February 1998

FEBRUARY, 1998

SPECIAL WILD BRAIN ISSUE

CONGRATULATIONS TO WILD BRAIN FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF FERNGULLY II, THE MAGICAL RESCUE Wild Brain previewed a 35mm print in January at Delancey Street's Screening Room for their staff and friends. Directors Phil Robinson and Dave Marshall have created an animated feature that is simply great! It is beautifully animated, the script is first rate and the voice actors, music and stereo sound design are excellent. Everything about the film is well done from it having interesting characters to lush jungle backgrounds. Seeing this work was a wonderful surprise as I had no idea what to expect before the show started.
Part of my amazement with Wild Brain's accomplishment is that the 70 minute feature was made with a very small budget, only $3.3 million. They used their money wisely and instead of paying for big name voice actors (Robin Williams was in the first FernGully feature) they gave unknowns a chance to prove they could do exceptional work. The cel animation was done in Taiwan by Wang Film Productions, and their work proves Disney isn't the only company that can produce a beautiful looking product. The film doesn't contain the complex special effects found in Disney products, but are all those bells and whistles really necessary to tell a good story? After seeing this handsome straight forward production you will probably agree that the answer is no.
The production benefited from a limited amount of computer animation. Instead of paying for expensive finely rendered computer images, IP (aka Imagination Plantation) provided rough motion studies for about 200 shots. The computer images served as reference guides for the animators in scenes that had complex movements to them (the movement of the truck, characters flying and flying around a roller coaster). IP's animators were Kelly Chang, Benjamin Fischler, Noah Hurwitz, Sophia Longoria and Nicholas Weigal. The company is located in the same building that houses Wild Brain on 18th Street in San Francisco.

The 4 songs in the film were created by Bay Area talent. Roger Clark, who has been performing locally since the 1970s, wrote 3 of them. (Roger's brother is animator Gordon Clark.) Jo-Carol Block from Colossal wrote the 4th song. Using them was an asset as they provided just what was needed to satisfy the tastes of people who expect musical numbers. The songs and the visuals that go with them work so well that when Jo Carrol's number came to an exciting climax I wanted to applaud the number.
One of Wild Brain's most important decisions was to spend as much time as they could developing their script. Robinson and Marshall say they spent more time than the budget allowed for this phase of the production. They knew this was risky in terms of keeping the project within budget and keeping up with the production schedule, but they knew they had to start with an excellent story or they would be in trouble. The risk paid-off. They solved any script problems they might have had, so the end results is quality story telling. The film should appeal to most kids and the kid within most adults.
FernGully II will be released by 20th Century Fox's home entertainment division as a direct to video feature. A multi-million dollar campaign will be behind the US release. The tape will come out on March 17 and it should be in most stores by April.
Hopefully Fox will make a few 35mm prints for some kind of limited US theatrical release. The film is worthy of an Academy Award nomination and it should do well at film festivals that are supportive of work made for kids.
Credits for Wild Brain include director Phil Robinson, Co-Director Dave Marshall, Assistant Directors Roger Dondis and Dan McHale, Art Director Li Hong, Executive Producer Jeff Fino and Producer Jeffrey Kahan. The film was created for producers Brian Rosen and Richard Harper and their associate producers Holly Harold and Alex Engle.
Other local companies worked on the segments of the production. The 20 foot long artwork for the opening sequence was shot by Carter Tomassi at MessyOptics. Western added a few visual effects and provided other services for digital footage that was later transferred to 35mm film. KC (A long article on the production will appear in the March issue of Film/Tape World.)

WILD BRAIN DID "LECTRIC EXPRESS" FOR THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION and their Consumer Education Program. It is a 30 second voyage through an electric socket. The viewer meets a stop-motion "electron man" who tells how to obtain information about the open competition in the electric utility industry. Cel animated electric currents surround the man as he proclaims his duty to bring "Power to the People." (Will the Black Panther Party sue for this use of their slogan?)
The talent behind the project includes Directors Ed Bell and Carl Willat, Executive Producer Paul Golden, Producer Lie Gazzano and Line Producer Marc Galvan. The spot was done for the Carol H. Williams
Agency and DDB Needham. In case you visit the Wild Brain studio, notice the giant electric face plate hanging on the wall near the reception desk, it is from this project.

WILD BRAIN DID SEVEN 30 SECOND ADS FOR NATIONAL TIRE AND BATTERY STORES The ads promote a new retail chain. They began to air around Thanksgiving. They are based on images by illustrator Carlos Aponte that capture a 1930s Soviet industrial graphic arts style.
Credits include Director Robin Steele, Executive Producer Paul Golden, Producer Lie Gazzano, Animation Directors Dan McHale and Pam Stalker and Line Producers Leslie Arvio, Allison Brown and Adrian Card. The series was inked and painted using the USAnimation software system.

WILD BRAIN WON THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING AWARD IN THE BEST CEL ANIMATION CATEGORY The award went to their Mainstay Mutual Funds ad "Up...Down...Up" John Hays, a partner in the company and the director of the spot, and producer Paul Golden accepted the award at the Nov. 17 ceremony in London. Hays was delighted to get the award as it is from a major international competition and he was competing with outstanding entries from around the world.

The Mainstay spot is a black and white work that looks like a wood block illustration. It shows a ship on a stormy sea, rising and falling on waves of stock market information. It combines cel animation with computer generated elements. The cgi work was by Little Fluffy Clouds.
Two other awards were given in different animation categories. Will Vinton Studios won in the stop-motion category and Pytka won in computer graphics for a HBO project.

WILD BRAIN CREATED TWO PILOT EPISODES OF "THE BROTHERS TIKI" FOR NICKELODEON'S KABLAM! The episodes "Marooned" and "Still Marooned" first aired in December. The project was conceived, designed, written and directed by Wild Brain's Gordon Clark.
The two five minute long pilots tell of two space travelers who come to Earth to rescue their comrades. The scripts are based on Clarks love of stop-motion animation and kitsch. The production combines traditional 2D hand
drawn animation with stop-motion puppets, a human actor, 3-D computer animation and unusual props.
The people responsible for these pilots include several familiar names in the local production and animation world. Puppets and props were built by M5 Industries. The Art Direction was by Lisa Davidson, Prop Design by Adam Savage and Puppeteers by Chrystene Ells. Post-Production was done at Western Images, the sets were constructed and shot at Custer Avenue Stages and the final sound design was by Outpost. Roger Clard provided the theme music. At Wild Brain Bill Weir was the Producer, Paul Golden the Executive Producer, J.T. O'Neal was Director of Animation, Jason Porter was the Visual Effects Supervisor and Mike Cavanaugh was the Editor. The Stop-Motion Animators were Brad Schiff and Toshiko Kamiyama. The cast features Alessandra Toreson as "The Girl." Jamie Baker and Eric Bergman provided voice overs.

WILD BRAIN'S FERNGULLY II WRAP PARTY AND PREMIERE SCREENING WAS A DELIGHTFUL CELEBRATION After 17 months of hard production workthe staff was ready to party. On January 8th they showed the feature twice while a raucous party was held in the Delancey Street Town Hall across the courtyard from the screening room.
Wild Brain's Marie Shell did a great job putting the event together around the green theme of the feature (Fox will give a small percentage of the film's income to non-profits that work to protect our planet). There were faux palm trees and a huge buffet centerpiece made of palm leaves, coconuts and tropical flowers. Guests feasted on colorful vegan hors d'oeuvres and rich deserts (the brownies were habit forming). There was a roaring fire and as the wine loosened up people a spontaneous sing-a-long started around a grand piano with Colossal Picture's Jo-Carol Block at the keyboard. She wrote one of the songs for the film and she has a fine voice. Producer Jana Canellos, her boss, was spotted warbling away in the crowd that gathered.
Others at the celebration included Brian Rosen, the film's executive producer, FernGully directors Phil Robinson and Dave Marshall and dozens of other staff members from Wild Brain; James Wang, head of Wang Film Production in Taipei; Su Armstrong, executive producer of Good Will Hunting; Richard Quan, director of production at Mondo Media and Colossal's George Evelyn.

COLOSSAL PICTURES WON A SETTLEMENT FROM THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME After 2 days of mediation the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame agreed to settle with Colossal and pay them an undisclosed amount. Colossal's attorney said "we are very happy with the settlement." The money will be distributed to the company's creditors on a percentage basis. A staff member said the amount will make the creditors happy and that the company is glad to have this suit and the bankruptcy behind them. Now they can put their full efforts into being one of the nation's top creative houses.
Colossal sued the museum in Cleveland in 1997 after they failed to pay their bills for cost overruns, etc. The loss of income caused Colossal to seek Chapter 11 protection from bankruptcy on May 30, 1996. Colossal created audio and visual exhibits for the museum's opening in 1995. Colossal emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 1, 1997.

ILM DOES TWO ADS FOR DIAMOND WALNUTS The ads used computer animation to bring a cookie jar and a gingerbread couple to life. The couple finds walnuts irresistible. Rick Schulze directed and Kip Larsen produced. Skywalker Sound did the sound design and mixing.

ILM WINS A LEAF AWARD IN LONDON for their effects work for Men In Black. The award was from the London Effects And Animation Festival (LEAF). They also won an award in the TV category for their Canada Dry commercial "Domino."

PDI HIRES REGINA WRIGHT AS THEIR HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR She was previously the director of human resources at 20th Century Fox. PDI created this new senior level position as they plan to continue to expand the size of their staff.
Patty Wooton, PDI's producer of Antz (their first feature) and Vice President of Production says, we are "poised to begin production on a second film, plus we are in production on several commercials, feature film effects, and focusing on the completion of Antz. PDI will benefit immensely from her understanding of the entertainment industry and the special needs of a production-oriented, artistic work force."

XAOS HAD A VERY BUSY 1997 WITH WORK FOR FEATURES, SEVERAL COMMERCIALS & LOGOS They did a
National Geographic logo in 70 mm, show opens for the Discovery Channel, commercials for Snackwell's, MasterCard and others plus they worked on the feature Spawn. At present they have projects in production for ZDTV, Discovery Channel Pictures, ILM, Terry Ketler Films and a NY ad agency.
Xaos' staff grew last year from 15 to 21 people. They also welcomed back Arthur Schwartzberg, one of their original founders. He returns as president of the company. He had been with Xaos Tools. Mark Malberg, who ran the company for the last 6 years will switch his efforts to being Creative Director while Schwarzberg focuses on sales, marketing and company growth.

CURIOUS PICTURES ADDS PRODUCER HOLLY EDWARDS AND DIRECTORS NICK HEWITT AND STEWARD LEE TO THEIR ROSTER Lee and Hewitt worked on the Animate Your World campaign consisting of 13 original short films for the Cartoon Network. Edwards was the producer of the series.
Holly Edwards comes to Curious from Colossal where she worked for the last two years on a variety of projects including Loads of Codes for the Disney Channel, an ABC Fall campaign, and other projects for Disney, Nickelodeon, Hasbro and The Cartoon Network. She was also the production manager on The Flying Dutchman while that feature was in development. Prior to Colossal she worked freelance. She graduated from Webster University in communications.
Steward Lee is a graduate of Cal Arts (1990) in animation. He established his name in the Bay Area as an animator, director and trainer of new animation talent while working at Colossal.
Nick Hewitt graduated from Emily Carr in Vancouver with a BFA in animation in 1996. He also studied at Sheridan College in Toronto. He joined Curious Pictures in 1996 as an assistant animator.
Curious directors on the West Coast also include Chel White and Denis Morella. The directors in the New York office include Mo Willems, Steve Oakes, Warren Fischer and Pelle Seth, They also represent Maverick Studios, Flea Circus, Tomato and Pentagram.

DON'T MISS THE CARTOON ART MUSEUM'S MASQUED BALL, DINNER AND AWARDS CEREMONY TO HONOR JOHN LASSITER, CHUCK JONES AND CHARLES SCHULZ - PHIL FRANK, WILLIE BROWN AND SUPERVISOR GAVIN NEWSOM WILL HOST THE EVENT on Friday, Feb. 13, 1998 from 6 - 11 PM at the Miyako Hotel. The guests of honor will receive the first annual Sparky Awards. The award is named in honor of the creator of the comic strip Peanuts.
Money raised by the event will benefit the museum's children's after school and weekend programs. To raise a few more dollars there will be a silent auction of sports memorabilia, food, entertainment and art items including original art by Phil Frank ("Farley"), Bill Griffith, Charles Schulz, and others. Music by Suzie Butler and her band will add to the festive evening.
Tickets are $150 for general admission or $300 to sit at a table reserved for one of the honorees of the Sparky Awards. For further details call (415) CARTOON or Ron Sommer at (415) 474-0715.

THANKS TO ALL WHO BROUGHT WORK TO SHOW AT OUR OPEN SCREENING FOR STUDENTS AND INDEPENDENT ANIMATORS About 20 people showed their work on video to a packed house. Among the works shown were No Hat, No Mask, No Service by Gene Hamm, Attack Kitten by Linnea Wigren, Nun of That by the Media Internship Pilot Program at Wild Brain, a reel from Cogswell College plus individual reels by Carl Bahor, Keith and Lam, three Cogswell students, Bunkie and BooBoo by Terrence Masson, Slammed Dunked by Jerald Munn from the Academy of Art, Sun Spots by Billy Putrid, Warning: Don Not Enter by Animators Anonymous, Dunderbecks Machine by Shirley Smith, My Animations by Vivian Chang, One Fine Day by Mariko Hoshi and several other works by people who showed their work, but didn't sign in before the show.

ARK WARE VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA OFFERS DOZENS OF UNUSUAL VISUAL MUSIC VIDEOS FOR SALE Their catalog lists 15 tapes of animated work and computer effects including Computer Animation Classics, Elroy's Toy, Eyescape, Illumination, Mandlebrot and Julia Sets, Moving Paintings, Opera Imaginaire and Planetary Traveler. Other tape categories in the catalog include Outerspace, Nature/Birds, Nature/Marine, Nature/Wildlife, Visual Music Landscapes, Documentary Nature, and Personal Growth and Meditation. Most of the tapes sell for $19.99. The company is located at 425 Alabama St. in SF, 94110, (415) 863-7200

CLASSES

CARTOONING AND ANIMATION CLASSES NOW AVAILABLE IN PETALUMA Gene Hamm will be presenting a series of classes for kids and adults starting Sat. Feb. 21 with Basic Animation from 3:30 to 5 PM ($75 for 5 weeks) and Cartooning from 12:30 to 2 PM ($60 for 5 weeks). On Mondays from 3:30 to 5 PM he will present After School Cartooning for kids 7 - 10 ($60 for 5 weeks). Work will be videotaped on Hamm's pencil test machine so students can take home copies of their efforts. A second session of these classes begins April 21 & April 25.
Hamm will also present a lecture series called A COUCH POTATO'S GUIDE TO SPECIAL EFFECTS. On March 27 his talk will be on make-up, stunts and mechanical effects. On April 24 he talks about optical printing, matt paintings and rear and front projection. On May 15 the topic is stop-motion and computer animation.
The instructor has taught for over 20 years. He presently teaches at Cogswell Polytechnic College in Sunnyvale and at a woman's prison for the State of California. He is the creator of the video Cartooning: Shortcuts, Formulas and Cheap Tricks. His professional credits include work on Lord of the Rings, Smurfs, Gumby, Living Books, Superfriends, and several music videos and computer games.
Hamm will be teaching at the Early Work Parent/Teacher Store at 141 Kentucky Street in Petaluma (707) 765-1993.

YOU CAN TAKE A CLASS IN FILM REVIEWING WITH RICHARD VON BUSACK, an animation buff who writes reviews for Metro in Santa Clara County. He used to live in SF and has written for all our major Bay Area papers.
The class meets on two Wednesdays, Feb. 11 & 25 from 7 to 9 PM at Media Alliance, 814 Mission Street, Suite 205, SF CA 94103 (415) 546-6334

"TECHNIQUE: DIGITAL ARTS AT WORK CONFERENCE" IS MARCH 16-17 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey. Speakers will demonstrate techniques used to create their illustrations, digital paintings, and other forms of graphic arts. For details call (206) 285-0305 or fax 285-0308.

LOCAL SCREENINGS

2/4 & 2/6 CINEQUEST, THE SAN JOSE FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS PROGRAMS WITH PDI AND PIXAR As part of their "Maverick Film and Technology Showcase" (is either group "maverick"?) they are presenting Tony DeRose and Michael Kass, described as two Pixar "gurus"(?), on Feb. 2 at 5:30 PM. They will talk about the making of the cgi short Geri's Game.
On Feb. 4 at 5:15 PM Richard Chuang of PDI will talk about digital characterization and provided "an insiders glance at Batman & Robin and The Peacemaker." Also, Iain McCaig, James Baldwin, Jill Jurkowitz and Allison Chase will show their new digital short The Face.
For information call (408) 295-FEST. The festival runs through Feb. 4.

2/8, 2/15, 2/25 PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE'S CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL CONTINUES with a program of Beatrix Potter stories on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 1 PM. Chasing the Kidneystone (Norway, 1996) on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 PM is a child's adventure inside a human body (the kid is shrunk in size). Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 sci-fi classic) will be shown on Feb. 15 at 3 PM. On Sunday, Feb. 22 at 1 PM the series ends with 3 shorts from Costa Rica.

2/11, 2/12 CASTRO TO SHOW WORLDS BEST COMMERCIALS - CANNES '97 on Feb. 11 & 12. The content of the show isn't announced, but it will probably includes some remarkable animated ads along with other outstanding work.

2/22, 2/23 KARL COHEN'S FORBIDDEN ANIMATION RETURNS TO THE RED VIC SUN. FEB. 22 AND MON. FEB. 23 Cohen will introduce every show, answer questions and sign books (books available in the lobby). The program covers 60 years of animated works banned for sexual content, racist overtones, violence and other reasons. Sunday at 2, 4:15, 7:15 and 9:15. Monday at 7:15 and 9:15. Arrive early as all 6 shows in Nov. sold out before show time.

2/26 FILM ARTS FOUNDATION PRESENTS A MONTHLY SERIES OF UNUSUAL SCREENINGS The Feb. program is on Thursday the 26th and it is called "Live Better Electrically." It offers "an eclectic view of an electric world combining a coal miner's documentary with two-parts lo-fi sci-fi and a generous helping of crazy contraptions." Show is at 8 PM at 111 Minna Street.

2/ 28 KARL COHEN'S FORBIDDEN ANIMATION AT ATA'S OTHER CINEMA, SAT. FEB. 28 at 8:30 PM, $5, 992 Valencia in SF (415) 824-3890.
3/7 ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL TO INCLUDE OVERSHADOWED by Neil Ishimine. It was made at the UCLA Animation Workshop and will be in the program of shorts titled "Belly of the Beast: Los Angeles Indies" on March 7 at 1 PM at the Kabuki (date and time subject to change). The festival will be held at the Kabuki, Pacific Film Archive and Palace of Fine Arts Theatre from 3/5 - 3/12.

WATCH THE LOCAL FILM LISTINGS FOR ANIMATED CLASSICS AT THE NEW FINE ART CINEMA IN BERKELEY The theatre at Shattuck and Haste recently became a revival house and opened with Lotte Reiniger's animated silent feature The Adventures of Prince Achmed. Also in January they showed a 2 hour program of animation by women (Hubley, Leaf, Reiniger and others). The theatre is being run by people connected with the Victoria Theater on 16th Street.

41st SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL DATES ARE APRIL 23 - MAY 7 For information call (415) 931-FILM

DAVID KRZYSIK WILL SHOW HIGHLIGHTS OF PAST BRAINWASH MOVIE FESTIVALS IN NEW MEXICO AND TEXAS IN APRIL The tour will take him to Albuquerque and Houston. Several works in the program are animated. For information about the next festival call (415) 273-1545

NATIONAL NEWS

TV CARTOON SYNDICATORS WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET PUBLICITY - ONE COMPANY PLANS TO DISTRIBUTE POKEMON IN THE U.S.A., THE JAPANESE SERIES THAT CAUSED 'SEIZURES' IN 100'S OF VIEWERS I asked the animation programmer at KOFY, Channel 20 in SF who the company is. He had never heard of 4 Kids Entertainment and he assumes they are a new company that obtained the show for its newsworthyness. He said Saban is the major importer of animation from Japan and they have almost all the major shows.
4 Kids Entertainment says they will take out the flashy special effects that may have caused the seizures in nearly 700 people (200 were hospitalized) when an episode of Pokemon aired in December in Japan. Considering the cartoons are full of flashing lights in their backgrounds, there will be a great deal of art work that has to be changed. If it isn't they will probably have major legal troubles the first time a kid complains of a headache or other problems after watching the show.

DREAMWORKS HAS PICKED UP THE AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS TO CHICKEN RUN, NICK PARK'S FIRST FEATURE It will be released early in the year 2000. Other releases from Dreamworks SKG are The Road to El Dorado and Antz (from PDI) in 1999, Prince of Egypt in Nov., 1998 and Shrek in 2000.

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SOME OF THEIR TRIBUTES AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS This is a great event to attend if you want to see outstanding programs and meet independent animators from Canada and other parts of the world. The 1998 event honoring animation as a fine and commercial art will be held towards the end of summer. It will include tributes to Frank Tashlin, Charles Thorson, Computer Pioneers, Alexei Karaev, Stefan Schabenbeck, and a 4 or 5 part program called "Before and After Independence: 40 Years of Estonian Animation." The honorary presidents of the 1998 event will be Marceli Wein and Nestor Burtynk, two Ottawa natives who have been honored for their achievements in computer animation.
For further information about the competition, programs, etc. contact Chris Robinson, festival director, 2 Daly Ave., Ottawa, Canada K1N 6E2 (613) 232-8769.

STRANGE NEWS ABOUT SPIKE AND MIKE, THEY HAVE SIGNED WITH CAA, A BIG HOLLYWOOD AGENCY Animation Planet quoted their press release which states that they signed to, "formulate a more intensive creative department. Mellow Manor has begun a project to select a hand-picked dream team of writers, animators, and idea people to bring the animated properties of Spike and Mike's notorious cartoon and animation super bash to a wider audience and push toward feature and television {animation}." Mellow Manor is Spike's company.

ASIFA HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS ANIMATION OPPORTUNITIES EXPO FEB. 20 & 21 at the Animation Celebration in Pasadena. On Friday they will hold 5 different workshops (Voice Acting, Writing, Storyboarding, Contracts and Starting a Program at Your School). On Saturday there are 40 short "seminars." A $100 Expo VIP Pass gives admission to the exhibit floor on Fri. and Sat. and guaranteed seating at 4 seminars on Sat. The workshops on Fri. are $75 each. A regular Expo pass is $75 for admission both days and available seating on Sat. Studios, suppliers and retailers will provide the exhibits. Call (818) 842-8330 for details.
THE ANIMATION CELEBRATION (PASADENA) ANNOUNCES SOME OF THEIR PROGRAMS This year the festival (Feb. 17-22) will honor two giants of the industry, the great stop-motion special effects master Ray Harryhausen and John Coates. Coates just retired from TVC in London after running the studio for 40 years. He produced the Yellow Submarine, Where the Wind Blows, Father Christmas, dozens of other long format works and over 2000 TV commercials.
The other announced guests of honor are Bill Plympton who will present the west coast premiere of I Married A Strange Person (direct from Sundance where it went over very well according to Bill); Gerald Potterton from Canada who produced Heavy Metal; Michael Schaack from Hamburg, Germany who has produced several features and TV shows that are not well known in the US; Clive Smith who was a founder of Nelvana in Canada; Corky Quackenbush from the E. Coast who does delightfully crazy material for MAD TV; and Chris Wedge who runs Blue Sky. Wedge did the cockroaches in Joe's Apartment and Tuber's Two Step.
The Celebration will screen films in competition daily at 1 & 3 PM. At 5 they will showcase work from studios including programs of work from Olive Jar, Cuppa Coffee, Sunbow and Locomotion. In the evenings they will show Japanese animation in one theatre while another presents compilation shows including The Funniest Cartoons, 50 Best Commercials, Outrageous Animation, World's Best CGI, etc. A show of out-takes and unscreened material from the Cartoon Network is planned. It will include two unaired Dexter's Laboratory cartoons. There will be other screenings including sneak previews of work-in-progress including scenes from the Rug Rats feature and probably PDI's Antz.
And there is more! A new visual effects society will present two days of meetings. The Second International Business Conference for TV Animation will meet for two days. There is the New Animation Technology Exposition, a trade show and classes. ASIFA Hollywood will hold the Animation Opportunities Expo as a 2 day event. And there will be opening and closing parties, the awards ceremony and more.
The "more" includes "The World Animation Marathon" in which 200 teams of 10 people each pay up to $50 a person to participate. They will create an "animated feature" in 9 hours. They did this event last year and people said the film was worse than unwatchable... I've also been told the event gives the impression to the public that animation is something one can do in a moments notice and without any special skills. Why create bad art and negative impressions?
For information (818) 991-5275 or write 30101 Agoura Court, Suite 110, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 You may be able to reach them at (800) 996-TOON.

"PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE" FANS SHOULD CHECK OUT "WEIRD AL'S SHOW" ON CBS BEFORE IT GOES OFF THE AIR The show is quite similar to "Pee Wee's Playhouse" in many ways. There are original animated segments created for it. There is a "King of Cartoons" who carries a beat-up 16mm projector. There are other unusual guests. The set is strange looking as Al is supposed to live in a "cave." Guest arrive by way of an elevator.
Weird Al has a pet hamster instead of the prehistoric bird Pee Wee loved. In one episode the microwave turns the hamster into a giant rodent that supposedly makes it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Special guests include young musical groups that are not world class entertainers.
The show doesn't have the flair of Pee Wee's program. The budget seems to be too small and the writers don't quite understand what made Pee Wee brilliant or how to get the most out of Weird Al. For some reason they are trying to make the show seem educational in the spirit of Mr. Rogers. As a result the programs are not as fresh and exciting as they could be and parts of each program simply miss the mark.
The show is still a lot more fun than most things on Saturday mornings, so check it out before it is gone forever. (If the program gets bumped by a sports event it sometimes gets shown on Sunday.)
A posting on Weird Al's web page says CBS has cancelled their option for a second season of the show. The show isn't going off the air because it is disliked or has low ratings. It turns out Nelvana in Canada has a contract from CBS for them to provide the entire block of Saturday Morning animation next Fall. Dick Clark Productions is trying to interest another network in the program. Weird Al claims he can make the show a lot better.

SHOOT YOUR NEXT PROJECT IN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO Denis Pies (also known as Sky David) is a really fine independent animator who gained a solid reputation for his work in the 1970s & 80s. He has moved to Santa Fe and is finishing Sunwolf, one of the last films funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. He has an Oxberry stand available and invites others to use it. If you wish to contact him write 2754 Agua Fria, Unit L, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 (505) 471-7779

MARV NEWLAND IS WORKING ON FUB He runs International Rocketship Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada and is well known for his classics Pink Komkommer and Bambi Meets Godzilla. He was visiting relatives in San Jose when he mentioned that Fub, his next work, will be about 7 minutes long and will be out soon.
His studio recently completed an hour TV show with Gary Larson using Far Side characters. The show is a series of funny episodes including one using live action and cgi. The rest of the show was done using cel animation. No air date has been announced for the program.
Mike Grimshaw, who created Quiet Please, a sick and twisted gem featured in past Spike and Mike shows, works for International Rocketship. Newland describes him as a very nice, quiet guy and says he isn't at all like the characters in his shorts. Grimshaw's Little Rude Riding Hood was one of the highlights of this season's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival.

PUBLICATIONS

ANIMATION PLANET #2 features Bill Plympton on the cover and an informative and entertaining article about him inside. The cover story has a great title, "Beating the Odds: Bill Plympton Doesn't Need $85 Million to Make a Movie."
Other informative articles include an interview with Steve Hulett, the business agent of the animation union in Los Angeles. He talks about his career and the benefits of the union. There is a profile of voice actor Frank Welker along with a detailed sidebar listing his credits. Another solid article is on the re-make of Jonny Quest.
The issue has page after page of news items, reviews of TV shows, tapes and books and other articles of interest.
Animation Planet is a fine publication and I expect it to get even better as their circulation grows. The publisher and editor is Mike Dobbs, the former editor of Animato! If you are serious about your interest in animation, subscribe. Send $15 to Inkwell Productions, 17 Spruce Street, Springfield, MA 01105. Credit card orders can be taken through the mail or by phone (413) 731-7928 from 9 AM to 9 PM Eastern time. For an extra $3 you get "the special stop-motion animation yearbook."

ANIMATION MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1998 is a really interesting issue to study. Much of it covers those they feel are the powerful shakers and movers of the animation industry. The first article profiles the 15 individuals whom they feel are "The Most Powerful in Animation." Steve Jobs made that list along with executives from the major LA studios. Next comes "The Most Influential People in Animation." Ed Catmull, John Lasseter and Jim Morris (Lucas) are among the 24 people profiled. Then comes "The 10 Companies to Watch in 1998" Wild Brain is one of them. Then comes "The 10 Hottest Issues in 1997" and "The 10 People to Watch in 1998."
The next section takes up the bulk of the magazine. It is a series of statements by major executives about their "View Points 1997." It covers people in feature films, TV production and distribution, commercials, cgi/visual effects, cgi software/hardware, ink and paint, music/post, writers, and other areas.
There is also a list of major events that took place in the animation world in 1997. Colossal's emergence from Chapter 11 made this list.
Subscriptions are $45 for 1 year and $84 for 2 from 30101 Agoura Court, Suite 110, Agoura, CA 91301-9987 or call (800) 996-TOON.

DON'T ASSUME THAT EVERYTHING YOU READ IS TRUE

Observations by Karl Cohen
Each year I mention a few stories carried by newspapers that turn out to be either false or misleading. Looking further into two articles that were run in our newsletter I was surprised to learn how distorted the truth was in one item and how questionable the second was.
The questionable item was an obituary about an interesting sounding animator/artist that I had never heard of. I asked someone working for the company the deceased was said to have worked for, who the person was. I got a letter back saying the name wasn't familiar and the person wasn't listed in the company's early personnel records. They had checked the files. I was astonished to read "We get obituaries all the time with people claiming close ties with (our) company which did not exist." Did all those people lie or had they changed their names (some women do so when they get married) or ???
The second concerns the Israeli extremist who put up posters depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a pig (see our Sept. newsletter for details). The incident caused Muslims to protest against her act. Her actions were cited as excuses for the killings by Muslim extremists of non-Muslims in Jerusalem and Egypt.
In January the woman was convicted and both the Chronicle and Examiner reported she "faces up to 26 years in prison after her conviction for putting up posters depicting..."
Wondering what the actual sentence was, I checked the Jerusalem Post on the Internet. It turns out she was convicted of "committing a racist act, supporting a terrorist organization, attempting to give religious offense and attempting vandalism." None of these crimes are punishable by more than a 3 year sentence. But, she was also convicted of "endangering life by throwing rocks at Arab drivers." That offense can result in "up to 20 years."
The Jerusalem Post explained that the day after she put up the offensive posters she was sitting on a hill above a road and tossed a rock at a car. The rock caused minor damage. At that point she was arrested. What our newspapers consider her most serious crime, offending religious sensibilities, carries a maximum prison term in Israel of only one year. Having an article about a person facing up to 20 years in jail for tossing a rock at a car isn't interesting news here, nor is getting one year for offending people. Misleading us to believe a person can get 26 years for offensive art in Israel apparently is "good journalism."
The lawyer for Tatiana Siskin tried to enter an insanity plea for her, but the judge would not accept it. The woman had been in a mental institution in Russia. When she was finally sentenced a few days later the judge gave her two years in jail and a 1 year suspended sentence. With good behavior and counting time served she should be free in 9 1/2 months. When the judge determined her sentence he took into consideration that she had mental problems. Her lawyer said he would appeal and called the sentence "a political travesty of justice." The lawyer also represents other Jewish extremists including a man in custody for planning to throw a pig's head on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

OTHER QUESTIONABLE STORIES
While surfing the Internet I found an article that mentioned Snow White being banned in Boston in 1938. It contained questionable statements and no footnotes. The author said lyrics in a song in Snow White were found offensive and the film was banned until the song was cut. The author quoted the lyrics and they seem meaningless to me so I can't believe it was banned. The author said the film was banned until the lyrics were removed. I doubt the police demanded the film be taken off the screen and closed the theatre until the print was censored.
I contacted the Walt Disney Archives and was told they have no record of this incident. Without a thorough review of files at the studio and possibly a search of Boston newspapers the story can not be proved or disproved.
Another Chronicle article that got my attention was one written by somebody from the Ayn Rand Institute, a right-wing think tank. He claimed last Nov. that the blacklisting of people in the film industry never happened and that anything that did happen was their fault for not playing by the rules. My outraged letter to the editor was never printed and I suspect a lot of other people failed to get their letters of complaint published. As the author of a book that covers blacklisting of animators I can assure you the blacklist was very real.
A friend suggested that since Herb Caen died the paper has tilted to the right. She thinks they like to print right wing material that they know is false just to stir up trouble.

ARE YOU READY FOR "THE TOON GAP?" Maureen Dowd from Washington, D.C. wrote an article published in the Jan. 3 New York Times that pointed out that males are sometimes attracted to animated female stars, while females in this country do not seem to show much interest in cartoon males. My favorite paragraph was "The superheroes, like Superman and Spiderman, are all wearing leotards, so you've got a Marv Albert thing going on there that's very unattractive... And the manly ones are thugs with no necks, like Fred Flintstone. And you couldn't go for George Jetson. It would seem so adulterous."
Dowd explored this profound subject in a column that went from the top to the bottom of the page. She didn't offer any real proof that males are seriously attracted to animated females except the opinions of a couple of her friends. I consider the article another milestone in dubious journalism.

OBITUARIES

MAE QUESTEL, THE VOICE OF BETTY BOOP, OLIVE OYL, SWEE' PEA, Winky Dink, Little Lulu, Little Audrey and other animated stars. She delighted Woody Allen fans in New York Stories with her performance as his late mother. She appears in the clouds over New York to give her son advice. Her recording of On the Good Ship Lollipop sold more than 2 million copies. It was sung using her Betty Boop voice. She appeared on Broadway in the plays Dr. Social (1948) and Enter Laughing (1963). She did the voice of Betty Boop in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

ELI BAUER was a cartoonist and animator who worked in the New York area. He developed Hector Heathcoat for TV, worked on the final series of Winky Dink shows and did cartoons for Playboy and Punch. He also worked at Terrytoons and for Ray Patten in Hollywood.
Howard Beckerman, who told us of his friend's passing, say Bauer worked with Morey Bunin on a technique known as Anaforms. It was a realtime device that used sponge rubber to give the forms an animated look.
Beckerman said Bauer will be remembered by many for the way he encouraged people to expand and do creative things.

JOHNNY GENTILELLA (aka Johnny Jent) worked at Famous as an animator on the Popeye series. He also worked for Bakshi on Heavy Traffic. Again thanks to Howard Beckerman for this news and the next item.

ELSEWORTH BARTHEN worked as an animator and assistant animator at Famous and other New York City studios. He was known for having played tennis for a period of time with Rudy Vallee and for his imitations of FDR on TV.

ASIFA HOLLYWOOD, WOMEN IN ANIMATION AND THE ANIMATOR'S UNION WILL HOLD A REMEMBRANCE EVENING FOR PEOPLE WHO DIED IN 1997. The event on Sat. Feb. 7 will honor over 20 wonderful people who are no longer with us. They include Al Eugster who was a Fleischer and Disney animator. He may have been the last living silent era animator. Others to be remembered include Don Messick, Fred Stuhr, Milt Neil, Dick Thomas, Jack Parr (H-B animator), Zoe Parker, Dick Lucas, Beverly Ware, Frances Ross, Charlotte Levitow, John Guerin, Stan Green, Les Kline, Marie Cornell, Jerry Smith, Frank Little, Phyllis Craig, Bruce Strock, Jerry Hathcock, Jane Phillipi, Harry Love and Virginia McColley. The event will be held at the Hollywood Heritage Museum (Cecil B. DeMille Barn) at 7 PM.

EMPLOYMENT

XAOS INC. IS SEEKING EXPERIENCED 3D STUDIO MAX ANIMATORS for free-lance and full-time positions. Please submit your reels and resumes to Xaos, Inc., Recruiter, 444 De Haro Street, Suite 211, San Francisco, CA 94107

FESTIVALS

FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL has a Feb. 27 deadline for June event. $15 entry fee for shorts. Has an animation category. Accepts 16mm, 35mm and student and computer works in video. Offers awards (money?). Work can be previewed on VHS. Matthew Curtis, Florida Film Festival, Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland, FL 32751 (407) 629-1088.

DEADLINE REMINDER The following festivals have been mentioned before in this column. See your back issues for details. The upcoming deadline dates are: Ann Arbor Film Festival, Feb. 15 (entry forms available from Karl Cohen, 386-1004); Humboldt, Feb. 27 for films (too late for video); Hiroshima, March 21; Toronto, March 1; Carolina Film and Video Festival, March 10; Forth Brainwash, May 1; Golden Shower Video, March 5.

This issue was written by Karl Cohen and proofread by Barbara Olitzky-Bannerman. Copies are free to members. Local membership is $18 a year. Local & International membership is $40.

ASIFA-SAN FRANCISCO P.O. BOX 14516 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114

This issue was written by Karl Cohen and proofread by Barbara Olitzky-Bannerman. Membership is $18 a year or $40 for local and international membership from the above address.

ASIFA-SAN FRANCISCO AND THE EXPLORATORIUM'S FILM PROGRAM PRESENTS

A SHOWCASE OF NEW ANIMATION FROM ASIFA NORTHWEST

WEBSTER COLCORD IN-PERSON

He will introduce the program and show other examples of his personal and commercial work.He now lives in the Bay Area and works as an animator at PDI.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 7:30 pm, Free, Public Invited AT THE EXPLORATORIUM'S McBEAN THEATRE

program

Touched Alive: A Masque of Desire and Doom - Stephen Arthur Capital - Chel White Happy Birthday Dad - Laura di Trapani Hero Sandwich - Andrew Collen and Amy AB Collen, Happy Trails Animation Rain Tiles - Rose Bond Director's Reel - Hohn Haugse Director's Reel - Webster Colcord Retina - Grant Sligh Heart - Tracy Prescott, for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry How to Get to Heaven, or The Burning of Hell - Chad Essley We Are All On the Same Bus - Madison High School Students, Will Vinton Studios, Bruce Liberty & Mike McKimaey Untitled line animation - Bruce Bickford, Leisure Class Productions Commercial reel - Will Vinton Studios Bride of Mr. Resistor - Mark Gustasfon, Will Vinton Studios several new works from Portland will be added to the program