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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 4.2 - MAY 1999
Television
Gary And Mike Hit The Road. Big Ticket Television has teamed-up with
Will Vinton Studios to produce a new Claymation and dimensional animation
series entitled Gary And Mike, slated to air on FOX this Fall. The
series will be executive produced by creators Fax Bahr and Adam Small, along
with Academy Award winning Will Vinton and Tom Turpin (CEO/president of Will
Vinton Studios). Gary And Mike features Gary Bonner and Mike Newton,
suburban twentysomethings on the road trip of their lives as they search for
America at the dawn of the new millennium, from a cult in rural Kansas to
a close encounter in Roswell, New Mexico to a surprise appearance on the Jerry
Springer Show. Gary (voiced by Chris Moynihan) is an asthmatic hypochondriac,
who is deeply under the thumb of his die-hard Marine Corps dad, but he's got
the car and the gear. Mike (voiced by Harland Williams), a grungy undisciplined
dreamer, unfortunately considers himself a ladies man, and is along for the
ride.
Big Ticket Television has produced the syndicated shows Judge Judy, Judge
Joe Brown, and Night Stand With Dick Dietrick, as well as the comedy
series Moesha for the UPN network. The production part of the team,
Will Vinton Studios, based in Portland, Oregon, is currently executive producing
the hit Foamation prime time weekly animated television series The PJs
with Imagine Entertainment and Eddie Murphy, in association with Touchstone
Television. Over the last twenty years, Will Vinton Studios has created hundreds
of characters for commercials including the California Raisins, television
specials, and a feature film, The Adventures Of Mark Twain. They have
won an Academy Award, six Emmies, and numerous Clio awards. They are also
the force behind the current M&M commercials that feature computer animated
M&M's interacting with live-action humans.
Futurama Has Popular Premiere. Matt Groening's new animated
series, Futurama, was watched by more than nineteen million viewers
when it premiered on Sunday, March 28. It was the eleventh most watched TV
show in the USA for the week ending March 28, 1999 as it received a 11.2 rating
and a 17 share, better overall ratings than both The Simpsons (9.3/15)
that preceded it, and The X-Files (10.1/15) that followed it. Futurama
settles into its Tuesday time slot tonight. While Groening reportedly was
not pleased with the Tuesday slot given to him by Fox, ratings like this must
surely make him smile.
Futurama Has A Future. Fox Broadcasting Co. has ordered another
season (22 episodes) of Matt Groening's animated series, Futurama,
just four weeks after its premiere. Although the show had a strong debut on
Sunday, March 28th as the eleventh most watched TV show in the USA for that
week, receiving a 11.2 rating and a 17 share, after it moved to Tuesday nights
its ratings fell by about 50%. However, the show still delivered ratings slightly
better than King Of The Hill and The PJs. Futurama now joins
its Fox Tuesday night compatriots King Of The Hill, The PJs, and
The Simpsons as a series that has been renewed for another season. For
capsule descriptions of Futurama's first season episodes, including
those yet to be broadcast, visit www.fox61.com/insidefuturama.html.
Animania Schedule For April. Here was the April schedule for the National
Film Board of Canada's Animania TV programme, which features NFB produced
animated shorts, and is shown on Teletoon Network in Canada:
Friday, April 9, 11:30 pm: Mindscape by Jacques Drouin.
Sunday, April 11, 9:30 pm: Five Billion Years by Joyce Borenstein.
Tuesday, April 13, 11:30 pm: Lord of the Sky by Eugen Spaleny and Ludmila
Zema.
Friday, April 16, 11:30 pm: Nocturnes by Francois Aubry.
Sunday, April 18, 9:30 pm: Felicity by Bernard Longpre.
Tuesday, April 20, 11:30 pm: La Salla by John Weldon.
Friday, April 23, 11:30 pm: Taa Tam by Andre Leduc.
Sunday, April 25, 9:30 pm: Dinner for Two by Janet Perlman.
Tuesday, April 27, 11:30 pm: The Irises by Jacques Giraldeau and Suzanne
Gervais.
Friday, April 30, 11:30 pm: The Cruise by John and Faith Hubley.
All programs contained additional shorts.
TV Tidbits. The Learning Channel's program Slice Of Life, which
features a day in the life of women in various careers, profiled independent
animator Cynthia Wells. The episode aired on April 5 at 12:30 pm (ET),
and will repeat on June 2. The Slice Of Life crew filmed a day in the
making of Shadow Of Doubt, a theatrical short film currently being
produced by Wells' The Digital Theater Group. The film stars Wells' Talullah
Le Roux character who was in one of her earlier films, Interview With Talullah,
Queen Of The Universe. . . . Lacey Entertainment sold the hit show Pokemon
to the following European broadcasters: RTL 2 (Germany), Sky TV (UK) and
MediaSet (Italy). Sky TV began broadcasting the show the week of March 29,
while RTL 2 and MediaSet will begin airing the series in September. All three
networks will air the series as a five-day-a-week strip. In a related announcement,
EM TV & Merchandising of Germany has secured Pokemon merchandise
and promotion licensing representation in that territory. . . . The half-hour
comedy series Home Movies [AF 12/22/98] premieres Monday, April
26, at 8:30 pm ET/PT. The show, featuring a "SquiggleVision" technique,
is being produced by Tom Snyder Productions, makers of Comedy Central's Dr.
Katz: Professional Therapist and ABC's Saturday morning series, Squigglevision.
The show centers around a single mom (Paula Poundstone) raising a precocious
tot and an eight-year-old son who aspires to be the next Steven Spielberg.
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| Disney's Whomptastic. © Disney. |
Disney Is Whomptastic. Buena Vista Television and Walt Disney Television
Animation have announced that Disney's Whomptastic will be the banner
name for the two hour block of children's programming set to premiere September
6, 1999 on UPN and in syndication. The block will present the premiere of
Sabrina The Animated Series, as well as include the already established
shows Disney's Recess, Disney's Doug and Disney's Hercules. The
origin of the word "whomptastic" is found in an episode of Disney's
Recess when one of the characters invents a harmless word - "whomps"
- that could be substituted for any word. "We loved 'whomps,' but we
wanted to make it more of a feeling, a fun emotion, and it evolved into 'whomptastic',"
explained Barry Blumberg, executive vice president, Walt Disney Television
Animation. "'Whomptastic' describes our environment, our attitude and
our shows. It's a great name for a branded environment that will make an immediate
connection with our viewers." Sabrina The Animated Series is a
prequel to ABC's primetime live-action series, Sabrina The Animated Series.
Primetime series star Melissa Joan Hart plays a dual role in the animated
series when she voices the roles of Sabrina's Aunt Zelda and Aunt Hilda, while
her younger sister, Emily Hart, voices the 12-year-old Sabrina. The series
is from DIC Entertainment and Paula Hart/Hartbreak Productions. Disney's
Recess debuted on Disney's One Saturday Morning in 1997 to critical
and popular acclaim with its ensemble cast of fourth-graders who often prove
that some of the most important lessons are learned not at the blackboard,
but on the blacktop. Disney's Doug follows the trials and tribulations
of Disney's newest movie star, Doug Funnie, and his friends as they struggle
through the ups and downs of growing up. The series began its Saturday morning
network run on ABC in 1996 and has been hailed for reinforcing positive attitudes
and bolstering self-esteem in today's children. Disney's Hercules,
inspired by Disney's 1997 animated theatrical release, features the so-called
"hero-in-training" Hercules, who not only must learn the family
trade, but also must graduate from the elite Greek high school, Prometheus
Academy. In addition to the regular series episodes on Disney's Whomptastic,
more than 750 brand new character "sketches" will be produced
for the 1999-2000 season. This unprecedented collection of imaginative animated
interstitials featuring characters from the shows will be programmed throughout
the block. Distributed by Buena Vista Television and premiering September
6, 1999, the Disney's Whomptastic programming block will air on UPN
and in syndication Sunday through Friday. A Disney's Whomptastic website
will be unveiled in the near future.
Arthur Shall Return. Cinar Corporation and WGBH Boston have announced
that Emmy award-winning Arthur, PBS' top-rated children's series, will
return with 10 new programs and 65 encore broadcasts in its fourth season,
premiering October 1999. This daily animated series is based on the award-winning
children's books by author Marc Brown, who is also Arthur's creative
producer. Arthur's fourth season begins with, not one, but two
musical guest stars: classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and jazz saxophonist Joshua
Redman who "appear" as themselves in the season's opener My Music
Rules. Through a series of mix-ups, Arthur and D.W. invite both Ma and
Redman to perform at the Elwood City Library's music series. If that weren't
enough, both musicians agree to play, which causes a huge argument between
the kids over which music is better, classical or jazz. Arriving at the concert,
Ma and Redman must settle the score. The finale - a spirited cello and sax
rendition of that Arthur "favorite," Crazy Bus - shows
kids that it's ok to like more than one kind of music. Committed to educational
programs that bring young audiences into contact with music, Yo-Yo Ma said,
"My hope is that by appearing and performing on Arthur , young
children will want to make music and creativity a vital part of their lives."
This episode marks Ma's third appearance on a PBS children's series, having
already appeared on past episodes of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and
Sesame Street. For Joshua Redman, appearing in the episode clicked with
what he aimed to do on his 1998 hit album, Timeless Tales (For Changing
Times). "That album is about collapsing what I think are artificial
barriers between different types of music," Redman says, "which
is exactly what this Arthur episode does." This summer, Arthur
will guest star on another of PBS' popular children's series, Mr. Rogers'
Neighborhood. Arthur, Marc Brown, and Michael Yarmush -- the teen-age
actor who does the voice of Arthur -- will appear in an upcoming episode scheduled
to air Wednesday, July 28, 1999 during the show's "Go-Stop-Go" theme
week. In the episode, Marc Brown shares with Mr. Rogers his secrets to drawing
Arthur and what it takes to animate a daily series; Michael Yarmush reveals
what it's like to be the voice of the world's most famous aardvark, and Arthur
pays a special visit to the Neighborhood of Make Believe. "This appearance
marks the continuing of a great 'partnership' that began during Arthur's
second season, when Fred Rogers starred as himself in Arthur Meets Mr.
Rogers," WGBH Executive Producer Carol Greenwald says. "The
response by kids to that episode was great, so you can imagine how happy we
are to return the honors by appearing on such a beloved show as Mr. Rogers'
Neighborhood." Arthur follows the adventures and misadventures
of eight-year-old Arthur Read, his little sister, D.W., and his friends and
family. Each of the seventy-five Arthur episodes consists of two independent
stories that focus on themes and events central to children's lives. The animated
stories are linked by a live-action segment featuring school children who
create their own Arthur-related activities. Executive Producer for WGBH is
Carol Greenwald. Executive Producer for CINAR is Micheline Charest.
Archie On Pax TV. DIC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Disney, has sold
two new animated series to Pax TV, a new family-oriented network in the US.
Archie's Weird Mysteries and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century
will appear this Fall as part of the weekday "Pax Power Mystery Hour."
Archie's Weird Mysteries, a co-production with M6 France, is based
on the long running Archie comics series. In the series, lab experiments go
awry, creating such characters as a 50-foot Veronica, and Dr. Jughead and
Mr. Hyde. Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, a co-production with
Scottish Television, brings the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective to the 22nd
century where he is assisted by a robot Dr. Watson and battles the clone of
his arch nemesis Prof. Moriarty. Both series will be produced by DIC president
and CEO Andy Heyward, DIC executive vp creative affairs Robby London, and
DIC executive vp development Mike Maliani.
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.