ANIMATION
WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 3.9 - December 1998
Internet & Interactive
Bandai Opens AnimeVillage.Com. Bandai's AnimeVillage.com is the first video releasing company
in the US to market Japanese animation to consumers directly through the Internet.
The site also features the latest animation news from Japan, articles about
the films, real-time chat, games, message boards, and contests. "AnimeVillage.com
plans to be THE place on the web for anime fans (otakus) and sci-fi fans as
well as professional animators and people in the movie industry," says
Marlon Schulman, Bandai's Vice-President of Home Entertainment. The company's
initial release slate includes the Gundam series and The Vision
of Escaflowne, marking the first time either of these titles have been
made available in North America in either a dubbed or sub-titled version.
There are plans to expand up to 200 titles by the end of 1999 using animation
from the Bandai Visual and Sunrise libraries as well as acquisitions from
other companies. "Our site tries to be as close to a fansite as possible
while being commercial at the same time," added Schulman, "which
is something that nobody else is doing."
 |
| George Liquor and Jimmy. © Spumco. |
Spumco Web Chat In 3D! Spumco, the studio that brought
us the first web cartoon series, The G@*&!$ George Liquor Show, has
teamed up with Electric Communities to present "the Internet's first
3D cartoon chat event." The chat, scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m.
on November 6, and run through November 9, 1998, took place on the web site
http://www.cartoonsforum.com:9994. In order to have participated, users must
have had a pair of red and blue cellophane anaglyphic 3D glasses, a standard
Windows or Mac PC with Internet access, and the Palace Visual Chat software
from Electric Communities, available for free download from the web site www.thepalace.com.
Users who managed to get into the chat experienced a 3D VRML world in which
they dressed Spumco characters, played sounds and interacted with other users.
Hotwired Launches Animation Express. HotWired's Animation Express (http://www.hotwired.com/animation/)
is a new site that showcases the latest animation from both professional and
independent animators. The animation can be viewed using plug-in technologies
like Quicktime 3, Shockwave's Flash 3 and Director 6. A "plug-in tester"
helps visitors download the necessary plug-ins if the user doesn't already
have them. Currently, the site features selections from Pixar's Oscar-winning
short Geri's Game and highlights from Spike and Mike's 1998 Festival
of Animation. The site also features an online animation store, as well as
tutorials that'll guide you in the creation of your own animation projects.
Animated Greeting Cards On The `Net. E-greetings Network (http://www.egreetings.com),
a provider of internet-based electronic greetings has unveiled the new E-greetings
Animations. The free digital greetings can be personalized and sent to anyone
by e-mail. "When we started our company nearly five years ago, we saw
that e-mail had the potential to become a multimedia entertainment and communications
medium that could provide far more than the limited capabilities of standard
text-only e-mail," says E-greetings Network's co-founder Tony Levitan.
Currently, around 100 animated digital greetings, viewable with Macromedia's
Shockwave plug-in, are available to view and send. The animated cards contain
original artwork as well as licensed images from well-known cartoonists and
films like Austin Powers, Men in Black, and Godzilla.
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.
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