AWN Headline News

Headline News

Nick offers a new BLUE'S CLUES CD-ROM for preschoolers

Nickelodeon and Humongous Entertainment have released BLUE'S 123 TIMEACTIVITIES, a new CD-ROM game based on Nickelodeon's popular preschooltelevision show, BLUE'S CLUES. BLUE'S 123 TIME ACTIVITIES allowspreschoolers to practice pre-math and problem-solving skills with Blue andher friends. Individually paced, multi-level learning activities help kidsdevelop logical thinking and deductive reasoning skills, practice simplemath, and explore numerical estimation and prediction. In the game,

Headline News

Make way for more H.R. PUFNSTUF, SIGMUND, and LAND OF THE LOST videos

As we reported, on June 1 Rhino Home Video released THE WORLD OF SID &MARTY KROFFT, a three-volume set that included one episode from everyKrofft Saturday morning show. Now on July 20 the kooky shows of Sid & MartyKrofft will once again find their way into American living rooms with thehome video release of individual episodes of H.R. PUFNSTUF, SIGMUND & THESEA MONSTERS, LAND OF THE LOST, BUGALOOS, LIDSVILLE, and FAR OUT SPACENUTS. While these shows are mostly live-action (the primary exception is

Headline News

RISD seniors show work

The Rhode Island School of Design senior show includes films, videos, andanimation. Shows take place Wednesday, May 19 - Saturday, May 22, 7 pm, andFriday, June 4, 1 pm and 7 pm in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. For moreinformation call 401-454-5233. Wednesday, May 19 - Saturday, May 22, 7 pm,and Friday, June 4, 1 pm and 7 pm. Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Headline News

Spike and Mike returns to L.A., Montreal, and San Francisco!

The Nuart in Los Angeles will be showing the 1999 Spike and Mike's ClassicFestival of Animation Friday, May 28-Thursday, June 3. The program includesBlue Sky Studios' Oscar-nominated BUNNY, Aardman's HUM DRUM, DigitalDomain's TIGHTROPE, Pierre Coffin's PINGS, Peter Reynolds' THE BLUE SHOE,Annecy-winner SIENTJE, Don Hertzfeldt's BILLY'S BALLOON, Laurent Gorgiard'sMAN WITH THE PENDULOUS ARMS, Behaviour Productions' THE ART OF SURVIVAL,Chris Landreth's BINGO, Folimage's THE ROMANCE OF MY HEART, Eric Fernandes'

Game Headline News

Activision releases A BUG'S LIFE game

Activision, Inc., in collaboration with Disney Interactive, Inc., has released a game based on Walt Disney Pictures' and Pixar Animation Studio's computer-generated animated film, A BUG'S LIFE, for the Nintendo 64 game console. A BUG'S LIFE lets players run, fly and slide through an interactive journey. In the game players take on the role of the film's hero, Flik, an inventive but occasionally over-enthusiastic ant, who enlists a group of flea circus bugs to help him in his quest to save his colony from the hands of the villainous Hopper and his legion of grasshoppers.

Disney Headline News

Disneyland news from around the world

In March, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd said it was interested in participating in a proposed project to build a Disney theme park in Hong Kong, but it depended on the outcome of talks between the government and Walt Disney Co. . . In Orlando, Florida, Walt Disney World officials said they expected more people than ever to flock to its sprawling Orlando theme park complex, after a 1998 performance that many industry analysts described as mixed. Year in and year out, Disney World proves to be the most popular tourist attraction on the planet.

Headline News

Samurai, Cyborgs & Outrageous Babes at UCLA

The second part of UCLA's tribute to Japanese anime takes place May 8 -June 1, 1999. (The first part of the series, titled MAGICAL BOYS & GIRLS,took place in January 1999 and was devoted to children's animation.) Thetribute includes the following programs:

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1999 - 7:30 PMPRAISE BE TO SMALL ILLS (NAMU ICHIBYO SOKUSAI) (1973, 35mm, 18 min.)Directed by Tadanari Okamoto. In Japanese with English subtitles.THE DEMON (ONI)(1972, 35 mm, 8 min.) Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto. In

Film Headline News

Warner greenlights OSMOSIS JONES

Warner Bros. has greenlit OSMOSIS JONES for a Thanksgiving 2000 release.The film is a comedy/adventure about a street smart white blood-cell calledOsmosis Jones who teams up with a rookie cold tablet to fight a virus thatis attacking their host body, a construction worker named Frank Detomello.The film is written by Marc Hyman, with Tom Sito and Piet Kroon directing.The film will be Warner Bros. Feature Animation's third completely animatedrelease after QUEST FOR CAMELOT, and the upcoming THE IRON GIANT. In

Cartoon Headline News

Nick sets SPONGEBOB premiere

SP0NGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, a new animated series which is being produced at theBurbank Nicktoons Studio, will premiere on Nickelodeon on July 17 at 10:00am ET/PT in the USA, becoming Nickelodeon's first original Saturday morningcartoon. A preview of the cartoon appeared on Nickelodeon on May 1, andreceived a 6.3 rating and a 25 share when it was watched by 6.9 millionviewers. The cartoon features the adventures of SpongeBob, a hopelesslyoptimistic and earnest sea sponge whose good intentions often lead to bad

Headline News

Willy Wonka is animated with Passion

Passion Pictures has created a new fully computer generated spot starringWilly Wonka (WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY). Launching Rowntree'snew Wonka Xploder chocolate bar, the :20 spot shows Wonka and his chocolatefactory where teams of robots stir vats of bubbling chocolate, and brightlycolored machines create delicious chocolates. Willy tests his newinvention, the Wonka Xploder, on two boys who are inside a sealed testingroom. The boys are startled when the chocolates explode and the secret

Black Headline News

New Manga video is based on Osamu Tezuka manga

Manga Video will release BLACK JACK in the US on June 29, 1999. Directed byOsamu Dezaki, this 1993 direct to video release from Japan is based on amanga by Osamu Tezuka that was first serialized in Japan from 1973-78.Tezuka is known as the father of animation and comic books in Japan, andspecifically as the creator of such TV series as ASTRO BOY and MARINE BOY,as well as award-winning shorts such as JUMPING. In BLACK JACK, Dr. BlackJack, an unlicensed but extremely successful surgeon, is a lone wolf who

Headline News

Realviz S.A. announces Matchmover

REALVIZ S.A. has announced the availability of its MatchMover softwaresolution for animation and special effects professionals on Microsoft,Windows, NT and GI IRIX platforms. Using MatchMover, computer-generated 3Dimages can be easily integrated with video or film to create SimulatedReality. Using computed 3D coordinates and geometric constraints,MatchMover transforms original live-action footage into an accurate 3Dspace. The transformed 3D live-action space can be precisely matched to 3D

Headline News

Lucas releases new Star Wars CD-Rom

Lucas Learning has released THE GUNGAN FRONTIER, the first simulated worldStar Wars game on CD-ROM. As heroes of the Battle of Naboo, players arecalled before the Gungan High Council to handle a critical mission. Theircity is threatened by overpopulation, and players must establish a newcolony on a nearby moon. The Gungans need to create a new world filled withfantastic creatures and plants from across the galaxy. Players discover howthese alien animals and plants interact and how they depend on each other

Film Headline News

Wendy Tilby wins at Cannes!

Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis' short film, WHEN THE DAY BREAKS (TheNational Film Board of Canada), won the Palme d'Or at the recentlyconcluded 52nd Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France. Ittook four years for Forbis and Tilby to finish the softly colored,wordless, but musical, story of a pig whose world shifts after a caraccident kills a stranger (a chicken) on her block. Forbis and Tilby beganthe production of "When the Day Breaks" by shooting High-8 video of the

Headline News

Sedelmaier creates "Lintbrush"

J.J. Sedelmaier Productions has created "Lintbrush," a :30 spot for QuiltedNorthern bathroom tissues. Directed by J.J. Sedelmaier, and designed byBonnie Timmons, the 2D animated spot shows quilters at work while theydiscuss the amount of lint in other tissue brands, as compared to QuiltedNorthern tissues.

Million Headline News

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace passes 200 million

THE PHANTOM MENACE finished first in last week's Memorial Day weekend USboxoffice race, taking in an estimated $64.8 million to bring its total to$204.8 million. Based on this, experts are now predicting that the filmwill eventually pass $400 million in North Amercian receipts. THE MUMMYfinished in third place, taking in $12.7 million, for a total of $117.1million. Newcomer THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR, an effects driven thriller aboutvirtual reality, finished fifth, taking in $4.3 million. THE MATRIX

Headline News

PDI hires Jenene J. Wilson

JENENE J. WILSON has been appointed Vice President, Human Resources byPacific Data Images. She will be responsible for directing the company'scorporate human resource initiatives, including organizational design,employee compensation and benefits, corporate recruiting and training.Previously, she was Director of Human Resources for Mattel, Inc. Prior tothat she was Vice President, Compensation and Employee Benefits for LosAngeles-based Carter Hawley Hale Stores, Inc.

Licensing Headline News

BKN hires Carol McGovney and promotes Nadia Nardonnet

CAROL MCGOVNEY has been recruited for Vice President, U.S. Licensing &Merchandising by BKN, a US broadcast kids network. McGovney was formerlyDirector of Domestic Licensing & Promotions at the Harvey EntertainmentCompany; Director of Licensing at Leisure Concepts, Inc.; and Senior SalesManager, Licensing & Merchandising for Saban Entertainment.

NADIA NARDONNET has been promoted by BKN to be President of InternationalSales & Coproductions. She will be responsible for managing all staff and

Shows Headline News

FAMILY GUY moves to Thursday

Fox has announced their US Fall prime-time lineup and it includes somesurprises. For one, Toon Tuesday is no more. The closest to it is ToonSunday. Fox's confidence in FAMILY GUY appears to be high, as it has beenmoved to Thursday night where it will stand out as the only animatedseries, sandwiched between two new live-action shows, MANCHESTER PREP andACTION, shows that seem to be geared to the male 18-49 demographic group.

The schedule, which begins in September, is as follows:

Thursday9:00 FAMILY GUY

Digital Headline News

VirtualMagic expands to Asia

Don Spielvogel, President of VirtualMagic Animation, Inc., and JeffreyHarrison, Chairman/CEO of ImagineAsia Studio, announce the formation ofVirtualMagic ASIA, a new digital ink, paint and compositing service in thePhilippines that will operate as a subsidiary of VirtualMagic Animation,Inc. headquartered in North Hollywood, California. VirtualMagic ASIA is acorporate venture between two animation and digital service studios,VirtualMagic Animation, Inc. and ImagineAsia Studio, of Manila.

Film Headline News

DEVIANT! wins at New York Animation Festival

Eoin Clarke's DEVIANT! won the Best of Festival award at the first New YorkAnimation Festival. The first New York Animation Festival presented adiverse international program of film and video animation from May 13-15 inNew York City. Over 2500 attended the three-day event which was held inGreenwich Village at The New School for Social Research's TishmanAuditorium. Here is the complete list of winners: Best of Festival:DEVIANT! by Eoin Clarke; Honorable Mention: ONE SELF: FISH GIRL by Emily

Cartoon Headline News

Kid Rhino Collects a CARTOON MEDLEY

On July 6 Kid Rhino and Cartoon Network celebrate tunes from some of thebest-loved cartoon TV shows of this century with CARTOON MEDLEY, acollection of 38 of Cartoon Network's greatest hits. The collectionfeatures themes from JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS, THE FLINTSTONES, SPEED RACER,THE JETSONS, SPACE GHOST COAST-TO-COAST, SCOOBY-DOO WHERE ARE YOU?,DEXTER'S LABORATORY, and the current cult favorite THE POWERPUFF GIRLS.Lyrics are included in the CD booklet. CARTOON MEDLEY will retail for

Awards Headline News

Joyce, Wasson, Zoeller win Daytime Emmys

On May 15, 1999 the 26th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were presented in 43categories during ceremonies held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, New YorkCity, and the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills. Outstanding Achievementin Animation Emmy Awards were presented to William Joyce, ProductionDesigner for Nelvana's ROLIE POLIE OLIE, Dave Wasson, Production Designerfor "Max and His Special Problem," part of Nickelodeon's OH YEAH! CARTOONSseries, and Mark Zoeller, Storyboard Artist for DreamWorks' TOONSYLVANIA.

Headline News

Nelvana announces new personnel

Nelvana Communications has announced several key personnel changes. STEVEGALLOWAY has been recruited for Vice President of Development for NelvanaCommunications. He comes from Universal Studios/Music Group where he servedfor eight years as Vice President Longform Programming & Production. Hewill be responsible for overseeing the development of Nelvana's newanimated series for television.

DAVID HARLESTON has been named Vice President of Business and Legal Affairsfor Nelvana Communications. He was formerly General Counsel for Carter

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