MTV forms MTV Interactive (MTVi)
New York-based MTV Networks Online, a unit of ViacomInc., has formed MTV Interactive (MTVi), a new Internet-only music company,which will include music super-brands vh1.com, mtv.com and sonicnet.com.Nicholas Butterworth, former president of SonicNet, was named president andCEO of MTVi, and will report directly to Fred Seibert, president of MTVNetworks Online and Chairman of MTVi. "We think there is great value informing a company that includes three of the Internet's best music sites,"
Penn & Teller guest star on WHIRLGIRL
Magicians Penn & Teller willguest star on the September 10th episode of SHO.com's WHIRLGIRL, Showtime'sanimated online series about a sexy, 21st century cyber-heroine. "We sawPenn & Teller's wise-guy approach to magic and their cult-like appeal as aperfect fit for the WhirlGirl audience," says WHIRLGIRL creator DavidWilliams of New York-based Visionary Media, producer of the series."Besides, who else but Penn & Teller could pull off the'Throwing-Knives-at-a-Super-Heroine-On-A-Roulette-Wheel' stunt?" The
NPAR 2000 calls for entries
NPAR 2000 is the first internationalsymposium dedicated to non-photorealistic animation and rendering,including cartoon animation systems and techniques. It takes place at theInternational Animated Film Festival of Annecy, France, July 5-9, 2000 inconjunction with ACM/SIGGRAPH and Eurographics. The symposium will bringtogether researchers and practitioners from academia and industry, showcasecutting-edge research in non-photorealistic animation and rendering systemsand techniques, and present examples of these techniques in original
PHANTOM MENACE continues to score at the boxoffice
Lucasfilm's STAR WARS EPISODE ONE:THE PHANTOM MENACE passed the $300 million mark in overseas boxoffice,making it the eleventh most successful film of all time outside of NorthAmerica. It opened last week in Switzerland with $1.1 million, thefourth-biggest opening there. In three regions where it was in its secondweek of release, it took in $7.5 million in Germany for a total of $24.7million; $2.7 million in Spain for a total of $10.9 million; and $893,000in Sweden for a total of $3.1 million. The film's total gross from 27
Sony formalizes Family Entertainment Group
Sony Pictures Entertainmenthas formalized the name of its newest business unit, Sony Pictures FamilyEntertainment Group (SPFE), and appointed Gary Hirsch as senior vicepresident and general manager of the division. Reporting to SanderSchwartz, president of the relatively new division, Hirsch will oversee newbusiness development opportunities for the division and its day-to-dayoperations, including business affairs, human resources, studio operations,production and marketing. Hirsch comes to Sony's SPFE from Columbia
Animation compositors needed at VirtualMagic ASIA
VirtualMagic ASIA, the collaboration of VirtualMagic Animation andImagineAsia Studio for 2D digital ink, paint and compositing, is lookingfor talented USAnimation Compositors for project work at their digitalanimation facility in Manila, Philippines. The start date is mid October,1999 or before. See VirtualMagic on the web and contact them at:
Important SAFO '99 entrant notification information
Special information about film submissions for all SAFO '99 entrants...
Bill Plympton around the world!
Once again, Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. In the nextmonths, "I Married a Strange Person" will be appearing in various festivalsand other events in the US, Germany, Finland and Ukraine. Bill will also beattending the events in the US and Germany.
Check out Bill's appearance schedule.
Updates for the Quickdraw Animation Society website
Check out the latest Quickdraw Animation Society animator profiles...
Imagina 2000, PISAF and Stuttgart event dates announced
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes the followingfestivals: Imagina 2000 in France, Stuttgart in Germany, PISAF in SouthKorea; Plus the first International Symposium On Non-PhotorealisticAnimation and Rendering in France. The Calendar of Upcoming Events is aconstantly changing reference source for what's happening around the Worldof Animation. Use it to stay abreast of animation related activities acrossthe globe. If you know of animation related events that we don't have
Plympton's Comic of the Week: "A Refreshing Break in the Country"
This week's comic is about taking a refreshing break in the country...
This week's Animation Trivia Quiz: Unusual Animation Techniques
This week's AWN Animation Trivia Quiz features questions about unusual animation techniques and inventions such as the pinboard...
Exclusive offer on Ray Rohr's ROBBY THE ROBOT WITH BLASTER
Sci-Fi Station's Limited Edition "Robby the Robot" toy is an incredibly detailed original design by Osaka Tin Toy Institute...
Store Special: New Video Of Estonian Animation, With Priit Parn
Now available in the AWN Store is a 70 minute collection of shorts byaward-wining Estonian animator Priit Parn. Since making his first film, "Isthe Earth Round" (1977), animator, illustrator, and artist Priit Parn hasevolved into one of the most influential animation artists in the world.His films are routinely invited to animation festivals where they have wonseveral major awards. Included in volume 1 of an extensive series examiningthe history of Estonian animation are: "And Plays Tricks" (1979), "Some
THE SIXTH SENSE continues on top of US boxoffice
Buena Vista's supernatural thriller THE SIXTH SENSE, with visual effects byDreamQuest, finished first at the US weekend boxoffice for the fourthconsecutive week, grossing an estimated $20.1 million, for a total of$138.9 million. No other animation related film finished in the top ten.Newly released Universal's DUDLEY DO-RIGHT, a live-action film which starsBrendan Fraser, and is based on the series about a Canadian Mountie fromJay Ward and Bill Scott's early 1960s THE ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE SHOW,finished eleventh, grossing $3 million.
KING OF THE HILL and SPAWN win Emmies
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded the Emmy in the categoryfor outstanding animated programs up to an hour in length to Fox's KING OFTHE HILL ("And They Call It Bobby Love"). In winning its first Emmy in thiscategory, KING OF THE HILL beat out fellow Fox toons THE SIMPSONS, FUTURAMAand THE PJS as well as Cartoon Network's THE POWERPUFF GIRLS. HBO's TODDMCFARLANE'S SPAWN took the honor for outstanding animated program over anhour. UPN's DILBERT won the award for main title design. The Emmy for
QUIET MAN completes spot for Fritos Racerz
New York City-based QUIET MAN has completed "Giant Boy," a :30 spot forFritos Racerz, a race-car shaped snack food. In the spot, a NASCAR race cardriver wakens from a dream just before he and his car are eaten by a boy.Johnnie Semerad directed the visual effects, and Philana Dias was theFlame/Effects artist. Richard Sears directed the spot for New York andHollywood-based production company HKM Productions for New York-basedagency BBDO.
USC joins the Army
The United States Army will give the University of Southern California $45million over the next five years to establish a research center to developadvanced military simulations. The center will use film students and videogame designers to create realistic training simulations using virtualreality technology and artificial intelligence. This effort is part of theArmy's plan to create higher quality training using more realistic war-typeexercises.
Macromedia relases Flash Player for UNIX
San Francisco, California-based Macromedia, Inc. has announced that itsFlash Player, which enables internet browsers to play web animations, willbe available free on September 1, 1999 for Linux, Sun Microsystems, Inc.'sSolaris, and Silicon Graphics Inc.'s Irix platforms. Flash is the standardfor creating high-impact, vector-based Web sites that deliver motion,sound, interactivity, and graphics. Flash Player versions for UNIX will beavailable for download at no charge from the Macromedia Web site.
New Jay Ward cartoon premieres!
Several movie critics have said that while Universal's new live-actionDudley Do-Right, which opened in the US on Friday, August 27, misses themark, the new cartoon by Universal Cartoon Studios which is playing withthe film, FRACTURED FAIRY TALES: THE PHOX, THE LOX AND THE BOX, is awinner. The cartoon is based on a script by Bill Scott, who wrote most ofthe episodes of the Fractured Fairy Tales series which was originally partof NBC's early 1960s The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show. It was animated for
Adam Sandler makes a cartoon
On Friday, September 3 a cartoon by Adam Sandler will premiere onwww.adamsandler.com, the official Adam Sandler website. Little is knownabout the film, and Sandler's website refers to it only as a "surprise,"but the title is said to be THE PEEPER. Adam Sandler was a cast member ofSATURDAY NIGHT LIVE from 1991-1995, and star of recent hits such as BIGDADDY and THE WATERBOY. He has also had several hit comedy albums such as"They're All Gonna Laugh at You." His best known song is "The HanukkahSong."
LITTLEFIELD and HUNEGS join ATOMFILMS advisory board
WARREN LITTLEFIELD, president of the Littlefield company, and CRAIG HUNEGS,Executive Vice President at Warner Bros. Television, will join theATOMFILMS advisory board. Littlefield, former President of NBCEntertainment, and Hunegs will act as advisors in the areas of contentprogramming for the AtomFilms web site as well as for its distribution andsyndication sites. They will also offer advice on building strongrelationships with traditional media companies for broader distribution.
MARCI SELSBERG returns to WILL VINTON STUDIOS
MARCI SELSBERG has returned to WILL VINTON STUDIOS, a Portland,Oregon-based production company, as their east coast producer. Selsberg wasmost recently the president and executive producer of her own smallbusiness, Peek-A-Boo Productions which represented animation productioncompanies such as Curious Pictures.
Wooton Resigns from PDI
Patty Wooton has resigned as vice president, head of production at PaloAlto-based PDI (PACIFIC DATA IMAGES). Wooton was recently producer with Brad Lewis and Aron Warner on ANTZ.
TOPIX/Mad Dog puts singer on clouds
Toronto, Canada-based TOPIX/MAD DOG has completed the visual effects forMary J. Blige's music video "All That I Can Say." Shot on location in NewYork City, the dreamscape for the music video integrates live-action, timelapse photography, stock footage, and 3D clouds which were modeled andrendered in 3D Studio Max. Softimage artist Sean Montgomery created andanimated orbs in which Mary and the city are reflected. In addition,TOPIX/Mad Dog composited the singer into scenes featuring Times Square, a
