From popular Disney titles and the Peanuts to surrealist animation

from Eastern Europe, from action-packed Japanese anime to animation

created with paper cutouts, sand, clay, puppets and computer

technology, the Facets Whole Toon Catalog is now available in the AWN

Store. Betty Boop, Fritz the Cat, Tex Avery, Looney Tunes Classics

and more animation treasures from around the world, from the silent

era to the present have also been added! Here are a few examples of

* Saturday, September 23, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

With host Terrence "T-man" Masson, Creative Planet's

Visual Effects

forum has become a hot topic. Check out the new threads on careers in

visual effects, crash zoom shot transitions, the shrinking miniature

FX market and the use of Macs in effects houses. Join the party and

meet the visual effects pros.





In

"Details,

Wild Brain has finished three spots for Sony Music Entertainment’s "Pass It On" campaign. "Adventure," "Love" and "Street Party" air exclusively on MTV and highlight several of Sony Music’s top artists by combining live-action music video footage with traditional cel animation. Creative director Ed Bell brought to the project his futuristic hip hop/anime designs, while director Robert Valley helped bring to life the surreal tone of the spots. "Ed Bell created a new genre of animation that isn’t confined by stylistic boundaries," said Valley.

With MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 still holding on in many countries, PERFECT STORM’s debut in Hong Kong and the U.K. shook up the international box office. Finishing at the top spot in the U.K., STORM grossed US$2.86 million over the weekend and $3.25 million since its Wednesday nod. Slipping to #2, STUART LITTLE grossed $2.08 million, advancing its British cume to $9.59 million. The U.K. sensation, CHICKEN RUN, amassed another $1.82 million in third, bringing its cume to $28.85 million.

* Friday, September 1 – Saturday, September 30, 2000. Sydney, Australia.

Lucasfilm and fledgling Japanese anime company, Anime World Osaka, have agreed to co-produce an animated feature film entitled, THE TINY FAIRY MIRUN. As reported in YOMIURI SHIMBUN, George Lucas will executive produce the project. Osaka is set to provide the US$18.5 million budget. Lucas is scheduled to go to Osaka in September after production calms down on STAR WARS EPISODE II to sign the official contract. In a flip-flop of the usual process, Anime World will create the master illustrations in Osaka and ship the drawings to Lucasfilm for in-betweens.

Eyeball has created eye-popping effects and animation for two spots highlighting Forum Credit Union. In the commercials showcasing the bank’s change of name from Telco Credit Union, Eyeball artists created an underwater feel with floating numbers. The spots open with numbers, icons and computer symbols streaming rapidly across the TV screen.

With more summer blockbusters arriving in international theatres, the old guard is weaning. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, however, is still strong, finishing atop the charts in Italy, Sweden Japan and Spain. In its second week, M:I 2 grossed another US$700,928 in Italy, raising its cume to $6.82 million. GLADIATOR is losing its power, slipping a spot in Italy to finish at #4 with a gross of $103,693, bringing its Italian cume to $8.64 million. In Sweden, GLADITOR also finished in 4th place with a gross of $217,952, advancing its cume to $3.93 million.

Beverly Hills, California-based Dali Media Inc., a new media production company, is looking for 2D/3D CHARACTER ANIMATORS willing to work in and/or learn Flash for a freelance/staff position. . . New York-based Pratt Institute is looking for a 3D STUDIO MAX INSTRUCTOR. . . Seattle-based AtomFilms, a leader in next generation entertainment, is looking for an ANIMATION ACQUISITIONS MANAGER. . . Milano, Italy-based Green Movie Group, an independent film production and post-production company, is looking for an ANIMATION SUPERVISOR to work on a large scale animated feature film project. . .

* Saturday, September 23, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.


Entry Deadline: August 31, 2000.





TOKYOPOP.com has extended their first AnimeOnline Festival until September. Animation artists working in the anime style are invited to submit their original anime Internet works in Flash, Shockwave or Quicktime formats. There are five categories in which participants may enter: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Fighting (Battle), Love/Comedy, Shoujo (Girl's Anime) and Asia Pop Focus (Open Category). Participants may enter into more than one category and may

With nods in Brazil and Hong Kong, Disney’s DINOSAUR roams atop the box office charts. In Brazil, the special effects spectacle landed $2.65 million in its debut. Whereas in Hong Kong, the blue-green beasts stomped out an amazing $1.29 million on only 43 screens! The prehistoric pic adds another name to the long time three way battle between MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, GLADIATOR and GONE IN 60 SECONDS for international box office glory. Back in Brazil, M:I 2 fell to second with a gross of $1.89 million, bringing its Brazilian cume to $5.63 million.

* Saturday, September 23, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.


Entry Deadline: August 31, 2000





TOKYOPOP.com has extended their first AnimeOnline Festival until September. Animation artists working in the anime style are invited to submit their original anime Internet works in Flash, Shockwave or Quicktime formats. There are five categories in which participants may enter: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Fighting (Battle), Love/Comedy, Shoujo (Girl's Anime) and Asia Pop Focus (Open Category). Participants may enter into more than one category and may

Mattel Interactive has signed a licensing agreement with Harmony Gold to create games based on the popular anime series, ROBOTECH. Mattel Interactive plans to have ROBOTECH games ready for next-generation console systems and PCs beginning in fourth quarter 2001. Specific details regarding platforms and developers have yet to be announced. The ROBOTECH series helped ignite the anime phenomenon in America, with an 85-episode animated series that aired in early 1985. The series was re-aired in 1994 on Sci-Fi Channel and once again on Cartoon Network in 1999.

Avid Technology, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Fremont, California-based Motion Factory, Inc., an applications company specializing in interactive 3D software for character-driven games and the Web. Along with the deal, Avid named Motion Factory’s former president and CEO, David Pritchard, as the new general manager of Softimage Co., Avid’s graphics and effects arm.

Creative Planet launched a brand new discussion forum:

Animation

Tools And Techniques, hosted by award winning animator and educator

Larry Lauria. Anyone who has been in the business long enough knows

that no two animated projects are ever alike -- that's the challenge

and fascination of the art form. The A T & T (uh-oh) forum is a place

to share your thoughts and expertise about animation. Whether you

Italy-based Crackartoon is currently in production on three new series BAR BONES, JACOB and ANIME SOULS. Giorgio Bellasio and Terry Amanini created BAR BONES with Carlo Cordella penning the project. The series chronicle the tale of several dogs that live out surreal dreams in an old run down caravan/bar. JACOB was also created by Giorgio Bellasio and Terry Amanini and is scribed by Alex Crippa. The show is a spoof of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN series, where the murderer, dawning a panda mask, steps over everyone in his way to obtain the sweets (ie candy) that he desires.

Sylmar, California-based VCE, Inc. is looking for 2D EFFECTS ARTISTS

for work on a high profile motion picture. . . Visual Book

Productions, a company producing animated e-books, is looking for 3D

ARTISTS. . . Santa Clarita, California-based College of the Canyons

is seeking ANIMATION INSTRUCTORS for a tenure-track position in

Animation for the Fall 2000 semester. . . Homewood, Illinois-based

StarToons, a privately-owned, animator-owned studio, is looking for

Palo Alto, California's Pacific Data Images (PDI) is looking for

EFFECTS ANIMATORS AND DEVELOPERS and CG LIGHTERS. . .Lombard,

Illinois-based Big Idea Productions, Inc. is looking for a 3D

MODELING SUPERVISOR. . .South River, New Jersey-based Big Brad's South

River Tattoo Studio is looking for an ARTIST/TATTOOIST to draw Flash

and tattoo pictures for customers. . .WPRI/WNAC TV of East Providence,

Rhode Island wants to find an AVID EDITOR to edit commercials,

On Wednesday, June 21, 2000, Italian animation studio Mondo TV, owner of the country's largest library of domestic and imported TV cartoons, will go public on the Milan stock exchange. Currently, the Rome-based company is owned by Orlando and Matteo Corradi. For the first-quarter, the TV toon maker saw revenue of 6.5 billion Italian lira (US$3.25 million) and net earnings of 1.3 billion ($650,000).