Manga Video is releasing MACROSS PLUS on DVD on October 12, 1999. MACROSS
PLUS, directed by Shoji Kawamori, is a DTV (direct-to-video) which is based
on the original Japanese TV series SUPERDIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS, which
was used as the basis for the 1980s American TV series ROBOTECH. MACROSS
PLUS is set approximately thirty years after the original MACROSS and just
before the events in the Japanese TV series MACROSS 7. In MACROSS PLUS, the
universe's most popular virtual reality singer, Sharon Apple, comes alive

Gold Coast, Australia-based EA Australia, a subsidiary of Redwood City,
California-based Electronic Arts, has hired Steve Dauterman to head a new
development studio located in Australia. Dauterman, formerly Director of
Development for LucasArts, had been with the Lucas group for ten years,
initially as Financial Analyst for Lucasfilm before moving across to
LucasArts in 1992. Since working at LucasArts he has overseen the
development of such worldwide interactive titles as "Rebel Assault," "Dark

Clare Kitson, the person behind Channel 4 television's remarkable animation
programming, is leaving the animation industry. Clare did an exceptional
job, and deserves to leave her post with gratitude and appreciation from
those she has worked with for the last twelve years. Therefore, Animation
World Network is publishing a tribute to Clare in the September '99 issue
of Animation World Magazine, which will focus on television. Our tribute to
Clare will be presented in tandem with a historical article on animation at

The Annual Society for Animation Studies (SAS) Conference will be hosted by
Griffith University and will feature papers by Maureen Furniss on motion
capture, Chris Robinson on Estonian animation, Richard Leskosky on
animating between the lines, Jean-Paul Goergen on hand-drawn sound in
Germany in the 1930s, Suzanne R. Williams on the aesthetics of computer
games, Marilyn Carney on Australian women animators, Bryan Barker on the
impact of CinemaScope on animation production, Cathyrn Vasseleu on "Time

SOFTIMAGE will be showcasing the latest release of Toonz, the leading 2D cel animation solution at SIGGRAPH '99 in Los Angeles. Toonz version 4.3 features a more interactive exposure sheet, larger palettes, "3D" textures, and new special FX. SOFTIMAGE will also be introducing for the first time the Toonz Linetester. Also shown, will be the Toonz plug-in for SOFTIMAGE®|3D which will minimize your tracking nightmares when combining all those external materials.

Affiliated with the World Science Fiction Convention, the North American
Science Fiction Convention which takes place in Anaheim, California, August
26 - 29, 1999, is held whenever the WSFC is outside of North America (as it
is this year in Australia). The convention includes hundreds of authors,
artists, and filmmakers as speakers; an art show; a dealers room; films;
costume competition; dances; parties and more. The film competition accepts
entries in 16mm and VHS (NTSC only), to be judged by a panel of working TV

The ABC network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., has ordered a
six-hour miniseries based on the first two installments of James Gurney's
fantasy book series, DINOTOPIA which is about a world in which humans and
highly-evolved dinosaurs live together in harmony. With the exception of
Stephen King projects THE SHINING and STORM OF THE CENTURY, DINOTOPIA marks
ABC's biggest miniseries time commitment since 1988's 30-hour WAR AND
REMEMBRANCE which starred Robert Mitchum. Some sources estimate the cost at

The Walt Disney Company has named four executives to new positions. ETIENNE DE VILLIERS has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Europe; MICHAEL O. JOHNSON has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Asia; DIEGO LERNER has been named president and managing director, Walt Disney International Latin America; and PAUL SALEH has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer, Walt Disney International.

Pre-production on STAR WARS EPISODE II (Lucas reportedly has a title in
mind, but it has not been released) has already begun. Shooting is set to
start in June 2000 with locations at Fox Studios Australia, Tunisia, and
Italy, and the release is scheduled for summer 2002. The story will focus
on the romance and marriage between Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth
Vader) and Queen Amidala, and the Siths' attempt to gain control of the
galaxy. Whereas the budget for EPISODE 1 was $115 million, Lucas says he

A BUG'S LIFE, a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation
Studios film, has climbed to $358 million in worldwide box office receipts
to become one of the top-grossing animated films of all time. With its
domestic gross of $163 million, the film has already become the fourth
biggest animated feature released in the United States (behind THE LION
KING, ALADDIN and TOY STORY). Internationally, A BUG'S LIFE has a
gross-to-date of $195 million and has set records in the United Kingdom,