AN IMPORTANT EVENT FOR MEMBERS WHO LOVE ANIMATION. You and one guest are invited to our members' only 35mm screening of Acme Filmworks' and Animation World Networks' 6th Annual Animation Show of Shows, a program of new animated films being considered for Academy Award nominations. It will be followed by a splendid reception for our 3 guests of honor at Carl's Fine Films. The Sunday, November 7 event will include films that have won top prizes at Annecy (Lorenzo), Ottawa (Ryan), SIGGRAPH (Ryan) and other festivals this year. Chris Landreth, director of Ryan (plus Bingo and the Oscar nominated The End) will be present to answer your questions, as will Marcy Page, co-producer of Ryan representing the National Film Board of Canada, and Ron Diamond (head of Acme and organizer of this program). For a list of the films, locations of the screening and party and other details, see the flyer for this very special evening.
"THE POLAR EXPRESS," A MAJOR ANIMATED FEATURE MADE LOCALLY WITH MOTION CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY, OPENS NOVEMBER 10. Reporters who attended advanced screenings of clips from the film say the look of the film "lies somewhere between live-action and CG animation yet defies categorization." The film's director Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) said, "The
emotion of the book was in the paintings, [so we decided to] make a movie in oil paintings."
Tom Hanks portrays five characters from the Christmas fantasy about a train bound for the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Sony's new "performance capture" system called "Imagemotion," can capture both the body movements and the full range of facial expressions. At the press conference Hanks donned a MoCap body suit and wore 152 sensors around his face. In the film he plays the eight-year-old protagonist, the train conductor, his own father, a hobo and Santa Claus.
Hanks said it was totally unlike his experiences at Pixar making the two Toy Story movies, "where they record every line in a studio and create a computerized cartoon to your voice." When he recorded his parts for The Polar Express, "Everything is performed in a studio [where] we acted every scene, every emotional moment and every nuance of the human face is recorded on camera and sent into a computer."
"REX STEELE" WINS THE BEST OF THE FEST AWARD AT CINEME Alexander Woo's impressive student film Rex Steele Nazi Smasher was made while he was at NYU. His latest award is from CINEME, a festival held in Chicago. Woo now works as a story artist at ILM
MARK FIORE, A LOCAL ANIMATOR WITH WEEKLY UPDATES TO HIS WEBSITE, ASKS "ARE YOU BETTER OFF NOW" IN AN EXCELLENT NEW WORK Fiore syndicates his fine work to newspapers and others with Internet websites. This recent work has impressive production values and is a top-notch cartoon. The quality of his work is getting finer. See it before you vote. http://www.markfiore.com/animation/question.swf
WILD BRAIN INKS A 3 TO 5 PICTURE DEAL WITH MIRAMAX AND DIMENSION FILMS This multi-picture deal was finalized months ago, but Wild Brain couldn't talk about it until Miramax gave a couple of business writers exclusive stories about it. When I called Miramax in June and asked if I could mention it I was told NO!
The news means that eventually the 1st feature will create almost 200 jobs here (pre-production, 3D animation, post). The film will star Bloom County's Opus, the lovable wisecracking penguin. The Pulitzer winning strip is by Berkeley Breathed. John Hays says, "We will soon be setting up a small story team here for storyboarding the script. The writer is Berkeley Breathed and Craig Mazin, who is one of Miramax/Dimension's favorite writers (Scary Movie 3, etc.). We plan on working closely with them while the written word is adapted to the world of cinematic visuals. If possible they will be here on-site, but hard to say at present."
Meanwhile you can enjoy Wild Brain's Higgleytown Heroes on the Disney Channel (work on the next season show is about to begin).
If you haven't already seen it, check out "Who Profits" on MoveOn.org. It is a fine work directed by John Hays. Wild Brain has also announced the hiring of Jim Miller as chairman of the company. He is the former president of worldwide theatrical business operations for Warner Bros.
HOW OUR AUDIENCE VOTED WHEN THEY JUDGED THE ASIFA-INDIA COMPETITION IN JULY We were asked not to announce the winner of ASIFA India's first Award of Excellence until October 28 when the winner was announced in India at a major event. Raju and I won the top
prize. It is a remarkable 30-minute film about a middle class "city boy" discovering how cruel life can be to poor children living in villages. It is a very moving work that explains the UN's Rights of Children. It took 2 years to make with a $50,000 budget. Animagic's director was Gayatri Rao. Raju was made for ASSMA, a children's charitable trust.
The film has won top awards at five international festivals. At Italy's Cartoons On The Bay it won the UNICEF Regione Campania Prize (there were 14 films competing in that category). It has also won prizes at the NY Film and Television Festival, FICCI BAF and at other events. We thank ASIFA India for giving our members the chance to discover the excellent work of animators from India.
LEV, A SAN FRANCISCO ANIMATOR, TO SHOW HIS "TALES OF MERE EXISTENCE" ON COMEDY CENTRAL IN NOVEMBER Underground animator and cartoonist Lev will be showing selected works from his animated series "Tales Of Mere Existence" on all four pilot episodes of Comedy Central's new show Jump Cuts, starting November 7th. Lev says, "The series may have the lowest budget animation ever to be aired on television. Tales Of Mere Existence are short, intimate first person stories of sex, self-doubt, and social confusion told in a deadpan voice as illustrations come together on the screen. The self-obsessed humor is instantly recognizable to anyone who remembers what they wrote in their journal in High School."
"Lev goes for laughs in fearless ways that shock you even as you nod your head quietly in recognition," wrote Taylor Jessen of the Animation World Network. The series was produced in his bedroom. Lev writes, draws, shoots, and narrates the Tales
entirely by himself. The new work is based on his comic book of the same name and a DVD of the animations. "Self-Obsession has never been so eloquently expressed with so little ink," wrote Tim Harrod of The Onion.
Jump Cuts is a program dedicated to showing a mix of talent from both new and proven artists from all over the country. Also included on Jump Cuts will be the works of Bill Plympton, Aardman Animation Limited, and Academy Award Nominee Don Hertzfeldt. Jump Cuts premieres Sunday November 7th at midnight, and it will be repeated on Wednesday, November 10th at 2AM. All four half-hour episodes will roll out consecutively in this pattern throughout November. http://www.ingredientx.com
Lev works at Wild Brain where he is a track reader on Higglytown Heroes. If you want to buy his comic book with a DVD included, visit Green Apple Books, 506 Clement, ISOTOPE- 1653 Noriega @ 24th, Le Video, 1231 9th Ave, Naked Eye Video, 607 Haight @ Steiner and in Berkeley at Pegasus, 2349 Shattuck. Or from http://stores.ebay.com/Tales-Of-Mere-Existence $9 plus $1.50 shipping & handling.
ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO AND VANCOUVER HAVE A NEW JOINT PROGRAM It allows students to complete certificate or diploma programs in Vancouver and then continue their studies by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in San Francisco in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design or Media Arts & Animation.
BARBARA KLUTINIS ran the Rooftop Elementary School animation club while her kids attended that school. Her live action film Journey Swiftly was shown at the LABoratory Exhibit of Experimental Film and Video in Salt Lake City. Her film Call to the Dark Side was recently shown at arts festivals in Washington, DC, Athens, Ohio and in Germany.
FESTIVAL GOERS GOT AN ADVANCED PEEK AT A FILM ABOUT ART CLOKEY AND "GUMBY" Back in the late 1980s Art Clokey produced a series of Gumby shorts in Sausalito, California. The production gave a lot of young talent a chance to develop their skills. After the production ended most of the crew went on to successful careers at the Disney, Colossal, Henry Selick and other production companies.
In October the Mill Valley Film Festival presented a rough cut/work-in-progress screening of GUMBY DHARMA, a feature length documentary directed by Robina Marchesi, with new animation by Tim Hittle (Canhead [Oscar nomination, 1998], Potato Hunter and former Gumby animator). It includes interviews with Ray Harryhausen, Henry Selick, Gary Meyer (Balboa Theatre), Kevin Rehr (now a Pixar producer), Tim Hittle and Steven Buckley (animator who worked on Gumby). Hittle's animation team included Amy Adamy, Wendy Fuller and Anthony Scott.
This last minute addition to the festival was sold out. It was a much-needed benefit to cover the director's recent medical expenses. Despite her fragile health Robina attended the event and answered questions from the audience. The screening also offered the producers a chance to pass out questionnaires about how the work can be improved before it is released. They plan to incorporate some of the suggestions into the finished work.
I was quite surprised and impressed with the content of the film. The film focuses on Art Clokey, the creator of Gumby, and is an honest look at a life that includes several painful moments. Gumby fans will enjoy charming sequences with the green clay boy, Pokey, the Blockheads and other figments from Art's imagination, and will learn about how Gumby got his start, but the real story is who Art is and how his life story shaped and nurtured his imaginary friends.
The film is about where his creativity comes from, but instead of this being a cute charming story about inspiration, it is a biography involving several deaths, a childhood interrupted by a broken marriage, a cruel stepfather, rejection and other non-Disney elements. There is much joy in it including Art being adopted by Dr. Clokey, a relative who provided him with a new lease on life. Art explains that Gumby is his vision of a world where he can safely celebrate life and that he and all of us can be Gumby. The Gumby episodes are his daydreams of a world he missed growing up.
This unusual biography also tells how Art has been confronted with several personal hardships since the creation of Gumby. You may be surprised at his reaction to his being awarded the contract to do Davey and Goliath (he couldn't work with the church officials producing the series so he took a hike and left the project to his wife) or how the 1960s counter-culture changed him (he got a divorce and became a hippie - in the documentary he isn't proud of this period). Having read a somewhat flowery biography of Clokey, I was expecting to hear lots of dubious tales of his career, but instead I was confronted with a somewhat sad life. He found great pleasure in his family and in the world he created on film but the positive things are punctuated with personal memories that remind us that life can also be difficult.
The film has lots of other surprises. One is Art believing his luck changed for the better after a guru in India blessed Gumby. Another is his going through life hiring people based on his intuition rather than on resume reviews, checking references, etc. Several of today's best animators got their start thanks to Art Clokey's hunches.
It appears that Art is first and foremost a fine artist. His son talks about how his mother took care of business matters while his father was the creative energy behind Gumby and their other projects. She raised the family while dad was off hanging out with Frank Zappa and other members of the counter-culture.
If you see a Gumby episode in the future you will probably get more out of the experience after seeing Gumby Dharma. Co-producer Klara Gunning-Harris (and director of photography) told me they are in the process of replacing some historic images and Gumby footage with higher quality prints. They are also working with a composer on an original music track and are making other changes.
Note: When I did an article about Gumby in the 1980s Clokey refused to talk with me although I sat 5 feet away from him at one weekly screening/party. He later directed his press agent to give me a fictitious account about the beginnings of Gumby. He claimed Gumby never appeared on the Howdy Doody Show although TV Guide listed the episode titles when they were shown. Apparently he had a bad experience he wants to pretend never happened. In the film his son mentions his parents bought back the rights to the show from NBC when it was cancelled. My 1980s article ended up being based on what his animators told me. KC
LIKE IT OR NOT ANIMATION CAN BE INVOLVED WITH POLITICS, SOCIAL CONCERNS AND OTHER ISSUES OF THE DAY One of my articles at awn.com a year or two ago got a stupid letter to the editor that asked why they were running my article as it had nothing to do with ducks and bunnies. I think it was my article on the misinformation being spread by right wing religious groups that were attacking Disney. In any case, if you don't want to read political articles, avoid reading the next 4 articles. KC
NOVEMBER ELECTION DOES AFFECT THE ARTS In SF voters can vote on L. A yes vote will give an unknown group 10% of a city's tax fund for the arts. The supporters say they will save theaters and support filmmakers. The problem with L is none of the remaining theaters need saving, nobody knows whom the backers are or who will benefit by this expensive giveaway. All the local arts groups, the mayor, the entire board of supervisors and a lot of other people say "VOTE NO ON L" It is a scam/rip-off, will solve nothing and it will hurt well established art groups by taking a lot of money away from them (including Film Arts Foundation, the SF Opera, our local museums, etc.)
If L wins it will be due to good sounding copy in the election booklet and their "save theaters" slogan. If it wins it will say to me a lot of voters don't read. Nancy Phelps went to her neighborhood meeting on the local election issues and spoke about why one should vote No on L. The speaker for Yes on L didn't show up. At a No on L meeting she found out that they don't speak out for the yes vote. It appears they hope people are foolish enough to simply give them the money.
Meanwhile, in quiet little Emeryville, all hell may be breaking loose over a group that collected 380 signatures, enough to temporarily stop Pixar's expansion plans. The East Bay Express ran a detailed study on the Pixar issue September 15 (you can read "Pixar Foes Turn Tables on E'ville: Low-income Emeryville residents issue a challenge to the city to start asking more from its corporate citizens" on the Internet). It turns out Pixar has been generous towards the local community according to the article, but apparently that hasn't stopped those wanting a bigger share.
BUSH'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS HURTING LOCAL ANIMATION COMPANIES An AP business writer reported on Oct. 18 that Leap Frog, an educational toy maker that hires lots of animators, has lowered their earnings outlook "in latest signs of distress." Less than a year ago their stock peaked at $47.30. Now it is around $18. The article said 3rd quarter income was down and the company expected a "grim 4th quarter - the season when toy makers make the most money." Leap Frog makes a great product called Leap Pad that helps kids learn to read (my wife just obtained a grant for her elementary school to purchase about 30 Leap Pads). The article also said Mattel and Hasbro are also expecting "lackluster" 4th quarter performances.
Up in San Rafael, ILM is having trouble too. Thanks to outsourcing (gee, why do you think George opened a big studio in Singapore?) and easier to use computer systems (they can now do more in less time with fewer employees) they are letting lots of staff members go. Some have worked there for 10, 15 and even 20 years. Company loyalty to their employees seems to be an out of date concept. One recently laid off ILM employee told me he applied for a job at the new studio in Singapore and was told he was "overqualified." (Is that a code for "you want too much money"?) I called my friend in their public relations department for a comment, but she too had "retired." Rumor has it that a lot of space in Lucas' new factory being built in San Francisco will be for rent thanks to "downsizing." Lucas might be paying for his entire overhead with rental income after his factory in our "National Industrial Park" opens for business. Perhaps this is part of the reason why G. W. Bush hasn't come to San Francisco looking for votes.
ASIFA welcomes a rebuttal statement from ILM. I know ILM has added some jobs including story artists, but where will the stories be animated? I think Lucas can afford the luxury of supporting his crew and the local economy. Also, some layoffs are "seasonal." ILM will be hiring again when work arrives on films to be released next summer.
Here in San Francisco I attended a really nice party at Wild Brain. They were honoring Bud Luckey whose Oscar nominated short Boundin' will open with The Incredibles on November 5. While nobody spoke with me about the coming election, several spoke about the
economy with guarded optimism. I met several talented people who were out of work, but had hopes of something opening up soon. A Wild Brain employee recalled seeing Berkeley Breathed visit the old studio back in 1998 or '99, so he assumes it has possibly taken 4 or 5 years to get his feature to the writing stage. His point was it might have happened sooner if the economy was sooner.
The Wild Brain crew is happy that they finally have a feature coming and another season of their TV show for Disney, but they acknowledge business has been difficult since 9/11. Drew Takashi was celebrating the completion of his first animated project in several years (he was co-owner of Colossal Pictures and the new work that he made "by myself" is for Intel). I also ran into someone who used to be the life of the party. He wasn't that evening as he had just left ILM for what might have been the last time.
As I was about to leave, I met an animator who is presently employed. He was concerned about how long his job would last. He said something like, "If I knew in the 1990s what I now know about the economy, I might have majored in something else in college." KC
A HATE CRIME I DIDN'T READ ABOUT IN THE CHRONICLE A letter from a national anti-censorship group says that in May Capobianco Art Gallery in North Beach was showing Guy Colwell paintings. A painting in the window showed smiling American soldiers looking at a naked prisoner hooked up to electrical wires. The female owner of the gallery got threatening phone calls, was spat upon and was punched by another person. She closed her business. Colwell is a noted comic book artist and painter. He was a conscientious objector during the Viet Nam war and he served 2 years in jail for protesting the draft.
LYNN JOHNSTON TO DO A BOOK SIGNING AT CARTOON ART MUSEUM NOV. 5 Lynn Johnston, creator of For Better or For Worse, will do a presentation and signing of Suddenly Silver. This is the 25th anniversary of her beloved comic strip. This presentation is $10 ($5 for Cartoon Art Museum members). Call (415) 227-8666 ext. 314 for details and to reserve tickets.
CONTEMPORARY LITERARY COMICS AT THE CARTOON ART MUSEUM NOVEMBER 20 - MAY 22 The opening party is December 1 from 7 - 9 PM. Artists in this exhibition include Jeffrey Brown (Clumsy, Unlikely), Ivan Brunetti (Schizo), Charles Burns (Black Hole), Dan Clowes (Eightball, Ghost World), David Collier (Collier's), R. Crumb (Zap, Weirdo), Kim Deitch (Boulevard of Broken Dreams), Julie Doucet (Dirty Plotte), Debbie Drechsler (Daddy's Girl), David Heatley (Deadpan), Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Ben Katchor (Hotel and Farm, Julius Knipl), Kaz (Underworld), Joe Matt (Peepshow), Mark Newgarden (Laffpix), Gary Panter (Jimbo), John Porcellino (King-Cat), Archer Prewitt (Sof' Boy), Ron Rege Jr. (Skibber Bee-Bye), Richard Sala (Peculia), Seth (Palookaville), Art Spiegelman (Maus, In the Shadow of No Towers), Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve) and Jim Woodring (Frank, The Book of Jim). The exhibition also features original art by forerunners of these modern literary cartoonists: Bud Fisher (Mutt and Jeff), George Herriman (Krazy Kat) and Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts), plus a copy of Rodolphe Tpffer's The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, published in 1842 and regarded by some comics historians as "the first graphic novel."
VISIT US AT ASIFA-SF.ORG
PROOFREADER NEEDED FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Pete Davis is moving this month to the East Coast to be closer to his family. He has performed a great service for us cleaning up my typos and the other mistakes that I don't catch before I e-mail each issue to him. He has been helping out for quite a few years and I am sure anyone who reads our newsletter appreciates his unseen contribution. I can assure you he has been making reading these issues easier for years.
If you can take over from Pete please contact Karl Cohen (415) 386-1004 karlcohen@earthlink.net
LOCAL SCREENINGS (top)
SUNDAY, NOV. 7, AN IMPORTANT EVENT FOR ASIFA-SF MEMBERS - ACME FILMWORKS' AND ANIMATION WORLD NETWORKS' 6TH ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS, a 35mm screening of new animated films being considered for Academy Award nominations. It will be followed by a splendid reception for our 3 guests of honor at Carl's Fine Films. For a list of the films, locations of the screening and party and other details, see the flyer for this very special evening. Non-members wishing to attend can join ASIFA now. Contact Laura Tulloss at (415) 647-3391 or gogo10@mindspring.com for details.
TUES, NOV. 9, TWO NEW FILMS BY LAWRENCE "LARRY" JORDAN and other collage works by Dominic Angerame (both in-person) plus Janie Geiser, Matthias Mullar and other artists. Pacific Film Archive, 7:30 PM, 2575 Bancroft, Berkeley.
SATURDAY, NOV. 13, FILM ARTS FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA at the Roxie, 3:45 PM, "Beyond Belief" is a program of shorts that includes MY CROCOSM, a stop-motion work with tattered puppets by Chris Kelsey; PUPPET LOVE, a sock puppet film by Eric Callero; THOUGHTLESS, a cameraless
film by Rock Ross and Michael Rosas-Walsh and other works.
GODZILLA FESTIVAL AT THE CASTRO THEATRE - 20 AMAZING FEATURES "CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF MONSTER MAYHEM" also includes guests from Japan, displays, contents and "every Earth-shaking, screen shattering thrill!" Sounds like a well-run event.
WEDNESDAY MATINEE November 17th, GODZILLA VS. DESTROYAH (English dubbed) at 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM and GODZILLA 2000 (English dubbed) at 3:00 PM
WEDNESDAY NIGHT November 17th, RODAN: THE FLYING MONSTER (English dubbed) at 7:20 PM and GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS! (Raymond Burr Version) at 9:00 PM
THURSDAY November 18th, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (English dubbed) at 7:15 PM and GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (English subtitled) at 9:00 PM
FRIDAY NIGHT ALL-STAR GALA November 19th GODZILLA: THE UNCUT ORIGINAL (English subtitled) at 7:15 PM and GODZILLA-MOTHRA-KING GIDHORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (English subtitled) at 9:30 PM
SATURDAY MATINEE November 20th, THE H-MAN (English dubbed) at 1:15 PM, 5:00 PM GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH (English subtitled) at 3:00 PM
SATURDAY NIGHT November 20th, MOTHRA (English subtitled) at 7:00 PM and GODZILLA-MOTHRA-MECHAGODZILLA: TOKYO SOS (subtitled) at 9:10 PM
SUNDAY MATINEE November 21st, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (English dubbed) at 4:00 PM and BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (English dubbed) at 5:45 PM
SUNDAY NIGHT November 21st SON OF GODZILLA (subtitled) at 7:35 PM and MONSTER ZERO (dubbed) at 9:30 PM
MONDAY November 22nd, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (English dubbed) at 7:00 PM and GHIDORAH: THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (English dubbed) at 9PM
TUESDAY November 23rd, GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (English subtitled) at 7:15 PM and GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (English dubbed) at 9:00 PM
All screenings are double features and tickets are $8.50. Advance Tickets and Festival Passes for the entire film program available soon. http://www.sfgodzillafest.com/
WED. DEC. 1, 7:30 PM, AN EVENING OF AUTOMATED DIGITAL PRESENTATIONS What in the world is it? Is it art? Curious? Find out at the Pacific Film Archive.
SUNDAY, December 5, 4 PM, THE BOY WHO WANTED TO BE A BEAR by Danish director Jannik Hastrup. About a bear whose child is stillborn. Her mate, fearing she will die over the loss of the cub, steals an Inuit child. At the Marin County Day School. Try (415) 454-1222 if you want the address or www.cafilm.org
NATIONAL NEWS (top)
THE IOTA CENTER, A VISIONARY FILM GROUP IN L.A., HELD A SCREENING AND PSYCHEDELIC PICNIC UNDER THE STARS IN A CEMETARY The event in October was held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard near Gower and the Paramount studios. Lots of famous movie actors are buried there and the place's website suggests it is an amazing high kitsch park.
The program of mind-expanding short films included rarely screened works by legendary Bay Area filmmakers Jordan Belson, Stephen Beck, and Scott Bartlett plus films by Don Fox, Adam Beckett, Pat O'Neill, and Jean Painleve. A DJ played psychedelic sets before and after the screening.
JIBJAB HAS LAUNCHED "GOOD TO BE IN DC" It pokes fun at Bush, Kerry, Ashcroft, Dan Rather and other famous people. Jibjab says their This Land is Your Land has been viewed over 50 million times on the Internet!
TOY STORY 3 AND 4 At a Disney shareholders' meeting in October Michael Eisner said the two features are in development.
GOING TO NYC? SEE "THE NINA PALEY SHOW" SUNDAY, NOV. 7 AT 7 PM It will feature Fetch! and Pandorama in glorious 35mm, plus The Sitayana, The Stork, The Wit & Wisdom of Cancer, Fertco, Lexi and the 1997 "I Want to Join a Suicide Cult" episode of The Jerry Springer Show featuring Nina in pancake makeup, a wig, and a dominatrix outfit advocating
cannibalism and sodomy with the Church of Euthanasia. At Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. (at Ave. A), NYC http://www.ninapaley.com
Nina will be honored by the Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art, 594 Broadway, Suite 401, NYC, on Wednesday November 3 at 7 pm, free. She will be showing and discussing her comics and animation. She has been called "America's Best-Loved Unknown Cartoonist."
DISNEY MAY BE SUED OVER THE RIGHTS TO PETER PAN The rights are owned by a British hospital. Disney's Hyperion Books has published Peter and the Starcatchers, which they claim is based on public domain characters. The British are just as sure the US rights to those characters don't become public domain until 2007 as Disney fought successfully in 1998 to extend the rights law to protect Mickey Mouse and other characters they own.
Another legal battle over Michael Ovitz's severance pay may have gone to court in late October (or perhaps they settled). Some shareholders objected to Eisner giving Ovitz about $140 million to quit. Ovitz lasted 14 months as president of the company. The case is an embarrassment to Disney.
DREW CAREY'S GREEN SCREEN Show on Thursday nights at 8:30pm on the WB Network is getting nice reviews from animation fans. They are getting a big kick from seeing animated segments illustrating comedy segments. Jerry Beck says, "This is a must-watch show for cartoon fans - the greatest collection of animated styles collected in a half hour since Pee-Wee's Playhouse." The animators include Eric Goldberg, Bill Plympton, Scott Ingalls, Mark Cabellero & Shamus Walsh, Bill Kroyer, Chris Prynowski, Paul Vester, Janet Perlman, Marv Newland, John Dilworth and Cordell Barker (to name but a few). Ron Diamond, who runs Acme Animation Studio, produces the show.
"AEON FLUX" IS BACK IN ACTION Production on the live-action version of Peter Chung's Aeon Flux restarted in October. Work was halted when actress Charlize Theron suffered a back injury on Aug. 31. The film is being shot in Berlin and Karyn Kusama is directing.
A NEW ANIMATED "GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE" SERIES IS BEING MADE FOR TV IN CANADA Studio B and Classic Media are producing the series for Canada's Teletoon, a 24 hour cartoon network. They are making 52 eleven-minute episodes for release in 2006.
ASIFA-EAST'S WEBSITE HAS BEEN REVISED BY XETH FEINBERG This fine Flash animator plans to do regular updates, so it might become something quite special to visit once a month. Check it out. http://www.asifaeast.com
WILL VINTON HAS A NEW BUSINESS AND IS AN ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF PORTLAND Vinton, who has won an Oscar and several Emmy and Clio awards, is known for his pioneering work in Claymation and stop-motion animation. His new company, Freewill Entertainment, is set up to produce computer character animation, Claymation, Stop-motion, and Flash animation. He is currently developing a primetime television series with Fox Broadcasting.
THE JOHN CANEMAKER ANIMATION COLLECTION is housed in a library of NYU. Anyone can use it when they are in NY and an index is now online. It is full of research material, interviews on tape,drawings, monographs, etc. It is housed in the Fales Library in their Special Collections at the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on the campus of New York University (70 Washington Square South in New York City). To make an appointment: Phone: (212) 998-2596 Email: fales.library@nyu.edu
http://dlib.nyu.edu:8083/falesead/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=cane.xml&style=saxon01f2002.xsl
THE VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARDED MIYAZAKI'S "HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE" THE OSELLA AWARD (whatever that is) AWN.COM reports, "Buzz from the event has some attendees and critics saying that Miyazaki has outdone himself yet again, bettering his work from his previous Oscar winning film Spirited Away."
INDIA'S FIRST 2D ANIMATED FEATURE JUST OPENED - THE COST AND EXPECTED GROSS SUGGEST THEIR ECONOMY IS FAR REMOVED FROM OUR'S Buddha, Pentamedia's new feature, is expected to return $10-12 million to the producers in the next 3 years. The film costs $6.3 million. India's Animation Express adds, "The Indian animation industry awaits the outcome of the movie with bated breath, as a positive response will provide a fresh dose of motivation to all producers considering animated features."
"WATCHING ANIME, READING MANGA" BY FRED PATTEN has been published by Stone Bridge Press. It is a collection of his writings from the past. He has been writing about anime for about 25 years. When I first met Patten he was working with Jerry Beck and Carl Macek at Streamline Pictures. They were the major importer and theatrical distributor of anime in the US in the late 1980s and early `90s. The 382-page book is selling for $18.95.
DVD NEWS (top)
THE NEW DVD OF CHARLEY BOWERS' WORK IS A WONDERFUL SURPRISE Bowers began his long career in animation around the time the US entered WWI and it ended in the 1940s. Although his work was considered lost for many years, 15 works are on the DVD thanks to a worldwide search by scholars. His earliest work was drawn on paper (Mutt and Jeff) but his real greatness was in live action comedies that included fantastic special effects. You will be amazed to see where cars come from, what happens when an ostrich eats cement, what the metal eating bird eats and much more. Not in most stores. I ordered my copy from Amazon.
KO-KO SONG CAR-TUNES "THE FIRST SOUND CARTOONS EVER!" This is really obscure material, and for good reason. The films are not as exciting to watch as Disney's first talkies. But, this reel should be a must see (perhaps you can rent it somewhere) for any serious animation fan or armchair historian. The quality of the prints is good and the
documentary type presentation is helpful. It is fun seeing the original bouncing ball and interesting to find out how it was animated. Unfortunately the music and lyrics are not tunes that you will want to listen to over and over, but the animation is sometimes delightful. Few stores carry DVDs from Inkwell Images, so write Ray Pointer at 4015 Edenhurst Ave., Atwater Village, CA 90039-1433 or check his website for details.
"FAT ALBERT" IS COMING OUT ON DVD The first DVD of Bill Cosby's popular show will be released in December
NEED AN UNUSUAL COOL CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR THAT ANIMATION FAN IN YOUR LIFE? "Avoid Eye Contact: The Best of NYC Independent Animation", features 2 short films by Bill Plympton and 16 other animated works from Patrick Smith, Jesse Schmal, John Dilworth, Michael Overbeck, John Schnall, Aleksey Budovsky, PES, George Griffin, Signe Baumane and Fran Krause. Copies can be ordered from www.plymptoons.com and information is available at: http://www.squarefootagefilms.com/
JOHN K FINDS THE RESTORED "REN AND STIMPY" STILL HAS A FEW GOODIES CUT FROM THE EPISODES but he says, "We put back every scene that I was aware was missing. Nick must have cut more scenes out long after I stopped watching the show. But, we put a lot of cool stuff back in that no one ever saw. Scenes from Sven Hoek that never aired, George Liquor's bobbed tail in `Dog Show,' hey all of `Man's Best Friend!'"
WORLD ANIMATION DAY
WORLD ANIMATION DAY WAS CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD The following is based on notes sent us by ASIFA Austria's Thomas Renoldner. This year's 3rd World Animation Day (28th October is the anniversary of Emile Reynaud's first public demonstration of his projected animated picture system in 1892) was celebrated in more than 30 countries.
Argentina - The animation department of the University of Buenos Aires showed a pixilated short made for the occasion along with student films from France. Anima, an international animated film festival in Cordoba, held 3 days of screenings that included films produced in the province of Cordoba, films from an experimental animation centre and three retrospective programs.
Belgium - The Folioscope association (Anima Festival Brussels) presented their first "animated Tuesday" with a program featuring the best of Anima 2003-2004.
Brazil - In Rio de Janeiro, ABCA (Brazilian Animated Film Association) screened Planet Earth, a film made for the United Nations Organization by a collective of Brazilian filmmakers and animators, plus a selection of French student films from 2003.
In Belo Horizonte ASIFA Brazil held a two-week celebration (from October 15th to October 28th) in three locations. They held workshops, debates and screenings.
Bulgaria - At the Bulgarian Nacionala Filmoteka in Sofia, ASIFA Bulgaria presented 6 programs: Bulgarian children's films, the best of Bulgarian animation, Canadian shorts, Russian films made between the two World Wars, a selection of the best animated films from around the world and a show from French animation schools. The Czech cultural centre of Sofia showed a selection of Czech films.
Croatia - ASIFA Croatia, in association with the International Animated Film Festival of Zagreb and the Croatian Film Club screened recent workshop films from Croatia and animation by French students.
France - From October 20th to October 28th there were more than 250 celebrations all over the country. There were screenings, exhibitions, workshops for beginners, professional meetings and open houses at studios. Among this year's events: two invitations to Raoul Servais, homages to Ren Laloux, Ladislas Starewitch, retrospectives of Russian and Polish animated films, exhibitions about Emile Cohl, William Kentridge and the techniques of animation, a survey of French production, an animation fair, gems from the Shanghai studios and work from "eight new countries joining the European community."
Hungary - At Szeged, there was a screening of graduation films from France, 2003.
India - ASIFA India showed the finalists from the national competition that we judged. On the 28th they honoured the finalists and presented the top prize to Raju and I.
Indonesia - The ANIMA association (the organizers of the Animasi Festival in Djakarta) held an animation workshop and exhibit at Djakarta's Art Centre.
Iran - ASIFA Iran organized various screenings, workshops for beginners and a panel at the Muslim contemporary arts centre in Teheran. They also had an exhibit of animated film posters covering the last 40 years. Other cultural centres took part in the event.
Israel - The Tel Aviv Cinmathque showed Jonathan and Marsha Zur's documentary on Russian animation, Magia Russica (2004) and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. The Bezalel Centre in Jerusalem presented a selection of recent French student films.
Italy- Asifa Italy organized evening performances in Turin and Genoa.
Jordan - A tribute was paid to Imad Hajjaj, "a personality reaching national status in the field of comic strips, editorial cartoons and animated cartoons." The animation studios in Amman showed animated films with the assistance of the Royal Film Commission.
Morocco - The international festival of animated films of Mekns (FICAM) and the French Institute of Fs-Mekns devoted a day to animation, featuring Prince and Princesses by Michel Ocelot, The Voyages of Sinbad by Karel Zeman and The Blue Arrow by Enzo lo.
The Netherlands - At a Tilburg museum, the NIAF (the Dutch animated film institute) held a debate about the state of affairs concerning the production of animated films in the new entrants in the European community. Janno Poldman, Joonisfilm, Estonia, Michel Snijder (il Luster Producties, the Netherlands) and Tom Cron (NIAF) spoke. During the debate, Estonian, Polish, Czech and Hungarian films were screened.
Portugal - Every year the House of Animation at Porto organizes a tour of European animation shorts. It was shown in 14 towns in this country, from October 25 to October 31. Some locations held exhibits and workshops for beginners.
The House of Animation also presented a thematic film show centring upon poetry, a workshop for beginners in animation, an exhibition and technical demonstrations.
Rumania - In Bucharest and in Iasi there were screenings of the latest films presented jointly by ASIFA Rumania and the Union of Filmmakers. They showed work produced in Rumania (shorts, students' films and films for TV), an exhibition of original
drawings, backgrounds and storyboards and a show from French animation schools.
Serbia and Montenegro - ASIFA Serbia and Montenegro held shows in Belgrade, Tchatchak, Vranye, Pantchevo and Novi-Sad. The Balkanima Festival, which was held during this period, had a tribute to French animation. Slovenia - ASIFA Slovenia organized a three-day Slovenian animated film festival at Izola. The films were judged by an international jury - Thomas Renoldner (Austria), Simona Massi (Italy) and Curt Skodlar (Slovenia/Croatia).
Spain - At La Bisbal (Girona), the Cintic association (Girona Festival) showed The Four Seasons of Ludovic's Life by Co Hoedeman, presented an exhibition about Emile Reynaud; a performance devoted to the pioneers of the animated film (silent films by Emile Cohl, Segundo de Chomon, Dave Fleischer, Walt Disney, Tony Sarg, Gregory La Cava...) and a screening of The Triplets of Belleville by Sylvain Chomet. Girona's Museum of the Cinema held an exhibition about the pioneers of animated films including choice items from the collection of Thomas Mallol.
In Barcelona, ASIFA Cataluny in association with CPAA, the organization of animation and audio-visual professionals, had a meeting followed by a film show.
Sweden - ASIFA Sweden organized screenings at Eksj and at -rnskldsvik.
Switzerland - GSFA (Swiss Animated Film Group) organized a program that was shown in different Swiss towns including Zrich, Bern, Geneva, Saint Gall and Lausanne.
The United Arab Emirates - In Dubai, Capacity World, a company that organizes cultural events, had a 6-day celebration, including a variety of programs of worldwide short films. ASIFA's president Noureddin Zarrinkelk, Barry Purves, Sylvie Saerens (Emile Reynaud's great grand daughter) and Francis Nielsen attended. There was also a carnival featuring animated characters, an exhibition about the history of the animated film and workshops introducing various techniques. The closing performance was dedicated to the memory of Emile Reynaud.
ASIFA-SAN FRANCISCO
P.O. Box 14516
San Francisco, CA 94115
In the September issue of our newsletter we ran an article about a "tacky" looking Snow White feature done in the 1980s by Filmmation. Here is an ad for that film. - This newsletter was written by Karl Cohen, proofread by Pete Davis and the mailing crew included Shirley Smith and Nancy Phelps. Tara Beyhm did the labels.
The United States - ASIFA Central: the animation department of Grand Valley State University of Allendale, Mich., organized a meeting of animation students from the State's universities. It ended with a screening of international films.
ASIFA Colorado presented a coseplay (???) night on the theme of animated film characters...
ASIFA San Francisco - (you know what we did).
ASIFA Northwest held open screenings in Portland and Seattle.
Other events - were held in Finland, Uzbekistan, Taiwan, Latvia, Austria, Canada, South Korea, and Uruguay and possibly in Germany and the Ivory Coast.
FESTIVALS (top)
ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL DEADLINES ARE NOV. 15 AND DEC. 1 (late) They show 16mm, 35mm, DVD and BetaSP. Previews in VHS, 16mm and DVD. Cash prizes, paid tour. For forms and details at www.aafilmfest.org (734) 995-5396
CHINA ANIMATION WILL BE JULY 28-31, 2005 For info. 618 Wan Huang Du Lu. Shanghai, 200042
24TH ANNUAL BLACK MARIA FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL DEADLINE IS NOV. 20 The event offers cash prizes, a tour (provides rental fees), $35 entry fee. Last year they showed several animated works including The Spirit of Gravity, Fast Film, Nibbles by Chris Hinton and Andaluz by Karen Aqua and Joanna Priestly. Black Maria Festival c/o Dept. of Media Arts, New Jersey City University, Fries Hall, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City NJ 07305 (201) 200-20043 www.blackmariafilmfestival.org blackmariafest@aol.com
ANIMAC, THE INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED CINEMA EXHIBITION has a Nov. 30 deadline for a Feb. 24 - 27 event in Spain. This is a non-competitive celebration. Write Mostra internacional de cinema d'animaci, Animac; Ajuntament de Lleida, Regiduria de cultura, 25005 Lleida, Espanya animac@animac.info
ASIFA-SAN FRANCISCO PRESENTS
ACME FILMWORKS' AND ANIMATION WORLD NETWORKS' 6TH ANNUAL
ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS
Ryan by Chris Landreth
STARRING FILMS BEING CONSIDERED FOR ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS
with
CHRIS LANDRETH, DIRECTOR OF RYAN IN-PERSON
AND MARCY PAGE, RYAN'S NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA PRODUCER
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 6:30 PM,
At DOLBY LABORATORIES, 100 Potrero Ave. SF
Due to the limited number of seats ASIFA members are invited to bring only one guest. Please arrive a few minutes early. Once the program begins it will be hard to get into the building (our person with the membership roster will be upstairs enjoying the show and the guard keeps the door locked). Non-members wishing to attend are invited to join ASIFA now (your membership will expire in December of 2005) $22 a year now. Dues go up to $25 December 1. Contact Laura Tulloss at (415) 647-3391 or gogo10@mindspring.com for details.
The event will be followed by a splendid reception for our 3 guests of honor at Carl's Fine Films, 42 Decatur in SF (off Bryant between 7th and 8th Streets). Come meet our guests Chris Landreth, Marcy Page, one of Ryan's 3 producers, and Ron Diamond, head of Acme and organizer of this program. There will be plenty of food, drink (people are invited to add to our supply of beverages) and live music by Nik Phelps and friends. Please invite friends to the party, as it will be in a large and handsome space. It should start around 8:30 PM. PROGRAM
Ryan by Chris Landreth, is a remarkable 15-minute experimental documentary about Ryan Larkin, a former Oscar nominated Canadian Film Board animator who is now a street person in Montreal. The film has won numerous awards and critical praise. It amazed the computer world at SIGGRAPH 2004 and the animation world at Annecy, Ottawa and at other festivals this year. Landreth's earlier work includes Bingo and the Oscar nominated The End.
Lorenzo by Mike Gabriel, Disney, has been described as "a hoot," "very inventive" and "artistically ambitious." Joe Grant inspired the production with his ideas and Roy Disney supported the production. It was animated at Disney's now closed studio in Paris. It won the Grand Prize this year at Annecy.
The Crab Revolution by Arthur des Pins (France) is said to be a funny and stylish black and white short. It won audience prizes at Annecy and Ottawa.
The Man Without a Shadow by Georges Schwizgebel (National Film Board of Canada) is a visually impressive film. The story and visuals are quite surreal. In it a man exchanges his shadow for wealth only to discover
Get in the Car by Greg Holfeld, Australia, is an autobiographical car-toon about the director's childhood family vacation with 4 kids in a station wagon. It has been shown at Annecy, Ottawa, World of Comedy International Film Festival, etc.
Suite for Freedom by Alexander Korejwo, Caroline Leaf and Perez Luc is the work by 3 noted directors. It deals with the cruelty of slavery and provides a history of the underground railroad. When it was shown at Ottawa the catalog mentioned it was made with colored salts, graphite powder, pencils and paint.
ASIFA-SAN FRANCISCO, THE BAY AREA'S ANIMATION ASSOCIATION, INVITES YOU TO
Ryan Larkin by Chris Landreth
A RECEPTION AND PARTY FOR
CHRIS LANDRETH
DIRECTOR OF RYAN, BINGO AND THE OSCAR NOMINATED THE END
MARCY PAGE
A PRODUCER FROM THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
RON DIAMOND
HEAD OF ACME FILMWORKS AND ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7 at CARL'S FINE FILMS, 8:30 PM
42 Decatur in SF (off Bryant between 7th and 8th Streets) live music by Nik Phelps and friends,
catering by Nancy Phelp's Botany Bay
Our guests are here to present the 6th Annual Animation Show of Shows, a
program in 35mm featuring works being considered for Oscar nominations. Due to
limited seating the program is for ASIFA members, but the reception is open to
the entire animation community. Please come and join us.
Non-members wishing to attend the screening are invited to join ASIFA now
(your membership will expire in December of 2005). Dues are $22 a year right now, map
but they go up to $25 December 1. Contact Laura Tulloss at (415) 647-3391 or
gogo10@mindspring.com for details. The program includes Ryan, Lorenzo from
Disney (produced at their now closed studio in Paris), Get in the Car from Australia,
The Crab Revolution from France, The Man Without a Shadow from Canada and
Suite for Freedom from the USA.