To celebrate the release of the new Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble CD "Fetch," Sprocket Ensemble is holding a musical animation party. The CD features songs from the group's popular animation/music shows at the Minna St. Gallery. Musicians on the CD include violinists Carla Kihlstedt and Irene Sazer, singer Connie Champagne, bassist Matt Small, tubist Zachariah Spellman and eclectic horn Nik Phelps. New films by Sandra Gibson and Chris Lanier will be screened, along with David Michalak's film INNA MINNA. Admission is US$10 general and $7 for students. Both nights will feature performances at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.

Read Chris Lanier's recap of his experiences at the Sundance Film Festival in Animation World Magazine.

The International Animation Festival of Brazil, Anima Mundi, presents its second Web animation competition, Anima Mundi Web. The competition is open to all international works in Flash format and under 500 K. The deadline for entries is June 1, 2001. There is no entry fee. The festival will pre-select twenty works that will be displayed on the festival Website for viewing and voting from June 15 to July 20, 2001. Viewers can vote for the public prize. A group of animation professionals will be invited by the curators of Anima Mundi Web to grant the professional prize. Both the public prize and the professional prize will consist of a cash amount (r$ 1500) and a certificate. In addition, the awarded works will be permanently exhibited on the Anima Mundi Website. The winners will be announced on the closing night of the Anima Mundi Festival in Rio de Janeiro on July 22, 2001.

December 26 and December 27, 2001
Only on DIRECTV - Channel 104

Film Roman's LEVEL13.NET, the first multi-channel animation network bring you the 2001 DIRECTV - LEVEL13.NET ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL. Winning films will be showcased as a special one penny pay per view event on DIRECTV

Pixar Animation Studios' Executive Vice President, Creative and Animation Director John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2) will be joined by Lee Unkrich (co-director Toy Story 2) for a discussion and demonstration of the creation of computer animated graphics, featuring clips from Monsters, Inc. and other Pixar animated hits. Director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentlemen, Dolores Claiborne, Proof of Life) will guide the conversation, covering the production process from beginning to end.

Thursday, January 31, 2002
7:30 PM
Directors Guild of America

RSVP Required: 310-289-5311

The Kids First! Film Festival is a traveling celebration of the best in kids film and television. This program includes American premieres of many of the programs, including the animated theatrical feature Millionaire Dogs, and the theatrical premiere of Disney's new restored print of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Place: El Capitan Theatre, 6838 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA Saturday May 4, 12:40pm to 8pm

Schedule:
Programs Recommended for 2 to 6-year-olds

12:40 - 12:50 Welcome
12:50 - 2:20 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Special 25th Anniversary Screening of the restored version of this classic Disney animated feature.
2:20 - 2:40 Break - Photo Op with Winnie the Pooh in Lobby
2:45 -3:29 Bert & Ernie's Word Play, Sesame Workshop
3:30 - 3:35 Oobi, Noggin
3:35 - 4:08 Campfire Tales, Little Bear
4:08 - 4:15 Gumby
4:15 - 4:30 Break with Gumby appearing in Lobby area

Programs Recommended for 6 to 12 -year-olds

4:40 - 5:35 Monet: Shadow & Light, Devine Entertainment
5:35 - 5:45 Break
5:45 - 7:15 Millionaire Dogs US Premiere!

This animated feature, directed by Michael Schoemann, has played theatrically in Europe. It was produced by Dietmar Kablitz and Schoemann; written by Karin Howard and Joe Steuben. Animation Directors were Carlos Alfonso and Chris Randall. Full pop song score.

7:15 - 8:00 Film Critiques by Junior Film Critics Club Panelists

The Kids First! Film Festival will be traveling to 20 cities across the country. Check out www.cqcm.org for more information.

Another not-to-be-missed screening is happening in the Los Angeles area. As a companion to the Academy's upcoming art exhibit "Oscars in Animation - 7 Decades of Animation Art," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Standards Screening Series will present 12 animated short films on Friday, August 16, 2002 at 8:00 pm in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Academy will screen such Oscar-winning gems as 1939's THE UGLY DUCKLING, MOONBIRD (1959) by John and Faith Hubley, and Chuck Jones' THE DOT AND THE LINE (1965). Also included will be Nick Parks' THE WRONG TROUSERS (1993), and Pixar's 1997 short GERI'S GAME. The "Oscars in Animation" exhibition will have extended hours on August 16th so those attending the screening can view the display either before or after the films. Tickets for the screening are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members. They may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours beginning August 1st, or, pending availability, the night of the screening when the doors open at 7:00 pm. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

An amazing line-up of demonically possessed cars, man-eating sharks, vengeance-obsessed female assassins and more!! The Festival leads off with a 20th Anniversary screening of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (which will sell out - tickets are going fast), featuring in-person appearances by director Nicholas Meyer and actors Walter Koenig & George Takei. This year's series includes L.A. premiere screenings of COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE, based on the hit anime series; the sensual Japanese swordfest PRINCESS BLADE; the astounding British werewolf movie DOG SOLDIERS; insane yakuza/zombie action flick VERSUS; and USHER, the first new film from director Curtis Harrington (NIGHT TIDE, GAMES) in over 15 years! Sponsored by A & E Home Video, a special highlight of the Festival will be an in-person tribute to British fantasy/sci-fi pioneer Gerry Anderson (born 1929), who used his delightful "SuperMarionation" process to create a rocket-fueled world of supercars, sinister aliens and ingenious scientists in classic TV series like "Thunderbirds," "Space: 1999," and "Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons." And if you missed the wonders in our Alexander Ptushko series last May, check out THE STONE FLOWER, VIY, SADKO and THE NEW GULLIVER - from this Russian special effects pioneer.

SPIRITED AWAY: AN IN PERSON TRIBUTE TO HAYAO MIYAZKI: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 (Update August 20 -- This event is SOLD OUT!)

The Tuesday, September 10th program begins at 7:30 PM on with Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY (SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI), (2002, Walt Disney/Studio Ghibli, approx. 120 min.) Try to remember your astonishment the first time you saw THE WIZARD OF OZ or SLEEPING BEAUTY, and be prepared for a fantasy of truly wondrous dimensions. A young girl, Chihiro, on holiday with her parents accidentally stumbles into an enchanted village where ancient Japanese demons go for rest and relaxation. After her parents are unfortunately transformed into enormous pigs, Chihiro is forced to take a job as a cleaning girl in a devil-filled onsen (Japanese bath house), where she contends with eight-legged spider-men, gorgeous sky-dragons and a silent, love-struck wraith. Truly magical from start to finish, with a stunning score by longtime collaborator Joe Hisaishi. Winner of the 2002 Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Discussion following with director Hayao Miyazaki. Creator of some of the most breathtakingly beautiful films in the history of animation, including PRINCESS MONONOKE, LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, Japanese director and animator Hayao Miyazaki has combined ageless, mythic storytelling, a profoundly spiritual approach to man and the natural world, and a gallery of fearless young heroines into his own unmistakable art. Born in 1941 in Tokyo, the son of an airplane manufacturer (Miyazaki's love for planes and flying shows in almost all his films), he grew up influenced by writers such as Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Rosemary Sutcliff, and the tremendously popular manga comics of Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro-Boy. After apprenticing on a number of anime features and TV series in the late 1960's and 1970's, Miyazaki emerged as a director with CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO in 1979, followed soon after by the astonishing NAUSICA

Manga publisher TOKYOPOP has announced a call for entries for its first "Rising Stars of Manga" talent competition. The competition will give aspiring U.S. artists the opportunity to submit their original stories (written in English) for the chance to win cash prizes and get their work published worldwide. Submisison are being accepted now, with a deadline of December 16, 2002. "With the 'Rising Stars' competition, TOKYOPOP hopes to discover some of the best untapped manga talent the world has to offer," said Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP Founder and CEO. "We know that many aspiring manga artists here at home are looking for an opportunity to be published, and TOKYOPOP is proud to be the first U.S. manga publisher to support turning their dreams into reality." The grand prizewinner will receive $2,500 and the chance to pitch a full-length manga series to TOKYOPOP's top brass. The second place winner will earn a cash prize of $1,000. Eight runner-ups will each receive a cash prize of $500. All ten prizewinners will be published in a TOKYOPOP manga anthology scheduled for publication in spring 2003. Entrants are encouraged to submit content from all genres -- comedy, drama, horror, science fiction, action, fantasy, romance -- and even under-represented genres such as political, historical or instructional manga. To obtain entry forms and the official rules and regulations, visit the TOKYOPOP Website (www.TOKYOPOP.com) or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Rising Stars of Manga, c/o TOKYOPOP, 5900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2000, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

The Big 3D contest is the first of its kind to focus on 3D design for the Web, bringing together the 3D and Web development communities to showcase the possibilities in this new arena of Web design. The contest will distribute over $15,000 in prizes, including full copies of SOFTIMAGE|XSI, NewTek Lightwave3D, Toon Boom Studio, MindAvenue AXELedge, Electric Rain Swift 3D, Anark Studio, Ideaworks3D Optimaze!, Strata 3D Pro, and FlashForward 2003 conference pass. Entries will be judged by representatives from 3D software companies, the media and software resource Websites, as well as the general public via The Big 3D Website. To enter, participants must create and submit a 3D Web project that showcases four separate sub-sections sharing a common theme, while demonstrating unique and innovative uses of 3D design on the Web. Entries will be posted on www.thebig3d.com and will be available for public viewing and voting. Projects will be judged on originality, 3D use, interactivity and overall entertainment To learn more about the contest or to submit, vote for, or email an entry, visit http://www.thebig3D.com.