Animation World News - Business
Rolie Polie Olie, a computer animated series
produced by Nelvana. © Nelvana.
Nelvana Gets Wind in Their Sales. Toronto-based
Nelvana Entertainment has signed a deal worth over $2 million, to acquire
Minneapolis, Minnesota-based 3-D computer animation house, Windlight Studios.
The two companies have been working together for several years, and Nelvana
has already made a significant investment in Windlight, with a June 1995
purchase of an interest stake in the company in exchange for $350,000 of
growth capital money. Earlier this month, Nelvana announced their new 3-D
animation division, headed by supervising producer Pamela Slavin. They
are already in production, with Windlight, on Rolie Polie Olie,
an all CG series to air next year on The Disney Channel. "The 3-D
business will become a major area of development for us over the next several
years," said Patrick Loubert, co-CEO of Nelvana, "by acquiring
Windlight and combining them with our own in-house talent, we will create
a leading edge 3-D operation at the lowest cost and with minimum entry
risk." Nelvana plans to invest over one million dollars in software
and hardware, and to house the expansion by adding a new 10,000 square
foot facility adjacent to their existing Toronto studio. If all goes as
planned with the closing of the deal, the new CGI studio should be fully
operational by early 1998. Over the next 6-18 months, several Windlight
executives and artists will relocate to Toronto, while the remaining staff
will stay at the studio in Minneapolis and continue to service Windlight's
commercial client base.
Film Roman Launching Into CGI. Film Roman, the North Hollywood-based company that produces
The Simpsons and King of the Hill, is launching a full scale
computer animation division. David Niles White, most recently producer
of Comedy Central's computer-created series, South Park, has been
hired to start up the studio's computer animation efforts. Initially, White
will produce several animated shorts that can be used as pitch vehicles
for larger projects. Already on the development slate is a pilot called
Ed the Alien, created by Film Roman's executive director of creative
affairs and development, Guy Vasilovich. Through their existing development
department, Film Roman will also look at outside computer animation project
pitches. Film Roman president and CEO David Pritchard said, "Creating
a laboratory for new animation techniques enables Film Roman to tap into
a new market. The time is right to augment what we do well by taking advantage
of emerging technologies." Pritchard added that the new division will
be able to utilize much of the existing equipment and staff already in
place. "[We are] a traditional cel animation studio and we have no
plans to move away from that successful part of our production."
Time For 11:55 Media. Three Swedish companies have teamed up to
form Media 11:55, a new, joint company focused on producing interactive
media as well as projects combining live-action and animation. The founding
partners are Stockholm-based animation studio Filmteckarna F. Animation
AB, Gothenberg-based computer animation and motion-control studio Motion
FX, and freelance director Hanski Norgren. "The company will have
a different approach to the interactive world," says Filmteckarna's
Lars Ohlson, "we will use more classical film narrative techniques
when working with CD-ROM and other interactive media."
Werner For Sale. Achterbahn, the German company which owns the rights
to the animation property Werner, went public on the Berlin stock
market last month Through this initial public offering, the company aims
to raise over $11 million in funds for the cartoon star's next animated
feature. Werner's first two animated features, animated by Hamburg-based
Trickompany, have done very well in Germany, out-selling Disney features
at the domestic box office.
Headbone Moves Into TV. Seattle-based Headbone Interactive has announced the formation of a new digital animation division to focus on children's television animation development and production. The company's main claim to fame is their World Wide Web property, "The Headbone Zone," a kids' web site which is also a co-branded newspaper strip syndicated with more than 80 newspapers in North America. "We feel that television is a promising means of exploiting the franchise we've built," said Headbone Founder and President Susan Lammers, "we hope to follow a growth path similar to properties such as The Simpsons." Lammers and her team are currently pitching Headbone characters "Iz," "Auggie," and "Elroy" to various studios and networks.
For background information on Headbone Interactive,
see "Listen Up, It's Playtime," an article about Headbone in
the September 1996 issue of Animation World Magazine.
http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.6/articles/shane1.6.html
One of Headbone Interactive's
original characters.
© Headbone Interactive.
SGI Sizes Down.
Silicon Graphics Inc., maker of high-end computer graphics hardware and
software, announced that it will implement a dramatic restructuring program
in December. This dramatic move will include a reduction in work force
that is expected to eliminate 700 to 1,000 Silicon Graphics jobs worldwide,
including contractors. The company says the restructuring moves will enable
it to operate more efficiently and profitably, while increasing investment
in next-generation research and development. Silicon Graphics expects the
restructuring to reduce operating expenses in the future, but admits that
the costs of the restructuring will incur a loss of approximately $50 million
for the company. Coinciding with the restructuring is the resignation of
two top executives in the company: CEO Ed McCracken and Gary L. Lauer who
was executive vice president of Worldwide Field Operations and president
of the company's World Trade Corporation. Robert Ewald, executive vice
president of Computer Systems, will serve as acting chief operating officer
during this transition period for SGI.
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