KEVIN COFFEY'S CARTOONLAND HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED 2 SPOTS
The first, for Fox Kids London, features a cartoon kid (drawn by Coffey)
watching a cartoon television with a live action picture. As soon
as the child reaches the Fox Kids channel the scene explodes into
a CG grid composed of the hero and hundreds of Fox cartoon characters
flying through space. The spot ends with the kid in a close up (with
sunglasses) saying "very cool" in Danish! The spot is for
Fox Kids Denmark and was produced by Fox Kids London. Carsten Lakner
was their producer. Coffey's most recent work is a fully animated
30 second spot for a skateboard shop in San Ramon. It features a cartoon
"skate rat" going through his paces on a snowboard and skateboard.
His wild adventure ends at the sponsor's shop in San Ramon. Look for
this spot in heavy rotation on MTV starting in December. Cartoonland's
website is at www.cartoonlandanimation.com
SIX FOOT TWO CREATED A BOONDOGGLE AD FOR NO ON PROP D
Robbin and Suzanne Atherly, working with director Tom Arndt did a
30-second ad in less than one month for the last election. They were
given a week to come up with the storyboards and had less than 3 weeks
to finish it for a scheduled airdate. They designed a Dr. Seuss type
character for the ad.
BARBARA KLUTINIS GOT EXCEPTIONAL PRAISE IN THE "L.A. WEEKLY"
FOR HER NEW HAND MADE FILM Holly Willis wrote, "The highlight
of the evening is Barbara Klutinis' stunning
Journey's Swiftly Passing,
a film that beautifully captures the conflicting tropes of life as both
a series of circular repetitions and a lengthy trip. For the film's
central strand, Klutinis hand-tinted negative images of a road, using
brilliant yellows and oranges. She then intercuts footage of people,
moving from babies and children to an older man in the hospital. Beyond
its sheer beauty, the film's strength is in the way it transcends the
individual life to become a chronicle of Life; few filmmakers have the
confidence or skill to make such remarkable work. (Filmforum at the
Egyptian; Sun., Nov. 10, 7 p.m.)" Klutinis started and ran the
animation club at Rooftop school while her kids were enrolled there.
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.ASIFA-SF.ORG
STANLEY MOUSE SUES PIXAR CLAIMING MIKE IN "MONSTERS,
INC." WAS BASED ON ONE OF HIS OLD CHARACTERS He claims
that a story artist from Pixar visited his studio in 2000 as a "fan"
and was shown artwork he did for an unsold 1998 project called "Excuse
My Dust" which was set in "Monster City." I suspect
Mike was designed before the "fan" visited Mouse.
WILD BRAIN, INC. NAMES ANDREA MANSOUR HEAD OF COMMERCIALS
She is a veteran animation and visual effects producer and will be
responsible for all sales and the management of Wild Brain's commercial
division. She is developing new business opportunities, recruiting
creative and production talent, and overseeing commercial marketing
efforts for the company. Prior to joining Wild Brain, she was a creative
program director with Sapient, a design and consulting firm in San
Francisco. Following Sapient, she served in production management
roles for visual effects firm, Ntropic in San Francisco and CMT, a
division of MTV Networks, in Nashville. In 1996, Mansour helped to
launch San Francisco-based visual effects firm, Radium, where she
held the position of Senior Producer for 4 years. She has won an International
Monitor Award, several Broadcast Designers Association awards and
a MTV Video Award nomination for visual effects.
WILL YOU HAVE A FILM IN OUR JANUARY 22ND OPEN SCREENING FOR
STUDENTS AND INDEPENDENT ANIMATORS? If so contact
Karl Cohen in December (415) 386-1004 or karlcohen@earthlink.net I'll
put your name and the title of your work on the flyer for the event.
Our annual open screening for professional animators and companies
will probably be in March as the amazing Bill Plympton plans to be
here in February to talk about his work and to screen footage never
before seen in California.
ONE OF OUR MEMBERS NEEDS YOUR HELP TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT
MID-60'S KID'S TV SHOW HAD REALTIME "ANIMATED" LIPS ON IT
that talked to the show's host. The woman has been puzzled by this
memory for years. I'll forward your reply to her. (415) 386-1004 karlcohen@earthlink.net
PIXAR'S GLENN McQUEEN DIED OCTOBER 29 He was only
41 and left a wife, 4 year old daughter and a lot of friends. He was
known for his ability to inject sophisticated first-rate humor into
his life and work (and sometimes just good old outrageous gags). He
was born and raised in Canada, graduated from Sheridan in 1984, joined
PDI in 1991 and began at Pixar in 1994 as an animator on Toy Story.
He had skin cancer (melanoma).
When Lee Unkrich was co-director of Toy Story 2, I interviewed
him about the making of that feature. He told me that McQueen, who
was then supervising animator on the project, "did brilliant
work on this film and was a real team leader. He really inspired the
animators to do brilliant work. The animators had to work quickly,
but there were no compromises. McQueen is a brilliant animator, but
unfortunately he had to spend so much of his time working with the
animators on a daily basis that he wasn't able to animate a whole
lot."
When I wrote about the making of Monsters, Inc. I had the
pleasure of interviewing McQueen about his work. The following was
the last third of a long article for awn.com,
Oct. 30, 2001. My title for this section of the article was "Taking
Advantage of New Technical Innovations." I wrote:
According to Glenn McQueen, supervising animator, the increase in
computing power allows "you to get more visual complexity on
the screen. More stuff, more atmosphere, more characters, more clothing,
more everything." This can make scenes more complicated to animate
and keeping track of all that detail can become a problem.
McQueen is a big fan of their new simulation software. It freed them
to spend more time on the performance of their characters. "That's
where I want to see our animators spending their time. It was a terrific
improvement." In Toy Story 2 Al's shirt and pants had
to be moved by hand. "I hate animating things like that. You
have to spend a lot of time on it and if it is done correctly no one
will ever look at it. It doesn't help the film develop the story or
provide entertainment. Having a computer do that grunt work is a great
improvement."
Strangely, they preferred to animate one hair element by hand. The
only human in the film is a little girl who invades the world of the
monsters. She has a ponytail. It was easy to animate by hand as the
movements were similar to animating the antenna on ants, "something
we all have had a lot of practice doing." (Pixar created A
Bug's Life, 1998.)
The studio created a "tentacle package" in case they were
going to animate a character with lots of arms or legs. At one time
Sully had 8 tentacles. McQueen said 8 tentacles would have been very
difficult to animate within the production schedule planned for the
film. "It said monster loud and clear, but I gave a sigh of relief
when the director and art directors decided to go with a two legged
character. It made getting the film done on time more realistic."
The tentacle package was used on minor characters. Since there is
little scientific evidence about what monsters look like, some of
Pixar's creatures have multiple eyes, arms and legs. Many of them
are extras designed to be built quickly and then moved by the new
system. "They don't talk, but are great background characters
as they have strong silhouettes. They are quick and easy to pose."
The tentacle package was used on minor characters. Since there is
little scientific evidence about what monsters look like, some of
Pixar's creatures have multiple eyes, arm and legs. Many of them are
extras designed to be built quickly and then moved by the new system.
"They don't talk, but are great background characters as they
have strong silhouettes. They are quick and easy to pose."
One monster that stands out from the others moves like a crab. A zoologist
was consulted about crab locomotion systems since it is quite different
than the walk cycles most animators are used to drawing. McQueen said
that none of the monsters were based on recognizable animals. Why
should they be familiar looking when there are so many "tantalizing
ideas" of what the characters could be.
A typical day for McQueen and his staff of approximately 50 animators
began at 8 or 8:30 with 1 1/2 to 2 hours of dailies. At these sessions
they critique work currently in production. Everyone is free to participate
in these discussions. Another purpose of the dailies is to make sure
everyone is animating the same character the same way. Pixar does
have lead animators who concentrate on getting great performances
out of a character (John Kahrs on Sulley, Andrew Gordon on Mike and
Tasha Wedeen and Dave DeVan on Boo), but there are scenes that were
animated by others.
After dailies McQueen's day included meeting with individual animators,
going over production schedules and working with the technical departments.
The model and prop departments were building new props and characters
right up to the end of the show. The model department has to constantly
test their work to make sure it functions properly before it is turned
over to the animators.
To keep the staff of Pixar up-to-date when new proprietary software
is developed, they hold classes at Pixar University (good old PU).
The school also teaches the basics for new staff members and offers
other classes when people are not working on a production. McQueen
says, "It behooves us to make sure everyone is as flexible as
possible."
Glenn McQueen has started work on "John's next film" as
animation supervisor and Lee Unkrich will be a co-director of that
feature. Unkrich hinted that it is about something Lasseter has a
passion for, just as his love for toys resulted in Toy Story.
He didn't elaborate, but he did say "you can look forward to
another great film." (We now know that the film is Cars
and it takes place on Route 66.)
LOCAL EVENTS
Tuesday, December 3, THE SIXTIES: SPIRITUALITY AND PSYCHEDELICA
The 4th Kinetica Series is at the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley 7:30
PM. Features 12 works by Pat O'Neill, Elfrieda Fischinger, James Whitney,
Jordan Belson, Jules Engels, Scott Bartlett, and other artists. Introduced
by Cindy Keefer.
Thursday, Dec.. 5, CONTEMPORARY ABSTRACTION Kinetica
series at the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley 7:30 PM, 13 animated
films by Paul Glabicki, Celia Mercer, Stephanie Maxwell, Sky David,
David Lebrun, and other artists. Introduced by Cindy Keefer, director
of the Iota Center in LA.
Thursday, December 5, CARTOON ART MUSEUM PRESENTS DAVID SILVERMAN
DISCUSSING "THE SIMPSONS: FROM EARLY YEARS TO MATURITY"
at 7 PM Silverman, one of the original directors of The Simpsons,
will provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
show. He will present production art, pencil tests, and scenes that
were never shown on television. See the evolution of the characters
from their beginnings on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet one of the most influential
creators in TV animation history. Admission to this event is $6 ($5
for members). Seating will be limited. Please call (415) CAR-TOON
ext. 314 in advance to reserve your space.
This talk is presented in conjunction with Superwacky: Animation
on Television, 1949-2002, an exhibition on display at the Cartoon
Art Museum through January 19 (exhibit has been extended one week).
The exhibition includes original production art from The Simpsons,
including a rare drawing and a cel set-up from The Tracey Ullman Show.
The museum is located at 655 Mission St., SF. .
Thursday, December 12, THE CARTOON ART MUSEUM IS PRESENTING
A MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATION ON "THE INVISIBLE ART: THE LEGENDS
OF MOVIE MATTE PAINTING" (Chronicle Books, 2002) with
Barron and Mark Cotta Vaz, 2002, 7 PM at the museum A booksigning
will follow the presentation. Suggested donation is $5.00. Seating
is limited. Please call 415-227-8666 ext. 314 in advance to reserve
a seat.
Tuesday, Dec. 17, ASIFA-SF PRESENTS FILMS ABOUT PEACE, TOLERANCE
AND UNDERSTANDING PLUS ANIMATED SURPRISES THAT CELEBRATE LIFE
This show comes from the archives of Prescott J. Wright, Karl Cohen
and the Exploratorium. At the Exploratorium, 7:30 PM, free, public
invited.
Wednesday, Dec. 18, THE CARTOON HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE,
book signing and talk by Larry Gonick, 7 PM, Cartoon Art Museum.
Thursday, Dec. 19, EXCAVATING THE EMULSION, A PROGRAM OF SCRATCH
AND COLLAGE FILMS AT THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS,
at 6 PM. People have been telling me about the Scratch Film Monkeys
for several years. This is a chance to find out what their work is
like plus work by Thad Povey and others. Presented by Canyon Cinema
and Bay Area Now.
ANOTHER SOPHOMORIC "SICK AND TWISTED ANIMATION FESTIVAL"
IS SHOWING IN THE BAY AREA Since I wasn't invited to preview
it, I have to rely on the good judgment of Bob Graham of the SF
Chronicle. He wrote it isn't all that sick and twisted ("I've
seen worse"), says "the shock value wears off very quickly"
and he concludes, "Will it ruin my day? Only about 80 minutes
of it." He did get a chuckle out of one Lonesome Grandpa blackout
gag and he "sort of got a kick out of Brian Bress' Karate
Dick Boys in which macho posturing gives guys erections."
Ho hum… In December it plays at the Towne, Palace of Fine Arts
(11:30 PM) and AMC 1000 (midnights) in December. STAMP OUT
BAD ART?
NATIONAL NEWS
BILL PLYMPTON'S WWW.HAIRHIGH.COM
HAS LOTS TO SEE ON IT He has model sheets of new
characters from his next feature on display along with several stills
from the feature and promotional information. Best of all, you can
see his hand drawing art from the film every weekday from 10 to 5.There
is a "Plympton-cam" looking down at his animation disc and
the images change ever 5-seconds. He is recording them and he hopes
he can turn sequences into an experimental film. So have fun checking
out his new web site.
He has another site that is part of awn.com that
provides up-to-date news of where his films are showing, where he
will be presenting talks, etc. It also includes examples of his art
for sale. There is a link to this site on the awn.com's opening page.
JOE DANTE IS DIRECTING "LOONEY TOONS: BACK IN ACTION"
WITH BRENDAN FRASER, JENNA ELFMAN, BUGS BUNNY AND DAFFY DUCK
It has a $100+ million budget and a November 14, 2003 release date.
Hopefully it has a better script than Space Jam. The plot
is a quest for the Blue Monkey Diamond by a team of good guys. The
cast also will include Steve Martin, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and
other stars. Todd McFarlane (Spawn) is "doing"
the animated segments.
In a LA Times interview, Dante says the film is aimed at
an adult and teen audience. He also said "My 10-year old niece
can watch one of Tex Avery's Bugs cartoons from 1943 and still laugh."
I hope he is better at directing than giving out accurate information.
Avery was fired by Leon Schlesinger in 1941 and went to work at MGM
in 1942 (he won an Oscar nomination for MGM's Blitz Wolf,
1942).
PRESIDENT OF DISNEY'S ANIMATION DIVISION TO STEP DOWN NEXT
JUNE Thomas Schumacher has headed the division for 4 years
and has been with the company for 14 years. The L.A. Times
(Nov. 2) says he is "negotiating a new deal with Disney management
that could keep him involved in the company's theatrical stage business,
just one aspect of the turf he now oversees." The studio denies
he is being forced out, but for months people in the business have
speculated about how much longer he would be in his present position.
He has had successful releases, but there have been financial failures
and there have been massive layoffs and salary cuts in recent months.
Anybody that lays-off over 1,000 people can't be a very popular guy.
One former Disney employee was "elated" with the news. Another
said Schumacher didn't have "the right vision for the job."
A likely successor might be "David Stainton, who heads Disney's
profitable television division" according to the L.A. Times.
RICHARD RICH DIRECTED "MUHAMMAD: THE LAST PROPHET"
The animated feature opened in Arab countries Oct. 16 and is said
to be doing a respectable box office. It was produced for about $10
million by Richard Rich, a former Disney animation director and Muwaffak
Harithy, a businessman. Since Muhammad cannot be depicted according
to Islamic law, he is shown as a blinding light in the film. It is
also forbidden to hear him speak, so his words are relayed by one
of his followers.
Rich, who runs Rich-Crest Animation in Burbank, recorded on tape his
employees acting out the human action. The footage was then sent to
an animation studio in South Korea by way of the Internet. Before
it was released it was reviewed by conservative clerics in Egypt and
Lebanon and changes were made to get it approved for public screening.
The project took 6 years to complete.
Rich worked at Disney for 14 years before starting his own company.
He has directing credits on The Fox and the Hound and The
Black Cauldron. His company's releases include The Swan Princess,
The King and I, The Trumpet and the Swan plus over
50 direct to video projects (many based on history or the scriptures).
A review of the film from the Cairo Times (Nov. 14-20, 2002)
says the film's producer is Badr International Corp. Their web site
says they are making "Animated programs that will capture the
hearts and interests of the Islamic people," but "the inaugural
production does little to capture anything… it is not really
entertaining… a very didactic tone. Much of the dialogue between
the characters is preachy… a bit heavy going for children. There
is not much to keep them, or anyone else interested."
MICHAEL MALLORY WROTE AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE ABOUT HOW SEVERAL LOW BUDGET
LIVE ACTION FEATURES HAVE INCLUDED ANIMATED SEGMENTS THAT HAVE ENHANCED
THE FILMS The Brothers Quay created a near-death stop-motion
nightmare sequence for Frida. Todd McFarlane (Spawn)
designed the traditional looking animated segment for The Dangerous
Lives of Altar Boys. Michael Ventresco of Red Scare Inc., NYC
did the computer graphics for Just a Kiss. Emily Hubley did low tech
ink on paper animation for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Harold Moss of NYC did a great Flash animation sequence depicting
the history of violence and fear in America in Michael Moore's Bowling
for Columbine. Moss is now working with Tom Tomorrow on the pre-production
of a feature using Flash. Mallory also mentioned animated segments
in Run Lola Run and Amelie. The article appeared
in the L.A. Times Calendar Live, Nov. 1 (available online).
Jerry Beck mentions animation articles run in the L.A. Times
on his fine website CartoonResearch.com Thanks Jerry.
A NEW VEGGIETALES EPISODE TO AIR ON PUBLIC TELEVISION This
is a first for the Chicago based company. Their holiday show The
Star of India begins airing Dec. 1 in different cities. There
are 262 public television stations in the nation. This is tremendous
exposure for their conservative Christian products
STAN LEE FILES $10M LAWSUIT AGAINST MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
Stan Lee seeks his share of the profits from the Spider-Man
feature and related merchandise. He created the character and comic
book and his lawyer says he has a contract with Marvel giving him
10% of the profits. The film has now grossed over $800 million. He
also is asking for income from future releases based on his writings
including a Spider-Man sequel coming out in 2004 and 3 films to be
released next year (The Hulk, X-Men 2 and Daredevil).
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in November.
INTERESTED IN SEEING A "SICK AND TWISTED" ROCK VIDEO
ON THE INTERNET? Carl Gauze's review (awn.com) of the current
Sick and Twisted show includes a mention of Tenacious D's
Fuck Her Gently. He says it is one of the show's
best works. It can also be seen in Real Audio at www.tenaciousd.com
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CARTOONISTS' UNIONS IN PICTURES AND WORDS
is available online at their union's website www.mpsc839.org
Click on "info" and then click on "history." Tom
Sito is the author of this fascinating segment of their website.
ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD MEMBERS GET INVITED TO A LOT OF SCREENINGS NOW THAT
THERE IS AN OSCAR FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Distributors
who seek nominations are inviting those who vote (and their friends
and family) to free screenings at special screening rooms. Invites
have come inviting me to see Spirited Away, Treasure
Planet, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and other films.
ASIFA-Hollywood members were also invited to see an interesting sounding
work from Japan, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS. It
was directed by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue) and is "a
compelling and visually stunning romance/adventure where fantasy and
reality converge in an epic saga spanning a millennium." The
film debuted at Montreal's 2001 Fantasia Film Festival, where it was
named best animated film.
ASIFA-SF's New Legal Column by Adrienne Crew
I had an unexpected epiphany while attending this year's Film Arts
Foundation Festival. As I sat through a screening of experimental
animation, I realized that I'd internalized my legal training to such
an extreme degree that I couldn't even watch a montage of found footage
without pondering whether the filmmakers obtained copyright permission
to incorporate snippets of another film's dialogue on their soundtrack.
Like any normal perpetual adolescent, I blame my parents. In 1988
I was accepted into both animation school and law school. My parents
encouraged me to go to law school saying "you can finance your
animated films by practicing law." Well, it didn't turn out exactly
as they predicted but I did end up as a media business affairs attorney
who makes animated films on the side.
I've also practiced bankruptcy law and managed programs for California
Lawyers for the Arts. Now I can't look at any form of creative expression
without pausing to ponder issues affecting creative professionals
like taxes, bankruptcy claims, contracts, copyrights, trademarks dispute
resolution.
I thought others should benefit somehow from this crazy affliction
so I approached Karl Cohen about writing a column about legal and
business affairs affecting the animation community.
I invite ASIFA-SF members to email me their own legal questions and
I'll try to explore them in this space. Please be aware that this
column is just my own opinion, written for educational purposes, and
should not be strictly construed as legal advice. If you have a specific
legal problem, you should always consult directly with a licensed
member of the Bar. Send your questions to ecru64@yahoo.com.
BEAR BAITING
I've been avidly following the back royalties dispute involving Walt
Disney Co and Winnie the Pooh rights holders. Recently, Walt Disney
Co. announced that it had acquired future Winnie the Pooh merchandising
rights from the estate of A.A. Milne and original Pooh illustrator,
E. H. Shepard. Citing a clause in the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Extension
Act, whose own legitimacy is being reconsidered by the U.S. Supreme
Court, that allows heirs to reclaim all rights in a character, Disney
has made an agreement to pay the heirs $350 million in exchange for
all rights that revert to the heirs in 2004.
Copyright expert Roger Zissu, told The American Reporter newspaper
that the 1998 Sony Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, "specifically
instructs heirs who terminate any rights under the Copyright Act that
they may negotiate regarding those rights only with the party that
was terminated for a two-year period from the time notice of termination
is served." Apparently almost all the rights the Slesinger firm
holds, such as trademark, contract and derivative rights - are ones
excluded from termination by the Bono law. I predict another lawsuit
brewing if the Slesinger estate can prove that Disney unfairly influenced
the Milne heirs to terminate its original merchandising agreement
between licensing pioneer Stephen Slesinger and A.A. Milne.
This is just the latest tactic in the ten-year battle for royalties
derived from the Winnie the Pooh animated film property. Observers
believe this alliance with Milne's heirs is Disney's last ditch effort
to avoid paying up to what may be $1 billion dollars in back royalties
and legal penalties.
It all started innocently enough in 1931 when Stephen Slesinger purchased
merchandising rights in the Pooh properties from A.A. Milne. Slesinger
licensed the rights to Disney in 1961. In 1983 Slesinger and Disney
signed a new contract in which a Disney senior executive, now deceased,
promised to pay Slesinger and the Milne's for videocassette and other
future uses of the Pooh characters. Slesinger's heirs began to notice
revenue accounting irregularities and filed a lawsuit in 1991. This
case has been longest-running civil matter in Los Angeles county.
Records of it were only revealed to the public after an extraordinary
effort to unseal them was mounted by the Los Angeles Times
and The American Reporter earlier this year.
Earlier this year Disney lost two crucial rulings in Los Angeles Superior
Court. The parties will resolve the matter in a jury trial scheduled
for February 2003.
Disney, like most corporate entertainment companies, values creativity
in its accounting departments as well as in its production facilities.
The most shocking aspects of the case are the examples of sloppiness
in keeping accurate records and audits.
In June 2002, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ernest M. Hiroshige
fired a forensic accounting firm, threw out most of a court-appointed
auditor's findings and awarded the Slesinger heirs a 12.5 percent
error rate in their Walt Disney Co. royalty payments that may yield
as much as $200 million. According to The American Reporter,
Judge Hiroshige chastised Disney's lawyers after learning from the
plaintiffs that Disney's then-lawyer, Skadden, Arps litigator John
Donovan, used the accounting firm as forensic accountants in his divorce
proceedings. The judge also sanctioned Disney in 2001 for destroying
thousands of accounting documents pertaining to the case -including
a box clearly marked "Winnie the Pooh -legal problems."
Indeed, on November 21, 2002 a California Court of Appeal refused
to consider the studio's appeal from these harsh sanctions.
The main issues under dispute are improper accounting methods used
to determine revenue owed to the Slesingers according to their 1983
contract. Disney accounts apparently failed to separate revenue streams
derived from products that mixed Disney characters together such as
displaying Winnie the Pooh with Donald Duck on packaging. The parties
are also fighting over whether the Slesinger contract with Disney
includes revenue streams from products that did not exist at the time
the contract was drafted like DVDs, videos, computer software and
other merchandise.
While most merchandising contracts now include clauses that contemplate
whether the creator is entitled revenue streams derived from future
products or uses currently not in existence, it's important to review
each and every royalty statement and conduct independent audits of
all licensing partners. Even a cute mouse can turn into a rat."
AUGUST 27, 1968 Former master animator Bill Tytla's
request to return to Disney was turned down. The artists who created
Grumpy the Dwarf, Dumbo and the Devil on Bald Mountain even offered
to do a free "trial animation test" to show he still had
it. Disney exec W.H. Anderson wrote him:"We really have only
enough animation for our present staff." Tytla died later that
year. Item courtesy of Tom Sito.
MORE NEWS
A 14TH CENTURY MICKEY MOUSE? This crude
image was supposedly recently discovered in a village church in Malta.
The fresco (painting on plaster) is said to be damaged with water
stains. From the poor Internet photo it is hard to tell what this
is, but the article sent me by a friend suggested the character might
be a weasel "which in medieval times was believed to give birth
through its ears." The town's shopkeepers were hoping for "boom
times, in the hope Mickey devotees flock to see the fresco."
LOCAL STUDIOS CONTRIBUTED SPECIAL EFFECTS TO SEVERAL BOX OFFICE
HITS HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS claimed
the third highest opening gross ever, has effects by ILM. It opened
with a $87.6 million gross. THE SANTA CLAUSE 2, with visual
effects by Tippett Studios and GVFX grossed $82.5 million in 3 weeks.
THE RING, with visual effects by Method Studios, Rhythm &
Hues, Asylum and Tippett Studios, had grossed $101.1 million by Nov.
20. STAR WARS: EPISODE II in IMAX, playing on just 58 screens,
has brought in a total of $4.8 million.
ASIFA-EAST CELEBRATED THE COMPLETION OF "PRIVATE
EYE PRINCESS" BY DEBRA SOLOMAN at a premiere screening
and reception on Nov. 25 for the artist. It was made as a Cartoon
Network Special. Solomon is best known as the creator of the short
Mrs. Matisse.
KARL COHEN HAS BEEN RESEARCHING COLD WAR ANIMATION. HE HAS
CONFIRMED THE CIA'S INVOLVEMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE AND THAT OUR
GOVT. SUPPORTED OTHER PROJECTS His 8,000+ word article will
be published by awn.com sometime in Dec. Read about some of the CIA's
covert successes inserting anti-Communist propaganda into films.
JERRY BECK PANS A NEW ANIMATED FEATURE FROM INDIA
Here is a sample, "This film is awful. The animation is terrible.
Worse than the cheapest video game. If they had stop-motioned real
Barbie and Ken dolls, it would've been a more exciting movie."
His review of Alibaba appeared 11/24 www.cartoonresearch.com.
STOP-MOTION ARMATURE KITS Armaverse produces 6"
high human skeletons of stainless steal that permit the use of replacement
heads. The parts can be used to build other creatures and in different
sizes. For more information: www.armaverse.com.
CHICAGO'S BIG IDEA PRODUCTIONS SET TO BRING "THE BOB
AND LARRY MOVIE" TO THE SCREEN IN 2005 Their first feature
Jonah, A VeggieTales Movie has grossed over $24 million and
will make a lot more money when it comes out on video in March. Now
the company has announced that their next feature will be The
Bob And Larry Movie. It is slated for a 2005 release.
The next feature will answer all the questions that I'll bet you never
asked. You will find out, "Why do these vegetables talk? How
did they meet? And who on Earth gave them their own television show?
The film features the classic VeggieTales characters Bob the Tomato
and Larry the Cucumber along with…"
CONFERENCES & EXHIBITS
GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE will be
in San Jose March 4-8. Register by Feb. 5 and save up to 40% www.gdconf.com
SF'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART TO EXHIBIT "NO GHOST IN THE
SHELL" This is a show of French artists/animators working
with computers, neon and paint to create works that star a Japanese
Manga actress. Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno purchased the rights
to the character and then asked several artists to "Work with
her, in a real story, translate her capabilities into psychological
traits, lend her a character, a text…" Annlee, the star,
was a low priced model, but the artists in the show have transformed
her through their work in animation, sculpture, painting, posters,
books, etc. The show was organized by Benjamin Weil, curator of media
arts.
TWO FULL-TIME TENURE TRACK TEACHING POSITIONS AVAILABLE FOR
2004-'04 at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Feb. 1 deadline.
They seek someone to teach "all levels and areas of computer
animation" (position #070-1196) and someone to teach all areas
of traditional animation (#070-1200). Requires a MFA or equivalent
professional experience. Teaching and/or professional experience desirable.
Chuck Jones gave the department a nice endowment a few years ago so
the school is said to have excellent animation workshops/studios.
Send letter to Dr. Terry L. Smith, Dean of Liberal Arts, Edinboro
University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA 16444. State position number
and title, a detailed resume, names etc. of 3 references, and copies
of transcripts. www.edinboro.edu
ASIFA-SANFRANCISCO, PO BOX 14516, SF CA 94114
This newsletter was written by Karl Cohen and Adrienne Crew. It was
proofread by Pete Davis and the mailing crew included Shirley Smith,
Laura Tulloss and Nancy Phelps. Copies are free with your $22 annual
membership to ASIFA-SF
GROUP TRYING TO DEVELOP AN ANIMATION MUSEUM/CENTER
IN GLENDALE They have the go-ahead to develop plans to turn
a former S&L building into a large animation facility. A lot of
money needs to be raised to make it happen. Frank Gladstone of DreamWorks
is one of the organizers of the group.
Meanwhile the Annie Awards, presented each year by ASIFA-Hollywood,
will be held early next year instead of at the end of 2002. That move
was made with the hopes the event would get better recognition in
the press. The move is to a period when the press is covering awards
events that lead up to the Academy Award Ceremony.
THE FOLLOWING CARTOON IS BY JOHN GRIMES, ONE
OF THE CREATORS OF OUR WEBSITE:
ASIFA-SAN FRANCISCO, THE BAY AREA'S ANIMATION
ASSOCIATION PRESENTS
FILMS ABOUT
PEACE, TOLERANCE AND UNDERSTANDING
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 7:30 PM
THE EXPLORATORIUM'S McBEAN THEATER
FREE. PUBLIC INVITED
EIGHT EXCEPTIONAL CLASSICS
THAT HAVE MESSAGES RELAVANT TO THESE TIMES
PEACE OF EARTH, 1939, directed by Harman and Ising,
MGM, Nobel Peace Prize and Oscar nominations
NEIGHBORS, 1952, by Norman McLaren, National Film
Board of Canada, Oscar winner, "Love Thy Neighbor"
BROTHERHOOD OF MAN, 1946, made for the United Auto
Workers when they were integrating factories
THE HOUSE I LIVE IN, 1946, stars Frank Sinatra, he
won a special Oscar for this humanitarian message
DUCK DOGERS IN THE 24th CENTURY, 1953, the logical
conclusion to the "eye for an eye" philosophy
THE FLY, 1967, Zagreb Studios, Yugoslavia, a man
learns the hard way to co-exist with his enemy
BEAD GAME, 1971, Ishu Patel, National Film Board
of Canada, Oscar nomination, a statement about evolution
THE BIG SNIT, 1985, Richard Condie, national Film
Board of Canada, Oscar nomination
PLUS SEVERAL ANIMATED SURPRISES THAT CELEBRATE
LIFE FROM THE ARCHIVE OF PRESCOTT J. WRIGHT
Prescott has spent much of his adult life in the dark
- watching and programming animated films. He organized and distributed
the Tournee of Animation for many years and has been involved with
the running of major animation film festivals and special film celebrations.
Come discover what he has selected for our last event of 2002. Tonight's
program is entirely on 16mm film and it comes from 3 different collections.
