Location-Based Entertainment

Euro-Disney May Not Party Like It's 1999? A strike by union employees at Disneyland Paris threatened the park's rocking New Year's Eve celebration. Disney played down the chance of a strike, however local union leader Elena Stanciu had warned, "The party'll be ruined," citing staff frustration over slow-moving pay talks and dissatisfaction with a $115 New Year's Eve bonus as the main reasons for the latest threat of a walk out. Stanciu said seasonal staff were being offered almost four times as much for working December 31. Disney execs were in 11th-hour talks with union representatives the night of Monday, December 20, 1999 in an effort to avoid any party ruining actions. Disney offered this statement to the public: "Families and friends will have a wonderful time in the Magic Kingdom, whatever the outcome of the current negotiations." This event didn't help support Disney's efforts in Europe, as they announced late 1999 they will be closing the Disney Stores in Germany in 2000 due to poor revenues and customer numbers.

Black Logic Kicks With The Rockettes. If you kicked back with the Rockettes this holiday season at New York City's Radio City Music Hall Black Logic, a visual effects, 2D/3D animation and live-action production house, helped make it happen. Featured in the Christmas Spectacular, Black Logic created the 3D animated sequence that interacted with the Rockettes. The happy "Man in the Moon" character, based on Georges Melies' A Trip To The Moon, smiled, winkd and blushed as the Rockettes saluted him with their famous chorus-line kick. Mr. Moon also blew snowflakes at the audience as the band played "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow." Black Logic's Gavin Guerra worked on the five month project that was produced by Batwin and Robin of New York. To sync up the effects with the Rockettes, Guerra supervised a motion-capture session with Los Angeles-based Elektrashock to create the animated sequence to his satisfaction. "I've lived in New York 30 years but I'd never seen the Christmas Spectacular," said Guerra. "Now I've seen it several times, I must say it's a real thrill to hear the audience reaction when the animation sequence begins. One rarely gets that kind of response when you work in advertising. In an instant, the audience validated five months of work."

Looney Toons Fly In The New Year. Starting January 1, 2000, Looney Toons Sylvester and Tweety hit the air, that's the friendly skies, when Delta Air Lines began presenting Cartoon Network's pigskin parody, Big Game: Sylvester Vs. Tweety during its in-flight entertainment. Select domestic flights will show highlights from Big Game, a Cartoon Network parody special featuring classic cartoon episodes along with analysis by Jerry Glanville, Nick Buonoconti and Len Dawson of HBO's Inside The NFL. These football personalities break down the decade-old rivalry between Tweety and Sylvester utilizing the classic football notations. The Delta Air Lines in-flight programming helped hype the premiere of Cartoon Network's four-hour special, Road Runner vs. Coyote: Big Game XXVIII, which aired Saturday, January 29, 2000 from 6-10 pm and Sunday, January 30, 2000 from 1-5 p.m.