UNICEF PSA at Annecy
Frank Gladstone, Head of Artist Development at DreamWorks, and Clifford Cohen, founder and president of AnimAction, have joined forces as members of UNICEF's International Animation Consortium for Child's Rights to create an animated PSA that addresses the Right to a Name and a Nationality. The PSA will be screened on June 4 at the Annecy Film Festival in Annecy, France. Also at the Festival, Mr. Cohen will speak about "How Animation Can Change People's Thinking."
A BUG'S LIFE on video
Released last week in the USA, Pixar's A BUG'S LIFE was the week's bestselling video and DVD title, selling enough copies to already put it at No.4 on the list of the year's best selling videos, and No. 10 on the list ofthe year's best selling DVD's. (There are no plans to release the Pixarfilm on laser disc.) It is already ahead of ANTZ and just behind THERUGRATS MOVIE, but farther behind MULAN. Other best selling VHS titles forthe week include THE RUGRATS MOVIE, which finished third; SCOOBY-DOO'S
Katzenberg vs Disney; another round
In opening statements in the second phase of a $250 million breach-of-contract lawsuit, Jeffrey Katzenberg's lawyer Bert Fields presented a series of memos to bolster his argument that Disney concocted a contract argument over an incentive bonus to deprive Katzenberg of the money he was owed for making the Disney company a success while he was the chief of Disney's film entertainment division. During Katzenberg's first few years at Disney, operating income went from $2.3 million in 1984 to $186.3 million in 1988.
Disney reports second quarter earnings
Walt Disney Co.'s earnings plunged almost 41% in its second quarter. Although Disney said it expects improvement in the second half of the year, it still plans to review its operations in a bid to make them more efficient and increase cash flow. The Burbank, California-based media and entertainment giant turned in net income of $226 million, or 11 cents a diluted share, for the quarter ending March 31, compared with $384 million, or 18 cents a diluted share, in the same period a year ago.
Cartoons on the Bay announces awards
The recently concluded Cartoons on the Bay festival in Poistano, Italy has announced its awards. The Golden Pulcinella for best character went to the Little Entertainment Co.'s BILLY, an animated British TV series for pre-schoolers about an infant daydreamer. The Golden Pulcinella for best program went to Folimage's CHARLIE'S CHRISTMAS, a French TV film about an abandoned child's friendship with a postman.
WILD THORNBERRYS coming to the big screen
Nickelodeon has announced that, following in the wake of the success of THERUGRATS MOVIE, another Klasky Csupo produced TV series, THE WILD THORNBERRYS, will get its own shot at the big screen. The film will have abudget of at least $25 million and release is expected in 2002. THE WILD THORNBERRYS is currently the most popularanimated TV series on Nickelodeon.
SGI to map the galaxy
SGI's Silicon Graphics(R) Onyx2(TM) visual workstation will be used toproduce and project the world's first scientifically accurate 3D atlas ofthe Milky Way Galaxy at the new Hayden Planetarium as part of the AmericanMuseum of Natural History's Rose Center for Earth and Space in New YorkCity, which opens in 2000. As the centerpiece of the Hayden's 68-foot"virtual dome" Space Theater, Silicon Graphics Onyx2 will manipulatemassive scientific datasets containing billions of stars -- 100,000 times
THE MATRIX returns to top
THE MATRIX, the special effects heavy action film starring Keanu Reeves,returned to the number one spot at the US box office last weekend andgrossed an estimated $12.6 million to bring its cumulative gross to $117million.
Nendo & LiveArt release SE Workshop
Nichimen Graphics, Inc. (Nichimen), a manufacturer of technology for the 3Dcontent creation market, and Viewpoint(R) Digital, Inc. (Viewpoint),creator and publisher of a 3D digital content library, have releasedNendo(TM) & LiveArt(TM) SE Workshop, a combined graphics software packagethat provides 3D modeling and rendering tools for $99 (suggested retailprice).
The Workshop consists of Nendo v. 1.1, Nichimen's award-winning 3D modelingand 3D paint software, and Viewpoint's LiveArt SE software, with the
Pixar Announces First Quarter 1999 Financial Results
Pixar Animation Studios' revenues for the first quarter were $3.4 millioncompared with $5.0 million in the first quarter of 1998. Net income for thefirst quarter was $900,000 compared with $3.8 million for the first quarterof 1998. Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter were $0.02compared with $0.08 for the first quarter of 1998.
A BUG'S LIFE has earned $162 million in domestic box office receipts and$190 million in international box office receipts, totaling $352 million
Makin' Wookiee
D.FILM and The New Venue in association with Atom Films and Evan's StarWars Cinema present a new online Star Wars-inspired filmmaking contest. Toenter, send in a short script for a Star Wars spoof. Short means very short- a story that can be told in two minutes or less. A panel of celebrityjudges (headed by a prominent member of the original Trilogy cast) willreview the scripts. At the end of April, the judges will select a script,and hand it over to a team of innovative digital filmmakers, including
Jules Engel art exhibit
* Through April 24. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
A selection of personal paintings and production pieces from the collection of UPA artist and experimental animator Jules Engel will be exhibited at the Tobey Moss Gallery (7321 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036) through April 24. Also included in the exhibit are his sculptures and paintings from Disney's FANTASIA. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For additional information, call (323) 933-5523.
Cartoons on the Bay set to begin
The Cartoons on the Bay International Festival of Television Animation will be held April 20-24, 1999 Positano, Italy.
See a SP0NGEBOB SQUAREPANTS preview
Nickelodeon will preview SP0NGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, a new animated series, onMay 1 at 9:30 ET/PT in the USA. The cartoon features the adventures ofSpongeBob, a hopelessly optimistic and earnest sea sponge. Creator andexecutive producer Steve Hillenburg (ROCKO'S MODERN LIFE, THE GREEN BERET,WORMHOLES), studied art and marine biology before earning a degree from CalArts in Experimental Animation. Soon you will be able to visit Nick.com formore information about the series.
BBC1 renews POCKET DRAGON
BBC1 has bought another season of New York-based BKN's POCKET DRAGONADVENTURES. The first season currently airs in the U.K. Monday and Thursdayat 3:45 pm on BBC1, averaging 1.3 million viewers, which represents about a37% share. The series features the mischievous little Pocket Dragons whoseek adventure in a magical world of wizards, knights and gargoyles.
Phil Mendez speaks at ASIFA-Hollywood
Tom Sito will host an evening with Phil Mendez on Wednesday, April 28 at7:30 pm. Phil is one of the pioneering African American artists in Americananimation, a designer, author, director and storyteller. He was Marc Davis'assistant at Disney during the development of some of the his famousattractions at Disneyland. He has done work for Disney Feature Animation,Hanna-Barbera, Jack Zander, and Phil Kimmelman, and he was with RalphBakshi at the beginning of FRITZ THE CAT and HEAVY TRAFFIC. Don't miss this
Action's New Independent Talents Contest
Action's New Independent Talents Contest is aimed at the independent 3Dartist. Prizes include hardware and software as well as transfers to 35 mmfilm so that films may be shown in movie theatres. There is no entry fee.Deadline for entries is October 10, 1999. For more information visitwww.club-internet.fr/films-action.
California Sun Festival announces awards
The California Sun Festival, which took place at California StateUniversity Northridge on April 10 - 11, handed out the following awards:
The Golden Sun (Best of the Festival) went to Hannes Rall, Germany, for"Der Rabe" (The Raven), an 8-minute film freely adapted from the poem "TheRaven" by Edgar Allen Poe.
The Silver Stars (Best in each Category) wentto:
Traditional Animation: Andrea Guaraldo, Italy, for "Soffioni"
Computer Animation: Heiko Lueg, Germany, for "Sandland"
TOPIX/Mad Dog animates Stick People
TOPIX/Mad Dog has completed the animation for "Stick People," a :30 spot,with a :15 lift. The colorful, playful spot, which promotes Crayola ColorWipeoffs, removable water-based magic markers, for TBWA/Chiat Day (Toronto,ON) and Binney & Smith Canada (Markham, ON), rolled out throughout CanadaMarch 15th and will continue to air through the end of the year. In it, aboy's stick figure drawings come to life. "With Photoshop I drew thefigures, frame by frame, so that it's a bit like cel animation, but not
Tricky Pictures creates One and Only
Tricky Pictures has created "One and Only," a promo for the new Noggin TVnetwork. Noggin is an educational channel that is a joint venture betweenNickelodeon and Children's Television Workshop, and is currently subscribedto by nearly two million homes. The spot uses mixed-media and incorporatesfaces of real children with painted bodies in an outer space scene wherethe Noggin logo doubles as a planet being explored. The kids plant a flagon the planet, which doubles as a face. Ann Marie Fleming designed and
SVA animates Yale study
Yale University's Child Study Center, a division of Yale Medical School,has chosen New York's School of Visual Arts' Animation Department to createan animated film for use in autism research studies. The animation willtest the brain systems involved in social understanding, allowinginvestigators to test specific hypotheses about autism. The animatedexperiments will portray human interaction with geometric shapes. ReevesLehmann, Chair of the School's Film Video and Animation Department, is the
Will Vinton Studios looking for Stop-Motion animators
Will Vinton Studios is one of the world's leading stop-motion studios and specializes in developing original characters and bringing them to life with engaging personalities. Currently producing two prime-time television series, plus commercials and special projects, this studio is looking for an experienced STOP-MOTION ANIMATOR with the ability to demonstrate skills. The candidate will animate stop-motion puppets on miniature sets for any number of exciting projects from TV series to television commercials. This job is based in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Full Sail looking for computer animation course directors and lab instructors
Florida school is looking for experienced personnel for new Computer Animation Degree program...
Plympton's Comic of the Week: "A Smoking Hat."
We've all heard of a smoking jacket, but a smoking hat?...
In the Store this Week: A compilation of John Schnall shorts
This Week's Special Features In AWN's Ever Expanding Store: A compilation of shorts by ASIFA-East '99 award winner John Schnall...
