Toronto-based DECODE ENTERTAINMENT has announced DOMINIQUE BAZAY and

CAROLINE DORRIS to its recently formed international distribution

division. As Director of International Sales, Bazay, who will be based

in Toronto, will head distribution activities and sales to Scandinavia,

Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe and South Africa, among other

territories. Bazay previously served in sales for BBC Worldwide

Americas, Paragon Entertainment, and the CBC. Dorris will also serve as

As we reported in the past [AF 7/1/97], the

world-renowned Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki had decided to

hang up his white film gloves and never make a feature film again. Well

cheer up anime fans! The master is back to work on a new feature film. This

announcement ends a 2 1/2 year hiatus after PRINCESS MONONOKE broke box

office records all over Japan. What's the follow-up to the US$150 million

hit at the Japanese B.O.? The project is titled SEN TO CHIHIRO NO

This month Animation World Magazine is taking a special focus on Asian
Animation, especially Japan. Kosei Ono profiles Japanese artist, Tadahito
Mochinaga, and Gigi Hu introduces us to two of Japan's leading independent
filmmakers. A group of key creative talent from Blue Sky Studios recently
toured Japan and have provided us with a scrapbook of photos and stories.
Andrew Osmond takes an indepth look at the impact Japanese animation is
having on animation made outside of Japan and we begin the first in a

Next summer the third feature installment of the POKEMON trilogy will make
its way to Japanese theatres. POCKET MONSTER: THE LORD OF THE UNKNOWN TOWER
will introduce yet another of those little "pocket things" to kids and
merchandising execs around the world. Kunihiko Yuyama is set to direct the
film, which will feature a short tentatively titled POKEMON 2000. If in the
U.S. or Europe one may ask, whatever happened to POKEMON 2? Well, fear not
Charmander chums, the second POKEMON feature, which was released in Japan

This month Animation World Magazine is taking a special focus on Asian
Animation, especially Japan. Kosei Ono profiles Japanese artist, Tadahito
Mochinaga, and Gigi Hu introduces us to two of Japan's leading independent
filmmakers. A group of key creative talent from Blue Sky Studios recently
toured Japan and have provided us with a scrapbook of photos and stories.
Andrew Osmond takes an indepth look at the impact Japanese animation is
having on animation made outside of Japan and we begin the first in a

Test your skills and challenge your brain with
AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz:
In which other Pixar short did the old character who repairs Woody in "Toy
Story 2," first appear? The recent release of "Pokemon: The First Movie" is
a slightly revamped version of which feature that opened in Japan in 1998?
Warner Bros.' recent release "The Iron Giant" followed on the heels of a
previous box office failure. The name of this earlier medieval fable?

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival has announced the members of their
international jury for the 2nd European Television Producer Award. Guy
Fournier, the Canadian writer/producer, will preside over the seven member
jury. Guy Fournier has written some 2000 hours of television drama for
French and Canadian productions, over 150 hours of films and series for
television, plays for the theater, feature length films (FANTASTICA, UNE
AMIE D'ENFANCE) and has also published a number of books. Other jury

A year ago, French and other European animation professionals gathered at
the third "Crossroads of the Image of the Indian Ocean" to discuss European
cartoons. At this event, financing is always a hot topic of discussion.
France is the third largest producer of animation worldwide, after the U.S.
and Japan. Production itself has greatly developed in recent years with the
proliferation of television channels. In 1988 there weren't any 26
half-hour episode series being done in Europe, now there are dozens every