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, a lab experiement goes awry, creating
such characters as a 50-foot Veronica, and Dr. Jughead and Mr. Hyde.

California SUN Festival will happen April 10, 1999 at California State University Northridge. This year's festival has seen an increase in the number of entries from the international animation community, with films from Australia, Canada, China, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, and the USA. 57 films were chosen for screening.

Netherlands based Magus Entertainment will hold a press conference and
present the first episode of their animated TV series, "SimsallaGrimm," at
MIP TV 99 on April 12th. MIP TV 99, the International Television Programme
Market, will be held April 12-17 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes,
France. For more information contact the MIP TV Public Relations
Department: Margot Gardett - Tel: (33-1) 41 90 45 59 or Keith Daly - Tel:
(33-1) 41 90 45 60; Fax: (33-1) 41 90 46 24.

Animator and performance artist Kathy Rose will be performing April 8, 1999
in Paris at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain. In her unique
show Ms. Rose performs her own dances in front of projections of her films
She will present an excerpt from "Oriental Interplay," "Syncopations," a
piece called "Precious Metals," and three scenes from her new performance,
"Kleopat'Ra," which begins its world tour this summer. TEL: (1) 42 18 56
50; Address: 261 boulevard Raspail; Paris, France. More information:
www.krose.com

Lacey Entertainment has 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.

After a long struggle, Fantôme, one of Europe's premier producers of 3D animation, was put into receivership. Founded in 1985, Fantôme was a pioneer of completely computer-generated animation TV series. In addition to an Emmy, Fantôme has garnered more than 40 international prizes, and their 3D television series INSEKTORS (26 13-minute segments) has sold in 160 countries.

Manila-based ImagineAsia is the Asian studio chosen to do the production work for HEAVY METAL F.A.K.K. 2, the $15-million sequel to 1981's HEAVY METAL. The film is being co-produced by Canada's Cine-Groupe and Germany's Helkon Media for a U.S. Columbia TriStar release during the second half of 1999. The film is directed by Michael Coldeway, and stars Julie Strain and Billy Idol. This marks the feature debut of ImagineAsia, as well as one of the few times an Asian animation facility has been called upon to fully animate a feature film for a major U.S. studio.

Featured in the Animation World Store this week: Brussels '99 Festival Catalog by Folioscope and Weston Woods Rare Classic Children's Collection.

* Wednesday, March 24 - Saturday, March 27. Auch, France.


For its 12th edition, the Festival National du Film d'Animation (National Animation Festival) moves to Auch, Central France from its previous home in Marly-le-Roi. Programs include screenings, panel discussions, tributes, exhibitions, the workshop "Introduction to Animation," and opportunities for audiences to meet the filmmakers. For more information, call ++ 33 (0)1-4543-2359, e-mail afca@afca.asso.fr or visit www.afca.asso.fr.

New York-based CURIOUS PICTURES has added Michael Bennion to its directorial roster for representation in the United States. Bennion, collaborating with Curious director David Kelley, recently completed his first job under the Curious Pictures banner, a pool of spots for CDnow. For the last year, Bennion has been associated with The End (London, England), which will continue to rep him outside of the US. While there, he created ads for MTV and LUCKY, a live-action short film.

* Monday, March 22. San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market (MIFA), is scheduled to take place May 31-June 4, 1999 in Annecy, France. This year, the festival received 995 films from 47 countries. 248 of them, representing 30 countries, have been selected for official competition.

The fledgling Fox Family Channel has added ten new animated series to its kid and teen-targeted daytime lineup for the 1999-2000 season. The lineup represents a major investment from Fox Family in creating original and entertaining animated programming. Animation World Network spoke to Joel Andryc, Senior Vice President, Programming & Development about this lineup and how they're working to create a unique identity in the already overcrowded world of cable.

* Wednesday, March 10 - Sunday, March 14. Tampere, Finland.


The 29th Tampere International Short Film Festival features competitive screenings of over 80 short films from around the world. The special screenings include retrospectives of Frédéric Back and Pat O'Neill, a look at Russian animation in the '90s and screenings of five children's films such as Lotte Reiniger's 1926 film Adventures of Prince Achmed and the Iranian puppet animation film, Basaaritarinoita. For ticket information direct your browser to http://www.tampere.fi/festival/film/index2.htm.

Take a tour of Italy where you will draw the sights and recieve personal
instruction from world class life drawing master Glenn Vilppu! Participants
will also be among the first to receive Glenn Vilppu's newest book, "The
Vilppu Sketching On Tour Manual," which is currently in developement and
designed specifically for the trip. Participants will go to places where
most tourists never dream of going! When traveling through major cities,
Vilppu will lecture on the local art. Everyone is promised a lot of

Disney/Pixar's A BUG'S LIFE has passed $150 million in the overseas box office and $310 million worldwide making it the 11th highest-grossing animated feature of all time. The top ten spots are all held by Disney films. The film has been released in 26 countries so far and has been in the top ten consistently in most countries including Germany ($15 million), Italy ($5.5 million), Spain ($10.2 million), Sweden ($3.5 million), and Taiwan ($3 million). In the United Kingdom, the film set a new record for the highest animated opening, and the eighth largest opening ever.

Burbank, California-based Rich Animation's upcoming animated feature THE KING AND I, slated for release March 19, utilized a unique production process by transferring animation scenes via the Internet between artists located in California, Europe, China, India, Korea and Canada. By avoiding the massive overhead costs associated with typical feature animation studios, Rich was able to compete with the big boys by delivering a theatrical quality feature on a budget.

John McGrew, a layout artist for Chuck Jones’ Warner Bros. unit from 1938 to 1943, passed away on January 11, 1999 in France at the age of 88. McGrew’s contributions to the artform are often overlooked because of the short time he spent in the business, but his layouts and color stylings for THE DOVER BOYS, THE ARISTO-CAT, CONRAD THE SAILOR and SUPER RABBIT, among others films, were groundbreaking and revolutionary for their time. Chuck Jones has often said in interviews that McGrew helped introduce a more abstract and design-influenced background style.

Famed animation director and educator Richard Williams will present his acclaimed Animation Masterclass at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London, England, May 21st-23rd. This intensive three-day workshop teaches the solid principles behind classical animation that apply both to traditional and computer animators. Triple Oscar winner Richard Williams has won over 250 international awards including numerous Hollywood and British Academy Awards. His films include Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Christmas Carol, and the original Thief and the Cobbler animated feature.

The Crested Butte Reel Rest taking place August 12-15 in Crested Butte, Colorado is seeking short films under 60 minutes for numerous categories including animation. Animated entries must be submitted by May 1, 1999 with a $30 fee while Student Entries can be submitted until June 1 with a $20 entry fee. For more information visit www.crestedbuttereelfest.com or call (970) 349-7487.