Cartoons on the Bay has announced the winners of the Pulcinella Awards for this year. The awards in the international competition for television animation went to:
* TV Series for Infants -- CHARLIE AND LOLA -- U.K. (Tiger Aspect Prods.)
* TV Series for Children -- RUBY GLOOM -- Canada (Nelvana)
* TV Series for All Ages -- MINUSCOLO -- France (Futurikon)
* TV Series Action and Adventure -- THE SECRET SHOW -- U.K. (The Secret Show Ltd.)
* Pilots for TV Series -- MONSTER SAFARI -- U.S. (Nickelodeon)
* TV Specials -- ANNA LUNATICA -- Iceland (Coaz)
* Short Films -- IL SUPERMACATO DELLE MOGLI -- Italy (Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Dipartimento di Animazione)
* Best Personality -- GUIDE DOG -- U.S. (SND Films, Sydney Neter)
* TV Series of the Year -- CHARLIE AND LOLA -- U.K. (Tiger Aspect Prods.)
* Best European Program of the Year -- PETER AND THE WOLF -- U.K. (Breakthru Films)
* Best Soundtrack of the Year -- CLASS OF THE 3000 -- U.S. (Cartoon Network Studios)
* UNEFA prize Educational and Social programs -- IL PICCOLO SERPENTE -- Estonia (A Film Estonia)
Special Mentions:* HOW TO COOK ITALIAN BY ARTURO AND KIWI - Italy (Rai Fiction, My.tv)* AYAKASHI -- Japan (Toei Animation)* THE APPRENTICE FATHER CHRISTMAS -- France (Aiphanim)
Studio of the Year Awards went to Maga Animation Studio of Italy and Cartoon Film of Germany.
In awarding Maga, Cartoons on the Bay commented, "Already with an international reputation, Maga Animation Studio has shown both creativity and artistic determination, technical skills and business know-how, which merit recognition. The studio was founded in 1996 with the aim to develop new experimental and artistic language in film and television animation. The studio is committed to reaching the international market as a product 'Made in Italy' of high quality. In 10 years Maga has achieved several successes, won prizes and has created a series of productions, which convinced Cartoons on the Bay to give it the Pulcinella Studio of the Year Award."
For Cartoon Film, the festival said, "Cartoon Film began producing animation films in 1976, when it was launched as an independent company by the graphic designer Thilo Graf Rothkirch. Today more than 80 people work in the Berlin-based studio. Thanks to the success of TOBIAS TOTZ AND HIS LION and LAURA'S STAR (based on the children's book by Klaus Baumgart) and THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR (based on the book by Hans De Beer), Cartoon Film is one of the key studios today producing animated feature films for children. Their specialization is making movies taken from classical children's literature and they are also known for their musical scores such as the original compositions by Oscar Hans Zimmer made for LAURA'S STAR and for THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR 2 - THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND."
The Pulcinella Career Awards went to the Pagot Family and to Zlatko Bourek.
"The entire Pagot Family -- Nino, Toni, Angela, Marco and Gina -- have been assigned the Pulcinella Career Award 2007," commented the festival. "A generation that began with Nino and Toni, who created LALLA, PICCOLA LALLA (1946) immediately after the war. Their first feature film I FRATELLI DINAMITE (1949) was an important milestone in the Italian animation industry. To this day the Pagot family still play an important role in Italian animation. They have made more than 500 episodes of the TV series, ADAMO, CALIMERO AND PRISCILLA, TY AND UAN, SHERLOCK HOLMES, REPORTER BLUES and I MUNDIAL."
Moreover, Cartoons on the Bay said, "The Pulcinella International Career Award has been given to Zlatko Bourek of Zagreb Film for over 30 years of enormous talent seen in such titles as THE APPRENTICE BLACKSMITH (1961), I HAVE SEEN FIELDS OF FOG AND MUD (1964), DANCING SONGS (1966), CAPTAIN ARBANAS MARKO (1968) and THE CAT (1971).
The members of the international jury were: Jan-Willem Bult -- KRO Youth TV, Netherlands; Maurizio Forestieri -- director, Italy; Beth Gardiner -- Playhouse Disney, U.S.; Cèline Limorato -- France 5, France; and Wolfgang Wegmann -- Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Germany
For more information, visit www.cartoonsbay.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
