The American International Toy Fair is the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere. More than 1,500 manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 30 countries showcase their toy and entertainment products. From classic toys to interactive entertainment and everything in between, it has it all. Products include action figures and dolls, games and puzzles, bicycles, tricycles and ride-ons, radio-controlled vehicles, infant and preschool toys, cars, trucks and trains, puppets and plush, computer software and videogames, playground and sporting equipment, Halloween and Christmas items, books, stationery, party supplies, and much more. More information can be found at www.toyassociation.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Toy_Fair.

Design Festa is a biannual international art event, started in 1994. It is open to all artists from all over the world to exhibit their creative talent freely. 7,000 artists working in a variety of mediums will be present, turning the two day event into artistic chaos. There will be booth areas(2,600 booths), an outdoor live-show stage, an indoor stage, a mini-theater space and a restaurant and cafe/bar area, all for your enjoyment during these two days filled with art, energy, excitement and discovery.

The ION International Animation, Games and Film Festival will return to Los Angeles this fall and organizers are looking for submissions of animated films, machinima, game trailers, music videos, live-action short films, short documentaries, TV spots, movie trailers and films made for mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs. Last year

CSU Animation and Visual Effects present the fifth Australian International Animation Festival 2008. This year they have secured amazing exclusives from more than 2,200 submissions from 30 countries.

The international programs will give audiences a complete, up-to-date snapshot of the international creative animation scene. In addition are programs that focus on digital animating, puppet films and Australian-made films. There will be kids, high school aged-programs, and even a "Late Night Bizarre: program for those whose tastes are on the extreme. There will also be a series of free talks and workshops given by filmmakers from all over Australia to provide a chance to learn more about how and why these films get made. Door-prizes include Adobe, Autodesk, Wacom and HP products.

Venue: Forum 6 Cinema
Cost: $10 Single Session or $30 Full Festival Pass

Friday May 16 schedule: High School/Teen Program, International Program #1, International Puppet Animation Panorama, Launch Party

Saturday May 17 schedule: Kids Program, Seminar: Animation Now! International Animation Overview, Seminar: The State Of Australian Animation, Australian Panorama, International Program #2, Late Night Bizarre

Sunday May 18 schedule: Seminar: "Voice Wrangling," Seminar: D.I.Y. Art + D.I.Y. Funding 2.0, International Program #3, Digital Panorama, After Party.

At the Exploratorium's McBean Theater, free, public invited, lots of free parking. Everybody with an animated film is invited to bring it and it will be shown (16mm, VHS tape & DVD). Just show up with it. Questions? Email karlcohen@earthlink.net The program will include: Don Albrecht, a former Disney animator, will have an outrageous surprise or two (Walt wouldn't approve of his new work), Jett Atwood's TEA FOR TWO, based on a pencil test made at Sheridan College. She finished this film on her own a year and a half later. Signe Baumane's BIRTH, is a powerful emotional work about one woman's experience. Charlie Canfield is bringing excerpts of his animation for the Emmy nominated A SPAN IN TIME. The award ceremony is May 9. Nick Fox-Gieg, THE ORANGE, Suddenly, a humble citrus fruit is granted absolute power over the universe. From a story by Benjamin Rosenbaum. Gene Hamm will delight us with CHINESE MEDICINE, PUNCTURE PERFECT (made for his comedy act) and his disturbing THE TRUTH ABOUT CUT FLOWERS? Andy Kaiser's FRIENDLY FIRE, a puppet film from Germany with music written and performed by Nik Phelps. A surprise by Michel Langan. Chris Perry's THE INCIDENT AT TOWER 37, a tale about limited natural resources by a teacher from Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. It will be shown at SIGGRAPH 2009. Michael Stevenson, PIGEON PILFER. It's about a man who is tormented by stares from pigeons as he tries to figure out what they're after. San Francisco State's Animation program is presenting student music synch projects. Plus lots of other surprises from independent animators and college students. The show is always a lot of fun and well attended, so arrive early for a good seat.

The Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences will present the 2005 Machinima Film Festival, a full-day of Machinima (animated filmmaking using 3D videogame technologies), taking place at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The one-day event will include screenings of Machinima films, special presentations, talks with award-winning independent filmmakers and seminars about Machinima production techniques. For more information, visit festival.machinima.org.

Live Improvised Animation Performance in Immersive Planetarium Dome Theater

Spontaneous Fantasia at the Glendale Community College Planetarium is a showcase for the combined efforts of a visual artist, performance artist, animator, musical composer, and Technical Academy Award winner. All happen to be the same person: J.Walt Adamczyk, he of the multiple talents and Scrabble-worthy last name, puts together an hour of improvised 3D animation and music through interactive CG techniques, accompanied by his own original score.

Adamczyk creates live animated scenes which include alien landscapes, strange oceanic ballets, surreal gardens, psychedelic swirls.

The show is suitable for all ages, though tots might find it too intense.

March 28-29
April 11-12
April 25-26
May 9-10
May 23-24

Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.
Adults:$10, Kids: $6

GCC Planetarium
1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, California 91208

Info and reservations: (626) 688-0778

www.spontaneousfantasia.com

A retrospective of Ian Emes animations is taking place next week in London, 25 June. Q & A will follow the screening and there's also an exhibition of his cels and backgrounds.

The Sex in Video Games Conference: Exploring the Business of Digital Erotic Entertainment will be held at the Lodge at Union Square, Kensington Park Hotel in San Francisco, California. The conference is the first of its type and will be an annual event. This unique conference will focus on the design, development, and technology of sex in video games from a national as well as international perspective. In addition, this conference will also have a strong focus on business matchmaking and networking. During the conference's two-day run, it will feature numerous lectures and keynotes, a machinima art show (erotic art and movies derived from video games) as well as panel discussions with leaders in video game and adult video game development. Sheri Graner Ray will give the keynote. Graner Ray is an accomplished game designer with 16 years experience in the videogame industry and is the author of GENDER INCLUSIVE GAME DESIGN: EXPANDING THE MARKET. For more information, visit www.sexinvideogames.com.

The American Animation Institute's summer semester will run from June 2 to August 30. Registration for Animation Guild members begins May 8; registration for non-members begins May 12. The American Animation Institute was founded in 1980 by the Animation Guild and Affiliated Optical Electronic and Graphic Arts, Local 839 IATSE, to further the art of the animated cartoon in the United States through educational and other activities. Classes are held at the Animation Guild in North Hollywood, CA on weekdays and weekday evenings plus one weekend class, one session per week for twelve weeks. The full catalog is available here. Instructors for the summer semester include Steve Brown, Nicole Duet, Karl Gnass and Will Weston. Classes offered include Storyboarding, Composition for Animation and Film, Life Drawing, Advanced Life Drawing, Animal Drawing at the Los Angeles Zoo and Page Museum, Head and Figure Painting, Painting the Still Life and Figure Drawing From Top To Bottom. Contact Lyn Mantta by e-mail or at 818-766-0521 if you have any questions.