Clare Kitson wins award
The Surrey Institute Of Art & Design has awarded an honorary fellowship toClare Kitson, Channel 4's animation commissioner, for her contribution toBritish Animation. Films commissioned by Kitson at Channel 4 include AlisonSnowden and David Fine's BOB'S BIRTHDAY and ACHILLES by Barry Purves.
Disney changes name of UPN block
Disney's Whomptastic, the previously announced two hour cartoon programmingblock which is set to air daily on UPN beginning September 6, has beenchanged to DISNEY'S ONE TWO so that viewers will associate it with Disney'sother cartoon block, the ABC Saturday morning DISNEY'S ONE SATURDAYMORNING. DISNEY'S ONE TWO will present the premiere of SABRINA THE ANIMATEDSERIES, as well as include the already established shows DISNEY'S RECESS,DISNEY'S DOUG and DISNEY'S HERCULES.
Filmworld announces GUNGA DIN
Newly-formed, Los Angeles-based FilmWorld Inc. Chairman Menahem Golan andPresident John Daly have announced the first of many films they willjointly produce. GUNGA DIN will be based on Rudyard Kipling's story about ayoung Indian boy's adventures with the British Army in India. Thescreenplay is by James Silke and Joseph Goldman, and the film's release isprojected for the 2000 holiday-season in theaters throughout the world.Golan has had a film career spanning more than thirty years in which he has
Cartoon Network offers sneak peeks
Cartoon Network will offer two premieres on Saturday, August 21 and Sunday,August 22 at 9 pm. On both days at that time, one can see the premiere ofCOURAGE, THE COWARDLY DOG, created by John R. Dilworth, about a timid dogwho defends an elderly couple from paranormal threats. Immediatelyfollowing at 9:30 pm on both days is the premiere of Bill Wray's shortfilm, KING CRAB SPACE CRUSTACEAN, a parody of television science fictionseries. In the film the youngest crewmember of King Crab's intergalactic
Nickelodeon sets ROCKET POWER premiere
Klasky-Csupo's latest TV series, ROCKET POWER, will premiere on Nickelodeonon Monday, August 16 at 8:30 pm (ET/PT). Set in the fictional SouthernCalifornia beach community of Ocean Shores, ROCKET POWER features theadventures of four extreme-sports loving friends who chase the ultimatewave, ramp, or slope in quest of an adrenaline rush. ROCKET POWER isco-created and executive produced by Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo,co-founders of Klasky Csupo, Inc. which also produces the extremely
Fans get another chance to preview THE IRON GIANT
On Saturday, July 31, director Brad Bird introduced his specially selectedsegment of THE IRON GIANT, which was then shown in an exclusive Webcastsneak preview. Fans, who have been following the film during its productionand have been fueling the overwhelming early buzz, proved eager for theexclusive look, prompting Warner Bros. to re-broadcast Bird's introductionand the 10-minute segment on Thursday, August 5 beginning at 5 pm (PST) andcontinuing until midnight (PST) at www.theirongiant.com. Warner is using
Chromacolour promotes John Munro
North East Calgary, Canada-based Chromacolour International Limited, aninternational leader in the manufacture and sale of traditional and digitalanimation materials, software, and equipment, has appointed John Munro tothe position of Vice-President of Marketing and Sales. "Since joiningChromacolour, John has made great strides towards developing andimplementing a strong marketing and sales strategy for the Company's coreanimation business. John has introduced a number of programs and systems
Don't miss ComicCon International!
Among the events at this year's ComicCon International, the country'slargest comic book convention, will be a celebration of the AnimationRenaissance which will include previews of upcoming animation from MTVAnimation, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and more, as well as discussionswith the creators who are shaping the future of animation. Among thescheduled guests are voice actress June Foray (ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE) andBATMAN BEYOND series producer, Paul Dini. Chris Prynoski, creator of the
Don't miss SIGGRAPH '99!
This year, SIGGRAPH '99, the International Conference on Computer Graphicsand Interactive Techniques, is being held in downtown Los Angeles at theL.A. Convention Center. The conference program will include papers, panels,courses, sketches, and applications. The event will also include ananimation festival; art gallery: technOasis; Emerging Technologies: TheMillennium Motel; Creative Applications Lab: The Digital Cafe; and TheStudio showcasing the latest implementations of technology. The Electronic
QUIET MAN completes open for Sci-Fi Channel
New York City-based QUIET MAN has completed "Caterpillar," a :20 CGI showopen for the Sci-Fi Channel, a cable service. The spot features a robotcaterpillar who changes into a metallic spider. Todd Mueller directed.
Rio picks Anima Mundi winners
The fifth annual Anima Mundi festival has had its run July 9-18 in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil. At this festival the audience is the jury, and they havechosen:
Best Brazilian Film - DE JANELA PARA O CINEMA (RAINBOW'S END) by QuiáRodrigues.
Best Film of the Official Selection - GOGWANA by Deiniol Morris, UK.
Second Best Film of the Official Selection - AU BOUT DU MONDE (AT THE ENDSOF THE EARTH) by Konstantin Bronzit, France.
Third Best Film of the Official Selection - RECI, RECI, RECI (WORDS, WORDS,
NELVANA hires Cathy Laughton
Toronto-based NELVANA has hired Cathy Laughton as managing director of itsLondon-based operations. Laughton will be responsible for the overallmanagement of the UK office. Her responsibilities include the acquisitionof new properties for production/licensing development, sales to the UK,Germany, Scandinavia, and Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemborg),and securing co-production opportunities. Laughton joins Nelvana from theJim Henson Company where she served as director of international televisiondistribution.
Marvel Enterprises hires Peter Cuneo
Marvel Enterprises has hired Peter Cuneo as president and CEO. Cuneo wasCEO of Remington Products, president of the security hardware group ofBlack and Decker, and president of Clairol's personal care division. FormerCEO Eric Ellenborgen resigned to head a media investment concern.
Disney promotes Barron and Najia
Walt Disney International Europe and Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG) havepromoted Andrew Barron to executive vice president of new media andbusiness development for Walt Disney International Europe; and Chafic Najiato senior vice president and managing director of Buena Vista InternetGroup Europe. Barron joined WDTV-I in 1995 as director of businessdevelopment. Since then he has been responsible for identifying andnegotiating several Disney Channel agreements, as well as equity
DEEP BLUE SEA tops animated boxoffice
Warner Bros.' newly released shark thriller, DEEP BLUE SEA, with digital effects by ILM and Cinesite,finished third, grossing an estimated $18.6 million at the U.S. weekendboxoffice for a total of $24.7 million. DreamWorks SKG's THE HAUNTING, alsowith digital effects by ILM, finished fourth, grossing an estimated $15.1million for a total of $63.8 million; The Walt Disney Company's INSPECTORGADGET, with digital effects by DreamQuest, finished fifth, grossing anestimated $14 million for a total of $47.7 million; Lucasfilm's STAR WARS
DMA, Possible Worlds, and MTV Animation put PHRED ON YOUR HEAD
Nickelodeon's PHRED ON YOUR HEAD is a show in which Phred, an originalanimated character who appears on the forehead of a different real kidevery day, and the kid whose forehead Phred appears on, introduce anirreverent collection of classic segments from such educational shows asSESAME STREET and THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, in addition to new material that iseducational and entertaining. Working from sketches provided by NewYork-based Data Motion Arts (DMA), Possible Worlds and MTV Animation
J.J. Sedelmaier completes third season TV FUNHOUSE
J.J. Sedelmaier Productions has completed a third season of SATURDAY NIGHTLIVE's TV FUNHOUSE. Segments included THE AMBIGUOUSLY GAY DUO in "Letters,"in which the duo answered questions about their crime fighting techniquesand costumes, and "Boys," in which the duo's interest in crime fighting istraced to their high school days.
THE IRON GIANT premieres
THE IRON GIANT will be honored Saturday morning at 10:30 am at Mann'sChinese Theater in Hollywood when a supersized footprint (12' by 6') willbe presented by the filmmakers and stars in the forecourt of the historictheater. (Because of prior commitments, the Giant will be unable toattend.) Johnny Grant, the honorary mayor of Hollywood, will emcee theevent. Cast and crew will attend the film's premiere following thepresentation of the footprint. Among those in attendance will be the
TARZAN goes digital
Walt Disney's animated feature, TARZAN, will become the first-ever majorfeature release to be produced, mastered, and exhibited digitally when itopens today, Friday, July 30 at the following theaters: AMC's PleasureIsland multiplex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, AMC's MediaCenter North 6 in Burbank, California, and the Edwards Irvine Spectrum inIrvine, California. According to Bob Lambert, senior vice president of newtechnology and new media for The Walt Disney Company, "TARZAN was the ideal
Hook up with AWN at SIGGRAPH
The 26th International Conference on Computer Graphics and InteractiveTechniques, is taking place in Los Angeles, August 8-13, 1999. AWN isparticipating in the SIGGRAPH '99 Electronic Schoolhouse, a new programproviding educators and students with an environment in which they canexplore and learn the many ways in which computer graphics are taught andused in the classroom. The Electronic Library, as both a meeting place anda resource space, offers attendees reference material and resources other
AWN honors Channel 4's Clare Kitson
Clare Kitson, the person behind Channel 4 television's remarkable animationprogramming, is leaving the animation industry. Clare did an exceptionaljob, and deserves to leave her post with gratitude and appreciation fromthose she has worked with for the last twelve years. Therefore, AnimationWorld Network is publishing a tribute to Clare in the September '99 issueof Animation World Magazine, which will focus on television. Our tribute toClare will be presented in tandem with a historical article on animation at
Ottawa '99 official competition selections announced!
The Ottawa International Animation Festival has announced the selectionsfor the official competition of the 1999 Ottawa International StudentAnimation Festival...
Take an exclusive peek at MTV's new series, "MTV Downtown"
Check out a clip from MTV's newest animated series, "MTV Downtown", which premieres Tuesday,August 3, 1999 at 10:30 PM (ET/PT), and air regularly on Tuesday nights...
Read SPFA's latest European industry news
The July '99 issue of "Storyboard," the Newsletter for the French AnimationProducers' Union, is now available [in French], featuring the most recentEuropean industry news.
This week's Animation Trivia Quiz: early animators
This week's AWN Animation Trivia Quiz features questions about early animators...
