild Brain, Inc. has continued the expansion of its global operations with the launch of its new creative services studio Wild Brain UK, LLC based in London. Wild Brain UK is headed by animation and commercial creative director Mike Smith and managing producer Nikki Kefford, with director Tom Gravestock also on board. Powered by talent from London's animation community, Wild Brain UK will be committed to developing emerging talent with a wide-range of distinctive and eclectic styles. Mike Smith, who has spent the last 10 years in the U.S., working at Warner Bros.
* Friday, January 25 - Sunday, January 27, 2002 in Boulder, Colorado.
Entry Deadline: Monday, October 15, 2001
Design, visual effects and animation studio Spontaneous Combustion has created the visual effects and completed the conform for a trio of witty 15-second spots for Staples, Inc. (Framingham, MA), an official sponsor of the NFL for the last six years. The Statistics campaign was developed by Cliff Freeman and Partners (New York, NY) and pays homage to the NFL's on-air graphic displays, over-the-top analysis and cult following.
![Newtek Releases Lightwave 3D [7b] Update](https://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/styles/small_featured/public/image/featured/9784-newtek-releases-lightwave-3d-7b-update.jpg?itok=LoQW3oXA "Newtek Releases Lightwave 3D [7b] Update")
![Newtek Releases Lightwave 3D [7b] Update](https://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/styles/tiny_featured/public/image/featured/9784-newtek-releases-lightwave-3d-7b-update.jpg?itok=QmiXopEF "Newtek Releases Lightwave 3D [7b] Update")
NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of 3D animation and video products, has released a maintenance update for the immensely popular LightWave 3D version [7]. LightWave [7] was announced and released on August 13, 2001 during SIGGRAPH, and has been embraced by the 3D-user community since that announcement. Only a month later, the LightWave development team has completed massive speed increases and optimizations for both the Intel SSE2 instruction set and the Apple AltiVec instruction set (also known as the Velocity Engine), allowing for an unprecedented performance improvement.
