North Hollywood, California-based Film Roman has begun production on THE OBLONGS, a television series that will be distributed by Warner Bros. Television on The WB Network for the 2000 season. THE OBLONGS is the second animated prime-time series, after Howard Stern's DOOMSDAY for UPN, that Film Roman has added for the 2000 television season.

The WB has already removed its new primetime animated
series MISSION HILL from its Friday night line-up due to poor ratings. (Its
premiere episode finished 115th in the ratings for the week of October 4 -
10.) It's expected to return as a midseason replacement. New episodes of SOUTH
PARK return beginning next Wednesday, October 27 at 10 pm on COMEDY
CENTRAL, with an all-new Halloween special, KORN'S GROOVY PIRATE GHOST
MYSTERY, guest starring the band, KORN. . . MTV is developing an animated

Fox has removed FAMILY GUY from its Thursday night line-up due to poor
ratings. (Apparently UPN's new WWF SMACKDOWN! is creating stiff
competition.) According to a Fox spokesperson, the network remains
committed to the show, and its return date will be known in about two
weeks. The show did well last spring when it launched in a Sunday night
timeslot and Fox committed to another season. Therefore, it seems likely
the show will return as part of the Sunday night lineup when one of the

Kids' WB! has ordered 13 episodes of MAX STEEL, a new 3D CGI animated action-adventure half-hour series from Sony
Pictures Family Entertainment (SPFE) which is set to debut in January 2000.
Set in the fictitious suburban city of Del Oro Bay, it centers around Max
Steel, a young international secret agent who was the product of a
bio-technical accident which infused him with nano-technology giving him
bionic abilities. The teenage hi-tech hero is dedicated to protecting the
Earth by fighting the most dangerous and sinister mercenary organization,

To celebrate Scooby-Doo's 30th anniversary, Cartoon Network will present a 24-hour
SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? marathon beginning Saturday, October 23 at noon,
a 10-hour marathon of Scooby-Doo movies on Saturday, October 30, and an
eight-hour SCOOBY & SCRAPPY-DOO marathon on October 31. Immediately before
each of the marathons, as well as during them, Cartoon Network will air
live-action footage which will be called THE SCOOBY-DOO PROJECT, in which
the real Scooby Gang heads out into the woods for a documentary in a spoof

United Kingdom's ITV Network Centre has commissioned a second series of 13
episodes of the animated series THE STORYKEEPERS from Dublin, Ireland-based
Monster Productions, an animation studio and distribution company formed in
1995 by former management and artists from the Don Bluth studios. The new
series, produced by Shepherd Films, and distributed by Monster Distributes,
will be delivered in Spring 2001 for broadcast on Sunday mornings. The new
series, which is a prequel to the existing series, is set in AD 8, and

Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of Comedy Central's SOUTH PARK, have received permission to
sample copyrighted Monty Python work for use in IT'S THE MONTY PYTHON
STORY. The animated special will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the BBC
comedy series MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, which was created by Graham
Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry
Gilliam (the lone American in the group, who did the animation). The
special will include a spoof of the famous "Dead Parrot Sketch" entitled

Whoever wants to know how the cliffhanger ending of the October 15, 1999 episode of SPACE GHOST:
COAST TO COAST is resolved will have to win the auction that the Cartoon
Network is holding Friday, October 15 to Monday, October 18. Cartoon
Network is auctioning off the last page of that episode's script, which
will not be part of the broadcast episode, to benefit Clowns Without
Borders. The auction will be held at www.ebay.com. At the end of Friday's
episode, which guest stars comedian Steve Wright, Space Ghost and cast find

NIGHT OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN, an hour-long animated special, will air on
Fox on Thursday, October 28, at 8 pm. Featuring the voices of Luke Perry
(BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER), William H. Macy (FARGO), and Tia Carrere
(WAYNE'S WORLD), the special was produced by Dallas, Texas-based Computed
Animation Technology (CAT) and Wimberley, Texas-based Locomotion Studios
using performance (motion-capture) 3D animation. It was written by John
Shirley (THE CROW). The special, like the upcoming Tim Burton film, SLEEPY

HESTON, animation director J.J. Sedelmaier's final TV FUNHOUSE segment for
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, aired Saturday, October 2 on the comedy show's season
premier, which was hosted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Sedelmaier's final
vignette, which concludes his three-year collaboration with writer Robert
Smigel, lampooned the NRA's pro-gun position by using real audio of NRA
president, actor Charlton Heston, addressing Congress combined with
dialogue from his PLANET OF THE APES movies and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, in

Sony Pictures Family Entertainment's ROUGHNECKS: STARSHIP TROOPERS has
fallen behind schedule. Although the show is currently in syndication by
BKN (Bohbot Kids Network), only nine out of forty episodes have been
completed and several episodes have already been repeated with many more
repeats expected. Burbank, California-based Flat Earth Productions opted
out of its fifteen episode production contract after completing only three
episodes because they felt the schedule with the budget was overly

Bill Plympton's second animated feature film, I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON,
will have its television premiere on the cable television network Cinemax
on October 22, 1999 at 8 pm. The film is about a husband who discovers his
thoughts become reality. It premiered at the Toronto International Film
Festival in September 1997, and was featured in Dramatic Competition at the
1998 Sundance Film Festival. The film was named Best Theatrical Film at the
World Animation Celebration in February 1998, and was awarded the Grand

Paris, France-based Salsa Distribution has acquired the Latin American
television distribution rights to the half-hour television special GOGWANA.
Produced by London-based AARGH! Animation Ltd. for S4C, and directed by
Deiniol Morris, GOGWANA is based on THE GOGS, the Stone Age family depicted
in the claymation television series. In the special, after an earthquake
destroys the Gogs' cave, the family goes in search of a new home, and,
along the way, encounters pygmies, dinosaur air-balloons, and pygmy-piloted

Montreal, Canada-based Motion International has started production on
MARSUPILAMI, a 26 episode, half-hour animated television series based on a
comic strip by Belgium artist Andrè Franquin. French producer Marathon is
co-producing, and the series will be aired by Tele-Quebec, as well as
other, as yet undetermined, international broadcasters. Marsupilami is a
funny animal-type character with yellow fur, black spots and many talents.
He first appeared in 1952 in SPIROU MAGAZINE, a Belgian comic book. A

Studio City, California-based Phil Roman Entertainment Company has
announced that it is co-producing THE GAUDINS: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL with
Barcelona, Spain-based ABCN Concept. S.L. The 22-minute animated special
will use designs inspired by early twentieth century Spanish architect
Antonio Gaudi. According to Phil Roman, the show will create a whimsical,
fantasy world for family audiences. The show will be available Christmas
2000, but has yet to be picked up. As previously reported, Phil Roman

UPN has ordered thirteen episodes of DOOMSDAY from Film Roman for the 2000-01 season. As previously announced [Flash 8/17/99], DOOMSDAY is an animated sci-fi/comedy series. While the concept was created by writer/producer Tracy Torme, Howard Stern will play an integral role in the development of the script and in the production of the series, as well as provide the voice for the family dog. Several of Stern's celebrity friends will appear as special guest voices.

Channel Four has bought the broadcast rights to London, UK-based Link Entertainment's GRABBIT THE RABBIT, a clay-animated series of thirteen eight-minute episodes. The episodes are based on fables from around the world including those of Jean de la Fontaine and Joel Chandler Harris. (Disney adapted some of Harris' Brer Rabbit stories in SONG OF THE SOUTH.)

Fox Family Channel, which was launched on August 15, 1998 when Fox took over the Family Channel, has
announced its fall schedule. The schedule includes four new animated
series: WEIRD-OHS is about three kids uncovering the mysteries of life;
KIDS FROM ROOM 402, based on the book, GRACIE GRAVES AND THE KIDS FROM ROOM
402 by Betty Paraskevas, is about a classroom of ten year old eccentrics;
ANGELA ANACONDA, a cut-out style animated series, is about an eight year
old girl and her elementary school problems; and MEGA BABIES, revolves

John Kricfalusi, creator
of Nickelodeon's THE REN AND STIMPY SHOW, returns to television with two
long-awaited half-hour specials featuring Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and their
nemesis, Ranger Smith. In BOO BOO RUNS WILD, Yogi's pal Boo Boo transforms
from a law-abiding cave dweller to Jellystone Park's greatest menace. Yogi
must save his buddy before Ranger Smith stops Boo Boo for good. A DAY IN
THE LIFE OF RANGER SMITH follows Ranger Smith on his daily routine as he
attempts to enforce ridiculous rules and regulations on Mother Nature.

San Francisco-based Wild Brain, Inc. has joined with Munich-based EM.TV &
Merchandising to co-produce POOCHINI'S YARD, a 26-episode series based on
Wild Brain's short, A DOG CARTOON. Wild Brain will manage all creative
aspects of the series which begins production this summer. Distribution
rights are planned to be split between domestic for Wild Brain, and
international for EM.TV. Wild Brain's credits include FERNGULLY 2: THE
MAGICAL RESCUE, and current productions THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY &