1998: A Year to Remember

Amid Amidi relates the highlights and landmarks that helped
make 1998 an animated year to remember.

By Amid Amidi | Friday, January 1, 1999 at 12:00 am

Posted In | Magazines: AnimationWorld

Buildings - From the Ground Up

Photo by Rick Wilson, courtesy of Nickelodeon.

1998 was a big year for everything animation related -- including its buildings. In Burbank, California, Nickelodeon's "brand spanking new" state-of-the-art animation studio opened, as did Disney's new Frank Wells building. The studios will house TV animation units for the respective companies. The classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons building remained unused and abandoned as the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission denied to grant Cultural-Historic Monument status to the time-honored Hollywood building. DreamWorks animators moved into their lush new animation studio in Glendale, California to continue producing animated features; while they premiered their first traditionally animated feature, Prince of Egypt, at the newly restored Hollywood Boulevard landmark, the Egyptian Theatre. For comic book fans, the new comic-themed Marvel Mania restaurant opened in Universal City, California serving up "Mutant Chicken Wings" and "Chocolate Carnage."

Awards for Everybody

Clios
* "Backstage" for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea. Production Company: Loose Moose, London.
* "Rocky" for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea. Production Company: Loose Moose, London.

Daytime Emmys:
* Best Children's Animated Program: Arthur (Cinar/WGBH).
* Special Class-Animated Program: The New Batman/Superman Adventures (Warner Bros. Television Animation).

The Old Navy kids. © Colossal/Spumco.

Annies:
* Animated Theatrical Feature: Mulan (Walt Disney).
* Animation Primetime Program: The Simpsons (Gracie Films/Film Roman).
* Animated Daytime Television Program: The New Batman/Superman Adventures (Warner Bros. Television Animation).
* Animated Television Commercial: "Flares/Big Pockets" (Old Navy/Spumco, Inc.).
* Animated Home Video Production: Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (Warner Bros. Animation).

Oscars:
* Best Animated Short: Geri's Game (Pixar).
* Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Titanic (Robert Legato, Mark Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher, and Michael Kanfer).

Primetime Emmys:
* Animated Series: The Simpsons (Gracie Films/Film Roman).
* Music and Lyrics: The Simpsons, "You're Checkin In (A Musical Tribute to the Betty Ford Center)" (Gracie Films/Film Roman).
* Voice-Over Performance: The Simpsons, Hank Azaria as Apu