* Tuesday, February 9 - Friday, February 12. Cannes, France.

The 18th annual Imagina 1999, Europe's premiere computer graphics festival, wrapped up on January 22. During the show, the 13th edition of the "Prix Pixel-INA" awards were presented. Blue Sky | VIFX's "Bunny" took home three awards including top honors, the Grand Prix Imagina. For more information on the festival, visit www.ina.fr. Here are the winners from this prestigious European awards program honoring the world's best computer graphics:


Grand Prix Imagina: "Bunny" by Chris Wedge of Blue Sky | VIFX (USA).

* Tuesday, February 9 - Saturday, February 20. Brussels, Belgium.

Barcelona, Spain-based animation company D'Ocon Films Productions announces the launch of a co-production with Sony Wonder on “Myths&Legends,” a 13-episode series (with an option of a second set of 13), about two kids who discover a magic cavern which allows them to travel back through history. Their adventures take them to ancient Greece, the shores of Loch Ness and amongst the Knights of the Round Table; in each case making sure that good triumphs over evil.

After nine holiday-themed specials, Encore Enterprises has created 26 new episodes of “Chucklewood Critters” with educational structures and guidance provided by the UCLA Department of Education. The show has been pre-sold to Ravensburger Film & TV in Germany, BBC in the UK and Daro Film in the rest of the world. Additionally, Encore has two hundred 1-minute fillers of “Goofballs,” a dialogue-less, gag-driven series featuring two handymen - Tiny the elephant and Jake the lizard. The show is a co-production between Riverstar Entertainment and SPI International.

Toronto, Canada-based animation studio NELVANA Enterprises (Booth 1910) has reached a deal with cable and satellite channel TELETOON France giving the broadcaster 200 half-hours of animation programming per year from NELVANA.

DIC is introducing three new half-hour series at NATPE: “Sabrina: The Animated Series,” “Sonic Underground” and “Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century.” Sabrina is based off the ABC TV series which was originally based on the Archie comic books. 65 episodes, scheduled to air in the U.S. on UPN’s Disney Afternoon and distributed by Buena Vista Television internationally, will feature the voice of Emily Hart as 12-year old Sabrina and Melissa Joan Hart as the voice of Sabrina’s two aunts.

* Monday, January 18 - Friday, January 22, 1999. Monaco and Paris, France.

Animha Productions, a unique association of professionals dedicated to independent film production and animation workshops, has just finished a new film. "When the Water is Sick..." has been produced in association with the ASIFA Workshops Group. It will be included in a special compilation of animated films by children from around the world to be screened at Annecy, France, in summer '99. To find more about this and other Animha projects, visit their web site at:


http://www.awn.com/animha

Featured in the Animation World Store this week: an amazing collection of Russia's most important short films!

* Wednesday, January 27. London, England.


As part of London’s Museum of the Moving Image lecture series, British Pathe opens up their archives to present a unique view of early British animation. Titles by Lancelot Speed, H.M. Bateman, Tom Webster, Frank Holland, Walter Booth and Brian White will be screened in this event presented by researcher Ken Clark. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and admission is £6. For museum information call 0171 401 2636 or for the box office call 0171 928 3232.

Annecy 99 is scheduled to take place May 31-June 5, 1999 in Annecy, France. The prestigious animation festival is now accepting entries for animated short films, television series, commissioned films and student films. The deadline to register your film for competition is January 15th. For further information, visit www.annecy.org, call (33) 04 50 10 09 00 or fax (33) 04 50 10 09 70.

France's Annecy Festival Director Jean-Luc Xiberras died on December 26, 1998 at 57 years old after a long battle with illness. The Mayor of Annecy, the festival President & Board and the festival staff unanimously saluted his courage and determination for continuing to be a force in the festival's operation during his term of illness.

"Kirikou et la Sorciere" ("Kirikou and the Witch") is a new 70-minute classically animated film by Michel Ocelot released in France on December 9, 1998. The film is about Kirikou, a tiny little boy, who's born in a small African village which has been put under a spell by the flagitious witch, Karaba. Kirikou is determined to set his languishing village free from the clutches of Karaba. The film features music composed by famous African singer/composer Youssou N'Dour.

Featured in the Animation Store this week:

Czech Masters

ANIMALS ON “64 ZOO LANE.” Germany-based ZDF Enterprises, a subsidiary of ZDF German Television Network, and French animation producer, Millimage, are set to co-produce “64 Zoo Lane,” a 13x10 minute series for children ages four to ten. The show, which will be ready in August 1999, uses illustrator An Vrombault’s painterly animation style to create a colorful world of animal characters. A different animal stars in each episode and recounts his or her own story to Lucy, the little girl who lives next to the zoo.

Hong Kong-born animation director and illustrator Paul Chung completed a French bubblegum spot, "Rainforest," for Passion Pictures through Young and Rubicam (Paris, France). The ad takes place in a brightly colored South American jungle setting as Indian natives watch their jungle being destroyed by an army of loggers. To thwart the loggers, a native opens a pack of Malabar bubblegum and from the pack jumps the superhero Malabar Man who proceeds to block the bulldozers with gum. The 30-second spot which combines traditional 2D with computer animation, will air in France starting in 1999.

* Monday, November 30 - Thursday, December 3. La Reunion Island, France.


The biennial 3rd Encounters of the Indian Ocean Institute of the Image is
exceptionally well organized this year, featuring a tribute to the late
animation teacher Pierry Ayma, a co-founder of the Indian Ocean Institute.
Fifty European professionals will meet to discuss the following theme:
real-time data and sound transfer for production and [long distance]
training purposes. AWN's General Manager Annick Teninge, will attend the

The premiere of Faith Hubley's new film "Africa" is set to take place at Storyopolis on December 15th. The 10-minute film will screen at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30 p.m. at the New Line Cinema. A reception follows afterwards at Storyopolis from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Faith and Emily Hubley will be present at the reception. The screening and reception are open to the public free of charge, however, guests must RSVP by calling (310) 828-7577.

After two weekends at No. 1, "A Bug's Life" slipped to second with $11 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period due to a strong opening for "Star Trek: Insurrection," the ninth entry in the consistently profitable sci-fi franchise. Warner Bros.' effects-laden film "Jack Frost" had an acceptable but underwhelming $7 million opening. Paramount's "The Rugrats Movie" continued to attract little tykes taking fifth place with $4.5 million. "A Bug's Life" has now grossed a total of $83.3 million in 24 days of release while "The Rugrats Movie" has brought in $73.2 million in the same amount of time.