RING OF FIRE made the crippled walk in Nuveen & Co.'s Super Bowl spot.

Andrew Douglas of SATELLITE was brought in to direct the futuristic spot

where paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve walks to a podium to receive an

award. The super feet was done for Minneapolis, Minnesota-based ad agency

Fallon McElligott. Ring of Fire's founder, Jerry Spivack, served as

creative director and visual effects supervisor for the commercial. Ring of

Fire isn't new to creating outstanding Super Bowl spots, their 1999

Bill Plympton has updated his

appearances page.

In March, "Surprise Cinema"

will be appearing in various festivals and other events in the US, Canada,

Belgium, Germany and Australia. Bill will be appearing at the Zagreb World

Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb, Croatia, June 12-25, 2000.

* Saturday, March 18, 2000. San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

* Sunday, February 13, 2000 - Thursday, February 17, 2000. New York, New

York, U.S.A.



The American International Toy Fair, one of the world's leading toy trade

shows, features over 1,800 exhibitors and highlights the newest and most

exciting toys on the market. Toy Manufacturers of America, Inc., the

industry trade association, brings the 97th annual event to several

showrooms all across the Manhattan area. Three new showplaces have joined

* Wednesday, March 1, 2000. Burbank, California, U.S.A.



Ideas, new properties and pitching will be the topic of discussion at this

month's Women In Animation Production Management Group Meeting (PMG). The

event will be held at Nickelodeon in Burbank at 7 pm. Monthly meetings will

be on the 1st Wednesday of each month at Nickelodeon. To attend please RSVP

to Kellie-Bea Cooper at (818) 623-0020 or E-mail:

kellie-bea@kellie-bea.com. For more information on WIA events please visit

* Friday, March 10 - Friday, March 17, 2000. Santa Clarita, California, U.S.A.





The Santa Clarita International Film Festival is strictly dedicated to

family entertainment. It includes a film and screenplay competition,

student filmmaker award, as well as panel discussions. Co-sponsored by

FOCUS Institute of Film, the winning screenplay will be mentored and

developed for future production with a later-announced studio. For more

* Sunday, April 9 - Sunday, April 16, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.





Comic book fans can hobnob with the best in the business on a 7 day/7 night

cruise benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit

organization protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics community.

The "Making WAVES" cruise will stop at three Mexican ports -- Puerto

Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan. The event will feature week-long

* Friday, February 18, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A.



Cinema Village, the city's venue for alternative animation, will be

presenting the U.S. theatrical premiere of KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS from

French filmmaker Michel Ocelot. Based on a West African legend, this film

follows a miraculous infant who singlehandedly saves his small village from

a sultry yet evil wizard. Featuring an original score by Senegalese music

artist Youssou N'Dour, KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS offers a unique spin: an

*Saturday, March 4, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A.



The School of Visual Arts will feature a workshop entitled "Art of

Directing 3D Computer Animation" taught by Isaac Victor Kerlow, director of

digital talent at Walt Disney. The SVA alumni will lead the one-day event

explaining the day-to-day processes of art directing 3D computer animation

productions. In addition, Kerlow will discuss the various markets for 3D

computer animation such as TV, interactive and the Web. The class will be

Montreal-based CineGroupe and Saban International Paris will co-produce a

new half-hour series entitled WUNSCHPUNCH. The show will be based on the

novel by Michael Ende, whose previous novel, THE NEVER ENDING STORY was

made into a live-action feature. Radio Canada will broadcast the series in

Canada and TF1 will air it in France. Hubert Gariepy and Bruno Bianchi will

produce the series and Philippe Amador will direct.