Animation World Magazine, Issue 2.2, May 1997
News
Compiled by Wendy Jackson
Business: The Hollywood Shuffle, Cinar Opens Euro Division, Humongous Development Deal, Aardman Rakes it in Online.
Features: Aardman's On A Chicken Run, Blue Arrow Heads For Miramax, RAI To Animate Italian Pinnochio, Goodtime Rudolph Feature Is Golden, Merv Griffin Gets Huge Rights.
Television: Kids TV Audience Declining, Happily Ever After For HBO, UNICEF Developing TV Series, Energee Eats Pudding, Real-Time Animated Malay Host, Bohbot's Un-Dangerous Dinosaurs, Locomotion Adds New Programs.
Home Video: Mighty Ducks Movie Released, Manga Releases Macross Feature.
Commercials: Cheese Head In An Olive Jar, A Colossal Discovery, Acme Goes To The Beach For Weight Watchers, Curious Gets Cheesy, Perlman, Olive Jar Buzzing For MCI, Viewpoint On Toys, Designfx Goes Bananas, Ink Tank In Outer Space.
Interactive & Internet: IDSA Reports Industry Growth, Electronic Arts Expands, Disney Invests in Starwave, Disney Offers Subscription Online Service, Pixar Closes Interactive Division, VRMLocity Conference.
Animation Art: Virgil Ross Honored In Limited Edition.
Festivals & Events: AnimExpo Competition Open, Leipzig Call For Entries, Animation Program at Philadalphia Fest, Richard Williams Masterclass, Digital Seminar for Artists.
Awards: Svankmajer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award, Cartoons on the Bay 2, ASIFA-East Animation Festival, The World Animation Celebration.
Abby Terkhule.
Hollywood Shuffle.
Abby Terkhule has been named president of MTV Animation, a role in which he will oversee all operations of MTV's New York animation studio, including TV series, promotions and feature films. Terkhule was formerly executive vice president and creative director of MTV Animation, a role in which he was responsible for the development of Liquid Television and oversaw development of animated properties from "Beavis & Butt-head" to The Maxx.. . . . . Stephen Brand has left his post as lead animator at Warner Digital to become 3-D supervisor at Four Media's computer graphics arm, Digital Magic. . . . Henry Anderson has joined Blue Sky Studios as director of animation, leaving his position as consultant Digital Domain. A 1988 CalArts graduate, Anderson has worked previously with Rhythm & Hues, Brøderbund Software, PDI, Pixar, Disney, and Warner Bros. . . . Nickelodeon Productions has promoted three executives as part of their committment to creating original animated programming: Marjorie Cohn to vice president and executive producer of current series, Kevin Kay to vice president and executive producer of development and Brown Johnson to senior vice president of Nick Jr. . . . Karen Flischel has been promoted to managing director for Nickelodeon Europe in London. She was formerly CEO of Nickelodeon Australia.Cinar Opens Euro Division. Canadian family entertainment company, Cinar Films has launched Cinar Europe, a new division aimed to increase production and sales in Europe. The new London office will utilize FilmFair, the British animation studio acquired by Cinar last year for $17 million. Heading up the new division is Vice President David Ferguson, who joins Cinar from Nelvana, where he was director of international co-productions for four years. Meanwhile, Cinar is making moves to acquire an educational publisher, and have already bid on a U.S. publishing company, which shall remain unnamed until an official acquisition is announced.
Humongous Development Deal. Seattle-based children's software publisher, Humongous Entertainment is partnering with New York-based Lancit Media Entertainment to develop their family of animated CD-ROM characters for television, motion picture, merchandising and home video. CD-ROM games featuring Humongous' original characters Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam and Freddi the Fish have sold more than 3 million units worldwide. Humongous Entertainment is a division of GT Interactive, and Lancit Media is a producer of children's programming such as Puzzle Place and Reading Rainbow.
Aardman Rakes It In Online. Aardman Animation has recieved more than £200,000 (about US$300,000) in orders for animation-related merchandise sold through their World Wide Web site, proof positive that the Internet is a viable and profitable means for product distribution. Wallace and Gromit figurines, toys and accessories can be purchased from anywhere in the world at the Aardman Web site, accessible through AWN (www.awn.com) in the Companies section of the Animation Village.
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Aardman's On A "Chicken Run." Oscar-winning Aardman Animations is moving towards an anticipated September production startup on their first animated feature film, now in development at their Bristol, England based studio. Chicken Run will be a stop-motion animated comedy feature about two chickens, Rocky and Ginger, and their attempt at a "prisoner of war" type escape from a farm in the 1950s. The screenplay was written by Jack Rosenthal, and based on a story being developed by Peter Lord and Nick Park since 1995. Chicken Run will be co-directed by Lord and Park, and produced by Aardman in association with Allied FilmMakers, with Jake Eberts (James and the Giant Peach) as executive producer. Aardman is in the process of talking to several U.S. studios about distribution for the film, which we can expect to be released towards the end of 1998.
Enzo D'Alò's La Freccia Azzurra.
Blue Arrow Heads For Miramax. Disney-owned Miramax has acquired all rights to Enzo D'Alò's Italian animated feature film The Blue Arrow (see review La Freccia Azzura in 1/97 issue of Animation World Magazine), as was recently announced during Cartoons on the Bay in Amalfi.. Miramax paid $1 million to control all rights for U.S., U.K. and other previously unsold territories. Produced by La Laterna Magica last year, The Blue Arrow is the first animated feature film produced in Italy in the past 20 years. It has not yet been announced when or how Miramax will release the film.
RAI To Animate Italian Pinnochio. Italian broadcaster RAI has announced plans to produce an animated feature of Pinnochio, with La Freccia Azzurra director Enzo D'Alò directing on the project. The film is scheduled to premiere in Italy at the same time as the Italian release of Disney's animated feature Hercules. Meanwhile, RAI has also announced that it will launch a children's programming satellite channel in Italy next September.
Goodtime Rudolph Feature Is Golden. Goodtimes Entertainment and Golden Books Family Entertainment are teaming up to co-produce an animated feature film make of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. The film is scheduled for December 1998 release, and production will begin this spring with a budget of $10 million. The two companies also plan to produce a "full range of products in all key categories designed to reach consumer markets worldwide," says Goodtime president Andrew Greenberg. Golden Books also owns the rights to the classic Rankin-Bass television special of the same name, which is the longest running, highest rated special on network television.
Warners Options Nanobots. Warner Bros. has optioned the rights to a feature film project by writers Roger Soffer and Christian Ford. Nanobots, as the project is called, will be at least partially computer animated, and co-produced with Left Bank Productions.
Merv Griffin Gets Huge Rights. Merv Griffin Entertainment has acquired rights to the comic strip character Howard Huge, created by artist Bunny Hoest. The comic strip Howard Huge has appeared in Parade magazine for over 15 years. Griffin, currently looking for a writer hopes to develop the property into a feature film, although it has not yet been determined whether it would be live action or animated.
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Kids TV Audience Declining. The results of the February sweeps indicate a 4%-6% drop in viewing levels for children's programming on network television. Analysts say that this decline is most likely the result of kids' increased interest in home computers, as well as the domination of cable channels such as Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. With increased cable and even Internet-based programming, this trend is likely to continue. Otherwise in the sweeps, national standings landed "The Simpsons" as the number six-rated show in the country, the only animated series in the top ten.
Happily Ever After.
Happily Ever After For HBO. The second season of HBO's multicultural children's series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child started on April 13, with 13 new episodes of multicultural fairy tales for modern day kids. Co-produced by Two Oceans Entertainment, Confetti Entertainment and Hyperion Studio, the series was produced by Libby Simon and directed by Ed Bell. Episodes feature voice parts by many well known actors such as Dean Cain, Wesley Snipes and Edward James Olmos. Cultural Toys Co. is producing a line of merchandising for the series, and Gryphon Software is producing related CD-ROM games, and Kid Rhino/ KIDS WB Music are releasing a soundtrack CD of songs from the series.
UNICEF Developing TV Series. In collaboration with TFO, UNICEF is developing Generation 2000, a new animated TV series based on child rights. The 13-part series will present personal stories of various children throughout the world, focusing on such issues as children in war, hazardous child labor, child prostitution, girls' education, and the environment and health. Meanwhile, more than 60 companies are in production on or have completed 30 second animated public service announcements as part of UNICEF's International Animation Consortium for Child Rights.
Energee Eats Pudding. Australian animation production group Energee Entertainment has acquired exclusive development and merchanising rights to Magic Pudding, a classic children's book by Norman Lindsay, first published in 1918. Contemporary children's book author Morris Gleitzman is lined up to write the screenplay adaptation to make an animated feature. The rights acquisition comes after five years of negotiations, and is presented to Energee, beating out Disney, Ralph Bakshi and Jim Henson Productions, who had also bid for the rights. Nomura/Jafco investment owns a 40% stake in Energee, who will be seeking international investors and distributors during MIP TV in Cannes next week.
SimGraphics' animated character, Nasa.
Real-Time Animated Malay Host. Pasadena-based SimGraphics recently presented their real-time animated character, Nasa, as host of the 1997 Malaysian Music Awards. The 2-1/2 hour program, broadcast through Asia's Astro Network satellite service, was hosted entirely by the computer-generated character, live and in real time to the voice of singer Afdlin Shauki.
Bohbot's Un-Dangerous Dinosaurs. Bohbot Enetrtainment and Mattel Toys recently announced a name change for their new animated series and accompanying toy line. The show formerly known as Dangerous Dinosaurs is being changed to Extreme Dinosaurs. This is most likely an effort to make the properties more marketable to a wider group of kids and their parents, and is.similar to the name change for the UK distribution of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles a few years back. "The essence of this property," says Gene Garlock, vice president of entertainment & licensing at Mattel, "is not in the name, but rather in the unique characters, dynamic toy design, excellent stories and superior animation." Extreme Dinosaurs will be packaged as part of the "Extreme Hour" on the Bohbot Kids Network, alongside Extreme Ghostbusters. Bohbot has signed up 104 station affiliates for their Bohbot Kids Network program block, covering 75% of the US market, and making them the sixth largest supplier of children's programming in the US.
Locomotion Adds New Programs. South American 24-hour animation cable channel, Locomotion has added four new animated programs to its lineup, including Denver The Last Dinosaur and Dinky Dog, for family audiences, and Cool McCool and Red Baron. for more mature audiences of teenagers and young adults. Cushioning the evening programs are a pair of new interstitial station id's created by animator Webster Colcord just before he started working at Pacific Data Images.
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Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face-Off. © Disney
Mighty Ducks Movie Released. Walt Disney Home Video debuted the Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face-Off, in stores on April 8. Based on the Saturday morning ABC animated series, the 66 minute animated "featurette" showcases character voices by Tim Curry, Jim Belushi and Ian Zierling. The animation was created referencing live-action hockey footage, as well as through extensive use of CG imagery to recreate the interior of a skating arena.
Manga Releases Macross Feature. Worldwide anime distributor Manga Entertainment will release Shoji Kawamori's Macross Plus feature film, on video this month. The film, the latest in the Macross series, features traditional and computer-generated animation, and is said to be the most expensive direct-to-video release ever to come out of Japan.
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Olive Jar's Cheesehead.
Cheese Head In An Olive Jar. Boston-based Olive Jar Animation recently completed Cheese Head, a cel and cut-out animated commercial for Stella Foods, in association with the agency Margeoleos Fertitta & Partners. The 30 second spot has a bold graphic style, story line and soundtrack inspired by 70s urban action films such as Shaft, but with a twist; the main character, named Cheese Head, is a string cheese snack-cum superhero in search of hungry kids. Matthew Charde was executive producer and the director was Dan Sousa.
A Colossal Discovery. San Francisco-based (Colossal) Pictures recently completed a set of three animated station IDs for The Discovery Channel, promoting their Saturday morning kids programming block. Aimed at the "tween" audience ranging from age 8-13, the 15 second spots, titled Experiment, feature classroom scenes animated in a colorful, fun style. The executive producer on the spots was Jana Canellos, the creative director was George Evelyn, the animation director was Tom Rubalcava, and the ink and paint was completed by Click 3 West.
(Colossal) Pictures' Experiment.
Acme Goes To The Beach For Weight Watchers. A third spot in Weight Watchers' high-profile animated advertising campaign has recently been completed by Acme Filmworks' director Sue Loughlin for Lowe & Partners/SMS agency in New York. Brenda and Elaine at the Beach features the two signature female characters afraid to go in the water for fear of being seen in their bathing suits. The 30 second spot premiered nationally during the Academy Awards ceremony broadcast at the end of March.
Curious Gets Cheesy. New York-based Curious Pictures recently completed a 30 second spot for Kraft Foods through Foote, Cone & Belding. The commercial, titled Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Oni, introduces the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese CG animated mascot, Cheesasaurus Rex, that was produced using SGI Alias Wavefront and Macintosh After Effects programs. Eenie was directed by staple Curious director Steve Oakes.
Curious Pictures' Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Oni.
Perlman, Olive Jar Buzzing For MCI. Boston-based Olive Jar Studios recently completed Bees, a commercial for MCI Cellular which is inspired by 1970s educational nature films. The 30 second spot features 2-D animation sequences by animation director Janet Perlman, who is perhaps best known for her independent films.
Viewpoint On Toys. Boston-based animation/effects facility, ViewPoint Studios recently created 3-D animation and optical effects sequences for a series of commercials for Playskool's "Makes it Magic" toy campaign. Animator Michael Leonne created the 3-D animation for the project, which was produced by Redtree Productions. The spots will air in the U.S. this summer.
Designfx Goes Bananas. Atlanta-based Designfx helped Dole Bananas launch a new animated advertising campaign with Broadway and Skateboard, two new 30 second animation/live-action spots featuring the company's new spokesperson. . . . er spokesbanana, Bobby Banana. Featuring both cel and CG 3-D character animation, the spots were directed by Steve Walker, whose production team used Alias Wavefront's PowerAnimator and VideoComposer.
Designfx's Bobby Banana character for Dole.
Ink Tank In Outer Space. New York-based animation studio, The Ink Tank, created Spaceman, a 30 second animated spot for Banco Popular. The commercial's sharp, graphic style portrays a spaceship colliding with an asteroid, to the tune of Elton John's Rocket Man. R.O Blechman directed for the Badillo Nazca/Saatchi & Saatchi agency.
IDSA Reports Industry Growth. While competition is resulting in the downsizing of the interactive entertainment industry, overall sales seem to be up. This is according to a new report released by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), the trade organization that presents the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which will take place this June in Atlanta. According to the report, the interactive software industry experienced a strong growth in 1996, with overall sales up 16% from the previous year, specifically video game software sales were up14% to $2 billion, and sales of games for personal computers up 19% to $1.7 billion. The study, released by IDSA president Douglas Lowenstein, cites data gathered from NPD, a market research company based in New York.Electronic Arts Expands. California-based interactive entertainment giant Electronic Arts (EA) is expanding its development and distribution efforts by acquiring rights and interests in several companies. EA has made an investment in Accolade Inc., a privately-held interactive game publisher; this deal includes a multiyear affiliated label agreement, under which EA will have exclusive distribution rights for all new and certain existing software titles produced by Accolade. EA has signed Colorado-based game developer Anark to an exclusive distribution agreement, as well as an affiliated label agreement, which will begin with this summer's release of Galapagos, Anarks' first title. EA has also just signed an exclusive distribution deal with DreamWorks Interactive (DWI), specifically of video game titles for Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn platforms. Microsoft will keep distribution rights to DWI's CD-ROM titles (e.g., The Neverhood.)
Disney Invests In Starwave. The Walt Disney Company has purchased an interest in Starwave Corp., a major Internet content developer. Approximately $100 million was paid by Disney for what is believed to be a one-third stake in Starwave, which is owned by billionaire Paul Allen, who will remain the biggest stockholder in the company. Together with Netscape, America Online and ABC, they will launch a 24 hour Internet news network this month.
Disney Offers Subscription Online Service. Disney Online unveiled their new Disney's Daily Blast, a subcriber-based Web site and Internet service, aimed at children ages 3-12. The comics, games and youth-oriented news provided through the service are available at $4.95 per month exclusively through the Microsoft Network.
Pixar Closes Interactive Division. Pixar Animation Studios officially announced that they will be getting out of the interactive business, shortly after the recent closing of their ten year, five picture deal with Disney. The division, which produced two CD-ROM titles, Toy Story Animated Storybook and Toy Story Activity Center, will "redirect its valuable talent" into other areas of the company.
VRMLOCITY Conference. Miller Freeman, organizers of the recent New Animation Technology Expo (NATE,) will present a full day seminar devoted to Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) implementation, during their second annual 3-D Design Conference in San Francisco, June 2-6, 1997. The seminar will cover technical topics involved in creating virtual worlds, such as building avatars and environments with CGI programs.
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Virgil Ross Honored In Limited Edition. American Royal Arts has announced the release of a limited edition lithograph honoring veteran animator Virgil Ross, who passed away last May. Hand-signed by Virgil Ross himself, the artwork features classic Looney Tunes characters which Ross animated in more than 230 cartoon shorts for Warner Bros. For information, call 1-800-888-9449.
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ANIMEXPO Competition Open. The first International Animation Expo will be taking place July 25 to August 3 in Seoul, Korea. In addition to an international market and trade fair exhibition, animation workshops, and retrospective screenings, AnimExpo will include a competition of animated films. Prizes for award winning films will amount to $120,000.00. Entries are being considered for competition until April 30, in eight categories including commercials, feature films, and a special category for the theme of the festival, "Nature and Dreams." Entry forms can be downloaded from the AnimExpo website, accessible from the AWN Calendar of Events.
http://www.awn.com/awneng/village/calendar.htmlLeipzig Call For Entries. The 40th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Films is scheduled to take place October 28-November 2, 1997 in Leipzig, Germany. Several prizes are awarded for animation, including over 27,000 DM in cash prizes. Entries should be sent on VHS video cassette by September 5 to Dokfestival Leipzig, Elsterstr. 22-24, 04109 Leipzig, Germany.
Animation Program At Philadalphia Fest. The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, taking place in Pennsylvania, will present a screening of animated films programmed by animators/teachers David Fain and Sheila Sofian. The hand-picked collection, entitled Invented Worlds, will include recent films by Piet Kroon, Aleksandra Korejwo, Anthony Hodgson, Anna Dudek, Dominic Carola, Bill Lebeda, Paul Driessen, Yvonne Andersen, Tyron Montgomery, Tim Hittle and others. Screenings are scheduled for May 2 and 4 at the International House theater. For information call (800) WOW-PFWC.
Richard Williams Masterclass. Richard Williams, regarded by many in the industry as a modern master of animation, will offer an "Animation Masterclass" June 6-8 in San Francisco. The three day workshop will teach the basics of classical animation. Triple Oscar winner Richard Williams has won over 250 international awards including three Hollywood and three British Academy Awards. His films include Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Christmas Carol, and The Return of The Pink Panther, as well as the original Thief and the Cobbler animated feature.. Having trained many of today's leading animators worldwide, Williams has passed on his knowledge at master classes in London, Wales, Denmark, Vancouver and at Warner Bros in Hollywood. Further information is available by phone (250)-653-4502.
Digital Seminar For Artists. Silicon Studio L.A., the Silicon Graphics training facility in Santa Monica, California, will address one of the issues facing many traditional animators today, by presenting a discussion/seminar entitled "Paint to Pixels: Traditional Artists in the Digital Age," as part of its' "Digital Coffeehouse" series. Aimed at helping artists make the transition to digital, the seminar will feature various industry professionals experienced in both traditional and digital media. The event will take place on June 5 in Santa Monica, admission is $25 in advance.
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Svankmajer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award.
The San Francisco International Film Festival will honor legendary Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer with the Golden Gate Award for Persistence of Vision on May 6. The award is given to directors who are notable for "working outside the bounds of traditional filmmaking," which describes Svankmajer well, as he is best known for his surrealist mixed-media films, which range in technique from stop-motion to cut-out, and most recently, live action. His most recent feature-length film, The Conspirators of Pleasure will be screened during the award ceremony taking place at the AMC Kabuki theater. Tickets are available by calling (415) 441-7373.Cartoons on the Bay 2
The animation business conference and competition which premiered last year in Amalfi, Italy took place for a second time April 5-9. Out of 58 productions in competition, nine were awarded with prizes, including the "Golden Pulcinella" grand prize for best series of the year to Link by Canada's Animation Ciné Group, and for best character of the year to Rotten Ralph by American John Matthews Productions. A complete list of award winners can be found on the Cartoons On The Bay web site in the AWN Animation Village.
http://www.awn.com/cartoonsbay
Discussions of turning Cartoons on the Bay into an official market such as MIP or MIFA have been put away for now, with a decision from event organizers (SACIS) to present an animation-themed "sales showcase" at the existing MIFED film market in Milan. A screening of the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay competition films will also take place as a sidebar event during MIFED, which will take place October 19-24.ASIFA-East Animation Festival
The annual animation festival of the Eastern U.S. chapter of ASIFA took place April 3 at New York's New School Tishman Library Theater. About 300 people showed up for the ceremony, which was hosted by ASIFA-East president Linda Simensky. The winning films were selected by a jury comprised of approximately 50 ASIFA-East members who screened all of the entries over a two-night period. Simensky notes that "it's really the only festival where the jury is comprised of one's peers." And the winners are. . .
Best Film: Champagne by Michael Sporn
Best Film Under Two Minutes: Voice B Gone by David Wasson
Student Awards
First Prize : The Tapir by Raquel Coelho
Second Prize: Season's Greetings by Michael Dougherty
Third Prize: The Stomach Pump by Adam Dotson
First Honorable Mention: Human Area - Slow Speed by Patty Yang
Second Honorable Mention: Rain For Us by Glenn Hall
Professional Films Under Two Minutes
Direction Category
First Prize: Rupert the Grouper by AmpNYC Animation Studio
Second Prize: Smell the Flowers by Bill Plympton
Third Prize: Sandwich by Raimund Krumme/Acme FilmworksAmpNYC's Rupert the Grouper.
Animation Category
First Prize: Three Little Pigs by John Kricfalusi/Acme Filmworks
Second Prize: Monkey Business by Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein/Acme Filmworks
Third Prize: Season by Aleksandra Korejwo/Acme Filmworks
Design Category
First Prize: Singer by Carlos Aponte/The Ink Tank
Second Prize: Zoom by Istvan Banyai
Third Prize: Impressions by Aleksandra Korejwo/Acme Filmworks
Professional Films Two Minutes And Over
Direction Category
First Prize: The Off-beats: September's Day Off by Mo Willems
Second Prize: Talking About Sex: A Guide For Families by Candy Kugel and Vincent Cafarelli/Buzzco Associates
Third Prize: The Kitchen Casanova by John McIntyre/Hanna-Barbera Cartoons
Animation Category
First Prize: Noodles and Nedd by John Dilworth/Stretch Films
Second Prize: The Off-Beats: Tommy's Coat by Mo Willems and Karen Villareal
Third Prize: The Blind Men and the Elephant, Debby Solomon and Ken
Kimmelman/Pharoh Films
Design Category
First Prize: Menaseh's Dream by Maciek Albrecht/The Ink Tank
Second Prize: Troubles the Cat: Cutey Kitty by Santiago Cohen/The Ink Tank
Third Prize: Robot Rerun by David Ehrlich
Concept Category
First Prize: Girl With Her Head Coming Off by Emily Hubley
Second Prize: State of the Union by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions
Third Prize: Clinton/Dole by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions
Soundtrack Category
First Prize: Once Upon a Time by John Serpentelli and Robert Moran
Second Prize: X-Presidents by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions
Third Prize: Time Lapse by Bob Lyons
Special Awards
Charles Samu Award
Menaseh's Dream by Maciek Albrecht
Charles Samu Award Honorable Mention
Noodles and Nedd by John R. Dilworth
Special Award for Continuing Support of Independent Animated Film:
Adrienne Mancia
World Animation Celebration
The World Animation Celebration (WAC) took place last week in Pasadena, with an impressive international attendance that included all four Academy Award nominees. The enormous competition featured 40 different categories, with films selected from more than 1,000 films submitted from 93 countries. While Animation World Magazine will publish a full WAC festival report in the May issue, following is a list of the top awards.
Grand Prize: Old Lady and the Pigeons by Les Productions Pascal Blais.
Best Theatrical Feature Film: Ghost in the Shell by Manga Entertainment
Best Use of Animation as a Special Effect in a Feature Film: Joe's Apartment: Funky Towel by Blue Sky Studios.
Best TV Commercial: Levi's Primal by Karen Kelly.
Best Animated Music Video: Music for Babies by Run Wrake.
Best Showreel: Olive Jar Studios.
Best Animation Produced for a Daytime Television Series: The Billiards Pat & Mat Series by Alfons Mensdorff-Ponilly & Frantiseu Vasa.
Best Animation Produced for a Primetime Series: Pond Life: Holiday by Candy Guard.
Best Direct to Home Video Production: Disney's Aladdin and the King of Thieves by Walt Disney Television Animation.
Best Animation Produced for CD ROM: Squeezils: The Movies! by Protozoa, Inc.
Best Animation Produced for Game Platforms: The Neverhood by Douglas Tenaple, Edward Schofield, Mike Dietz, Dreamworks Interactive.
Best Animation Produced for the Internet: Absolut Panushka by TBWA Chiat/Day and Troon Ltd.
Best Computer Assisted Animation Produced by a Professional: The End by Chris Landreth.
Best Computer Assisted Animation Produced by an Independent: Law of Averages by James Duesing.
Best Stop-Motion Animation Produced by a Professional: A Close Shave by Nick Park, Aardman Animation.
The Jim Henson Award for Best Stop-Motion Animation Produced by an Independent: Canhead by Timothy Hittle.
Best Work Produced by a Student: The Wooden Leg by Darren Doherty & Nick Smith.
Best First Work Produced by an Independent: Quest by Tyron Montgomery.
Best Animation Produced for Children by a Professional:
Under 30 Minutes: Jam the Housesnail by Fuji TV Network, Robot Communications and Animation Staffroom.
Best Experimental Animation: Processor by Jan Otto Ertesvaag.
Best Animation Produced for Educational Purposes: Great Moments in Science: Falling Cats by Andrew Horne.
Best Animation Works Shorter Than 5 Minutes: Torero by Aleksandra Korewjo.
Best Animated Works Longer Than 5 Minutes and Shorter Than 15 Minutes: Stressed by Karen Kelly.
Best Animated Work Longer Than 15 minutes and Shorter Than 30 minutes: The Grey Bearded Lion: The Long Journey by Andrei Kharjanovsky & Tonino Guerra.
Best Director of Animation for an Animated Theatrical Feature Film: Mamoru Oshii for Ghost in the Shell.
Best Director of Animation for a TV Commercial: Spike Brandt, Kathleen Helppie-Shipley for Pepsi's Wile E. Coyote/Deion Sanders.
Best Director of Animation for a Daytime Series: Norton Virgien for Nickelodeon's Rugrats: Naked Tommy.
Best Director of Animation for a Primetime Series: Candy Guard for Pond Life: Holiday.
Best Director of Animation for a Direct to Home Video Production: Steve Moore for Walt Disney TV Animation's Little Redux Riding Hood.
Best Director of Animation for a CD-ROM: Ted Mathot for Class 6 Entertainment's Creature Crunch.
Best Director of Animation for a Game Platform: Matthew Samia & Duane Stinnett for Blizzard Entertainment's Star Craft.
Best Performance Animation: The Boxer Trailer by Pierre LaChapelle for TFX Animation and Taarna Studios.
Best Animation Produced for a Simulation of a Theme Park Ride: Seafari by Rhythm & Hues.
The UNICEF Award: Ex-Child by Jacques Drouin.
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