CHARLIE'S ANGELS is still kicking at the international box office, but HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and DINOSAUR are knocking on the door. The premiere of ANGELS in Germany knocked THE GRINCH out of the top spot with a gross of $4.1 million. THE GRINCH fell to second with a ticket take of $1.98 million, elevating its German cume to $4.58 million. In its third week in Germany, DINOSAUR slipped to third with gross of $1.7 million, advancing its cume to $9.52 million. In fourth, THE CELL captured another $1.58 million, pushing its German cume to $4.52 million.

Disney's DINOSAUR was released without any restriction in Italy and is gaining quite a bit of heat over the violent content. The film was released on December 1 with a suitable-for-all-ages rating, spurring complaints from parental associations like Italy's Parents Movement, child psychologists and government agencies like the Special Senate Commission for Infants. Currently, Italy has three rating levels: suitable-for-all-ages; under 14 not admitted; and under 18 not admitted.

Stephen Johnstone has been named head of interactive for Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Europe. He will oversee content creation across the Internet (including Cartoon Network), broadband, wireless devices, interactive and enhanced TV. Joining Turner in 1994, Johnstone played a key role in launching Cartoon Network in European territories including Holland, France and Spain. He will move back to London from the company's Madrid office where he was Channel Manager for Cartoon Network Spain, the number one channel on Canal Satellite Digital.

Prestigious life drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu will teach two drawing classes at Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, March 5-9, 2001: "Drawing Animals" and "Head Drawing, Expression And Drapery." For more information, call the school at (941) 955-8866. Plus, Vilppu's Sketching Tours Of Italy will return next summer. Take a tour of Italy where you will draw the sights and receive personal instruction from world class life drawing master Glenn Vilppu. Participants will go to places where most tourists never dream of going!

This week, in honor of the WIA Website launch, AWN is proud to highlight the works of various women as animation directors.





- Sally Cruikshank: Cels and videos are available from some of her popular works, such as "Quasi at the Quackadero" and "Face Like a Frog."

The 17th

EuropaCinema & TV Film Festival has announced its 2000 winners. First

prize in the animation short category went to AU PREMIER DIMANCHE

D'AOUT by Florence Miailhe. The jury, composed by Francesco Tullio

Altan (Italy), Terry Inglese (Switzerland) and Georges Wolinski

(France), made the following statement about the winning film: "For

the grace and beauty of the drawings, for the refined work of

painting. For the editing and the music and also for the ability in

Eyeball, a New York design studio, has created the new spot for NTL, Europe's largest broadband company, promoting their listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The commercial opens with the bright organically colored NTL logo followed by a purple colon. A matter-of-fact male voice-over tells the story of NTL's impending move to the NYSE as the points of the colon morph into two wires, which follow the camera through NTL's vast array of services. "We learned on a Thursday morning that we had won the NTL job," said Eyeball founder and creative director Limore Shur.

Around the world, moviegoers are being swept up in the sexy, high-kicking, MATRIX-like action of CHARLIE'S ANGELS. The television redux made its nod in the U.K. with an outstanding gross of US$6.74 million. In its sixth week in Britain, WHAT LIES BENEATH sunk to second, grossing $1.12 million, thus escalating its cume to $17.41 million. In fourth, BEDAZZLED possessed another $680,873, lifting its U.K. cume to $4.21 million. PITCH BLACK turned up in fifth, grossing $572,299, thereby pushing its U.K. cume to $3.64 million.

Creative Planet, Inc., a business-to-business solutions firm for the film and TV production industries and parent company of Animation World Network, has announced that it has received US$30 million in financing from United News & Media PLC, a $6 billion media and market information company based in London. In addition, Creative Planet has acquired United News "The Knowledge," an industry-standard database of film and TV production professionals in the U.K and Ireland. As part of the deal, United News gains exclusive sales and marketing rights in the U.K.

December feature articles are based on the themes of location-based entertainment and anime. Karl Cohen is profiling Imax -- is animation's next frontier in peril? Also, Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman is discussing the past and future of LBE, specifically VR. On the anime side of things Fred Patten is profiling "Vampire Hunter D," the latest anime release to arrive on U.S. soil. Andrew Osmond is interviewing a number of experts and scholars on the stylistic merits of Japanese animation. Be ready to put on your thinking cap before reading this one.

Seoul, Korea's Pix Production Co, Ltd. is looking for 2D/3D ANIMATORS, a BUSINESS MARKETER and a COMPUTER PROGRAMMER. . . Minneapolis, Minnesota's College of Art and Design, an independent, accredited institution, is looking for an ANIMATION INSTRUCTOR to teach all levels of animation. . . Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong's STVDIO Media, a cartoon illustration studio branching out into animation, is looking for a CARTOONIST-ANIMATOR to work on cartoon illustration and animation projects. . . JC Pictures, Inc. is looking for a DESIGN COORDINATOR to work on a children's animation TV series. . .

On Wednesday, December 13, 2000 at 7:00 PM, the American Cinematheque and CAMEO are presenting a retrospective of animation from the Zagreb School. Directors Vatroslav Mimica and Zdenko Gaparovic will be on hand at the screening. The Zagreb School, which reached its peak in the 1960s, is considered one of the most modernist European animated film schools and produced some of the most important animated short films of its time.

Toonz Animation India has announced that they have signed a production deal with Rainbow Animation Italy on a new animated TV series. The untitled toon tells the story of an 8-year-old boy named Tommy whom, along with his friend Yukari and a nervous alien, uses his uncle’s strange inventions to defeat the evil Caesar. Toonz Animation India CEO Bill Dennis said, "Toonz Animation is very eager to start the new project with Rainbow. The story is very fun and entertaining, but also has many important themes and lessons that are important for younger audiences.

* Friday, January 26 – Saturday, February 3, 2001. Clermont-Ferrand, France.

SensAble Technologies announced the release of version 3 of their FreeForm modeling system. The new release expands on the previous version's shape creation capabilities while maintaining the fundamental FreeForm touch advantage. When combined with the FreeForm system's unique ability to create complex blends and highly sculpted details, the result is a very powerful modeling solution. The new version also features new surface creation tools, which make the transition downstream to production easier then ever before.

December will feature articles based on the themes of location-based entertainment and anime. Karl Cohen is profiling Imax -- is animation's next frontier in peril? Also, Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman will be discussing the past and future of LBE, specifically VR. On the anime side of things Fred Patten is going to review "Vampire Hunter D," the latest anime release to arrive on U.S. soil. Andrew Osmond is going to be interviewing a number of experts and scholars on the stylistic merits of Japanese animation. Be ready to put on your thinking cap before reading this one.

On Sunday, November 19, 2000, the Holland Animation Film Festival concluded its five-day festival with the presentation of its awards. This year's event was the first to hand out an award for independent animation films. With this competition, the festival sets out to promote the short, artistic animation film, and, as a result, encourage media attention toward independent animation.

Affiliate animator Raimund Krumme won the German Film Prize, Gold, for short films, for his new short "The Message." The prize comes with a cash prize of DM 60.000 (approx. $50,000). "The Message" is a 6-minute film where the message, "He is back again" is passed on to many people until there is a discussion about who is back again; it was in competition at the Annecy, Ottawa, Cinanima and Holland festivals. Discover or rediscover Riamund's work in his gallery on AWN.

This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes the 2nd "Art & Animation" Conference & Screenings in Torino, Italy, December 11-12, 2000; the 41st Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, February 16-22, 2001; Cartoon Movie in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany, March 15-17, 2000; the World Education Market in Vancouver, Canada, May 21-24, 2001; L!CENSING 2001 in New York, June 12-14, 2001; and more!

* Friday, January 26 – Saturday, February 3, 2001. Clermont-Ferrand, France.