While we just launched our annual Television issue, let's look at some
of the trends in the animation television market. Ten years ago, it was
often the case that American producers cared little about the international
market for TV shows. While they did not ignore it, the amount of revenues
the global market generated seemed insignificant compared to what was generated
by licensing fees to US networks and syndication sales to independent stations.
However, with the proliferation of new television outlets around the world,

Animation World Network co-founder and president OF ACME FILMWORKS Ron
Diamond has begun curating "animation art" to be presented on Los Angeles'
Sunset View Plaza Electronic Video Billboard on the world famous Sunset
Strip. The video billboard provides all Sunset Boulevard west-bound
travelers an eyeful sampled from the world's most beautiful and evocative
animation. Premiere, featured animation filmmakers are Aleksandra Korejwo,
Poland; Raimund Krumme, Germany; Susan Loughlin, United Kingdom; Bill

It's fall and that means new TV! In this month's issue, Amid Amidi tells us
about the newest shows hitting the air. Sharon Schatz gives us insight into
the world of interactive television. Interactive television has been
available around the globe for years, but has only just come to the United
States. We also go behind the scenes of Bob Clampett's "Time for Beany,"
one of television's first daily live puppet shows, Japan's Toei Animation
Studios and one of France's hottest pilots, "Fats and Moe." We also have a

MILIA 2000, the World's Interactive Content Marketplace, will take place
February 14-18, 2000 in Cannes, France. The sixth edition of the MILIA d'Or
Awards - The World's Interactive Content Awards will be sponsored for the
second consecutive year by DVD FORUM, an international association
dedicated to developing DVD formats and promoting its broad acceptance.
Awards categories include interactive (games, family entertainment and
learning), as well as Interactive TV, e-commerce and online entertainment.

A.D.V. Films is releasing the following anime titles in the US. On November
9: MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO VOLUME 1 - INVASION! - An unorthodox crew
fights to save Earth from annihilation by Martians; COMPILER 2 - It's
Compiler versus Compiler in deadly showdown!; and ORIGINAL DIRTY PAIR
VOLUME 4 - Kei and Yuri stumble upon a child who is the sole survivor of a
mass murder committed over twenty years ago. November 23: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS
VOLUME 2 - TRIAL BY FIRE - Sylia's brother Mackey joins the team as the

Italy, Rome-based Digital Video S.R.L. has announced Toonz version 4.3,
which provides 2D users with new tools to be more creative and efficient on
their job. The digital exposure sheet is much more user friendly, including
many new special effects, complete keyframe capabilities on all parameters,
and enlarged number of mathematical expressions for more controllable
motion. Enhancements of display features include icons in the level header
area for quick reference of elements. Texture mapping has been strengthened

The 19th Brussels Cartoon and Animated Film Festival takes place February
28-March, 11 2000. The deadlines for entries is November 1, 1999. Each year
the Brussels Cartoon and Animated Film Festival programs the crème de la
crème in international animation, and chooses its candidate for the Cartoon
d'Or. For more information contact The Brussels Cartoon and Animated Film
Festival, Rue de la Rhétorique 19, 1060 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: 32 2 534 41

The Animated Castles festival is an international animation festival in the
form of a show. All events, including the international competition and the
Italian competition of short films, the conferences, round tables,
interviews and previews, are presented in one big venue. This year, the
festival pays tribute to Marv Newland, Joanna Quinn, Carlos Trillo and
Roberto Gavioli. For more information contact The Animated Castles, c/o
Consorzio Imprese Castelli Romani, Corso Gramsci 110, 00045 Genzano, Rome,

The 2nd Matita International Animation Film Festival is a competitive
animation festival. In addition to the official competition, this year's
program includes an Italian film program, a profile of the CFT Gobelins
school, a tribute to Jiri Trnka, a Barry Purves retrospective and a forum
about new technologies. The event takes place Thursday, September 23 -
Sunday, September 26 in Guardiagrele, Italy. For more information contact
Camillo DíAlessandro, Mila Paterra, Ex Novo/ Mff, via dei Crociferi, 44,

The Annual Cartoon Forum is organized by the European Association for
Animated Films. This year the forum focuses on TV animation. Also, one of
six European short films will be awarded the Cartoon d'Or 1999. The event
takes place Wednesday, September 22 - Sunday, September 26 in Cordoba,
Spain. For more information contact AEFA Cartoon, Boulevard Lambermont,
4181030 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: + 32 2 245 12 00; or Fax: + 32 2 245 46 89.

The tradeshow for television programming producers and distributors takes
place October 4-8 in Cannes, France. Basque, Spain-based animation studio
IRUSOIN is nearing completion of KARRAMARRO (CRAB ISLAND), a made for
television animated feature with rights available for worldwide TV and
video release. The original story is about a group of kind, song-loving
pirates, focused on luckless Dimitri, a pirate who cannot sing, and a
parrot who is the only clue to tracking down a fabulous pirate's treasure.

The Fantoche International Animation
Festival, which was held August 31-September 5 in Baden/Zurich,
Switzerland, has announced its award winners. The jury, which was comprised
of Linda Simensky (USA), Pierre Hébert (Canada), Michail Aldashin (Russia),
Franziska Oliver (CH) and Frédéric Maire (CH), awarded the following prizes:


First Prize 'Best Film'

MAJOR'S NOSE by Michail Lisowoi


Second Prize 'High Risk'

GRACE by Lorelei Pepi


Third Prize 'Encouragement-Prize'

The 5th Cartoombria International Animation Festival will happen in
Perugia, Italy, December 2-5, 1999. Although there will be no competitive
section, the artistic committee of the festival has put together a number
of retrospectives, exhibits, workshops, screenings, premieres and artist
tributes. The festival will provide an international forum for a wide range
of animation including feature films, TV serials, animated drawings, logos
and advertising spots, and experimental videos made by international

Lucasfilm's STAR WARS EPISODE ONE:
THE PHANTOM MENACE passed the $300 million mark in overseas boxoffice,
making it the eleventh most successful film of all time outside of North
America. It opened last week in Switzerland with $1.1 million, the
fourth-biggest opening there. In three regions where it was in its second
week of release, it took in $7.5 million in Germany for a total of $24.7
million; $2.7 million in Spain for a total of $10.9 million; and $893,000
in Sweden for a total of $3.1 million. The film's total gross from 27

NPAR 2000 is the first international
symposium dedicated to non-photorealistic animation and rendering,
including cartoon animation systems and techniques. It takes place at the
International Animated Film Festival of Annecy, France, July 5-9, 2000 in
conjunction with ACM/SIGGRAPH and Eurographics. The symposium will bring
together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry, showcase
cutting-edge research in non-photorealistic animation and rendering systems
and techniques, and present examples of these techniques in original

Once again, Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. In the next
months, "I Married a Strange Person" will be appearing in various festivals
and other events in the US, Germany, Finland and Ukraine. Bill will also be
attending the events in the US and Germany.


Check out Bill's appearance schedule.

This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes the following
festivals: Imagina 2000 in France, Stuttgart in Germany, PISAF in South
Korea; Plus the first International Symposium On Non-Photorealistic
Animation and Rendering in France. The Calendar of Upcoming Events is a
constantly changing reference source for what's happening around the World
of Animation. Use it to stay abreast of animation related activities across
the globe. If you know of animation related events that we don't have

Women In Animation Shorts Fest I is a showcase for short animated films
made by Women In Animation members and other filmmakers from around the
world. This evening's program includes films by Suzanne Franzel (Germany),
Jaime Levy (USA), and Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis (Canada). It takes
place Friday, September 10, 7 pm at Santa Monica, California, USA.at Santa
Monica College, Academy of Entertainment and Technology, 1440 Stewart
Street, (by Olympic and 26th). Admission is free and open to the public.

Cinanima International Animated Film Festival will happen from November
8-14, 1999, in Espinho, Portugal. This year, the retrospectives and special
programs include: a screening of Cinanima '98 winners; a compilation of
films from Portuguese studio Animanostra; a program of Irish films; a
retrospective of Dusan Vukotic's body of work (Croatia); video clips from
MTV; and a special program from the ASIFA archives, featuring such
prestigious animators as Norman McLaren, Yuri Norstein, Fedor Khitruk,

John Libbey & Company Ltd. has published WALT DISNEY AND EUROPE by Robin
Allan. The work is a study of the way Europe and European culture
influenced Walt Disney and his artists in the making of the Disney animated
feature films from SNOW WHITE to THE JUNGLE BOOK. The book is 368 pages,
and lavishly illustrated in black and white and color with many
illustrations that have never been published. Paperback: ISBN
1-86462-041-2; £22.50; Hardback: ISBN 1-86462-040-4; £40.00. Robin Allan