Professional-development seminars, training sessions for students, distinctive family-oriented events, and a one-day conference for educators are offered to enhance animation skills, prep young people for careers, and use this creative medium as a tool for teaching and business ventures.

In addition to programs tailored for those who view animation as a profession and an art form, the 2009 KAFI will offer free events for people who equate cartoons with fun and entertainment. One new addition to the fifth KAFI will be hands-on activities designed for children and family-oriented attractions.

Another new twist will be festival events that link the worlds of music and animation as majors in those artistic fields at Western Michigan University and KVCC combine their creative talents to produce animation based on original compositions. These teams will compete for $5,000 in prize money.

Their productions -- under the umbrella of what is called the Kalamazoo Animation and Music Competition, will be part of the festival agenda.

Already booked for a presentation is Mike Mitchell, who is directing SHREK GOES FOURTH for DreamWorks. All of the activities and events will be held in KVCC's Center for New Media, Anna Whitten Hall, and the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, with the major screenings booked for the historic State Theatre.

The festival, regarded as the first of its kind in the Midwest, is again being organized by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and its Center for New Media. For the fifth time, Kalamazoo's Irving S. Gilmore Foundation is one of the prime sponsors of the salute to animated films and the art of animation.

Information about all KAFI activities, the new Kalamazoo Animation and Music Competition, and the Cartoon Challenge -- date, time, location and cost -- will be available at www.goKAFI.com or by calling Maggie Noteboom at the festival office at (269) 373-7883.